Dancing with the Stars: Introducing Team Dances

Len’s back this week. I’m kind of wondering how the teams that loved Michael so much last week will react. Plus they will be broken up into teams for a team dance. I’m curious to see how that will go. So, shall we get to it?

Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson – Fox Trot – Now I’m not the biggest Warren fan. I think he normally looks too clunky on his feet. And I saw that at times this week. But he looked much smoother than normal. I did catch a few overly awkward moments and there was once when they lost contact during an under arm turn. But this is one of his better dances. Len is indeed bringing cranky back, however. He said it was a bit of a disappointment. Bruno said it started out promising but he lost the technique half way through. Carrie Ann made it three for three. Not quite sure what the deal was, but it sounds like he had to borrow someone’s shoes and that was part of the problem.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 7 Len – 7 Bruno – 7 Total – 21 Obviously, I missed something in there. I sure thought it was better than that.

Susan Lucci & Tony Dovolani – Paso Doble – If there is ever a week for Susan to break out of her shell, this would be it. I was getting pretty excited at the beginning, but she seemed to lose her passion part way through. It was still fun and possibly her best dance yet, but it wasn’t at the top of the heap. Then again, Bruno and Carrie Ann thought it was good. Len said it was at the best of her dances. That I will agree with. Not among the best dances of the season, but among her best dances.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 8 Bruno – 8 Total – 24 I would said this was about on par with Warren’s, but after listening to the judges, I wasn’t that surprised with the scores.

Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke – Cha Cha – And we’ve got another injury. Maurice hyper extended his leg during the team rehearsal, before he’d done his individual dance to music. Sometimes I wonder if they tell us about these problems just to make us have sympathy for them because I never notice problems. Maurice’s legs certainly didn’t seem to be bothering him. The only problem I saw was Cheryl losing an ear ring near the end. Well, that and it looked like Maurice had a bit of a problem sliding under Cheryl at one point. As a dance, however, I felt it lacked a bit of content. There were several times where Maurice was standing there watching Cheryl dance. He did more dancing as it progressed, so it’s tough to know how the judges will react. Carrie Ann said it was his A game and the perfect mix of content and fun. Len said it was his best dance to date. Bruno made it three for three. Here Len was supposed to be the cranky one, but I am giving him a run for his money.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 9 Bruno – 8 Total – 25 The high of the night so far, but the top tier is yet to come. And it was Len who gave them the highest score. I’m definitely the cranky one of the night.

Cody Linley & Edyta Silwinska – Viennese Waltz – We did get an update on Julianne, who seems to be a little out of it, but recovering well from her surgery. But you would have never guessed these two are just dancing together for the first time. The chemistry could have been better, but that’s my only gripe. It was smooth and romantic and fun. The switch didn’t seem to affect them much. Len was the opposite. He thought the chemistry was great, but the dance wasn’t as smooth as it should have been. Bruno agrees that he was clumsy. Carrie Ann, however, made the crowd happy by saying it was great.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 8 Len – 7 Bruno – 7 Total – 22 Hm, so an 8 is a great score? I really did expect a 9 from her. Wow, I hope that Julianne’s surgery didn’t do him in.

Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer – Rumba – After all that drama about how he couldn’t do it barefoot, that’s exactly how they did it. It’s a huge risk just because it’s unconventional, and they’ve been dinged for that before. Not to mention starting from that bench and leaving it on the stage. It was a fine performance, but I think I was too distracted by their bare feet. I was waiting for something special to come from it, and I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Bruno called it an “inspired and refreshing take on the Rumba.” Carrie Ann thought it was a great pay off, making it Lance’s best dance. Len, however, called it a distraction. I’m agreeing with Len? I obviously need more sleep before next week’s dances.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 7 Bruno – 9 Total – 25 Tied for the high so far, but at 25, that leaves plenty of room for Brooke to regain the lead.

Brooke Burke & Derek Hough – Fox Trot – They are gunning to regain the top spot. And I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t get it back. Grace, style, fluidity – this one had it all. Heck, it made me want to get up off the couch and dance again myself. I think Tom said it best. “Wow.” In fact, that was what Carrie Ann said, too. Len said it was truly fantastic. Bruno said it was thrilling from start to finish. Could we have the first perfect score of the season?
Scores: Carrie Ann – 10 Len – 10 Bruno – 10 Total – 30 A very well deserved perfect score. Brooke is back on top where she belongs.

And now it’s time for the team dances. Each team consists of three couples who will have solo parts as well as the team dancing together. The judges will score the dance, and that total will be added to the individual dances, giving the couples their total for the night. We’ll see how it all plays out.

Up first is Team Cha Cha, consisting of Susan, Lance, and Cody and their partners. After a team beginning, each pair took the floor for their solo performance. I think I would have preferred it if they mixed it up a little. And Len won’t like the fact that all the men had opened shirts the entire time. I loved the end where the women danced around the men and wound up with other partners ever so briefly. I’m not sure how the judges will score this. It was certainly entertaining, however. Len thought the group parts were great but the only solo he liked was Lance and Lacey. Wow, that’s a switch for him. Bruno said the same thing. Carrie Ann really picked on the unison, saying it was awful. And the fact that they were doing it in a straight line made it all the more obvious.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 6 Len – 7 Bruno – 7 Total – 20 Suddenly, Carrie Ann is the grouch. Not that the others gave really high scores.

Now comes Team Paso Doble, consisting of Brooke, Maurice, and Warren and their partners. They did the same thing, a brief group part followed by all three solos and a group ending. Maybe that’s the way it had to be. I’m not normally a fan of the Paso, but I really prefer this routine. It’s got lots of energy and drama with some very cool moves, especially for a song this fast. Of course, I thought the other team was good, too, so we’ll see what the judges say. Bruno loved it, saying they looked like a team the entire time. Carrie Ann thought it was the perfect blend, good team dancing with good solo performances. Len enjoyed it, but he did say that since they were marching it was easier to be synched then it was on the Cha Cha. Having danced the Cha Cha, I can see his point.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 10 Len – 9 Bruno – 10 Total – 29 Wow, blew the other one out of the water. And you can see how disappointed the other team is by the looks on their faces.

I had hoped they’d do something like this again so I could really get a feel for it, but next week it’s on to two individual dances each.

But before we get there, let’s look at this week’s leader board.

1. Brooke – 59
2. Maurice – 54
3. Warren – 50
4. Lance – 45
5. Susan – 44
6. Cody – 42

Those group dance scores really made a difference. Warren jumped from last to third, leaving poor Cody in last.

Encore: There are two choices here. Either Brooke will finally get her encore for her perfect score, or Team Paso Doble will get the encore. Personally, I am pulling for Brooke to finally get it. That was a great Fox Trot. And since it was a perfect score, I’d be surprised if she didn’t get it. However, I won’t be too disappointed if it goes to the team dance.

Bottom Two: If they do the bottom two this week, I think it will be Susan and someone. Possibly Cody, but maybe Lance. I think Warren and the rest are too far ahead to seriously be threatened. I think that it is Susan’s week to leave, so ultimate, that is all that will matter.

The results show this week is on Wednesday due to election coverage tomorrow. And it will include this season’s edition of Dance Center, which is always fun. So don’t forget to vote for your favorite stars, then your favorite politicians (or at least the ones you can stand.) I’ll see you back here on Wednesday. (And hopefully my DVR doesn’t mess up this time!)

Mark