Remember when Marie fainted? Remember when Jane was in the bottom two? Remember when Mark Cuban went home? Well, that was last week. It's a new week, and it's LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!
Tonight, the stars get to choose what dance to do, as long as it's something they haven't done before. And then the group dance! Yay!
Sabrina and Mark are up first. Sabrina uses her interview time to plug plug plug her upcoming Cheetah Girls projects. Sabrina tries to rehearse in these giant platform wedges, which seems like asking for a twisted ankle. Mark says that Sabrina's fatigue means that she is having trouble retaining the routine. And here they go with their foxtrot. Sabrina is wearing a dress with a tuxedo-style top, and her hair is very matronly. From behind, she looks middle-aged. Their dance is nice, but they stumble a little on a drop. Also, I can totally see Sabrina's bra. I know I've said it before, but I don't get what's so special about them. The judges and the audience clearly love them, though.
Judges? Len is reminded that Sabrina is kind of one volume, and she needs both soft and loud. Bruno actually agrees with Len this week, and thinks Sabrina needs finesse. Carrie Ann thought it was a great routine, and disagrees with the guys. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 8, Bruno 8. Sabrina is pleased with those scores, because she's had a rough week and it could have been worse.
Jennie and Derek. Jennie admits that she gets stage fright, and it actually gets worse instead of better as the weeks go on. They're doing the mambo this week, and Derek wants America to see the fun Jennie that he sees in rehearsal. Derek takes Jennie to the soundstage to try to help her conquer her fear. Derek suggests imagining Len in his underwear, like, what is she, Marcia Brady taking her driving test? Also, I really didn't need to see the quick shot of fantasy Len in his undies. Their dance goes really well -- it's incredibly complicated choreography, and Jennie manages to, for the most part, get out of her own way and enjoy herself. There's a small flub near the end, but Jennie covers well.
But what do the judges think? Bruno is beside himself, and thinks that Jennie was steamy. Carrie Ann couldn't agree more, and congratulates Jennie for reaching her potential. Len thinks that, at this point in the competition, you need an exceptional performance, and Jennie brought it this week. Backstage, Jennie says she appreciates Derek being silly and goofy, and she loves that routine. The scores are 9s across the board. Jennie says that she's surprised every week that she gets higher than a 3, and I don't think she's being disingenuous.
Jane and Tony. Last week, the judges loved them, but they ended up in the bottom two. This week, they're doing the jive, so those who wanted to see Jane do a fast dance will get their wish this week. Man, the little storylines they come up with each week are always lame, but this one is the most tangentially related ever. Jane and Tony go to a naval base, because the jive was often danced by GIs in World War II. Jane has a super cute outfit on this week, but this is one slow jive. There's something weird about her legs too -- it's like they are too far apart or something. Her kicks are really ungraceful. Not their best.
Do the judges agree? Carrie Ann enjoyed the energy and vibrance, but thought it wasn't Jane's best. Len doesn't think the jive was suited for Jane, but he still thinks she's great. Bruno doesn't think Jane was "rough and ready" enough for this, and it lacked precision and sharpness. After the break, it's time for the scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 7, Bruno 7. The audience boos. Backstage, Jane says that she's having a great time, and she wants to stick around. Samantha talks a lot of nonsense as usual. Seriously, I have no idea what she was talking about.
Cameron and Edyta. As they rehearse their samba, Cameron is overwhelmed by how quick the samba is, and doesn't think he can move that quickly. Edyta wants to make sure they have fun with the routine, so she takes Cameron to a Brazilian restaurant, and he talks to some native Brazilians to get the feel for the culture. Edyta is wearing one of those Olivia Newton-John "Let's Get Physical" headbands, which has to be the most unflattering hairstyle for anyone. Their routine seems technically very good, and Cameron's hip action is pretty decent for someone who was so stiff in the beginning, but overall, it's kind of blah. Cameron kind of screws up the ending, too. Seriously, why is Bob the Bachelor in the audience every week? Does he have a real job? Oh, isn't his wife on Cameron's soap? Still.
What did Len think? He thinks it was technically good, but they didn't capture the spirit of samba. Bruno wonders about their Pocahontas outfits (me too!), and questions the choreography. Carrie Ann got the message, which was that it was primal, and had "a jungle vibe." She tries to explain it to the male judges, but they're not buying it. Before the break, a quick look at the chaos of the group dance rehearsal -- I can't wait! After the break, time for scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 8, and Bruno 8. Cameron is happy with the scores, because he didn't think he did that well. Samantha wonders why the men are all getting eliminated this season, and Cameron says it's because the women are so good. Samantha gets all serious and asks Cameron if he's going to take his shirt off if he makes it through. She was actually almost funny there. Cameron says he'll do it in the finals, if that's what it takes.
Last week, Mel and Maks battled their way out of the bottom two. This week, they will be doing the rumba. Maks explains that it's all about passion and love/hate, which Mel thinks is perfect for their relationship. Mel thinks they just need to put their emotional rollercoaster into the dance, and they'll succeed. Maks starts with his same old "walk out onto the dance floor" thing, which I'm kind of over. So far in this routine, I've seen all of the love and none of the hate. It ends with a walk off the floor, and they both sit in the judges' laps. Eh.
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Bruno thought it was cliffhanger, and well-paced. Carrie Ann thought it was truly sensual and "the rumba [she's] been waiting to see." Len thought it was "perfected, inspected, dissected" and it won't be "rejected." Well! Strong words from Len! And what are the scores? 10, 10, and...10! Wow, really? I don't know when I'm going to stop being surprised when I totally disagree with the judges. Clearly, I know nothing about dancing, and also, they are sometimes insane. Samantha brings up that Mel and Maks only trained for six hours this week, and Maks comes up with an excuse that they thought about the dance, because the rumba is in the mind.
Marie and Jonathan. Last week, Marie fainted. This week, they are going to do the paso doble. Marie feels like she let the fans down, so Jonathan coaches her to try to make this her best dance yet. Marie has lost a lot of weight; her face is way thinner. At one point, Jonathan throws Marie to the ground and...kind of too soon? I know that's part of the paso, but it was just a little weird. Overall, eh. I don't know if I'm just not in the groove tonight, but most of these dances are leaving me flat.
Carrie Ann agrees with me about how weird it was to see Marie collapsed on the floor. She thinks Marie brings intensity, but she wasn't quite one hundred percent yet. Len thought they had a dramatic start, a lull in the middle, and a dramatic finish. Bruno thought she "started out like Catherine Zeta-Jones and ended up like Catherine Zeta-Cranky." Huh? That's...not even a joke. Backstage, Marie says that she's amazed by everyone's concern for her health, and adds that she's fine. What were the scores? Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 7. Marie tells everyone that they really need to call after those scores.
Helio and Julianne. Helio tried to be serious, but the judges weren't buying it. In rehearsals, Julianne says that she's done trying to make Helio be someone that he isn't, and she wants him to be comfortable in the cha-cha. She works with him on being more fluid and less stiff in his movements. During the dance, Helio is very smiley, and it seems to go well. I don't know about the ballroom aspect, but it's definitely fun and flashy.
Len thinks the Helio they all love is back, and their routine was fantastic. Bruno thinks Helio is back in the race. Carrie Ann is no longer worried about him. Backstage, Samantha asks a non-question as usual. I don't know how the dancers put up with it. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 10, and Bruno 9. Helio is thrilled with his first 10.
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The dancers show up for the rehearsal for the group rock-and-roll jive. The dancers get broken up into two rival gangs – the greasers and the jocks. Jennie is impressed that Sabrina can see a move once and get it immediately. The exciting thing is that the dancers are allowed to do lifts in this routine. There's lots of fumbling and tossing people around. Mel points out that they only have one rehearsal, so it could turn out really badly. Sabrina sees a lot of potential for disaster, which introduces a montage of people running into each other. Ooh! They are pretty much promising me that someone will take a digger or knock heads. They better deliver, SHOW.
The groups start out facing each other. The jocks are: Jennie and Derek, Marie and Jonathan, and Edyta and Cameron. The greasers are: Mel and Maks, Sabrina and Mark, Jane (wearing a platinum wig) and Tony, and Helio and Julianne. The Happy Days set they used for rehearsal is totally gone -- they dressed that whole set just for the rehearsal scenes? Kind of a waste. It's action-packed all right, if a bit chaotic. I see a lot of people missing steps, but no one really falling down. The winners in the individual stunt category: Sabrina, who actually flips Mark, and Julianne, who vaults over Helio's head.
The judges don't get to score, but they do get their say. Bruno thanks them for making this the most exciting season to date. Carrie Ann loved it and is sure to mention the lifts. Len says he enjoyed the camaraderie, and that he understands why no one wants to leave.
Final standings:
Mel and Maks: 30
Helio and Julianne: 28
Jennie and Derek: 27
Sabrina and Mark: 25
Cameron and Edyta: 25
Marie and Jonathan: 23
Jane and Tony: 22
Who's going home? I think it's Marie. I think she should have gone last week, but people felt bad for her so she got the sympathy vote. Jane had an off week, but overall, she's been stronger. Then again, Marie's got the doll collector vote, so there's that. Find out tomorrow night!
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