'DWTS' Latin night: Shirts off, stars injured
Ricky Martin got Monday's Dancing With the Stars off to a hip-wiggling start, singing his new song, Vida. The one thing he didn't do was take his shirt off —- but just about all the other men on the show did.
As Martin took a seat at the judges' table for Week 7's Latin Night, he explained to hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews that he expects "some amazing entertainment —- passion, focus and engaging entertainment."
"I'm engaged!" piped up Erin, who dates NHL star Jarret Stoll. "No, not really. Not yet," she added.
It turned out to be a night of health problems, too.
How was Danica McKellar, who tweeted on Friday that she had broken a rib? First, we found out she's safe to dance again next week, so that was good news. And even though X-rays showed she had fractured a rib, she sashayed through her salsa just fine (more details on that below).
Next, Amy Purdy hurt her back right after dancing her number and was heading to the hospital to get it checked out (more on that below).
And later, Charlie White said he felt something catch in his knee. "A little weird," he said.
"Back spasms, broken ribs, bum knees. It's like an episode of Grey's Anatomy in here!" cracked Tom Bergeron.
And let's not forget the elimination of another star. Candace Cameron Bure has been hovering near the bottom of the pack. Would she be sent packing?
Here's how judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Martin, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli rated the celebs, first in individual dances and then in team dances:
Meryl Davis said the "depth of the sexuality" required for her salsa with Maks Chmerkovskiy is "different from anything I've ever danced before!" But she managed to turn it on in the ballroom for a high-energy, super-fast salsa that included six backup pros, flips, twirls and, yes, Maks ripping off his shirt and throwing it to the crowd. Carrie Ann loved it. Ricky was speechless. Len thought it was "too hectic." Bruno raved: "I salute you, my darling." Scores: 10, 10, 9, 10 = 39 + 39 =78
Amy and pro partner Derek Hough were tasked with a rumba. "How do you feel about getting intimate?" said Derek to Amy. We could hear women across the land shouting "Yeah!" at their TV sets. But Amy was upset. "I'm having challenges at home," she said, weeping. She said she'd been in a "long-term relationship" with somebody "amazing" (Daniel Gale), but the last year has been tough because of her schedule. "It's really challenging when you can't fulfill each other's needs," she said. On the dance floor, she and Derek were sultry and sexy in black-tie attire, dancing to Light My Fire. Len loved the mix of staccato moves and fluid arms. Bruno said, "No question - you're hot." He added that it was sensual but had "class." Carrie Ann called her "darn sexy, elegant and gracious," but she busted Derek for putting a lift in the number. Ricky: "I go by what my heart is feeling... You were stunning." Scores: 9, 9, 9, 9 = 36 + 39 = 75
Newsflash: It appeared during the interview with Erin that something was wrong. A few minutes later, Tom and Erin announced that Amy had hurt her back and was being "attended to by medics." Amy explained to Erin (who did a great sideline interview with the double amputee snowboarder) that it happened after her number. "My shoulder's been bothering me a little bit, and then right after judging I turned my head and my back cracked and it just seized up and everything's painful right now," said Amy. "It's hard to breathe." Erin said Amy was going to head to the hospital and judges would watch rehearsal footage of her team dance to determine scores.
Candace and Mark Ballas went to see a sports psychologist to try to figure out why the Full House actress is so hard on herself week after week. "My nerves are causing me to black out," said Candace. Jenn Berman, the doctor, said it might be about Candace "learning to accept" her imperfections. Candace, crying, said to Mark, "I'm an encourager by nature. I'm a happy person, so when I feel like I'm holding someone back or pulling someone down, I feel terrible." She realized she really didn't want to disappoint Mark. Their Argentine tango didn't disappoint. Bruno noted her "great legs." Carrie Ann said "the confidence was there, the lines were nice and crisp." Ricky said her "lines were amazing." Len said it was 'well done." Scores: 8, 9, 9, 9 = 35 + 39 = 74
Danica and Val Chmerkovskiy prepped for their "action, action, action"-packed salsa. At one point, he lifted her. "I heard my ribs snap or crack," she said, clutching her rib area. She cried in the bathroom and the next thing we know she's off to the doctor. We see her X-rays, showing the fracture. She tells Val that her doctor said if it were anybody else, the doctor would tell them "to just stop" dancing. "I really want to stay in the competition," she said. And she did. She started her routine by jumping rope and didn't show signs of pain through all the twists and thrusts, although Val did seem to be taking it easy with her. Carrie Ann said she seemed "stifled." Ricky asked her how she felt and Danica said, "It's sore right now, but you do your best." Len said it was "a little bit careful." Bruno liked it. Scores: 8, 9, 8, 8 = 33 + 39 = 72
Charlie and partner Sharna Burgess were gunning for 10s. "Being an Olympian, I'm going to tap into the impatience I have for getting perfect scores." Their paso doble was aggressive and amazing, filled with sharp moves and lots of passion. And Charlie shed his shirt halfway through, which didn't hurt, either. At the end, Sharna had a concerned look on her face. Len didn't think it was "special." Bruno said it had "purpose and power," but noticed Charlie lost his balance at times. Carrie Ann said he needed more "sharpness." Someone in the audience booed loudly at that. Ricky: "I was blown away." Charlie said during a leap his "knee caught a little bit," as in injured, and that's what Sharna was concerned about. Uh oh. Scores: 9, 10, 8, 9 = 36 + 35 = 71
James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd - Team Jeta - continued to tease us with their are-they-or-aren't-they romance. James confessed to cameras: "I'm not denying the fact we like each other. We definitely do. She's beautiful and she's cool. But we're trying to keep it as platonic as possible right now." The samba showed off their sizzling chemistry, not to mention their hot bods. He wore a wife beater. She wore a red garter getup. At one point, she peeled off his shirt and revealed low-slung pants, which made it all the sexier. The crowd adored it. Bruno asked James: "That was filthy, that was dirty - and I loved it!" Carrie Ann: "My head's spinning." Ricky: "It was like wow after wow." Len quibbled about James' footwork, but said it was "full of energy and full of fun." Scores: 9, 9, 8, 9 = 35 + 35 = 70
NeNe and Tony Dovolani, who had to take his shirt off because Twitter demanded it, danced an Argentine tango that showed off Nene's skills as an entertainer. Ricky said she was "floating on stage." Len said she "sold it," but the footwork and leg action "could have been a bit crisper." Bruno said she needed to be "sharper." Carrie Ann said she was impressed by how far NeNe has come in the competition. "I'm proud of myself," said NeNe. Scores 8, 8, 7, 8 = 31 + 35 = 66
Charlie and Sharna, NeNe and Tony, and James and Peta danced for Team Vida. Scores: 8, 10, 8, 9 = 35.
Meryl and Maks, Amy and Derek, Danica and Val, and Candace and Mark danced for Team Loca. Their dress rehearsal was shown because Amy had to leave for the hospital. In the ballroom, they danced for the studio audience -- and, yes, the guys were all shirtless! Scores: 10, 10, 9, 10 = 39
It came down to James and NeNe in jeopardy.
And who went home? Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes. The crowd groaned.
"I'm so proud of myself and I hope I have inspired women all over the world," she said. "This has been an amazing, positive experience for me." She thanked family, friends and fans -- and the judges. "I am proud of NeNe Leakes!"
