Dancing with the Stars 3, October 3: An Emotional Night

Welcome, my friends, to Dancing with the Stars. Last week, our fabulous dancers performed either the jive or the tango. Several couples were scolded for performing illegal lifts. However, it wasn’t a prohibited move, but lack of votes, that sent Ashly DelGrosso and Harry Hamlin packing. Tonight, our stars and their professional partners will take on either the paso doble or waltz.

Before we get into the excitement, I want to take a moment and thank Ashley Lundy for covering last week’s results episode for me. Also, I want to give a shout out to Nancy, Karen, and Sonya; according to these astute readers, Ashly and Harry performed the tango to Santa Maria by Gotan Project. I, of course, had no idea what the song was until ABC posted the information on its web site.

Also, Amanda and Melissa both wrote in with the same question: why aren’t the women and men (celebrities) performing the same type of dance each week as they did in previous seasons? For example, last week, it appeared that the men were doing the tango and the women were doing the jive. However, Vivica A. Fox did the tango and Joey Lawrence did the jive. I have no real explanation for this, so I’ll throw the question out to our readers. Feel free to share your thoughts with me.

Now that my academy award acceptance speech is finished, let’s get on with the show!

Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris greet us and introduce the dancing duos. They then explain tonight’s dances to us; the waltz includes soft movements and tranquil facial expressions, while the paso doble contains dramatic entrances from the bullfighter and flamenco feet.

The first couple to dance tonight is Monique Coleman and Louis Van Amstel (my new best friend). Monique explains that she wants to find a relaxed way to approach the waltz. She also says that Louis is not a conventional teacher, but his methods definitely pay off. He wants her to make people to cry through her dancing. Louis, you had me at cry.

They are doing the waltz to “If I Were a Painting.” The performance is very romantic and graceful. It is also gentle and emotional. By the end of it, Monique is tearing up. Hey, she was supposed to make us cry! Nevertheless, Monique and Louis do a great job. (He melts my heart.)

Len Goodman tells Monique that she can waltz and the routine was great. Bruno Tonioli compliments her on her fluidity. He also says it was a touching performance. Carrie Ann Inaba says that despite the lack of chemistry between Monique and Bruno in the past, she felt the connection tonight. She also explains that she was moved.

All three judges give Monique and Louis an eight. The couple has 24 points.

Cheryl Burke and Emmitt Smith are ready with their performance. We see the two of them study a real bull. The bull is slobbering and it is quite nasty; even Yoko is disgusted. Emmitt says that perhaps the paso doble will be his dance.

They’re dancing to a song that I recognize, but don’t know the name of. Help me, readers! Emmitt has the same look of concentration on his face this week that he had last week. It still makes me giggle. It doesn’t feel like Emmitt was given a whole lot to do tonight. What he does do is great though. He has some fancy footwork in the performance and seems to play the role of the bullfighter very well.

Bruno says that the performance was great. (He used a lot of nouns and adjectives, so I’ll give you the succinct version of his critique.) Carrie Ann says that Emmitt was fantastic. Len agrees, and Cheryl and Emmitt are thrilled.

Again, the judges all give Cheryl and Emmitt an eight. They now have 24 points out of 30.

Up next are Willa Ford and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. She tells us that she’s going to be a lady while doing the waltz. Maksim takes her to a carousel so that she can feel the up and down movement. (Get your minds out of the gutter, people – this is in reference to the movements of the waltz! Naughty.)

They are performing to “You Light up My Life.” While Monique and Louis’ song added to their performance, I feel this song distracts from the dance. The performance isn’t horrible, but it doesn’t wow me. It isn’t as delicate as I was expecting. As I said, Willa and Maksim don’t do a horrible job, but it just feels as if they are simply going through the motions. Do the judges agree with my assessment?

Carrie Ann tells Willa that she was swept away. Len calls her “Willa the Thrilla.” He also says the performance was delightful. Bruno says it was a polished dance that was perfect. My stars, I must have watched something entirely different.

Carrie Ann and Len give the dance a nine; Bruno gives it a 10. Willa and Maksim have 28 points out of 30. I shouldn’t be surprised that someone earned a goober this evening; it is almost Halloween after all.

The next couple to amuse us is Sara Evans and Tony Dovolani. Sara says she wants to be the best cape she can be for the paso doble. She thinks that Tony is mad at her at one point during rehearsals, but he explains he has the attitude of the bullfighter. He tells us that he has confidence in her to be “that cape.”

Sara and Tony are dancing to “Phantom of the Opera.” She has a nice entrance; she slowly walks down the steps with her skirt spread out to her sides. After that, well, let’s just say she seems to have gone back to her performances from weeks one and two. She appears to be stiff and uncomfortable.

Len says that the paso doble isn’t Sara’s dance. Bruno yells, “Sara, dance for me. Dance for me!” Yikes. Just dance for him, Sara, please. Carrie Ann says that Sara went for the passion and she appreciates it, but Sara needs to stomp the floor more, breathe, and puff her chest out. (Again, don’t go there!)

Carrie Ann gives the couple a six while Len and Bruno give it a seven. Sara and Tony have 20 points. Sara explains that she stepped on her dress several times during the routine and it threw her off. Don’t the couples practice ahead of time with their outfits? I would think so. In true Tony style, for anyone who watched last season, he makes a sarcastic comment to the judges from backstage.

Kym Johnson and Jerry Springer are now set. We’re reminded that Jerry wants to learn how to do the waltz so that he can dance with his daughter Katie at her wedding. He’s taking this dance more seriously than he has taken some of the others. He gets emotional as he thinks about Katie. He then very sweetly thanks Kym for teaching him the waltz. What is this… a very special episode of Dancing with the Stars?

They are dancing to “Tennessee Waltz.” Jerry is a bit stiff, but I have to admit that I’m moved. I don’t know if it is the music or what, but there is a tear in my eye. At the end of the dance, he goes to Katie and hugs her. I haven’t been this emotional since Lisa Rinna and Louis were eliminated last season.

Bruno says this was Jerry’s best dance so far. Carrie Ann tells Jerry that he showed us that it is possible to touch people through dancing. Len gives Jerry a “well done.”

Carrie Ann and Len give the performance a seven; Bruno gives it an eight. Kym and Jerry have 22 points. Backstage, Jerry becomes funny Jerry again. Everything is right with the world now.

Performing next are Vivica A. Fox and Nick Kosovich. Vivica is in Las Vegas to be a celebrity showgirl. Fun. The couple practices there, then goes to Chicago (for breast cancer awareness work), and eventually moves on to Los Angeles. This is one busy couple, but Vivica and Nick are dedicated to practicing and doing well.

They are dancing the paso doble to “It’s My Life.” This is probably my least favorite performance from them. I don’t know what it is tonight, but the music is either entertaining me or distracting me; this is certainly disturbing. The couple’s movements are sharp, though, and quick. Vivica displays the right attitude for the paso doble, but I’m not feeling it.

Len notes the attack and aggression of the performance. Bruno says that she sometimes lost her lines, but the performance was 100%. Carrie Ann says it was hot, but that Vivica needs to bring back some of her femininity.

The judges each give the performance an eight; Vivica and Nick have 24 points.

Up now are Edyta Sliwinska and Joey Lawrence. Edyta tells us that Joey needs to slow down in order to succeed at the waltz. She spends some time with him and his family so that he can relax. Mom jokes that Joey’s infant son is telling him to stick to the rules this week. Ha.

They’re entertaining us by performing to “Take It to the Limit.” Some of Joey’s movements aren’t gentle, but overall he and Edyta perform a romantic waltz. It’s also very sexy and sensual. The routine just flows and is enjoyable. I have a feeling that Joey’s wife is going to make him waltz with her in the near future.

Carrie Ann says that she is having an emotional evening; Edyta and Joey moved her. Len explains that the waltz doesn’t have the “wow” factor, but this performance was “a wow of a waltz.” Bruno says Edyta and Joey were skillful, and the dance was great.

All three judges give the couple a nine; they have 27 points. Joey is in a happy place.

The final couple of the evening is Karina Smirnoff and Mario Lopez. Karina says that they won’t break the rules this week. He introduces her to his family; it is large, loud, and fun. He tells us that he wants to impress the judges this week. Given last week’s debacle, I think that is a great idea.

They are ending the performances by doing the dance to “Aye Aye Aye.” (I think.) The routine is very fast-paced and contains a lot of sharp, quick moves. The flamenco footwork is also fantastic. Mario basically sits on Karina’s head at the end of the routine. Huh? In any case, the crowd goes wild.

Bruno says that Mario was superb. Carrie Ann thanks the couple for following the rules. She then tells Karina and Mario that they are too hot to handle. Len refers to Mario as a precocious child and threatens to slap his bottom if he misbehaves. He also tells Mario that he lost his posture and the dance was a little too wild. Bruno and Len begin to fight over these remarks.

Len gives the routine a nine. Carrie and Bruno give it a goober. Karina and Mario have 29 points.

The final standings for the evening have been determined:

Wednesday night, another pair will be eliminated. I incorrectly predicted who would go home last week, but that’s not going to stop me from making another inaccurate guess: Sara and Tony have danced their last official dance of the competition. Tune in to see if I’m right and be sure to read RNO for a complete recap of Dancing with the Stars.

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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