Li’l Kim and Derek Hough (28/30) – Kim is stressed out about coming in fifth last week, and she’s worried because the paso doble does not afford her with many opportunities to move her hips. She does a lot of karate during rehearsal, for what that’s worth. Their dance is very fast and smooth, without seeming like Derek’s pulling her across the floor. Derek’s showing off more than he usually does, which makes me think he’s trying to hide some weakness on her part. It’s apparently working, because I didn’t see it. You know, that was pretty awesome. Lance Bass approves.
Bruno is freaking out, and loved the balance of raunch and class. I don’t like the way Kim has decorations on her face that look like Mike Tyson’s tattoos. Carrie Ann forgets how to use her words she loved the dance so much. Len thought it would be a disaster, but thought it turned out to be amazing. They score two 9’s and a 10 from Bruno. Good job!
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke (27/30) – In the rehearsal, Gilles suffers from shoulder pain. The doctor explains that his collarbone is softening, which seems like a serious problem. But they shoot him up with painkillers and send him out to dance again. He explains this to us while shirtless, which I’m sure Myndi appreciated. (Mama likes.–Myndi) Then Gilles drops Cheryl on her head. Also, he may or may not be wearing a Hunter S. Thompson t-shirt. I can’t quite tell, but I’m giving him the cool points. He’ll need them, because his dance is the Lindy Hop. He’s dressed kind of like a gay farmer and the dance is fairly dorky. At several points, it seems like he has his footwork reversed, but that’s probably just how the Lindy Hop works. He manages to toss Cheryl around and not drop her, but it looks like she grazes her head at one point. It’s really quite good, though it’s a style I just don’t get.
Len loved it, without saying too much. Bruno loved his sense of comedy that was evident for the first time. Carrie Ann, whose hair is terrifying me tonight, says it was “fantastic”. They score 9’s across the board, which is impressive for a Lindy Hop.
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas (27/30) – Shawn liked that “10” last week, and wants another one. Mark brings in his mother, who is also a professional dancer, to help Shawn be more feminine. Mrs. Ballas has a British accent, but Mark doesn’t. Weird. Their dance is the Samba. For some reason, this actually looks more ballroom than Latin to me. The footwork is great, and it’s a really crisp performance. Other than a nice spin at the end though, the choreography isn’t exactly showstopping. At this point, they need to spice it up a little. (I completely agree. Not very exciting.–Myndi)
Len thinks it was good, but good isn’t good enough. He also thinks there were too many running promenades. That’s mostly Mark’s fault, though. Bruno says it was a good samba, but not wild. There is some talk of Lady GaGa, and you’d think that somebody who writes about 10,000 words a week for a pop culture website would know that name. You’d be wrong. (She’s a “singer”…she is a tad eccentric. That’s all I know.–Myndi) Carrie Ann thought it was solid and precise, and she liked it. Carrie Ann scores it a 10, with an 8 from Len, and a 9 from Bruno. Not bad at all.
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough (26/30) – After a great showing last week, the pressure is on. I like the way everybody compares their scores to Gilles – he’s the benchmark this season. I mean, that’s a lot of pressure for Gilles, but it’s still kind of funny. They’re dancing the Cha Cha, but it seems like Chuck is vogueing it up a little bit too much. He’s not quite keeping up with Julianne, and there’s one hold where it looks like they’re going to lick each other’s faces. All in all it’s pretty good, but Julianne’s really the one making it happen this time out.
Carrie Ann is excited that he’s hit his stride, and now she can give him constructive criticism about his chin. Len thinks he’s getting stronger and stronger, but his arms are too wooden. Bruno praises his “bum”, but doesn’t like his arms. Len and Carrie Ann score them 9’s, and Bruno gives them an 8. Chuck is actually confident enough now that he’s bummed about Bruno’s score. Man, remember when he was striving for an 8?
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower – Chelsie brings in Dimitri to help Ty with the Salsa, but they don’t really show much of it so it’s not as hilarious as it could be. They also take Ty for a spray tan, because he’s crazy pale. Not like I should talk, of course. The dance starts out with Ty walking, which never makes Len happy. This dance is actually pretty good, but it seems like most of the complexity is in the arms, rather than the feet. Maybe Ty just wants to show off his new tan. Anyway, it’s not as fast as it could be, but better than most of Ty’s work to this point.
Carrie Ann is so excited that only dogs can hear her. Len liked it, but thinks that it’s also time for Ty to go. Damn, that’s rough. Bruno jerks about like a marionette, and I’m so mesmerized that I can’t make sense of what he’s saying. Carrie Ann scores them a 9, a 7 from Len, and an 8 from Bruno. Well, that was kind of random.
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani (21/30) – And what about Melissa? Well, her rib injury, as mentioned last week, will prevent her from dancing this week, but she should be able to continue with the competition. We see rehearsal footage of her preparing for the jive, and she actually drops to the floor in pain. According to the doctor, she has a hairline fracture, which sounds painful. Since she can’t perform live, they’re going to show the last rehearsal that they taped, like they did with Steve-O earlier. I believe I’ve made my feelings on the jive clear by now. At least it’s nice and fast, and she’s very active throughout. There’s a spot or two where she clearly loses her place, but we’re watching an early morning rehearsal.
Bruno thinks the performance was fairly weak, but points out that since it’s rehearsal, they weren’t trying to hit all their lines and play to the audience. The others say variations on the same thing. This is pretty rough, because this is clearly just a soft runthrough to get the choreography right. Tony seems really worried about Melissa. The judges score 7’s across the board, which is at least high enough to keep them in contention.
Time for the Team Dance!
Team Tango (Gilles and Cheryl, Lil’ Kim and Derek, Ty and Chelsie) (28/30) – Cheryl is super-stressed in rehearsals, which shouldn’t surprise anybody. Derek and Kim are having trouble with their choreography. Ty calls the other team “sissies”. It begins with shirtless Gilles and Ty helping Kim off the judge’s table. Then it goes to a solo for Kim and Derek, which is as strong as we’ve come to expect from these two. Actually, I think Kim fumbles a pose, but they recover quickly. Next up are Ty and Chelsie. Ty is a little stiff – it’s not bad by any means, but it’s not exactly rocking the tango world. There’s a cool spin at the end, though. Finally, it’s Gilles and Cheryl, who rock it as usual. Then all three couples tango in sync, and do a really good job of it. Nice!
Bruno loved it, and Carrie Ann says that they were the better of the two team dances. She loved their unison. Len actually thinks Ty nailed it and that Gilles’ footwork was “atrocious”. Really? Also, the stars of Castle are in the audience once again. Hi, Stana Katic! Call me! Carrie Ann and Len give them 9‘s and Bruno goes all in with a 10.
Team Mambo (Shawn and Mark, Chuck and Julianne, Melissa and Tony) (25/30) – Actually, Lacy Schwimmer is filling in for Melissa. So, apparently all the pros I like were busy? In rehearsal, they decide that Chuck has to one-up Gilles in sexiness. Oh, this could go to a bad place. Their dance opens with all three couples dancing in sync. Tony and Lacy do a neat solo, but they’re both pros, so that’s to be expected. Oh, cripes. The music is that “Single Ladies” song, and I can’t stop thinking about the SNL bit. Anyway, Shawn and Mark come out to the middle of the floor, and their solo is solid and fun, but I don’t feel like they’re using Shawn to her best advantage. Finally, it’s Chuck and Julianne. They do that skirt-fluffing thing that everybody feels compelled to use in a Mambo. Well, at least they left the ass-bongos alone. I could go my whole life without seeing that again. After, the three women take the floor while the dudes get up on the judge’s table and strip down to the leotards from the SNL skit! (And probably also the real video. I don’t know.) Awesome.
Len thought it was fun and entertaining, and is impressed that Lacy did such a good job with almost no rehearsal time. Bruno makes fun of the guys in their leotards. Carrie Ann thought it was too distracting, what with all the packages and stuff. Carrie Ann and Len score them 8’s and, Bruno goes for a 9.
Well, other than Melissa, they’re clustered pretty tightly, and I think she has enough goodwill to keep her safe this week. Honestly, I don’t know what to expect tomorrow. Tune in for Myndi’s recap, including the “Pros Beg For Your Votes” competition. Should be fun!
