Dancing with the Stars: Guilty Pleasures

It’s Guilty Pleasures Week on DWTS, which means all of tonight’s dances will be interpretations of America’s Next Top Model, Jersey Shore, Real Housewives of [Insert City], or any reality show starring Bret Michaels. Not that I would know anything about those shows. Of course not.

Actually, it means our stars will be dancing to classic guilty pleasure songs, which is way less exciting than it sounds. And I was about to be all, pssssh please with this episode … and then Hanson performed. HANSON. As in, my first concert. As in, the boy band whose pictures ripped from the pages of BOP magazine adorned my bedroom. Hanson. On Dancing with the Stars. Ohemgee. (Also, “MMMBop” sounds totally strange when it’s being sung by farmer-men instead of prepubescent boys, yes?)

Kirstie and Maks
Dance: Samba
Guilty Pleasure: Baby One More Time
Verdict: Kirstie had a small tantrum in rehearsals and I think the competition is starting to take its toll. This was a decent performance, and she thankfully didn’t have any mishaps, but it felt like her heart wasn’t in it. The samba is a party dance, but I wasn’t feeling it.
Carrie Ann: “I want to see you in the finals.” – 8
Len: “You’ve never fulfilled the potential I saw in week one, until today.” – 9
Bruno: “Hit me Kirstie one more time!” – 9

Chris and Cheryl
Dance: Tango
Guilty Pleasure: Don’t Stop Believin’
Verdict: Chris continues his journey (if you will) with a solid tango that showed  improvement. While this wasn’t my favorite dance of his, I do think he’s something of a dark horse in this competition.
Carrie Ann: “I feel like we’ve underestimated you.” – 7
Len: “It lacked a bit of intensity, but overall I thought you did an excellent job.” – 8
Bruno: “You turned into a lump of granite.” – 7

Romeo and Chelsie
Dance: Waltz
Guilty Pleasure: My Heart Will Go On
Verdict: To paraphrase Randy Jackson, Romeo is in it to win it! This was not the easiest song to dance to (because there’s an eyeroll reflex that happens whenever you hear the first few bars), but he knocked this one out of the park. A lovely, dreamy waltz that hit all the right notes.
Carrie Ann: “Every once in awhile in a season, magic happens. That was magical.” – 10
Len: “For a young man, I think you dance with great maturity.” – 9
Bruno: “Romeo DiCaprio, your ship will sail on and on and on.” – 9

Chelsea and Mark
Dance: Quickstep
Guilty Pleasure: Walking on Sunshine
Verdict: I’m not really sure this song classifies as a “guilty pleasure,” but this was an adorable routine. Peppy, preppy, pretty. It was total sunshine, and Chelsea is definitely the most talented woman in this competition.
Carrie Ann: “Sometimes, magic happens twice. That was amazing!” – 10
Len: “You managed to fuse high energy with control.” – 9
Bruno: “That was so light and luminous – I’m getting a suntan.” – 9

Kendra and Louis
Dance: Samba
Guilty Pleasure: La Vida Loca
Verdict: Finally! Kendra came out of her shell. This dance bordered on frantic at times, and there were a couple technical oopsies, but this was far and away her best performance. And a true samba, with plenty of sizzle and shake.
Carrie Ann: “I have to recover – THAT was a guilty pleasure.” – 8
Len: “The more you gyrated, the more I palpitated.” – 8
Bruno: “Dancing with the Stars Presents: The Revenge of the Stripper!” – 9

Hines and Kym
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Guilty Pleasure: End of the Road
Verdict: Hines is going to win this thing, isn’t he? I mean, is there anything he can’t do well? This was a graceful, romantic waltz with all kinds of charm. Hines is in it to win it!
Carrie Ann: “Once again, an excellent performance, but it looked like you were thinking too much.” – 9
Len: “You’re becoming the MVP – Most Valued Partner.” – 9
Bruno: “Pure pleasure from start to finish.” – 9

Ralph and Karina
Dance: Paso Doble
Guilty Pleasure: Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)
Verdict: While not an ideal paso song, this turned out to be a big moment for Ralph. In a way, it felt more like a freestyle performance than anything else – it was bold, loud, and a huge crowd-pleaser. Karina lost her balance and slipped at one point, but this routine should be enough to see them through to next week.
Carrie Ann: “The way you got back up put the rest of the dance to shame.” – 8
Len: “You got back into the dance, you had fire and passion – I’m proud of you.” – 8
Bruno: “I started to feel the fire – once you got back on it, there was no stopping you.” – 8

Truth time – who will go home tomorrow? Even though she did a good job, I’m thinking it’s Kendra’s time – what do you think?

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