'Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars': Swing Dance Marathon, Fusion Dance in Week 7
Tonight on "Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars," the seven remaining celebrity dancers had to fuse two different styles of dance to the same piece of music, then followed that up with a swing dance marathon where the last couple dancing earned an extra 10 points on top of their night's score.
At the end of the show, TV personality Melissa Rycroft topped the leaderboard with an overall total of 39 points, while actress Kirstie Alley brought up the rear with 28 points.
Olympian Shawn Johnson earned a perfect score for her fusion dance, and with an extra eight points for the dance marathon, had an overall total of 38 points, putting her in second place in the night's rankings.
Tonight the stars and their partners sent special messages of support for the victims of superstorm Sandy.
There will be no results show tomorrow because of special coverage of Election Day. Two stars will be voted off next week.
MORE: See the Entire All-Stars Cast and Their Pro Partners!
The Routines
Apolo Ohno: The Olympic speed skater's cha-cha/paso doble had judges smiling. Head judge Len Goodman said he expected Ohno to play it a bit safer given that there were no eliminations tomorrow. "You came out and really attacked this. The cha-cha-cha was crisp and clean. The paso had some fire. Apolo Ohno … Apolo Oh Yes," Goodman said. Judge Bruno Tonioli called the routine "triumphant" and "wonderful," and judge Carrie Ann Inaba said it was "amazing" to see Ohno still pushing himself so much. Ohno earned 27 points.
Emmitt Smith: The NFL legend performed a fusion samba/rumba that drew moderate praise from Inaba and more glowing reviews from the other judges. Tonioli praised Smith for his deft handling of the difficult transitions between the two dances. "You did it with ease … that was wonderful," he said. Goodman also thought Smith did well, but Inaba said the former football player didn't have enough upper body movement. Judges awarded Smith 27.5 points.
Kirstie Alley: Alley's quickstep/samba earned the actress praise for effort, but all three judges thought her routine had issues. Inaba told her that her quickstep started out well, but said the actress lost timing in her transition to the samba. Goodman mentioned Alley had a few "incidents" in the routine but said: "I thought it was an admirable effort, so well done to you." Tonioli agreed. "Technique apart, whatever you do is always entertaining," he said. Alley earned 24 points.
Kelly Monaco: The "General Hospital" star performed a fusion Foxtrot/cha-cha that judges liked. "That was a flashy cha-cha. Plenty of flash and plenty of dash," Tonioli said. Inaba praised Monaco's balance and elegance, and Goodman said that despite a small moment where Monaco lost her balance early on in the routine, it was lovely and well-done. Monaco got 27 points.
Melissa Rycroft: Rycroft had a tango with a cha-cha, and the TV personality's performance drew rave reviews, especially from Tonioli. "You were on fire. The shapes in the tango were absolutely fantastic. The cha-cha-cha, you've never been sexier. You turned me on!" he said. Goodman and Inaba also approved of the routine. "I loved the way it was all put together. Well done," Goodman said. They awarded Rycroft 29 points.
Shawn Johnson: With her usual partner, Derek Hough, out tonight with a neck injury, the Olympic gymnast danced a tango/paso doble with Mark Ballas. An enthusiastic Inaba said the routine was a textbook definition of fusion, while Goodman called it "fantastic." Tonioli also had high praise for Johnson, telling her: "As fusions go, that was flawless … ." She earned a perfect score of 30 points.
Gilles Marini: The French actor performed an Argentine tango with a samba. He was going for a perfect score, but fell just a few points short - even though the judges praised the routine. Tonioli called the routine sultry, intense and exciting, but Inaba faulted Marini's hands. The actor earned 28.5 points.
The Swing Dance Marathon
Dancers had four minutes to present their most inventive routines while remaining in constant motion. The first dancer to leave the floor earned 4 points. Each successive dancer voted off earned one point more, with the last dancer getting 10 points. Rycroft won the swing dance marathon, picking up 10 extra points. Alley was the first to leave. She got 4 extra points.
The Totals (Fusion routine/Swing dance marathon)
Melissa Rycroft: 29; 10: Total: 39 points
Shawn Johnson: 30; 8: Total: 38 points
Kelly Monaco: 27; 9: Total: 36 points
Emmitt Smith: 27.5; 7: total: 34.5 points
Gilles Marini: 28.5; 5: Total: 33.5 points
Apolo Ohno: 27; 6: Total: 33 points
Kirstie Alley: 24; 4: Total: 28