Tag Archives: Karina Smirnoff

‘Dancing With The Stars’ Gives Gavin DeGraw The Boot

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The savvy producers at ABC’s hit reality dance competition switched things up for fans during Tuesday night’s “Dancing With the Stars” elimination show. Instead of making fans sweat it out until the final minute to find out which celebrity dancer and his/her professional partner would be given the boot based on a combination of judges’ scores and fan votes, they turned the tables a bit.

The bottom two couples — pop singer Gavin DeGraw and his partner Karina Smirnoff and childhood actor Jaleel White and his partner Kym Johnson — had to duke it out on the dance floor. The couples danced side by side in a duel of cha-chas, with the judges having the final say about who would be saved and who would be going home.

In the end, it really wasn’t much of a shocker. DeGraw
was told he’d danced his last dance on the show — he’d been the bottom scorer on Monday night, as was pretty much the case since the competition began. Monday night’s theme was Latin night, and his samba failed to impress the judges.

That said, the judges told DeGraw that they based their decision solely on the dance he turned in Tuesday night, however, and not what he’d done in previous performances.

“It’s been amazing to be part of the show,” DeGraw said after learning that he’d be going home, adding that Smirnoff was a great mentor.

Next week, the celebrities take on Motown week.

‘Dancing With The Stars’ Latin Night Belongs To William Levy

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With Monday as Latin night on ABC’s reality hit show “Dancing With the Stars,” it should have been Latin soap star William Levy’s week, right? It was.

As the actor and his pro partner is Cheryl Burke took on the Argentine tango, Levy played every bit the part of a Latin lover with dance skills, wearing an unbuttoned tuxedo shirt. The judges thought he hit all the right marks — and with a twisted ankle to boot. Carrie Ann Inaba said the actor looked like a “Latin-dancing James Bond.” 29/30

Here’s how everyone else fared:

Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas
Tying Levy at the top was opera singer Jenkins, who also danced the Argentine tango. The judges thought she was perfection and gave her one point shy of a perfect score for her efforts. Head judge Len Goodman said, “This, for me, was like a rose: It had beauty … but underneath was sharp.” 29/30

Maria Menounos and Derek Hough
The TV journalist salsa’d her way to a great performance. The judges told her their dance was passionate, hot and had just the right amount of spice. The pair’s routine ended with a hot kiss on the lips. “I don’t think you needed the kiss! The salsa is all about the illusion of passion. Don’t go at it right in front of us,” Inaba said. 27/30

Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd
The NFL hot shot danced the Argentine tango, and the judges praised him for his control and execution. Judge Bruno Tonioli said he did a “fantastic job.” 27/30

Roshon Fegan and Chelsie Hightower
The Disney star pulled off a routine that wasn’t exactly G-rated. But he kept it clean. Goodman told him he moved like “a young guy with his first car.” Inaba joked that he was “sexy in a Disney way.” 26/30

Jaleel White and Kym Johnson
The childhood TV star danced the samba and bared a pretty impressive six-pack in the process. The judges were impressed by his moves, with Goodman telling him, “Your bum was going like you were chewing toffee.” 24/30

Gladys Knight and Tristan MacManus
The soul legend shook her stuff to the samba, and even though the judges were lukewarm on it, they still praised her. Tonioli told her she was magic, while Goodman said her moves were “simple, but effective.” 22/30

Melissa Gilbert and Maks Chmerkovskiy
Gilbert did the salsa — a tough feat considering she was injured last week. In her rehearsal segments, she danced around in a neck brace and hard hat. The judges liked her stick-to-it-ness, and Inaba told her it was wonderful to see her gain confidence. Tonioli said she lacked an element of control. “I saw excellent parts and parts that weren’t so good,” Goodman said. 21/30

Gavin DeGraw and Karina Smirnoff
The pop singer rounded out the bottom. He said in his rehearsal segment that he hoped to continue relying on votes from his fans to keep him in the game. He danced the samba, and the judges weren’t too impressed with his moves. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” Tonioli said before adding, “I actually enjoyed it.” The other judges said it was missing key elements. 19/30

What did you think of this week’s “Dancing With the Stars”? Sound off below!

‘Dancing With The Stars’: Donald Driver Rules Rock Week

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For the fourth week of this season of “Dancing With the Stars,” the celebrities rocked it out.

Glam rock-star style was everywhere — bedazzled outfits, eyeliner galore, tight leather and familiar rock tunes were all over the ballroom on Monday night’s telecast.

The night’s top scorer was NFL superstar Donald Driver, who danced away with 27 points out of 30, impressing judges with his shirtless dance routine.

Here’s how the others fared during Rock Week:

Sherri Shepherd and Val Chmerkovskiy The TV talk-show co-host did the tango. Judges thought that despite a few issues with her feet, she did a decent job. Judge Bruno Tonioli said she needed to be sharper, and Carrie Ann Inaba told her, “It was good, but I think what was lacking was your normal exuberance.”
21/30

Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas Normally, the opera singer hangs right at the top of the leader board.
This week, judges thought that her paso doble was unrefined. Head judge Len Goodman said that her performance “failed to deliver.”
Tonioli said she was missing definition but that she set loose “a whirlwind of fury.” 24/30

Jaleel White and Kym Johnson
The actor danced the tango to the Rolling Stones hit “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” and he failed to impress judges as he did the first week. Goodman said that White needed to attack the dance more. Inaba said it was “funky and weird.” 22/30

Melissa Gilbert and Maks Chmerkovskiy Her score didn’t reflect it, but judges liked her bad-girl take with her paso doble routine. Tonioli said her sexy pose was “hot-blooded,”
and Inaba said it was her best showing yet. She apparently slipped at one point during the dance — the TV audience didn’t notice — but before the end of the show, host Tom Beregon announced that she had injured herself and was taken to the hospital.
22/30

Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd Driver was the dancing king of the night. The wide receiver’s paso doble was soundtracked to Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” and judges found it to be sexy (he danced shirtless) and raunchy — all good things. 27/30

Gladys Knight and Tristan MacManus The soul legend danced to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and judges were less than impressed. She landed in the bottom of the leader board for her tango. Judges said that it didn’t quite come together for her, but Inaba said that it was “by far your most ambitious routine.”
20/30

William Levy and Cheryl Burke
Judges didn’t care too much for the hot Latin actor’s jive, but their disdain could barely be heard over the audience screams. Inaba told him he needed to work on staying focused, but added, “You have something special.” 22/30

Roshon Fegan and Chelsie Hightower The Disney star impressed judges with his Viennese waltz, and Inaba said that it was “cute, like watching the climax of a Disney movie.”
26/30

Maria Menounos and Derek Hough
The TV journalist danced through the pain — she has stress fractures in her feet, and said in her rehearsal segment, “My feet have been killing me and I’m afraid something’s really wrong” — but she tangoed anyway, and judges loved what they saw. Inaba applauded the chemistry the two have together. 26/30

Gavin DeGraw and Karina Smirnoff
The pop singer rounded out the last of the celebrity routines, dancing the tango, and once again, judges didn’t care too much for what he turned in. Tonioli said it was “a little messy in the corner.”
23/30

Which celebrity are you rooting for on “Dancing With the Stars”?
Tell us in the comments!

c91a1 spotted Dancing With The Stars: Donald Driver Rules Rock Week

‘Dancing With The Stars’ Results: Jack Wagner Booted

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True to reality-TV form, fans had to wait until the final seconds of Tuesday night’s “Dancing With the Stars” to learn which celebrity would be going home in the second round of eliminations on ABC’s big hit.

Host Tom Bergeron joked that he hoped they’d be able to name who was heading home before the show ended, given that there were literally only seconds left and three remaining couples.

In the end, there was enough time to announce the winner and get a quick soundbite, but unlike Monday night’s emotional performances, there wasn’t enough time for tears.

On Tuesday night’s results show, the final two came down to pop singer Gavin DeGraw and his pro partner Karina Smirnoff and former soap star Jack Wagner and his partner Anna Trebunskaya. Wagner and Trebunskaya were given the boot.

Wagner kept his cool when his name was called, saying it was an honor to be able to perform this season and share some of his story. “It was a great time, and I had a great time,” he said. “It was fun to kind of test myself. Thanks to the judges. I appreciated it.”

The judges told him his performance was his best of the season so far. On Monday night, he scored 24 points out of 30 for his samba in celebration of meeting his 23-year-old long-lost daughter in 2011.

Do you agree with Jack Wagner’s elimination? Sound off below!

‘Dancing With The Stars’: Katherine Jenkins Rules Once More

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Monday night’s “Dancing With the Stars” episode was an emotional one. No was one given the boot — that’ll happen Tuesday night (April 3) with the second elimination of the season — but the theme was “most memorable year,” and the celebrity contestants got deep and personal. And then some.

At the top of the pack was singer Katherine Jenkins, who took us back to 1996 — the year she learned her dad had lung cancer. She and her partner Mark Ballas did the waltz, and by the end of the routine, she was in tears. And she wasn’t alone. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba cried with her and told her the dance was like magic. She scored the first pair of 10s of the season, earning 29/30.

Here’s how everyone else fared:

William Levy and Cheryl Burke
The sexy soap star picked 1995, which was the year he arrived in the U.S. from his native Cuba. He told the story of his stepdad, who was a political prisoner before finding asylum in the States. His salsa impressed the judges. “You put a whole new meaning into free Willy!” head judge Len Goodman told him. 28/30

Maria Menounos and Derek Hough
The TV host picked 1988 as her most memorable year. That’s when she was 10 years old and realized just how hard her Greek-immigrant parents worked to make a better life for their children. She did the rumba to a slow version of Madonna’s “Material Girl,” and the judges loved her sensual routine. Hard-to-please Goodman told her the dance was “a mix of the ballroom with a touch of the bedroom.” 27/30

Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd
The football star picked 2010, which was when his best friend died of cancer. In his video before he performed live, he became teary-eyed, saying, “I can never get it out of my mind because he died in my arms.” He danced the rumba, and Inaba said she was touched by his story and performance. Goodman thought the dance was top-notch. 26/30

Jaleel White and Kym Johnson
The moment old-school TV nerds have been waiting for: White picked the year he got to play Stefan Urquelle, the alter ego to his longtime nerdy character Steve Urkel on “Family Matters.” He took on the rumba, and the judges said that he was back in the game and improved greatly from last week’s performance. Judge Bruno Tonioli called him cool and smooth. 25/30

Roshon Fegan’s and Chelsie Hightower
The Disney kid picked 1996, which is the year that he saw his idol and legend Michael Jackson onstage. He danced the samba, and Goodman said he had flair, but Inaba took issue with his timing, saying it was off. 25/30

Melissa Gilbert and Maks Chmerkovskiy
The actress picked 2010, the year that she fell and broke her back. She called the experience gut-wrenching and tearfully explained that following the accident, she could barely walk, much less dance. She danced the jive, and Goodman said she was back in the competition. 24/30

Gladys Knight and Tristan MacManus
The soul legend picked 1957 because it was the year of her first tour and the year she met James Brown. She said it was the beginning of her career education and that it was a happy memory, not a sad one. She did the foxtrot to a Sam Cook song — noting that Cook taught her about performing back in the day — and Inaba thought the dance was sensuous and soulful. Tonioli said he thought she performed it with grace. 24/30

Sherri Shepard and Val Chmerkovskiy
The talk-show co-host picked 2005, the year her son Jeffrey was born, weighing only 1 pound, 10 ounces. She cried, saying that she was so thankful, considering that the prognosis at the time was that he might have cerebral palsy and paralysis. She danced the rumba, with Goodman saying he appreciated the emotion she put into the dance. 24/30

Jack Wagner and Anna Trebunskaya
The actor picked a more recent year: 2011. He said that was the year he met a daughter — she’s 23 now — that he never knew he had. He danced the samba, crying still. Goodman said he like the rhythm and said it was his best dance so far. 24/30

Gavin DeGraw and Karina Smirnoff
The singer picked 1998 because he moved to New York City that year to give it a go as a musician. Inaba said her heart got all fluttery watching him. The judges overall thought he was progressing. 24/30

Which celebrity are you rooting for on “Dancing With the Stars”? Tell us in the comments!

Gavin DeGraw Brings ‘Swagger’ To ‘Dancing With The Stars’

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HOLLYWOOD — Gavin DeGraw knows he has his work cut out for him in order to stay in the very heated competition on season 13 of “Dancing With the Stars.” The singer/songwriter and his partner, Karina Smirnoff, have yet to completely wow the judges with their routines during the first and second weeks of competition, and they landed on the chopping block last week as part of the dreaded bottom two.

But this week marks a new beginning with a new dance: the rumba, a.k.a. “the dance of love.” MTV News was lucky enough to visit DeGraw and Smirnoff during their rehearsals, and the “Not Over You” singer revealed a few concerns he has in mastering the new moves this week.

“I’m a little bit nervous,” he admitted. “We danced the foxtrot the first week. I thought that was one of the hardest dances, then we began to work on the jive the second week, and foxtrot seemed so much easier.”

No matter DeGraw’s nerves, Smirnoff assured him — and us — that her partner has a lot more skill than he thinks.

“I think Gavin has natural swagger, and that quality in the rumba is going to come across on the dance floor really well,” she said. “He’s definitely a guy’s guy, being masculine and yet still very sexy. It’s a difficult combination, his hip action. He’s very embarrassed about it, but it’s a good quality — trust me,” she said. “Women will definitely … ”

“Appreciate it?” DeGraw offered.

“Exactly,” she said.

“My greatest strength in dancing the rumba is my partner and fearless leader, Karina Smirnoff,” DeGraw said when asked what tools he has to master this week’s routine. “My greatest weakness is every time Karina let’s go of me on the dance floor,” he joked.

In watching them rehearse, it’s obvious the two new friends get along very well and have a lot of fun dancing together. DeGraw also has a very positive attitude about being on the show and spoke a lot about just wanting to enjoy his journey.

“The best part about being on the show is the fact that it’s out of my element and I’m learning something beautiful from an amazing person who is passionate about her career and art form,” DeGraw said.

Are you rooting for Gavin on “Dancing With the Stars”? Let us know in the comments!

‘Dancing With The Stars’ Elimination: Martina Navratilova Sent Packing

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One down, 11 more to go.

There wasn’t much shock on Tuesday night’s “Dancing With the Stars” elimination show. No one wanted to be the first celebrity sent packing, and after the first nine couples were told they were safe, it came down to an unsurprising pair of duos: Landing in the bottom two were tennis superstar Martina Navratilova and her professional partner Tony Dovolani and pop singer Gavin DeGraw and his partner Karina Smirnoff.

Before it was revealed who would be going home during the first elimination show of the series’ 14th season, the tennis pro said that much like when she had a bad tennis match, she was hoping that she could come back next week a victor.

Turns out, she won’t have the chance. In her Monday night performance of the jive, she messed up from the onslaught of her routine, and her score suffered for it.

“That was sad because I love your approach to the routine,” judge Carrie Ann Inaba told her. Head judge Len Goodman said during the first week of the show that he thought Navratilova was elegant and refined, but didn’t think her foxtrot from that first performance was “too careful.”

The 55-year-old’s poor performance landed her at the bottom of the leaderboard.

“It was an amazing experience. I wish it had lasted longer. I gave it everything I had, I just blew it yesterday. I wish everybody great luck,” Navratilova said after being told she was going home.