Skip to content

Dancing with the Stars: Season Seven Quarter Finals

Can you believe we’re at the quarter finals of this season already?  The year is moving quickly.  This week, the five remaining stars will have two routines, one Ballroom and one Latin.  The twist for this week is they’ll have to do a solo during the Latin round.  That should really separate the top dancers from those who are just barely hanging on.

 

Cody Linley & Edyta Sliwinska – Foxtrot – No word (yet) on Julianne.  The dance was a good routine, but it wasn’t a grand slam.  It just seemed a bit safe.  I think we’re seeing the difference between Edyta and Julianne here.  Maybe it’s just me, but I think we’re seeing just how much of a difference the professional can make on this show.  Len, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised.  The footwork was good and it was smooth.  Bruno said Cody finally had his jerkiness under control, and it was his most grown up performance yet.  And Carrie Ann loved it, although she did spot a lift.  I guess this proves that I am not watching for the same things that the judges do.

Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 8 Bruno – 8 Total – 24  Based on what the judges were saying, I was expecting a higher score.  I mean, he has scored better than this before.

 

Brooke Burke & Derek Hough – Tango – Watching Brook always puts a smile on my face.  This Tango had lots of drama and flare to it.  It might have used a little less of the floor then is usually used for the Tango on this show, but it was worth it because it really worked.  I’d say they will continue to be the couple to beat.  Bruno called it stunning.  Carrie Ann said it was pitch perfect.  Len found lots of technical mistakes, however, which shocked the other two.  Thankfully, the audience didn’t boo.  (I really hate it when they do that.)

Scores: Carrie Ann – 10 Len – 8 Bruno – 10 Total – 28  I thought Len might give it a 9, but I was expecting the 8.  I’d say this is the high score of the night so far, but we do have a lot more dancing to go.

 

Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke – Quickstep – It started rather slowly for a Quickstep.  It looked like they were doing it at half time.  But they soon picked things up.  Of course, it looked like they were just running around the floor in a circle at one point.  As much as I love this dance, I’m not sure this was a good one.  Carrie Ann thought the posture was great.  Len praise his footwork.  Bruno mentioned that he kept both of those things the entire way through the performance.  Hm, completely opposite of my take on things.

Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 8 Bruno – 8 Total – 24  So Len praises Cody and Maurice and gives them 8’s.  He picks on Brooke and gives her an 8.  I don’t get his scores this week at all.

 

Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer – Foxtrot – I’ve got to give Lance props right off the bat.  Not once did he mention how he was the worst dancer in N’Sync.  Now I’m actually looking forward to his dance.  And it was a good dance.  Yes, there was some silliness to it (including the song), but the majority of it was smooth, graceful, and full of content I would expect Len to like.  And he did.  He mentioned some footwork issues, but said it was much improved over all.  Bruno said what I did, it was a classic Foxtrot with some fun quirks.  Carrie Ann agreed, praising his animation on the floor.  So, we’ll see how these comments translate to scores.

Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 8 Bruno – 9 Total – 26  Second highest of the round.  And Len was only one point behind the other two.  As Tom pointed out, “An 8 from Len is like an 11 from Michael Flatley.”

 

Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson – Tango – Somebody tell me what the song they used was, please.  It was so familiar it was driving me crazy.  The dance itself was good.  Not as good as Brooke’s, but one of the better I’ve seen from him.  Must have been a James Bond theme based on Bruno’s comments as he said 007 needed to watch his back because Warren was back.  Carrie Ann thought it was fantastic with smooth footwork.  And Len picked on his rise and fall, but basically praised it.

Scores: Carrie Ann – 10 Len – 9 Bruno – 9 Total – 28  So they tied with Brooke for the ballroom round.  While this was better than normal for Warren, I sure didn’t see it as this good.  Obviously, I have a blind spot when it comes to Warren.

 

And now, without any further comments, let’s move on to the Latin round.

 

Cody Linley & Edyta Sliwinska – Mambo – He looked very nervous to me.  The part where they were dancing side by side looked out of sync.  And the solo had some weird spots.  That was where he seemed to truly come alive, however.  And yet, I enjoyed it.  It was a fun routine.  Carrie Ann thought it was fun and energetic, but it felt disjointed.  Len thought it was a bit stiff, but overall good (as long as Warren doesn’t try to end by jumping on the judge’s stand, too.)  And Bruno thought it was spasmatic at times.  We did finally get an update on Julianne.  She’s doing well and ready to come back next week.  In fact, she’ll be dancing tomorrow night.  (Or just singing?  I couldn’t tell what she is doing for sure.)

Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 8 Bruno – 8 Total – 24  Considering the basically mixed comments, this was the best Cody could hope for.  I’m wondering if he will stick around for Julianne will be back next week or not.

 

Brooke Burke & Derek Hough – Mambo – Bruno sure was getting into that solo which Brooke was doing right in front of the judges.  Basically, she was shaking everything she could.  Looks like she lost her balance for a second on that dip, but this is basically a flawless performance.  I was a little underwhelmed by the solo, but that’s about it.  Len picked on her legs, but basically praised it.  Bruno said she is a great dancer.  Carrie Ann praised the solo because it fit the number, but said her posture was a bit off, possibly because the routine was too ambitious.

Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 9 Bruno – 9 Total – 27  I don’t think this one deserved a 10, so those scores are about right.  We’ll just have to see how it all holds up.

 

Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke – Paso Doble – So, we’ve had solos at the beginning and end, so now we got one in the middle.  Although it was basically Maurice twilling the cape around.  I guess I’m just expecting too much from these solos.  It certainly fit the dance, however.  And the rest of it was pretty good with plenty of dramatic movements.  Bruno said he was strong and imposing during the solo.  Carrie Ann says he needs to bridge the intensity of the foot work and the grace of the upper body, but it was basically good.  Len thought the cape work fit the dance well and was a good exception to his general dislike of the use of capes.

Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 8 Bruno – 8 Total – 24  So, if nothing else, we’ll have a tie at the bottom.  I think I was expecting a slightly better score for this.  Not sure why, but I was.

 

Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer – Samba – Now there was a solo like I was expecting.  It was basically at the beginning, and it looked like he was dancing the Samba by himself.  Well, or at least the Samba they we doing.  Eventually, they did do some of the classic moves, but they started out doing a bit more hip hop than Samba if you ask me.  We’ll see what Len says.  But we started with Carrie Ann, who said he did a good job of mastering the Samba, but he was looking too far up during his solo, which Bruno and Tom both jumped on.  Len did indeed complain that they did do enough Samba, including the solo.  And he said the footwork was horrid.  Bruno thought it was great from start to finish and the rolls were more content than most of the others had put in any of their routines tonight.

Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 7 Bruno – 9 Total – 24  That’s pretty much what I expected.  It sounded to me like they were going to give completely different scores that time around.  A bit lower then he would have liked, I’m sure, but still a respectable score.

 

Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson – Jive – (Yes, I do still think the Jive counts as a Ballroom dance every where but here.  Isn’t it based on the Swing?)  Now I know how hard it is to dance that fast, so I am not going to take anything away from him for that.  But this does highlight my feeling about Warren all season – he’s just not light enough on his feet.  He looked like he was jumping around flat footed most of the time instead of dancing on his toes.  But I will give him this – he had the best solo of the night in my opinion.  And the dance was fun.  Len saw what I did with his feet, but did say that Warren is a joy to watch.  Bruno agreed with Len and praised Kym for choreographing to Warren’s strengths.  Carrie Ann also mentioned his flat feet, but did praise him for making all the steps despite the fast pace.

Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 8 Bruno – 9 Total – 26  Looks to me like the judges scored based on the fun factor.  8’s were the proper score in my opinion.

 

So, after two rounds, here’s where everyone stands:

1. Brooke – 55

2. Warren – 54

3. Lance – 50

4. Cody – 48

4. Maurice – 48

 

Encore: I’m really beginning to think that my gal Brooke will never get an encore.  While she and Warren tied in the Ballroom round, my guess is they will want to see his Tango over hers even though it should be the other way around.

 

Going Home: Since they’ve only done the bottom two a couple times this season, I’m not even going there.  I’m just doing to guess about who goes home.  I think it will be Maurice.  While he and Cody are tied, I think the sympathy factor (Julianne’s surgery) and the Hannah Montana base will keep him around.  Lance might be in danger, but my money is on Maurice.

 

But we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out for sure.  See you then.

 

Mark

3 thoughts on “Dancing with the Stars: Season Seven Quarter Finals”

  1. I sadly agree with you that it is beginning to look like Brooke will never get an encore despite leading the pack so many weeks. Warren had a more exciting song to dance to and I suspect he will get a second encore. Hope I’m wrong.

    Thanks for your review!

Comments are closed.