"Dancing With the Stars": It's Kristi Yamaguchi's contest to lose

"An asteroid hits," Marlee Matlin suggested Monday night.

Yamaguchi's opponents identified her as the front-runner. Priscilla Presley warned that she and her partner, Louis van Amstel, were coming for Kristi. Jason Taylor said it was a one-horse race -- and he meant Kristi.

But by evening's end, Taylor was tied for the lead with Yamaguchi with 29 points apiece. Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba handed out 10s to Taylor -- even though the NFL star stumbled in his waltz. Taylor did well. But perfection? No way.

Len Goodman picked Shannon Elizabeth's waltz as the night's best. She came through elegantly despite a major challenge: Partner Derek Hough had been injured during practice, reducing their time to work together.

Who goes home Tuesday night? Adam Carolla should be shown the door for riding a unicycle. It was one of the strangest routines in the show's history -- and an odd way to perform a paso doble.

But Carolla's fan base could save him.

Marissa Jaret Winokur, who had a rough time last week, rebounded with a rousing paso doble. She moved across the floor on her knees. Don't try that at home. She wants to stay in this show, people. Do you like her desperation?

Mario also rebounded with a paso doble filled with strutting energy. The judges were divivded, though, on that one. Goodman and Tonioli argued, but such passion over that dance was misplaced.

More fierce than Mario was Cristian de la Fuente. In his paso doble, he grunted, he twirled Cheryl Burke, he dragged her across the floor. Bruno found it "very convincing" and "very Latino."

In the waltz category, Presley and Matlin delivered very pretty performances. But the Presley routine contained a lift, a no-no.

"The lift police are back. This ain't no disco," host Tom Bergeron said.

Matlin had the edge and brought Inaba to tears. Oh, and Inaba said the performance took her breath away, too. That seemed excessive, too.

Yamaguchi was splendid on her paso doble -- and she didn't stumble. She had to open the show, which put her at a disadvantage.

Still, Tonioli told her admiringly: "You were Jezebel out there."

And a champion, too.

I realize the show needs competition. It doesn't need contrived competition or inflated, baffling scores when there's a front-runner as fine as Kristi. She should win, asteroid or not.