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September 23, 2008

'Dancing with the Stars': Low scores all around

Unlike millions and millions of Americans, I'm not a huge Dancing with the Stars fan. In fact, I'm not a fan at all (unlike my dad). I've only watched a few minutes here and there. I can't believe another season is on air so soon after Kristi Yamaguchi won her title. And it's on three times this week! I work while some of the dancing will be on, so I can't recount every episode. But I will try to keep the blog updated with what's happening. Maybe the show will grow on me.

Here's a quick recap of last night's dancing, along with what judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli thought about it.

Hannah Montana actor Cody Linley and Julianne Hough dance the cha cha cha. They're the youngest team ever on the show. I think it's pretty good (lots of energy), but there are a few awkward moments and Cody has a weird smile on his face for most of the dance. Their score: 18.

Chef Rocco DiSpiritio and Karina Smirnoff dance the foxtrot. Karina is dancing with a sprain. It's so-so. His feet seemed to be a bit of a mess. Bruno says it was a foxtrot on the brink of chaos. Score: 14.

Singer Toni Braxton and Alec Mazo (Season 1 champ) dance the cha cha cha. (Toni has microvascular angina, by the way. It's a type of heart disease.) She looks great. She is much improved from the practice clips, and the judges agree. They think it's awesome for a Week 1 performance. Score: 22.

Olympic sprinter Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke dance the foxtrot. It's a somewhat stiff foxtrot. I'm not too jazzed up about it, and neither are the judges. They say Maurice obviously likes to dance but needs to pay more attention to the style asked of him. Score: 18.

Model and TV host Brooke Burke (ohhhh ... so THAT'S what she is! I never knew!) and Derek Hough dance the mambo. Brooke looks like she's holding back a bit; it seems a bit slow. But it's decent. The judges disagree with me. Score: 23.

Actor Ted McGinley (from Married with Children) and Inna Brayer (who's new to the show) dance the foxtrot. I thought it was pretty well done, but he did look nervous. The timing was off a tad. Bruno says that at moments Ted was elegant like Cary Grant, then he turned into Steve Carell from Get Smart. Score: 18.

Lance Bass of N*SYNC and punky Lacey Schwimmer, who's new to the show, dance the cha cha cha. Lance says he was the worst dancer in his his boy band, but I don't see it. He is awesome. (Clearly, he is going to have an advantage on this show, don't you think?) Bruno says it was edgy and that it was a "cha cha cha for now." But Len is a traditionalist and can't jump on the Bass bandwagon. Score: 22.

Actress Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas dance the foxtrot. She's the oldest contestant on the show; she's 82! Nothing draws me into the dance. I'm bored. But she's 82! Bruno makes a reference to "Battleship Geriatrica." Cloris is a hoot during the judging. The judges say they admire what she's done, but they give her a low score: 16.

Stand-up comedian Jeffrey Ross and Edyta Sliwinska dance the cha cha cha. (Jeffrey is injured.) Jeffrey tries to butter up Carrie Ann before he dances, and I can see why. He's not really ... moving on the dance floor. His feet are something awful. "Well, the flirting was good," Carrie says. Score: 12. (Jeffrey cheers all the three 4s.)

Kim Kardashian (first made famous for being a BFF of Paris Hilton and having an inappropriate tape) and Mark Ballas (the reigning DWTS champ) dance the foxtrot. The Pink Panther routine idea is cute, but it doesn't look like Kim is very into it. Len agrees: It was a bit cold. Bruno says Kim's a "treasure trove" and she needs to make it "more available." Umm, OK. Score: 19.

Daytime soap star Susan Lucci and Tony Dovolani dance the cha cha cha. (Side note: She is TINY!) It was a careful cha cha cha, and her feet look a bit hesitant. Bruno says basically that. Carrie Ann tells her to put some weight on! Dancing is a sport after all, you need some muscle to move. Score: 15.

Misty May-Treanor, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball, dances with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Their foxtrot is intense and cute, but there's a bit of stumbling. Carrie Ann tells her to not "muscle" everything; Len disagrees. He liked her strong movements. Score: 21

Superbowl champ Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson dance the cha cha cha. It's my favorite performance of the night. Perhaps Warren's not the most technical dancer yet, but he's actually light on his feet. He really performs for the crowd. It's full of energy. The judges are happy. Score: 21

See one couple eliminated tonight, then watch the rest dance again. Another couple will be eliminated Wednesday.

 

 

Posted by Carla Correa at 12:54 PM | | Comments (4)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

Comments

Corky Ballas, Mark's father, does the same exaggerated thing with his face when he dances. Who knew there was a gene for that?

My favorites so far are Toni Braxton and Lance Bass. Jeffrey Ross should be the first one eliminated unless his sequined eye-patch wins him the eye-patch demographic.

Carla wrote: Maybe the show will grow on me.

It won't.

Now, Bucky, cut that out. I don't pour cold water on YOUR favorite reality show!

Dahlink - I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pour any cold water. Certainly not on you.

Here's my experience: everyone I know who likes Dancing, was enthusiastic about it from the very first time they saw it. They watched it once and were hooked.

Nobody, in my circle of acquaintances anyway, watched it a few times and became a big fan.

My point was that if Carla didn't like it from the get-go, it probably wouldn't "grow" on her.

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About Sarah Kelber
Sarah Kickler Kelber, an editor in the features department since 1999, got sucked into reality TV with the first episode of MTV's The Real World in 1992. Then came Survivor and American Idol, and suddenly, the genre was everywhere. She started blogging about it for The Baltimore Sun in January 2006 and has logged more hours watching and writing about such shows as Dancing With the Stars, Big Brother and, of course, Idol, than she'd like to admit.
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