DwtS 3 In-Season Update: 10-03-06

My preseason pick to win Dancing with the Stars 3 was axed last week, but that won't stop the weekly power rankings. As the eight remaining couples prepare for tonight's Performance Episode, who looks to be in the most danger of being sent home tomorrow?

8. Jerry Springer & Kym Johnson
Jerry's the most likely celeb to be eliminated tomorrow night, mostly because he asked his fans to stop voting for him. But Jerry's rowdy fans may not listen to their ringmaster.

7. Willa Ford & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Willa's spent more time in the bottom two than any of the other stars left in the competition. She has to build on her growing fan base by turning on the charm and showing that she's got the dancing skills to hang with the best.

6. Vivica A. Fox & Nick Kosovich
Vivica has always scored in third place or higher with the judges, so how could she be in danger? If message boards and YouTube video views are any indication of how the general voting audience feels, her "diva" attitude isn't winning over any new fans. While message boards are not the definitive indicator of public opinion, the people who post there may be on to something.

5. Mario Lopez & Karina Smirnoff
Mario blew everyone away with his stellar performance in week one. But he's losing support by trying to be the flashiest dancer, instead of the best dancer. He needs to at least acknowledge the rules and stop being so defensive with the judges before his fans ditch him for other, less (needlessly) rebellious contestants.

4. Sara Evans & Tony Dovolani
The judges have started to warm up to Sara, and her fans are numerous. She's in no danger of losing her voting base, unless she pulls a Dixie Chicks and criticizes President Bush.

3. Emmitt Smith & Cheryl Burke
Last week's low score from the judges was most likely a fluke. Cheryl knows how to choreograph winning routines, and Emmitt's got the hard work mentality that judges (and fans) love.

2. Monique Coleman & Louis van Amstel
Monique's last two performances have shown her to be the best dancer among the female celebrities. Bruno nicknamed her "Little Miss Sunshine," and her positive attitude makes people want her to win. I'm finally starting to believe she can.

1. Joey Lawrence & Edyta Sliwinska
Joey seems like he's having fun with this than anyone else. When the judges scolded him for breaking the rules, he did the right thing: apologizing and vowing to correct his behavior. Joey's charming and charismatic, and he's definitely got the moves, so his best strategy to win is not to change a thing -- except for the handstands and lifts.

Other DwtS News:
People magazine has a behind-the-scenes reports about another injured dancer. While practicing with Mario, Karina said, "We did a twist and my rib bone came out." As grisly as that sounds, Karina will be dancing tonight.

In other interviews, Jerry talks about dancing the Waltz, and Monique gives some details on her grueling practice schedule.