Michael Irvin plays coach on Dancing with the Stars

by Sarah Blaskovich

Michael “The Playmaker” Irvin certainly made some moves this week on Dancing with the Stars. While he's always been a strong-willed competitor rehearsing with his partner Anna Demidova, he was given the opportunity this week to make his mark in a group. “If one person drops the ball, we all go down,” he told the other competitors.

That wasn't the only football analogy he made – no surprise there, if you've been watching – but this week, contestants made it clear that Irvin's presence as “coach” of the group was pivotal when celebrities were forced to perform their first group dance in addition to a regular partner dance.

The seven celebrities and their partners were split into “Team Tango” or “Team Paso” and were instructed to choreograph and perform their assigned dance as a group. The judges scores – the same score awarded to each celebrity in the group – would be added to the celebrities' scores from their partner dance.

Irvin was joined by Mark Dacascos, Aaron Carter, and Mya (plus their partners) for the paso doble. When two of the professional dancers kept butting heads, Irvin stepped in with the words only he could say: “You've gotta have one heartbeat,” he told them. Though Carter was the official team captain, Irvin was praised for giving the group necessary pep talks and keeping the attitude positive. Each judge gave the dancers an 8, making for 24 extra points for each celebrity on Team Paso.

Irvin's team was overshadowed by Team Tango, however, consisting of Kelly Osborne, Donny Osmond, and Joanna Krupa (plus their partners). The theme of their tango was that Osmond was supposed to be torn between “so many women,” – well, just Krupa and Osborne -- which wasn't believable but was certainly funny. They received a 9 from judge Carrie Ann Inaba, a 9 from Len Goodman, and a 10 from Bruno Tonioli, making for 29 extra points added to their scores.

The other fun twist to this week's episode was that the celebrities got to design their professional partners' costumes (instead of vice versa, like usual). Irvin dressed Demidova in a striking burgundy dress and wore a burgundy suit himself with a pastel pink shirt underneath. His inspiration, he said, was from watching Barney with his kids. (A little far-fetched, but cute.) Host Tom Bergeron pounced: “If Barney looked like Anna, I'd still be watching without my kids.” The couple wore their dapper outfits for their partner dance, a foxtrot.

Irvin seemed like a changed dancer this week. He didn't look like his head was too far into the game – he just looked like he was actually having fun. Irvin was smiley as always but now looked smooth and collected. Goodman called his performance “brilliant” and Inaba called it “incredible.” One suggestion from Tonioli: “The bum still sticks out.” Irvin received his highest score of the season, 23. “That's a touchdown, field goal, extra point,” he said. “It's a blessing that hard work does pay off, and I'm happy for that.”

But the hard work could only take him so far. Tuesday night's elimination round showed Irvin getting voted into the bottom three yet again. He was joined by Carter and Dacascos, and of the three, two would be eliminated. Irvin had managed to save himself from the bottom before.

To fill the space with suspense, Colbie Caillat performed, followed by a boy-band debut of two Dancing with the Stars professional dancers, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas. (If you thought 'NSYNC's moves were dead, they're back, Michael Jackson crotch-thrusts and all.) Also performing was Rod Stewart, donning perfect mad scientist hair.

The big surprise of the night was that Irvin was not voted into the bottom two – which would require him to dance off to save himself from elimination. No, Irvin was simply voted off right away (like Melissa Joan Hart was last week) without the opportunity to redeem himself. Irvin seemed sincerely nostalgic as the crowd booed and gave him a standing ovation. He again gave the audience motivational words to show that his hard work really did pay off, even if he wasn't the winner.

After Carter and Dacascos performed a partner dance to save themselves, judges voted unanimously to let Dacascos go. He had a tough week after partner Lacey Schwimmer got sick and he received a new professional partner last-minute.

Keep an eye on Osmond and Mya; they'll likely continue to top the charts for judges scores. Osborne will probably stay near the bottom, though she's just so darn cute. As for Carter and Krupa, it's anybody's guess.