Plot

After the dramatic, first-ever double elimination sent Penn Jillette and Monica Seles packing, the remaining 10 stars got to choose between the Jive and the Tango. From the intros, it was clear the costume selection was pretty extreme, but there's little time to get into details, so let's get right to the action.

Marlee & Fabian: Actress Marlee Matlin and her partner Fabian Sanchez opted to dance a traditional Jive, as Fabian said, "to please the judges." They weren't happy with his Mambo-fied Quickstep last week. Marlee and Fabian danced the Jive to Billy Joel's "You May Be Right." Judge Len Goodman said Marlee never ceases to amaze him and said she "did a great job." Bruno Tonioli said she seems like she really connects with everyone, but noted that she missed the timing a couple of times. Carrie Ann Inaba said, by her own account, got "nit-picky" and told Marlee to watch her hands and said they can get a little "pancakey" sometimes. Scores: 7, 7 and 7.

Anna & Steve: Actor Steve Guttenberg is trying to get past the notion that he's purely a goofball and decided to take on the Tango, a much more serious dance. His partner Anna Trebunskaya was sick, but sent a substitute trainer: her husband Jonathan Roberts, who had a little time on his hands after being booted last week with his partner Monica Seles. They took part in a little "man-on-man Tango." With little time to train with Anna, Steve peered into the camera as the serious dance began. Steve, dressed in black pants, a black shirt, a black vest and a red tie, took the seriousness to a whole new level, keeping his eyebrow furrowed. Steve asked for a moment to prepare for the judges' comments, going back to the stage to get a steel bowl, which used as a helmet, and googles. Carrie Ann said "that was your best dance so far. She said he set the pace and tone. Len said the footwork was fantastic and called it "a much improved performance." Bruno called it "mean, mad and manly," which apparently was good. Scores: 7, 7 and 7.

Cristian & Cheryl: Actor Cristian de la Fuente said being left to hang in the balance during the results show last week was torture. It didn't necessarily mean he and partner Cheryl Burke were in the bottom two, but he was stressed, regardless. Cherryl took Cristian to Sea World to dance with a sea lion and let loose a bit. Cristian and Cheryl danced the Jive. Cristian donned a sleeveless blue button-up shirt to match Cheryl's shimmering dress. Bruno asked, "Are you on rocket fuel tonight?" He said Cristian clearly had a good time and delivered his best dance yet. Len pointed out his legs and his free arm could have been stronger, but agreed it was Cristian's best yet. Scores: 8, 8 and 9, from Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno, respectively.

Mario & Karina: The highest-scoring male star in the competition, R&B singer Mario, had little free time to practice while he was crossing the country to promote his new album. He practiced in the airport baggage claim and virtually every open space available. Mario and Karina danced the Tango to a Tango-ized version of The Police's "Roxanne." The crowd loved it, but Len didn't. He said he could understand the reaction because the dance had flair, but said "it was a mess." He knocked the posture, footwork, Mario's hold. He said Mario "bitterly disappointed me tonight." Carrie Ann said Len was right. She praised Mario for his style, but agreed it was a disappointment. Bruno said it wasn't "that bad," and pointed out a mistake. But he said it was "a proper, dramatic, very strong tango." Scores: 7, 6 and 8, from Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno, respectively.

Shannon & Derek: Actress Shannon Elizabeth got into the game last week, according to the judges, and took on the challenge of the Jive, which requires precise footwork. That's something Shannon had trouble with before because she's tall and has long legs (can't imagine too many women feeling sorry for her on that one, huh?). Derek used Shannon's interest in kickboxing to get her kicks down. Wearing a short, short skirt with gold tassels all over and a gold, sparkling headband, Shannon wore herself out and literally fell to the floor (not quite Marie Osmond style) for the judges' comments. Bruno said she took very challenging choreography and did well with it, but reminded her to focus on her finish and precision. Len said he saw "a really good Jive." Carrie Ann said Shannon surprises the judges every time and called her "a gem." Scores: 8, 8 and 8.

Adam & Julianne: Radio personality Adam Carolla and his partner Julianne Hough decided to do the Tango and Adam said five days is not enough to learn the dance. "It's difficult, and I make it look even more difficult." He got serious about not wanting to let Julianne down and said "she deserves better than me." Julianne wore a chestnut wig while Adam wore a black suit with an orange ruffled shirt underneath. The crowd exploded and host Tom Bergeron shouted, "The man is becoming a dancer." Carrie Ann said, "Actually, I cannot believe I'm going to say this, but Adam Carolla was pretty sexy out there." Bruno said Adam is "not a master technician" but he's getting better. Len praised Julianne's choreography, which he said is like makeup, "It can cover a multitude of sins." He said she "made Adam look like a dancer." Backstage, when co-host Samantha Harris asked Adam about learning the passion and intensity of the Tango from Julianne, he said, "My grandfather always told me, son, if you want to learn about a Argentenian dance that's about prostitutes, speak to a Mormon. And I didn't know what he meant, (sitting) on his knee back in 1971, but I now know." Julianne laughed nervously and later asked voters to keep them around "if you like his smart remarks." Scores: 7, 7 and 7.

Marissa & Tony: Broadway star Marissa Jaret Winokur decided to do the Jive because, as her partner Tony Davolani said, "it's flicky, it's kicky." Marissa and Tony danced the Jive to Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend," with Marissa wearing a pleated short skirt and a blue sequined shirt with a plaid collar. Len said it was a little careful. Carrie Ann said she was going to be hard on Marissa and called it "boring." She said Marissa is much better than that and she wasn't putting in the fight. Tony consoled Marissa and told her he was very proud of her. Bruno piled on a bit as Marissa appeared to fight back tears and he called it something that looked like a rehearsal, "it was like a Jive in cruise control." He said he was picking on her because he knew she had the talent to do better. Marissa put on a brave face backstage and said she doesn't know what she has to do to win over the judges. Tony said Marissa works very hard to make it look easy. Scores: 6, 7 and 6, from Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno, respectively.

Priscilla & Louis: Actress and very famous wife Priscilla Presley said she had to step up her game after watching her scores go down from the first week to the second. To dance the dramatic Tango, Priscilla said she's call upon her acting background. Priscilla and her partner Louis Van Amstel danced the Tango with Priscilla wearing a classic red dress, a red rose in her hair and a red garter that peeked out on her right leg. Bruno said it was well executed, beautifully acted with great choreography. Len praised the drama and said, "Great!" Carrie Ann said the Tango is an actor's dance and she believed every minute of it. Scores: 8, 9 and 9 from Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno, respectively.

Jason & Edyta: NFL star Jason Taylor saw his scores run up last week when he pulled in three 9's, but said that "as the scores go up, so does the pressure." He struggled to learn the Jive and it made him feel like a fat, uncoordinated slob. Jason and his partner Edyta Sliwinska danced the Jive while Jason appeared to be singing along with the song, Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman." The upbeat performance got the crowd's approval and Carrie Ann said she was amazed that Jason, as big as he is, can move as well as he does. She reminded him to open his upper body. Bruno called it a "cool Jive," restrained and powerful and said Jason's lines were very natural. Len praised Jason's lines, but said he didn't like the rest of it. He called the kicks sloppy. Scores: 8, 7 and 8 from Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno, respectively.

Kristi & Mark: Olympic gold medialist Kristi Yamaguchi has owned the first couple of weeks, but she said she's starting at Square One with the Tango. Her partner Marks Ballas Jr. wanted to help Kristi capture the emotion of the Tango, even though she isn't very good at showing her own emotions. A performance coach tried to help. Kristi and Mark danced the Tango to a lounge lizard version of Duran Duran's "Rio." Kristi had curls plastered to her forehead and cheeks and Mark stuck with the drama of the Tango, looking almost mad the whole time, which is a good thing. Len said he liked it very much. Carrie Ann said there's no faulting against Kristi's technique, but her emotion was one-dimensional. She said, "I don't feel much when you dance." Bruno said it was "sharp, clean, clear, always delivered to the extreme precision." He said he wants Kristi "to be a dirty girl." She responded him by showing some leg! Scores: 9, 9 and 9.

The scoreboard:

Kristi & Mark: 27

Priscilla & Louis: 26

Cristian & Cheryl: 25

Shannon & Derek: 24

Jason & Edyta: 23

Adam & Julianne: 21

Anna & Steve: 21

Mario & Karina: 21

Marlee & Fabian: 21

Marissa & Tony: 19