Dancing With the Stars Recap: Katherine Jenkins Melts Down, Cries on Stage
With the competition down to the final two weeks, tension was running high on Dancing with the Stars, and seemed to overwhelm one top contestant.
A seemingly minor misstep at the end of a solid routine left Katherine Jenkins in tears. The question on every concerned viewer's mind was why?
Their salsa – their second routine of the night – saw the opera singer stumble, a mistake that barely resonated with the judges, but left her bawling on stage:
"That was just fantastic," said Carrie Ann Inaba, who awarded a nine. "I'm sorry at the end. But I just love seeing you push your boundaries."
The other judges also gave her nines, but with the finals a week away, the miscue left poor Jenkins in tears. "I'm sorry, Mark," she told her partner.
It was unclear what exactly caused the crying from Katherine - who also scored a 29 in her first dance, a quickstep - until later in the evening.
Afterward, she was heard saying, "I don't know what happened." She later Tweeted: "I'm with the Doctor, he says it was a reflectorical spasm in my lower back."
Nerves and pressure may have contributed to her tears, but no one realized at the time how much physical agony she was in. What a fighter.
In any event, she's still in this thing, as no more than three points separate all the contestants on a night that saw near perfection in the scoring.
"This is going to be the best semi-finals ever," proclaimed Len Goodman.
Maria Menounos and Derek Hough Achieve Perfection on Dancing With the Stars
Maria Menounos and Derek Hough may or may not be dating, but they're clearly a perfect match on Dancing With the Stars. They scored the season's first 30!
That's one way to top their on-stage kiss a few weeks ago.
Derek and Maria performed the paso doble and judges were in love with what she turned in, awarding a trio of 10s for the first time in this fun 14th season.
Carrie Ann Inaba joked "that dance sucked!" before remarking "You two were so on fire!" Bruno Tonioli, meanwhile, may still be having heart palpitations.
Check out the first-place pair's perfect paso doble below:
Maria Menounos and Derek Hough Kiss on Dancing With the Stars!
With their undeniable chemistry, Maria Menounos and Derek Hough sure know how to heat up Dancing With the Stars ... and the celebrity gossip rumor circuit.
The subject of much did-they-or-didn't-they-kiss speculation a couple of weeks ago and the continued target of dating rumors, there was no doubt this week.
Maria and Derek full-on locked lips during their salsa:
Although Bruno Tonioli asked if they needed a room and if he could join in (would you expect anything less?) Carrie Ann Inaba thought the kiss was too much.
"Dance is all about the illusion of passion," she chided the pair, who earned 27 out of a possible 30 points for the routine. "Don't go at it in front of everyone!"
Or do. Really, no one is complaining here at THG. And we thought Allure's pic of Maria Menounos nude would be her hottest moment of the week ...
Maria Menounos vs. Debra Messing: Who Would You Rather...
Extra! Extra! Ogle all day over it: Maria Menounos is totally naked in this month's issue of Allure.
Granted, you can't see the TV personality's goodies, but you can see a lot more here than you even saw when Menounos donned a bikini in Times Square following the Super Bowl in February. She looks darn good.
But does she look better than Smash star Debra Messing, who also wears her birthday suit for the magazine? That's the question we pose below, as we ask readers:
Which of these beauties would you rather see naked and in your bed? If you know what we mean!
View Poll »
NOTE: There is also a photo of Heidi Klum nude in this issue. But we couldn't include her in the poll because, come on. She'd garner every vote.
Maria Menounos and Derek Hough Possibly Kiss, Definitely Heat up Dancing With the Stars
Maria Menounos and Derek Hough may not have turned in the best routine on Monday's Dancing With the Stars (Katherine Jenkins and William Levy both edged them on the scoreboard), or the most emotional (Donald Driver wins there).
Their rumba was hands down the steamiest, however.
Somewhere between rumba and racy, Maria and Derek ended up panting on the floor. The tandem may have shared more than choreography, or something:
It sure looked like they kissed, and let's face it, these two are a great fit for the obligatory DWTS dating rumor mill. Their physical chemistry is palpable.
Of course, Maria and Derek played it cool when chatting with Brooke Burke, opting not to answer the obvious question: Did they or didn't they kiss?
But will they stick around after tonight? That's a definite yes.
Maria Menounos Fights Through Broken Ribs, Wows Judges on Dancing With the Stars
Maria Menounos suffered two broken ribs after she fell on partner Derek Hough's knee during rehearsal, but toughed it out on Dancing With the Stars Monday.
Menounos, 33, said her DWTS pro partner, 26, was "a little concerned" about her health, however, "I kept saying, 'We are not talking about this! We are dancing."
"I am having the best time of my life and I need to power through.'"
"I'm icing when I get home. My friend Joe drives me from rehearsals and I have a pedicure station with ice in it in my car, so I ice my whole body down."
"Once I get home, I get in the tub and in an Epsom salt bath," the Extra host says. "I can't believe how dangerous dancing is! I told Derek, 'I don't understand! I played ice hockey, football, basketball -- when did I get so fragile?'"
"Unfortunately the Hough's too rough!"
That he is, but it paid off in the form of 25 points Monday night, good enough for a second place tie with William Levy, one point behind Katherine Jenkins.
Who do you think will win DWTS this season? Vote below:
Maria Menounos' Dancing With the Stars Debut: Sexy, But Timid
Maria Menounos and Derek Hough might be the hottest Dancing With the Stars pairing of the season, even if their debut was not so hot on technical merit.
She had the misfortune of kicking off the DWTS season premiere, and the nerves were palpable Monday. Maria will have to overcome her fears to survive.
She's with Derek, though, so expect her to stick around at least long enough to give it the old college try. Don't write the easy-on-the-eyes pair off just yet.
Watch their season-opening performance below:
Dancing With the Stars Spring 2012 Cast: Revealed!
Jack Wagner, Sherri Shepherd, Maria Menounos, Gavin DeGraw and Melissa Gilbert will all be among those competing on Dancing With the Stars March 19.
A pair of sports stars - Green Bay Packers wideout Donald Driver and tennis legend Martina Navratilova - will also be lacing up their dancing shoes.
Perhaps more importantly, Maksim Chmerkovskiy says he'll be back!
DeGraw is up for some serious double duty, as he will also continue his current U.S. tour for the first few weeks of the season, if he can last that long.
Gavin's pro partner, Karina Smirnoff, will most likely join him on tour so they can keep up the practicing, but none of his concerts conflict with DWTS dates.
Wagner, Heather Locklear's ex, will compete amid a minor scandal, while Menounos and Shepherd represent the entertainment show contingent.
The full Dancing With the Stars cast for Season 14 this spring:
Maria Menounos Loses Super Bowl Wager, Clothing
The New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XVLI on Sunday night.
But Maria Menounos gave Bostonians a reason to smile yesterday, fulfilling her end of a wager with fellow Extra correspondent AJ Calloway... by stripping down to a Giants-colored bikini while reporting in Times Square!
Fortunately for Menounos, a long-time Pats fan, it was an unseasonably warm day in The Big Apple, with temperatures hovering around 50. We assume they were even hotter in her immediate vicinity once the reporter's clothes came off.
For more sizzling shots of celebrities baring almost all, visit our section of bikini photos now!
Academy Awards Fashion Face-Off: Erin Andrews vs. Maria Menounos
Neither Erin Andrews nor Maria Menounos were up for any Academy Awards last night, but let's just say a few million men were very happy these two showed up for the ceremony regardless.
The TV journalists/hosts/personalities/beauties posed on the red carpet at the event. Which looked sexier? Vote below:
Don't worry, ladies, we haven't forgotten about you: compare and contrast a pair of Social Network stars now and decide which of them cut a more handsome image.
