Dancing with the Stars, Episode 5: Suxy!

Previously on Dancing with the Stars, our celebrities and their partners performed the samba, and everyone took to the dance floor simultaneously for the Viennese waltz. Rachel Hunter and John O’Hurley found themselves on the brink of elimination, with Rachel ultimately exiting the competition. Three couples remain. Who will continue to dance his or her way in America’s heart? Who has run out of steam? Stay tuned!

First things first – According to TV Guide, viewers who were trying to dial in their votes for John for the past several weeks have been mistakenly calling a Michigan answering service. In order to avoid “stars-gate,” ABC has investigated the situation and determined that viewers simply misread the telephone number that appeared on screen for John. Friends, be sure to write down the correct numbers for voting purposes. If you don’t, you may unknowingly vote for Tom Bergeron and Lisa Canning to return on future installments of the program as co-hosts. Thank you… I’ll be here ‘til Tuesday.

After introductions are made, we learn that our couples will be performing both the foxtrot and paso doble. During the foxtrot, which is one of the most playful and difficult dances, judges will be looking for certain moves such as the tree step and grapevine. For the paso doble, or the dance of the bullfight, judges must see stomping and passionate facial expressions.

Our first performance of the evening is from Charlotte Jorgensen and John O’Hurley. John says that Charlotte has placed first in foxtrot competitions, so he feels like he is playing basketball with Michael Jordan. I can imagine how nerve-racking that would be. However, when it comes to the paso doble, he’s simply having fun with it.

Tonight, they will be dancing the foxtrot to “Let There be Love.” As they move around the floor, I am simply impressed that they don’t trip over their feet. Their expressions and movements are very playful throughout the dance. In fact, the routine ends with John kissing Charlotte’s hand. Each week, this couple becomes more and more entertaining and delightful to watch.

The judges are ready with their critiques. Len Goodman begins by saying that the performance was unbelievable and elegant. They are two people dancing as one. Carrie Ann Inaba states that John’s footwork and turns were amazing. Bruno Tonioli says that the dance was elegant and that it told a story. This translates into a nine from all three judges. So far, the couple has 27 points out of 30. John says he’s just glad he didn’t have to use his hips.

Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo are up next. Because of Kelly’s schedule on General Hospital, Alec has to go to the set and practice with her there. Kelly admits that she has never seen the foxtrot; now she has to learn it in about five hours.

The couple does the foxtrot to “Don’t Know Why.” Kelly is more expressive with her face now than she was at the beginning of the competition. She is also doing a lot of stretching during the routine and showing her lines more.

Bruno tells Kelly that she is a competitor and despite a few mishaps, she did a nice job. Len says that she does better with the Latin style dances, but her foxtrot was still good. Carrie finishes by stating that Kelly is enjoying her dancing more and has come a long way. Kelly and Alec move backstage to receive their scores. Carrie gives them an eight, while Len and Bruno both give her a seven; she has 22 points out of 30.

Tantalizing Tidbit: According to the show’s web site, Alec has a BA in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley. Apparently, this is the study of the mind and intelligence, and it includes philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, etc. How can someone learn to dance the way he dances and have time to study all of this? Amazing!

The next couple to perform is Ashly DelGrosso and Joey McIntyre. Joey says that because Len is disappointed in him, he’s going to be disappointed in Len. Ashly explains that she has been Joey’s friend up until this point; now it is time for her to become the teacher. He realizes that if he wants to continue in the competition, he needs to keep his mouth closed and listen to her.

Ashly and Joey will dance the foxtrot to “Hey Big Spender.” Once again, their clothing reflects the mood of the dance and song. This really adds to the performance. Also, the routine is more upbeat than the previous two. It is very playful and tells a story much like Charlotte and John’s dance did.

Carrie begins the critique by saying that for weeks, they have been waiting for Joey to break out and tonight, he finally did it. Bruno disagrees; he says that what they did was not the foxtrot. They broke the rules a little bit. Ashly tells him that it was open; it was American and international style. He disagrees further and she looks really hurt. Len says that the foxtrot should be suave, but that their performance contained poor footwork. It was entertaining, but it should have had more “foxtrot” in it. Now Joey looks hurt.

It occurrs to me that when this competition started, the judges were evaluating the stars, but now it seems as if they are also critiquing the professional dancers. Also, it must really disappoint the professionals when their partners receive negative feedback and low scores; it is certainly a reflection on them.

Ashly and Joey receive their scores; Carrie gives them an eight while Len and Bruno each give them a six for a total of 20 points.

I wonder if the judges have ever contemplated smacking one another with the paddles they use to display their scores. It’s just a thought.

Now that the couples have danced the foxtrot, it’s time to move on to the paso doble. Charlotte and John are first. I’d love to tell you the name of the song they are dancing to, but I have no idea what it is. It sounds like something you would associate with a bullfight, yet I also recognize it as being played at professional baseball games. Can anyone help me with this? Why can’t the show just tell the viewers the names of the songs that are being used? (As if on cue, my dog walks by to calm me. Sweet!) John is literally whipping Charlotte around like she is a matador’s cape. He pulls off the bottom portion of her dress and actually beings to use it like a cape. The couple demonstrates a lot of the stomping that is to be a part of the paso doble. What a fun performance!