Dancing with the Stars – Quarter Finals

Now that we’ve reached the quarter finals, each couple has two dances they haven’t done yet.  Since they don’t necessarily each have a Ballroom and a Latin dance to do, that distinction isn’t made any more.  But we do get 10 dances.  Not bad in an hour and a half.

Jennie Garth & Derek Hough – Jive – Okay, what was up with that costume?  I’d think they were going for an Adam and Eve thing, but then Derek should have been wearing a little less.  Those two outfits really seemed to be at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Anyway, the actual dance was great.  High energy and fun with lots of intricate steps.  And they both seemed to be really having fun.  The technical stuff comes into play because I sure didn’t see any of what the judges were picking on.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 8 Bruno – 8 Total – 24  A little better then the comments suggested, but I found it better then that.

Cameron Mathison & Edyta Sliwinska – Viennese Waltz – So his goal is to get his first 10 of the competition.  I must say the music to this dance was lots of fun.  Almost ballet like.  The dance was nice and showed more restrain then he often shows.  It was beautiful.  Not quite outstanding enough to get a 10 in my opinion, but the judges did seem to like it.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 9 Bruno – 9 Total – 27 About right.  I thought there might be an 8 in there, but I’m not too surprised with the scores.

Marie Osmond & Jonathan Roberts – Rumba – I know a lot of viewers will be easy on her because of the hard week she’s had.  And she certainly has my sympathy, but that was a poor dance.  It might have passed muster in the first few weeks, but in the quarter finals, I expect more then that.  In my opinion, this was the weakest dance of the night.  And the judges seemed to agree with me.  Even Len’s praise was faint.  But watching him put himself in a hole talking about the dance being for a "young" couple was funny.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 8 Bruno – 8 Total – 24  Wow.  That was a surprise. I really expected a lower score then that.  Heck, it was the same score that Jennie got, and I thought she did a much better job then this.

Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough – Paso Doble – Often, I feel the couple try to be too dramatic with this dance.  I’m glad Helio didn’t go that route.  Yes, it had some drama, but it still had Helio’s sense of fun.  And the judges really liked it, too.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 9 Bruno – 9 Total – 27  So far the judges seem to all agree with each other, which means we’ve got two ties at this point.  The guys and the ladies. Don’t know what it means, but I found it interesting.

Mel B. & Maksim Chmerkovskiy – Tango – When I think of the Tango, I think of "Hernando’s Hideaway," which I always danced it to.  I’m not sure I liked the rock, angry Tango.  It was strong and powerful, but it just didn’t seem to be a good Tango.  Decent dance, but not as good as she can do.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 9 Bruno – 9 Total – 27  So Mel joins the men at the top of the board after the first round.  I guess I just don’t care for Mel’s style since I find myself disagreeing with the judges almost every week.

Now for round two.

Jennie Garth & Derek Hough – Foxtrot – I must admit I often get tired of the couple using the stairs, but I enjoyed their using them for the beginning of the dance.  Every time I watch Jennie dance, I get a smile on my face.  She really seems to be enjoying herself these days, and I enjoyed that dance.  The judges praised her come back attitude again this week.  Well, except for Bruno.  I’m not sure what he is missing, but he seems to be taking over Len’s job of being the harsh judge most of the time.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 9 Bruno – 8 Total – 26  The scores didn’t surprise me after their comments.  Completely disagree with Bruno, however.

Cameron Mathison & Edyta Silwinska – Cha Cha – If Jennie’s second dance was better, Cameron’s was worse.  It seemed to be missing the essence of the Cha Cha for me.  Or maybe it was wooden as Len said.  Either way, it wasn’t quite as good as he can be.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 8 Bruno – 8 Total – 24  That seems to be the lowest score that the judges are giving out tonight.  And Cameron missed his first 10 of the competition.

Marie Osmond & Jonathan Roberts– Jive – Okay, you’d think after all the fuss about lifts this season, they’d know to leave them out.  Yet that was clearly a lift, or at least a controlled fall.  Not the first I’ve seen tonight either.  Yet none of them are being called on it.  I don’t get it.  Anyway, this particular dance was fun, but it seemed slow and not really like the Jive to me.  I agree with Bruno and Carrie Ann that it wasn’t quite right.  Len actually surprised me.  And the country theme was something different.  Not quite sure if that worked for them or against them.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 9 Bruno – 8 Total – 25  Considering the comments, that seems a little high.  I did expect Len to be higher then the other two, but I was expecting 7’s from Carrie Ann and Bruno.

Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough – Quickstep – What Marie lacked in energy, this dance certainly made up for.  It was fast right out of the gate.  Slowed down a little in the middle, but only for a second or two.  I can’t quite tell what that was at the end.  Julianne seemed a little surprised at the kiss, and she was laughing when he pulled him back up.  And the judges absolutely loved it.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 10 Len – 10 Bruno – 10 Total – 30  After the comments, I would have been surprised if they hadn’t gotten a perfect score for that dance.  Well deserved.

Mel B. & Maksim Chmerkovskiy – Mambo – Wow they saved the best two of last.  This was just as strong as Helio’s Quickstep in my opinion.  Lots of fun and energy.  And I agree the choreography absolutely made the routine.  The judges liked it, too, which is the important part, at least for tonight.  I’m not sure it was the hottest dance I’ve seen this season, but that’s about my only disagreement with the judges.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 10 Bruno – 10 Total – 29  That’s certainly nothing to be ashamed of, but I really did expect another perfect score from the judges.

So, this week the judges’ leader board looks like this.
1. Helio – 57
2. Mel B. – 56
3. Cameron – 51
4. Jennie – 50
5. Marie – 49

And I do believe we have a first.  This is the first week with absolutely no ties after the judges give their scores.

Predictions:
I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to predict that Helio’s Quickstep will be the encore of the night.  It was the only perfect 30, so I would be surprised if they went with anything else.

The bottom two:
I think it’s easier to guess who won’t be in the bottom two.  Helio and Mel B. look pretty safe to me.  Only two points separate the other three, so it will be very close.  I think it should be Marie and Cameron because they are generally the weakest dancers of the season.  And Marie should be the one to go.

However, I think Marie will get the sympathy vote this week and won’t land in the bottom two.  Which means that the bottom two will be Jennie and Cameron.  I’m worried that Cameron has more fans then Jennie.  Cameron still hasn’t gotten a 10 from anyone so I think he deserves it if Marie doesn’t go.  I hope Jennie is safe, but I think she will be the one eliminated.

Mark