Dancing With the Stars: The men debut their skills

My favorite guilty pleasure returned last night, and it was a chance to meet the men of the Dancing With the Stars competition. From what I saw, I think a guy may win again this year.

Three men in particular were fierce: R&B singer Mario, NFL star Jason Taylor, and actor Christian de la Fuente.

Mario has moves that would make anyone blush. Did you see that hip action? Wow! He definitely has the hip-hop element, but I’m not sure how that will translate into the more formal ballroom dances.

Jason Taylor is the guy to watch. He has all the tools; he just needs to practice and improve. He’s shockingly elegant to be so large. His arm and leg extensions were gorgeous, and his posture and frame were perfect. He just needs to work on the performance element that makes it look like he’s having a good time. Taylor could go all the way. He has the football fan base that served Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice well, and Taylor is a good dancer.

Cristian de la Fuente certainly has the moves, but his attitude was a put off from the get-go. Can you say cocky? The minute he saw that Cheryl Burke was his partner, he commented that they had a chance to win. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be a slam toward the other pro female dancers, but it kind of came across that way. He had great moves, but his posture needs work. His shoulders were constantly hunched down. But, I’m sure Burke will whip him into shape in no time.

The entertainer of the night proved to be the loveable Steve Guttenberg. No, he didn’t have the technicality and precision of some of the other guys, but the man entertained the audience. His smile is infectious. He’s this year’s George Hamilton, when it comes to mesmerizing the crowd. His dance skills need work, though, so hopefully, he’ll get to stick around long enough to refine them.

As for Penn Jillette and Adam Carolla, well, let’s just say they’re awkward movers and leave it at that. Jillette moved his feet well, but his upper body was so stiff and his moves so stompy that Bruno compared him to Shrek. (An accurate description in my opinion.) Carolla didn’t fare much better. He was as stiff as Frankenstein and ended up with the lowest score of the evening, despite being paired with two-time champ Julianne Hough.

Here’s a note for Jillette and Carolla, please STOP talking back and over the judges. There is nothing more annoying. We know you’re trying to be funny, but it just comes across as obnoxious. Believe it or not, we actually want to hear what the judges have to say, and it’s hard to do that when you’re cutting them off. I’d be happy to see either of these guys depart.

The ladies dance tonight. The fun and skimpy costumes start at 9 p.m. on ABC.

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