Dancing with the Stars Top 6 Women: Rankings and Recap

Dancing with the Stars is one of those shows that I don't know that I've missed until it comes back, at which point I'm reminded of how much cheesy fun it can be. It doesn't excite me the way, say, So You Think You Can Dance does, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a smile plastered across my face during most of last night's proceedings.

The first thing that made me happy was that Samantha Harris wasn't there! I guess she popped out that baby of hers, meaning Drew Lachey will be filling in for the next few weeks. Drew's pretty stiff himself, but Samantha is queen of the annoying forced cheeriness, so I'm not sorry she's gonna have to sit out the first part of the season.

Of course, Ricky Minor and his not-very-attractive band were back, as was host Tom Bergeron and our three neighborhood judges. Let the fun begin!

As for the contestants, there are definitely some serious contenders among the women, including two who have toured the world as part of girl groups. Is that fair? Well, Joey Fatone's 'nsync experience propelled him to the Final 2 last year before he lost to an athlete, so I guess anything goes in the world of Dancing with the Stars!

Here's how I'd rank the Top 6 women who performed last night:

1. Sabrina Bryan
Holy mother of God, where did this girl come from? She was sassy, she was sharp, and she was electric -- I loved every single second of it. This girl is definitely one to watch.

2. Mel B
Sabrina may have had a little more pop in her steps, but Mel B nailed the cha cha cha with the ease of a professional. Can you believe this woman had a baby less than 6 months ago? She looks fierce!

3. Jane Seymour
Jane will be playing the Vivica Fox role this year -- very determined older woman. But color me shocked -- she was grace and elegance personified during her fox trot, and she actually looked relaxed and like she was having a good time. I'm not sure how she'll hold up on a Latin dance, but this was divine.

4. Jennie Garth
I have loved Jennie Garth since 90210, and it's nice to see her let her guard down and tackle the dancing. She had the handicap of having to perform first, but I thought she acquitted herself quite nicely (far better than Ian Ziering did in his first go-round last year), and I hope she's around for awhile.

5. Marie Osmond
It's a testament to how strong the women were last night that Osmond is so low on this list, because I found her joy at doing the fox trot totally infectious. She wasn't as sharp, or graceful, as Jane Seymour, and she scarily reminded me of SYTYCD's Mary Murphy, but all in all I quite enjoyed this performance.

6. Josie Moran
Ugh. This girl's annoying and I'm already over her. Poor Alec Mazo -- he won the show during the first season, and now there's a chance he could be the first eliminated two seasons running. Cheer up, Alec -- at least you married Edyta last month!

So there it is...I'll be back tomorrow, of course, with rankings for the guys, and then predictions of who will be the first celebrity eliminated.

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