Dancing with the Stars – Season 10 Finals, Part 1
Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (55/60)
REDEMPTION – Bruno shows up to visit them in rehearsal, and I’d feel nervous not having a judge’s table between Bruno and I.He’s assigned them the Samba, and Bruno tells Erin that she can win it, as long as she gets her head in the right place.At one point, Bruno cries out “Look at your ass!”, which is the kind of thing only Bruno can really say.
It’s a good start, because they begin with Maks starting to take his shirt off, and Erin pantomimes exasperation and acts like she’s yelling at him.She does a good job with this, actually.I really thought she was mad at somebody for a second there.Maks puts his shirt back on and they head into the dance.It looks a lot looser than last time they had this dance, and Erin’s hip action is noticeably improved.There’s a hold near the beginning where Maks isn’t as close as Erin thinks he is, but other than that, it’s really, really good.There’s a cute bit where Erin gets mad at Maks for hogging the attention again, and it ends with them at either side of the judge’s table, gyrating for Bruno and Carrie Ann before they both kiss Len on the head.
Len thanks Maks for keeping his clothes on and calls the dance a fantastic improvement.Bruno thinks she’s so hot that his head is still bobbling.Carrie Ann says the dance was all about redemption.Just like the Lost finale!She loved it and is impressed with the level of improvement.They score 29, for Erin’s best score yet.Yay!
FREESTYLE – Maks says he has a great idea to set Erin apart from Erin and Nicole – a contemporary, lyrical freestyle.A choreographer named Mandy Moore (not the one you’re thinking of) comes to watch and she says “There’s something there”, which does not sound promising, but she says it in a really excited voice.
There’s a couch on the stage, and each one starts on an arm.Erin twirls across the stage to a bed and does some balletic posing.Maks picks her up and they go into hold, but then they use the bed as a prop, tossing each other across it.And then it just goes crazy.Maks swings Erin around by her legs, including picking her up and flipping her over.They end up embracing on the bed.It’s a really different freestyle than what we’ve seen before, and I think I liked it.
Len says they took an enormous risk and “in part, pulled it off”.He liked it, but didn’t love it.Bruno said some of it was quite incredible.Carrie Ann loved their choice, and cracks Maks up because she phrases something awkwardly – “This isn’t your specialty, to make your partner look good”.Hee.Then Maks says something about how it wasn’t the same bed they rehearsed on, and Erin is hilariously mortified.I love these two.Maks is all jumped up and bounds across the Celebriquarium.Also, Erin apparently hit his nose pretty hard.They score a 26.
Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya (52/60)
REDEMPTION – Len visits their rehearsal, and gives them the Viennese Waltz.You’re doing pretty well when the dance they want to see you improve is the one you did in the first week.Len reminds him to focus on Anna, and I don’t see why a person would have to be reminded to do that.
Their Waltz is lovely – big, sweeping movements.You can really see how far Evan’s come – he started out well, but now he seems to be lost in the dance rather than keying in tothe technical aspects.A Waltz is never going to blow the doors off like a paso doble, but it’s really beautiful.It’s all these huge turns and gorgeous holds.And when they break hold, they’re perfectly in sync.It’s a standing ovation!
Bruno says their hold and connection is good and their fluidity is amazing.Carrie Ann calls it beautiful and enchanting.Len says it’s wonderful, but he “collapses a bit through his standing leg”.Yes, that’s the kind of thing I could realistically be expected to notice.They score a 28.That’s another Yay!
FREESTYLE – They’re clowing around in rehearsal, with Evan spinning Anna around by her legs.Evan wants to take some big risks, and Anna knows he’s making it up as he goes along.Wait, now he’s decided to not take direction?He’s making Anna sad!She actually cries a little and says that there’s so much pressure on the Freestyle, and she is breaking my heart right now.If Anna cries, I’m going to cry, and I cried enough last night!(Is it weird that both Hurley and Anna have made me shed sympathy tears this week?)Finally, Anna brings in a choreographer named Bobby Newberry to help fine-tune the program, and now she’s happy again.
They have the stage set up for the “DWTS Prom”, and Evan is wearing a burgundy tuxedo.Awesome.Remember Anna’s previous trip to the finals, when she and Jerry Rice wore giant Afro wigs?Is it any wonder she’s my favorite? Oh, man.They are dancing to “Footloose”.I am on board!They have his neat, jittery start, then Evan jumps down the stairs.He flips Anna over, and then there’s a nice succession of broad, almost goofy steps.Then he picks up Anna, upside down.She does the splits (again, upside-down), and he spins across the floor really fast.And then they cut loose.Footloose.They incorporate my move of grapping their own foot while they kick, but it looks better when they do it.Mine looks much more awkward.And drunk.Anna’s got crazy hip action, and then Evan pulls her across the floor before picking her up by one arm and one leg and spinning her.He works in some skating moves toward the end, and then he spins and flips her all over.It’s big and fun and I love it.Weirdly, I don’t like it as much as I liked their paso and their Argentine Tango, but it’s still fantastic.They’re just beaming when it’s over, and you can tell that they had a blast.
Bruno calls it “demented”, but says they lost some precision.Carrie Ann calls it “odd” and says they didn’t match their lines.Len says it wasn’t what he wanted to see.Oh, what the hell?I liked it so much more than they did.They get straight 8’s for a 24.Get voting, guys!
Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough (55/60)
REDEMPTION – Carrie Ann shows up and sticks them with a Rumba.She says Nicole needs to be vulnerable and real.It’s weird, because when the male judges visited, they seemed to get much more involved with instruction.Carrie Ann sits against the wall and stares at them, instead.I think that would be disconcerting.
Nicole is just straight up wearing lingerie at this point.They’re not even pretending anymore.By tomorrow, it’ll be pasties and a g-string.I’m always surprised by the Rumba, because I forget that it’s as slow as it is.I think I confuse it with a Mambo.She wobbles pretty noticeably on the first turn, but the rest of it is really good.There’s an amazing move at the end where she slinks behind Derek, wraps one leg around his, and then lifts herself so she’s perpendicular to him.Those two have freaking titanium thighs!I’m kind of soured on Nicole since she actually is a professional dancer, but that was awesome.
Carrie Ann, if you’ll recall, has a total boner for Nicole but still busts her for that lift.See, even though it was the best move of the whole dance, the music was still going, so it’s an illegal lift.It must be exhausting to be Carrie Ann.Len loved the subtlety, but sometimes felt a lack of confidence.Len and Carrie Ann argue for a bit.Bruno calls it “superlative”.They score a 28, putting Erin in the lead at the end of the first round.
FREESTYLE – In rehearsal, Derek calls it “make or break”.You know, there’s no drama here, because it’s Derek.The man does not mess up choreography.You could pair him with Cloris Leachman and he’s rock the Freestyle.
They start out wearing suits, and you know that means their clothes are getting torn off.They open with really broad movements, like they’re the comedy act who warms up the audience.It’s pretty much flawless, but there’s something about it that’s really strange.And then the clothes come off.Their side-by-side dancing is not in sync, but we’ll see if anyone busts them for it.Also, there’s a really bad lift – I don’t know if Derek’s neck is still off or if Nicole moved wrong, but he’s balancing her on his shoulders and it looks like they’re both going to hit the ground.Nicole looks pissed at the end, so I think it might have been a mistake.
Guess what?Carrie Ann loved a Nicole dance.But she does point out the failed lift.Len was entertained by the mix of styles.Bruno calls it “dazzling”.They do their lift correctly for Brooke, which is pretty cute.They get a 27.
So that’s a two-way tie for first with Evan and Anna running close behind.I’m calling shenanigans on that, personally.Two more dances tomorrow, and I’ve got all my votes in.
Myndi will bring you the finale tomorrow, capping off what’s been an amazingly fun season.That’s it from me, though.(Unless Evan and Anna win, and then I’ll probably beg her to let me add a big “YAY” surrounded by cartoon hearts.)Thanks for reading!Thanks especially to spunkybuddy Lorie for all of her comments and input, and for being on Team Evan.
We’ll be back in July to recap Big Brother, so we hope to see you then.And then more Dancing in the fall.
Remember, tomorrow Bachelor Jake is dancing with Vienna and Kate Gosselin returns to the dance floor.You have my sympathies, Myndi.
