Dancing With The Stars Power Ranking – The FADS Edition: Week 6

What is it with the pros this season? First Maksim Chmerkovskiy has a muscle pull and drops Kirstie Alley, and now Karina Smirnoff trips over partner Ralph Macchio's coat tails. Mak's mishap didn't appear to cost Kirstie any points (perhaps because it was injury-related?), but Karina's spill probably dropped Ralph's score by a couple of points, at least. Let's get it together, pros!

On with this week's Power Ranking...

DWTS POWER RANKING - WEEK SIX

#1 Hines Ward:
Hines didn't get to shake it up as much as he has in earlier dances, but he still did a respectable job with his Viennese Waltz. Hines provided a very good example of what careful execution and a relaxed mindset can achieve. Celebrities should be enjoying their dances, not rehearsing them in their heads as they're performing them (something that Chris Jericho seemed to be doing this week). That being said, I thought triple-9s for Hines was a bit of a reach considering the routine.

#2 Chelsea Kane:
Chelsea and Mark's Quickstep was definitely their nerdiest performance together this season - complete with prep school costumes, dark-rimmed glasses and prudish facial expressions. They carried it off really well, too. Judge Bruno Tonioli said he noticed a bit of a wobble towards the end from Chelsea, but judge Carrie Anna Inaba disagreed and ended up scoring her a 10 accordingly. Chelsea continues to impress me with her dancing prowess. Mark mentioned in his USA Today blog that he discovered early on how talented Chelsea was (after studying her jive performance in Week 2) and decided then and there "to drastically raise my expectations of her." The only reason this couple isn't in the #1 position at this point is because I think Hines's fan base is much higher than Chelsea's.

#3 Romeo:
I said last week if Romeo continues to impress he'll eventually climb into a top-three position in the FADS Power Rankings. He managed to do just that this week, with an assist from Chris Jericho, who slipped in the rankings himself this week. I thought Romeo's 10 by judge Carrie Ann was a bit high - he still seemed to be getting led around by pro partner Chelsie Hightower - but even so, he did very well.

#4 Kirstie Alley:
Kirstie climbs from #6 to #4 this week. She had a strong performance with no major slip-ups - though it looked as if she had to hustle to catch up to Maks at their rendezvous point at the top of the stage after she flirted with the audience a few seconds too long. I'm not sure the two 9s she received from Len and Bruno were deserved - was she really one point away from a perfect dance in their eyes? (Come on, Len, be as demanding with Kirstie as you have been with Chris!)

#5 Ralph Macchio:
This was a fast-paced and well executed dance for Ralph. Unfortunately for him, pro partner Karina Smirnoff tripped over his coattails about 30 seconds into the routine, basically crushing any hope of a high-end score. Karina seemed pretty shaken up emotionally after the fall, but Ralph was very quick to pick her up - I thought he performed excellent damage control. I'm not really comfortable with the three 8s that Ralph received from the judges, though. His dance, minus Karina's trip, was better than Hines's in my opinion. I thought his performance warranted at least one 9. (The judges should be judging his dancing performance, not his pro partner's.)

#6 Kendra Wilkinson:
Kendra looked sexy and exotic as she danced her Samba. She also looked genuinely happy to be on the dance floor - and emotion missing in many of her past performances. She also didn't have to worry about being "elegant" again for the second straight week, which surely must have relaxed her even more. Stepping onto the judges' table and shaking it up for Len Goodman on his birthday was an added plus.

#7 Chris Jericho:
Alas, it's time to say goodbye to Chris Jericho. Chris appeared a bit rigid in his Tango (even for a Tango) this past week. He seemed to be concentrating too much on the moves of the dance rather than just performing it. The judges were mostly unforgiving (although, oddly enough, the usually frugal Len Goodman gave Chris an 8 for the second week in a row). Carrie Ann said she felt the pressure might have gotten to him this week, and she may have been right. Len said it "lacked a bit of intensity," and it certainly did. Chris was not the worst of the remaining dancers - he simply had a bad week. Unfortunately, though, that's all it's going to take as the field whittles down each week.

*

So the field of competitors is now down to six. Of the six, the only weak dancer is Kendra Wilkinson, whose fans have managed to keep her on the show despite some pretty disappointing performances. Like pro dancer Natasha Oreshkina mentioned in her commentary this week, Kendra is turning out to be this season's Bristol Palin - the poor dancer who keeps staying alive because of a loyal (and actively voting) fan base. We'll see if that will be enough to keep her in the competition in the following weeks, but don't be surprised if she makes it all the way to the Finals. (There, I said it! )

Next week's predicted "in jeopardy" threesome: Kendra Wilkinson, Romeo, and Kirstie Alley.

- -

Dancing with the Stars - Week 6 Commentary

Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars is finally upon us. Each week Syracuse, NY FADS co-owner and award-winning ballroom dancer Natasha Oreshkina will be sharing her thoughts on the competition and giving us her take on which celebrities had the best week on the dance floor and which ones should be getting ready to pack their bags.


*
WEEK SIX

[Natasha] Well, once again there's still no clear leader in the competition this week. It's so interesting this season that so many couples are having good weeks. Romeo and Chelsea scored 28s, and Ralph Macchio should be on top except for Karina's fall.

Even though we don't have a consistent leader yet, we do know who's the worst. I think Kendra is a lot like Bristol Palin was last season. Bristol wasn't a good dancer, but she had a lot of votes so she made it to the finals.

Okay, then. Let's go over tonight's scores.

T-1st Place - Romeo/Chelsie Hightower (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:20 + W4:23 + W5:26 + W6:28 = 139) [Overall position: 3rd.]
Romeo and Chelsie Hightower did the Waltz this week. It was a good dance, very romantic - one of his best performances. He's getting better each week. It was very nice.

T-1st Place - Chelsea Kane/Mark Ballas (W1:21 + W2:18 + W3:23 + W4:26 + W5:26 W6:28 = 142 total) [Overall position: 2nd.]
Chelsea and Mark did the Quickstep. Each time I watch Chelsea I see more and more. It was a very light and breezy dance, high-energy and a lot of moving around. She did a good job.

3rd Place - Hines Ward/Kym Johnson (W1:21 + W2:23 + W3:25 + W4:25 + W5:27 + W6:27 = 148 total) [Overall position: 1st.]
Hines and Kym performed the Viennese Waltz this week. I liked their movements across the dance floor, I like his lines. He did very good - well, not bad [laughs].

4th Place - Kirstie Alley/Maksim Chmerkovskiy (W1:23 + W2:20 + W3:21 + W4:21 + W5:23 + W6:26 = 134) [Overall position: T-5th.]
Kirstie and Maks did the Samba this week. I think she dances Latin better than Standard ballroom. She showed good footwork and good rhythm. Very strong legs and feet and she moved around well.

5th Place - Kendra Wilkinson/Louis van Amstel (W1:18 + W2:19 + W3:23 + W4:18 + W5:22 + W6:25 = 125) [Overall position: 7th.]
Kendra and Louis also danced the Samba this week. You know, she's not one of my favorite dancers. This week was better than last week, and she had a lot of shaking [her stuff]. She's just not consistent, though - sometimes she does a good job, then sometimes a very bad job.

6th Place - Ralph Macchio/Karina Smirnoff (W1:24 + W2:21 + W3:21 + W4:25 + W5:22 + W6:24 = 137) [Overall position: 4th.]
Ralph and Karina performed the Paso Doble. I think the reason they came in 6th tonight was because of Karina's fall. I don't know what it is, but it seems like this season the pros are on the floor a lot. Usually with pros that doesn't happen.

7th Place - Chris Jericho/Cheryl Burke (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:21 + W4:23 + W5:26 W6:22 = 134) [Overall position: T-5th.]
Chris and Cheryl danced the Tango this week and they were eliminated on Tuesday. Maybe this wasn't his best dance... it wasn't my cup of tea. Chris looked nervous to me. I would still say he's a better dancer than Kendra, but not this week, and he's also not consistent.

*

I still think Kendra should be out of the competition - I say that every week. But I don't think the worst dancers should keep getting the "Safes" over the better ones. So maybe this coming week, we'll see. Usually I can predict who's in the lead at this point, but the competition is very good this year and the top couple keeps changing. I think the three couples who might be in jeopardy next Tuesday will be Kendra (as always), Hines Ward (perhaps), and Ralph Macchio.

- -

Fred Astaire "Shadow Dance" Finds Place in Herzog Film

In his latest film-making endeavor, The Cave of Forgotten Dreams, German director Werner Herzog takes us back to the early Paleolithic era as he examines cave paintings and engravings found in the famed Chauvet Cave, located in France, which were first discovered in 1994. Herzog brings his unique talent of direction to a new level with this production as he delivers a 3-D presentation that draws the audience into the cave itself, there to see the artwork as its creators first intended so many tens of thousands of years ago.

What makes Herzog’s documentary really so special to Fred Astaire enthusiasts, though, was his use of Fred Astaire dancing footage from 1936’s Swing Time. Herzog wanted to show the audience what the prehistoric artists themselves would have seen as they created their works in the ancient cave.

"Arguably, for for me, the greatest single sequence in all of film history [is] Fred Astaire dancing with his own shadows,” said Herzog in a recent interview on National Public Radio. “And all of a sudden he stops and the shadows become independent and dance without him and he has to catch up with them. It's [such a] quintessential movie. It can't get more beautiful. It's actually from Swing Time. And when you look at the [Chauvet] cave and certain panels, there's evidence of some fires on the ground. They're not for cooking. They were used for illumination. You have to step in front of these fires to look at the images, and when you move, you must see your own shadow. And immediately, Fred Astaire comes to mind — who did something 32,000 years later which is essentially what we can imagine for early Paleolithic people."

Read the NPR story here.

See a clip of Fred dancing with his shadows in Swing Time here.

* *

Dancing With The Stars Power Ranking – The FADS Edition: Week 5

Well, wasn't Week 5 of DWTS an interesting one for everyone? We all got to listen to some patriotic songs and watch our favorite celebrities do their thing on the dance floor as best they could. Some of the dances fit in pretty well with their accompanying tunes, while others seemed a bit out of place. Regardless, there were some really good scores on Monday all the way around, with no one dipping below 22 points this week.

Unfortunately, while last week we saw the show lose its soul, if you will, with Sugar Ray Leonard's elimination, this week we watched it lose its heart as Czech darling Petra Nemcova was sent packing by the voters (or, more correctly, a lack thereof). Even though her judges' points were higher than fellow-contender Kendra Wilkinson (106 to 100, respectively), she just couldn't match Kendra's fan support. And so we bid farewell to perhaps the most pleasant and good-spirited contestant DWTS has had on its show in years.

On with the Power Rankings.

By sheer coincidence, this week's power rankings are identical to the week's scoring ranks. I didn't mean for that to happen, but that's the way things turned out. (The "Power Couple" doesn't necessarily have to be the highest scoring couple for that week, as was evidenced in last week's Power Ranking.)

DWTS POWER RANKING - WEEK FIVE

#1 Hines Ward:
Hines scored triple-nines from the judges in Week 5, but honestly, I'm just not seeing what they're marveling at. Yes, he did a great job. But did he really do better than Cheslea Kane? I don't think so. It looked to me like he did a whole lot of following around while pro partner Kym Johnson carried the dance. Even so, judge Carrie Ann Inaba seems positively smitten by the football star. Remember last week when I mentioned how worried I was that the judges were going to hand the Mirror Ball trophy to Kirstie Alley (that is, before the "incidents")? Well, I'm starting to get that feeling again with Hines.

#2 Chelsea Kane:
It's almost a given each week that pro partner Mark Ballas is going to dream up some kind of choreography that will highlight his own dancing skills (I think he's just as earnest in his pursuit of the show's "Design a Dance" competition, where two pros are selected to do a dance, as he is with getting his celebrity partner the MB trophy). But even so, he's very lucky in having the best dancer of the competition as his partner in Season 12. Chelsea Kane compliments Mark's moves like no other celebrity in Season 12 has been able to do with their own pro partners. While others are for the most part being led around the floor by their pros, Chelsea appears to easily keep up with Mark's choreographed antics. How she only ended up with an "8" from judge Len Goodman while Hines Ward snared a "9" from him is a mystery to me. But I'm beginning to wonder if Len isn't shaving a point off of her performance just to spite Ballas, who he's had issues with this season.

#3 Chris Jericho:
I thought Chris's dance this week was very flowing and well-balanced, if a bit flat-footed (as judge Len Goodman and our own Natasha Oreshkina mentioned). This week saw the second time Chris was placed in "jeopardy" and had to sweat out the final moments of the show. That's not really fair - he's clearly a superior dancer, and I would think that with the WWE's support (they promote his appearance on DWTS online), he'd be safe more often than not. So far, however, that hasn't been the case. But I think Chris is beginning to show the DWTS viewers that he's more than just a big bag of muscles, and as the field narrows and the choices become fewer, we'll hopefully see people making the right decisions with their votes.

#4 Ralph Macchio:
Oh, Ralph, gain some consistency, will you, please? Ralph's a great guy with a large fan base, but, sheesh, he just can't seem to put two solid weeks together. I've got him at #4 this week, which is a tumble from last week's #2 spot, but he can still go even lower as the upstart Romeo seems to be making a mid-season charge.

#5 Romeo:
Romeo goes from #6 last week to #5 this week, and with another good showing in upcoming Week 6, he could very well vault himself into the Top Three. Romeo got high praise from the judges this week, but, similar to Hines Ward, I saw a whole lot of being led around by his pro partner, Chelsie Hightower. I think the best highlight of the week from this couple, in fact, came on Tuesday's Results Show, during Mike Catherwood's "DWTS Exposed!" segment when a clip showed Cheslie's "wardrobe malfunction" as the couple practiced their routine. Funny stuff!

#6 Kirstie Alley:
I'm not really clear on why Kirstie persists in wearing those belly-revealing outfits, but this makes two weeks in a row. That being said, it may shock some of you to know that I think Kirstie's performance this week was more entertaining than Hines Ward's effort. In the end, though, she's clearly not the talented dancer many of her fans hoped she'd be early on in the competition.

#7 Kendra Wilkinson:
The former Playboy bunny had the distinction of dancing DWTS's 1,000 dance this week, and I have to say she made the most out of it. After a disastrous Week 4, she actually did pretty good this week - earning a respectable 22 points from the judges. She smiled a lot and got to dance to a fun "Yankee Doodle" song, something more in line with her "unelegant" personality.

#8 Petra Nemcova:
Sigh. The Queen of Nice on DWTS Season 12 has passed into the night. Unfortunately, we got more of the usual from Petra on the dance floor in Week 5, and it just wasn't enough. Dance pro Natasha Oreshkina said in her critique that Petra as never able to fix her posture (which Natasha blamed largely on her pro partner, Dmitri Chaplin, for not fixing). Even so, she was a better dancer than Kendra Wilkinson. Just not as popular with the viewers, I guess.

*

Next week we'll have a narrowed-down field of seven couples to choose from. Out of the seven, Kendra Wilkinson is clearly the weakest dancer. But is she the weakest in viewer popularity? Possibly not. Look for next week's celebrity "in jeopardy" lineup to include: Kendra Wilkinson (always my first choice), Ralph Macchio and Chelsea Kane.

- -

Dancing with the Stars - Week 5 Commentary

Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars is finally upon us. Each week Syracuse, NY FADS co-owner and award-winning ballroom dancer Natasha Oreshkina will be sharing her thoughts on the competition and giving us her take on which celebrities had the best week on the dance floor and which ones should be getting ready to pack their bags.


*
WEEK FIVE

[Natasha] This week was all about celebrating America, so the couples danced to songs with American themes. We had three couples tied at 22 for last place this week. As I mentioned before, because everyone goes up and down the leaderboard, we haven't really seen a clear leader for this season's competition.


Tonight's Scores:

1st Place - Hines Ward/Kym Johnson (W1:21 + W2:23 + W3:25 + W4:25 +W5:27 = 121 total) [Overall position: 1st.]
This week Hines and Kym did the Rumba. It was a very romantic dance. His technique was good and he did a solid job. As [DWTS judge] Carrie Ann mentioned on the show, he showed lots of hip action. So it was very good.

T-2nd Place - Chris Jericho/Cheryl Burke (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:21 + W4:23 +W:26 = 112) [Overall position: 4th.]
Chris and Cheryl did the Viennese Waltz. I'm definitely seeing improvement in Chris. Their dance was very smooth and strong. Chris was a little flat-footed (as DWTS judge Len Goodman mentioned). We should see a foot-rise in the Viennese Waltz, and Chris looked like he was skating.


T-2nd Place - Romeo/Chelsie Hightower (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:20 + W4:23 +W4:26 = 111) [Overall position: 5th.]
Romeo and Cheslie did the Foxtrot to New York, New York - one of my favorite songs. It's a powerful song and Romeo showed lots of energy dancing to it. It was one of his best dances.


T-2nd Place - Chelsea Kane/Mark Ballas (W1:21 + W2:18 + W3:23 + W4:26 +W5:26 = 114 total) [Overall position: 2nd.]
Chelsea and Mark did the Samba this week. This couple, I liked what they did. They were confident and showed good technique. I think this couple can be the leaders. I like Chelsea's technique, her personality and her confidence. I think she's ready to compete for the top spot.


5th Place - Kirstie Alley/Maksim Chmerkovskiy (W1:23 + W2:20 + W3:21 + W4:21 + W5:23 = 108) [Overall position: 6th.]
Kirstie and Maks did the Foxtrot, and I don't think this was the best dance they did [this season]. I think Maks should concentrate on helping his partner look good on the dance floor. He should pay more attention to Kirstie and not so much on himself. But they both had good attitudes and presentation in the dance.

T-6th Place - Ralph Macchio/Karina Smirnoff (W1:24 + W2:21 + W3:21 + W4:25 + W5:22 = 113) [Overall position: 3rd.]
Ralph and Karina did the Samba this week. It's very interesting this season how the leaders keep changing - one week they have a good week, the next week, not so much. This week Ralph's dance was too loose - he didn't look so well-controlled. He's just not consistent in his dances week-to-week.

T-6th Place - Petra Nemcova/Dmitry Chaplin (W1:18 + W2:18 + W3:25 + W4:23 + W5:22 = 106) [Overall position: 7th.]
Petra and Dmitry danced the Quickstep. This would be their last dance before being voted off on Tuesday. For once, I'm surprised by the elimination because two weeks ago Petra was at the top of the leaderboard. But I just didn't see any improvement in her posture at all. She doesn't look graceful and doesn't look correct, which probably gives her problems with her balance. She also made several mis-steps in this week's dance.


You know, I think if Petra danced with someone else she might have done better. Petra is a beautiful woman, and when she danced on her own she was nice. But when she and Dmitry danced together, her position was terrible. The pro should be fixing her problems with position and posture, but she had the same problem every week.

T-6th Place - Kendra Wilkinson/Louis van Amstel (W1:18 + W2:19 + W3:23 + W4:18 + W5:22 = 100) [Overall position: 8th.]
Kendra and Louis danced the Foxtrot to Yankee Doodle. I think this couple should have been the one eliminated before Petra. But the judges votes are only a part of it,and Petra doesn't have as many fans as Kendra.

Kendra's not the strongest dancer, and this week she was still a little weak. Last week was terrible, though, so it was better. I thought her dance was entertaining and it was fun music, but she was a little stiff in her movements.

*

So now we're halfway through the season and we still don't have a strong leader. My prediction for next week, though, is that Kendra should be the one eliminated and Chelsea should be on top.

- -

Dancing with the Stars - Week 4 Commentary

Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars is finally upon us. Each week Syracuse, NY FADS co-owner and award-winning ballroom dancer Natasha Oreshkina will be sharing her thoughts on the competition and giving us her take on which celebrities had the best week on the dance floor and which ones should be getting ready to pack their bags.


*
WEEK FOUR

[Natasha] This week was Classic Music night, and I thought there were some very nice songs and nice dances, mostly the Viennese Waltz, Paso Doble and slow Waltz. It's very interesting because each week the leaders are changing as couples improve and switching positions on their scores.

Tonight's Scores:

1st Place - Chelsea Kane/Mark Ballas (W1:21 + W2:18 + W3:23 + W4:26 = 88 total)
Chelsea and Mark danced the Viennese Waltz. I was really impressed - it was very, very nice. They chose the Harry Potter theme, and their technique was incredible. For a moment I thought Mark was dancing with a professional partner. Chelsea wants to be pushed, she said, because she's tired of coming in third place. It was really good choreography, beautiful costumes, and they had a good connection. I'm really glad for Chelsea and Mark.

T-2nd Place - Hines Ward/Kym Johnson (W1:21 + W2:23 + W3:25 + W4:25 = 94 total)
Hines and Kym did the Paso Doble this week. Hines felt like he was challenged this week. he said he didn't understand Classical music. But the dance was strong and aggressive and he did a good job.

T-2nd Place - Ralph Macchio/Karina Smirnoff (W1:24 + W2:21 + W3:21 + W4:25 = 91)
Ralph and Karina did the slow Waltz. That was a very difficult dance - and it was to Romeo and Juliet, my favorite song. The choreography was nice. They're still in a higher place with their overall score, and I think their ready to compete with the other top couples.

T-4th Place - Romeo/Chelsie Hightower (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:20 + W4:23 = 85)
Romeo and Chelsie danced the Paso Doble. He's definitely improved his footwork. You could tell he was excited and he loved the dance. He did a good job. They did very well.

T-4th Place - Chris Jericho/Cheryl Burke (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:21 + W4:23 = 86)
Chris and Cheryl also did the Paso Doble. Chris has his wrestling [acting] skills and he used them well in the dance. Cheryl used very good choreography for them.

T-4th Place - Petra Nemcova/Dmitry Chaplin (W1:18 + W2:18 + W3:25 + W4:23 = 84)
Petra and Dmitry performed the Paso Doble. She wore red, which was the character of the dance. Each week I say the same thing: she's a beautiful lady but sometimes her movements look so stiff. She should look aggressive - that's the Paso - but still should have smooth movements.

7th Place - Kirstie Alley/Maksim Chmerkovskiy (W1:23 + W2:20 + W3:21 + W4:21 = 85)
Kirstie and Maks did the Viennese Waltz. I though their dance was very elegant. [laughs] I think her score now with Maks is 1-to-1 with her shoes falling off. She did manage to get the shoe back on and continue with the dance, but I hope everything with the costumes and such goes better for them so they can just concentrate on dancing.

8th Place - Sugar Ray Leonard/Anna Trebunsakaya (W1:17 + W2:17 + W3:20 + W4:21 = 81)
Sugar Ray and Anna danced the Viennese Waltz to Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers. I loved the song - a traditional Russian piece. Unfortunately, this is the couple that was eliminated this week, so we've seen the last of them performing. Sugar Ray seemed a little nervous. He's the oldest guy in the competition, but he seemed like he really enjoyed being on the show. He talked about how much he liked tha dancing and how much the show inspired him, but unfortunately there were much stronger couples.

9th Place - Kendra Wilkinson/Louis van Amstel (W1:18 + W2:19 + W3:23 + W4:18 = 78)
Kendra and Louis did the Viennese Waltz, sung by guest soprano Katherine Jenkins. Kendra was very disappointed in her dance. She made some mistakes and she was nervous. You could see how she messed up the choreography. She knew was was making mistakes and that threw her off even more.

*

So we have eight couples remaining for next week's competition, and we'll see what happens with them.

- -

Dancing with the Stars - Week 3 Commentary

Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars is finally upon us. Each week Syracuse, NY FADS co-owner and award-winning ballroom dancer Natasha Oreshkina will be sharing her thoughts on the competition and giving us her take on which celebrities had the best week on the dance floor and which ones should be getting ready to pack their bags.


There were 10 dancers on this third week of Dancing with the Stars, and this week the stars selected songs to dance to that were near and dear to their hearts. It was difficult to judge their performance because all the dances were emotional and had a lot of feeling in them. They were mostly slow dances, the Rumba, and also a cha-cha, and paso doble.

1st Place - Hines Ward/Kym Johnson (W1:21 + W2:23 + W3:25 = 69)
Hines did the Samba, which he dedicated to his mother. I think it was interesting, good choreography, with a lot of energy and good bounce. I thought he danced the way it [Samba] should be danced.

2nd Place - Ralph Macchio/Karina Smirnoff (W1:24 + W2:21 + W3:21 = 66)
Ralph danced the Rumba. He chose a song that he and his wife danced to on their wedding day, and his dance was dedicated to his wife. I thought the choreography was very good. There were interesting lines and movements. Karina did a nice job and Ralph looked good dancing with her. I liked what they did.

3rd Place - Kirstie Alley/Maksim Chmerkovskiy (W1:23 + W2:20 + W3:21 = 64)
Kirstie danced the Rumba to "Over the Rainbow." She had lost her mom, and almost her dad, in a car accident many years ago and her dance was dedicated to her parents. Maks lost his balance and they fell down during the dance. I think if they had kept balance their scores would have been much higher. She looked great.

4th Place - Chris Jericho/Cheryl Burke (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:21 = 63)
Chris did the Rumba, dedicated to his mom. He did a great job, a very emotional dance. You could read the story through their dance. He needs to work on his arms better - he needs to be more fluid.

When you dance, you need to control your feelings and learn to relax. If you have too much control, you lose feeling, but if you have too much feeling, you lose control of the dance.

T-5th Place - Chelsea Kane/Mark Ballas (W1:21 + W2:18 + W3:23 = 62)
Chelsea did the cha-cha, and she dedicated her dance to her first love. She did a good job had a lot of rotations. I would have liked to have seen better footwork and hip action, which hopefully we'll see in the future.

T-5th Place - Romeo/Chelsie Hightower (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:20 = 62)
Also a sad story here - Romeo lost two cousins. In dedication to them, he danced the Rumba to "I'll Be There." It was very sweet and sentimental. He finished by holding Chelsie and looking up to blow a kiss to the sky. He still needs to work on his footwork - it's very important that he gets better at that.

7th Place - Petra Nemcova/Dmitry Chaplin (W1:18 + W2:18 + W3:25 = 61)
Petra did the slow waltz which she dedicated to hope after tragedy. I loved the music - a beautiful song. The dance was very graceful, flowing and elegant. I would have liked to see a little bit better movement on the floor and better posture from her.

8th Place - Kendra Wilkinson/Louis van Amstel (W1:18 + W2:19 + W3:23 = 60)
Kendra danced the Rumba to "You and Me," which she dedicated to her husband and son. The dance looked very romantic, she showed good footwork and the choreography was very good.

9th Place - Sugar Ray Leonard/Anna Trebunsakaya (W1:17 + W2:17 + W3:20 = 60)
Sugar Ray danced the Paso Doble, which he dedicated to beating the odds - nobody thought he could ever win a boxing championship, and he was trying to beat the odds on Dancing with the Stars. He came out on the floor wearing boxing gloves and a robe. He looked very good - an improvement over the other weeks. I thought he did a good job.

10th Place - Wendy Williams/Tony Dovolani (W1:14 + W2:17 + W3:15 = 46)
Wendy did the foxtrot in dedication to her start in show business. She looked like she had a lot of fun, but the footwork was not good and her dancing was off.

Wendy was voted off the competition this week. Again, it was hard to judge because these were all emotional dances for the stars to perform. We'll see what happens next week.

- -