Liveblogging: Dancing with the Stars, Show #2

It's official: Samantha Harris replaced Lisa Canning as Tom Bergeron's co-host on Dancing with the Stars 2. Too bad Lisa had to go, but Samantha is doing a great job so far.

On to the competition. Please note that I have linked to video feeds of each couple's performance from Raphael Pungin's blog.

Lisa Rinna & Louis van Amstel were up first. Lisa's vamped it up for the rumba, and her hot orange/pink costume with a fishnet shawl showed off her figure. Good job but I agree with Len that her spins were a bit out of control. Pssst Lisa, aligning your head with your spine prevents vertigo when doing those multiple spins.

Their scores: 6, 7, 7. I thought 6 is low, but Carrie Ann usually scores the couples a point lower than the other judges.

Drew Lachey & Cheryl Burke as usual, did a great job. Their hard work showed in the intricate number they performed, although I wasn't as impressed as I was last week. Very energetic, lively two step; a couple of mistakes were visible but didn't distract from the performance.

Their scores: 9, 9, 9.

Tia Carrere & Max Chmerkovskiy did a good job but something was missing. Rumba is very sensual, and she appeared to be holding back a little bit; either that or she really had trouble throwing those hips around. Not as sensual as Lisa's performance but the "death drop" -- she falls back on one foot and Max catches her -- was impressive. Agree with Carrie Ann here; she has to sharpen her edges.

Their scores: 8,8,7. I think this was a tad high; Lisa and Louis should've ranked higher.

George Hamilton & Edyta Sliwinska had a charming performance. Because of his bad knees, he really can't do much hopping around which is what the quick step's all about, but it was an elegant, enjoyable number. As Len said, he threw everything in but the sink and it worked.

Their score: 8,7,7. I think the 8 is high. They didn't perform a strict quick step, after all.

Tatum O'Neal & Nick Kosovich perform the rumba, and right away she looks stiff and uncomfortable. It was a sensual dance and Tatum didn't look like she enjoyed it at all. Nick, being the professional champion that he is, did an excellent job showing off his partner but Tatum being visibly nervous made for a flat performance.

Their scores: 5,6,6. This performance was a 6, so 5 is too low.

Jerry Rice and Anna Trebunskaya had a lot of energy in their two step. It was a light, elegant and smooth performance. Witty choreography, too. Jerry's football training sure helped with the intricate footwork; he obviously enjoyed himself and that's a plus.

Their scores: 7,8,8. Agree with the 8s, 7 is low. Like I said, this seems to be a trend with Carrie Ann.

Stacy's long legs were the centerpiece of Stacy Keibler & Tony Dovolani's great performance. Her posture was excellent, very good technique, lots of sensual hip action which is essential to rumba. I think they outperformed Nick and Cheryl tonight.

Their scores: 9, 10, 10. The 10s are too high. It was great but not "10" great.

Master P. & Ashly DelGrosso performed much better than they did last week. I have to bow to Ashley's patience and good nature; it's not easy to train someone like Master P, who obviously would rather be somewhere else. The two step was a good number for them, though; all that skipping easily passes for dancing in quick step.

Their scores: 6,5,5. I think these are fair.

I thought Giselle Fernandez & Jonathan Roberts's rumba performance was the best of the evening. She certainly made "Rosarita" -- her alter ego -- take over and the result was excellent. Her movements were crisp and sharp but still hot and sensual all at once. The steps were well choreographed and showed her off quite well.

Their scores: 8, 8, 8. I think they should've scored at least a 9 or two.

My prediction: Master P. & Ashly will again be in the bottom two, with the other couple being Tatum and Nick. I'm hoping Master P. gets booted this time, but the tv audience seems to be rooting for him, so I'm afraid Tatum will go next.

Update on tonight's results:

In random order, the couples returning are: Stacy & Tony, Jerry & Anna, Giselle & Jonathan, Lisa & Louis, George & Edyta, Drew & Chery, Tia & Max.

The bottom two are Master P. & Ashly and Tatum & Nick, just as I predicted.

And the couple booted is... Tatum and Nick. Too bad; Tatum would've improved considerably as the competition went on and I thought national champion Nick was the best of the male professionals. Hopefully he'll return next season.

posted at 9:40 PM by City Muse

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