Dancing with the Stars
News (Page 9)

It was an evening of impressive performances (Melissa Rycroft, Shawn Johnson and Gilles Marini) and atrocious performances (sorry, Steve Wozniak).

Which stars shined the brightest last night? And who is almost definitely going home tonight?

Read through our detailed Dancing with the Stars recap to find out!

Holly Madison and Dmitry Chaplin didn't live up to the expectations they set for themselves the prior two weeks.

While Melissa Rycroft continues to garner headlines for her performances on Dancing with the Stars, Gilles Marini - along with partner Cheryl Burke - sits atop the leaderboard after two weeks of the show.

How does the French actor feel about that? He recently spoke to TV Guide:

How does it feel to be on top of the leader board?
The only problem with that is there's only one thing to do — go down. It's a great place to be. It's so much pressure, especially on Cheryl [Burke]. Cheryl's a very tough professional and driven [so] it's difficult for her to go down. So we're gonna try our hardest.

You're one of our readers' favorites to win. How does that make you feel?
Wow, very surprised. I would say I'd be second [from the] bottom. Just because people do not understand why I'm on the show because I've never said it yet. It's pretty much paying respect because the country gave me so much. If I can put a smile on Americans' faces, then it's a little way of paying back. Down the line, I'll tell the story why I'm in love with this country and why I wanna be here the rest of my life.

Monday night on Dancing with the Stars, Gilles Marini, Melissa Rycroft and Shawn Johnson established themselves as probably the trio to beat this season.

Last night? The bottom feeders fought for survival - and for the first time, the bottom two couples got to dance for their lives and improve their scores.

With only two couples in the bottom two, that means either Steve-O, Steve Wozniak or Belinda Carlisle was safe and didn't even have to participate!

Who had to dance to stave off elimination, and who succeeded in securing the chance to dance another week while someone backed his or her bags?

Follow the link to read our detailed Dancing with the Stars results ...

Last night on Dancing with the Stars, the injury bug reared its ugly head yet again as Steve-O was sidelined after hurting his back, Steve Wozniak had to wear a leg brace and Gilles Marini experienced some shoulder discomfort.

Nevertheless, there were some terrific performances throughout the evening, with Gilles coming up big despite the pain and Melissa Rycroft turning heads again.

Who else earned a high score? Who improved from last week? Who's in danger of getting booted off the show when the first elimination episode airs tonight?

Read through our detailed Dancing with the Stars recap now for the highlights of each performance, as well as each judge's comments and scorecards.

Cheryl Burke has already won Dancing with the Stars twice.

Her and partner Gilles Marini stand atop the leaderboard after the premiere of season eight.

Still, the professional isn't satisfied. She's offering fans that vote for her and the French actor an incentive.

“Every week we advance, he will lose one piece of clothing,” Burke told People. “He’s the naked guy from the Sex and the City movie, and people know he has a great body. So he can pull it off.”

How does Marini feel about this?

“I will do whatever it takes,” he said. “Cheryl is the boss.”

Pssst, Chuck Wicks: if you make the same deal for Julianne Hough, we'll make sure you win!

Lil Kim and Derek Hough kicked off season eight of Dancing with the Stars last night, as the rapper dedicated her performance to former fellow inmates at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia.

After her performance, Kim told People: “Yeah, my first dance was to my girls at FDC. They are representin.’ I know they are,” she said. “We watched the show and I know they’ll be happy to hear that that’s where I first watched [Dancing with the Stars].

Here are some other reactions contestants had, following a highly-rated eighth season premiere:

Gilles Marini: “I felt so good. I am going to the doctor on Wednesday. But tonight, it felt really good to get that first dance out of the way.”

Belinda Carlisle [on being compared to Julie Andrews and Cloris Leachman]: “I love Cloris Leachman and Julie Andrews, too. So for me, it was a double compliment.”

Steve-O: “I heard we got a standing ovation and I didnt even know."

Meanwhile, click on the photos below for larger images from last night's opening set of performances:

From last-minute additions (hello, Holly Madison and Melissa Rycroft!) to prisoner shout-outs (Lil Kim dedicated her performance to to the "women at the federal detention center"), the eighth season premiere of Dancing with the Stars had it all.

Despite having just two days prepare, Jason Mesnick's former, short-term fiancee performed admirably.

Here's a video of Rycroft and Tony Dovolani earning 23 points for their Waltz:

Who else earned a high score?

Read through our detailed Dancing with the Stars recap now for every judge comments and scorecard.

Click on the pics above to enlarge a few images from last night's premiere.

Will Holly Madison and Melissa Rycroft truly join the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars?

Fans will need to tune in tonight to see if these beauties really do replace injured celebrities Jewel and Nancy O'Dell on the show.

Meanwhile, click on the pictures below for a preview of season eight. Here are the couples that have been confirmed to compete..

Melissa Rycroft failed to find a husband on reality TV.

But the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader is hoping to replace heartbreak with triumph: People Magazine reports that the jilted Bachelor suitor will take over for injured Nancy O'Dell on the new season of Dancing with the Stars.

Rycroft, of course, was dumped by Jason Mesnick on last week's world-shattering, post-finale After the Final Rose special. She has received nationwide sympathy as a result.

According to an insider close to Dancing with the Stars, Rycroft has had only days to rehearse. She's expected to perform live on tomorrow night's premiere and to be teamed with professional Tony Dovolani.

No word on whether or not Molly Malaney will be backstage in case Dovolani wishes to change partners.

Jewel and Nancy O'Dell, we hardly knew you!

The pair of previously-announced contestants on the new season of Dancing with the Stars have been forced to withdraw from the competition due to injury.

“When the doctors told me my injuries were so severe that I couldn’t walk, let alone compete, I was devastated that I couldn’t continue the show,” said Jewel, who was diagnosed with a fractured tibia in both legs. "I have every intention of being at Dancing with the Stars this season supporting my husband, Ty [Murray], and his partner, Chelsie Hightower. I hope to be back on the show in the future."

Holly Madison will join the show on Monday night's premiere. Who will fill the other vacant slot?

We'll have to tune in and find out.