Dancing with the Stars, February 9: Judge Not Lest Ye Be Wrong

Next up are Lisa Rinna and Louis van Amstel. We see the judges’ argument from the week before over the couple’s performance. Lisa is worried since she isn’t doing a Latin dance tonight. She also has another breakdown at practice. Because of this, Louis brings in a woman to give Lisa etiquette lessons. Lisa feels that this helped her become a better ballroom dancer. Lisa and Louis are performing the quickstep to “Nine to Five.” The song seems peppy and the dance seems slow; I’m not digging it. Lisa’s posture is much better this evening, but at times she seems too stiff. Toward the end of the performance, Lisa and Louis pick up the pace and dance all over the floor very quickly… finally.

Len says that with the quickstep, there should be speed, wonderful posture, and control. He feels that Lisa displayed all of that and more. Carrie Ann says that Lisa can do ballroom. Bruno says, “The emancipation of Lisa is complete.” Are we watching the same program? Maybe I need to have my eyes checked. All three judges give the performance a nine for a total of 27 points.

Backstage, Lisa says that the trophy is still far away, but at least she can see it now. She also says that dancing has been great for her; she owes it all to Louis.

The final couple to perform tonight before the group dance is Stacy Kiebler and Tony Dovolani. They contemplate how to improve upon their score from the previous week. Uh, you don’t; the best you can do is earn another 30. The couple goes to Camp Pendleton to dance for the troops. Stacy wants to see what kind of a reaction she will get. Gee, I wonder. Tony does some push-ups.

The couple is performing the jive to “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go.” Stacy is wearing a suit, but eventually it comes off. There is a lot of foot action, but Stacy’s moves aren’t as sharp as they usually are. At the end, she does a split and then comes to rest on the judges’ table. I have to admit that the dance didn’t thrill me. The troops might have liked it, but I thought it was dull.

Bruno says that Stacy did all of the required moves of a jive. Len says the dance was spot on and that Tony did a great job as well. Carrie Ann says that the dance was “pretty much perfect.” Tom starts talking about the perfect scores again… blah, blah, blah. My dog is hiding at this point. Great… all three judges give Stacy and Tony a 10. Their score is 30 out of 30 points. Samantha is talking to Stacy and Tony backstage. George poses behind them. Now she brings Cheryl and Drew into the conversation. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there are more than two couples in this competition.

It’s now time for the group dance, the Viennese waltz. We see the couples (sans Anna and Jerry) practicing together. Hilarity ensues. Edyta runs into Stacy, and George looses his pants. Louis is all business, though, and he reminds everyone that they need to practice. We also learn that during the dance, each couple with perform a solo and can do whatever they want.

Back at the live action, all of the couples take to the dance floor and perform to “Falling.” Cheryl and Drew dance the first solo; he picks her up and spins her while resting her on his shoulder. Stacy and Tony also do a lift and a spin. Edyta and George… well, let’s just say I’ve never seen anyone shake his or her butt during the Viennese waltz before, but there’s always a first time for everything. Lisa and Louis do an amazing spin. Next, he lifts her low and spins her before putting her down on the floor. Jerry lifts Anna, spins her, flips her, and then gently puts her down. The entire time, he has part of her gown on his head.

Len tells us that in the Viennese waltz, there should be rotations and nice holds. He thought that Stacy and Tony were great. Carrie Ann says that she enjoyed Lisa and Louis’ performance. Bruno explains that Stacy had beautiful lines in her arms.

Now that some of the stars have had their egos stroked, it’s time to take another look at tonight’s performances. We’re also told that the finals are in two weeks.

At the end of the show, Cheryl and Drew are tied for first place with Stacy and Tony, while Anna and Jerry are sharing last place with Edyta and George. Will the viewers’ votes change the standings or do we already know who is out of the competition? Tune in for the live results show to find out, and as always, turn to RealityNewsOnline for your complete Dancing with the Stars recap.

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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