Dancing With the Stars Recap: Hines Ward, Chris Jericho Lead Wide Open Field

Almost halfway through Dancing With the Stars' 12th season, a clear favorite has yet to emerge. Monday's scoring was so tight, it's anybody's Mirror Ball to win.

It's America Week this week, and athletes who represent two of our nation's favorite pastimes (okay, maybe that's a stretch) delivered powerful performances.

The theme of "songs that salute our country" saw a red, white and blue dance floor and NFL star Hines Ward showing his American pride with this Rumba ...

Hines Ward and Kym Johnson - DWTS Week 5

Hines and Kym Johnson's dance to "God Bless the U.S.A." earned all nines for a total of 27, good for sole possession of first, albeit by a single point.

Right behind him? WWE star Chris Jericho, who wore a military-style uniform (as did Hines) and also chose an iconic song, albeit from centuries earlier.

Chris performed a "strong yet delicate" Viennese waltz to "America the Beautiful," which ended with fireworks shooting from the stage - and a 26.

Check out Chris' performance and the DWTS scoreboard after the jump:

Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke - DWTS Week 5

Romeo and Chelsie Kane foxtrotted and sambaed, respectively to scores of 26 along with Chris, while the bottom four were bunched together as well.

Early favorite Ralph Macchio found himself in a tie for last, and Kirstie Alley didn't do much better, despite not suffering any wardrobe malfunctions.

Here's a look at Monday night's Dancing With the Stars scores ...

• Hines Ward and Kym Johnson (Rumba): 27
• Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke (Viennese Waltz): 26
• Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas (Samba): 26
• Romeo and Chelsie Hightower (Foxtrot): 26
• Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Foxtrot): 23
• Petra Nemcova and Dmitry Chaplin (Quickstep): 22
• Kendra Wilkinson and Louis Van Amstel (Foxtrot): 22
• Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff (Samba): 22

Who do you think is safe in this logjam? Who's at risk of going home tonight?

The first three eliminations went according to form. This week, we don't even know what that form would look like. Tell us what you think below.

Will Hines Ward Win Dancing With the Stars?

Hines Ward has a lot going for him. Is it enough to win DWTS?
That smile, a strong fan base as a current NFL player, and most importantly, his pure agility and technique week in and week out, make him tough to beat.
Monday, he finished just a point behind leader Chelsea Kane despite a busy schedule and what he called the toughest dance so far - the paso doble.
He didn't make it look tough. Watch his performance below ...

Hines Ward and Kym Johnson - DWTS Week 4

Hines Ward Dedicates Samba to His Mom on Dancing With the Stars

NFL star Hines Ward dedicated his Dancing With the Stars performance to his mom last night. With the top score of the evening, he certainly made her proud.
Hines chose Earth, Wind and Fire's "Fantasy," which reminds him of his mother. He and partner Kym Johnson did the routine "as a thank you to her," she says.
When Bruno called it an uplifting expression of happiness, he wasn't that far off. Seeing Hines' adorable mom in the audience made it all the better, too ...

Dancing With the Stars Week 3 - Hines and Kym

Hines and Petra Nemcova shared the lead last night with 25 points. Chelsea Kane and Kendra Wilkinson tied for the second position with 23 points apiece.

Early leaders Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff and Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy took a step back this week, finishing with dueling 21s.