Ladies show how it’s done on ‘Dancing’

Johnny & Marie
With a tough act to follow, Marie Osmond used her personality to make up for any soft-shoe blunders. And the ambitious Marie was out for the win, saying that she wanted to do it for other over-45 single moms. Her secret weapon? “25 million viewers — 22 million of them Osmonds!”

Wearing a gorgeous long purple gown, which looked to have some stellar support garments under it, Marie upstaged her foxtrot better half, Jonathan Roberts. Not with stunning moves or anything, but with her cheeky play to the judges. She went so far as to blow them a kiss midway through the performance. And it worked, as they found her “adorable” and gave the pair a set of sevens.

Less adorable, but much more sexy was the pairing of Spice Girl Mel B. and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. The two perfectionists butted heads during rehearsals, but those same strong personalities worked well come cha cha time.

In a sparkling leopard print, leggy number, Scary Spice gave up her controlling ways and managed to allow Maks to lead. A good portion of their routine didn’t require up-close work though, which probably helped Mel B. In fact, the couple made the best use of the enormous dance floor during their routine, spreading out for much of the number.

When it went to the judges, Carrie Ann handed out an odd compliment, saying, “You’re a better dancer than I thought you’d be.” Didn’t she ever see the Spice Girls? What they lacked in vocals (and that was a heck of a lot), they made up for with moves. Sort of.

Dr. Quinn: Dancing woman
Sabrina and Mark may have had the highest score, but the all-around best was saved for the end of the night. The lithe and elegant Jane Seymour, who at 56 is the oldest woman to ever compete on the show, joined Tony Dovolani for a beautiful foxtrot. The only possible thing to criticize her for was an unfortunate gown selection. That flouncy getup would have looked better in any other color than shocking hot pink.

Jane could practically teach some of the pros about long lines and detailing. At one point Tony dipped her almost parallel with the floor and she smiled into the most graceful movement of the night. To top it off, the pair earned a standing ovation for their efforts.

The judges may have given them a 24, tying the Mel/Maks score, but don’t be surprised if viewers rank them the overwhelming winners of the night.

In the end, it was a decent showing from the women, but the men were missed. It seemed a shame to have to wait a night for the glitz of Mr. Las Vegas, the hubris of what’s-his-name, um, Albert Reed, and the obnoxiousness of Mark Cuban.

Ree Hines lives in Tampa, Fla., and is a regular contributor to MSNBC.com.

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