In the third week of Dancing with the Stars' 10th season, each of the couples was challenged to tell a story through their routines.
Many teams fell in the middle of the road in terms of scoring, while Even Lysacek and Trebunskaya received the highest scores and Aldrin and Costa the lowest for the third week in a row.
The first to compete was figure skater
Evan Lysacek with partner Trebunskaya, dancing the foxtrot. Using a song from CHICAGO, the two told a story of a husband and wife. She gets mad because he's late, but the only reason anyone would know that is because Lysacek explained it in their video before the dance. During the dance, Lysacek displayed his ability to deliver a perfect cartwheel.
When it came to the judges, Len and Bruno agreed that Lysacek needs work on his footwork, but that they thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Carrie Ann described it as "twinkling" and "energetic."
Carrie Ann and Bruno both awarded the couple with 9's while Len gave them an 8 for a total of 26. Later, Lysacek revealed he had been dancing with "a couple broken toes." What a trooper!
Next were Aldrin (the "patriotic geezer") and Costa dancing the waltz to "It's a Wonderful World." While the couple has received the lowest scores 2 weeks in a row, they've been kept around viewers like me who think Aldin is an adorable old guy and can't bear to vote him off. But you can't say he isn't trying, despite being a self-proclaimed, "naturally slow absorber," the video prior to their routine showed Aldrin filming his partner in an attempt to get the steps down pat.
Unfortunately, the judges once again agreed that his charm didn't
Make Up For his lack of technique. Bruno said, "When you started to move, you didn't really go anywhere." Carrie Ann believed their story of a daughter waiting for the return of her father, especially because, "an older man might be stiffer," -ouch. Carrie Ann awarded Aldrin and Costa with a 5, Len with a 4, and Bruno with a 4 for a low total of 13.
Pavelka and Hightower danced the quickstep to "Walk like an Egyptian" and Pavelka made a creepy comment about Cleopatra and formaldehyde. The couple showed some tension in their video, and Pavelka talked to her like a contestant on the Bachelor about "open communication." A quick look at Bachelor winner Vienna in the audience made me think she was trying exceptionally hard not to look jealous.
The judges commented on Pavelka's "soft legs," which doesn't mean a thing to me. But I understood when Len said it made him smile and Bruno called him "Indiana Jake." Pavelcka and Hightower received 7's from all 3 judges.
Niecy Nash and
Louis van Amstel danced the waltz and told the story of being an interracial couple in the 60's, and the topic made Nash extremely emotional- the two shared a touching moment which actually didn't feel forced.
Watching the lifting and spinning made me hold my breath a couple of times, but besides a little stumble, the routine went off without any obvious hitches. The judges agreed that the performance was emotionally plentiful, but that Nash needed to work on her technique. Again, the judges gave the duo 7's across the board.
Next up were Ochocinco and Burke dancing "the first pasa doble of the season" (exciting!) and telling the story of a man trying to seduce a woman who wants nothing to do with him. Ochocinco commented that it seemed pretty accurate to his real life situation. Just think how normal guys, not famous NFL players, must feel, Chad.
Bruno's critique was full of rolled R's but his general thoughts were that it was a large improvement over the previous week, a belief that both Carrie Ann and Len echoed. Carrie Ann and Bruno gave them a 7, and Len a 6.
Pamela Anderson and Dam
Ian Whitewood were up next. Anderson, who was in the bottom 2 last week, reveled that not even her own children voted for her...oopsies!
Anderson, dancing the pasa doble, definitely showed her loathing of bull fighting. She seemed, to put it frankly, pissed, throughout the performance.
The judges agreed that the emotion and intensity was great, but that she needs some refinement. For the third time, the scores were 7, 7, and 7. During the couple's interview in the "celebriquarium" Anderson made sexual innuendos and "flirty" faces that you would expect from her, seemingly not even attempting to disprove the stereotypes surrounding her.
Next were
Aiden Turner and Sliwinska dancing the quickstep to "Hey Soul Sister" which immediately won them extra points with me. Sliwinska's costume was very Jasmine-esque (from Aladdin), which was also a plus.
Len thought that Turner needed to go for it more, while Bruno described him as "a kid skipping around the meadow."
Carrie Ann and Bruno threw out some more 7's, along with Len's 6. Turner's accent makes everything he says endearing.
Next to tackle the waltz was
Erin Andrews and
Maks Chmerkovskiy (isn't the spelling of his name awesome?) In an interesting and challenging twist, Andrews danced the routine blindfolded! I was scared for her, but she seemed completely relaxed and graceful- I was impressed.
The judges opinions on this one varied- Bruno calling Andrews a "kinky thing," Carrie Ann loving the use of the blindfold, and Len saying that it was the most boring start he'd ever seen. Never mind cowbell, "more waltz!" is what Len wanted.
Carrie Ann and Bruno awarded them with 8's, while Len stuck with lucky number 7.
Gosselin and Dovolani performed the pasa dablo to Gaga's "Paparazzi" because "it's the story of her life." Gosselin struggled to portray her emotions, and talked about having to protect her children. Two questions crossed my mind. 1) Why aren't you with your kids now instead of on this show? and 2) Can you please get a different manicure?
Throughout the performance, Gosselin looked like she was moving through quicksand. It was kind of painful to watch, and only at a few moments did it even resemble dancing.
Carrie Ann's opening words were, "that was odd." She went on to say that it was hard to watch, while Len said it was too pedestrian, and all she did was walk around. The best comment by far was from Bruno, who said that for once she played the character- "Super bitch from Hell." Uh, Bruno? That's not acting.
Gosselin and Dovolani received three 5's from the judges.
Nicole Scherzinger and Hough were the last couple of the evening to perform. Scherzinger was excited to do the quickstep, and it showed in the couples fun and upbeat routine. By the end, I wanted to get up and try to learn it myself- but that wouldn't end well.
Unfortunately for Scherzinger, the judges all agreed that the duo broke the rules and didn't perform a true quickstep. However, they all loved the performance and it showed in their scores (except for Len). They received an 8 from Carrie Ann, a 6 from Len, and a 9 from Bruno.
All 9 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.
