After a smashing season premiere, our Season 12 stars took to the ballroom for another round of performances before the ballroom renders its first cruel judgment of the year. Tonight they dance; tomorrow one couple is sent packing. So which of our stars shone the brightest?
Sugar Ray and Anna
Dance: Jive
Verdict: I think Sugar Ray is more of a classical ballroom guy, because while he looked like he was having fun – it was Your Uncle at a Wedding Fun, not Dancing with the Stars Fun. His feet weren’t pointed, he lost the timing in places … it needed to be a lot better.
Carrie Ann: “You’re such a fantastic showman.” – 6
Len: “I think you’re in jeopardy.” – 5
Bruno: “It needs more punch – in the feet.” – 6
Kendra and Louis
Dance: Quickstep
Verdict: Kendra had her first rehearsal cry for the season, but the dance turned out okay. It wasn’t quite as graceful or refined as it could have been, but Louis got her through it.
Carrie Ann: “I saw more that just the choreography […] Elegance is a state of mind.” – 7
Len: “Overall, I thought you did an excellent job.” – 6
Bruno: “You tried your best, but you were very, very tight.” -6
Chelsea and Mark
Dance: Jive
Verdict: Well well well, someone showed up to compete. With an offbeat vaudeville-puppet concept, Chelsea and Mark delivered a fun, clean jive with lots of interesting choreography. These two are going places!
Carrie Ann: “I love choreography like that, but there’s a time and a place for it, and I don’t think it’s right now.” – 6
Len: “Too much messing about […] there wasn’t enough jive content.” – 5
Bruno: “I liked the weird and wonderful side of it.” – 7
Chris and Cheryl
Dance: Quickstep
Verdict: This was a surprise – after a shaky start last week, Chris turned out a charming jive with great posture and a sturdy frame. It was masculine, it was on point, it had musicality … what sweet redemption!
Carrie Ann: “Great form, great style.” – 8
Len: “It was bright, breezy, light of foot […] I thought you did a great job.” – 7
Bruno: “The dominatrix has transformed the beast into a gazelle.” – 8
Petra and Dmitry
Dance: Jive
Verdict: As this show likes to remind us, the jive is a hard dance for tall people. It didn’t go great for Petra. She did the steps fine, but she was missing a lot of the grace and fluidity that the jive requires.
Carrie Ann: “You have to work on your core.” – 6
Len: “It’s the fatal combination: short skirt, long legs, bad technique, but she did it beautifully.”- 6
Bruno: “This girl can go from uptown girl to floozy at the drop of a hat.” – 6
Kirstie and Maks
Dance: Quickstep
Verdict: In rehearsals, Kirstie was having a hard time keeping up with the tempo, but she pulled it out here. Some of her moves could have been sharper, but overall this was another solid performance from her – complete with a smooch at the end!
Carrie Ann: “You are so in your element – I love watching you dance.” – 7
Len: “You lost energy near the end – it was good, but it wasn’t great.” – 6
Bruno: “You started to wilt a little bit in the middle.” – 7
Mike and Lacey
Dance: Jive
Verdict: Oh Mike, I still have no idea who you are. And if I had to guess, I’d say you’re going home tomorrow. This was a mess. For starters, Mike seems incapable of stepping – instead, he stamps. He’s also pigeon-toed, so his kicks look unfortunate. He had plenty of energy and lots of performance, but I don’t think that’s going to be enough to make up for his bad technique.
Carrie Ann: “You have to think about the whole routine, as a routine.” – 6
Len: “You were flying about like a wasp at a picnic.” – 5
Bruno: “You looked like a fly stuck on flypaper.” – 6
Romeo and Chelsie
Dance: Quickstep
Verdict: Hmm. This one perplexed me. I wanted to like it, and it was cute and all, but … Chelsie was leading, not the other way around. Romeo looked like he was trying to catch up the whole time, and his footwork wasn’t particularly clean.
Carrie Ann: “You had a few little missteps, but I see tons of potential here.” – 7
Len: “One thing’s for sure, you have plenty of energy.” – 6
Bruno: “You are the one to watch.” – 6
Wendy and Tony
Dance: Quickstep
Verdict: Once again, Wendy danced small. For a lady with so much personality, she needs to bring it to her performances – this was a total yawn. I think she’s in danger tomorrow night.
Carrie Ann: “You lost a little steam in the middle.” – 6
Len: “It was economical with the movements.” – 5
Bruno: “It’s a step in the right direction.” -6
Ralph and Karina
Dance: Jive
Verdict: Out of all the couples, this was the routine I was most looking forward to. And they didn’t disappoint! Once again, Ralph delivered a fun, energetic, charismatic performance that was as technically sound as it was fun to watch.
Carrie Ann: “You dance very well, but you need to be sharper.” – 7
Len: “You attacked the dance a little bit too much.” – 7
Bruno: “You have a huge likeability factor.” – 7
Hines and Kym
Dance: Quickstep
Verdict: Hines continues his path toward eventual greatness. He was a smooth operator tonight, bringing lots of personality to a classy quickstep.
Carrie Ann: “I think Emmitt has to retire his title of ‘Twinkletoes’.” – 8
Len: “I was very impressed.” – 7
Bruno: “You have an ease and confidence […] and the chemistry with Kym!.” – 8
So – the question remains: who will be the first couple sent home? I’m thinking Wendy or Mike is in danger, but we all know how unpredictable the ballroom’s wrath can be.
Find The Disney Chick on Twitter – or at her usual home, www.thedisneychick.com.