'Dancing With the Stars' 5th Judge: America Gets It Right With Elimination As One Lachey Shines Brightest

As we did last season, and we do for various competition shows, I will be acting as your fifth judge, analyzing, critiquing and breaking down what worked and what didn't work about each performance. A quick reminder about me: I spent nearly a decade of my life sweating and bleeding to the music as a dancer, all for this moment: armchair judging a dance competition. From a young boy learning a shuffle-ball-change to performing with the St. Louis Ballet Company, I experienced the ups and downs of one of the most difficult physically demanding sports on the planet.

Fair warning, since I'm safe at home, I'm probably going to be a little harsher than my colleagues Carrie-Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tolioni. But I might be nicer, too. Maybe. Yes, there are only three judges on the panel this season, but let's face it, you're the fourth judge. Your votes mean just as much if not more than the judges, so I'll gladly sit fifth behind all of you watching at home.'

Debbie came out with a confident performance, clearly feeling good after high marks and comments from the judges last week. She bravely opened the dance alone on the stage, and showed that she could master choreography in a short time, keeping up effortlessly with Alan as they quickly bounced across the stage. The quickstep is death for a lot of couples, but Debbie can be very proud at how she handled it in the second week of the competition -- one of two dances she had to learn this week. The hold was a little sloppy at places, but her feet only stumbled in a few places throughout while she tried to keep up.

Judges Scores: 7, 6, 7

My Score: 6

After an aggressive opening number last week, Nikki tried to channel her softer side in a waltz and work on keeping her eyes up. While I would have loved some kind of expression or sign of chemistry from her, I can't fault that she looked elegant in the hold through most of it. That said, she stumbled a bit at the end, but her extensions were lovely, and the pair positively glided across the floor.

Judges Scores: 7, 7, 7

My Score: 7

After a great start last week, Lindsey pulled the hardest dance style with the quickstep. It didn't seem to be a real problem for her. Her arms were much improved from last week, though it was probably helped by the quick motions required throughout the routine. She also needs to make sure her hand positions are matching the choreography. I thought she had a very nice carriage with Mark through most of the performance. There was a lot more casual choreo than classic quickstep, but Lindsey kept it moving in a lively and fun way. The butterfly motif worked and you could see the joy on her face as she performed. This is a partnership off to a fantastic start.

Judges Scores: 7, 7, 7

My Score: 7

Thankfully tonight's dances are very short, and yet Barbara struggled early on with the footwork of the tango. She had a respectable carriage and clearly knew where the dance was taking her, showing grace across the floor. She was still a little stiff throughout, but it was nice to see tremendous improvement from week to week, so she needn't worry that she wouldn't improve. She absolutely did, and if given time could become a solid dancer. Unfortunately, she was still a bit tepid in her movements gaining in confidence and grace as the piece moved. But it may not be enough.

Judges Scores: 6, 5, 6My Score: 4

This was a cute dance, but Nick was just lumbering through it. I didn't see any notable improvement from last week in the heaviness of his feet throughout. His arms seemed to know what to do, but his body was just stumbling along trying to keep up with the idea in his head of what the dance should be. The spin stunt with Peta didn't really work as she came to a complete stop and then simply stood up, so that lacked the elegance the foxtrot demanded, as did most of the other movements. The movements across the floor should have a rhythm to them, rather than the stutter we saw here.

Judges Scores: 7, 6, 6

My Score: 4

After a very rough first week, the quickstep had to be absolutely terrifying. Add to that a hamstring injury, and Drew had the cards stacked against him. He was on his heels through the start of this piece, and when he finally got onto his toes, his legs almost looked a little out of control. He had noodle limbs a bit throughout. He tackled some fun footwork later in the piece, and gets my vote for most improved dancer of the week so far. He pulled himself from the bottom ranks to the lower middle, which is a solid place to be in this show, as it's as much about the journey toward improvement as it is about great dancing.

Judges Scores: 7, 6, 7

My Score: 5

Vanessa Lachey & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

I would have liked to see a little more foxtrot, but Vanessa absolutely sizzled in every moment of that routine. Her footwork was amazing, and I was absolutely stunned at how well she maintained her hold once she and Maksim got into the foxtrot portion of the dance. On top of that, she emoted beautifully and with such sass and confidence, Vanessa is truly emerging as a dancer to watch on this. And unless something major changes -- MAJOR -- she's going to stomp her husband into the ground this season.

Judges Scores: 8, 8, 8

My Score: 8

Where did this guy come from? Wow, what an improvement in attitude and stage presence from last week to this week. While it wasn't the strongest dance in technicalities, Frankie brought it harder than anyone else in sheer force of will. This was a powerful foxtrot and Frankie was in command from beginning to end, effortlessly moving Witney from position to position. She was an ethereal beauty, but he really held his own as the commanding male lead. I would have liked a more pronounced carriage in the hold, but that's minor compared to everything he did give.

Judges Scores: 8, 7, 8

My Score: 8

This was much better than last week's near-disaster, but Terrell really needs to relax into trusting that Cheryl knows what she's doing, and he is capable of this. Like Drew, the height difference creates some issues with the choreography in the partnering, but I was really pleased to see him maintain a proper hold through parts of this dance and commit to the movement of the dance. He was still a little awkward in dips with the way he bent his legs, but this may be a matter of proportions. I think T.O. has the potential to really emerge as something special, but he's not quite there yet.

Judges Scores: 7, 6, 7My Score: 6

Sasha's parents are Latin dancers and made her rehearsal even more intense as she prepared for this Viennese waltz. As she got into the dance itself, I found myself drawn to her arms, which were flicking in and out in sharper movements than the waltz wants. There's a fluidity that she was missing for some reason, whether it's nerves or overthinking the steps, and she needs to find it. Her legs were much better in this week's dance and her carriage was very nice in the hold as they glided across the floor, so I see that potential for great dance in her.

Judges Scores: 8, 8, 7

My Score: 7

I loved the concept of this dance, with Victoria acting as the puppeteer. She brought Val to life to dance the tango with her and it was one again a masterwork in chemistry and performance. Victoria really has a knack for hold and footwork, despite her inability to feel her legs. There were only a few points you could see the feet maybe not exactly as they should be, and the leg hold at the end went on a bit longer than necessary, but this was easily one of the most polished and confident dances of the night.

Judges Scores: 8, 8, 8

My Score: 8

He got through that and I think that's what he was celebrating. This means, unfortunately, that Derek isn't yet working on getting his lines right, keeping his arms smooth and controlled, and making sure his movements are sure and as big as the foxtrot needs them to be. This looked like a very timid dance by a very unsure dancer, but I could see the foundation for someone who is learning the steps and the technique. If he's here to add the polish, he could grow into a real dancer as well.

Judges Scores: 6, 6, 7

My Score: 5

This was advanced choreography and partnering on the part of Lindsay in designing the dance, but Jordan had no trouble with it at all. His lines are impeccable and he once again blew me away with what he is able to do so early in the competition. Their hold was flawless throughout with the contact needed for the Viennese waltz. And there was so much waltz in it, it was only missing a little of the fluidity. My biggest concern for Jordan is he doesn't have as much to grow as so many others, and viewers love to reward the most improved dancer.

Judges Scores: 8, 8, 8

My Score: 8

Terrell Owens joined Barbara Corcoran in the danger zone on the night, meaning "Property Brothers" star Drew Scott's fans came through for him. In the end, tonight's was the final dance for Barbara Corcoran, who became the first celebrity eliminated from the competition. She has a great spirit, but I can't argue with this result at all as she was far and away the weakest dancer of the first week. There is a lot of potential this season, though. Once we trim some of the other low hanging fruit, it should be a lot of fun.

Another dancer is eliminated in a special episode Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET before "Dancing With the Stars" returns to its regular time slot, Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.