Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli told TV Guide that Maksim Chmerkovskiy underwent Dancing with the Stars 5’s biggest transformation, thanks to his partner, Melanie Brown. Tonioli said, "She changed him! Talk about girl power? That is girl power!" Tonioli added that, despite the upbeat air Maks was putting on for the press when talking about his second place finish, "He’s devastated."
In case any Maks fans need cheering up today, OK! Magazine’s website has a picture of Maks wearing only a towel.
A poll at People.com wants to know if you think the right person won this season of Dancing with the Stars.
Now it’s time to get worked up about the casting for DwtS 6. Marie Osmond says that producers have talked to her brother, Donny, about competing on the show (Noooo!). And MOIB reader Amy noted in the Finale Results thread that Derek Hough told TMZ he may be paired with Florence Henderson. I’d love to see Derek make the finals, and that won’t happen if he’s paired with 73-year-old Mrs. Brady.
An article at Zap2It notes that, even if the writers strike ended today, most scripted shows wouldn’t go back into production until 2008. That’s good news for reality show production houses like Endemol, who stand to reap major rewards from a prolonged shutdown.
In other reality show news, Simon Cowell is looking to unite the winners of national versions of the Got Talent franchise for a World’s Got Talent competition.
Ahead of tonight’s episode of Project Runway, here’s a TV Guide interview with auf’d designer, Marion Lee.
This UPI article mentions what shows the 2008 presidential candidates watch, in between their seemingly daily debates on CNN. Barack Obama has the good taste to watch The Wire, the fourth season of which comes out on DVD December 4.
Finally, the Food Network has canceled the long-running Emeril Live, although the chef will stay on with the network for special programs. First they whack Mario Batali, and now Emeril. What gives?
Helio Castroneves became the third consecutive male athlete to win Dancing with the Stars. Somewhere, Jerry Rice is demanding a recount of Season 2’s results.
After a recap of the Performance Show, special guest Celine Dion performed her hit from Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On." DwtS pros Mark & Cheryl, Alec & Edyta, and Karina & Tony danced a routine that included gorgeous spins and even a few "king of the world" moves (but, sadly, no "boat hitting an iceberg" moves).
Without dragging out the suspense too far into the show, the third place couple was then announced: Marie & Jonathan.
Marie said, "I’m so pleased to be here at my age."
This prompted Tom Bergeron to quip, "You’re in your seventies, right?" Marie laughed, the same way she does when she thinks about the working conditions of her doll-making sweatshop workers, and then she and Jonathan gave a farewell performance of their Tango.
The dramatic announcement was followed by a recap of the entire season. A nice change in the finale format was that all of the eliminated couples were brought back to dance an entire routine, instead of the 30-second snippets they’ve danced in the past. Josie Maran & Alec Mazo danced their Fox Trot, and Albert Reed & Anna Trebunskaya danced their Cha Cha Cha.
Wayne Newton & Cheryl Burke didn’t dance, because Wayne’s doctors wouldn’t allow it, due to his heart condition. Floyd Mayweather & Karina Smirnoff also chose not to dance, due to Floyd’s "grueling training camp" in preparation for an upcoming boxing match.
The still slim and trim Mark Cuban & Kym Johnson danced their Fox Trot.
Then Sabrina Bryan & Mark Ballas danced a Cha Cha Cha that wound up being the most impressive performance of the night. Not because of the dancing, but because Mark appeared to dislocate his shoulder early into the routine, but kept on dancing. He limited his arm movements as best he could and managed to make it through the whole routine without crying, passing out, or running offstage. The long standing ovation from the crowd must have been torture.
Jane Seymour & Tony Dovolani danced the Viennese Waltz, and Cameron Mathison & Edyta Sliwinska reprised their Superman Paso Doble. Fulfilling his promise to take off his shirt if he made it to the finale, Cameron took his shirt off and gave it to Samantha Harris.
In response, Drew Lachey and Bruno Tonioli — seated together to promote their show Dance War — threatened to drop their pants, but didn’t follow through, at least not on-camera. Mark Cuban was kind enough to let Cameron wear his tuxedo jacket for the remainder of the show.
Jennie Garth & Derek Hough closed out the nostalgia portion of the show by performing their Mambo.
The top two couples had one more performance each: a reprise of their own favorite routines. Mel & Maks were up first, and they danced their Mambo. The judges were thrilled, and Bruno told Mel, "Your determination, your professionalism, and your good humor is a credit to you. You’re a star."
Backstage waiting for their scores — all 10s, of course — Maks called Mel "Queen of the Floor."
Helio & Julianne did an encore performance of their The Mask-inspired Quickstep (That’s The Mask, as in the Jim Carrey movie, not the Eric Stoltz and Cher movie, Mask — though that might make for an interesting routine, too). and Julianne held Helio’s head in place for an extra long smooch at the end. The couple was honored with perfect scores as well.
After Tom made a sojourn into the audience to talk to tease Jennie about falling one last time, it was time to announce the winner.
Helio & Julianne won the trophy, thwarting hopes for a female winner for yet another season. In prior seasons, the winners have always been the couples with the best freestyle routines, and Helio & Julianne’s victory fit the pattern.
Thanks so much, everyone, for joining us this season!
Although comment posters here at MOIB seem to appreciate the Dancing with the Stars judges actually judging again, Julianne Hough did not. She told TV Guide, "It sucked the energy out of [the room]."
In the same Backstage Report, Donny Osmond agreed with Julianne: "The judges put a dark cloud over this whole show. The dancers and the celebrities were all nervous. Come on, this is the finale. Give them some encouragement."
There’s plenty of injury talk in the Backstage Report as well, raising the question: Is the Dancing with the Stars season too long? I’d be okay if they cut the season from ten weeks to eight, or if they only went to two dances per week for the last two weeks of the show.
Former DwtS contestant Paulina Porizkova has replaced Twiggy as a judge for the next season of America’s Next Top Model.
Fans of So You Think You Can Dance will be delighted to learn that Cat Deeley will host Fox’s New Year’s Eve Live countdown.
You can tell that TV writers are on strike when CBS starts hyping a special featuring Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, and Sam Waterston skiing for charity.
Speaking of the strike, a survey by the Writers Guild of America found that the average reality TV writer loses out on nearly $40,000 of overtime pay each year. 86% of reality TV writers don’t have employer-provided health insurance, either.
As promised on the most recent episode of Project Runway, Victorya Hong’s dress will be sold at Steve & Barry’s as part of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Bitten clothing line.
And one week after appearing on The Bachelor’s "After the Final Rose" special as one of the show’s few success stories, Mary Delgado socked her fiance, Bachelor Number 6 Byron Velvick, in the mouth. There’s something very comforting about the headline "Bachelor Punched In Face."
The judges finally remembered what their role on Dancing with the Stars is. Too bad this season’s finalists didn’t give them much to judge during the Freestyle Round.
Judges’ Choice Round
Melanie Brown & Maksim Chmerkovskiy — Cha Cha Cha
Mel took the floor in an outfit so skimpy, Edyta might’ve thought twice about wearing it. Okay, maybe not. But Mel looked fab, and, apart from a bizarre opening bit, their cute, fun Cha Cha set the tone for a potentially great Finale. Perhaps I was biased by my love of Rose Royce’s song "Car Wash."
Len said of the routine, "For me, one or two funny bits in it. But it was a great performance." Bruno told Mel, "Your visual impact…I tell you, stunning!" Carrie Ann said, "I thought it was really good. I was expecting just a hair more excitement."
Marie Osmond & Jonathan Roberts — Samba
Marie didn’t faint this time, but she still seemed winded, despite this Samba’s slow tempo and over-reliance on poses. She showed a flair for the shimmy, but there wasn’t much else to make the performance stand out.
Bruno told Marie, "You never fail to entertain. Technically, it wasn’t your best dance." Carrie Ann, "Your range of motion is a little bit more limited, and it kind of showed itself in this dance." Len said, "Technically, you’re not the best of our finalists. But for entertainment and fun, second to none."
Jonathan frowned and Marie uttered a disappointed, "Wow," when the judges revealed their scores. Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 24/30
Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough — Jive
Helio & Julianne dressed as bobby soxers, and the routine was very cute. Helio’s moves were pretty good. They just weren’t always in sync with Julianne’s.
When the audience finally quieted down, Carrie Ann told Helio, "It was completely exciting. But your flicks and kicks are still a bit awkward." Len, agreed: "You come out high octane…but unfortunately, so many technical problems with that. It was a disappointment." Bruno said, "The footwork wasn’t good enough, but the performance was great."
Melanie Brown & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
After their terrific first round Cha Cha Cha, this was a real letdown. Mel & Maks made a bad song choice for their freestyle: Timbaland’s "The Way I Are." It’s a cool song, but the choreography needed to overcome the song’s dirge-like feel. On top of that, the two vocalists attempting to replicate the song’s double-tracked vocals were singing in different keys.
While the routine’s (too few) tricks were good, the rest of the performance lacked excitement. Maks would’ve been better suited working a few hip-hop moves into a Latin routine, and highlighting it with several stand-out lifts.
Carrie Ann said, "While I enjoyed the routine, I think you’re better than that, and I don’t think it showcased all that you did the past couple of months." Len agreed: "For me it was just slightly disjointed here and there. But great job." Bruno told Mel, "You put in something we don’t usually see. You tried, and I think you did a good job."
Marie Osmond & Jonathan Roberts
Marie sells dolls on QVC, and as a nod to her doll-buying minions, she went all Pinocchio, while dancing to The Rolling Stones’ "Start Me Up." Jonathan used an over-sized key to wind up Marie, The Living Doll. The effect was creepy, and the gimmick enabled her to get away with doing very little dancing.
Len said the routine might’ve seemed like a good idea in rehearsal, but on the dance floor it "didn’t happen." Bruno, "This is the loopiest thing I’ve ever seen. It defies criticism. It’s not a dance." Carrie Ann tried to keep it positive: "You are a risk taker. However, I’m gonna agree with the guys. Sometimes…we just make some odd choices."
Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough
We might need a ban on televised performances to the song "Land of 1000 Dances." The choreography is limited by a literal interpretation of the song’s lyrics, which is fine for weddings and junior high swing choirs. But unless your goal is to become Master Of The Alligator or Mashed Potato World Champion (or you’re doing an homage to the ending credits of the John Candy/Dan Aykroyd film, The Great Outdoors), you probably should pick a different song.
Julianne nailed the one thing that sells any freestyle: lifts. She and Helio had the most exciting tricks — the most lifts of the night, period — so I forgave their excess of synchronized hand clapping. Tom Bergeron said Helio’s gold jumpsuit made him look like a "Brazilian Power Ranger."
Bruno called Helio, "Mr. Irresistible." Carrie Ann told him, "You’ve got technique and the entertainment factor. But you were a little rough coming out of those lifts." Len said, "Best freestyle of the night, by miles."
Leaderboard: 55 — Mel & Maks 54 — Helio & Julianne 46 — Marie & Jonathan
This week, fans got five votes per phone line or email address. I gave two votes to Mel & Maks for winning the Judges’ Choice Round, and two to Helio & Julianne for winning the Freestyle Round. And my final vote went to Mel & Maks for being the best of the finalists over the course of the season.
An article at People.com elaborated on how the winner of Dancing with the Stars 5 will be determined. The final three couples will dance two routines — freestyle and judges’ choice — at tonight’s Performance Show, and fans will vote. At the Results Show Tuesday night, one couple will be eliminated, and the top two couples will perform a routine of their choice. That routine will be scored by the judges, and the judges’ scores will be combined with the fans’ votes to determine the winner.
In the same article, Cheryl Burke says she thinks Melanie Brown should win: "When she and Maks dance they have such incredible chemistry. It’s hot and steamy and that’s what ballroom is all about."
Another dancer who agrees with Cheryl is Maksim Chmerkovskiy, naturally. He discussed his competitors in an interview with Extra, and said that he doesn’t think Marie Osmond deserves to be in the finale: "I think Jennie was better than Marie. Frankly, I think there are a lot of other people better than Marie."
Maks elaborated: "I know first hand that there are a lot of other celebrities on the show who went through somewhat similar situations this season and they decided not to make it public… we decided not to burden people with our personal issues."
One of Melanie Brown’s issues has been juggling rehearsals for the Spice Girls tour with rehearsals for DwtS, and some of the other Spice Girls are reportedly worried that Mel will be low on energy when the tour starts. The Girls might get more done during rehearsals without interruptions by Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes.
Marie Osmond’s blog has photos from last weeks’ shows. Jonathan Roberts had to practice their Mambo wearing Cameron Mathison’s Superman shirt because his own shirt with tear-away sleeves wasn’t ready until just before showtime.
Dancing with the Stars is the most-watched English-language program in Hispanic households, although its numbers pale against those of the top ten Spanish-language programs. My personal most-watched Spanish-language program is Sabado Gigante, of course.
And the end of one season of DwtS means the beginning of speculation on the next season’s participants. One of the first names being thrown out for DwtS 6? Ice Skater Kristi Yamaguchi.
The two-person teams of The Amazing Race expanded to teams of three this week: two humans and one chicken.
Teams acquired the chicken from a local tribal chief at the start of the leg. Their first clue warned them to keep their new companion until they reached the Pit Stop: "No chicken, no check in." Teams toted their surprisingly docile cluckers around in a mesh market bag.
The trios traveled approximately 100 miles by taxi to the town of Bouda Pelegtanga to find their next clue. But first Hendekea needed to make use of a public restroom. Because girls never go to the bathroom by themselves, she brought the chicken in with her.
The clue was a Detour: Shake Your Pan or Shake Your Booty. In Shake Your Pan, teams had to scoop up some mud and sift out one ounce of gold to receive their clue. It was dirty, physical work, but it had a objectively measurable goal.
In Shake Your Booty, teams had to perform a traditional dance and add their own creative moves to it in order to get a passing grade from three local judges. If the judges didn’t like their interpretation, the team had to wait ten minutes before receiving their clue.
Jennifer & Nate reached Shake Your Booty first, and TK & Rachel and Azaria & Hendekea arrived in time to watch their performance. Africa’s answer to Simon Cowell told Jennifer & Nate, "No creativity," and sent them to wait out their penalty.
After receiving some instructions from a costumed dancer, TK & Rachel decided they’d have better luck mining for gold. Azaria & Hendekea then went ahead with their performance and got a passing grade. They received their clue when Jennifer & Nate still had 4:47 minutes left to wait.
Even had TK & Rachel tried to dance and failed, they would’ve only been five minutes behind the lead team. Instead, they wandered around trying to find the location for Shake Your Pan, during which time Jen & Nate got their clue.
TK & Rachel reached the gold mining station to see Nick & Don leaving it, clue in hand. Nick told them mining for gold was "easy," which was true for them, since Don had some mining experience. But the dismayed hippies scooped up a few worthless pebbles at a time and realized that they’d made a big mistake.
Back over at Shake Your Booty, Ronald & Christina were penalized for an over-reliance on The Bump in their performance. Kynt wowed the judges with some impressive — and utterly predictable — baton-twirling skills. And Shana’s & Jennifer’s impressions of lazy pole dancers were rewarded with a clue seconds after TK & Rachel finally turned in their ounce of gold.
Eighth place team Jason & Lorena were absent through all of this because they left the Pit Stop almost 90 minutes behind the seventh team to leave (Shana & Jennifer). And since the first seven teams left within forty minutes of each other, it looked like a tall order for Jason & Lorena to catch up.
Adding to Jason & Lorena’s disadvantage, Shana & Jennifer used this season’s new screw-your-opponents tool, called a U-Turn. The U-Turn allows one team to send another back to complete the Detour task that they initially skipped.
The top five teams decided not to use the U-Turn, but Shana logically insisted that they seize the opportunity to knock physical threats Jason & Lorena out of the race, assuming that this was an elimination leg. Jennifer consented, although she worried about race karma coming back to bite them.
After the U-Turn, teams took a taxi to a goat market to find their next clue: a Roadblock in which one team member had to load various items, including a "potentially uncooperative goat," onto a bicycle and deliver the supplies to a specific vendor. The wobbly bike was annoying, but not as annoying as trying to navigate the crowded market stalls without speaking the local language.
The task especially freaked out Rachel, who got lost after delivering her supplies. Meanwhile, her partner TK took the opportunity to go all self-righteous about the U-Turn on the already guilt-ridden Jennifer, while Shana was doing the Roadblock: "I probably wouldn’t have made that decision."
The other Jennifer displayed a similar lack of bad manners at the Pit Stop, when she and partner Nate were narrowly beaten to the mat by Azaria & Hendekea. Jennifer said, "I wanna come in first. We just really want it bad, and I just feel like everyone should get their time, and they’ve already had their time two times before this."
Jennifer appeared to regret the statement, after Hendekea said it would have felt wrong to just let another team beat them in a competition for $1 million. But I’m sure Azaria & Hendekea will give Jen’s words some consideration when they’re zipping around on the motor scooters they won for finishing first.
Shana & Jennifer reached the mat sixth, TK & Rachel seventh, and Jason & Lorena last, as expected. It was an elimination leg, and the dating couple was sent packing. Lorena said that the race taught her not to be in such a rush to get married. Given Jason’s statement that "there’s some kind of confinement within a marriage," she’s probably going to be waiting a long time.
Next week, Ronald falls off some stilts, and Shana & Jennifer back their car in front of an oncoming bus.
After being eliminated from DwtS last night, Jennie Garth wrote in her blog, "I hate to say it, but I knew this was coming." She continued, "My only regret is that Derekdidn’t make it to the finals alongside his sister Julianne."
Derek Hough told TV Guide that he wasn’t surprised by the results either: "You can’t stop the juggernaut [Marie Osmond], so we knew this was probably our time."
Jennie’s husband, Peter Facinelli, had some sweet quotes about his wife in the same TV Guide article. With their affectionate relationship and super cute daughters, I bet the couple is already fielding offers to star in their own reality show.
According to People’s DwtS: What You Didn’t See article, "The Juggernaut" was so excited when she learned that she and Jonathan Roberts would be moving on to the finals that she ran over and kissed Bruno Tonioli on the lips.
Yahoo! has a gallery of photos from last night’s Results Show, while ABC News has some cute pictures of the Hough siblings as little kids.
Speaking of little kids, Joey McIntyre’s wife, Barrett, gave birth to a baby boy on Tuesday.
And Wayne Newton’s doctor has given him medical clearance to participate in the Dancing with the Stars tour, although he’ll presumably still sit out next week’s finale.
Since Survivor is a clip show this week, I’ll be taking a break from posting for the next few days. See you Sunday night with a recap of The Amazing Race. Happy Thanksgiving!
At the beginning of Dancing with the Stars‘ fifth season, I never would’ve pegged Marie Osmond as a finalist.
The DwtS Results Show began with a recap of the Semifinal performances. Florence Henderson was sitting in the studio audience again, so I’m guessing we’ll see Mrs. Brady dance next season.
The judges gave their encore to Jennie & Derek for what Len Goodman called their "breakthrough" ChaChaCha. This time, I think Jennie & Derek might’ve even added a few extra spins at the end of the routine.
The encore was followed by the first performance of the night by musical guest Avril Lavigne. She sang her new song, "Hot," and while the number didn’t feature any dancers, Avril did have a star in her backing band: Jim, the rhythm guitarist from the Rock Star House Band. His wicked, high-pitched backing vocals in this rendition of Heart’s "Alone" was one of my favorite moments from that series.
After the performance, Samantha Harris (TV’s best reason to give the striking writers anything they want, so long as we don’t have to hear Samantha ad lib anymore) asked all of the stars how they would feel to be eliminated one week before the finals. Marie said, "You’ll have to drag me out of here," and Helio agreed: "It would be devastating."
Video of last night’s studio audience, which included some of the cast from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, was next. One of the Makeover artists liked Jennie, while another preferred Helio.
Then it was time to announce the first couple moving on to the finale: Marie & Jonathan. Marie told Samantha, "We have the best fans in the world."
The evening’s high point was another feature by Kenny Mayne, this time on what happens when the stars become addicted to dancing. In the comedic segment, Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Laila Ali, and Tucker Carlson participated in a group therapy session at "Happy Thoughts Dance Rehab." Laila and Tucker sported some oddly placed sequins, while Lisa wore garish blue eyeshadow.
Harry stole the bit with a Gary Busey-inspired performance, but Tucker had a good line: "You could cut me into pieces, and each piece would still have dance within it." Lisa was also funny, begging the therapist: "I want to stop this tanning addiction. It’s staining my hands. I’m afraid it’s toxic."
As if things couldn’t get any better, it was time for Irish dancing legend, Michael Flatley. He lead a troop of male dancers who were all dressed as pilots. Flatley did some of his signature inhumanly fast footwork, and the studio audience went berserk.
Another pretaped segment featured members of the media who cover DwtS. Mark McGrath of Extra said, "Tom Bergeron might be the greatest live host of all time." Dayna Devon explained why Extra repeatedly aired footage of Marie fainting: "It was good television, unfortunately."
That segment was followed by the most anticipated performance of the evening. Sabrina Bryan & Mark Ballas returned to promote the DwtS tour, and they danced a Rumba, as Avril Lavigne sang her hit "Complicated." The routine was passionate and featured tons of great lifts and tricks. Had they the opportunity to perform this dance as a Freestyle in the finale, the mirrorball trophy might’ve been theirs.
A final prerecorded segment asked the stars what special trait they brought to the competition. Jennie said, "Realness." Marie: "Wisdom." Mel: "Fun." Helio: "Energy."
Mel & Maks were then announced as the next couple moving on to the finals, leaving Jennie & Derek and Helio & Julianne waiting to learn their fates. Tom asked Len which couple should move on, and Len replied, "Neither of these should be leaving tonight. However, if I’ve gotta pick one, for their more consistent performance, I’d have to say Julianne & Helio should be there next week."
Jennie & Derek looked prepared for bad news, and Tom gave it to them. Helio was moving on, and Jennie was eliminated.
Jennie said, "I had such a great time." And Derek added, "I would not have wanted this experience with anybody else." They danced off into the sunset to the refrain of Jon BonJovi’s "Blaze of Glory."
For Monday’s final Performance Show, the judges choose one dance style for each couple, and then the couples design their own Freestyle routine. Mercifully, the show is only an hour long, ahead of the gargantuan two-hour final Results Show.
Even if I didn’t have the foresight to predict that Marie would make it to the finals, at least I was right about her beating Jennie. You can revisit my well-reasoned — and completely inaccurate — preseason predictions here.
In her latest blog post, Jennie Garth is psyched about her high scoring performances in the Dancing with the Stars semifinals. About her Tango, Jennie says, "I felt crisp and sharp and clean, and I enjoyed it." And after earning a perfect score for her Cha Cha Cha, she says, "I feel like I’m a Latin dancer!"
Former 90210-er Shannen Doherty explained to People why Jennie gets nervous during the performance shows: "We’re TV actors. We’re not used to performing live. We do takes and we get to mess up and we know that we’re going to have another take where we get to be perfect."
According to TV Guide’s Backstage Report, Celine Dion is eager to be a contestant on DwtS, if her busy performing schedule can accommodate it. Please, crazy Celine Dion, find a way!
MTV is bringing another dance competition show to the air. Tentatively titled — with good reason — Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew, the show sounds like a cross between Dance War and So You Think You Can Dance.
The Apprentice and its quasi-celebrity cast will hit the airwaves on Thursday, January 3 at 9 ET, although their stay in that slot might be temporary should the strike end and production on The Office resume.
Reality Blurred reports that the cast for The Apprentice was actually announced last month in a press conference, but news outlets kept the list secret at NBC’s request, even though contestants had already been seen in public participating in tasks for the show. So much for independent media.
In a TV Guide interview, Reaper’s Tyler Labine says this of his devilish costar, Ray Wise: "He is probably the coolest man alive. He’s got this big Cheshire Cat grin and he stands around chewing his gum with his crazy white teeth and his L.A. tan."
TV Guide also interviewed the latest Survivor eliminated, Frosti, who says a romance with Courtney was never on his mind: "You’re in the jungle, starving, dirty, surrounded by crazy people who dig graves [James] and serve lunch [Denise]."
On this week’s Dancing with the Stars Performance Show, the judges awarded perfect scores to five of the eight dances, and even the worst performance got a 27. As host Tom Bergeron said in the closing minutes, "Just a quick shout out to paddles one through eight: no camera time. Sorry about that."
Ballroom Round
Marie Osmond & Jonathan Roberts — Quickstep
In her rehearsal footage, Marie joked, "I think what I have that the other three competitors don’t have is age."
Marie and Jonathan danced to "Good Morning," from Singing in the Rain. Marie smiled throughout the performance, even taking some time to point playfully at the judges. It was one of Marie’s best performances to date, coming when she most needed it.
Len told her, "You bring so much joy and entertainment to this show. You are the most entertaining of all the celebrities. I thought that was perfect." Bruno felt the dance had "plenty of content." And Carrie Ann said, "That was wonderful. It was a completely different approach."
When Bruno announced his score, Marie said, "All the boos are coming from my brothers."
Melanie Brown & Maksim Chmerkovskiy — Viennese Waltz
Mel and Maks danced to Queen’s "Somebody to love." It was a great song choice, and Maks occasionally mouthed the words as he danced. It was a beautiful dance that showed off Mel at her best. The performance managed to be cute, romantic, dynamic, and athletic — what with Mel’s cool splits near the end.
Bruno called it "fast, precise, and sexy. I’ve never seen a sexy Viennese Waltz before." Carrie Ann said, "I know I’ve been tough to win over, but you just keep surprising me." Len liked the routine’s "clever choreography. I love Queen, and you’re gonna be Queen B from now on!"
Jennie Garth & Derek Hough — Tango
Jennie said she’s been torn between the show and spending time with her kids. So she took the kids to Disneyland and danced with Mickey in front of Cinderella Castle.
Derek choreographed a dense dance, with a lot of content and plenty of moves to remember. It was hard to tell if Jennie’s serious face was her Tango look or her concentration look. She gave a solid performance with what seemed a tough dance.
Carrie Ann had mixed feelings: "You were so focused and so powerful. I didn’t really feel the chemistry." Len disagreed, saying, "It had passion and it had energy." Bruno was impressed by the "very, very intricate choreography."
Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough — Fox Trot
Wearing a forest green tux, Helio danced a Fox Trot to "Ain’t That a Kick in the Head." It’s always a pleasant surprise when the music choices make sense for the dance, and this was a great song for a very good, very enjoyable performance. Except for one little stutter-step in the middle, Helio nailed it — even with Julianne’s sleeve hitting him in the face once or twice.
Len the Inscrutable said, "Last week you were the banana, this week you’re the gherkin. It was beautiful." Bruno threatened that "if you don’t make the final, I’m going to eat my boot." Carrie Ann congratulated Julianne, telling her, "You did such a great job with his technique."
Before the next round of dances, we were treated to some footage from "Len’s Masterclass" with each of the couples. He arrived at the rehearsal studio in the official Dancing with the Stars helicopter:
With Marie, Len worked on hip action. With Helio, his feet. With Jennie, her arms. And with Mel, Len worked on her sharpness. Len briefly scared Mel when he commanded her to "Look into my eyes!"
Latin Round
Marie Osmond & Jonathan Roberts — Mambo
This dance wasn’t as good as their first of the night. It was more camp than content, which is often a sign that the choreographer is trying to cover up his partner’s deficiencies. With Marie, it’s sometimes hard to tell, though, since she treads the line between competent and campy so easily. At the end of the performance, Marie vaulted into brothers’ arms.
Bruno called it a "Madcap Mambo. You lost your foot about five times, though." Carrie Ann said, "I was waiting for the confetti cannons and the pyro." Len told Marie, "Your hips were working. Hook you up to the national grid and you could light up Hollywood."
Melanie Brown & Maksim Chmerkovskiy — Paso Doble
For her Paso, Mel sported a dark red catsuit with a half-skirt on the back. Oh, and she was also brandishing a whip for the first several seconds of the dance. Dancing to the Rolling Stones’ classic bullfighting anthem, "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction," Mel performed a pretty fierce Paso.
Carrie Ann asked herself, "How do you top perfection? Well, you just did!" Len sang, "You can whip me if I misbehave." And Bruno proclaimed, "Mel B: Satisfaction guaranteed!"
Jennie Garth & Derek Hough — Cha Cha Cha
Jennie wore a cute, short dress, as she and Derek danced to "Mustang Sally." It looked to me like she was still making some of the minor mistakes with her arms that Len had warned her about in his Masterclass. But other than that, she did a great job. She had more of a connection with Derek. There were some nice spins and back bend at the end. And, best of all, she looked relaxed and confident for the first time in weeks.
Len told Jennie, "What I thought was great was to see how you’ve developed as a dancer." Bruno said, "You’ve done it. You’ve got the star power!" And Carrie Ann thought "it finally all came together. That was fantastic!"
Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough — Cha Cha Cha
Dressed all in red, Helio and Julianne danced to "Love Rollercoaster." Their mimickry of a rollercoaster at the beginning of the performance was a a little hokey; luckily, they’re cute enough to get away with cheesy stuff like that. It was a good performance, but in the middle section of the routine, it looked to me like Julianne was doing most of the dancing.
Bruno said, "That was eye-popping vibrance, full of razzmatazz" Carrie Ann praised both dancers: "You are a star. And Julianne…you are fantastic out there." And Len made some inept analogies about the Super Bowl before saying, "The standard has been fantastic. You are the standout couple for me tonight."
Leaderboard: 60 — Helio & Julianne and Mel & Maks 58 — Jennie & Derek 56 — Marie & Jonathan
My votes went to Mel and Jennie tonight. Marie is undoubtedly a good dancer, but she’s just not up to the same speed as the other celebrities. Helio’s dancing is good enough to qualify him for the finals, but Julianne has dominated most of their rehearsal and interview segments (and sometimes their dances, too). Though he seems really nice and likable, I don’t feel as though I know Helio as well as I know Mel, Jennie, or Marie, so I’m not as invested in seeing him win.
My Ox Is Broken 