'Dancing With the Stars': Kate Gosselin, Pamela Anderson make big breakthroughs

Though Evan Lysacek leads, others made big strides forward on this double-scored "Dancing With The Stars."

Hosts Tom Bergeron and holy crap what is Brooke Burke wearing? With all that pink and sparkle and tiered ruffly bits, she kind of looks like one of those extreme cakes from a Food Network Challenge show. But I digress. The "Double Score Showdown," as they're calling it, means each couple could earn a maximum of 60 points (30 for technique, 30 for performance). Scores are listed in Carrie Ann/Len/Bruno order as always.

The show kicks off with the judges talking about the dance genres of the night and what some celebtestants need to work on to succeed. On top of the double scores, each couple must perform certain moves. For the tango, the moves are "Viennese Crosses," "Outside Swivel," and "Contra Check," with Jonathan Roberts and Anna Demedova providing the demo dance.

1. Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dance/Song: Tango/"Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" a la Eurythmics
Erin found out she has a rib contusion but, like her favorite athletes, she has no desire to complain about it nor any plans to miss "playing time." The number starts with Erin dancing behind Len and feeling him up a bit. I'm sure he won't be compaining. The footwork was solid, she traveled the floor well, and she's improving on pointing her toes. She did a fine job but I do feel that there was a bit of gravity or fire missing there tonight.
Judges: Len thought the start was brilliant, of course. He appreciates that it was full of content but says Erin needs to improve her heel-leads. Bruno said she started it well but lost it halfway through. Carrie Ann thinks she paid a little too much attention to the technique and her performance suffered from it.
Score: Technical - 18 (6-6-6), Performance - 21 (7-7-7) = 39

2. Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya
Dance/Song: Tango/A Latinized "Wait A Minute" a la Pussycat Dolls feat. Timbaland
So, Evan's got two broken toes on his left foot. We're 2-for-2 with injured celebtestants so far tonight. I hope that trend stops here. Major props to him for raising his performance level expenentially from Week 1. Evan's got really good head-snaps and sharp accent moves -- just like the pros do. I didn't see any major flaws in his technique and his technique and posture in hold were quite good.
Judges: Bruno called it "strong, powerful, with a hint of cat-like arrogance." Carrie Ann says he's a great example at how improving technique improves performance. Len said he nailed the Viennese Crosses and was pleased overall. I smell excellent scores.
Score: Technical - 26 (9-8-9), Performance -26 (9-8-9) = 52

Before moving on, we get another package of the judges speaking about the rumba and how the celebtestants can excel. Tom and Brooke introduce pros Dmitry Chaplin and Kym Johnson to demo the dance and the required steps ("Opening Out," "Sliding Doors," and "Spiral Into Rope Spin").

3. Niecy Nash and Louis Van Amstel
Dance/Song: Rumba/"Taking Chances" a la Celine Dion
Louis, who believes rumbas can be spiritual and theraputic, tells Niecy he wants to dedicate the dance to her departed brother Michael to celebrate life. Her big hurdle this week is having to go on the road to tape an episode of "Clean House" (which I love), meaning she works for 10 to 12 hours before rehearsing. Ouch. I liked the number -- I could sense that it was important to her. She's still having trouble with pointing her toes consistently, but it's improving. She had some truly great moments but I think she could've exaggerated the hip movements a bit more.
Judges: Len thought the Opening Outs were lovely but could've used more hip action. He also thought it was a bit boring. Bruno agreed there were no big moments, stating that "it didn't gel." Carrie Ann thought she did a good job, though perhaps the emotional connection was so personal that Niecy wasn't reaching out as much as usual.
Score: Technical - 18 (6-6-6), Performance - 18 (6-6-6) = 36

4. Aiden Turner and Edyta Sliwinska
Dance/Song: Rumba/"Live Like We're Dying" a la Kris Allen
Despite being a hot soap stud, Aiden is actually pretty shy, so Edyta has him dance at a "Rock The Soap" event on a cruise ship. And did I mention she ripped his shirt open and got the crowd to chant "Take it off" at him? He did. I don't know if it worked for him, but it worked for me [rimshot]. Speaking of showing some skin, Edyta is in rare form tonight. Aiden's definitely improved this week. He's actually performing as opposed to just remembering the steps. He's doing a much better job with his lines and finishing his moves. He does have to make sure he's not overemphasizing his hands (they looked very posed, like an action figure, at times) and work on connecting the 8-counts. Oh! And Susan Lucci's in the house! Viva La Lucci!
Judges: Carrie Ann felt he was more comfortable and connected to the performance but a lot of his movements were generated from his shoulders. Len said he acted out the dance but it lacked flow and musicality. I disagree that it was worse than last week. Bruno approved of his "Blue Steel" look but agrees there was no flow and that his moves didn't connect.
Score: Technical - 15 (5-5-5), Performance - 18 (6-6-6) = 33

5. Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough
Dance/Song: Rumba/"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" a la Roberta Flack
During the rehearsal package, Nicole uses the phrase, "Mother Fudgecakes." I like it, it works, it's in. They have the benefit of having the first legitimate rumba song of the night. Nicole's giving me a little Hula flavor with her arms and hand movements -- every one has a purpose and tells a story. Good hip movement, though I could've used a little more at times. It could've just been the outfit that hid them. It was the best rumba so far tonight.
Judges: Bruno thought it was beautiful to watch but seemed a bit hesitant at times. He also wanted some more hip from her. Carrie Ann could tell she was nervous tonight but really liked the traditional lines. Len thought the balance between technique and performance was good but her arms during the Sliding Doors were a bit over-exaggerated at times.
Score: Technical - 25 (9-8-8), Performance - 25 (8-8-9) = 50

6. Jake Pavelka and Chelsie Hightower
Dance/Song: Tango/"A Girl Like You Before" a la Edwyn Collins
The rehearsal package started out with Evan telling Chelsie that he's dedicated to really letting his guard down and trusting her this week while wearing a T-shirt that says "Turn Up, Keep Up, Shut Up" on the front. It was a little uneven tonight. The choreography was good but sometimes it didn't seem like Jake was leading. Jake seemed unbalanced the whole time -- there were a good three or four times where I swear he was going to fall. There were some really good moments though, the highlight being traveling turns in hold that went across the floor and up and down the stairs of the stage.
Judges: Len liked that he attacked the dance but felt the aggression threw him off a bit. Bruno thought it was messy, pointing to lost posture and questionable footwork. Carrie Ann says that, despite the hold being technically correct, he wasn't properly connecting or supporting Chelsie but liked the performance aspect.
Score: Technical - 19 (6-7-6), Performance - 19 (7-6-6) = 38

7. Kate Gosselin and Tony Dovolani
Dance/Song: Tango/"Let Me Entertain You" a la Adam Lambert
Poor Kate had a rough week in the rehearsal package for several reasons. As a motivator, Tony said that she can't fail or quit because that means her Ed Hardy-wearing ex wins. A great call - it motivates me and I don't even know the dude. You know, she improved a lot this week technique-wise. Was she missing some aggression and attack in the moves? Yes but that's because her big block is getting that performance quotient up. She seemed to enjoy herself more so that in and of itself is a victory.
Judges: Bruno says tonight was a "mini-breakthrough." Carrie Ann was really proud of her and commended her on her determination. Len says it was her best performance so far.
Score: Technical - 14 (4-5-5), Performance - 18 (6-6-6)= 32

8. Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke
Dance/Song: Rumba/"Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart" a la Alica Keys
His rehearsal packages are by far the most entertaining of any season ever. He cracks me up. OK, so how does Chad have the best celebtestant hip action of the night? Nicole should be ashamed. Another step up the improvement ladder for No. 85. The posture was better, his character was there, and seemed like he was in the moment and not counting in his head.
Judges: Carrie Ann says it's his best dance so far, adding his hip action was two actual snaps followed by "damn." Len agrees and points to his improved posture and performance. Chad then handed him a dollar. Comedy. Bruno complimented his hips and commended how he sustained and continued his lines.
Score: Technical - 21 (7-6-8), Performance - 23 (8-7-8) = 44

9. Pamela Anderson and Damian Whitewood
Dance/Song: Rumba/"I Can't Make You Love Me" a la Bonnie Raitt
I think Pamela really delivered on not being overly sexy and having vulenability. The technique was very solid. She had good hip action, the feet looked good, and she had some nice lines. She extended her limbs well and there was fluidity from move to move. She's really developing into a front-runner for the title if she continues to improve like this.
Judges: Len thought it was understated and had sophistication, adding she had one of the best spirals of the night. Bruno said she was refined and elegant but still "drop-dead sexy," calling it technically the best dance she's done. Carrie Ann said there was magic happening though there was an occasional weird arm placement.
Score: Technical - 23 (7-8-8), Performance - 24 (8-7-9) = 47

Bottom Two: Because Kate had such a huge leap forward tonight, I think she deserves to stick around (though of course I'm sure that means she'll be in danger). Based on rate of improvement, I'd put Jake and Aiden down there.
Who's Out: I could not see Jake dance again and be OK with it.

Your thoughts on tonight? Was it just me or did Len underscore quite a few folks, especially Chad? I'm proud of Kate's breakthrough, are you? Which were your favorite performances tonight? Any other thoughts?