In the battle of the fan bases, it was Kirstie Alley’s supporters who were victorious Tuesday night. The actress beat out “Karate Kid” star Ralph Macchio to continue on to the “Dancing With the Stars’ ” final three.
That the elimination would come down to the two older competitors was no surprise. On Monday night, NFL star Hines Ward delivered two (mostly) flawless dances that earned him a perfect score of 60. Disney Channel actress Chelsea Kane was not far behind with 58 points, but later added an extra 15 points to take the lead, thanks to her victory in the Winner-Take-All Cha-Cha-Cha.
Meanwhile, Alley earned a respectable 54 for two dances that the judges adored, while the panel slammed Macchio for his subpar performances. Still, he earned a total of 48 points.
Not that the actor felt the scores – especially for his wild salsa – were right. The judges said he lacked rhythm in the dance and gave him a 23. Macchio’s opinion, as revealed on the results show? He deserved perfect scores because, as he put it, he’s seen 10s for the same dance. (Not really. The salsas that received 10 paddles had not only the rhythm the judges were looking for, but great hip action, which Macchio was lacking even with the padding he added to his rear end.)
In his exit speech, Macchio acknowledged the role fans had in advancing him to the semifinals despite not-so-hot performances. “I will never forget how the fans have driven us through every week,” the actor said. “It inspired me. I would run here every Monday for us to present what we worked on.”
Though Alley’s fan base now seems likely to be bigger than Macchio’s, can she take the mirror ball trophy? We know judge Len Goodman has already said she has what it takes. And just prior to revealing the results, host Tom Bergeron once again pointed out that the two still standing under the spotlights of shame were “not necessarily in the bottom two.” Perhaps a hint that Alley received even more votes than front-runners Ward and Kane?
Next week, the stars perform the highly anticipated freestyle dances! Ward revealed that his will be “a Jackson 5 thing,” Kane is going to go way outside of the box, and Alley? Aerials. And a lot of them, if she has her way.
Who do you think will be the final two? Will Alley’s fan base give her a mirror-ball trophy win? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
Don't forget to join me and Ree Hines for our last live "Dancing" chat of the season on Tuesday, May 24, at 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 ET. We'll gab about Monday's freestyle performances, who we think will win and much more. Sign up now for a reminder to join us!
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