It's Team Dance Week on DWTS!

I think this has become one of my favorite times of each season.  The couples are split into teams and they each get the score of the team they are one added to their score from an individual performance.  I'm not sure about the scoring but I do enjoy the dancing. Captains Hines Ward and Chelsea Kane lead their teams, Kirstie Alley & Kendra Wilkinson and Ralph Macchio & Romeo, respectively, each to be scored as a group by the judges.

We also have a guest judge this week - Donnie Burns MBE, the most decorated Latin dancer of all time and head of the World Dance Council.

In the results show on Tuesday James Blunt and Nicki Minaj perform. James Blunt will sing "I'll Be Your Man" and, in honor of "Ballroom Greats" week, Val Chmerkovskiy and his partner, Daria Chesnokova, will dance. Nicki Minaj performs "Moment 4 Life" -- Lacey Schwimmer, Chelsie Hightower, Kiki Nyemchek and Sonny Pederson dance.

This week's "Macy's Stars of Dance" is a special tribute to James Brown, in celebration of his birthday. Wayne Brady (I like him) stars in the number and is choreographed by creative directors Kevin and Marcel Wilson.

And then someone will  be sent home!

Should We Feel Guilty About "Guilty Pleasures" Week's Eliminated Couple?

Week 6 was "Guilty Pleasures" week which was, I have to admit, highly enjoyable but I can't say I felt guilty at all.  A lot of the songs were mainstream (the Journey one), popular (the theme song of one of the most successful movies ever) or were popular when one was a teenager (a free pass).

But it was all done very well and we were left after the performance show with the following scores:

- Romeo and Chelsie Hightower - 28

- Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas - 28

- Hines Ward and Kym Johnson - 27

- Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy - 26

- Kendra Wilkinson and Louis Van Amstel - 25

- Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff - 24
- Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke - 22

The results show was preceded by a "road to the finals" show which seemed to be an excuse to not show the Jamie Oliver show which isn't doing  very well.

The results show regressed back to aimless filler with NKOTB, BSB providing the guilty pleasures, Macy's Stars of Dance performing a really weird story and Pia Toscana providing the shark jumping.

The final three couples left were the bottom three in scoring - Kendra/Louis, Ralph/Karina and Chris/Cheryl.

And Chris and Cheryl were sent home.  Chris seemed like a guy that everyone (genuinely) liked - witty, intelligent, fun. Hey ho.

And Kendra is still there.  Oy.

The Judges' Scores in (Not So) Guilty Pleasures Week

This week the couples danced to "Guilty Pleasures" - meant to be songs you don't want everyone to know you like.  Except most of them seemed just fine.  But that's probably a reflection on me of course...

Hansen started off the show singing MmmBop (I can never spell that) accompanied by The DWTS Troupe.  They also performed some snippets of "guilty pleasure" songs throughout the evening - it worked quite well actually.

So - here are the results:

• Kirstie and Maks - 26 - a better performance from Kirstie than the last couple, still some hesitancy.  I hate to say it again but she is marvellous considering her age and body type.
• Chris and Cheryl - 22 - they did a tango to "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.  The song isn't a guilty pleasure and it's not a tango song.  A bit of a lacklustre performance this week I'm afraid.
• Romeo and Chelsie - 28 - this performance did not deserve a 30 but it was once of the best I've seen.  Waltzing to "My Heart Must Go On" with lots of fog (that fog machine has been value for money!).  I half expected a fog horn.  "...magical" - Carrie Ann.
• Chelsea and Mark - 28 - great, fun dance to "Walking on Sunshine".  Apparently Mark had a twisted ankle - couldn't tell!
• Kendra and Louis - 25 - "Livin' La Vida Loca" is NOT a guilty pleasure.  Anyway, Kendra did much better this week - dances that make her shake play to her strengths - both of them
• Hines and Kym - 27 - apparently Hines is flat-footed according to Len.  Still a great entertainer though.  Hines really is the one to beat.
• Ralph and Karina - 24 - ooops, Karina tripped.  Ralph helped her up and carried on.  What a team!  The judges were a little generous I felt.

The other thing of note was clips from the music video for "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John.  Bruno was featured throughout!

Chris has the lowest points, but I think a number could be in jeopardy - Ralph, Kendra, Kirstie - it all depends on the viewers!

Isn't EVERY Week "Guilty Pleasures" Week on Dancing with the Stars?

I mean, really. You have: someone from your favorite Disney show,
someone from a weepie in the 80s, playboy models, Maks' abs, Derek's
abs, Mark's tattoos, Edyta Sliwinska, all the costumes, gorilla suits,
chesticles, Bruno... And the list goes on. DWTS is just one humungous
guilty pleasure!

Anyway, this week the couples will dance to songs you don't admit you
like. This has some potential for silliness!

The, on Tuesday there are two shows.

The one at 8pm looks at the couples that are left and assesses what
they need to do to reah the finals and win the trophy. Hanson will
perform their new song, "Give a Little," and the cast of the musical
"Rock of Ages" will perform including Constantine Maroulis and Rebecca
Faulkenberry. (Bit of an American Idol link there.).

Then, on the results show, NKOTBSB (New Kids On the Block/Back Street
Boys) will perform their smash hit, "Don't Turn Out the Lights" --
accompanied on the ballroom floor by "DWTS" pros Lacey Schwimmer &
Tony Dovolani and members of the DWTS Troupe plus a two-song medley of
their megahits "Step by Step" and "I Want It That Way," accompanied by
Anna Trebunskaya & Peta Murgatroyd. Plus, singer Pia Toscano (Hey,
American Idol!) will sing "I'll Stand by You," accompanied by pros
Mark (isn't he going out with Pia?) & Karina Smirnoff.

Also this week, Macy's Stars of Dance number will celebrate the Royal
Wedding with a romantic performance "illustrating a fairytale love
story throughout the ages".

Then someone (hopefully Kendra) will go home!

Week 5 Results Show and Eliminated Couple

After a very enjoyable performance show we moved to the results show which, traditionally, I can't stand.

Having said that, the results shows this season haven't sucked as badly as previous ones, not quite sure why.

We have Toby Keith sing a couple of songs, a very well done Macy's Stars of Dance segment and Mike Catherwood doing a Dancing with the Stars expose which mainly consisted of body noises, swearing and breasts/buttocks.

Here's how the couples found out their fate:

Hines/Kym and Kirstie/Maks were first up - Hines safe (as expected), Kirstie  still in jeopardy.

Next were the top three couples - Chris/Cheryl, Chelsea/Mark and Romeo/Chelsie.  Chris was still in jeopardy, the others were safe.

Finally, the bottom three couples.  Petra/Dmitry were still in jeopardy, Kendra/Louis and Ralph/Karina were safe.

So, that left Chris/Cheryl, Kirstie/Maks and Petra/Dmitry under the red lights.  They weren't necessarily the bottom three as Tom Bergeron always likes to point out.

Kirstie and Maks were the first to be declared safe.

And the couple going home were...Petra and Dmitry.  Such as shame, they are both so nice and Petra was doing pretty well for a model.

I'll be glad when Kendra goes.

Next week is "guilty pleasures" - songs you like but won't admit it.  For some reason New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys are on the results show.  Can't see the connection myself...

DWTS Week 5 - America Night - Judges' Scores

Tonight was America Night.  America-themed dances performed to America-themed music.

It might sound a bit articficial but it was actually a return to the format we know and love.  Last week was classical night with the distraction of a 46-piece orchestra and the week before was story night were the couples had to sorta act.

Tonight was much more of a celebration - back to basics and have fun.

Maybe because it was back to basics, the couples, on average. scored higher than last week (or so it seemed).  The couples remaining are pretty close when it comes to scoring, if not skills, and we saw two more challengers rise from the pack to mix it up with Hines and Chelsea and Ralph.

Romeo and Chelsie Hightower - 26
Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff - 22
Wrestler Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke - 26
Football player Hines Ward and Kym Johnson - 27
Disney actress Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas - 26
Model Petra Nemcova and Dmitry Chaplin - 22
Reality star Kendra Wilkinson and Louis Van Amstel - 22
Actress Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy - 23

Romeo and Chris Jerico did very well this week joing Chelsea just behind Hines.  All four of these couples were professional and really seemed to be enjoying themselves.
 
Kirstie was just one above the other three and did fine but I get the feeling she's starting to hit a celing.
 
Another that seems to be hitting a ceiling is Ralph.  He did very well at the beginning but doesn't seem to be progressing like (say) Chris.
 
Petra and Kendra did well but you just get the feeling they are starting to wear out their welcome.
 
But we shall see!

Week 5 is "America" Week

This week's theme is "America" which seems to be simply that - the performance should have something to do with America.  No stories about relatives nor having to dance to a 46-piece orchestra.  The show is 90 minutes long this week

The results show has Toby Keith headlining.  He will sing "American Soldier," accompanied by "Dancing with the Stars" pros Anna Trebunskaya and Jonathan Roberts, and "Should've Been a Cowboy" with Maks Chmerkovskiy, Lacey Schwimmer and the "Dancing with the Stars" Dance Troupe.

Then...one couple will be eliminated!

Kirstie Alley and Maks Appear on Oprah, Maks' Shirt Disappears

Kirstie and Maks appeared on Oprah this week to have a chat and do a dance.

As you would expect the clip from a few years back showing Kirstie in bikini that defies the laws of physics was shown, and Maks had his shirt ripped off.

I must say I'm enjoying Kirstie on the current season of DWTS.

Who Got The Classical Boot in Week 4 of DWTS?

Week four was classical week where the celebrities were even more outside their comfort zone and the professionals were a little bit too.

I  have to confess I really didn't like Classical Week and didn't hold out much hope for the results show.

I was pleasantly surprised that the results show was entertaining - some lovely ballet and the hidden mikes on the dancers always cheer me up.  (Louis to Kendra "I have to say I was very disappointed with what you said").  Plus an atrocious section where Len did a really bad southern accent and was pretending to be Patton.  Best forgotten that one.

Anywho, the final three were Chelsea and Mark (Gasp - they had the highest score), Petra and Dmitry (well, they're so gorgeous, they'll be OK) and Sugar Ray and Anna (he's an icon, he can't be voted off!).

Wait. No Kendra?? Nope.  No Kendra.

And Sugar Ray Leonard was eliminated.  I was a little surprised as I assumed he had a following of sorts, but maybe it's only football players, skaters and gymnasts that have followings.

Sugar Ray is a great guy and a not-so-great dancer.  The show was better to have had him.

So.  Kendra voted off next week?

The Scores in Classical Week on DWTS (Week 4)

Week 4 was classical week on Dancing with the Stars.  The couples danced a Waltz or a Paso Doble to classical music selected for them.

We had a 46-peice orchestra, a sprightly young man playing very intensely on the fiddle and a stunningly beautiful opera singer.

Can't fail right?

If Kirstie Alley's shoe hadn't fallen off it would have been the most boring Dancing with the Stars ever.

Yes, I might be a philistine when it comes to classical music but I think it was a mistake for the following reasons:

• The celebrities aren't up to the level of dance needed to do justice to the music
• The professionals don't have as much experience of choreographing for classical music
• Classical music is much better in person that on TV
• The vewers are not big fans

It just became a parade of tinny music with one dance indistinguishable from the next.

Can you tell I wasn't impressed?  Anyway, here are the judges' scores:

Romeo and Chelsie Hightower - 23
Sugar Ray Leonard and Anna Trebunskaya - 21
Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff - 25
Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke - 23
Hines Ward and Kym Johnson - 25
Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas - 26
Petra Nemcova and Dmitry Chaplin - 23
Kendra Wilkinson and Louis Van Amstel - 18
Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy - 22

Kendra looks most at risk to me.

And yes, Kirstie's shoe really did fall off!  She recovered well though.

Will Classical Week Send Us To Sleep?

It's Classical Week on Dancing with the Stars. I'm told it bombed
when they tried it in the UK, if you have any views please comment!

The couples will be dancing to a 46-piece orchestra (does that
automatically mean they are better than a 45-piece one?).

On the Results Show Jennifer Hudson will sing "Don't Look Down" and
"Feeling Good". Also, David Garrett, rock violinist, will perform
"Walk This Way" with the 46-piece orchestra accompanied by the
"Dancing with the Stars" Dance Troupe. This week the first "Macy's
Stars of Dance" performance of the season gets underway with world
renowned ballet dancers.

After all that someone will be sent home!

The Second Celebrity Eliminated From DWTS 12 Is...

...further down the page.

The results show kicked off with the judges' choice and they chose
Hines and Kym. They were also declared safe as an extra bonus.

Selena Gomez sang her latest tune "Who Says" accompanied by Mark
Ballas and Chelsie Hightower on the dance floor. She was wearing a
very strange dress that seemed to be a gigantic red shower pouf.

One Republic also performed a couple of their tunes too. Musically
quite a pleasant show!

After much ado we were down to the final three couples. Kendra &
Louis, Wendy & Tony and Chris & Cheryl.

Wendy Williams and Tony Dovolani were eliminated. Always sad to see
Tony go. Wendy did a very classy speech and then seemed determined to
shake hands with every single person in the studio. She put her heart
into it but just wasn't going to be able to compete.

Judges' Scores in "Story" Week

(Possible spoilers ahead!)  Week 3 is "Story Week".  This is where the celebrity comes up with an event/phase/story in their life that is dance-able.  The professionals then try to come up with a dance for it.

The problem with story week is that the celebs aren't quite good enough to finish a "standard" dance at week 3 and to have to put some emotion and acting into might be a bit hard.

"Paparazzi" with Kate Gosselin was a great idea, it was just too much for Kate's skill level.

Having said all that the scores were generally quite high!

• Wendy Williams and Tony Dovolani - 15 - Wendy tried to express here career struggles through dance.  It was a struggle to watch the dance.  She tries hard but she just gesn't have the grace to go far.
• Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas - 23 - they danced to "Chelsea" which was written for her by an old boyfriend - cool!  No mistakes this week and I think they were under-scored.
• Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke - 21 - Chris danced "as himself" (Chris Irving) in honor of his deceased mother.  He really put his heart into it.
• Kendra Wilinson and Louis van Amstel - 23 - apparently she was really sexy - I couldn't see it myself.
• Petra Nemcova and Dmitry Chaplin - 25 - the waltz is a much better dance for Petra - it's and her grace go together.  An impressive improvement.
• Romeo and Chelsie Hightower - 20 - the judges didn't like this one.  I thought it was fine.
• Hines Ward and Kym Johnson - 25 - the judges LOVE Hines!
• Sugar Ray Leonard and Anna Trebunskaya - 20 - a much improved performance but Sugar Ray always seems so stiff to me
• Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy - 21 - going just great then Kirstie seemed to break Maks' knee and he hit the floor in pain.  He finished the performance but lost points - a good score still!
• Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff - 21 - a good performance, but is Ralph getting any better?

Wendy is far behind the others - she must be the next to go.

This Week's DWTS Results Show is Slightly Less Controversial

ABC are going for a more low key results show after last week's appearance of Chris Brown caused some discussion in the tabloid section of the internet but didn't really affect the actually show.

Selena Gomez (not the one that went into rehab - that's Demi Lovato) will be appearing singing her song "Who Says".  I actually like this song, and I've liked Selena Gomez since I saw her on Barney (which my kids of course).  The press release sort of spoils it by calling the song "an up-tempo paean of self-empowerment".  I think it's just quite catchy.  Mark Ballas and Chelsie Hightower will be dancing along.

Also appearing with be OneRepublic who will sing twice.  The first time will be "All The Right Moves" with the "troupe" dancing to it, and the second will be "Good Life" accompanied by Dmitry and Lacey on the floor.

The main reason for the show will be to eliminate a couple of course.  I think it'll be Wendy/Tony or Sugar Ray/Anna.  Who do you think?