Episode Report Card Kim: A | 58 USERS: B- YOU GRADE IT Double Down
By Kim | Season 10 | Episode 14 | Aired on 2010.05.10
According to Tom, Nicole is looking to reclaim the top spot this week. They have the foxtrot this week for the ballroom round. We get to see their creative process in rehearsal, where Derek lets Nicole collaborate in many of the creative decisions, but he still has to guide her on the technical aspects. Then Nicole has a breakdown about how not easy this is for her but she claims it's not drama. Whatever. They're not making me feel sorry for her. She should just own it, Yamaguchi-style. Their routine is very cute, and really shows off Derek's talent as a choreographer. It tells a story and fits with the music. I just don't really like Nicole, is the problem. But she does have a talent for slapsticky routines that hasn't been realized on this show.
Bruno calls it a jewel of a routine and loved it. Carrie Ann likes to see Nicole smile and is happy to see Nicole challenging herself every week. Len thought they turned a foxtrot into an enchanting love story, and his only criticism was that there was a lack of body contact in hold at times. I thought Len would hate it because there was a lot of business, but I think they did include a ton of content, so he can't hate. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 9, and Bruno 10.
As if there wasn't enough content this week, now we're going to see two pro dancers who got disqualified for doing a futuristic dance in competition. I have to see this. While I can see where Derek got his inspiration for his futuristic paso doble last season, this is now kind of lame. Like they're breakdancing. To "Rockit" by Herbie Hancock. You know how you watch movies from the '80s and their version of 2000 is just laughable now because we surpassed it long ago? That's how this is. It should be the '80s dance. And while I'm sure it was shocking to the ballroom dancing community at the time, now it's just boring. Boo.
Now the pros are going to weigh in on each other about their opponents' chances in the Latin dance. Maks thinks Chad's strength is in his smile, and Louis adds that he needs to move his hips and avoid being so stiff. Anna points out that Niecy's bubbly personality is perfect for Latin dancing, but Derek and Cheryl think she needs to put power behind her moves. Derek thinks Evan could be a great Latin dancer with his sharp technique, but Louis and Derek both think Evan can be cold and technical. Louis thinks there will be a lot of chemistry for Erin and Maks, but Anna knows that Erin can be sloppy and lack precision in her movements. Anna knows that Nicole has the body for Latin dancing, but Louis and Anna knows that Nicole puts too much pressure on herself. I normally hate these filler clip packages, but that was actually useful.