The stakes and caliber of dance were both raised tremendously on Monday night's "Dancing with the Stars," and the remaining six contestants (quick)stepped up to the challenge.
Chelsea, Romeo and Ralph kicked off "ballroom greats" night with a group dance to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" clad in skin-tight, skimpy black leather. It was a nod to the youngsters' (...and Ralph's) troop that it was at times difficult to tell who the professionals were and who the celebrities were.
"I'm so impressed with you, Ralph, because this is the 'young, edgy group,'" Carrie Ann exclaimed, possibly embarrassing the already gawky former "Karate Kid" star moreso than Bruno's "give me sex!" comment a few weeks back.
The team scored an even 30 out of a possible 40 - Latin dance living legend Donnie Burns sat beside Carrie Ann as a guest judge - and plenty of accolades from the judges.
The "old parents" team, meanwhile - Hines, Kirstie and Kendra - made up for their own lack of youth with what Kirstie Alley dubbed the "shaking our butts" tactic, which actually proved to be a hit with traditionalist Len. "Kendra, you were like a dancing martini," Len said, perhaps waxing nostalgic of last week's stripper action. "You were shaking, and I was stirred."
It's anyone's guess how long the head judge had been practicing that line. When it came time to the pairs' individual dances, however, it was Chelsea and Mark's overpractice that caught Len's attention.
"It might be my age, but I was confused," he commented. "It was too much aggression, too much in my face - it needs refinement."
Tell that to Mama Ballas, British ballroom great Shirley Ballas, who helped to get son Mark and partner Chelsea to perform a more passionate paso doble. "She was like a scary third grade teacher!" Chelsea quipped about the pro's teaching tactics.
Their score of 34 put them in the middle of the pack, with Hines and Ralph tying for first place and Kirstie and Romeo grazing the bottom of the pack.
Dance pro Donnie offered his assessment of Kirstie and Maksim's lively jive: "Sometimes, real talent is between the white and black keys - so though mechanically you are not the best, the spirit of who you are shines through."
Nice words for the constantly struggling Kirstie, and a heck of a lot nicer than his description of Romeo's samba-in-my-pants party. "The party might be in your pants," Donnie began, "but there's an earthquake in your shoes."Will the rapper's fans pull together to prove Donnie wrong Tuesday night?