So this is the week that the stars each do a dance they haven’t done before. So instead of only two dances being done each week, we’ll see a greater variety. Which means my titles will probably get more and more boring. Hey, I’ve never claimed to be a good titler, have I?
Sabrina Bryan & Mark Ballas – Fox Trot – This is also the part where more and more stars start having problems finding enough time to practice with their other commitments. Sabrina complained about that in the pre-dance interview. Didn’t seem to affect her too much. That Fox Trot was fun and really moved all over the floor. I did catch them stumbling at one point, and I was right since Bruno and Carrie Ann mentioned it, too. I can see Len’s point that it could have been better with a little bit of ebb and flow. But it does seem like a comment you would make to someone who you know can do better.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 8 Bruno – 8 Total – 25 Makes sense given the stumble and the comments. No real surprises. Is this a sign of things to come?
Jennie Garth & Derek Hough – Mambo – Normally, I complain about dances where the couple stays in one place most of the time, but I loved this one. Those arm twists were something else. I love stuff like that. And Jennie seemed to be having plenty of fun up there. Of course, I don’t know what she’s been worried about since Len has given her a better score then the others the last two weeks, and he always seems the toughest nut to crack. It did look like they missed a hand hold for a second, but they recovered well. And judges were all positive, too. Len actually made me laugh when he said "You’ve got to come out with an exception performance. You did that."
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 9 Bruno – 9 Total – 27 I guess I shouldn’t have said anything about Len giving them a better score then the others. I really did expect at least one 10. Guess I liked it better then the judges.
Jane Seymour & Tony Dovolani – Jive – I liked this better then the last couple of routines she’s done, but it still seemed to be missing something. Maybe it needed some more energy or something. The judges seemed to think something was off, too.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 7 Bruno – 7 Total – 22 It’s funny, that’s what I think the last few deserved, but I think this deserved a little better score. Still, I think Jane is one of the weaker dancers still in the competition.
Cameron Mathison & Edyta Silwinska – Samba – I definitely agree with the judges that the dance had good parts but the whole wasn’t as good as the parts. Carrie Ann did like it more then the men did. Still, this was a step down from last week.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 8 Bruno – 8 Total – 25 That’s only one point lower then last week, so it’s not too bad.
Mel B. & Maksim Chmerkovskiy – Rumba – I was beginning to think that Mel was overrated in this competition. But that was incredible. Their love/hate relationship came through loud and clear with lots of heavy passion. And the judges absolutely loved it, too. Mel is definitely back on my radar.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 10 Len – 10 Bruno – 10 Total – 30 Absolutely deserved. And that was the result of only six hours of practice? Mel is definitely someone to watch in the second half.
Marie Osmond & Jonathan Roberts – Paso Doble – Okay, so let’s get the big question out of the way first – she stayed upright all night. Well, except when she was supposed to be on the floor. Again, as with Jane, that dance was fine, but it seemed to lack some passion. Maybe Carrie Ann is right that she is playing it safe.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 8 Bruno – 7 Total – 23 I’m really not finding myself disagreeing with the judges that much this week. It was a fine dance, but not nearly as good as some of the others she has done.
Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough – Cha Cha – I think that was a great climb out of the hole he was in last week. He was back to looking like he was having fun. I mean, did you see how much he was smiling? It had lots of energy and was great. The judges agree, too, which is always a good thing.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 10 Bruno – 9 Total – 28 That’s more like it. It is great to see Helio back up where he belongs.
The Group Dance – The group dance is always a mixed blessing for me. It has lots of energy and I love it, but it’s really hard to tell who is doing what. Or at least it is to me. Probably has something to do with the wigs some of them wear and the quick cuts to get everyone in. Now I’m not saying I didn’t love every second of it. It was a high energy swing, and you could tell everyone was having a ball. I loved all the lifts (and Carrie Ann’s comment about them), but I think Cameron’s lift was one of the highlights for me. I see why the judges just comment because it would be almost impossible to score.
Since the group dance gets to score, the judges leader board looks like this:
1. Mel B.
2. Helio
3. Jennie
4. Sabrina (tie)
4. Cameron (tie)
6. Marie
7. Jane
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty, shall we? I think the encore will be the group dance. They’ve done that in seasons past, and this one was so fun I fully expect them to do that again. And it isn’t a cop out since that really was one of the highlights of the evening. I would love to see it live so I can see it better, but it’s a minor complaint.
I almost hate to predict who will be in the bottom two this week since I got neither of them right last week. Of course, Marie was probably partially saved by the sympathy vote. I am tempted to say it will be Marie and Jane, but I think that’s too safe and predictable. I’m going to say it will be Jane and Cameron. And since Jane was in the bottom two last week, I’d say she will be the one to go.