Episode Report Card Kim: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Teaming Up
By Kim | Season 9 | Episode 14 | Aired on 11.02.2009
After missing a week due to flu, Derek came back with Joanna to do a beautiful waltz last week, so they have a lot to live up to. Derek tells her that the rumba is the dance of love, and she needs to leave her engagement ring outside. I wonder how people will react to that. I don't think voters will like him suggesting she cheat on her fiancé, even if he's joking. Especially when it leads to a Derek dream sequence where Joanna is running down the beach in a swimsuit. This is so dumb. When Derek comes out of his dream, he's making out with the mirror. What is he, A-Rod? Does he have paintings of himself as a centaur over his bed? Also, Derek's idea of romance seems heavily influenced by Pep Le Pew. So can they sell the rumba? They have good chemistry, but I found the routine kind of boring. And Joanna stumbles during a hold at the end.
Len thinks that they had good technique, romance, and everything else. Bruno calls Joanna that she's a love goddess, although she did have the stumble at the end. Carrie Ann loves watching Joanna dance. Derek makes sure to emphasize that Joanna is in love with her fiancé. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9. Mmm. I think that was overscored.
Now that all of the couples have danced, it's time for the team dances. First up is Team Tango: Joanna and Derek, Kelly and Louis, and Donny and Kym. Next out is Team Paso: Mark and Anna, Karina and Aaron, Mya and Dmitry, and Michael and Anna. Team Paso is dancing first. Wow, did they just waste a lot of time with that introduction.
Team Paso started out rehearsals by pointing out that Mya was the only female celebrity. Not sure why that matters. Lacey was still working and not sick, and she and Karina were kind of clashing over the choreography. The non-pros were muttering on the sidelines about how things were not going well. Finally, Michael gave everyone a pep talk about how to be a team. And then to celebrate their teamwork, everyone went and worked on their solos. In the next group rehearsal, Anna replaced Lacey. It seems like Mark was having the most trouble with the routine, probably because of all the tumult he endured this week.
So how does Team Paso look? In the beginning, during the team part, they start out kind of jumbled up in the middle of the floor, but they wisely retreat to each corner, so you can't really tell if they are in sync or not. Karina and Aaron have the first solo, and it's pretty bad. Aaron is off the beat and they don't seem to be dancing together at all. Michael and Anna go next, and it's really good. It's not flashy, but it's solid and Michael gets the attitude down. It may be a bit too basic. Mark does much better in this than he did in his individual dance. He seems a lot surer of himself -- maybe it's the shorter routine. Mya and Dmitry were awesome, of course, but gain, there's a lack of connection. The ending team segment is okay. I don't love the choreography for the men. They keep pointing toward their crotches.