'Dancing With the Stars' - Season 12 - April 18, 2011 Recap

April 18 was the fifth performance program of "Dancing with the Stars," with 8 couples left in the competition. The theme of the night was "Celebrate America."

Last week Sugar Ray Leonard and Anna Trebunsakaya said goodbye, while Kendra and Louis held on despite being at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Ralph, Hines, Petra, and Chelsea continue to battle it out to gain control of the leaderboard, with Chris Jericho and Kirstie Alley continuing to hold their own.

(For a quick peak at the scores scroll/page to the end of the article.)

"Dancing with the Stars" the Competition, April 18.

Ralph Macchio & Karina Smirnoff - samba
Ralph and Karina danced first. They danced the samba to "Sweet Home Alabama, " an odd combination of Latino dance with Southern rock music. I've never seen a Latino dance to a country song before.

As for the dance, Ralph's footwork was phenomenal, but he didn't have Latin heat in his hips. Len and Bruno agreed with me, but Carrie thought it was one of Ralph and Karina's best performances. Ralph consistently performs better on ballroom dances than Latino dances. I guess he is afraid of getting sexy.

Ralph and Karina scored 22, which was one of their lower scores for the season.

Chris Jericho & Cheryl Burke - Viennese Waltz
Chris and Cheryl performed a sweeping and romantic Viennese Waltz. Once again, Chris performed beyond expectation. His posture and footwork were very good and the overall presentation was beautiful.

The couple received a 26, their best score of the competition.

Petra Nemcova & Dmitry Chaplin - quickstep
Petra and Dmitry danced to Elvis's "Viva Las Vegas." This was another odd dance and song combination. It looked like it was difficult to keep the rhythm of the quickstep in time with "Viva Las Vegas." Petra has had so many outstanding performances this was not one of her best. It was good, but not great.

Carrie Ann mentioned that it seemed a little out of sync to her. Len thought it was okay, but Bruno gave them high praise for the quality of their quickstep.

Overall the judges gave Petra and Dmitry a 22.

Romeo & Chelsie Hightower - foxtrot
Romeo has been performing well in season 12 of "DWTS," so expectations were high.

The dance was magnificent, from footwork to timing. It was a sophisticated and fun dance.

Romeo and Chelsie scored a well deserved 26.

Hines Ward & Kym Johnson - rhumba
Last week Carrie Ann told Hines that he was "in the zone." This was another performance in the zone. It was smooth, sensual, and romantic.

Hines and Kym received a 27, a score that proved too difficult for anyone else to beat.

Kirstie Alley & Maksim Chmerkovskiy - foxtrot
Kirstie has had a bit of an odd run on "DWTS" season 12. She lost a shoe last week and the week before Maksim fell. Kirstie was driven to do a better job this week. She said she wanted an excellent dance.

Kirstie and Maks made it through the dance without any mishaps. Their foxtrot was hot and unique. It was not the best job they've done, but not the worst.

The judges gave the couple a 23.

Kendra Wilkinson & Louis van Amstel - foxtrot
Kendra fell to the bottom of the leaderboard last week. She looked fake and artificial during the entire dance. She was saved by "DWTS" voters, but her confidence took another hit. She needed to come to the dance floor with everything she has. She didn't do that.

Kendra and Louis's dance was a landmark event, the 1000th dance performed on "Dancing with the Stars."

The foxtrot seemed forced, even though the judges thought Kendra showed more confidence. I didn't think she did. It was a fun and flashy foxtrot, better than last week's performance, but not good.

Kendra and Louis scored 22.

Chelsea Kane & Mark Ballas - samba
Chelsea and Mark grabbed the top of the leaderboard last week. This week they danced the samba, one of the most difficult dances to learn.

Chelsea and Mark entered the dance floor looking to have a good time, and they did. Their dance was fun, flashy, and fantastic.

Chelsea and Mark received a 26. They should have at least tied Hines ward with a 27, but Len was the hold out giving them an 8 instead of a 9.

"DWTS" Scores from the leaderboard, April 18 , 2011.
Hines Ward & Kym Johnson - 27.
Chelsea Kane & Mark Ballas - 26.
Chris Jericho & Cheryl Burke - 26.
Romeo & Chelsie Hightower - 26.
Kirstie Alley & Maksim Chmerkovskiy - 23.
Ralph Macchio & Karina Smirnoff - 22.
Petra Nemcova & Dmitry Chaplin - 22.
Kendra Wilkinson & Louis van Amstel - 22.

Watch full episodes of " Dancing with the Stars " on ABC.com.

The results show for "DWTS," week 5 airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. on ABC.