"Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars" Recap: In Week of Military Tributes, Trio Dances, Melissa Rycroft Reigns - East Idaho News
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“Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars” Recap: In Week of Military Tributes, Trio Dances, Melissa Rycroft Reigns

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DWTSallstars colorlogo300?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1352781069395ABC(LOS ANGELES) — Monday night on Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars, the seven remaining celebrities performed two routines in a show that paid homage to the nation’s veterans.

TV personality Melissa Rycroft continued her domination of the leader board by earning two perfect scores. Those points, added to the scores from last week, had her at the head of the pack. Actress Kirstie Alley has the lowest totals.

Because last Tuesday was Election Day, there was no results show last week. The scores from Monday’s show were combined with the totals from last week.

Two stars will be eliminated Tuesday night. Elimination is decided based on judges’ scores and viewer votes. The stars with the lowest combined totals will be sent home.

Monday’s show featured two rounds of dance. The first round featured couples in routines that commemorated Veterans Day and honored members of the U.S. armed services. In the subsequent round –- dubbed the Trio dances — the couples were joined by a second professional dancer.

Members of the U.S. military were in the ballroom audience, including J.R. Martinez, the Army veteran who won season 13 of the regular competition.

First Round: The Individual Routines

Shawn Johnson: Dancing again with pro partner Derek Hough — who was out last week with an injury — Johnson’s delicate, tender Viennese waltz touched the judges.

“My darling, that was heavenly perfection,” Bruno Tonioli said. Head judge Len Goodman called the performance poignant and fabulous, while Carrie Ann Inaba said the routine was a fitting tribute for the occasion. Total score: 29.5 out of a possible 30 points.

Apolo Anton Ohno: The Olympic speedskater made a strong impression when he entered the dance floor on a zip line, and his militant tango continued to impress, drawing a standing ovation from the ballroom audience.  

“That was a daredevil of a tango!” Tonioli enthused. Inaba and Goodman also raved about the performance. Total score: 29.5/30.

Kirstie Alley: Alley’s elegant Viennese waltz won the judges’ approval.

Tonioli told her the routine was stylish, elegant and well-danced, while Goodman told the actress it was her “best dance yet. Well done!” Inaba also praised Alley, but said she would like to see a greater degree of difficulty in her next routine. Total score: 27/30.

Kelly Monaco: The General Hospital star’s Viennese waltz drew mixed feedback from the judges.

Inaba and Tonioli were captivated by the routine, but Goodman found it “a little sharp on occasion.” Tonioli rushed to the star’s defense. “Ignore him, darling, you are a twinkling twirler….,” Tonioli said, adding that Monaco performed each of the dance’s shapes with ease. Total score: 28/30.

Gilles Marini: The actor’s high-energy quickstep had the judges giving high praise.

Tonioli called it fast, slick and efficient. Goodman agreed. “You came out, energy, speed and with control. That was a quickstep,” he said. Inaba tempered her praise by saying she noticed Marini wobbling a few times during the routine. Her fellow judges disagreed with that assessment. Total score: 29.5/30.

Emmitt Smith: Smith’s Viennese waltz was smooth but he had a slight stumble, judges said. Nevertheless, they said they liked his performance.

Inaba told the NFL legend that she wanted him to push himself more. “Yes, there was a slight stumble but overall it was very, very nice, because you interpreted it in a very, very classic way,” Tonioli said. Total score: 28/30.

Melissa Rycroft:  Rycroft’s jaunty, Navy-inspired quickstep had judges praising the TV personality’s performance.

“Oh, Melissa, I want to join the Navy. Oh, that was so wonderful…fantastic,” Tonioli said. Inaba told Rycroft that she was on a roll from her leader board-topping performances from last week, and Goodman called the routine “the bee’s knees.” Total score: 30/30.

Second Round: The Trio Routines

Shawn Johnson:  Johnson’s tribal-inspired samba featuring her partner and pro Mark Ballas had judges deeply divided.

Goodman called the routine “self-indulgent.” He acknowledged that the performance was a crowd-pleaser, but said it lacked samba content. “Shawn, if you go home tomorrow, don’t blame me, blame those two,” he said, of Johnson’s partners. Tonioli agreed. “As a piece of dance, as art, it was absolutely fantastic…but even I have to admit, it wasn’t really a samba,” he said.

Inaba disagreed, saying that Johnson and her partners took a risk and she appreciated what they did. Total score: 26/30. Inaba and Tonioli gave her 10 and 9 points, respectively, but the audience booed when Goodman awarded 7 points.

Apolo Anton Ohno: Ohno did a spirited jive inspired by the movie Grease alongside pro dancer Sasha Farber and his partner Karina Smirnoff.

Tonioli told the athlete he had done a “fantastic job,” adding that Ohno was at the top of his game. Inaba said it was Ohno’s “best, most vibrant performance.” Total score: 29/30.

Kirstie Alley:  Alley’s barefoot paso doble — alongside her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy and pro dancer Tristan MacManus — was a bit of a disappointment to judges.

Tonioli praised the originality of the interpretation, but said that “as a paso doble, it could have been a bit more refined.” Inaba said she loved the costume and presentation but found Alley’s performance a little sloppy. Total score: 24/30.

Kelly Monaco: Joined by pro dancer Louis Van Amstel, Monaco and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy turned in a fun, bubbly jive which Goodman said had the “f” factor: “It was fun, it was fast, it was flamboyant and it was fabulous!” he said. Tonioli and Inaba were similarly enthusiastic. Total score: 28.5/30.

Gilles Marini: The actor’s sultry salsa found favor with the audience, but Tonioli pointed out that he seemed to lose his timing at certain points, and Inaba agreed — but Goodman had nothing but praise for the routine, telling Marini he had not hidden behind his pro partner Peta Murgatroyd or pro dancer Chelsie Hightower. Total score: 29/30.

Emmitt Smith: The NFL legend and his partner, Cheryl Burke, were joined by pro dancer Kym Johnson for a smooth salsa which judges loved.

Inaba told Smith he was “red-hot,” while Goodman said Smith’s routine was like “working two yo-yos at the same time….,” with clean choreography and great musicality. Total score: 30/30.

Melissa Rycroft:  With partner Tony Dovolani and pro dancer Henry Byalikov, Rycroft played a controlling dominatrix in a paso doble that was flamboyant and fierce.

“Of all our celebrities, and you’re all great, you impress me the most,” Goodman told Rycroft. Tonioli called Rycroft “a fantastic dancer.” Total score: 30/30, her second perfect score of the night.

The Totals:  (Individual Routines; Trio Dance)

Melissa Rycroft: 30; 30. Added to last week’s score, Rycroft has a combined total of 99 points.

Shawn Johnson: 29.5; 26. Added to last week’s score, Johnson has a combined total of 93.5 points.

Kelly Monaco: 28; 28.5. Added to last week’s score, Monaco has a combined total of 92.5 points.

Emmitt Smith: 28; 30. Added to last week’s score, Smith has a combined total of 92.5 points.

Gilles Marini: 29.5; 29. Added to last week’s score, Marini has a combined total of 92 points.

Apolo Anton Ohno: 29.5; 29. Added to last week’s score, Ohno has a combined total of 91.5 points.

Kirstie Alley: 27; 24. Added to last week’s score, Alley has a combined total of 79 points.

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