From ABC.com:

No surprises there> Always love it when I get to see Maks and his brother dance together!

Encore: Apolo/Julianne, not a surprise! It was better the second time around; no mistakes. I loved the choreo even more seeing it again. I particularly love the bit with her dress.

Tony/Elena are always great to watch. Really, I love the chemistry between them and found the dance to be really sensuous. Her costume is fugly though. I loved the dance and the fact that it wasn’t all about the singer. Nelly doesn’t sound that great live.

I like Val better than Maks. Maks just annoys me so much; I can’t put my finger on why. Silver isn’t Valeria’s color. Karina was her awesome self. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her. It’s clear time and time again, why she (and Slavik) were ranked right behind Bryan/Carmen. My fave part of this bit was Karina dancing with Val.

I really like this Nelly Furtado song, very nice and she sung it much better than ‘Like a Bird’. I’m officially sick to death of Cheryl. She gets yet another Ex dance? Ugh! I may be the only one, but I’ve never been impressed with her dancing. She always looks off esp. in comparison to dancers of Louis’s caliber. That said, Louis was awesome and I’m glad to see him. This is the first time that I’ve enjoyed the musical guest more than the pro dance.

I knew Billy Ray would be bottom 2, but I didn’t expect Joey to be there. It’s about time Billy Ray is gone. Too bad it wasn’t ages ago.

I liked how Nelly seemed so sweet and impressed with the pro dancers. Tell me that was her band she was motioning to behind her and not the house band. Otherwise, she’s just too gracious and nice, lol.
That was Sam’s ugliest dress yet, which is quite a feat. Her hair looked bad too.

Good lord! If you had asked me any time up until around 8:40, I'd have said I didn't care a whit about who won this silly little show.

And then Ian was safe, and i started getting nervous, because I knew Laila & Apolo would be safe... and then I was having a heart attack, because if Joey was not on my TV next week and f*cking BRC was, I would personally smackdown a million hannah montana fans.

ETA: Although, Apolo's face when he was safe? Heh. They totally thought they were in the bottom two for a second.

Thank God for judges scores that count for something and limited fan votes. I thought a reverse JuJu was going to Master P us. Bye Billy Ray. You have wanted to leave for 4 weeks.

Joey, I think you may have gotten a wake up call tonight on what the fans think the difference between cocky and confident is.

I love this show!


When did Nelly Furtado start looking like Courteney Cox ala Monica Gellar Bing?

There is a god!!!!!! And did you know he stars on "Hannah Montana" and has a new album coming out?

On the one hand, I wasn't surprised (and happy) about BRC, but the Joey thing? Surprised me. Whoa, voting for DWTS America almost agrees with me. Freaky.

Joey looked SO nervous and then Billy Ray and Karina are just happy as can be about to be eliminated. Funny. Hopefully that will make him work harder next week.

THANK GOD HE'S GONE! Now we have four actual decent competitors and things are as they should be.

By Billy Ray, you made one heck of a gracious exit. But I'm still glad to see the back of you. And I'm sure you are too.

Color me surprised however that it was Joey and not Ian in the bottom two. Of the four remaining couples Joey is my least favorite but I do consider him the better dancer.

Next week should be interesting. I expect Joey will get a nice bump out of the bottom two due to the colossal scare his fanbase must have gotten tonight.

Buh Bye Billy Ray and Karina.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I laughed my ass off at Kym and Joey's faces when it was announced they were in bottom two. I like Joey's dancing for the most part but I'm getting sick of his smug self.

APOLO!

I kind of expected it to be Ian instead, but not overly surprised. Joey tends to be over the top in his dancing in my opinion. Besides at this point, even the good dancers are gonna end up in the bottom 2.

Joey and Kym in the bottom two?! Sure, he can be cocky, but it would just be WRONG for him to go before Ian.

Guess we can expect to see all of his celeb friends back in the audience next week, since he'll probably expect to go.

Is it wrong that I giggled when Fatone was in the bottom two. No, of course he doesn't deserve to go yet, but maybe it will dial back the cockiness. I don't think for a second he believed he would be in the bottom two. He probably thought it would be Ian.

Ian/Cheryl looked shocked. I bet they were prepared to be in the bottom two after last nights scores. I also give Ian his props for taking the judges criticisms and not whining about it. I think he's given up on impressing them at this point.

My take on what happened is that people were so intent on voting for Ian so that Billy Ray would finally got home. Everyone else was concerned about their faves--Laila and/or Apolo, and Joey fell through the cracks.

What was up with the pro dances? Not the dances themselves but in both the Tony/Elena and Louis/Cheryl the camera was taking much longer breaks from the dancing than usual. I know they usually aren't dancing when the camera is doing close ups of the singers, but for a while I thought something had happened during Louis/Cheryl's routine and that was why we weren't seeing them. Weird.

Knew there was no way Joey was going, and it was definitely time for Billy Ray to 'Bubba Chicken' his way right on off the dance floor.

Maks and Val were great. Because of their different body sizes and makeups, they dance differently. You can't really compare the two. That said, I prefer the fluidity and flowy-ness of Maks' style. But they are both absolutely fantastic.

So will that rile up Joey's fanbase? Most likely. Lock for final 3, I think. Do they announce a bottom 2 next week or just announce who goes to the finals in random order?

Was I the only one who literally gasped when Ian and Cheryl were declared safe?

Yes, Billy Ray made a graceful exit and he actually had a softening effect on Karina, but I'm not sorry to see him go. Once I/C were declared safe, I was sure it was going to be Laila/Maks. I was just stunned that it was Joey.

All I know is that next week is going to be some fierce dancing and I for one can't wait.

THANK. GOD. That's all.

Ok, that's not all, but seriously...

I loved that we got 3 pro dances. And I for one am thrilled that Cheryl got a solo dance. It reminded me how much I like her (not that I don't like her with Ian, but I always like to see her with a pro). I know she's been in a lot of the group dances this season, but has she gotten a "spotlight" dance this season? She had a few last season, but this might be her first this season (sorry if I'm wrong). Anyway, I always enjoy Cheryl/Louis.

Loved the dance with Maks, Karina, Val and Valeriya. Karina and Maks are so fun to watch. I've been dying for them to have a solo dance, but this was good too.

I still love Ian. I can't help it. And I'm happy to know that all my votes helped keep him out of the light.

And props to Billy Ray for leaving with some class (but enough with the plugs!). And if I can thank Billy Ray for anything, it's for bringing out the wonderful personality in Karina that I missed last year. She's officially my second favorite female pro (Edyta's still first).

I wonder if some people voted for Ian because they wanted to make sure he lasted past BRC (he was the most obvious at-risk) or if he really just has a larger fanbase than Joey. That would be quite shocking to me. I don't dislike Ian, but it would make me sad if he lasts pasts Joey next week.

Still, the good news is that BRC is finally gone. I'll miss Karina though.

I screamed "hot damn!" and scared the cat. :)

Joey looked pretty good in that red light...

Glad Billy Ray was gone, but I can't believe Joey was in the bottom 2? Could Ian seriously have a bigger fanbase or did people just forget about Joey?

msrayrudd, you are right on point because that is exactly what I did. I thought Apollo and Julianne deserved the votes for last night but I knew they would be safe so I gave my votes to the couple who needed them the most; Ian and Cheryl did not deserve to go before Billy Ray.

I also think in the spotlight dances we usally wind up seeing the same couples dance together. For whatever reason, every time Louis has been on this season he has been dancing with Cheryl, so if it was his appearance it might have even been his choice of partner. Oddly though, he danced a lot with Karina last season, but not so much this season. Maks/Karina seem to usually be together this go round.

My minority opinion is that I still don't care for Tony/Elena dancing together (seperately, yes) and I also don't care for Maks brother that much. I actually much prefer Maks.

Ian: In addition to people voting so he would outlast BR, I do think the judges criticism might be gearing up people to vote who are taking pity on him. Especially since he does come off as a pretty nice guy who is trying hard, so the more the judges rail against him, the more votes he might get.

But we also have to ask, how much is he helped by Cheryl's own fanbase? If you check the ABC boards and elsewhere, she has a pretty dedicated core group of fans that will vote for HER.

Though I do agree that Joey's fanbase will be out in full force next week since I'm sure they didn't expect this to happen.

That's exactly what happened I think. I know I threw half my votes to Ian and half to Laila because I was worried about that exact thing.

I wanted BRC out, but frankly I would have been satisfied to have Joey off the show too. Even though his dancing is good I can't stand his constant mugging. All he needs is a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit and a huge all day sucker to complete his act.

Yay for us and for Billy Ray that he (and we) are finally out of misery!

Double yay for that smug, broadway dancin' buffoon for being in the bottom 2! Maybe he will learn something there...smug and cheats don't mix well for audience votes, and your boy band days are long behind you.

Finding out that he's already been booked for the DWTS tour makes the tongue baths Joey's been getting from the judges, "got this thing wrapped up" etc. even more suspect. Sure, he had to be scored highly, because he's one of the franchise acts. Boo Hiss.

Also, I am glad that Ian, after all the shit he's taken from the judges, was finally (a bit) validated there, even if it was people voting for him to ensure BRC left. Nice.

AMEN to everything Lady V said.

Sometimes, I think America is voting for the pro. God knows that is how Edyta's partners get thru. I am sure my husband was sneaking his cell phone off to keep her around just to see what bra and panty set she was going to wear each week.

I think people like Cheryl, she's talented. Not that Ian doesn't deserve it. God knows he does deserve it. Especially more than Billy Plug My Work. Karina was not well liked last year, but she was a Saint this year. Maybe she got some sympathy votes.

Just a theory.

Laila looked beautiful tonight.

Apolo was soooooo nervous. He said in an article way back in aught two that he bites his lip when he is nervous and he was biting out the wazoo tonight.

Glad to see Ian so thrilled.

I don't think we can assume anyone is "safe" right now. Ian's fans have been on hyperdrive since last week- Joey's will be on after this week. I think/ am worried that Laila or Apolo will be the next to go if folks keep assuming folks are safe.

I was floored when Joey landed on the bottom two. Say what you will about him being cocky, but this is a dancing competition and Ian is not a better dancer than him. That said, I'm glad they put Billy Ray out of his misery; haven't we all suffered enough?

The thing that frustrates me about this show is, the best dancer doesn't always win. [ I know - duh! :) ]

If Cheryl and Ian win...that would be too much. Is she going to have to pull a Candance Bergen/Oprah Winfrey Emmy move and take herself out of competition so others can win? I'm just saying...

I'm a Tony and Elena fan, but I've began to see some American Rhythm championships and I actually prefer some of the couples that finish behind them more. Especially Carolina Telona (sp?) and her partner. Sorry for being off topic, but I don't understand how Tony/Elena are superior to the Telona couple, but that's just me.

Still shocked that Joey was in the bottom 2, but I don't think it'll happen next week. This will probably just mobilize his fanbase.

Maybe...but Harry Hamlin was booked for the tour too. I have a hard time believing Joey is getting high scores because he's on the tour. He's definitely been overscored in some dances, but he certainly deserves to be in the final 3. I can't think of anyone else I'd put in the final 3 with Apolo and Laila. I think when you're handing BRC 7s, it's inevitable that some of the better dancers will be overscored. Not like you can give BRC 7s and Joey 8s. YMMV, of course.

Also,



He's cheated? How?

1. Why have I never noticed that Nelly Furtado looks like Courtney Cox, I really liked her performances, even if she was wearing a dress that resembled a tent.

2. I am just gonna say it, I was not that impressed with Tony's performance, sorry *sad face*

3. Okay, Maksim's arms are off the hook? Were they always that big ? He looked significantly bigger than his brother and I don't recall noting that when he and Val helped with Laila's Tango. I floved their segment, Maks/Karina and Val/partner were excellent.

4. Okay I thought the Master P segment was funny

5. GAWD!! talk about dragging the suspense out, this was a bit nerve wracking for me because I wasn't sure BRC would be leaving. Once they declared Ian safe I was POSITIVE Laila would be in the bottom 2, my stomach dropped (who knew I cared so much). Then they declared Laila safe (YAY!) and then I got worried about Apolo, whom I was positive would be safe. Color me surprised that it was Joey in the bottom two, especially after he was told last night that the contest was his to lose and he mentioned in his segment that he doesn't see anyone as his rival *I assume he meant this in a good way*.

6. It was not surprising that Billy Ray was in the bottom 2 as they kept saying.

7. I saw Laila go over and hug Joey/Kym after they found out they were in the bottom 2, that was sweet of her.

8. Why did Billy Ray get a goodbye segment, is this how it will be from here on out?

God I'm happy with today's results. I couldn't bare the idea of Ian leaving before the dancing bear. I really see the work he's doing and I actually like his dancing more than Joey not just his personality although I do hate the mugging from Joey. I can always tell what dance Ian is doing for one thing. I always get the feeling that if the judges just said Ian was really good, people would believe it. Technically there is a lot right there. So when somebody whose dancing I don't particularly care for and whose personality bugs me was in the bottom two too, I squeed like it was Christmas.

I laughed my butt off because as usual the announcements were done so clumsily that people in this case Apolo and Julianne didn't know what the hell was being said. The red light didn't go on Joey right away and so Apolo esp seemed to be mouthing... wait are we safe? Out? what?

Loved Ian's perplexed look straight through from the moment he was declared safe. When Joey was declared bottom two Ian's brows twisted into a knot of WTFness. Hilarious.


ETA Yay me for guessing Master P would be the mystery guest.

I didn't mean bribing the judges or anything, I just mean all the boy band moves instead of whatever dance he's supposed to be doing moves. The judges continuously let that stuff go with Joey. It bugs me, because he's talented enough to learn the real moves, so it seems especially lazy and "cheat-y" to continually throw that crap in.

I bout fell off my chair laughing at that image, but oh so true!!!

I thought it was funny too, but I spent the whole skit trying to figure out if that was really Master P or not. I think I've blocked him from my mind since season 2, and being that he was so tiny, I really couldn't tell if it was him or someone pretending to be him. Does anyone know for sure?

I really enjoyed tonights results show. Nelly was good - so were the pro dances, especially Tony and Elena. It was nice to see Louis tonight and for the first time this season, I feel like I miss him. Maks and his brother......well, so much talent in one family! I'm always happy to see Karina and Maks dance and I wish they'd been paired together more.

A gold medal to Apolo for his encore tonight - every bit as good as the first, if not better. If his fans don't let him down, and he keeps this up, he should be on the fast track to that trophy.

It was good to see Ian's joy and Cheryl's complete surprise and relief to make it to the semi-finals. I didn't expect to see Joey in the red light and was very nervous for Laila. I told my DH from very early on that Joey may be one of the best dancers out there, but he's not gonna win this thing if he doesn't just shut up and dance.



Yep, I'd think they'd be voting like crazy, which is probably not good news for the others.

It would have been nice to see Billy Ray go out with tonight's exit minus the memories of last night....too bad he let Bruno get the better of him, but he did a pretty good job of cleaning up the mess. Karina seemed genuinely touched by him and their time together....I know it must have been challenging for her, but I hope it brought good times with it as well.

Okay, so next week is semi-finals......I can't remember what that means in terms of performances for the couples. Do they choose their favorite dance and re-choreograph? Can anyone clue me in?

Yes!!!! Ian is declared safe and Joey "I'm gonna coast right into the finals" Fatone is in the bottom 2. Take that, you mugging clown! Good lord, that was sweet. My votes were not in vain! Seeing Apolo suddenly look terribly nervous after Ian was pronounced safe was amusing as well, even though I like him and think he had nothing to worry about. It's slightly ridiculous how happy this little show makes me.

Maks and Valery....the gene pool in that family is a force to be reckoned with. Loved watching them dance and loved that smooch Valery planted on Karina at the end!

People get on Chris on AI for singing through his nose and Nelly Furtado is a huge star for it? Good lord, she sounded horrible.

BRC played the part of "humble and sweet doofus" again...to great effect. Too bad I really didn't buy it, but I couldn't care less. He's gone, praise Jesus.

Wow. When Ian and Cheryl were announced safe, my jaw almost broke it fell so hard. And then for Joey to be in the bottom two. This is going to take some getting used to. How odd that last night Carrie Ann said that it would appear that Joey's got this thing in the bag, and then he ends up bottom two. Part of me can't help but think that Carrie Ann let it out of the bag and now the producers are doing damage control. I really hope I'm wrong though.

And speaking of being wrong, I'm so glad I was wrong about BRC making it to the finals. Goodbye and good luck, BRC. I will certainly not miss his dancing which I thought was awful and boring as well.

Just for the record, Dial Idol predicted Joey and Billy Ray as the bottom two vote getters. Who knew...they were right. They also had Apolo far and away at the top, like more than twice as many votes as Laila in 2nd. Ian was right behind Laila.

Though I do think Laila got a boost in voting from her dad being in attendance.

Quite honestly, the only couple I see clear and away making the finals is Apolo. I really do think he is just that popular.

I was very put off when Ian put his hands at or around Apolo's throat. You don't do that to someone. Apolo looked shocked and he was thrown for the rest of his interview.

Not to be a spoilsport, but I hated Nelly Furtado's performances, particularly the second one where she sang straight out of her nose. Why does she always looked so slumped over and miserable?

Karina was quite the class act this season.

I hope Ian is gone next. His dancing is stagnant and his personality bothers me more each week.

I think he survived because of Cheryl's fan base only.

This worries me too. People may be throwing their votes to those they think may need it most, but not necessarily to whom they really want to see go on to the finals. At this point, I don't think anyone is safe either. I'm glad Billy Ray's gone, and glad for Ian, but Joey in the bottom 2 gave me a 'what's wrong with this picture' feeling. Anyway, all my votes go to Apolo.

As much as I would like to see Laila in the finals, I am not sure Maks can choreograph a finals dance. He may pull a Kiebler and blow it. His choreography just hasn't been as good as Kym's, Cheryl's or Julianne's, IMHO. As Samantha keeps reminding us, he has never made it this far. Why does Samantha like to keep throwing that up in his face? Nothing left to segue, I suppose.

I threw all of my votes Ian's way because of IAN, not because of Cheryl or BRC. It's true I wanted BRC to leave, but I'm not fond of Cheryl at all. However, I love Ian's tenacity, how graciously he has taken the beatings from the judges all season, how he keeps coming out and giving it his all. Plus, I really enjoy his dancing! I do think he could stand some loosening up but I have been impressed by many of his dances. Plus, he's really, really cute :-) Go Ian! Some of us do love you.

Truthfully I wanted Ian in the semifinals but even though I like him more than Joey, Laila is getting my full support from now on. No more vote splitting for me.

The DVR is busy on Tuesday with Veronica Mars and House, so I always have to wait for the results ep to go up at ABC. I came here immediately after the show to make sure there weren't any nasty surprises. Thank God, there weren't. When Tom said no one knew what the popular vote was and that someone was going to be very surprised, I was hoping against hope. My prayers were answered!! It will be delicious to see Joey in the red glow. I can hardly wait!

I'd worry a lot about a motivated fan base, but they will only allow 4 votes per phone/cell/email account next week. I'd be more worried if this was voting like AI. I still think A/J are going home with that shiny mirror ball atrocity.

Ultimately, I want to see Apolo and Julianne win. BUT, I sent all my votes Ian and Cheryl's way last night. I think they've gotten a raw deal from the judges all season. So, I felt the need to counter the low scores with votes.

It didn't bother me in the least to see Joey in the bottom 2. I like Joey, but he's a ringer. This show should be about people who are out of their comfort zones, not fully square within it. Sorry Joey!

Laila is probably my most favorite female contestant ever on this show. And Maks? SO easy on the eyes.

But, my heart and my votes from here on out belong to Apolo and Julianne.

So happy, both for Billy Ray finally going home, and seeing the red light of doom on Joey's mugging face! Apolo looked so worried, and Maks looked like he was about to lose his lunch when Ian & Cheryl were announced. I was soooooo worried not just that Laila was going to land in the bottom 2, but that she was going to be going home. Thank goodness they're safe.

Next week I'll be voting as much as possible for Laila & Maks, I so want them in the finals, know they probably won't win. I'm not as concerned with that, I just want a full helping of them!

Loved the Maks/Karina-Val/Val dance, that was great. Also the Louis/Cheryl one, and I'm not a big fan of him. Master P was amusing, but I wish they would bring back DanceCenter.

I thought the show was really good tonight. Apolo and Juliane were terrific: their Paso was flawless and much more fluid than even last night. (I would have loved for them to perform the tango again, too.)

I was really worried A&J were in the bottom two for a second. Apolo did look extremely nervous, and there was some confusion in the announcement.

As far as Joey, I bet what happened so many people were trying to save Ian that Joey was short-changed.

I'm glad BRC lightened-up a bit, and there didn't seem to be any hard feelings. He definitely looked relieved, but also a little sad to go.

Well, now it's getting down to the wire. Right now, based on the performances, I'm going to have to go with A&J because outside of my huge fanship, A&J have just been the most consistently excellent and have pushed themselves the most. I love Laila and Maks, so if they step it up, well I'm going to be torn. Love Joey, but right now, I just don't connect with him. Ian.. well the guy is a trooper and may surprise us.

What is it with the smoking hot brothers on this show?? My dream is to see Julianne's brother do the forbidden dance with Maks' brother. With Apolo as an after-dinner mint. Yes. YES. I was glad to see Joey get taken down a peg... I was really surprised when they announced Ian as safe. I also recently learned that he's 43. Holy hell... all men should look that good at that age! I'm sure makeup has SOME role to play, but based on DWTS, Ian could easily pass for 10 years younger. My vote for the head-to-head finals at this point is Apolo/Julianne and Laila/Maks, with Apolo winning in a TKO. :)

See ya, Billy Ray. At least your exit was classy. Certainly not Clyde Drexler classy, but kinda Mark Twain classy, so we'll let it slide.

Sure as hell makes sense out of a lot questionable, preferential treatment I've thought Yoey was getting all through this season. For instance, IMO, it seemed that by comparison to the other celebs, he consistently got more appropriate music for his performances.

I think TPTB have always wanted him in the final 2. However, despite Carrie Ann's lip-flapping about ringer-boi "having this thing wrapped up," I'd like to believe they aren't delusional enough to think that it's impossible for Apolo to beat him out for the win.


Val and Derek doing the Macarena? With each other?

*swoons*