Hope Solo scares up a decent dance on DWTS
Post on: 2011-11-02 By: admin
Hope Solo hasn't been the best dancer, but she shined on Halloween night with pro partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
TODAY.com contributor
10/31/2011 11:42:00 PM ET
Strange things happen on Halloween. All of a sudden there’s a spooky vibe in the air. Ghosts and goblins go door to door looking for sweet treats. And somehow, even a “Dancing With the Stars” dud like Hope Solo can deliver a decent dance.
Coming off the heels of last week’s
moody meltdown for Solo’s partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy
, the soccer star and the pro first hit the floor with a scary samba set to “Werewolves of London.” WereMaks presented fine form, as usual, and while Solo battled some of her typical “Dancing” demons — like arm lines and precision moves — she showed big improvements when it came to timing and basic footwork.
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Solo earned a set of matching 8s for her effort. That shows just what a good night it was for her, because not only did she deserve the solid score for that first routine, that wasn’t even the aforementioned nice number.
No that came later in the night, when Solo and Chmerkovskiy joined Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke, along with frontrunners Ricki Lake and Derek Hough, for a Team Paso group dance. That’s when Solo — and heck, even Kardashian — shined.
Gone were the athlete’s unsure steps, sloppy lines and not-so-sexy moves. In the paso doble, she suddenly danced with confidence and heaps of sex appeal. Maybe it was just a case of the dancer finally finding the right routine, or maybe it was just because Chmerkovskiy knows how to lead a paso like no one else. Whatever it was, it worked. And not just for Solo.
While Kardashian’s first effort was an “Addams Family” themed tango that lacked the Cara Mia-driven passion of Gomez, not to mention some of the snappy tango basics, his role in the group dance also impressed.
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As for Lake, well, she aced both her routines, but no one would have expected anything less from the ballroom’s reigning leading lady.
Of course, Lake typically shares the top spot with another hoofer hopeful, J.R. Martinez. Not so this week. While Halloween saw Solo scare up a surprise success, it saw a different sort of scare from the war hero.
Martinez left his winning ways behind when he hit the floor for an ill-timed tango. Part of the problem could be chalked up to a song that’s nearly impossible to tango to (“Ghostbusters”), and part to clunky choreography. But as was evident when he later took the stage for the Team Tango, Martinez himself was simply having an off night.
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Oh, well, it happens to everyone. Just ask Nancy Grace. It happens to her all the time.
In fairness, Grace wasn’t too bad last week. Alas, it seems that was the fluke, though. On Monday night, she went from a low and slow kicking jive to adding her moves to that doomed group tango.
Rounding out terrible tango action was David Arquette. His contribution to the team effort brought out his worst footwork of the night, not that his earlier cha-cha-cha was really that much better.
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By the end of the night, the leaderboard hardly looked recognizable, save the top and bottom spots. Just trailing Lake was Kardashian and Solo, while Martinez barely beat out Arquette and Grace.
With a shake up like that, one has to wonder what Tuesday night might hold. The season’s been full of shockers, but surely Martinez’s supporters won’t let him down after one bad night. That leaves Arquette and Grace as the most likely two to stand in the red spotlight, and if footwork counts for anything — and it doesn’t always— Grace will go home.
Were you surprised by Hope's improvement and J.R.'s stumble? Share your thoughts on the Facebook page for our TV blog, The Clicker!
Not surprisingly, Ree Hines preferred WereMaks to WereDerek in the battle of the ballroom wolves. Join Ree and her fellow “Dancing” expert, Anna Chan, for their weekly post-performance live chat Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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Video: Rob K. 'very thankful' to still be on 'DWTS'
Photos: 'Dancing With the Stars' season 13 cast
The stars of season 13The new cast of "Dancing With the Stars" was revealed on Monday, Aug. 29. In the back row, from left: Ron Artest, David Arquette, J.R. Martinez, Rob Kardashian and Chaz Bono. In the front row, from left: Ricki Lake, Kristin Cavallari, Chynna Phillips, Nancy Grace, Hope Solo and Elisabetta Canalis. Carson Kressley is not pictured.
All 12 couples will dance for the first time on ABC on Monday, Sept. 19.
(Adam Taylor / ABC)
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Get the party started"Dancing" hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke greet the new hopefuls on Monday, Aug. 29.
(Adam Taylor / ABC)
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David ArquetteActor David Arquette -- brother to actors Patricia Arquette, Rosanna Arquette, Alexis Arquette and Richmond Arquette -- is best known for his work in the film series "Scream." He is also married to actress Courteney Cox, but the two are currently separated.
He's paired with pro Kym Johnson, who has won the mirror ball trophy twice in the U.S. version of the show. She was also the pro champ in season 2 ofAustralia's version.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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Ron ArtestRon Artest is a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, and is known for being eccentric off the court. (He has filed papers to legally change his name to Metta World Peace.) On the basketball court, he is perhaps best known for the November 2004 Pacers-Pistons fight. Artest, a Pacer at the time, rushed into the stands to confront a fan who threw a drink at him, which led to the biggest player-fan fight to date.
He is paired with new pro Peta Murgatroyd.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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Chaz BonoGLBT activist Chaz Bono is the only child of Sonny Bono and Cher. His documentary, "Becoming Chaz," followed his gender transition, and was nominated for three Emmys.
He's paired with pro Lacey Schwimmer.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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Bring on the controversy: Casting Bono a win for 'DWTS'
Elisabetta CanalisElisabetta Canalis is an Italian actress who has appeared in the film "Deuce Bigalow" and the TV show "Leverage," but she is best known for dating George Clooney for two years.
She's paired with new pro Val Chmerkovskiy, who is brother to fellow pro Maksim. Val has also previously performed on "DWTS."
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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Kristin CavallariKristin Cavallari found fame with MTV reality programs "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills." She has also appeared on "The Middle" and "CSI: New York." Cavallari was engaged to Chicago Bears player Jay Cutler, but he ended their engagement in July.
She's paired with pro Mark Ballas, who has won the mirror ball trophy twice.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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Nancy GraceFormer prosecutor Nancy Grace currently hosts "Nancy Grace" on HLN. She is also the author of mystery thrillers "The Eleventh Victim" and its sequel, "Death on the D-List." Grace is married and has twins.
She is paired with new pro Tristan MacManus.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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Rob KardashianRob Kardashian is best known as the brother of Kim, Kourteny and Khloe Kardashian. He appears on several of the family's series of E! shows, including "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and "Khloe and Lamar." He is the second Kardashian to participate in the show. Kim competed in season seven.
He's paired with pro Cheryl Burke, who has won the mirror ball trophy twice.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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Carson KressleyCarson Kressley is best known as the fashion guru on the Bravo series "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." He is also a New York Times best-selling author, and currently hosts "Carson-Nation" on OWN.
He's paired with pro Anna Trebunskaya.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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Ricki LakeRicki Lake played Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film "Hairspray." She has since had a long-running daytime talk show ("Ricki Lake," 1992-2004) and hosted a season of VH1's "Charm School." Lake has also made numerous TV appearances.
She's paired with pro Derek Hough, who is a three-time mirror ball champ.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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J.R. MartinezJ.R. Martinez plays combat vet Brot Monroe on "All My Children." Prior to acting on the soap opera, Martinez was in the Army. He was deployed to Iraq in March 2003, but less than a month after that, his vehicle hit a landmine. Martinez was trapped, and suffered severe burns. In addition to acting, Martinez is a motivational speaker.
He's paired with pro Karina Smirnoff.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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Chynna PhillipsChynna Phillips, the daughter of The Mamas and The Papas' Michelle and John Phillips, is perhaps best known as a member of the '90s pop trio Wilson Phillips, whose debut album sold eight million copies. She has also appeared in several films, including "Caddyshack II" and "Say Anything." She is married to actor Billy Baldwin.
She's paired with pro Tony Dovolani.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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Hope SoloHope Solo is the goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team. She was part of the team that went to the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup finals, but the U.S. ultimately lost to Japan on a penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 tie.
She's paired with pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
(Craig Sjodin / ABC)
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