DANCING WITH THE STARS Showdown: Team Spirit!

This Week's Judges' Scores:

Chelsea: 34
Kendra: 31
Kirstie: 30
Ralph: 36
Hines: 36
Romeo: 30

Chelsea, Romeo, Ralph: +30
Hines, Kirstie, Kendra: +30

How did all of this come about, extra scores and all? Well, this week was team week as well as ballroom greats week, meaning that the dancers were judged on a team basis and an individual basis - and were coached by two of the greatest dancers of this generation.

Chelsea, Romeo, and Ralph are a team, and while at first everyone seems to be in good spirits, it isn't long until the pressure gets to them and they start to admit that it's a stressful challenge. They don't let the stress get to them, however. The group performs a high-energy rendition of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" and receives two eights and two sevens from Len and Bruno.

Kirstie, Kendra, and Hines are also a team, and immediately Kirstie's apparent lack of preparation makes her a cause of concern for the remaining team members. The group dances to a lackluster cover of Ke$ha's "We R Who We R" and despite early concerns (and the music), they rise to the occasion and score evenly with the other team.

After an update on the nation's news from Diane Sawyer, Chelsea and Mark are coached by Mark's mother - Shirley Ballas - whose strict approach to coaching doesn't seem to do much for Chelsea. This week, though, the couple's usual style of pushing the boundaries is to their advantage, and they receive two eights and two nines.

The thoroughly uncoordinated Kendra is next up, and as she trips over partner Louie's feet in rehearsal he's getting frustrated. Can they work it out with the help of Luca Baricchi? Maybe, as in an elegant magenta dress Kendra turns in one of her best dances yet, earning thirty-one points total.

Kirstie takes the character-over-technique route for her dance; it seems a little uncomfortable for her, and was one of her least fluid dances to date. Len loves it, but the rest of the judges don't necessarily agree, with their scores hitting everything between six and nine.

Dancing to a jazzy tune out into the audience and back are Ralph and Karina, who look to reclaim their spot near the top of the leaderboard after Karina's fall last week. Ralph as always gives it one hundred percent, and this week it does pay off to the tune of a ten, two nines, and an eight.

Hines announces that he's going to bring his football "Silent Assassin" attitude to get his first ten in the competition. He gets a visit from Jerome Bettis, who jokes that he's happy to be there to put on the pressure. Pressure or no, Hines brings forth a solid dance. Though it's too "dainty" for Len, Hines does receive the ten he's been seeking from Bruno and is tied for the number one spot.

Romeo and Chelsie contribute a high-spirited, if not totally technically perfect samba to the night. All of the judges note as much, critiquing various parts of his performance, and the pair ends up with only thirty points.

As many of the contestants have noted throughout the night, the team with the lowest score usually has the member who goes home. But with both teams earning the same score, it's up in the air, and all the audience votes matter. Who are your votes going to, and will they stick around for next week? Tune in tomorrow to find out!

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. Wireless customers with AT&T may also text message their votes by texting the word "VOTE" to 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, until 8:00 a.m., PT the following day. Fans may cast the maximum limit of votes for each voting method.

"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.

 

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