Gilles Marini & Cheryl Burke
Dances: Waltz & Salsa

Gilles is usually a wonderful dance student who can usually pick up the steps pretty quickly. But Cheryl was having a little trouble teaching him the Waltz, so she brought in some backup: a male instructor. That seemed to be a big help for Gilles.

"It was great to finally [have] a man show you what a man should look like," he said.

The main thing he had to work on was getting the right rise and fall in the routine, which is something Len had commented on earlier in the competition. And from the looks of it, Gilles finally got it down with this week's Waltz.

He and Cheryl seemed to be floating on air and their performance started so beautifully. Watching them, it's easy see why they have such solid staying power on "Dancing With The Stars."

"That is how you start the race for the finals," said Bruno, who called their dance "irresistibly romantic."

Len had little words and simply gave them a "sitting down standing ovation."

All we have to say about their Salsa is: Shake it, Gilles!  His costume was kind of ugly, but he and Cheryl did a spectacular job. Their sparkles and feathers were flinging left to right the whole time, and we loved it!

Carrie Ann was so excited about their performance that she had to get up and do a happy dance. "That is a dance that we know you can bring to the finals. I want to see you here next week," she cheered.

Again, Len was nearly speechless, but he had one very simple comment.  "I wish I had an '11' paddle," he said.

Meanwhile, Bruno was visited by the ghost of contestants past. "Lil' Kim is alive and well and she's hiiding in your pants," he shouted.  "Bionic Booty number two!"

After a performance like that, Gilles and Cheryl shimmied their way to a perfect 60 for the night.