Former NFL star Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova kicked off the night's performances with the foxtrot. Head judge Len Goodman declared, "I am going to be honest. The first couple of weeks, I would have been happy to see the back of you. I am happy you stuck around." Bruno Tonioli added, "I have to say your musicality has improved. It was light and you looked like you enjoyed yourself. An improvement. Way to go." Carrie Ann Inaba told him, "I honestly do not know how you do this. Tonight's performance was gracious. It was fluid." The couple was awarded its highest score of the season: 23 out of 30 points.
Showbiz legend Donny Osmond and his partner Kym Johnson danced second with the quickstep. Bruno declared, "As a performer you are solid as a rock. Nobody could cover up all the mistakes as well as you did! You still sold the performance, but I have to point out [the errors]." Carrie Ann agreed, saying, "It was pretty good. Your footwork was light. You went wrong four times maybe. It was good, but not your best." Len said, "No messing about. You came out full bore. It was a full-on quickstep, full of attack and drive. There were mistakes. When you go for it, there will be mistakes. The way you attacked the dance was great." The judges gave them a total of 24 points.
"Iron Chef" star Mark Dacascos danced the samba with Anna Trebunskaya, who filled in for Mark's pro partner Lacey Schwimmer, who was ill with the flu. Carrie Ann told Mark, "Wow, you had a rough week. It is really hard to [switch partners], but the bad news is that it was a mess. I am sorry. It kills me to say this, but it was disjointed." Len agreed that Mark not only had a bad week, "you also had a difficult dance. I didn't find it terrible. It was not your best dance, and you have had a couple of good weeks. I thought under the circumstances you coped very well." Bruno joked, "Mark, as a samba, it was different. It was like watching Kung Fu panda doing the samba in the 'Planet of the Apes.'" They scored 19 points.
Next up were singing sensation Mýa and dance pro Dmitry Chaplin. Len said, "I liked the parts that were in hold. We have seen two foxtrots tonight. Michael's was simple and traditional. Yours ... parts I did like, but it had too many gimmicks. I am not interested in that stuff." Bruno disagreed, saying, "Mýa this foxtrot perfectly captured the glamour of Hollywood's Golden Age. Sexy. Sassy. Beautiful." Carrie Ann raved, "I loved the dance. It was dynamic, fluid and graceful. Your footwork was beautiful. It was like you were floating on a nightclub called beautiful." The couple earned 25 points.
Pop star Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff jigged to the jive. Bruno raved, "It was like a flurry on warp drive to the galaxy and beyond. Unstoppable momentum. Your best performance." Carrie Ann enthused, "You are like a little roadrunner. It was so good. It was excellent. It was the perfect dance." Len agreed, saying, "That had enough energy to light up Hollywood. It was wild, but it was clean. It was fast, but it had control." Aaron and Karina received the judges' top score of the night: 29 points.
Reality TV star Kelly Osbourne and her professional partner Louis van Amstel pulled out all the stops after being called "beige" last week by Bruno. Carrie Ann called Kelly over and gave her a high five, saying, "That was brilliant. Your posture was up. There was a new elegance. You were unafraid of the dance." Len pointed out, "That is the first time you overcame your nerves. Your dancing needs to come up another level and Louis is right to push you." Bruno -- after jumping on the judges' table -- commented, "Finding the character is the key. Once you get into the character, you let it out. There was still a bit of a stumble, but that is the way to go." The judges awarded them 24 points.
Model Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough hit the dance floor with a romantic rumba. Len complimented, "I think that more or less fit all of our boxes." Bruno raved, "You are a love goddess. So sexy, I could taste it. Just a tiny little stumble." Carrie Ann said, "You dance at your edge. I always feel as if you can go terribly wrong, but tonight I didn't see it. I love watching you." They earned 27 points.
Then it was Team Tango -- Donny, Kym, Kelly, Louis, Joanna and Derek -- vs. Team Paso -- Michael, Anna D., Aaron, Karina, Mark, Anna T., Mýa and Dmitry -- with Team Paso dancing first.
Bruno labeled the Team Paso dance: "Strong , powerful and dramatic. At times you lost steam. You have to watch that in team dances." His kudos went to Mýa and Dmitry. Carrie Ann pointed out, "As a group you were totally focused. Mark, you redeemed yourself from your last dance." Len thanked Michael for pulling the rehearsal together, adding, "As it went on, the routine got better and better." The judges awarded each team member 24 points.
Then it was Team Tango's turn. Carrie Ann scolded them, "Why did you put in a lift? [Otherwise], it was awesome." Len pointed out, "It is easier for you to dance the tango than it was the paso guys. However, having said that, this was a much superior dance." Bruno agreed, saying, "Excellent individuals; superb as a team. Kelly, you found your mojo." Team Tango scored 28 points.
On Tuesday night's results show, the remaining seven couples face the Dance-Off double elimination as the 10th and 11th couples are eliminated from the competition. Mark Ballas and Derek Hough will perform for the first time on the "Dancing with the Stars" stage as the Ballas Hough Band and unveil their new song, "Move," from their upcoming album. Then, Rod Stewart will take to the stage for a special performance of "It's the Same Old Song" from his just-released album, Soulbook, a collection of classic '60s- and '70s-era soul favorites.
"Dancing with the Stars" airs Mondays and Tuesdays on ABC.
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