Apr 20 2009
Rycroft Claims Top Spot All on Her Own
Tony Dovolani and Melissa Rycroft are one of the favored couples to go all the way to the Dancing With the Stars finals next month. (image courtesy of ABC-TV)
Jason Mesnick, who?
Melissa Rycroft, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader who Mesnick ceremoniously dumped early last month on The Bachelor: After the Rose special , continued her winning post-Bachelor career. She and parner Tony Dovolani grabbed first place with the judges on tonight’s Dancing With the Stars.
Scoring a 29 out of 30 for their Argentine Tango, it was Rycroft’s and Dovolani’s second time at the top of the leader board (they previously enjoyed one threeway tie for first with actor Gilles Marini/Cheryl Burke and Olympic Gold medalist Shawn Johnson/Mark Ballas). Judge Carrie Ann Inaba commented that it was the best Argentine Tango she had seen this season- however, back in week four, Marini and Cheryl Burke scored the season’s only 30 thus far for the very same dance.
Last week’s leaders, rapper Lil’ Kim and Derek Hough, dropped to fifth with a 26. The couple’s restrained Rumba left the judges insisting on the return of Kim’s sassy sexiness, which Hough reeled in for this week’s number.
Johnson and Ballas came in second, earning their highest score of the seven-week-old season (28) for their Cha Cha Cha. Marini failed to return to the top spot, though he and Burke managed to repeat last week’s tie for third, rebounding one point in the process (to a 27).
Tying Marini and Burke with their best score of the season was Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough. The real life boyfriend/girlfriend twosome jumped four points thanks to a dazzling Samba, which led Bruno Tonioli to observe that Wicks moved his hips and butt like he had never done- the remark left a bewildered expression on Hough’s face, but that’s our Bruno. Len Goodman didn’t have much to say other than, “”Chuckie- I liked it!”
Also improving were rodeo king Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower, whose elegant Waltz scored a 24. Inaba proclaimed, “My dancer’s back!” though advised Murray to watch that “I’m-afraid-to-be-put-here” expression that’s become all too common. Meanwhile, Tonioli- who, as usual, was out of his seat more than he was in it during critiques- stated that Murray’s comeback was bigger than Mickey Rourke’s (referring to the actor’s return to winning ways with his film, The Wrestler).
With Steve-O gone from the ABC dancing competition (though he occupied space in the audience), NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor and partner Edyta Sliwinska brought up the rear, scoring a 21 for their Waltz. The couple lost one point from last week, though still landed their second-best score of the season. Incidentally, Taylor covered Sliwinska in more clothing than she’s used to (as, for the first time, the celebrities designed the costumes); Sliwinska undoubtedly will return to skimpier fare next week.
For the first time this season, all of the couples converged for the first group dance. The 14 contestants did their grooviest 1960’s moves, presenting a fun, energetic and infectious routine. Wicks donned a blond wig, and Tonioli could not resist having some fun, teasing Wicks that it starts with a wig, then ends with a frock.
Predicting who goes home often is not as easy as it looks- just ask Steve-O, who lasted a lot longer than he should have, thanks to (Jackass) fan support. Based on pure scoring and past-week performances, Taylor should be concerned, as should Murray. Wicks probably gained some footing this week, so he should be back next week.
Right now, though, the battle for that prestigious mirrorball remains a cutthroat competition between four couples- and with enough viewer support, none of them have anything to worry about. Well, at least until week nine….
