Ricki Lake, however, wasn’t atop the leaderboard like usual. By Kelley L. Carter J.R. Martinez Photo: ABC It was, like, totally ’80s week Monday night on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.” The show opened with the Bangles performing a quick medley of “Eternal Flame” and “Walk Like an Egyptian” before the remaining celebrities kicked off their performances. Some of the stars grabbed their highest scores of the season, others (like constant score leader Ricki Lake) dropped a bit in rankings. Here’s how everyone fared: Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy The athlete was assigned the tango this week, and the twosome danced to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” The judges found the routine to be strong, sexy and powerful. “Tango is about action and reaction. Hope: You were too willowy. You’re too willowy in the body. I don’t know how Maks controls you. Having said that, I like the aggression and the attack that you put into it,” said head judge Len Goodman. 24/30 Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya Kressley said this has been the most stressful week. He took on the jive and said he couldn’t believe he was still in the game. They danced a rather colorful and cheerleader-friendly routine to Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” and the judges thought it was good, wacky fun but lacked technique. “This is a crowning achievement in madness,” Bruno Tonioli said. 19/30 Nancy Grace and Tristan Macmanus After landing one point off the bottom, the TV host took on the rumba to a Spandau Ballet track. The judges thought it was simple but very effective. Still, they wanted more and pointed out a few unstable moments. “It was appropriate. But I want to see real passion when you’re dancing. I don’t feel a connection necessarily to the dance. They’re feeling a little on the drab side to me. And I think you’re a really good dancer. I just want to see more,” Carrie Ann Inaba said. 22/30 J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff The war hero and actor danced the samba to Gloria Estefan’s “Conga,” and it took a while for the audience to simmer down. Likewise, the judges found the routine to be hot and loved his performance. “Way to go, Jose! I didn’t think you’d come out and perform anything like that, because normally guys and the samba don’t work together. But in the future, if anyone says to me how should a guy dance the dance, I’ll say just have a look at J.R,” Goodman said. 28/30 Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke The reality star took on the rumba to Lionel Richie, and the judges thought his dance to “Hello” was a very sentimental and romantic performance. “We’re starting to see Rob the heartthrob. For the first time, I see you using Cheryl as a partner, not hiding behind her, but becoming part of a unit,” Tonioli said. 25/30 Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer The duo danced the samba to Kool and the Gang’s “Get Down On It,” and unlike other weeks, the judges thought the performance was a step in the right direction. Bono was injury-free and hit the dance floor like he’s never done before. “It’s so nice to see you going strong from last week. That was the most dancing I think I’ve seen you do. Shake it, don’t break it! Good job,” Inaba said. Hard-to-please judge Goodman agreed, saying, “I think that was a gallant effort. I think you got a feel for the dance. What I liked is that you came out and really gave it a go.” 21/30 David Arquette and Kym Johnson Arquette was assigned the tango, and he and his partner performed to “Tainted Love.” He was looking to jump out from the middle of the pack and get a higher score from the judges. (It worked, he earned his highest score in the competition so far.) The judges were all unanimous in their celebration of Arquette, though Inaba and Goodman argued about whether he needed to work on his musicality. “We’re at the halfway stage now. From here on in, you have to show up or shut up. You have shown up, and it was fantastic!” Goodman said. 25/30 Ricki Lake and Derek Hough This twosome has dominated the leaderboard this season, and on Monday night, they danced the foxtrot to the Phil Collins and Philip Bailey hit “Easy Lover.” They took an ’80s-prom-like spin on the dance, and the judges thought they should have avoided doing the Roger Rabbit dance at the beginning of their routine. They felt the cheesy ’80s dance move threw off the routine. “You did the Roger Rabbit the first time, and you were way off. But when you two dance, what I love the most is how amazingly you work as a team. It’s like you’re one person,” Inaba said. 24/30 Who was your favorite celeb this week? Let us know in the comments!
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‘Dancing With The Stars’: J.R. Martinez Heats Things Up
