On
Monday night, the couples took on dances that were not only new to the
celebrity contenders, but in some cases, to the professionals too. And
maybe it was that fish-out-of-water -- or pro-out-of-ballroom -- vibe
that explains why one hoofer had a particularly bad night.
Sure, the tumble Karina Smirnoff took during her hip-hop routine alongside returning champ Apolo Anton Ohno
had nothing to do with the dance style -- a stray mic pack set the
stage for that slip. But given how vocal Karina was about her discomfort
with hip-hop and her dislike of the moves, it could explain her
otherwise off performance and uncharacteristic post-dance reaction.
Long before Karina's foot ever hit that pack, it was clear she wasn't
as into the moves as her partner. After all, Apolo proved his hip-hop
prowess back in the day during his season-four freestyle, whereas
Karina's first reaction to the music in rehearsals summed up her
perspective.
"I'll take disco over this (expletive) any day," she complained.
Once
she took to the floor, she failed to pop the moves with the same gusto
as Apolo. And after she literally hit the floor, things went from bad to
worse.
Rather than shake off the misstep, as fellow pro Tony Dovolani did with an earlier lift-gone-wrong during Melissa Rycroft's 37-point jitterbug, Karina broke down crying as soon as the routine ended.
"I
didn't get hurt; I just slipped," she said when the pair approached the
judges. "I'm sorry! I feel like I messed up the whole routine."
Thankfully
for Apolo, the judges -- including guest judge Paula Abdul -- didn't
agree. Instead they were sympathetic over the fumble and heaped praise
on Apolo for a mostly strong effort.
"Karina, to be honest, I
wasn't even looking at you," head judge Len Goodman said. "So I don't
care. You (Apolo), came out and you were fantastic!"
The couple's score of 34.5 points (out of a possible 40 for the night) kept them a couple of spots away from last place.
But
Karina's breakdown wasn't the only sensitive moment of the night.
Another breath-taker -- of a very different variety -- came when soap
star Kelly Monaco delivered a powerful, emotion-packed
contemporary routine with partner Val Chmerkovskiy. The two, dressed
(well, partially dressed) as lovers, leaped and swayed in a style
unfamiliar to them both. Kelly briefly stepped out of time with Val's
moves in the midst of the routine, but it was a small error in an
otherwise beautiful ballroom moment.
