'Dancing' recap: Instant karma

'Dancing' recap: Instant karma

It's the week before the semi-finals, and on Monday, Tom Bergeron was in an ebullient mood since Dancing With the Stars beat American Idol for the second straight week in the Nielsens. The teams? Probably not as giddy -- after all, the five remaining pairs would have to perform an "instant dance" in Hour 2.

Going into Monday's show, all they knew was the type of dance they'd be doing -- they wouldn't find out their song until finishing their individual dances, at which time they'd rush backstage to rehearse.

Who stepped up?

Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas

Individual dance: In the taped package, the Disney star lectured her pro partner about his reactions when the judges (cough cough Len cough cough) don't like his choreography. "When you react like that," she explained, "we're a team and it reflects on me, too, and I don't want the judges or the viewers to think that I am overly confident and cocky ? and I'm owed perfect scores." (We'll be curious to see what he says about this discussion in Wednesday's blog post.)

Mark was bummed to know he hurt his partner but decided to showcase their close relationship in their slow waltz.

The routine started and ended with a kiss (wonder what Pia thought?). But were the judges buying what they were selling?

Len: "I think occasionally you put too much emphasis on the story and not enough on the dance ? It becomes a little theatrical for my taste. "

Bruno: "That was dancing of the highest quality. The contemporary touches were absolutely exquisite. Fab.U.Lous "

Carrie Ann: "You brought a whole new mature, sophisticated aesthetic. You finished every move. It looked like there was a whole new added dimension to your dancing. You earned perfection."

Score: 29 (this marks the first time this season that a team has earned two 10s)

Instant dance: They drew Sean Paul's Get Busy for their salsa. Chelsea admitted she was scared to death, given that she memorizes the steps to the lyrics and beat, two guides she wouldn't have this time. So Mark brought back last season's instant dance standout, Kyle Massey, to give her a pep talk.

So did she channel her inner Kyle Massey enough to stay on top of the scoreboard this week?

Len: "The waltz was cool. The salsa was hot."

Bruno: "Twenty minutes and you managed to put so many steps in there! What are you going to do next week?! You're setting the bar very, very high."

Carrie Ann: "You did very well with your choreography but I did not feel a connection to the music."

Score: 26. Total: 55

Hines Ward and Kym Johnson

Individual dance: Having dismissed last week's mix-up with the cops in a tweet, Hines made no mention of it, as he prepped for his marriage proposal-themed fox trot with Kym. After they finished laughing about the cheesy, over exaggerated (Hines' words) "put a (Super Bowl-sized) ring on it" number, they sat down to watch and analyze the video of Ralph's fox trot.

Bruno gave Hines his first "climb out of the chair" ovation of the night and gave them extra points for referencing the Fred Astaire-Cyd Charisse bench scene from 1953's Bandwagon (one of his favorite films). "You got me with that!"

Carrie Ann: "You're just a guy's guy, Hines, and I love that. You don't frill it out or do anything extravagant. You just stick to the program and then add a little bit of cheesy Hines," referencing his heart-pounding-out-of-his-chest gesture.

Len: "Your personality radiates throughout the ballroom ... If that's cheese, I love it."

Score: 28 (including a 10 from Bruno)

Instant dance: They were assigned Jerry Lee Lewis' Chantilly Lace for their jive. (Whoever made the CD labels is going to do a big, old forehead smack when they realized they should have typed "The Big Bopper" instead.) And he turned up the cheese factor so much here, you'd think he played for Green Bay. His teammates ate it up, whipping their Terrible Towels over their heads.

Bruno: "The energy was fantastic. The footwork? It was a bit like a penguin. You have to go from the knee and point with the feet. But the jive is one of the hardest dances and in 20 minutes? Oh my god!"

Carrie Ann: "You were on every beat, kicking, flicking, turning. What I totally loved is that you relaxed into the moment. You let go and let the audience lift you up."

Len: "Most of the other couples have already done the jive over the course of the season. You were unlucky not to have done it, you had to do it along with another dance, plus it was an instant dance. And you did a fantastic job."

Score: 26 (drawing boos from the crowd). Total: 54

Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy

During their rehearsal, Maks went to the extent of lifting up Kirstie's hair to make sure she heard that the Argentine tango is very technical. He also cautioned the tired actress to lay off the diet a bit, saying that her 1,400-calorie diet was not enough for the workload she was undertaking.

So, did she have enough left in the tank for a good performance (especially a dance she said "has enough steps to stomp all the cockroaches in New York")?

Bruno: "Just the right amount of passion to lead into the ultimate seduction," he said as he gave her his second "out of the chair" review of the night. "Plus, your footwork was brilliant! Your body is shrinking. The talent is huge!"

Carrie Ann:"Your movement quality has grown from Day One. Your cha cha was your best, but I think you just topped your cha cha."

Len:"The Argentine tango is all about creating a mood -- you've only got eyes for one another and there's no one else in the room. You captured that feeling. In addition, it was hot. I'm surprised Maks only took his hat off."

Score: 28(including a 10 from Bruno, their first of the season)

Instant dance: For them, it would be a salsa to Cobrastyle by Teddybears. "You've got the biggest hips on the show," Maks told her during rehearsal. "Move them," he cajoled, before eventually taking off his battery pack and throwing his microphone to the floor. "Pray for me," whispered Kirstie. Did they get their act together enough to move back up the leader board?

Bruno: "Oh, you smooth, flirtatious vixen. I love the angles you went for. You did a classic, traditional salsa, which is smooth and slow with lovely arm passes. But you lost sync, three (expletive) times," waking up the censors and drawing a gasp from Kirstie. Bruno: "I do it all the time!" (What, lose sync or curse on air?)

Carrie Ann: "I thought they were totally in sync. I love your chemistry, although sometimes it can be a little dangerous. I think it works for you. There's so much tension that it's riveting to watch."

Len: "I know what they're thinking. It lacked a bit of impact because it was slower and a more basic dance. But for me, your hips were working, it was oily, you were moving, and I thought it was fabulous."

Score:25.Total:53

Romeo and Chelsie Hightower

Romeo wisely decided not to have a tango in his pants, since that didn't work so well for last week's samba. And if you ever wonder what the DWTS costumes would look like if they were designed by the Haus of Gaga, now you know: Chelsea's red latex gown could have fit right in at the Monster Ball -- if not for the fact that it wasn't see-through and there was a big black bow on her butt.

Carrie Ann: "Someone's in it to win it. When you're in it, I can't take my eyes off of you and I believe everything you're doing."

Len: "Last week. I said you had to up your game and that's just what you've done."

Bruno: "Convincing in leading the tango is very difficult and coming back from that samba last week, you've done marvelous."

Score: 27

Instant dance: They learned they would be doing their salsa to Tequila. (And then we prayed there would be platform shoes and a skinny gray suit involved. Our prayers were not answered. Sad face.)

"In a club setting, I can dance to any song the DJ plays, so I'm looking at this time same way," Romeo reasoned. Chelsie, worried he'd throw in too many "club moves" (which damned his tango), took him to a salsa club to see how it's done. He promised to make "salsa gumbo." Did the judges eat it up or send it back to the kitchen?

Carrie Ann: "It needed to be just a little bit tighter and more in sync."

Len:"There was a tiny incident but what did that matter? I loved it!"

Bruno:"Am I losing my mind? Did he change his medication?" (Tom: "Those are two separate issues.") Bruno continued: "You got the party feel right but the salsa is all about fluidity of movement. You can never lose it. And when you lose it, we have to point it out."

Score: 25. Total: 52.

Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff

Ralph's nagging leg injury meant they only put in nine hours of practice this week for their Viennese waltz, as opposed to their customary 40. "We're screwed," Karina told the camera. Were they really?

Len: "For someone who's had limited time to practice, you did a great job. You had good hold, posture and nice movement. It lacked polish but you only get polish with time."

Bruno: "You were like fascinating, mesmerizing, dangerous creatures of the night. Vampire lovers dancing from dusk 'til dawn. It's astonishing how you managed to do what you did with your injury."

Carrie-Ann: "The spirit of Daniel Larusso lives on. It's the hardest thing to do -- to dance when you're in pain. It takes all the beauty and joy from doing what you're doing. Unfortunately, we have to judge it as though we didn't know about the injury, but you did such a great job that maybe everybody will vote."

Score: 25

Instant dance: They found out they'd be doing a cha cha to Stuck in the Middle With You, the Stealer's Wheel song from Reservoir Dogs. Karina tried to lift his confidence by reminding him that they'd already done the cha cha in last week's group number, so he just needed to tap into the choreography he'd already learned. Ralph confessed that, "My biggest fear is to have that acute kind of pain live. As long as that doesn't happen, a performer is what I am and it's what I'm gonna do."

They even worked the injury into the dance, with a reluctant Ralph pointing to his leg when asked to dance. Karina healed it with her touch and off they went.

Len: "Ralph, I admire your perseverance and dedication. But when you have to do two dances, if you're not 100% fit, something has to give, and unfortunately, it was this cha cha."

Bruno: "The cha cha, unfortunately, is all about the passion, and because of your situation, you couldn't do any of it. We have take that into consideration. But the circle dances were incredible and you coped very well."

Carrie Ann: "It's amazing that you were able to pull that off without any rehearsal. But it's true, that the hip action wasn't quite there." (All three judges stood up and applauded as they left the floor.)

Score: 21. Total: 46.

"I made it to the end of the show and that was my goal," a relieved Ralph said. "On Saturday, I wasn't even walking."

So, does Ralph deserve another week to let his leg heal up and convince you he belongs in the finals? Vote below.

See photos of: Dancing with the Stars

Jamie Lynn Sigler Jennifer Garner Maggie Gyllenhaal Shannyn Sossamon Kelly Carlson