Dancing With The Stars: Double The Dances

The guys and gals on Dancing With The Stars really had their work cut out for them this week. Each couple had not one, but two, dances to learn this week: a ballroom dance and a Latin dance. With only three weeks left before the mirror ball trophy is awarded, the pressure of perfection is intense.

Marissa & Tony kicked the show off with en pointe tango that was very classy and cute. It was easily their best dance of the season and the judges thought so as well. They received triple nines for their dramatic tango. Their Latin dance was a rumba and I found it to be very boring. Tony's 70's outfit and the music they danced to didn't help matters either. The judges thought it was a beautiful sweet dance though Len did tell her there was not enough hip action and told them their routine was a bit too careful. They only received a 25 on their rumba bringing their total score of the night to a 52 out of 60.

Cristian & Cheryl's dance for the ballroom round was a Viennese waltz. Dancing to "I'll Make Love To You", I thought their routine was very nice and I loved Cheryl's drop at the end. Bruno told them the dance was a pleasure to watch but Len and Carrie Ann found it lacking. They received a 25 for their Viennese waltz. Their next dance was a samba and it began really well. However, halfway through Cristian grabbed his left forearm and began rubbing it while she kept on dancing. It only got worse from there. He tried to continue dancing but then missed her grab and then missed her hold at the end causing both of them to fall on the floor. When Tom asked him what was wrong, Cristian told him he believed he pulled a muscle in his arm. He looked to be in a lot of pain and Tom cut to commercial. After a long commercial break, Cristian was in front of the judges with an ice pack on his arm next to Cheryl. The judges thought he was brave for trying to continue on but had to score them based on what they saw. They received triple sevens and wound up with a 46 out of 60 on the night. Cristian then went to the hospital where we later learned from Tom he had a severe muscle cramp. Whew! So hopefully Cristian will be back next week.

Kristi & Mark's first dance was a Viennese Waltz that I found very lovely to watch. The judges didn't like their use of an umbrella as a prop though and it reflected in the scores they gave them. After only receiving a 26, they had to step it up in their cha-cha-cha and that they did. Dancing to an extremely upbeat hip-hop number, they wowed everybody. Well everybody except Len who isn't a fan of hip-hop. Carrie Ann and Bruno gave them tens and Len only gave them an eight. They ended the night with a 54 out of 60.

Mario & Karina began their night with an entertaining foxtrot that the judges found lacking in elegance. They only gave them triple eights for this number. But what Mario lacked in the foxtrot, he more than made up for it in his mambo. Their mambo was one of my favorite dances of the night and let me tell ya, Mario was one hip-shakin' fool in this number. The judges loved it too and awarded them triple nines this time around. They were happy to finish the night with a combined score of 51.

Shannon & Derek chose a tango to begin with and it was awesome. It was dark and angry and even though she missed taking his hat off at the end, I loved it. The judges thought it was their best dance yet and gave them triple nines. Their mambo didn't fare so well though. I agreed with the judges that she was just a little gangly and awkward in some of her movements. It's as though she's afraid to bend too much at the waist when needed. Her prosthetic tush wasn't enough to help her and they were awarded triple eights for a final score of 51.

Jason & Edyta began their evening with a quickstep that was jaw-dropping. The music was great, their footwork was fabulous, and their energy was through the roof. They were awarded with a 29 for that great routine. They closed out the show with a paso doble set to the Monday Night Football theme. Him with the grease marks under his eyes and her wearing the Miami Dolphins colors -- it wound up being a hit with me. The judges didn't really quite know what to think because it was a bit "different". They still wound up giving them pretty good scores though for a total of 26. A combined score of 55 for the night and I'd say they had a really great evening.

Tune in this evening for a performance by Def Leppard and for the first Dance Center segment of the season from Kenny Mayne and Jerry Rice. Also, one more star will be plucked from the sky. Who do you think it will be?