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Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova- along with  Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer- failed to make it into the top five of Dancing With the Stars’ninth season. (picture courtesy of ABC-TV/Adam Larkey)

Despite earning his highest score of the season thus far this week, NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin- finally- hit the dance floor skids.

Irvin and partner Anna Demidova had the lowest points tally after combining judges scores and viewer votes on Dancing With the Starsthis week.  Hosts Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris gave Irvin and Demidova the bad news before leaving Mark Dacascos/Lacey Schwimmer and Aaron Carter/Karina Smirnoff to dance for their lives in an elimination dance-off.  While Dacascos’ Cha-Cha-Cha improved upon Monday’s lowly Schwimmer-less performance, the judges unanimously agreed to save Carter and Smirnoff, who danced another rousing Jive.

Just five couples remain in the competition: Carter/Smirnoff, Joanna Krupa/Derek Hough, Mya/Dmitry Chaplin, Donny Osmond/Kym Johnson and Kelly Osbourne/Louis van Amstel- who, incidentally, have the season’s five best averages in terms of judges scores. Who would have thought- the actual five best couples comprising the top five.

Contestants have three more weeks of competition to endure before the finals. If they felt intense pressure over the last several weeks, it only gets worse from here on out. At least all of the top five deserve to be there, unlike past seasons where even just one oddball contestant in the top five threw everything out of whack (Ty Murray over Lil’ Kim last year? The scandal).

On a lighter note, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas “performed,” if one could call it that- their new single. The professional-dancers-turned-wanna-be-pop-stars appeared to lip-synch to their new single, “Move.” Someone must have forgot to inform them that the boy “band” craze ended some time ago.

For the third time in seven weeks of competition, supermodel Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough emerged as the top-scoring couple with Dancing With the Stars judges.

The seven remaining couples danced an individual-couples routine, and participated in a Team Paso vs. Team Tango showdown.  Krupa and Hough earned a 27 or their individual-couples Rumba and a 28 for the Team Tango, giving them 55 out of a possible 60. In second place were pop star Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff, who scored the night’s biggest dance (a 29 for their Jive), but only fared so-so as part of Team Paso (24), scoring a combined 53.

Tied for third place were showbiz veteran Donny Osmond/Kym Johnson and reality TV star/singer Kelly Osbourne, each pulling in a 52 out of 60 for their efforts (both were on the Team Tango trio, along with Krupa/Hough). Though Osmond’s Quickstep earned him the same score as last week (24), Osbourne rebounded from last week’s 20, scoring a 24 for her Foxtrot.

Singer/actress Mya and partner Dmitry Chaplin slipped back, earning a 49, just two points ahead of perennial bottom-feeders Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova; the NFL Hall of Famer, however, earned his highest score of the season, a 23 for his Foxtrot. Mya still has the highest per-dance average among all contestants, with a 25.4 for eight dances (seven individual-couple dances and Team Paso).

Taking last place for the first time this season was Iron Chefhost/martial artist Mark Dacascos, who endured going through three partners during the week. Regular partner Lacey Schwimmer fell ill, and then Tony Dovolani helped Dacascos out for a day, before Anna Trebunskaya stepped in. Trebunskaya did her best, but the couple could only muster a 19 for their Samba (finishing with an overall score of 43).

Tomorrow evening, yet another double elimination hits the ABC dancing competition. Will Dacascos’ rough week result in viewer sympathy, or will they give him the ax? Can Irvin make it through yet another double elimination, and secure a place in the top five? Will Mya’s front-runner status make no difference with the voting public?

No matter how one spins it, it will be an undisputed upset if Irvin evades the bottom two, and, even worse, elimination. Not that the guy has not made improvements- he has- but the competition has far better dancers at this stage, and it would be a shame to lose a competitor that actually stands a chance at snagging the mirrorball. Fan support aside, Irvin does not fit that descriptive.  However, if he finds himself involved in another dance-off and emerges as the judges’ save yet again, maybe he has some additional tricks up his jersey that we have yet to see.

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.

Michael Irvin and partner Anna Demidova have managed to survive through week six of Dancing With the Stars. With a double elimination occurring Tuesday night, can the pair surprise yet again and last through week seven? (picture courtesy of ABC-TV/Adam Larkey) 

Perennial Dancing With the Stars low scorer Michael Irvin has his work cut out for him this evening, as the ABC series will send two celebrity contestants packing, with the bottom feeders competing in a dance-for-their-life face off.

Last night, the remaining nine contestants danced their individual couples dance and a mambo marathon. For the latter, couples received points ranging from two to 10, depending on their order of elimination (the first couple out received 2 points, the last couple standing received 10)  Irvin and partner Anna Demidova scored a 20 for their Waltz, and were the first couple the judges ejected in the mambo marathon. Combining both scores, they finished the night in last place, with 22 points.

Not much higher (as usual) were snowboarder Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower, whose Jitterbug earned them a 21. With their three points for mamboing, the twosome barely edged Irvin/Demidova, with a 23.  Slightly ahead of Irvin and Vito were Melissa Joan Hart/Mark Ballas (combined 24) and Kelly Osbourne/Louis van Amstel, who scored a 24 and 25, respectively. Hart dropped back to a 20 for her Waltz, eight points her acclaimed Charleston from two weeks ago; whether she would have scored better with the Jitterbug remains unknown, but her Jive from earlier in the season did not wow the judges. Osbourne took a stab at the Jitterbug, but her confused face made her look ill at ease at points, and she could not muster more than a 20.

After that bottom four, the remaining five couples all scored 31 and up for their individual dances and mambo routines. Last week’s leaders, showbiz veteran Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson, danced the Jitterbug and ended up with a total of 31. Right ahead of Osmond was martial artist Mark Dacascos/Lacey Schwimmer, whose Jitterbug tied for highest-scoring individual dance of the night (26).  Tying for second place for the evening with 33 poins each were Aaron Carter/Karina Smirnoff and Mya/Dmitry Chaplin. Carter’s Waltz earned him the second highest individual score of the night 925), while Mya’s Jitterbug earned a solid, if not spectacular, 24.

Leading the pack were model Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough, who scored a 36. The twosome beat out Mya and Chaplin in the mambo marathon, and also tied Dacascos/Schwimmer for the night’s highest-scoring individual dance.

Two quasi-stars will leave the competition this evening. Irvin has squeaked out of the bottom two the last two weeks- did his fans come to his rescue again, or will the NFL Hall of Famer finally lose his chance at scoring a dancing touchdown? Not that his lax dancing has not hurt those chances enough, of course. Carter landed in the bottom two the last two weeks- does he have enough support to last another week? Vito again landed the second-lowest score, but he evaded the bottom two last week- does he have enough fan support to overcome a 10-point disadvantage trailing Carter?

And what about Melissa? After her brief moment in the spotlight, she’s reverted back to her mediocre ways (though her 20 still was her third-highest score out of six dances). Osbourne probably has enough fan support to last another week- after all, her parents are Ozzy and Sharon.

With a points system that leaves no guarantee that even the highest-scoring couple will survive, as always, anything can happen. But, more than likely, Irvin or Vito should be among the two who receive the lowest combined score after combining judges scores and viewer votes.

Taylor Swift will perform this evening (as she released the platinum edition of her multi-million-selling Fearless album this week). But, it will be anything but a “Love Story” for the two dancing-challenged contestants who get the literal boot.

Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo failed to win over viewer support this week on Dancing With the Stars, ending up with the lowest tally after combining  judges scores and viewer votes. (picture courtesy of ABC-TV/Adam Larkey)

Three Olympic gold medalists previously walked away with the coveted mirrorball trophy on Dancing With the Stars- though this season’s hopeful will not join those lofty ranks.

On Tuesday night’s results show, Olympic gold medal swimmer Natalie Coughlin became the sixth celebrity contestant to exit the ABC dancing competition this season. Coughlin’s partner Alec Mazo has not had an impressive outing since he and Kelly Monaco won the series’ inaugural season back in 2005. Since then, he tanked with supermodels Paulina Porizkova and Josie Maran in seasons four and five (the first couple eliminated in both seasons), and suffered an earlier-than-deserved seventh season ejection with Toni Braxton.

Once again evading jeopardy this week were Michael Irvin and partner Anna Demidova, who scored both their highest judges score of the season and the week’s lowest marks among all contestants. Also surviving another week- inexplicably- are Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower (she’s dandy, but he’s pretty much a dud). Other couples who faced elimination were Aaron Carter/Karina Smirnoff, Melissa Joan Hart/Mark Ballas and Joanna Krupa/Derek Hough.

This season’s professional dancers staged a tribute to Michael Jackson, incorporating “I Want You Back,” “Man in the Mirror” and ‘Thriller.” La Toya Jackson, along with brother Jermaine and mom Katherine, were in attendance.

Next week, contestants dance either the Jitterbug or Waltz, and take part in a Mambo marathon. If Melissa and Mark want the chance to approach the 28 they scored last week, they stand a better chance with the Jitterbug. However, their Jive from a few weeks back did not exactly wow the judges. But after their breakthrough Charleston, Hart may feel more at ease with more up-tempo numbers.

Whichever dance Irvin and Vito tackle, odds are that they again will find themselves at the bottom of the leaderboard. If nothing else, at least they’re exhibiting consistency, unlike some of this season’s other hopefuls.

Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson fared respectably with last week’s Charleston, but it was this week’s Argentine Tango that not only brought them their highest judges score yet, but also  the best score of the night. (picture courtesy of ABC-TV/Adam Larkey)

Half of the remaining couples on Dancing With the Stars reached season highs Monday evening.

With the Argentine Tango and Paso Doble taking center stage this week, contestants came out swinging (and kicking and tangoing) in this fifth week of competition, hoping to wow judges like never before. Five couples posted their highest scores yet, with showbiz veteran Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson climbing to the top of the leaderboard with their Argentine Tango. Jumping five points to a 29 out of 30, Osmond had judge Carrie Ann Inaba proclaiming that she had fallen in love with the “Puppy Love” crooner. Singer/actress Mya and partner Dmitry Chaplin performed the same dance, but slipped one point from last week’s chart-topping 28.

Marital artist/Iron Chefhost Mark Dacascos and partner Lacey Schwimmer tackled the Paso Doble and judges reqarded them with their highest marks yet (26). Also rebounding from last week were pop star Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff, whose Tango helped push their score up six points to a 24. Reality TV star/singer Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel climbed just one point from last week, but landed their best score in the process, tying Carter/Smirnoff and model Joanna Krupa/Maksim Chmerkovskiy for fourth place.

Krupa overcame the obstacle of having partner Derek Hough sit this week out (as he was recuperating from the flu). Paired with Chmerkovskiy (whose partner Debi Mazar exited the competition two weeks back), Krupa suffered a major stumble while on the floor, but still managed a respectable 24.

Actress Melissa Joan Hart realistically had nowhere to go but down from last week- and that she did. She and partner Mark Ballas danced the Argentine Tango, but could not duplicate the success of last week’s Charleston. Nonetheless, the twosome’s 23 ranked as their second-best couples dance out of five attempts. Slipping two points to a 22 were Olympic gold medal swimmer Natalie Coughlin and partner Alec Mazo, whose Paso Doble brought the pair their lowest score since week two.

The two contestants who tied for last place last week again were at the bottom of the heap- but like three others, they landed their highest judges scores of the season. Champion snowboarder Louie Vito and partner Chelsie Hightower danced the Argentine Tango and jumped six points to a 22, while NFL Hall of Famer/former Dallas Cowboy wide receiver Michael Irvin and partner Anna Demidova climbed five points to a 21. While the latter’s Paso Doble marked an improvement for Vito, he still maintains- as the judges called them- pedestrian movements.

So who will land in Tuesday night’s bottom two? Hosts Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris called Irvin to safety before narrowing the field to the bottom two, but he should land there this week, as Carter’s rebound should bring him greater viewer support. The remaining spot in the bottom two remains an open field, with Vito and Coughlin the likeliest contenders to join Irvin in the battle for dancing survival. Though as always, it comes down to viewer voting; even the highest scorers cannot take it for granted that they’ll receive enough votes to sail through to next week.

On a lighter note, all of the couples converged for the first group dance of the season. Revisiting the disco era, the group danced to “The Hustle,” which resulted in plenty of polyester, retro wigs and some picking up the dance better than others. No matter- a return to the ’70s capped off one of the better Dancing nights in some time.

UFC champ Chuck Liddell won’t be doing any more lifts or dancing now that he and partner Anna Trebunskaya are out of the running on Dancing With the Stars. (picture courtesy of ABC-TV/AP/Adam Larkey)

The brawn is gone from ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.

Ultimate Fighting Championship grappler and Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell , along with partner Anna Trebunskaya, performed a rather flat Two-Step Monday evening, and, fittingly, got the proverbial boot from the dancing competition the following night. After adding viewer votes to judges scores, Liddell ended up with the lowest combined total of any competitor this week.

Barely surviving elimination this week was pop star Aaron Carter, who scored just one point higher (18) than Liddell with the judges this week. Escaping this week’s bottom two was NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin and partner Anna Demidova. Thus far, Irvin’s highest score is a 20, which he achieved in week two. His three other individual-couples dances scored a less-than-stellar 13, 14 and 16. If he does not get into the groove and fast, he will go the way of Lawrence Taylor, rather than season seven’s runner-up, Warren Sapp.

Somehow, champion snowboarder Louie Vito received enough votes to evade the bottom two this week. His Two-Step made Liddell’s look majestic by comparison (though with a judges score of 16, he only scored one point less than Liddell). Vito’s partner Chelsie Hightower best grab the reigns and make a dancer out of this boy, otherwise he on’t be around for too much longer- unless, he pulls a Ty Murray and manages to coast by without ever really scoring a knockout on the dance floor.

Carter needs to deliver a knockout performance next week, following his non-sizzling Lambada with partner Karina Smirnoff this week. Smirnoff is faring a little better than the previous two season, though, when she and partners Steve Wozniak and Rocco DiSpirito were the fourth couples to leave the competition.

The competitor who faces the biggest challenge next week, though, may be Melissa Joan Hart, who tied Mya for first place with the judges this week and scored the largest week-to-week gain in the show’s history (from a 19 to a 28). Was her energetic, entertaining Charleston a fluke, or can she shine again? She best have those Sabrina the Teenage Witch powers on standby in case she begins reverting to her old self.

Moving beyond her years as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa Joan Hart (seen here on the dance floor with partner Mark Ballas on September 28) enjoyed a huge climb in her score this week on Dancing With the Stars. (picture courtesy of ABC-TV)

Dancing With the Stars debuted four new dances Monday evening- and one celebrity contestant not only cracked a 20 with the judges for the first time this season, but she also tied for the night’s highest score.

After struggling to find their footing over the last few weeks (never scoring higher than a 19 for three individual couples dances), actress Melissa Joan Hart and partner Mark Ballas wowed the judges with their roarin’ Charleston, earning a 28. Hart easily was the week’s biggest gainer, up nine points from the prior week. Last week’s leaders, singer-actress Mya and partner Dmitry Chaplin, tied Hart and Ballas, who steamed up the ballroom with their sexy Lambada. However, judge Len Goodman continued to score her lower than the other two judges, stating that he has high expectations for Mya and he must score her based on those expectations.

Also delivering an effectively raunchy Lambada were model Joanna Krupa and partner Derek Hough, who jumped three points from last week and scored a season-high 26. Olympic gold medal swimmer Natalie Coughlin and partner Alex Mazo dropped two points to a 24, though  their Bolero earned solid across-the-board eight’s from the judges.

Failing to sizzle in their Lambada were pop star Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba was flat out turned off by Carter’s trying-too-hard efforts, but stressed that she likes him and wants him to “chill out.” Over the course of two weeks, Carter has seen his score nosedive from a 27 to to an 18.

Iron Chef America’s host Mark Dacascos and partner Lacey Schwimmer two-stepped their way to the night’s second-highest gain, up four points to a 24.  Advancing three points each- and both dancing the Charleston- were showbiz veteran Donny Osmond and partner Kym Johnson (24), and reality TV star and singer Kelly Osbourne and partner Louis van Amstel (23). Staying consistent with last week was UFC champ Chuck Liddell and partner Anna Trebunskaya (17).

The week’s biggest dropper comes via champion snowboarder Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower, who plunged four points and scored their lowest thus far of the season (16). Dancing the Two-Step, Hightower’s enthusiasm could not compensate for Vito’s sluggish and flat showing. Tying Vito for the night’s lowest score was NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin and partner Anna Demidova, whose Bolero went nowhere. Judge Bruno Tonioli commented that watching Irvin is like watching the economy- every week, we hope it improves, but nothing happens. On the plus side, Irvin did see his score two points over last week’s season-low score of 14.

Who will comprise Tuesday evening’s bottom of the barrel, after the show adds viewer votes to judges scores? Irvin likely will find himself fighting for survival yet again. Joining him should be Vito and Liddell. Carter has been sliding for two consecutive weeks, but his fanbase may be strong enough to carry him through- but unlike others who coasted by on the strength of viewer support (Steve-O? Ty Murray?), Carter actually has strong potential. He just needs to- what was it, Carrie?- CHILL OUT, and let the appeal and talent flow naturally.

Carter promised not to cry like he did last week (when he dropped from a 27 to a 21), but we’ll find out Tuesday night whether he was able to keep his word. If he slips, Irvin could lend a shoulder yet again- though with the scores he’s been pulling, Irvin may need to borrow a shoulder himself.

Three strikes (in this case, weeks) and Debi Mazar is out of Dancing With the Stars. The actress, who co-stars in HBO’s Entourage- failed to sparkle alongside partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. (picture courtesy of ABC-TV)

Queens no longer is in the house.

After tallying judges scores and viewer votes, Queens-born actress Debi Mazar and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy had the lowest combined score this week on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. While her Samba scored an unimpressive 17 with the judges on Monday evening, Mazar did not have the week’s lowest judges score- politician Tom DeLay and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin both fared worse, with a 15 and 14, respectively.

Despite not landing in the week’s bottom two, DeLay withdrew from the competition, as result of suffering stress fractures in both od his feet. Irvin joined Mazar in the bottom two, and has fan support to thank for surviving another week.

Irvin and partner Anna Demidova tackled the Samba this week, but took a major step backward in the process, slipping six points from last week’s 20 (which had been an improvement of seven points from the week prior’s dance).  DeLay and partner Cheryl Burke also danced the Samba and dipped three points from last week’s score.

Singer/actress Mya and partner Dmitry Chaplin again topped the leaderboard, but this week they had it all to themselves, scoring a 27 (though judge Len Goodman awarded the pair a mere seven, while Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli gave them two perfect scores of 10). Losing some traction were last week’s co-leaders Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff (down six points to a 21, for their Rumba). Olympic gold medal swimmer Natalie Coughlin and partner Alec Mazo enjoyed the week’s biggest gain, with their Rumba scoring a 27 (up six points from last week).

With Mazar and DeLay out of the dancing competition, the remaining contestants undoubtedly will feel the pressure. After Mya, Coughlin and model Joanna Krupa (who along with partner Derek Hough, scored a 23 for their Samba), the remaining seven contestants each scored in the 17-21 range, with no one safe from those brutal paddles.

Favorites Donny Osmond and partner Kym Johnson dropped four points to a 21 this week, as their Rumba failed to sizzle. Maybe Donny needs to plant an even bigger and wetter sloppy one on Tonioli next week to ensure a higher score? At least he’s got the fans on his side, and actually has potential to go pretty far in the competition. Whether he does anything more memorable than sister Marie’s on-air fainting…

Kathy Ireland could not use her beauty to her advantage on Dancing With the Stars; she and partner Tony Dovolani are out of the competition after only two weeks. (picture courtesy of ABC-TV/AP/Harper Smith)

Shocker: Dancing With the Stars viewers actually are voting off the worst dancers thus far this season.

For the second consecutive week, the celebrity earning the lowest judges score (in both cases, tying) left the ABC dancing competition. This contrasts last season, when Go-Go Belinda Carlisle was the first to go, while perennial bottom-feeders Steve Wozniak and Steve-O lasted longer than they should have.

Supermodel and entrepreneur Kathy Ireland had her last dance with partner Tony Dovolani this week after earning an 18 out of 30 (though they likely will be back for one dance as a couple on November’s finale). Last week, Ashley Hamilton and Macy Gray each scored a 19 out of 40 with the judges for their individual couples dance and the relay dance, and received the lowest combined judges and viewers scores for male and female contestants.

With all due respect to Macy, Ashley was last week’s ejected beauty, marking two consecutive weeks that beautiful people failed to click with judges and viewers. Not that there are not any lookers left in the show, mind you. But the elimination of Ireland and Hamilton show that movie-star looks will only get you so far- if you have two left (or right) feet and show little to no sizzle or skill on the dance floor, you’re not going to last too long in the Dancing world.

Now that Ireland is gone, the next dancing wanna-bes that need to watch out are actress Debi Mazar and politician Tom DeLay. DeLay’s partner Cheryl Burke may have enough of a fan following to keep him around, so Mazar- who earned this week’s second-lowest combined judges and viewers score- may need to appeal to the audience more and cut back on the dramatics.