DwtS 5, Week 5: Results

On a night when Dallas beat my Chicago Bulls in preseason basketball, billionaire owner Mark Cuban was the only loser in the Mavericks organization. He and Kym became the latest couple cut from Dancing with the Stars.

After a recap of the Performance Show performances and medical emergencies, Mel & Maks were given the judges' encore for their Samba. The two giggled throughout their sharp performance.

The encore was followed by Jennifer Lopez, who performed a song from her new album accompanied by her own dancers. Due to a family illness, J. Lo's two numbers had been taped on Sunday, which made me wonder where they got a full studio audience on such short notice.

After the performance, last night's studio audience weighed in with their comments. Heather Mills said what many viewers thought when Marie hit the ground: "At first, I thought it was a joke. I thought, 'That's the best drop I've ever seen in my life!' And then suddenly she wasn't moving." Florence Henderson said, "I thought Jennie deserved higher marks," and Tori Spelling agreed: "I knew she could dance. I didn't know she could dance like this."

Then Sabrina & Mark and Mel & Maks were announced as the first two couples moving on to next week.

After a break, Samantha interviewed Marie & Jonathan and Helio & Julianne backstage. Marie joked about last night: "What fell quicker: my body or the scores?" And, when asked if his low scores meant he was heading in the wrong direction, Helio said, "I'm a racecar driver, and we only go one direction: left."

Next week, the couples will take part in the season's first group dance: a rock n' roll number choreographed by Christian Perry. The choreographer and several other dancers demonstrated some of the moves he'll be including in the performance. The demonstration dance may have marked the first time anyone's done the Lindy Hop to Fall Out Boy.

Following that, Jennifer Lopez returned to perform her jock jam "Let's Get Loud," accompanied by DwtS pros Karina, Derek, Cheryl, Mark, Alec, Julianne, Edyta, and some other guy.

The the pros offered some insight into how they choreograph their routines each week. Kym develops her dance in private before presenting it to Mark, and Edyta listens to each new song "about fifty times before I actually start think about any steps." In contrast, Maks creates the whole routine in the studio with Mel.

Derek offered this tip: "The key to choreographing a good routine is... you gotta be a good choreographer."

Then, Cameron & Edyta were told they were safe.

After a break, Samantha was backstage with Mel & Maks and Mark & Kym. Samantha asked Mel, "Who do you think it will be [in the bottom two]?" The question drew boos from the other stars and dancers waiting backstage, and Samantha admitted it was a bad question. Mark said of his chances, "It's out of my control now."

One final clip package focused on the stars and how they manage their day jobs. Marie admitted, "It's starting to take its toll." Mel said, "Your body and your mental stuff is going nuts." But Mark promised, "If I can't out-talent them, I'm going to out-work them."

Then Jennie & Derek, Marie & Jonathan, and Helio & Julianne were told that they were safe, leaving Mark & Kym and Jane & Tony in the Bottom Two.

Tom asked Len a question he normally deflects: "Who would you want to see back?" Len said it was a choice between fun (Mark) and class (Jane), "And, if I have to make a decision, I always go with class and elegance."

Tom announced the voting results, and Mark & Kym were out. The couple got a standing ovation from the crowd and judges. Mark thanked everyone on the staff and even shook hands with the judges on the way to his last dance with Kym.

After finally running out of music about being sad or never dancing again, the band played "I Think We're Alone Now," as the credits rolled.