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« Dancing with the Stars
Episode Recap: Cranky Pants Sandwich
This evening's show had some added drama that will likely continue off the dance floor — and no, it's not romance-related! Amidst a jam-packed show with the pressure on, Cristián's seemingly fluid performance was halted when he pulled a muscle in his arm and coudn't finish his samba. The misfortune was even more considerable, as the celebrities had to wow us with two dances and hoped they impressed us enough to earn our votes as the competition went to a whole new level.
Let's get right to it! Loosen up those belt buckles — in fact, put on a pair of comfy pants — because tonight we're getting a heaping double portion of D-List casserole! Phew — I hope I don't bust the elastic.
Marissa — She started off with a fantastic tango which left her in second place after the ballroom round. Her rumba wasn't bad but I was a bit bored by it. The song sounded like something you'd hear in an elevator.
Tango 27
Rumba 25
Cristián — Oh no! He was going into the second dance with good momentum from a beautiful waltz and then he pulled a muscle in his arm and couldn't finish his samba. I felt so bad. I don't like to see injuries, especially when they ruin someone's dance. I hope his low score doesn't land him in the bottom two. So not fair!
Viennese Waltz 25
Samba 21
Kristi — So good she's using props! What's a fleckle? I think Len forgets we haven't been doing ballroom for eons. Oddly, this was her lowest scored dance of the competition. She wowed with the cha-cha though and even sported a fluffy club wig. She can dance hip-hop well, which added a flare to this dance that only Len didn't like.
Viennese Waltz 26
Cha-Cha 28
Mario — Len brought up a good point in that he is only 21. Sometimes I forget that. His fox trot was good but you can tell he only really comes alive for the Latin dances. His mambo was amazing but he has to put as much into the ballroom dances if he wants to stay in this competition.
Fox Trot 24
Mambo 27
Shannon — A lot was made this past week of their infamous rant about heel leads and hip motions. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Luckily, they came back strong with a tango full of Tyra-like fierceness. I loved it! Good thing too because that mambo wasn't very good. She is not improving on her fast dances.
Tango 27
Mambo 24
Jason — Is there something in the rules that states every male contestant must jump over their partners head at one point? His quickstep was lively, yet still a bit awkward in my opinion. Maybe it's his height. However, his paso was very entertaining and I think his stiff tendencies worked for this dance. Very cool how they worked in the Monday Night Football theme. Points for creativity!
Quickstep 29 No way! I'm sorry but this was not the best dance of the round
Paso Doble 26
Well I must say it was an intense night in the ballroom. I hope Cristián is ok and that Mario doesn't go home! And I hope that Mario doesn't stay simply because of Cristián’s injury! For some odd reason, I'm not on the Jason train so I wouldn't mind seeing him go tomorrow night but I definitely think Shannon had the worst dance of the night so maybe she should go instead. Marissa again managed to step it up and we'll probably see her again next week. I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow night to find out who America thinks isn't cutting it. I'm very excited for Def Leppard and a Dance Center bit with Kenny Mayne and Jerry Rice. Who do you think should get the boot? Will Cristián be ousted because of an unfortunate injury? What am I missing about Jason? Fill me in below and stop back tomorrow for the scoop on the results!
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Apr 28, 2008 10:00 PM
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I don't get it with Jason either!! I thought I saw a lift and mistakes and they give him 10's!
I don't know who should go home!! Shannon I guess but I hate to say that.
I really hope Mario isn't in the bottom two. He tried so hard this week and I was impressed with his dances.
The injury stinks and I think C & C's scores should have been 8s up to the injury...not 7s!
Should be interesting tomorrow.
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Apr 28, 2008 10:30 PM
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I'm not on the Jason or Shannon train either. Not sure what the judges saw in her mambo but I certainly didn't see a lot of bum and hip movement. She looked stiff to me.
Hope Christian gets better soon and glad it isn't something more serious. I was worried the way he grabbed his left arm that he was having a heart attack. Yikes!
And Kristi, WOW I thought her spins into that drop were amazing. She had to totally trust that he would be there to catch her. Guess that is why I am not a judge. I thought it was great.
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Apr 28, 2008 10:50 PM
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I totally didn't enjoy any of Shannon's dance. I am really just over her and Derek as a couple (IF they even are one or not) and as a dancer. She was very stiff too me and rubbing her hips in the judges faces well in my opinion was just rude.
I am not sure what is up with Len, maybe he is upset he didn't get to walk in the supermarket naked, but he did seem a bit on the cranky side tonight. I really liked Kristi and Marc's second dance, still not sure why Len didn't. OH well, Bruno will remind him he is getting old. 
I really hope Cristian wil be ok, he totally looked hot dancing his samba-up until his arm went out. He at least tried to continue, I felt bad for Cheryl who all most hit her head when he couldn't catch her. Yikes. Still, he was amamzing and I do hope he gets to come back next week!
As far as who is going home, who really knows, especially after seeing Mario in the bottem two after having his best score, so anything can happen. I would love it if it was Shannon and Derek. But we will see tomorrow! YEA Def Leppard, can't wait to see a dance with them! Should be very interesting and anything with Kenny Mayne and Jerry Rice should be fun! Hopefully not just a time filler.
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Apr 29, 2008 12:02 AM
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I do really like Jason. I don't think he's going to win, but I still enjoy watching him. I also loved tonight for the paso doble that he and Edyta wore the Miami Dolphins colors.
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Apr 29, 2008 12:44 AM
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I knew going into this week that it would be hard to figure out who should go. And most of them did step up a bit.
I think the judges seemed a bit tougher because we are heading into the second portion of the competition.
Let's face it: except for Kristi, this season's talent is pretty mediocre. Most noticably are those who struggle to dance both styles well: Shannon is horrible at Latin dances, and Mario is too loose in Ballroom. Does that mean one of them should go? But Mario does all the steps correctly and actually leads his partner.
Jason does ok, but suffers through his own awkwardness and Edyta's subpar choreography.
I think Cristian and Marissa have shown promise to actually do both styles of dance, but will they have the support of voters? And how will the injury affect Cristian's future this season? Will he drop out? Will the votes overcome his low score tonight (ITA with the poster who said he should have had 8's).
And then there's Kristi. Obviously the casting this season was to attempt to make a woman champion. They tried last season, too, but Helio's talent and personality was a surprise (and he had the advantage of Julianne's choreography).
I was disappointed in the judges' scoring of Kristi tonight. I thought that waltz deserved no less than a 27. And the cha-cha was about as good as last week's jive. It should have gotten no less than a 29. There is no way Jason danced better than her to receive a higher overall score.
To be honest, I really want Shannon to go. I have a major distaste for her recent attitude and the apparent relationship with Derek is just weird.
Tomorrow night should be interesting. My husband and I are both looking forward to Def Leppard and Dance Center. So it should be the best results show yet this season.
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Apr 29, 2008 1:20 AM
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I too have never understood the lovefest the judges have with Jason. I've always found him to be pretty stiff, he lacks musicality and does not connect with the audience. While I thought his dances were better tonight than the past weeks I still think as always that he is over scored.
I felt that Kristi on the other hand was under scored tonight, particularly by Len. He should not be penalizing her just because he doesn't like props or the choreography. What she was given to dance she danced extremely well and there's no way she should have been scored lower than Jason.
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Apr 29, 2008 1:47 AM
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Seriously, Def Leppard is going to be on Dancing with the Stars? What has happened to that band? They are better off fading away then showing up on dance show...I don't dislike the group, its just such a strange place for them to pop up.
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Apr 29, 2008 2:56 AM
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OK, now I'm mad.
The judges' blatant bias against Mario is amazing, and I'm at a true loss to understand what it's all about. He is second only to Kristi in his performances, yet the judges struggle to find something wrong with his performance week after week. All this, while struggling to find something right with performances like Shannon's.
I hope a poster more knowledgeable than me will weigh in on this and help me understand what Mario is doing wrong, because I feel that his performances are just amazing!
At the very least, they're far superior to Jason's, and certainly they far surpass Marissa. And I like both of these performers, so please don't believe that I am biased against either. My Jason-lust has been openly expressed, and I applaud Marissa. But neither is as good as Mario, week after week. Yet, the judges continously fail to give Mario his due. What's that about?
I just don't get it.
PS--Christian--be well soon. Those 7s were unjust...
Shannon should be going home, if there's any true justice.
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Apr 29, 2008 7:22 AM
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I loved Shannon's indigo gown in her first dance - IMO the first time she didn't come across as gangly. If she could bend her knees more during the Latin dances she'd look less stiff. I think it might be her elimination tonight but then I think Mario might go, although I hope not. I wonder if there's that many young rap fans who watch the show & vote ?
In skating, especially since Kristi is a professional performing in skating shows, the skaters do use props in their numbers so this was no big deal for her to use one last night. Mr. Crankypants must have gotten up that morning on the wrong side of the bed.  She was way underscored last night.
I'm loving Marissa as usual because I happen to like cheerful souls & I'm enjoying seeing her progress. Tony has never giggled & smiled so much before as he has with Marissa.
So sorry that happened to Christian - I hope he gets to stay in! The judges were way off base in scoring he & Cheryl so low for that samba.
As usual a very entertaining show last night, Tom Bergeron is the best MC ever! Love his quips to the judges...
I don't think they'll be having the kids' contest tonight so disappointment here...
and one word about Def Leppard.
Why?
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Apr 29, 2008 7:36 AM
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I think the problem many of us have is that we don't know enough about the content of each dance. I think Len was right last night that Mario & Kristi try to add hip-hop and different moves to traditional dances and he doesn't like that.
Maybe I am am baised because Edyta is my favorite and even though I hate the Dolphins I like Jason and think he will be in the finals with Kristi and either Mario or Marissa.I think the injury may do Cristian in and Shannon seems to be the worst dancer left so her and her whining should go home tonight.
Def leppard should be interesting looking forward to Kenny Mayne he is always funny really looking forward to the following week the 100th show sounds like it will be good with so mnay people returning.
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Apr 29, 2008 7:37 AM
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I rewound the DVR to see where Christian got hurt and I couldn't see anything that could have caused that at all. Even so, I thought he deserved at least 8's for what he did up to that point and for trying to finish the dance. I do wonder how they can be 3 weeks from the finale unless one or more couples go home in one week. Maybe Christian was told to fake the injury as an excuse for him to drop out and one other couple will be eliminated this week.
Funniest line of the night was when Len told Bruno he was the reason for global warming. Len was a bit cranky tonight but I think it's because they are at the second half of the season and these contestants should be better by now. Also, Kristi and Mark again resorted to hip-hop moves and they have been warned about that.
I thought Mario did a great job with the Mambo tonight. He impressed me from the beginning of the dance through to the end which is the first time he has done that all season.
I'm looking forward to Dance Center tonight. I believe Def Leppard has a new album out which is why they are on the show and I'm looking forward to that too.
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Apr 29, 2008 7:47 AM
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Wow, I must really be in the minority on this show. I really did not like Cristian's samba before the injury. The only this he had going for him on this dance was the hip movements (which I did enjoy) but his upper body movements were to stiff and it looked like he was curled into himself during the dance. I think he did deserve the 7's. Even though I like Marissa I did not think her tango was better than Kristi's dance. I definitely think that they judge tougher on the people who are better. I think Kristi's waltz did not deserve a lower score than Marissa's tango. And I am so on the Jason train. For such a big guy I think he is doing very well. As far as the lift, yes it happened but when your so tall it must be hard not to lift your partner by accident. But it's the rules and points must be deducted. I am also on the Shannon train. I don't know but I like her. My three favorites - Kristi, Jason and Shannon. I hope Cristian is okay. Look forward to tonight's results.
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Apr 29, 2008 7:50 AM
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First of all - SO excited about the return of Dance Center with Kenny Mayne and Jerry Rice - Yeahhh!!
Secondly - OMG, Cristian! What was that? I have never seen or heard of an injury like that before. Clearly the pain was excruciating. I guess a "severe cramp" is plausible, but I have a bad feeling it's worse than they're saying so far. Hopefully I'm wrong and they can continue. If so, it's Marie all over again - Cristian's ticket to the semifinals.
On to the dancing. Kristi and Mark are clearly being judged by a higher standard than the other dancers. She looks more like a pro than any celebrity woman so far on DWTS, and I have loved seeing Mark's personality come out this season. When I saw the umbrella I said to my husband, "Len's not going to like that." I thought their waltz had some amazing moves (even though the waltz is usually pretty boring and often gets lower scores), and I personally loved their cha-cha. I did not recognize their moves as hip-hop until it was overwhelmingly pointed out by the judges.
What I love about Jason (have you noticed how often Carrie Ann starts her comments with "What I love about you..."?) is his progress. He finally seems to have thrown himself into trying to win this thing. He started out kind of wondering what he was doing on the show, and maybe a little concerned about what his buddies in the locker room would think, and now he seems to be having a good time, listening to the judges and taking their advice, and improving each week. I don't think he is the best dancer at all, and Edyta is a relatively weak choreographer, but I look forward to seeing what they bring each week. Just as the judges hold Kristi to a higher standard, I think they reward Jason for improvement.
I thought Marissa and Tony's tango was great - much helped by the fact that Marissa's hair was contained and we could actually see her face, since she acted the heck out of it. The rumba was a little too smiley for a dramatic dance.
I think what's hurting Mario is his smirky face and maybe his partner. I find Karina to be very unpleasant. I can't stand to watch her face when the judges are critiquing them. I thought the mambo was fantastic. Does anyone know what is the distinction between the mambo and the samba?
Shannon and Derek - ready for them to go. She still has no hip action, unless she stands in one place and really concentrates. Contrast that with Mario's smooth hips on the mambo. Watching how S&D touched and held each other last night, I believe they are a real-life couple.
I agree tonight should be the best results show so far. Hoping that Cristian is OK.
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Apr 29, 2008 8:16 AM
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I don't know if this has been brought up, but didn't Carrie Ann and Len say that they have to judge the dance "before" the accident? It seems to me that the 7's are taking into account the accident, and he actually deserved 8's and 9's if compared with the other dances. They were not following their own rules IMHO
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Apr 29, 2008 8:24 AM
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