First up with a Waltz are Chelsea and Mark. The visual effect of them being on a beach with the water lapping around them was a great way to begin their romantic dance. It was beautifully danced and their emotional connection shone through like never before. Grumpy Len began by telling Mark he sometimes puts too much emphasis on the story of the dance, taking away from the dance itself. Nonetheless, he thought it was “beautiful…very musical… lyrical.” Bruno loved it, saying “That was dancing of the highest quality. The contemporary touches were absolutely exquisite, yet it was a timeless waltz. Fab.U.Lous.” Carrie Ann told Chelsea, “You earned perfection tonight.” Score: 29, with Len giving a 9 to Carrie Ann’s and Bruno’s 10s. After a brief explanation from the judges of what’s involved in the instance dance, Chelsea and Mark picked their music —“Get Busy,” by Sean Paul.
Next up are last week’s leaders, Hines and Kym. This week, they’re doing a Fox Trot and the theme of the dance is Hines proposing to Kym. Starting off with Hines giving a huge ring to Kym, it was a fun routine, full of musicality and personality. Bruno agreed, saying “Yes, yes yes! That was a performance…it was beaming with a blissful sense of happiness.” Carrie Ann was up next, saying “I loved it…You’re such a guy’s guy, Hines. I love that and you don’t try to frill it up, you don’t do anything like extravagant. You just stick to the program and you dance it…I loved it…And a little bit of cheesy Hines…I loved it. Great job.” Len followed up with “Your dancing has such great appeal. Your personality just radiates throughout the ballroom to the judges and I hope to the viewers. It’s just a joyful experience to watch you…Unfortunately, your feet are a little… you felt it might be a bit cheesy. Well, if that’s cheese, I love it.” Score: 28, with Bruno giving them a 10. Hines then reached into the mirror ball and chose “Chantilly Lace,” by Jerry Lee Lewis.
At the bottom last week were Romeo and Chelsie when they danced a stiff Samba that failed to inspire the judges. This week, they really need to up their game, as Len previously counseled them. They’ll be dancing an intense Tango, according to Romeo. Carrie Ann really liked it, saying “Someone’s it in to win it. Boy, that was amazing…I love that intensity. Your movements were sharp…one of your best routines ever.” Len commented, “Last week, I said to you, up your game, and that’s just what you have done.” Bruno offered, “Romeo, you dance like a real man out there – strong, dark, handsome, convincing in leading the Tango.” Score: 27. For their instant dance, Romeo chose “Tequila,” by Xavier Cugat.
Ralph and Karina were practicing their Viennese Waltz for tonight when Ralph’s injury popped up, even worse than before. Having only put in nine hours of practice, Karina was really worried about their performance, saying “We’re screwed.” She needn’t have worried, because Ralph is a trooper. Their waltz, in my opinion, was one of the best I’ve ever seen. It was intense, yet fluid. Ralph didn’t miss a step, despite the look of pain on his face, and he limped off the floor. Len commented, “I think that’s your adrenaline. When you get out there, you know you just get through it. And for someone who’s had limited time to practice, you did a great job. You had good hold and posture, it had nice movement. The thing was it lacked polish and you only get polish with time, but well done.” Bruno said, “…It’s astonishing how you managed to do what you did with your injury, especially (unintelligible) when you really had control of the leg. It really is credit to you, Ralph.” Carrie Ann said, “It’s the hardest thing to dance when you’re in pain. It takes all the joy and beauty from doing what you’re doing. You did it with grace, you did it with elegance, but you did have a few moments where it took away and unfortunately, we have to judge it based on…without knowing you have an injury, but he did an amazing job…!” Score: 25. Ralph chose “Stuck in the Middle,” by Stealers Wheel for the instant dance, the Cha Cha. With an injury like Ralph has, I don’t know how he’s going to manage such a high-spirited dance. Fingers crossed in this household.
Next up with an Argentine Tango are Kirstie and Maks. Rehearsal was difficult, with a lot of falls and Maks was hard on Kirstie about the speed, or lack thereof, of her feet. When they performed their Tango though, I thought she did a great job. The dance was intense, emotional and sensual. Bruno said, “Vampish. Sensual. Sultry. A hint of aggression, just the right amount of passion, leading into the ultimate seduction. Plus, your footwork was brilliant…I’m telling you, your body is shrinking, your talent is huge!” Carrie Ann loved it also, saying “Sometimes, you know, dance is about…it’s supposed to be inspired from real life. What I love about this performance- I actually felt like I was watching real life acted out in front of me. The real passion, the real chemistry, the real drama all unfolding – it’s very very nice to see that from you Kirstie.” Len chimed in with “The Argentine Tango is all about creating an atmosphere, creating a mood. You’ve only got eyes for one another. There’s no one else in the room, and you captured that feeling. In addition, it was hot. I’m surprised Maks only took his hat off.“ Score: 28, with a 10 from Bruno – Kirstie’s first 10 of the season. Kirstie chose “Cobrastyle,” by Teddybear, featuring Mad Cobra as the music for their instant dance.
At the end of the first round, Chelsea and Mark were at the top with a 29, and Ralph and Karina were at the bottom with a 25. First up for their insta-dance are Chelsea and Mark.
They’re doing a Salsa and with Chelsea so afraid of the instant dance, Mark brought in last season’s instant dance champ, Kyle Massey, for some words of encouragement, which Chelsea really seemed to take to heart. I have to say, Chelsea certainly knows how to shake her hips! A good thing too, since that’s a critical element of this dance. Plus, there was a mix-up with their cue and they had to start dancing when they didn’t think they had to start. Kudos to Chelsea and Mark for that. Len said, “…You did two dances tonight. The Waltz was cool, the Salsa was hot.” Bruno commented, “Twenty minutes and you managed to put so many steps in there! What you gonna do next week? I mean, you’re setting the bar very, very, very high because the difficulty was incredible. You didn’t really take any shortcuts, fully driven, full on, all the way through. Right on the money. You just did a fantastic job.” Carrie Ann disagreed saying, “You did very well with your choreography and with your execution of the choreography, but I did not feel a connection to the music. I felt that often you were dancing ahead of the music…you could have closed your ears and it was a fantastic dance, but tonight, it’s all about the connection to the music and I definitely felt that you were rushing at times and I felt like they were dancing above the music.” Bruno vehemently disagreed with Carrie Ann’s assessment. Score: 26, giving them a total of 55 for the night.
Next to do their insta-dance are Hines and Kym. They’re doing the Jive and Hines is looking forward to it since he’s never done this particular dance. This is also Kym’s first time doing the instant dance. Overall, I think they did a really good job, although I thought Hines was out of sync a few times. Who can blame him, though? How hard it must be to get your music only 20 minutes before you perform? Plus, all the other couples have danced the Jive at sometime in the competition, and Hines hasn’t, making it even more difficult! Bruno liked it saying, “Hines, it was like watching Mr. Happy Feet. You really made me smile all the way through. I mean Jive is very, very difficult. The energy’s fantastic, but all the kicks … it was a bit like a penguin…The Jive is one of the hardest dances and you did an incredible job in only 20 minutes, oh my God.” Carrie Ann enthusiastically stated, “He did an amazing job, Bruno! It was amazing. It was really fantastic.” Len agreed – “All work and no play makes a good dancer and I can tell, you have worked hard this week…I’m telling you, this is a real hard dance and you’ve done a fantastic job.” Score: 26 for a total of 54. The crowd booed the scores, and I can’t say as I blame them.
Up next is Romeo and Chelsie doing the Salsa. First though, we were treated to a bit from Dance Center with Jerry Rice, Kenny Mayne and Len. Funny, if you like that kind of thing. During their rehearsal, Romeo commented he didn’t think the instant dance would be any more difficult than dancing at a club. Chelsie thought different, taking him to a salsa club so he could see the dance in action. Romeo was cute and funny – I couldn’t wait to see how he scores during the show, and actually I thought he did okay. He was a bit out of sync at one point, and the choreography was simple compared to the others. Carrie Ann agreed with me saying, “It definitely felt like we were at a club, it was very casual, but there was something a little off. I don’t know what it was. Towards the end, it felt like you guys sort of got out of sync…it just needed to be a little tighter and a little more in sync.” Len offered, “You got it right. It’s a club dance and you came out with that atmosphere. You know, you’re the cool dude, she’s the hot chick and you danced…ok, there was a tiny incident that no one would notice…but I loved it. I was with it!” Bruno countered with, “Am I losing my mind, or did they change his medications? Referring to Len, of course! “Anyway…I think, yes, you got the party feel right. You’re both gorgeous and sexy, but the salsa is all about fluidity of movement. You can never lose the fluidity, it has got to keep going. So when you lose it, I mean of course, you covered it very well because that’s what a professional does. But we have to point that out.” Score: 25 giving them a total of 52 out of 60.
Ralph and Karina – what can I say? They’re up next and I’m hoping it goes well. At least they’ve done the Cha Cha before so there’s that. Hopefully, Ralph will remember some of that choreography. The man must have an excess amount of adrenaline in him because watching him, you’d never know he was injured. I thought they did a great job, but the judges disagreed with me. First up to comment was Len, saying, “I admire your perseverance and your dedication. But when you have to do two dances, if you’re not 100% fit, something has to give. And unfortunately, it was this Cha Cha Cha.” That statement brought boos from the audience, but Bruno agreed. “No, he’s right, I have to agree because I mean, the Cha Cha Cha unfortunately is all about hip action and because of your situation, you couldn’t do any. There’s wasn’t any hip action, so we have to take that into consideration, and you lost it a little bit at the end as well. But your circle passes were incredible and you did very well being able to cope with it, you know, doing it!” Carrie Ann commented “It’s amazing you were able to pull that off without any rehearsal. I’m very impressed. But it is true, unfortunately, the hip action wasn’t quite there. But there was something new tonight that I saw. I don’t know if you were counting everything, but you had a new, I don’t know, you hit every beat…there was something great about that and I loved it, but unfortunately we have to look at the overall…But I really admire you for getting out here and never giving up.” Score: 21, giving them a total of 46 out of 60.
Last on the floor was Kirstie and Maks doing the Salsa. Maks threw a hissy fit in rehearsal, taking his mike off and throwing it across the room. I’m sure these instant dances bring out the worst in people. However, Kirstie was out of sync in the dance and looked very uncomfortable. The lack of hip action in this Salsa was evident. Bruno agreed, telling Kirstie “Oh you smooth, flirtatious vixen. I loved the angle you went for, you did a classic traditional Salsa, which is smooth and slow. Lovely arm passes, but you lost sync, three times.” I’m assuming Bruno probably said “f*cking” between “three” and “times,” because everyone was laughing and Kirstie had her hand over her mouth. I guess professionals can slip like that, can’t they? That’s what the censor’s button is for, right? Carrie Ann disagreed, saying “I thought they were totally in sync…no, they had a mistake but when they were back together, they were totally in sync. You guys, your energy is so nicely matched, I love the chemistry – the way it works with you guys, although sometimes it can be a little dangerous. But I do love the chemistry. I think it works for you because there’s so much tension going on, but it’s riveting to watch.” Len noted, “This was a slower, more rhythmic, which neither of the other salsas really showed. You showed rhythm. OK, I know what they’re thinking, it lacked a bit of impact because it was slower and was a more basic dance. But for me, your hips were working, it was oily, you were moving, and I thought it was fabulous. Well done.” Score: 25, for a total of 53.
So, after all is said and done…er, danced, Chelsea and Mark are at the top of the leader board with 55 out of 60, and at the bottom are Ralph and Karina with 46. Tomorrow night, Adele, as well as Michael Bolton will be performing, plus there will be a very entertaining dance from the Macy’s Stars of Dance.
I know Ralph and Karina are at the bottom, but I don’t think Ralph deserves to go home just because he’s injured and couldn’t dance up to par this week. Actually, I don’t know who should because the race is so tight. I’m leaning towards Kirstie. I’m not basing this solely on tonight’s performance though. I don’t think she has what it takes to get to the final. Don’t get me wrong, she’s done a fantastic job. I just think she won’t have the fortitude and stamina for what remains to be done. I could be wrong – who knows? Tell me, who do you think will go home tomorrow? Follow me here at YourEntertainmentCorner.com for a recap of tomorrow night’s Results Show.
Watch Dancing with the Stars every Monday at 8/7c and The Results Show every Tuesday at 9/8c on ABC.
Linda
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