….is back on the show and partnering Florence Henderson, if you believe TMZ.

The rest? I’m confirming Tony because his wife is now following Audrina Patridge according to the twitter voices (and Jeniffer in the comments ). Well…see below.

Chelsie Hightower – probably in
Cheryl Burke – Unknown – I assume yes
Edyta Slwinska – Unknown
Lacey Schwimmer – IN
Anna Trebunskaya – Probably In
Anna Demidova – OUT
Karina Smirnoff – Possibly In
Kym Johnson – Unknown, but tweeted she’s very excited and happy.
Ashly Costa – Probably out – tweeted “me too” to Jonathan.
Julianne Hough – OUT (Footloose)

Alec Mazo – Betting OUT
Corky Ballas – In
Derek Hough – Excited about new season and high fiving – IN.
Louis Van Amstel – Unknown
Mark Ballas – I bet In, tweeted he got good news today
Maks Chmerkovskiyi – I bet In
Damian Whitewood – OUT
Dmitry Chaplin – OUT
Jonathan Roberts – OUT
Tony Dovolani – I bet in, he’s been tweeting very happily.

ETA: TOLD YOU guys if I left something would happen!! Even something simple like Derek tweeting about the new season and then “high five” – which I’m forced to take as an “I’m in” since I’m unlikely to get anything else. Anna retweeted him with a wink, Tony is packing his children in suitcases…well, that’s about enough right? I’m going to update the status a bit, below.

Well, these darn pros are being unusually mysterious and close-mouthed – except for Lacey who blares it to the world as soon as she finds out she’s back on the show. Ever occur to her, you think, that the reason she was being marginalized might just be her MOUTH?? ANYway, there have been a few hints (Kym, Tony and Mark) and not much else that I can see. I’ve updated the status based on smilies and apparent upbeat behavior. That makes me irritated.

Chelsie Hightower – probably in
Cheryl Burke – Unknown – I assume yes
Edyta Slwinska – Unknown
Lacey Schwimmer – IN
Anna Trebunskaya – Probably In
Anna Demidova – OUT
Karina Smirnoff – Possibly In
Kym Johnson – Unknown, but tweeted she’s very excited and happy.
Ashly Costa – Probably out – tweeted “me too” to Jonathan.
Julianne Hough – OUT (Footloose)

Alec Mazo – Unknown
Derek Hough – Excited about new season and high fiving – saying IN.
Louis Van Amstel – Unknown
Mark Ballas – I bet In, tweeted he got good news today
Maks Chmerkovskiyi – Unknown, I bet In
Damian Whitewood – OUT
Dmitry Chaplin – OUT
Jonathan Roberts – OUT
Tony Dovolani – I bet in, he’s been tweeting very happily.

Baring bizarre-ness, I think the men are set at: Derek, Mark, Louis, Maks, Tony and Alec. I, like others, am having a bit of a hard time figuring Alec’s inclusion at Damian or Dmitry’s expense. I can’t figure it, actually. Makes me wonder if we have someone new who managed to keep it on the DL. OR, are we having five men and SEVEN women??

The women are a mystery – I have no clue what’s going on here besides the likely inclusions of Cheryl, Karina and Chelsie along with Lacey. Probably Kym is in based on her recent tweet. But, it’s really hard to tell. I think these women are actually much better at keeping secrets than the men. Well, except for Derek – he’s the freakin’ master of silence these days. Brat. I find his silence just as annoying as Lacey’s mouth, if I’m being completely honest.

I’m afraid to leave. You know someone will tweet that they’re in as soon as I go do something else. Just to spite me.

As of this writing, Lacey is back in and Damian is out. Boo, Damian didn’t have a chance. And I do like cute blonds. I think I’m going to call Karina as in, but she keeps tinkering with her website so I don’t know what to make of her changes. She made it sound like she was on, then she changed it again. I hope she didn’t get cut for Lacey. Sorry Lacey fans, I like Karina better. Personal preference.

Chelsie Hightower – probably in
Cheryl Burke – Unknown
Edyta Slwinska – Unknown
Lacey Schwimmer – IN
Anna Trebunskaya – Unknown
Anna Demidova – OUT
Karina Smirnoff – Possibly In
Kym Johnson – Unknown
Ashly Costa – Probably out – tweeted “me too” to Jonathan.
Julianne Hough – OUT (Footloose)

Alec Mazo – I bet out
Derek Hough – Probably In
Louis Van Amstel – Unknown
Mark Ballas – Unknown
Maks Chmerkovskiyi – Unknown
Damian Whitewood – OUT
Dmitry Chaplin – OUT
Jonathan Roberts – OUT
Tony Dovolani – Unknown

Now I’m wondering if Alec is indeed IN, because if you do the math and there really are 12 couples they have to have Alec or add a new male pro. The women are much more in flux – harder to say what’s going on there.

Something happened behind the scenes and now Lacey’s back on the show! Someone in the comments made a wish and it apparently came true.

That’s all for now – more later if there are any new developments. I have a really juicy rumor about a possible female star – trying to determine if it’s a hoax or not. And no, I’m not talking about Kirsty Alley.

And as most of you know, Anna Demidova is out. I’m afraid I saw that one coming a mile away. I guess she just didn’t make enough of an impact on the show and, at the point she joined up, making an impact was relatively important. Some of these pros are stars in their own right – like it or not, you purists. Where do we stand on the rest of them? Well…

Chelsie Hightower – probably in
Cheryl Burke – Unknown
Edyta Slwinska – Unknown
Lacey Schwimmer – OUT
Anna Trebunskaya – Unknown
Anna Demidova – OUT
Karina Smirnoff – Possibly In
Kym Johnson – Unknown
Ashly Costa – Probably out – tweeted “me too” to Jonathan.
Julianne Hough – OUT (Footloose)

Alec Mazo – I bet out
Derek Hough – Probably In
Louis Van Amstel – As of today, doesn’t know yet.
Mark Ballas – Unknown
Maks Chmerkovskiyi – Unknown
Damian Whitewood – Unknown
Dmitry Chaplin – OUT
Jonathan Roberts – OUT
Tony Dovolani – Unknown

Apparently, DWTS says there are 12 contestants this season, so it looks like the men are set, unless there is a new pro we aren’t aware of. And it’s always possible they could exchange Louis with Alec if some of the women are too tall. If the 12 is true, it looks like all the women are set too, assuming that Ashly was saying she’s not on this season and Jackie Josephs isn’t on.

She gives the list of the ones she heard and one of which I forgot to mention: David Hasselhoff. His name has been bandied about some this week and of course Landon Donovan is still out there as a rumor. Also, based on this interview, I think Derek and Chelsie were told there were going to be on the show because TPTB knew they would be asked while doing press at the Emmys – Derek is usually more careful if he doesn’t actually know if he’s on or not.

Holy cannoli, kids! Can you believe we’re already into Part VII of our series? That means, as of this post, you’ve seen 49 dittoed costumes.  FORTY-NINE.  And there’s still more to come! The folks at Randall sure are getting their money’s worth out of these dresses, eh?

But you’d better enjoy it while it lasts, kids – once season 11 premieres, Heidi and I may be too busy to continue this series and still do our regular season features (DWTS By the Numbers, the power rankings, the Cheesecake Awards…all the in-season stuff you love!).  And the beautiful Marcela only has so many pictures she can share with us! So unless anyone’s got a cache of (decent-quality, un-watermarked) pictures from all 10 seasons that you’d be willing to share with two very appreciative bloggers , please…savor every last one of these costume contrasts ;-)  (Heidi: No question, we may be too busy starting Friday when the Pros find out if they’re back for the season or not. ;-) )

Battle of the purple cut-out bodice dress with the black & blue ruffled skirt: Cheryl’s paso with Maurice in season 7 vs. some random pro in some random pro dance in a subsequent season

Courtney: Ok, we confess: we have no clue who the blonde is, or what performance this dress was dittoed in.  Believe me, we searched high & low – to no avail.  So if anyone does know which performance this was, please, do share! :-) Well I don’t think the dress does either lady any favors…hell, the purple bodice seems to clash with the electric blue trim on the skirt! And this was unfortunately during Cheryl’s “frumpy” season – the season where every single costume they put her in just wasn’t flattering.  But her shoes seem to match better, so I’ll give it to Cheryl.

Heidi: Another week, another gawdawful dress. Lordy.  I think besides the blue versus purple is definitely a problem – but Cheryl’s hair is just to severe for that cut of dress. It makes it worse. I have to agree with Courtney – the matching shoes give Cheryl they edge, although the dress sucks on both of them.

The winner: Cheryl, by a foot.

Battle of the royal blue, asymmetrical silk ballgown with beaded belt: Debi’s foxtrot relay with Maks in season 9 vs. Lacey in the “story telling” pro demo in season 10

Heidi: This is one of those rare instances when the dress in motion doesn’t do the wearer a favor. I seem to recall that Debi, when dancing, didn’t look fab in this dress, but she sure looks great in it standing still!! I have no clue what Lacey has going on here.

Courtney: Ok, I’m sorry, but this pic of Lacey is just cracking me up – she looks like she has to poop or something.  Like one of the dancing people in the Pepto commercials.  Yes, I am feeling extra juvenile this week, kids :-P Awkward stances aside, I like the dress better on Debbie – looks more dignified and flatters her figure better.  Lacey, like Cheryl, seems to have the problem with certain silhouettes making her look heavier than she really is.

The winner: Debi for dignity

Battle of the skimpy, pink overdye silk ballgown: Edyta’s foxtrot with Joey in season 3 vs. Anna’s preseason photo shoot in season 6

Courtney: Wow, is it just me, or is there something delightfully ho-tastic about this dress? Well, really just the top of it – it’s awfully scandalous as far as ballgowns go.  Without being too lewd…let’s just say it looks like something one might see at an “adult novelty store” or a “gentlemen’s club”.  But what’s really funny to me is that for as skankalicious as the cut of the dress is, the color seems really sweet & demure…almost like a prom dress.  Anywho…the cloying pink color of this number seems to flatter Anna better than it does Edyta.

Heidi: Let me be more crude – you’re likely to see the top part of this outfit in a place with a lot of Poles. ;-) And I don’t mean Poland. Anyway, Anna manages to actually remove some of the skank-tastic-ness from this dress. A combination of the color and her pose and the sweet smile. Gotta hand it to her. Is this two weeks in a row that Edyta has actually lost????

Courtney: Indeed it has been two weeks in a row.  Maybe Edyta isn’t the costume goddess we once thought she was!

The winner: Anna…for making the dress look more like it’s from Russia, than from Pole-land Get it??? Hehe!

Battle of the long-sleeve, black mesh cut-out ballgown: Edyta’s tango with Jason in season 6 vs. Kym’s tango with Mayo in the new pro competition in season 8

Heidi: Kym, Kym, Kym!!  Fierce expression and a rockin’ bod. Best boobage on the show. She’s sooo hot. But besides how fantastic Kym looks – have we ever seen Edyta slump her shoulders like that before?? It really detracts from her whole…Edyta-ness!!

Courtney: Some minor tweakage does a world of good here! Glad they replaced Edyta’s flesh-colored hip strap with something more substantial that matches the dress – doesn’t look odd like it did before.  And Heidi and I agree – Kym has the most fierce expressions and really works her costumes for all they’re worth.  So hot!

The winner: Kym’s fierce face and rockin’ bod (and awesome boobage!) wins over Edyta’s slumpy shoulders.

Battle of the olive green, army-inspired paso dress: Julianne’s paso with Cody in season 7 vs. Aliona Vilani in the pro dance to Rascal Flatts in season 8

Courtney: Anyone else remember Aliona when she tried out for season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance with her boyfriend Leonidas Proskurov? I thought for sure she was going to make it to the top 20…but thankfully, they took Chelsie instead – I daresay Chelsie had both the chops and the personality to succeed on the show.  Ok, back on topic.  I really don’t care for this dress.  I never really understood why they opted for a military theme while dancing to Shiny Toy Guns, but I guess I’ll give it to Julianne – the dress looks a lot less “clunky” on her, while I think Aliona is weighed down by bulky boots & dark leggings.

Heidi: I only remember Aliona from her Viennese Waltz with Derek on the last tour – amazingly beautiful dance. Kudos to Maks for that choreography, although I’ve heard the pros have a lot to do with their own solos. Anyway, not only do Aliona’s leggings kill it, but Julianne really has it pulled together. Between the cute little hat and the hair that goes with it, she’s workin’ it the right way.

The winner: Julianne by a hat.

Battle of the two-piece, ruffle-y yellow beaded Latin dress: Karina’s mambo with Rocco in season 7 vs. Edyta in the pro dance to Robin Thicke in season 8 vs. one of the performers in the Tiempo Libre performance in season 9

Heidi: Ick. Yellow. I got nuthin’ else.

Courtney: I’m afraid I’ve fallen in yellow costume apathy, because I’m having a hard time liking some of the yellow dresses we’ve featured in the past few weeks.  This ensemble is just ok for me.  Sorry Edyta, but the way your hair is styled just doesn’t seem to mesh well with the outfit; and Tiempo Libre dancer, it looks a bit ill-fitting on you.  Karina, it looks like you’ve been playing with your It Cosmetics Airbrush Abs kit again, but I’ll give it to you…even with an ace bandage around your ankle, you manage to pull this one off. 

The winner: Karina…is it bad that she wins this one by an ace bandage and some airbrushed abs?

Battle of the red, beaded Latin dress with the sweetheart neckline: Marissa’s mambo with Tony in season 6 vs. Niecy’s preseason photo shoot with Louis in season 10

Courtney: Marissa, no doubt – I just absolutely love her expression in this picture!  She just looks like she’s having the most fun ever.  The beads are just sparkling away, and she’s got a huge smile on her face.  Niecy, on the other hand – I feel like she falls victim to the curse of the preseason photo shoot.  It always seems to make the dresses look less than impressive, and everyone seems to look so…I don’t know, made-up? Niecy and Louis both look kinda artificial to me, like they’ve been over-airbrushed. 

Heidi: I agree, I love the look on Marissa’s face (although I didn’t like her ‘tude in post show interviews at all – seemed petty and jealous) – like she can’t believe she’s doing it. I also can’t stand Louis anymore either, so that’s a point against Niecy – although I like her just fine.

The winner: Marissa by a grin.

Get your copycat costume fix while it lasts, kids! Reminisce over parts I, II, III, IV, V, & VI of “Who Wore it Better?”

Alright kids…another week, another batch of 7 costumes to compare, contrast, and critique! And I know you all don’t agree wholeheartedly with everything Heidi & I have to say, so please…speak up.  Show us that you give a damn ;-) (Heidi: I’m in a really bad mood because this is turning into a 60 hour work week. Warning, warning!!)

 And again, many, many thanks to Marcela in Brazil for sending us a plethora of pictures of dittoed costumes that she found ;-) Você é maravilhosa, Marcela!

Battle of the purple & pink heavily-stoned ballgown: Kim’s “Pink Panther” foxtrot with Mark in season 7 vs. Chelsie’s preseason photo shoot in season 8

Courtney: As much as I don’t particularly care for Kim’s personality (especially her rather blasé demeanor while she was on the show), I think this suits Kim’s complexion and hair color better than it does Chelsie – seems to make her look ruddy.  But definitely one of my favorite ballgowns they’ve ever had on the show – love the color combo and just the simplicity of the cut. 

Heidi: I think it shortens Chelsie’s body too much – maybe the ankle length?? Or maybe just the pose. And I agree, it definitely goes better with the darker hair and completion on Kim.

The winner: Kim, in spite of her personality.

Battle of the yellow, cut-out, feathered Latin dress: Brooke in the samba smackdown in season 7 vs. Cheryl in the pro dance to Robin Thicke in season 8

Heidi: This is a stupid dress. I don’t like yellow, I don’t like the cutouts, I don’t like it on either of them. :::stamps feet:::: 

Courtney: Now I love yellow – but the cut of this dress is just silly-looking to me.  Makes both ladies look like Tweety Bird or something.  It also doesn’t do justice to professional American rhythm competitor Jaana Lillemagi. But since we’ve already determined that Cheryl can pull off yellow with her skin tone, I’m gonna go with her.

The winner: Despite Heidi’s temper tantrum, Cheryl looks the best as a cartoon canary.

Battle of the royal blue satin cut-out Latin dress: Julianne’s cha-cha with Apolo in season 4 vs. Anna in the pro paso demo in season 8

Courtney: This dress is just extremely odd to me – doesn’t really feel like a Latin dress or a ballgown.  And Anna, you know I love you to bits, but man – you look GHASTLY in this dress.  I feel like it just makes Anna look pale, and something about the cut of it adds pounds to her otherwise flawless figure.  It’s not terrible on Julianne, per se; it’s just kind of a non-event.  Not bad, but not great.  So I’ll go with Julianne.

Heidi: Boy, you’re reading my mind here. This dress’s structure is not flattering to either girl. Luckily for Julianne, she comes off a bit better, due mainly due to the pose. Anna, who has a perfect figure, looks almost like she has a spare tire. It’s that stupid vertical pit of fabric, I think, combined with the straight cut across the hips.

The winner: Julianne by a pose.

Battle of the sparkly, gold, long-sleeve romper: Julianne’s freestyle with Helio in season 5 vs. Karina’s pro dance with Derek to Selena Gomez in season 9

Heidi: Well, I have mad love for Karina’s partner, plus I think it suits her hair and skin tone better.

Courtney: CAMEL TOE ALERT!!! Ladies, this is why skin-tight rompers should just be avoided altogether – it’s hard to mask this dreaded fashion faux pas.  It makes it hard for me to even really like this costume on either lady – but since it’s not quite so visible on Karina, I’m giving this one to her.

Heidi: Well I think that most of what you’re seeing is a function of fabric, camera angle and shadow. I don’t think there is a true camel toe (and god, even typing those words makes me throw up in my mouth a bit – thanks, Court).

Courtney: Camel toe is no laughing matter, my friend! Hehe

The winner: Karina, by a hotter partner and better angle.

Battle of the pink, fringy, sparkly Latin dress: Kym’s jive with Mark in season 5 vs. Marlee’s preseason photo shoot with Fabian in season 6

Courtney: Wow, what a difference lighting makes! I can assure you all that this is indeed the same dress – the lighting from Marlee’s photo shoot just really washes out the otherwise vibrant neon pink that we see in Kim’s jive. I’m not particularly wowed by the dress on either lady.  So again, I default to my wise cohort on this one

Heidi: Kym. Kym all the way. Better boobage, better lighting, a face full of joy.

The winner: Kym by default.

Battle of the black & white, sparkly patterned ballgown: Melissa’s foxtrot with Tony in season 8 vs. Anna in the pro dance to Michael Buble in season 9

Heidi: This is a pretty dress – I dig it. It looks good on both ladies, but I have to go with Anna, mainly because her shoes match better and I like her hair better. I don’t like the tight style that Melissa is wearing.

Courtney: I’ve got to give this one to Anna – like with Lacey & the zebra dress last week, the little “pop” of color of her red hair just seems to pair better with the black & white of the dress than Melissa’s darker hair. 

The winner: Anna!! By a hair…and a shoe.

Battle of the red, sparkly, ruffle-y, cut-out Latin dress: Marlee’s cha-cha with Fabian in season 6 vs. Shawn’s preseason photo shoot with Mark in season 8

Courtney: Either I’m just getting sick of commenting on costumes (doubtful ) or I’ve seen this dress before – or rather, several dresses that seem nearly the same.  What is it with the costume department and red, ruffle-y, sparkly Latin dresses for the ladies? It’s becoming almost cliché. I guess I pick Shawn for this one – for once, the overall look of a dress actually seems more “finished” the 2^nd go-round than it did for the first!

Heidi: Whoa. Marlee is WHITE. Way too white. Distractingly white. Gotta go with Shawn for her tan and her ear rings.

The winner: Shawn by a tan.

You know you love lookin’ at costumes.  So why not quell your appetite for fashion by reviewing parts I, II, III, IV, & V while you wait for next week’s edition?

…and the fun continues! Alright fashion critics, have at it  

On a side note, we have to give a very special thanks to our friend Marcela, who frequents this site all the way from Brazil! Marcela was kind enough to share with us many dittoes that she had found, and even sent us side-by-side pictures of them.  Marcela, here’s a big “Obrigado!” from all of us here at Pure DWTS…you rock!

Battle of the black & white floral-print ballgown: Brooke’s quickstep with Derek in season 7 vs. Cheryl in the pro dance to Michael Buble in season 9

Courtney: Hmmmm. I’m not hugely fond of this dress, so I think it’s making it hard for me to figure out who it looks better on.  I think it probably suits Brooke’s body a bit better (surprise, surprise…that woman could make a burlap sack look good!), but I’m not a fan of the severely pulled-back side bun hair they gave her.  I think it doesn’t suit Cheryl’s body quite as well, but I think her loose, carefree hair & hoop earrings better suit the breezy feel of the dress.  I dunno…I’m defaulting to Heidi.

Heidi: Does liking Brooke’s partner better count??   Seriously though, look at both of the men – I think you’ll note that the men’s outfits match the hairstyles on the ladies. They made Brooke much more formal, to complement Derek’s dinner jacket and bow tie and slick hair, whereas Cheryl’s hair is more loose and flowy which compliments Jonathan’s lack of jacket and undone bow tie. BOTH couples are very finished, for what they are trying to portray.

The winner: Have to call it a draw for two complete ensembles – men included.

Battle of the gold-fringe Latin dress: Chelsie’s salsa with Ty in season 8 vs. Nicole’s jive with Derek in the season 10 finale

Heidi: Derek and Nicole’s Jive was just fan-flippin-tastic – and that includes seriously rocking that dress. Chelsie might be too sweet to be that fierce. And that ain’t no jive talkin’.

Courtney: Now as fierce as both these ladies look in this sparkler, I’ve gotten give it to Nicole – she just slightly out-fierces Chelsie with that fabulous hair flip.  That jive was seriously awesome – and Tina herself sure knows how to rock a gold fringe dress!

The winner: Nicole, by a Tina Turner ‘tude

Battle of the hot pink, cut-out ballgown with matching gloves: Kym’s foxtrot with David in season 8 vs. Melissa’s preseason photo shoot with Mark in season 9

Courtney: This gown is just adorable – reminds me so much of Marilyn Monroe’s dress in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes…which is why I think it looks so cute on both of these lovely blonde ladies ;-) Love Melissa’s 40’s-esque finger waves, but I also love Kym’s tighter curls.  In the end, though, I just have to give this one to Kym – while I don’t particularly remember David well that season (except for his rather embarrassing exit speech), I do remember Kym just working it in this foxtrot, and this dress just sparkling away as she moved.  Therefore, I must give this one to our favorite Aussie blonde

Heidi: They both do look awesome. But when you mention Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, it made me think of Marlee Matalin’s dance with Derek, Mark, Fabian Sanchez and Genya Mazo and I ran to check the video. Nah. Not the same dress as Marlee. ;-) ANYway, I have to give it to Kym too – that body is hard to beat and I just like her personality better anyway.

The winner: Kym, for being the Aussie answer to Marilyn herself!

Battle of the itty-bitty, coral one-sleeve Latin dress: Edyta’s cha-cha with Jason in season 6 vs. Julianne’s pro dance with Derek to Jennifer Hudson in season 7

Heidi: That Julianne had the guts to wear a dress AFTER Edyta wore it – well, I have to hand it to her. Girl is brave. Of course she works it just as well as Edyta, so why not? I like it better with Julianne’s coloring, I think.

Courtney: This has got to be one of the TINIEST costumes I’ve ever seen on the show – and that’s saying something, considering that Edyta is, to quote Lawrence Taylor “allergic to clothes”, hehe.  Not that I blame Edyta at all – as I’ve said before, if I had a body that fabulous, you’d have to put me in a nudist colony, because I would be naked ALL THE TIME.  However, this dress looks too much to me like many of the others Edyta has worn, while the look is a little more surprising on Julianne – the coral looks surprisingly flattering on her.  So kudos to Julianne for out-Edytaing Edyta!

The winner: Julianne for bravery.

Battle of the yellow & orange overdye Latin dress: Julianne’s salsa with Cody in season 7 vs. Lisa’s quickstep with Mayo in the new pro contest in season 8

Courtney: I found it very, very strange that they opted to put Lisa in a Latin dress to do a quickstep – I guess they were trying to fit the whole “Walking on Sunshine” theme with the colors of the dress.  But it just looks so mismatched up to Mayo – he’s so covered & dark and she’s so…bare.  And I hate that shaggy haircut of hers – I feel like it totally obscures her face.  Now Julianne, on the other hand, is just an absolute delight in this dress – can you believe this was only about a week after her appendectomy?!

Heidi: Girlfriend did one hell of a jive with Derek a week after her appendectomy, so yes, I can believe it. ;-) This one is kind of a toss up for me – Lisa cut off the tail of the dress and the colors look better with her tan, but her hair and her overinflated lips get me every time. Love Julianne, but she added a huge flower up near the shoulder that I can’t get behind, plus it took me a minute or two to figure out that the tail of the dress was wrapped around her right leg. Don’t know what she’s got around her left ankle. Anyway, I guess I find the flower and the tail less egregious than the hair and the lips.

The winner: Julianne, for normal lips.

Battle of the fringed, zebra-print Latin dress: Mel B’s jive with Maks in season 5 vs. Lacey’s preseason photo shoot in season 7

Heidi: I kind of find this dress awful. And Lacey didn’t follow the “take one thing off” rule before she left the house. ;-) That said, I like it better on her because of the gloves and the red hair. Add in that I am SO NOT a Mel fan and well….Lacey wins.

Courtney: Another dress I just don’t particularly care for – looks like something off the sale rack at Wet Seal.  However, I do think it fits both ladies’ feisty personalities well.  I guess I’ll go with Lacey – the streaks of red in her hair offer a nice pop of color to offset the black & white in the dress.

The winner: Lacey…just barely. This dress sucks.

Battle of the red, cut-out, ruffly Latin dress: Shannon’s mambo with Derek in season 6 vs. Kym’s preseason photo shoot in season 7

Courtney: Wow, this batch is really a mixed bag for me – I’m either loving or hating these dresses.  This, unfortunately falls into the latter category – BLECH.  Am I the only one that thought that Shannon looked terribly awkward in almost every costume they put her in? Aggghhh, and that hair – looks like they were trying to style it like her ex-husband’s (look him up – Joe Reitman.  Eek!) Kym does a decent job of making a crappy dress look acceptable, so I’ll go with her. 

Heidi: I think Shannon WAS awkward in a lot of the dresses. This one is funny because she had lots of padding in the bra AND in the butt, and she wasn’t afraid to tell EVERYONE. It made all the media that week very entertaining, especially when Derek is pulling down the back of her dress to show reporters and she then proceeds to rip his shirt open. And to think they tried to tell people they were just friends. Um, right. ;-) I also have to give it up to Derek for once again attempting a camouflage (with all those ruffles) a lack of hip action. Despite me enjoying this dress on Shannon for all the backstage reasons, it’s pretty clear that Kym just wears it better. The confidence will get you every time. I bet Kym didn’t need the padding either.

The winner: Duh, Kym! Even though this dress sucks too.

 Pssst! First time here? Then you should definitely check out parts I, II, III, & IV of our “Who Wore it Better?” series!  

Well, I have to say, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s regurgitation of internet chatter – because let’s face it, mainstream “journalism” leaves a LOT to be desired these days. All you have to do is look at the British press around Cheryl Cole and Derek – ridiculous. Speaking of Cheryl Cole – that rumor has come back to life big time since she flew into Los Angeles on Derek’s arm. Not for this upcoming season, but for Spring 2011. So far, none of this has hit the US press and the UK press just makes stuff up as they go along – then issue apologies when they are outted as blatantly lying. Anyway, I reported on Cheryl the first time around and the same papers are at it again. As usual, that doesn’t make it true. However, it would NOT surprise me for the reasons previously stated.

Kurt Warner I mentioned as a possible celeb a week or two ago – and now it’s hit the mainstream press. I really, REALLY want this one to be true. It’s looking pretty good. I got the below from Reality TV World, but they credit the Washington Post, although they don’t link to the story.

Kurt Warner will be among Dancing with the Stars’ eleventh-season competitors this fall, the Washington Post reported Monday.

While Dancing with the Stars’ prior seasons have featured several retired NFL players — Michael Irvin, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Warren Sapp, and Lawrence Taylor — as well as still-active players — Jason Taylor and Chad Ochocinco — Warner would be the first quarterback to compete on the ABC reality ballroom competition.

In case you hadn’t figured it out already, Julianne will not be back for Season 11, due to Footloose. Per Derek at the ABC Press Party, via the Sioux City Journal:

Press Tour: Shaq, Dancing with the Stars and more

Things you learn at an ABC party:

2. The Dancing with the Stars trophy is super heavy. Derek Hough, who now has two of them, says the latest isn’t even at his house. It’s with his publicist. (But it could be joined by an Emmy. He’s nominated for two for choreographing the show.)

6. Julianne Hough will not be on this year’s Dancing with the Stars. She’s too busy. But, says brother Derek, “none of us knows if we’re back. They haven’t decided who’s going to be on the show.”