Last night, there were leaps! And splits! And slides! And jump ropes! The women stepped up their game, and the normal standings were kind of scrambled. And it's LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!
Tom and Drew greet us, and Drew gives us the news (bad news!) that this will be his last show, because Samantha is coming back week. Already! Didn't she just have that baby, like, three weeks ago? Damn, girl! I don't know how much time it takes to host this show every week -- I imagine in addition to the nearly three hours of live show, there are rehearsals and whatnot. But it still seems quite soon. But fear not! Drew is hosting a new show called Dance Wars that starts in January, so he probably has to start getting ready for that soon. For some reason, as they quickly show shots of all the couples, Jennie Garth looks like she's crying. She is really emotionally fragile, isn't she?
So let's review what happened last night, or I'll at least report the new material and the couple's interviewed responses to the judges. Cameron is psyched about taking his scores to the level. Mark thinks Carrie Ann was right that he needs to believe he's a dancer. Wayne chuckles that women can't be led. Floyd feels like he let Karina down, and Karina promises him that she would tell him if that were true, but it's not. Julianne speaks for Helio and explains that they'd rather be in the middle of the pack and then break out near the end of the race than be on top the whole time. Sabrina is sweaty as she giggles that she's having the time of her life. Mel is shocked and impressed that they got such high scores. Due to her accent, I thought she said she was "chocolate impressed." Marie doesn't get any new material, so I guess she had nothing interesting to say. Jane tearfully recalls that she held it together during her dance but that she's kind of falling apart now. Jennie says that she got her confidence back.
So who gets to do the encore? Jennie and Derek, who the judges say made an amazing comeback. It's pretty good once again; the most impressive part to me is a squatting spin that Derek helps Jennie do. I didn't make it sound very elegant, but it was.
In a new segment, we review each couple from bottom to top. I also reported this in yesterday's weecap, so I'm going to skip most of what they say/show, except to report that Wayne jokes that, if he stays on the show long enough, he might get a thirty from the judges. Not bloody likely, old-timer. Also, I love that Maks has been paired with someone who's even more of an attention whore than he is. It makes him seem more mellow. Now it's time to reveal the first two safe couples: Jane and Tony (and with all the trauma Jane's been through this week, it was nice of them to say her name first) and Jennie and Derek.
In the first of the two special performances, Seal performs "Kiss From A Rose" as a couple dances the waltz (I think). Whoa! What happened to Seal? He's way off-key when he starts and he can't really hit the high notes anymore. I guess Heidi Klum and all those kids have wreaked havoc on his voice. Also, Seal's jacket and pants are two different shades of white, and I'm not sure if it was purposeful or not. Also, his pants are, like, pegged at the bottom. Did one of the losing designers from Project Runway design this outfit?
Least favorite results-show segment: what did the audience think? I've already read the forum thread for last night's show, which was way more interesting and contained a lot more diversity of opinion. But let's find out who else is safe: Marie and Jonathan join the safe couples, as do Mel and Maks. Sabrina is looking worried, as is Floyd.
Backstage, Drew is talking to Jennie and Derek. She's relieved and grateful. Drew asks Derek how it feels to be ahead of his sister Julianne. Derek says he knows he can't be complacent. Drew asks Helio how it feels to drop down in the rankings. Helio says that sometimes you have to take one step backward to move two steps forward. Or something. Drew asks Julianne about the sibling rivalry. Julianne denies that it exists, but then says that she's going to kick his butt.
Tom introduces Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley "Hannah Montana" Cyrus to sing a song together while Maks and Karina dance. When did Billy Ray turn into a low-rent Bruce Springsteen? While they sing, let me just say that I personally experienced the frenzy over the Hannah Montana concert tickets. I went to my nephew's soccer game two weeks ago, the morning the tickets went on sale in my area. And ALL the moms were talking about who went to get a bracelet, and who went online to try to get tickets, and who missed out because they did neither, and it was INSANE. And I worked retail during the Beanie Baby craze, so I've seen insane mothers trying to get something they promised their children before. I mean, God bless little Miley Cyrus. I hope her daddy learned enough in his career that they secured her a good percentage of those ticket sales. As they throw it to commercial, Tom lets Drew say "LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!" Which was nice, since it's Drew's last night and all.
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Cheese and rice! More performances? Anyway, it's Seal, to perform a new song this time. He sounds better; this song was probably written more recently, so it's more fitting to his current vocal range. He's accompanied by a troupe of four female dancers wearing black suits who sort of slither around the stage. It's...interesting. I always wonder what the elderly ladies who like to watch this show think about segments like this.
Let's learn about how they pick the songs each week! Harold Wheeler is the show's musical director. Sabrina explains that after the results show, they pass out the music. The dancers are assigned a song instead of getting to pick it, which I didn't know. Maks says that you pray to get a song that is fast enough and fits the dance. Harold gets the music too, so the band can prepare. Kym explains that they don't actually get to hear the live band perform their song until the day before the live show. Cheryl says that they only have ten minutes to rehearse with Harold and make any changes to the song, and that he always pulls through. Julianne says it's nervewracking because you don't know if the band will do what you had asked, the way you wanted, which kind of contradicts what Cheryl just said. Wayne says that he's worked with many bands, and that this is one of the best.
Drew is backstage with the male celebs. Drew calls Tom "Father Time," and Tom runs backstage and pops up to say, "I heard that!" Drew asks Cameron if he's worried, and Cameron says that he just need to listen to Edyta. Drew asks Mark about his confidence level, and Mark says that it doesn't matter, because he has the support of his fans, family, and friends.
Tom introduces a clips package that talks about the stars' anxiety level. Sabrina says that as soon as the person before you goes, you start to panic. Wayne says that when the stage manager calls his name, his first instinct is to run. Sabrina explains that there are only four steps from backstage to the stage, which isn't a lot of time to prepare. Kym thinks it's the most scary just before the music starts. Sabrina imitates the music that plays just before the announcer introduces you. Jennie thinks the whole dance is a blur. Jonathan says that it's his job to make his partner comfortable. Cameron explains that Edyta gives him subtle signals to let him know to smile or stand up straight. Julianne confesses that she does the same with Helio. Cameron says that when he knows there is a dramatic move coming up, he gets nervous and tries to mentally prepare. Cheryl says that when there is a difficult part of the routine, she makes sure that she is closest to the judges. Helio says that he doesn't look at the judges while dancing. Mark says that he can't think about the audience while dancing, or he would freak out. Cameron breathes a sigh of relief when the dance ends, because then it's up to the judges and the voters.
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Time to reveal the two safe couples: Sabrina and Mark, along with Cameron and Edyta. So still in danger are Helio, Mark, Wayne, and Floyd. Drew announces that it will definitely be a man eliminated tonight.
After a break, we're going to find out the two safe couples, as well as the bottom two. Helio and Julianne are safe. Mark and Kym are safe. They can't believe it, and think they must have heard it wrong. I know Mark has lost a lot of weight due to the training, but he's looking like a corpse tonight. Anyway, that means that Wayne and Floyd are in the bottom two with their partners. Tom asks Bruno to give advice to Floyd on week's paso doble if he gets to come back. Bruno thinks it will be perfect for Floyd's demeanor. Carrie Ann advises Wayne to own the dance. Len tells Floyd to put in the work and listen to Karina, and that he could go all the way.
So who's going home? Wayne, his ten pounds of pancake makeup, and Cheryl. Wayne says that he stepped out of his comfort zone for this show, and that it's been wonderful. Cheryl tells Wayne that he is a phenomenal man, and that she's been honored to work with him. Wayne says that he'll really miss the cast, crew, orchestra, and Cheryl. He thanks his wife and two daughters, as well as his agent. Wayne and Cheryl head out to do their last dance. Tom gives Drew a nice handshake and a "You done good, kid." Aw, I'll miss you, Drew. And then the band plays "Had A Bad Day," like Idol doesn't own that one. Good one, musical director.
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