It is semi-finals week on the hit ABC reality show Dancing With the Stars. Monday night’s performances were undoubtedly some of the best of the season. The four remaining couples danced their hearts out in the Ballroom and Latin rounds. See who got eliminated here.
Tom Bergeron pointed out that each one of the four celebrity contestants has received the most viewer votes at least once during the competition, proving they all have a fan base that can help get them into the finals. The remaining competitors are Chad Ochocinco, Erin Andrews, Nicole Scherzinger, and Evan Lycacek.
The excitement was evident and the judges were in rare form, with Bruno even getting bleeped by the network for dropping the f-bomb while providing feedback to Erin Andrews, who he referred to as “the hot chick with an attitude”. She stumbled during one of her dances, and he felt it was her pro partner’s fault. He told Maks, “Hey,you were the one who bleeped up!” See it on Erin’s performance video below – 4:30 on the video slider.
Evan and Anna scored 29 in ballroom and a perfect 30 for their paso doble. Bruno told the Olympic figure skater that it was the best performance of the paso this season. Total score 59 out of 60.
Nicole and Derek scored a perfect 30 for their Argentine tango. Bruno told her he was “inflamed by you, enchanted by the dance”. Carrie Ann Inaba wept with emotion, and crabby Len Goodman said he was giving them the supreme compliment when he said, “More delicious than my grandmother’s apple pie.” Their cha cha earned 29. Total score 59 out of 60.
Erin and Maks earned 27 for their Viennese waltz. It looked like they finished ahead of the music as they ambled over to sit on the steps with no apparent plan in mind to bring closure to their dance. It cost them points with the judges. Bruno, who loves Erin unconditionally, accidentally put up his 10 paddle during the scoring and shouted 9. Tom Bergeron later referred to it as the first “premature paddle” of the season. Their paso doble earned them two 10’s from the judges. Len, not a fan of Maks or his choreography, called it a “funky monkey paso”, but grudgingly gave it a 9, making their composite score 29. Total score 56 out of 60.
Chad and Cheryl earned 27 for their waltz and 25 for their samba. The judges praised the fact that Ochocinco is the only remaining celebrity contestant to have started out with zero dancing experience. While he has improved significantly and consistently with each passing week, he has not been able to achieve the skill level demonstrated by the other three. The NFL player ended up bare to the waist during his second performance, compelling Bruno to exclaim, “I’m torn between admiration and bitter envy. I’ll never take my clothes off again.” Total score 52 out of 60.
Tonioli was, of course, referring to his recent nude ad in the Give Up Clothes For Good, a campaign to raise money for fighting childhood cancers.
On Tuesday night, one couple will be eliminated and the final three celebrities will compete in the DWTS finals next week for the Mirrorball trophy.
Look for either Chad or Erin to be shown the door this evening. A special film clip was shown this week for each of the celebrities. Erin talked about her stalker and the humiliation of having nude photos unleashed on the Internet, while Chad’s video provided a glimpse of the athlete’s early life. He was raised by his grandmother because his mother abandoned him and his father was in prison. He has four children.
Everybody loves a rags to riches story. Don’t count Ochocinco out just yet.
More photos, including pics of Erin and Maks after the show. Check out the top performance videos from May 17 below:
Photos: DWTS Promo