Dancing with the Stars 11 - Story Night, Episode 3

Jennifer Grey took the lead again last week on "Dancing with the Stars 11". She is a judge favorite, fan favorite, and one of my favorites. I had high expectations for Jennifer going into Story Night on week 3.

I still think Brandy can go a long way in this competition, if she can keep her ego in check when working with her pro dancer, Maks.

Kurt Warner did much better last week, but I'm sticking with Rick Fox as my athlete favorite, and I still have to give credit to Audrina Patridge. She is bringing it all to the table each week on "Dancing with the Stars 11."

Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower were voted off last week. He complained and whined a little about his treatment by Bruno throughout the week, but honestly, he put on a terrible performance. America saw it, too, and voted hims off. No blaming Bruno, Bolton is history.

Story Night - "Dancing with the Stars 11," episode 3

Jennifer Grey and Derek - danced the samba
It's always difficult to be the first team on the dance floor, but Jennifer and Derek have reached the top of the leader board for the last two weeks. They had little to lose by performing first on week 3 of "DWTS."

Jennifer and Derek chose to tell the story of a student with a crush on his teacher. They both danced like pros. There is no stopping Jennifer Grey on the ballroom floor.

Len thought Jennifer was a little off tonight, but he still enjoyed the dance. He and Bruno agreed that it was difficult choreography. Carrie Ann thought it was a little out of sync, too. It may not have been their best dance, but given the task and the choreography I thought they did a good job.

Jennifer and Derek scored a 24, not bad for the first performers for the night

Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas - waltzed
Florence and Corky waltzed to a song from "The Sound of Music." It seemed a safe choice given the options available on a night like "Dancing with the Stars" Story Night.

Florence and Corky created a romantic story that Florence Henderson knew very well, having performed in "The Sound of Music" on Broadway. The Story Night theme worked well with Florence's acting ability.

The choreography wasn't especially difficult and there were a couple of awkward moments, but all in all it was a beautiful waltz. It was a touching and heartfelt performance. Plus, you can't discount the fact that Florence Henderson did such a phenomenal job at 76 years of age.

The judges were complimentary and appreciated the story that Florence and Corky told during the waltz. They were given a score of

Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya - danced the fox trot
Kurt and Anna picked the fox trot to tell the story of a person who had a bad day. As far as stories go, there wasn't too much to develop. Kurt's biggest challenge was to work on moving more softly and delicately, which is tough for a huge football player.

Kurt needed to show dramatic improvement in order to remain on "Dancing with the Stars 11." His performance for week 3 was not one of his best. Kurt was stiff and formal.

Carrie Ann said they were totally in synch, connected, and together. That's not what I saw, but she is the professional ballroom judge. His personality and charm carried him through this performance.

They scored an amazing 23, which I think had more to do with Kurt Warner's charm and charisma than the dance. Seriously.

Louis van Amstel with Margaret Cho - danced the samba
Margaret Cho showed a huge improvement last week, but I had a bad feeling when I saw her outrageous costume this week. She looked like a colorful feather duster, albeit it was an ode to the gay community. She came to the ballroom determined to show her progress as a dancer and not to show the awkward facial expressions that are so much a part of who she is.

Margaret Cho's had a demanding schedule this week and it showed on the ballroom floor. The performance was rough with too many loose movements. Margaret did a better job keeping her facial expressions in check.

This may be the last week we see Margaret Cho and Louis van Amstel dance. They scored an 18, which wasn't very good considering other scores for the night. Margaret Cho may have danced her last with Louis van Amstel.

Audrina Patridge and Tony - waltz
Tony has worked well with Audrina to show that she has what it takes to compete in "Dancing with the Stars 11." Week 3 Tony and Audrina chose to tell the story of a soldier's return. It was a demanding story and routine for Audrina.

The story, the dance, and the movement were all very effective. It was a dramatic and amazing performance. It may well have put Audrina in the league with Jennifer Grey, actually giving the dancing icon some competition.

The received the first 9's of the season, for a total score of 26!

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas - fox trot
Bristol and Mark told the story of a homeless man trying to get Bristol's attention. This was the opportunity for Bristol to show the judges whether she could tell a story in character or not. She couldn't.

The dance was beautiful, but they had a difficult time conveying the story.

Bristol and Mark scored 19, which was not the lowest, but puts them in danger of being voted off week 3 of "DWTS 11."

Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy - danced the samba
Brandy gave Maks a huge gift this week, the gift of silence. I think we were all glad she put her ego in a box for week 3 training. She promised Maks that she would listen and learn. She needed to do well this week after a poor performance last week.

Maks and Brandy told the story of a star and her bodyguard dancing. They did a good job, despite Brandy's limp arms.

Len didn't understand the story of The Bodyguard, and didn't like the way Maks taught Brandy this week. He was hard on Brandy, but it paid off in the dance. Bruno and Carrie Ann loved the performance. They noted the improvement in Brandy's performance for week 3 of "Dancing with the Stars 11."

They scored a 24, putting them near the top of the leader board and ensuring them another week on "DWTS 11."

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer - waltz
The judges love Kyle Massey. I don't enjoy his dancing like they do. I just don't understand what everyone see's in Kyle Massey, unless it goes back to week 1 when Carrie Ann said he reminded her of a puppy. Surely, the puppy look can only carry him so far.

Kyle and Lacey were telling the story of a young couple falling in love in a coffee shop while dancing the waltz. Kyle had the story telling part down pat. There were a few awkward movements in the dance, buy Kyle managed to be lighter on his feet than I would ever had imagined.

The judges enjoyed the story telling, but emphasized the need for him to keep working on the footwork.

Kyle and Lacey scored 23, which should be enough to keep them in the competition.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Karina Smirnoff - fox trot
"The Situation" has a lot of improvement to make to last much longer on "Dancing with the Stars 11." He is a sloppy dancer.

Mike and Karina did a time machine story for Story Night on "DWTS 11," week 3. Their costumes were not futuristic, but fishnet trash. Len called it right when he pegged the performance as pathetic. The dance, the costumes, and the movement didn't work.

"The Situation" and Karina scored 20, which was a bit high for a pathetic dancer like Mike Sorrentino.

Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke - dance the samba
Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke are doing a phenomenal job on "Dancing with the Stars 11." Their week 3 Story Night dance was based on the concept of a basketball player who lost a game for his team. The samba was difficult for such a tall guy dancing with a petite woman.

Despite their difference in height, Rick and Cheryl turned their samba into a very sexy, upbeat, and fun dance. The audience loved it and the judges loved it.

Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke scored a 24. Considering the judges had already given one 9 for the night, I'm not sure why they didn't offer up at least one 9 for Rick and Cheryl.

Predicting the Results Show - "Dancing with the Stars 11," week 3
I look for Margaret Cho to finally go home on the "Dancing with the Stars 11" results show, week 3. As others are improving she and Mike Sorrentino are doing the best they can to keep their heads above water. With Mike showing a little improvement this week, I think Margaret will go home first.

What did you think of "DWTS 11," episode 3, Story Night? Who will you vote for, and who do you expect to see sent home tomorrow night? Let's see if our predictions are right.

Sources: Dancing with the Stars

More reading on Dancing with the Stars:
Boo-gate and Bolton-gate plague "Dancing with the Stars"
"Dancing with the Stars" recap and review, season 11, week 2
"Dancing with the Stars 11" recap and review, week 1
"Dancing with the Stars 11" pro-celebrity dance pairings