Discuss the third week of performances here.

First, I thought Drew was fabulous this week. He's so much better than Samantha, it's not even funny. Well, he IS funny, and not from being stupid, and that's one of the biggest difference. Please tell me she never has to come back. Please? *whimper*

Wow, Jennie was terrific. Good job, Derek! I think she was my favorite this week. But then, I love the tango. Still... I thought that was pretty awesome, and she was doing a lot of the dancing, too, instead of leaving all the tricks to him.

Unlike, say... Marky and Sabrina. Her outfit was much more flattering this week, though. She looked very cute in the little ruffly skirt, and the cinched vest gave her a waist, too, so BRAVO, Costumer! On the bad side, I see Marky has decided to play with the girls and throw in all kinds of flash for himself while his celeb just stands there. Oh well. It's working for Julianne -- why shouldn't he try it, too? As for Sabrina switching with Jane tango/jive, I think that was beneficial to Sabrina, so if it was about being nice, she did herself a favor, too.

If Sabrina's outfit was better, Mel's outfit was much worse. What in the world did they put her in? A shag rug from 1974? I liked their dance -- it looked like real jive all the way through, which is nice to see -- and those two are just so darned cute together. I was happy to see the judges making up for last week and pulling out their 9 paddles for Mel, though. She deserved it. So WHY are they always stuck in the middle?? Inquiring minds want to know why Jennie and Mel were once again in No Man's Land, saddled with the forgettable spots. So, you know, pimp spot? Ever?

Instead of frickin' Marie. The Osmond stuff was okay at first, but now I am beyond annoyed at Donny AND Marie. Absolutely elegant, Len? Really? It was more like Ethel Merman dancing. You know, a matron with a lot of energy who thinks she's a vamp when she's really more like a refrigerator? Way overscored for the third week in a row. They're really pushing Marie to make it to the finals, aren't they?

I loved Cameron in the Clark Kent glasses (Edyta should do that for a dance, where he tears off the glasses and his shirt halfway through and turns into Superman) and he really was wayyyy better this week than last. Good for him.

Loved Jane's hair in the little Lulu bob. (How funny that Bruno said the same thing. Louise Brooks/Lulu, I mean.) She's just gorgeous no matter what. It seemed like a pretty basic tango, but it's not like it matters. Everybody there was SO with her, no matter what, and it really was elegant and lovely, and she did act the heck out of it. Tony looked pretty nice, too. I find myself liking Tony better this season, and that's all about Jane, I think. There's your encore dance, wrapped up in a bow. Why in the world didn't they get to go last?

While I'm on hairdos...Wayne Newton with a pornstache and a ponytail?!? Good lord. There are no words. Their practice footage was funny, though. Cheryl giggling when he screwed up the fan, I mean, not Wayne's ranch. Snore. As for the dance... I was so aghast at the ponytail I didn't even notice.

And then there was Karina's hair, which I'm not sure what to make of. Was it a fro? Or just curls to look like a 60s go-go dancer? Dunno, but I didn't think it looked very good. Floyd continues to be adorable. His energy is just contagious. I really don't think much of his dancing (at least the shoulders) but he IS fast. I have to say, I didn't think much of the jump-rope beginning, either. I guess Karina was trying to give him something comfortable to start out with, but it seemed as if he forgot what to do for about three bars there, until Karina got over to him and they started dancing.

I liked Helio's flicks and kicks very much, but he and Julianne seemed out of sync for most of the dance and I don't think that had anything to do with his injury. Way to play the sympathy card. Twice. Limp. Torn pants. Uh huh. (How did he tear his pants, anyway, and why would Julianne choreograph that last slide, with both ankles bent all the way back, if his ankle was injured?)

It all just seemed so scripted for Sabrina to get the highest score week one, Helio to get it week two, and then Helio supposedly wobbles a little week three... Whatev. He seems like a nice guy, so... Whatev.

Mark and Wayne really are the weakest of the bunch, and one of them should go.

Must be reunion night. Lisa, Louis and Monique all in the audience.

Sabrina/Mark—I thought she did a good job, but the same complaint I had with Helio/Julianne last week I have here. By no means do I think Sabrina wasn’t dancing her heart out, but there was way too much gymnastics and it was mostly all Mark. I don’t get the point of the pro doing tricks when they have a fully capable partner. Why the snake? Back in S2 & S3 the couples would get blasted for things like that. Now they get almost perfect scores.

Cameron/Edyta--He is awkward. I don’t enjoy watching him dance. He might have good posture, but I agree with Len.

Mark/Kym—Wasn’t great, but wasn’t a trainwreck. And once again, I think Kym was very clever with the choreography for someone who wouldn’t be able to go all full out with the jive. However if his fans are indignant about his scores, he will remain.

Jennie/Derek-She impressed me this week. The tango is a good dance for her and Derek had a nice choreography. I also thought she looked beautiful. Cute the dancers backstage being so happy for her.

Mel/Maks were okay. I wasn’t quite impressed as the judges.

Wayne/Cheryl—No words. It’s not that he’s not trying, but he’s just kind of hopeless. Cheryl was definitely leading. Should go and Cheryl pretty much admitted as much when they asked what was in store for next week.

Floyd/Karina—Didn’t quite get the jump rope. Really needs to work on technique.

Jane/Tony—Damn good job for probably rather limited practice time and everything she’s had to deal with in the past week.

Helio/Julianne—Even if they weren’t the best this week, I enjoyed them better tonight because I thought they worked together better as a couple. Didn’t feel like Julianne was trying to outdance him.

Marie/Jonathan—They got the closing spot. Wow. She continues to impress me. I never really expected this from her. She really could be a spoiler in this competition. But she might eventually become too hammy and needs to watch that.

I do not understand why the judges continue to heap praise on Floyd. His posture is awful. His arms flail around. I just don't think he's as terrific as the judges keep making him out to be.

Jennie was terrific tonight. Jane also. My surprise of the night was Cameron. He's really loosened up in a way that Harry and Ian never could.

Didn't Cheryl sound like she and Wayne have already been voted off? Which is what I expect to see tomorrow night.

The band was actually sort of decent tonight. Wow.

Sabrina and Mark: Another great performance. Sabrina seemed a little off at the start but once she got into it, she got into it. I do agree with Len though, that the Worm and a couple of other steps were just not necessary.

Cameron and Edyta: The problem I have with Cameron so far on the show is the same problem I have with his acting on AMC. The dude is just flat, and blends into the scenery. No personality, no style, no nothing. He seems like a sweet guy but is missing that performance factor. And I’m not convinced Edyta is the type of pro that can pull it out of him.

Jennie and Derek: For all the talk about how he looks so young compared to her, when the two of them are dressed up in costume they look gorgeous together. Her frame needed to be tightened up but I loved the performance overall.

Mark and Kym: As someone who also has hip issues, I was hurting for Mark during the entire performance. He did about as well as can be expected. He was rather flat-footed and didn’t get much bounce, but I suspect a lot of that has to do with his hip. His personality seems to be the type who would be jumping and bouncing all over the place in the Jive, but his hip won’t let him.

Wayne and Cheryl: There’s really not much to say. They really should be leaving tomorrow but I don’t think Mark Cuban’s scores were high enough to balance out fan voting.

Floyd and Karina: I had such high hopes and from the rehearsal footage, it looked like they could be good. The performance just didn’t work for me. I think Floyd needs someone to beat technique into his head. I’m not sure that Karina is it. Now I am wondering what Cheryl, Julianne, or Kym would have done with him.

Melanie and Maksim: I’m kind of disappointed again. Melanie looked a little slow and over the whole performance was just sort of ho-hum.

Jane and Tony: Perhaps Jane can give Cameron some lessons on how to use your acting ability to express the character of the dance. She nailed it.

Helio and Julianne: My crush on this guy continues to grow. Good-looking AND has charm and personality to spare. I didn’t love his first two dances, but I loved his jive this week. But I have to ask what Julianne was thinking with a few of those moves, considering he has a bad ankle. I know she wants to go big every week, but making an injury worse now will not help later on.

Marie and Jonathan: Wow, Jonathan really does look like an Osmond. They got a terrific Tango song and rocked it. Even though I’m a Jonathan fan, going into the season Marie wasn’t on my radar but she has been such fun so far. Her technique may not be up there, but she always works the heck out the dance she’s got.

Thanks, I'm West Coast and I love "cheating" and reading before it starts - so Mark and Sabrina weren't that good, or was he over the top (more so than Julianne last week), or???

Yikes-torn pants and blood? Even if Helio wasn't the cutest damn thing on this entire show I'd feel badly for him.

If there is any justice in this world, Wayne will be leaving this week. No one else is even close to being in his stratosphere of suck. (I'm not sure how to be any nicer about it; he seems like a nice guy, but even he and Cheryl seem uncomfortable at this point.)

I thought Jennie was fantastic tonight, and man, she is looking phenomenal.

Loved Drew today. He is coming into his own and has come a long way since episode one. Samantha's not even close after four seasons.

Great job Jennie! I knew she could do it. I mean, the few episodes of What I like about you that I saw, she was hilarious and really threw herself into the physical comedy. I thought Derek did a great job by giving her tough choreography and teaching her the dance. Good job Derek! I teared up a bit for Jennie. When will the 90210 crowd show up? If I were Jennie, I would get Amanda Bynes in the audience and get some of those tweener votes.

Mark made himself the focus of the dance instead of Sabrina. Sabrina is fine, but she is starting to become like Joey Fatone for me. Good, solid dances but they all start looking alike after awhile.

I am appreciated Mel's dancing. Never a Spice Girls fan, but she has won me over. I appreciate her dancing more than Sabrina. I know people call them both ringers, but I can distinguish each of Mel's dances and I feel Maks has done a great job with her.

Helio gave a valiant effort and loved the energy of the dance. Reminded me a bit of Apolianne's jive in that there were some technical errors, but just enjoyed the dance. Lots of side by side dancing and he held his own, given his physical condition.

Grassy knoll moment-Tom pointing out the women at the top of the pack. They really did stack the stars in favor for the women. I can see Mark leaving next. Cameron is not going for awhile because of his fans though.

Can I say again, how much I loved Drew tonight?

Cripes, why do the judges INSIST on the multiple ties? First it was the constant 21, now it's the constant 27. At least we had a small step up in the tango music (except for one dancer.)

Missed Sabrina, so we move on to...

Cameron: he was pretty decent, but there is something that was missing. I think the schedule is wearing him down faster than he anticipated.

Mel: That girl has spunk. And for a change, I felt that Maks' jive wasn't just a derivative of a previous version. And what a damn shame that the costume department couldn't find his shirt in time. Heh

Mark: I'll give him this: he's willing to put in the effort and is committed. But he still has a lot of work to do to even come close.

Wayne: Uh....uh....hey a bird!

Jennie: It lit a spark under her ass and she delivered. I guess she learned that sometimes she has to let go over everything and do the dance.

Floyd: I was surprised that I liked it more than I would have, though they could have left out the jump rope.

Jane: I don't know if that was worth a 27. But considering her week, she brought her A game to the dance.

Helio: that was a bit of downer compared to last week. And I have to question why Julianne made him do all the sliding with his bad ankle. And for those flying leaps they were doing, 3 seasons ago they would get nailed for that move. Now? Not a word.

Marie: Well...1) Donny, call your agent and get on this show. 2) The lyrics of the song fit Marie pretty damn well. And I was like "WOW!" at her final move. Then again, I'm glad that Jonathan that probably stick around for more than 1/2 the season.


Wayne needs to go, but I think Mark is in trouble.

My take was that Sabrina was good, but some of Mark's tricks were over the top and tended to pull focus from her too much.

In relation to Wayne Newton, I think Linda Blair said it best:

"MOTHER....MAKE IT STOP!!!

Poor Cheryl...she looks like she's waiting for the firing squad. An I'm sorry, I don't see the effort from Wayne. No matter how good, bad or indifferent anyone else is, you can see that they put work into it. He barely freakin' moves!!! If he's that out of shape, too infirm or ungainly, he shouldn't have accepted the offer.

Do agree that Marie was overrated--solid 8's maybe, but I'm still really impressed. The last move killed.

I may be joining the Sabrina is a ringer club. Her personality annoys the crap out of me, but she's so far advanced dancewise compared to everyone else that it's not even funny.

I got called away at the end - could someone let me know the judges scores for Marie?

One of the judges said that Jennie was the "Comeback of the season." Could not agree more.

Jane acted that tango more than danced it, know what I mean? And as much as I love her, I cannot help but wonder if she got the sympathy vote.

Marie....Wow. That dress. Those teeth. Those legs...fantastic presence.

Mel seemed sort of choppy and slow at some points, so I am confused about the judges scores.


Edited to add:

The guys did not register on my radar. Well...Wayne did, because he was so awful. I think it is the women's season.

Drew is so so SO much better than Samantha. Hopefuly she'll decide to be a stay at home mom & leave Drew the job. He's so enjoyable, esp. when compared to her, who used to have me rolling my eyes and/or yawning.

Jennie finally pulled it all together tonight & she was great. Jane was terrific also, as was Mel & Helio. Marie also turned in a solid performance. Loved them all.

Cheryl just seems so not interested this season. I think she's so ready for this to be over this time around.

Mark, Floyd, & Cameron all try hard, but they're all just meh to me.

I can't deny Sabrina is technically the best dancer there, but I still can't stand her. She just iritates me on every level.

Great night for them all, overall. I think Wayne will finally take his final bow, as it should be.

I missed the scores - can anyone give the standings?

I don't get why the judges praised Sabrina so highly today. I don't know what those little leg flicks in the jive are called, but she didn't do them. She was kicking her leg and she was doing it to high. I thought for sure they'd call her out on that, but was surprised when they didn't.

It was nice to hear the judges give credit to Mark that he has no background (acting, entertaining, dancing, etc) prior to the show. Still, he is not there. I do wonder what Anna could have done w/Floyd.

Surprise of the season? Marie. As talented as Sabrina is, I do not think she will win. Her stage mom in the audience scares me. She is a bit polarizing.

Hopefully Jennie will build on this performance. I agree that Derek looks young in those rehearsal footage. But when all dressed up, they make a great looking couple.

Jennie was my favorite and I'm glad she's loosening up a bit. I hope she can get past the age difference because she could have a lot of fun. I love that her husband was there and was so supportive.

Mel somehow makes me like Maks more...I don't know why. I also found myself liking Sabrina, for which I'm glad because she is fun to watch.

I like Floyd too but when he's dancing, I find myself sitting up straighter and straighter as if I could actually help him out.

All in all I enjoyed my Monday night. It's my weekly reminder to stay on my diet. Thanks, Edyta.

I agree about the sympathy vote. Its the same issue I had during Mia's Dead Daddy Dance on So You Think You Can Dance. Right or wrong, after dedicating a dance to a loved one/choreographing a dance to symbolize meeting your father in heaven, the judges have to give you a good score or look like jerks.

Despite that, I don't begrudge Jane the sympathy vote in this case since its something terrible that she is going through right now.

The judges are utterly useless! I'm sure I don't have to explain why. lol For that matter, the music director and singers are also useless.

I've figured out my problem with Sabrina. She just looks too hard and heavy and I don't mean her weight. She powers through everything and has no femininity whatsoever (in her dancing) imo.

I'm really starting to like Maks/Mel. It's only week 3 and I already like them far more than I ever did Maks/Laila. His choreo still blows though.

Lurved Helio/Julianne and Tony/Jane. I also really enjoy Jonathan/Marie. Everyone else did okay, except for stiffer than a board Wayne. He needs to go this week.

The music was at an all time low. I know I say it all the time, but truly, it was. I'm sure it'll be at another all time low next week. Haha

Helianne FTW!

That outfit was some kind of fugly and made Mel look like she had no figure at all...when, in fact, she has a great one. Really bad outfit...


Oh my god...that was beyond hideous, fugly and everything else bad.

Jane was beautiful in her dance even if it wasn't the 'best' (i.e., a bit overscored, IMO), it was very good and I knew they would not point out anything 'off' as a courtesy to what she's going through. She looked stunning and as someone else said, she could teach others how to use their acting chops to portray a character in a dance. And big kudos to her for staying in the competition, especially having to travel internationally (jet lag) to do it. She brings the elegance big-time and makes Tony waaay more likeable.

Jennie really did come back big-time...I wasn't quite feeling any emotional connection between she and Derek, but that was minor in comparison to what an amazing dance they had, complete with some fairly difficult footwork and moves. And she looked absolutely stunning.

Marie...oh Marie. Watch the face and don't go too hammy. Her many faces kinda bugged, but damn if she didn't go for it with that final move - ouch! She does really let it all out and go for it, which I love about her.

Cameron? So forgettable. I want Wayne gone this week, but wouldn't mind him going next. Even if Mark Cuban isn't as good a dancer, at least he entertains and is memorable (IMO).

Every week I watch Sabrina I get more and more annoyed. I think she has this in the bag. It irritates me because she's pretty much a professional dancer. Even if she dances a different style, she still dances for a living, and thus she is used to training and learning moves and all of that.

Helio was way overscored. I think the judges are overrating him each week. His dance looked like a very bad figure skating routine. I don't think he's good looking at all, and I think he plays the "I'm just this adorable little foreign race car driver" car too hard. Ripping your pants? I'd have deducted something for that.

Loved Jane. Elegant as always. Also really like Mel B - great dance for her.

I thought it was a night of great performances. The only ones I flat-out didn't like were Cameron & Edyta and Wayne & Cheryl. Mark and Floyd were probably the next weakest for me but I still enjoyed watching them.

I love Jane, I think her mother's death is very sad and I felt for her, and I really did enjoy watching her tango tonight, but I did feel she got a tiny bit overscored. Her tango seemed a little more scaled-down than the others, even though she danced it beautifully, and I'm not sure whether that was a time issue with their shortened practice time or an ability issue. But she wasn't going anywhere this week anyway so a little overscoring probably didn't make a real difference one way or another anway, I suppose.

Sabrina, Mel, Jennie and Marie were all great, I loved them and am so happy they all scored high. My only complaints would be that I wish both Maks and Mark wouldn't have thrown in as many moves that focused more on them than the partners. I had the same complaint about Julianne with Helio last week and I wish they'd all try cutting down on that. But these are the four who I felt really threw themselves into it and got the best results.

Helio was good and I always enjoy him, but I did agree that something was a little off tonight, whether it was his ankle or just some awkward choreography, I'm not sure.

Wayne should definitely be going home this week. Everyone else has a real shot at continuing to do well or improving, but Wayne is just going to keep on doing what he's doing.

CloudGumdrops-you nailed it for me. Sabrina does hit it too hard. It is the same issue w/the quickstep. Too much at the same speed there lacked variation.

Floyd has such a great smile, but did anyone see him backstage during one of those videos. Forgot who Drew was interviewing, but you could see Karina, pillow, Floyd in the background. They looked so unhappy.

I'm guessing Jane gets the encore tomorrow night, but I'd like to see Jenny and Derek's dance again.

Mel B is surprising me. I was all set to dislike her when the season began, but she's growing on me.

Still don't like Sabrina - I don't care how great she dances.

The best line of the night came from Tom, after Drew teased Maks about looking for his missing shirt: "Bet they're not looking for his ego!" I laughed out loud!

I thought this was one of the worst gimmicks I've ever seen on here, made worse because he's a young, fit man. He shouldn't have to hide behind such gimmicks. I didn't even see them doing a tango. He was very briskly clomping (which I didn't even know was possible until tonight) around the stage. Add in his lack of personality and his continual whining about working at AMC, and I almost want him gone before Wayne. Poor Edyta.

Who was that woman in the audience with Bachelor Blob? Cameron's wife? I thought that was Hildi from Trading Spaces.

I continue to be underwhelmed by Helio and Julianne. They weren't dancing together, and he looked very silly. I know has the potential to be a silly dance, but good talent can overcome that potential deficit. Instead, Helio looked as silly as Mark and Floyd. He looked like someone who can't dance but thinks he can. Instead of being a pairing of two good dancers Helio seems to be backsliding.

Marie was goofier than I would've liked, but I still enjoyed her tango. Jonathan was masterful.

Jennie still makes Willa Ford seem secure, but I liked her tonight. She had a very mature tango with Derek, who showed his superb partnering abilities and was exactly what she needed. I'm bewildered as to why they didn't perform later in the show.

I know why people didn't like Mark adding his own tricks, but I enjoyed their jive. Since Sabrina seemed to be actively encouraging him to add more, I don't see him as being a big showboat.

The camera people must hate Lisa Rinna. What a terrible shot of her when she was with Louis (!!).

I was so distracted by Jane's ugly wig I couldn't pay attention to their dance.

My favorites of the night were Mel and Maks. I didn't like the pauses in their jive, but otherwise, I couldn't believe how good and how limber Mel was. I love her personality, sassy but very determined.

I think Len actually nailed it with Sabrina, she has no shades of grey. She's just one speed, ON. And while she does that very well, it's a little too frentic for me. It will be interesting to see how she does with things like the Rhumba or Waltz. Also I think she's a ringer and I kind of resent it. Even more than MelB or Joey might be considered because Sabrina is a dancing now as part of her job. Not 5 years ago or 10 years ago. I know it's "just" hip-hop and she does have a lot to unlearn, but I think she may be an ever bigger ringer than Mario. Plus, she's orange.

I though Jane & Tony rocked the house. Very passionate tango.

Everyone had something good about their performance except Wayne. As much as I love Cheryl, please America, MAKE WAYNE STOP DANCING!

?????

No one had posted the scores when I started this, so...

Jane, Mel and Sabrina all got straight nines, for totals of 27 and a three-way tie atop the leaderboard.

Jennie & Derek and Marie & Jonathan were right behind with 9-8-9 (both of them) and 25s total.

Helio & Julianne: 8-8-8, for a 24.

Cameron & Edyta: 8-7-8, for a 23.

Floyd & Karina: 7-7-7, for a 21.

Mark & Kym: 6-7-7, for a 20.

Wayne & Cheryl: Straight 6s, for an 18.



Because Helio and Marie are the Golden Children?

ITA, plus as someone else posted, there's a hardness about her, no softness or femininity. Even her facial expressions are always so ON!!! She smiles so big and so hard it's like her face will crack.

I know she's likely to stay around, but I hope she's not in the final 3. Something about her just bugs (aside from the above comments).

I'd love to see this be the season with an all-female celeb final 3: Mel, Jane and Marie. Given how they're dancing, they could well make it (except for Sabrina probably knocking one of them out or Helio, Mr. Cutesy, making it too).

Personally, I think the issue with "ringers" is a little over the top. Yes, Sabrina probably does have a leg up by having previous experience, but since the judges scoring always seems to leave a large group on the same level it's not really giving her a huge advantage. The judging just seems to leave it a big popularity contest which she seems, and the "ringers" in the past, to be losing.

Sabrina seems to be getting the same kind of reaction that Joey did last year, Mario the year before, and what's her name the year before that. It's to bad because, as someone who just likes to see people dance well, it makes one the automatic minority.

I think Jennie and Derek deserved to dance later in the show, to help close out the show, instead of in the middle.



I'm not sure they have strong enough fan bases. I think Helio and possibly Sabrina will be there.

UO: I haven't been too impressed with Jane last week or this week (this week I know there were extenuating circumstances).

I can see Helio knocking out one of the women more than Sabrina. I also do not want to see Sabrina in the final 3. I can see her freestyle-a Cheetahlicious dance.

Band wasn't an issue today.

Some worry that the earlier someone dances in the show, the greater chance the dance won't be as memorable. For all the times they decided to show the slow motion flub from last week and how she danced this week, I was a bit surprised she was in the middle.



That's a fair argument, but to me, I think it's more on how RECENT the celeb had danced or trained in dancing. Joey's N Sync ended around late 2001. Mario did some ballet stuff on Saved By The Bell and that's well over a decade ago. Some were saying Jane was a ringer as well due to her ballet dancing but that was over 40 years ago. Sabrina's last major opportunity for dancing was much more recent and thus her body may be in better shape in terms of training and ability to learn routines.

The band has never really been that bad. It's those horrid singers and the inappropriate songs that are chosen. Honestly, I really think the band does the best they can given the circumstances.

Helio & Jane need to make final 3! I don't care who the third person is long as it ain't Sabrina. At this point, I want Helio, Jane, and Marie, but I do like Mel B, and I think Jennie has a lot of potential.

I wouldn't underestimate the fans those three are winning each week, not to mention the fans their partners already have. Maks has a huge following, Jonathan seems to have a big legion of fans and Tony, well, he probably has a decent fan base too.

I'd say of those three, Mel has the best chance to make the final 3 since she and Maks are doing really well dance-wise and he's got a big fan base and from reading these boards, Mel is winning a load of fans (me included; I had no idea what to expect but her infectious sense of fun and work ethic has won me over). After that, I'd say Marie could make it -- there are loads of viewers who grew up watching the Osmonds, have fond memories and we do vote! And we lurve Jonathan and the fact that Marie is really doing for it big-time and having a blast doing it. I remember her dances far better than those of Helio or Floyd or any of the men, for that matter.

Wayne Newton is a legend but he must stop dancing on this show! I respect him but he must leave the dance floor--STAT! He can drag Mark Cuban with him!

Mel's personality might irritate people as much as it charms some of us, and Maksim's always been a relatively polarizing pro. She usually performs early, or in the middle, while other people get more of the flash.

Even tonight, when Helio was clunky and had to rely more and more on the goof factor, he got great scores and everyone seems to love him. I still don't think anything can stop him from winning.

The judges' scores really don't matter that much. If I understand the way scoring is done, they count the individual scores as a percentage of the total number given out by the judges. This week they gave out 237 points total. So the people with 27s got 11.39% of the judges' points, while Wayne, down at the bottom, got 7.59%. So if there were five million total votes cast, and Wayne got 14% of them (700,000) while one of the people tied at the top got 10% (500,000), Wayne's total would beat that person's total (11.39 + 10 = 21.39 < 7.59 + 14 = 21.59) and Wayne would stay, while someone who tied for the top spot with the judges could be out.

I thought Jane was very good and had she had a little more time to practice probably could have legitimately earned her 9's. She was thisclose to being that good WITH all the emotional trauma so I think under different circumstances it would have been phenominal.

A friend of mine after seeing ep one commented how he thought Marie might be a spoiler because "I can see she really wants it in her eyes." She is really good and had she done this show when she was younger could probably have won. As it is I think if she keeps it up, she deserves final 4. I totally did see the "Lucy" ness of the dance but it really worked for her and was enjoyable in a big way. I was impressed with what Jonathan was able to do with Heather Mills but now after seeing how brilliantly he works with Marie if I had the big bucks to hire anybody in the world to teach me ballroom it would be him.

Loved Mel in this. I threw her some votes because I think she has a shot of dethroning Sabrina and I want a woman to win just not Sabrina. I thought Maks' choreo was better this round.

Except for Wayne (and boy does Cheryl think she's going tomorrow) I feel none of the contestants are bad it is just that Cameron, the boxer, and the billionaire aren't very good. I think the field is very different this year as in my opinion from the original 12 only two (the female model and Wayne) were bad. Everybody else ranges from -good for an amateur thru-very good for an amateur , up to cheetahlicious RINGER. In my opinion it is the first time a third of the field doesn't suck. While I want Wayne to go tomorrow to spare a worthier dancer, there is a sick part of me that would like to see Cheryl's expression of shock if he DIDN'T get sent home tomorrow. I remember Karina with Billy Ray and some of that was unintentionally funny.

So money talks and Billy Ray will come back to sing on the stage of his dance suckitude? What are the chances somebody will be able to come up with something genuinely funny to commemorate his dance performance? For me there are only painful memories.

I hope Seal dose Kiss from a Rose to I don't know a waltz maybe?

Who ducked under the camera when Drew was going to interview somebody (I think it was Johnathan and Marie's interview but am not sure)?

I agree the ringer issue is a non issue, at least for me. It's not as if other dancers aren't getting scores that are just as good and from the history of the show, no one accused of being a ringer has ever won. No, I don't count Drew as a ringer.

The final three is a toss up to me this time. I can't count out the fanbases of any of the ones on top. Marie, Jane, Mel, Helio, Sabrina or even Jennie.

Don't count Sabrina out. As much as she's "only" a Cheetah Girl, these are the same people that got Monique to fourth and Billy Ray to fifth. The Cheetahs are current, about to release a new album (or possibly already did) and are on their way to shooting another movie with the High School Musical director. I would think the Disney folk would be a lot more likely to vote for Sabrina than they would for Billy Ray.


I think it helps that his daughter is currently one of the best selling pop artists in the US. People aren't going to turn down Miley at this point and if it means that they get Billy Ray as an add on, then so be it. The show realizes that Miley is the draw, not BRC.

I'm also a little prepared to be squicked out by Karina/Maks dance to their song tomorrow night. It's a daddy/daughter song and bringing the sexy will not work.

I wished Cameron & Edyta had commented on the horrible, horrible song they were stuck with. Of course it wasn't a fiery, sexy tango - they were dancing to Sonny Bono for pete's sake.

If TPTB do play favorites, it's in who gets the decent, danceable music.

Tom Bergeron had so many great moments tonight - "They have no trouble finding his ego" being one of his best off-the-cuff lines of all seasons.

I was glad to see Jennie get a grip on herself, and her husband's support and enjoyment of her is really delightful to see.

I missed seeing Sabrina, but I think all the jives that I did see tonight were pretty sloppy. But then, I can only think of a few really good jives over the course of the show (Drew's is the only one that immediately comes to mind. Maybe Stacy's).

What kind (cha cha, waltz, etc.) is the song? I keep imagining a Rumba or Bolero being done to it, but I don't know what the actual rhythm of the song is. I love Kiss From a Rose, so I do hope he sings it.

I'd love to see the women been the final 5, including Sabrina, who I am a fan of. But there's Helio, who irks me with that cheesy-ass Roberto Benini (sp?) smile! And his high-pitched partner doesn't help!

Yes, they get stuck with a crappy song while Derek and Jennie and Tony and Jane actually get some decent tango music. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the song picks.

Well, I'm in that group with you. I just want to see good dancing and I don't care if it comes from someone who is trained or someone who has never stepped on a dancefloor.

At the moment, I think Sabina and Helio are a lock for F3. If Jane doesn't fade because her heart just isn't in it anymore, she'll be there with them. And then the only question is whether Jennie, Marie or Mel gets the fourth spot. Cameron is a darkhorse -- never underestimate the soap fanbase -- but I think the best he can do is 5th unless his dancing comes on like gangbusters.

I know there must be some jives I'm forgetting, but Drew was the only good jive I can remember.

That's the *only* downside to Drew being co-host. I keep thinking about how good he was and how much I loved him with Cheryl.

Not everyone dislikes Sabrina for being a 'ringer' (whether she is or not). I had no idea who she was before this show and the reason I don't like her is she just bugs for some reason - the huge, never-ending smile, the 'hardness' about her (no femininity), it's all just "too, too" much, IMO. She reminds me of an over-perky cheerleader who doesn't know when to quit cheering...

I didn't like Mario (not because of his so-called previous dancing) but because I didn't like his attitude - like he knew he had it won, like he didn't have to work as hard to get the title (even the judges sometimes called him on that since he had probably the most potential of anyone that season). I didn't see the season with Joey and I don't know which female you're referring to from another season, but for me, it's whether or not I just plain like -- or not -- the person and I dare say that's true for many, many people. In fact, when Mario was on, it seemed like there were tons of folks who didn't like him for his smarmy-seeming (just sayin' what I read) attitude, not for his dancing prior to the show.