Episode Report Card Kim: A- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Three For One
By Kim | Season 9 | Episode 18 | Aired on 11.16.2009
Joanna and Derek are up next. Last week, their quickstep didn't do well, but her paso doble FROM THE FUTURE (future future future) did well. In rehearsals, Derek kept telling Joanna that she was doing it all wrong. You have to remember though, that they are taking every time Derek got frustrated over many days and cutting it together. So Brooke Burke comes in to help out, and suggests that they role play and pretend to be one another. I think Brooke has been in couples counseling. Derek felt like Brooke and Joanna were teaming up against him, but he handled it okay. And of course, there is a gross threesome reference. Shut up, threesome reference.
Joanna and Derek have the Viennese Waltz to "Hallelujah". Wow, really? This song? Okay, then. There's a lot of acting at the beginning where it seems like Derek's character is reluctant to dance and Joanna kind of pouts about it, but once they start dancing together, the whole conceit is dropped. Joanna looks beautiful, with great posture and footwork, except then she has a few wobbly turns toward the end. It was nice to watch, but anything that doesn't require hip action from Joanna works out well for them.
Bruno tells Joanna that her waltz had "the grace of angels in heaven," but she had a slight hesitation at times. Carrie Ann compliments Joanna's transformation since early on, and advises her to have more purpose to her movements. Len thinks Joanna's hold is as good as any professionals, and he liked the choreography. He points out a few quibbles, but says that he thought it was beautiful overall. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9.
Kelly and Louis got great marks from the judges last week (even if I thought their jive was kind of weak). This week, Kelly got a call that one of the dogs she was watching died, and she was obviously devastated, but Louis was proud that she was determined to keep rehearsing and push through it. Kelly vows to make their rumba more difficult to prove that she has the technique to do it, and prove how much she has grown through the competition. Their dance is pretty good -- Kelly does her extended solo in the middle and it's kind of weird and awkward, but not really bad dancing-wise. When Louis rejoins her, his hip action is way more pronounced than hers and really shows how much she's NOT doing. They end with a strength pose. It's definitely more mature than anything she's done so far this season, and the audience digs it the most.
Carrie Ann says that Kelly might not be their strongest dancer, but she has "a magical quality" that brought Carrie Ann to tears. Len thinks Kelly has turned into a confident dancer, and while this wasn't one of the best, it wasn't the worst either. Bruno reminds her that being endearing isn't going to take her all the way, and she needs to work more on her technique, but he does admire that she tried such difficult moves. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8.