Dancing with the Stars Spring 2008: Week Three

The third week of Spring 2008 Dancing with the Stars competition took place this evening on ABC. In tonight's installment, the remaining ten celebrity contestants and their professional dance partners performed either the Tango or the Jive. Who impressed and who distressed? Find out now!

The Dancers: Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez
The Dance: Jive
A Quote: "We have the same sense of humor." - Marlee, about Fabian.
The Music: You May Be Right
The Outfit: Heavily sequined grape-purple short bodysuit with fringed skirt and arm bands
The Performance: Marlee showed a lot of personality in this dance, and she was mostly on with her footwork and moves. She really moved her hips and kept up with the speed of the dance well. I'm still impressed with what she's able to do out on the dancefloor.
The Evaluation:
Len - "Marlee, you never cease to amaze me... to dance it as sharply as that without hearing, I think you did a great job."
Bruno - "You are so alive when you dance."
Carrie Ann - "I think both of you have a wonderful attitude." She pointed out that Marlee's hands were "a little bit pancake-y."
The Scores: 7, 7, 7 = 21

The Dancers: Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya
The Dance: Tango
Fact of the Week: Anna was very sick during the week, and she sent Jonathan Roberts (her husband) to help Steve learn the Tango.
The Music: Instrumental
The Outfit: Dark brown pants and vest, black shirt, red tie.
The Performance: Steve's facial expressions were very serious, and his jaw very set during the dance. I thought he did a decent job maintaining the hold and his footwork was substantially better than it has been in the past.
The Evaluation:
Carrie Ann - "That was your best dance so far.... You set that face, you set that tone...."
Len - "You captured the flavor of the dance.... Your footwork was fantastic."
Bruno - "Mean, madly, manly."
The Scores: 7, 7, 7 = 21

The Dancers: Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke
The Dance: Jive
A Quote: "Cristian has to have fun if he wants to win." - Cheryl, on Cristian's chances.
The Music: Don't Stop Me Now
The Outfit: Light blue collared sleeveless shirt (which showed off his arms quite nicely), black pants
The Performance: Cristian's expressions were very theatrical - he seemed to be having fun. The dance was fast, and he seemed to be on top of it most of the time, even if he did wind up running into audience members at the end.
The Evaluation:
Bruno - "Are you on rocket fuel tonight?.... Deliver you did."
Len - "Your legs were a little loose.... Your free arm... could have been stronger." But he also called it his best dance so far.
Carrie Ann - "You really do improve every week by miles." She called it "fantastic" and called his flexibility great, but she too cautioned him about his arms.
The Scores: 8, 8, 9 = 25

The Dancers: Mario and Karina Smirnoff
The Dance: Tango
Fact of the Week: Karina was very concerned that they wouldn't be ready because Mario's schedule was so busy this past week.
The Music: Roxanne
The Outfit: Black matador-style suit, dark green shirt
The Performance: I thought Mario looked good, but not as good as he's looked in the past. He seemed to be concentrating really hard, but I'm not sure his hold was quite up to snuff, considering his past performances.
The Evaluation:
Len - "This dance did have flair, but for me it was a mess."
Carrie Ann - "The one thing that you have that sets you apart from everyone else is style.... Tonight was a disapointment.... You're better than that."
Bruno - "You are an incredible charismatic performer.... It was a proper, dramatic, very strong Tango to me" so he didn't think it was that bad.
The Scores: 7, 6, 8 = 21

The Dancers: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough
The Dance: Jive
Fact of the Week: "I'm not very comfortable with the Jive but I am comfortable with kickboxing." - Shannon, on how she approached learning the kicks for the Jive.
The Music: Goody Two Shoes
The Outfit: Gold, heavily fringed outfit, gold headband
The Performance: Shannon looked tense to me for some reason, like she was thinking a lot about the routine. But, her footwork and kicks were pretty solid.
The Evaluation:
Bruno - "I love a girl that comes out here and goes all the way." He warned her to work on her precision.
Len - "What I saw tonight was a really good Jive."
Carrie Ann - "What's amazing about you is that you surprise us."
The Scores: 8, 8, 8 = 24

The Dancers: Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough
The Dance: Tango
A Quote: "Five days is not enough to learn the Tango. It's difficult. And I make it look even more difficult." - Adam, on the Tango
The Music: I Can't Tell a Waltz from a Tango
The Outfit: Black pants and jacket, ruffled orange shirt
The Performance: I was surprised that Adam actually looked decent out there. He held his neck a little strangely, but was surprisingly on the beat.
The Evaluation:
Carrie Ann - "Adam Carolla was quite sexy out there."
Bruno - "If I kind of close my eyes, I almost see Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones."
Len - "Choreography is a bit like make-up - it can cover a multitude of sins.... Julianne, you've done a fantastic job. You've made Adam look like a dancer."
The Scores: 7, 7, 7 = 21

The Dancers: Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani
The Dance: Jive
A Quote: "Marissa and I are a perfect match, we get along great." - Tony
The Music: Girlfriend
The Outfit: Dark blue collared shirt with plaid accents tied at the waist, grey plaid skirt.
The Performance: Given Marissa's spastic, energetic personality, I thought this dance was VERY controlled and maybe even a little slow-paced. She did fine, but I definitely thought she could've handled something more complex.
The Evaluation:
Len - "It was a little bit careful... you've got to come out and really attack every dance."
Carrie Ann - "That was boring. You are so much better than that, Marissa."
Bruno - "It was like a Jive in cruise control." He said she has the talent, so she needs to show it.
The Scores: 6, 7, 6 = 19

The Dancers: Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel
The Dance: Tango
Fact of the Week: "I want it to look like I've done it all my life." - Priscilla, on the Tango
The Music: Instrumental
The Outfit: Long-sleeved, red, off the shoulder gown
The Performance: Priscilla did a solid job of tapping into her roots as an actress and they had a good chemistry between them throughout the dance.
The Evaluation:
Bruno - "Well executed, beautifully acted, great choreography...."
Len - "Passion, drama, fire and ice. Great."
Carrie Ann - "I believed every minute of it. I was mesmerized by you, Priscilla." But she told her to work on her neck positioning.
The Scores: 8, 9, 9 = 26

The Dancers: Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska
The Dance: Jive
A Quote: "When you don't know something, you keep your mouth shut and your ears open." - Jason, on learning the Jive
The Music: I Got a Woman
The Outfit: Light grey shirt, suspender, undone bowtie, dark grey pants
The Performance: Jason seemed to be having fun, which was nice. He looked a little bit awkward, though - his arms sort of hung too loosely a few times and I just didn't 'feel' the rountine as a whole.
The Evaluation:
Carrie Ann - "When you hit your lines, they're beautiful." She told him to show the confidence.
Bruno - He called it a "restrained" Jive.
Len - "For me, you had no Jive action in it.... One week you're a rooster, the next week you're a feather duster. That's life."
The Scores: 8, 7, 8 = 23

The Dancers: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas
The Dance: Tango
Fact of the Week: Mark took Kristi to a performance coach to help her express her emotions outwardly.
The Music: Rio
The Outfit: Long black halter dress with red accents on the hemline and at the waist, long red sequined gloves
The Performance: Kristi was solid yet again, with great technique and footwork.
The Evaluation:
Len - "I liked it very much.... You are a very talented dancer."
Carrie Ann - "No one can fault you for your technique" but she told her that she didn't feel the emotion.
Bruno - "Sharp, clean, clear" but he wants more emotional engagement. He said he wants her to "be a dirty girl".
The Scores: 9, 9, 9 = 27

First off, I have to admit it: Adam was actually decent this evening, and he may even deserve to stay in the competition for another week. Yes, it shocks me to see myself writing that, but it's true. Kristi was technically nearly perfect, but I, like the judges, wish she'd show more emotion. If she could take lessons from Priscilla in that area, she'd be a huge, leaps-and-bounds-ahead-of-the-pack contender for the title. Mario's perfornance was forgettable in my mind, and was definitely a disappointment given his first two dances. Steve, though charming and very likeable, is on the chopping block due to his overall weaker skill set, but my guess is that Marissa will leave tomorrow evening. I was disappointed with her performance. I expected a powerhouse, knock-my-sock-off dance from her, and was not impressed with the controlled moves she delivered.

Be sure to tune in to Dancing with the Stars tomorrow night to find out who goes home! Or, if you'd rather, just check in with me for my thoughts and analysis.