Dancing with the Stars 14, April 2: The Most Memorable Year of My Life

Hello again, Dancing with the Stars fans! Martina & Tony danced their way out of the show last week but 11 couples remain.

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke Charvet welcome us and introduce our stars. Brooke tells us that tonight we will go back to the most memorable years in the lives of our stars. Some of them are getting emotional already!

The announcer welcomes the band, singers, and awesome Musical Director Harold Wheeler. Welcome, band! Thanks for being here

Tom reminds us that Martina said farewell last week. He reminds us of the theme for the night and Brooke says this could be an emotional night that we won’t soon forget. Tom tells us to keep the Kleenex handy.

Jack Wagner & Anna Trebunskaya are dancing the samba tonight. He lost control last week and was relieved to make it through to tonight. Jack tells Anna that 2011 was his most memorable year. He explains that he was reunited with his daughter at a concert in Florida. Jack is very emotional as we meet his daughter, Kerry, who says she never thought she would be reunited with her birth father and that he would take her in as he has.

Jack & Anna look great for their samba, which Jack told us is a celebration of his daughter Kerry. They are dancing to one of Jack’s songs but I don’t know the title, sorry. Jack seems to have his control back tonight. He makes some strange faces at times but it doesn’t detract from the dance. His footwork looks very crisp and clean and I’m really impressed! Jack runs to the audience to hug Kerry after the dance.

Len is smiling and says he liked the rhythm Jack showed, especially in his hips. Jack’s best dance yet!

Bruno says Jack go the party started. It was uplifting and joyful. Tonight Jack was on it and his timing and rhythm were on.

Carrie Ann was worried because the intro package was so emotional. She wants to see more of Jack and says he was uplifting and effervescent.

Tom reminds us that comments from Twitter will be displayed during the show. You can ask questions or make comments and they could be featured on the show! Use hashtag #DWTS to see your best 140 characters or less on the screen.

Brooke asks Jack what Kerry’s reaction was when he told her he’d be dancing for her tonight. He tears up as he says she was moved.

Scores: Carrie Ann: 8; Len: 8; Bruno: 8. Total: 24.

Maria Menounos & Derek Hough discuss 1988, Maria’s most memorable year. Maria tells us she would go to work with her parents when she was little and whenever she’d find a quarter on the ground she would put it into the jukebox and play Madonna’s “Material Girl.” So she and Derek are rumbaing to that song tonight.

Maria & Derek take the stage to the glow of a golden light. The band performs a hauntingly slow version of “Material Girl.” Maria & Derek give me chills as they perform an almost-too-hot-for-family-TV rumba. Seriously, I mean this is hot. Wow. Someone probably needs a shower right now.

Bruno says he felt it and calls Derek a naughty boy. He says the dance had fluidity and sensuality and she danced it to a song that had no beat. He tips his hat to her.

Carrie Ann says that was truly the vertical and the horizontal expression of the true horizontal desire. She says Maria is a true expressive dancer. It was breathtaking.

Len says it was a mix of the ballroom and a little touch of the bedroom. It had smoldering intensity and overall it was a fabulous dance.

Brooke asks Maria if she and Derek actually kissed during their rumba. No answer is forthcoming.

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9; Len: 9; Bruno: 9. Total: 27.

Gladys Knight & Tristan MacManus are foxtrotting tonight. Gladys tells us 1957 was the most memorable year of her life, because it was the first tour for Gladys Knight & The Pips. She was only 13 and it was the year she met Sam Cook. That tour changed her life.

Gladys & Tristan foxtrot to Sam Cook’s “Cupid.” She looks beautiful! The band does a terrific job with the song and I really want this to be an amazing dance. Gladys is a little too tentative, however. Once they get into the dance she seems to gain confidence in her steps—and in her partner—and it comes together nicely. It’s a sweet performance, very elegant and a big improvement over last week.

Carrie Ann says there was improvement in Gladys’s frame this week. It was beautiful, sensuous, soulful, rich, and divine.

Len realizes the amount of work and dedication it takes to come out here each week. He admires her and he liked the flow of the dance. He likes the improvement in her frame.

Bruno says Gladys has such grace and she was absolutely gorgeous out there.

Brooke asks Gladys if the things she learned from Sam Cook have helped her on the show. She says they have.

Scores: Carrie Ann: 8; Len: 8; Bruno: 8. Total: 24.

Roshon Fegan & Chelsie Hightower are dancing the samba to a Jackson 5 song. Roshon’s most memorable year is 1996, the first year he saw Michael Jackson on stage—when Roshon was 6 years old. OK, now I feel old… Chelsie has Michael Jackson’s choreographer, Travis Payne, come to rehearsal to teach Roshon some moves.

Roshon & Chelsie give us a fast and furious samba. With his wig, Roshon almost looks like Michael Jackson. They look like they’re having a great time. I could have done without Roshon grabbing his crotch, but I suppose that was a Michael Jackson move, after all. Great job!