Dancing With The Stars, Week 2: Pamela Anderson Knows How to Shake It

Monday starts Week 2 of “Dancing With The Stars” but the jury is already in: Pamela Anderson is no Kim Kardashian. After Kim’s appearance in season 7, Chris Rock summed the situation up perfectly: “All that ass and can’t shake it.”

Well, Pamela Anderson knows how to shake it.

The original Baywatch babe offered a sharp contrast to Kate Gosselin, the other big celebrity on last week’s season premier. While Pamela took control of her own destiny, Kate waited for someone to rescue her.

Pamela’s technique was not great in the Cha-Cha, but we hardly noticed that because she so obviously loved what she was doing. She danced like she didn’t even need a partner, seizing the moment like it was the last show of her life, and shook what her mama gave her.

Kate, to her credit, seemed very innocent and vulnerable as she performed the Viennese Waltz – and that made us like her immediately. But she was so dependent on her partner Tony Dovolani that she seemed awkward and uncertain.

To be fair, dancing in front of millions of people is not easy for someone like Kate, a former nurse who is not a professional performer (despite all the media attention she gets). And it’s no coincidence that the two best dancers of Week 1 – figure skater Evan Lysacek and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger – have spent years performing before live audiences.

Evan has the whole package – obviously ballet trained, with great balance, posture, arm style, and frame. Nicole is an elegant performer who is beautiful to watch and looks very relaxed on the dance floor.

But the best personality – by far – is the comedian Niecy Nash, who struck a blow for thicker people everywhere by declaring “I like my jiggly parts!” She is so much fun to watch that she could become this season’s Cloris Leachman: Hardly a great dancer but an audience favorite who could last deep into the season on the force of her personality alone.

Below is my ranking of the 11 dancers in Week 1 and what they need to do with tonight’s Jive and Fox Trot to keep from being eliminated on the results show Tuesday night.

Finally, a prediction: The final episode on May 25^th will come down to Evan Lysacek, Nicole Scherzinger, and “The Bachelor” reality star Jake Pavelka, who gave an excellent presentation last week and looked very confident. Stay tuned!

Tatiana’s Rankings of Last Week’s Performances

1. Evan Lysacek (think dance floor, not skating rink)

2. Nicole Scherzinger (involve your back muscles to add depth to your movements)

3. Jake Pavelka (work on posture – stop hunching forward)

4. Shannen Doherty (bring some life to your face)

5. Pamela Anderson (work on your foot and leg positions – but don’t lose your  spontaneity)

6. Erin Andrews (watch those bent arms – they look like chicken wings)

7. Niecy Nash (don’t pick up your feet; brush them against the floor)

8. Chad Ochocinco (your upper body is smooth but you need to focus on footwork)

9. Kate Gosselin (work hard in practice but once you start dancing, trust yourself)

10. Aiden Turner (you’re cute but too robotic; loosen up)

11. Buzz Aldrin (forget the dancing and just enjoy yourself)

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