03:17 PM EDT 05/17/2012
Karina Smirnoff
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Gavin DeGraw Won't Miss Tanning for Dancing with the Stars
Originally posted 04/18/2012 07:00PM
Gavin DeGraw didn't end up at the bottom of the Dancing with the Stars leader board more than once because he couldn't handle the demands of the show.
In fact, the high-intensity schedule of rehearsing in front of cameras and performing live in the ballroom is what helped him come as far as he did.
"I'll miss the whole pressure element of the show," DeGraw, 35, told PEOPLE backstage after he and partner Karina Smirnoff were booted from the ballroom Tuesday. "I enjoy the pressure. I don't necessarily enjoy it all the time, but pressure is good frequently."
Tanning, on the other hand, is another matter.
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Dancing with the Stars: Gavin DeGraw & Karina Smirnoff Eliminated
Originally posted 04/17/2012 10:15PM
Just as Dancing with the Stars's competition was starting to look up last week for Karina Smirnoff and partner Gavin DeGraw, they once again sunk to the bottom of the leaderboard after Monday night's 19-point samba.
They've been saved in prior weeks after low scores, but will fans' votes once again be enough to keep the pair on the show? The second lowest scores of the night went to Maksim Chmerkovskiy and his recovering partner Melissa Gilbert, who earned 21 points for their samba. Gladys Knight and Tristan MacManus were one point above them with a score of 22 for their samba.
Karina Smirnoff & Gavin DeGraw Plan to Show Some Skin on Dancing with the Stars
Originally posted 04/16/2012 11:45AM
It was amazing to have not been in the bottom this week on Dancing with the Stars! When it was announced that Melissa and Maks were safe, we thought we were in the bottom two and we were okay with that. But then it was announced that we were safe and we thought, "We don't know what to do! This is awesome!"
I think it was our determination to not be in the bottom two this week that kept us safe. We worked our booties off and the judges saw our progress. It helped that the music and the movements of the tango were so powerful. I also have to give Gavin a lot of credit. He put in a lot of extra work to make sure that he nailed every step.
This week is Latin week, a very sexy week on the show. Gavin is definitely going to be wearing a little less clothing in this dance than normal. He won't be taking off his signature hat, but he is going to be minus the jacket – maybe minus the shirt? We definitely are going to show a little more skin.
Karina Smirnoff Blogs About Performing with José Carreño
Originally posted 04/09/2012 02:45PM
I was really hoping we were going to avoid being in the bottom last week on Dancing with the Stars. But in a way it was easier this second time because Gavin and I had been there before, so we knew what to expect.
I thought Gavin did really well with the rumba and I don't think I have ever seen a celebrity progress at the rate that he has. We are taking it one week at a time and each week there is a huge improvement. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed we make it to the end of the finale, so I can see how far Gavin can take this because he is getting so good and turning in to a dancer.
One of the reasons he is improving is that we come into the studio looking forward to our rehearsals because we are laughing and having a good time. I met Gavin for the first time about three years ago at an event and I thought he was very cute and charming, but now that we are working together I have discovered even more sides of Gavin. He is intelligent, funny and he makes every situation better. We have a great, organic, natural relationship. I wouldn't change a thing about our dynamic.
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Dancing with the Stars: Top 10 Revealed
Originally posted 04/03/2012 10:15PM
There were plenty of tears on Dancing with the Stars Monday, as contestants performed routines that represented the most memorable year of their lives.
The emotion made for some big scores, with Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas and William Levy and Cheryl Burke earning the first 10s of the season.
Even the pairs with the lowest scores were in a five-way tie with 24 points a piece: Jack Wagner and Anna Trebunskaya; Gladys Knight and Tristan MacManus; Melissa Gilbert and Maksim Chmerkovskiy; Sherri Shepherd and Val Chmerkovskiy; and Gavin DeGraw and Karina Smirnoff.
So who stays and who goes? And were there more tears on Tuesday, when the remaining 11 stars faced the second elimination of the season? Keep reading to find out ...
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Dancing with the Stars Judges Hand Out First 10s of the Season
Originally posted 04/03/2012 08:25AM
On Monday's Dancing with the Stars, the contestants performed routines that represented the most memorable years in their lives.
There were a lot of tears, some very moving moments and the first 10s of the season.
Keep reading for a full take on Dancing's most emotional night so far ...
Karina Smirnoff Says Gavin DeGraw Is Working on Being Romantic and Sexy
Originally posted 04/02/2012 01:30PM
It sucked to be in the bottom last week on Dancing with the Stars. That wasn't cool. We thought we could be in the bottom two because we were in the lower half of the leader board but our mantra is "hope dies less," and we were definitely hoping we weren't going to be.
After our jive on Monday, Gavin was a little upset. The judges' comments didn't bother him but he was hard on himself because he felt we did the routine better in rehearsal. I think performing second to last was bad for us. While we were waiting those almost two hours, we kept going over the dance and I think we over analyzed it. Gavin made a good point, when you do something like bungee jumping, it is not the event itself that freaks you out, but rather it's the anticipation of it. If we are going to go last again, we won't be practicing during the show.
This week is very important, it's our turn to share a personal story. We are doing the rumba – the dance of love – so we are working on being very romantic and sexy, but we also want to show the sentimental value of the personal story that Gavin is going to bring to this week's show.
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Dancing with the Stars: Who's the First to Go?
Originally posted 03/27/2012 10:20PM
Season 14 of Dancing with the Stars premiered with what head judge Len Goodman considered the most impressive debut in the show's history. But it's a competition – and somebody had to go.
With two weeks of combined scores, Martina Navratilova, Melissa Gilbert, Gavin DeGraw and Gladys Knight ranked lowest among the 12 couples on the show. But which celebrity and their pro partner were in jeopardy of heading home once votes were added into the equation? And who was the first to leave the ballroom this season?
Keep reading to find out ...
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Dancing with the Stars: Gavin DeGraw Says He 'Deserved Lower Scores'
Originally posted 03/27/2012 09:00AM
Contestants have been known to strongly disagree with judges' scores on Dancing with the Stars – and Karina Smirnoff's partner Gavin DeGraw is now one of them.
But unlike other ballroom disputes, DeGraw, 35, believes his marks on Monday night were too high.
"We deserved lower scores," the singer-songwriter told PEOPLE backstage after he and Smirnoff scored 21 points out of 30 for their jive.
Karina Smirnoff: Gavin & I 'Need to Step It Up' On DWTS
Originally posted 03/26/2012 06:45PM
This season on Dancing with the Stars, we have so many people who are able to dance, and it showed on week one. If they're already giving out nines in week one, I can't wait to see what the rest of the season has to bring.
We can only compare ourselves to ourselves pretty much, because we didn't see what the other couples were doing until the live show. So, based on what we've been doing and how Gavin and I have been dancing up until Monday night, I'm very proud of him. I think he did better in the live show than he did during rehearsals, which is a great sign. It means he works great under pressure.
Even though I think we did really well and I'm super proud of him, I think we need to step it up more. Our biggest hurdle in this whole situation is the schedule. I don't want to be happy based on someone else's problem, but Gavin needs to have vocal rest. I guess the travel and the show and multiple performances have taken a toll. So that will give us a little more rehearsal time in the next few days.
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