Dancing with the Stars – The Men Take Center Stage

So we’re back with night two of the three night premier, and it’s time for the men to dance.  Let’s see how they measure up.  And with the high bar the women set last night, it won’t be easy.

Cameron Mathison & Edyta Slivinska – Fox Trot – The men were off to a great start with this routine.  And I don’t just mean Edyta’s dress. That was a classy Fox Trot. The judges commented on how stiff Cameron was. Maybe I was more distracted by that dress then I thought I was since I missed that. Still, the judges did seem to be happy.
Score: Carrie Ann – 7 Len – 7 Bruno – 7 Total – 21  That’s about what I expected based on the mixed but mostly positive comments.

Floyd Mayweather & Karina Smirnoff – Cha Cha – So, we’ve got another Hip Hop inspired Cha Cha going on here. After the beginning, they did finally get down to some Cha Cha, but even before the judges started talking, I bet it was too little too late. Additionally, he also spent too much time watching his partner dance. When will the guys figure out they can’t get away with that? None of the judges actually talked about that, but they did talk about the need to channel his energy. Was that a polite way of saying "We didn’t love the beginning?" Or am I just trying to justify my own opinion?
Score: Carrie Ann – 6 Len – 6 Bruno – 6 Total – 18  Higher then the women’s low.  Again, this matched my opinion of the dance.  Am I actually getting in tune with the judges? I doubt it, but we’ll see.

Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough – Fox Trot – I’m discovering how much I truly love the Fox Trot this season. Again, a smooth and flowing Fox Trot that looked fantastic. And I guess the fact that I didn’t find any flaws wasn’t because of my untrained eye. The judges praised it, too. I’ve been looking for a guy to root for, and I think I may have found one.
Score: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 9 Bruno – 8 Total – 25  So far, this is the highest score for the guys.  I think I was expecting a little better score on this one.  But it is still a strong first week score.

Albert Reed & Anna Trebunskaya – Cha Cha – I could tell from the pre-dance interview that this couple would be the fun couple, and I was right. That was lots of fun. Not exactly a good Cha Cha, but lots of fun. Heck, it made Carrie Ann speechless. But she is also the only one who pointed out what I thought.  Very fun, but with technical flaws.
Score: Carrie Ann – 7 Len – 7 Bruno – 7 Total – 21  Higher then I would have given it, even from Carrie Ann

Mark Cuban & Kym Johnson – Fox Trot – Was Mark was actually singing along with the music? That would so be me. Another fun Fox Trot, but it seemed like the weakness one of the night. I agree with Carrie Ann, it was a great show but needed some technique work. Again, I missed most of the actual missteps, but it did feel a bit off to me. And Mark hanging his tongue out? Me again. And of course, we’ve got the same name. I don’t think he’ll go far, but I am going to have to root for him, too.  Hopefully he’ll surprise me.
Score: Carrie Ann – 7 Len – 7 Bruno – 7 Total – 21  I pretty much agree with this one. Maybe a point or two difference is all. Hope he improves because I think I’ll enjoy watching him each week.

Wayne Newton & Cheryl Burke – Cha Cha – I must admit, this is the man I have been looking forward to most. I’m not a fan, but I’m interested to see how he does. And there’s the added attraction of Cheryl.  She’s been charmed with great partners. Will it hold? Well, I’d say her luck has run out. Wayne looked stiff and his nerves definitely came through. Then again, maybe Len’s comment about how Wayne was doing more basic moves instead of the show and dazzle of the others explains my reaction. Either way, unless he starts improving quickly, I’m afraid he will be eliminated during the first half of the season.
Score: Carrie Ann – 6 Len -7 Bruno – 6 Total – 19  Interesting that both of the men’s scores that were under 20 were both on the Cha Cha.

As an aside, I loved that exchange between Cheryl and Drew. "Wayne may be the best partner I’ve had on the show." I’m sure that was planned, but Drew’s reaction was priceless.

The judges’ rankings for the men:
1. Helio
2 (tie). Cameron
2 (tie). Albert
2 (tie). Mark
5. Wayne
6. Floyd

And the twelve couples ranked together:
1. Sabrina
2. Helio
3 (tie). Mel
3 (tie). Jane
5 (tie). Jennie
5 (tie). Marie
5 (tie). Cameron
5 (tie). Albert
5 (tie). Mark
10. Wayne
11. Floyd
12. Josie

Obviously, 21 was the score of round one with 5 of the 12 couples getting that.

Rather then do my rankings tonight, I’m going to skip straight to who I think will go. Obviously, the bottom three all have a good chance of leaving. Models traditionally don’t last long because they have a smaller fan base, so Josie is in serious danger. I think Wayne is safe this week because of his many fans from his lifetime of entertaining. And I think Floyd will stay around as well. With only a 5 point lead at the moment, Albert could also be in danger since the model rule of thumb will apply to him. And since Mark is a businessman and not an entertainer of any sort, his fan base will be small, which could end his dancing days sooner rather then later. Then again, since he owns a sports team, those fans might vote for him.

I think Josie will probably be the first to go. She had the weakest dance of the round and potentially has the weakest fan base.

Having seen all the dancers, who do you think will go home first?  Who should go home?