by David McAlpine

Last week on Dancing With the Stars, it was Michael's turn to (finally) bite the dust. However, the shocker of the night was Aaron and Karina, who scored the highest of the night, landing in the bottom three. I'm sad because no one probably votes for them but me, but hey, maybe they can pick it up this week.

Speaking of this week, the show just got a little longer. Since there's only five couples, each has to perform two individual dances, one ballroom and one latin. It sounds like this is going to be the point when the top five finally start to break up in the standings, but knowing how this season has been going, it probably won't.

Celebrity: Mya
Professional Partner: Dmitry Chaplin
Dance: Quickstep
Song: “Baby Wants A Diamond Ring” by Squirrel Nut Zippers
Breakdown: After weeks and weeks of getting hating on by Len for gimmicks and not actually dancing, but performing, you would think that Mya and Dmitry would get the hint. Well, finally it seems like Dmitry is focused solely on the dancing because, well, he says so. Then Mya jumps in, concerned that they're going to alienate the audience to please the judges. Oh, what to do? When they hit the dance floor, it seems like the best of both worlds, but moreso for the judges than for the audience. It seemed like it paid off, though, because Len finally gave his first 10. Impressive, Mya, well done.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 10 Bruno: 10 Total: 29/30

 

Celebrity: Aaron Carter
Professional Partner: Karina Smirnoff
Dance: Foxtrot
Song: “Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat

Breakdown: I was worried when I first heard this song, because I never thought to dance to this song, it always seemed too slow. And, in practice, it was made evident that Karina was ill, so maybe she was a little loopy on the cough meds, because this dance was completely different than anything else they've done before. It was a huge regression...and a huge disappointment. The judges thought they tried so hard to get the details that they didn't flow enough to have a quality dance.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 7 Len: 8 Bruno: 8 Total: 23/30

 

Celebrity: Joanna Krupa
Professional Partner: Derek Hough
Dance: Quickstep
Song: “Valerie" by Amy Winehouse
Breakdown: Knowing that they have a Latin dance later, I'm not really worried for Derek and Joanna because that's their specialty (remember the mambo marathon?). They seem threatened by Mya and Dmitry, who are doing the same ballroom dance (and, let's be honest, they nailed it), so they spend a lot of rehearsal analyzing her strengths and weaknesses. It was clear that they tried hard and I liked it just as much as Mya's, but the judges definitely had more of a bone to pick with Joanna about her footwork.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 7 Bruno: 8 Total: 23/30

 

Celebrity: Kelly Osbourne
Professional Partner: Louis van Amstel
Dance: Foxtrot
Song: “Mama Do" by Pixie Lott
Breakdown: I was surprised that Kelly hadn't done a ballroom dance since week one, especially since that's when she shined the most. You know, when she surprised everyone and caused a huge stir, probably getting her votes? Then she started to go nose down and start to crash and burn compared to the others. So now that she's going back to a foxtrot...I'm not too sure. She's out to prove that she deserves to be in the competition, so hopefully she can use her determination to overcome any lack of dancing ability. And, yet again, she manages to have another breakthrough and do an awesome job. Result: another stir. Safety? I think so.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 8 Bruno: 9 Total: 25/30

Celebrity: Donny Osmond
Professional Partner: Kym Johnson
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Song: “You Don't Know Me" by Michael Buble
Breakdown: Donny and Kym are last up in the ballroom round, and they're the only ones to brave the waltz, which seems to give everyone the hardest of times. However, Donny seems to have really snapped out of a funk that he's been having and his energy is really back--you can see it in all their turns and footwork. I think Carrie Ann nailed it when she said it wasn't over-performed, so hopefully he can carry that through and make it farther than his sister. It still seemed a little dramatic for Len, but enough to put them near the top.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 8 Bruno: 9 Total: 26/30

 

Fun interjection: not only does each couple have to dance a Latin dance, but they have to try and re-enact a decade that they randomly pulled out of a hat.

 

Celebrity: Mya
Professional Partner: Dmitry Chaplin
Dance: '70s Samba
Song: “Bad Girls" by Donna Summer
Breakdown: The combo of disco and samba seems unbeatable because it's upbeat and happy, everyone loves both of them, they're uptempo and they allow some room for gimmick and performance, so everyone can be satisfied. They really hit the perfect mix between the two and everything flows so well. Everything is so well timed to the music and it's really heads and shoulders above everything else that stars have done. The judges are floored and really impressed, though Len doesn't want to show it. I really have to question what he has against Mya, because she's probably the best dancer they have on this season. Either way, Mya and Dmitry earned the first perfect score of the season, solidifying their spot at the top of the leaderboard.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 10 Len: 10 Bruno: 10 Total: 30/30

 

Celebrity: Aaron Carter
Professional Partner: Karina Smirnoff
Dance: '90s Samba
Song: “Two Princes" by Spin Doctors
Breakdown: Now, I have to be the first person to defend Aaron Carter when he got way too excited about drawing the 1990s. I mean, that was his heyday, that was when he was popular! Of course he wanted to do all the boy band moves, but can you really blame him? Unfortunately, his excitement bubbles over like it did a couple weeks ago and he looks manic on the dance floor again. Add that to the fact that her compromised '90s moves don't work as well with the samba and it paled in comparison to Mya's dance. Still, the judges had lots of good things to say about it and gave him a decent score.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 9 Total: 27/30

 

Celebrity: Joanna Krupa
Professional Partner: Derek Hough
Dance: Futuristic Paso Doble
Song: “Living on Video" by Trans-X

Breakdown: Personally, I think making a couple adapt a Latin dance to a futuristic theme is kind of a stretch. However, if anyone could do it with choreography, I really think it's Derek, so at least they have the advantage there. When they first start dancing, I'm really not feeling anything but the costumes, which glow in the dark. As the dance progresses, though, I start to like it a lot more because it really is one of the more creative things we've seen on the show since it first began. The judges loved it, too, except Carrie Ann, who found a little fault.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 10 Bruno: 10 Total: 29/30

 

Celebrity: Kelly Osbourne
Professional Partner: Louis van Amstel
Dance: '60s Jive
Song: “River Deep - Mountain High" by Ike & Tina Turner
Breakdown: I think Louis really reached too far on this one, because he makes this jive super-fast, probably even quicker than Aaron and Karina's speedy footfest last week. Unlike Aaron, though, Kelly doesn't have a lot of formal choreography training, so it seems like she's struggling to keep up the whole time, and she even seems to drop a couple steps here and there. They also try to incorporate a prop, but by know they should know that that'll get them totally nailed by Len. Though I though it was off, the judges commended Kelly for going for it and putting as much as she did into it.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 9 Bruno: 9 Total: 26/30

Celebrity: Donny Osmond
Professional Partner: Kym Johnson
Dance: '80s Paso Doble
Song: “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" by Dead or Alive
Breakdown: It seems like everyone has had one shining moment tonight except Donny, who, now that I think about it, has kind of just been there this whole competition. I don't think he's really lived up to the huge performer status that everyone else has hyped him up to be, but it seems like, slowly, he's gotten more comfortable in his dance shoes. Kym decides that she wants to go for her favorite -- glam and big hair. Again, it wasn't anything spectacular, but it was still great to watch. For some reason, Donny is captivating, though not as attention-grabbing as I want him to be. The judges also thought it was a little too over the edge, putting Donny and Kym at the bottom of the pile for the night.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 8 Bruno: 8 Total: 24/30

 

So, all in all, the scores broke down like this:

Mya and Dmitry: 59/60
Joanna and Derek: 52/60
Kelly and Louis: 51/60
Donny and Kym: 50/60
Aaron and Karina: 50/60

 

As much as I hate to say it, I think it's probably going to be Aaron and Karina, just because it's become clear no one is voting for them. And last night really didn't help their case, either. I'm still holding out, though.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow night at 9/8c for the live results show to see who goes home--only on Dancing With the Stars on ABC!

(Image courtesy of ABC)

Follow David on Twitter: @DavidMcAlpine

 

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