I'm In Mourning for Natalie...and Really Mad At Those Judges!

I can't believe Natalie went home...and I can't believe Len had the nerve to blame it on the audience voting for the underdogs!  Natalie doesn't have the fan base some of the others have.  But she might have had a fighting chance if only the judges hadn't placed her in second to last place.  She just didn't have the fan base to vote her out of that position.  Shame on you, judges!  I really think they should vote on the curve.  After all, that's how Jerry and I do it--we give half points and quarter points...whatever we need to do so we don't give two couples the same score. 

Anyway, the rest of the week went like this:

Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff (24 for their Argentine Tango):  I'm tired of Aaron and Karina is, apparently, a "cold-blooded bitch" (her words...not mine!).  I liked their leg flick moves--very quick and very together.

Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson (29 for their Argentine Tango):  The highest score of the season?  I'm not sure it was that good, but Kym's costume...apparently stolen from Edyta's closet...probably earned them extra points.  She was mostly naked on the left side with just one string on top and one sheer gold wisp at her hip holding the rest of the dress together.  Now Donny really won't be allowed back in Utah!

Joanna Krupa and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (24 for their Paso Doble):  Jerry and I both thought this was the best dance of the night...in spite of her minor footwork mistake, which unfortunately caused Maks to stumble.  It was perfect music (Whatever Lola Wants...) and I loved her move at the beginning where her legs wrapped around his legs while he was dancing. 

Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel (24 for their Paso Doble):  I'm tired of the weird hair, but at least she didn't have a wig on this week.  It was almost frightening how much she looked like her mother--from her hair down to her clothes...except Sharon would have been wearing black, rather than Kelly's charcoal grey.  And I suppose Louis' makeup was meant to make him look like Ozzy?  I guess a nice tribute to one of her father's songs.  I hope she bounces back from her foot injury this week!

Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower (22 for their Argentine Tango):  Okay, Louie basically walked through the dance...and the judges gave him the same score as they gave Natalie?  Huh???????  I liked Chelsie's glittery short red dress...and Louie at least had his hair out of his eyes.  That's the nicest thing I can say about him in light of the judging travesty!

Mark Decascos and Lacey Schwimmer (26 for their Paso Doble):  Not sure about Lacey's hair being in a Mohawk, but I liked Mark's solo at the beginning and basically liked their dance.  I'm a little surprised Lacey's costume didn't send the morals department into a fit, but I guess she had flocking in the right places on top of the sheer fabric.

Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas (23 for their Argentine Tango):  I'm not sure how much rehearsing with Anna (I swore I wasn't going to have to type her last name again this season!) Trebunskaya was supposed to help Melissa, but I guess she did learn to "lift up her boobies"...something I can't quite hear Mark saying.  Melissa dances kind of flat footed and clunky.  And, what were those red tea cozy things on Mark's shoes?  They looked like they were made out of flannel and only served to draw unnecessary attention to Melissa's (lack of) footwork.

Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova (21 for their Paso Doble):  #1...what is with Anna's brown hair?  They, too, got great music (Toreador from the opera "Carmen")...and I loved when he ripped her skirt off and used it as a cape.  Very dramatic!  The whole coin in the butt cheeks thing?  Bruno seemed happy to have it presented to him.

Mýa and Dmitry Chaplin (27 for their Argentine Tango):  I guess this was their week to take a fieldtrip, huh?  Off to Habitat for Humanity they went and I believe Mýa put two entire nails into that house before they headed back to the dance studio.  I loved their quick, precise moves and her jumping off the stage into his arms.

Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo (22 for their Paso Doble):  I actually really liked their dance to "American Woman" and thought it was very appropriate for an Olympic athlete.  Her costume reminded me of Edyta's when she Paso Dobled with Jason Taylor...except Natalie's was red, white and blue...right down to the blue star "tatooed" on her arm.  I actually gave her routine a 9...and Jerry gave it a 9.5, so I don't know what the judges were doing waving those 7 and 8 paddles around.  The Olympic athletes are no longer undefeated!  Bummer.

Before we leave Monday night, can I just say:

Did Samantha, Lacey and Kelly all stick their fingers in a light socket?  Their hair was all a big mess.

WHAT was with Samantha's outfit?  Isn't her job to pretty much stand around looking glamorous in a ballgown?  She looked like she forgot her blouse--just had on an animal-looking print bra and a high-waisted long black skirt.  It was not a good look!

I really liked the group Hustle.  It was really cute and well choreographed.  The costumes?  Let's just say, I don't remember seeing a lot of those around Chicago Heights during the 70s!

The Results
The "Results" show, which is usually just a giant recap of the previous night, was actually quite a show in itself. 

Okay, Norah Jones sang twice, but I get annoyed unless there are DWTS pros dancing with the singers...luckily, Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya (Ick!  Had to type it again!) came through with a lovely, graceful dance to the song they danced to at their wedding..."Come Away With Me".  It was very nicely done...especially the move when he seemed to effortlessly hold her under one armpit as he spun her around on one foot.  And after they finished dancing and Tom Bergeron started to talk, you could see them quietly swaying in the background.  Very touching.

The Macy's Stars of Dance hit another home run--their second pretty much ever--with the Michael Jackson tribute.  I loved all the professional dancers really getting a chance to show how well they dance when they aren't saddled with less-than-fabulous "stars".  Chelsie Hightower was amazing...and I'm not usually a huge fan of her.

So...did the entire Jackson family have an addiction to plastic surgery?  LaToya and Jermaine certainly seem to be following in Michael's footsteps in that regard.  I was also stunned by the DWTS singer, Darryl Phinnessee, who apparently went on three world tours with Michael Jackson and seems to have shared his plastic surgeon.  I mean...tell me you don't think this guy looks like Michael Jackson--he comes on about 25 seconds into this video.        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI8SHC62rpo

So, just like Michael Jackson (who apparently loved DWTS), we'll all be watching..and remembering not to vote for the underdogs...right?  Thank you, Len Goodman!