Dancing with the Stars Recap: Week 6

Not exactly the best week for ol' Lank. There was a double elimination on Tuesday, and two of my favorite couples were given the boot. Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas, and Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower were shown the door after being voted off by the fans and losing in a dance-off, respectively. The lowest vote-getter was Hart, who was eliminated immediately. From there, Louie and Michael (the next two lowest vote-getters) were forced to do another dance at the end of the show, with the judges then deciding who would stay and who would go. Michael danced his samba better than Louie did his jive, and was asked to leave bye the judges. (Sigh.) Now it's on to rooting for Donny for Baseball Mom's emotional well-being. That's all I have left. (Another sigh.) As for everyone else...

Mya and Dmitry Chaplin - Finally, something Mya can't do flawlessly. Dancing the jitterbug, she looked uncomfortable and never really had the flow or rhythm that she and Dmitry normally share. She's obviously a talented dancer and is in no danger of leaving the show anytime soon, but her effort this week reminds everyone that these dances are hard and sometimes cannot be mastered in a week. Or, in Michael's case, six weeks.

Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff - Aaron danced a waltz this week, and as I mentioned last week, slow dances aren't his forte. However, he wowed the judges with his control and actually received the second-highest score of the week with a 25. Much better than his living-on-the-edge behavior of late, and he wasn't in the bottom two for the first time in two weeks. Coincidence? Nope, not at all.

Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer - Mark's growing on me. I haven't been the most complimentary guy in the world when it comes to his dance moves, but this week, he was the only one for whom I actually applauded once he was finished with his jitterbug (sorry, Mom). The chemistry between he and Lacey is growing by the week and, all of a sudden, he's no longer a threat to be eliminated...for now. He's got some improving to do if he wants to dance with the big guns, but so far, so good.

Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova - Following up his season-high score of 21 last week, Michael threw up a 20 this week to show some consistency. His waltz was a little uneven and lacked flair, but he did a good job with his steps and commanded the crowd, as usual. The dance-off victory was big for him because despite his enormous fan support, he'll get bit soon if he doesn't show better moves. You know, since the whole point of the show is to dance well and all.

Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough - Remember how I asked to give her a mulligan last week? It's a good thing, because she tore it up this week. Her waltz with Derek (welcome back) was elegant and sharp, giving her the high score of the week with a 26. The girl can dance and seems to be captivating the crowd one week at a time, so it'll be interesting to see how the female showdown between she and Mya plays out as we get closer to the finale. Who am I betting on? Mya, but I reserve the right to change my mind. Hey, you asked, I just gave you an honest answer.

Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel - Well, at least now we know that Kelly isn't good at the jitterbug. She's been playing the underdog role all season long and has been surprisingly good at a number of dances, both fast and slow. However, her jitterbug was awkward and she didn't really seem to enjoy herself. The good news is that despite her relatively lackluster performance, she wasn't in the bottom two (or even the bottom three) and lives to fight another day. We'll see what happens next week, but she's safe for now.

Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson - Donny and Kym also drew the jitterbug this week and did a fast-paced number. There was some interesting choreography and the energy level was definitely high. Not Donny's best performance, but the crowd was into it and he got yet another standing ovation once he was finished. There was no doubt that he was safe during the elimination episode, but that didn't keep Baseball Mom from telling me that she was nervous until it was announced that he was coming back next week. Mom, Donny's killing it this season; I'll be sure to let you know when you should be nervous. For now, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the performances he's giving.

~~ Lank