DANCING WITH THE STARS Showdown: Guilty Pleasures!

This week's theme on DANCING WITH THE STARS was one of the most fitting themes the show's ever had: guilty pleasures. The show kicks off with a performance from one of the original guilty pleasure boy bands, Hanson, who would continue to play throughout the night. But with only seven celebrities remaining - Chelsea Kane, Ralph Macchio, Hines Ward, Kendra Wilkinson, Kirstie Alley, Romeo, and Chris Jericho - it was up to the contestants to bring both the fun and the skills this week. Who rose to the challenge, and who was left in the dust?

Well, the skills are in full force but the fun doesn't seem to be there for Kirstie ("Hit Me Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears), who looks as though she was thinking so hard about her steps that it nears the point of distraction. Either the judges can't see her face, or it's something that I'm too easily distracted by, but either way, they sing her praises and award her two nines with an eight from Carrie Ann.

Chris Jericho ("Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey) looked more like a wrestler than he ever has in a bedazzled leather vest. He's proven himself to be one of the more dedicated contestants, delivering solid moves almost every week. He lacks passion and energy, however, and all the judges note as much. He receives 22 points.

One contestant who never seems to be lacking the energy behind his performances, Romeo, takes a serious turn with "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. He brings yet another solid performance, earning two nines - and a ten from Carrie Ann.

Chelsea's dance is prefaced by Tom announcing that Mark hurt his ankle. But the pair will dance, and dance they do, to "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves. As per their usual, they attach an extra theme to their look, going for the 50s with hair, wardrobe, and big black glasses. They tie with Romeo, right down to the ten from Carrie Ann.

Kendra vows to shake what she's got to "Living La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin, and well...that she does. She receives a total of 25 points, and while her dance was certainly one of her best, her attitude is still of someone who seems to feel somewhat entitled.

Hines ("End of the Road" by Boyz II Men) shows his dedication as well as a sense of humor by practicing at home with a pillow in the place of Kym in his rehearsal footage. As we passed the halfway point last week, the dancers are all getting better and better, but even so, Hines's athleticism shows and he receives nines from all of the judges.

Things were looking up from last week for Ralph, who was dancing to "Everybody Dance Now." In rehearsal, he channels one of his earliest and most famous movies, "The Karate Kid" - and brings some of his Daniel-san moves into his dance. Despite a fall from Karina, they pulled their dance together and earned eights across the board.

Who gets your vote this week? With scores this close and this late in the competition, performance is not as much of an indicator as it may have been in earlier weeks, and we'll see some solid performers start to head home. Still, Chris and Cheryl are bound to be in trouble, having earned only 22 points. In an extended results show - featuring New Kids on the Block, The Backstreet Boys, Pia Toscano, the cast of ROCK OF AGES featuring Constantine Maroulis, and more - find out!

Viewers may cast their votes for their favorite teams via phone on Monday night during and up to 30 minutes after the "Dancing with the Stars" performance shows. Wireless customers with AT&T may also text message their votes by texting the word "VOTE" to the number that corresponds to the team they want to support (message and data rates may apply). Viewers may also vote online at www.abc.com starting from the opening of each episode on the East Coast, until 8:00 a.m., PT the following day. Fans may cast the maximum limit of votes for each voting method.

"Dancing with the Stars" is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, "Strictly Come Dancing." This version is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Conrad Green serves as executive producer and Rob Wade is co-executive producer. Alex Rudzinski directs. "Dancing with the Stars" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.