Episode Report Card Kim: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Wild, Wacky, Wonderful
By Kim | Season 6 | Episode 13 | Aired on 04.28.2008
Mario and Karina did a "raunchy rumba" last week, and scored a 10 from Bruno, but still ended up in the bottom two. Mario is dispirited, and vows to work hard. This week, Mario has to do the foxtrot and mambo, but then also has to learn choreography for his new music video, so he's switching between three very different styles of dances. So first up is the foxtrot. I really like Karina's dress. Don't get me wrong; she's half-naked as usual, but it's a very pretty, flowy sort of Indian pattern. This is a good dance for Mario as it requires him to be light on his feet and the posture is not as important as it would be in some other routines. He's got great footwork and his lines are good, but his posture is not great. And then the routine just kind of ends; I don't know.
What did the judges think? Len thinks Mario dances with great maturity, and liked the technical aspects and footwork, though he thought it could have been more elegant. Bruno thinks Mario is amazing to watch, due to his youthful vitality. However, he thinks Mario needs more control, though watching him is always a pleasure. Carrie Ann likes the difficulty of the routines, but says that Mario is a bit too "loose in the joints" and he needs to stiffen up. Which is funny, because allegedly at the end of his raunchy rumba last week, Mario has a stiffy. Allegedly. Backstage, Mario admits that he was surprised with the results last week, but he will continue to work hard. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8 for a total of 24. Mario is happy with those scores, since he wasn't totally comfortable with the routine.
Next up are Shannon and Derek, they of the controversial comments. Shannon admits that they made a mistake with those comments. In rehearsal, Derek encourages Shannon to focus on learning their routines instead of worrying about the judges. Derek takes a strict taskmaster role, and Shannon takes it personally. Derek thinks that will help with their tango, since they have to portray a love/hate relationship. They don't address their alleged relationship at all in the clip package, although I'm sure Samantha will ask them about it momentarily. Their tango begins and they have very sharp movements. Shannon is trying to portray hatred, I think, but her face looks more like she has a hemorrhoid to me. It's like a grimace of pain crossed with slight embarrassment. Derek does well to emphasize movements that show off Shannon's long legs. At one point, Shannon is supposed to grab Derek's hat, and I think she misses. Overall, it was pretty good, but Shannon's face doesn't look like she thinks it was great and she's worried what the judges will say.