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(S05E09)Tom opened the show talking about a night where controversy rocked the ballroom. I wouldn't call it so much rocking, as I would annoying, but that's just me. It does appear that some of that will be put to rest now. Len made a point of praising the pros for their excellent work, but warned them that he didn't want to see any more lifts. From here on out, they will incur a penalty from the judges.

They went right to the recap after that. Mark was really happy to be called the little engine that could. Floyd talked about his new experience, calling ballroom dancing better than hip-hop. Mel took the truck driver comment in good stride, asking for the truck driver vote. Jane was left trying to defend the lift again. Jenny ignored that lift nonsense and said she looks forward to continuing to improve. Cameron was excited about his three nines. As you would expect, Sabrina was thrilled to have the first perfect score of the competition.

(S05E08) I have to say, considering that we are only to week four, I'm really impressed with the level of the dancing this season. As the show kicked off, Tom announced that last week was the highest scored week three in the history of the show, and week four kept the ball rolling. We even saw our first perfect 30 of the season. If that wasn't enough, Samantha Harris is back from maternity leave, and didn't miss a beat.

Things weren't all rosy though. Carrie Ann made it her personal crusade to annoy the crap out of everyone in her new role as the lift police. If you have watched the show over the last couple seasons, it's something that has come up before. And every time, it leaves me wondering just why they have that rule. It's not a competition sanctioned by anyone other than ABC, so that can't be it. To protect the dancers? They let Monique jump 12 feet, backwards, off of the stage. It makes debating whether or not a heel was half an inch off of the stage seem a little silly. I'm actually all for doing away with the rule and getting on with the dancing. Anyway, a rundown of all the performances after the jump.

(S05E05) Tom opened the show by referring to performance night as the ultimate face off, as all eleven couples took the stage together for the first time. That's a bit of hyperbole, to be sure, but he moved on quickly to the more important point. That being the fact that two of the stars have separated themselves from the pack and taken the lead.

As we sit now, Helio and Sabrina are way out in front, but it's way too early to call the competition. That pesky little detail called the fan base has a way of wreaking havoc on the best laid plans. Would it rear it's head in week two? So early in the competition? Quite possibly, but we can't be spoiling all of that before the jump. Click the link for all the details from the week two results show.

(S05E04) The stars are back for week two, and it's what I usually find to be one of my favorite weeks. The nerves and the pressure of the unknown are so hard to overcome in that first appearance, that week two is where much ground can be gained based on nothing more than a little confidence. As we would see tonight, that, as much as anything, is what is still holding a few of our stars back. Tom opened the show with a quick recap of last week, reminding everyone that Josie is no longer in the competition. But with eleven couples to dance, there was no time to dawdle, so on with the show.

(S05E03) The three-part premiere week finally reached its conclusion, and one star was sent packing. Tom's introduction really played up the battle of the sexes angle, calling Week 1 a "dance duel." Drew returned as Tom's co-pilot, and I'm curious to see how long he'll stick around. As usual, there was a tidy summary of the previous night of performances. The men answered the call after Len's warning on Monday night. Like Jennie Garth, Cameron set the standard with his Foxtrot. In his post-performance interview, Cameron was very proud of all the work he did.

Dancing With the Stars returns on September 24th and there is a pretty decent list of celebrity guests this season. Here's the list:

• Mel B (Spice Girl) paired with Maksim Chmerkovskly;
• Sabrina Bryan (Cheetah Girl) paired with Mark Ballas;
• Helio Castroneves (race car driver) paired with Julianne Hough;
• Mark Cuban (businessman) paired with Kym Johnson;
• Jennie Garth (former 90210 actress) paired with Derek Hough;
• Josie Maran (supermodel) paired with Alec Mazo;
• Cameron Mathison (All My Children) paired with Edyta Silwinska;
• Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (boxer) paired with Karina Smirnoff;
• Wayne Newton (singer) paired with Cheryl Burke;
• Marie Osmond (singer) paired with Jonathan Roberts;
• Albert Reed (supermodel) paired with Anna Trebunskaya;
• Jane Seymour (actress) paired with Tony Dovolani.