Dancing with the Stars 2, January 19: Jive Dancin'

The next duo to dance is Lisa Rinna and Louis van Amstel. Lisa has a breakdown during practice. Louis seems to understand her emotions. Lisa then says that it is time to have fun again.

They perform the jive to “Jailhouse Rock.” Lisa executes a lot of moves that are sharp, but could be sharper. The dance also features continuous footwork; it is extremely energetic. Lisa seems to be enjoying herself tonight; I think this is my favorite performance by Lisa and Louis so far in the competition. Toward the end of the dance, she goes into a split. Excellent.

Our judges are ready to critique the performance. Bruno says that Lisa is in the zone. She controlled herself well and had great timing. Len explains that he loved how the performance developed from simple jive moves to those that are more complex. Carrie Ann says, “Your body looks amazing.” Of course, Tom replies with, “Thanks.” She then says she loved the performance. With that, Carrie Ann and Bruno give the performance an eight while Len gives it a nine. Lisa and Louis have 25 points.

Backstage, Samantha asks Lisa how she did it tonight. Lisa points to her chest and says she brought the girls. She then pulls a picture of her daughters out of her dress. Oh, she meant those girls.

The next dance is from Stacy Keibler and Tony Dovolani. Stacy explains that her long legs may hurt her performance tonight. We also see Tony become very frustrated with Stacy. She mentions something about wrestling moves at the end of the performance.

They’re dancing the tango to “Cell Block Tango.” During the routine, Stacy holds herself very well. They both demonstrate sharp head snaps. You can really see the emotion on their faces; this adds to the performance. In keeping with the theme of the music, Stacy puts her hands around Tony’s throat as if to choke him. It is an enjoyable dance.

Len says that Stacy’s tango was great, but she should have shown more emotion during the dance, not just at the end of it. What? I saw a lot of emotion. Carrie Ann agrees (with Len, not me), but also says that Stacy’s lines are beautiful. Bruno declares that Stacy’s lines are the best. Each judge scores the performance with a nine. Stacy and Tony’s final score for the evening is 27.

Ashly DelGrosso and P. Miller (or P as I like to call him) are set to perform. P tells us that he isn’t arrogant and Ashly agrees. She hopes that everyone can see the softer side of P tonight during the jive. Ashly takes P to the basketball court to show him the similarities between the game and dancing. Before their performance, we see Ashly and P backstage; they both have on matching baseball caps (with their initials). I think it’s wonderful that Ashly is reaching out to him.

They dance the jive to “Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting).” P looks uncomfortable on the dance floor. He does a few moves, but they aren’t sharp. He is trying though. He also is heavy on his feet. At the end, to encourage (not discourage) the couple Tom says, “Holy crap!”

Carrie Ann states that P gave it an effort, but there weren’t enough jive elements in the routine. Bruno says it simply wasn’t a jive; the crowd boos him. Len says that the world isn’t ready for P’s version of the jive, and that it is time for him and the show to part. I think that was too harsh; you can give someone a critique, but you don’t have to be unkind about it. Carrie gives the performance a six while both Len and Bruno give it a four. The couple’s total score is 14 out of 30.

I have something to say to Len: One thing is for sure, if you want to keep someone in the competition, abrasively criticize that individual. People at home will definitely vote just to keep him or her around for another week. Ask Simon Cowell.

The last couple to dance tonight is Tia Carrere and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Tia says that she’s happy she was not in the bottom two last week. We see her tango from “True Lies.” Maksim tells us that Tia is pushing herself harder than anyone else is.

Tonight, they are performing the tango to another customary tango piece. (Sorry, that’s the best I can do.) The routine starts out very playfully. Like Giselle, Tia looks the part. I give Maksim credit for choreographing a great dance. Even though I’m not a fan of the tango, this performance was enjoyable; it wasn’t boring or predictable. Also, Tia could have some great lines, but she needs to extend herself.

After the performance, Bruno says, “Wow!” I think he summed it up nicely. He even mentions the wonderful choreography. Len talks about flowers and then says that the dance was beautiful. Carrie Ann tells Tia that the routine gave her goose bumps. Carrie Ann and Bruno give the dance a nine; Len gives it an eight. Tia and Maksim’s score is 26.

Samantha burns off the last few minutes of the program by talking with Tia and Maksim. She tells Tia that she looks great and asks how much weight she has lost since starting the show. Tia says she has lost over 20 pounds so far. I think she looks fabulous.

At the end of tonight’s performances, Cheryl and Drew, and Stacy and Tony are tied for first place; Ashly and P are in last. Will your favorite celebrity dancer remain in the competition? There are no guarantees, so make sure you vote. Afterward, tune to RealityNewsOnline for a complete recap… filler-free!

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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