'Dancing with the Stars': Donny Osmond gets 10's, Mark Dacascos clicks & Michael Irvin's nickel experiment

After last week's mostly lackluster style substitutions (can we say Lambadon't?), "Dancing with the Stars" is back to its regularly scheduled programming.

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris introduce everyone and discover: Derek Hough is out with the flu - Maksim Chmerkovskiy is stepping in; Samantha, Lacey Schwimmer and Kelly Osbourne all have some form of huge hair - perhaps the other girls didn't get the memo; Anna Demidova's hair is dark tonight and I like it; Joanna Krupa looks like a vampire; and this is the second week in a row that Louis Van Amstel is wearing severe make-up.

and it should be noted that lifts are allowed in the Argentine Tango but not in the Paso Doble. Not entirely sure why but them's the rules. I list scores in Carrie Ann - Len- Bruno and, as many pieces were instrumental tonight, regardless of how familiar the song may be I don't know the names of most of them.

1.Natalie Coughlin & Alec Mazo
Dance/Song: Paso Doble/"America Woman" a la The Guess Who
Now that she's gotten used to smiling/not look intimidating, she has to learn how to look mean. The song just...doesn't work. I had to mute it. It didn't help as much as I'd hoped. She has very good lines but something was off. Like she was still thinking about the moves too much to fully perform. It lacked power at times. It seemed her arms/shoulders were too low sometimes when she wasn't dancing in hold. Not terrible but not a great improvement over last week.
Judges: Len said everything she does is clean and precise but this dance lacked agression. Bruno agrees saying he thinks it lacked conviction. Carrie Ann thinks she did the choreograph well but Natalie needs to follow through with her arm movements and extend past her body. She also got all Lift Police on them.
Score: 22 {7-8-7}

2. Aaron Carter & Karina Smirnoff
Dance/Song: Argentine Tango/An Appropriate Instrumental
During rehearsal, Karina explains that this is a seductive dance and he has to try and turn her on - which is hard because she's "a cold blooded bitch." I love that she said it with a completely straight face. She brought in pros Parissa & Sandor so Aaron could see what it was supposed to look like. It certainly helped because he did very well tonight. A definite improvement over the last two weeks. He looked like he was leading, he didn't seem erratic at all, and was in character.
Judges: Bruno thinks he looks like "Robert Pattinson tangoing in "Twilight"" and that he was magnetic. Carrie Ann beckoned him to the table and gave him Hollywood Cheek Kisses as a reward for being focused and fixing what they pointed out last week. Len really enjoyed it, saying last week Aaron looked like a "lost little boy" and now he's found his way home.
Score: 24 (all 8's)

3. Michael Irvin & Anna Demidova
Dance/Song: Paso Doble/Very Popular Classical Piece
During rehearsal, Anna said Michael's hips should be forward like he's squeezing a coin in his rear. And yes, he actual got a nickel and tried it out. He gets bonus life points for that. Hilarious. This is just to prove what he said - he's willing to do anything to improve this week to thank the fans for keeping him. The show has used this song before, I didn't like it then and I don't like it now. Mute. There's definite improvement this week, both in his technique and her choreography. We even got a little cape work from Mr. Irvin in the middle. He had great character throughout. Good job.
Judges: Carrie Ann says it had authority, dignity, and intensity, adding it's her favorite dance of the night so far. Len enjoyed it noting his posture, expression and haughtiness. Bruno said, "Keep that nickel in your butt because it's working for you." Wow.
Score: 21 (all 7's)

4. Mya & Dmitry Chaplin
Dance/Song: Argentine Tango/"They (I'm Sorry)" a la Jem (the real, life singer, not the fab 80's cartoon)
Dmitry is a choreography stud. It helps that Mya totally rocked it. The lifts and tricks were great and there was plenty of quick, intricate footwork. Her character was strong - passionate and disinterested at the same time. The first half of the number, perhaps a bit more, was on the stage but there was no lack of content so no harm, no foul.
Judges: Len says he doesn't know what he likes until he sees it and he liked this. Bruno said it was "intricate like lace" but wants her to make sure she keeps emotionally connected to the dances in the future. Carrie Ann loved the choreo and execution but felt the emotional connection was off for her. She knows that Mya made the choice to be a cold and distant but Carrie Ann didn't sense her "inner dialogue." Mya totally understood what she meant.
Score:

5. Mark Dacascos & Lacey Schwimmer
Dance/Song: Paso Doble/The first fully appropriate Paso song of the night (albeit with a Flamenco flavor)
Lacey's looking very...Anime tonight, what with the teased quasi-hawk and costume/make-up choice. I like it. She decided to give Mark a solo in the beginning so they could break out of the middle of the pack. It was great thinking because he nailed it. He nailed the whole number in fact. He had great character, improved technique, and looked like he was leading. Really, really good job and great choreography from Lacey. Finally it clicks!
Judges: Bruno called it sharp, angry and aggressive. C to the A thought it was very exciting, adding that she loved the intro and this crazy flip he did towards the end. Len loves it citing "posture, power, and performance" as his main reasons why.
Score: 26 (9-9-8)

6. Donny Osmond & Kym Johnson
Dance/Song: Argentine Tango/A Fitting Instrumental
Before I get to the dance, I must say I love Kym's outfit. It's all twisty and fringe-y and I'm a sucker for a good fringe dress. Donny did a great job of containing his energy without extinguishing it. He was very focused and intense. More great choreography and more great execution. I think it's his best dance so far.
Judges: Carrie Ann says this is a whole new side of him and a lot of women just fell in love. Len loved the intensity and opposing moments, agreeing with me that it's his best dance. Bruno called it "broody, moody, and sharp as a blade."
Score: 29 (10-9-10)

7. Louie Vito & Chelsea Hightower
Dance/Song: Argentine Tango/It had words but I couldn't catch them, good song though
Much better than last week on all fronts. He had great character and was very strong on the lifts and footwork (his feet did look a little weird on one kick section but I blame the camera angle). He lead very well but that's never really a problem with him.
Judges: Len was pleasantly surprised, partially because he didn't expect much. He thinks it's Louie's best dance so far. Bruno loved the story they told and gave some tips to improve how he crosses the floor. Carrie Ann really likes his partnering because it looks like he's actually "manipulating" her. She agrees he sometimes falls out of "dancer mode" when he's moving.
Score: 22 (7-8-7)

8. Melissa Joan Hart & Mark Ballas
Dance/Song: Argentine Tango/A Fitting Instrumental
Mark comes down with the flu at the start of the rehearsal package and wears a mask so as not to infect Melissa. Recently cut Anna Trebunskaya steps in to partner her for a day with the bonus of giving her tips from the woman's side of the dance. The leg work is very nice. I think the technique and performance are there though I feel like she started out small in the upper body. It was fine by the end of the performance.
Judges: Bruno didn't believe it and says she lost the steps quite a few times which made her look "frumpy." Carrie Ann disagrees (as do I) and felt that Melissa not only nailed the character but felt her aggression developed more as the number went on. She did say there were some stumbles but felt she did really good. Len thought it lacked some seduction but she coped well with the difficult choreography.
Score: 23 (8-8-7)

9. Kelly Osbourne & Louis Van Amstel
Dance/Song: Paso Doble/"Crazy Train" a la Ozzy Osbourne
It's a weird song choice for a Paso but it oddly works. Kelly smirked kind of deviously at the beginning which was very fitting. She did very well overall but I could tell which parts she was more comfortable with over others. Or maybe she was concentrating more so the character wasn't as strong? Maybe Louis should've let her be the bull instead of the cape. Also, her hair is awesome. Just...huge.
Judges: Carrie Ann tells her that it's all there but she has to stay in character. Len thought she danced well, with more authority and no nervousness, but agrees she needs to keep in character. Bruno said it was a very difficult routine but she managed everything well.
Score: 24 (all 8's)

10. Joanna Krupa & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dance/Song: Argentine Tango/"Whatever Lola Wants" from the musical "Damn Yankees"
Mark recovered from his flu in time but Derek didn't. Maks comes in on Thursday to save the day. I'm disappointed she didn't get the Paso because I feel like she's doing the same dance character every week. And I'm over it. That being said, she did perform well but her feet are still flat a lot of the time which totally ruins the effect. There were two big mistakes - a stumble during one of the partnered passes across the floor and after a split-slide maneuver towards the end, she briefly lost everything (character, posture, stance, etc). Good choreography though.
Judges: Bruno was in love until she stumbled. Len thought she did very well especially with a new partner. Carrie Ann agrees with both of them, adding it had glamour and they matched well. She also gives the tip for Joanna to work on her flexibility.
Score:

Group Hustle
Song: "Do The Hustle" a la Van McCoy
Before the rehearsal package starts, Tom announces that Kelly hurt her foot (during practice for this number I believe) but she will be performing. Without shoes. Corky Ballas (Former World Champion, Mark's father, and survivor of Tropical Storm Cloris Leachman) is the choreographer and put together a fun little number. In fact, it seems like everybody was enjoying themselves which doesn't happen that often (Group Hip Hip anyone?). It seems like all the guys are wearing wigs of some sort and they are gloriously ridiculous (except Mark - his fro is 100% natural and 210% awesome). For example, Dmitry had a mullet, Donny looked very vintage him, and Michael had a giant afro and a fake mustache over his real stache. Everyone did well but Mark & Lacey kind of stole the show for me with their mix of entertainment and athleticism. Natalie didn't look like she was having as much fun as everyone else, Kelly was off but she gets a pass, and Joanna had flat feet through all her and Maks' otherwise tricks.
Judges: Bruno said, "Give boys wigs and funny things start to happen." Carrie Ann couldn't see much past Michael shaking his thing but had to call out Louie's fake mutton chops and Alec's wig (which Tom said looked like a Tribble). Len thought everyone did great but Mark, Aaron, and Donny were outstanding and he loved Michael & Anna's daring, dangerous lift.

Bottom Two: It's harder to say this week because almost everyone improved so much. Natalie might be given a scare but not actually be in the bottom. I don't know...if Michael hadn't improved, I'd say he'd deserve to be there. Bah! It all comes down to likability I think. Derek's absence may hurt Joanna's chances. Which I'm kind of okay with. Sorry.
Who's Out: Again, it's hard to speculate. This is one of the hardest weeks because all the obvious suspects have already been eliminated and those who were struggling mostly stepped it up. I'll just go with wishful thinking and say Joanna because she's the only one I don't really care if I see dance next week.

What did you think? Were you surprised Len was in such a good mood and/or had a paddle over the number 6? How did you think Maks did as Substitute!Derek? Is who you want to go home the same person as who you think will be eliminated?