Last week, there was a shocking elimination. Sabrina went home! And no one saw it coming. But this week, there are two dances per customer, and as always, it's LIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!
After the celebs are introduced, Samantha explains that the stars will be doing one ballroom and one Latin dance this week. I’m trying a new thing this week. Instead of trying to come up with different ways to introduce each section, I’m just going to have a header with the dancers’ names, and then a section on their clip package, a section on their dance, a section on the judges’ reactions, and a section on their scores. I figure that way, if you want to jump to a particular section, it will be easier.
Julianne and Helio: They got back on track last week, and this week, they plan to do the tango and the samba. Helio says that the samba is the home dance of his country, Brazil, but he's having a hard time with the tango. Julianne "organized" (read: picked up the DVD from the producers) a video message from Helio's parents. Mom and Papa Helio pop up on a screen to tell Helio how proud they are of him, and how he can't give up. Helio cries while watching, and has to go off-camera for a moment to pull himself together.
The Dance: tango. Helio looks like he's having fun, which is good, because the tango's pretty dramatic, and he could have made the mistake of trying to appear serious like he did previously. It goes pretty well, and there are no major errors that I can see.
Judges: Len loves Helio's military-inspired jacket but criticizes the technical aspects (heel leads and arm placement). Bruno compares the couple to thunder and lightning, but agrees with Len on the technical side. Carrie Ann liked it, and thinks it might be because she's younger. She knows it wasn't a traditional tango, but she thought it fit them well.
Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 8, and Bruno 8 for a total of 25 out of 30.
Marie and Jonathan: Marie thinks the competition is tougher than ever. Jonathan tells Marie that she and Jane are doing the same dances this week. Jonathan works on Marie's hip action. Marie thinks everyone looks tired, and thinks she has an advantage, because with eight kids, she's used to sleep deprivation.
The Dance: Quickstep set to "Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy." They're both dressed in '40s-style military garb, and Marie is really selling it as a performer. It's not slow; it's definitely faster than Jane last week. For the big finish, Jonathan tosses Marie up onto the judges' table, and Marie gives Len a big smackeroo on the cheek, leaving a big red lipstick mark. Everyone dies laughing. Donny Osmond (camera hog!) runs out and gives Marie a kiss, nearly knocking her over. Oh, sit down, Mr. Purple Socks.
Judges: Bruno thinks Marie raised the roof (?). Carrie Ann thought Marie walked the fine line between character and camp, and the technical details were there. Len likes how Marie brings a twist to each of the dances, and this was his favorite of hers so far.
Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 9, and Bruno 9. Marie and Jonathan are thrilled with the 28 out of 30. Marie explains that she's dressed like her mother dressed in her newlywed days, and that her parents were really poor when they met, so they used to dance to earn money to eat. You know, I recapped the Osmonds TV movie (and good Lord, that was over six years ago – I am old), and I don't remember that story. But I think it started more when the kids started performing.
Mel and Maksim: Last week, Mel and Maks got a perfect score, but this week, they have to do a foxtrot and a paso doble. Mel explains that in addition to this show, she's learning twenty songs and routines for the Spice Girls tour. Mel gets frustrated when she can't learn the steps, and she leaves rehearsal, much to Maks's chagrin.
The Dance: Foxtrot. Maks is smart; he puts a lot of similar elements from the "perfect" dance last week into the routine, even though it's a totally different routine. He knows how to choreograph to Mel's strengths. Mel ends by giving Tom a hug, but it's kind of weird and forced, if you ask me. I thought the routine was good, but just good.
Judges: Carrie Ann thought it was good, but felt a little off. Len thought the footwork was off, but he enjoyed the dance. Bruno thinks the foxtrot is a really difficult dance. He liked it, but agrees that the footwork wasn't perfect.
Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8 for a 24/30. Mel and Maks bow and explain that it was a hard dance, so they're happy to have it behind them. Samantha asks about the Spice Girls, and Maks says they're a distraction, but he also promises that the second dance will be awesome.
Jane and Tony: Jane was taken to the hospital last week after getting food poisoning, and they show the ambulance for the people who thought her illness was very conveniently timed. Jane is excited to do the quickstep to "Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash, because she was good friends with Johnny and June Cash. We see some home video footage of Jane and her family hanging out with Johnny.
The Dance: Quickstep. Jane has a WHOLE lot of hair. It kind of starts like a waltz. It's also way slower than Marie's quickstep. There's not nearly enough hopping for a quickstep. It's pretty, but Jane looks like she's wearing toilet paper on her dress.
Judges: Len thought it was graceful and elegant, but they lacked body contact and precise footwork. Bruno thought it was classy, but she needs better technique. Carrie Ann thought the technique was fine, but that Jane needs to bring more excitement to the routine. I would agree with that -- while Sabrina had too much intensity, Jane doesn't have enough.
Scores: Jane points out a necklace she's wearing that belonged to June Cash, and Tony is wearing a watch that belonged to Johnny Cash. Jane adds that she was surprised when she got saved last week, and she's honored to be back. Finally, the scores. Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8 for 24/30.
Jennie and Derek: This week, they are doing the rumba and the Viennese waltz. Jennie has a hard time dancing the rumba with Derek, because it's all sexy-like. She adds that he dances it with his sister, but she thinks that's weird too. Jennie just laughs at Derek when he tries to get romantic...in the dance, of course. Jennie says she can barely learn one dance per week, and now she's supposed to learn two.
The Dance: Viennese waltz is first. They do a quite complicated routine with lots of twists and turns. I thought it was beautiful, and Jennie did a great job.
Judges: Bruno thought Jennie was fluid "like a water nymph in a magic lake", and she needs to work on sustaining that throughout the dance. Carrie Ann thought Jennie had some broken lines, and the audience boos. Carrie Ann tries to give Jennie advice about her core and posture. Len thought there needed to be more Viennese Waltz in there. Bruno disagrees, and so does the audience. Len says that he's speaking to Derek about his choreography. Derek tries to defend himself, but wisely shuts up.
Scores: Samantha says that everyone in the back was on Jennie's side against the judges. Derek explains that he thought it was supposed to be American-style and not European-style. Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 9, for a total of 25 out of 30.
Cameron and Edyta: Last week, they were in the bottom two and narrowly escaped elimination. After finishing the performance show, they start rehearsing for week. After the results show, Cameron gets the red-eye to New York. He shoots All My Children and rehearses with Edyta all week. On Friday, he flies back to the West Coast and rehearses some more before starting it all over again.
The Dance: Quickstep. It starts out kind of weird with a leap in the air. They quickly get into the traditional steps and hops. Cameron screws up the footwork a little bit. I just realized that they're dancing to a jazzy version of Why Can't I Be You" by the Cure. Weird. It ends with another leap, which feels like pushing it to me. We get that Cameron's athletic; he doesn't need to jump around like a monkey.
Judges: Carrie Ann thought Cameron was really energetic, but it might have been a little out of control. Len tells Cameron to calm down, and says he didn't like the beginning and end, but he thought the middle part was great. Bruno thought it was too much flash and not enough dance steps. Len points out that Cameron has two dances tonight with tons of steps in them, so they need to take that into consideration.
Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8 for a total of 24 out of 30. Samantha thinks being in the bottom two might incite people to vote for them. Cameron says that they try to make their routines fun to watch. He's certainly got more energy than boring Jane. I'm so over her.
Helio and Julianne Take Two: Samba. Helio's got some tight pants on, so he won't be able to avoid showing off some hip action. He does some grinding alone in the beginning, but during the dance itself, he doesn't have much movement. Julianne does her best to cover it up by shaking what her mama gave her, and they even do some samba rolls. I think they messed up the ending, because they both start cracking up.
Judges: Bruno liked it, and thinks it's their comfort zone. Carrie Ann agrees with Bruno, and likes to see them doing the Latin dances. Len says, "Just become you come from Brazil doesn't mean you're going to be good at the samba, just like just because you come from Texas doesn't mean you're going to be a good President." The crowd goes NUTS as Len protests that it was a joke. Len concludes that it was great. Ooh, more DanceCenter is tomorrow night! Yay!
Scores: Helio liked the Brazil flavor in the samba, and he had fun. Carrie Ann 9, Len 9 and Bruno 9 for a total of 27 out of 30. Their combined score is 52 out of 60.
Marie and Jonathan Take Two: Cha-cha-cha. Marie starts out up on the platform with Jonathan sitting in the audience, and then she draws him out onto the floor with her feather boa. Marie is kind of growing on me. She was not my favorite at the beginning, but she seems like she'd be fun to have drinks with, if she weren't Mormon and probably didn't drink. But you could have a raucous scrapbooking party. Their dance is kind of slow in tempo, and there are a few parts where they look like they're kind of just walking around instead of dancing.
Judges: Carrie Ann thinks Marie knows how to hit the perfect tone for her performance, but she thinks their dances need more content. Len agrees, but understands that it's tough to do two routines. Marie is breathing REALLY heavily. Bruno likes how Marie worked it, but worries that she peaked too early. Marie promises that she hasn't peaked yet, and I think she was trying to make a joke about sexual peak, but gross. Please don't do that.
Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8 for a total of 24 out of 30. Marie is happy to still be there. Samantha asks Marie if she is the woman to win this season, and Marie says that she needs the fans to call in. Their total is 52 out of 60.
Mel and Maks Take Two: Paso Doble. As Tom announces them, they're already goofing around up on the platform. Their paso doble begins, and Mel has on a super-sexy midriff-baring outfit. The routine is fast and sexy, and the footwork is amazing. I think Mel has taken over Sabrina's precise footwork. The audience loves it.
Judges: Len thought the dance had everything in it, with lots of movement, passion, and agreesion. Len is actually speechless at the end. Bruno thought she was "an adrenaline-charged dominatrix." Carrie Ann thought they kicked some booty.
Scores: Mel and Maks show off their matching paw (fake) tattoos, which are a tribute to Sabrina, the Cheetah girl. Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10 for a perfect 30 out of 30. Their total is 54 out of 60.
Jane and Tony Take Two: Cha-cha-cha. It's nice, but it still feels to me like your parents, who used to be great dancers, doing a routine for old times' sake at their 40th wedding anniversary party. It's technically good, but there's no fire and intensity, especially after Mel and Maks. If they make it though, Tony needs to step up his choreography.
Judges: Bruno thought it was well-executed. Carrie Ann thinks Jane looks amazing, which she totally does. ["Seriously, Jane Seymour really makes you reconsider sunscreen and Pilates, because...gosh." -- Miss Alli] Carrie Ann thinks Jane is a bit too delicate. Len likes to see some basic steps, which he did, but he needs some more fireworks. The audience boos, and Len yells at them.
Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 9, and Bruno 9 for a total of 26 out of 30. Jane says she's still loving dancing and learning from Tony. Their total is 50 out of 60.
Jennie and Derek Take Two: Rumba. They start out walking past each other on the floor, then turn around start dancing. Normally, I'm not a fan of the "walking around on the dance floor" approach (which Maks overuses), but that worked for me. Like their dance, there are a lot of complicated twists and turns that must take a lot of rehearsal.
Judges: Carrie Ann thinks they came back beautifully from their round. Len liked the romance and the mix of steps. He thinks the only person who's not convinced Jennie is a good dancer is Jennie. I'd agree with that. Bruno thought it was incredibly satisfying, and it was the best one they've done.
Scores: Samantha asks how Jennie found the passion when she sees Derek like a brother. Jennie gets all embarrassed, and Derek says that it's all about acting. Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 10 for a total of 28 out of 30. That's a total of 53 out of 60.
Cameron and Edyta Take Two: Jive. They start at opposite ends of the floor and meet up on the platofrm. Edyta's got those weird legwarmers on again. I'm pretty impressed with Cameron's kicks, pointed toes and all. Cameron leaps over Edyta's shoulders, and then she flips over his and lands in a split. The audience goes nuts.
Judges: Len thinks normally, the jive works best for short dancers, but Cameron did a great job. Bruno liked all the kicks too, especially the precision. Carrie Ann thinks Cameron has matured into a fine dancer.
Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9 for a total of 27 out of 30. Their total is 51 out of 60.
That makes the leaderboard:
Mel and Maks: 54
Jennie and Derek: 53
Marie and Jonathan: 52
Helio and Julianne: 52
Cameron and Edyta: 51
Jane and Tony: 50
So who will go home? God, it should be Jane, but clearly she's got a huge fanbase voting for her. I'm thinking Sabrina's fans will swing over to Mel and Jennie (because they think Derek is dreamy), so I'm going to say Cameron will go home. Which is too bad, because he's been putting a lot of energy into it. More than Jane, anyway.