Episode Report Card Kim: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT And Then There's Woz
By Kim | Season 8 | Episode 4 | Aired on 03.23.2009
Last week, Steve-O was in the hospital, so he had to be judged on his rehearsal footage. In rehearsals, Lacey thinks of ways that they can practice without further straining Steve's back. Steve still gets frustrated when he can't quite get the moves. They start the routine, and Steve-O's back is really stiff, and he looks like Pee Wee Herman. I would say he's worried about aggravating his injury, but he was like this in week one, before he got hurt. And then in the middle, he forgets some steps and it's really obvious. The crowd really wants him to do well, cheering when he gets back in step. At the end, they're supposed to run over and sit on the steps, but Steve-O slips and grimaces as he wrenches his back. Both Lacey and Tom ask him multiple times if he's okay, and he says he's okay multiple times, but I don't think he is.
Len starts by saying that the O in Steve-O's name stands for Ovation, because he came out and tried to dance a proper foxtrot, even if he lost it a few times in the middle. Bruno thought Steve-O started well and then fell apart. The audience starts booing, but Bruno says it's true. Carrie Ann is impressed, because she can see that he's in genuine pain, and yet he's still trying to improve. Backstage, Steve-O says that he drew a blank in the middle. Scores: Carrie Ann 5, Len 5 and Bruno 5. Oof. Gilles is behind them urging people to call in for Steve-O. That's sweet.
Lawrence Taylor improved with his quickstep last week, so this week he's going to tackle (groan!) the samba. In rehearsals, LT struggled with learning the routine in the shorter prep time, so he asked Edyta if they could stay longer. He's even given up golfing so that he can practice! They start their samba, and it's a lot of fun! LT is moving and grooving around the floor. There's a little part where I think he forgets a move, but he covers well and the last half is great. My only quibble was that I didn't see as much up-and-down motion as a samba might require, but compared to what we've seen so far, it was really great. Definitely reminiscent of Emmitt Smith in his season, in terms of contagious fun.
It takes a while for the audience to calm down enough to let the judges speak. Bruno tells LT not to doubt his abilities and have more fun. Carrie Ann thinks he looks more comfortable and confident, and should tackle (there it is again) more difficulty. Len thinks he works hard and keeps up with Edyta, but he needs more hip action. Tom makes his obligatory comment about Edyta's lack of clothing, and I love Tom, but that joke's getting a little old. Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 6 and Bruno 7. Wow, I thought their routine was at least as good as Chuck and Julianne's, if not better.