Dancing With the Stars 5, September 24: Ladies’ Night

Cue the cheesy music; it’s time for another season of Dancing With the Stars! If you read my preview article, you know who’s who, so let’s jump right into the show.

Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris welcome us. Wait a second. Where’s Samantha? That’s right, she gave birth to Josselyn Sydney Hess yesterday. Congratulations to Samantha and her husband on the new addition to their family. Since Samantha can’t be with us, Drew Lachey is filling in. Drew’s great, but I would have preferred Bea Arthur.

The professionals kick off the show with a rousing routine to “Dancin’ Fool.” They knock my socks off.

Tom and Drew introduce the couples. As Edyta Sliwinska and Cameron Mathison make their way down the steps to the stage, Cameron almost falls. Oops.

Tonight, the female celebrities and their dance partners perform. The competition begins with Jennie Garth and Derek Hough. Jennie is as cute as a cup of pudding. I don’t think she’ll ever age. Derek tells us that he’s dangerous on the dance floor. When Jennie and Derek meet for the first time, she tells him that she can’t dance. Let’s see what Derek can do with that.

They are dancing the cha cha cha to “Uptown Girl.” The routine starts off pretty basic, but once Jennie, a mother of three, does a split, I’m hooked. I think that with some time, she and Derek will dance well together and she’ll improve.

Tom asks the judges what they think. Len Goodman says that Jennie overcame her nervousness. He also compliments her on her hip action. He should see what I do with my toes then. Bruno Tonioli calls Jennie a yummy mummy/mommy. Carrie Ann Inaba explains that Jennie is a bit unstable on her feet, but that she did a great job.

Drew is with Jennie and Derek backstage; it received a makeover and is more subdued now. Derek tells Jennie that he’s proud of her and her effort.

The judges are ready with their scores. All three of them give the couple a seven. Jennie and Derek have 21 points.

Up next are Josie Maran and Alec Mazo. Josie refers to Alec as hot. Hey, he’s a newlywed, so watch out! She roughs him up a bit during practice. He says that there is no control to her body, so he puts her through boot camp.

They’re performing the foxtrot to “Walkin’ My Baby Back Home.” The couple looks elegant. Josie has a lot of potential. Her lines are great and with some practice, they could be fantastic. The routine is beautiful; the choreography is easy enough for Josie to pull off during week one, but difficult enough to be enjoyable.

Len tells the couple that it looked fantastic. The problem for Len, though, is that Alec danced the entire routine in hold and that Josie’s footwork was bad. Carrie Ann tells Josie that she’s out of her element, but that she did a great job. Bruno refers to Josie as a beautiful sailing ship stranded on a sandbank.

Backstage, Drew tells Josie that Len missed his nap today, so she should just ignore him. Josie says that dancing in the competition is a blessing.

Carrie Ann gives Josie and Alec a six while Len and Bruno give them a five. The couple has 16 points.

The next performance is from Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas. At their first meeting, Mark gives Sabrina a bouquet of roses. How sweet! Mark shows Sabrina the difference between hip-hop and ballroom. She tells us that she’s a fierce competitor. I think she’s adorable.

They’re doing the cha cha cha to “Don’t Cha.” The routine is energetic and Sabrina’s moves are sharp. She and Mark throw in some hip-hop moves; I wonder what Len will say about them. Overall, Sabrina did a fantastic job and Mark choreographed a great routine.

Carrie Ann tells Sabrina that she has never seen anyone do the cha cha cha like that before, but she shouldn’t do so much hip-hop. Bruno refers to Sabrina as a bewitching blond dynamo. Len scolds the couple for the hip-hop moves, but overall, he was pleased with Sabrina’s dancing.

Carrie Ann and Bruno give the dance a nine; Len gives it an eight. Sabrina and Mark have 26 points. That is an impressive score.

Marie Osmond and Jonathan Roberts are set to dance. Marie tells us that’s she’s been performing since she was three years old. Jonathan says that he’s known as the perfect gentleman in the world of ballroom dancing. He explains that his biggest challenge will be keeping Marie focused; she goofs off a lot.

They are performing the foxtrot to “I Hear a Symphony.” The routine is playful and beautiful. I have to give Marie credit; she does a better job than I expected her to do. She obviously has fun and even blows a kiss to the judges. The audience is into the dance; it’s quite entertaining.

Bruno tells Marie that she told a story through her dancing even though her moves weren’t technically correct. Len refers to the dance as lovely. Carrie Ann tells Marie that she’s adorable and her lines are beautiful.

All three judges award the dance with a seven; Marie and Jonathan have 21 points.

The next couple to dance is Melanie Brown and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Mel tells Maksim that he’s cocky, but later realizes that he’s just passionate. Mel explains that she has to let go and not try to be in control. Maksim says she needs to stop squealing. I like this couple already.

Mel and Maksim are doing the cha cha cha to “A Deeper Love.” She’s wearing a leopard print. Fun. One thing I notice right away is that Mel needs to work on her lines. When she puts out an arm, she should extend it. I don’t really like the routine, but the one part I get a kick out of is when Mel and Maksim do a hip-hop move, and Maksim shows that he’s clearly busted.

Carrie Ann tells Mel that her energy was up, but that she and Maksim were out of sync a bit. Len says he liked the routine a lot. Bruno says that Mel is a feisty kitten. Prrrrrrrrrrrr!

Drew tells Mel backstage that it is well documented that she likes to be in control. Yikes, man! Don’t put yourself at risk like that! She might be a kitten now, but she could turn scary at any moment. Ha!

Each judge gives Mel and Maksim an eight. The couple now has 24 points.

The last couple of the evening is Jane Seymour and Tony Dovolani. Jane says that Dancing With the Stars is her favorite show. Tony explains that he doesn’t have to push Jane; she pushes herself and expects a lot.

They’re dancing the foxtrot to “Let’s Do It.” Hey, now! The couple looks elegant and classy, which is what Jane wanted to achieve. She and Tony are light on their feet. There is some snazzy footwork toward the end of the routine that Jane does well. Great job.

Bruno refers to the dance as the essence of elegance. He loves how Jane expressed herself with her hands. Carrie Ann explains that Jane’s foxtrot was full of life. Len says the dance was light and beautiful.

Carrie Ann, Len, and Bruno give the dance an eight. Jane and Tony have 24 points.

The male celebrities tell us what they think of the competition. Mark Cuban refers to the other men as pretty boys. The men also acknowledge that Wayne Newton is a threat.

Tom reviews the current standings for the women after the judges’ scores. I’m sharing mine as well just because I can.

Join me tomorrow as the men take to the dance floor, and again on Wednesday as the first couple is eliminated from the competition. It’s only week number one and already I’m giddy with excitement! Are you?

Jill is an east coast mama who loves Michael Kors, Bea Arthur, and reality television. She can be reached at jillcjones@zoominternet.net to discuss these and other topics.

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