Len tells us that he, Bruno, and Carrie Ann selected Kym and Joey for the encore presentation. Their paso doble is phenomenal, but I have to admit that a part of me wanted to see Karina and Billy Ray again.

Big & Rich are welcomed to the show. They perform “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.” Several of the professionals dance to the tune. Suddenly, Drew Lachey joins the performance, taking us back to when he and Cheryl danced to this song in Season 2. I heard that there was a surprise visitor tonight, but I was hoping that it would be Bea Arthur.

Samantha chitchats with some of the couples backstage. Clyde jokes about how he and the other stars were invited to perform on the show, so the judges should treat them kindly like guests.

The audience shares its thoughts on the performances. One woman threatens to act like Kym and Joey when she and her husband go home; he pretends to grab her by the hair. Their family must be so proud. Alfonso Ribeiro comments as well, but I don’t hear what he says; I’m too distracted by thoughts of the Carlton!

Tom and Samantha finally reveal the first two couples that are advancing; they are Karina and Billy Ray, and Julianne and Apolo. Good for them.

Tom plugs a comedy on ABC. I ignore him.

Professionals Elena Kryuchkova and Andre Gavriline perform the samba for us. Here is some trivia for you; Elena once was a skater and a gymnast, and Andre studied law. I think they both made the right career choices; their movements are so hot and flawless. This is how it is done!

Samantha reveals that she is pregnant. Congratulations to her! I wonder if ABC wants to give me a job while Samantha births her baby?

Jimmy Kimmel is back with Guillermo to demonstrate the rumba. Again, this is so unfunny; I won’t even waste your time. Throughout the evening, jokes about juggling balls have been made; I’ll also skip that for you as well. You can insert your own favorite ball joke here instead.

Big & Rich perform “Lost in this Moment” while Julianne and Brian dance. The song and the dance are both well performed. I think that Big & Rich have to be one of the most enjoyable musical guests to appear on Dancing with the Stars.

The judges explain to us what is needed to be a great dancer. They cover feet, legs, hips, cores, shoulders, arms, faces, and the need to coordinate all of these. There’s a naughty story in there somewhere, but I’ll keep this recap clean.

Samantha tells us that it is time to learn who else is advancing in the competition. It is Laila and Maksim, and Elena and Clyde.

The pros now explain to us the pressures they feel since they are in charge of so many things (e.g., choreography, wardrobe, etc.). They also talk about pushing the celebrities, but knowing when to stop.

Tom and Samantha decide to let us in on who else is returning next week. Kym and Joey are safe, as are Ian and Cheryl. (Samantha almost screws this up.) Unfortunately, Leeza and Tony are in the bottom two. Joining them are Edyta and John, which means that Heather and Jonathan are safe.

After the commercial break, Tom tells us that Leeza and Tony have been eliminated. Wow, I got one right!

Tom compliments Leeza on her spirit. She thanks Tony for his friendship. Time runs out on this episode.

So Leeza and Tony are finished with the competition. I can’t say I’m totally surprised; at this point in the season, it comes down to not only dancing, but popularity as well.

Tune in next week as the hoofing continues. And read my recaps to find out if I’ve been driven to pull out any more hair.

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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