DWTS: Doble Trouble

This week it's the quarterfinals of Dancing with the Stars, which means only two more weeks of having to bear with Tom Bergeron's unfunny attempts at banter and Samantha's unfashionable attempts at hair. But we accept such inane hosting skills because of the excitement of the live dances, and last night, the second hour of dancing had enough amazing moments that let me forget their aforementioned annoying presence.

The inevitable finally occurred on Monday: Mya received a perfect 10. She actually almost did it twice, getting a 29 for her quickstep (which was technically nice but creatively boring), then nailing the coveted 30 for her '70s style samba. Carrie Ann has said she doesn't believe that Mya wants the trophy, but this dance finally convinced her and is almost convincing me. Picking Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" is never going to be a bad idea.

This was the highest scoring dance of the night, but the two Paso Dobles that followed brought in even more entertainment points. Now, if you watched the show live, you know that Joanna and Derek danced first and Donnie and Kym danced second, with the former couple being called genius and the latter couple, doing an 80s Adam Ant style Paso Doble, deemed a mess. And the judges were right: the outfits, the makeup and hair, not to mention the performance of the Dead or Alive song. Bruno said it had more camp than a drag queen convention, and as usual he's hyperbolic, but not entirely wrong. However, I still loved every second of it.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for a performance in a cape.

But the big surprise for the night was Derek and Joanna with their Paso Doble from the future. No, they didn't score three 10s (only a 29, damn Carrie Ann's eagle eyes for spotting a misstep!), but the combination of song choice, theme, choreography, outfits, and lighting came together brilliantly. That lascivious golden Mormon boy Derek is definitely talented.

-- A. RAYMOND JOHNSON

Previously > DWTS: The Ballad of the Comeback Kid