Episode Report Card Kim: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Stripper Pole
By Kim | Season 16 | Episode 8 | Aired on 05.20.2013
Here's what I don't get about their samba: it doesn't really look much like a samba. Mark and Aly's dance was a SAMBA. There was a bounce to it, they did samba rolls, they did shoulder shimmies. I don't know if it's because Val is still trying not to make the choreography too sexy or what, but it didn't feel like a samba. It was very well executed and full of content, but...didn't feel like a samba.
Judges? Carrie Ann thought it was a combination of authentic salsa and...something else? She doesn't really finish the thought. Len thought it was show stopping. I guess I know nothing about sambas. Apparently, they even did a step that Len hasn't seen since the '80s. Bruno calls her "naturally fierce." This one's is proof that I don't go back after hearing the judges' thoughts and edit my own thoughts, because I was obviously wrong on this one. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10.
Now that the first round is over, it's time for the cha cha relay. Each couple has to dance for forty seconds each. The judges will rank them, with higher ranking equaling more points added to their score.
Derek and Kellie are first. Their segment looks pretty flawless. Kellie has the quickest feet, which are needed in this dance. Jacoby pulls focus a little when he comes out on stage while Kellie and Derek are still dancing, but I don't think he meant to; he and Karina are second. Their segment has like zero content. Jacoby is really disappointing me tonight. All he does is touch his feet side-to-side and then slide under Aly and Mark's legs. Aly's routine is good but Mark is overdancing so much that it overshadows Aly a bit. And then Zendaya comes out and is a superstar. I mean, she is head and shoulders above the others, and I'm not just talking about her height. So my rankings top to bottom would be Zendaya, Kellie, Aly, and Jacoby, although you could flip the middle two pretty easily.
Judges? Len thinks that these final four deserve to be there, and they're all winners. That was useless information. Bruno say that Kellie was tight and precise, Zendaya worked every angle, Aly was cheeky, and Jacoby is fighting for his life. Carrie Ann tells Kellie that she has precision, Zendaya is a cha cha (that's what she says), Aly is strong and earthy, and Jacoby provides a wild ride. Turns out I got the ranking exactly right: from top to bottom, it goes Zendaya, Kellie, Aly and then Jacoby.
And now the freestyles! Jacoby and Karina are up next. They are planning on a tribute to New Orleans with a ton of extra dancers, including step dancing, tap dancing, and a whole lot of lifts. I am so looking forward to this. Wow, this is a hot mess, but in a good way. It starts with a second line step dance routine, and then there are a couple of huge lifts, and then some tap dancing, and I don't even know if it's good, but it's certainly unpredictable. My one issue with it would be that they tried to put too much into it and we didn't get to see enough of Jacoby being Jacoby, which is his strength.