“Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars”: Melissa Rycroft Tops Leader Board

ABC(LOS ANGELES) — On Monday night’s installment of Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars, the seven remaining celebrity dancers had to fuse two different styles of dance to the same piece of music.  They followed that up with a swing dance marathon where the last couple dancing earned an extra 10 points on top of their night’s score.

At the end of the show, TV personality Melissa Rycroft topped the leader board with an overall total of 39 points, while actress Kirstie Alley brought up the rear with 28 points.

Olympian Shawn Johnson earned a perfect score for her fusion dance, and with an extra eight points for the dance marathon, had an overall total of 38 points, putting her in second place in the night’s rankings.
The stars and their partners sent special messages of support for the victims of Superstorm Sandy.

There will be no results show Tuesday night because of special coverage of Election Day. Two stars will be voted off next week.
The routines:

Apolo Anton Ohno: The Olympic speedskater’s cha-cha/paso doble had the judges smiling. Head judge Len Goodman said he expected Ohno to play it a bit safer given that there were no eliminations this week.

“You came out and really attacked this. The cha cha cha was crisp and clean. The paso had some fire. Apolo Anton Ohno…Apolo Oh Yes,” Goodman said. Judge Bruno Tonioli called the routine “triumphant” and “wonderful,” and judge Carrie Ann Inaba said it was “amazing” to see Ohno still pushing himself so much. Total score: 27 out of a possible 30 points.

Emmitt Smith: The NFL legend performed a fusion samba/rumba that drew moderate praise from Inaba and more glowing reviews from the other judges. Tonioli praised Smith for his deft handling of the difficult transition between the two dances.

“You did it with ease…that was wonderful,” he said. Goodman also thought Smith did well, but Inaba said the former football player didn’t have enough upper body movement. Total score: 27.5/30.

Kirstie Alley: Alley’s quickstep/samba earned the actress praise for effort, but all three judges thought her routine had issues. Inaba told her that her quickstep started out well, but said the actress lost timing in her transition to the samba.

Goodman noted Alley had a few “incidents” in the routine but said, “I thought it was an admirable effort, so well done to you.” Tonioli agreed. “Technique apart, whatever you do is always entertaining,” he said. Total score: 24/30.

Kelly Monaco: The General Hospital star performed a fusion foxtrot/cha cha cha that the judges liked. “That was a flashy cha cha. Plenty of flash and plenty of dash,” Tonioli said.

Inaba praised Monaco’s balance and elegance, and Goodman said that despite a small moment where Monaco lost her balance early on in the routine, it was lovely and well-done. Total score: 27/30.

Melissa Rycroft: Rycroft had a tango with a cha cha cha, and the TV personality’s performance drew rave reviews, especially from Tonioli.
“You were on fire. The shapes in the tango were absolutely fantastic. The cha cha cha, you’ve never been sexier. You turned me on!” he said. Goodman and Inaba also approved of the routine. “I loved the way it was all put together. Well done,” Goodman said. Total score: 29/30.

Shawn Johnson: With her usual partner, Derek Hough, out with a neck injury, the Olympic gymnast danced a tango/paso doble with Mark Ballas.
An enthusiastic Inaba said the routine was a textbook definition of fusion, while Goodman called it “fantastic.” Tonioli also had high praise for Johnson, telling her, “As fusions go, that was flawless.” Total score: 30/30.

Gilles Marini: The French actor performed an Argentine tango with a samba. He was going for a perfect score, but fell just a few points short — even though the judges praised the routine. Tonioli called the routine sultry, intense and exciting, but Inaba faulted Marini’s hands. Total score: 28.5/30.

The Swing Dance Marathon:

Dancers had four minutes to present their most inventive routines while remaining in constant motion.  The first dancer to leave the floor earned four points. Each successive dancer voted off earned one point more, with the last dancer getting 10 points. Rycroft won the swing dance marathon, picking up 10 extra points. Alley was the first to leave. She got four extra points.

The Totals (Fusion Routine/Swing Dance Marathon):

• Melissa Rycroft: 29; 10: Total: 39 points.
• Shawn Johnson: 30; 8: Total: 38 points.
• Kelly Monaco: 27; 9: Total: 36 points.
• Emmitt Smith: 27.5; 7: total: 34.5 points.
• Gilles Marini: 28.5; 5: Total: 33.5 points.
• Apolo Anton Ohno: 27; 6: Total: 33 points.
• Kirstie Alley: 24; 4: Total: 28 points.

Dancing with the Stars returns next Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern time on ABC.

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