It was a very good, very intense show. David Alan Grier mocked me tonight, but I think he got me spot on, didn’t he? I was very clear with my criticism. The insults are part of the show, and I’ll allow it. Obviously when the dancers come into strange, uncertain territory, they should know that they are going to get some comments back. If he didn’t understand the first time what I meant about staying in character, I’m sure he understood this time.
I think both Melissa [from The Bachelor] and Gilles Marini [most famous for a full frontal scene in Sex and the City] were excellent, wonderful, and had great performances, and they came from nowhere. No one would have expected Melissa to be so good with the time she had. And Gilles is just a discovery, he’s a revelation. He’s just got it. And his costume! Le Superman, well he’s certainly got plenty of secret weapons. Most people have seen them, but not me. I heard he comes fully loaded. That’s just what I’ve heard. It’s just a rumor, but you know, we’ll see.
I’m frustrated with Julianne Hough and Chuck Wicks, because she was doing all the work and he was just posing. This is not Posing With the Stars.
Last week Jewel’s husband, Ty Murray, looked like he was riding a bull. This week he was still riding but he was in charge. He really rode the quickstep, and was much more at ease, and in the case of this dance you have to retain a very strong posture, and it definitely worked to his advantage. And the great thing about him is he doesn’t whinge and moan, he gets on with it.
And, oh, don’t get me started on Woz [Steve Wozniak], he has his quality. I did say tonight he’s just like Wall-E. He’s charming, he’s resilient, he keeps going, although he’s a bit rusty and some parts need replacing, but he has a charm. He comes out and gives it his all and the audience responds positively to that. But obviously he’s not a good dancer.
I’m frustrated with Julianne Hough and Chuck Wicks because she was doing all the work and he was just kind of posing. And I think he actually has what it takes. It’s no good to let her spin around like a madwoman, when it’s all about his performance. He’s not somebody who is handicapped, so if he doesn’t start to deliver I’m going to be even harder on him. He’s a handsome guy. Potential, potential, potential. C’mon, dance! Do something, not just poses. His poses look good, but so what? This is not Posing With the Stars.
I like Lil’ Kim very much. She’s still a little bit wild, but she comes out and delivers and gives you a performance. She’s engaging and radiant, and works with the audience, and she dances very well. It’s not perfect, but it’s wonderful to watch, and I’m sure people will respond to that.
Seventeen-year-old gymnast Shawn Johnson was gorgeous. She’s very, very young, but very sharp. She has a lot of energy, and her moves are very clean. Obviously she doesn’t have the life experience to put into the performances, but that will grow over the course of the show. She’s a good little dancer, she’s so cute. You want to take her home and put her in your pocket.
If we went with the judges’ scores, Steve-O is very unpopular, which is unfortunate, because judging him from rehearsal is not quite the same as judging a performance in front of the audience of millions. Usually they just practice for the cameras, so it becomes a bit unfair to him that he injured himself by landing badly on his mic pack during his dress rehearsal. These injuries happen, though, and I do hope he’s not badly damaged.
We will have a dance-off tomorrow night, so even Steve-O could come back with a brilliant dance, and we won’t know until tomorrow night. We’ve already had three injuries this year—everything comes in threes, don’t they!—so hopefully now this is the end of them.
It’s difficult to call who might be getting kicked off tomorrow. The dancers on the bottom get the sympathy votes, and so the ones hanging in the middle section—Holly [Madison], Belinda [Carlisle], David [Alan Grier]—might be in the most trouble. Just based off the judges’ scores, the bottom two should be Woz and Steve-O, but I don’t know. The public will react differently. It could be anybody. The fans have as much say as the judges.
Bruno Tonioli has been a popular judge on all seasons of Strictly Come Dancing, the UK version of Dancing with the Stars, as well as a guest judge on the Australian version. He is a top choreographer and has worked on countless films, plays, music videos, commercials, concerts, trade shows and television series with such music icons as Elton John, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Tina Turner and Paul McCartney.