Before we get to tonight’s Dancing blog, I’m going to do a shameless plug. Go see Bolt, then go read my review of it. Trust me, you’ll love the movie.
Now, on to your regularly scheduled blog post.
Frankly, I can’t believe we are down to the finals. The three remaining couples will do a dance to the same song, then do their freestyle. While my money is still on Brooke, it really is anyone’s game.
Shall we get to it?
Apparently not. Before we got to the new dances, each couple chose their favorite Ballroom and Latin dance to show us again. They just used the footage from the performance. Then their partner talked about why that star should win.
Brooke and Derek chose their Quickstep and Paso Doble. Lance and Lacey chose their Tango and Mambo. Warren and Kym replayed their Viennese Waltz and Paso Doble. It’s funny, Lance and Lacey’s were the only ones I remembered from previous weeks.
I hadn’t been paying any attention to the kids competition this year, but they did announce that Craig and Samantha won.
I was wondering how they were going to fill the hour and a half, and I guess this was it because we were half an hour in before they started with the new content. They even did a formal introduction again at this point. And Samantha Harris and the judges didn’t come out until now.
Samba Smackdown – Up first tonight, all three couples take the floor to do a Samba to the same music. But they will be on the floor at the same time (okay, taking turns but no breaks in between), each with a solo that will be individually judged.
Up first were Brooke Burke and Derek Hough. After what looked like a rough start where Derek was showing off while Brooke stood there, they really stepped up and brought lots of fun content.
Next came Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer. Again, I was less than impressed with the beginning, but then they really started to shine by the end.
Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson were the final couple. And just to change things up, I liked the beginning, but thought they fell apart in the middle.
Finally, all three couples came out for a fun end.
It’s hard to summarize the judge’s comments since they talked to all of them in whatever order they wanted. They basically praised all of them for something, although they did pick on Warren’s lack of technical skills while pointing out how fun he is to watch. But Carrie Ann did say that Warren’s technique is getting better every week.
Scores: Brooke & Derek
Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 9 Bruno – 10 Total – 28
Scores: Lance & Lacey
Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 8 Bruno – 9 Total – 26
Scores: Warren & Kym
Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 7 Bruno – 9 Total – 25
Tight scores, but Brooke is just barely in the lead. Let’s see what the Freestyle has in store.
Brooke Burke & Derek Hough – I had a smile on my face form the very beginning. It did indeed have the tricks and lifts they had been promising. And the tricks looked great. They even included a costume change in there. I’m not sure how Lance and Warren will top this one, but I know I’ll be praising theirs in just a couple minutes. Bruno called it beyond belief and one of the best he’s ever seen. Carrie Ann said they brought it (although for a minute I thought she was going to say they didn’t do quite enough.) Len called it the best he’s ever seen as well. Considering how he looked while Bruno was talking, I thought he was going to hate it, too. I’m going to be shocked if this isn’t a perfect score.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 10 Len – 10 Bruno – 10 Total – 30 Frankly, I’m not sure there is much more to say.
Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer – I’m just not a fan of hip hop, so their freestyle didn’t do nearly as much for me as Brooke’s did. Still, I can’t fault them because it looked good. I do think the lack of lifts hurt them some. I loved their Lancey shirts and the opening at the judge’s table. Plus Lance taking off his shoe at the end was priceless. Carrie Ann started things off by saying she liked it except for when they went into the Cha Cha for a little bit in the middle. Len praised the fun and the few bars of Cha Cha. (Of course, they did throw that in for him.) Bruno enjoyed the creativity and wit.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 9 Bruno – 9 Total – 27 I expected at least one 10, but not from Carrie Ann. Still, they couldn’t all give it 10’s if they were praising Brooke’s as the best they’ve ever seen, could they?
Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson – I was beginning to wonder about that opening. I thought the song was just a little slow for a Freestyle that was going to be everything they promised it would be. Then they took off the red part of their costumes and picked up the tempo dramatically. And I think parts of Kym’s costumes were coming off on one of their lifts. The dramatic, death defying lift they promised delivered. I certainly wouldn’t want to try that. It was fun and entertaining. Not quite as good as Brooke’s but better than Lance’s in my opinion. Len praised him for being the best entertainer for the season. Bruno said the only thing to do was sit back and enjoy the ride. Carrie Ann called it her favorite freestyle tonight, however, she caught a mistake I missed and said that Warren even gave it away with a horrified look.
Scores: Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 10 Bruno – 9 Total – 28 Well, in aggregate, the judges agree with me tonight in the rankings of the freestyles. I don’t think that has ever happened before.
So, the final standings of the season are:
1. Brooke – 58
2. Lance – 53
2. Warren – 53
Tomorrow night includes a roast of the finalists, all the stars from season seven, one more judged routine, and the crowning of the winner.
I’m going to guess that with the couples dancing one last time for scores there won’t be an encore. If there is, it will either be the Samba Smackdown or Brooke’s Freestyle.
The winner? You know I’ve been saying it will be Brooke all season. I started this post with that prediction. With a five point lead over the others with the judges I still feel confident in saying that. But with the votes and the final routine tomorrow anything might happen.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think, and we’ll find out who is right tomorrow night.