- The four remaining couples sing two songs from genres they have not previously performed, then the couple with the lowest score, combined from the judges scores and viewer votes, is eliminated.
- The competition was approaching the serious end as we were only three episodes away from crowning the next It Takes Two champions. Host Grant Denyer introduced co-host Kate Ritchie, who was dressed tonight in a gorgeous gold Carla Zampatti dress, the panel of judges - Marina Prior, James Valentine, Amanda Pelman and Ross Wilson - the house orchestra, conducted by Chong Lim, and the four remaining couples - Ernie Dingo & Rachael Beck, Jo Stanley & Anthony Callea, Mimi Macpherson & David Hobson and Jolene Anderson & David Campbell. Grant tells us that Michael Bublé would perform two songs later tonight, and that the voting lines have now closed.
Tonight, the four remaining couples will sing two songs from genres that they have not previously performed. Jolene is in the studio on her own tonight, as her partner David Campbell is preparing for the opening night of his stage show Company at the Sydney Theatre Royal, but a lucky studio audience were able to see them pre-record their performances the previous night.
The first couple to perform live tonight are Ernie and Rachael, who, accompanied by a dancing troupe, deliver a rendition of The Village People's Disco hit "You Can't Stop The Music". When Grant interviewed them after the performance, Ernie mentioned that after the previous week, he had lots of confidence. Marina described their performance as a "cracker" and a "great start to the show", while Amanda thought that Ernie was so great tonight that he should have done Disco several episodes ago. The couple headed backstage to be interviewed by Kate, then the judges reveal their scores. Out of a possible 10, Marina scored them 7, James 7, Amanda 8 and Ross 8, for a total of 30 points.
Next to take to the stage were Jo and Anthony, as they "Get Happy" to Judy Garland's Swing classic, and showed that they were enjoying themselves when they danced up a storm. When Grant interviewed them after the performance, Jo said that she had been disappointed by last week's results, but the only thing she could do was her best, and she had a huge amount of support from Anthony. The judges then deliver their verdicts, with James describing their performance as "terrific!", while Amanda was impressed by the fact that they got their confidence back. All four judges scored them 8, for a total of 32 points.
Stepping up to the microphone next were Mimi and David, who performed a rendition of Buddy Holly's 1950's Rock 'n' Roll classic "That'll Be The Day" dressed in gear to match the retrospective era. In her post-performance interview with Grant, Mimi said that the judges' great feedback from last week really got her through this week's practice sessions. In the judges' remarks, Amanda commented that Mimi was one of the strongest growers of the series. Ross mentioned that he saw Buddy Holly perform in his day, and he compared tonight's performance favourably to the original! Marina remarked that it was "a real step forward" for the couple, to which Mimi replied that she had learnt so much, and for her it had been a real growth experience. Marina scored them 8, James 7, Amanda 7 and Ross 7, for a total of 29 points.
The next performance to be seen was one recorded by Jolene and David the previous night because of David's busy performing schedule - their powerful rendition of Sam Brown's hit Ballad, "Stop". Jolene, dressed in a silver gown, hits the spot with her performance, and she thanked David for his constant support. In the judges' remarks, they all missed David in the studio tonight - Ross felt that it was another strong performance and that he would actually pay to see them perform, while Amanda said "Jolene - don't stop!". Marina scored them 9, James 10, Amanda 10 and Ross 9, for a total of 38 points.
While three of the four couples prepared for their second performance, with Jolene being the exception because she and David had recorded theirs the previous night, the studio audience were set alight when the King of Swing, Michael Bublé, performed "I've Got the World on a String", a track from his latest album Call Me Irresponsible. Even the house orchestra sing along to the song - when Michael chatted afterwards with Grant, he said that the band rocks!
Ernie and Rachael were the first couple to return for their second performance, an interpretation of Eric Clapton's heart-wrenching Ballad, "Tears In Heaven" that is emotive enough to touch everyone. After the performance, Rachael tells Grant that she is very proud of Ernie's journey. In the judges' verdicts, Marina said that Ernie gets better each week, James said it was a very convincing performance and Ross remarked that Ernie connected very well emotionally. Marina scored them 8, James 7, Amanda 9 and Ross 7, for a total of 31 points.
Next to step up to the microphone were Jo and Anthony for their rendition of the Rock classic "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by Joan Jett And The Blackhearts. Jo and Anthony kicked it up a notch, mixing things up with some world class scratching to kick out the jams. In the judges remarks, James commented that its tone was too close to an earlier Rock performance, but Amanda thought it was great that the couple stuck to Joan Jett's original version rather than Britney Spears' cover. Anthony replies that the aim of him and Jo has always been to have fun throughout the competition. Marina scored them 8, James 7, Amanda 8 and Ross 8, for a total of 31 points.
Jolene and David then changed the pace from their earlier power ballad and upped the night's fun quotient with a performance of Bobby Darin's Rock 'n' Roll hit "Splish Splash". In their post-performance interview with Grant, Jolene said that going crazy was the only way to do the song, and when the judges came to deliver their verdict, Amanda was determined to see Jolene and David in a musical, remarking that they both have "the talent and pizazz to go to the top in this competition", while Marina described them as "slick, powerful, professional". All four judges scored them 10 for a total of 40 points, making Jolene and David the only couple ever to receive two perfect scores.
The last couple's performance to be featured was Mimi and David's sassy interpretation of Madonna's "Hanky Panky", which was recorded the previous night. Wearing a gold and silver gown, Mimi dazzled in the full style of the movie Dick Tracy, from which the song comes, but some of the bling she wore with it led to a slight wardrobe malfunction. Afterwards, Ross remarks that Mimi has shown how much she has learned during the series, while James described the performance as "fantastic!". All four judges scored them 8, for a total of 32 points.
While the couples waited for the verdict, Michael Bublé returned to the stage for the second time to perform "It Had Better Be Tonight", another song from his new album Call Me Irresponsible.
David Campbell was able to take a break from his opening night preparations and join the other contestants, via a live cross from Sydney's Theatre Royal, for the announcement of the verdict, with the viewers votes added to the judges' scores from the two performances combined to determine the final rank of the couples. The two safe couples are revealed first, leaving the other two couples to wait a few more moments before it was announced that Ernie and Rachael were leaving tonight, having received the lowest combined score.
As Ernie and Rachel prepared to take us out with a reprise of one of their performances, Grant informed the viewers that next week, the three remaining couples would again sing two songs, one from the only genre that they were yet to perform, the other made famous by their professional partners, and the voting lines were now open.
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