Dancing with the Stars 3, October 17: Goodbye, Sara

Previously on Dancing with the Stars, the couples performed either the samba or rumba. Despite a lot (and I mean a lot) of chemistry and body shaking, Willa Ford and Maksim Chmerkovskiy were eliminated from the competition. Tonight, each couple will do a dance that it hasn’t done yet, and we will hear from Sara Evans as she discusses her departure from the show. If you haven’t read our article on what has happened to Sara, you can do so now. It’s OK; I’ll wait for you.

You know the routine by now… Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris welcome us to the program and introduce the couples. They then tell us that everyone will do a group disco number. Since there is time to spare, the producers show us clips from the dancers’ practice session. Hilarious.

To start the show, the professionals perform a variety of dances including the jive, paso doble, and tango. After they finish, the competing couples prepare to dance. The first duo is Karina Smirnoff and Mario Lopez. Mario tells us that he wants to have fun tonight. He and Karina meet with Eva Longoria to practice and hang out. Karina says that Eva is her favorite desperate housewife. I gag a little.

They are doing the mambo to an instrumental piece. The performance is lively and fun, but I don’t think it is their best routine. Karina has included some nifty moves in the choreography though. One involves Mario holding her by the head as she bends backward, tossing her head up slightly, and then rotating his leg around her. I know my description doesn’t do it justice, but trust me, it is a spectacular move.

Len Goodman says that he enjoyed the performance, but there were times when Mario wasn’t focused. Bruno Tonioli argues with Len and tells Mario he is a devil on the dance floor. Carrie Ann Inaba explains that she is extremely critical of Mario because he performs close to the professional level. Bruno then argues with her for some reason.

Samantha talks backstage to the couple about the atmosphere now that Sara is gone. Mario very sweetly dedicates the evening to her.

Carrie Ann and Len give the dance a nine. Bruno gives it a goober (that would be a perfect 10, for new readers). Karina and Mario have 28 points out of 30. I’m glad the judges enjoyed the dance. I didn’t like it and I don’t think Yoko did either; she’s chewing on a blanket and not paying attention.

The next couple is Monique Coleman and Louis Van Amstel. Louis tells us that Monique is doing a freestyle solo tonight. To help her, he calls upon Tommy the Clown, the father of krumping. If you’re a fan of reality TV, you might recognize him from his appearances on America’s Next Top Model and Flavor of Love. In any case, he assists Monique with her solo.

Monique and Louis are performing the samba to “ABC.” She starts off with her solo; it seems a bit spastic. Again, this isn’t my favorite performance from the couple, but it is energetic. Also, Yoko must be a fan of MY Louis; she’s left her blanket and is now watching the show.

Carrie Ann tells Monique that her energy was fantastic. She feels that the solo was a bit self-indulgent, but understands that she did it in response to Carrie Ann’s comments last week. Len says that the first half of the performance wasn’t the samba and the second half wasn’t much better. Bruno agrees that the dance wasn’t a samba. This doesn’t sound good for Monique and Louis.

Carrie Ann awards the performance a nine. Len and Bruno both give it a seven. Monique and Louis have 23 points.

Up now are Edyta Sliwinska and Joey Lawrence. Edyta tells him that they have to look like lovers when they perform tonight. The two can’t help but laugh throughout practice as they try their moves. Joey’s wife Chandie stops by to watch and help “judge his sexiness.” At one point, she tells him he can do better.

The couple is doing the rumba to “Father Figure.” Joey starts by lip-syncing the song; it is tackier than the leg lamp from A Christmas Story. Joey is selling his sexiness, but I’m not buying it. He also seems to miss a couple of moves. I don’t know what’s up with me tonight, but I don’t like this routine either.

Bruno tells the couple that it could have been dirtier. He also wants Joey to work on his arm lines. Carrie Ann says that she hated the beginning of the routine, but loved the chemistry that Edyta and Joey showed. Len states that he thought the performance was right-on.

All three judges score the performance with an eight. Edyta and Joey have 24 points.

The next performers are Cheryl Burke and Emmitt Smith. Emmitt has to do a lot of footwork tonight, so Cheryl focuses on that element with him in practice. To help, she brings in a couple of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. They do a move that literally scares Emmitt. It involves doing leg kicks and then jumping into a split and landing that way. Ouch!

They are dancing the jive to “Lewis Boogie Blues.” Like Joey, Emmitt seems off on his timing. He also appears less polished tonight, but overall, the routine is cute and entertaining. When it ends, Emmitt has the sweetest smile on his face. What a doll.