Luxe Life Blog

DWTS: Julianne Hough changes routine; unsympathetic judges booed

Posted March 30, 2009 • 7:29 p.m.

Elbows up! Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough rehearse for Dancing With the Stars.

Photo: ABC TV

Don’t read any further if you plan on watching the tape-delayed West Coast broadcast of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars and want nothing spoiled beforehand! But come back after the show to compare notes!

After a safety mat slipped during rehearsals, Julianne Hough yanked the backflip from her partner Chuck Wicks, who was attempting it for their lindy hop routine. He’d feared he would fall on his head doing the acrobatic move -- and almost did when the mat went flying! Our former Las Vegas Academy student and two-time winner took no chances and pulled her choreographed stunt immediately.

The loving country singing couple wore matching 1950s diner waiter/waitress outfits, and although they wowed the audience, they didn’t wow the judges, who awarded them only 22 out of 30.

It was the fourth week of competition on Season 8 of DWTS, the No. 1 show on ABC, and the first time since the show began several years ago that the Argentine tango and the lindy hop were showcased. See our Vegas DeLuxe overnight photo story tomorrow of all the dance-floor action and Julianne’s surprise visit to Las Vegas this weekend and her gift of a free concert to the city.

One of the high scores of the night went to Julianne’s brother Derek dancing the very serious Argentine tango with Lil’ Kim; it won them the first 10 vote of the eighth season from judge Bruno Tonioli. Fellow judge Len Goodman said he still wanted more sensuality and passion from their dance, but their final score was 27 out of 30, which put them in the top three for the night.

The highest score of the night was perfect 10s from all three judges, also for the first time this season -- yes, 30 points for Sex and the City hunk Gilles Marini and partner Cheryl Burke for their Argentine tango. It won another standing ovation. The second-highest score went to The Bachelor contestant Melissa Rycroft, who danced the lindy hop with partner Tony Dovolani. Two of the judges awarded the second 10s of the series, with Len awarding a 9, making it 29 out of 30. The bets now are these two couples will wind up battling it out in the finals unless the injury curse strikes them, too.

Despite a technical glitch playing the rehearsal tape of Steve Wozniak for seconds before switching to champion bull rider Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower, they scored 25 out of 30 for the incredible display of lifts in their lindy hop, just under the top three scorers.

Our three wounded warriors, Holly Madison, Steve Wozniak and Steve-O, didn’t show up until the second hour of the show. The audience booed the judges’ savage remarks and again when they only awarded 12 out of 30 to The Woz and partner Karina Smirnoff for their Argentine tango.

Despite obvious intense pain from strained muscles around her rib cage, blonde bombshell Holly Madison performed the Argentine tango with partner Dmitry Chaplin. She even managed to show improvement from previous weeks. The judges turned nice and complimented Dmitry on his choreographed routine but only gave them 16 out of 30. Steve-O fared worse in his lindy hop with Lacey Schwimmer, who bought him a clown costume for part of their rehearsals. He got three 5’s from the judges for 15 out of 30.

In other scoring, comedy star David Allan Grier and partner Kym Johnson received 22 out of 30 for their lindy hop, and Lawrence Taylor disappointed on the Argentine tango with partner Edyta Sliwinska, garnering only 19 out of 30. Olympic star Shawn Johnson and partner Mark Ballas had the last dance of the night and scored 25 out of 30, but again the judges were booed, saying there were more tricks than dancing in their lindy hop.

So it looks as if the low scorers of the night -- Holly, The Woz and Steve-O, all on the injured list -- will face more elimination endurance tomorrow night unless the unpredictable viewers upset the apple cart, completely voting against the judges yet again. Nobody knows if the audience will go along with the professional votes and scoring.

Be sure to check back to Vegas DeLuxe tomorrow for all the action photos from tonight’s dance-floor maneuvers!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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