We’ve finally gotten into a flow of things where we’ll probably never see the staircase opening or opening credits. Bill Nye was badly injured last week and was at the medical station all night until his routine. I give him credit for even attempting his routine. The theme tonight was “Hollywood” so the Charleston mysteriously made a comeback, last being seen as a gimmick on All-Stars, but as a full competition piece back in season nine.

Leah & Tony – Rumba – The couple had positive energy from the samba, but Leah was worried about her sexy face. Tony is the perfect support for Leah because of his supportive nature. Leah looked a bit staccato than I hoped while she danced, but I appreciate that Tony gave her the pot stir, which I still find to be more appropriate in a salsa. She should be better transitioning with the smooth and sharp. Her turns seemed very unsteady and while I understand that spot turning takes practice, she just looked top heavy. The judges loved the chemistry, but warned about her stiff arm movements.

Score: 24 (8,8,8)
My Score: 7

Corbin & Karina – Quickstep – Karina wanted to make sure there was hard choreography and she emphasized how she wanted first place for everything. Corbin then emphasized to the audience how he’s never done ballroom dancing. I found the director/actress funny considering Karina is trying not to lead. Corbin’s costume did a disservice because his feet were much easier to see when he wobbled through. The dance had a lot of movement and coverage of the stage, but I appreciate how he and Karina danced. Bruno and Carrie Ann gushed as much as they normally do to Corbin.

Score: (9,8,9)
My Score: 8

Elizabeth & Val – Foxtrot- I’m a little annoyed by Elizabeth’s usage of “hashtag” but watching Elizabeth’s fear of dropping into spins reminded me that she is human. I liked how Val used the blindfold as a teaching tool. Elizabeth seemed a bit behind in the beginning of the routine, but she recovered once they got into hold. Then she was behind again once she got out of hold. I wanted Elizabeth to kick higher especially with her long legs. She didn’t get up from the death spin as gracefully as she could but she had spirit and smiles to cover it up. The judges noted the elegance but also pointed out her timing issues.

Score: 25 (8,9,8)
My Score: 8

Brant & Peta – Quickstep – I appreciate Brant’s dedication to the show working with an injury, but I’m still disliking Peta this season. Was there something about Brant that looked like James Marsden this week? The side-by-side felt slow, possibly because of Corbin’s routine. Brant also felt like he wasn’t in command of the routine, his plastered smile couldn’t cover his wobbly feet. Brant also missed the arm spin at the end of the routine, but Peta new better not to mess up the rest. I’m flabbergasted that this routine got scored better than Corbin.

Score: 27 (9,9,9)
My Score: 7

Valerie & Tristan – Cha-Cha – Valerie was worried about her knees, but knew she had another chance to survive. The concept was Grace Kelly and Freddie Mercury dancing together. Valerie knows the steps, but she’s not remembering fast enough. Tristan is my favorite for his Freddie Mercury impersonation. The skirt helped cover up that Valerie was shuffling to places. She definitely forgot part of the routine as she covered up with skirt flairs and smiles. She was very out of her element most of the routine. The judges tried to sugarcoat her mistakes, but they couldn’t deny the problems.

Score: 16 (6,5,5)
My Score: 5

Bill E. & Emma – Paso Doble – Bill wanted to be the Lone Ranger after the TV show, not the Johnny Depp movie flop. The two had to practice between his comedy tour stops and I give him credit for how hard he’s pushing himself. The tempo of the song didn’t make sense on how slow their paso was at the beginning, the audience clapping didn’t help. There was a point where it looked like calisthenics and not a paso. He had the dedication, but a lack of paso movements for me. The judges thought otherwise, but how often does Carrie Ann go crazy for routines for no reason?

Score: 24 (8,8,8)
My Score: 7

Amber & Derek – Charleston – Derek is great with character pieces so they went with cartoon/over-the-top movements. Amber had to balance recording music, episodes of glee, and dancing. She’s probably the busiest of the cast this season, though she doesn’t have to travel as far as Bill. The over-the-top nature was nice, but the side by side could have been tighter. Amber looked ahead of the routine whenever she was in front of Derek, but she was so into character that if I were Carrie Ann, I could ignore. The judges agreed with the timing issues.

Score: 24 (8,8,8)
My Score: 8

Jack & Cheryl – Cha-Cha – The two joked around during practice, but Jack was worried about the time crunch this week. I would have lacked hysterically if Jack wiped out sliding down the stairs. Jack definitely showed a lot of problems in his routine. He looked like awkward white guy for most of the routine. I couldn’t get how wiggly he looked when his hand was on his stomach. He definitely look a step backwards. The judges knew the routine was ambitious, but his “hip action needed help” Score: 22 (7,7,8)

My Score: 7

Christina & Mark – Charleston – Christina stressed out during the routine because of how difficult the steps were. She brought her daughter to the studio in hopes that she could bring some spirit into the practices. Mark should be in clown paint more often. The beginning with the disappearing curtain wasted a lot of time. The routine was totally different from Amber & Derek. It was similar to Mark’s routine with Melissa Joan Hart as if Mark only knew how to choreograph one style of Charleston. Judges loved the emotion.

Score: 26 (9,8,9)
My Score: 8

Snooki & Sasha – Quickstep – Snooki was embarrassed by having a 6, Sasha tried to cheer her up. Sasha knows how hard Snooki wants to win, and a one handed cartwheel was a genius way of keeping “in hold” to abide by the quickstep’s rules. Snooki tried to keep character this week and she surprisingly covered a lot of floor considering her height. Sasha did a wonderful job choreographing the whole routine. The cartwheel succeeded, though Snooki looked like it took a lot out of her. The judges approved of the commitment and hard work.

Score: 25 (9,8,8)
My Score: 8

Bill N. & Tyne - Jazz – Bill tore a lot of fibers from his thigh in his last routine, so we basically saw the two at the hospital nervous. Bill tried to consider that they should be able to do some crazy choreography to cover up. Hysterically, the two decided to go with a robot and space goddess/alien theme. Tyne danced around him the whole time as he looked like a robot. It was hysterical and awful at the same time where Tyne showed that when she’s not in ballroom/Latin, she’s pretty good. The judges thought he had a lot of spirit and Tyne did wonders.

Score: 16 (6,5,5)
My Score: 4

The eliminations were pretty obvious as we watched Brant, Christina, and Bill Nye under the red lights. It seemed pretty painless this week after Keyshawn’s long wait last week. Bill Nye would probably have to drop out next week when there’s a real dance. Unless he was given a contemporary where he could lay on the floor and Tyne could have danced around him again.

Week 3 Scores
High
Brant & Peta – 27
Corbin & Karina – 26
Christina & Mark – 26

Middle
Elizabeth & Val – 25
Nicole & Sasha -25
Bill E. & Emma – 24
Leah & Tony – 24
Amber & Derek – 24

Low
Jack & Cheryl – 22
Valerie & Tristan – 16

With Valerie so far from the rest of the competition, it's clearly her time to go. I appreciate her work on the show, but cancer or not, you have to remember your routine.