'Dancing with the Stars': Week 5 Recap

By Rebecca Harper, Hulu | Thursday, October 22, 2009, 12:42 PM

Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson

ABC/Adam Larkey

It was a flu-ridden week of "Dancing With the Stars," but that's not all that went wrong as the 10 remaining celebrities took to the dance floor. First there were the hairstyles: Host Samantha Harris channeled the '80s with a 'do straight from "Dynasty," while professional dancer Lacey Schwimmer went for something straight out of an early-'90s heavy-metal video. Meanwhile, Kelly Osbourne suffered a sprained ankle during a fierce Paso Doble, and Joanna Krupa faltered a bit during her Argentine Tango. The voters at home also delivered a surprising blow to one of the show's rising stars, Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin, who was sent home after a respectable (though not incredibly passionate) Paso Doble. Below, the Hulu team recaps some of the night's most buzz-worthy performances.

The Leading Man: Donny Osmond

Poor Donny Osmond's working like a dog these days, trying to balance a busy Vegas act (you can see him and Marie four nights a week) and master two new dances for the competition. But hard work suits him: He and partner Kym Johnson delivered an intimate Argentine Tango that actually seemed sexy -- that's right, Donny Osmond and "sexy" in the same sentence! Judge Carrie Ann Inaba agreed too, exclaiming, "The Argentine Tango loves Donny Osmond! ... I just fell in love with you. There's a whole new side of you tonight ... it was so darn sexy!" The intensity between Donny and Kym led Bruno Toniolo to compare the squeaky clean entertainer to Donnie Darko -- "broody, moody, dangerous and sharp as a blade." While Len Goodman was a little more reserved, giving Donny a 9, Carrie Ann and Bruno each gave Donny 10s, for the highest score of the night.

Drama Delivered: Mark Decascos

While "Iron Chef" chairman Mark Decascos errs on the side of cheesy more often than we like, he toned down the cheese and embraced his macho bullfighter side this week. But really, his Paso Doble with partner Lacey Schwimmer was all about her crazy, frizzed-out, banana-clipped hair. That aside, Mark delivered a dramatic Flamenco opening that managed to show off his sexier side. While Len Goodman commended Mark on his mastery of the "three Ps" -- posture, passion, performance -- Bruno focused on something else: "You're turning into Mephisto, the devil. You were on it!" Lacey took a risk giving Mark a solo, but it paid off, earning the duo their highest scores so far.

Chemistry Experiment: Joanna Krupa

PETA activist/swimsuit model Joanna Krupa suffered two major blows this week, but she managed to dance her way through to another round. Not only did she have a costly stumble in the middle of her routine, but her partner Derek Hough was sidelined with the flu. Fortunately, the producers had a stand-in at the ready: the recently eliminated Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who just happens to be a Ukrainian Latin Ballroom dance champion. Lucky for Joanna, she and Maks managed to spark some chemistry after just a few days of practice. (Some partners -- Melissa and Mark, Natalie and Alec -- just never seem to come together.) Joanna and Maks started off strong, but Joanna's misstep threw off the rest of the routine. "I was living my fantasies up until that stumble. Up until then, you could have had anything you wanted," Bruno told them. Because of the change in partners, we suspect the judges were lenient with Joanna and Maks, granting them triple 8s for the night.

Daddy's Little Girl: Kelly Osbourne

Ozzy's little girl found confidence doing the Charleston last week, but could she master the decidedly serious Paso Doble this time around? Faced with that challenge, Kelly did what any daughter would do: She gave herself a Sharon Osbourne 'do while her partner, Louis van Amstel, channeled his inner goth with a lot of eyeliner, and together they danced to Ozzy's "Crazy Train." Her goal was to be as fierce as possible, but Kelly went off the rails from time to time. "You've got to learn the routine, but that's just the start. You've then got to work on getting into the character," Len told her. It wasn't played up during the night of dancing, but it turns out Kelly actually sprained her foot and suffered a contusion (fancy doctor-speak for a bruise) during her routine, though she should be fine to dance next week.

Wooden Nickel Award: Michael Irvin

Last week, former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin was crushed by the judges' critique of his Bolero, but the voters gave him a second chance by keeping him in the game. Of all the stars on "Dancing" this season, he seems to be having the most fun, and he worked hard to master the Paso Doble. The secret, it seems, came from his partner, Ann Demidova, who told him to walk like he had a coin between his butt cheeks. And so, what did this self-respecting football star do? He stuck a nickel between his cheeks and marched and swirled his cape around like a master bullfighter. While it's clear Michael isn't a natural dancer, he showed improvement as far as the judges were concerned. "Finally, somebody put their game face on!" Carrie Ann told him. "It's my favorite dance so far... the intensity was there." Len liked his posture, his expressiveness, and the haughty way he walked the floor. As for the always eloquent Bruno, we'll let him speak for himself.

Swan Song: Natalie Coughlin

To our admittedly untrained eyes, Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin always seemed a beat behind as she did the Paso Doble to "American Woman." There's no doubt, though, that she looked strong and powerful. In fact, this dance, which mimics the movements of a Spanish bullfight, seemed to play to her strengths: a long, lean swimmer's body and an aggressive, competitive side. The judges all agreed that she performed a very clean, precise dance, but she needed to develop a character and show more chemistry with her partner. And while Bruno, Len, and Carrie Ann looked forward to seeing Natalie's progression, the voters didn't agree. Much to the shock of everyone in the "Dancing" studio, she was sent packing with tears in her eyes.

Talk About It: Were you surprised to see Natalie go home this week?

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