Dancing with the Stars: Season Four, Week Seven

I’m officially the oldest 24-year-old I know.  Dancing with the Stars makes me laugh.  I catch myself smiling when no one else in the room is, and I was excited to watch last night’s episode, where each couple performed two scored dances.  But in my defense, things are getting more interesting as we wind down to the real competition (in other words, when Billy Ray and John are voted off).

Sporting a sleeker, shorter hairdo, Laila kicked off the night’s dancing.  Being the only female left in the competition added some extra pressure to Laila and Maks’ stride, but they delivered their Quickstep without a hitch, earning a score of 29.  

John and Edyta busted out their best dance of this season with a graceful Foxtrot.  The judges agreed, showering John with compliments on his “improvements” from last week (is going from bad to mediocre really a compliment?) and a high score of 23.

Apolo and Julianne: I say it every week, but could they be any cuter?  Carrie Ann called their Foxtrot dreamlike, and although Len argued there was nothing great about the dance, Apolo and Julianne took home an overall score of 26.

Ian and Cheryl looked a little clumsy this week, but the judges dubbed it Ian’s best performance.  He finally brought the drama and fun to his dance that they’ve been requesting for weeks, and a score of 27 bumped them back up into contender territory.

A slow and sleepy Waltz didn’t do much to keep Billy Ray and Karina in the judges’ favors this week. Fanning and fawning over Karina (Bruno called it a Vanna White impersonation), Billy Ray did little actual dancing, forcing the judges to hand out a score of 17 (the lowest of the night).  

Joey and Kym returned this week with another killer dance. And even though Joey always hams it up a bit, this time around his Foxtrot was clearly a bit more serious with polished posture and a confident attitude.  The dance had a bit of showmanship that Len wasn’t a fan of, but it didn’t hurt Joey and Kym’s almost-perfect score of 29.  
On to the Latin round!  Samba-ing their way to another high score were Laila and Maks.  Carrie Ann applauded Laila’s switch from sexual to sensual, and Bruno and Maks seconded with 10s across the board.

Small improvements kept John in the judges’ good graces again this week, with another so-so score of 23.  Highest praise came from Carrie Ann, who called John her favorite “older gentlemen” thus far on DWTS.  

Apolo and Julianne’s 28-point Mambo was more well-received with the judges than their ealier Foxtrot.  Being the youngest two competitors this season gives them an advantage that you can see on the dance floor—they’re fun to watch and there’s a sweetness and innocence that the other couples simply can’t match (i.e. Edyta looking like John’s mail order bride).  

Dancing a mean Mambo were Ian and Cheryl.  Looking like he was having way more fun than ever, Ian sneaked his way into the judge’s hearts and snatched up a score of 27.  Meanwhile, Cheryl looked liked like an ice cream cone gone bad in her costume.

Billy Ray came back fighting in the Latin round with a James Brown/boxing-inspired Samba.  Despite his disregard for technique, Billy Ray is captivating and endearing as he bulldozes his way through the routines.  7s across the board helped his earlier score of 17.

With the last dance of the night, Joey and Kym took home a perfect score of 30 for their Jive.  The final scoreboard left John and Billy Ray in the bottom two, and they will undoubtedly be in the red light during tonight’s Results show.

Spotted in the audience: Alfonso Ribeiro, Jason Priestley, Jenny Garth, new momma Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott, as well as eliminated season four celeb Shandi Finnessy and her partner Brian.