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(S09E13) Tonight on Dancing with the Stars there was some actual content tonight: the dance-off. Unfortunately, that meant that there was no encore performance. Instead we go right into Taylor Swift.

Musical Performance - Taylor Swift - "Jump then Fall" - Anyone notice that the stage Norah Jones had last week was just audience chairs? Taylor Swift is a horrible live singer (squeaking every time she sang the word "jump"), but luckily we had some professionals who reminded me of Ryan & Ashleigh from So You Think You Can Dance. Their lift near the end was the best part.

After the score recap (and another angle of Chelsie falling on her bum) the eliminations begin. The first two couples safe were Joanna & Derek and Mark & Lacey.

Double Elimination Fears - Oh no, everyone is nervous. They showed the shot of Chelsie falling on her bum again. The next two couples safe were Donny & Kym and Aaron & Karina (Karina more excited than Aaron).

Musical Performance - Tiempo Libre - "Tu Conga Bach" - I thought the whole performance was fun to watch, even though the two couples dancing weren't synchronized as well as they could be.

Fashion Design - Next week is all about the celebrities making costumes for the performances. Aaron, Joanna, and Mark consider making their celebrity wear next to nothing, making me assume they have something uptempo next week. Melissa gets the best idea and wants Mark to wear heels. Kelly is considering making Louis look really flowery. Louie doesn't know fabric, I guess he's never seen Project Runway either.

The next two couples safe are Mya & Dmitry and Kelly & Louis. The bottom three couples are Michael & Anna, Melissa & Mark, and Louie & Chelsie.

Musical Performance - Taylor Swift - "Love Story" - Taylor lowered the key of the song, probably to make her voice sound better. We have several professionals representing the idea of Romeo & Juliet; Jonathan & Anna being the most romantic. I really liked the women's Juliet/pirate wench outfits because we never see the girls dance in any fabric that looks like velvet.

Getting the Ten - Nadia Comaneci, Greg Louganis, and Bill Walton spend a few minutes being motivational speakers. They mention hard work, practice, and mental approach. I don't need an Olympian to tell me these things.

The couple going home was Melissa & Mark. The two couples that are going to the dance-off are Louie & Chelsie and Michael & Anna. Melissa was hoping that she could make it another week because her husband and kids were going to visit.

Dance-Off

Michael & Anna - Samba - The two arrive at 6:30 AM to practice. Michael wants everything to be perfection. Their dance made me nervous when Michael walked into place in the first few bars, but he actually had some rhythm. I didn't like the part with Anna on the floor, but it showed Michael had energy.

Len loved how Michael came alive, but disliked the floor part, as well. Bruno likes the fun of the performance. Carrie Ann knows samba is hard to learn; the personality was there, but the technique lacked a little.

Louie & Chelsie - Jive - We got to watch Louie drop Chelsie again. If I was Chelsie, I'd be mortified that they kept playing it over and over. Louie wants to have fun doing the jive. The beginning had promise and then the two flung the hats and Louie looked like he lost his footing after that. You could see his face at the end that he was disappointed in himself.

Bruno was impressed by the amount of content in a short period of time. Carrie Ann thought the musicality was okay, but was disappointed. Len thought that Louie was sharp and fast, but points out the pivot problem.

After the commercials, the results are announced. Bruno thought that both did a good job, but he thought that Louie & Chelsie had the edge. Len was both pleased and disappointed. He votes for Michael & Anna. Carrie Ann judged on what just happened. She votes to save Michael & Anna. In a 2-1 vote, Louie & Chelsie were eliminated.

Louie Vito shot himself in the foot picking the Jive (he should have done the Rumba because of Louie & Chelsie's great chemistry), but I will be looking for him during the Winter Olympics. It was definitely time for Louie and Melissa to go home. Next week with another double elimination, Michael is a goner so I don't mind him being around another week. How did you think the eliminations went? Leave comments below.

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