Dancing With The Stars 2012 producers heated up the competition once again by forcing the competitors to endure a grueling two-dance week followed by a two couple elimination. The shows aired May 7th and 8th and the ballroom crowd was a bit shocked by the results. One of the stars that was sent home danced beautifully Monday night but scores were not high enough to make the celeb a crowd favorite America voted to keep on — so Tuesday night he went home. So, who did the best dances and which star celebs were eliminated before the semi-finals round and why? Here’s the weekly round-up…
- Donald and Peta did a crisp and stylish Tango in the first round. “Nice powerful start to the night…” was the comment Tom made. Len said he set the standard high. Bruno loved the aggression, disdain, and power in the dance. Saying, “Len was right…” he gave his approval. Carrie Ann loved the dance and asked the star to bring more subtle drama to his dance to keep himself in the competition. Giving Peta Murgatroyd a license to push him this week, the dance pro challenged the Superbowl champ. The 9 – 9 – 9 scores were solid for the first round.Their second dance was a Jive and their guest dancer that completed the dance trio was last season’s Mirror Ball Trophy winning pro Karina Smirnoff. Donald and the girls simply tore up the floor. Len jumped out of his seat, pointed his finger, and yelled, “Fun, fun, fun!” Bruno said keeping up the timing in a threesome is hard to do but noted the football player handled the two fire cracker dancers well. Carrie Ann was so cute yelling out, “I loved your threesome!” The hint of naughty was there — but intended in the nicest way of all. Their scores? 10 – 9 – 10… just missing the perfect three-way mother of all scores the celebrity dancers could ever want. [Thank you, Len… not.] But Len complimented him in Dance Center on the second night of the week. The boys teased her for using hardly any fabric for clothing and him for falling down all the time, laughing. They said football players who have to tackle him should just compliment him instead. If they do, he’s likely to giggle and hit the ground rolling.
- Derek and Maria earned the first perfect score of the season last week with their Vampire Paso Doble. This week they took on their waltz for their first dance. Definitely dating, the celebrity couple are struggling to keep the work tempo frustrations from tearing them apart personally. Their chemistry is beginning to show in their dances (finally) as she seems to be getting over her giddiness. Bruno said they had heavenly fluidity and it brought her to tears. Carrie Ann said the dance sang to her watching something magical happening between the two. Len chastised Derek for not dancing more in hold and told the pro he disappointed him. Poor Maria Menounos simply did not know what to say or do and all Derek Hough could do was to hug her and whisper what we hope were sweet nothings and words of encouragement in her ear. The judges gave them a 10 – 8 – 10 for their first dance (which was really unfortunate because it put them even with Donald and Peta). The second dance, Derek brought in the Dance Troupe performer named Henry to help them do a sexy and fun Bollywood routine. Really creative choreography made the dance delightful to watch. Bruno loved that she was the center of the focus of the whole dance. But, she lost timing here and there. Carrie Ann noted that is was not technically perfect but Len really hammered Derek, saying there was no Samba in the dance. He even went do far as to call the dance, “False Advertising.” The low scores of 9 – 7 – 9 did not reflect the viewers experience watching the dance at all. The fellas in Dance Central teased her for kissing Derek and being the most injured star to ever appear on the show. Thankfully, America loved their Bollywood routine more than nasty Len because they voted and she was able to advance to the semi-finals (great news revealed on the results show May 8th).
- Melissa and Maks are relying on her fan base to keep her in the competition rather than her dance skills. Butting heads with Maksim Chmerkovskiy in practice, she is still striving to make him look like a good guy but he admitted to the camera that he really looks quite bad. Having slimmed down and toned up considerably during the competition, the Little House On The Prairie actress really does want to stay on the show. However, at this stage of the game, she’s simply dancing at a passable level — not because she is not trying but because she is just not as good. Carrie Ann said it was her best dance so far and Len agreed. Bruno said the presentation was her best to date. The 8 – 8 – 8 score was probably her top score she will ever attain but then again, her second dance… a three-way dance with Maks and his brother Val promised to be hot. Carrie Ann loved it and said it was her best number by miles. Len said it was her best dance by far and Bruno chided her that it obviously takes two to get the best out of her. Sandwiched between the two gorgeous and talented dancing brothers, the TV icon looked nothing less than happy to be in the middle of it all. The judges scored her second dance, the Samba, a 9 – 9 – 9 (her highest score of the competition to date). The Dance Center men teased her for having dated pop music singer Billy Idol in the past. The audience was not surprised to hear that Melissa Gilbert and Maks were in jeopardy heading into the elimination round. The actress got the boot and started bawling. She was thankful to have been able to be on the show. Unfortunately, she got the bad news she was kicked off the show on May 8th — her birthday.
- Katherine and Mark are hoping to step up their game because she is the least known competitor in the competition. Doing the Vienesse Waltz, she put her mind, body, and soul into learning the tough choreography and it paid off. So lovely these two are when they dance together, you would almost think she is a pro. Giving her a little kiss on the lips at the end of the routine, the crowd loved it. Len said it had plenty of content but hated the “spinny thing” because he said it was not in character. Bruno said her placement is normally superb and Carrie Ann noted that she was off her footing a little bit — which, she was (in all honesty). This first dance was not her best — but bottom line, it was still enchanting and full of charisma. Katherine Jenkins said she has been having an amazing time so far and thanked everyone who has voted to keep her in the competition. The judges scored her an 8 – 9 – 9 (which was fair, all things considered). For their second dance, Mark Ballas brought in the handsome Tristan Macmanus to help make his celeb look great. But an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction took the star’s mojo away. The boys were supposed to tear away her men’s suit costume to reveal a little fringe dress but the slacks hooked on her foot. Bruno did his best to compliment and cajole her. Carrie Ann did too, telling her, “Girlfriend, you got it.” Len said that she kicked the wardrobe malfunction off and did great. The scores, a 10 – 9 – 10, did not seem to penalize her for the fabric faux-pas because she danced her way through it without missing a beat. The following evening, they teased the Opera singer for being obsessed with her, “Naughty bits” (which she always talks about Mark making her shake around). Nervous, they show producers said they were in jeopardy heading into the night where two couples would be eliminated without the opportunity to dance duel and redeem themselves. Honestly, listening to the results on May 8th, she looked like she wanted to throw up — but they were saved by viewer votes.
Roshon and Chelsie ended up in the dance duel two times in a row the past two weeks and the Foxtrot seemed like this week it might break him. Since it is not one of the most exciting dances in general to watch as a viewer, it was unfortunate he pulled this one during a week when votes are so crucial. With a double elimination round looming, the dance was fun and got a great crowd support for Roshon Fagan. Bruno said it was (essentially) a pleasure to watch, calling him a young Mickey Rooney. Carrie Ann said he made his grandmothers (who were watching in the audience) proud and the judges proud. Despite getting high 10 – 9 – 10 scores, will the Disney teen star [turned twenty something] have enough phone in support to keep him out of the bottom two? It is unlikely — as he’s battling celebrity couples like Katherine and Mark, Derek and Maria, William and Cheryl, and Donald and Peta for the semi-finals spot. All that is certain is that he’s likely to be in the bottom two with Melissa Gilbert. Their second dance, Chelsie Hightower brought in Sasha from the dance troupe because he is very good at being masculine. Since their dance was the Paso Doble, the young actor really needed the male influence to step his game up. Doing just that, Tom said he might be the new comeback kid. Bruno said he had strength and power and artistry but noticed he got off sync a bit. Carrie Ann loved the routine but was so upset he lost time. Len actually liked it far more than the other two judges, shocking everyone. They earned a 9 – 9 – 9 score. The next night (May 8, 2012), the guys in Dance Center chided young Roshon saying he looks like Barak Obama but that the president has a better chance of winning than the young 20-year-old. The crowd was really shocked to hear that the first couple to be eliminated (therefore not going to the semi-finals) were Chelsie and Roshon. Happy to add ballroom dancing to his dance move resume, he seemed sad to be going but so happy to have been on the show.- William Levy is such a natural talent that he and partner Cheryl Burke are likely to make the semi-finals (and the finals) round. Dancing the Foxtrot for his first dance of the evening, he made being a ballroom dancer look easy. Carrie Ann is so overwhelmed with his sexy swagger and Bruno is so in love that one knew going in to the evaluation that the star was going to get great scores. But Len was the wild card — and surprise, surprise… he loved it. William and Cheryl earned a perfect 10 – 10 – 10 score and after seeing the dance, the star celebs truly deserved it. The trio partner Cheryl brought in was Tony Dovolani. The routine was insanely fun to watch said Carrie Ann. Len congratulated them on doing the dance really, really well. Bruno said he could not ask for more from a performance — except William lost timing a bit (which is something Bruno said the judges — if being fair — needed to point out). The celebs scored a 9 – 9 – 9 which was probably right on. However, if they get asked to do the dance again they should be in sync and then the act itself will be complete. Teasing Cheryl more than William the next night on Dance Center, they ran funny video clips of her being tough with her previous dance partners but fawning over the handsome soap opera star. A crowd favorite, the Latin star was safe and moved forward into the semi-finals per the announcement on the results show May 8th — not a shock at all.