Dancing with the Stars, Episode 4: Samba Mama

Up next we have Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo. Kelly says she’s not graceful, so she takes Bruno’s advice and gets some ballet lessons. She jokes that now she’s dreaming of Bruno and her ballet. She also says that she doesn’t want to be like an oompaloompa. I don’t think she has to worry about that.

The couple is performing the samba to “Bailamos.” There is a lot of hip movement in the routine. Kelly does a split, during which the strap of her top breaks. She’s a trouper though and subtly holds her top up periodically with her arm. She even managers to spin eight times in a row with a broken strap. The music and the choreography make the performance very sexy.

Tom says that Carrie is smiling, so he’s making her give her feedback last. Len then gives his critique and says that the couple has upped their performance. Bruno agrees and says that not only is Kelly a great competitor, she is also a hot little chili. Mama! Carrie gives the couple a standing ovation and says that Kelly was fantastic. She also acknowledges the wardrobe malfunction. For her scores, Kelly receives a nine from both Carrie and Len, and an eight from Bruno for a total of 26 points. When Lisa tells Kelly that she is in first place, she says she had no idea.

Tantalizing Tidbit: An article in TV Guide states that Carrie taught Rick Rockwell of Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire fame which knee to drop to when he proposed to Darva Conger. (Suddenly, I feel very dirty.) Carrie was also a Fly Girl on In Living Color. See, not only is it fun to read RealityNewsOnline, but it’s educational as well.

At this point, the scoreboard is as follows:

Kelly and Alec – 26 – 4

Rachel and Jonathan – 25 – 3

Charlotte and John – 21 – 2

Ashly and Joey – 20 – 1

OK, it’s time for tonight’s rant. (Where’s my dog?) As Carolyn, an RNO reader, pointed out, it’s odd that the final scores each evening are based on two separate entities scoring two separate performances. I agree with her observation. Perhaps I’m just used to the way the scoring occurs on American Idol, but the way it is done on this show does seem a bit awkward. For example, someone could be in first place after the evening’s performances, but when his or her score is combined with the viewers’ score from the previous week, that person could be eliminated! OK, that wasn’t so bad. I actually feel calm. (Good dog.) Now, discuss this subject amongst yourselves.

The last performance of the evening is from… everyone! All of the couples will be doing the Viennese waltz at the same time, but everyone will have a moment in the center of the dance floor to showcase their moves. Unlike the other performances, however, the judges will not be scoring this dance; only the viewing public will vote. Footage from a practice session is shown. John says it is like the bumper cars on the dance floor since everyone is constantly turning and they keep running into one another. John actually seems to be the instigator of most of this; he’s having a great time spinning into people.

The couples will be dancing to “I’ve Got You, Babe.” To begin, Charlotte and John are featured. They move very elegantly, even when he lifts her. Next are Rachel and Jonathan. As he spins her, she extends her arm, again showing her amazing lines. Kelly and Alec are next. In keeping with the Viennese waltz theme, the couple does a lot of turning. At one point, Alec spins Kelly so fast that I get dizzy. It doesn’t look like it fits in with the rest of the waltz, but it is impressive nevertheless. Finally, Ashly and Joey take center stage. They do several moves and I’m amazed at how comfortable he is with steps that seem to be complicated. Finally the performance ends and our couples take a bow.

Even though the judges won’t be scoring the performance, Tom asks which couple was their favorite and which was their least favorite. Carrie says that her favorite couple was Kelly and Alec, and her least favorite was Rachel and Jonathan. Len responds by saying that Charlotte and John was his favorite, but that he didn’t care for Ashly and Joey. Bruno agrees with that assessment. There really hasn’t been a lot of love for Joey tonight.

It is now time to tally the scores and determine which celebrity will be eliminated from the competition. As always, the couples returning next week are (in no particular order):

Kelly and Alec

Ashly and Joey

Either Rachel or John is about to leave the competition. The celebrity with the lowest score is… Rachel Hunter! She truly looks hurt over the news. As Tom tells her that she obviously poured herself into the competition, she begins to tear up and become emotional. (It’s nice to see that she appreciated the opportunity that was given to her.) Jonathan then begins to describe how great it was to work with Rachel, and again, she becomes upset. Even though this is the couple I picked to win the competition, I can’t say I’m completely disappointed by the elimination; the couples that remain are all doing very well and deserve to be where they are.

Rachel and Jonathan take to the dance floor one last time as “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” plays. This song is very appropriate for Rachel’s departure; she certainly enjoyed learning about ballroom dancing and going through the experience with the other celebrities.

Last week’s installment of Dancing with the Stars was up 4% from the previous week. As a result, other similar programs are being considered, including Fox’s Skating with Celebrities and NBC’s I’m a Celebrity But I Want to Be a Pop Star. Friends, this seriously frightens me… but it won’t deter me from watching. See you next week!

Now that you’ve read about what happened on Dancing with the Stars this week, be sure to check out what the Foxes On Idol Judging Panel had to say in We’ll Be the Judge of That!.

Jill is an east coast mama who loves sharks, zombie movies, and reality television. She welcomes your comments about these and other subjects, and can be reached at jilljones@verizon.net.

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