It's The 200th Dancing with the Stars Show Next Week!

The performance show is the 199th and the results is the 200th.

ABC have planned a number of surprises for us...how nice of them.

On the Monday night six alumni return to form the "fourth judge" - Helio Castroneves, Kelly Osbourne, Mel B, Drew Lachey, Gilles Marini and Emmitt Smith.  Also, there will be a team competition on Monday (they're always fun) but this time each of the two teams will have a captain - either Apolo Ono or Kristi Yamaguchi.

On the 90 minute (argh!) results show, Taylor Swift and Rod Stewart will be performing (not together), as will the cast of Mary Poppins.  We will also find out the celebrities that will be appearing in Skating with the Stars.

Oh, and someone will get voted off!

Is the Elimination of Audrina Patridge a Bigger Shock Than Sabrina Bryan’s?

Back in 2007, season 5 was in full swing and in week 6 Helio Castroneves scored a perfect 30. That same week, Sabrina Bryan, one of the favorites, scored 25 which was a good score, but was her lowest of the season.

She was voted off.

This was a huge shock – she was one of the judges' favorites, a fan favorite, partner with the popular Mark Ballas, had scored a perfect 30 the week before and was just plain good.

Well, is Audrina being voted off a bigger shock?

Let's see:

• Audrina was second in the judges' voting, Sabrina was joint fourth (both out of seven)
  
• Audrina had a score of 32 (out of 40) and the lowest score was 22 (Kurt). Sabrina had 25, the lowest was 22 (Jane Seymour).
  
• Sabrina had only two couples with scores lower than hers, Audrina had five
  
• One of those five – Kurt – had over 30% less judges' points – that means he must have had over 5% more percentage points of the viewer vote than Audrina
  

Now, I think Sabrina was a better dancer and performer than Audrina, but given the scores that night, Audrina's ouster is a bigger shock in terms of viewer vote differential.

In terms of crying? There was a lot more when Sabrina left!

Was Rock Week a Shock Week?

Yep it was Rock Week - silly costumes, air guitars and that marathon all contributed to an air of middle-aged adults letting their hair down when they thought no one was looking (or drunk at a wedding reception).

The musical guests were Heart were sang "Barracuda" (excellent performance, excellent dancing) and Kylie Minogue who sang her latest single.

The eliminations were staged through out the show as usual.

The first three on the stage were the bottom three from the judges' scoring - Jennifer Grey, Bristol Palin and Kurt Warner.  Tom and Brooke swiftly told us that Kurt and Bristol were safe and Jennifer was still in jeopardy.  Obviously they had made a mistake - Jennifer was safe and the other two were in jeopardy.  No.  This is huge - Kurt was significany behind in the judges' vote and needed at least 3 percentage points more than his nearest competitor (Bristol) to be safe - and they both are!  There's gong to be a shock tonight!

Next up were the two middle scorers - Kyle and Rick.  Rick was safe Kyle wasn't.  Kyle is the one to go home, right?

The final two, who were the highest scorers were Brandy and Audrina.  Brandy safe, Audrina "still in jeopardy"  (it seemed that was the only thing Brooke said all night!)

So the final three.  Kyle is safe - it's between Jennifer and Audrina.  The judges were asked their opinions - they read some words they had prepared earlier.

Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani were eliminated.  They were second in the judges' scoring but obviously last in the minds of the viewers.  Audrina seemed like a nice girl and was very competent at dancing.  If whe had showed a little more emotion perhaps she would have connected more with the viewers.  Shame to see Tony go!

Judges' Scores from Rock Week

Week 6 was Rock Week on Dancing with the Stars.

Each couple danced to a rock song (no surprise there) and then all of the couples were in a Rock and Roll marathon.  The first pair out get the least points, the last the most.

The judges did seem to judges a little more harshly than previous weeks.

Here are the judges' scores from week 6:

• Audrina and Tony - 24 & 8 = 32 - Audrina is getting pretty good from a technical perspective but she does need to let a little emotion out
• Kyle and Lacey - 23 & 7 = 30 - a better performance this week say the judges.  I always enjoy his and Lacey's performances.
• Jennifer and Derek - 20 & 9 = 29 - while their performance was certainly not their best, the judges did seem a little harsh. 
• Rick and Cheryl - 24 & 6 = 30 - a very good performance that seemed under-scored if you only listened to the judges' comments.  I must say it was a very entertaining Tango.
• Bristol and Mark - 23 & 5 = 28 - Bristol was much better this week in terms of technical and performance.  I think the Tango suits her much better than the faster dances.
• Kurt and Anna - 18 & 4 - The judges' hated Kurt's performance.  Really hated it.  Plus they were the first to be eliminated from the marathon so it's not looking good!
• Brandy and Maks - 26 & 10 = 36 - The judges were effusive over Brandy's performance yet she only got 26, it was good though.  They were also the winners on the marathon making a great night for Brandy and Maks!

Kurt and Anna are significantly behind, so unless there is a big NFL vote they are most likely to go home tomorrow night!

Who's Rockin' on Rock and Roll Week?

Week 6 of season 11 is Rock and Roll week.  Each of the seven remaining couples dance to a rock and roll song.  Then they all participate in a rock and roll marathon, with the last standing (well, dancing I guess) getting the most points.

Then on the results show Heart will perform "Barracuda" accompanied by dancers Louis Van Amstel, Karina Smirnoff, Derek Hough, Chelsie Hightower, Damian Whitewood and Peta Murgatroyd.

Kylie Minogue will sing her latest tune and the Macy's Stars of Dance performance will feature all-star kid musicians from national School of Rock and one of the best showchoirs in the country, The Powerhouse Choir from John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California. The number will be choreographed by Travis Wall.

TV Week Elimination on Dancing with the Stars

Week 5 saw the couples dancing to themes from TV shows.  And the results show saw a level of filler unseen on any other TV show on Earth.

The musical entertainment was provided by Jason Derulo (never heard of the young man, but he was very good) and Shakira.  They were also a few fake "As Seen on TV" ads that were very well done but probably too close to the originals to be really funny.  There was probably some other stuff but I can't remember it.

In terms of the eliminations it went like this:

1. The two lowest couples were put on the stage first - Bristol/Mark and Kyle/Lacey.  Kyle was safe!  And so was Bristol!!! (It was the monkey suits...)
2. Next were the two highest scoring couples - Brandy/Maks and Jennifer/Derek.  Brandy was safe!  Jennifer was still in jeopardy! (I think they just said that so more people would wait to the end).
3. The two sportsmen were next to be featured.  Kurt was safe!  Rick still had to hang around...
4. The last two couples were put up there - Audrina/Tony and Florence/Corky.  Audrina was safe,  Florence in jeopardy.
5. That left three couples - Rick/Cheryl, Jennifer/Derek and Florence/Corky...

Florence Henderson was eliminated.  76, eternally perky, sexy and very funny Florence was a joy to behold.  But she wasn't going to get any better, so perhaps it was best.  Although I'm not sure if Kyle or Bristol will get better either (at least technically).

Next week - Rock 'n' Roll!

Week 5 Results – Will Bristol Hold On?

Last night was TV night on Dancing with the Stars. To get over the normal mid-season slump in viewers the producers seem to be trying even harder this season to spice things up. Theme nights are a good way to make things interesting, but the judges, particularly Len, seem to (sub-consciously) object to the consequences of the themes. So when someone dresses up in a monkey suit, or plays out a story it seems a bit disingenuous to complain that they're "messing about". Having said that, they were very gentle with Bristol after the monkey suit debacle.

So, Bristol was at the bottom of the leader board, but how close is it? Here is the share of the judges' votes for each couple:

Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy	14.8%
Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough	13.7%
Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke	13.2%
Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya	13.2%
Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani	12.6%
Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas	11.5%
Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer	11.0%
Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas	9.9%

 

In order to be safe, Bristol needs to get more that 1.1 percentage points than Kyle or 1.6 points more than Florence. Up to now all the couples that have left this season have had the lowest judges' score, which doesn't look good for her.

Tonight , Jason Derulo will perform his platinum single "In My Head" and Shakira will be performing her single "Loca".

DWTS: Who Scored What in TV Week?

Week 5 is TV week on Dancing with the Stars.  We're down to eight couples now that The Situation has left and we continue Theme Nights.

This week, each couple dances to the music from someone's favorite TV show (they never really defined who "someone" is...).

Did Jennifer continue to dominate?  Rick continue to be tall?  Kyle continue to smile?

Here are the judges' scores from week 5:

• Brandy and Maks - Quickstep - "Friends" - 27.  Brandy's smile lends itself to feel good music and this was a very smooth yet energetic performance.
• Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas - Tango - "The Brady Bunch" - 21.  You knew they were going to do this show, but I didn't think it would be a Tango!  It was a pretty good performance, but there wasn't anything about it that stood out either.
• Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya - Quickstep - "Bewitched" - 24.  Even though he made mistakes, Kurt exuded confidence and started to lead and control the dance.
• Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani - Rumba - "The Hills" - 23.  A strange choice of TV theme but I guess it has a connection.  This was a pretty forgettable performance with Carrie Ann referencing that fact that Audrina was 'still and dead" on top
• Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer - Foxtrot - "Charlie's Angels" - 20.  A disco-themed Foxtrot was very, very entertaining...and Len hated it.  Doing the same thing he criticized Bruno for with Michael Bolton, he said he hated it and never gave any positive feedback.  Only 5 of the 20 points were from him!
• Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke - Rumba - "Hill Street Blues" - 24.  Rick still looks like a stick insect when dancing but proved tonight he had grace.
• Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas - Jive - "The Monkees" - 18.  The Jive isn't really Bristol's thing.  The judges were very kind and Len went so far to say he thought the monkey suits were a good idea.
• Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough - Foxtrot - "Married with Children" - 25.  Len thought it was too theatrical, Bruno sort of agreed.  This was a very well done dance and I thought it was a bit unfair to criticize the theatricalness (my word) when the producers insist on having theme nights!  A fair score though.

So, we have a new could atop the leader board - Brandy and Max, a clear last place couple - Bristol and Mark and proof that Jennifer Grey might not run away with it.

Bristol, Kyle, and Florence seem most at risk but we have no real idea on how many votes each get from the viewers.

DWTS Week 4 - Who Actually Went Home?

The Goo Goo Dolls performed (I was a little disappointed), Macy's Stars of Dance performed a group Tango thing (they didn't look happy, but then they're not supposed to) and Florence + The Machine was very good.

We also had a topless Len (My eyes!) and "How to get a 10 from Len" - a mildly funny guide to scoring a 10 from, well, Len.

As is becoming the norm, the couples were brought out in groups.  The first group was the highest scores - Brandy, Audrina and Jennifer - and all three were safe.

The next "group" were the youngest - Kyle and Lacey, Bristol and Mark.  Kyle was safe and Bristol was still in jeopardy.

Sports was the next theme - Rick and Cheryl were safe, and Kurt and Anna were still in jeopardy.

The Sitch and Florence were left - Florence and Corky were safe, The Sitch and Karina not.

So - Bristol, Kurt and The Situation were left - the three lowest scorers.

The next couple safe was Kurt and Anna.

We're left with the two lowest scorers.

And The Situation is going home.  He never lived up to my expectations (but I've been wrong before!), but he tried and put himself out there.

The fourth week were the lowest scoring couple goes home!

Week 4 Results Show – Who Will Go Home?

The week 4 results show continues the acoustics theme tonight with an acoustic performance by the Goo Goo Dolls with a medley of their new single, "Not Broken" and their classic hit "Iris". Florence + The Machine performs her hit song "Dog Days Are Over" and Macy's Stars of Dance presents a number from the Tony-nominated show "Forever Tango".

But who will go home?

On first glance I thought The Situation was a certainty, but then I looked at the percentage of the judges' scores everyone got:

Couple	Judges Score
Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough	56	15.64%
Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy	48	13.41%
Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani	46	12.85%
Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer	40	11.17%
Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke	39	10.89%
Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas	35	9.78%
Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya	34	9.50%
Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas	32	8.94%
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Karina Smirnoff	28	7.82%

The Sitch only needs 1.12 percentage points more of the viewers' votes to beat Bristol. And Kurt and Florence aren't that far ahead either!

So it will come down to the viewers again. They've agreed with the judges up to now as to who should go home – will they agree again tonight?

Week 4 - Acoustic Night Scores

This week the couples dance either a Rumba or a Tango on a raised stage surrounded by the audience.

The other twist is that they are also scored twice - once for technical and once for performance - to give a total score out of 60.

No sure I like the two score thing - it accentuates the difference between the good ones and the bad ones...or maybe that's why they do it!

Here are the judges' scores from week 4 of season 11 (technical/performance):

• Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya - 15 + 19 = 34
• Brandy and Maks - 22 + 26 = 48
• Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke - 19 + 20 = 39
• Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer - 18 + 22 = 40
• The Situation and Karina Smirnoff - 12 + 16 = 28
• Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas - 17 + 18 = 35
• Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough - 27 + 29 = 56
• Briston Palin and Mark Ballas - 18 + 14 = 32
• Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani - 24 + 22 = 46

Jennifer and Derek were miles ahead of everyone else - she can dance and he can teach!

It's going to be hard for The Situation to stay on this week!

DWTS Eliminations Follow The Judges' Scores

Did you know that this is the first season where the first three couples eliminated also scored the lowest in the judges' scoring?

David Hasselhoff scored 15 in week 1 (along with Margaret and The Situation), Michael Bolton was lowest with twelve in week 2 and Margaret was eliminated last night with an 18.

The nearest to this happening in the past was season 8 where Debi Mazar was eliminated with a score of 17 despite Lawrence Taylor having 14 in week 3.  (It was also the week Tom Delay withdrew - he scored 15).

So what?  Well, it shows that the viewers don't always agree with the judges and have shown that numerous times before.  Perhaps the viewers are now getting more sophisticated, or it's just coincidence.

It's something to keep an eye on...

Week Three DWTS Results

It's the third week of the eleventh season and it's story night.

Each couple dance and tell a story.  This is is normally my least favorite night as if the story is done really well it's brilliant, if it's only done OK then it doesn't really work.

So, ten couples remain - who will go home tomorrow?  Here are the judges' scores:

• Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough - 24 - big mistake by Jennifer meant they lost some points.
• Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas - 20 - plain but sturdy
• Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya - 23 - Kurt gets better every week
• Margaret Cho and Louis van Amstel - 18 - a little on the low side
• Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani - 26 - Audrina is starting to look like a contender
• Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas - 19 - found it hard to tell the story
• Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy - 24 - Brandy hasn't had a bad night yet
• Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer - 23 - entertaining as always, great arms tonight (seriously)
• The Situation and Karina Smirnoff - 20 - perhaps a little generous - you can't say he doesn't try!
• Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke - 24 - another good performance

I think it's wide open who goes home tomorrow!

Latest odds for Dancing with the Stars 11

The initial bookmakers odds for season 11 of DWTS showed confidence in Jennifer Grey and Brandy , but not so much for Kurt Warner (in fact, Michael Bolton had shorter odds). Kurt is now third favorite, which I find quite surprising given he's good, but not brilliant. Perhaps the football factor is coming into play, where they are more or less guaranteed a number of votes and if they don't screw up they'll be around in the final weeks.

I was quite surprised Brandy moved out so much. I didn't think she deserved to be such a favorite, but she has performed pretty well, and has a good chance to stick around.

Here are the latest odds (with the pre-season odds in parentheses):

• Jennifer Grey +110 (+200)
  
• Rick Fox +350 (+500)
  
• Kurt Warner +550 (+2000)
  
• Bristol Palin +900 (+2500)
  
• Audrina Patridge +1100 (+600)
  
• Kyle Massey +1200 (+2500)
  
• Brandy +1600 (+250)
  
• Mike Sorrentino +5000 (+700)
  
• Margaret Cho +6600 (+2500)
  
• Florence Henderson +8000 (+5000)
  

(Example: $1 placed on Kurt Warner to win will get you $5.50 plus your original $1)

Bristol and Kyle has also improved significantly in the odds, while the Sitch has no chance according to the bookmakers.

The bottom line is that Jennifer is the firm favorite.