'Dancing With the Stars' results: Dance-off double elimination, part deux

He can finally unclench those butt cheeks and let go of that nickel. After winning over the judges and the audience with his steady improvement and endearing smile, football star Michael Irvin found himself with the lowest combined total number of points, thereby ending his and partner Anna Demidova's bid for the “DWTS” title.

And I don’t think anyone can say they were surprised by this exit, despite his increasing scores. The NFL Hall of Famer had been hovering at the bottom of the pack for … well, most of the season. At least the former Dallas Cowboy was able to end on a high note: He showed off a great costuming eye with lots of purple for his kids, played peacemaker in the Team Paso, and Monday night’s fox trot was his best dance yet. And as Michael and Anna discovered they were eliminated midway through the results hour, they were spared the added stress of dealing with another dance-off and having to perform their samba again.

The other couple to go this week was Mark Dacascos and his newly recovered partner, Lacey Schwimmer, after they lost their dance-off with fellow bottom-dwellers Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff. (Man, the voters really must not like Aaron. What is it about this guy that voters can’t pick up the phone for? Despite performing a near-perfect jive the night before, the young, intense Carter found himself simmering under those red heat lamps once again.)

Mark’s exit was a little tougher to take. It seemed as though the “Iron Chef: America” star was more a victim of the unfortunate circumstance (“So much flu — we’re like a spray-tanned Petri dish,” joked Tom) than bad dancing. But though his knockout cha-cha-cha with Lacey was a powerhouse of acrobatics coupled with a little bit of dance (and featured a split leap launched from the judges’ table that looked like it went up into the rafters), his routine was really no match for Aaron and Karina’s superior jive — particularly after coming on the heels of Aaron's awesome Monday night performance. Hey, at least it allowed Mark to dance one more time with Lacey, right?

It was another jampacked results night, which started with an encore performance of the group dance winning Team Tango. Singer Colbie Caillat strummed her guitar with the flower inlay and performed “Fallin’ for You,” while real-life marrieds Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo did their sweet dance interpretation of castaways falling in love in a sparkly blue lagoon. Edyta even wore a sparkly net outfit and loosed her long, crimped hair to look the part.

Rod Stewart graced the Rectagon stage, looking very dapper in his slick gray suit and black vest and crooned a fun version of “It’s the Same Old Song.” It may have been the same old song, but Rod’s still got it – he had more charisma in his little moves than his backup dancers did alongside him.

We were also treated to the first-ever “DWTS” performance from the Ballas Hough Band. Which, of course, consists of our beloved pro dancers Mark Ballas and Derek Hough. Their single “Move,” from their upcoming album, was an upbeat dance number (that showed off their sharp hip-hop stylings), but it was a little heavy on the techno synth, no? I would have preferred to hear more of their actual singing -- it was hard to distinguish what was really them amid all the vocal effects. Though I was pleased that “watch your body” came up over and over. I mean, that I recognize: It’s like something they would say to their celebrity partners right before breaking out the posture bar.

Then the remaining seven contestants did some kind of fight-club segment, in which they inhabited what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse and ran down the ballroom rules needed to make it into this elite champions' club. It started with “Rule No. 1: You do not talk about the trophy. Rule No. 2: You do not talk about the trophy” and ended with “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.”  There was another segment where the stars confessed their fears of landing in the bottom three, but it lost some of its impact because at that point we already knew which four couples were safe.

And then we ended up at our elimination. Part of me thought it would have been interesting to see the resulting turmoil and drama had Aaron Carter been faced with dancing off against idol, comforter and man-crush Michael Irvin. Alas, it was not meant to be: Aaron faced off against Mark and easily won himself another week. Ostensibly, this marks the end of this season’s double elimination and the dreaded dance-off, and now that all that stage smoke has cleared, there are only five couples left in the quest for the … wait for it … the Mirrorball trophy. Yes, I just totally broke Rules 1 and 2.

Are you sad to see the dance-off go? Did the right contestants go home? Who’s your pick to win it all? What did you think of the Ballas Hough Band?

— Allyssa Lee

Related

'Dancing With the Stars': Team effort

'Dancing With the Stars' results: Two for the road

Complete 'Dancing With the Stars' coverage on Show Tracker

Photo: Anna Demidova and Michael Irvin; Credit: ABC / Adam Larkey

Photo: Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer; Credit: ABC / Adam Larkey

Comments

[Kimspin]

Aaron needs to go. He keeps ending up in the bottom. The voters don't like him. He's so he's been there for a reason. I can't stand him myself. There is just something about him and Karina that's not right.
Mark should have stayed. I enjoyed the dancing of the "Ballas Hough Band. I have heard them perform before and they both have wonderful singing voices.

Donny Osmond all the way for the win!!!!

[DOUG]

I have had enough of the double eliminations and the sudden-death danceoffs. Enough already.
Michael Irvin's departure was long overdue. I was sorry to see Mark go. He deserved to go further than this.
Aaron never should have been in this dance-off elimination. I think he is the best dancer. However, his "punk-ass" attitude and demeanor aren't a big hit with the viewers.
I liked Rod Stewart's $5000. suit and Motown song. That was the highlight of the show for me.
The next two contestants to go, based upon dancing ability and not popularity with the viewers, should be Ozzie's daughter and Donnie Osmond.

[sharon johnson]

len he do not like mya she is getting a raw deal from len .but thats ok do yourthing because GOD is for you .MUCH LOVE Mya. i love Kelly is Great keep doing your thing

[Dorothy Rouse]

I like Aaron Carter. He is a great dancer and really cares about wining. People need to vote for him. After all, this is a dancing show and not a popularity contest!

[Dorothy Rouse]

Stop trying to eliminate Aaron. He is sincere and really is a great dancer.

[Dorothy Rouse]

The wrong group won. The Tango group did their own dance; the others had only to learn the steps. What was that beginning thing with Donnie? Donnie, loved by all the ladies-you must be kidding!

[drbcabarete]

The next two will be Aaron and Ozzie's daughter. She should have been out weeks ago. Aaron is good but does not have crowd appeal. It will be then be Mya who will go first and then they will leave Donnie and Derrick and the Beauty. The show needs a boy/girl competition till the end. They will end up winning as Derrick seems to understand the judges better and the Beauty is too beautiful and a good dancer to have her leave too early.

[Observer98]

As someone else here said, it's a dancing competition, not a popularity contest - or at least it should be. However, I have to admit I just don't like Aaron and Karina. I'm sure they're fine people, but I find them unsettling.

The Wikipedia article on Season 9 says there will be 3 double-eliminations, but it could be wrong. I think there have only been 2 and there was no mention of another.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_with_the_Stars_(U.S._season_9)

My predictions: next week, Aaron goes, then Kelly. Final 3 will be Donny, Mya and Joanna. I suspect Donny's immense fan/affection base may bring him the coveted mirror ball trophy.

[Phil Palmer]

This has bothered me since the dancers performed "The Charleston" the costuming was great and the body movements were Okay but the foot work "STUNK" NOT ONE DANCER PERFORMED THE PROPER FOOTWORK AND THAT IS THE REAL BASIS OF THE DANCE. From the ankles down is where the actual dancing is done.

I Am 87 years old and grew up with the dance. Disappointed in the judging on this score.

[Gloria Smith]

I BELIEVE THAT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE "NITY-GRITTY",
IF YOU ARE POPULAR ENOUGH YOU CAN WIN, EVEN IF YOU AREN'T A BETTER DANCER. IT ISN'T THE BEST DANCER THAT WILL WIN.
LAST YEAR, THE BEST DANCER DID NOT WIN.......ALTHOUGH THE YOUNG GIRL WAS GOOD "AND POPULAR".....SHE WAS NOT THE BEST "DANCER". DONNIE OSMOND IS NOT ONE OF MY FAVORITE ENTERTAINERS BUT I MUST MAKE AN EXCEPTION NOW......HE IS DOING GREAT.......GOOD LUCK DONNIE!!!

[Kathode]

I think the final three will be Joanna, Mya, and Donnie. Aaron should be in there on his dancing ability, but won't be, because of his lack of popularity. I'm picking Donnie to win, although I think it really should be either Mya or Joanna, as they're the best dancers.

Ballas Hough Band was pretty lame. Were they lip-syncing the whole thing, or was there a bit of actual singing in there someplace? I couldn't tell. And if I can't tell, then what's the point? I completely agree with you: there was WAY too much techno-synth in the song. The dancing was good though. But I was so distracted by the thought that the microphones were merely useless props, that I couldn't fully enjoy the dancing.

I admit: I'm one of the ones who voted endlessly for Mark (and only him) Monday night. Yes, he wasn't the best dancer that night, but I thought he'd gotten a bum deal with having to learn that whole new routine of Anna's, and I wanted to rescue him from the bottom spot, where he'd have no opportunity to save himself with the dance-off. Perhaps that's how Aaron wound up in the bottom 3: multiply my actions by however many people voted, and there's a good chance people didn't vote for him simply because he had the highest individual score and they were more concerned with saving Mark than rewarding someone they didn't think was in danger of being eliminated.

I second drbcabarete: Kelly should've gone by now. I really think she's been dancing rather flat-footedly, as Len would say. No bounce, not much energy. The steps are there, but not a lot of pizzazz. She should go next.

[Justin]

I don't really care for this show, but the writer of this section is somehow able to keep me interested. Nice work!

[Jared Fogle]

How long before Ochocinco joins the show? Personally, I'd like to see KRS-One on the show.

[anonymous]

I had a feeling that Michael and Mark would go.
Aaron's dances never cease to amaze me every week (though the scream he made on Monday and Tuesday as the judges praised his and Karina's dance was a little too much for me to bear). At the Dance -Off on Tuesday, he came back dancing to a different tune with feet of fury and determined 150% (at least) to stay within the competition .
I thought that Donny's dances were very good as well, though he was not feeling his best , he gave it his best.
I enjoyed the amazing musical talent of Ballas Hough (Mark and Derek). A great performance of a catchy tune.
The very best of luck to those who remain.

[Steve]

What wonderful writing! I hope your bosses notice how well you're expressing yourself. Thanks.

[LA Woman]

Anyone think maybe Karina is the problem on that team ... after she broke Maks' heart and has been out cavorting with someone new already?