Believe it or not, we are already half-way through the season. The 10 couples remaining in the competition, will dance either the Paso Doble or the Argentine Tango, and they will also join with the other couples for a group Hustle. That's roughly the equivalent to learning 1 and 1/2 dances. In future weeks, they'll be learning 2 complete dances a week.

The Paso Doble and the Argentine Tango are two of my favorite styles, so I'm excited for this week. Both are very artistic, dramatic, and have complicated technique and footwork to learn. The Hustle will probably be defined in more varied interpretations by the choreographers.

So let's get going:

Aaron and Karina: Argentine Tango-Aaron toned it down this week, so he wasn't as wild and reckless. He does need to show some emotion on his face though. At times he does, he has great eye contact with his partner and looks very passionate, but then he loses it in parts. He is dancing technically much more precise. He was a strong partner, and the judges had nothing but praise for him. Aaron grew from a boy to a man in his maturity on stage. The suit didn't hurt either.
My Score 8 Mom's Score 9 Average Score 8.5
Comparison with Show's Judges Scores of 8,8,8 Average Score 8

Mark and Lacey: Paso Doble-The cinnamon red costuming for this number was hot. I absolutely loved it. Lacey's choreography is always strong. She can do traditional, and add in new and interesting movement to spice up the routine. Mark is a strong partner tonight. He has to be aggressive and he is. He has clean footwork and precise arm movements. Very strong performance.
My score 9 Mom's Score 9 Average Score 9
Comparison with Show's Judges Score of 9,9,8 Average Score 8.6

Donny and Kym: Argentine Tango-Donny looks a little more like he's mad rather than passionate at times. Surprisingly these two emotions are very similar, and if you're worried about footwork and posture, you can go with the easier show of intensity. Looking passionate is an intangible look in the eyes that comes straight from the heart. That being said, he was clean, precise, sharp, and a very strong partner. Donny and Bruno have got to stop flirting with each other though. They're hysterically funny, and Bruno's happy now that he's brought Donny to the dark side.
My score 9 Mom's score 9 Average Score 9
Comparison with Show's Judges Score of 10,9,10 Average Score 9.6

Louie and Chelsie: Argentine Tango-Chelsie's Argentine Tango on "So You Think You Can Dance with Josh won them an emmy nomination, so she should be able to choreograph something pretty hot. He's in black and she's in a glittery cinamon red outift. Chelsie couldn't look bad if you put her in coveralls. The dance is good and it's choreographed well keeping in mind that Louie really can't dance. He must not be very coordinated, because there was no real footwork. This was the best he's done for several weeks, and his stage presence was good. The judges were much happier with Louie this week as a whole.
My score 7 Mom's score 8 Average Score 7.5
Comparison with Show's Judges Score of 7,8,7 Average Score 7.3

Mike and Anna: Paso Doble-I hate the music Anna chose for this routine. It doesn't go with the style of dance at all. Their costuming is terrific. The choreography is okay. Michael is not as laid back as he has been in past dances. His footwork is better this week. His cape work is messy, but overall he did better than last week. He's a football player, so the strong, aggressive style of the dance better suited his personality.
My score 7 Mom's Score 6 Average Score 6.5
Comparison with Show's Judges Score of 7,7,7 Average Score 7

Melissa and Mark: Argentine Tango-Melissa was the top score last week, however, I don't think we'll see that repeated. Her partner Mark has the flu, so he's fighting his way through the week. He calls in his friend Anna to practice with Melissa, and it was very helpful because she was able to get some tips from a female dancer. Melissa has poor posture from the very start, and posture is a key component to pulling this dance off. Also when her face is close to Mark's, instead of looking like they are intensely in love, it looks like she's off balance and is leaning on him. She looks nervous and her lack of flexibility works against her in this dance. The judges had mixed reviews for Melissa.
My Score 6 Mom's Score 9 Average Score 7.5
Comparison with Show's Judges Scores of 8,8,7 Average Score 7.6

Mya and Dmitry: Argentine Tango-If anyone can do justice to this very intricate style of dance, Mya can. I love the dark blue teal color of her dress. She is not disappointing us at all. She has the technique of a trained dancer, so that speaks to a lot of natural ability on her part. She also has the dramatic stage presence, the precise movement, and the flexibility it takes to pull this off. Even Len should like Mya this week. The judges suggested that she could have been a little less distant, I agree.
My score 9 Mom's Score 9 Average Score 9
Comparison with Show's Judges Score of 9,9,9 Average Score 9

Natalie and Alec: Paso Doble-Needs stronger posture-If fierce was her goal, she came short at meeting that goal. She is flexible, coordinated, and very precise, but she didn't dance with confidence or heart this week. In the past weeks she has, but she fell short this week.
My score 7 Mom's score 6. Average Score 6.5
Comparison with Show's Judges Score of 7,8,7 Average Score 7.3

Joanna and Derek: Argentine Tango-Derek got the flu this week also, so Max took over as Joanna's partner. That's hard, because you start to get use to your partner at this point the competition, so she's clearly at a disadvantage. At this point, you've developed trust, and you're use to the choreographer's teaching style. This is a little bit like starting over for her. In my opinion, she actually looks better matched dancing next to Max, but that's just me. They're dancing to "Lola" which is a perfect song for this style of dance. Joanna looks the best I've ever seen her. I think it's the height between the two of them. Joanna could be more flexible, but this was her best dance yet. There was a huge stumble in the middle of the dance, but other than that, I really enjoyed the performance.
My score 9 Mom's Score 7 Average Score 8
Comparison with Show's Judges Score of 8,8,8 Average Score 8

Kelly and Louie: Paso Doble-As Louie explains the dance to Kelly and the fact that he is the bull fighter and she is the cape, she doesn't look thrilled, but she digs in and works hard. Kelly is dancing to one of her dad's (Ozzy Osbourne) songs, and that's a little scary to her. She looks amazing. They are both in a grey black look with a little sparkle. She's very strong and dynamic in her movement, but loses her confidence in her face and eyes at times. At times her posture becomes very rounded as well, but she has a very dynamic style, if she could just be more consistent in her stage presence.
My score 7 Mom's score 8 Average Score 7.5
Comparison with Show's Judges Score of 8,8,8 Average Score 8

The Next Judge's "Top 5 Ranking" of the contestants from tonight's show:
1st Place Ranking: Donny
2nd Place Ranking: Mya
3rd Place Ranking: Mark
4th Place Ranking: Aaron, Joanna, and Kelly

2nd round tonight is the group "Hustle": When Donny Osmond saw the Disco ball in the middle of the room, he felt right at home. All we need is John Tavolta and the Bee Gees. At one point in the group routine, there is a short solo by each couple, they can pretty much do anything they want, including lifts and tricks. Louie, Chelsie's partner is not as thrilled with this style of dance or the era as Donny is. The wigs and costuming are fun or maybe funny is the right word. The shows judges don't get to vote on this routine, so America's votes are the only judges this time. They all really had a good time with this and no one really stuck out. Mya, normally a showstopper, did a great lift, but tripped over her dress also, so it was just a good time for all. Nothing happened that would change the rankings above.

Donny, Mya, and Mark seem to be the most consistent dancers in this competition. They've consistently performed several very diverse styles of dance and have maintained high rankings. My prediction, as fickled as "America Voting" TV talent shows go, that these three could make it all the way to the finals.

Tomorrow night on the results show, we'll see a tribute to Michael Jackson! I suspect that Louie or Mike will go home this week. Most likely Mike.

The actual results for this week: The actual results for this week: Natalie is leaving the show. This is hard for everyone to believe. The judges, the audience, and me are all very disappointed to see Natalie leave so early. Sometimes America's voting is fickled.