The guys were mostly so-so last night. Can the women outdance them tonight?

You know what I love about this show? I love Tom Bergeron and I love how Len laughs good naturedly at him even when he’s the butt of Tom’s jokes. I love that. Okay, moving on.

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough

Dance: Cha cha

Wardrobe: Shannon looked hot. How long are her legs for goodness sake? Derek needs a haircut.

Music: Stupid.

Performance: There was actually a high degree of difficulty in this routine for the first week out and even though she doesn’t look totally comfortable, I think she did a pretty darn good job for the first week. I hope she sticks around for awhile and has a chance to prove herself.

Judges: Bruno said she was “certainly a sexy minx”.

Judges Scores: 7 + 7 + 7 = 21

My score: 7

Monica Seles and Jonathan Roberts

Dance: Foxtrot

Wardrobe: Pink? Interesting choice. Jonathan looked great.

Music: Very nice choice.

Performance: Monica needs to work on posture and confidence. It seems very strange to say that Monica Seles needs to work on confidence, but she is very much out of her element in the ballroom. Which makes what she has accomplished so far that much better. It’s got to be really hard for someone like her to not be immediately good at something. I hope she gets the chance to keep getting better.

Judges: Bruno told her to work on her core to get her technique together. Len says “lift it to shift it”.

Judges Scores: 5 + 5 + 5 =15

My score: 6

Marissa Jaret Winokur & Tony Dovolani

Dance: Cha cha

Wardrobe: Marissa was cute. Tony was channeling Edyta and Maks tonight.

Music: Weird but it worked.

Performance: How cute is she? She was having the time of her life and you could tell. They make a little bit of an awkward couple with the height difference, but she just glows and has such a big personality that she even outshines Tony. Blue must be the color of contenders this week.

Judges: Carrie Ann said there wasn’t enough content.

Judges Scores: 6 + 6 + 6 = 18

My score: 7

Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel

Dance: Foxtrot

Wardrobe: Very elegant.

Music: Excellent.

Performance: Wow. Priscilla is the oldest woman ever to compete and (other than some unfortunate plastic surgery) she looks pretty darn good for being sixty-something. And she danced very well. Louis has always been a great partner and it’s good to see him back.

Judges: Len said it was a “beautiful fluid foxtrot”. Bruno said she has “star quality”.

Judges Scores: 8 + 8 + 8 = 24

My score: 8

Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas

Dance: Foxtrot

Wardrobe: Beautiful

Music: Perfect

Performance: I love love LOVE Kristi Yamaguchi. I’ve always been a very big fan and I have to tell you I sat here watching her the whole time with a huge smile on my face and I even got a little teary toward the end because even though dancing and skating are markedly different, her lines were still impeccable and she definitely has a chance to go all the way in this competition. Bravo.

Judges: Bruno said it was “absolutely wicked!”

Judges Scores: 9 + 9 + 9 = 27

My score: 9

Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez

Dance: Cha cha

Wardrobe: Hot cha cha

Music: Great music

Performance: You just have to be in awe of Marlee who is profoundly deaf, that not only did she dance, but that she danced so well. Wow.

Judges: Carrie Ann said “that was so inspiring”. Bruno said “the music is running through your blood.”

Judges Scores: 7 + 7 + 8 = 22

My score: 8

Judges ranking:
Kristi and Mark (27)
Priscilla and Louis (24)
Marlee and Fabian (22)
Shannon and Derek (21)
Marissa and Tony (18)
Monica and Jonathan (15)

My ranking:
Kristi and Mark (9)
Priscilla and Louis (8)
Marlee and Fabian (8)
Shannon and Derek (7)
Marissa and Tony (7)
Monica and Jonathan (6)

The worst performance tonight was better than two of the worst performances last night. It kind of feels like they might have stacked the deck in the women’s favor this season so that a woman might win for a change? We shall see. My money is on Kristi. She’s got the talent and she should have the fan base as well.