Dancing with the Stars week one recap

Finally it’s back! Here I am ready to recap two huge days of Dancing with the Stars: Season Seven.

Can you believe they’ve done Dancing with the Stars seven times? On the upside, the viewers have really gotten to know the dancers. Sometimes, I think it’s their fans that save couples from being knocked out. On the downside, there’s an awful lot to live up to and I don’t think these couples are making the grade. Let’s take a look at what transpired these past two days.

I see stars

This time around, the couples had to learn two dances in the first week. They performed the first one on Monday night and on Tuesday night all but one of them danced again. That “one” was eliminated and a second couple will be eliminated on Wednesday night. Complicated, I know and not a great scenario for those who had to dance late in last night’s show.

The evening began with Lance and Lacey. Their ChaCha on day one was fun, and modern and edgy. These two are a great couple and I’m so excited to see Lacey joining the Dancing with the Stars family. Last night they performed an adorable but not very traditional Quickstep. No wonder since Lacey taught Lance the moves by naming them things such as “the prairie dog” and the “peeing like a dog.” They ended up with a 21, the most popular score of the night.

Misty and Max also pulled a 21 with their Mambo. These two make a great couple but Misty doesn’t look like she’s having much fun. She tightens up with nerves on the dance floor and that’s not a pretty sight. But if anyone can make a lady out of this tiger, it’s Max! Good to have him back.

Maurice and Cheryl also pulled a 21 for their Mambo but at least he looked like he was having fun. This guy isn’t afraid to look foolish and that works in his favor on the dance floor. And there’s something about Cheryl that doesn’t look right. She doesn’t seem to be as fit as she used to be…or is it me?

Breaking the model curse?

Brooke and Derek are another adorable couple and she seems to have broken the “model” curse. Great ChaCha on night one but their Quickstep was amazing. Loved the rehearsal footage with Brooke carrying baby Shia in sling to teach her to arch backwards and not press up against her partner in the dance. Brilliant move, Derek. Brooke also had one of the best gowns of the night. Simply gorgeous.

Then all control was lost…again…as Cloris and Corky took the stage. On night one, Cloris campaigned for votes by putting her leg up on the desk in front of Bruno and giving Len a good look at her cleavage. Did I mention she’s 82? Bless her soul, but honestly, after a few minutes of her antics, I tired of them and it’s not really fair to the others that she stay in just because she’s the oldest competitor. I think she’ll be going home tonight. Funny, funny woman, but it’s time to get serious.

Toni and Alec were up next and they had the second-highest score of the night. They are another really perfect couple though all this talk of Toni’s heart condition leaves me scared for her when she dances. Not a great way to enjoy a performance. They’re Quickstep was a delight and she also had a fabulous gown. I expect her to make it a long way in the competition.

Harlem shuffle surprise

The real surprise of the night was Warren and Kym. He is a huge guy and he flew around the floor like a whirling dervish! Their Quickstep came right out of a Harlem jazz club and I loved every second of it. How is it that football players do so well on this show? I don’t think he’ll win but I’ll enjoy every second of him until he’s eliminated.

And speaking of soon to be eliminated, we have Ted and Inna. I want to like him, they’re a perfect pair but there’s something off about Ted. He’s charming on the floor, he seems to give it his all but it’s not sparking. They scored only a 19 and they’ll have to do much better than that next week in order to stick around.

Cody and Julianne are just adorable together (he’s only 18) but tonight I thought his immaturity showed through. It’s one thing to ChaCha, but he looked like a boy in his dad’s shoes doing the Quickstep. The judges liked it but I wasn’t sold.

I’m also not sold on Rocco and Karina. He has the personality and like Ted, I want to like him but he’s not firing on all burners. Tonight’s Mambo was much better than their dance on night one and Karina is working with a sprained ankle so there’s that. I’m just not sure what to make of these two. I don’t think they’re lasting long.

Susan and Tony were up next with their Quickstep. Nice but no magic.

The final dancers were Kim and Mark and here’s another pair I don’t get. Bruno said it best when he expressed his frustration over the fact that she’s not using the “assets” her mother gave her. She’s a lovely girl and she seems to have the ability to dance but she does everything half way. I will cut her a little slack since she had to wait the entire show to find out that she had to dance and that would be tough on anyone. I don’t think she’s leaving soon but I don’t see her as a winner.

Say goodbye

The couple eliminated tonight was, not surprisingly Jeffrey and Edyta. She accidentally poked him in the eye on night one giving him a scratched cornea so I’m sure that hampered his performance. But even taking that into account, he deserved to go home. This guy just wasn’t born to dance.

And that’s it! Tonight is the usual results show with guest performances by The Jonas Brothers and Jesse McCartney and you’ll see some great dancing from the pros. Dancing with the Stars starts at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Tune in and then visit SheKnows tomorrow to tell us what you thought of the second elimination in one week.

Photos: (ABC/Kelsey McNeal) Brooke Burke, Derek Hough, (ABC/Kelsey McNeal) Lacey Schwimmer, Lance Bass

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