Rock music and ballroom dancing do mix, we found out, as Dancing With the Stars theme this week was "rock week," kicked off by KISS.
Costumes were mostly black, studded and leathery. Hair was big and strange. Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet were in black, and judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli carried on the theme. The only exception was Len Goodman, who stayed with his usual suit uniform.
Spotted in front-row seats in the ballroom were David Hasselhoff and Jennifer Love Hewitt (not together)! JLove told Tom Bergerson she was cheering for "Maks." Elsewhere John Stamos, Rita Wilson and Nia Vardalos were sitting together, smiling and clapping.
As the show was ending, Bergeron announced that Melissa Gilbert (who did not have an obvious fall during her performance) had injured herself and was heading to the hospital "as a precaution." Bergeron said he'd update us tomorrow night on the results show.
Here's how the leaderboard shaped up:
Donald Driver came on strong - and shirtless - dancing a wild, personality-filled paso doble to Jimi Hendrix song Purple Haze. "Wow," said Tom Bergeron. Bruno loved it, growling, "Muscular. Masculine. Magnificent!" Carrie Ann said it was "raunchy" and "sexy," calling it "memorable and spectacular." Len loved it, and teased, "After the show, we'll compare tattoos." Scores: 9, 9, 9 = 27Maria Menounos found out this week that not only does she have an injured rib, she's got feet trouble. "My feet have been killing me and I'm afraid something's really wrong," she said during her rehearsal segment. Turns out one bone in her right foot has a stress fracture and there are "multiple bones" in her left foot with fractures. But she said quitting is not an option. "I'm going to keep pushing through," Maria declared. She showed no signs of trouble in her sharp tango with Dancing's resident rock star Derek Hough. Carrie Ann cited their amazing "chemistry." Len thought a little "control" was missing but loved her posture. Bruno raved about her "beauty" and "attitude." Derek carried her off stage, piggyback-style, and up a staircase to chat with Brooke. Scores: 9, 8, 9 = 26
Roshon Fegan danced a Viennese waltz that tried to show a smoother side of him even as it seemed to send some of partner Chelsie Hightower's dress jewels flying onto the floor. Bruno liked his "flowing movement." Carrie Ann said it was "cute, like watching the climax of a Disney movie." Then she said he was the "best man dancer." Said Len, "Good job, dawg" - just what Roshon was hoping to hear. He pointed out a little stumble at the start, but otherwise liked it. Scores: 9, 8, 9 = 26Katherine Jenkins got fierce for her paso doble with USA TODAY blogger Mark Ballas. Bruno said she unleashed "a whirlwind of fury," but he thought she lacked "definition." He said it wasn't as clean as it should be. Carrie Ann said the "intensity was there but I think it threw you off your footing." Len said "it had promise but didn't quite deliver." The ballroom booed about it. (Hey, she can't be at the top every week or we wouldn't have a competition, folks!) Scores: 8, 8, 8 = 24
Gavin DeGraw so annoyed his pro partner Karina Smirnoff in rehearsals that she was shown getting duct tape to put over his mouth so she wouldn't have to listen to him. But on the dance floor, he danced his best yet, tangoing to the Rolling Stones. At one point, the two fell to the floor, but that seemed to be part of the choreography. Len said he "liked it," citing the flair and attitude. Bruno said it was "a little messy in the corner." Carrie Ann said she felt like she was watching "Johnny Depp ... you sold it to me." Scores: 8, 8, 7 = 23
Jaleel White said he grew up with no rock in his house, but he managed to learn to move like Jagger for his tango to (I Can't get No) Satisfaction. It was smooth, but lacked punch, according to the judges. Carrie Ann loved it, calling it "funky and weird." Len like the "humor" of it, but said it needed "more aggression." Bruno loved the "Jagger beginning" and said it was a little "underpowered." Should we call him Jaleel Jagger from now on, wondered Brooke? Scores: 8, 7, 7 = 22
Melissa Gilbert had to get mad to dance a proper paso doble that was more bullfight-themed than rock-themed, and included partner Mak Chmerkovskiy slipping and falling. Len liked it. "I know silly old Maks fell over but it was a slippery floor and I don't care." Bruno noted that the ending was messed up. Carrie Ann thought it was her "best performance by far." Scores: 7, 8, 7 = 22William Levy, who had no idea about '80s hair band music, danced the jive to Twisted Sister'sWe're Not Gonna Take It. And he couldn't quite pull it off. At one point, when he was supposed to twirl pro partner Cheryl Burke, it all went completely wrong. On top of that, her foot came out of her shoe. And they never really recovered. Len noted that William "lost timing." Bruno said he "went wrong quite a few times. ... You cannot be complacent." Carrie Ann said, "You have something special," but told him he had to stay focused. Scores: 7, 7, 8 = 22
Sherri Shepherd performed a tough tango. Len mentioned a little problem with her feet, but otherwise said it was a good job. Bruno said she "played it well" but needed to "be a bit sharper." Carrie Ann said "it was good, but I think what was lacking was your normal exuberance." The crowd booed Carrie Ann, and Sherri was surprised by the remarks. Scores: 7, 7, 7 = 21
Gladys Knight, calling herself the "grandma of rock and roll," tackled a tango to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Not easy! "By far your most ambitious routine," said Carrie Ann, noting that it didn't quite all come together. Len praised Gladys for coping well with the music, but said she needed to be crisp. Bruno said she had "grace and style," but the changing tempo made it hard for her footwork to be correct. Scores: 7, 6, 7 = 20 There were boos in the ballroom.
