Their Rumba (25 out of 30) is competent, but she’s having trouble really selling the sex angle. I personally am distracted by the flesh colored fabric across half her midsection. Bruno says it was romatnic, but he wanted it “dirty”. Carrie Ann claims she got goosebumps and thought it was fluid. Len compliments the acting, but wishes she’d given it “a bit more welly” as the whole thing felt a bit careful. Backstage, Tony points out that Marissa has gone from 6’s to 9’s and that he’s very proud of her. Can’t argue with that.
Overall scores: 52 out of 60
Cristian and Cheryl are dancing the Viennese Waltz and the Samba, or at least most of the Samba. In their rehearsal package, we meet Cristian’s daughter, Laura, who is the perfect little princess. She has Daddy eating out of the palm of her hand, especially when she says, “Te Amo, Papa!” So cute.
Cristian dedicate the Waltz (25 out of 30) to her, but I am surprised and quite uncomfortable when it turns out the music is that Boyz II Men classic, “I’ll Make Love To You”. Ahem. I do not think Casey Kasem would approve of this. Of course, these things do happen on American Idol quite often, right Don? Anyway, the dance is lovely, despite the odd overtones of the song. Bruno says they are a pleasure to watch, Carrie Ann felt they had fluidity but lacked energy and Len thought it lacked content. Backstage, Samantha asks Cristian about being a contender and he just says he’s having a good time at this point.
In the Samba (21 out of 30), things don’t go as planned. Although they come out looking like the entire 1980s neon craze and remind of one of my favorite short-lived sitcoms, Double Trouble, in the process, Cristian pulls a muscle in his arm and tries to push through, but he can’t really finish the dance. I can’t remember that ever happening before. He is basically in agony. And it’s a shame on another level, as his hip action and samba rolls were pretty good. Tom, calm as ever but truly concerned, manages to steer us into a break, insisting that the arm gets looked at before any scoring can be done. When we come back, Cristian has ice on him arm but is still in obvious pain. The judges all feel awkward saying anything much beyond the fact that Cristian is brave and that they can only score what the saw up until the injury occurred. To me, this doesn’t necessarily explain the low scores.
Overall scores: 46 out of 60
Kristi and Mark’s rehearsal footage shows that Mark is frazzled by the pressure of having to choreograph two dances for the first time, while Kristi thrives on the pressure. She takes him to the skating rink to calm him down and also to show off a bit, I think.
In their Viennese Waltz (26 out of 30), Mark is dressed as a Naval officer on shore leave who has perhaps wandered on to the set of Singin’ in the Rain. I’m very surprised to see them using a black umbrella covered in glitter glue, but it generally works. I just wish they weren’t dancing to Avril Lavigne’s “I’m With You” on general principle. Carrie Ann felt the emotion in their dance, but noted a few turns being off. I think they’re just trying to give her a little scare this week. Len didn’t care for the mincing around at the start, but did like the fleckerel, a move he noted at least once before in a previous waltz. Bruno concurs on the turn, but is giving them credit for the routine’s difficulty. Backstage, Samantha brings up the fact that the week that Sabrina and Mark dipped in scores last season, it was their downfall. Um, I think the difference here might be the fact that unless you either are or have an eight-year-old girl in your home, you don’t know or care about the Cheetah Girls. I’d wager a few more folks are aware of Kristi Yamaguchi.
Their cha cha cha (28 out of 30) is darn near flawless (right down to Kristi’s white girl afro), and if it wasn’t for the bug up Len’s butt about the hip-hop section near the end, which Kristi nailed, it would have scored three 10s. Again, part of me thinks this is all for show. Just puttin’ that out there. Carrie Ann give the routine “two snaps up” and Bruno pounds his fist like a toddler and say the kids will love it.
Overall scores: 54 out of 60
Mario and Karina were so bereft after finishing in the bottom two that they headed straight for rehearsal after last Tuesday’s show to start on the Foxtrot and Mambo. Oh, and Mario has to learn a hip-hop routine for his new video as well. There is more talk of fighting for his survival and whatnot, and you can’t help but appreciate the kid’s dedication to winning a disco ball.
Their Foxtrot (24 out of 30) is about the dirtiest one I’ve ever seen. It’s good and it’s hot, but not particulary smooth in that old-school way. It’s also set to Leonard Cohen’s “I’m Your Man”, yet the band manages to make it sound upbeat. Len compliments Mario’s maturity for his young age as well as his footwork, while Bruno says he has the most control of all the contestants. Carrie Ann says the routines are ambitious, but it would help if Mario could “be stiffer”. Did she just insult Karina in some way? Everyone laughs uncomfortably.
The Mambo (27 out of 30) is a different story entirely. And it’s all in Mario’s tight white trousers. Yowza! The judges throw out words like “slick” , “fast” , “wacky” and “wonderful” while noting just one part out of sync, which I can’t really make out myself. I think the pants temporarily blinded me.
Overall scores: 51 out of 60
Shannon and Derek fall all over themselves apologizing to the judges for their blow-ups last week. Derek says he had to put their “friendship” aside this week to focus on being the teacher. Shannon sulks and tells Derek he’s going home alone. Yeah, sure, they’re just friends…with benefits! High Five! Moving on…Shannon plans to take her pent-up aggression (read: the sex they didn’t have that night) onto the dance floor.
They certainly look fantastic for the Tango (27 out of 30), down to Shannon’s flawless appearance and Derek’s hat. It’s very precise and sharp, but I had no idea which way the judges would go with their critiques. Bruno says the tango is a “bitch of a dance” but feels they nailed it, as does Carrie Ann. Len says it had odd little moments, but it was well done.
For the Mambo (24 out of 30), they go all out, with Shannon shaking her hips all over the judges and Derek ripping his shirt open mid-dance. Also, it must be noted that it was two for one day at the wig shop, as Shannon also has a white girl fro wig on her head. The dance is a spectacle, but it’s fun. Carrie Ann is practically speechless but manages to point out how awkward Shannon’s lines can be due to her long limbs. Len agrees that she’s a bit “gawky”, but her hips were better and he liked the “bionic bum”. Bruno also points out her “tushie”. We learn backstage that Shannon put a fake butt in her costume, so now she’s “fake everywhere” which, hey, she said it!
Overall scores: 51 out of 60
Lastly, we have Jason and Edyta, hoping to rebound from last week’s tumble down the leaderboard. Their rehearsal footage only hints at the motif of their second dance, really, so let’s just get to it.
Their Quickstep (29 out of 30) begins with some business where Jason pretends to conduct the band for a sec, then launches himself onto the floor. All the kicks, the frame and unique speed of the dance are on point, and it ends with Jason knocking a bunch of a papers off the judge’s table and then vaulting into a handstand over Edyta lying on the floor. Definitely impressive. Glowing remarks all around, with Len predicting the finals for Jason.
The Paso Doble (26 out of 30) is set to, of all things, the theme to Monday Night Football, but not the Hank Williams Jr. one, the instrumental, awesome one. They are dressed in Dolphins colors. Jason is essentially wearing an undershirt and sweatpants, so I hope someone bought him dinner this week as a thank you for the big savings in wardrobe. It’s a solid but not standout Paso, and I feel like the music was almost distracting. At the end, they execute a spin where you can tell Edyta is fighting to keep her toe on the ground (like a receiver dragging this toe on the sideline, really) but it does come off the floor. Len felt there was too much posing, Bruno makes several military comparisons that confuse me, and Carrie Ann points out the lift, which she didn’t even feel was necessary and says the dance was “unconventional”. Especially since it’s probably going to be awhile before the Dolphins are back on Monday Night Football.
Overall scores: 55 out of 60
So there you have it. Jason has at least temporarily unseated Kristi at the top, but only by one point, while the other stars are bunched together below. Cristian is most likely to get major sympathy votes, as I almost feel like he should in this case. I’d guess it’s either Shannon, because she’s really the weakest at this point, or Mario, who doesn’t have a big fan base, who will be going home tomorrow, unless the sympathy voters were in the tub or something.
Join EJ for Def Leppard (yes, that’s what I said) and Dance Center with Kenny Mayne tomorrow!
