'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: Week Seven Performances (Halloween Week)

The competition took both a haunting and funny tone as Dancing with the Stars transformed into a Halloween theme. They had cute moments where, instead of the show being "Live from Hollywood," it was "Dead" and several unnecessary uses of CGI ghosts and spiders to add to the mystique.

Even though there were seasonal festivities, we still had the team dances with Team Paso taking on Team Tango. The stars came down the stairs and I'm convinced that the clothing designers are trying to get Karina in as little clothing as possible.

Round One - Individual Dances

David & Kym - Cha-Cha - David's enthusiasm got to him yet again last week during the quickstep. He decided to channel his inner Dracula and magician and scared Kym a bit. There was an illusionist to add some mystery, but then they couldn't use the trick because they lost the prop. David has managed to survive all this time without having to move his hips this intensely; this means that we probably have to worry about the samba. David started the dance with the same enthusiasm he brings to the dance floor. His walks were rusty in the beginning and he looked a bit slippery during the whole routine as if he wasn't used to his shoes. There were moments where I saw cha-cha, but it was masked by David's gawky motions. The dancing wasn't the strongest, but Kym did her best to cover it up with as many kicks as possible.

Len thought he did a good job, even though we went off time at points. Bruno thought that he was good at the illusion. Carrie Ann saw the improvement and he's showing some polish. Score: 24 (8,8,8).

J. R. & Karina - Tango - There was more pressure because Ghostbusters and Tango don't really match together. With the frustrations building, Karina wanted to make sure everything's perfect. She pushed him from the beginning, but he made sure that they hugged to ensure that they weren't angry. The dance started off pretty silly and Karina looked like she almost fell down the stairs. The tempo of the song really didn't benefit the couple for their tango. While Karina started to shed feathers as she danced, the dance was technically strong, but not the best emotional tango.

Bruno thought the dance was solid, but the timing was really difficult. Carrie Ann pointed out a minor slip, but they captured the tone of the song. Len thought it was below J. R.'s standard; he forgot to do heel-leads. Score: 25 (9,8,8).

Nancy & Tristan - After celebrating getting a nine, Tristan wanted to make sure that they continued to get nines. Tristan wanted to make sure that Nancy had the spirit of the jive. Nancy started with a little jig in the beginning of the dance and she was lost for a first few bars. She then lost her devil horns and I was convinced that she would trip on them. She just looked like one of those toddler pageant girls being coached by their parents as she tried to keep up with Tristan.

Carrie Ann didn't think the performance was the strongest, even though she had fun. Len thought that the jive didn't fit her; she didn't have enough kick or bounce. Bruno thought that she had moments where she was off and her footing was questionable. Score: 21 (7,7,7).

Rob & Cheryl - Tango - Rob loves Halloween, but Cheryl was scared of everything. He decided to prank her. She countered by pushing him even harder than ever. They had an easier song to tango to than J. R. so they had the better timing and flicks. There were moments where the tango was too slow, but they were a lot closer to what a tango should look like. Rob accidentally lifted Cheryl near the end but I would have forgiven him because of their height difference.

Len liked the footwork and attack of his tango. Bruno appreciated the manliness and conviction, he warned him about keeping his bottom in check. Carrie Ann thought it was his best dance so far. Score: (9,8,8)

Ricki & Derek - Paso Doble - After returning to the top scores, Ricki was in pain from a rib injury. She went to check with a doctor and she has an inflamed nerve that would get worse with time. The doctor decided to patch her up with bandages and had to push through the pain. The couple had the best scenery and spirit of Halloween. The dancing looked wonderful with the spins and use of the skirt throughout the routine. I was so into the dance that I didn't want the performance to end.

Bruno thought it had great shape, but she tensed her shoulders occasionally. Carrie Ann loved the shapes and transitions; she was warned about the shoulders. Len agreed about the shapes and footwork. Score: 27 (9,9,9)

Hope & Maks - Samba - Maks went off last week to the judges, but he injured his toe. Maks brought in Teddy to teach the samba. While the two were having fun learning the routine, Maks came in and was being tough on the two. Weremaks arrived and tried to lighten the mood. Maks's toe must have been fine since he performed with Hope. Hope looked awkward but was doing choreography well. She now just needs time to refine herself. She lucked out from having a slightly slower samba, but she still was dragged around at points.

Carrie Ann saw the spirit of the dance which improved the movement and motion. Len thought that Hope coped with the samba. Bruno thought her timing and placement improved from last week. Score: 24 (8,8,8).

Round Two - Team Dances

Team Tango - J. R., David, Nancy - The first rehearsal led to David teaching J. R. some basic techniques. There was a lot of stress by the last rehearsal, but they took it out on a pumpkin. Nancy was flanked by professionals and she managed to look good next to them in the opening. I didn't understand why her dress was so much shorter than the pros, but I assume it was to help her with the choreography. I didn't think they used the floor well at all. David and Kym tried to cover the ground which I liked. I was actually happy with his dancing, which he kept in character. J. R. finished and while there were minor stumbles with the spinning, Karina tried to pack as much choreography as possible. The group choreography at the end was nice and I appreciated that Nancy kept up with the women.

Len thought the group sections were excellent, but the individual sections were a disaster. Bruno agreed, the beginning was nice but everyone had mistakes. Carrie Ann thought they were tight in the beginning, but they all lost shoulders and synchronization. Score: 23 (8,7,8).

Team Paso - Ricki, Rob, Hope - Team Paso was in high spirits, but Rob was the only male celebrity with the pros. Ricki had some rib issues during practice so the three decided to make sure their solos were perfect. Hope and Maks didn't have choreography done by the last practice and it caused some drama with the group. David and Cheryl came in to help Hope. The group started with an interesting lantern that they used to make some interesting shapes. Rob and Cheryl started first and while Rob was a bit stiff, the dynamic choreography helped. Hope probably looked the best she ever did even with her unnecessary sitting portion that wasted a lot of time. Derek came to save the day with the strongest solo and Ricki looked amazing. The final with the cape twirling and skirt play was some of the most interesting choreography to end the night.

Bruno loved the build into the fantastic ending. Carrie Ann loved the epic performance of the whole dance. Len thought the individual dances were amazing and Rob managed to keep up with the pros. Score: 26 (9,8,9).

Final Scores

Ricki & Derek - 53 (27 + 26)
Rob & Cheryl - 51 (25 + 26)
Hope & Maks - 50 (24 + 26)

J. R. & Karina - 48 (25 + 23)
David & Kym - 47 (24 + 23)
Nancy & Tristan - 44 (21 + 23)

There is a big gap between Team Tango and Team Paso so it's pretty obvious that one of Team Tango will be going. While I would point out that Nancy has the lowest scores, it seems like both Nancy and David have enough fans keeping them from getting eliminated.