Episode Report Card Kim: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Tightrope
By Kim | Season 14 | Episode 16 | Aired on 05.14.2012
Judges? Bruno says it was "picture-perfect" and had "amazing technique." Carrie Ann does the fakeout where she says that Katherine needs to bring her A game for the finals, and she didn't - she brought her A+ game. Carrie Ann also calls it maybe the best dance ever on the show. Well, let's not get carried away. Len says it was great, but there was a foot fault early on. Mark takes responsibility, and Len says it was a fabulous number overall. I liked that, though. Len's not going to give them a 10, and he's explaining why not. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 9, and Bruno 10.
Donald and Peta are up next. They have the samba and the waltz this week. Donald has trouble with the hip action for the samba, and he's worried because he's never seen a semifinals with this much talent in all of his years watching the show. I would agree; usually there's a clear delineation between the top two or three and the rest of the field. This could really go any way. So their waltz is REALLY lovely. There's a little slipup near the end with some turns, but the first half is just beautiful. Donald is graceful and yet masculine.
Judges? Carrie Ann felt the emotion in that dance but she saw a few missteps. Len thought the dance was from a more elegant era, but he didn't keep his head to the left enough. Bruno knows that the waltz is a difficult dance to do impressively, and Donald did that. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 10. Hmm. I thought that was just as good as the previous two dances.
The final couple in the first round is Maria and Derek. This week, they have the jive and the Argentine tango. Derek struggles to get the choreography right, especially since he was criticized last week. Maria and Derek both have mini-breakdowns but are able to support one another through it. I guess that was to show us that their partnership is solid, after last week's fight. Their tango is amazing. There are a few tiny weirdnesses with Maria's legs, but the choreography is just great and it looks REALLY difficult. I saw on one of the entertainment shows this evening that Derek has a back injury so I do NOT know how he did all those lifts, or even danced at all.
Judges? Len says he was caught up in the dance. Bruno thought it was impeccably tailored and utterly fabulous. Plus he molests Len while talking. Carrie Ann says she remembered when Maria first started, and it's been quite a transformation. And Carrie Ann has many words of praise for the routine. Maria looks like she can't quite believe it. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10. Derek and Maria can't believe it. Brooke tries to get them to list all their respective injuries, but Derek demurs, because he knows that no one wants to hear it. I admire that a lot. Maria FREAKS OUT at her scores.