Good evening, fellow Citizens of the Nation. I know you’re used to Craig writing about our beloved Hines Ward on Dancing With the Stars, but he asked me to cover for him this evening. I will try to live up to Craig’s standards.
Tonight was week 3 of Hines “Twinkle Toes” Ward’s stint on Dancing With the Stars. Like Craig, I am not a fan of the show, so I often defer to my wife’s opinion on the more technical issues of the dancing. Also like Craig, I am happy to watch anything having to do the Steelers.
It was classical week on DWTS. This was the first time they have had classical week on the show. There was a larger 46-member orchestra who were joined by the world’s fastest violinist, David Garrett, and mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins.
The Lead In
Hines started the evening having coming off a great performance last week, tying for first place in the competition. This week, Hines chose a paso doble, but lost a day of rehearsal due to other planned events. From the preview package, it looked like Ward was putting his football obligations before his DTWS responsibilities. Perish the thought!
The Dance
From what I gather, the paso doble is a very aggressive dance, which seemed to get Ward right in his wheelhouse. As we all know, Ward is a very aggressive receiver. Missing, however, was Ward’s trademark smile. Whether that was by design to fit the dance or he was simply trying to remember the steps, I couldn’t tell, but the smile quickly returned when the dance was over. He looked very good and technically proficient to my admittedly untrained eye.
The Judges
Carrie Ann – (9) “You are in the zone. A touchdown on the paso doble.”
Len – (8) “You are the most determined of all our celebrities.”
Bruno – (8) “You do have the killer instinct. Truly explosive.”
Total – 25
My Take
Based on the glowing remarks the judges made, 25 seemed like a low score, but it did tie Hines and Kym for the lead after their dance. They would finish the evening in a tie for second. Hines seemed to have to concentrate extremely hard during the dance, and seemed less at ease than previous weeks.
I’m not surprised to see Ward doing well on the show. As Kym alluded to, he is extremely coachable and is used to being pushed to perform to his best at all times.
Several Steelers were in attendance, including James Harrison and James Farrior, waving their Terrible Towels. Carrie Ann indicated the team told her that she should give him a 10. It didn’t seem like an unreasonable request.
No doubt Hines would love to hear from the Nation in the form of votes. Let’s do everything we can to keep our beloved receiver on the show. The results show is Tues., April 12 at 9/8 Central.