Cristian Soldiers On and Makes Dancing With the Stars Top 5

So, Cristian is going to continue despite his need for surgery. It's a brave decision, and shows how popular and respected this dance show has become. Most would be angry if they hurt themselves to the point of requiring surgery doing something as "trifling" as dancing, and he's surely going to lose some work over it, but he's focused on seeing it through to the end. He won't be doing any of the newly allowed lifts though!

It's smart they changed that policy - there was too much ridiculous discussion over whether something constituted a lift, especially when they were often accidents, such as Edyta's on Monday night. I think her foot was meant to trace the floor but Jason got too much speed on that swing, which led to too much height, and keeping her foot on the floor meant making an ugly, spread-legged line.

It was a treat watching Jose Decamps and Joanna Zacharewicz on the elimination show. They're currently America's top Rhythm couple and Jose is one of our greatest ballroom dancers period. He moves like no other!

So, Shannon got the boot - perhaps owing partly to her histrionics last week over judges' remarks, but probably just as much because she was the least talented left - and now we have the top five: the girl with the huge personality and the not-ideal dance body who shows dance is not about the body you have but how you move it; the endearingly humble sports star whose friends at first made fun of him but is now addicted to ballroom; the cutely sexy in that little boy way R&B star; the thrilling-to-watch Olympic star who is technically by far the best; and the sweet, spirited, cute-accented, and now wounded telenovella star. Sounds like the makings of a fun, final-stretch show-down.