Episode Report Card Kim: B+ | 54 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT Two Dances, Too Much?
By Kim | Season 8 | Episode 16 | Aired on 2009.05.04
Len thought it was fun and great entertainment, and he really liked seeing Shawn's personality. The bad news is that the quickstep is supposed to be done in hold, and they broke hold more than once. Bruno thought there was great, precise footwork and it was great fun. Carrie Ann thought this was Shawn's best dance ever, but she does have to take a point off for breaking the rules. Mark takes the blame for breaking the rule, which is the right thing to do. Shawn doesn't know WTF about breaking hold, I'm sure. Backstage, Shawn says she's exhausted learning two dances like everyone, and Mark says it was a calculated risk to break hold but he hopes that the people at home were entertained. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9. So it would have been a perfect score if not for the rule-breaking. If I were Shawn, I think I'd be pissed at Mark.
Ty and Chelsie got some semi-harsh words from Len last week, when Len said that Ty had to kick ass in the group dance or he'd probably be going home. Luckily for him, Ty met the challenge. This week, their first dance is the Argentine tango, and Ty thinks he'll do well since it relies on strength and he gets to stay in hold. The producers are really working the "hard worker although we acknowledge he's not the best dancer" angle. So how's the dance itself? Ty starts out okay, but about halfway through he totally messed up the footwork and you can see his frustration on his face. He's not too good at hiding his emotions. I also never realized how pigeon-toed he is before. During the flicking footwork, Ty looks like a kicking mule. The lifts are okay, but not very smooth. For a dance that relies on intensity and footwork, this didn't really work for me.
Bruno admired Ty's strength and determination, but thought the routine didn't have enough subtlety. Carrie Ann commends Ty for how far he's come, but notes the errors in the footwork. Len thinks Ty captured the flavor of the dance, and he recognizes that Ty isn't a natural performer, and yet this was Ty's best dance. I don't know about that -- those footwork mistakes were pretty awful. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 9, and Bruno 8. Hmm. I thought that was overscored, but maybe they know the Latin won't be that great and they have to give him a decent score to make the results show interesting. I think Ty's a great guy, but that dance was pretty bad.