Who Went Home on DANCING WITH THE STARS?

I’m not sure exactly why there was two hours of DANCING WITH THE STARS, but part of me thinks it was because ABC wanted to prove that they could still get ratings during both hours. Jamie Oliver would probably do better if he was a contestant on DWTS and he wouldn’t be the first chef on the show either.

While the elimination actually took place in the last five minutes as it always does, the first hour was spent doing an analysis of the current contestants and gave some extra musical acts to perform outside of the Backstreet Boys/New Kids on the Block second hour. Of course somehow Mark managed to get his “friend” Pia Toscano some time to perform as a big middle finger to AMERICAN IDOL.

Musical Guest – Hanson “Give A Little” – I could see “Give A Little” being that fun-time summer song for 2011. The DWTS troupe tried to provide some dancing, but I was more shocked by the continuous use of yellow to represent cheerfulness and uplifting mood, especially with Chelsea and Kendra wearing it yesterday. The dance troupe did do some interesting tricks near the end. I wish that the producers would consider after having Hanson sit around and do ten second snippets last night, that having an actual band come in one week and be the house band would be a great idea. Then just maybe classic songs wouldn’t be butchered.

Hines & Kym – Len pointed out Hines’ consistency and his natural rhythm as his best assets. The former winners and runner-ups talked about how much they liked his rhythm as well; basically it was just a list of people that had too much time on their hands. Len loved the Viennese waltz which set up a story quickly and danced with emotion. Hines admitted that his work ethic was what made him have that natural look.

Chelsea & Mark – Bruno appreciated Chelsea’s cheeky nature, precision, timing, and her emotional range. Drew appreciated the risk taking and Kyle liked her facial expressions. Bruno thought that Chelsea’s cha-cha was what had the vivaciousness. He appreciated the crispness to her movements. I’m sure it helped that Chelsea was dancing to a song about herself.

Chris & Cheryl – Len liked Chris’ energy; he appreciates the lines and poses that Chris made throughout his performances. Drew appreciated the confidence and elegance. Chris’ best dance to Len was his Viennese Waltz — he noted how light and elegant he was during the whole dance.

Kendra & Louis – Kendra joked around about how excited she is about the competition. Len knows that Kendra took criticism well and improved each week. Drew loved how she didn’t have a filter. Bristol knows that points don’t matter; it’s all about the strong voting block. Len loved her foxtrot, though I still didn’t like that most of the foxtrot wasn’t in hold.

Musical Performance – Rock of Ages – Though I’m happy to see Constantine Maroulis survive not winning AMERICAN IDOL, I thought it was funny that he wasn’t dancing at all. He’d start riffing through words, but couldn’t breathe and he still couldn’t move. I’m also surprised that the performance wasn’t under the Macy’s Stars of Dance brand, but I guess it’s because of how much was packed into the two hour results. Right after the dance, Constantine stole the spotlight from Rebecca Faulkenberry who Tom tried to get to stand in the front.

Romeo & Chelsie – Carrie Ann appreciates Romeo’s swagger, which sets him apart from the other dancers. Romeo understands how to adjust the musicality. Jennifer Grey loved seeing Romeo change from a boy to a man through dance. Carrie Ann loved the foxtrot, which had charm and musicality. She admitted that Romeo’s lines still need polishing.

Ralph & Karina – Bruno loves Ralph’s ballroom dances, but he worried about his hips for Latin dances. The former contestants loved his posture and hold. Ralph’s best dance in Bruno’s mind was the Waltz, which really emphasized his acting skills. Ralph had great extensions and the synchronized spin sequence. He also didn’t have a long jacket that could trip people.

Kirstie & Maks – Carrie Ann loved Kirstie’s personality and foot placement. Kirstie knows where to put weight on her feet. Jennifer loved the authenticity of Kirstie. Drew loved her rebounding nature. Carrie Ann loved Kirstie’s week one cha-cha, especially Kirstie’s boob pop. Unlike many dancers this season, Kirstie performs to the studio audience.

In the end Bruno thought that the dark horses were Kendra and Ralph. Carrie Ann thought that the leaders in technique were Hines and Kirstie. Though Kirstie is good, it’s very interesting to see Carrie Ann blatantly point out her love of one of the contestants.

Musical Guest – New Kids On the Block & The Backstreet Boys “Don’t Turn off the Lights” – Joey MacIntire had a few seconds to relive his dancing past before performing the mega group’s new song. I’m not going to mention the fact that all the “kids” and “boys” are beyond their age, but I appreciate that they all had a time to sing a lyric or two. The song was a bit generic 2010s pop to me, but it was nice to see that they’ve maintained their energy and enthusiasm even though they are so old now. It’s also nice to see the dance troupe and Lacey & Tony dance while the group was performing around them. That was a good way of integrating the dancers plus the band, which I hope more performers would be open to creative ideas like that.

The elimination started with Chelsea & Mark and Romeo & Chelsie. We had some extended views of Mark’s injury and the dance. Chelsie on the other hand, had to pee during the whole performance and was coaching Romeo during the dance. After a commercial break, they revealed Romeo & Chelsie and Chelsea & Mark were both safe.

Encore Performance – Kendra & Louis’ Samba – Somehow the second time around, Kendra looked a bit more nervous as she counted her steps towards Louis. I’ll take this time to point out that I hated the black sections of Kendra’s hair and a lot of her samba moves outside of the constant shaking and spinning could have done better. Of course Len loved the table performance the second time around. Kendra was shaking what her doctor gave her.

Hines & Kym and Kirstie & Maks were next on the chopping block. While Hines was nervous before the dance, he danced well, and wanted a 10. Maks was screaming choreography to Kirstie during the dance which was an interesting tactic. Hines & Kym and Kirstie & Maks were both safe.

DWTS Troupe – We got an explanation of the creative process of the troupe, but since there was nothing except for positivity, the group blended in with each other. I still need names underneath the interviews.

Macy’s Stars of Dance – Royal Wedding Inspired – The performance was choreographed by Christopher Scott. I give the break dancers and the young contemporary dancer credit for being able to spin on AstroTurf. I liked how the music of “Stand by Me” changed tempo and pace as the couples got older. I think the best part was watching the older couple dancing, still capturing the romance and love that they once had. I think I was a bit saddened when I realized that the man in the performance died and the woman was still there dancing by herself.

Musical Guests – New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys – Brian of the Backstreet Boys started a bit behind the guitar riff and you could hear some breathing in the background, but they recovered well. It was interesting that Howie now sings Kevin’s sections as Kevin realized he wasn’t a boy anymore. NKOTB made me a laugh a bit because they got the main stage and still had almost the same exact choreography. I liked the musical break where two of NKOTB performed with some pros, I just wished that Joey was dancing with his original partner Ashly DelGrosso instead of Anna but it was nice to see that he still had some moves.

Musical Guest – Pia Toscano “I’ll Stand By You” – I watched a bit of AMERICAN IDOL early on this season and I loved Pia’s voice, but knew she was going to lose when she was consistently performing diva ballads. The dancing from Mark and Karina was amazing because Karina could match the over-dancing that Mark normally does. Interestingly, until Karina’s step onto the judges table, Len was fixated by Pia’s singing and not the dancing.

The results finished off with the lowest scoring teams. I found it funny that Louis was screaming “Shake that ass” to Kendra during the dance. Chris was worried about being flat-footed, but Cheryl’s poor choreography didn’t really help. As much as Karina was trying to be positive before the dance, it was nice to see her grab Ralph and put him back in place. Kendra & Louis were the first couple safe. After the commercial break, the final couple safe was Ralph & Karina. Chris & Cheryl were eliminated. Chris admitted that he was eliminated because of the bad dance. He thanked Cheryl and spent his last few moments thanking the judges.

It’s interesting to see that the marathon dance hasn’t made a return, but I have a feeling that the producers are afraid that Kirstie and Ralph will croak during the performance. Instead the group dances are next week along with one other unlearned dance. When will the Argentine Tango return?

Do you think the right person went home?