Within the first  five minutes of last night’s Dancing with the Stars, the professional dancers were introducing  guest judge Julianne Hough, who is a two time champion of the show. She was on the show last night to her new film Paradise and fill in for Len Goodman. Julianne mentioned that she is on the dancers’ side and wants to see everyone succeed. So when she gives a constructive criticism, she does it out of love.

 Jack Osbourne danced the quickstep. The quickstep requires a lot of sprinting and its physically taxing on your body.  He did pretty well throughout the routine and kept the energy in tact. The footwork seemed to be very polished and on point. Julianne said “Wow, that’s a definite improvement from last week.” The only critique she had for Jack is that he needs to showcase him having more fun. When he dances, he probably thinks way too hard about the dance steps and the counting aspect. Bruno was in love with Jack’s footwork, but in the end was starting to lose his frame. Carrie Ann thought Jack was more animated this week than last week which is a good sign. The judges all agreed and gave him 8s across the board.  For this week, Jack scored a  24 out of 30.

Elizabeth Berkley needed to perform the argentine tango.  The dance was very powerful and passionate. It gave authority. Bruno tells Elizabeth that “she takes to the hidden depths of passion.” Carrie Ann loves what she and Val did with the story. The sharpness of her feet was on point as well. Julianne even got chills. Elizabeth took control of that argentine tango and she received 9s across the board. She scored a 27 out of 30, being the first team on the leader board.

Brant Daugherty’s dance was the sexy, fun salsa. Lately, Brant has been feeling a lot of pressure from DWTS because he was top of the leader board last week and has three injuries.   His dance partner, Peta Murgatroyd mentioned how “some of the tricks in the routine  are in and some are out.” She felt it was best to take out the trick that was hurting him the most.  “The salsa looked very broken but the lifts were amazing” according to Carrie Ann. Julianne thought his “footwork was sloppy” which I could agree to and the dance felt very “loosey goosey.” She also was getting a little flustered, because of Brant having no shirt off. Bruno said “he lost the technique.”The judges agreed and gave Brant all 7s totaling a score of 21 out of 30.

Valerie Harper performs the Viennese Waltz, a dance of grace and elegance, but this dance didn’t cut it for her. There were moments of beauty and some of the lines were on point, but her mistakes were more noticeable this week. When she broke a part from her dance partner, Tristan McManus, she didn’t know what to do. The judges continue to praise her on her courageousness for coming out week after week performing these intense dance routines. Bruno mentioned that if she makes a mistake just act on it. The judges all gave Valerie pretty much the same critique and she was accepting of it. Carrie Ann, Julianne, and Bruno gave Valerie all 6s totaling a score of 18 out of 30.

Leah Remini’s dance was the cha cha, but I found it to be safe.  Safe can be either a good and a bad thing, but this show is about taking risks.  After having performed four times, you would think there would be a shining moment to come out of it. Sadly, Leah hasn’t had one to wow me yet.  There is nothing shocking about it. Her dances have been simple. The cha cha is meant to be sexy with a lot  of  hip movement, but I feel  that she is  uncomfortable  when it comes to dancing. The only thing really keeping her still in the competition is the judges’ scores and the fans voting. She’s progressing, but I feel she needs to step up her game completely. The footwork was simple but her facial expressions said it all. Carrie Ann loves watching Leah perform. “She is always in the zone” according to Carrie Ann. Julianne mentions how her body needs to match her face which I agree with. Her body is doing something completely different whenever she gives a facial expression. They need to work hand in hand with one another. The judges agreed and gave Leah all 8’s across the board giving a total of 24 out of 30.

Corbin Bleu’s  dance was the paso doble. He wanted the dance to be very traditional. Corbin owned it. The attack was there, the passion and authority as well was shown between him and his dance partner. Corbin decided to also take off his shirt as well. My god, the girls must have been going crazy last night. First, Brant and now Corbin; it’s the night of taking shirts off. Carrie Ann loved the performance and the intensity was there. The only bad news she had was she still noticed some hip hop still showing. That little critique didn’t stop them from giving Corbin all 9s, totaling a 27 out of 30.

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi had to perform the jive and seemed to be in her element. The jive needs to have a lot of energy and Nicole brought it. Having prior cheerleading experience helped the routine quite a bit. There were back flips and a lot of spirit. Julianne said “that was so you, but needs to have sharper kicks and flicks.” Bruno was cheering on Nicole to the song “Hey Mickey.” Carrie Ann said “you had a little bit of T-Rex arms in the beginning, but good job. “ The judges gave Nicole all 8s totaling 24 out of 30.

Christina Milian’s dance was the foxtrot. This was Christina’s first ballroom dance and she seemed to do quite well with it. She looked like a Jessica Rabbit wannabe all decked out in red and jewels. Christina and her dance partner, Mark seemed to be channeling a “Chicago” theme dance with a sultry jazz number. Bruno said the “foxtrot wasn’t traditional and needs more control.” Carrie Ann’s critique was for Christina to work on her shoulders. Julianne was “hoping for Christina to show more of a softer side.” Julianne’s goal for Christina was to shine. She doesn’t want Christina dancing side by side, she wants her and Mark to be together as one. Christina got 8s across the board giving a 24 out of 30.

Amber Riley performed the tango last night. Amber is the latest contestant to suffer a knee injury, but is still charging through. She and her partner, Derek, didn’t have a whole lot of time to practice, but when show time came, Amber nailed it. There was control and the judges were very pleased. Before the judging started, Derek gave his sister, Julianne, a $10 bribe. Julianne told Amber and Derek that she wanted to give them a bad score, but “holy cow, you’re a little tight explosion.” Bruno was amazed by that tango and called it pure. Amber got 9’s across the board for a total of 27 out of 30.

Bill Engvall was the last to perform and he danced to the samba.  He seemed very disconnected and wasn’t as fluid compared to other samba dance numbers. The lines weren’t graceful; he was just throwing his arms up whenever he pleased. Julianne said that “Bill is the heart of the show and that everyone loves you.” Bruno said “it had everything in the samba, but no timing.” Carrie Ann couldn’t agree more with Bruno by mentioning how much fun he brings to the crowd, but “didn’t know what kind of samba it was.” Bill received 7’s across the board giving him 21 out of 30.

Topping off the leader board was a three way tie between Amber, Corbin and Elizabeth. They all had 27s out of 30. The bottom two consisted of Brant Daughterty/ Peta Murgatroyd and Valerie Harper/Tristan McManus. Sadly, Valerie Harper and Tristan McManus were the next couple to be eliminated. She received a standing ovation. Valerie was truly an inspiration to us all.