"DWTS" Exclusive: Hangin' with the Semi-Finalists

It’s hard to believe Dancing with the Stars moves into its semi-finals next week. The semi-finals! Those words resonated well with the remaining contestants of the ABC competition series following Monday night’s emotion-filled show, with each ready to gush about making it to week nine.

He may have been heavily critiqued for his footwork, but hearing he’d made it through was music to footballer Rashad Jennings’ ears.  “It feels good to hear and it feels good to still be here,” Jennings beamed after the show.  “It was also good to get the [correction advice] from the judges and the scores -- three tens! That’s hard to do so I’m really happy and proud of that.”

Jennings, along with partner Emma Slater, scored a whopping combined 75 out of 80 with their jive and Argentine tango.  They also introduced a new phrase to the English language -- the “Ménage-a-Shad’ -- after adding Whitney Carson to their trio dance.  “That has to be one of my favorite dances that I’ve ever been able to perform,” Slater told me. “It felt amazing and having Whitney was great.” (The "Menage-a-Shad" -- Carson, Jennings and Slater -- is pictured below.)

Steve Gidlow

Steve Gidlow, a long-time columnist for MediaVillage ("Behind the Scenes in Hollywood"), has written about television and pop culture since 1994, beginning in Australia.  Since moving to Hollywood in 1997, Steve has focused on celebrity interv… read more