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How would you feel about Maksim Chmerkovskiy getting a permanent seat at the Dancing With the Stars judges' table — preferably next to Bruno Tonioli, who might just love that a bit too much?

Maks is not opposed to the judging idea (not sure about the Bruno idea). Now that he has his own trophy, he doesn't have anything left to prove on that front. He could still return as a pro for the fall season — plenty of past pro winners continue to compete, ‘cause it’s a great gig — but Maks also said it's exhausting and told Derek Hough he couldn't believe he went through it all for five wins.

Meryl Davis and Maks were just on The Wendy Williams Show, and Wendy asked, point-blank, "I understand Len is leaving; if they offer you a judge job, would you take it?" Maks immediately answered: "Yeah."

So maybe that's what will happen, since head judge Len Goodman, now 70, did mention on the Finale that he might leave DWTS. He also judges Strictly Come Dancing in the UK at the same time as the fall season, and that London-to-L.A. commute is brutal.

Wendy seemed disappointed with Maks's guest judging last fall on Season 17. She said she thought he would be like the Simon Cowell of the dance world, but instead he was "soft." Maks said, "I'm not Simon." Wendy said he was a nice judge. "I'm not a nice judge," Maks countered. "I'm a good judge. I judge the way it's supposed to be. I know this business, I've been in it, I grew up in it. Somebody asked me yesterday why I started dancing and I once again thought about it. I was 4 years old. Who knows why? Spending 30 years in an industry, that you, you know, I think I've done a little bit in it. I know what I'm talking about. Unlike some of the guest judges that we had this season."

Wendy jumped in to say she liked Abby Lee Miller (of course she did), since she was entertaining. As a lay person just watching the show from home, she liked the way Abby stirred the pot.

Anyway — just for the record, since the showmances won't die — Wendy also asked about the dating situation. Meryl responded, "We're not dating." Does Meryl have a boyfriend, Wendy asked. "We like to keep the personal lives personal," Meryl added. So she and Maks are not dating, but that's all she's going to say on the subject.

What do you have to say on the subject of Maks as judge? Good idea? Bad idea? Maks probably wouldn’t stay “nice” every week, and you have to imagine he and Carrie Ann Inaba would spar enough to please Wendy.  

Source:

www.wetpaint.com

Speaking of which, the guest judges have usually been seated between head judge Len Goodman and judge Bruno Tonioli. But that was before Week 5 when Donny Osmond joined the judging panel. It seemed that during his moments addressing the dancers, Bruno couldn't keep his hands off Donny, clutching his hand, stoking his arm. To Donny's credit, he always laughed it off and treated it as a joke. However, since that week, the guest judge now sits between judge Carrie Ann Inaba and Len. I wonder who was feeling more uncomfortable -- Donny, viewers or the producers?

Anyway, back to Week 7 -- if Latin Night wasn't enough to get your toes tapping in anticipation, it was a Team Dance week with both teams doing a "freestyle" routine to a Ricky Martin tune in addition to each couple's individual dance. On Team Loca, dancing to "Livin' La Vida Loca," were Meryl & Maks, Amy & Derek, Danica & Val, and Candace & Mark. Dancing to "Cup of Life," was Team Vida: Charlie & Sharna, James & Peta, and NeNe & Tony. At first glance, it seemed that Team Loca had an advantage, both in numbers of couples and in higher-scoring pairs, but who knew that one of the team would be missing in action.

Right off the bat, before a single toe touched the dance floor, results were announced. Danica McKeller and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Amy Purdy and Derek Hough were declared safe to dance next week, but James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd were in jeopardy. How awful for them to wait through the whole program to find out if they were off the show, and I think the start of the show is a bit early to be announcing results.

Later in the show, NeNe Leakes and Tony Dovolani, and Charlie White and Sharna Burgess were also said to be in jeopardy. When the final results were announced, NeNe and Tony were eliminated. When asked by Erin of what she was most proud, NeNe said, "I'm so proud of myself and I hope that I have inspired women all over the world. This has been an amazing, positive experience for me."

After thanking her husband, children, family, friends and even the judges for their support, she said, "I am proud of NeNe Leakes!" She also thanked Tony with whom she has a "great connection." In turn, Tony said he made a friend and they had made it through some problems and "came out on top."

Amy and Derek were the first couple to dance tonight, but rehearsal footage showed that it wasn't shaping up as a walk in the park. They were dancing a rumba, a very, very sexy dance, but we found out that Amy has been having problems at home with the demands of her schedule conflicting with the challenges of a long-term relationship. With the help of Derek, she fought her way through it to perform a sensuous rumba that Len said was "first class." While Carrie Ann took off points when Amy's foot left the floor, Ricky described the dance as "stunning." Scores: Carrie Ann, 9; Ricky, 9; Len, 9; Bruno, 9 = 36

After the scores were announced, unfortunately, Amy said that she turned her head and felt something "pop." She had back spasms and was having a difficult time breathing, so she was sent to the hospital. As a result, Team Loca would be judged on its performance during dress rehearsal, and it was unknown if Amy would be able to continue in the competition.

Coming close to a perfect night, Meryl Davis and Maks Chmerkovskiy continued to roll with incredible dances. Although Len called their salsa "a bit hectic," it was an amazing routine, filled with fast footwork and complicated tricks. To me, it looked like Meryl was one of the pros dancing in the number. "You continue to surprise me," said Carrie Ann. Bruno added, "You were dancing in front of six of the best pros in the country and you pulled the focus." Scores: 10; 10; 9; 10 = 39

Week after week, Candace Cameron-Bure has had trouble with her nerves causing problems so pro partner Mark Ballas took her to see a sports psychologist for help. The doctor's advice must have worked because she danced her best routine, a smoldering Argentine tango that pulled high scores and compliments from the judges. Scores: 8; 9; 9; 9 = 35

It seems like the time in the competition for injuries to mount, and this week, Danica McKeller fractured a rib during rehearsal. However, she performed a salsa that partner Val Chmerkovskiy toned down a bit. Carrie Ann said she noticed that Danica's injury "stifled the dance" and Ricky praised her for "sticking with it." Scores: 8; 9; 8; 8 =33

James and Peta performed a sexy samba, and up in the skybox after they danced, co-host Erin Andrews pegged it right: "James, you take your shirt off and you (turning to Peta) come out as a Victoria's Secret ad." Peta costume was so scanty, the staff couldn't find a place to put a mic! Bruno said it was "filthy, dirty, and I loved it." However, Len said that he would have liked to see more hip action. Scores: 9; 9; 8; 9 = 35

No matter how hard pro Sharna Burgess tries to turn Charlie White into a bad boy or menacing villain, Charlie still looks like the cute boy next door. And it happened again tonight with their paso doble. Even stripping off his jacket didn't help and Len even asked if it was "take off your shirt night." However, when Len said, "To get a 10, it must be special and this wasn't special," it seemed to get Charlie a bit upset. Scores: 9; 10; 8; 9 = 36

Then it was team dancing time. Team Vida, a vision in turquoise, performed their freestyle that Len called "tight" and "well done." Scores: 8; 10; 8; 9 = 35, which was added to each couple's individual score. The judges watched a tape of Team Loca's dress rehearsal, but to their credit, the remaining members of Team Loca danced the routine for the audience with Derek dancing to an invisible partner. Len thought it was fantastic and Bruno called it "a show-stopper." Scores: 10; 10; 9; 10 = 39, added to each couple.

In the end, Meryl and Maks topped the leaderboard with a score of 78 out of 80, while James and Peta are at the bottom with 70 out of 80, and Charlie and Sharna are just one point ahead of them. As a result, it looks like a good dancer will be heading home next week. Until then, keep dancing.

Source:

www.mercurynews.com

For Party Anthem Night, Redfoo of LMFAO served as guest judge and really put some spark in the panel. Host Tom Bergeron introduced him as "the first guest judge to make Bruno (Tonioli) look like an accountant." The dance beat of the show began after head judge Len Goodman posed as a ticket seller in the opening number and then joined fellow judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Redfoo in dancing behind their chairs during commercial breaks.

The night held highs and lows for the celebs and their partners. For the high mark, Meryl Davis and Maks Chmerkovskiy pulled off a tango that was gorgeous, sexy, smooth and so together the pair seemed attached to each other. The judges were stunned -- Carrie Ann was "speechless" but found her voice to say that "something magical is happening" between Meryl and Maks. Len said the dance was "full of attack and purpose," and that Meryl was the first celeb to keep up with Maks. "This is special." As for Redfoo, he said it was "E.T. phone home because that was out of the world." Scores: Carrie Ann - 10; Redfoo - 10; Len - 10; Bruno - 10 = 40, perfect score

Sadly, someone had to go home and Drew Carey and Cheryl Burke have seen the writing on the wall for a while. Try as hard as he might, Drew just can't shake the stiffness that takes over his body when he steps onto the dance floor. He was very entertaining but that only goes so far in a dancing competition. During tonight's tango, which unfortunately came right after Meryl and Maks' perfect version, Drew actually seemed to be holding his breath throughout the routine.

When co-host Erin Andrews asked what he accomplished being on the show, Drew said, "I got further than I thought I would, to tell the truth." He said he was a fan of the show and always wondered what it would be like to be on it and to dance with Cheryl, specifically. "She's great. Thanks for letting me borrow your dance floor," he added. He got choked up in a prerecorded video: "Good friendship and community, that's really been the highlight -- all the people."

It's getting to be a real battle of the leaderboard between Meryl and Maks, Amy Purdy and Derek Hough, and Charlie White and Sharna Burgess. This week, Meryl was on top, with Amy two points behind. She and Derek performed a jive that was terrific except for a boo-boo in the middle -- after the dance ended, the pair repeated the steps they had goofed on, this time perfectly. Redfoo's opinion: "Wooooooo!" Carrie Ann said that Amy's kicks and flicks were the best of anyone, and Bruno had one word for the dance: "Incredible." Scores: 9; 10; 9; 10 = 38

Charlie and Sharna followed close behind, tied with Danica McKeller and Val Chmerkovskiy. Charlie and Sharna's routine could be called "glowing" as the producers must have bought out a fireworks stand's inventory of glow sticks, bands, rings and such. They danced a super-lively cha cha cha that had Redfoo saying it made him want to dance, even though he just finished performing. The judges praised his hip work and Len said Charlie's musicality got high marks. Scores: 9; 9; 9; 9 = 36

Also scoring four 9s were Danica and Val, who also performed a cha cha cha that was good enough for Len to call it "the best dance of the night so far." Carrie Ann said that the show's purpose was to show how celebs could improve week after week. "Tonight, you were in full blossom," she told Danica. Scores: 9; 9; 9; 9 = 36

The dancers with the lowest scores on the leaderboard were only three points apart. James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd, who walked off with a perfect 40 last week, danced a quickstep in all its fast and furious glory. Len said James' performance was great but his technique was not so good -- "When the speed came in, the style went out." However, Peta told Erin that she was happy with the scores tonight. Scores: 9; 9; 8; 9 = 35

NeNe Leakes and Tony Dovolani danced first tonight, and the rehearsal package had a lot of talk about their "tiff" last week and how everything is fine. The dance was pretty good and NeNe continues to surprise me with how well she moves. I still think it's interesting how she is allowed to wear very low heels, due to her height, but early elimination Diana Nyad, who never wears high-heeled shoes, had to wear pairs with medium high heels. Hmm. Len said, "You cornered the market in fun and entertainment. Now you need to work on your technique." And Redfoo called it, and NeNe, "Hot!" Scores: 8; 9; 8; 8 =33

At the bottom were Drew and Cheryl, and Candace Cameron-Bure and Mark Ballas. For the pair, it must be a bit depressing to be "in jeopardy" week after week. Again, they were up for elimination but were safe to dance next week. Mark is managing to give Candace some confidence, but it was still noticeable during their cha cha cha when nerves would zap Candace for a moment. The judges tried to encourage her. Bruno said, "You are sexy, you just don't know it," adding that her confidence was like a light switch going on and off. She wore a great sparkly dress that looked like it was made of mirror ball fabric. She must be such a challenge to the costume makers since Cameron refuses to wear anything that shows too much skin. If her scores stay in the basement of the leaderboard, she won't have long to worry about her costumes.

I really liked the high energy of tonight's show, so I'm really looking forward to next week. Week 7 will be Latin Night, and the guest judge will be Ricky Martin. Look for tiny costumes for the women, no shirts for the men, and music that would make anyone move to a Latin beat. In addition, next week marks the start of two dances each time for the couples. For Meryl and Charlie, it should be interesting to see how they hold up -- rehearsing for DWTS and performing across the country as part of the "Stars on Ice" annual tour.

How do you like the way the results are announced -- scattered through the show, instead of lumped all at once at the end? Do you think Candace's dancing days are numbered? Or is there a shocker on the horizon? See you next week -- keep dancing.

Source:

www.mercurynews.com