I love Gilles, I really do. Not enough to comment on him in his thread (that might be Cheryl’s influence, although she did not piss me off once tonight, which I think might be a first), but he’s just so sweet and humble and damn sexy, respectful of everyone around him and the whole process. I just want to snuggle him. I did not care for that paso, however. I can’t quite put my finger on it. He performed it well, overall. I didn’t care for the music or the choreography, and I was baffled by the strong reaction from the audience. And – I can’t believe I’m saying this – but I thought the attempt at sexiness was unnecessary. I don’t mind a sexy paso, or a sexy anything really, but I think Cheryl was trying too hard with this one. Gilles is naturally scrumptious, throwing in suggestive choreography or costuming wasn’t needed.

Damn, that music for Lawrence was tough. Not easy at all for someone who is not the musical sort. I think it could have worked really well if he didn’t have the handicap, but being unable to feel the music without words or a strong rhythm made this kind of underwhelming. And I saw many moves reminiscent of Edyta’s Superman paso doble with Cameron. Distracting. I do love Edyta and her sweet enthusiasm to pieces, though.

Agree with the judges about Ty’s paso. Chuck’s VW – meh. Both David and Steve-O need to stop sticking their butt out. Their dance postures are like they think they’re dancing with much shorter women, and they feel the need to bend at the hips to accommodate. Stand up straight men! Love ‘I Put A Spell On You’ and Kym’s choreography, David is trying to force the facial expressions a bit. I simply adored the first bit of Steve-O’s VW, with him as the mime and Lacey as the – doll, I guess? I was briefly enchanted.

Love Johnny Knoxville’s Cobra Kai Dojo headband. Awesome.

Melissa. I think this was her worst dance as far as technique and performance. I thought her expression was great, but the technique seemed rough and almost wobbly. I could see her struggling. I really do root for her though, even though she’s kind of like Gilles to me – I like her personality a lot, and unlike with Gilles I love her partnership with her pro, but I’m not all up in her thread the way I am with some other celebrities. I want to see her do well.

I wasn’t really moved by Shawn tonight so much. I find the lack of a good rise and fall in any waltz distracting, and Mark still needs to work with her on quitting it with the ‘gymnast arms’. More flow and feeling the space with her movements.

I just want to give Lil Kim a hug! She’s so sweet, is so moved and excited to be on the show, and wants so much to do well. Her facial expressions, except when she is genuinely smiling (or being sassy/sexy, or whatever is dance appropriate), have totally got to stop, however!

Overall I’m a little disappointed. The paso doble is my favorite dance (along with the Argentine tango). None of them impressed or excited me tonight.

Wow, Shawn actually didn't look like a hot mess tonight (although I could have done without the ruffles). I loved the white floatiness of her dress. I was kinda surprised that Mark would take a risk by putting such a blatant lift in the end.

Loved Tom essentially chiding the audience: "Sometimes criticism is a good thing."

I was kinda bummed with Ty's paso, because I thought this would be right up his alley. And it...wasn't.

Lil Kim and Derek -- okay, even though I know it's schlock, "I'll Be" is one of my favorite songs. And the singers butchered it! I know, I shouldn't be surprised. But still. I was too focused on how awful the song was to pay attention to their dance. >:(

Len was in love with the 8 paddle tonight.

Here we go! Viennese Waltz vs. paso doble DEATHMATCH!

Chuck. Who knew? He's... gotten... kind of good. I noticed the very sloppy footwork in some parts, though, but I actually thought he improved a lot otherwise. Weird. And I kind of find him a little hot now (well, aside from the orangeness and the fact that part of his nose looks paler than the rest of his face... it's jarring). If only he hadn't been so whiny and obnoxious in previous weeks.

Lawrence improved, but he still seems as though he's walking, not dancing, half the time. I don't know, I'm just not feeling the love. Shawn was very lovely and again, the footwork was a bit off, but I thought she was flowing and graceful. Melissa was really good, as usually, although I saw that smile slip out once. But I applaud her for committing to the character of the dance, as difficult as it was for her (you could tell she was fighting not to smile). I still like her. This week for her was, to me, like Mel B and Maks' first Viennese Waltz - their first stumble in a series of otherwise great dances.

David was... he was. There were some moments of greta footwork, but the tricksy part in the beginning, with the fans, went on a bit too long, and some parts were still stiff. He looked like he was sucking on a lemon when getting his critique, though. Man. He was pissed. It must be frustrating, sure, but when you don't pull it off, you don't pull it off.

Gilles. GILLES. FREAKIN' GILLES. I don't think there's any humanly possible way to cool me down after that. I guess there were some hectic moments, but I have to wonder if Len just didn't want to give him two 30s in a row this early. Screw that, I say that deserved a big fat 30. He's excellent. And man, talk about awkward with Bruno giving his critique with, I'm guessing, Gilles' wife in the audience.

Ahhh, Steve-O. Now that the bottom feeder is gone (oh, and Holly too, sadly), he's the worst of the bunch. Nice guy, but he's clunky and stiff, still. Back problems, of course, but all the same... he should go. Rest up. Make your back better, dude. And oh, Ty... he's been improving so much, but that was the second-worst of the night (well, second-worst tied with Lawrence, only Steve-O was worse). It was very stiff and robotic, and I thought maybe he'd loosened up enough to really come alive. I do want him back next week, of course, but wow, it felt like a letdown. He and Chelsie are still adorable and very loveable though.

(And what the hell was Derek doing in the background when Ty and Chelsie were getting their scores?)

Ah, Lil' Kim, what a refreshment after those last two dances (sorry, Ty!). Graceful, lovely, elegant... I didn't like her costume, though (or Julianne's. Flesh tones really don't look that good on a lot of people, Kim included). Still, one of the best of the night, behind Gilles/Cheryl and Shawn/Mark.

Steve-O may be gone, Ty may be in danger, and Lawrence may be too.

My DVR cut out on me so if someone would be kind enough to let me know what Bruno gave Kim and Derek that would be great.

I like Gilles, not as much as Kim, but I really do like him. That being said, I really did not like that paso and I thought the topless open was cheap.

Remy:

I believe he gave them a 9 for a 26 overall.

I think there is a bit of a double standard on the costuming issue. If a guy goes shirtless in a dance where it can be deemed appropriate, like the Paso, and we've seen other males celebs and pros do it on DWTS, that is seen as selling sex. But the women often wear a sheet or a bikini in just about every dance (Edyta, Karina) and that is deemed as okay. I know the women get called on it too, but considering that Gilles has been covered in every dance prior to this one, I didn't see the big deal. Now as I said in his thread, if he were to come out shirtless for next week's jive, then yes, there is a problem. Here, not so much. I've seen far more skin on many of the women than I've seen on Gilles, on this show that is.

I think I was a little underwhelmed by most tonight. Not because they were bad necessarily because a lot of the dead weight is gone, but nothing really excited me either. I liked Gilles paso, but I'd have to rewatch to actually wrap my mind around it.

Totally called Lil Kim getting the pimp spot tonight.

Same. Though I kind of suspected that with all the pressure that it would be his best dance to date...it wouldn't.

Also, was Chelsie wearing cheetah print on the lower part of her dress? She already looks like Sabrina. She doesn't need to dress like her.


LOL, at Tom comparing Gilles to Sabrina.

I was disappointed with the Pasos as well, though Poker Face wasn't the train wreck I anticipated.

I thought it was bad form of Carrie Ann to ding DAG and Kym in her compliment to Derek and Kim.

remy242 - Bruno gave them 9.

I thought LT did well, considering how difficult musicality is for him.

Melissa did several mistakes and looked flustered, but of course the judges even gave her a "9". Some of these celebs would have to have a near perfect routine to even see a "9" paddle. Every week she leads with her toes and dances on the balls of her feet and not a comment from one judge where Lil Kim and Shawn were both told about the same problem. Ty doesn't miss steps but is stiff so he gets all "7s". I'm convince Melissa is totally being pimped.

I have to agree that tonight, for me both VW and the paso were underwhelming. Gilles and Cheryl were lovely. Kim and Derek floated across the stage. I also enjoyed Shawn and Mark. Have to agree with the judges on DAG. He and Kim aren't quite in synch.

I was disappointed by the night. Most of them seemed to be checked out. I don't know what was going on. Ty was very stiff, moreso than I had expected. Even Kim, with some lovely moments, seemed somewhat heavy to me, although I may have been distracted by Derek's odd choice to do her up in Shannon Elizabeth's VW hair and dress and that twig at the back of her head.

My biggest WTF is still Kym Johnson's hair. Very Jocelyn Wildestyein/Karen Black. What happened?

Does anyone else think the music choices took a toll tonight? They threw me out of almost all the dances.

Shawn and Kim both deserved at least one 10 tonight. The judges were off their rockers with those 2 giving them only 26's.

Ty was going back to week 1 stiff Ty.

Chuck, LT, David, and Steve-O all need to leave.

Melissa was good but clearly not her best. I commend her for committed to it and she still looked great and danced great tonight.

I'm started to get sicked of the bias, frontrunner thing with Gilles now. I agree that it was too hectic and OTT at times. Didn't think it deserved a 29. How many more dances can he get that require him to be sexy. He's getting them all in a row and it's not fair. Cha Cha, then Samba, then Tango, then Paso.

Except for Gilles and Lil Kim... everyone was just sort of meh tonight. Oh well can't have everyone getting 10's all the time. I am not sure anyone quite deserved 10's tonight.

I thought Len was straining to find something critical to say about Gilles and Cheryl, because it's just getting so freaking embarrassing how good they are compared to everyone else (nay, everyone else who's ever appeared on half of the previous seasons...) The dance was just fine. If there is anything wrong, it's just that Gilles is now no longer the breathtaking revelation he has been for the first few weeks. It's just plain old excellence and we're getting used to it already. That's very hard to keep pushing onward from. Loved the bit at the end where he stabbed her (ie the bull). That was almost too suggestively sexual. As for the shirtlessness, maybe the dance didn't need it but I wasn't complaining. I did think this dance could have been rated 9-9-10 or something. Two 10's was a bit much.

Melissa and Tony had a great choreography but again, she doesn't seem to be able to keep up with him sometimes. C'mon guys, step it up and make it a real competition with Gilles and Cheryl.

Was underwhelmed with Chuck. This was a waltz and he seemed to be lumbering all over the floor in the middle. I thought the judges were too kind.

Steve-O: cute concept, but he's a stiff dancer. He MAY get through this week, though, and Lawrence Taylor might be the bootee.

I continue to admire David for really trying and applying himself but Carrie Ann was right... they're just not connected.

Ty was the biggest disappointment. In addition to his stiffness, the music was just horrible... almost undanceable. Who picked that abomination for them? I almost think Ty had trouble because of the music. Wouldn't blame him.

I actually felt like some peope were underscored tonight. For example and color me surprised Steve-O. That was his best dance to date AND I thought he should have gotten at least 7's. Lacey's face looked gorgeous.

I also really enjoyed Tony/Melissa's Paso and yes I noted the wobbliness a tad but it didn't detract. I think Tony is just so happy to have a capable partner maybe he is pushing the envelope a bit. I also noted that Melissa busted out a smile in there. I do though think if they had more time to practice it would have been flawless.

Shawn's dance was also really nice but she is losing me a tad. She is still sweet as all that and she has great extensions but I am not feeling it as much anymore. One more thing, Shawn looks just like her Mother...

GILLES!! WOW..EXCELLENT, STUPENDOUS ..I absolutely ADORED that dance. One of the best Paso's on this show and it should have gotten straight 10's.

I also enjoyed Ty's, albeit he was a bit stiff but Bruno went a bit far with the transformer comment. LT's paso was okay, and I really couldn't say if it was his best dance as I don't remember his other dances to tell the truth. He is forgetable to me, although he seemed much more likable this week.

Someone else I thought was underscored was DAG, he deserved higher scores. I will say though that I thought their dance was a VW/tango mix type thing. Kym looked gorgeous though..absolutely gorgeous. Bruno was bit right though the leg lift did resemble a dog peeing..

For a real life couple, Chuck/Julianne have zilch chemistry on the dancefloor.

Lil Kim/Derek, what can I say, I really like them..I thought the sassiness was a bit much for the V. Waltz but they really are in sync and had great musicality along with a nice flow.



No wonder that costume looked familiar!!

Thanks to everyone who gave me the score for Derek and Kim. I hate when my dvr cuts out!

Next week he would have Jive, which is not sexy. That and the Quickstep was between Cha Cha and Samba. Plus it's really not much of an advantage IMO. It just means down the homestretch of the season, assuming Gilles is still there, he will have all the non-sexy dances back to back. He still needs to sell those with the same itensity if he wants the votes.

I liked their Paso, though I might agree with Len that it was a tad hectic, but I need to rewatch first. But I still think he's head and shoulders above the rest. Even the other frontrunners.

My opinions, briefly:

Chuck: I was surprised to see Chuck improve this week...he and Julianne still don't have very good chemistry, though.

Lawrence: Eh...forgettable. A little better, but I don't think he's improving at a good pace.

David: David always seems pissed afterwards...and I can't tell if it's an act. He's ok. Better than Steve-O and LT.

Gilles: I love Gilles...he is just smokin'. I loved the end. I just hope we don't see a backlash against the "in your face" hotness of Cheryl's routines.

Ty: Aww, shucks...I just think Ty's great. But boy was he stiff! And I thought "Barracuda" was a bizarre song choice. I still think he's safe for a couple of weeks.

Melissa: The routine was tough, but I thought they were a little lacking in control. And I saw on another thread where someone said Melissa's "serious" face looked more like "constipated" face...I agree.

Shawn: Shawn looked lovely and graceful and I thought their waltz was nice, but boring.

Lil Kim: She wasn't as good as last week, but I find Kim's enthusiasm charming...and she is a much better dancer than I ever would have expected.

Steve-O: Didn't care for the whole "mime" thing - it looked silly. I think he was the worst of the night and I think he will go tomorrow.

ETA this: When Chuck and Julianne went backstage to talk to Samantha, why did Samantha have to ask if Chuck's "down on one knee move" was "hinting at something"? *wink, wink* Way to put pressure on a couple that has little chemistry, anyway!

Cheryl and Gilles are doing so ruthlessly well that the most DWTs can manage for drama is for Len to ship out a nine to break up the brace of tens - and even then it was the highest score Len gave. And Tom has to mention that Sabrina got the boot. I wonder if this is really the best the show can do for suspense for G&C, because Cheryl and Gilles are just not letting up, and Cheryl works the details so that none of Gilles' vulnerabilities show up on the night (unlike say, Sabrina who would hit things hard enough to give Len an excuse). Cheryl keeps an eye on Gilles' "feminine" movement which he really does have when he goofs off on his own, or even in rehearsal sometimes. Come the night - BAM. Nowhere for the judges' criticism to find purchase. What's striking is C&G finished further ahead of their nearest competitor than ever before. Cheryl looked so beautiful tonight.

I guess it was the rise and fall that was missing in Shawn's dance but I enjoyed it more than some others. She's a case where I sometimes miss the flaws and the judges call them out, whereas with others I see the flaws and the judges are swept away. For example I thought Lil Kim was stiff at times in her waltz, and doesn't get her butt underneath her, and her legs do stay too far apart.

Melissa gave it a good go. I was more distracted by Tony once again using kick-heavy choreography. Maybe she is struggling with footwork. Those transitions were an issue. I thought she gave a valiant performance.

Gilles made a quickstep sexy. Sexy isn't selling his dances - his dancing is selling his dances. Fantastic dancing, great choreography and great chemistry by a good looking couple is sexy. All of his dances are going to be sexy. The jive. The Vienese waltz. The regular waltz. The lindy hop. West Coast Swing. The cabbage patch. It's all going to be sexy.

This is from notes I emailed to myself while watching


Chuck & Julianne eh it was ok, he lifted her a couple of times

Lawrence & Edyta I think it was ok, I think it suited his Defensive football player style.

Shawn & Mark I thought it was graceful and elegant, but I think there was a tiny lift. or two

Melissa & Tony I thought it was awesome, there may have been a small lift or two

David & Kym That wasn't bad, it was quite good.

Gilles & Cheryl oh my, I think I'm starting to see what everyone else sees

Steve-O & Lacey I thought it was sweet, not much dancing, but I wonder where there rehearsal studio is, it seems to be not the same building as the others

Ty & Chelsie Not his best dance, but I thought it was good

Lil' Kim & Derek Not bad, not her greatest


Overall, I loved Melissa and Tony and Gilles and Cheryl, but my votes went to Ty. I want to see him dance a couple more weeks.

It's kind of like a repeat of season 6 all over again, when the producers were scrambling to manufacture some drama to make it look like Kristi wasn't running away with the season. At least the other frontrunners this season are better than Jason Taylor and Cristian were (IMO).

I really thought Melissa was dreadful and only got the high scores out of previous goodwill from the judges. If she'd danced that way week 1 or 2, she would've gotten hammered. She was stiff and sloppy and grinning like it was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders routine.

I think Gilles set the bar so high for himself last week that anything less than that would be a bit disappointing. I seemed like Cheryl was trying to catch lightning in a bottle with this one -- trying to recreate the mood of the argentine tango. And well, it only happens once. Still good, but not great.

Steve-O should go. I think he's over the whole thing. I would have liked to have seen what he could have done if he hadn't been injured. He might have outdone Ty in the "improvement arc" storyline. I think he's earnest and has a certain amount of charm, and I know he probably wasn't cast to fill that role, so that makes it sweeter. But this show was just too much too soon for him.

What the hell was Lil Kim talking about...writing on something?

I have to say I was also not as entertained by the Paso Doble dances or V. Waltze dances either as much as I have been by the other dances in the previous weeks. Something was missing from all of the dances tonight. It was kinda dull or lackluster. And I just found all of the music very bad and uninspiring choices to say the least(especially Poker Face). Having stated that my faves couples of the night were Giles/Cheryl, Melissa/Tony, and Derek/Kim. Lawrence seems off putting. I have not warmed up to him and his dancing is bad.

I hope he gets sent home tomorrow to put Edyta and us out of our misery. It's going to be either Steve-O or Lawrence being sent home tomorrow as it should be. I hope the dances and performances are a lot more entertaining and well done by the couples next week which should happen since I think they will be dancing either Rumba or Jive. Hopefully this will give a shot of adrenaline and entertainment back to the dances and couples.

He did an awful paso but I love that little Ty. simply love him. Funny, cute, self-deprecating, quick on the uptake...who cares if he can dance.
I wonder how much metal he has in him from bull riding. Those guys get totally beaten up often and are full of pins etc.
Still sold on Gilles - such a nice guy and hot as well. Maybe not the best paso ever but comparatively - I thought it was the best.
Shawn - horrible the ruffles - made a young girl look matronly. Danced much better. Like her last waltz.
lil Kim - great work ethic - and enthusiasm.
Still can't stand Chuck ... don't know why.

Poor Edwin McCain. I know he joked about how people butcher his song but tonight, it was awful. Among the other music trainwrecks were the paso songs. Ugh across the board.

I found tonight underwhelming but I did enjoy Gilles, Lil Kim and Shawn. I was just not loving Shawn's' hair or the ruffles tonight. It made it her look a bit heavy but at least she was not sprayed to look like an ompaloompa (finally). Not loving Lil Kim's hair either but gosh I love her attitude.

Pigs must be flying because Carrie Ann excused a lift. I am surprised Mark added a blatant lift at the end. Someone needs to sedate Bruno or at least ask him to stay seated more often than he gets up.

I agree. I hate props but I did not mind Kym using them. That's because I love Kym and she does no wrong :) That said, they do need to dance more together, in sync.

I think the bottom 2 will be LT and Steve-O. I liked his routine, it was cute but I sense he is over the show.

Gilles seems to be getting the Apolo treatment from Len. I am not sure if his fanbase is large as Kristi where they need to manufacture a fake arc. I still think Shawn has the biggest fan base.

That was a very tough routine and I give her props for doing it.

Tony should have said "Think about Jason(thats the Bachelor's name right)" and I am sure she would have had the look needed.

DAG always looks like a sourpuss after he dances. However I can't blame him, he sees which way the wind is blowing.

According to Ty's blog (which is really great reading by the way), they weren't allowed to use the song that Chelsie wanted so she picked Barracuda out of the options she was given.

He's had reconstructive surgery on both shoulders, both knees and surgery on his neck. I may be missing something else. He mentioned something in an interview about having some limitations in his range of motion because of the injuries so that might account for some of his stiffness.

Ty's my favourite on the show. I just love his personality and his whole approach to the show. Last week was better but he really puts himself out there and works so hard, I can't help but admire him for it. He's not the reason I started watching the show but he's the reason I've stuck around with Gilles a close second and the 3 remaining women shuffling around between 3rd and 5th. That would be my ideal top 5.

Harvestbasket, I think Bruno was hyperactive as a child, and it has carried over to adulthood. Sometimes it is cute how he gets wound up about the littlest stuff. But then someone has to counteract the doom and gloom that can be Len.

I'd really love to see Ty in the finals, although it's probably not likely. He is the most down to earth celeb I can remember.

I'd be okay if Gilles wins, he's certainly the best at this moment. I'm still praying for an unexpected Melissa ouster. But I'm afraid her grinning self is destined to go far by TPTB. "Loser at Bachelor a Winner at DWTS." I'll just poke my eye out if she wins the whole thing.

Finally, I'd like to see LT stay over Steve. I'd like him to breakthrough and get some higher scores.

I love Gilles and while I liked his paso...I didn't LOVE it. I watched it and I'm like "He's pretty and moves well but...eh, it's no Thriller." I do have to say that Lil Kim is really impressing me and though I missed the show last week and thought he was kinda meh tonight, I want to meet Ty and tell him "I enjoy you immensely." The rest of the field...I can barely remember.

I thought all the pasos, especially, tonight were pretty weak. The music for most of the pasos was dreadful, too, and I wonder if that could have contributed to all the lackluster dancing. A lot of times the DWTS pasos are choreographed with broad enough choreography and characterization that the stars can really grab onto it - not so much tonight.


Totally agree. I thought her routine was way overscored. It was sloppy and hesitant, and she couldn't keep her pathetic serious face all the way through - I definitely saw her cheerleader smile. No way that deserved a nine.

Hey, I was going to say that. :) Another difference between this season and Kristi's is that there are a few people who can challenge Gilles when it comes to fanbase, if not dancing ability at this stage. If Kristi had competed in Season 5 or this season, it would have been a lot more interesting.

Poor Edwin McCain is right, harveset. However, the band will have to suck a lot harder to be as bad as that montage of singers murdering his song on American Idol several years ago.

A sexy lindy hop? :p Well, if any celeb can manage that, it'll be Gilles.

OMG, re Lil' Kim's gown: that's the FIRST thing I said upon seeing that monstrosity of a gown. Why oh WHY did anyone think peach would look good on Lil' Kim? I was so distracted by it that I had to watch the actual dance twice just to actually SEE it. I thought it was at least equal to Shawn's (who could also benefit from a shorter hemline every once in a while...jeez).

Of course Gilles continues to run away with this thing... I couldn't see the "hectic" parts Len spoke of; maybe the crazy camera work hid it from view? I'm looking forward to reading what our more dance savvy TWoPPers have to say about it.

I'm so glad Carrie Anne said something to Kym about her less-than-inspiring efforts this season. I've felt like she's been wasting DAG's talent for weeks now. I honestly groaned when I saw that back kick Bruno commented on. I was like, WTF? Why Kym? Do you not like DAG? MMV, but from my POV, they have absolutely no chemistry on the dance floor. I've not remembered a single dance of theirs ten minutes later. I don't get it.

Speaking of choreography, Tony should have KNOWN that dance was too difficult for Melissa. It didn't need to be that hard. Again, I don't get it.

As bad as Ty was, I STILL prefer him to anything Chuck or LT has done so there's that.

Sorry, but I disagree. Gilles & Cheryl has the largest fanbase because all I hear as of late is the show and the majority of people are talking way too much about Gilles/Cheryl.

Side Note: Back in Season 5, many of us thought that Sabrina/Mark had the largest fanbase. They ended up being eliminated in Week 6.

The cabbage patch? You're going to give the producers ideas, WaltzinSpringTm :) Although you're right, pretty much anything he does is sexy, so it seemed overdone to me to see touches of overt sexiness in the choreography. That's what made it actually unsexy to me.


I think she said her Buddha Board. Sounds neat - it's probably a meditation or Zen type of thing.

I was thinking that Shawn wasn't getting the proper rise and fall in her VW because she's so short, but I don't remember feeling that way about Lil Kim, who's only a couple of inches taller, I believe.

To the dance experts, was Melissa's a paso? It kept reminding me of another dance (the name escapes me). I still don't like her nor her cheerleaderness and felt she was overscored.

I liked Shawn's dance tonight with Mark. I loved Gilles and Cheryl, though I don't think Gilles' fanbase is as large as some of the others. If he goes, I go. I say that only because I really was very bored tonight. And, there is no one else that really holds my interest. I just loved his tango and paso! And, seriously, everything he's done. And, not just because he's hot. But, that surely doesn't hurt! Hearing that he's into martial arts explains some of the control/grace he has. For example, at the end, some of them look so clumsy when they do the end of the paso. He really didn't at all.

I do like Ty in general and hope he does great next week. I also like Chelsie. So, go bull-riders!

What was Lil' Kim talking about writing on? I thought she was talking about using a Ouija board, then I heard some kind of booty board...maybe she was exercising ;). I also loved her "Oh, OK" when Len put his paddle up. And did anyone else notice the Princess of Darkness Heather Mills in the audience (I think I saw her on camera at least twice)? The music realyl was God-awful this week.
I thought Melissa was pretty good; I didn't notice all the problems everyone else did. Poor Ty...he was really improving, and then this week happened. I forgot to look up for Steve-O and Lacey... Gilles and Cheryl are both gorgeous and I loved their dance. I'm hoping my television was having some kind of problem because Chuck and Julianne looked jerky and horrible, not fluid at all. For me most everyone else was fairly forgettable.
The lady singer is jealous because Kim stole that little bit of her head chandelier.

I have to say that this thing is Cheryl's and Gille's to lose. It just seems when she gets a partner she can work with her enthusiasm comes through and her routines show it. I am a little disappointed in Tony tonight. I expected more from him and Melissa.

Yes. They showed her after one of the early dances, Chuck/Julianne I think. Then she was sitting beside Bob Saget and Cynthia Stevenson. Didn't Tom ignore her?

Who was the man sitting beside Heather? Was he famous?

I tuned out "Barracuda" and just looked at Ty's dance and that helped a lot. He isn't great but I didn't think he was worse than last week, just saddled with an awful song.

I think LT is over this show. I didn't hate Steveo's dance really. It was OK.

I really liked Shawn and Lil Kim but my fave was Gille. I agree that the shirtlessness was unnecessary but I think they really ARE afraid that he'll be like Sabrina and get tossed halfway through, because they have no way of knowing how many people are voting for them and they figure if it gets them even a hundred votes it's worth it. I liked the agression of the dance and Gille is beginning to look like Antonio Banderas' sexier younger brother. It made me think of the Mariachi movies.

ETA I could be totally wrong but what I kept hearing from Lil Kim was "Budha Board" and I just figured it was some sort of new agey, trendy, thing that stars are doing to find inner peace. Like I guessed that you write stuff you want to improve in yourself on the "Budha Board" and meditate on getting better. Now watch there be no such thing but somebody taking this suggestion and starting one.

I just got a chance to watch now. I agree that Melissa seemed very hesitant. Gilles was great technically and he really infused the dance with the right spirit. Still, I think they overdid the smokiness a little bit. There were a couple of times I just wanted to burst out laughing.

Don't the artists have to give permission for their songs to be used? Clearly, poor Edwin McCain has never heard these dreadful awful singers if he gave his consent. Yikes and a half.

Gilles is once again the class of the field but I have to say I wasn't really feeling his paso tonight. I think it's because it was back to back with the AT, it felt a little like so much the same. Between that and the Superman Quikstep I just feel like he's done the same dance three times. I know it's different steps but the feel is way too similar for me to enjoy it.

Here's hoping he gets something drastically different next week. It'll be nice to see him do something new.

I was really pulling for Ty and I don't often agree with the judges but the first thing I thought when he and Chelsie were doing this dance was "My god, he is so stiff". Here's hoping he gets to stick around a bit longer so he can shake this week off.

I really like Melissa, even on an off night. I really enjoyed that performance even though she did mess up a couple times and broke out of the serious face once or twice. She just has to get away from the constant cheerleader face. Keep working on her Tony!

Other than that I was pretty underwhelmed by everything tonight. Well I guess including that I was very underwhelmed. I was a bit bored this week.

A Buddha board is what I heard, but I have no idea what it was. I didn't even notice Heather Mills.

I also agree that this is Chery's and Gilles to lose, then again you never know how votes will play out.

I almost had to push the mute button. The vocalist was horribly off-key. Other than that I thought their waltz was pretty good, not fabulous. Li'l Kim is just so sweet.

I also thought DAG's performance was underscored. However, his leg lift did remind me a bit of my dog. PLus, the ending pose was a bit strange.

Cheryl and Gilles were incredible, again. Shirtless Gilles, was it too much? Not for me, but I'm shallow like that.

I forget which choreographer it was--Jean-Marc, maybe?--but someone choreographed a Viennese waltz to "I'll Be" for Benji & Donyelle on SYTYCD2. It wasn't one of their best dances, but my overwhelming love for that couple makes it hard for me to be fair to anyone else who does a VW to that particular song.

I thought the choreography tonight was almost uniformly stale. The two dances I watched all the way through were Cheryl's and, surprisingly, Lacey's. Everyone else had funky music choices or just played it entirely too safe.

Ty is adorable, and I hope he outlasts Steve-O, Lawrence, and DAG. Gilles continues to blow me away. It was nice to see he had some "movement" experience; I could tell he wasn't a total novice in that regard, so it was cool to see the martial arts background.

ETA: My friend has a Buddha board! It's very cool. I really do zone out of the conversation when I'm playing with it.

I do think Tony is in a bit of a tough spot. Cheryl can throw practically anything at Gilles and he manages to pull it off. Which is not to downplay Cheryl and her teaching or choreography, but Gilles delivers in the sense that he just knows how to perform on the dance floor.

With Melissa, Tony might be a bit damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. I thought tonight's routine seemed a bit too hard for Melissa skillwise, but by the same token if he doesn't make it hard enough the judges will call him on not challenging Melissa. In this case while I liked Tony's choreography, he seemed like he needed to dial the difficulty back a hair, especially when Melissa was having enough of a problem just getting the character down. But you know, Tony is probably trying to keep the difficulty level high since that was basically what he was told to do.

These Buddha Boards look pretty cool. It says they are like a zen etch-a-sketch. I may just have to try it.
BuddhaBoard

True, sweetpd7 but his antics are annoying me this season. Maybe because I found him overly critical in the first two weeks and now he is OTT and constantly getting out of his chair. I'll still take Bruno over Carrie Ann. I disagree as I remember many saying they felt she was good but others annoyed by them. I also remember some thinking they were being propped up by the judges' marks for their lack of fan base. I don't see that being the case with Shawn or Gilles this season. They seem to be well liked.

Given the fan bases and dancing quality, it is not (at least does not appear) a runaway like season 6. I agree, Kristi on season 5 with Mel and Jennie and competing against the Osmond fan base would have been interesting.

Abra, I rewatched Shawn and Lil Kim's v. waltzes. I did see Shawn did lack some rise and fall while Lil Kim did have it. But I did think Lil Kim's feet were bit far apart. That said, I loved both of their routines. Lovely and smooth.

Were Julianne and Lil Kim's dresses peach? I looked pink to me. Regardless, I thought the color looked good on them.

I hope DAG/Kym get their act together because he should be up there with top 5 IMO. Right now, Chuck, LT and Steve-O are all next in line to leave in whichever order.

I did not see Heather Mills in the audience. Glad I missed her.

Haven't had time to explore this but there is apparently such a thing as Buddha Board...


http://www.buddhaboard.com/bbmain__content.html#home

He certainly did, God love him. I can't blame him. I never did like her, and she certainly did very strange/unusual/obnoxious/creepy things her season. If I were Jonathan I'd have a restraining order out. I don't know who that was with him, but I bet you're right; it's probably his father.

I agree that the Paso music was awful tonight. I have always hated the song "Barracuda," and now I have one more reason to hate it. Ugh! Poor Ty, I could hear him thinking all the way here in Illinois. It seems like when he gets caught up in thinking about the technique, he just gets mechanical. Too bad. His technique was good, but so stiff! I threw my votes his way, he such a nice guy and I enjoy watching people improve. Hopefully it was just an off week.

DAG needs to lighten up. He looks so miffed with the judges and when he gets his scores. I appreciate that he wants to do better, but jeez.

Love Gilles. I enjoyed the bit at the martial arts studio with his son, reminded me of my hubby with the boys. I wish my hubby still looked like that with his shirt off. Yow!

I was kind of underwhelmed overall tonight (as a number of others have noted.) I am chalking it up to some appalling music. The band.... oy!

I agree that Chuck is improving, but I still can't stand him. They didn't have time to practice because they were in Vegas and he was gambling his money away? Cry me a river. I also found him particularly charmless when Samantha made the crack about their last dance move resembling a proposal, and asked if there was anything in the offing. She seems so adoring of him and he seems so distant from her, during practice, performance, and judging.