I thought Joey and Ashly weren't great, but at least they were DANCING! Rachel and her partner were posing. I feel for her, I'd feel goofy shaking and gesturing like that, but...

I assumed Joey and Ashly got a boost from the audience for a Rob/Ambuh like romance going on, but then I looked him up on IMDB and he's married, so I don't know what's going on.

I would think that John would have an advantage, because he's the oldest and people in his age range actually know how to waltz whereas most gen Xers don't! But he seems to struggle, but I had no idea he had puffed up so much. Too many babkas!

I'm actually kinda sad to see Rachel go. She mostly posed, but she seemed to work hard and have a good time.

Kelly stil doesn't really do it for me, but she gets the award for most improved. She is the one who has improved week after week.

I like Joey and Ashly - they have spunk, but it feels like they need to clean it up a bit.

John and Charlotte still have the best chemistry by far and their waltz was lovely. Their samba was a little off - I agree with the judge who said that they looked great from the waist up, but the footwork was off. I hope they can continue to hang in their because they are certainly tops in performance, and John is the better technical dancer than Joey.

Lisa Canning is completely useless and needs to go. You'd think the first step to being a host is learning the contestants' names.

I was totally impressed with Kelly's handling of the "wardrobe malfunction" (of course it helps that I **like** her twins...)

Joey and Ashly did a nice impression of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers, but not of a Vienese Waltz. I hope they go next week.

Found this show last week, I'm enjoying Joey and Ashley, but O'Hurly and Charlotte are ok too. Kelly did a good Samba this week. So now I'm torn about who I want to win. But I do plan to continue to watch as it's all fun, even the whacked out judge, and the dimwitted hostess.

I never had a strap simply fall open like this, but I did have a very risque ballgown with a loose top. I tried it on, did all sorts of stretches and backbends and the like before a comp; no problem. First move of the waltz (first dance in the comp in professional American Smooth) and my breasts were falling out the bottom of the bra. This style is characterized by lots of side by side movements with backbends and ripples and twists. Lots of opportunities for slippage. I did the entire round of dances holding the fabric down over my chest so that no one would be offended by a glimpse of forbidden flesh!

Kelly did an amazing and professional job of continuing to dance while being distracted by a costume malfunction. I, who have NOT been impressed with her dancing, was cheering for her tonight. In addition, while I think that Joey was unfairly slammed by the judges, Kelly's samba was the best of the evening (despite Alec completely outdancing her). And I loved her interview stuff. Give me a girl who can look at herself and admit to shortcomings with a sense of humor. Now I admire her guts, her honesty and her wit.

The costuming tonight was the worst yet. Jonathon & Rachel had dreck for samba music. It was waaaaay tooo slooow for good samba action. And yet the choreography was horrible. No samba in it (OK, maybe about 4 bars, but that was it). John & Charlotte made a good attempt, but he screwed up royally and never really recovered. It was interesting to see Charlotte backleading in latin. Joey & Ashly actually danced samba, with the basics that Len Goodman kept complaining that he wasn't seeing, and then got screwed by the judges for it. He did an incredible job of samba in just one week.

Oh. My. God. Can the music possibly get any worse? Huge props to the pros for choreographing to that sh*t.

And when did Viennese Waltz = ice dancing, no, pairs figure skating--with all the lifts? I thought Joey and Ashley did a triple salchow* out there.

I thought we were just going to watch them all beautifully waltz (and possibly cheesily collide) around the floor.

Joey's working hard still, but I think he's making it more creative and less disciplined--to bad effect.

Kelly's huge improvement won me over.

John doesn't do so well with Latin. I hope he's still safe.

I bet Cher is watching this and cracking up that they're Viennese waltzing in tux and gowns to Sonny's cheesy song.

*ETA with tx to Starwannabe and zigletto...that hurky-jerky throw around that bears no resemblance whatsoever to Viennese Waltz is called a "pull Arabian" in pairs skating.

I agree. I hate her and wanted her booted off, but I think she improved greatly tonight. But her partner almost made her look bad by shakin' it so well.

I've been resistent to registering to vote, but tonight made me do it. I'm mad Rachel got voted off, so I used my votes, both phone and internet, to keep John and Shar-lott-a in it.

ABC is pissing me off big time - the crappy music, the lousy cinematography, and that stupid Lisa person. We hardly got to compare the waltzes - all we saw was the spotlight showmanship. And I thought most of the couples were way too flashy then, especially Kelly & himever.

And they need to give up on the whole "last dance" BS. Three weeks in a row, and nobody really dances it.

I felt bad for Rachel, she was soooo disappointed. I think she was actually hurt, rather than a pride kinda thing like Evander and Twista. Rachel's partner's height was one of the things that made her look bad - he was just too small for her.

And stupid Kelly, get your damn boobs out of my face. Along with your smirk and skanky hair.


Big fat wordy mcwordyword to that.


I think it's the mike packs they're wearing. I thought they were very distracting to the costumes.


I thought she said O'Reilly. But whatever she said, it wasn't O'Hurley.

And John O'McIrishman's face is quite noticeably thinner. Good for him.

Thanks again for all the insights, zigletto!

I hope in the new season, the producers let the dancers pick their own music and costumes...

Hey, I forgot to ask...does calling one of the "celebrities" by a wrong name equal fired? Buh bye Lisa!

I would love to know who John O'Riley is, and how many votes he got from the public....

They could put a cantaloupe backstage and it would do a better job than Lisa Canning.

I can't believe no one's mentioned that, in the Joey and Ashley segment, Joey said "I want us to go all the way!" And I was imagining Ashley in the background, going "oh! OK!"

John O'Riley must be John O'Hurley's evil double who is dancing as I type. He is JOH's double, except he has a goatee!

I think the dancers got a bit creative with the Viennese Waltz because they knew the judges weren't judging so they let loose a bit. But yeah, Joey & Ashly were getting very close to Pairs Skating out there.

A few quick comments echoing what has been said:

Alec and Kelly: I'm not biased, really. However, they were the best couple tonight. Kelly has improved a lot, I agree that the ballet helped there, and Alec finally figured out how to choreograph around her normally. However, what was Alec wearing? That made my eyes burn. And Kelly's costume mishap? Made more amusing by the fact that that has happened to my friend in about three different concerts so far.

Rachel and somoene: That was not dancing. That was um, showing off what she can do in bed maybe? I for one am glad she's gone. That was rather painful to watch. And yeah, boring. Plus, the ruffles. And the feathers. Ow.

Joey and Ashley: Meh. They're okayish, not very good with the dancing. Also, for some reason, our TV always breaks when ever they're on, so haven't really got a chance to watch normally.

John and Charlota: John does more dancing then acting, really. However, he's wonderful to watch either way so please let him stay on. And I think the workout is very good for him.

Waltz: Okay, I was pissed. I wanted to see the couples actually doing the basic steps, not only "showing off" in the middle. From what I can see, they had the correct positioning. However, the cameras avoided their legs.

How do we know that the couples don't get to pick their own music?

(I was on the ABC site and skimmed the About the Show topic, but didn't see anything about how the music is chosen. I must know. Because for the love of God, it truly sucks and detracts from the performances.)

In a word, gah.

I am not a ballroom dancer, but "Strictly Ballrooom" is one of my all-time favorite movies, so I am enjoying this show.

I think it's weird that the two highest-scoring couples with the judges would be at the bottom two, so I wonder what the audience is using as its judging standard, although any chick dumb enough to marry the serial groom Rod Stewart probably deserves to be. I think Joey was popular because he was dressed in military uniform so struck a chord with the nostalgic set. Kelly probably had all the Venereal Hospital soapers rooting for her.

Over the weekend I saw another amazing movie called "Mad Hot Ballroom" which is a documentary about ballroom dancing fifth graders in the NYC school system. It is amazing! Check out: http://www.paramountclassics.com/madhot/

We know because the professionals on the show told me (while standing in the green room after the broadcast 2 weeks ago) that they had just been given the music for the next week immediately following that broadcast. The operative word is "given" as opposed to choose.

And since ABC has to pay royalties on the music used, it makes sense that both their executives, and the band which has to play the music, make all the musical choices for the show.

Does it make sense, zigletto?

Surely the execs/band have a list of music they select from. I doubt they just throw out song titles and then send someone off to see how much they need to pay to use it. I would think a list of music they're willing to pay for (or even some of the great -free- stuff) could be used to -much- better effect if passed from the producers...to the pros...and then the pros made the choice of what worked for them/their star dance-wise.

It's not as if the music chosen has any special appeal to the young (or the old, or the in-between. Maybe I'm missing the selection criteria. Honestly, I don't get what it is they're going for with the music, and some of these couples are sandbagged by the poor choices they're being given.

Is there really any doubt that the pros are more knowledgable about how to blend music and ballroom dance and would do a better job of it than whoever is doing it now?

Perhaps it doesn't make sense, at least not how you're using the word - meaning logical, thoughtful, appropriate - but it does if you think of it as a control issue. After all, ABC is paying the piper and hence may choose the tune.

I agree that the music has been generally bad, poorly arranged, and in some cases detrimental to the couple trying to dance to it (witness Rachel & Jon tonight - oy!). But there's no guarantee that the music would be better if suggested by the pros. Think about what the band's arrangement could do to ANY song.

Yes, there's lots of better, more appropriate music to choose from. But everything about this show, from the cheesy sets to the 6-week commitment (in other countries it runs 10 weeks) screams BUDGET PRODUCTION to me. So I think (and this is not an informed opinion, just my opinion) that the musical choices are being guided by cost factors, availability, and the (mis)perception of appeal to younger viewers.

I heard tonight through the grapevine (but not zigeletto's branch of the grapevine) that the pros had to submit a list of five possible songs and then the producers would choose from then based on clearances, preceived appeal, etc.

Charlotte's dress tonight was a travesty. It was almost as bad as what I imagine John would look like in that Speedo that she keeps mentioning. Someone took one of the most elegant woman ever in ballroom and made her look like...oh geeze, words fail me, you all saw it so I'm not even going to bother.

I don't think Joey & Ashly are a couple...he's married and I read somewhere that and his wife and kids live in LA (they went back to his parents' place near Boston for tonight's fluff clip). And I just can't see Ashly having an affair anyway...I think it's all just her cute fan-girl crush that we're seeing.

I can't stand to look at Kelly but she really has improved yet again this week. And I thought Joey did too, because he stopped hunching over. I was amazed he was able to break that bad a habit in just one week, that's really something, I'm very happy for him. I was sorry to see Rachel go, but have been thinking since last week that it could be her turn to go. And now I'm worried that John's lackluster Samba will be enough to send him home next week, leaving Kelly & Joey in the final.

When I heard that I insantly morphed into a giggling, snickering 12-year-old. "Hee, that sounded diiiiiirty!"

Kelly's performance tonight? I was so. freakin'. proud. She's not extremely blessed in the raw talent department, but damn if she isn't determined!

Joe? Kids? Jigga what now? (...said the pathetic little fangirl who fears she's fallen out of the loop)

What I'm really digging about this show is the surprise/shock factor. You just never know what's going to happen. Rachel, who was the judges' favorite, gets the boot! WOAH! Kelly has a wardrobe malfunction and almost flashes Middle America on live TV! GASP! And Kelly, who was arguably the worst celebrity dancer left, totally brought it in the Samba, and went from worst to first. PROPS, GIRL!

For the first time last night, I saw the Alec hotness that everyone's been talking about. In the rehearsal footage anyway. He had the stubble going, his hair wasn't greasy with product, and the white tee looked much sexier and more manly on him than any of his cheesy, spandex, dancing costumes. ROWR!

The fun thing about this show is that I change my mind about who I'm rooting for every week. Week before last, I was all about the elegant John/Charlotte. Last week, I was cheering on Joey/Ashly because their routine was so energetic and they were the underdogs. And now, I'm actually hoping that Kelly/Alec continue to impress and make it to the finals. It really is anybody's contest now.

What will the two dances be next week? Was that announced at the end of the show? If so, I missed it.

I think Kelly will easily make the final two. Because of shallow people like me who watched only for the scorching hotness that is Rachel Hunter. Now that Rachel is sadly gone, I think I will have no choice but to throw all of my support to Kelly. And it doesn't help that she looked great and has improved much since the beginning.

I think Kelly has a serious chance to win. I am going to try to help make it happen.

I know people last week were saying that Kelly and her partner (Alec?) were so doing it...but I think I noticed a wedding band on his hand last night? Anyone know if he is married?

I think that Joey was robbed. His performance was really great. I, too, feel weird about the hometown clips. Why wasn't his wife there? That's just odd. And he doesn't wear his wedding ring either.

Rachel was nothing but a poser. She looked ridiculous doing those samba rolls. She was too tall! Those 2 men judges are dirty ole men. And I can't stand Carrie Ann Blah BLah BLah.

We need new judges. These suck!

My ratings:
1) Kelly
2) Joey
3) John
4) Rachel

I didn't think Joey had kids.

Rachel does have a tattoo on her lower back, it's the bee logo of her production company. It's awfully distracting.

I think Kelly is thanking her lucky stars that she didn't do any Samba rolls last night - that would have been her Janet Jackson moment.

As a John and Charlotte fan (word to those who point out their elegance), I think that they have a tough road to hoe to get into the final. Let's assume that Kelly is #1 in fan votes, as appears to be the case. That means that the worst she can score is a 4, if she finishes last in the judge's vote. That means she can finish no worst then second (if a team finishes first in the judge's vote and second in the fan vote, for a score of 3). Alternatively, she can finish in a three-way tie for first, in which case she goes through on the strength of the public vote. No matter what she does, she is through to the final.

By contrast, John appears to be last in the fan vote, now that Rachel has been eliminated. That means the best he and Charlotte can do is a 4 (first in the judge's vote and third in the fan vote). If Kelly finishes last, that results in a three-way tie in which John is eliminated as the low fan vote winner. In fact, because she can't be eliminated, John needs Kelly to do better than Joey, pushing him down the judge's vote and giving John a chance to get through. Also, John must finish first; otherwise he has no chance.

To sum up, in my view, there is only one order of finish in which John survives to the final round:

1. John
2. Kelly
3. Joey

Any other vote results in John being eliminated (unless he somehow passes Joey in fan votes). And once in the final round, I see no way for him to win, as Kelly will always exceed him in fan votes.

Basically, unless the voting rules change for the final, I don't think that there is any way for Kelly, being the fan favorite, to lose, even if all she does is come out and sit on her behind.

Finally, I think that the Latin dance choices, while probably more interesting to watch, work against John and Charlotte, who are better at the more "traditional" ballroom dances.

I didn't hear it either.


And that really pisses me off. This is a dance competition, not a popularity or beauty contest. People are voting for her stupid twins, not her dancing.


I caught that too.

I couldn't believe some of the stuff that Joey and Ashly were doing for their spotlight waltz. I think those are called "Arabians" in pairs skating. Don't know what they're called in Vienna, but I was expecting them to break into the hand jive next. And could the show have picked anything more lame than "I Got You Babe"? Yes, I know it's technically the correct tempo, but it doesn't exactly conjure up images of a sweeping Viennese Waltz.

I think that John was at a distinct disadvantage with the samba for two reasons: first the guy is 48 years old and probably not as flexible as his counterparts who are approximately 15 years his junior. Second, he appears to have the kind of body type where it's more difficult to isolate the hips enough to provide some good swiveling.

Stupid me, I didn't even realize that Kelly had a wardrobe malfunction until it was mentioned. Up until then, I only thought "why does it look like she's doing the funky chicken"?

If that's the case, Len (or Glen...what IS his name?) should have been tossed when he called Joey Jonathan. Wrong New Kid my friend.

And about "going home to Boston"...how accurate is that? Because they showed up on Regis and Kelly on Monday on the boat in Boston Harbah. (BTW, the jive they preformed on the show seemed to have more pep. I guess cause they were using the actual song.)

Word to those who noticed John's problem with Latin dances. He turned out fine in the cha cha but the tango and especially last night it became obvious that there is some stiffness and seems more clunky in footwork. He seemed much more at ease during the waltz.

Actually, that's you saying much better and more clearly than I did, my earlier contention that while Joey and Ashly are energetic and fun to watch, there are some disconnects in their performances, notably between the dance they've been assigned and the actual steps they perform.

So it's not just you and it's not just me...

Actually, to me, I thought she was always on the brink of tears, which is were I would be and I give her a huge amount of credit. She always looked as though she were about to throw up or crawl back into bed.. She was far too big a person for Jonathan. Not that I think she's fat, but she's bigger boned than any of the women there. I was wondering what kind of lift they were going to do when the other teams were lifting partners.

I liked Joey until I saw John/Charlotte (whom I voted for). Kelly was amazing. At first I couldn't figure out what she was doing with her hand on her boobs, then saw the strings and thought something happened. Her rescue was amazing. Very professional.


But she is probably the most improved, while John needs to be more consistent. Joey has made minor adjustments to his form, which have served him well, but he still seems to flail. Didn't like J&A's waltz section. Will have to watch the actual dancing again.

I went back this morning to the rumba episode to show my husband the chemistry between them, and I can tell you one of the things that happened: sleeves. He has gorgeous arms and hasn't shown them to us since that dance.

Somehow, and this is probably very ignorant of me, I can't really correlate the crowd I expect is really into this show with the twin-loving crowd. I can't see someone popping a PBR, setting down the latest "Juggs" and tuning in for celebrity ballroom dancing.

Remember people, just because the last two couples last night were J/C and R/? doesn't mean that J/C were in the bottom 2. They said several times last night that they were annoucing the results in no particular order. I have a feeling that J/C were not #3. I really believe that they are one of the audience favs. My opinion - Joey was probably #3.

Sorry, add me to the list of those who were glad to see Rachel go. I'm sorry guys - I really did admire her effort and desire to win. But those judges were just tooooo into her. Drove me crazy!

I'm pretty sure that TB said that the couples he announced as safe were given in random order but that the bottom two were, in fact, the two with the lowest total scores.

Well she can't really help her height. She's 5'10", and her height helped make all those extensions and lines look great. Jonathan at 6'0" is the tallest of the professional males. But when she wears heels, she's probably equal height or taller. I find it funny that Louis is diminutive at 5'7" and that's probaly why they paired him with the midget Twista.

I've decided that if I do watch again that I'm going to support Kelly. I really do enjoy her style and her effort. Most of them all look the same, and I'm not judging it from a professional dancer's standpoint. I just vote based on what I like. And I like what I'm seeing.

If she is first in voting and last among judges, she still doesn't go home next week. I wonder what happens when it gets to final two. Essentially, since the viewer vote is the tiebreaker, whoever the viewers like will win.

WORD. Alec has amazing arms and he should never wear sleeves again. His shirt tonight was almost identical to the one he wore the first night in his introduction video except that one was purple.

The only ones they announce in random order are anyone who is not in the final 2. The last two standing are the lowest scorers as the hosts reminded us TWICE last week (Lisa can't even read a teleprompter right). I think being on the brink of elimination will be good for John, because people get really scared that one of their faves will be eliminated and vote like crazy for them.

I let Tivo record it and waited patiently until 9:57PM last night to switch to live tv to see who had been eliminated. I needed to know this first before I could enjoy the evening's dance competition. I know a lot of y’all love her but - Thank God Rachel Hunter was voted off. As much as I love me some Jonathan Roberts, she totally grated on my nerves this whole competition. All she did was pose for the most part, it was so annoying.
This means that my 3 faves are still in it, so next week is going to be hard for me to choose.

Kelly and Alec kicked ass. She’s trying so hard and I dig that about her. I loved the effect of her broken dress strap whipping Alec in the chest during the last set of turns in the Samba.
I just don’t get the Joey hate at all. He’s really very good. And I too thought his Samba was well done.
What a dumb dumb song choice for the Viennese Waltz.

I have to agree. He also has the freakin' hot tattoo on his shoulder. It just makes me want to eat him with a spoon. I vote for him to not wear sleeves again on the show.

Actually that's not correct. They announce those who are safe in random order but once they've narrowed it to two, those two have the lowest scores.

I was SHOCKED to see John in the bottom two. And I was not sorry to see Rachel go. I agree with a previous poster who said she seemed to do a lot of posing. Although I did think the dances they chose for the most showed off the posing factor. Particularly the waltz and tango



I do that too! LOL

gidgetsmom:

I read here that Charlotte is a judge in that documentary.

Actually, more Green Lantern than Aquaman, but either way, second worst outfit of the night. (Pink feathers trump everything, including superhero and plastics.)

I like Kelly. Seems like a decent person. That doesn't mean I think she should win. I'm all about the best person winning and not necessarily the harderst working person. If she really improves to be the best, which now means getting to be better than John, than so be it.

ETA: I'm stupid.

Ok then, I stand corrected. I am in physical pain knowing that John was bottom two. OK EVERYONE - GO VOTE FOR JOHN. (and thank you for your support and kindness in correcting me).

OH, don't thank me, because I just found out that I was wrong. Sorry about that.

I didn't know anything about Joey and his wife moving to LA but I recognized that house they showed in Boston. There was some special on VH1 awhile back about NKOTB (Behind the Music or Where are they Now?) and he spoke about that house being a good investment. It's an historic house, which he loves, and his mom helped him decorate. Joey said every now and again a small group of fans find his home and ask for autographs, which he appreciates. I found it strange that they showed just about everyone in that clip except his wife. I think the producers of the show like giving the impression that Joey and Ashley are some kind of a couple. I admit that I think they would make a very cute couple. There's definitly chemistry between them. But alas he is married.

I like how Kelly kept it going even when her dress slipped. She's been growing on me. I'll miss Rachel, but its getting to the point now where someone I like is leaving anyway.

I can't believe I did this...but I got so wrapped up in reorganizing & cleaning the playroom last night that it wasn't until 11:30pm that I remembered "OH CRAP!!! I missed Dancing With the Stars!!! Dammit..." How disappointing.



Oh, noooooooooooo.... so sad. I really like Rachel, and I seriously DISlike Kelly. That just stinks. And John was in 2nd-to-last place with the voting? The hell? They have been the best team BY FAR in this competition. Until last night, at least (of which I cannot provide an opinion, since (dammit) I missed the show).

Sigh. I always swear that I won't get this emotionally invested in reality shows! And that no matter WHO wins or loses, I won't really care. But yet, I always develop likes/dislikes for particular people & can't stop myself from caring!

According to the web site, next week's dances are the paso doble and the foxtrot.

My favorite line of the night was when the host said: "the Vieniesse Waltz to Sonny and Cher! Tune in next week when we'll do the Foxtrot to Ludicris!" hahaaha

Well, I think John will be great with the foxtrot, not so much the paso doble. I think the reverse will be true of Joey. Kelly just doesn't do it for me, so I can't make predictions for her.

I wonder if John didn't get as many fan votes because people figure he's "safe" so they are voting to keep the people they think are in danger (which is why I think Kelly gets the popular vote). John is certainly the one getting the most press out of this - with that piece in USA Today and they did a bit with him on Extra last night (and by the way, his wife looks A LOT like Charlotte).

ETA: Stupid me never realized that Kelly's last name was Monaco until how. "Kelly Monaco" - that name just screams "soap star." Does anyone know if that is her real name or her professional name?

I thought that line was horribly in poor taste. Since the producers choose the music and chose "I Got You Babe", he was essentially making fun of the producers. The very people who chose him for this gig. I thought it was quite unprofessional. But then again, Tom Bergeron isn't exactly known for being a class act.

Sometimes his jokes are funny, but this one, and the Tom and Katie joke, just fell really flat. And considering that they made Rachel do the Tango to Britney Spears, perhaps Ludacris isn't so far off.

I watched it for the first time yesterday, and I think the old guy was amazing and the judges are all fucking wierd. But I was happy to see the ugly blue bird samba girl go. What the hell was that, her face looked like she was going into constipation. Hello lady, show the teeth, it WORKS!! Oh and hey, someone said she could be in vegas...like yeah, with that stiff shit like thing she was dooing. I could have thrown away my ironing board and gotten the laundry done on her back!!

You guys....I really really wanted to dislike Kelly and have succeeded thus far. My fave was Rachel w/ John a close second. But....
[small voice]
Kelly impressed me last night and I thought she really did a good job.
[/small voice]
*shakes head to clear out the cobwebs*
BUT, that girl has GOT to pull her hair up and get a *little more support* in the costume area. Nice cover of the wardrobe malfunction, however.

And I so totally agree with everyone who thinks that "I can't even memorize the 2 questions I'm supposed to ask so I'll read off of a note card" girl is BUH-BYE!