SkimIt
This week's Dancing with the Stars fills its two hour timeslot with double dances from the six remaining contestants, attaching an extra partner to each couple in the show's second half.
Nearly Perfect
Donald kicks things off with a tight, fast-paced tango to Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground." While Len and Bruno are uniformly positive, Carrie Ann wishes there were a little more drama--Donald silences her criticism with a spontaneous kiss. He earns straight nines.
Maria follows, coming on the heels of her perfect-scoring paso doble. She and Derek tackle the Viennese waltz, performing a fluid, melodic emotionally charged routine. Bruno and Carrie Ann are swept up in the drama of it, but Len is emphatically disappointed: they score an eight from Len, and tens from the other two.
Unbalanced
After that comes the least healthy relationship on television, uberjerk Maksim and perpetual abuse apologist Melissa. Their backstage footage is as awkward as ever, but she at least elicits general positivity from the sympathetic judges. They earn straight eights, and Maksim makes his weekly declaration of only wanting what's best for her. Yuck.
It is, I must say, a huge relief to then spend some time with Katherine and Mark, a talented, charming partnership that mercifully isn't hooking up or feuding or both or whatever. Their Viennese waltz is almost perfect, but Katherine loses her balance toward the end. They net an eight and two nines.
Today's High Scores
Roshon and Chelsea are up next, dancing a very sweet, very retro foxtrot. Though they've been in the bottom two for the last few weeks, this is one of their strongest routines in weeks: they score two tens and a nine.
After that comes a slinky foxtrot from William and Cheryl, characterized by smooth, assured, professional movements. The routine is fun and spirited, earning the pair a perfect thirty -- only the second of the season.
