Episode Report Card Kim: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Hey Ya!
By Kim | Season 13 | Episode 3
Next up are Kristin Cavalleri and Mark. They have the quickstep this week and Mark wants her to work on her performing abilities. In rehearsal, Kristin seems really open to critique from Mark; everything he tells her to do, she nods and tries it, instead of whining or complaining. I admire that; it's the opposite of what most celebrities do. I mean, maybe they edit out all the times she's a brat, but so far she seems very dedicated and committed.
For their quickstep, Kristin is all kitted out like Marilyn Monroe, and she does actually bring more performance this week. She's going all out. She's a great dancer, light on her feet and doesn't miss a step. My only critique would be that her intensity dips in and out. She hits certain beats really well, but during the more complicated footwork sections, and in hold, she still smiles but you can kind of see her counting in her head. It's a minor detail, but it's something she should work on. Judges? Bruno thought she was "twinkling with pleasure," but advises her to work on her frame. He demonstrates where she went wrong and nearly clotheslines Len in the process. Carrie Ann thought she was "stunning, sophisticated" and elegant. Len thought she looked fantastic, but her dancing didn't live up to her looks upon closer look. He didn't like that they broke hold (which is Mark's fault), but it was an improvement over last week. Scores? Carrie Ann 8, Len 7 and Bruno 7.
David and Kym have the jive this week, which seems to better fit his personality. David says as much, claiming that it's "silly but also complicated," just like him. David is exhausted in rehearsals, but thinks things are going well. Kym has to break it to him that it was terrible, frantic with no technique. Kym wants him to relax and go with the dance. Yeah, he could go totally manic and it would be very bad. So let's see.
Okay, so I'm trying to figure out what is not right with this routine, or at least why it's not living up to my expectations. The footwork is good. The kicks are not great - it's all kick with no flick. But it's something more than that. I think it's that I expect David Arquette of all people to be a Performer with a capital P. Like he's got personality to spare. But I don't see a performance. He looks tired and worried, not the greatest attributes for the jive. I don't know if he tried to tone it down and swung too far that way or what, but I wanted to see more of a character and it was all David. That said, it seemed really complicated and he did well with a lot of it. Technique-wise, it wasn't too bad, but performance-wise, I expected more. But his daughter caught his coat when he threw it, which is adorable. Judges? Carrie Ann loved his enthusiasm, but thought he almost lost control a few times. She thinks he's headed in the right direction. Len didn't think it looked like a jive at all, but he also liked the enthusiasm and that David threw himself into it. Bruno likes that he didn't hold back, but he looked like a runaway train. Bruno advises him to keep the confidence, but work on the technique. So I thought the exact opposite of the judges. Okay. I am actually going to rewind this right now and watch it again because I'm very confused. Yeah, I think all of the attitude that the judges were seeing was in the choreography, and not intrinsic to David's personality. I don't know what they were watching, but maybe it played differently in the room. Very different from Carson last week, who had no technique but tons of attitude and charisma. Scores: Carrie Ann 6, Len 6 and Bruno 6. I thought that was really generous, but the audience boos.