Girl Bonding
Marlee Matlin outed herself as a fist-pumper (just like her husband!), excitedly shooting her silk-gloved hand up after rival Shannon Elizabeth earned the first “safe” slot of the night. As the ladies were whittled down, though, the support turned to nervous twitters as Monica Seles pouted — seemingly sure of her fate — and Marissa Jaret Winokur fidgeted with her pink dress. But during the break, as music came back on, the effervescent Winokur rallied, breaking out into a little dance that had her partner laughing. Moments later, left onstage with Priscilla Presley and Seles, Winokur reached out to squeeze Presley’s hand, then blew a kiss to Seles.
As for the Boys …
After Penn Jillette and partner Kym Johnson were sent packing, Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke (above) celebrated with a hug of obvious relief that had de la Fuente lifting his partner off the ground, and slowly spinning her in the air. But as Jillette and Johnson made their way backstage, not one of the saved pairs stopped him to commiserate.
The Judges’ Jonas Jam
How old are you Len? When the show started with a taping of the Jonas Brothers’ squeal-inducing, two-song set, the three judges were just as excited as the tween girls in the audience. Bruno Tonioli played air guitar during the band’s “When You Look Me in the Eyes”, Carrie Ann Inaba sang along to their cover of “Take On Me” and Len Goodman rhythmically pounded the table with the palms of his hands. But Joe Jonas was careful to court his core fans, getting the girls on their feet by simply asking, “How many people skipped school to be here today?”
Say Cheese! (It’s the Gutt Talking)
After Steve Guttenberg heard he was the first male dancer to get a pass for the night, he saved the moment — with his digital camera. “I take a lot of pictures,” he admits. “It’s important to capture these great memories. I’ve made some great friends (here).”
‘Big’ League Props
Oprah’s Big Give (another ABC show) brought together an odd couple in the front row (right): Kansas City Chief Tony Gonzales and the talk-show host’s favorite design specialist Nate Berkus, who spent the night chatting and laughing. During fellow NFL star Jason Taylor’s Mambo encore, tight-end Gonzales kept shaking his head in admiration. “When I first heard Jason was doing the show, I thought, ‘Oh my God, he’s going to embarrass himself,” Gonzales told PEOPLE. “Jerry (Rice) did it, Emmitt (Smith) did it and Jason had big shoes to fill. But he did really well.”
Samantha Needs a Better Seat
Samantha Harris may need to get a stepstool. During the taping of the Cirque du Soleil-inspired dance, the host bobbed and weaved to get a better view of the spectacle that had judge Carrie Ann Inaba open-mouthed with amazement. The 10 acrobatic dancers twirled through the air as Meat Loaf’s “I Would Do Anything for Love” played. Still, Harris was in a playful mood that night, joking with Inaba and, at one point during a break, dancing in front of the judges to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Shining Star.” –Reagan Alexander and Monica Rizzo
More ‘What You Didn’t See:’ Monday Night’s Show
Photos: Michael Desmond/ABC; Kelsey McNeal/ABC
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