Dancing with the Stars – Season 10, Performance Week 7
It starts out awesome, because Maks takes off his black coat and reverses it, so he’s now wearing a red coat. Then he tears off his black pants and Erin rips off her black skirt to reveal the same outfits in red underneath. Hee. OK, that’s a pretty good way to address it and be clever. The dance is really good, and to my eye, very traditional. There’s no messing around – they get in hold and they Quickstep it up. It’s weird because I always think of this as a dance they do in the early rounds, so it’s fun to see it from such a strong couple this late in the game. They both get some serious crazy legs, and it just looks like they’re having a blast.
Len says he actually liked the opening, and calls it Erin’s best dance yet. Bruno makes fun of Len’s (admittedly garish) tie, and says it was “brilliant” apart for some shoulder tension. Tom jumps in to say Len looks like he got dressed “at Pixar”, and holy God, that is a lime green shirt! It is something to see. Carrie Ann calls it “gorgeous” and loved their attention to detail. Maks grabs Tom’s butt, and they’re off. They get straight 9’s for an impressive 27.
Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke (25/30) – Hey, it’s Cheryl’s birthday! Happy Birthday, Cheryl! It might just be me, but Cheryl is sounding more and more exhausted in rehearsal as the season goes on. Cheryl brings in Tony to help him out, and Tony looks so much happier now that he’s talking to somebody who isn’t Kate Gosselin.
They’re doing the Viennese Waltz, and they’re working very hard to look elegant. You know, last week spunkybuddy Lorrie commented on some of Cheryl’s past awesome dances, and she’s right – when Cheryl has a good partner, there is not a better pro on this show. If you look at what she was doing with Drew or Emmett or Cristian seven weeks in, it absolutely blows Chad out of the water. There isn’t anything wrong with what’s happening here, other than Chad doing weird things with his arms when they get in hold, but they should be just knocking us dead at this point in the show. He’s getting better all the time, but I feel like he should be amazing by now.
Bruno calls him “a gentle giant”, but says he has to pay attention to his extensions. Carrie Ann says he sometimes has weird arms but he’s learning to be tender. Len actually loved his arms and says that he became a contender tonight. He gave Cheryl a diamond necklace with a giant heart, and if I knew things about jewelry, I’d have something to say here. He gets 25 for his best score yet.
Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough (27/30) – Len didn’t like their Samba last week, even though they had the highest scores of the night. Nicole talks about how their song this week, “You Light Up My Life” is her aunt’s favorite song. Her aunt has Down’s Syndrome, and they show some very sweet pictures of the two of them. Derek explains how Nicole sometimes gets down on herself, and he tends to assume that she can do everything. You know, in rehearsal footage, Nicole comes off as either just completely cool or kind of a pain in the ass. There’s no in-between, and you never know which Nicole you’re going to get. This week, she does not worry about camera angles, so that helps a lot.
They are also doing the Viennese Waltz, and elegance comes more naturally to her than it does to Chad. They have a fantastic hold with some really nice footwork. As always, Nicole has great extensions, and it seems like they stayed clear of flashy tricks this week. This week is all about making Len happy. There’s not much to say – it’s very well-done. They have a spin at the end where Nicole is on one foot and they keep circling around, and it’s really quite cool. Then Nicole runs out into the audience to hug her aunt. Awwww.
Carrie Ann says Nicole is the best dancer they’ve ever had on the show. And I’m a Nicole fan, but I’m not sure I can support that statement. Top ten, I probably wouldn’t argue. But best ever? I’m not convinced. She goes on about how they didn’t get lost in each other. That’s useful. Len has a couple of technical issues but thought it was beautiful. Bruno calls her “Dancing Royalty”. So, she could be the Dancing Queen? Come on, show! Have that be her next song! She gets 9’s for another 27.
Pamela Anderson and Damien Whitewood (24/30) – She and Damien go to a wildlife center and clean up poo. It’s sort of like when she was still with Tommy Lee, really. Not much happens here. Frankly, I was hoping for some animal footage, or something.
It’s our third Waltz in a row, and they’re dancing to the song from that one episode of Family Ties. For a change, Pam isn’t porning it up – it’s a straightforward, clean waltz. I seriously had to watch it twice to come up with something to say about it, and I still don’t really have much. I think if Pam did more of this kind of thing, I’d probably like her better.
Len thought it was nice and understated but she needs to firm up her upper body, and Tom just can’t let that one go. Bruno calls her “demure” and praises her for always finding the character of the dance. Carrie Ann saw huge improvement in her legs, and liked the tone of it. She manages to not make a sex joke in her interview with Brooke, too. It’s the new Pam! They score a 24.
Niecy Nash and Louis Van Amstel (25/30) – Last week, their dance involved a cookie and they found themselves in the bottom two. Niecy’s having a hard time learning the Quickstep, and says they’re like a couple that has to stay together for the kids. At one point, she catches him texting Kelly Osbourne, and Niecy reminds him that Kelly’s not his partner anymore. Hee. Also, how adorable is it that he still texts Kelly?
At the beginning, when they’re not in hold, Niecy’s feet aren’t quite where they need to be. But once they get in hold, it’s really quite nice. There’s a cute bit where they take tiny little steps across the floor, and it seems to me like she’s really finding the music as the dance progresses. Ultimately, it’s a really good Quickstep. I feel like she struggled with the first few bars but everything else was a lot of fun and really well-done. Definitely her best dance yet. I love Niecy.
Bruno tells her that her footwork is better than ever. Carrie Ann calls it her best dance. Len tells her to lift her rib cage, and she reminds him she’s got a lot to lift. She gets a personal best of 25 and totally freaks out about it. Yay!
Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya (30/30) – If you’ll recall, last week Evan placed at the bottom and Anna nearly knocked his brains loose in rehearsal. It was a rough week. This time, he asked Anna to push him harder, and considering she just about concussed him last week, that might be a dangerous request. She wants to perform a “proper Argentine Tango” and has to keep reminding him not to submit to her.
As I’ve mentioned, I’m a sucker for a Tango. Even they way they move down the stairs is cool. I really like this one, because it doesn’t look like figure skating. I know that’s how Evan’s used to moving, but sometimes I feel like we’re seeing movements that are familiar to him, just brought over to a different surface. It’s precise and aggressive and it looks just the way a Tango should look. Since lifts are allowed, they do one of the best that I’ve ever seen on this show. She puts one foot on his shoulder and he raises her off the ground and they spin very fast and it just looks amazing. Even if I put aside my Anna bias, this one was awesome.
Carrie Ann calls him “sexy” and “refined”. She seems to have the vapors, frankly. Len calls it fantastic and says he’ll be dusting off a paddle that he hasn’t used yet. Yeah, that could sound dirty out of context. Bruno says he conquered his territory tonight. They get a perfect 30, and while I don’t usually approve of perfect scores, I’m thrilled about this one.
And now it’s time for the Team Dance! Or as Tom’s calling it, the “Cha-Cha-Challenge”.
Team Gaga: It’s Chad, Nicole, Pam, and their respective partners. In rehearsal, they decide Pam should get the first solo, because she’s “so sexy”. You know, if I were called upon to rank the women in the room at that moment, Pam would not make the top two, and there are three ladies there. Just sayin’. I feel like everybody’s getting along, which always makes this kind of thing so much more fun.
They’re dancing to Lady Gaga’s “Telephone”, which I guess is a thing. Right away, when they dance as a group, it looks weird because Chad’s the only male star, and he’s just not keeping up with the pros. Pam and Damien take the first solo, and it’s not great. Pam loses track of what to do with her arm, and I think she kicks with the wrong leg at one point. Next it’s Chad and Cheryl and his weird posture is back – he just seems too rigid. Then Derek and Nicole come out and do their thing where it looks professional and you can’t really pick on anything. The group dance at the end of the number is better than at the beginning, but Chad doesn’t face the same way that Damien and Derek do, so it looks weird.
Len liked them in formation, and he thought Nicole owned the number. Bruno compliments everybody and everything. Carrie Ann says Chad struggled but thought they had incredible sexual energy. They get three 9’s for a 27.
Team Madonna: Evan, Niecy, Erin, and their partners. So obviously this is the team I’m rooting for. Louis says they need to “start sharp and finish sharper. So we’ll be in the middle.” Ha! Niecy tells Erin that he looks like Bojangles, and makes fun of his hips, or lack thereof. They’re clowning around, and I like these people. Erin makes fun of Maks’ accent, which Tom points out makes her sound like Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Their song is “Holiday”, and Erin and Niecy wear awesome Madonna outfits. First up are Anna and Erin, and he’s got his hips moving now. He does a thing that probably has a name in skating or dancing, but what I think is a roundhouse kick, right over Anna’s head. You can already tell it’s not going to be as aggressive as Team Gaga, but the music doesn’t lend itself to that kind of performance. Next up are Niecy and Louis and it turns out, girlfriend can do the splits. Who know? Erin and Maks wrap it home and it’s so much, I don’t know, sunnier than what they usually do. They have some really striking moves, actually. They form a dance line at the end, and it’s a much different vibe than the last one, but it’s totally fun. The ladies all lose their dresses at the end to reveal… bustiers? I don’t know much about names for underwear.
Bruno bursts out a crazy stream of compliments but thought Niecy lost her footing at the end. Carrie Ann thinks they should have ripped off the dresses earlier and thought their sync wasn’t great. Len commends the whole bunch of them and calls it fantastic. They get three 8’s for a 24.
Here’s where we stand:
Nicole and Derek – 54
Evan and Anna – 54
Chad and Cheryl – 52
Erin and Maks – 51
Pam and Damien – 51
Niecy and Louis – 49
Those are clustered pretty close, so it’s anybody’s game tomorrow. Well, except for Evan and Anna. Since they’re getting all of your votes, they’re definitely safe, right?
Myndi will have results, filler, and more filler for you tomorrow!
