(S10E03) We start the first 'Dancing with the Stars' instantly by placing a couple in the bottom two. Pamela & Damien are in the bottom two, while Buzz & Ashly are safe. Instead of our traditional recap, Len critiques the dances in a recap fashion. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

Encore - Nicole & Derek's Jive - The second time around I think I absorbed the performance better. It's still too fast for my taste, and I wasn't fond of the slight Michael Jackson side-by-side choreography. I have the feeling that getting 10s early in the season will be her kiss of death.

While the show is now an hour earlier, the format of the results show didn't change. It basically is a clip, someone's safe, musical performance, someone's safe, repeat.

Travis Payne & Stacy Walker - Ballroom Fusion - Any time we start off with Maks in an open shirt, you know the performance will have fire. Anna was a bit behind in the choreography, but the couple's performances were sharp. There was too much different choreography happening to absorb it all. Mark was the odd man out and not included in the performance, but we find out why at the end.

Between the Mirrorballs - Adam Corolla shows up to make fun of Buzz's astronaut shirts, Chad's facial reactions, several other contestants and Len. It wasn't really my cup of tea. After the clip we find out that Aiden & Edyta and Niecy & Louis are safe.

The Beach Boys & John Stamos - Beach Boys Medley - There's something really 'Full House' watching John Stamos playing the drums. The professionals emerge in a sunny yellow. Louis & Anna do an interesting leg spin, I'm sure we'll see variations in the competition (probably by Nicole or Erin). John then plays other instruments and I wonder for a second if I'm back in the 90s.

The Len Commandments - There's something hysterical seeing Len as Moses. Len teaches contestants not to waste time, respect the judges, don't borrow choreography, don't interrupt Len, don't lift, rhinestones are next to godliness, and praise the judges. Len issues a challenge for next week: each dance has to show a story through the dance, not the gimmicks. The eliminations continue, and Evan & Anna are safe. After the commercial break Jake & Chelsie and Nicole & Derek are safe.

Macy's Stars of Dance - Tribute to Haiti - Haitian ballroom dancers relive their memories of the earthquake; it's heartbreaking to hear their stories. The dancers use dance to express hope and life. I can't criticize the fact that some of the couples were a bit off because they had passion. All the solo work was pretty; all the movements were sharp.

Brooke's Schedule - Brooke basically makes Samantha Harris look useless by showing all the behind the scenes action. Brook admits that there's no prompter in the aquarium. Ironically, Brooke talks on top of Tom after the clip when using the prompter. Erin & Maks, Chad & Cheryl are safe.

After one final commercial, we're down to the final two contestants: Kate & Tony are safe and Shannen & Mark are in the bottom two. The couple with the lowest score is Shannen & Mark. Pam & Damien had to sit in the red zone for the whole episode for nothing.

I think order played a big role in the first elimination. Shannen was second to perform last week and first this week. In a two hour show where Kate was second to last in week one and last this week, people probably forgot to vote for her. We find out that Mark injured his knee pulling his muscle; why didn't the producers milk that to their advantage? Because they were more worried about keeping Kate and Pam on as long as possible. If Shannen did survive, she would have been paired up with Mark's father Corky.

Looking at last night's comments, I'm sure a lot of readers are disappointed that Kate survived this week. We know Kate thinks that she's good at fabricating stories to make her look good. Let's see if she can tell a story through dance next week. Are you gonna miss Shannen? Leave comments below.

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