It's Tantrum Week on Dancing with the Stars

The theme of this week's show seemed to be tantrums.

I know that tempers can get frayed with such an intense practice schedule, particularly with the egos involved.  And if cameras are there perhaps some of the stars (and professionals) play it up a bit.  Skilled editing can also accentuate certain areas.

But it really seemed to be overplayed this week.  Erin (sounding like Debi Mazar last season) telling Maks he doesn't listen, Maks replying "Tell me what I need to do" (same as he said to Debi).  Nicole got a little ratty when they discovered their song was not a traditional jive song, but a contemporary one.

And then there was Kate and Tony.

I'm not saying it didn't happen, but how it happened, when the cameras were there, does make me a little suspicious.  Perhaps if there were no cameras they would just plain squabble?  I don't know.  Anyway Tony walked out after an argument saying "I quit".  Kate looked crest-fallen as she whimpered "I don't understand".  But they made up and performed a really bad dance.  I've put the video at the end.

Here's a summary of each of the performances:

Shannen Doherty and Mark Ballas - Jive - 20.  A better score than last week with Shannen seeming more comfortable.  She still seems a little heavy-footed to me, but has potential

Aiden Turner and Edyta Sliwinska - Foxtrot - 19.  Again a better score than last week and Aiden was certainly less stiff.  There seemed to be some friction between the two in practice.

Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya - Jive - 24.  Great at jumping (of course) and seems to be the guy that gets on with everyone.  The only way to beat Ms Scherzinger will be to improve every week and appeal to the viewers - which Evan certainly does.

Niecy Nash and Louis van Amstel - Foxtrot - 21. A very nice number that showed off Niecy's personality and grace.  I'm not sure Louis quite knows what to make of her though.

Jake Pavelka and Chelsie Hightower - Jive - 20.  Jake looked pretty good, with potential for improvement.  I think he probably deserved better marks.

Buzz Aldrin and Ashly Costa - Foxtrot - 12.  A very dignified performance, that was a little disappointing in that he seemed more uncomfortable than last week.  Perhaps he tried to do too much.

Nichole Scherzinger and Derek Hough - Jive - 28.  A "modern" jive performed beautifully (I didn't think you could perform a jive beautifully!).  Derek just teaches her the steps and away she goes.  Two tens from the judges.

Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy - Foxtrot - 23.  Erin did a lovely series of solo turns at the start that showed her confidence, but it trailed off a little as the dance went on.  If Maks trusts her with a solo this early she must have potential.

Pamela Anderson and Damian Whitewood - Foxtrot - 22.  Pamela dressed up as Marilyn Monroe, but still looked like Pam.  A solid performance that lacked the character of the previous week.  She's still one to watch though.

Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke - Foxtrot - 16.  I'm sorry, but Chad reminded me so much of Lurch from the Addams Family.  He really needs to stand straight and let Cheryl (the professional) deal with his height.  It was almost as though he didn't bother practicing this week.  I hope he stays, I do think he can do much better.  He was certainly contrite Twitter, bemoaning the fact he had let people down.

Kate Gosselin and Tony Dovolani - Jive - 15.  Tantrums aside, Kate showed periods of actually enjoying the dance, but when she was unsure of the routine she seemed to freeze in the headlights.  A couple more performances might loosen her up - it's whether she gets the opportunity of course.

Buzz, Kate and Chad were the only ones to get lower marks than last week, with Buzz trailing badly in the combined scores:

The combined scores from weeks 1 and 2, and the share of the judges' vote:

Nicole Scherzinger & Derek Hough 53 12.4%
Evan Lysacek & Anna Trebunskaya 47 11.0%
Erin Andrews & Maksim Chmerkovskiy 44 10.3%
Pamela Anderson & Damian Whitewood 43 10.0%
Jake Pavelka & Chelsie Hightower 40 9.3%
Niecy Nash & Louis van Amstel  39 9.1%
Shannen Doherty & Mark Ballas 38 8.9%
Chad Ochocinco & Cheryl Burke 34 7.9%
Aiden Turner & Edyta Sliwinska 34 7.9%
Kate Gosselin & Tony Dovolani 31 7.2%
Buzz Aldrin & Ashly Costa 26 6.1%

The judges' share is then combined with their share of the viewers vote and the lowest couple is eliminated.

That means, for instance, that Buzz needs only 1.1 percentage points more than Kate to be safe, or 1.8 points more than Chad or Aiden.

My guess is that it's between Buzz, Kate, Aiden and Niecy. We shall see!

Here's the Kate and Tony video: