This was certainly the week when the competition on “Dancing with the Stars” was separating the wheat from the chaff. Some excelled in their fast-paced dances whether it was the ballroom dance, The Quickstep, or its sister Latin dance, The Jive, while others did not. I felt there were some who were judged too highly for mediocre dances. Head judge, Len Goodman, was more than his usual cranky self. Monday night may not have been as good as last week. On the other hand this was the first week the celebrities had to learn a new dance in one week, very fast-paced dances at that. Now we start to see who is the strongest and the weakest of the pack.
Hope Solo
Hope and Maks were the first couple to dance. Her jive wasn’t as good as her dance last week. She may have trouble with the Latin dances, especially the timing. Her soccer kicks are getting in the way of her dance moves. 19
Kristin Cavallari
She looked stunning as a Marilyn Monroe wannabe as Kristin and Mark Ballas danced to, appropriately enough, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friends.” Her quickstep was sharp, fast and in time with the music and her partner. This is one of the leaders to look out for. She tied for 2nd place overall. 22
David Arquette
Not sure what to make of his quirky jive, however I agree when Carrie Ann Inaba said he was too loose. He may have commitment in rehearsal, but it could be nerves that are holding him back. 18
Elisabetta Canalis
Talk about the most improved dance of the evening. Ballroom dances certainly suit her. Elisabetta was stunning in her gown while gliding on the dance floor with Val Chmerkovskiy. Their pre-performance video during rehearsal was very tense and heated. Perhaps Val’s tough love paid off after all. 21
Rob Kardashian
I really like Rob and want to see him do well, but I felt his jive was a bit sloppy at times. The judges seem to think otherwise. Can we say favoritism much? 21
Carson Kressley
He is by far the hardest-working celebrity I have ever seen on the show. I love the fact he wants to entertain us as well as compete for the judges. I’m looking forward to his costumes every week. Hopefully he will not be going home Tuesday night. 18
Ricki Lake
Before the season started Ricki was the one who some said will win. That is a possibility, though I was not a fan of her jive. I felt there was one dance move that was too raunchy. Otherwise, it was in fact the best jive of the night. She also topped the leader board. 23
Chaz Bono
During the pre-performance video Chaz complained incessantly about his knees. I was very concerned how he’d do with the quickstep. He said this was the dance he feared most. It was certainly the most cautious and slowest quickstep I had seen. Afterwards, he admitted to Brooke he was in pain on the dance floor. It may not be surprising if he goes home. He ended up with the lowest score of the night. 17
Chynna Phillips
Last week she was tied for the lead. This week she was in a four-way tie for third place. She may be one of those who are inconsistent, one week on top and another somewhere in the middle. Chynna’s interpretation of the jive was more like jive-lite. 21
Nancy Grace
We got our first reported wardrobe malfunction of the season. It was very weird when the camera went off into the audience that looked bored out of their minds or like stiff mannequins. They did this on more than one occasion. When they got back to Tom he said to Nancy “On the European version that would be perfectly fine.” Nancy looked like she was tucking something back into the top part of her costume.
Later on did I find out she had revealed a bit too much cleavage. During her quickstep she was holding on to her partner for dear life, plus her frame was up too high. It didn’t help there is a big gap with height differences. That may have caused the wardrobe malfunction. She’ll need to not wear anything revealing like that again. Quite frankly, I thought she was over scored by Bruno and Len, of all people. Len gave her an “8.” 21
J.R. Martinez
Last but never least was the last couple of the night, J.R. and Karina. They had by far the most energetic dance with elaborate costumes and settings of the night. Unfortunately J.R. did a lift, which is not allowed, except for the Argentine Tango and Freestyle dances. The dance looked like a jive, but according to Len it was a Lindy Hop instead. Well…….it was entertaining and they received a wild and crazy standing ovation. J.R. tied in second place with Kristin Cavallari. 22
At this moment I have no idea who is going home. Based on the scoring it could be Chaz, though I’d hate for him to go. The results show will feature the Macy’s Stars of Dance saluting the Hollywood musicals. Demi Lovato and The Script will be the musical guests.
SOURCES:
Dancing with the Stars, ABC.go.com
Ann Oldenburg, “‘Dancing with the Stars’ Week 2: Ricki rocks, Chaz drops”, USAToday.com
Jennifer Broadwater, “‘Dancing with the Stars’ recap – week 2″, TVLust-Baltimore Sun.com