Episode Report Card Kim: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Nothing But a Good Time (Most of the Time)
By Kim | Season 8 | Episode 1 | Aired on 03.09.2009
So how's the dancing, after that intro? They're doing the cha cha to "Nasty" by Janet Jackson, which I think is the right move. Don't try to pretend Kim is a Mormon or something. Kim can move, for sure, but she's pretty stiff in the ballroom sections. She looks great in the short freestyle section Derek sticks in the middle, but I don't know how the judges will feel about that. She needs to work on her lines, but she clearly gets the steps. Lots of potential. Tom jokes that he's dedicating his hosting to everybody at Riker's Island and I don't think Kim gets the joke. How about the judges? Len says that for the first dance on the first night, it was first-class. Bruno thinks Kim can work on her precision and footwork, but overall she was "nasty, but tasty." Carrie Ann thinks she has great potential, and she needs to let it out. I just saw someone who looks a lot like Ione Skye in the audience. Anyway, time for scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 7 and Bruno 7 for a total of 21.
Next up are Belinda Carlisle and Jonathan. Belinda looks great. I think she's lost weight since I last saw her. They have to do the waltz, and Belinda has a hard time with the spins. Is he teaching her how to spot? Belinda has a hard time processing all the information and worries that she will puke on the dance floor. That would be a first. So here's their dance. She looks lovely in a flowing gold dress, although I still think it's a bit too matronly. There's a lot of extra material around her waist that makes her look bigger than she is. She gets a bit ahead of the beat (insert obligatory Go-Gos joke here), and is kind of stiff. I expected her to be more graceful. It could be nerves, but she's also quite flat-footed and needs to get up on her toes.
Judges? Bruno tells her that she looked regal at first, but lacked fluidity and she didn't extend her lines. Carrie Ann thinks Belinda needs to trust Jonathan and let him lead. I agree. She was fighting him. Len thought it was somewhat graceful, but had some awkward moments. When did Len get to be so nice? Scores: Carrie Ann 6, Len 6 and Bruno 5. The audience boos, and I love that Len got to give the positive comments and still gave the same score as Carrie Ann. Look, you don't want the score inflation to start until much later in the season. If they give her a 7, there's no room to grow. Calm down, studio audience.
Lawrence Taylor and Edyta are up next. LT is a famous football player, for those who don't know. Edyta is psyched to get a football player, since they have done well in the competition in the past. However, she thinks LT is afraid to look funny on the dance floor. They're doing the cha cha cha for their first dance. LT does okay, and Edyta does a great job of dancing around him. He's kind of flat-footed and seems unsure, but his lines are decent. He's not as light on his feet as Warren, and he's not as much of a performer, either.