DWTS fans are nothing if not always opinionated. Here's what they had to say about this week's Performance show:

Here's what the critics had to say about the performance show...

Margaret Fuhrer at Dance Spirit Magazine: "It's semi-finals week on "DWTS," and the four remaining couples had a jam-packed night, with each performing both a ballroom and a latin routine (featuring a solo for the star--scary!). But exciting as the lineup was supposed to be, we were pretty bummed out after watching the opening montage, which has become a sad little ballroom graveyard. Pam! Niecy! We miss you so! We just don't find any of the semi-finalists as likeable as some of the folks we've said good-bye to already. We're even missing Kate a teeny tiny bit--at least she stirred up real, albeit ridiculous, drama. (And we have a feeling that Kate-Hater Nation was a big part of the reason this season of "DWTS" rocketed to the top of the ratings charts.)

But maybe we're not giving enough credit to Chad, Erin, Evan and (especially) Nicole, who put on a generally impressive show last night. And so, in the spirit of fairness, we'll try to be gentle in our recap. Sortof."
Joyce Eng at TV Guide: "Birthday boy Derek hurt his neck and the pain has stiffened up his back. He basically can't turn in any direction or lift Nicole. But he's still deteremined to dance. Watch, he's going to be fine... and he is. Can we say "sympathy vote"? I kid. It helps Derek that the A.T. has short and sharp movements. Nicole is killing it. She's the most restrained she's ever been in a dance, but it works in such a seductive dance. Her lines and extensions are beyond gorgeous. I would say the only downside is that neither of them seem to be connected to each other, like they're each dancing separate, albeit totally awesome halves of a totally awesome dance. The choreography is also stellar for a guy with a broken neck. Bruno calls her a divine enchantress who used each move to draw us deeper into a love spell. Carrie Ann was reduced to tears. Sniffles. Len says it was more delicious than his grandmother's apple pie, which is the best compliment Len can ever give.

Rachel Quinn at Sports Odds: "I hate to say it but Chad Ochocinco might be the one making an exit off the Dancing with the Stars dance floor. At 15 to 1 odds, he earned the lowest total score of 52 but he received great comments from the judges with Len stating, “You’re the only one with no dance experience. You came out and did a great waltz. Tonight you showed us something – that you’re a star.”  Erin Andrews (10 to 1 odds) knows what being in the bottom two feels like and I’m sure she’s hoping that America will bring her to the finale next week. She almost brought in a perfect 30 with her Paso Doble and got all 9’s for her Viennese Waltz, which gave her a total of 56 points."
Lyneka Little at The Wall Street Journal:

"Evan and Anna, who seemed to enjoy the dance costumes that make them resemble characters from a Disney cartoon, danced the foxtrot for the ballroom competition earning a score of 29 out of 30 in the first round. Later in the night, for the second round, the two danced the paso doble and brought out the ice skater’s “alpha male,” allowing him to exert himself during the routine and change from the G rated routines he’s become known for. The only issue during the dance is the band failed to provide the explosive sound that comes with the Evanescence song “Bring to Me to Life,” so when his moves were supposed to be punctuated by the sound, the boom just never arrived. It was a gutsy performance that may be the reason for Bruno’s surprising, “You’ve got balls.” The performance was truly rocking and for his effort, he nabbed a perfect score of 30, bringing his total score of the night to 59.


Cheryl has helped Chad Ochocinco grow each week. It’s evident that he is one of the only celebrities in the seminal finals that is coming from a background that doesn’t have a foundation in dance. His waltz earned him 27 out of 30 in the first round, and his second round Samba nabbed him 25 points. “Your technique hasn’t quite matured like everyone elses,” Carrie Ann stated while noting his start place is quite different from a Olympian dancer and professional dancer. “For a really tough dance, you did a great job,” said Len. Ochocinco has seen an improvement in posture this week that was quite unexpected and seemed to be running on an adrenaline of confidence.  His score for the night was 52 out of 60."