Jen and Kel are both blogging tonight. Double the snark, double the fun. The couples are dancing twice tonight, once in a single dance with their partner, and once with a third pro...which is hot if done right (see: Take the Lead ending tango here.)
Peta Murgatroyd and Donald Driver, Tango to "Higher Ground"
Kel's Take: Have we discussed that Peta tends to not wear makeup when she rehearses? That makes me so unbelievably happy because who wears makeup to work that hard? You go girl. You look hot when you are natural!
Dance: She is wearing a pleather skirt! And they are dancing to that song that is in Center Stage when they do the jazz class (see it here). Donald's frame is not great. He looks a bit slouchy to me. Also, I feel like I'm not really getting any real energy or passion. But that may have been because I was thinking too much about how much I love Center Stage instead of really focusing on the dance. Also...pleather skirt thing!
Jen's Take: I love their energy, not to mention Peta's pleather-and-gold skirt ensemble, but it's not a terribly flashy, exciting dance and I never really felt like it was fantastic.
Judges' Take: They loved it. Len called it a "knockout." They gave it 9s across the board. Total score: 27.
Derek Hough and Maria Menounos, Viennese Waltz to "A Thousand Years"
Kel's Take: I like Maria. I like that no matter how upset she gets, she tries to not let it all out. She doesn't whine or cry about it. There is no crying in ballroom.
Dance: Fog machine of death! I love this song! Her frame is lovely. A lot of the time in Viennese, the girl's job is to just hold frame and hold on. Or at least, that is how I usually dance Viennese. That dance didn't seem to have a lot to it. Or I was distracted again. I may be ADD tonight. But yeah, sure. It was fine. I definitely agree with Len that it should have had more content! I would have liked more hold. What up! Old school ballroom!
Jen's Take: Their best thing about watching Derek & Maria dance is their excellent chemistry. I feel like they want to be in each other's arms. The dance wasn't super flashy, but it was very fluid and flowing, and I appreciate that.
Judges' Take: Bruno and Carrie Ann really liked it, and responded to their fluidity and passion. They both gave them 10s. Len, however, thought she should be in hold a lot more, and scored them only an 8. Total score: 28.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Melissa Gilbert, Foxtrot to Maggie May
Kel's Take: And...Maks freakout! It has to happen every season. I like when Maks freaks out. He really puts everything into his dancing and is so passionate. And I feel like he comes across bad on camera sometimes. He gets along best with women who give him shit back...like Kirstie and Mel B.
Dance: Oh hey...dance! I was too busy writing about Maks to watch. He has nerd glasses on. He is like superman...fooling no one! Melissa is awfully sloppy. However the story is good. And her dress is two parts trashy and two parts awesome. Melissa has been improving every week and really seems to have relaxed so much since the first few weeks. I feel like in judging, Maks is still mad about last week. And probably the video package. Do you think he gets tired of the "Maks is a dick" edit every season. Why is it ok when Derek swears at Maria, but it isn't ok when Maks swears at Melissa?
Jen's Take: I just think Maks is so darn cute in his nerd glasses. I really am an unrepentant Maksim fangirl. He has a lot of personality. Anyway, the dance. Melissa had some glitches with her feet, and I still fee like she's holding on to Maks when they're dancing because it's too much for her, but she seemed to embrace that this week. It's a bit of a sloppy dance, but Melissa keeps improving.
Judges' Take: All three judges agreed it was her best dance so far, even with the mistakes. Carrie Ann also praised her for keeping her shoulders down. They all gave her 8s. Total score: 24.
Mark Ballas and Katherine Jenkins, Viennese Waltz to a generic slow song.
Kel's Take: I like that Katherine has no quit in her! Smacks her head on the floor, does the trick again.
Dance: She isn't really doing the footwork. She seems to be just sliding her feed on the floor during a good part of this dance. And you really have to pick up your feet in Viennese. Also, Mark looks like he just stepped off a production of Newsies. It was a fine dance. But again, nothing exciting. I just feel like Viennese and Quickstep don't translate on TV as well. Because I love Viennese Waltz. And I really love Quickstep. And of course Tango is great, but nothing has been exciting tonight.
Jen's Take: Again, it wasn't a thrilling dance! She is very in control and they're a cute couple, but they also suffer a bit because they're going right after Derek and Maria, who dance so well together. I did love the cool spinning trick, too - I'm impressed by things like that!
Judges' Take: They were all very impressed with her technique, and Len was thrilled that she actually danced Viennese Waltz in hold. Carrie Ann did point out some footing problems, and she gave them an 8. The guys gave them 9s. Total score: 26.
Chelsie Hightower and Roshon Fagen, Foxtrot to "Sweet Pea"
Kel's Take: Oh my gosh! Roshon's grandmothers are the most adorable things ever. They are so tiny! And they are giving him critiques! Oh come on! How can you not vote for that!
Dance: That is the look for him. Nerd adorable. I feel like he is slightly on top of the beat. Foxtrot needs to have some stretch to the slow steps. He seems to be rushing a bit. Again, it is like his energy just cannot be contained. And it just kinda spills out in the wrong place. And today instead of being flingy it was slightly rushed. However, it was cute and my favorite dance of the night so far.
Jen's Take: I am not a ballroom dance expert, so I'm not sure that the dance was actually Foxtrot all the time, but it was very cute and SO Broadway! Roshon should be in a Broadway show for sure! I loved this dance, and I agree with Kel that his grandmothers are adorable.
Judges' Take: They loved it. Len called them "two little dancing Munchkins" (in a good way), and Bruno said Roshon was like a young Mickey Rooney. Carrie Ann and Bruno gave them 10s, but Len spoiled the party with a 9. Total score: 29.
Cheryl Burke and William Levy, Foxtrot to "Stray Cat Strut"
Kel's Take: Dear William...I will never like you if you keep complaining about the rules of ballroom when you signed up for a ballroom show. Stop whining.
Dance: That is the best backdrop ever! Was it animated with people in a window? Or was that a shadow? Ok. So, this isn't bad. It is actually pretty fun and cute. But Foxtrot is a smooth dance. Which means it should be smooth. And William isn't smooth at all. Cheryl's dress is bananas! A fucking perfect score? Really? I think not.
Jen's Take: I still think William is boring and an asshole, but he danced pretty well. Part of it was just because I really love the song "Stray Cat Strut," actually. However, yes, decent dance with a pretty good strut to it, but I think William looked uncomfortable in his face.
Judges' Take: They piddled all over the ballroom in delight. Perfect 10s across the board. Total score: 30.
The Threesome Rounds!
Peta Murgatroyd and Donald Driver, with Karina, Jive to a 50s kind of song
Kel's Take: I have danced in a trio before. Not for competition, but I've done it. I think with ChaCha and Rhumba. I look forward to the craziness!
Dance: Donald brought the guns out! His arms are delicious. He isn't pointing his toes at all in his flicks and kicks. However, he has tons of energy and really looks like he is enjoying the hell out of himself. And that jump at the end made me give snaps up from my couch. You go Donald Driver! Technique problems aside, he brought it.
Jen's Take: Donald is hot. OK, sorry, I wasn't really paying attention - I was on the phone for most of this song - but what I saw had a lot of energy. And, I was thrilled to see Donald being light on his feet.
Judges' Take: I think they loved it, because the guys gave them 9s and Carrie Ann voted with her libido and gave them a 10. Total score: 28.
Derek Hough and Maria Menounos, with Henry, Samba to "Mama Do The Hump"
Kel's Take: I approve of the choice of Henry. OMG accent. Mmmmm hot Australia. I'm concerned about the Bollywood thing.
Dance: OH MY GOD! They are using a Rizzle Kicks song! Best thing ever! I really really love this song. Wow...how much did I space out that dance. It was cute and energetic. But I didn't watch it really. I was distracted by the song. But it didn't seem to have much Samba in it. That seemed more like a finale freestyle round dance. Using Rizzle Kicks is almost as great as in the first week when someone danced to an Olly Murs song. UK Invasion! One last shoutout to Henry's abs!
Jen's Take: It definitely wasn't very samba, but it sure as hell was cute! I loved the Bollywood feel to it, and I loved the song, and I loved the energy, and I loved Maria's hips. What a cute dance!
Judges' Take: Bruno and Carrie Ann really liked it, although they commented that she lost the timing a couple of times. They gave them 9s. Len grumpily informed her that it had "no connection to samba," and threw up a 7. Total score: 25.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Melissa Gilbert, with Val, Samba to "Hard to Handle"
Kel's Take: Not to be inappropriate, but omg dream. Chmerkovskiy sandwich. And the boys doing samba together...so adorable.
Dance: Ok. I will tell you why that worked. First, it was a real Samba. It used all samba moves. It also utilized the two men. They really choreographed something that highlighted both men along with featuring Melissa. It also worked because Maks and Val learned from the same person so they have very similar style to their dance. So they worked really well together. And lastly it worked because Melissa went "yeah, I am dancing with Maks and Val, let's have some fun."
Jen's Take: OMG, Chmerkovskiy sandwich. As Melissa said, "There is nothing hotter than dancing with two Chmerkovskiys." Her dancing is pretty sassy, because I think she was just plain enjoying dancing with Maks and Val. I also just really enjoyed watching those two guys dance together.
Judges' Take: They loved it! 9s across the board! Total score: 27.
Mark Ballas and Katherine Jenkins, with Tristan, Chacha to "She's a Lady"
Kel's Take: I love Tristan! And I really really love that Katherine made fun of Mark's bizarre semi-British accent. Ha!
Dance: I love the theming. And the reveal of the outfit was nice. Even though it not going smoothly definitely threw Katherine off. I also feel like that worked more in theory than in practice. It seemed a bit hit or miss. It had some fun energy but then some simple basic. I think that she would have looked better had she not come right after Melissa and the Chmerkovskiys. But again...no quit in that girl!
Jen's Take: I really enjoyed the story of this dance. It was very cute. I wasn't blown away by the dancing, but I was happy that she didn't quit when the one leg of her pants stuck on her foot. Good on her! Overall, it wasn't super thrilling because she looked a little lame after the Chmerkovskiy awesomeness. Still, gotta love a fringe dress.
Judges' Take: Len thought it was clean and clear, and gave them a 9. Bruno found the dance sexy and cool, and Carrie Ann loved it, too. They both gave 10s. Total score: 29.
Chelsie Hightower and Roshon Fagen, with Sasha, Paso Doble to "Come On"
Kel's Take: Sasha is tiny! And adorable. Though is the entire troupe Australian?
Dance: Here is why this didn't work as a group dance. Because Sasha wasn't in it very much. You can't really have the contestant sit out part of the dance, but I feel like they didn't really utilize the concept. It was fine, but I just don't understand the point of it. However, Roshon definitely looked stronger this week.
Jen's Take: I loved the beginning of the dance, when Sasha and Roshon were circling each other, but then Sasha disappeared for too long. I liked Roshon's intensity, though, and he has really gotten his flingy arm craziness under control, which is a wonderful thing. He's still a little too wild, though.
Judges' Take: They all really enjoyed the dance, but remarked that Roshon did lose it just a little bit. Len said they were "like 2 skinny fries chasing the ketchup." Either our hearing is going, or Len is going insane. Or both. They all gave them 9s. Total score: 27.
Cheryl Burke and William Levy, with Tony, Paso Doble to a classical song
Kel's Take: Dance: It takes strong men to make magenta capes strong. I'm concerned about some of William's steps. He is a bit sloppy. He also had a bit of an issue staying with the music. Tony definitely won that dance. However, they did a better job with the three person Paso than Chelsie/Sasha/Roshon did. I liked the dance, but I'm still a bit meh on it. Also, I find William a bit boring.
Jen's Take: I love the whole dance fight concept, but I did think there wasn't enough Tony in the middle. It was a good dance with a great feel - I love classical music with paso - but it didn't totally trip my trigger.
Judges' Take: They loved it quite a bit, although Carrie Ann wanted William to have more arch and carry himself better. They all gave them 9s. Total score: 27.
Final Thoughts
Kel's Opinion: My favorite dance of the night by far was Melissa/Maks/Val. It was the best choreographed trio and was the most fun to watch. My second favorite was Donald/Peta/Karina. Also super fun and high energy. Third is a tie between Roshon and William's Foxtrots.
Jen's Opinion: I really enjoyed both of Melissa and Maks' dances. Even though Melissa is still a smidge shaky, she's gotten better, and with her wonderfully hot partner(s), I think she's safe this week. However, two couples are going home this week, and I just really don't know who it will be. I am hoping for William, but the judges were so enthralled with him. I worry a bit about Roshon - even though he was adorable and danced really well, he hasn't been doing terribly well. In the end, it's going to be a tight race!
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