Now, let’s get to the individual dances:

Romeo and Chelsie Hightower stole our hearts last week with their Waltz but struggled in their Samba this week, ending up in a tie for last place. They danced to Say Hey by Michael Franti. In rehearsals, Romeo said he wanted to take the top spot all by himself after having tied for first place with Chelsea Kane last week. Shirley Ballas was their assigned coach. Romeo called her the “best Latin dancer in the world” and said she made him realize the difference between “shaking” and “shaaaaaking!” 

The three of them had a blast in rehearsals and about his performance before he danced, Romeo said, “Tonight I am throwing a Samba party in my shoe, in my pants, I don’t care. Everyone is invited.”  Unfortunately, after getting the judges’ scores, Romeo will not be in any mood to dance and I doubt that any of us are still invited.

Bruno (8): “You can definitely get down and shake it and there is plenty of fire there down below and you can raise the heat. You’ve got to get this bounce… You go side to side. It has to go up and down.”

Carrie Ann (8): “There was a lot of bounce going on but it wasn’t sending the Samba message. It was sending another kind of message, you know what I mean? Which is not a bad thing for a lot of girls out there. You have incredible potential as you showed last week. I think you are phenomenal but if you really want to go all the way, you really need to focus on your technique, and getting the right particulars of a dance.”

Donnie (7): “I’ve watched you Romeo, am really interested because I really admire you and I have watched you grow throughout the season. You started off, you did not think it was cool. You have achieved elegance and grace. But, baby, you may have a party in our pants, but you have an earthquake in your shoes when you hit the floor. Measured about a 6 on the Richter Scale.”

Len (7): “I didn’t like it. You talked the talk but you didn’t dance the dance. We’re at the nitty gritty stage of this competition. Anyone of the couples can win and any one of you can go home. It all depends on the performance Monday night. You’ve got to up your game.”

TOTAL SCORE: 30

Hines Ward and Kym Johnson danced the Tango. Luca Baricchi was their “Ballroom Great” coach. Hines said having a male perspective really helped him a lot. He also said getting a 10 is his next goal. Ex Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis came to Hines’ rehearsal and Hines worked extra hard to impress him because he said, “If I can impress Jerome, I can impress anybody.” It worked! Hines got his first 10 of the season, from Bruno, but it certainly was not my favorite dance of his this season.

Len (8): “It was a mixture for me. Some of it was full of drama, you were like a tiger stalking its prey coming out there sharp and crisp like a pickle! An then it goes into like a fairy mode and it was all a bit too dainty for me… Overall, I liked it very much. You’re a good dancer… but it could have been more determined.”

Bruno (10): “I like the way you play it. Big. Strong. Masterful. Determined. Yet you manage to maintain the slinky, smooth stealthy action of a (?) on the prowl… That was a killer Tango.”

Carrie Ann (9): “What you do that’s so unique and sets you apart is that you take command of every dance. But tonight you were a bit off balance, trying a new hold.”

Donnie (9): “My old dance teacher used to say to me ‘dance from your heart but use your head’ and I think you do that. You have a winning mentality…Your arms looked like American Airlines, looked like you were going to fly.”

Ralph Macchio and partner Karina Smirnoff danced the Quickstep to Paolo Nutini’s Pencil Full of Lead and wanted it to be their come-back dance. Luca Baricchi was assigned as their “Ballroom Great” teacher and Karina said he was exactly what they needed. Though Ralph seemed to be getting the steps, he called the Quickstep a “torture chamber.” Karina said the QT is brutal and hoped her 49-year old partner’s body does not break down from it. 

Their dance was charming, playful, crisp, sharp, fast, and oh so much fun to watch! They were certainly back in top form. AND, I swear Ralph looked younger than ever, and certainly as young as he did in the first Karate Kid all the sudden. Karina was right when she told me recently, “Ralph is my very own Benjamin Button!” [Click here to read that story!]

Donnie (10): “Last week, you were my hero for how you pulled through. Your footwork and the way you articulated your feet in this Quickstep was fabulous this week. I thought you two rocked.”

Len (8): “I liked your energy. You had great movement. Your footwork was very, very good. It was clear and it was crisp. You upper body is a little bit loose and you need to get more stable, but overall you did a great job with a very hard dance and I am very pleased.” [LEN! An 8???? YOU SUCK! JK, but seriously, take it easy big guy!]

Bruno (9): “For me it was more than a Quickstep. It was how to grab a quick one at the Speakeasy… And you got it! That was so vivid, so vibrant. You sell it like no one else can. Really really good.”

Carrie Ann (9): “BOOYAH! You’re back. I’m so proud of you, Ralph. You had some really rough weeks. Full exuberance, passion and fun.”

TOTAL SCORE: 36

Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy danced the Jive to Ritchie Valens’ La Bamba. Shirley Ballas was their “ballroom great” and helped Kirstie hone her skills. Maks looked more like a drill sergeant than a dance instructor, pushing Kirstie to her limits, but Kirstie said, “That’s why I like it.” Well, she liked it until she cried in the rehearsals because she was so frustrated. Of course Maks consoled her with his loving arms. 

During the dance, Kirstie’s feet looked glued to the dance floor at times. Afterwards, she admitted she got caught up in the acting and got lost in the dance. “I just forgot to move my feet.” The judges were all over the board in their scores:

Carrie Ann (7): “I just love you so much because you bring nothing but incredible performances and complete entertainment. But it just wasn’t quite enough of the Jive, when you were side by side, you were not in sync…. You are looking amazing, I wish I had better remarks tonight.”

Donnie (9): “I really like it. I buy it…They say in piano and music, the real talent is in between the black and the white keys, and in dancing, the talent is in between the steps. Mechanically you may not be the best dancer here, but you have a talent in between the steps and you fill it with your spirit of who you are…Don’t ever forget, you were a star before you even got here.”

Len (6): “It was fun, it was high energy, it was playful. You’re an actress and you act every dance beautifully. However, as a Jive it was most uneventful…I was disappointed. Your kicks were leaden [surprised no other judge but Len saw what I saw] and I could find very little to commend it.”

Bruno (8): “You might have gone wrong but as an entertainer, it was superb. It was so enjoyable to watch. It was hard for you to do the jive, but your musicality and your instinct was right on the money.”

TOTAL SCORE: 30

Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett and Louis van Amstel danced the Tango to Billy Fury’s Jelousy. Kendra said this was the hardest choreography for her to date and Louis even told her at one point during the rehearsals she looked like she was sitting on the toilet she looked so stiff. Luca Barricchi came to the rescue to co-teach the former Playmate and Kendra felt like she had finally nailed the Tango. Kendra did look confident on the dance floor, but I felt that she did not bend her knees at times when she should have.

Bruno (8): “You have never looked more elegant or sexy. You were hanging onto him a little bit too much… You don’t want to smell his armpits. You don’t really want him, let him chase you.”

Carrie Ann (8): “I’m sooo proud of you. That was nothing but sophistication, elegance, confidence. It was the most beautiful expression of sophistication I have seen from you the whole journey.”

Donnie (8): “I watched you last week break off the shackles and come out of your cocoon…The content of the choreography you tried was massively difficult… I thought you did a bloody good job.”

Len (7): “You coped very well with the demanding choreography. I thought the steps were clean and clear…I wanted it more crisp and as much as I hate to admit it, Bruno was right, you tended to cling on. You need to lift up [your chest]. I thought you did an excellent job with a difficult dance.”

Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas danced the Paso Doble to Deadmau5 Ghosts N Stuff and Mark wanted her to get into the character of the aggressive bullfighter but knew that would be hard for Chelsea because she is always laughing [IT’S SO TRUE, click here to see pictures of Mark and Chelsea which I took last week, she’s laughing in every single one!]. Mark enlisted the help of his mom, Shirley Ballas, to teach Chelsea how to be a bit more passionate and scary. Their dance was dramatic, intense, techno, modern, and as always, well-choreographed. They got a standing O from the audience but the judges were mixed, and half were left  “confused!”

Len (8): “I get confused. It was too much aggression in my face, it had no refinement to it.”

Bruno (9): “Chelsea, the ball breaker, you came out here and danced with almost violent intensity. It was like a Quentin Tarantino Paso Doble. What you showed is range. The creativity of it was outstanding.”

Carrie Ann (9): “I usually love tradition. Tonight, I’m gonna say ‘Out with the old, in with the new!’ That was the best impression of the Paso Doble. Totally progressive, pushing the boundaries, pushed them wide open. Great job.”

Donnie (8): “You’re very together… I agree with Len, I was a bit confused. Instead of a matador, I got Hell’s Angels, a biker chic.” Bruno got mad, said that was 200 years ago and told him to go back to the time machine. OK BRUNO, you don’t like Donnie, do you?

64 (34+30): Disney star Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas
61 (31+30): Former playmate Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett and Louis van Amstel
60 (30+30): Actress Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
60 (30+30): Singer Romeo and Chelsie Hightower