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In the week before the semi-finals the last five couples have to dance the Quickstep, Waltz or the Tango. Then it's time for instant dances, where they will have only short amount of time to choreograph the Jive.

I believe Rob Kardashian and Hope Solo will have an advantage in the Instant Jive, as their other dance is the Quickstep. Please discuss this week's episode here. Enjoy

I disagree: I think having the quickstep - a FAST dance - will be a distinct DISadvantage, because they will be more tired out than doing the waltz or tango, which are slower. Hope, as an athlete, may have the stamina to pull it off (if not the talent), but I'll worry about Rob.

This week the 5 dancers left pulled double-duty: first, either a quickstep, tango or waltz, as usual. Then, they had the "instant dance": a jive done to a song that they drew from the mirror-bowl and had less than 1/2-hour to practice it.

Nancy Grace had the only tango. It was dramatic and, as usual, her techique was good...but not good enough. Her jive to "Upside Down" (I did NOT know this song) was, once again, technically good and she enjoyed herself (finishing with a cartwheel), but not a week-8 job. Although I think Len COULD have worded it nicer (where is the outrage this week?), he was correct in saying that this is really her week to go home.

Rob Kardashian had quite a job to do: his first dance was the quickstep, which earned him three 9s, deservedly so. Some of his leaps were fantastic, and he never slowed down. We at home all felt compelled to applaud when he finished. However, after that physical workout, he had HIS jive, do Hall & Oates' "Maneater". You could tell that two such high-energy, physical dances took a bit of a toll on him, but he trooped on and jived well. (I have the feeling that, as soon as DWTS is over for him, he's going to start visiting a gym regularly...just a feeling...)

Ricki Lake's first dance was the waltz. She was lovely and positively floated. The judges were a tad nit-picky about her shoulders and her feet; I can't believe that she got only one point higher than Hope (more on that later)! Her jive was to "Land of 1000 Dances", and while high-energy, was a tad awkward. "Starts and stops" was how the judges put it, and it fit. To me, it looked like they WANTED to do moves called out in the song, but they didn't fit what they had already rehearsed.

J.R. Martinez dance a positively lovely waltz that was, oddly enough, also high energy. In the middle of his dance, the audience gave him a standing ovation (and I was hard put to stay seated myself). Karina was so excited after the dance that she leaped into his arms (doing a full split). It gave him a well-deserved first perfect score of the season. To top that off, his jive to "Tutti Fruiti" was beyond description! He engaged the audience, his feet were unbelievable, his energy was endless. Guess what? ANOTHER perfect score!

Hope Solo was somewhat improved in her quickstep, although she still doesn't know what to do with her hands. They kinda flipped and flopped around. She also tended to save one GOOD kick for the last of a series of kicks, the first ones barely moving. Did she deserve a score equal to Rob's, one less than Ricki? No. However, that's what she got. Her jive to an Avril Lavigne song was more of the same. THIS time, however, the judges said something about her hands and arms...and rewarded her with a high score, tying her with Ricki for 2nd...seriously?

I truly and deeply wish with all my heart that they would get rid of the stupid "Dance Center" segment that they do every season. Kenny Mayne is NOT funny or even entertaining, Jerry Rice is pathetic and useless (all he does is wink at the camera) and Len is embarrassing himself. Some of the innuendo is not fit for prime time and is 10x worse than anything Bruno says. It's also totally unnecessary.

During the Results Show, the musical guests were Andrea Bocelli (who was magnificent), Flo Rida (who was muted), and the Macy's Stars of Dance by Cirque du Soleil doing a Michael Jackson tribute (fantastic, but was the mass crotch-grabbing really necessary?)

All I'll say about the results is...no big surprise.

Here are my comments on Week 8. Better late than never!

Rob & Cheryl & Hope & Maks both started out with the Quick Step. Rob has showed improvement every week while Hope showed some improvement this week. They were both given 27 pts Both did Instant Jives. Which are not instant at all. They all knew their 2nd dance would be a Jive & they choreographed a routine which they also practiced all week. The only "instant" factor is the addition of the music. Then they need to work on timing their rehearsed routines with their newly appointed song. I thought Rob's footwork was better than his upper body which still seems stiff to me but the judges all complimented his arms & criticized his flicks. So what do I know?! Hope was awarded 1 more pt than Rob giving him 51 total pts & Hope 52 pts

Ricki & Derek did a beautiful Waltz. Len said she wouldn't get a 10 b/c of her footwork but Bruno gave her 1. She got 28 pts. Her Instant Jive wasn't that fast but she did have the hardest moves so far in her routine. She got all 8's for 24 pts. For a total 52 pts tying with Hope! Really?!

Nancy & Tristan Tangoed to a pretty weird song. There were a few weird songs Monday night. She didn't have any of the sharpness that dance demands. She was told she had the "right attitude" & was given all 8's for 24 pts Nancy lost timing often in her Instant Jive & ended up on her knees begging the judges...where she belonged after that dance! She was given no sympathy & got just 20 pts putting her far behind the others for the night with 44 total pts.

JR & Karina did such a fabulous Waltz that the audience gave them a Standing Ovation DURING their dance! I think that was a 1st. And it was well deserved! Carrie Ann called it "magic" that the "whole room was caught up in". He got the 1st perfect score of the season with 30 pts. He followed that with more perfection in his Instant Jive. He looked like he was having sooo much fun during his performance. Carrie Ann told him he was "in a class all your own". He had a perfect night scoring 60 well deserved pts.

The Results Show had Andrea Bocelli, always fantastic, Flo Rida & a tribute to Michael Jackson. Semi Finalists are: JR Martinez, Hope Solo & Ricki Lake. Leaving Rob Kardashian & Nancy Grace in the bottom 2 with Nancy Grace going home. It was definitely her time to leave. Rob will join the others as a semi finalist next week.

Larexx, what are your thoughts of the waste that is "Dance Center"? Just curious.

I have to agree with you, Ktfahel, that "Dance Center" is garbage. Whoever heard of Kenny Mayne in the 1st place. He is not funny at all. I liked Jerry Rice as a football player & as a dancing contestant but he's embarrassing himself now. Len's nude schtick was just downright degrading! I thought he had more class than that. None of it is ever funny. They should make the results show a half hour & stop wasting our time with their filler garbage.

Well, I like SOME (stress "some") of the filler. I like a lot of the musical guests and the back stage stuff. I LOVE the "Macy's Stars of Dance" or whatever they call it. Some (not all, but some) of the little staged things they have the stars do are kinda cute, and I love hearing their thoughts on the show and their places in it. I'm all for the hour; just get rid of the vulgarity, like "Dance Center".