Dancing With the Stars Semi-Final Results: Hope Floats

After a day fighting off the effects of food poisoning, I gathered my wits and strength long enough to catch last night's performance show.

The stars of the show last night were Ricki and Derek, with Rob and Cheryl close behind.  J.R. and Karina ended up in third and Hope and Maks were left in the dust.

One couple will be eliminated tonight and be left out of the finals.  Based on past elimination shows and their below average performance, Hope and Maks seem to be a pretty safe bet to go home.

Let's see who makes the finals and some Muppets tonight.

The encore dance is Ron and Cheryl with their "I Go To Rio" routine.  

A result is coming up with Rob and Cheryl finding out if they will be making the finals.  They will be coming back. 

Next, a performance by Cobra Starship.  Some great dancing by Kym, Tristian and others.  

Up next, Maks and Hope find out where they stand.  I think the judges again were a little harsh on this pair.  They will be in jeopardy and will find out their fate.

After a little segment with Carson Kressley on the DWTS wardrobe department, we finally get to see Derek and Anna in the Design-A-Dance routine.

Next, our uplifting story featuring Kenny Wormald, who stars in the current movie "Footloose."  He talks about how difficult it is to be a male dancer.  They set out to prove that dance is a manly sport.  These kids did a great job with the pro dancers.

The Muppets make their appearance on DWTS to promote their new movie.  Great to have Stadler and Waldorf as the judges.  

More results with Ricki and Derek and J.R. and Karina.  J.R. fought through his ankle injury and they go into jeopardy.  Rick and Derek head to the finals. 

That leaves us with either Hope and maks or J.R. and Karina exiting tonight. 

The couple heading to the finals along with Ricki and Derek and Rob and Cheryl is J.R. and Karina.  No surprise.

Finals next week.

Dancing With the Stars: Instant Dance Night is an Instant Classic

We are down to five couples and that means they now will be tested with two dances each show.

Following their regular dance,the couple will be subjected to the dreaded "instant dance."

Here's where a little luck is involved as the pros have to quickly come up with a dance "on the fly" that can be learned in a matter of minutes then danced in front of millions of people.

Here we go.

The five couples are looking serious tonight, they know they need to be on their game.  Leading off tonight is Rob Kardashian and Cheryl.  They get a quickstep.  Rob's goal this week is to fix the little things in his routine.  A fast and well choreographed quickstep.  The judges liked it and Rob gets a 27.  Their next dance will be an instant jive, they pick the music on the spot and get Hall and Oates, "Maneater."

Next is Ricki and Derek.  As the competition goes on, Derek usually does his best choreography.  This week they draw a waltz.  It was beautiful and well done.  Bruno loves her artistic detail and the way she executes her dances.  She gets a 28, including a 10 from Bruno.  Their instant jive song is A Wilson Pickett song.

Hope and Maks are on next.  They too, get a quickstep.  Their goal this week is to enjoy learning the dances.  To me, it was fun, it was flirty and typical of the other dances they have done.  The judges liked it and the pair gets a 27.  Their music for their instant jive is an Avril Lavigne song.

Nancy Grace and Tristian and up now.  Nancy was close to going home last week so she doesn't have much room for error.  They get a tango this week.  I thought her dance was a bit slow and boring.  Len liked it, Bruno liked it, but Carrie Ann didn't like her footwork.  Nancy gets a 24, and her instant dance number is "Upside Down."

J.R. will be the final dancer in round 1 with a waltz.  J.R. has a difficult time last week and he needs a big week.  J.R. wants a perfect 30 in this competition.  A nice waltz that the judges thought he put his heart into.  J.R. gets a perfect 30, the first of the season.  They will dance to Little Richard, coming up.

Here's Rob and Cheryl with their instant jive.  Not bad for an instant dance.  They didn't keep up with the music very much, but no major mistakes.  He gets three 8's for a 24. 

Now we get Hope and Maks with their instant dance.  The last jive Hope did wasn't her best, so she's looking for redemption.  It was fast paced and a difficult routine.  The judges thought it was improvement from her last jive.  Len loved it and he even got a kiss from Maks and they get a 25.

On next is Ricki and Derek.  It was sharp and very nicely done.  You wouldn't have known it was an instant dance.   They judges thought she did very well.  Ricki gets a 24 out of 30.

The second from the last couple tonight is Nancy and Tristian.  Nancy is worried she will "instantly mess up" in the instant dance.  She looked uncomfortable and disoriented in the jive.  She ended the routine with a cartwheel, but it may not be enough.  The judges think this may be the end for Nancy.  She gets a 20.

J.R. is the final dance of the night.  A great instant dance and a great ovation from the crowd.  J.R. gets a 30 again.

Tomorrow night we have Dance Center and Flo-Rida.

Dancing With the Stars: Halloween Treats on the Dance Floor

We are really getting down to the nitty gritty now as the calendar is ready to turn to November.  That can only mean one thing for DWTS, it's time to celebrate Halloween.

We'll see what costumes the stars and pros don this week.  This week also marks the return of the team dance.  With six couples remaining, there will be two teams competing for points.

Pay special attention to Hope and Maks tonight as everyone will be watching to see how they react to the comments they received last week.  Maks was upset and I expect he will go all out tonight.

The studio is decked out like a haunted house and we are ready to get going.

Leading off tonight will be David Arquette and Kym Johnson.  They look to rebound from their quickstep last week with a cha cha.  David predicted this routine would be fun.  Good to hear some Steve Miller Band and good to see a lively dance.  Some good moves and a couple of surprises gives David a 24.  A good start to Halloween.

A little Ghostbusting next with J.R. and Karina.  They work hard on their tango throughout the week.  J.R. is the Ghostbuster and Karina is of course, the ghost.  Another solid performance by J.R.  He had a little timing issue, but it was still a fun routine.  J.R. gets a 25 out of 30.

Nancy Grace is next with Tristian.  They get a jive this week to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."  It started out bad for Nancy as she missed the first few moves.  It didn't get much better in my opinion as she was out of sync.  She gets a 21.

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl are up next with a routine to "The Adams Family."  Cheryl is working Rob hard and his body is getting sore.  They are hoping for 10's this week.  Rob was a bit stiff at the beginning, but they were in sync and played their characters well.  A good job by Rob, he gets a 25.

On to Ricki Lake and Derek.  Ricki is battling some nagging injuries at this stage of the competition.  Very showy and very dramatic.  A nice paso that the crowd loved.  The judges also liked it and Ricki gets a 27.

Everybody is waiting for Hope and Maks dance.  "Warren Zevon's "Warewolves of London" is the song and the samba is the dance.  Maks had an injured toe during rehearsals so Teddy from the troupe came in to help out.  It wasn't great, but it wasn't awful either.  The judges liked it better than I did and she gets a 24.

On to the the team dances.  It's team Tango up first.  This will be J.R., David and Nancy.  A well choreographed tango.  Wow, it was a long dance with each team getting to show some skills.  Lots of moves and it was pretty clean.  Len thought it could've been better and they get a 23 as a group.

Team Paso is up next. This team is made up of Ricki, Rob and Hope.  A lot of tension during the practice for this group dance.  Derek and Maks took the lead in getting this team ready.  It was dark and a little scary.  Good solo dances and a strong finish by Derek and Ricki. The judges loved it and they get a 26.

Nancy Grace may be in trouble tomorrow.

I hate to say it, but Justin Bieber tomorrow night.

Dancing With the Stars Broadway Week Lives Up to the Hype

After a week reminiscing about the music of the 80's, it's off to Broadway for a week of show tunes.

It's about the half-way point of season 13 and the competition is up for grabs.

Who does Broadway Week give an edge to?  Well, Ricki Lake for one as she was in "Hairspray" on Broadway.  J.R. should have another good week, and look out for Nancy Grace and David Arquette coming down the stretch.

Now, tonight's performances.

An opening number with the cast of "Sister Act", now playing on Broadway.  How about that, a bunch of nuns on the dance floor.  I haven't seen that many nuns in one place since I was back in Catholic school.

First up tonight will be Rob Kardashian and Cheryl.  Rob was very good last week, let's see how that translates to Broadway.  He'll be dancing to a "Jersey Boys" number this time around.  Rob's timing was a little off at the beginning.  Len thought it wasn't as crisp as it needed to be for a cha cha.  Rob gets a 22 out of 30.

Nancy Grace and Tristan are next.  They get a song from "Spamalot."  Monty Python and a foxtrot?  Tristan is upping the level of difficulty for their routine this week.  Nancy kept up pretty well with Tristan.  A nice tribute to Monty Python.  Nancy gets a 24. 

Next up is David Arquette and Kym Johnson doing "Grease".  Kym is a dead ringer for Olivia Newton John.  High energy and a good effort from David.  Len thought it was fun, but a little rough around the edges.  David gets a 22.

Here's Ricki Lake and Derek, trying to rebound from last week's disappointment.  They get a "Guys and Dolls" number.  A real nice and clean effort from this duo.  I liked it, the crowd liked it, and the judges loved it.  Carrie Ann thought Ricki deserved a Tony Award for that performance.  They get a 29.

I never put Chaz Bono and "Phantom of the Opera" in the same realm, but here it is.  Chaz wants to keep improving, but this might be too tough for him.  Lacey wants Chaz to up his game.  Chaz was very dramatic, but maybe a little stiff and choppy.  They get a 19.

Hope Solo looks to rebound again with Maks.  They dance to "Rent."  Hope and Maks are both looking for perfection.  They do a nice rumba.  Good choreography and keep tight with the theme of the musical.  Carrie Ann thought it was sexy but thinks she forces the moves at times.  Len was disappointed with the dance, Maks shot back at Len, saying maybe he should get out of the business.  Bruno thought it could've gone a bit better.  Hope gets a 20.

I'm always looking forward to seeing J.R. Martinez dance.  J.R. and Karina have a quickstep this week.  Karina has cooked up an ambitious routine this week.  J.R. was great, flips, kicks and keeping up with Karina.  Carrie Ann awards another Tony for this great routine.  J.R. gets a 29.

A performance by Kristin Chenowith gives us a taste what's coming tomorrow night.  

Tonight we have the famous group dance.  Carson Kressley was brought back to help with the routine.    This group dance is Broadway, all the way!

This dance was set up like a real musical.  Some flips and good lifts, but not from Chaz.  Lots of energy and real entertaining.  

More Broadway and the results show tomorrow night.

Dancing With the Stars: Songs of the 1980's and Some Big Hair

Tonight we pay homage to the great songs of the 1980's.  

It's the 5th week of competition so we should see one or two of the couples who should make the finals start to separate themselves from the pack.  I don't think that will be the team of Chaz and Lacey, but they have made it this far.

Let's go back to the 80's.

The Bangles started off the show with one of their hits, "Eternal Flame."  After they broke in to "Walk Like an Egyptian" you knew it was 80's Night.  A lot of big hair, spandex and parachute pants to come.

Hope and Maks are first up tonight.  They did a good foxtrot last week.  this weeks it's on to the tango.  Another good dance.  Lot's of action and entertainment value.  Len thought Hope was too flat, but Bruno thought she resembled an 80's Super Bitch.  She was strong and powerful, but needs a little refining.  Hope gets a 24.

Carson and Anna are up next with a Wham! song.  Carson donned leg warmers for rehearsals, and a track suit for the performance, that turned into a cheerleader outfit, compete with pom poms.  It may be the strangest dance I've ever seen on DWTS.  I don't know what to say about this.  Bruno called it a "Crowning achievement in madness."  Carson gets a 19 and a lot of smiles.

Nancy and Tristan next on stage.  It's wouldn't be the 80's without Spandau Ballet.  Nancy has a lot of work to do this week and Tristan wants her to listen better.  Remember, Nancy is a lawyer, so good luck with that.  Not a difficult dance, it was ok to me.  The judges thought it was ok as well.  Nancy gets a 22 out of 30.

After another Bangles song we get J.R. and Karina.  J.R. has been the best dancer on the show so far, but the judges still want to see more.  They get a samba and J.R. is looking forward to it.  A lot going on here as J.R. unleashed his Latin roots.  With the best ovation of the night, J.R. gets a 28 and vaults to the top! 

Rob and Cheryl are next on.  Rob is working harder to be a contender, not a pretender.  He has to do a rumba and Cheryl wants him to take the lead.  Rob did well, he continues to improve each week.  Rob played the leading man very well.  He gets a 25.

Chaz and Lacey are again looking to improve.  He's been getting a lot of fan votes, but he wants to prove his worth on the dance floor.  Lacey even brought her dad out this week to help Chaz.  It's the best I've seen Chaz move.  Len liked the effort, even thought the technique was a bit lacking.  Chaz gets a 21.

David Arquette and Kym are on next.  They get to do a tango to "Tainted Love."  A good tango with lots of moves and a good level of difficulty.  It did have a good 80's feel.  The judges liked it and David gets a 25 for his highest score.

Ricki and Derek will be last to go tonight.  Ricki earned some 10's last week, can she duplicate that this week?  Ricki knows the 80's and wants to turn it up a notch.  Another nice effort from Ricki and Derek.  it earns them a 24.

Results show tomorrow with Kelly Clarkson and The Band Perry.  Tune in!