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(S09E14) It's week seven of Dancing with the Stars, and the pressure is on. Lacey Schwimmer was the victim of a cold; Anna Trebunskya has stepped in to help Mark Dacascos. The other victims tonight were the professionals who were forced to wear costumes designed by the celebrities. While it worked for Kelly, it backfired on Joanna.

You know that there will be longer commercials between performances when you get a professional opening sequence. Five professionals and one woman who wasn't named performed a tango and paso doble. The dance was supposed to be an example of teamwork, but the paso and tango was also not as synchronized as I expected.

Round 1 - Individual Round

Michael & Anna D. - Foxtrot - Anna wants to make sure Michael uses showmanship. She expects a Broadway elegance and grace. I'm not sure what a sunny afternoon has to do with wine purple (Barney the Dinosaur was his muse), but the dance-off invigorated Michael because he looked a lot better than I've ever remembered him. The big smile helped.

Len was happy to see the foxtrot. Bruno thought that his musicality has improved. He notes that Michael's bum is sticking out. Carrie Ann was surprised by how fluid and dynamic the performance was. Score: 23 (8,8,7).

Donny & Kym - Quickstep - The quickstep is all about patterns, and Donny struggles to remember. Kym decides to work on posture and pulls out the posture bar. Though there were a few times that Donny looked down, my biggest gripe was that his head was never facing the same direction as Kym's face. The footwork was strong until you noticed he continuously looked.

Bruno knows the performance was solid, but there were so many mistakes. He sold the performance, though. Carrie Ann thought the hold was close and he was light on his feet. He made mistakes several times. Len thought that it was a full on attack in the quickstep, even with mistakes. Score: 24 (8,8,8).

Mark & Anna T. - Samba - We get to watch Mark as the chairman on Iron Chef America in New York. Lacey got sick. Mark made her go home to recover. Luckily Tony Dovolani was in New York and taught Mark the samba. I would pay to watch Mark dance with Tony. With Lacey still sick, Anna Trebunskaya stepped in. She taught him a different routine. There's something interesting about the choreography, but there were elements missing. His hip shaking solo was robotic and his face was very animated. The parts between classic samba moves were sloppy.

Carrie Ann knows that the week was tough. The whole performance was a mess and there was no flow. Len knows that it was a bad combo of hard dance and a terrible week. It wasn't his best dance, but he coped well. Bruno thought that it was Kung Fu Panda doing the samba on the Planet of the Apes. I'm not sure what that meant either. Score: 19 (6,7,6).

Mya & Dmitry - Foxtrot - Dmitry wants her to get into a classy character. He decides to bring Cloris Leachman and she tells a story of how Fred Astaire rejected her. She reminds Mya that it's all about character and connection. Mya starts off with a creative silhouetted opening. Though I caught a stumble in the beginning, the routine was strong. When Dmitry did the moving bench move with Mya, I knew that Len would have a problem with the routine.

Len thought the parts in hold were good. He thought that it was gimmicky. Bruno thought that the foxtrot channeled classic Hollywood. She danced like an angel. Carrie Ann thinks that Len is crazy. She likes the outfits, the dance was dynamic and her footwork was beautiful. Score: 25 (9,7,9).

Aaron & Karina - Jive - Aaron is suffering from speed problems because his jive is faster than a traditional jive. She took him to Elite Athletics and did leg drills to get him ready. While the song seemed unorthodox for a jive, the two did a good job. I disliked the face he kept making, but I guess that fit the punk character of the song.

Bruno thought that Aaron kicked ass. It was his best performance. Carrie Ann thought that it was good. The kicks were controlled, but there may have been a lift (it was more of a supported jump). Len thought that it was wild but clean. He dusted off the old 10 paddle. Score: 29 (9,10,10).

Kelly & Louis - Salsa - Kelly finally channels her Osbournes-self. She was stressed, anxious, and crying. Louis reassured her that she needs to work harder to succeed. After seeing the pants, I love how Louis kept a straight face. I thought the performance still seemed safe to me. Luckily, Louis ripped off the distracting pants. There was a strong spin sequence in the end. Kelly made one face when she made a slight mistake, but she kept a happy face the rest of the time.

Carrie Ann gave Kelly a hug. She liked the posture and she was not afraid of the dance. Len stands up and saw that she got past her nerves. He suggests that it's right for Louis to push her. Bruno gets up on the table and starts gyrating on the table in excitement. He reiterates getting into the character is the key of performance. Score: 24 (8,8,8).

Joanna & Derek - Rumba - Derek has a dream sequence on the beach. It's quite funny, combining Maks jokes and Derek feeding her strawberries. The beach practice must have helped because both are sexy. I loved the quick moments between the slow sequences. The hold sequence near the end looked wrong, but the two recovered for the final pose.

Len thought that they did everything right. Bruno thought she was an HD love goddess. He noted the stumble right at the end. Carrie Ann loves how she danced on the edge. She mentions the costume failure stumble. Score: 27 (9,9,9).

Round 2 - Team Dances

We come back from the commercial with another introduction from the other side of the stage. Team Tango (Kelly, Joanna, Donny) and Team Paso Doble (Mark, Aaron, Mya, Michael) emerge and do a silly circle of walking.

Team Paso - Mark, Michael, Mya, Aaron - Lacey suggests make Aaron start and Mya end. The problem arises when Lacey and Karina start arguing. Michael brings the group together. Mark and Anna T. have to learn their performance in two days. In the final group practice, Mark looks the furthest behind.

The team paso started off with the women doing a solo and Mya fit perfectly. When the couples were in their corners, they weren't synchronized. Part of Anna Demidova's dress ripped and pieces fell off. Aaron's solo wasn't as good as I expected, but the leap sequence was pretty. When Michael & Anna danced, I couldn't stop looking at her ripped skirt. Michael attempted passion, but it wasn't enough. Mark started off with a slide. He had passion and connected with Anna Trebunskaya better. Mya ends off the performance strong and as she swung her head her earring went flying into the audience. The end sequence wasn't as synchronized and Mark stood out in a bad way.

Bruno thought that the group lost synchronization. Mya & Dmitry stood out from the crowd. Carrie Ann thought the group was good, but the choreography was basic. Mark redeemed himself from his first performance. Len thought there was attack; the performance got better by the end. Score: 24 (8,8,8)

Team Tango - Joanna, Donny , Kelly - It seems like this group was really in sync during the rehearsals. The pros created the choreography first before teaching the celebrities to make the performance easier. They decide to create a section where Donny becomes the center of attention. Kelly opens, Donny is in the middle, and Joanna ends. Kelly sees the tango as redemption from week two. Donny may be getting sick, but doesn't want to disappoint the group.

From the beginning team tango is better synchronized. Kelly's solo was stronger in character than week two. The spins were intense and if there were mistakes, but she didn't show it on her face. Donny's solo was focused on Kym, but their steps were powerful. They had more Argentine elements than I would have liked. Joanna ended the performance strong. They did the fastest spins. I thought Kelly would hold the group back, she didn't buckle under the pressure.

Carrie Ann got up to congratulate the team. She then spanked the men because they added a lift. It's acceptable in the Argentine Tango, but not the tango. Len thought that tango is easier to do than the paso doble because they are in hold. Either way, this performance was superior. Bruno thought that the solos were excellent and the group was magnificent. He thought it was incredible. Score: 28 (9,9,10).

Final Scores

High
Joanna & Derek - 55 (27 + 28)
Aaron & Karina - 53 (29 + 24)
Kelly & Louis - 52 (24 + 28)
Donny & Kym - 52 (24 + 28)

Low
Mya & Dmitry - 49 (25 + 24)
Michael & Anna D. - 47 (23 + 24)
Mark & Anna T. - 43 (19 + 24)

I think the scores will stay the same after including the audience votes. Mark will be eliminated without doing his dance-off. If Lacey was around, I'm not sure if that she would have helped. With Mya & Michael in the bottom, Mya will easily out-dance Michael and we could finally send him home. I would, though, love to see Mya get blindsided without doing her dance-off, but she deserves to be here. Who do you think will go home? Leave comments below.

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