Dancing with the Stars 2, January 27: Is It Finally Time?

Finally, Tom and Samantha are ready to reveal the first two couples that are advancing to next week.

Cheryl and Drew remain in the competition. I don’t think there was ever any doubt about this.

Lisa and Louis are also safe. Lisa screams with delight. You can tell that she’s really enjoying this experience. Good for her.

It’s now time to find out from the judges who their personal favorites were from the previous evening. Carrie Ann chooses Lisa. She says that Lisa was on with her and Louis’ paso doble. Lisa blows her a kiss. Len selects Jerry because he improved and learned from his earlier mistakes. Bruno says that Drew is his favorite; his performance was authentic and contemporary. He loved it.

We’re now ready for a steamy salsa performance from Yesenia Adame and Rodrigo Guzman. Their moves are simply incredible. They do everything from spins to lifts that seem to defy gravity. The dance is very intricate and sharp. When you watch this, you understand why ballroom dancing is so popular.

Oh, goody. The Pussycat Dolls are ready to perform again. They sing “Sway” while Anna dances with her husband Jonathan, who was eliminated with Giselle last week. I am astounded by how crisp their moves are.

For the love of… just get to the results. This is a results show after all!

Samantha is backstage again. She asks George how it will feel to be in the bottom two if that is where he lands. He says that the opportunity to dance has been the greatest gift ever. Samantha asks P how devastated he’ll be if he’s eliminated. P says that George is his homey, and that he and Ashly aren’t that bad; they are the people’s choice.

Before we find out who else is safe, we learn how the judges score the performances. (My dog is hiding at his point; she’s no longer able to console or calm me!) Len says that the panel is balanced and that they took for the interpretation of the dance. Carrie Ann also explains that she watches how the dancers use their arms, hands, and feet. Bruno feels that technique is important. Len spells out how he determines if a couple deserves a10; basically, if he sees no mistakes and great technique, he’ll give a 10. [Editor’s Note: That fails to explain how all three judges gave Kelly Monaco 10s in the finals last year after she made several noticeable mistakes – which earned them all a Reality TV Hall of Shame Moment, I might add.]

Finally, we’re set to find out who else will return next week.

Stacy and Tony are safe, as are Anna and Jerry. They breathe a sigh of relief.

We’re down to three couples: Ashly and P, Edyta and George, and Tia and Maksim.

Edyta and George are moving on in the competition. Edyta looks a bit surprised, but pleased.

As Tom prepares to announce the couple that has been eliminated, he tells us that it is time for a commercial break. Luckily for you, I’m not obligated to take those so I’ll get to what it is you want. The couple with the lowest score is… Ashly and P! Tia and Maksim are safe; he throws an arm up in victory. Ashly looks a bit disappointed, yet relieved. Samantha talks with Ashly and P. P says, “Say goodbye to the bad guy.”

That’s not the end of it, dear readers… not by a long shot. We’re treated to clips of Ashly and P’s practices and performances. It’s not like we haven’t seen this a million times already. One thing that does surprise me is that at one point, Ashly said she was becoming emotionally attached to P. If anyone else said this, I wouldn’t think it was sincere. Coming from her though, I think these remarks are genuine.

That’s not the end of it either. Next, Tom sits down with Ashly and P while we watch numerous clips of P talking about the hood. Tom asks Ashly what she learned from P. She says she’s now more willing to take a chance and do something new. She’s also learned patience.

My stars… now we see clips of their relationship developing. Ashly feels like P is her brother. They throw snowballs at each other and play basketball. Good times! To Tom, P says that since he and Ashly were involved in so much controversy, they are going on Desperate Housewives. For their parting words, Ashly says she will miss P, and he says they will pray for the judges. He also gives props to the other celebrities. I think it is great that he’s going out with class.

Ashly and P dance one last time together as the other couples join them. Thankfully, the voting went the way it should have and the duos that deserve to be in the competition will be around for another performance.

Next week, Barry Manilow will perform for your viewing pleasure. (We went from the Pussycat Dolls to Barry?) Also, the couples will dance the samba and a group salsa. Who will peter out and who will triumph? Stay tuned as the competition intensifies!

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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