The semifinals of Dancing With the Stars featured laughter, injury, tears, joy and plenty of raw emotion. That and a new Winner Take All Cha-Cha twist!
According to the hosts, the idea was conceived as a reward for high-scoring contestants. DWTS scores, after all, are often trumped by the viewers' votes.
Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas had the most to gain from getting an extra 15 points no one else would receive, and they got them, landing in first place.
This isn't to say that Chelsea didn't nail the routine (although Hines Ward gave her a run for her money) or the other two she performed Monday evening.
According to the hosts, the idea was conceived as a reward for high-scoring contestants. DWTS scores, after all, are often trumped by the viewers' votes.
Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas had the most to gain from getting an extra 15 points no one else would receive, and they got them, landing in first place.
This isn't to say that Chelsea didn't nail the routine (although Hines Ward gave her a run for her money) or the other two she performed Monday evening.
With her long legs and seductive looks, she earned a perfect 30 score for her rumba, and another 28 for her tango. The 15-point bonus gave Kane 73.
The winner-take-all element somewhat overshadowed Kym Johnson’s injury and return, resulting in a nearly-perfect night between herself and Ward.
First, we saw the awful footage of the rehearsals when Kym, in an effort to up their game and take risks, fell on her neck and was crushed by Hines.
Cut to shots of Kym in a neck brace, the ultimate gamer, more concerned about lost rehearsal time than her own well-being, leaving via ambulance.
Then cut to Kym sans brace, doing the Argentine tango and delivering a routine fitting of the perfect 30? The dance hit all the right notes, and steps.
Emotional and cathartic, it was amazing to watch the two. Then they went and delivered ANOTHER perfect routine in the salsa for back to back 30s!
Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy have been on a roller coaster all season, and that certainly applies to her life as a whole. Would this be a high?
Not quite, but it certainly wasn't a low point, either. Kirstie and Maks more than held their own and earned 27s in both waltz and paso doble Monday.
Ralph Macchio’s knee is better, but his dancing was not. He and Karina Smirnoff received a 23 for their “The World Is Mine” salsa, setting them back.
Followed up by another low-ish 25 in their Argentine tango and they are ripe for the chopping block tonight. Of course, with the votes, you never know.
The scores from the Dancing With the Stars semifinals ...
- Mark Ballas and Chelsea Kane: 73 (30, 28, 15).
- Hines Ward and Kym Johnson: 60 (30, 30).
- Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 54 (27, 27).
- Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff: 48 (25, 23).
We'll be posting all the routines for you shortly. For now, what did you think of the winner-take-all twist, and who do you think is in danger tonight?
