I loved Julianne's performance along with Mark and Derek (and Lacey)! Then again I'm biased. I thought it was great to see the wonder triplets together. I was a little bothered by Lacey's inclusion if only because of the whole debacle with her brother over one of Apolianne's dances. Couldn't they have had Cheryl dance with the two guys instead?

Leona Lewis should have performed with a band because that song is more powerful with a full band. Maks and Karina were sizzling as per usual. John Legend! That is such a hot song. What a great musical night. Loved all of the performers except Aretha just because of her diva-ness and entitled attitude. I know she's a legend but it's a big turn-off if people start acting like they're bigger than God.

Wait, Brooke and David Charvet are not married? "Fiance"? What?

Now that Julianne's gone, guess I don't have to subject myself to watching next Monday's show. I will be voting for the Hough who's still in it just so the wonder triplets will each have their trophy.

Lance just seems so obsessed with whatever Len has to say. I don't remember Kristi being so laser-focused on Len when he was nitpicking her to death.

I'm not too broken up about losing Julianne, but on the downside there's still Lance and his attitude...and Derek and his mania... *sigh*

Ha, totally. When Leona performed, afterwards you could see her applauding the dancers. Both times after Aretha sang, she just held her mic up and took a bow. Did she even applaud? I don't remember.

Well, as it turns out I think Cody is a really sweet kid, but, I still think the right person went home. I don't think Warren was in the bottom two. I think it was Brooke, but, of course I could be wrong.

I love Maks and Karina dancing together but I still prefer Mark Kanemura and Chelsea Hightower's "Bleeding Love" on SYTYCD. They seemed more focused on the feeling and each other. On DWTS, it's always about cheesing it up for the cameras, but, I still think the pros are great.

I thought there was too much singing overall for a dance show. I really hope Warren stops flying back and forth and can focus on his dances. I honestly think that fatigue and jet lag is playing a part with all his NFL shows.

I'll be interested to see how they all dance though.

I'm sorry to say I still am not enamored of Kristi's musicality although her "tricks" are excellent.

There's a joke about her size in there somewhere.

As sad as I am to see Cody and Julianne go (more Julianne than anything), it was the right elimination. And as an avid Hough-lover, I will be giving all my votes to Brooke now in hopes of preventing the Bass-hole (tm Gossip Girl) from winning.

Brooke, FTW!

The correct couple went home tonight and next week should be interesting. I am looking forward to Brooke and Warren's freestyles. I missed Anna so much she looked great tonight. Aretha sounded like crap and John Legend was so much fun. Leona Lewis' song annoys me and I am sorry but she isn't the second coming of Whitney or Mariah. Juliannes voice is ok and the song is allright. She definetly needs to stick to country because her voice is too cutesy.

It took guts for Julianne to sing on the same show as Aretha. More guts than brains, actually. That was sad. The contrast between Aretha and Leona Lewis wasn't so bad, but that's probably because I was concentrating on Maks and Karina.

Warren Sapp knew he wasn't going anywhere.

Did I see Dmitry in the first Aretha dance? If so Sqeeeeee!

I really enjoyed all the dancing and performances tonight!

I agree the right couple went home, and I also agree it was Brooke who was actually in the bottom 2.

Is is shameful for a 32 year old married woman to admit that she thinks Cody looked hot in that military costume? If so, I totally never typed this...

Yes, I meant to ask. I'm pretty sure it was! Woot!

When Julianne sang and Lacey and Derek danced, I really wondered why they couldn't have included Kym.
I would love to see Kym and Warren take this! Love them both.

I think the inclusion of Lacey w/ the Wonder Triplets shows just how highly she is regarded on the show. Great job too.

Loved when Samantha said Maks and Karina were so hot together they should date...

Why yes, yes you did. He's been in a few of the pro dances this year. I really hope this means he's being added as a pro next season!!

I thought Kristi did a nice job in her dance with Mark. SisNutz called me after and said that she wasn't very good for a pro (she just really started watching this season). I told her that was the reigning champ and that Mark was the pro. Her response was, "Oh, then she's pretty darn good." Dork. LOL

What a weird show. I thought I was watching the American Music Awards. What was with all the musical guests? Odd.

Aretha was alright. Her voice isn't there anymore, but she's still better than most. John Legend was okay. The dancers were strange. Leona Lewis was there. I hate that song. Deeply. As for Julianne, whatever. She has a middle-of-the-road country voice. It's not awful, it's not memorable. It just is.

Glad Cody went finally. It was overdue. As much as Lance and Lacey annoy me, I will say that I am looking forward to seeing what they do as a freestyle. Hopefully, something that isn't HH.

During Aretha's first performance, I made out Louis, Anna and Dmitry but who was the other woman? Anyone know?

Juliane taped that performance 3 or 4 weeks ago. The producers are just evil.

That was the right outcome. Cody's a nice boy, but he had to go.

This final 3 was predictable from the very beginning, pretty much, but I think it's the right one. I don't really care who wins, to be honest. I don't love or dislike any of them enough to be elated or bothered:

If Lance wins - He was my first favorite in Nsync and though he's made some ill-advised comments, I'd be fine with him winning.

If Warren wins - I always liked him as a football player, and he's a nice enough guy. He seems like he's having fun, so I'd have no problem with him winning.

If Brooke wins - Good for her. I don't much about her, but at least Derek will have a trophy so he won't be the only Wonder Triplet without one.

It was great to see Kristi and Mark dance again. I saw what they did there - give Aretha about a minute to herself and then dance for the rest of the song. It worked out alright.

I liked Mark, Derek, and Lacey's dance to Julianne's song. It had a nice flow and energy to it.

I love John Legend and that's an awesome song. It gets me goin' in the morning, that's for sure.

Well the only surprise tonight was how bad Aretha sounded.

I was laughing everytime Tom and Samantha tried to act like Aretha was performing "live" tonight. HA HA!!! And really, making tonight's audience stand up and act like Aretha was there was hysterical.

Same goes for Kristi and Mark. Also? While the lifts in their dance were great, in some of the parts that required "funkiness", Kristi seemed to be out of practice. Not Quite as good as she was last season IMHO. But I guess that's to be expected.

The results were just as I thought they would be. Once they announced Brooke and Lance were safe , as I knew they would be, I was fine with Cody (I presumed) leaving.
Seems like Brooke, Derek, Lance, and Lacey are one big happy family.

Speaking of families, Brooke got the best family support story. I wonder if it was Lance or ABC that didn't have Lance's boyfriend in his "family" segment? Or have he and Sebastian broken up?

Warren will be fun in the finals, but he better be third place.

Could not care less about the kids competition.

It looked to me like Karina with weird hair.

Unable to watch, just popping in to see who was eliminated. So it was Cody huh - one question, did he cry again?

Lance already announced in his blog a couple weeks ago that when he's in the finals, his freestyle will be hip hop. Ugh.

He said "if" in what I read, but yes, he is doing hip hop. And finally , there will be a pro who can actually dance it.

So glad that I won't have to see another patented Julianne whirling around another under-talented male celeb performance. Thank you America.

Probably. Not to stir up another bruhaha, but while Lacey was dancing I was just so distracted by how thick she looks. It is not a good thing if you weigh more than both of the male pros you are dancing with, and the costume she wore did not do her any favors.


Aretha Franklin's voice was not the greatest. I'm guessing she had some technical help on her upcoming album - I think Tom mentioned (about ten times) that it was Christmas songs?

I thought Kristi did a good job considering she hasn't been on the show in a while. I enjoyed seeing her dance.

It was. Karina with very puffy, very light hair.



The best part of this was Tom's reaction. He turned around just in time to draw attention to the fact that Karina and Maks were kissing over his shoulder (pretty sure just a peck on the cheek) and then winced and turned back around like, well, if we're going to let the cat out of the bag might as well go big...



I don't know, I find it hard to believe they would have passed up Hough v. Hough drama it that was the case.

I like Cody but I agree that it was his time to go. Can't wait to see the freestyles of the other three couples.

He's been going around in interviews saying he currently has no boyfriend.

Aww, Cody. Yeah, I would have loved to see a Lance/Warren/Cody F3. Sue me.

Aretha sounded terrible, but I was so so so happy to see Kristi and Mark dance. Love them. They're fantastic together!

Also, that footage of the F4 in the back alley with all the smoke kept cracking me up. Why must Lance keep waving his arms around like he's a magician? No one else was doing it! It was unintentionally hilarious.

My husband who does not watch this show and has seen SYTYCD twice, remembered Lacey. (Her samba w/ Danny is indelibly etched into my brain.) And that's something. She has presence and damn, can she ever dance. There were so many pros to pick from to dance that number w/ Mark and Derek and Lacey got the call.

I think Aretha's microphone malfunctioned. Her first song was wonderful.

Thanks about the Lance/boyfriend info!



Heh! I was thinking the same thing about Brooke and her swooping her skirt around and kept wishing Warren would copy her since he had his "Matrix" outfit on during that segment. :-)

Since when does Ballroom dancing take place in the boiler room of DWTS? Was all I could think of during that whole smack talk piece.

Same here and I had similar thoughts about Lacey's inclusion. Not about Benji because it seems like they get along. Rather it seemed more like the producers forcing "here are young pros". We get it, producers. You want to look young and hip. That said, there was a great fluid quality to that dance. Lacey's a talented dancer though I wish she would wear shoes (barefoot, again). Julianne, even when annoying, she wins me over with her dancing (much like her brother).

This show was packed with so many performers. Did you know ABC is airing the AMA's on Sunday? I loved that Anna was back on the dance floor! Not just Anna, but Louis, Karina and Dimitry! It was great to see Louis dance with Dimitry (and of course his shirt was open). Karina/Maks were great and loved the little dig by Tom there. Great to see Kristi dance again. I could have done without Leona Lewis, but we got to see Maks/Karina. That said, I love that the show apparently lurks and realizes that people wanted more pro dancing. But would it kill them to have a foxtrot or v. waltz pro dance? I know the show is pushing for more contemporary and young, but a foxtrot can also be just as entertaining as a samba or rumba.

The biggest surprise tonight was not having Brooke/Derek next to Cody/Julianne. I guess that is so season 5, huh producers? Last season, the winner was so obvious and I feel like this season, it is a lot more up in the air. But I cannot imagine Lance/Lacey falling flat in a freestyle which works to their strengths. Given his fan base, I think he is winning next week. Ugh.

Maybe everyone else was busy. Just sayin'.

So many exclamation points for tonight's show. Dmitry! Anna Trebunskaya! Karina & Maks! Mark and Kristi! Ok, I'm going to stop. I also thought Derek and Lacey looked great dancing together, even if it was for three seconds.

I knew last night Cody was leaving, and though I would have preferred it if Lance had left, I recognize he was the best dancer last night. Talk about peaking at the right time. If Lance and Lacey bring it next week like they did last night, I might actually even enjoy their dancing and overlook the douchebaggery. Though it wouldn't hurt if Lance erased Len's name from his vocabulary for the next week...

Plus, the producers seemed to be going for a youthful vibe in that dance. If Julianne hadn't been singing, they probably would have chosen her. Not that the other pros are old farts or anything, but Lacey, Mark, Derek, and Julianne seem to be part of the "newer/younger" generation. The show has its reasons for choosing certain pros for certain numbers, I don't think Lacey being picked for that number had much to do with her being supposedly awesome. Most pros dance at some point.

Ha, loveisthedrug! Love it. Can Lance go a week without mentioning Len in a confessional or some article? Please!

There will be a lot of sad guys at work tomorrow. Whether in their late twenties or forties, they all watched for Julianne.

IMO, Lacey does not have that presence in her dancing like I get from a Karina, Anna or Julianne. But she is good at what she does. Still hoping Warren or Brooke overtake Lance/Lacey next week. Not even Drew/Cheryl-level freestyle can get me to look his douchey behavior.

And some pros dance more than others. Lacey got two high impact numbers to dance:the country dance w/ her brother and tonite's dance. She's also a lock for the tour. I'm getting a happy feeling that she'll be back.

I don't care if Lance murders puppies, orphans, and nuns when offstage. I hope he wins. I think he's a great dancer.
And if he doesn't then Brooke will be fine with me. I find her charmless, but I can appreciate that she dances something awesome.

They seemed very pleased to be dancing against each other next week, and I noticed they were quick to hug each other when called safe.

I think Kim must have whispered in Warren's ear that he should at least pretend to be nervous at the end of the show tonight. When they first announced that Lance and Brooke were safe, Warren looked like he didn't have a care in the world. Then when they came back from the commercial break, he was looking very serious and gave a little fake startled jump when they said Cody was going home. If he was surprised Cody was going home, he was the only one.

I loved tonight's show. So much dancing!

I really wish they hadn't gotten rid of having the bottom two (did they only do that once this season). I think it takes away from the fun of trying to figure out how many votes everyone is getting.

I also miss watching the rest of the cast say goodbye to the departing couple. With all the filler in the results show, you'd think they could spare another 30 seconds somewhere to give to the last dance.

I also noticed how quick they all hugged each other when called safe. I just liked Derek hugging Julianne before running off stage.

I am pretty sure Lacey is coming back next season. Ugh, still do not think she fits on DWTS. Mostly because the show is aiming for that SYTYCD demo and are moving further away from ballroom. Not saying she is a bad dancer, but different strokes and all.

The show had fillers and what not, but it also takes Samantha like five minutes to ask Cody a question at the end. We could shorten those up, maybe we could see more of their last dance.

Checkin' out Wikipedia and noticed some interesting things...

Aside from Toni and Misty, the three finalists were all at the top of the leaderboard after the first dance of the season (Brooke = 23; Lance = 22; Warren = 21 as scores for their very first dances).

Aside from this week, there was only one other week in which Brooke and Derek were not in first place or even tied for first with another couple -- the leader that week (week 6) was Lance and Lacey as well. Thus, L&L are the only couple to beat out B&D at some time or another.

Back to the show...Aretha was pretty meh tonight. Great to see Kristi though.

My husband gets creeped out by the kids dancing for some reason, but I thought they were all good. Although, I smirked at the middle couple and the boy being excited to work with Julianne!

I thought putting Lacey in a dance with Mark and Derek, both of whom I find kind of annoying, only worked to show her limitations. For all that Mark and Derek bug, as dancers they're just in a different league than Lacey. I though Kristi looked more like a pro dancing with Mark than Lacey, honestly.

Well if they're going for a SYTYCD vibe, toss Corky and bring in Pasha.

I think that Lacey fits in very well with the show. She seems to have found her footing and people are seeing how , yes, awesome, she is.

Ahahahahaha! I love this! And I agree. I hope he brings it next week and murders the competition. He and Lacey were the best part of the hip hop group dance, so I'm hoping they bring the same kind of energy to their freestyle. I'm so excited for next week!

Also, Lacey likes to dance barefoot, huh? I can't imagine how that feels, but it seems like it would hurt an awful lot.

Oh. I will see your "Ugh" and raise you another "Ugh". Ugh, ugh. I hope someone does disco.

Karina was the second dancer in the opening number? Wow, I did not recognize her at all. But it's nice to have her and Anna dancing together. They are the best.

As long as their costumes aren't made of Dalmatian puppies, they have my vote... I do think he is the most improved and wow, did they ever peak at the right time.

Not that I dislike Warren, but I would have preferred to see him go. I resented Cody at first, but he really did quickly grow into a better dancer, maybe because he's still so young. Between the overscoring of the jocks this show has often done and Warren's appeal to the audience, I guess Cody's evolution was at a disadvantage.

I would have said Brooke had it sewn up a few weeks back, but not anymore.

This season has been lackluster--Kristi was more exciting tonight than practically any of the current contestant's performances all season--but I'm still watching and I will still watch to see who wins.

I hope, hope, HOPE that Lance and Lacey dance to "Dirty Pop" by N'Sync, complete with 90's-tastic outfits.

A high school dance team did and I thought it was kind of awesome

I disagree. If the show is showcasing her (or showing more of her than they do of other pros), it's because she brings the drama and controversy. I'm still not convinced that her being in two pro dances in back-to-back weeks is indicative of her being "awesome." But she gets people talking. That means she's not boring, which is a plus of course, but awesome? Hardly, IMO.

Can I put in another one for a triple ugh? Hip hop is just so...easy. Well, not easy in the sense that it's easy to dance, but it's like the default choice for the couples and seems so lazy. I wish they'd stretch their wings more.

I'm actually glad they got rid of the bottom 2 - leaves a little more suspense and prevents backlash voting for the other couple in the bottom 2.

I've resigned myself to Lance winning this thing, but I guess I'm okay with it. I never disliked Lance per se, although Lacey really, really bugged me. However, she seems to be reigning herself in and trying to get with the program, and I sure can't fault her dancing. If she drops her rebel persona and concentrates on dancing, I can live with her on the show.

Varying mileages, but she brings a pretty big fan base to the show and I would be very surprised if she and Lance were ever in the Bottom Two this season.

I really was not a fan of Lacey on SYTYCD (except when she danced w/ Danny) , but now I think she's one of the better pros.

I never thought Brooke had it sewn up because of fan base. Lance/Lacey were frontrunners from day one. I think which added more to my overall annoyance with his "woe is me" and Lacey's rebel/edgy, we're making ballroom fun now, act. Not just Lance's fan base but Lacey's which unlike the other pros, was not earned on DWTS. I always felt that is why they would never add pros from SYTYCD. Lance was never a dark horse. More an inconsistent horse. I am not sure he is that much better though. I just think he is more comfortable performing and he has no standard dances this week. Then he has hip hop next week which is not a stretch for him. It seems fruitless but still hoping Lancey do not win. I'll add another ugh. I do not care how awesome Lancey's hip hop is next week. I am over hip hop freestyles. Len was annoyed with Laila for not showing off all she learned in the previous weeks yet hip hop is always done in the freestyle round. I am guessing Warren will go for disco.

I thought tonight was pretty good. I don't think Julianne is the best thing since sliced bread, but surprisingly, I thought her song was ok. Pretty par for the course in what I hear from most of these country singers, and a damn sight better than that crap from Jessica Simpson. I floved the Ballas/Schwimmer/Hough dance. I thought it was great and had a really nice flow/emotion to it. I disagree with the poster that said it showed Lacey's limitations. It was right up her alley and showed exactly the sort of appeal DWTS is going for with her. Lacey is a great dancer, I love her on the show and that dance made me think she's definitely coming back next season, which makes me happy.

Aretha Franklin is a bitch-diva. No matter how much of a "legend" she is. Also, someone needs to tell her to buy a bra that does the job. I'm so tired of seeing those things hanging and swinging so low.

I'm glad Cody went home but I wouldn't have cared if it was Warren. I'm tired of Mr. personality trumps all. As Bruno said, he's been getting away with murder and I expect it to continue next week.

It was sad to hear Aretha's vocal limitations. I would have figured someone with her experience would either refuse to sing "Chain of Fools" and "Respect" anymore or figure out a better way to finesse the high portions that she can't handle anymore. And, not that anyone here probably cares, but as great as she was, I would have to put Maria Callas and Billie Holiday (and possibly even George Jones) above Aretha on the greatest singer list. None of them had the awesome Aretha pipes, but they were all unfathomable musical geniuses who made songs live in a way no one else could. But isn't it sad that today someone like Aretha probably wouldn't make it, given that it's all but an actual requirement that pop performers be hot?

Julianne has a very forgettable voice. It's professional quality, but not lead/solo quality. She'd make a good back-up singer. I really liked John Legend's song. It doesn't have much to it, but it's very catchy and vivid.

As for the dancing, it was instructive for me watching Karina and Maks. I gather she is considered the great virtuoso, but to my eye she doesn't dance with the musicality that Maks does. For instance, when she does fast movements in slow songs (like the one tonight) the movements still feel fast. More musical dancers like Maks do fast movements that still stay in character with the music. So, to me, Karina is a great athletic dancer, but not as great artistically.

Having watched several seasons now, I find I prefer the dancing of the more talented stars more than that of the actual pros. There's something automaton-like and slightly grotesque about the movement vocabulary of high level ballroom dancing. When a talented amateur (like Kristi or Mel or Emmitt) does it there's a charm and humanity to the same movements that gives them more artistic power. As always, YMMV.

I think there's a good chance that Warren and Lance will beat out Brooke next week. Both of them and their partners have the capacity to do a really entertaining freestyle. I doubt Brooke has that particular capacity. I also think Lacey and Kym have the chops to choreograph two really good, fun freestyles. The only question is whether Warren has enough left in the tank to put across a great performance. I hope so. He's my favorite this season, although not enough for me to take the time to vote (the first season that's been the case.)

I totally get what you are saying . . . however, Lacey is not Benji, and I would hope that his ignorant comments would not be held against her.

(ETA - seperate comment - not related to above) While I do not think her dancing is great every week, I actually thought Lacey looked and danced fantastic during Julianne's song performance. I am a bit dismayed by the criticism Lacey gets in the media for her body type. I really do not think she is much bigger (if at all) since she competed on SYTYCD. She looks healthy. She is a cute girl and it saddens me that she is somehow unacceptable as a body type for a dancer. Granted, dancers are held to a higher standard than "regular" people, but there are many, many people who would kill to have her body, endurance, enthusiam and energy level. I guess I just do not see how her dancing is affected by her "weight gain" since the day she entered the public eye.

But perhaps I am biased when it comes to Lacey and Lance . . . Not that Lacey was my favorite SYTYCD contestant, but I do love Lance Bass and have since the days of 'NSync. I would be happy with either Brooke or Lance winning, although since Brooke has been the favorite since Day 1, and I generally tend to root for the underdog, I hope Lance wins.