8:08 AM
Salsa Circuit
Karate Kid star Ralph Macchio bravely struggled through Dancing with the Stars tonight despite a nasty injury - but still ended up at the bottom of the judges' board.
This made it all the more challenging for Macchio, who had been told that a cyst had ruptured behind his knee - still, the contestant completed both his dances.
With the circumstances you did very well to cope with it, let alone doing it,' said judge Bruno Tonioli.
Carrie Ann Inaba agreed, saying, 'I really admire you for getting out there.'
The night's most successful team were Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas who scored a total of 55 points for their waltz and salsa, Inaba told them: 'You earned perfection.'
Hot: Disney star Kane and show favourite Ballas triumped in their salsa, too
Former Cheers star Kirstie Alley and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy were praised for their footwork and received 53 points for their Argentine tango and their own salsa.
Romeo upped his game after finishing last last week, he and Chelsie Hightower danced a tango and a salsa and received a total of 52 points for their 'intense' performances.
Macchio's injury left him just nine hours to rehearse two dances with partner Karina Smirnoff, who quickly observed: 'We're screwed.'
Passion: Kirstie and Maks wait anxiously for the verdict on their first dance but their passion was praised to the hilt
But the 80s star managed both his dances, and after the first, as he limped to the judges' table, the 49-year-old was cheered by a standing ovation from the audience.
Tonioli loved Macchio's hammy acting and compared he and Smirnoff to 'vampire lovers dancing from dusk 'til dawn.'
He then smiled his way through his 'insta-dance' Stuck in the Middle with You, but the choreography was considered lack-lustre for this stage in the competition.
Chelsea and Mark were just one point short of their perfect score for their waltz after Len Goodman marked them down, but he described their second dance to Sean Paul's Busy as 'hot,' where Inaba criticised that they seemed 'slightly ahead of the music.'
Flirt: Alley appeals to number one fan Tonioli after her second dance but he still preferred her first
Peerless: Kane and Ballas lead the board after two exceptional dances
The judges loved Ward, with Tonioli comparing him to Fred Astaire only to be corrected by Inaba who thought the NFL star was more similar to Gene Kelly.
Hines and Johnson jived through their second dance to Jerry Lee Lewis's Chantilly Lace, which the judges liked, taking care to offer extra praise for tackling such a difficult dance.
Romeo and Chelsie were given a salsa to Tequila by The Champs, and Goodman 'loved' the hot and sweaty nightclub feel of the routine.
Smiles: Romeo was pleased to have danced his way from the bottom of the board with Hightower
Class act: The judges loved Ward, the only contestant they compared to the greats
The other judges were less impressed, pointing out a lack of synchronicity toward the end.
And Maks Chmerkovskiy supported Kirstie Alley perfectly this week, first through the Argentine tango, which was praised for it's passion with Inaba exclaiming: 'I feel like I'm watching real life!'
It prompted the first ten from Tonioli, who raved at Alley: 'Your body is shrinking, your talent is huge!'
Their second dance was a salsa, and Goodman praised it for it's 'oily, rhythmic sensuality' before proclaiming it 'fabulous,' and awarding the couple a nine.
Source Daily Mail UK
Posted in
