“Entertainment Tonight” had Maksim Chmerkovskiy do their backstage interviews Monday night and they turned out quite good. The dancers and celebrities seem more comfortable when they’re talking to a fellow competitor. It reminds me of the interviews Mel B did last season for “Access Hollywood”. Check it out below:
Aired 3-30-09
The show opened with Karina’s turn to slip on the stairs! Hosts Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris announced that the results show will have a bottom three and two of the couples will go home in a double elimination. If they have to do a double, I prefer this timing than when they did it in the first round. This at least gives people a chance to improve.
The show added two dances to the DWTS repertoire – the Argentine Tango and the Lindy Hop. Head judge Len Goodman gave an explanation of the difference between the Argentine and the Ballroom Tangos. In Ballroom, the hold is set in one position. In Argentine, the hold can range from cheek to cheek to very far apart.
David Alan Grier & Kym Johnson: Kym described the Lindy Hop as “the best cartoon wins.” David felt their success the previous week was a turning point and they needed to maintain the positive momentum. To help DAG understand the dance, he and Kym visited a club called Lindy Groove to watch some experienced couples. Once again, Kym gave David plenty to do and he was solid. While their lifts all went fine, I couldn’t help but wonder if doing lifts this early in the competition is tempting fate. Len said it was fun and captured the flavor of the dance but it wasn’t their best dance. Bruno Tonioli agreed that David was full of energy but added that he lost some of the footwork in the fast combinations. Carrie Ann Inaba thought it was great and appreciated that David kept up even though he’s not “the youngest cookie in the bunch.” Scores: Carrie Ann – 8, Len – 7, Bruno – 7 for a total of 22.
Lil’ Kim & Derek Hough: As we’ve learned in previous seasons, when Derek gets a dance that takes him out of his comfort zone, he can get very stressed. While he had some frustrations, the process of learning the Argentine Tango with Kim looked pretty smooth. Kim said their biggest challenge was staying in the serious character because she and Derek are always laughing. Their dance was very slick with sharp, precise moves. Kim was right on the money with her sophisticated character. The audience gave them a standing ovation and it looked like Kim might burst into tears. Bruno unleashed his full Brunoness early saying, “That was more than a Tango. That was the tale of a fatal beauty, enticing strangers with the promise of forbidden pleasure.” Carrie Ann called Kim the real deal and added she was impressed with her transformation. Len was impressed with the choreography but not with the sensuality of the dance. That elicited objections from both Carrie Ann and Bruno. Scores: Carrie Ann – 9, Len – 8, Bruno - 10 for a total of 27. It was the first 10 of the season!
Audience Alert – Maurice Greene and Cody Linley.
Chuck Wicks & Julianne Hough: We learned that Chuck has a fear of landing on his head stemming from an accident he had playing basketball. Julianne tried to put a backflip in their Lindy but Chuck couldn’t get past his discomfort. She wisely altered the routine. It was very energetic and Chuck did a nice job keeping up with Julianne but it all seemed a little disjointed to me. Carrie Ann thought it was good and said that Chuck’s still a contender but he needs to push it a bit. He’s being a little safe. Len called it competent which isn’t enough to make it to the end. Bruno liked the style but all the moves needed to be crisper. Scores: Carrie Ann – 8, Len – 7, Bruno – 7 for a total of 22.
Samantha’s voice started fading at this point (she said a sick kid at home equaled a sick mom) which began a series of vocal comparisons by Tom. First up – Samantha was “Brenda Vaccaro smokey.”
Lawrence Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska: L.T. loved the audience reaction they received last week but was a bit frustrated that their scores weren’t better. There was some tension between the partners this week. Lawrence has an ingrained learning style – on thing at a time – that Edyta wasn’t getting. There were no fireworks, though, because both of them handled it like mature adults. Edyta’s husband, Alec Mazo, come in to help L.T. get the full picture of the male Tango movements and it seemed to help. The character and style of the Tango fit Lawrence quite well. I would have liked to have seen a little more of the dance moves (like the leg flips) from him. Len liked that Lawrence worked on the character but found the dance itself to be a bit heavy and thought L.T. looked uncomfortable. Bruno disagreed saying that he was menacing and intense and portrayed danger. He liked the performance but did think L.T. was stomping across the floor rather than gliding. Carrie Ann said Lawrence exuded power and executed the choreography well, but it lacked chemistry. Scores: Carrie Ann – 7, Len – 5, Bruno – 7 for a total of 19. Whoa, Len. That was too harsh. Tom called him “Little Lenny Hard-Butt”.
Ty Murray & Chelsie Hightower: Their segment began with a mess up from the director’s booth. They started playing Steve & Karina’s rehearsal clip. Considering they do 3 live hours a week, I’m actually surprised stuff like that doesn’t happen more often. Ty’s clip began with Chelsie apologizing for tripping. He told her that wasn’t necessary since he’s made 8000 mistakes and she’s had one. I’ll admit I was pretty worried about Ty doing the Lindy Hop. He showed a lot of improvement with the Ballroom style dances but I figured the Lindy would bring back klutzy Ty. I was wrong. He was fantastic and is now my undisputed crush of the season. His competitive nature has clearly kicked into gear. Tom even said that Ty was not the same guy from week one. Bruno described Ty as a little rough around the edges but added that he’s coming on by leaps and bounds. Carrie Ann yelled out, “Ty Murray is a dancer!” She also told Chelsie that she is an incredible teacher. Len said it was way beyond his expectations. Scores: Carrie Ann – 9, Len – 8, Bruno – 8 for a total of 25.
Steve Wozniak & Karina Smirnoff: This week Team Woz hit the streets on their Segways to meet the fans and drum up votes. They were assigned the Tango and probably would have been better off with the Lindy. The seriousness of the Tango took away Steve’s ability to ride the “cute” wave and we were just left with the dance – and it was dull and simplistic. Carrie Ann called Steve the ultimate underdog but said this dance just seemed really long. Len appreciated that Steve attempted a proper Tango. There was an improvement but it was relative. Almost anything would have been better than the previous week’s dance. Bruno said he loved Steve but the dance “stunk”. Scores: Carrie Ann – 4, Len – 4, Bruno – 4 for a total of 12.
Melissa Rycroft & Tony Dovolani: Melissa really comes across as a happy and delightful girl. She gives an attractive face to the women who appear on reality dating shows. Holy cow, did they have some fantastic lifts in their Lindy! One of them actually scared me. As a dancer, Melissa has it all. Len said Melissa definitely has the potential to go all the way. Bruno said it was truly eye-popping fun. They showed the full range of steps in the Lindy Hop. Carrie Ann added that it was Tony’s best choreography. Scores: Carrie Ann – 10, Len – 9, Bruno – 10 for a total of 29.
Holly Madison & Dmitry Chaplin: Holly was in so much pain this week that it was interfering with her ability to rehearse and reduced her to tears. She saw a doctor who told her that she had strained muscles around her ribs but would be OK to continue dancing. Oh my poor Holly. She began the routine perched on a stool. She slipped off it early on and never really recovered. Ironically she was able to pull off one of the complicated moves really well but kept messing up the simple stuff. Bruno told her that, if she stays in the competition, she’ll have to drop the Barbie persona and bring out the vixen. Carrie Ann gave her credit for hanging in there even though she fell off the stool and was clearly in pain. She asked Dmitry to work on building her strength before moving into the choreography for the next dance. Len praised Dmitry’s routine and told Holly there was a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel because he could see some improvement. Scores: Carrie Ann – 5, Len – 6, Bruno - 5 for a total of 16.
Samantha voice comparison 2 – Wilford Brimley.
Steve-O & Lacey Schwimmer: Steve-O was still beating himself up over the previous week’s flubbed dance. He described himself as an infant in the recovery process and was overwhelmed with anxiety from trying to do too much too soon. To try and settle him down, Lacey brought him a clown costume to put him back in his comfort zone. He said, “I’ve just got to get out there and say gosh, dang, darn it, what the hey. I’m here to have fun.” I laughed out loud at that. Ok, Steve-O is not a graceful man by any stretch of the imagination but he does do better when he can just play. Carrie Ann said Steve’s had such a rough road on the show but, at least, he got through the routine. He was starting to let go but his musicality was off. Len said the timing was the big issue. Bruno called it more hopping mad than Lindy Hop. He thought Steve was putting a barrier between himself and the orchestra, probably out of anxiety. As Tom sent them back for their scores he announced that he finally had the right comparison for Samantha’s voice - she’s been doing an eerily accurate impression of Steve-O. Scores: Carrie Ann – 5, Len – 5, Bruno – 5 for a total of 15. Steve said, “It’s the same as last week. What are they thinking?!”
Audience Alert – Johnny Knoxville. I’ve seen him and/or Wee-Man in the audience every week. It appears Steve-O has very loyal friends.
Gilles Marini & Cheryl Burke: Cheryl pointed out to Gilles that he was the only actor doing the Tango and he had to make that work for them. He definitely did that! The man can do no wrong. He may be French but Gilles was channeling Antonio Banderas. Len called it another fantastic performance. Gilles showed every element of the dance. Bruno said Gilles was the quintessential Latin lover. Carrie Ann was all a-tingle over it. She said she could not tell who was the professional and who was the celebrity. Scores: Carrie Ann – 10, Len – 10, Bruno – 10 for a total of 30. This is early for a perfect score!
Shawn Johnson & Mark Ballas: We all know from the news stories about her stalker being arrested at the DWTS studio that this had to be a stressful week for Shawn. You never would have known that from their rehearsal clip. Since they were going to have gymnastic moves in their Lindy Hop, Shawn took Mark to the gym to put him through one of her routines. It was all a lot of lighthearted fun. No doubt, the Linda Hop is a dance style made for Shawn. She bounced everywhere. We also got irrefutable proof that Mark Ballas has no shame – as demonstrated in the picture above. Those little red shorts were horrifying. Bruno called their dance a feast of tricks and gymnastics but wanted Shawn to do more actual dancing. Carrie Ann said Shawn was a polished performer but thought she was a bit heavy on her feet during the dance portions. Len felt there were too many tricks and it needed more dancing. Scores: Carrie Ann – 8, Len – 8, Bruno – 9 for a total of 25.
According to the judges, the bottom three are Steve Wozniak, Steve-O and Holly Madison. I think that’s accurate. Hopefully The Woz will be one of the ones leaving because it’s past time.
Full episodes of DWTS are available at ABC’s website at the link below:
Fresh from their “The Amazing Race” elimination, Mel & Mike White gave a candid interview to TV Guide. One thing is crystal clear – Luke is not one of their favorite competitors. Here are some highlights:
TVGuide.com: I was thinking I would’ve Googled it at the airport. Did any of you do that?
Mike: Luke said he’d done research and his hands were doing a sign language that indicated where the location was. So the whole night, I was like, “Luke, tell me!” And he was like, “I don’t know, I’ll have to decide later.” He was basically playing a mind game with me. They didn’t know. I went around the airplane all night going, “Do you know sign language? What does this say?” He just sent me on a fool’s errand. My biggest regret was trusting Luke.
TVGuide.com: Well, you called Jaime mean.
Mike: I said she was kind of mean.
Mel: “Kind of mean”? She was mean straight-out! What are you talking about?
TVGuide.com: Mike, I know you said your ideal teammate would be your friend Reese Witherspoon. Should there be a Celebrity Amazing Race?
Mike: I think it would definitely be entertaining for people to watch, but I don’t know how many celebrities would put up with how they treat you on the Race. [Laughs] You’re not treated like a star, let’s just say. Even for me, who’s never even been a star, I felt like I was being treated like an extra with a criminal record.
Mel: I loved the line Michael gave at the beginning: “I don’t fly coach.” But then he learned that coach is pretty good, huh, Mike?
Mike: I didn’t say I don’t fly coach. I said I feel misunderstood when I fly coach. [Laughs]
There’s even more good stuff in the article. Check it out here:
Aired 3-29-09
Up until this episode, I’d found this season’s teams to be generally likeable. Some I’ve rooted for more than others (Mel & Mike pictured above) but I haven’t been hoping for anyone to lose. That changed this week.
The leg began in Jaipur, India. Brother and sister lawyers, Tammy & Victor, were the first to depart at 10:21AM. The teams had to fly almost 2000 miles to Phuket, Thailand. They were given a photo of a gorilla statue and were told they had to locate it for the next clue. They weren’t told it was at the Phuket Zoo. That little detail had to be figured out on their own. They were instructed to buy their airline tickets at either the airport or at a local travel agency. In the cab ride to the agency, we learned that Tammy had been to Thailand years before with her parents who were extremely protective of her and wouldn’t even let her go to the beach. She added that the family has always seen Victor as the older, smarter and brighter sibling.
Father and son, Mel & Mike, left second at 10:50AM. Mike commented that he and his dad don’t want to get so caught up in the competition that they forget to have fun on the race. Sisters Kisha & Jen were third and left at 11:02AM. They are very competitive and said they were just focusing on themselves. Mother and son, Margie & Luke, followed at 11:03AM. Margie said that it can get exhausting communicating in sign language with Luke and sometimes she needs a break but added that she wouldn’t change it for anything. Best friends, Jaime & Cara, were 5th departing at 11:04AM. Jaime pointed out what had become painfully obvious on the last leg – patience is not one of her virtues. Brothers Mark & Michael were the last to leave at 11:11AM.
Jaime & Cara were the only team to head straight to the airport. The rest all went to the travel agency first. It made no difference, however, as we had another race reboot. All the teams were on the same flights leading to Phuket.
Kisha, a middle school youth program coordinator, was overwhelmed by the poverty she saw as they drove through India. She gave a little money to one of the begging children and their car was then swarmed. She said it broke her heart and made her appreciative of what she had.
Once in Phuket, the teams all raced to the cabs and most exited the airport before asking anyone about the gorilla picture. They seemed to think the drivers would know. Cara commented that Jaime had a tendency to talk to the cab drivers as if they were little kids and that, in their position, she would think Jaime was “a witch with a B.”
Mel & Mike were the last to leave and they did ask about the picture. Their driver looked at it and said they needed to go to Patong Beach. Oh, Oh. The rest of the group all ended up pulling over together and scurrying through the street holding out the picture and asking the locals. Mel & Mike saw the commotion, but chose not to stop to see what was going on. Ominous music should have started playing at this point. They watched as everyone else headed off in a different direction from them. Mike said that they were about to fall behind or jump ahead.
At the zoo, Jaime & Cara were the first to find the statue. Host Phil Keoghan informed us that the teams would have to “let the wild side take a walk on them.” First they had to be photographed sitting next to a real tiger - accompanied by a one-armed trainer. Then they had to lie on the ground while a performing elephant bounced his foot off one player’s backside and then squatted over the other. You could see that the elephant was actually making contact with his foot on people’s butts. The squatting looked pretty freaky too. Once they completed both tasks, the tiger trainer would give them their picture with the clue written on it.
The teams frantically completed the tasks and seemed to have fun with it. Jaime showed some self-awareness when she said, “I absolutely loved the zoo. If I could just spend my life in the wild with animals and never see people again, I’d be completely OK with that.” Methinks all the cab drivers she’s encountered so far on the race would be fine with it too.
Meanwhile, poor Mel & Mike were beginning to realize that their driver had no clue where the statue was. They got out and wandered the streets asking for help. They actually found a young man who said it was at the zoo but the guys brushed it off.
Mark & Michael were the first team done with the animal challenge and received the next clue. They had to head to Nguan Choon Tong, the oldest herb shop in Phuket. There they had to ask the shop owner to open one of 99 drawers in search of the next yellow TAR envelope. They had to keep guessing until they found the right drawer.
Finally, after another man pointed them towards the zoo, Mel & Mike headed off in the right direction.
On the ride to the herb shop, Jaime & Cara passed Mark & Michael’s cab. The girls referred to the brothers as “the Tweedles” adding that they are so animated and talk so much that they’re like cartoon characters. It was a bit harsh but not totally inaccurate.
Once at the shop it looked as if Karma was coming to the race as Jaime kept screaming at the owner and guessing wrong. One by one all the other teams found their envelope and left ahead of them. I felt really bad for the man as Jaime ranted and raved. She was beyond obnoxious. In an interview clip we saw Mike refer to Jaime as “a mean girl.” Unfortunately, they did manage to get the clue before Mel & Mike had arrived from the zoo challenge.
Detour
Mark & Michael were the first to find the Detour. Phil told us that the teams had to choose between two physical activities familiar to the people of Phuket: “100 Barrels” or “2 Miles”. In “100 Barrels” the teams had to go to the harbor and prepare a fishing boat for 10 days at sea. They had to fill 47 barrels with drinking water and move the other 53 barrels from the bottom deck to the roof. In “2 Miles” they had to head to a temple and chose a rickshaw. They were provided with pumps in case any tires were flat – a good heads up that tires would, in fact, be flat. One team member would sit in the rickshaw while the other pulled it through the streets to a park. They could trade off with the pulling and the sitting. The brothers decided on “2 Miles”. Kisha & Jen arrived next and picked “100 Barrels”. Tammy & Victor decided on the rickshaw and Margie & Luke and Jaime & Cara opted initially for the barrels.
Mark inflated the tires on their rickshaw and then decided to be sneaky. He scooped up all the pumps and put them in a box hoping to slowdown or confuse the other racers. They then decided to be “funny” for the cameras and chattered away in a mock accent as they headed off in the rickshaw. It was racially insensitive to say the least and made me cringe. The brothers haven’t shown themselves to be the sharpest team but this was definitely their worst moment so far.
Meanwhile, the shop owner got a nice break when sweet natured Mel & Mike arrived. They were sticking to their philosophy of having fun and actually made the man and his wife smile.
Kisha & Jen, Margie & Luke and Jaime & Cara all arrived at the harbor but couldn’t find the boats. Kisha & Jen kept looking while the other two teams bailed and headed to the rickshaws.
As they were cruising down the street, Mark & Michael came upon their waiting cab and decided to have the driver lead them to the park since they were paying for his time anyway. The show then immediately cut to Tammy & Victor having their driver draw them a map explaining that the rules wouldn’t allow them to just follow him. Oh, Oh! Mark’s plan to hide the pumps seemed to help, though, as Tammy & Victor headed off without inflating their tires. It made it more difficult to pull the rickshaw.
Chipper Mel & Mike found their clue and headed off to do the barrels. Jaime continued to badger the innocent residents of Phuket as she and Cara struggled to find the park.
Mark & Michael found the final clue and took off for the Pit Stop at the Wat Thep Nimit Temple. Phil reminded us that the last team to check in may be eliminated. The brothers arrived at the Pit Stop before any other team had finished their Detour BUT Phil did his trademark eyebrow raise and delivered the bad news. They were given a 30 minute penalty for following the cab and a second penalty for tampering with the pumps. They had to sit for an hour before Phil would check them in. It was looking like Karma might prevail.
Kisha & Jen began working on their barrels as Tammy & Victor, Jaime & Cara and Margie & Luke pulled their rickshaws through the streets of Phuket. I noticed that Margie was getting increasingly cranky as the task progressed which was out of character for her.
Mel & Mike arrived at the harbor and started to gain a little ground as they were filling and moving their barrels with more efficiency than the sisters.
At the park, Tammy & Victor would have been the second team to get the final clue but they dropped their rickshaw too soon and had to waste time going back to get it. This allowed Jaime & Cara to jump ahead of them. Margie & Luke were the next team to arrive and Margie definitely looked the worse for the wear. She said that Thailand was probably the hottest place she’d ever been. She added that she had the chills and felt like she was going to pass out – not a good sign.
Mark & Michael turned out to have been way ahead of the pack because they had burned off all but 4 minutes of their one hour penalty when Tammy & Victor arrived. Phil informed the brother and sister that they’d won a trip for 2 to the island of Oahu. Jaime & Cara were immediately behind them and checked in second. Mark & Michael ended up in 3rd place. Oh well. So much for Karma in this leg.
Margie & Luke arrived next with Margie clearly in trouble. Luke tried to put his hands on her shoulders and she shrugged him off. She also commented that her fingers were “frozen”. Phil hadn’t picked up on any of it and was teasingly telling them they were fourth when Margie keeled over. Phil and a crew member helped her inside and one of them poured water over her head as the other fanned her. They called for an ambulance but Margie insisted she was OK. Hopefully they didn’t listen to her and had her checked out anyway.
Kisha & Jen finished their barrels at the point that Mel & Mike had 10 left. Things were looking more hopeful for the father and son as we watched the sisters’ cab driver drop them off at the wrong place. The girls ended up getting a ride from a group of people with a van. Kisha & Jen still managed to arrive first and checked in 5th.
Phil informed Mel & Mike that they had been eliminated from the race. He seemed genuinely sorry to see them go. They were a sweet and supportive pair to the end. Mel said that Mike was smart, wise and mature and ensured that he would be able to leave the world with someone who will make it a better place. Mike said that being teammates had brought them a new kind of camaraderie and he appreciated that gift.
Well, my favorite team is now gone. My hope is that Jaime & Cara and Mark & Michael will be the next ones to go. I’m fine with the other four teams - although Victor can sometimes be a bit much.
In Two Weeks: It looks like the teams do karaoke in cabs in Bangkok – yeah, I don’t get it either - and Mark & Michael screw up yet again and this time actually seem to notice!
Full episodes and bonus clips for TAR are available at CBS’ website here:
This time we have a kitty in love with a fox – or at least with the little fox’s giant ears. 
Trust me. You will have an audible reaction to this clip.
As you may have heard, our beloved Joel McHale has been cast in a new pilot for NBC called “Community”. Joel plays an attorney who enrolls at a community college when his degree is declared invalid. Chevy Chase will be playing a 5 times married classmate. Thankfully E! has issued a statement saying that, even if “Community” is picked up by NBC, Joel will continue to crack wise on “The Soup.”
http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/03/chevy-chase-joe.html
J.J. Abrams’ take on the “Star Trek” saga will be released on May 8th. Below are a couple of new trailers and, I have to say, it’s looking really good. I knew Zachary Quinto would be perfect as Mr. Spock but I’m now also seeing why Chris Pine was cast as Kirk. Rounding out the cast is Karl Urban (Dr. McCoy), John Cho (Sulu), Zoe Saldana (Uhura) and Simon Pegg (Scotty).
Denise Richards was a guest on Billy Bush’s radio show and Billy tried his best to get her to trash her “Dancing with the Stars” partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy. I think Denise handled herself with class but I have to wonder what the heck Billy has against Maks. The way he is interrogating Denise makes it seem very personal. Check out the audio clip below:
Aired 3-24-09
The Black Team was shocked that the Blue Team sent Cathy home. It was her wish because she felt her daughter Kristin and teammate Aubrey needed to be at the ranch more. Kristin had a hard time in her empty room but said a fire had been lit in her to stay on campus.
The next morning, the group met up with host Alison Sweeney in the gym. She gave them new shirts in their original couples’ colors and announced that the show was going to singles. Filipe was particularly thrilled to have his blue shirt back. Ali also showed off Mike’s original brown shirt (pictured above). Now that he has lost 118 pounds, both he and Aubrey could fit into it. Ali then dropped the bombshell – as she always does. They had to choose whether they wanted to have Bob Harper or Jillian Michaels as their trainer. For some it was an easy choice, but for Mike, Helen, Aubrey and Laura it was a tough call. Helen and Mike felt deep loyalty to both. Aubrey felt more confident when Bob trained her but found Jill’s track record of winning appealing. Laura was still smarting over Jillian having called her out as the weakest player on the team. She wasn’t sure if she could trust Jill anymore.
To make it even tougher on them, they had to make their decision in front of Bob and Jillian. Jill called it a “cruel” scenario – like making a kid chose between mom and dad. They went in order of percent of weight lost so Tara got to go first. She wasn’t thrilled with having everyone reminded that she was currently winning. She felt the target on her back was big enough already. Tara chose to stay with Jillian.
Mike declared that he didn’t want to hurt anyone and he just couldn’t pick. He flipped a coin to decide and it came up Jillian. In an interview Bob admitted that he was hurt by the choice – although we already knew that because it was written all over his face. Jill even sent Mike over to give Bob a hug because it was so obvious. Dad Ron was also not pleased saying, “You know, my son’s 18 years old. He’s an idiot. All 18 year olds are idiots. I’m disappointed he left it up to a coin toss because this is an important decision.” Mike was so worked up that both Bob and Jillian had to reassure everyone that it would be OK.
Helen also chose Jill over Bob and I was really starting to feel bad for him. Thankfully, Kristin stuck with her man saying she believed it was her and Bob’s year. To no one’s surprise, Filipe and Sione jumped at the chance to go back to Bob. They never did get over the rift with Jill. Sione said Bob inspired him when he said that Sione should be the man his family thinks he is.
Ron said his choice was the easiest thing he’s had to do since he got off the bus at the ranch. It ain’t broke so he ain’t fixing it and stayed with Bob. Laura acknowledged the difficulties she and Jillian have had but opted to hang in there with her. She recognized how much Jillian has already helped her. Aubrey was the last to chose and she went with Bob.
Challenge
The challenge this week was in two parts. The group met up with Alison again but this time it was outside in front of blocks representing all the weight they have lost. They had to divide their pounds lost between the other players as some kind of penalty for part two of the challenge. While she wouldn’t tell them what part two entailed, she did say the prize would be immunity.
Product Placement Alert One: Jillian’s trainer tip was to drink lots of water – using the Brita filtration system.
Bob’s new team decided to really pile the weight on the “traitor” Helen and the “threat” Tara. The group was having fun with it, and even Helen was laughing, but Tara found nothing funny about the targeting. It actually was a compliment because everyone was acknowledging that Tara was the strongest player. She, however, saw it as people ganging up on her. She seemed oblivious to the fact that they were also doing it to Helen. Helen felt motivated but Tara just wanted to cry.
Back at the house, Tara was still pouting and brushed off attempts by the others to talk to her. I have a lot of respect for Tara and what she has accomplished. She’s a BL rock star and is one of the players I root for but, she was being way, way oversensitive about the situation.
Eventually her couples partner, Laura, sought her out to calm her down. Tara had become so worked up she was thinking about quitting. Laura really showed that she has grown and was ready to be the strong one. In the end, Tara said, “Don’t you sound like a little Jillian?” Laura replied, “Maybe I do! Maybe she did, you know, rub off on me a little bit.”
Hey! It’s Coleen & Jerry from season 6 doing a commercial for the Pound for Pound Challenge. Jerry was famously the “sickest” player that season and he looks fantastic now.
Part two of the challenge took place at a race track. There were junker cars lined up with the players’ faces on them. The cars were loaded with the weight assigned in part one and they had to drag their car one half mile down the track. The extra weight added was as follows: Ron – 37, Mike – 63, Filipe – 67, Aubrey – 72, Sione – 92, Helen – 215 and Tara – 257. Laura and Kristin sat this one out. It wasn’t mentioned on the show, but Kristin didn’t participate in last week’s challenge because of an undisclosed medical condition and I did notice that Laura was limping and wearing a walking cast when she was tracking down Tara earlier.
The group was joined by NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer. They all seemed quite excited but I had no clue who he was. He talked to them about setting goals and seemed like a nice guy. He also told the group that the winner would be a VIP guest at a race in October at that very speedway.
Sione and Mike took off with an early lead but tough little Tara kept plugging along. It was a classic tortoise/hare scenario. She slowly gained until she passed both of them and ended up winning by a huge amount. Tara’s always tough but, when she’s mad, she’s superwoman. As usual Ron was in last place and Mike and Aubrey ran back to help him drag his car across the finish line.
Tara couldn’t wait to tell Jill about the victory. Jillian was genuinely proud and impressed. She said her heart was bursting for Tara.
Product Placement Alert Two: Bob showed Sione & Filipe how to make a healthy BBQ with Jennie-O Turkey Breast Tenderloin instead of a pig. They made kabobs and it did look quite good.
Weigh In
At the weigh in, Tara and Kristin had the chance to make BL history as the first women to lose 100 pounds on campus. They would all weigh in as individuals and the two with the lowest percent lost would fall below the yellow line. All the rest would vote on which to send home. Since Tara had immunity, she weighed in first. She needed to lose 4 pounds to break the record. She lost 3. The girl has had a rough few weeks on the scale. She ended up tied with Ali Vincent at 99 pounds lost.
Kristin went next. She also needed to lose 4 pounds to break the record … and she lost 8. There were tears and inspirational words all around. Kristin said she felt on top of the world because her weight has been the one thing in life she couldn’t conquer. Her total was 3.04%.
Aubrey lost 4 pounds for a total of 2.05%.
Mike lost 6 pounds for a total of 2.22%. He was pessimistic that it would hold up.
Laura lost 7 pounds for a total of 3.18%.
Helen lost 5 pounds for a total of 2.75%.
Sione lost 7 pounds for a total of 2.56%.
Ron was next on the scale and, while Alison said he needed to lose more than 7 pounds, he said it really needed to be less than 6 so he could save Mike. Mike spoke up and said that he hoped his dad beat him. Ron lost 10 pounds which was a huge number for him. His total was 3.06%. Mike went over to give Ron a hug feeling bad that he’d robbed his dad of the chance to celebrate.
Filipe was last and lost 4 pounds for a total of 1.50%.
Filipe and Aubrey fell below the yellow line. Back at the house, the pair made relatively low-key pleas to stay. The group struggled with the choice and Sione went ahead and begged for Filipe to be allowed to stay. Kristin said she could either vote with her heart and keep Filipe, her dear friend and major competitor, or go with her head and keep Aubrey (of whom she was also fond) guessing that Aubrey would probably fall below the yellow line the very next week.
In the elimination room Tara lead off with a vote for Filipe.
Mike voted for Aubrey.
Laura voted for Filipe.
Helen voted for Aubrey.
Kristin voted for Aubrey. She was crying – as Kristin always does during the eliminations – and we could see Aubrey mouth the words “it’s OK” to her.
Ron stuck to the original loyalties and voted for Aubrey saying that she needed to go home and help her dad. That gave her 4 votes and sent Aubrey home.
At home, she struggled. Aubrey gained back 9 pounds in 19 days. She did eventually pull it together and made her workouts a priority. So far she’s lost 10 pounds since leaving the ranch (I’m assuming it was 10 pounds beyond the 9 she gained back) and hopes to lose 30 more by the finale.
Next Week: The eliminated players return with some shocking results. I’m very curious to see how Dan has been doing. Plus Ron seems to suffer a medical setback.
Full episodes and bonus clips are available at NBC’s website here:
Aired 3-24-09
After an abbreviated recap (the Presidential press conference pre-empted the regular recap show), host Tom Bergeron announced that next week would be a double elimination. Yikes!
For this week, though, only one couple will have to leave the dance floor. Tom and co-host Samantha Harris got down to business quickly and announced the first four couples who were safe to dance again – in no particular order:
Melissa Rycroft & Tony Dovolani
Gilles Marini & Cheryl Burke
Shawn Johnson & Mark Ballas
Steve Wozniak & Karina Smirnoff – WHAT!?! Karina was actually jumping up and down screaming – not the typical Karina reaction. This really puts the night’s results up in the air. Steve should have been the one to leave so someone is going to get cut before their time. I mean seriously. Steve? He got the lowest score since season 2. I think only Master P did worse. In his Samantha interview, Steve said he was the most shocked ever in his life except, maybe, when he got served with divorce papers.
The next four couples safe were:
Lawrence Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska
David Alan Grier & Kym Johnson
Chuck Wicks & Julianne Hough
Lil’ Kim & Derek Hough
Next week the show adds the Lindy Hop and the Argentine Tango to the dance list and they had a segment with Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas demonstrating. It was classic Cloris & Corky and it was nice to see that Cloris got to wear her favorite sparkly yellow dress again. I’m still not sure what the difference is between this Tango and the Tango style they’ve been doing all along.
Time for the musical guest – Hall & Oates. They performed “Maneater” with Tony, Maks and Dmitry as the men and Karina as the …. well, you get the idea. Karina was in her glory and I liked how, in the end, she shoved away Tony and Dmitry and picked fiance Maks.
Tom and Samantha then announced that Adele would be performing next and, wow, could Adele have looked less enthusiastic about it? I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and say she was just nervous. After the commercial break she performed “Chasing Pavements” as Alec Mazo and Edyta Sliwinska danced. As always, Alec & Edyta were hot and Adele sounded very good.
Montage Time: I’ll title this one, “Dance-off – Torture or Redemption?”
The fate of the final four couples:
Steve-O & Lacey Schwimmer – Safe. Lacey seemed stunned by the news.
Holly Madison & Dmitry Chaplin – Bottom two.
Ty Murray & Chelsie Hightower – Safe.
Denise Richards & Maksim Chmerkovskiy – Bottom two.
Ok, for this Dance-off I’m going to declare it torture – putting the two people who have been the most nervous under even more pressure.
Holly & Dmitry: They met in the morning to rehearse the number and I think nerves are hurting Holly because her moves looked more graceful in the rehearsal footage. Their Samba redo looked like the original to me. Head judge Len Goodman thought Holly came out hot and ready to party but, unfortunately, there was a mistake that hadn’t been there the night before. Bruno Tonioli said that, on the plus side, Holly has no worries about the hotness. Her timing, however, left something to be desired. Carrie Ann Inaba was happy that Holly kept her foot on the floor during the lift. In the Samantha interview, Dmitry tried to fix his verbal stumble the night before by making it clear that he was proud of Holly. Scores: Carrie Ann – 6, Len – 6, Bruno – 6 for a total of 18. One point better than the previous night.
Denise & Maks: Denise was sure that she and Maks were going to be in the bottom two although Maks seemed less convinced. In their rehearsal he told Denise that she’s concentrating on the specific steps so much that she’s causing herself to mess up. Maks seemed to be giving her a pep talk as they waited for the music to start. The rhythm still looked off to me and I didn’t see an improvement – but the judges sure did. Bruno couldn’t believe how much she’d improved from the night before. Carrie Ann thought Denise was good under pressure and it was clear that she’d worked on her hands and performance. Len said Denise proved she should stay. Scores: Here’s where it got interesting. Carrie Ann said 6 and held up a 6 paddle but the screen graphic said 7. Len said 7 and the screen also showed 7. Bruno said 7 and held up a 7 paddle but the screen read 6. Either way, the score was 20. It looked to me like the booth had mixed up Carrie Ann and Bruno’s scores. Samantha tried to explain the mix up which, of course, made it more confusing. When it got back to Tom, he asked everyone to join them for their new show, “Carrie Ann and the People in the Booth Have It Out.”
Denise & Maks won the Dance-off but, in the end, were still the ones sent home. I’m quite sure that Maks never imagined he’d be exiting this season before Karina. Denise was very gracious saying that her girls loved watching her dance. From the quick shot we got of Karina, it looked like she was about to burst into tears.
I’m not surprised that Holly had more audience votes than Denise because, while Denise is more famous, Holly has a more devoted fanbase. People who watch “The Girls Next Door” (and I’m one of them) do so because they genuinely like the three girls. I do still think Denise was robbed - just like Belinda. No, neither had a shot at winning, but they also didn’t deserve to leave before Steve Wozniak.
Full episodes of DWTS are available at ABC’s website here: