DwtS 3 In-Season Update: 9-22-06

After a couple of days reflection on this week's performances and results, it's time to update the Dancing with the Stars 3 Power Rankings. (The rankings don't represent how I personally feel about the contestants, just where I feel they stand in the competition right now.)

9. Willa Ford & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Last Week's Ranking - 9
Willa made it out of her first two trips to the bottom, but it's going to take a near perfect performance next week to survive. Last season, Tia Carrere was in a similarly precarious position, when Max choreographed an amazing Tango that bought them another week in the competition. That's good news for Willa, since it's likely that the women will dance a Tango next week, while the men perform a Jive.

8. Jerry Springer & Kym Johnson
Last Week's Ranking - 6
Jerry's certainly popular enough to stick around for a long time, and his dancing is improving. But if Kym's knee is aggravated again, Jerry's more likely to pull out of the competition than put her in danger of a career-threatening injury. And switching to a new partner at this point would certainly be problematic. However, if Kym's knee is okay, Jerry's stock could rise.

7. Harry Hamlin & Ashly DelGrosso
Last Week's Ranking - 8
Harry's made some strides on the dance floor, but he's still way behind Joey, Mario, and Emmitt. He also made some comments aired during the Results Show that he didn't feel that he needed to change, because he wasn't in any danger. That's not going to win anyone over to his cause.

6. Monique Coleman & Louis van Amstel
Last Week's Ranking - 7
Monique's Mambo earned the highest scores of any woman in the field. But I'm still not sure she has the star power to be a serious contender. Her pre-show audience was mostly limited to families with children in a certain age range. And we haven't seen much of her personality, yet. The good news for Monique is that she could be earning new fans with, of all things, her dance skills.

5. Sara Evans & Tony Dovolani
Last Week's Ranking - 4
Sara probably ranks in the top three in terms of fan favorites. But she's been second to last in judges' scores each week. Fans voting for her now do so because they are fans of her music. But, in order to win over new fans, Sara needs to make some real progress in her dancing. And she can't let Tony's negative attitude about the judges rub off on her.

4. Mario Lopez & Karina Smirnoff
Last Week's Ranking - 1
Their liberal interpretation of a Quickstep was a mistake that hurt them with the judges. Mario needs another Latin dance to get him back on track.

3. Vivica A. Fox & Nick Kosovich
Last Week's Ranking - 3
They've ranked third with the judges each week, so I'll follow suit.

2. Joey Lawrence & Edyta Sliwinska
Last Week's Ranking - 5
Their Quickstep was wonderful, but the best part about it was Joey's sincere appreciation for the judge's compliments and the audience's standing ovation. Drew Lachey earned fans last season with his boundless enthusiasm and hard work ethic. Joey has those same qualities, so expect his fanbase to grow as the season progresses.

1. Emmitt Smith & Cheryl Burke
Last Week's Ranking - 2
Emmitt's shown far more dance aptitude than anyone expected from him. Cheryl received Emmy nominations for two of the routines she choreographed last season. The show's fans love them both. Together, they are the most dangerous couple in the competition.


Other DwtS News
Two reports from backstage at DwtS 3: People Magazine was there the night of the Performance Show, while Sports Illustrated caught up with Emmitt after the Results Show. Overheard: Joey & Edyta will dance to "Blue Suede Shoes" next week.