I just saw March 27th's episode of “Dancing With The Stars” for the third time, thanks to my wonderful DVR, and I am still blown away at the talent this season.
Sure, some of the celebrities are in need of some help, specifically one whose name I won't mention (it rhymes with Katrina Schmavratilova), but the vast majority are really and truly great dancers. So much so that my hopeful, the gorgeous Donald Driver, who seemed like he was a good bet going into the season, may be one of the early contestants to be eliminated. Football players have typically had great luck in the competition, but have also rarely been pitted against the talent showing this season.
Since there are no controversial notables this season, I am going to find Tuesday night eliminations especially difficult. While some of the stars hired to do the show in the past were clearly targeted for their personalities, and added a large amount of entertainment value to make up for their lack of dancing skills, we seem to have a great bunch from the start this season. All are very much people I would be happy to see do well and will be very sad to see eliminated.
And what got into judge Len Goodman to actually admit that upon watching last week's performance episode, he had made a mistake and underscored Donald Driver? Well, of course he did! Donald was great last week, but they deducted points for enthusiasm! I wish Len and the rest would have made up those points last evening, but the three eights that Donald scored were at least an improvement!
My official assessment, as someone who has never missed a single episode of Dancing With The Stars since it started:
My fave: Donald Driver – probably won't win. Unlike most of the professional football players that have appeared on the show, Donald is a relatively unknown because he leads a perfectly normal life, devoting much of his time to his cute family and helping Goodwill Industries.
I'd have a “Ones To Watch” section, but just about all would fall into that category!
Jack Wagner – Steamy soap dude from General Hospital. I'm a “Days Of Our Lives” gal so I can't vouch for his steaminess, but he does have ability, though it appears to be a bit more forced than for some of the other men.
Jaleel White – Who knew?! I guess we had a clue that the guy cleaned up well because if you ever saw any of the episodes of “Family Matters” where Jaleel played his very smooth and sexy cousin Stefan, you'd have seen the hottie America is witnessing on the dance floor now. Jaleel is great...a natural dancer and performer with just enough humility to help get the votes.
Katherine Jenkins – Could this beautiful blonde be any more perfect? She is sweet, can dance her feet off and has one of the most beautiful voices ever. Surprising to me, however, is why she did not do the UK version of DWTS. I worry that when it comes to getting votes, she will not be able to beat some of the American-born powerhouses.
Maria Menounos – Maria is teetering on the edge for me. I am almost inclined to put her into the “Super Model” dancer category even though she is an able host of TV's “Extra,” because like every super model who has made an appearance on DWTS, she is awkward. She needs to loosen up a bit to master the Latin dances and she might have a chance.
Melissa Gilbert – Who doesn't love “Half Pint” from the “Little House on the Prairie” television show? She has also been a well-respected president of the Screen Actors Guild with many other credits to her name. She looks beautiful, but like Maria Menounos, needs a few more weeks under he belt to gain a little more confidence on the dance floor.
Roshon Fegan – Requisite Disney Channel star and Disney breeds talented kids as evidenced in the past. Sadly, Disney kids only get so far on DWTS unless they have incredible personalities and huge fan bases, and while Roshon is a nice guy, I haven't seen enough personality out of him to make me think he has a chance of breaking into the top spots on the show.
Sherri Shepherd – Love or hate her opinions on “The View,” this lady makes the show fun as she openly talks about weight issues and keeps her partner, and the rest of the cast, in stitches. I happen to watch “The View” enough to know that Sherri has been dying to be on Dancing With The Stars for the longest time and it is fun watching her realize a dream. Sherri is an excellent performer and danced her way through a couple of mistakes last night without hesitation. Having access to a daily TV program will be a huge benefit to garnering votes as well.
William Levy – What can I say except YUMMY! Model, Telemundo actor, seemingly a very nice guy with loads of ability. Paired with a DWTS favorite pro, Cheryl Burke, he almost can't help but to make it into the finals.
Gavin DeGraw – Chipper, cheery pop singer you can't help but to like. Hopefully his fan base will be able to carry him through these first few weeks as he gets adjusted to dancing.
Gladys Knight – Even without the Pips, this lady rocks! But will she be able to keep up? Other older celebrities have given it a try, but very few have succeeded. She did surprise me last night when her Quick Step started out slowly enough to classify it as a Waltz, but she sped up perfectly with the music and managed to keep up throughout the number. Her fans could keep her around for a long time.
Martina Navratilova – Tennis legend, huge advocate for the LGBT communities, but not the greatest on the dance floor by any means. Participation in certain sports tends to breed some great dancers, while others, not so much. Apparently, tennis is not one of the sports to breed natural dancing ability, but she is at least getting out there and trying, for that, she gets tons of kudos from me, a survivor of the Master P season of “Dancing With The Stars.”
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