Misty heads home; Brooke shines on ‘Dancing’

Susan Lucci, who sported a wrapped ankle Monday night due to a rehearsal fumble (minor curse?), kicked up her heels for a 21-worthy jumping jive that showed some of her finest moves so far. The problem for the daytime diva is that she still looks like she’s unsure of her steps, even when she lands them all.

“It bums me out,” Carrie Ann said of the star’s timid stage persona, a sentiment no doubt shared by fans still hoping to see the brazen Erica Kane take the stage one day.

Starting out strong, Cody Linley might have landed among the top performers of the night if only Julianne Hough had choreographed a better routine. The judges loved the first half of the “Hannah Montana” star’s fast-paced jive, but could have done without the filler-filled second half, complete with two rounds of Cody playing Julianne’s gams as a guitar.

“You started like a twinkling Twinkie,” Bruno told the teen actor, but by the end of the dance, the panel decided the half routine was only worth a whole lot of sevens.

With the help of a blindfold, Rocco DiSpirito looked better in rehearsals than he has on the dance floor so far. Too bad the blindfold came off after he hit the stage for the Viennese waltz. Shortly after he found his grove, the celebrity chef lost it again. He just can’t seem to keep up with the beat or with pro partner Karina Smirnoff.  With 20 points for the night, the celebrity chef was just happy to graduate his score out of the teens

And then there’s Cloris Leachman. It’s hard to describe what the feisty octogenarian did on the dance floor, but it’s safe to say there was very little dance involved. She and Corky Ballas put on show that featured more shtick than smooth moves, and when the baffling number was over, a campy Cloris took a victory lap around the ballroom.

Bruno summed the spectacle as “beyond comprehension,” and truer words were never uttered in the ballroom. Somehow the not-a-dance still earned Cloris 16 generous points.

Unless the show decides to keep them all to make up for Misty's loss, one more “Dancing” dud will waltz off the stage Tuesday night. Look for rhythm-impaired Rocco or movement-impaired Cloris to land in last place with fans this week.

Ree Hines is a frequent contributor to msnbc.com.

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