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'Dancing With the Stars' Recap: Week Nine Elimination
by Katy Kroll, posted May 18th 2011 1:00AM
Waaah! The celeb I've been rooting for all season got the boot this week, falling just one week shy of making it to the finals.It's been a bumpy ride for both Ralph Macchio and Kirstie Alley, who have each had their fair share of injuries, falls and flubbed footwork. But week after week their personalities, drive and determination have carried them through as fan favorites.
Over the course of the season, Ralph was dubbed the Comeback Kid because whenever he fell from grace, viewers voted to save him and he would re-enter the race swinging.
But his luck ran out this week, and he hit a speed bump he couldn't overcome. The judges spent Monday night slamming him while praising everyone else, and they got their wish -- Ralph was sent home.
Despite recovering from last week's knee injury, he had obviously lost his momentum, delivering his worst performance of the season Monday night: A cringe-worthy '70s porn-themed salsa that had him wearing comical gold chains and a leisure suit with a padded butt.
Even though it was a disappointing dance, the judges were unnecessarily nasty with their critiques, offering little to no constructive criticism and instead going for mean-spirited sound bites. And that was the way they treated him most of the season, being overly critical even when he did a good job. He was a better dancer than most of the people in the competition, yet they rarely gave him the credit he deserved.
After Monday night's uneven performances and cruel judges' comments, it was sad to see him go on such a sour note because he clearly had skills -- and heart. But when it comes to the finals, it's supposed to be about who's the best dancer ... and Ralph made it as far as he could in that respect.
That said, he was really on par with, if not better than, Kirstie, who squeaked her way into the finals. While she's clearly a fan favorite in her own right, the judges and producers have been pushing her forward every week whether she soared or sucked, probably because her kooky unpredictability makes for better TV than Ralph's sweet boy-next-door charm.
But, unless her fervent followers somehow rig the finale, there's no way she's going to win next week. She'll basically be there for comic relief and the false sense that "anyone" can be victorious. The real competition is going to be between Hines Ward and Chelsea Kane, who each nabbed perfect scores this week and have topped the leaderboard numerous times. (Kirstie, on the other hand, has never scored three 10s nor been on top.)
Monday night's emotional dance with injured partner Kym Johnson all but wrapped the finals up in a bow for Hines, who will most likely walk away the winner. He's been consistently good, and he's never been at the bottom of the leaderboard or in the bottom three on elimination night. My only problem with him is that he's boring and doesn't take any risks; he basically does the same dance moves every week. (Yeah, I said it.)
Meanwhile, Chelsea and partner Mark Ballas have been spot-on, crisp, fun and innovative week after week. Their dancing is so precise it's ridiculous. If the winner were chosen solely on dance ability and choreography, they would have it in the bag. But 'DWTS' is also a popularity contest, and Chelsea was a virtual unknown when she stepped onto the dance floor in week 1. Hines, however, is well known to sports fans -- and footballers always do spectacularly in this competition.
As in some past years, this season will no doubt come down to the wire and the winner will be chosen based on next week's freestyle dance. So don't count Chelsea out just yet, as she could still pull a Shawn Johnson, who beat presumed season 8 winner Gilles Marini at the last minute with an off-the-hook freestyle routine that nabbed her the mirrorball trophy by a slim 1 percent margin of victory.
Yes, the race is that close, if you ask me ... but obviously that's just my opinion. Tell me yours by taking the poll below and leaving a comment!
'Dancing With the Stars' airs Mondays at 8PM ET and Tuesdays at 9PM ET on ABC.
Watch the full episode here:
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