Oct 28 2009
Viewers Not Under Sabrina’s “Dancing” Spell
Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas enjoyed their moment in the spotlight when they danced the Charleston on October 13. However, the twosome could not maintain that momentum, as they ended up as the week’s lowest-scoring couple after combining judges scores and viewer votes. (picture courtesy of ABC-TV/Adam Larkey)
Yet again, the contestant with the lowest judges score survived elimination on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.
NFL Hall of Famer and former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin, however, did not receive the lowes score after combining judges scores and viewer votes. That distinction went to actress Melissa Joan Hart and her partner Mark Ballas. Hart, who headlined ABC’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch from 1996 to 2003, failed to maintain the high standard she set a couple of weeks back, when her Charleston scored a 28 with the judges (scoring the show’s biggest one-week pins increase in the show’s history). No doubt that we will see a reprise of that dance on the season finale.
Ballas must contend with finishing ninth out of 16 couples this ninth season ,a far cry from his competition-winning eighth season with Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson.
To survive another week on the dancing competition, Irvin and partner Anna Demidova battled champion snowboarder Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower in a dance-off (as they were the couples with the second- and third-lowest combined scores). For their dance-for-their-life last chance, contestants chose the style of dance and the music- Vito and Hightower danced the Jive, while Irvin and Demidova took on the Salsa. In the end, judges saved crowd favorite Irvin, choosing to send Vito back to snowboard.
Seven contestants remain, with another double elimination coming next week. Irvin sure has had great fan support up until now, but can he parlay that support and the judges’ quasi vote of confidence into the top five? Some past NFL stars have done so, with Emmitt Smith taking the trophy in season three, Jerry Rice somewhat miraculously finishing second in season two, Jason Taylor finishing second in season six and Warren Sapp taking the runners-up spot in the seventh season. With competition like Joanna Krupa and Mya, however, odds are that Irvin will not be vying for the title come the season finale- unless, he instantly transforms into a dance floor phenomenon.
Aside from the double elimination, teen sensation Taylor Swift performed on Dancinglast night, opening the show with ”Jump Then Fall,” a track that currently ranks No. 1 at the iTunes music store (”Jump…” is one of six new tracks on Swift’s just-released Fearless platinum edition). Swift also performed “Love Story,” which was the first track to top both the country and pop radio charts in some 25 years.
Next week’s competition will result in just five contestants jockeying for survival. Will Irvin’s luck run out, or will he push a more deserving, more talented dancer out of the running? One contestant to watch is Kelly Osbourne: She best work on her nerves and hesitation, otherwise mom Sharon will be crying for reasons other than pride and joy, as she was during premiere week.
