Las Vegas Weekly

May 10, 2010 · 7:39 PM

Shocks, surprises on DWTS double night of dances, voting

By Robin Leach

Niecy Nash and Louis Van Amstel on Week 7 of ABC's Dancing With the Stars on May 3, 2010.

Photo: Adam Larkey/ABC TV

The judges acknowledged some of the dances tonight with 10s on their paddles, and the voting upset the standings in an unexpected way. However, the night ended on a high note with one set of perfect-score 10s across the board.

SPOILER ALERT: Please do not read any further if you want to watch the West Coast tape-delayed broadcast of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars without anything revealed. Consider this my one and only friendly warning! But come back after the show to see if you agree with my observations.

The first shock and surprise of the night was that right at the start of the two-hour show, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco dropped the ball. His tango with Cheryl Burke sent them to the bottom with 21 points. Reno 911 star Niecy Nash and partner Louis Van Amstel, who I thought would drift downward, too, received 23 points for their Viennese waltz.

The second shock and surprise of the first half were the two 10s and the 9 for the foxtrot by Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and Las Vegas partner Derek Hough to Michael Buble’s hit “Haven’t Met You Yet,” so obviously her Saturday night of partying at Pure in Caesars Palace didn’t throw her off kilter.

Another 10 was handed out by chief curmudgeon Len Goodman to ESPN reporter Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy for their Argentine tango for a total of 28. It was the first time this season that Erin moved ahead of Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek.

Evan, dancing with Anna Trebunskaya, scored 27 for their waltz to Journey’s “Open Arms.” Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said the lower score was because Evan didn’t get lost in the romantic moments of the routine.

The first round of scoring: Nicole and Derek, foxtrot, 29 points; Erin and Maks, Argentine tango, 28; Evan and Anna, waltz, 27; Niecy and Louis, Viennese waltz, 23; and Chad and Cheryl, tango, 21.

The couples then had to each create a dance from a different era in order to have the final totals for the night. The judges’ votes represent half the total number for tomorrow’s elimination show, with TV viewers accounting for the other half.

Chad and Cheryl were up first again with a 1960s jive to Otis Redding’s “Love Man,” which tells you how viewers describe the Cincinnati NFL star, although Cheryl’s thigh-high boots made her look hot and sexy alongside Chad’s chest-baring, sequined-collared tuxedo. As much as the judges loved the high-energy routine, it didn’t move them up from the bottom at 24 points.

Niecy fared even worse with her 1990s paso doble with Louis. The judges said it failed because it was too ambitious and gave them a humbling 20. It’s exactly as we predicted this morning: The battle for the bottom would wind up between Niecy and Chad. Now it really is a case of whom the viewers decide goes tomorrow night. My bet is that we’ll say goodbye to Niecy, leaving Chad in the fearless Final Four.

Up top it’s become a battle between Erin and Evan dancing between second and third place, as they wound up tied for the night, but clearly the frontrunner of Season 10 is Nicole, who continued way out front and totally safe.

So the Round 2 scoring and totals are Nicole and Derek, 1950s paso doble, 30, for a total of 59; Erin and Maks, 1980s rumba, 25, for a total of 53; Evan and Anna, futuristic cha cha, 26, for a total of 53; Chad and Cheryl, 1960s jive, 24, for a total of 45; and Niecy and Louis, 1990s paso doble, 20, for a total of 43.

We’ll be back here tomorrow with the dance-floor action photos and our final prediction of who will be sent home.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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