Dancing with the Stars Week 7: Carter and Krupa take top scores

November 2, 11:07 PMDancing with the Stars ExaminerEvelyn McCormack

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Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff
ABC

Week 7 of Dancing with the Stars earned Aaron Carter and Joanna Krupa top scores for the second week in a row, virtually securing their safety for yet another week on DWTS.

With just seven couples remaining on the show, whittled down from an original 16, the contenders still face a double elimination on Tuesday’s Results Show. Based solely on the judges’ scores Monday, the celebrity dancers likely to find themselves in the bottom are NFL legend Michael Irvin and “Top Chef” star Mark DaCascos. (Will this be the week that Irvin finally goes?)

This week also featured the season’s first “team dances,” where the judges scored team performances of the tango and paso doble.

The first dancers of the night were Irvin and partner Anna Demidova, who have been close to being eliminated for a number of weeks. But the couple danced a smooth Fox Trot that the judges liked. “I’m so glad you hung around,” said head judge Len Goodman. “And again tonight, this Fox Trot – really well done.” “Your musicality has improved,” said judge Bruno Tonioli. “Yet the bum still sticks out.” And judge Carrie Ann Inaba said, “Tonight’s performance was gracious, it was fluid.”

Next up were Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson, dancing the Quick Step. While it looked a bit rough in places, the crowd loved the lively number. The judges were a bit more tempered in their praise. “I’ve got to say, as a performer you’re solid as a rock,” said Bruno. “But nobody could cover up all the mistakes.” Carrie Ann agreed. “Your footwork is very light. It was good, but it was not your best.” Len complimented Osmond for doing “a full-on quick step.”

DaCascos danced without partner Lacey Schwimmer, who was out sick for much of the week with the flu. Although pro Anna Trebunskaya stepped in to help out on Saturday, that clearly wasn’t enough to save DaCascos from dancing a strange and disjointed samba.

The judges noted the problems. “You had a really rough week,” said Carrie Ann. “ But that was a mess.” “You have had a tough week, and you had a very difficult dance,” said Len. “I didn’t find it terrible, but it was not your best dance.” Bruno didn’t hold back. “It was little bit like watching Kung Fu Panda doing the samba on the Planet of the Apes,” he said.

Mya and Dmitry Chaplin were next, dancing the Fox Trot. Len, who has been critical of the couple all season, again criticized the dance for including “too many gimmicks.” Bruno and Carrie Ann disagreed. “This Fox Trot had the aura of Hollywood,” said Bruno. “Sex, sassy, beautiful.” “Len is officially smoking crack,” said Carrie Ann. “I loved it. It was dynamic, it was fluid, it was graceful.” Still, Carrie Ann and Bruno gave the dance two 9s, which made me wonder again – where are all the 10s we saw in Season 8?

Not far off, as it turned out. Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff danced next, and their fast and furious jive prompted the judges to “dust off the 10 paddles,” as Len predicted.

“Unstoppable momentum,” gushed Bruno. “Your best performance.” Carrie Ann said, “It was just really, really excellent.” “That had enough energy to light up Hollywood,” said Len. “It was wild, but it was clean.” With that, Carter and Smirnoff earned a total score of 29, including 10s from both Len and Bruno.

Kelly Osbourne and partner Louis Van Amstel danced the salsa, which was preceded by a tape of the couple’s rehearsals, showing an emotional Osbourne. But in their performance of the salsa, there was little of Osbourne’s usual self-esteem issues.

The judges were impressed. “That was great. That was brilliant,” said Carrie Ann. “You were unafraid of the dance.” “You really controlled your nerves,” said Len. But he added that “all aspects of your dancing need to come up a little.”

The last couple to dance were Krupa and partner Derek Hough, who performed a sexy rumba. Bruno gushed over it, as usual. “You are a love goddess,” he said. “So sexy I could taste it.” “You dance at your edge,” said Carrie Ann. “I really love watching you.”

After the solo dances, Carter was in first place, with Krupa in a close second.

Then the team dances began, with one team dancing the Tango and the other dancing the Paso Doble.

Team Paso was up first, with DaCascos and Trebunskaya, Carter and Smirnoff, Mya and Chaplin, and Irvin and Demidova dancing both as a team and with individual solos worked into the routine.

The judges gave the routine tepid praise. “Strong, powerful, dramatic,” said Bruno. “At times, though, you lost a little bit of sync.” Carrie Ann thought the routine “was a bit basic for this stage.” “As it went along, the routine got better and better,” said Len.

The scores for the team were 8, 8, and 8, for a total team score of 24.

Team Tango took the night, however. Consisting of Osbourne and Van Amstel, Osmond and Johnson, and Krupa and Hough, the tango performed by the team was dramatic and precise. Carrie Ann jumped out from behind the judges’ desk to praise the team, although she still managed to scold them for doing lifts.

“It is easier for you to dance tango, because you’re in hold all the time,” said Len. “But obviously, this was a much more superior dance (to the paso).” And Bruno simply said: “Team Incredible!”

Team Tango earned scores: 9, 9, and 10, for a total team score of 28.

Here is a recap of the dances and scores for Monday night’s show:

Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova
Dance 1: Fox Trot
Scores: 8, 8, and 7, for a total of 23.
Team Paso Score: 24
Phone number: 1-800-868-3407

Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson
Dance 1: Quick Step
Scores: 8, 8, and 8, for a total of 24.
Team Tango score: 28
Phone number: 1-800-868-3405

Mark DaCascos and Anna Trebunskaya
Dance 1: Samba
Scores: 6, 7, and 6, for a total of 19.
Team Paso Score: 24
Phone number: 1-800-868-3403

Mya and Dmitry Chaplin
Dance 1: Fox Trot
Scores: 9, 7, and 9, for a total of 25.
Team Paso score: 24
Phone number: 1-800-868-3411

Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff
Dance 1: Jive
Scores: 9, 10, and 10, for a total of 29.
Team Paso score: 24
1-800-868-3401

Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel
Dance 1: Salsa
Scores: 8, 8, and 8, for a total of 24.
Team Tango score: 28
Phone number: 1-800-868-3416

Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough:
Dance 1: Rumba
Scores: 9, 9, and 9, for a total of 27.
Team Tango score: 28
Phone number: 1-800-868-3415

Tuesday’s Results Show will include the elimination of two couples, along with a dance-off between the second lowest and third lowest scoring couples. The evening will also feature a performance by legendary rocker/crooner Rod Stewart and the Ballas Hough Band, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas’ band. They will be performing their latest single, "Move", which will be available for purchase immediately following Tuesday’s show on iTunes.