A big night on Dancing with the Stars as the Top 4 perform two dances each.
Jason and Edyta start the show with a foxtrot to ‘Let’s call the Whole Thing Off.” Very cute. They judges love it and give them a 28.
Marissa and Tony are doing the rumba and quickstep tonight, and their quickstep is first. They did alright, but Marissa missed a jete and they only get a 26/30.
Cristian and Cheryl do a Viennese waltz next and get a 27. Very romantic.
Kristi and Mark will tango and jive tonight – but not at the same time. The tango is first and they get a 29 for the top score so far.
Jason and Edyta do their paso doble to begin the second half of the show. The judges like his attitude and give them a 27/30.
Marissa and Tony rumba next. The judges aren’t blown away (neither was I) and they get a 26.
Cristian and Cheryl nail their samba: 29/30. The best of the night in my opinion.
Kristi and Mark finish the night with a great jive, but not their best. They get a 28.
The totals for the night are:
Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska – 55
Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani - 52
Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke - 56
Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas – 57
Get your votes in. Who will stay and who will go?
Bye Mario! - Wednesday, 07 May 2008 2:40 EDT
It was Dancing with the Star’s 100th show last night, and Mario was the star sent home. He had been flirting with the bottom for a couple weeks and just must not have had the support from the home audience. That leaves only 4 couples left! More importantly, where were the Ballroom kids last night?
See you next week!
Top 5 - Tuesday, 06 May 2008 5:55 EDT
I'm on vacation this week, so here is the recap from our friends at BuddyTV.com:
Week 8 of Dancing with the Stars began tonight with another night of ballroom and Latin routines. This week, for the first time in Dancing with the Stars history, the teams are allowed to perform one lift per routine.
Last week, Cristian de la Fuente sustained a serious arm injury in the middle of his samba, but he managed to work through his ruptured tendon to please the judges. Read on to find out how he and the other remaining celebrity dancers fared tonight.
Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke - 57
Tango. Cristian and Cheryl had the tango first. Cheryl managed to choreograph a clever tango that minimized the use of his right arm. They even managed to do a lift. The judges were wildly impressed, giving him great scores, but personally, I thought it was a bit tame. Scores: 10+9+9=28.
Mambo. Cristian donned a glittery arm brace for the mambo. Cristian and Cheryl's second performance of the night was much more animated and stylish than the first, and the judges rewarded them with an even better score. This marks the first time Cristian has been at the top of the leaderboard. Scores: 10+9+10=29.
Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas - 55
Quickstep. In second place for the second week in a row, Kristi and Mark started the night with a high-scoring quickstep. The judges were hugely impressed with the dynamic range of the performance and how Kristi was able to transition from slow, sassy steps to the fast-paced glides. The routine was technically flawless, and scored a nearly perfect 29. Scores: 9+10+10=29.
Samba. Kristi and Mark faltered a bit in their second performance. Again, Kristi was technically perfect, however, Kristi looked a little bit out of her element. She looked awkward and a tad gawky, definitely not as at ease as she usually is. Scores: 8+9+9=26.
Mario and Karina Smirnoff - 53
Viennese waltz. Normally, Mario is criticized by the judges for not being a smooth, elegant dancer, (or, as Len said tonight, "Like Britney Spears getting out of a car") but not tonight. The judges had nothing but positive feedback tonight. Scores: 9+9+9=27.
Jive. Although I originally thought that the jive was not a Latin dance, wikipedia tells me otherwise. Who knew? Mario normally thrives in the fast-paced, bouncy styles, but he was felled tonight by sloppy footwork. Scores: 9+8+9=26.
Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska - 52
Tango. Coming off of his fabulous paso doble from last week, Jason wowed the judges with another great performance. Although Len spouted some incomprehensible stuff about his tango being more Argentine than his taste would allow, Jason shined as expected with the lifts as well. Scores: 10+9+10=29.
Samba. The same style that made Kristi and Mark lose their luster also gave Jason and Edyta some trouble. The samba is a very difficult style, and Jason looked like he was concentrating too much while he danced. The huge lift he performed at the end, holding Edyta vertically upside while turning, could have been a big hit if it weren't executed so sloppily. Scores: 8+7+8=23.
Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani - 50
Foxtrot. Although Marissa and Tony ended up at the bottom of the leaderboard, I truly thought that their performances was the most entertaining of the evening. Marissa has truly bloomed into a competent andd sassy dancer. She is truly an entertainer and a joy to watch. Scores: 9+8+8=25.
Mambo. Their second performance was slightly worse technically, but still entertaining. Len wanted some more raunchiness from Marissa, which I'm not sure she's capable of, but it was still a solid performance. Scores: 8+8+9=25.
Get your votes in! - Jeff
Double the Fun! - Tuesday, 29 April 2008 8:20 EDT
Tonight on Dancing with the Stars, the top 6 performed two numbers – a ballroom and a Latin dance. I always love this week to see who can handle learning two dances in one week and who struggles!
Here is the recap and scores if you missed it:
Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani start off the show with a Tango. Crisp movements and the judges approve: 27 points.
Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani perform their Viennese waltz next. They get criticized for it being light on difficulty. 25 out of 30 from the judges.
Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas also do the Viennese waltz. I was impressed, but the judges only give her a 28! Kristi’s first score of less than 9 in the whole show!
Mario and Karina Smirnoff are next with the foxtrot. Solid, but they only get a 24 for their efforts.
Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough try to tango away their issues and do it! The judges love it and give them a 27!
Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska complete the first round of dances with the quickstep. The judges are swept away with it and give them a 29!
Now for the Latin Dances:
Marissa and Tony Rumba their way to a 25, giving them a total of 52 for the night.
Cristian and Cheryl try to samba next but struggle: we have a real injury – Cristian hurt his arm! Much to the audience’s dislike, they only get a 21 for a 46 on the night.
Kristi and Mark cha cha next and Kristi really shakes it! The judges are impressed and give them another 28 – 54 on the night for them.
Mario and Karina score a triple nine for their mambo – that gives them a total of 51.
Shannon and Derek do their mambo next. Three eights for a total of 24 – tied with Mario and Karina with 51 for the night.
Jason and Edyta complete the night with the paso doble. The football routine is a hit (I love that music) and they get a 26 for 55 for the night.
Only 3 Weeks Left until the final! Get your picks for the week in now!
Oh Marlee, I will miss thee... - Wednesday, 23 April 2008 6:05 EDT
Bummer. For the second straight week, the lowest point total got voted off. It was Marlee this week. Not to dwell on it, but I still find it amazing how she was able to perform really well without hearing the music. Mario was the other star in the bottom two even though they scored really well last night. Tune in next week for more action on Dancing with the Stars!
Top 7! - Tuesday, 22 April 2008 7:16 EDT
We are really at the pointy end of the competition now! This week the Stars perform two dances, one with their partner as well as a group number. Here we go!
Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska begin the show with the cha cha. The judges are impressed and they get three 8s for a total of 24.
Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough do their samba next. Great chemistry, but they could work on technique. The judges also give them a 24.
Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez struggle with their mambo next even though Fabian is a former world champ! Marlee looks out of step and they only get a 21 from the judges.
Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke do the foxtrot tonight and improve on last week – a lot! The judges praise his footwork and give him a 27! Looks like he has been working hard to stay out of the bottom two!
Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani do the Viennese waltz and look great. The judges give them a 26. Everyone is really stepping up tonight!
Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas do a fast paced jive next. All I can say is: wow. The judges must agree – the first 30 of the year!
Mario and Karina Smirnoff close the couples portion of the evening with a rumba. What is Karina wearing? They really work the sexy angle, and even though they do an illegal lift, they get a 28. Amazing!
The group number is a big country group dance. Everyone has their solos with different levels of success. The judges don’t vote for this – it is just to influence the public vote. Lots of lifts!
That is it for this week. Will your favorite star stay on another week? Who do you think will go?
So Long Priscilla - Wednesday, 16 April 2008 0:43 EDT
I was trying to think of a clever Elvis song title I could use for the headline, but am stuck. Either way, Priscilla's Dancing with the Stars journey ended last night. I am sorry to see her go. She started out so strong the first couple weeks, I really thought she had a chance. It just shows that you don't want to end up with the lowest score for the week any more! See you next week!
Latin Night! - Tuesday, 15 April 2008 6:45 EDT
Welcome back for the 5th week of dancing on Dancing with the Stars. We'll keep it short and sweet this week. It’s ‘Latin’ night so everyone will be performing either the Samba or Rumba. Should be fun!
Mario and Karina Smirnoff are up first with their Samba. The judges think is was their best ever and give them a 27.
Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel start off the Rumbas. The judges say she was thinking about her moves to much. 21/30. Ouch.
Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani get into the Samba spirit during their rehearsals and are rewarded with a 24 for their performance.
Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke rumba next, and Christian isn’t sexy enough for the judges. 23/30.
Marlee and Fabian are next and Marlee struggles a bit with the fast dancing of the samba. 22 from the judges.
Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas rumba next and Kristi finally shows the emotion that the judges have been wanting. They do a great job and get a 29.
Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are next and even though Derek was sick and Shannon didn’t shake enough for the judges, they still get a 23.
Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska finish the evening with a solid performance – but not as good as last week. 27/30.
The competition is definitely getting tighter. Who will go tonight?
A long good-bye for Adam... - Wednesday, 09 April 2008 4:28 EDT
63 minutes to say good-bye was a little long. They did fill it with Cheryl Crow and some other segments, but the end was never really in question. To be honest, I'm surprised that Adam made it as long as he did! Tune in next week to see if Priscilla can bounce back! See you then!
Top Nine Stars Shine! - Tuesday, 08 April 2008 5:53 EDT
A big night last night on Dancing with the Stars as the stars and their partners tackled the paso doble Viennese waltz.
Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas started the night with their pasa doble. The judges love them (again) and Kristi even showed the judges some emotion they said she was missing last week. They reward her with an almost perfect score: 29 / 30!
Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel were up next with their Vieneese waltz. They look stunning and the judges give them a 22. Did they get points off for the ‘illegal’ lift?
Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough do a Zorro inspired pasa double next. The music inspires, but the judges are not impressed. 19/30.
Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez do their Viennese waltz to Billy Joel. It is beautiful, but the judges are critical of her posture: 24/30.
Mario and Karina Smirnoff’s paso doble tonight is fast – but what was up with the music? The judges think they did better this week and give them a 24.
Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska surprise me with a fantastic Viennese waltz. The judges LOVE it. 29/30. Check it out if you didn’t see it. It is worth searching for…
Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke do their pasa doble next. Very good with amazing outfits. They get a 26 from the judges.
Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough do another amazing Vieneese waltz even though Derek had been hurt all week. Len says it was the best dance of the night, and they get a 28.
Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani close the show with their paso doble. It was a difficult routine and the judges are impressed: 24/30!
All-in-all, a great show tonight. Almost everyone really stepped up their game. Who will go tomorrow night?
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