Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Dee Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American politician. A Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, she has represented Arizona's 8th congressional district since 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress. Giffords is a native of Tucson, Arizona, and a graduate of Scripps College and Cornell University. Prior to her election to Congress, Giffords served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 until 2003 and the Arizona State Senate from 2003 until 2005, when she resigned to run for the seat held by then-Congressman Jim Kolbe. She also worked as an associate for regional economic development in New York City and as CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a local automotive chain owned by her grandfather. She is married to astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander Mark E. Kelly. Giffords is currently serving her third term in the United States House of Representatives, having been re-elected in the 2010 midterm elections. Considered a "Blue Dog" Democrat, her stances on health care reform and illegal immigration were sources of attention for those opposed to her candidacy and have made her a recipient of criticism from various conservative groups. She has described herself as a "former Republican." On January 8, 2011, Giffords was a victim of a shooting near Tucson, which was reported to be an assassination attempt on her, at a supermarket where she was meeting publicly with constituents. She was critically injured by a gunshot wound to the head; thirteen people were injured and six others were killed in the shooting, among them conservative federal judge John Roll. Giffords was later brought to a rehabilitation facility in Houston, Texas, where she recovered some of her ability to walk, speak, read and write. On May 16, 2011, Giffords traveled to Kennedy Space Center to watch the launch of STS-134, the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour, which was commanded by her husband Mark Kelly. Giffords underwent surgery on May 18, 2011, to replace with plastic a part of her skull that had been removed in January to permit her brain to swell after the gunshot to her head. On June 15, she was released from the rehabilitation hospital to return to her husband's League City, Texas home. There she is continuing speech, music, physical and occupational therapy. On August 1, 2011, Gabrielle Giffords returned to the House of Representatives to vote in favor of increasing the debt ceiling. She was welcomed back by a standing ovation. Giffords has since resigned and been succeeded as a US Representative. Recently, she was in the courtroom as her shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, was sentenced to 140 years in prison for 7 counts of murder.
Louis van Amstel
Louis van Amstel (born June 23, 1972) is a Dutch-born ballroom dance champion, professional dancer, choreographer, and a dancesport coach who appears on the U.S. reality television series Dancing with the Stars. For season 12, he was partnered with playboy model and reality star Kendra Wilkinson. During the fifth week in the competition, they danced the 1000th competitive dance of Dancing With The Stars. The couple made it to the seventh week, but were eliminated resulting in their sixth place finish. Van Amstel currently resides in Los Angeles, California, but he travels all over the country teaching at his LaBlast program and doing LaBlast teacher's training. He will be choreographing for the current season of So You Think You Can Dance.
Louis' previous DWTSGame partners include: Delilah (finalists), Nicole Sullivan, Mary J. Blige, Tina Fey, Debra Jo Rupp, P!nk (runners-up), and Melissa McCarthy.
Louis' previous DWTSGame partners include: Delilah (finalists), Nicole Sullivan, Mary J. Blige, Tina Fey, Debra Jo Rupp, P!nk (runners-up), and Melissa McCarthy.
Gabrielle Giffords & Louis van Amstel
Week 1: Cha-Cha-Cha: It's My Party - Lesley Gore: 16.5
Total & Average
TOTAL: 16.5
AVERAGE: 16.5
AVERAGE: 16.5