Dancing with the Stars – Season 10, Week 8 Performances
Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke (45/60)
BALLROOM — Last week was Chad’s best week, but this week Cheryl seems frustrated. She never knows which version of Chad she’s going to get on any given day. He says he has to get serious about winning. Consider the gauntlet thrown!
They’re dancing the Tango, which always makes me happy. They have a lot of power behind it, and it’s really quite good. It’s very much Cheryl’s show, though. She’s totally driving the dance – I don’t think Chad’s feet are always where they need to be, and I think he’s not moving as much as he probably should be. Actually, it’s the kind of thing that Edyta’s really good at, where she makes her partner her frame and tries to make it look like they’re both contributing. Not bad at all, but not what a Tango with Cheryl in the Final Five should be.
Len thought it had good power, but lacked polish. Bruno says it wasn’t very slick and sometimes it just “went a little bit”. Carrie Ann calls his posture “funky”. It’s kind of disappointing that none of the judges said anything funny this time out. I hope they’re getting warmed up. He gets a 21, and the look on Cheryl’s face says she saw that one coming.
LATIN – They draw a 60’s style Jive, which Chad takes to mean he should look like a pimp. That’s more of a 70’s fashion choice, isn’t it? He also says the word “pimp” more than is seemly. He also quotes Muhammad Ali, which, again, wrong decade.
Me and the Jive, we’ve never been the best of friends. I literally can not tell if a Jive is good or bad. This one’s kind of fun, at least. I could do without Chad humping the floor, though. It doesn’t really seem to have the level of energy that I associate with a Jive, but since they don’t have many holds, Chad’s weird posture isn’t an issue and it looks better than usual. I’m not too sure about his one. I don’t get any kind of a 60’s vibe from it, that’s for sure.
Len says it was entertaining, but says the kicks were terrible. Bruno makes a joke about Cheryl being a prostitute, and says this was the way to go. Carrie Ann says it was one of their better dances. He gets a 24 this time out.
Niecy Nash and Louis Van Amstel (43/60)
BALLROOM – She had her best week last week, but she still had the lowest score. We see a little bit of Niecy’s day – who knew they shot The Insider at 7:30 AM? She’s really sleepy in rehearsal, but Louis says she never complains about being tired.
They’re doing the Viennese Waltz, which does not seem like the ideal fit for Niecy. It’s actually quite pretty. Unfortunately, there’s no hiding that she’s not at the level of the others right now. She does a good job – don’t get me wrong. But we’re not going to see the fireworks from her that we see from the rest of the cast. Her arm movements get a little crazy, and sometimes I think she’s taking a lot of tiny steps when she should be taking a couple of big ones.
Bruno says it looked like she was swatting away wasps, but it was mostly good. Carrie Ann says there’s “too much push and pull” and she needs to work on her transitions. Len thought it was lovely, even if her arms were waving around too much. I love Niecy, and I’m thrilled she made it this far – it’s going to really sad when she does go home. She and Louis are funny and adorable in their Brooketerview, and they score a 23. Nice!
LATIN – It’s a 90’s paso doble, and I love me some paso. Niecy says the drama is hard for her, and then she pushes Louis around. I kind of wish they had their own show. Especially when Louis makes the mistake of touching her weave. Ha! Sometimes the Raineesha Williams comes out, and it’s awesome.
They start at the back of the audience, then rush down the aisle. The flickering spotlights give it kind of a “club” feel, which is a pretty good way to evoke the 90’s, I guess. I am sorely disappointed whenever a paso does not involve cape work, but Niecy has a big flowy dress that serves as a substitute. It doesn’t have the paso passion that I enjoy so much, though. Which might be a commentary on the 90’s, frankly. There are some really nice sequences – her precision isn’t great, but there are a lot of good ideas in the choreography. Not the best dance of the night, but really likeable. Lara Spencer, in the audience, approves.
Bruno says she threw herself into it like an avalanche – there was power, but not control. Carrie Ann calls it her most ambitious routine, but thought it lacked balance. Len said she got through it, but that’s not good enough at this point. Aw, Len made Niecy sad. She only gets a 20, one shy of a solid “winner, winner, chicken dinner”.
Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (53/60)
BALLROOM – Despite her best scores of the season and being really pretty, she ended up in the bottom two last week. What up with that, America? In rehearsal, she says that it looks like she’s humping a fire hydrant when they’re in hold. Maks can’t figure out what’s going through her head, because she’s really nervous about the lifts.
They’re dancing the Argentine Tango, and it’s looking really good. The opening is smooth and powerful, and then they do the lift that had her nervous. She basically jumps from the top of the stairs onto Maks’ shoulders, and it looks amazing. It doesn’t have any cutesy bits to irritate Len, and they are making the most of her mile-long legs. You guys, that was really good.
Carrie Ann kisses Len because it was so hot. She calls it phenomenal. Len calls Erin a “dirty, dirty girl”, and says he loved it. Bruno is impressed with how “bendy” she is. And yeah, that’s a good word for it. Erin is so happy right now, too. I like her. She gets a 28, including a 10 from Len. Way to go!
LATIN – They get the 80’s Rumba, which immediately prompts Maks to ask “Who made up the 80’s?” Cocaine, mostly. Maks says she has a natural talent and poise, but her problem is that she doesn’t believe it.
OK, Erin has legwarmers, and Maks is rocking the white-sportscoat-over-the-shoulder look. They’re actually doing a really good job of invoking the decade – aside from the outfits, a lot of their moves incorporate 80’s style posing. There’s not a lot of energy to it, but I think it’s all about striking the poses and nailing the footwork. It’s really good, but I can’t really point to anything that I found specifically impressive.
Carrie Ann says Erin doubts herself too much. Len liked her hip action and thought there was a good mix of steps, but it was too jerky. Bruno thinks they make “good music together” – he really liked Erin’s character in the dance. Brooke tries to ask them about their real-life relationship and they’re very evasive. They get a solid 25. Maks is super-weird in the Celebriquarium. He keeps making jokes that never quite get to the point, and even Erin looks confused. I hope Maks didn’t lose his mind just now!
Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya (53/60)
BALLROOM – Last week, a perfect score! Evan takes Anna ice skating to celebrate, and makes fun of her for not being good at it. Anna wants to do the most romantic Waltz in the history of the show, and Evan’s happy that there’s no hip action. She says he can come across as cold, and wants to show off his warmth.
It’s Waltz Time! They start out laying on the floor, and then they roll over one another. Once they get to their feet, it’s really beautiful. It’s very tender, which is not something we often see on this show. If I’m going to pick, it looks like he has a hard time finding her arms once or twice, but the footwork looks really good to me, and there’s this gorgeous flow to it. The dance looks like something out of a fairy tale, if that makes sense. Buzz Aldrin, in the audience stands up to applaud. (Did you see him on 30 Rock last week? He was hilarious!)
Len can’t tell if he liked it or not, which is weird. He didn’t like the opening, but he thought the posture and movement were great. Bruno loved the narrative, and says he has beautiful lines. Carrie Ann calls his lines impeccable, but says Evan needs to lose himself in the moment. He gets a 27, so apparently Len decided that he liked it. Remember, Anna is an official spunkybuddy now, so get voting!
LATIN – Man, you just knew they were going to end up with the dance from the future. Yep, it’s a Future Cha-Cha. Even though in the future, there is only one dance. The Robot. Oh, also the Robo-Boogie. Two dances. Evan does not need to win me over by doing a WALL-E impression, but he does it anyway. Latin dances have not been his best, so they’re a little nervous.
Oh, there’s fog on the stage, so you know it’s the future. Oh man, Anna is dressed like a sparkly version of the girl from The Fifth Element! This is officially the best thing ever! They do a really good job of incorporating robotic movements into a nicely choreographed dance. It’s a nice balance of stiffness and actual good dancing. There’s a cool bit where Anna leans into him, as if she’s been deactivated. He balances her on his leg and then lets her slide to the ground. I don’t know if this is going to be too weird for the judges, but it’s such an awesome mix of quality and sheer weirdness. I love it. They could use more Robocop, of course. But that’s true of most things.
Len is stuck once again, he thinks it lacked fluidity, but he got what they were going for. Bruno loved it, though. He calls it “Barbarella meets Mr. Spock”, even though Anna is the Fifth Element girl, and Evan is – I don’t know. He has stripes that start at his ear and go down his neck, which I think is supposed to evoke something specific, but I can’t quite place it. Carrie Ann loved his commitment to the character, and she thinks it worked well. They get a 26, which is pretty darn good. But, you know, VOTE!
Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough (59/60)
BALLROOM – You know, I liked Nicole a lot better at the beginning of this season than I do now. I mean, she’s doing a great job, but I just find her less likeable. Plus, she’s such an obvious ringer that it’s a little frustrating. She seems to be having kind of a tough week, but she’s blowing any good will by complaining about how hard it is for her, specifically. I think it’s probably harder for the people who didn’t get famous for dancing in the first place, but that’s just me.
They begin their Foxtrot sitting on a bench, each reading a DWTS-themed newspaper. I already can feel Len bristling. They finally catch each other’s eyes, which gets them off the bench. This is kind of a hammy dance, with Nicole getting the vapors and Derek fanning her with his hat. There are some cool bits, but it doesn’t look like a Foxtrot to me. They end the dance back on the bench, which is kind of clever. It’s really well-done, but I can’t tell how the judges will react – it seems like they strayed from the idea of a Foxtrot.
Well, there’s my answer. Bruno calls it “one and a half minutes of pure dancing joy”. Carrie Ann is glad to see Nicole smiling, and calls her “dazzling”. I don’t trust Carrie Ann as much after last week’s “You’re the best dancer ever on our show” bit. Len gives a shout-out to the band and calls it “enchanting” even though they lacked body contact. She scores a 29.
LATIN – They’re up with the 50’s paso doble. Derek can’t wrap his mind around it at first. Those two things seem to be at odds. Derek goofs around quite a bit in the rehearsal – he’s just dorky enough that it’s funny, you know?
It’s… hard to describe. It’s kind of traditional, but Derek breaks out some 50’s poses and some Elvis steps. Like, he attacks the holds with a little more flair than he would ordinarily, and there’s this head movement that just screams Elvis. Here’s the thing – he’s doing such a good job, that you actually lose track of Nicole. I’m watching it and being entertained by how he managed to incorporate a Buddy Holly stance into the paso, and Nicole’s just off to the side, doing a perfectly serviceable paso. She is doing her usual fine job, but all the 50’s flavor is coming from Derek, and that’s what’s stealing the show here. It’s really good, but Nicole is almost an afterthought.
Bruno totally loved it. Carrie Ann can’t stop giggling and is just agog. Len says that he had nothing to criticize. See, I think they’re reacting more to Derek here – if you isolate what Nicole was doing, she’s not doing anything we haven’t seen before. Of course it’s a 30.
There’s a pretty big drop between the top three and the bottom two – I think Chad and Niecy are going to be the ones under the red light tomorrow. But don’t let that stop you from voting for Anna and Evan.
Tomorrow: DanceCenter! Yay! Always my favorite results show of the year. Myndi will bring you the results, the tears, and the hilarity. It should be awesome.
