Dancing with the Stars, Week 6 Recap

Hi there everyone and welcome to this week’s Dancing with the Stars Recap. Last week we saw Carson Kressley get kicked off the dance floor, this week DWTS celebrated the Great White Way and Broadway.

During Rehearsal Week, Rob Kardashian’s mother Kris Jenner dropped by the dance studio to offer Rob some words of encouragement. Jenner said Rob has gone from a boy to a man and she was proud of him. She said Rob used to be a shy boy who could never do something like this. Jenner said Rob has a lot of competition against people who are used to being competitive and added it’s time for Rob to do the job and it’s time to kick some ass and he can’t be nice anymore! Such mother’s love, she kisses her son with that mouth? J Rob said he was ready to “kick some butt”, glad to see his language was cleaner than his mom’s!

Rob and his dance partner Cheryl led the show off with the Cha-cha-cha to Walk like a Man from Jersey Boys (p.s. It doesn’t get any better than Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons!). Rob opened the song with a nice little butt shimmy and then gave the crowd some big hip thrusts. He displayed nice footwork and technique but seemed a little too focused on technique and was a bit stiff throughout the dance.

Judge Len said it was clean and precise and good timing but the Cha-cha-cha has got to show rhythm and to Len there was no rhythm tonight and was a bit “stiff and starchy (Reminder to self: pick up my dry cleaning tomorrow). I must be getting better at this; even I recognized Rob seemed stiff. Judge Bruno said it’s Opening Night on Broadway and he has to take it on full board from the beginning. He added the dance was adequate but didn’t have the impact or power it should have and that Rob has to be in charge and more forceful with his movements. Judge Carrie Ann said it wasn’t as great as Rob’s performance last week but she saw much more charisma coming from him than she ever has. She said Rob is right on the cusp of being a man on the dance floor; he’s not a kid, not a man but an adolescent and getting there.

Rob’s overall score from the judges: 22.

Last week Nancy Grace’s rumba failed to impress the judges. Judge Carrie Ann said there was something on the drab side of Nancy. Nancy later commented: “do they want me to put on a bikini with spangles on it and shake her booty (Lord I personally hope not) cause that’s probably not going to happen”, actually she said “probably not going to happen”.

She added that her dance partner Tristan and she was really stepping up their choreography and if they don’t pick it up, they have a serious problem this week. It was a bit of a testy week between Nancy and Tristan. She said she asked for more dramatic moves and choreography and Tristan is trying to “put too much stuff packed in, that he knows she will bleep it up”. Tristan said that was the stupidest thing he’s heard of and she’s been asking him to make the dances more dramatic. He asked if Nancy if she wanted to get better or keep doing the same stuff. Nancy said Tristan had some nerve! What a fun week!

Nancy Grace and Tristan danced the foxtrot to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from Monty Python’s Spamalot. She looked like she had a better time with the performance than the practices but it seemed that Nancy has a surprised look on her face each time she nailed a dance step properly. Nancy, you can’t do that, you have to act like you’ve been there before.

Judge Bruno said Nancy captured the sense of the musical and her foxtrot was well done. Judge Carrie Ann said Nancy showed her! Nancy upped the ante this week and would call her dance a showstopper! Judge Len said they have been asking for more flair from Nancy and this week’s dance had much more personality coming out. Len added Nancy’s posture wasn’t there and her footwork wasn’t there either.

Nancy’s overall score from the judges: 24.

David Arquette’s dance partner Kym reminded him that on Broadway everything is larger than life and David told us he loves Broadway and he loves having Jazz Hands this week, it means more than just throwing out your hands normally, uh ok David lol. David added he likes the Quickstep dance because it’s very joyful, just like his personality. Kym said it’s been hard for David to contain his energy especially during such an energetic dance.

David Arquette and Kym danced the Quickstep to We Go Together from Grease (I had the biggest crush on Olivia Newton John!). David seemed to have controlled his energy level during the dance and appeared to have fun with it.

Judge Carrie Ann said David lived up to any expectation from that song because that song isn’t easy to dance to. But Carrie Ann noticed David and Kym were out of sync today, one would push while the other pulled. When they were in sync together, there was fluidity between them. Judge Len said it was rough around the edges but it was high energy but David’s enthusiasm got the better of him and it was a bit crazy here and there but it was nice. Judge Bruno added David was too charged up and like a love wire and went off the wrong foot. Bruno did compliment David’s energy and said he got everyone in the audience going.

David’s overall score from the judges: 23.

Last week the judges weren’t big fans of Ricki Lake’s Roger Rabbit dance move in the middle of her performance (I totally loved it, I thought it was a nice tribute to the 80’s). Last week Ricki tallied her lowest judge’s score of the season with a 24, now Ricki can try to redeem herself with Broadway Week. Dance partner Derek let us know he is being tougher on Ricki this week than in the past because when he’s tough on her, she tends to do better. Great tip folks, always know how to push people’s buttons so you can get the best from them! Ricki didn’t seem to be a fan of it though, playfully flipping Derek off with both hands during rehearsals. Ricki said she was a bit nervous because J.R. is doing the same dance as she is (Quickstep) but added she’s coming for him! Ricki is not without confidence and that’s a terrific attribute she has!

Ricki and Derek danced the Quickstep from Guys and Dolls’ Luck Be a Lady Tonight (Sinatra rocks!) – And Derek’s tougher motivating approach worked! Ricki and Derek had incredible chemistry on the floor and Ricki nailed the dance once again! Standing ovations from everyone in the crowd including Judges Carrie Ann and Bruno! Judge Len said you don’t need luck if you’ve got talent and this number Ricki proved her talent. Len said her head at times was in the wrong area but also said he’s finicky and he loved it. Judge Bruno said Ricki’s interpretation of the music was beyond belief. Judge Carrie Ann said it’s beautiful to see such poetry in motion and it was sharp, precise and sophisticated.

Ricki’s overall score from the judges: 29 (Including perfect 10’s from Carrie Ann and Bruno – Tied for highest score of the week).

Chaz Bono said his goal was to improve every week and show he’s doing his best. But during rehearsal week, dance partner Lacey noticed Chaz was bobbling all over the place and was going to get murdered by the judges. She also said at this point in the game she can’t choreograph anything super basic for him anymore and everything has to be pretty legit. Lacey appeared agitated by Chaz’s practice this week, Chaz really has to focus more, it’s past the half way point and they really need to make him shine. She told Chaz he can’t rely on her to get him through the competition anymore because thus far, he has.

Chaz and Lacey danced the Tango to The Phantom of the Opera. Unfortunately Lacey carried Chaz throughout their performance once again and this week could be the end of Chaz’s remarkable run on DWTS. Judge Bruno said some roles fit people better than others and this character did not fit Chaz at all. Judge Carrie Ann said this dance was the most aggressive she’s seen Chaz be but in Week 6, she wants to see more content, dancers have to up the ante in movement and movement quantity, they are looking for more choreography from the contestants. Judge Len added he knows Chaz is trying his hardest however the tango holds should be tighter, there should be more aggression and none of that was seen. Len said it was a good job to a tough dance for him, it didn’t suit his personality but well done (all 3 judges were obviously trying to be nice with their opinions).

Chaz’s overall score from the judges: 19 (Lowest score of the week).

Last week Hope Solo was very hard on her performance, saying backstage she didn’t think she could do this anymore. She added it wasn’t the pressure the judges were putting on her but the pressure she was putting on herself. This week she said she didn’t mean it when she said she couldn’t do it anymore and she was grateful to be there. Dance partner Maks brought in 3 professional dancers from the DWTS Dance Troupe to help her figure out how to take her dance to the next level. The day after the 3 dancers came by, Hope struggled with practice and it irritated Maks to no end. He told her he brought 3 girls in her yesterday and they turned her into a dancer and today she’s back to being an athlete. He said he still believes she can become a good dancer (even though others may not think that) but he was losing faith in her too. Hope didn’t appreciate it and said he was close to giving up on her.

Hope and Maks danced the rumba from Seasons of Love from Rent. Her dancing seemed ok at times but other times it looked like she was showing off moves from dancing at her local club. The judges weren’t impressed either. Judge Carrie Ann said for the first time she saw Hope relax and trust her natural sexiness. But her dancing goes against Hope’s feistiness and she forces the dance moves so much it’s still distorting. Judge Len was at a loss, he said he never lost faith in her, he always thought there was something there and for some reason it hasn’t come out. He thought it was her worst dance of the season. Maks didn’t appreciate Len’s comments, saying all the dancers work hard all week only to come here and hear judgmental comments from the judges and Maks was trying to protect his partner. Judge Bruno said this song conveys many different emotions and it wasn’t lack of effort on Hope’s part but it didn’t quite jell like it could have.

Hope’s overall score from the judges: 20 (Second lowest score of the week).

Last week’s samba scored the first 10 for J.R. this season. This week dance partner Karina’s goal was to prove J.R. was not a fluke. J.R. added his competitors were cool but he didn’t want to share the top spot on the leader board with anyone!

J.R. and Karina danced the Quickstep to Nowadays from the musical Chicago. Karina definitely met her goal in proving to Dancing Nation that J.R. was indeed no fluke after all. J.R. not only showed terrific dance moves but a great gymnastic ability with his cartwheel!

Judge Len said J.R. was truly relentless, he keeps coming on and coming on and tonight J.R. has really come up a notch. Judge Bruno said J.R. creates dance numbers that makes this show a hit and said J.R. is a hit! Judge Carrie Ann asked if she could give a Tony Award tonight to J.R.!

J.R.’s overall score from the judges: 29 (Including perfect 10’s from Judges Carrie Ann and Bruno – Tied for highest score of the week).

The show opened with a performance from the Broadway musical Sister Act while Emmy and Tony Award winner Kristen Chenoweth beautifully sang a selection of Broadway melodies. Kristen and I have a history; we both attended Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma together, Go Tigers! She was terrific back then, I always knew she was destined for stardom; she would always nail Love Lift Us Up Where We Belong at basketball games and school assemblies.

The episode closed with a group dance to Broadway songs as Carson Kressley returned to direct the performance.

It’s time to vote Dancing Nation! Tune in Wednesday night for the Dancing with the Stars Results Show and see if your favorite contestant gets to stay on the dance floor!

Follow Rob Shahan as he does the two-step on twitter @robshahan.