Is anyone else pissed that Joanna was sent home last night?  I think she should have been in the finals no questions asked.  She was sexy, elegant, and amazing to watch all season and to come this close just kills me.  And with Derek’s hot choreography I’m pretty sure their freestyle would’ve been HOT!

BEST DANCES
Week 1: Cha, Cha, Cha

Week 4: Lambada

Week 6: Waltz

Week 7: Rumba

Week 8: Futuristic Paso Doble

Week 9: Cha Cha Cha

HOTTEST COSTUMES

What a week!

THE GOOD
The thing with all Mya is that she is always good just never outstanding. She stays in the safe zone and that’s why I never get the ‘WOW’ factor from her like I do with Derek and Joanna! However, Dmitry and his mustache were amazing

THE BAD
Don’t get me wrong…I really enjoy watching Kelly and Louis but I think this storyline was just to much! The doll carried on for way to long and her dancing was very small in comparison to all the other celebs dances. I don’t think the dance was terrible but it had no ‘WOW’ factor

THE INCREDIBLY HOT
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!  These two do it again…Derek’s choerography was BRILLIANT!  By far my favorite dance of the season!

THE INCREDIBLY HOT TAKE 2!
I LOVED seeing Sabrina and Mark together again…this routine was fantastic and so hot!

THE INCREDIBLY HOT TAKE 3!
Amazing lifts…amazing chemistry…amazing dance!

I was really sad to see Mark leave on this note with his partner being out and him not on top of his game but that’s the game I guess…Let’s take a look at some of his best dances, costumes, and let’s see what the twitter world is saying to him

BEST DANCE
Jitterbug:  I think you’d have to be crazy not to count this as Mark’s best dance!  I enjoyed this dance because Mark really let his personality come out which made his dancing that much better

Paso Doble: This wasn’t Mark’s best technical dance but the two of them here are brilliant!

BEST COSTUMES
Cha-Cha-Cha: This was my favorite costume throughout the seven weeks! It was very him and in his element

TWITTER WORLD
Edyta (@Edyta_Sliwinska)
I’m very sorry for Mark. He is one of the nicest people I’ve met, with so much potential! I’m sorry Anna, you did everything possible.

Lacey (@LaceySchwimmer)
All is good everyone, thanks to those who voted and supported us! GMA in the am then a flight to nyc for the VIEW. How am I gunna get better

At long last…a week where I actually get excited about a routine (or maybe even two! ) After the doldrums of the past few weeks, I was beginning to think I had come down with H1N1 and was just grumpy about the whole show…but I have to say, I was actually blown outta the water by one couple in particular this week…and it may not be who you think it is

As much as I’ve hated some of the new “twists” of the past few seasons (the “dance off”, the addition of a bunch of new dances every season, the relay dances, etc.), I actually do really enjoy the team dances – although I am getting a bit tired of the team paso (but thank goodness they didn’t try to revive the team mambo…I don’t want to re-live the ones from the past two seasons, yikes!).  While team tango was clearly superior to team paso (Joanna & Derek in particular stood out for me), both this season’s routines didn’t seem as hard-hitting and memorable of those in past seasons…and team paso in particular just seemed to be going through the motions.  Blah. But onto the rankings! Gotta say, it’s getting more and more fun to write them as the season wears on and the power players shuffle around

1.) Joanna & Derek – Now I realize that I may have been accused in the past of being overly “partial” to Derek.  However, I think Heidi can vouch for the fact that I haven’t always been a fan of these tw0 (I’m still scratching my head over the whole Tarzan entrance, haha) and have had almost the same amount of criticism for them as I’ve had praise for them.  But I feel as though I have to point out that these two manage to remain memorable week after week, even if their dancing wasn’t necessarily the highest-scored.  Their rumba was steamy, and I expected it to be, given Derek’s track record; and Derek made a wise move in playing up his goofy side during the little “fantasy” lead-in – it’s endearing to viewers and I think they’ll definitely remember it when voting.  Joanna continues to impress me with her technique, but I did see a few wonky arms and also the little stutter from getting her heel caught in her dress.  And I will again reference the special powers of the Money Spot (TM). These two were the stand-out couple for me in the team tango (those high-speed pivots towards the end of their solo portion were fantastic!) and are at the top of the leaderboard points-wise.  No danger here…

2.) Aaron & Karina – Oh, what a difference a week makes! These two were my favorite couple of the night…that jive was FLAWLESS (I dunno what Carrie Ann was smoking, giving them a 9!).  I would even go so far as to say it was one of the best-executed jives I’ve ever seen on the show…Aaron’s flicks were razor sharp & perfectly synched to Karina’s, and perhaps most importantly of all, HE DIDN’T TIRE.  The energy level stayed up from beginning to end, which is more than I can say about a lot of the jives we’ve seen. I think Aaron is beginning to give Mya a run for her money for the title of Best Technician on the show – and he also seems to tackle the hardest choreography of any of the celebs.  And I have to say, he does seem to be reigning in his over-the-top behavior quite a bit – he’s beginning to become a lot more likeable to me again.  While I was underwhelmed by the team paso, Aaron & Karina were most memorable to me, and seemed to best embody the sharp, aggressive feel of the dance.  I daresay Aaron might have redeemed himself tonight with that jive – and he did manage to avoid the danger zone last week, so I don’t see him suddenly dropping into it this week.  Kudos to him for the vast improvement!

3.) Donny & Kym – Ok, their quickstep this week was a bit of an improvement from last week’s jitterbug, and it did seem like Kym upped the ante with some more difficult choreography – but I still can’t seem to shake the feeling that Donny just looks EXHAUSTED.  And I would be too, if his schedule is as crazy as everyone says it is! But the trick is to hide it well, and I’m not sure he is – he seemed to drop his posture quite a bit, and did lose the rhythm at a few points (although I did agree with Bruno that he seemed to hide it well – whenever he flubbed, I did find myself questioning what I saw, like “Did he just mess up, or am I just seeing things?”).  I also go back to my “Donny likes characters” theory, and thought he may have struggled this week without a real theme or character to play in the dance – he was just left with the steps and his stage presence.  His solo bit in the team tango felt a bit recycled to me (from his Argentine a few weeks back), but then again, Kelly’s did too, and at least he danced it well.  But he has the fanbase, so he will be fine…but I’m sorry, Kym’s dress???! Ghastly.  Please Donny, stick to singing and dancing – because ladies’ fashion is not your calling.

4.) Mya & Dmitry – I really feel like a broken record saying this week after week, but here it is again for good measure: brilliant technique, zero heat.  I almost feel like both of them are more focused on playing to the audience than they are each other – Dmitry in particular.  Cloris, you are such a wise old (crazy) soul, pointing out this obvious lack of heat! This was some great choreography, with such a fluid execution, and it would have been light years better if I didn’t feel like they were still so disconnected after dancing together for all these weeks – the silhouetted kiss at the end just felt contrived.  But I will say that I loved the costuming – probably the best of the night: they both looked like they foxtrotted right out of a ballroom in pre-Castro Cuba.  For anyone that saw Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights - Mya’s dress tonight felt like a throwback to her cameo in it as Lola Martinez (check it out – it’s the big mambo competition scene towards the end).  While I was once again underwhelmed by their frigid chemistry, they did dance their foxtrot well, and they were scored decently well for it.  No comment on the team paso; honestly, most of it was a non-event for me…

5.) Kelly & Louis – This week could easily be titled “How Kelly Got Her Groove Back” – her salsa this week was the most relaxed and free I’ve seen her since week 1.  It was almost as if she had to have a complete meltdown (see lead-in) before she could shake her jitters and just have fun out on the floor…and fun she did have! She shimmied, she smiled…she conquered.  And I gotta give her props for putting Louis in the famous fringe pants that we’ve only seen the girls wear up until this point – the man looked like Cookie Monster out there, and I loved every minute of it! I guess it’s just a testament to she & Louis’ great chemistry that they can get in a “fight” and still look like they love each other to bits while they’re yelling at one another.  Kelly shined in the group tango – so her choregraphy wasn’t really complicated and felt a bit redundant, but she didn’t flub (a lot) and she actually had some really dramatic head snaps.  She definitely reclaimed the America’s Sweetheart title tonight, but let’s be honest: her dancing is nowhere near that of Mya, Donny, or Joanna, and we’re getting down to the wire now – she may live through this week based on her winning personality, but I’m afraid the clock is ticking…

6.) Michael & Anna D. - I’m finally beginning to understand why this guy has managed to stretch far beyond what should have been his lifespan on the show – he has a heart of gold.  Seriously – I cannot hate the guy, no matter how much he may butcher a bolero or flub his way through a cha-cha.  The pep talk during team paso rehearsal? The sweet explanation of he & Anna’s purple costumes? Heck, the guy was even big-hearted enough to hug it out with Aaron during his post-rumba meltdown!  The man is like a walking Hallmark card.  And add to that the fact that he actually is improving – he could surprise us all and be this season’s Ty Murray and live through another week! Like last week’s waltz (which I bit sheepishly admit that I haven’t had the heart to delete off my DVR ), his foxtrot wasn’t necessarily the hardest choreography, but he moved through it gracefully, without any missteps and without getting off-time – the man is light years better at the smooth dances than the Latin ones. And he’s charming when he dances.  But we have to take into account that he was in the danger zone last week, and I don’t know that his fanbase will be able to contend with that of Donny’s or even Mya’s…and then there’s the curse of the dreaded Crap Spot (TM). The play clock may have run down for our lovable wide receiver…

7.) Mark & Anna T. – Poor Mark just couldn’t seem to catch a break this week – his regular partner gets sick, he gets a short tutorial from Tony in New York before jetting back to the west coast, and then is thrown headlong into rehearsals with Anna (<3 her!) with only 2 days to learn both his own samba and the group paso.  The deck was stacked against him from the get-go, I’m afraid.  But I am going to disagree with Bruno & Carrie Ann – I actually got a kick out of his samba.  His samba rolls were actually pretty darn good, and he did have great energy throughout the whole thing.  He wasn’t THAT bad.  But I don’t even remember him in the group paso, and I think America may forget about him amidst very striking routines and high scores from Joanna & Derek and Aaron & Karina, and the fanbases of Donny, Mya, and even Michael.  Sorry Lacey…I don’t think you’ll be able to make that triumphant return next week like you were hoping to

Alright, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m pretty ADD, so I can’t remember if they said tomorrow was another double elimnation or not – so if it is, I’m gonna say it’s Mark & Anna T. and Michael & Anna D. headed home; if it’s only a single, it’s gonna be Mark. What do you guys think?

For the first time this season, I really don’t have much to say about tonight.  Despite having two of the most emotionally-charged dances (and an energetic group dance), my overall feeling for tonight is “blah” – which is why I really had a hard time with this week’s rankings.  Probably the hardest yet, because very few people really “stood out” tonight – and the paso dobles seemed to really get lost in the shuffle amongst a sea of Argentine tangos.  Oh well…on with it…

1.) Joanna & Maks – Yes, they did flub…but it will probably make this tango that much more memorable and will also get a lot of sympathy votes (as if Heidi didn’t drum up enough for sick Derek via Twitter! ).  And they had the virtue of being in the “money spot” (which I don’t think was accidental…) Joanna was actually quite good in the tango – she had the heat, and was the only one that seemed to get the characteristic “brush” of the feet against the floor.  This was probably my fave routine of hers yet – it just would have been a heck of a lot better with Derek in it! Although, oddly enough, Maks & Joanna seemed to get along pretty well…maybe the eastern European connection? But no worries, Heidi…there is only one man for Joanna, and it starts with a “D” and ends in “Erek Hough”…

2.) Donny & Kym – (WARNING TO DONNY FANS: Hatchet job in process…don’t bother reading on if you get offended easily!) Now, I did say last week that it was pointless to talk about Donny’s dancing because he’s gonna get a ton of votes (and a lot of smoke blown up his tookus from the judges) week after week.  But I feel it’s my duty to point out that he was RIDICULOUSLY overscored this week.  His tango was, at best, stiff and cold.  I got NO HEAT from him – and honestly, who really wants to see a smoldering Osmond? I think I threw up in my mouth a little when he made the comment about “knowing about passion” because he had 5 kids.  And again with the hackneyed fauxmance with Bruno…ick, ick, ick.  But the crowd still cheers the loudest for him, and everyone (with the exception of maybe me, Heidi, & John) thinks he’s just dandy.  *sigh* Have fun on your trip to the finals, Donny boy…

3.) Mya & Dmitry – Still stone cold.  Great choreography (Dmitry really seems to shine in Argentine tango), near-flawless execution from Mya – and not a smidge of heat between them.  I had high hopes for Mya after the steam she brought to the lambada last week, but alas, it was all in vain.  *sigh* But their scores (and Mya’s fanbase) will likely carry them through again…

4.) Kelly & Louis - I give Kelly mad props for seemingly bringing Louis out of his shell – the guy has been wearing more makeup than some of the girls this season! It definitely makes them memorable, as does their song choice (honoring dear old daddy ) and rocking theme.  And I am aware she was dancing with an injury…but let’s be honest - her paso was highly mediocre.  Kelly seems to be receding further into her shell with each performance, and it looked like she was more or less just walking through her choreo tonight…she may be the “loveable underdog” this season, but she is beginning to run the risk of becoming boring.  And boring does not keep you safe week after week…

5.) Louie & Chelsie – I’m gonna put it out there: Louie & Chelsie read my rankings last week and are heeding my advice and playing up the showmance These two look more smitten each time I see them – putting their heads together (a big body language indicator of attraction and trust, as it is a very vulnerable position), smiling broadly during practice, always facing their bodies toward one another.  But I actually agreed with Len and thought this was their best routine yet tonight – it had a story to it (which most of the other tangos didn’t), they were connected physically and emotionally, and the execution was clean.  I gotta hand it to Louie – he is always there for Chelsie physically during all of the stunts.  He’s a strong lil guy! And those two are still cute as a button…onto next week…

6.) Mark & Lacey – These two are still getting lost in the shuffle for me, despite the fact that they seem to be improving.  Their paso actually left me a little confused this week – Mark had some moments of great strength and character during the routine, and he also had some moments where I actually found him to be a little bit…effeminate.  Not sure if it was the way he was sticking out his hips or the expression on his face, but at certain points he really looked absolutely ridiculous to me.  Surprisingly enough, I actually preferred their two-step last week over this one. But if the judges say they’re improving, the voters will likely follow, and they’ll live to dance another week.  I’m just not sure they’re improving at enough of a clip to stick around much longer…

7.) Michael & Anna - I don’t think it was any accident that Michael got paso this week…after the disaster that was the bolero last week, I think the producers took pity on poor Anna and gave them a dance without a hint of romance.  But the paso suited him well, and he was actually quite entertaining to watch – not too painful on the eyes.  But I find that paso can be a dance that is easy to ”fake” your way through, and really, that’s all he was doing.  And Michael the ham came out strong with a bit about ”holding a quarter with your butt” and then took a cue from Donny and pandered to Bruno…probably a wise move on his part.  There’s a slight chance these two could end up in the bottom two, but after they were snatched from the jaws of death last week by Michael’s fans, I sincerely doubt they’re leaving this week.

8.) Melissa & Mark - Sorry Melissa, looks like you really are a one-week wonder.  And yes, I know your partner was sick one day (and you got to work with the fabulous Anna T., whom I adore ) - but your tango still sucked.  The energy was low, and Mark did most of the fancy footwork (which is really supposed to be the woman’s job in this dance). Aside from that, I remember nothing about it.  And I don’t know how much longer you can coast through on Mark’s popularity…

9.) Aaron & Karina – Oh Aaron, what are we going to do with you? (and ironically enough, this was actually a lyric in one of his early songs back in the day! lol) I daresay you’ve got a lot of reputation repair to do to recover from your emotional outbursts the past two weeks.  And it doesn’t help that you seemed to be on the verge of happy tears upon getting your scores this week…although your tango was actually pretty darn good.  Like Louie, Aaron is strong, and good at tricks – he never seems to falter when he’s hoisting his partner around, and for the first time I actually felt a little bit of heat between he & Karina when their faces were close together.  But when they were apart? Totally blank.  Not a whole lot of showmanship here. And they performed early in the show, which never seems to help.  On a (slightly) unrelated note – does anyone else detect a rivalry between Aaron & Louie? Louie definitely took a cheap shot at Aaron during his confessional last week, and their “Who can do the best flip?” contest during the hustle practice seemed to have a slightly aggressive undercurrent…

10.) Natalie & Alec – Robotic, emotionless, low energy, and BLAH.  I really have nothing more to say about it.  I don’t know how it’s possible, but Natalie seems to  have actually gotten WORSE with each passing week, in both stage presence & technique. It  certainly didn’t help that she got stuck in the “crap spot” by dancing first…and she definitely doesn’t have the scores to keep her safe this week.  I also noticed her starting to develop the “Wish I had more to say…

So ummm yah…I really don’t have a lot more to say.  I think it’ll come down to Aaron & Karina (or maybe Melissa & Mark) and Natalie & Alec in the bottom 2, with Natalie probably going home. We’ll suffer through the group hustle once again as the encore, and we’ll probably be underwhelmed by the MJ tribute.  *sigh* But hopefully you guys will have some strong opinions about tonights show…and I wanna hear ‘em!

Also, feel free to take a look back at all the previous Dancing with the Stars power rankings to see how they’ve changed as the show progressed.

There are so many video’s of rehearsals being leaked and I’m so excited to see these newbie’s take on the cha cha, foxtrot, salsa, or viennese waltz in 2 weeks!  Until then…here’s another the good, the bad, and the incredible hot!

THE GOOD
Season 8: Lil Kim, Paso Doble
This is a PERFECT example of how amazing Derek choreographs to his partners!  Lil Kim picked up on all the little details in the dance including the wrist flips and the leg kicks!  Her facial expressions were on point and her costume was very fitting! 

THE BAD
 Season 7: Kim Kardashian, Mambo
I think Mark said it best when he said “Kim just needs to come out of her shell and bring it” I do feel like a lot of people expected Kim to be this sexy dancer but it all reality she didn’t have the musicality!  She knew the steps but didn’t put any of her in them which makes for a boring performance. Lastly, Kim never did the moves 100% like Mark does all the time, so it was aesthetically pleasing to watch.

THE INCREDIBLE HOT
Louis Van Amstel always has amazing choreography!

This past weekend I was youtubing some DWTS dances from all the past seasons and I found some that I completely forgot about but still love!  I was also reminded of several that I don’t care to see again   So, for today here’s the break down of the good, the bad, and the just plain adorable

THE GOOD
Julianne’s first emmy nomination dance: Season 5 Helio Castroneves, Mambo

THE BAD
Season 2: Master P, Cha Cha
There’s one thing to be a terrible dancer and still trying your hardest to be apart of something of this magnitude.  However, Master P was clearly over DWTS before he even jumped in.  Technically, he was terrible!  There was no musicality from him, he walked the entire performance, never once showed any emotion, and wasn’t a great partner for Ashly!

THE ADORABLE
DWTS: Kids Challenge, Brandon and Brittany!

Any guesses as to what’s next

Another late posting. Although this one is really late. Although, it’s always better late than never. At least we’ll still have All of the music from Dancing with the Stars. Plus, in just a second I’ll post the music for week 5 of Dancing with the Stars too.

Kristi & Mark danced the Paso Doble to the song Blue Monday sung by New Order

Priscilla & Louis danced the Viennese Waltz to the song Do Right Woman, Do Right Man sung by Etta James

Adam & Julianne danced the Paso Doble to the song Plaza Of Execution sung by James Horner, from “The Mask Of Zorro”

Marlee & Fabian danced the Viennese Waltz to the song She’s Always A Woman To Me sung by Billy Joel

Mario & Karina danced the Paso Doble to the song Higher Ground sung by Stevie Wonder

Jason & Edyta danced the Viennese Waltz to the song It’s A Man’s, Man’s Man’s World sung by James Brown

Cristian & Cheryl danced the Paso Doble to the song La Virgen de la Macarena sung by Canadian Brass

Shannon & Derek danced the Viennese Waltz to the song Keep Holding On sung by Avril Lavigne

Marissa & Tony danced the Paso Doble to the song My Family Is My Life sung by James Horner, from “The Legend Of Zorro”