The 5th week in 'Dancing with the Stars' sees the 6 couples, with the exception of Melissa Rycroft, battling in out in group competition.
- Apr 28, 2009
AceShowbiz - "Dancing with the Stars" is back with 6 couples left, but one has to be benched for injury. Melissa Rycroft was sidelined after suffering from rib pain, but her rehearsal footage will still be shown for judgment to make it fair. Couples were dancing an unlearned routine in the previous weeks.
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke kicked it off with Lindy Hop. The type of dance requires a lot of lifts and the fact that Gilles suffered from a shoulder injury sometime ago, did not help during the rehearsals. "I was making a list of famous things from France. French toast, French fries, French kisses, and from today on you can put lindy hop on that list," said Len of the performance. Bruno and Carrie both threw positive notes. The score was 9-9-9, giving it 27 out of 30.
Lil' Kim and Derek Hough did the Paso Doble. Derek was afraid that Kim will find difficulty in the dance because it requires almost no hip action. However, Len said of the performance, "I was expecting 'Oh no!' and I got 'ole!'" Bruno stood up and said "the bitch is back" in a positive meaning. Carrie lost words and praised Kim's progress. The score was 9-9-10, giving it 28 out of 30.
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough picked the Cha Cha Cha. Carrie loved the performance deeming Chuck "in the game" but she warned him of the chin. Both Len and Bruno advised him to watch for the arms. "You are enjoying the lower regions," Bruno said, "but you need more fluidity in the arms." The score was 9-9-8, giving it 26 out of 30.
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas danced to the Samba. Len was being harsh on the couple, saying "It lacked hip action, and the dress was doing most of the work" and got booed by the audience. Meanwhile, Bruno wanted more sexiness, saying "You're not Lady GaGa yet, but for me that was a great samba." Carrie complimented Shawn's precision and gave her another 10. The score was 8-9-10, giving it 27 out of 30.
Tom Bergeron then explained Melissa's absence, saying that she is recovering but won't be able to dance for the night. It was then shown a footage of her rehearsing Jive with Tony Dovolani. The judges said that they were on "marking" routine, making sure that they didn't further injure the rib. The judges regretted that Melissa couldn't perform, and gave them 7-7-7, giving it 21 out of 30.
The last couple was Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower, doing the Salsa. Dmitry Chaplin was brought to the rehearsal to show the masculinity of Latin dance. Carrie was raving on the performance, applauding the upper body strength. Len did not really like it, warning Ty that he has to up the ante in the group competition. The score was 9-7-8, giving it 24 out of 30.
It is then time for group competition where the contestants are divided into two large group, containing 3 each.
Team Mambo consisted of Shawn and Mark, Chuck and Julianne and Melissa and Tony. Lacey Schwimmer stood in for Melissa. Len said it was well done but Carrie thought the costume ripping and the song's bouncy nature shadowed their performance. The score was 8-8-9, giving it 25 out of 30.
Team Tango consisted of Lil' Kim and Derek, Ty and Chelsie, Gilles and Cheryl. On contrary to Team Mambo, the judges loved it with Carrie declaring that the team took it over. Len praised on Ty's solo and Gilles' footwork. The score was 9-9-10, giving it 28 out of 30.
