"Dancing With the Stars" is back, and it is FABULOUS! I kind of regret missing the first episode, but I was busy last Monday, and tonight was all fast bouncy dances, so it was a total win!
This year, the judges are being marginally more picky (but not really, since the lowest scores were 6s), and they can give half-points, which means that Brooke-bot has to add more complicated numbers. (She failed at least once tonight.) Other than that, it's the same D-list Sparklefest as last time! And we LOVE IT!
Reality TV star Melissa Rycroft & Tony Dovolani danced a bouncy, fun jive to "Shout." Their footwork was very together, and it was nice to see dancers interacting well right out of the gate. It was definitely Melissa's type of dance, because she looked like she was having a blast. The judges loved the dance, and they were impressed with her technique, although Bruno (who was a little nitpicky all night) pointed out a couple of little problems.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8; Len: 8; Bruno: 7.5. Total: 23.5.
Conservative activist Bristol Palin & Mark Ballas danced a quickstep to "Redneck Woman." She definitely looks and dances better than last time, and although there were a few footwork problems, Bristol seemed competent. She still doesn't have a great presence, looks like she's trying too hard and is kind of stiff on the dance floor. The judges were impressed with how far she's come and her enthusiasm, but they said her technique wasn't up to snuff. Len and Carrie Ann also dinged Mark for taking them out of hold in the middle of the dance, which is apparently a no-no.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 6; Len: 6; Bruno: 6. Total: 18.
Indy 500 Champion Helio Castroneves & Chelsie Hightower danced a jive to "Everybody Talks." It's a cute dance, and Helio has tons of personality. Their technique is really good, too, but the best part by far is the exuberance and personality of Helio and Chelsie! The judges all really enjoyed it, praises Helio's charm and style. Bruno did say that Helio pumps his legs a little high and had a few problems with his footwork, but enjoyed the "spark."
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8; Len: 7.5; Bruno: 7.5. Total: 23.
Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno & Karina Smirnoff danced a quickstep to a big band-sounding song that I believe was called "Hurry Home." It's a very classic dance and very cute. The footwork was good, and it kept getting better because by the end of the dance, they were doing some fancy moves. Apolo, who I love, also has a great personality when he dances. The judges enjoyed his dance, with Len calling it a "gold medal" and Bruno praising Apolo's determination and hard work. Carrie Ann also praised him for leading his partner - something they are looking for in the all-star season, apparently.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8.5; Len: 8; Bruno: 8. Total: 24.5.
"Cheetah Girls" member Sabrina Bryan & Louis van Amstel danced a quickstep to "Black Betty." Sabrina apparently has a tendency to overdance, but she had a perfect amount of control on this dance. In fact, I felt like she was a little bit constrained at times. However, Sabrina did a nice job and I enjoyed their dance. (Not gonna lie, some of that is that I LOVE Louis van Amstel.) The judges loved it, with Bruno calling the dance "a dazzler." Len praised the way that her upper body was under control even as her legs were going.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9; Len: 8.5; Bruno: 8.5. Total: 26.
Actress Kirstie Alley & Maksim Chmerkovskiy danced a jive to a song that was in French. She had a few little problems with her footwork, but she has SUCH great personality on the dance floor, and Kirstie and Maks have fantastic chemistry. Kirstie was working the floor like it owed her money! (I also enjoyed watching Kirstie dance around in practice with her knees tied together in order to get the jive steps right - she called it "50 Shades of Maks." Tee hee!) The judges were impressed with Kirstie's hot, naughty dance, and Len, after calling her "dirty, dirty Kirstie," praised her neat, precise dance.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 7; Len: 7; Bruno: 7. Total: 21.
Football player Emmitt Smith & Cheryl Burke danced a quickstep to a song that had something to do with being a "cool cat." He had pretty good footwork and did a good job with the dance, and although Emmitt and Cheryl had decent chemistry, they seemed kind of flat after Kirstie and Maks. The judges enjoyed their dance, but said Emmitt's frame wasn't good and he lost his timing a few times.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 7.5; Len: 7.5; Bruno: 7.5. Total: 22.5.
98 Degrees member Drew Lachey & Anna Trebunskaya danced a jive to "Dance Dance." They did a great job together, with good chemistry and a lot of strength and power in the dance. I really enjoyed watching their dance, even though the song was distractingly slow. The judges enjoyed the dance, but told Drew he needed to get on the balls of his feet and watch the beat.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 7.5; Len: 7.5; Bruno: 7.5. Total: 22.5.
*NSYNC member Joey Fatone & Kym Johnson danced a quickstep to a bouncy version of Radiohead's "Creep." Joey Fatone was dressed up as Charlie Chaplin, and the whole thing had a great old-school feel to it. They had a great personality, and Joey just completely went for it. The dancing was pretty good, but the character more than made up for it. That's what the judges said too - there were some problems but they loved the personality.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 7.5; Len: 7.5; Bruno: 7.5. Total: 22.5.
Olympian Shawn Johnson & Derek Hough danced a jive to "Nicest Kids in Town" from "Hairspray." It was a super perky, fun dance, and Shawn actually kept up with Derek's insane energy. They were crazy and fun, and did a great job. What a cute dance! The judges loved the dance, though Len cautioned them to make sure they have plenty of dance content and technique in their dances.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8.5; Len: 8; Bruno: 8.5. Total: 25.
Soap opera actress Kelly Monaco and Val Chmerkovskiy danced a quickstep to some song with a lot of "nananananas" in it. It was a nice dance, but not great. I felt like it was kind of flat after all the great dances we had seen, and she was a little bit off on her footwork. The judges warned that she needs to watch herself with she's in hold, and Len liked it better when she was out of hold.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 7.5; Len: 7; Bruno: 7.5. Total: 22.
Actor Gilles Marini and Peta Murgatroyd danced a jive to "Don't Stop Me Now." Beside the fact that I kept kind of expecting someone to come out and start killing zombies (yay, "Shaun of the Dead!"), it was a great jive. Very quick and crazy, and Gilles moves incredibly well. It was one of the best dances of the night, by far! The judges agreed, with Carrie Ann calling it the best of the night. Bruno praised his man-cleavage as well.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8.5; Len: 8.5; Bruno: 8.5. Total: 25.5.
For me, the most boring by far was Kelly Monaco. However, I think Bristol could be in trouble if she doesn't have the legions of conservative fans who voted for her last time. Overall, though ... what a great night of dancing!!!!!
"Kirstie was working the floor like it owed her money!" Hahahahaha!
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