With Len Goodman missing from the judging panel, several 9s came up for two particular pairs.
- Sep 29, 2009
AceShowbiz - Head judge Len Goodman was absent in the second week of "Dancing with the Stars" this season but the execs brought in Baz Luhrmann aka the director of musical hit movie "Moulin Rogue!". The substitution resulted in generous amount of 9s being drawn out from under the table. Aaron Carter and Mya each scored the triple 9 in their respective performances.
The first couple to take the stage on Monday, September 28 was Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough who did the Jive. Carrie immediately made a comment about Joanna's huge hair and her lack in footwork department. Bruno said they need to be exact with Jive and that Joanna lost rhythm sometime. Baz said they have to show more of the relationship because they got great chemistry. Score: 6-7-7, a total 20 out of 30.
Next, Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo did the Quickstep and the swimmer was told to loosen up a bit because it was obvious when she is tense, her shoulder goes up. Baz praised the second half of the dance where Natalie can blend with the music well. Carrie said Natalie is one of her favorites. Score: 7-7-7, a total of 21 out of 30.
Coming third were Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya who opted Tango. Baz applauded Chuck's effort of embracing the dance. Carrie discussed Chuck's face when doing the Tango, saying it frightened her a bit. Bruno in particular encouraged people to vote for Chuck because he wanted the fighter to stay. Score: 6-7-6, a total of 19 out of 30.
Another Jive came from Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas. Carrie said Melissa was "beige" last week but she was "bright red" this week. Bruno saw them as two ladybirds and liked it that way. Baz noticed Melissa's footwork and told her to work on it. Score: 7-6-6, a total of 19 out of 30.
Michael Irvin and his partner Anna Demidova picked the Quickstep which Bruno praised as a "proper" piece. Baz warned Michael to keep up the pace but praised him for being a natural performer. Carrie said it was a "touchdown". Score: 7-7-6, a total of 20 out of 30.
Debi Mazar and Maksim Chmerkovskiy danced Tango to Moulin Rogue version of "Roxanne". Baz, being a director and writer, liked the story they delivered. Carrie called Debi a drama queen and said it translated well on the dance floor. Bruno said it was good overall but she was still a little shaky. Score: 7-7-7, a total of 21 out of 30.
Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower did the Jive. Carrie said Loiue lightened up the room with his dance although several times he lost touch with the music. Bruno said the snowboarder was a cool dude on the dance floor but wanted more from him. Baz didn't like Louie's jacket but liked the fact they were coupled. Score: 6-7-6, a total of 19 out of 30.
Next performance came from Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff with their Quickstep. The dance brought the show to a whole new level with Bruno gushing "Spectacular, spectacular! Talk about realizing potential! Mini Fred Astaire, you were." Baz said it was a real performance while Carrie declared it a "pleasure". Score 9-9-9, a total of 27 out of 30.
Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel brought the Tango to the floor. Baz said her story was the best of all despite the mistakes made. Carrie liked the performance but told her to stay in the character at all times. Kelly reminded Bruno of Eva Peron when she did her moves right. Score: 6-7-6, a total of 19 out of 30.
Kathy Ireland and Tony Dovolani did the Quickstep, but they got criticisms for it. Carrie preferred last week's performance and hated the fact that Kathy did not stand out. Bruno agreed, saying she didn't look comfortable with her beauty and elegance. Baz emphasized that Quickstep would require them to have a sense of "attack". Score: 6-6-6, a total of 18 out of 30.
Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer also chose to do Quickstep. Bruno claimed it was a great one. Baz praised Mark's effort to recover quickly after he made a wrong move. Carrie called it an "ambitious" dance and told him to breathe some more. Score: 7-7-7, a total of 21 out of 30.
Mya and Dmitry Chaplin prepared for Jive. Baz said, "That is the real deal. That is fantastic". Carrie brought up Len, saying that he would not like the opening. Bruno pictured them as Josephine Baker and Clark Kent dancing together. Score: 9-9-9, a total of 27 out of 30.
In the second week, Tom DeLay and Cheryl Burke opted to go with Tango. He almost dropped Cheryl at the final turn. Carrie said he got the gut and wanted him to "squeeze them together". Bruno mentioned the words "distinguished" and "determined" while Baz called it a cliffhanger. Score: 6-6-6, a total of 18 out of 30.
The last couple to take the floor was Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson. Dancing Jive, they received praises from the lots. Bruno joked, "Secret agent Osmond, that was mission accomplished". Baz said that for a 51-year-old, it was a good dance. Carrie especially liked Kym's outfit and said it was an amazing performance. Score 8-9-8, a total of 25 out of 30.
