DWTS: Recap- Judges Award First Perfect Score of the Season!

This week, the Dancing with the Stars couples competed in the fierce "Cha Cha Challenge" along with their individual dances.

Erin Andrews and Maks were up first, performing a "proper" quickstep, according to Len's rules. However, Maks went against Len's wishes and continued to take his clothes off. The whole routine, the two of them were a red blur. Maybe it was my TV but there was a red overload between their costumes and the lights. The routine was upbeat and their steps were quick, so in my expert opinion I'd say they were successful.

Len didn't mind the clothing removal this time around, and told Erin it was her best performance to date. Bruno told them that they were brighter than Len's tie (a bright sunshine yellow). Carrie Ann also thought the routine was gorgeous.

Maybe my TV color is off, because according to Erin and Maks, the color of his costume was "salmon." The couple received 9's across the board from the judges.

Chad and birthday girl Cheryl were up next, coming off of a successful Argentine Tango the previous week. This week, Chad was dancing the Viennese Waltz, and while I have no idea what the specifics of that include, Chad and Cheryl looked very calm and graceful dancing together. I thought Chad showed a completely different side during the dance that was tender and endearing.
Bruno couldn't believe how graceful and gentle Chad could be, and Carrie Ann used the word tender too- woo go me! Len said that May the 3rd, 2010 was the night that Chad became a contender. Cheryl got some birthday bling from Chad as well as two 8's and a 9 from the judges.

Nicole and Derek's Waltz was up next, dancing to "You Light Up My Life," a song close to Nicole's heart. The weird ribbons attached to Nicole's wrist were kind of distracting, and reminded me of ribbon dancing on my front lawn when I was younger. But wrist ribbons aside, there is no denying that Nicole is extremely talented and that her and Derek dance beautifully together.

Carrie Ann said that Nicole was best dancer to ever be on the show, but that she needed to become one with Derek during the Waltz. Len had a few things he'd like to see corrected as well, and Bruno told Nicole she was as close to dancing royalty as you can possibly be, but made a few mistakes due to the high difficulty level of the choreography. Despite the few mistakes, Nicole and Derek received 9s across the board.

Pamela and Damian prepared for their Waltz by tying themselves together at the waist...but throughout the routine Pamela had a pained expression on her face that made it look like she'd rather be anywhere but that close to Damian.

Len said she needs to work on firming up her upper body while Bruno and Carrie Ann both enjoyed the performance. I just can't move past Pamela's ridiculous facial expressions, they really kill me. Whoah- I just realized that Damian kind of looks like Spencer from the Hills.

Pamela and Damian received 8s from all 3 judges.

Every week during Dancing with the Stars, I see the AT&T commercial that has the song "Pure Imagination" from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" in it, and it really makes me want to watch the movie. I just thought I'd let everyone reading know that.

Last week's surviving bottom two couple, Niecy and Louis, were up next dancing the Quickstep. Niecy described the two of them as a couple who got divorced but still have to put up with each other for the children's sake. During their routine, I wondered how they spin around so much without getting dizzy.

Bruno said Niecy's footwork was better than ever, and that it was her best dance to date. Carrie Ann agreed, as did Len. Niecy let out a victory screech after hearing what the judges had to say.
The judges kept up with their high scores, giving Niecy two 8's and a 9.

Evan and Anna were back with something to prove this week, after receiving their lowest scores the previous episode dancing the Samba. This week, they took on the Argentine Tango, looking to reclaim their spot on top of the leader board. Evan's moves were crisp and confident and the routine seemed to be amazing to my untrained eye.

Carrie Ann told Evan the routine was hot and sexy, while Len told him that the routine was fantastic! Bruno said Evan danced like a true alpha male. The judges awarded Evan and Anna with the first perfect score of the season, with 3 10s! Yay!

The two teams for "Cha Cha Challenge" were team Gaga (Nicole & Derek, Pamela & Damian, and Chad & Cheryl) and team Madonna (Evan & Anna, Niecy & Louis, and Erin & Maks). The stars needed to put aside their competitive spirit momentarily to dance as a team. Each team will receive one score from the judges for the "Cha Cha Challenge" which will be added to the teams' individual scores for their totals of the night.

Team Gaga danced to "Telephone," and while Pamela and Damian's solo seemed a little off, but Chad and Cheryl and Nicole and Derek both tore it up. Also, Nicole's split blew Pamela's out of the water.

Len can't wait to see Nicole perform her Cha-Cha, and Bruno thought that the routine was great. Carrie Ann said that the sexual energy of team Gaga was impressive. Team Gaga received 3 9s from the judges, meaning 27 points were added to each of the Team Gaga couples' scores for the night.

Team Madonna was dancing to "Holiday." During Evan and Anna's solo, I thought Evan's feet were going to fall off at one point they were moving so fast! Niecy and Louis' solo wasn't anything overly exciting and neither was Erin and Maks'. Overall, I thought Team Gaga's routine was more entertaining, but maybe that's because "Telephone" seems to be an easier song to break it down to.

The three judges all had positive things to say about the routine, but not as positive as their Team Gaga reviews. Team Madonna received 8s from all 3 judges, making Team Gaga the winner of the "Cha Cha Challenge."

At the end of the night, Evan and Anna and Nicole and Derek were tied for first place while Niecy and Louis remained last in the standings.

All 6 teams showcase their fancy footwork on Mondays, at 8:00-10:00 PM. The couple with the lowest combined judges' scores and public votes for both performances will be sent home.

Viewers may cast their votes for their favorite teams via phone on Monday night during and up to 30 minutes after the "Dancing with the Stars" performance shows. AT&T customers may also text message their votes by texting the word "VOTE" and entering the number that corresponds to the team they want to support (message and data rates may apply). Viewers may also vote online at www.abc.com starting from the opening of each episode on the East Coast and until 12:00 Noon, ET the following day.

Hosted by Tom Bergeron ("America's Funniest Home Videos"), the celebrities perform choreographed dance routines which will be judged by renowned Ballroom judge Len Goodman and dancer/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba, who all return for their tenth season together.

"Dancing with the Stars" is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, "Strictly Come Dancing." This version is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Conrad Green serves as executive producer and Rob Wade is co-executive producer. Alex Rudzinski directs. "Dancing with the Stars" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and wholly-owned subsidiary of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). In the U.S., BBC Worldwide Productions, one of BBC Worldwide's seven core businesses, is based in Los Angeles and New York. It is responsible for the smash hit "Dancing with the Stars" and develops scripted and non-scripted projects for U.S. cable and broadcast networks.