Dancing with the Stars Performance Show Week 7 - Cha Cha Challenge

The Dancing with the Stars field has been narrowed to six couples and another pair will be sent packing tomorrow night. This week each DWTS couple danced their usual performance dance in addition to being divided into two teams consisting of three pairs each for a Cha Cha Challenge at the close of the show. The two teams were Team GaGa and Team Madonna and as you might imagine, each team danced to songs by their namesake. Each team received one set of scores from the judges to be added to their individual scores from the first round.

The Dancing with the Stars couple leading the way tonight was Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy performing a Quickstep. Making light of judge Len Goodman's stern remarks last week, Erin and Maksim came out at the beginning of their dance tearing off their clothes-only to reveal new clothing waiting underneath. These two had great energy and precise footwork making this performance a hit with the judges. In a departure from his usual 7's, Len finally awarded Erin and Maksim with a 9. Carrie Ann and Bruno followed suit giving the pair a combined total of 27 points for the night.

The second DWTS pair to take to the stage was Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke dancing a Viennese Waltz. Chad had the lofty goal of scoring 10's this week so they enlisted the help of Tony Dovolani for some coaching and tips for Ochocinco. While the performance didn't achieve perfect marks, it was one of their best to date. Chad's dancing has really improved over the course of the competition and that is always a hit with the judges. Carrie Ann and Bruno found a few details to nitpick over with both awarding 8's, but Len dusted off his 9 for the second time in two dances tonight giving the pair a total of 25. It was Cheryl's birthday today and it just so happened that Chad got her a diamond necklace-shaped like a heart. Aww. I'm sure it's a friendship necklace and nothing more. It matches that diamond ring he gave her quite nicely!

Dancing with the Stars leaders Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough hit the dance floor next performing a Waltz. They danced to "You Light Up My Life", which is Nicole's aunt's favorite song. Nicole's aunt, who suffers from Down's Syndrome, was in the studio audience to enjoy the performance. Just as everyone has come to expect, these two had amazing lines and precise footwork throughout. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba stated that she believes Nicole is the best dancer they have ever had on Dancing with the Stars by far. Each of the judges found a few flaws to pick over, but they were minor and the performance earned them a total score of 27 out of 30.

Next up were Pamela Anderson and Damian Whitewood who were criticized for sloppy footwork last week. I have to admit, I don't know much about Pamela Anderson but tonight I learned a lot. The cameras followed Pamela and Damian to the California Wildlife Center where Pamela volunteers. As someone who has spent countless hours at a wildlife hospital volunteering, I can promise you it's dirty, smelly, and sometimes backbreaking work. These organizations can't rehabilitate and release wild animals back into the wild without a strong core of volunteers standing behind them. Regardless of Pamela's final standing on Dancing with the Stars, she okay in my book and I respect her. These two danced the Waltz and their footwork was greatly improved. This week the judges found fault with Pamela's upper body. Their final score totaled 24.

Dancing with the Stars comedic combination of Niecy Nash and Louis Van Amstel came next performing a Quickstep. They were a bit stiff in places during this performance, but overall their footwork was pretty good. The judges thought it was their best dance so far and rewarded them with a combined score of 25.

After sliding down the leaderboard last week, the pressure was on Evan Lysacek and partner Anna Trebunskaya to perform a proper Argentine Tango. Evan's challenge has been with the Latin dances and the fact that they call for more of a macho flair than the lyrical lines Evan is known for. This performance was by far Evan's best Latin effort and he really found the balance required. The audience gave a standing ovation and the judges awarded a perfect score of 30.

The close of Dancing with the Stars featured the Cha Cha Challenge, which consisted of the team dances. Team GaGa consisted of Derek and Nicole, Chad and Cheryl, and Pamela and Damian dancing to "Telephone" by Lady GaGa. There was some serious fringe shaking on this team. The dresses looked a little like they had gone a round with an industrial shredder, but I mean that in a good way. This team totally nailed it and I didn't really feel like Team Madonna stood a chance. Team GaGa managed to earn a total of 27 out of 30.

Team Madonna danced last and consisted of Evan and Anna, Niecy and Louis, and Erin and Maksim. This team danced to "Holiday" and sported old school Madonna outfits. This was a strong performance but lacked the flair of their competitor's performance. The judges found the flaws and awarded a combined score of 24.

Tomorrow night someone will get the ax on the elimination show. The voting audience has been somewhat unpredictable, so it will be interesting to see who is eliminated. No matter which couple is eliminated at this point, they can be proud of their efforts. I voted for the first time tonight. Wanna know who got my vote?

Source: Dancing with the Stars