Dancing With The Stars ~ Top 8

I am slowly warming up to this season. I thought it got off to a lukewarm start and wasn't loving the "celebs" but things are starting to pick up. Last night, the couples danced either the Jive, or the Rumba. Gone was the "sexiest night in ballroom" when they used to pair up the Rumba and the Mambo I think but OH well, it was still lots of fun and there were a LOT of good dances last night. I can't remember the order in which they danced so I'm just going to recap the performances as they come to me...

Up first were Shawn and Mark doing a very pretty and age-appropriate Rumba. I loved her dress and the dance moves. She is fun to watch because she has such control over her body. I thought it was great and that the judges didn't give her enough credit for tackling a dance that requires a certain level of maturity and knowledge of seduction that most 17 year olds don't really possess. So I'm sure she won't have any trouble sailing through tonight's elimination. As my friend, Keary, said "Just end it now and let Gilles and the little gymnastic girl duke it out!"

Chuck and Julianne also danced the Rumba and this one was much more steamy than Shawn & Mark's but that's okay because they're a real life couple and the chemistry reallly shined through on this number. I think Chuck keeps improving week after week though I think his arms were a little robotic but he wasn't the only one having this issue tonight and his arms weren't the worst, by far. I liked this a lot, Julianne is an amazing dancer and she is so fun to watch!

Gilles and Cheryl did the Jive and it was fun to see Gilles be able to switch gears so easily. Most of the celebs have a niche and when they've found it, they have trouble adapting to different dance styles. Gilles is SO strong as the sultry, sexy guy and I was amazed at how well he did with the Jive. I thought his step could've used a little more bounce and his kicks could've been stronger. The judges were picking on his arm position but I didn't notice that as much. I was very glad that they showed his shirtless clip from last week again though! Thnx producer guys!

Lawrence and Edyta also did the Jive. Lawrence did much better this week. Seems he's a guy that likes a song with words! Not as good as Gilles but still cute. He'll probably be in the bottom 2 tonight, despite a vast improvement over the past 2 performances.

Lil Kim & Derek's Jive was SO fun to watch! There's just no denying that she's completely adorable and has a really fun attitude. She's so dedicated to getting this right and giving a great performance. They are a fun couple and did a realllly good job. Len thought it was too theatrical but Bruno & Carrie Ann were all about it!

Melissa and Tony did the Rumba and it was nice. It was very pretty and well executed. I'm really glad Tony has lucked into a good partner this season. I hope they make it to the finals because he is an amazing dancer and I love to watch him. He's been so limited with his partners the past several seasons it's so fun to watch him dance with someone who can keep up. I like Melissa a lot, too. It's down to her & Lil Kim to give Shawn a run for her money.

Last but CERTAINLY not least this week was Steve-O & Lacey doing the Rumba. Do these judges want to see this poor guy self-destruct? What is WRONG with them. Steve-O, who is clearly the worst dancer left on the show, made VAST improvements this week. He had musicality, he had the right attitude in the character, he moved his hips, he seemed more in a lead position with the dance, and he improved leaps and bounds and the judges didn't give him an OUNCE of praise for what he accomplished. Carrie Ann threw him a small bone but Len & Bruno murdered him in their critiques. I felt SO bad for him this week. I thought he deserved a little more credit for his improvements and want to see him make it through tonight's elimination. That said, he's really the only one left who could join Lawrence in the bottom tonight.

So, unless we have some kind of Sabrina-esque shocker tonight, I think Lawrence & Steve-O will probably make up the bottom 2 and it'll be a toss up as to who goes home.