Dancing With the Stars 8: Week 2 and I'll Still Call Him Superman

Hey y'all. It's only the second week of Dancing With the Stars 8, and the injuries just keep a comin'. Over the weekend, there were reports of injuries to Steve Wozniak (foot), Steve-O (back), and Gilles (shoulder). At the time, I wondered if any of those injuries would have a big impact on the show. It didn't take long to find out that, at least in the short term, the answer was yes. During introductions, Lacey came down the staircase alone and Tom Bergeron commented that Steve-O had hurt his back earlier in the day during dress rehearsals. Well, either Tom was kept in the dark, or they deliberately were keeping from us the prior back injury. Anyway, we got the first of several teases that we'd learn more about the situation later.

To begin the night, Holly/Dmitry did the Quickstep. During their practice video, they decided to get to know each other better, to help the chemistry issues. Holly told us that her mantra is "Every day is a Holly-day". Okay, stop gagging now. The funny part was that Dmitry kept thinking that she said 'holiday' and he was like ... okay. I guess it kinda loses impact when you have to explain it, hahahaha. Anyway, their Quickstep was okay. The footwork was pretty good, but there was no chemistry. The judges weren't glowing in their comments. Len said that the footwork was good, but that she had bad posture up top, Bruno said that it looked like she was running after Dmitry trying to catch up and Carrie Ann said that she looked like a doll. He was dragging her around. She told Holly that she needed to be more of an equal partner in the dance. Scores: Three 6's for 18 this week and a two dance total of 36/60.

David Alan/Kym were next with a Salsa. He impressed me by insisting to Kym that he didn't want to just stand around while she danced, but that he wanted to dance, too. And she did choreograph for him to dance. I thought the dance was very entertaining. I'm not a pro, but I know what I like and I liked this one. The judges? Not so much. Bruno said that he was only in one character tonight, but that his timing was off and his hip action needed work. Carrie Ann said that harder was not always better and that they lost the musicality trying to hard. Len said that there was too much Kym, not enough David and that the hip action was lacking (* remember this comment because I'll rant about it later) Scores: Two 6's and a 5 (from Len) for 17 this week, and a two week score of 36/60.

Denise/Maks did the Quickstep. It was just okay to me, nothing spectacular or even very entertaining. Her footwork was good, but she just looked stiff and uncomfortable about the upper body to me. The judges disagreed with me again (yes, this is a reoccurring theme this week). Carrie Ann said that this was much better, fantastic even, but that there were a few missteps. Len said that it was quite an improvement, but that they momentarily lost sync and Bruno agreed on the improvement and said that there was great leg action. The only entertaining part of their segment, at least for me, was that after the judges comments, at Maks suggestion, Denise either patted or pinched Tom's tushy. Scores: Three 7's for 21, and 39/60 for the two weeks.

Belinda/Jonathan's Salsa was next. Jonathan said that he was going to make this wild and exciting and put in a few of her moves from the Go-Go's. I thought it was a fun, cute routine. Even though I saw one big mess up, I had a smile on my face the whole dance. Of course, the judges saw a different dance. Len said that it was exuberant and fun but it lacked hip action. Bruno said that there was progress made, but she needs to work on her timing and rhythm and Carrie Ann just dissed Belinda and told her that she was lacking in grace. Scores: Three 6's for 18, and 35/60 total.

Ty/Chelsie were next with their Quickstep, and I was worried. I like these two and don't want them to leave right yet. Alright! This dance is so much better. It was so cute and entertaining. Ty is such a cutie pie and he worked so hard. And the judges seemed to agree with me this time. Carrie Ann cheered and said that she was so proud of him. Bruno commented that he was riding that Quickstep, he had good posture and was much improved. Len called it a metamorphosis. Last week he was a caterpillar and this week a butterfly (um, okay). Scores: Two 7's and a 6 (from Len) for 20, and 34/60 for the two week score.

Shawn/Mark's Salsa also had me worried. I'm just not sure if this little girl can handle the Latin dances. She's so immature and inhibited and the Latin dances are just so sexy and free. Their Salsa was pretty good. I didn't enjoy it as much as many of the dances, but technically it was good. Once again, the judges commented similarly, but their scores didn't reflect the comments. Bruno called her a cute little thing, charming and precise. But she has to work on her naughtiness and flirtation. Len said that she was clean and precise. She needs to let it go a little more in latin dancing, and Carrie Ann said that her footwork was good and precise and that she was very focused. Scores: Three 8's for 24 and 47/60 for the two weeks.

The Woz/Karina had a Quickstep that had me cringing before it even began. Woz has a bad foot. He had an MRI this week and was told to rest his foot as much as he could and to use a walking cast. The doctor did not tell him that he couldn't dance, though. He's a big man already and with a broken foot, how would he handle this dance, in particular? Well, he handled it. It looked awkward, but he looked like he had so much fun, and it was fun to watch. I love this big guy and his whole attitude. Len said that it was great antics, Carrie Ann said that he was such a trooper, that she enjoyed watching him, but he needs to work on his arms and his endurance. Bruno was nasty to him again. He called him Wall-E this week (teletubby last week), rusty, made with spare parts, but resilient. Scores: Two 6's and a 5 (from Len) for 17, and 30/60 total.

Then came the Salsa from Chuck/Julianne. I thought it was a Julianne Salsa and Chuck posed. She came out in her bright costume with lots of, not ruffles, but you know those strings that hang off the costume and he was in all black. And she flashed and wiggled and jiggled and moved all around him while he stood there. Whatever. All three judges put Julianne on blast for it, but their scores didn't reflect their comments. Scores: Two 7's and a 6 (from Carrie Ann). I was pissed because David Alan did SO much more than Chuck and Len made a pithy comment about it and gave him a 5. Anyway their two week score is 40/60. Wonder if that is written into her contract that she can't be given bad scores for bad choreography.

Anyway, I soon calmed down when I saw LT/Edyta's Quickstep. I was so happy to see him do so much better. He still isn't quite in the Emmitt and Jason category, but he's definitely improved. This routine was fun to watch, entertaining. The judges agreed. Carrie Ann sang "That's the Way, uh huh, uh huh, I like it" and told them that it was much better, smooth and powerful. Bruno commented that he's a competitor, he came out there and performed and Len said that it was difficult choreography, but that it was well done. Scores: Two 7's and a 6 from Len for a 20. WHAT?? He dances, Chuck poses and they get the same score??? Bull hockey! Dang it, now I'm mad again. Two week total 36/60

We finally get a Steve-O update. During dress rehearsal, he fell on his mic pack and hurt his back. During their practice video he was saying how he was gonna do this salsa Steve-O style, which told me that he was going to put some risky moves in it. He'd already had some back problems, it was shown. And he was icing it between dancing. Well at the end of the routine in dress rehearsal, he and Lacey both did a front flip. Lacey landed correctly, but Steve-O landed flat on his back ... on his mic pac. Lacey said that he got up from that, but when they went back stage, they were rehearsing a move and he hit his back on her and it swelled up and at that point they took him to the hospital. Lacey did say that initial reports from the hospital were that there was nothing broken.

The show decided to judge him and Lacey on their dress rehearsal. That really stinks, because there is no excitement, no polish on a dress rehearsal performance, but oh well. They showed the performance and it was pretty good. I bet it would have been awesome during the show. The judges were harsh with them all seeming to blame Lacey for his getting injured. It wasn't a traditional salsa by any means, and it was out there even for Lacey, so I figured that they wouldn't like it. But they actually surprised me with how much they disliked it. Scores: Two 5's and a 4 (from Len) for 14, and 31/60 for the two weeks.

To lighten things up, Lil Kim and Derek performed their Quickstep to 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend'. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. She was quite refined (for her) and it seemed very smooth. Bruno commented that she did bling very well and he loved it. Carrie Ann said that it was great, fantastic choreography, but that they needed to work on their holds. Len was harsh. He said that she's definitely not shy, there was not a lot of quality, no refinement and virtually no body contact. His comments were harsh, but the scores were not. Scores: Two 8's and a 7 (from Len) for 23 and 44/60 for the two week score.

Melissa/Tony followed with their Salsa. Now THAT was a salsa! Best one of the night and best dance so far. Very entertaining and it was the most like a traditional salsa. I was shaking along with them, and I wasn't the only one, haha! Carrie Ann said 'Finally a real salsa!' and called it slammin'. Len said that he was gyrating in his seat (that was a visual that I could do without, thanky very much), and Bruno made some cooking analogy talking about so much content and so much flavor. He wanted more and thanked them. Scores: Two 9's and an 8 (from Len) for 26 and 49/60 for the two week score!

And last, but definitely not least, my new Dancing honey Gilles and his partner Cheryl doing a Quickstep to 'Kryptonite'. He came out looking just like Clark Kent, down to the glasses. Oh, man this was my second favorite dance of the night! Very close second, too. Maybe it's tied for my favorite dance. It was awesome, I loved it! And at the end he threw off his glasses and tore open his button down shirt to show his spandex with the G on it. Excellent dance! That was the way to end this thing! Judges agreed, too. Len said it was great, well done. Bruno called it French class with American flair, and Carrie Ann told him that they were quickly becoming fan faves. I hope so because he probably had the smallest fan base coming into this thing, and he deserves to stay. Scores: Three 9's for 27! Woo hoo! and 51/60 for the two dance total.

And that was it boys and girls. Another entertaining two hours of dance. Gilles/Cheryl top the judges leaderboard with 51/60, Melissa/Tony are on their heels with 49/60 and Shawn/Mark have 47/60. Down at the bottom are Steve Wozniak/Karina with 30/60 and Steve-O/Lacey with 31/60. That doesn't mean much because there will also be two weeks of viewers votes added in. This year, they will tell us the bottom two, and instead of that being it, those bottom two teams will have a Dance-Off. According to abc.com: In the "Dance-Off," the judges scores from the first 2 weeks are wiped out and the judges scores from the "Dance-Off" performance will replace them. The viewer votes from the first 2 weeks still count. The new judges scores from the "Dance-Off" and the viewers votes from the first 2 weeks will be combined to determine the eliminated couple.

While it sounds like a big thing, it really isn't. As I see it, the only thing it will accomplish is to let us know who the bottom two are, so that if we're fans and our fave survives, we can vote our tails off this next week. It will also allow the judges to manipulate their scores (as if they don't already) to determine who they want to leave. Maybe. Only if the voters totals are close, because if they're not, then it shouldn't matter what the judges do. Unless they're weighted, which they won't tell us. And I bet every week, whoever gets the highest judges score will stay, regardless of fan vote.

Anyway, Tuesday night is the first elimination and the musical guests are Jewel and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Macy's Stars of Dance performance is, according to Tom, a contemporary twist on the golden age of Hollywood Musicals, whatever that means. But I usually love that segment, so I'm looking forward to it. So who will be in the dance off and who will leave? Comment on that or on your thoughts of the show below or shoot me an email at ladytex@tvfunspot.com and I'll catch up with y'all tomorrow with the recap of the results show.