ABC/KELSEY MCNEALWith only seven contestants left, dances were pulled out of the hat more randomly than ever.
From Argentine tango and waltz to samba and cha-cha, the remaining celebs continued to Hough and puff and hoof it out in what were their longest individual routines yet and the first group dance—a tribute to the swingin' '60s—of the season.
And what a hoot that group number was, with each contestant having to devise a signature move (look out for Ty Murray's "Groovy Rider") and then suiting up in his or her Austin Powers finest for some retro go-go action. Surprisingly, no one was dropped on his or her head, and Derek Hough stole the show. (He does that sometimes.)
But first, the night kicked off with the only set of sanctioned lifts we were to see...
Melissa Rycroft: Red lips and a smoky eye do not a sultry performance make on their own—but they go a long way toward setting the scene. Any spice missing from her rumba last week showed up in the Argentine tango tonight. Melissa's footwork was so spot-on and her lines so exquisite, Tony Dovolani was the one who ended up looking like the less seasoned tango dancer. But kudos to his kickass choreography, just the same. "I dub you both king and queen of illegal lifts!" exclaimed Carrie Ann Inaba.
Score: 29.
Lawrence Taylor: It was Edyta Sliwinska who got tangled up in blue during their Viennese waltz, her face at one point obscured by one of her gown's flowing pieces, and she ended up missing a hold by half a second. Otherwise, there were quite a few nice moments, but L.T. may have peaked as a dancer. "You definitely got the romance right," Bruno Tonioli began before pointing out the myriad technical flaws, while Len Goodman told the NFL Hall of Famer he was "shocked" at how well he did.
Score: 21. Nowhere to go but nowhere, really.
Lil' Kim: Derek Hough is one hell of a choreographer. Their rumba didn't always flow, but every few seconds there was another impressive hold to ooh and ah over. But not all the judges agreed with the pair's attempt to tone down the sexiness for traditionalist Len Goodman's sake, and Kim's approach did indeed appear to be wavering between "Magic Stick" and "I Do Not Hook Up" throughout. "Taking the raunch out of Lil' Kim is like having a margarita without tequila!" Bruno lamented.
Score: 26
Chuck Wicks: It was the samba that separated eventual champion Apolo Ohno from the pack in Julianne Hough's debut season and...it almost worked this time, too. It was definitely Chuck's most natural-looking and technically smooth performance to date. He just about looked like a dancer out there—and it was more than enough improvement for the judges. "Chuckie! I liked it a lot!" raved Len, while Carrie Ann stood up to offer an enthusiastic raise-the-roof gesture.
Score: 27. Their best by a four-point mile.
Ty Murray: If Ty isn't just the most amiable, aw-shucks waltzing partner ever... He's not the smoothest of them all, but this rodeo cowboy just exudes likability (not to mention he dedicated the dance to his wife). Despite suffering a bad bruise last week, this was his best in awhile, although he was a little off-kilter during a few of their lengthier sweeps across the floor. Probably overthinking things again. "This is a bigger comeback than Mickey Rourke!" exclaimed Bruno, while, playing the part of Bruno, Len told Ty and Chelsie Hightower their waltz had "more rise and and fall than a bride's nightie."
Score: 24. Not their very best, but a six-point improvement over last week.
Shawn Johnson: This 17-year-old is growing up before our eyes. Shawn was popping her hips to perfection in her glittery, Michael Jackson-inspired cha-cha (Mark Ballas has a thing for fancy socks this season). Their routine finally captured just the right combination of the Olympian's professional-caliber technique and her burgeoning comfort with showing skin and being sexy. "I loved it!" raved Carrie Ann, while Bruno called Shawn his "cheeky little devil."
Score: 28
Gilles Marini: Turns out the hip-swinging stud can waltz, too. (To make up for any lack of smolder in the dance, Gilles spent half their rehearsal footage in a bathing suit.) The movements were pretty flawless, though the air of seriousness the Frenchman put on could have been mistaken at times for hauteur, dampening the dreamy-romance factor somewhat. Somewhat. "So glamorous, you two," Bruno swooned at Gilles and Cheryl Burke. Len thought it "superb" overall.
Score: 27
Shawn's uninhibited sexiness, Chuck tying Gilles...So much to chatter about in the comments section. We'll bid adieu to another couple on Tuesday's results show, and Tom Bergeron will explain an upcoming viewers' choice competition to select DWTS' next new pro.
Here's a rundown of the ever-shrinking leaderboard, plus the odds of each getting knocked off tomorrow, courtesy of America's Line oddsmaker Benjamin Eckstein:
Melissa and Tony: 29 (No-chance-this-week to 1)
Shawn and Mark: 28 (100 to 1)
Chuck and Julianne: 27 (30 to 1)
Gilles and Cheryl: 27 (200 to 1)
Lil' Kim and Derek: 26 (50 to 1)
Ty and Chelsie: 24 (5 to 1)
Lawrence and Edyta: 21 (2 to 1)
(Originally published April 20, 2009, at 6:56 p.m. PT)