by Gina Scarpa

 

Last week, Ralph Macchio and Kirstie Alley led the pack of celebs on Dancing With The Stars. This week, the couples get another shot to impress America before the first elimination of the season. They two styles this week are the jive and quickstep - both difficult for different reasons. Read on to find out how your favorites fared with the judges.

 

Couple: Sugar Ray Leonard and Anna Trebunskaya
Style: Jive
Scores: 6 + 5 + 6 = 17
There were some missed steps and the dance was lacking the sharpness that the jive demands but there is certainly no doubt that Sugar Ray is entertaining! Len's harsh critiques earn him lots of "boo"s from the audience - and deservedly so. Saying that it lacked all dance ability is a bit harsh. Carrie Ann comes to the rescue saying that his performance borderlined a 10. Unfortunately, the scores don't come anywhere close.

 

Couple: Kendra Wilkinson and Louis Van Amstel
Style: Quickstep
Scores: 7 + 6 + 6 = 19
It's not Dancing WithThe Stars unless the stars are left on the floor of the rehearsal studio crying at some point. This week, it's Kendra's turn. She doesn't confidently feel that she can play the part of a femme fatale or a lady of class... keep your comments to yourself. The girl is trying hard here! The song choice did nothing for them. She can learn steps - if she can learn consistency, she may become a surprise contender.

 

Couple: Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas
Style: Jive
Scores: 6 + 5 + 7 = 18
As soon as this routine starts, I welcome and appreciate its originality, yet have a bad feeling that Len hates every second of it. As soon as the judges can open their mouths, the hits start coming. Carrie Ann didn't see enough of the jive, while Len calls it "messin' about". Bruno appreciated the weird wackiness of it all but still, those scores are lower than what these two deserved.

 

Couple: Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke

Style: Quickstep
Scores: 8 + 7 + 8 = 23
In what world did you ever think that you'd see Chris Jericho doing the quickstep... and doing it WELL, mind you! Cheryl was on him this week about keeping his frame up and he certainly listened. He was light on his feet and they were absolutely adorable together. This performance resulted in one of the highest scores of the night.

 

Couple: Petra Nemcova and Dmitry Chaplin
Style: Jive
Scores: 6 + 6 + 6 = 18
This jive started off a little shaky and truth be told, I enjoyed their dancing more when they were apart then together as a couple in a hold. They do have a nice chemistry going but I'm sure it's not hard for Dmitry to pretend to love Petra. Len throws a backhanded compliment to Petra , saying she had bad technique but did it beautifully. I'm sure this supermodel wants to be known for more in this competition than her good looks.

 

Couple: Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Style: Quickstep
Scores: 7 + 6 + 7 = 20
I'm still reeling from last week's performance, where Kirstie established herself as a frontrunner in this competition. Just when I got my head screwed back on straight, I looked at my tv to find Kirstie and Maksim kissing at the end of their quickstep??? The judges love her and if she can get a little more confidence and stop overthinking things, there may be no stopping her.

 

Couple: Mike Catherwood and Lacey Schwimmer
Style: Jive
Scores: 6 + 5 +6 = 17
Last week, Mike suffered a hit from the judges when he only landed a 13 for his foxtrot. Then again, that may be the toughest style to really get right. He's more successful with his jive this week. A great song choice and energetic choreography from Lacey helps him get to a 17. That being said, he's still the least known celeb this season and he'll probably find himself out the door on the elimination episode.

 

Couple: Romeo and Chelsie Hightower
Style: Quickstep
Scores: 7 + 8 + 8 = 23
Speaking of improvements, Romeo raises his game, going from a 19 last week to a 23 this week. Chelsie got him to be a perfect gentleman on the dance floor, with a strong posture and all the capabilities of a leading man. Bruno got it right when he said that Romeo has great musicality and transitioned very well throughout the dance.

 

Couple: Wendy Williams and Tony Dovolani
Style: Quickstep
Scores: 6 + 5 + 6 = 17
Last week, the judges said that they wanted to see more personality from this fiery talk show host. Initially, I thought the jive might have been a better choice but Tony choreographs a really smart and fun routine for them. Still, Wendy is heavy-footed throughout much of the routine but gets a little bounce in her step here and there. Perhaps a step in the right direction... perhaps promising... then again, perhaps too little, too late...

 

Couple: Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff
Style: Jive
Scores: 7 + 7 + 7 = 21
Looking at the initial rehearsal footage, their jive didn't seem too promising. What a difference a few days of rehearsals make! He does need to work on his technique a bit, but his likability and performance style will carry him far in this competition. He seems to have the work ethic and drive needed to really grow as the weeks go on. Expect big things from this guy!

 

Couple: Hines Ward and Kym Johnson
Style: Quickstep
Scores: 8 + 7 + 8 = 23
Hines Ward is talkin' crazy, saying he doesn't want to be the first one to go home. He shouldn't have to worry about that at all. He had great footwork, posture, and chemistry with Kym. They couldn't be more different off of the dance floor but on it, they're a perfect match.

 

Don't miss the live elimination on Dancing With The Stars, tonight at 8/7c on ABC.

 

(Image courtesy of ABC)

 

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