This last week Dancing with the Stars took a serious turn as Elisabetta and Val were eliminated and sent home. We've all become good friends during the long hours we put in at the rehearsal hall. So, when a couple is forced to leave, it puts the whole competition in a new perspective. I saw Elisabetta's dancing skills really improve, and Val is a great dancer and instructor. I really miss them.
We took to the dance floor Monday night as the underdogs, the dark horse contenders. But once I heard "It Don't Mean a Thing," everything became a blur – and all I can remember is pounding out the beat with my dance steps and holding onto Tristan for dear life. The side-together, side-together, flick, run-run-run-run, kick, ball change, and then S-L-I-D-E into alternating jumping jacks was a challenge, but we did it! Then ... the judges! Len was "refreshed" by our dance together and gave us an 8! And, I'm taking their constructive criticism to heart and promise to give Carrie Ann and Bruno more action.
Our next dance is the waltz. It's a beautiful ballroom dance and requires me to strongly follow Tristan's lead. The song we chose has an extremely personal meaning for me.
NANCY GRACE
The outspoken HLN legal analyst thought she was dreaming when she got the call to participate on the show. "I feel like Cinderella that got invited to the ball. I don't know how to dance,” Grace, 51, admits. "I don't know what I'm going to wear, but I know I have been invited."
DAVID ARQUETTE
When the actor asked his 7-year-old daughter Coco what she thought of him doing Dancing with the Stars, "She said, 'Well, my initial thought is no,'" Arquette, 39, says with a laugh. "I talked to her recently after I decided to do it and she said, 'I'm alright with it.' "
KRISTIN CAVALLARI
After the shock of broken engagement to Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler last month, Cavallari, 24, says, "It's good to stay busy. I have no idea if I'll be good or not. I have a lot of anxiety about just getting in there and seeing how well I'll be able to pick up the dances."
ROB KARDASHIAN
Fresh from hitting the dance floor at his sister Kim's wedding, the reality star, 24, says he's going to concentrate on having fun. "Whether I fall or embarrass myself, I don't care," Kardashian says. "It's fun. It's entertainment. It's a challenge and I'm into it."
CHAZ BONO
The transgender advocate, 42, who transitioned from being a woman to a man, says he's excited to dance "the way I always should have, which is as a male partnered with a woman."
ELISABETTA CANALIS
The Italian actress, 32, (and George Clooney's ex) made a splash on TNT's Leverage last season. Being asked to participate on Dancing "is a dream," she says. "Everybody I talk to says they have so much fun and all of them tell me it's going to be the greatest experience of my life."
J.R. MARTINEZ
"I'm cool with being the underdog," says the star of All My Children. His master plan: "I will slide under the radar till the competition gets tougher," Martinez, 28, says. "Then I'll let our moves take over from that point and let the audience do us justice by putting us through week by week."
CHYNNA PHILLIPS
Hubby Billy Baldwin encouraged the singer, 43, to do the show. But she's bracing herself for what lies ahead. "It's terrifying – the idea of getting out there and all these millions of people watching you dance and being judged," she says. "What could be worse?"
CARSON KRESSLEY
"So excited to be part of the #DWTS cast for season 13!" the author, celebrity stylist and designer Tweeted of the news he's joining the cast. "I'm gonna kick nancy graces butt."
HOPE SOLO
She's used to using her hands on the field, but how will the U.S. national women's soccer team goalie fare when her feet have to do all the work? "I can't dance at all," admits Solo, 30. She plans on leaning on her partner to "carry me through this journey and to conquer the anxiety of performing in front of a different kind of crowd."
RON ARTEST
The Los Angeles Lakers star, 31, isn't going to let the NBA lockout keep him away from the parquet – even if it means trading slam dunks for a saucy samba.
RICKI LAKE
"I'm a bundle of nerves," the newly engaged star, 42, confesses. "I keep going back and forth with 'what am I getting myself into?' and 'I can't wait to start.'" Whether she's ready or not, the former talk show host will likely have her very own "Go, Ricki!" cheering section.
