Holy smokes, it's Latin Night! With the exception of the quickstep, I will take a Latin dance over a ballroom dance any day. There's something so mundane about the fox trot that makes me slip into a boredom-induced coma. Luckily, we get a whole night of booty-shaking goodness. Who will the samba and rumba take as a victim this week? Let's dab on some Eau de D-List and find out! Yes, I have a million of these stupid D-List intros and they are all corny and ridiculous. If you are rolling your eyes right now, my work is done! Mario — I enjoy his dancing so much it makes me crazy that more people aren't on the Mario bandwagon. He's very smooth and exudes sexuality. I hope he gains some fans so he can stay in the competition. Also, Karina is not my favorite pro but she looked amazing in that yellow outfit. Samba 27Cilla — Finally they left that woman's hair alone. She looked decent for the first time this competition. I'm extremely jealous that she can still do a split! I'm ea...
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Dancing With The Stars by Kelsey McNeal/ABC
TVGuide.com's new Dancing with the Stars Power Rankings — based on the weekly polling of you, the readers — are out, and Kristi and Mark are still waltzing away with this thing. Seriously, is there no catching them? Is the ice-skating fan base that massive a force to be reckoned with? Or is no one else on the parquet anywhere near up to par?For what it's worth, Shannon and Derek are putting their best feet forward these days, and are somewhat inching up on Team YamaBallas. Meanwhile, Marissa and Tony linger in (a tie for) last, veritably tapping their toes until the scythe comes.The Top 8 Power Rankings56.2% Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas 18.8% Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough10.6% Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska 9.1% Cristián De La Fuente and Cheryl Burke 1.9% Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez 1.4% Mario and Karina Smirnoff 1.0% Priscilla Presley and Louis Van Amstel 1.0% Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony DovolaniRelated:• Photo Gallery: Top 8 Power R...
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Still seething from the eviction of my beloved Mahoney and reeling from the embarrassment of totally getting fooled by the most obvious April Fool's joke ever, I decided to let it all go and move on! Who knows, maybe I'll have a new favorite after the night is over. After all, the paso doble is my second favorite dance and anyone can viennese waltz their way into my cold, black heart. It could be tough though because I'm sick and as cranky as Len on his worst day — so let's chew on some D-List stew!Kristi — Although Mark is still suffering from sporadic open-mouth syndrome, this was a great dance. I'm running out of nice things to say about them since every week is exceptional. If she's not in the final two, the voters failed her.Paso Doble 29 (grrrr looks like Len is cranky again!)Cilla — I realize that someone injected motor oil into this poor woman's face (or something crazy like that), but I don't think the excessive amounts of make-up she wears really helps. I ...
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Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani by Kelsey McNeal/ABC
This season of Dancing with the Stars is shaping up to not so much be a race for first so much as a heated contest to emerge as the first runner-up. Kristi and Mark still command a huge lead, even as the field is whittled down. Jason and Edyta, who last time placed No. 2 in the TVGuide.com Power Rankings, this week dropped to the five-spot, while Shannon and Derek (perhaps benefiting from some sprained-neck sympathy votes?) claimed second-place status.Dancing with the Stars Power Rankings60.4% Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas8.9% Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough6.7% Cristián De La Fuente and Cheryl Burke6.2% Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez 5.9% Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska4.5% Mario and Karina Smirnoff3.7% Priscilla Presley and Louis Van Amstel3.5% Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough0.2% Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony DovolaniIs it time for Marissa's curtain call? And can anyone catch Kristi and Mark?
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This must be a cruel April Fool's joke! Mahoney Steve gone? Surely there is some mathematical error. I am completely heart broken right now. Gone — after his best dance yet? And Marissa is still here? I don't understand it one bit. He even got the encore dance! Best man dance ever. At least I have that to remember him by. So long, Steve. I hope to see you on an ABC show this fall because you deserve it!What does everyone think of the new policy of not revealing the bottom two? I have mixed emotions about it. On one hand, I found it refreshing because it did add a bit more suspense to the elimination process. The reveal that Marissa was safe in the middle of the show had me wondering who the unlucky contestant was. However, leaving Mario and Karina at the end with Anna and Mahoney Steve was pretty predictable. On the other hand, I think we need to know who the bottom two is so we know who is in jeopardy and who to give our votes.I loved the segment on the unorthodox hobbies of t...
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Dancing with the Stars by Kelsey McNeal/ABC
Right about now, the producers of Dancing with the Stars must be thinking, "I wish we had a little more of the life-and-death drama that surrounded Season 5." Marie Osmond fainting, Marie and Jane Seymour carrying on despite family crises, Jane and Mark Ballas being carted off to the emergency room for food poisoning and a dislocated shoulder.... There will never be a cycle like Season 5. Instead, what we have is the calm sense that stars are working really hard to dance really well, and then — given permission to let loose by comedians Penn Jillette and Adam Carolla — getting loopy with the judges. Take Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough, sitting on the floor (along with host Tom Bergeron) to catch their breath as they get their scores. "I had to sit down," Elizabeth shares after her jive. Her secret goal in life is to play Wonder Woman, but right now, she wouldn't have the energy. "I was so tired and so happy that it was over. I just wanted to get through this dance so...
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The tango and the jive are two of the liveliest dances in the ballroom repertoire, so I knew we were in for an interesting night. The tango is by far my favorite (the pasa doble is a close second) because of the fire and emotion and the jive is entertaining because there is a lot of movement. But they are not just entertaining, they are challenging. The tango must be tight yet look effortless and the jive is crazy yet the movements must be controlled. There were some hits and misses tonight, so let's get to it! Marlee — I was anti-Fabian because he took over for my beloved Maksim, but he really won me when he screamed in her ear "Can you hear this?" That was hilarious. My only concern is that they were a bit out of sync tonight. It seemed he was a step ahead of her. They have to rely on other senses to work together, so I think in the coming weeks they will be able to get it together. Jive 21Mahoney (aka Steve for those of you under a rock) — This was by far an improvem...
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Phew! Tonight was a marathon, not a sprint. As much as I love this show, 2 hours and all 12 competitors was a bit much for me. Luckily, there was nothing a good mambo couldn't fix. Raise your hand if you totally fantasize about being a competitor on this show. I do, I do! I always have the coolest dress, the best technique and a song that doesn't stink! Oh, and Maksim is my partner every time. Yeah, you know it!But enough about my delusions of grandeur, it's D-List casserole time. So get yourself a plate and I'll serve up some recap for ya! Mahoney — Could he be any cuter? Despite some major stiffness (hehe), he seemed to be enjoying himself. I hope he sticks around long enough to revive his career. ABC — get this man a pilot! Mambo 16Cristián — The military bit was ridiculous but his dancing was not. Thankfully, Cheryl has someone who can keep up with her this year.Quickstep 20Monica — It wasn't as big of a disaster as I thought, but it wasn't pretty eith...
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Upon some reflection, I'd say the odds were in the women's favor tonight. With the exception of Mario, I didn't see a stand-out last night. Who would step-up? I wasn't so sure anyone would. Luckily, the ballroom gods had some surprises in store.Shannon Elizabeth — She has never-ending legs so she should continue to work that for some of the male vote because unless she improves, she may not be around long. Did anyone else know she's going to be 35 this year? So is Monica Seles! She looks so much younger than Monica. That's a darn shame. Cha-cha 21Monica Seles — She said she's best known for her power shot. The only thing I remember about her was the look on her face when some crazy person stabbed her in the back. Can you imagine? Literally stabbed in the back! Ok, it was the shoulder — but close enough! That must have been painful. You know what else was painful — that Pepto-Bismol pink dress she had on. Don't get me started on her dancing. All I'll say is she n...
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Penn Jillette and Shannon Elizabeth by Bob D' Amico/ABC
As Dancing with the Stars' newbies get ready to dazzle on the dance floor — the hit reality competition returns Monday, March 17 — we've got a week-long guide to who's hoofing for Season 7. Check back each day for our profiles of more pairings. — Deborah Starr SeibelShannon ElizabethAge 34 Best Known For 1999’s breakout comedy American Pie and a Playboy pictorial that same year Lives In Los AngelesPartner Derek HoughAdvantages Eight years of ballet, tap and jazz as a kid, from ages 2 to 10. "I think she and Derek might be the couple to watch," says DWTS executive producer Conrad Green, who also credits her "strong male following." Elizabeth, a masterful poker player, calls herself "super crazy competitive. I have to win all the time." Disadvantages A bad left ankle: "We haven’t been able to figure out what’s wrong with it," she says. "I’ve got some tape on it now, but there are some mornings that I get up limping because it really hurts."Penn Jille...
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