Dancing with the Stars – Hip Hop and a Guest Judge

Tonight should be very interesting. Not only do we have the group dance (old school hip hop. Cloris will be a hoot.) but we’ve got Lord of the Dance Michael Flatley sitting in for Len. I can hardly wait to see how he reacts to the performances.

Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke – Viennese Waltz – I don’t know what Maurice was so concerned about after the rehearsals. Yes, he did look stiff a couple times, but on the whole this was a smooth, romantic dance. An elegant way to start things off. On the judge’s side of things, we started with Michael who thought it was beautiful but stiff a couple times. Carrie Ann said it lacked chemistry. And Bruno said it lacked fluidity. So they didn’t quite like it as much as I did.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 7 Michael – 7 Bruno – 7 Total – 21 I think I would have given it an 8, but this is probably a good score. And I’m going to guess that Michael won’t be throwing the scores off too much if this is any indication.

Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer – Jive – If Lance mentions one more time that he was labeled as the worst dancer of N’Sync, I think I’m going to scream. Especially after a performance like this one. That had the classic Jive stuff I love like fast steps and intricate footwork. Heck, he even slid a couple times on purpose without falling. And yes, the judges loved it, too. Michael even read my mind and told him to quit with the self doubt.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Michael – 9 Bruno – 9 Total – 27 Two weeks ago, he was this high. Then he fell last week. Now he’s back on top, at least for now. But he should be near the top when the other five stars have gone.

Susan Lucci & Tony Dovolani – Mambo – I think Susan just needs to face it. She’s a good dancer, but she just isn’t going to be able to break out of that box. This was a better and fun routine. But it wasn’t nearly as dynamic as the others we’ve seen so far tonight. Yes, even Maurice’s. And I’m sure that spot where their hands didn’t connect like they should have won’t help. Carrie Ann disagreed with me, saying that Susan broke the box. Bruno said, however, that Susan lost the timing multiple times. Michael said it was intoxicating, and despite a few timing issues that aren’t worth dwelling on, she did brilliantly. The scores on this one should be interesting.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Michael – 8 Bruno – 7 Total – 23 Only one point above last week. And even after Carrie Ann and Bruno’s huge disagreement, they were only one point apart. I find the scoring to be so funny at time for that very reason.

Brooke Burke & Derek Hough – Rumba – And we’ve got another injury this season. Brooke has a tendon strain that cut their rehearsal time. I’m guessing we won’t even notice, but we’ll just have to see. At least it’s not a fast dance. As I said, Brooke has an injured foot? That was remarkable. Hot, sexy, and perfect as far as I could tell. I didn’t even see a brace on her foot. And her heels were impossibly high. I wouldn’t have even tried it in those heels with an uninjured foot. (Okay, so I’m a guy. But that’s not my point, okay?) Michael said it took his breath away, especially since they never broke eye contact. Carrie Ann, on the other hand, thought the injury did hold her back slightly. Bruno, too, said she was under par. I’m guessing that Michael will give it a 10, but I’m not quite sure how the other two will score it.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Michael – 10 Bruno – 8 Total – 26 I’m in Michael’s camp on this one. And this is one of the first times I remember a break like this in the scores without the middle number being present, too. Anyway, not sure what I missed because I thought it was great. And this is the only time that Michael seemed to be pretty far from the others as far as score goes. But I agree with him, so it’s all good.

Cloris Leachman & Corky Ballas – Cha Cha – Remind me again how Cloris has stayed in the competition this long? She is so stiff it’s pathetic. And they missed some steps tonight, too. Then there was the lift. I’m definitely with Bruno, Cloris is the only person who can sell that kind of nonsense as a Cha Cha that people will buy. Michael was wishy washy at best. But Carrie Ann said exactly what I was thinking. “We lost Toni, a good dancer, for this.” Yep, the audience booed. But she was 100% correct.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 5 Michael – 5 Bruno – 5 Total – 15 Even with that, I think the judges were too generous. Maybe this will be the week that Cloris finally goes?

Cody Linley & Julianne Hough – Samba – Julianne was sick this week (I’m guessing a bug, but we didn’t find out for sure.), so they lost practice time as well. You know, these Hough siblings sure seem to have the worst case of rivalry this season I’ve ever seen. One couple can’t have a problem without the other one having something similar. But the time off didn’t hurt their dance this week. It was sexy, high energy, and entertaining. Cody seemed to be missing bits and pieces here and there that kept it from being perfect, but it was still one of the best dances of the night, in my opinion. Carrie Ann thought it was the most passionate Samba she had seen, and she loved it. Bruno, on the other hand, thought it was too wooden, more like a Paso Doble. And tie breaker Michael said Cody has what it takes to go far, but this wasn’t his best.
And at this point they tell us what’s up with Julianne. She’s got something (I missed what it is), but she will be having surgery to have her appendix removed tomorrow. Yikes! What it is with people this season? Anyway, if Cody is back, Edyta will be his partner until Julianne recovers. (Hopefully it’s faster than my appendix surgery was. Of course, there were other complications with mine.) We’re wishing you the best, Julianne.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Michael – 8 Bruno – 7 Total – 23 Yep, that’s about what I was expecting from the comments. So both Hough’s fell this week, but Julianne fell farther.

Warren Sap & Kym Johnson – Rumba – They were right that their big competition of the night was Brooke. After seeing her Rumba, this one falls flat. It was good, and on a normal night I might have praised it. But Warren is one of the weaker dancers left, and as the competition gets harder, it will show more and more. Michael called it entertaining yet needed a bit more content. Carrie Ann said the emotion was right. And she and Bruno picked up on mistakes that I completely missed. I guess Warren gave it away with his face, too.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Michael – 9 Bruno – 8 Total – 25 I can see the 8’s. This wasn’t the best dance of the night, but there were others that were worse. (Yes, even leaving Cloris out of it.) Not sure how that 9 snuck in there.

Group Old School Hip Hop – These group dances are always hard to talk about, but they certainly are enjoyable. Those were some pretty big costume changes. And Julianne was out there even though she missed the practice. I did notice they kept Cloris on the stage for some of the dance, although she wasn’t always alone. Still, that was a pretty big comment on her skills. Not that I’m one to talk. I couldn’t do a Hip Hop to save my life. Even though I’m not much of a fan of the dance, this was a pretty fun routine.

So here are the standings based on the seven individual routines only (as usual, the judges didn’t score the group dance):

1. Lance – 27
2. Brooke – 26
3. Warren – 25
4. Susan – 23
4. Cody – 23
6. Maurice – 21
7. Cloris – 15

Encore: This is easy. The group dance is always the encore, so we’ll get to see that again tomorrow night.

Bottom two: I’m going to say Cloris and Susan. And please, can this be the week Cloris goes home? I’m begging here.