'Dancing With the Stars' Recap: Here's to You, Mrs. Brady

This week the show went acoustic, which meant that the music was stripped-down and the stars danced on a smaller circular stage. Like most DWTS innovations it didn’t really change a whole lot, though I guess Rick Fox seemed even more gigantic on a tiny stage. Bottom line: Show up, do your dance, hope you didn’t screw it up, wait for the scores and votes to come in.

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The performers received two sets of scores this week, one for technique and one for performance. This can help out stars who have more flair than coordination. Florence springs to mind. Did it help her? Well, she certainly gave a performance. Team Florky made out for a good chunk of their rumba. Right out on the floor in front of everyone. It was amazing, actually.

Oh, and Jennifer and Derek got an almost perfect score for their jaw-droppingly beautiful Argentine tango.

Here are all the dirty details:

Kurt Warner

He took to the foxtrot like a duck to water, so I expected the rather touchy-feely rumba to be easy for Kurt. His hip action was fluid (in spite of what was seriously the worst-tailored pair of pants I’ve seen on this show in eleven seasons). His arm movements were a little off, possibly because the rumba just isn’t built on Kurt’s gigantic scale. It was just a little weird to watch, but not enough to explain the beating Kurt took from the judges' paddles. I don’t get it.

Score: 34/60

Technical: 15/30

Performance: 19/30

Brandy

I think Brandy could probably sell an abs workout DVD tomorrow based on this rumba. She pulled off some absolutely stunning balances, including a hold where Maks practically threw her to the floor. Her hip action was a touch too restrained, but this was still Brandy’s best performance to date, mostly because she finally brought the emotion the judges have been hoping to see since the first week of competition. All in all, a fantastic rumba!

Score: 48/60

Technical: 22/30

Performance: 26/30

Rick Fox

This was the first Argentine tango of the season, and we all know what that means: lifts! Rick and Cheryl only did one tricky one at the end, and ... I wasn’t a fan. His tango was quite dashing and gentlemanly, if a little basic. Carrie Ann called it "one dimensional," and I have to agree -- there were a lot of moving parts, but it didn’t feel like a tango so much as a demonstration of tango. However you feel about passion vis a vis the tango, Rick remains in the lead in the imaginary Kurt Warner vs. Rick Fox rivalry.

Score: 39/60

Technical: 19/30

Performance: 20/30

Kyle Massey

I don’t think you’re supposed to swagger during a rumba the way Kyle did at the end, but in this case it totally worked. The routine was really fresh, totally fun and Kyle and Lacey were really into it. They really seem to bring out each other’s creativity, and we get to reap the benefits. Kyle’s hip action wasn’t quite as polished as it could have been, but his footwork was really, really great. Carrie Ann did point out that he lost control of his arm movement at certain points along the way, but she didn’t flip out about it. The judges dumped on Kyle’s waltz last week, so it was good to see them being a little less grumpy this time around.

Score: 40/60

Technical: 18/30

Performance: 22/30

The Situation

He and Karina decided to bring out the big guns -- pun fully intended -- for this week’s Argentine tango. They started off with a fantastic lift and their energy was great but The Situation’s footwork was laughably bad. He also lost his rhythm about halfway through the routine and couldn’t get it back. This was a really exciting routine to watch, but it was also a trainwreck.

Score: 28/60

Technical: 12/30

Performance: 16/30

Florence Henderson
The rumba: when in doubt, make out. This was just kind of ... weird. But, aside from the approximately 30 seconds of making out in the second half of the routine, Florence’s footwork was much better than we’ve seen from her so far. Her rhythm was also off, at least in terms of dancing. The making out: stellar! It’s too bad the judges had to base their technique scores off of the dancing alone, because we can all learn a thing or two from Mrs. Brady.

Score: 35/60

Technical: 17/30

Performance: 18/30

Jennifer Grey

Hers was an amazing, pitch-perfect tango. The technique was almost perfect and the passion went well beyond perfection into transcendence. Jennifer kept up with Derek throughout, her footwork was lightning quick and amazing to watch, rhythm on, toes pointed. The judges were so happy they were yelling.

Score: 56/60

Technical: 27/30

Performance: 29/30

Bristol Palin

I give her a lot of credit for this routine -- Bristol and the rumba have about as much in common as her mom and Tina Fey. Bristol’s movements were very fluid and sensual, but unfortunately her rhythm suffered a bit. The judges commented on an overall lack of cohesiveness and razzle-dazzle. This was easily her best performance to date, so I think they were a bit hard on her. But scores aside, Bristol is in big trouble. She just can’t get her act together.

Score: 32/60

Technical: 18/30

Performance: 14/30

Audrina Patridge

Hollywood: One week you’re on top and the next ... you’re still doing pretty well. Audrina’s tango was fierce and technically quite accomplished, but it was bound to fall a little flat after Jennifer’s tour de force. The routine had a tough structure, possibly because you don’t usually tango to Jefferson Airplane songs, and I give Audrina full marks for keeping the rhythm.

Score: 46/60

Technical: 24/30

Performance: 22/30

Who won over the judges? Jennifer, Brandy and Audrina

Who won over the crowd? Jennifer, Kyle and Florence
Who needs to step it up? The Situation, Bristol and Kurt