Dancing With the Stars - Aired Sept. 12 - Partial Recap
It's time to class this joint up, and what better way than some top notch ballroom dancing? Well, I'm not sure yet that's what we're going to get, but how about teaming up a bunch of celebrities with some top notch ballroom dancers? Nothing can go wrong there, as we have learned from two previous seasons of Dancing With the Stars. You may hear the words "debacle" and "Master P" thrown around, but that never happened last season and you will never be able to convince me it did. Sure, parts of my memory of DWtS2 are blank, but I attribute that to my diet of excessive alcohol and Mentos.
The first big news of the season is that co-host Samantha Harris is back to help make Tom Bergeron look good. Samantha wasn't with the show in season one so it's nice that they kept her around this time for some more flub-filled fun.
She and Tom start off the show by introducing the pairs, but we'll name them as they perform. I just want to note that of course Tucker Carlson is wearing a bowtie. What was that term Jon Stewart used to describe him? Oh yeah. Dick. Oh, I'm sure there were other reasons he had for calling Carlson a dick, but reallyl, just a young man wearing a bowtie is reason enough. But enough with Carlson's dickitudinousness.
The judges haven't been introduced yet, but it's nice to see the usual crew of Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli. We're also informed that the female stars will be dancing the fox trot, and the male stars the cha-cha.
Joey Lawrence - Joey Lawrence with the shaven head? Whoa! (Ha! A Blossom reference!) I've heard that he prefers "Joe" Lawrence these days, but screw that. Same to you, "Rick"(y) Schroeder. If Dusty Hoffman and Robby DeNiro can live with it, so can you. His professional partner is Edyta Sliwinska, and let me tell you, I've never been more happy to see someone's name in the graphics.
Another site has Joey as their official choice to win the championship, damn their eyes. Not here though. The official pick for Realivision is Jerry Springer, due in no large part to the fact that his winning would piss off Tom DeLay. What better reason than that?
Anyway, Joey can dance pretty well. This particular routine didn't blow me away, but it showed that he has a lot to work with. Curses!
The judges all liked what they saw, with some minor critiques on what he should work on.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 7
Len - 7
Bruno - 7
Total - 21
Not spectacular by any means, but it gives room for better scores as he improves, and frankly, it was a fair score for the dance.
Sara Evans - Screw you, Tom DeLay, I will not vote for her! Unless... Aaargh! Me and my damned "morals". I've always argued that viewers should always vote for who they think is the best dancer. So other than Jerry Springer, who we should vote for regardless, if this country singer is the best tonight, then (sigh) vote for her.
Her partner for the tournament is Tony Dovolani.
The dance was pretty. Again, it's still early but she did pretty well.
Ha! Carrie Ann Inaba said she looked "very conservative" out there! Sorry, because of the whole Tom DeLay thing, that just tickled me pink. It wasn't what she was talking about, but it amused me never-the-less. All the judges thought there was a lot of room for improvement with Sara.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 5
Len - 5
Bruno - 5
Total - 15
Despite the booing from the audience, this score was again quite fair.
Tucker "Dick" Carlson - I'll make you a deal, Carlson. You stop with the bowties, I'll stop bringing up "dick". His partner is new to the show, one Miss Elena Grinenko.
The first thing he did in the routine is ditch the tie. Uhhhh... That makes me feel bad now, because I have to be honest here. He was pretty bad. It didn't help that he spent half the dance sitting on a chair. Judges, you agree? Oh, they agree.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 5 (Really? You thought he was as good as Sara Evans?)
Len - 4
Bruno - 3
Total - 12
It really was pretty awful. Tucker Carlson is not a natural dancer. But at least of the lot so far he seemed to have been having the most fun.
Monique Coleman - As with every celebrity reality show, there are going to be people I've never heard of, and this young woman just happens to be one of them. She was apparently in something called High School Musical, but I've never seen it. However, her partner is the great Louis van Amstel! He's kept the shorter hair he got last season with Lisa Rinna, which is a shame because I enjoyed his ponytail. Oh well.
Very nice. Not a runaway favourite, but well executed. I've been watching enough of these now that I'm actually starting to see where technique lacks.
As usual at this point, the judges want to see more.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 6
Len - 6
Bruno - 7
Total - 19
So far that puts them in second place, and (copy and paste from previous comments) is a fair score.
Emmitt Smith - Oh, a football player. The athletes so far in the run of this show have been far from spectacular, with whatshisname from last year only making the final two on popularity alone (Stacy Keebler was robbed, which is one of my arguments in my ongoing stance against viewer voting). His partner is Cheryl Burke, who is the reigning champion from the professional dancers' side of the partnerships. However, if a football player is as good a dancer as Drew Lachey, her partner last year, I will be quite surprised.
Can I eat my words a little bit here? He's still no Drew Lachey, and he needs a lot of work, but this was the best first dance I've seen from any of the athletes who have ever competed on this show. I was wondering if the judges agree, and sure enough, they loved him.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 8
Len - 8
Bruno - 8
Total - 24
Wow! That high? He was good, but all 8s? I could see two 7s and an 8, but wow. The important thing now is to see how much of this is him exceeding expectations, and can he keep it up as the other stars grow?
Willa Ford - A pop singer, someone else I've never heard of. However, I have heard of her sexy partner, Maksim Chmerkovsky. Yes, I've heard of him last year. And I watched him last year. And he never returned my calls last year. And I lived in his backyard last year until he got the restraining order. He's handsome.
I liked this one! It didn't get the cheers Emmitt Smith's dance got, but so far it's my favourite of the night. Other than one comment by Len about footwork, the judges were all positive.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 7
Len - 7
Bruno - 8
Total - 22
Booooooooo! That was at least as good as Smith's! Show them next week, Willa. Grrrr.
Mario Lopez - I'd rather see Screech from Saved by the Bell, but Mario will do. And he'll probably do better, as he has dance experience of sorts, but damn, why couldn't Screech be on? That would be awesome! Anyway, Mario's partner is Karina Smirnoff, who, I believe, is new to the show.
It's funny how the dance of the night changes as the night goes on. I think we've just found the team to beat for the season. Damn, this was good. The judges loved it too, particularly Bruno who asked if Mario has extra batteries in his pants. Carrie Ann Inaba agrees that they are the couple to beat.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 9
Len - 8
Bruno - 9
Total - 26
Damned right!
Shanna Moakler - A third celeb I've never heard of, this one being a former Miss USA from 1992, and she was on a reality show I never watched. With my experience in Treasure Hunters become a fan of Team Miss USA, you'd think I'd be cheering for her right off the bad. No, because I like to mess with your expectations! You think I'll be cheering for someone in particular, but no! You think I'll be funny in my recaps, but no! Her partner is the first new male professional dancer added this season, Jesse DeSoto.
Very nice job, not breath-taking though. The judges do see room for improvement as well, though Len was quite disappointed.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 7
Len - 5
Bruno - 6
Total - 18
The greatest disparity in scores this evening since Tucker Carlson, but at least hers were higher and deservedly so. But with the viewers voting too, will it be enough to keep her in the game?
Harry Hamlin - The husband of one of the darlings of last season, Lisa Rinna. We saw him in the audience each week, now we get to see him try his hand at dancing. His partner is arguably one of the more popular of the professionals, Ashly DelGrosso. You know, the poor woman saddled with Master P last year? She's already happy that she has someone whose heart is into the whole thing this time around.
He's quite stiff, so he definitely needs to relax, but you can tell he worked at it and there is potential for improvement. The judges agree that he needs to loosen up.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 5
Len - 6
Bruno - 6
Total - 17
Not the worst, but quite reasonable for what we got.
Is it over yet? Yeesh, they have a lot of celebrities this season.
Vivica A. Fox - Remember after Independance Day when her career seemed to be on a rocketship to the stars? Yeah, so do I. She wants to show women over 40 that they can be sexy... Over 40? An actress in Hollywood? Ah. So that's what happened to her career. That sucks, and it's really not fair when actors over 40 are still considered sexy and bankable. But this is all ground that's been covered elsewhere.
Her partner is Nick Kosovich, who for some reason reminds me of a cross between Wayne Newton and Robert Goulet.
Maybe I'm spoiled by So You Think You Can Dance, or by Drew vs. Stacy last season. This was the most energetic of the fox trots, but like much of what we've seen so far has just been okay. I can't wait until later in the season when we start getting the really great performances.
The judges really liked it, even though Carrie Ann Inaba thought her technique needs some work.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 6
Len - 8
Bruno - 8
Total - 22
Quite a nice, solid score to start out with.
Jerry Springer! - JERRY! JERRY! JERRY! JERRY! What? You're cheering against him? Oh no you didn't say that! Talk to the hand! Okay, it's on, beyotch! If anyone can make this show break out in fisticuffs, it's this guy. Maybe now we'll finally find out the truth about what goes on in the judges' chambers.
His partner is Kym Johnson, who is new to the American version of the show but is a former Australian Dancing With the Stars champion.
Every older male star who appears on this show has a lot to live up to with the incredible performances of John O'Hurley in season one. Jerry tended to live up more to George Hamilton from season two. He was certainly entertaining, but hopefully he'll improve once he gets over his nerves.
The judges got into an arguement over who loved whom the most, then got in a fight. Once security broke them up, they confessed that they too were entertained.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 5
Len - 5
Bruno - 6
Total - 16
Criticize Jerry all you want, but he comes across here as funny, self-effacing, and very sweet. Just forget that he once paid for a prostitute with a cheque and vote for him, damn it.
Gosh darn it, it's nice to have this show back. So who's going home first? Mario Lopez should be safe, what with the highest score of the night. Will Tucker Carlson, who scored just 12, be the first to leave or will the fans decide to keep him around and see if he'll be back with another bowtie next week? What do you think, any favourites yet?
The first big news of the season is that co-host Samantha Harris is back to help make Tom Bergeron look good. Samantha wasn't with the show in season one so it's nice that they kept her around this time for some more flub-filled fun.
She and Tom start off the show by introducing the pairs, but we'll name them as they perform. I just want to note that of course Tucker Carlson is wearing a bowtie. What was that term Jon Stewart used to describe him? Oh yeah. Dick. Oh, I'm sure there were other reasons he had for calling Carlson a dick, but reallyl, just a young man wearing a bowtie is reason enough. But enough with Carlson's dickitudinousness.
The judges haven't been introduced yet, but it's nice to see the usual crew of Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli. We're also informed that the female stars will be dancing the fox trot, and the male stars the cha-cha.
Joey Lawrence - Joey Lawrence with the shaven head? Whoa! (Ha! A Blossom reference!) I've heard that he prefers "Joe" Lawrence these days, but screw that. Same to you, "Rick"(y) Schroeder. If Dusty Hoffman and Robby DeNiro can live with it, so can you. His professional partner is Edyta Sliwinska, and let me tell you, I've never been more happy to see someone's name in the graphics.
Another site has Joey as their official choice to win the championship, damn their eyes. Not here though. The official pick for Realivision is Jerry Springer, due in no large part to the fact that his winning would piss off Tom DeLay. What better reason than that?
Anyway, Joey can dance pretty well. This particular routine didn't blow me away, but it showed that he has a lot to work with. Curses!
The judges all liked what they saw, with some minor critiques on what he should work on.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 7
Len - 7
Bruno - 7
Total - 21
Not spectacular by any means, but it gives room for better scores as he improves, and frankly, it was a fair score for the dance.
Sara Evans - Screw you, Tom DeLay, I will not vote for her! Unless... Aaargh! Me and my damned "morals". I've always argued that viewers should always vote for who they think is the best dancer. So other than Jerry Springer, who we should vote for regardless, if this country singer is the best tonight, then (sigh) vote for her.
Her partner for the tournament is Tony Dovolani.
The dance was pretty. Again, it's still early but she did pretty well.
Ha! Carrie Ann Inaba said she looked "very conservative" out there! Sorry, because of the whole Tom DeLay thing, that just tickled me pink. It wasn't what she was talking about, but it amused me never-the-less. All the judges thought there was a lot of room for improvement with Sara.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 5
Len - 5
Bruno - 5
Total - 15
Despite the booing from the audience, this score was again quite fair.
Tucker "Dick" Carlson - I'll make you a deal, Carlson. You stop with the bowties, I'll stop bringing up "dick". His partner is new to the show, one Miss Elena Grinenko.
The first thing he did in the routine is ditch the tie. Uhhhh... That makes me feel bad now, because I have to be honest here. He was pretty bad. It didn't help that he spent half the dance sitting on a chair. Judges, you agree? Oh, they agree.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 5 (Really? You thought he was as good as Sara Evans?)
Len - 4
Bruno - 3
Total - 12
It really was pretty awful. Tucker Carlson is not a natural dancer. But at least of the lot so far he seemed to have been having the most fun.
Monique Coleman - As with every celebrity reality show, there are going to be people I've never heard of, and this young woman just happens to be one of them. She was apparently in something called High School Musical, but I've never seen it. However, her partner is the great Louis van Amstel! He's kept the shorter hair he got last season with Lisa Rinna, which is a shame because I enjoyed his ponytail. Oh well.
Very nice. Not a runaway favourite, but well executed. I've been watching enough of these now that I'm actually starting to see where technique lacks.
As usual at this point, the judges want to see more.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 6
Len - 6
Bruno - 7
Total - 19
So far that puts them in second place, and (copy and paste from previous comments) is a fair score.
Emmitt Smith - Oh, a football player. The athletes so far in the run of this show have been far from spectacular, with whatshisname from last year only making the final two on popularity alone (Stacy Keebler was robbed, which is one of my arguments in my ongoing stance against viewer voting). His partner is Cheryl Burke, who is the reigning champion from the professional dancers' side of the partnerships. However, if a football player is as good a dancer as Drew Lachey, her partner last year, I will be quite surprised.
Can I eat my words a little bit here? He's still no Drew Lachey, and he needs a lot of work, but this was the best first dance I've seen from any of the athletes who have ever competed on this show. I was wondering if the judges agree, and sure enough, they loved him.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 8
Len - 8
Bruno - 8
Total - 24
Wow! That high? He was good, but all 8s? I could see two 7s and an 8, but wow. The important thing now is to see how much of this is him exceeding expectations, and can he keep it up as the other stars grow?
Willa Ford - A pop singer, someone else I've never heard of. However, I have heard of her sexy partner, Maksim Chmerkovsky. Yes, I've heard of him last year. And I watched him last year. And he never returned my calls last year. And I lived in his backyard last year until he got the restraining order. He's handsome.
I liked this one! It didn't get the cheers Emmitt Smith's dance got, but so far it's my favourite of the night. Other than one comment by Len about footwork, the judges were all positive.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 7
Len - 7
Bruno - 8
Total - 22
Booooooooo! That was at least as good as Smith's! Show them next week, Willa. Grrrr.
Mario Lopez - I'd rather see Screech from Saved by the Bell, but Mario will do. And he'll probably do better, as he has dance experience of sorts, but damn, why couldn't Screech be on? That would be awesome! Anyway, Mario's partner is Karina Smirnoff, who, I believe, is new to the show.
It's funny how the dance of the night changes as the night goes on. I think we've just found the team to beat for the season. Damn, this was good. The judges loved it too, particularly Bruno who asked if Mario has extra batteries in his pants. Carrie Ann Inaba agrees that they are the couple to beat.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 9
Len - 8
Bruno - 9
Total - 26
Damned right!
Shanna Moakler - A third celeb I've never heard of, this one being a former Miss USA from 1992, and she was on a reality show I never watched. With my experience in Treasure Hunters become a fan of Team Miss USA, you'd think I'd be cheering for her right off the bad. No, because I like to mess with your expectations! You think I'll be cheering for someone in particular, but no! You think I'll be funny in my recaps, but no! Her partner is the first new male professional dancer added this season, Jesse DeSoto.
Very nice job, not breath-taking though. The judges do see room for improvement as well, though Len was quite disappointed.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 7
Len - 5
Bruno - 6
Total - 18
The greatest disparity in scores this evening since Tucker Carlson, but at least hers were higher and deservedly so. But with the viewers voting too, will it be enough to keep her in the game?
Harry Hamlin - The husband of one of the darlings of last season, Lisa Rinna. We saw him in the audience each week, now we get to see him try his hand at dancing. His partner is arguably one of the more popular of the professionals, Ashly DelGrosso. You know, the poor woman saddled with Master P last year? She's already happy that she has someone whose heart is into the whole thing this time around.
He's quite stiff, so he definitely needs to relax, but you can tell he worked at it and there is potential for improvement. The judges agree that he needs to loosen up.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 5
Len - 6
Bruno - 6
Total - 17
Not the worst, but quite reasonable for what we got.
Is it over yet? Yeesh, they have a lot of celebrities this season.
Vivica A. Fox - Remember after Independance Day when her career seemed to be on a rocketship to the stars? Yeah, so do I. She wants to show women over 40 that they can be sexy... Over 40? An actress in Hollywood? Ah. So that's what happened to her career. That sucks, and it's really not fair when actors over 40 are still considered sexy and bankable. But this is all ground that's been covered elsewhere.
Her partner is Nick Kosovich, who for some reason reminds me of a cross between Wayne Newton and Robert Goulet.
Maybe I'm spoiled by So You Think You Can Dance, or by Drew vs. Stacy last season. This was the most energetic of the fox trots, but like much of what we've seen so far has just been okay. I can't wait until later in the season when we start getting the really great performances.
The judges really liked it, even though Carrie Ann Inaba thought her technique needs some work.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 6
Len - 8
Bruno - 8
Total - 22
Quite a nice, solid score to start out with.
Jerry Springer! - JERRY! JERRY! JERRY! JERRY! What? You're cheering against him? Oh no you didn't say that! Talk to the hand! Okay, it's on, beyotch! If anyone can make this show break out in fisticuffs, it's this guy. Maybe now we'll finally find out the truth about what goes on in the judges' chambers.
His partner is Kym Johnson, who is new to the American version of the show but is a former Australian Dancing With the Stars champion.
Every older male star who appears on this show has a lot to live up to with the incredible performances of John O'Hurley in season one. Jerry tended to live up more to George Hamilton from season two. He was certainly entertaining, but hopefully he'll improve once he gets over his nerves.
The judges got into an arguement over who loved whom the most, then got in a fight. Once security broke them up, they confessed that they too were entertained.
The scores...
Carrie Ann - 5
Len - 5
Bruno - 6
Total - 16
Criticize Jerry all you want, but he comes across here as funny, self-effacing, and very sweet. Just forget that he once paid for a prostitute with a cheque and vote for him, damn it.
Gosh darn it, it's nice to have this show back. So who's going home first? Mario Lopez should be safe, what with the highest score of the night. Will Tucker Carlson, who scored just 12, be the first to leave or will the fans decide to keep him around and see if he'll be back with another bowtie next week? What do you think, any favourites yet?
Labels: ABC, Dancing With The Stars, recap, unfinished season
posted by Tabby at 8:17 p.m.
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