09:35 AM EDT 05/16/2013
Aly Raisman
Dancing with the Stars Has Made Alexandra Raisman 'Feel Like a New Person'
Originally posted 05/14/2013 01:35PM
Alexandra Raisman has come out of her shell.
The once shy Olympic gymnast, 18, was ever the giddy competitor backstage after Monday night's Dancing with the Stars.
"I've just been having so much fun that I don't think I'm being interviewed right now or I'm on TV," Raisman – who admitted she was previously nervous to interact with reporters – told PEOPLE. "It's just been such an amazing experience. I just feel like a new person. I know I keep saying this, but I've never had this much fun in my life, so it's been really awesome."
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Zendaya Performs an Uncharacteristic 'Mess' on Dancing with the Stars
Originally posted 05/13/2013 10:15PM
Monday night's Dancing with the Stars semi-finals got off to a lively start.
Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough's Argentine tango was a routine that judge Carrie Ann Inaba called "perfection."
The other two judges echoed similar sentiments and gave the pair 30 points out of 30.
Ingo Rademacher, who Inaba called "the underdog," had judges only semi-impressed with the 24-point samba he completed with partner, Kym Johnson.
Karina Smirnoff Sent to Hospital for Neck Injury at Dancing with the Stars Rehearsals
Originally posted 05/13/2013 01:25PM
Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff were practicing a flip when something went wrong.
Smirnoff landed on the NFL pro Sunday, twisting her neck and banging her face, and she had to be taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for possible whiplash and a dislocated jaw, a source tells PEOPLE.
The ballroom pro later Tweeted that she was "still a bit sore" but would make it to Monday night's semi-finals on Dancing with the Stars..
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Dancing with the Stars Threesome Night Delivers 10s & a Judge's Meltdown
Originally posted 05/06/2013 10:25PM
Three's a crowd?
Hardly for one competitor, who snagged the season's first perfect 30-point score on Dancing with the Stars on Monday.
The trio of 10s came appropriately enough on threesome night, when the stars each teamed up with two pros for the second round of dances.
The trio dances added complexity and sass – and at one point had one judge melting down in an angry clash with his colleagues.
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Dancing with the Stars: Alexandra Raisman & Mark Ballas Join 10 Club
Originally posted 04/29/2013 10:30PM
The ballroom heated up on Monday night's Latin-themed Dancing with the Stars.
Seven weeks into the competition, almost all of the remaining couples came up with impressive routines. But it was Alexandra Raisman and Mark Ballas who landed their first 10s of the season, with a salsa that Len Goodman – who gave the pair a nine – called, "tasty and refreshing."
The pair got 10s from the other two judges, which put them at a total of 29 points out of 30. They also received an additional three points for winning a dance-off against Andy Dick and Sharna Burgess.
Raisman and Ballas tied with regular high-scoring duo, Derek Hough and Kellie Pickler, who wowed judges with their samba to Ricky Martin's "Shake Your Bon Bon."
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Dancing with the Stars: Did Andy Dick Survive Another Week?
Originally posted 04/23/2013 10:15PM
It was another week of low scores for Andy Dick and Victor Ortiz, who performed on Monday's Stevie Wonder-themed episode of Dancing with the Stars.
Dick and partner Sharna Burgess struggled through an 18-point samba and earned 25 additional points for their group dance as part of Team Samba. And Ortiz and partner Lindsay Arnold failed to impress the judges with their rumba, which earned 18 points. They later added 22-points as part of Team Paso.
Did Dick or Ortiz get the boot at the end of Tuesday's elimination episode? Or was there a surprise dismissal? Read on to find out ...
Dancing with the Stars: Why the Show Is Both a Dream and a Nightmare
Originally posted 04/23/2013 02:00PM
The work is exhausting and all-consuming. But it takes you places you never thought you could go.
The contestants on this season's Dancing with the Stars are united on what makes competing on the show so difficult – but at the same time, so amazing.
It comes down to a simple maxim: No pain, no gain.
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Dancing with the Stars: Kellie Pickler Is Back on Top
Originally posted 04/22/2013 10:40PM
Stevie Wonder was the guest of honor Monday night on Dancing with the Stars. Between performances by the iconic singer, the eight remaining couples competed with two dances each to his hits.
Once again, Kellie Pickler and Zendaya were atop the leaderboard – and both earned 10s for their respective routines.
Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy's cha cha to "Do I Do" was "full of snap, crackle and pop," according to Len Goodman. Carrie Ann Inaba called the routine "perfection in motion." They earned 29 points.
Kellie and Derek Hough's quickstep to "Part-Time Lover" was "the best dance I've seen on season 16," Len said. Carrie Ann added, "Everything about it was perfect except there was some space in your hold." They also earned 29 points.
But Kellie and Derek finished slightly ahead of Zendaya and Val after the second routine, a team dance in which four couples performed at the same time.
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Alexandra Raisman: I'm Trying to Be Myself on Dancing with the Stars
Originally posted 04/09/2013 11:00AM
For much of her competitive life, Olympic gymnast Alexandra Raisman was trained to maintain a stoic demeanor in competition. But now that she's on Dancing with the Stars, the two-time gold medalist is learning to shed the seriousness, have fun and play to the audience.
"It's hard when you're on national television to show your real self, but I'm trying to just be myself," a smiling Raisman told PEOPLE after wowing the crowd and the judges with a stellar contemporary routine with partner Mark Ballas on Monday's performance show.
"We have fun all day," Raisman said of dance rehearsals with Ballas, a two-time Dancing champ. "This past week was a really great week."
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Dancing with the Stars Has New Leader
Originally posted 04/08/2013 10:30PM
The 10 remaining contestants on Dancing with the Stars hit the ballroom again on Monday, performing routines that told the story of the best year of their lives.
There were waltzes, foxtrots and paso dobles but one couple's contemporary earned a high score for the season.
Keep reading for all the details ...
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