Motown Week magic on Dancing With The Stars 2012

Photo: ABC

SAN DIEGO, April 22, 2012 –  Motown greats Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, and Martha Reeves filled the ballroom with marvelous music and the competitors let it inspire several first-rate performances on week 6 of “Dancing With The Stars.”
We still haven’t seen any perfect scores of 30 thanks to stingy scoring judge Len Goodman, but two couples came within a point and two others were right on their heels. At this stage of the competition, everyone should be hitting good performances every week, and this week they did.
In addition to the individual dances, couples had the chance to capture between three and 10 bonus points competing in the “Motown Marathon,” a side-by-side cha cha competition. Judges eliminated couples one by one until a winner was left.
Motown’s own Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight, hit the dance floor to open the show. With her sleek bob hairdo she looked decades younger and no one has more fun in the ballroom than she does. But she had some rough spots in her rumba, scoring 21. She was also eliminated first in the marathon, for the low score of the night at 24. She’ll need a lot of fan votes to avoid the dance duel and a trip home.

Gladys Knight will need help from the fans if she's going to make it through to next week's show. Photo: ABC

Just ahead of Gladys Knight on the scoreboard are two surprising names, Roshon Fegan and Maria Menounos. Fegan’s rumba wowed the ballroom audience but the judges criticized the sharp edges. He could only manage five points from the marathon, for a total of 28 points. Maria’s foxtrot was marred by missteps and then she and partner Derek Hough were eliminated early in the marathon, for a total score of 30.
Melissa Gilbert and Maks Chmerkovskiy are tied with Maria and Derek Hough at 30 but this represents a good week for Gilbert. She danced a lovely Viennese waltz and seemed at home in her skin for the first time. Melissa and Maks’ fans are aggressive about getting out the vote. We’ll see if it saves them from the dance duel.
There is a gap between the bottom four and the top four dancers, none of which need to worry one bit about being in the dance duel or going home Tuesday.

Donald Driver is improving every week, with a sharp foxtrot sure to take him through to next week's show. Photo: ABC

Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd’s foxtrot was as bright and exuberant as their bright blue costumes. Driver has charm to spare and the sharp moves and control of the athlete. He’s getting better every week and he really wants that perfect 10. Three nines this week had to do, plus a seven in the marathon, for a score of 34.
William Levy and Cheryl Burke had a mixed week. Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba enjoyed Levy’s steamy rumba, but Len Goodman found it too raunchy. His score of 27 got help from a second place finish in the marathon for 36 points.
Jaleel White and Kym Johnson had the comeback of the season, surviving last week’s dance duel to score 29 points. Why Len Goodman couldn’t cough up a third 10 is a mystery. If White continues to dance this well, he could make the finals. But he doesn’t seem to be getting fan votes, so he has to keep up the quality performances. He added eight points in the marathon with energetic moves and lifts, for a score of 37.

Jaleel White won last week's dance duel, then made a huge turnaround, tying for first with his individual dance and placing second overall this week. Photo: ABC

Once again Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas ended up at the top of the leader board.  Jenkins followed up her superb Argentine tango last week with a saucy samba, full of energy she brought right back out for the dance marathon. Jenkins’ musicality and work ethic from years as a classical singer give her a leg up, literally. She just missed a perfect score of 30, due to a nine from Len Goodman, but she added ten points for first place in the marathon, for 39 points.
Smokey Robinson treats fans to several of his greatest hits. The ageless singer was in good voice. The Tempations also knocked out hit after hit, and Martha Reeves rounded out the trio of Motown greats. Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. was on hand in the ballroom audience.
So who will be sent home? We’ll bring you the results straight from Hollywood. I will be sitting in the ballroom as a member of the audience Tuesday night and promise to share all the behind the scenes secrets.
Watch the results Tuesday, April 24 at 9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific on “Dancing With the Stars” on the ABC Television Network, then read about them here on Communities at Washington Times.