Episode Report Card Kim: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Season 5 Performance #2
By Kim | Season 5 | Episode 4 | Aired on 09.30.2007
Marie and Jonathan next. Marie says that the judges made her realize that she can't coast. As they rehearse, Marie says that learning the mambo made her realize how out-of-shape she is. They practice a fancy move where Jonathan dips Marie while only holding the back of her head, and then he passes his leg over her while switching hands. He drops her every time. They start dancing, and I don't know what's up with Marie's hair. She looks like Amy Winehouse or something. Other than that, her dancing is decent, and they manage to pull off the fancy dip move, which is called "the death drop." Her brother Donny in the audience cheers and whistles. Hey, Jimmy is there too! He used to be my favorite Osmond back in the day.
Judges? Len thought it was great, and advises her to work to her strengths, which lie in her ability as a performer. Bruno calls her "a real hot Latina mama" and compares her to Rita Moreno in West Side Story. Carrie Ann calls her "one hot cougar," which is kind of calling her old, right? Carrie Ann compliments Marie's trust in Jonathan, adding that she went all-out in her dangerous moves. Backstage, Marie is still out of breath. Jonathan admits that he's pulling out all the moves to prove they are contenders. The scores: 8, 8, and 8. Marie and Jonathan are thrilled. The other contestants sitting around cheer too, which is nice to see.
Albert and Anna review how much they stunned the judges last week, but this week, it's all about ballroom. Albert says that he decided to do the show as a tribute to his grandfather, who loved ballroom dancing. Anna arranged for Albert's grandmother to send him a video pep talk, and I actually had tears in my eyes when she said that he reminded her of his grandfather. I'm such a sap. Let's see how the dance works out. They're dancing to "99 Red Balloons," but their footwork doesn't seem fast enough to match the song. It's kind of...pedestrian. It certainly doesn't have the energy of last week's dance, which is the problem with coming out strong the first week.
Carrie Ann encourages Albert to keep up the exuberance and energy throughout the dance. Len thinks he is the dark horse, and advises him to live up to his potential. Bruno thinks Albert's energy flagged in the middle and compares his movements to "a space hopper," which he bounces in his seat to demonstrate. What in the hell is a space hopper? Time for scores: 7, 7, and 7. I think that's fair. As Albert talks about his late grandfather, you can see Cheryl talking to someone (Floyd?) in the background. Have some respect, Cheryl and Floyd! Anna admits that she didn't expect much from Albert, but he's great.