Last week, Cloris was eliminated, and the editors get their revenge when they take the shot of Corky swinging Cloris around and make it look like he let Cloris go flying off into the audience. Hmm, maybe those reports of backstage backbiting aren't so false? This week, the stars have to do a solo dance and also a team dance, which seems like a horrible idea, but we'll see what happens. And whatever happens, it will be LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!
Tom and Samantha welcome us to the show and promo the team dance again. Ooh, I kind of forgot that Cody is dancing with Edyta now. As the opening music ends, Samantha makes eye contact with one of the stars or dancers and then does this goofy shoulder shrug thing. She is a serious dork. Tom and Samantha explain that one team is going to do the cha cha and one team is going to do the paso doble, and they will be awarded a score by the judges that will be added to their individual scores.
Last week, Warren messed up one step but the judges totally noticed and dinged him for it. This week, Kym and Warren are doing the foxtrot, and Kym emphasizes the character of the dance as well as the technique. Kym takes Warren in to see Nick Kosovich, a world champion, do the foxtrot, and Warren gets some tips on how to master his routine.
Warren and Kym begin their foxtrot. They do a whole beginning thing where they approach the judges' area and dance up and down the steps. Warren looks like he's counting out loud as they dance in hold, and he doesn't look as joyful as he usually does on the floor. He looks like he's totally in his head, trying really hard to remember the steps, and then he kind of screws up one move. They do a leaping turn that doesn't look great on Warren either. This is not his best week. But what did the judges think? Hey, Kathy Griffin is in the audience, probably to support her friend Lance Bass. It's Kathy's birthday tomorrow! Len is back, and he agrees with me that it wasn't Warren's best dance and it was a little bit of a disappointment. Bruno is wearing the feather stole that Kym abandoned at the beginning of the dance, and he proclaims, "I am what I am." Everyone gets a good laugh out of that. Bruno thinks that Warren was flat-footed. Carrie Ann asks Warren what was going on, and Warren admits that he's not wearing the right shoes and it threw him. Carrie Ann tells him to be a trooper and get that joyfulness back. Backstage, Warren says that he wears a 15EEE shoe and the ones he's wearing aren't right. Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 7, and Bruno 7.
up are Tony and Susan. Last week, Susan tried to break out of her shell, and got higher scores. Susan and Tony rehearse and Tony is really hard on her. Susan tells him that she feels like he is upset with her when he gives directions, and they're both getting frustrated. He wants frustration and anger and power, because they're doing the paso doble. Susan keeps criticizing herself and won't even admit that she's doing well. Tony tries to give her a pep talk but she doesn't look like she's buying it.
Susan starts out pretty well, but at times she looks like she's just walking around the dance floor instead of matching Tony's intensity. He spends a lot of the routine throwing her around the floor, which is appropriate for the paso, but it kind of makes it look like he's covering for her lack of dancing. Unlike some paso doble routines that we've seen in past seasons, this one just doesn't have the intensity that it needs. Bruno thinks it was well done with pride and dignity and you kind of can't hear him over the crowd. Carrie Ann makes Susan turn and face the crowd and yell out, "I'm doing good!" She does it, but maybe she's annoyed because it's grammatically incorrect. Len thinks it had passion and drama. They are really hurrying these judge segments so they must be worried about time. Tom explains that the results show will be on Wednesday this week, due to the election results, and Kenny Mayne will be back for DanceCenter! Backstage, Susan says that it felt great to hear that from the judges and crowd. Samantha teases Tony for his fake moustache. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8.
Maurice and Cheryl didn't fare well with the judges last week, and were told they lacked chemistry. They rehearse their cha cha, and Maurice keeps getting frustrated with himself because he doesn't know the steps. Cheryl wants him to practice all out, and if he messes up the steps, she'll help him go over it. During the team dance rehearsal, Maurice hyperextended his leg. Cheryl was concerned about his ability to perform mentally as well as physically.
Maurice starts at the top of the stairs and comes running down to join Cheryl at the top of the steps. His leg seems pretty good! Maurice is doing a great job with the hip action so far. And his attitude is great. He's got all the joy that Warren didn't have. He is shaking and baking all over that dance floor. His posture isn't great, but his charisma kind of makes up for it. Carrie Ann thinks it was great, and that Maurice brought his A game, showing a sense of freedom. Len thought it was bright and sparkly, even if it wasn't quite top quality. He thought it was Maurice's best dance so far. Bruno thinks "happy days are here again for Maurice," and he urges Maurice to trust his instincts. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 9, and Bruno 8. Backstage, Maurice says that it's been a rollercoaster ride this season, but rollercoasters are fun. Cheryl has enjoyed working with the other couples, and working as a team instead of competing with everyone.
Cody had a lot of success with the samba last week, but then had to meet his new partner Edyta. They're doing the Viennese waltz, which requires a lot of chemistry. But first, they went to visit Julianne, who was laid up in bed. She advised Edyta to give Cody a character to play, since that was his strength. Cody dedicates his routine this week to Julianne.
Cody's form when he's not in hold is... not great. Grace is not his strong suit. He's better at the more kinetic routines. When he's in hold, he looks pretty good though. His hand positions are awkward, I think. Of course, Edyta manages to throw in some of her patented yoga poses where she does an entire backbend or whatever. Jeff Ross is in the audience to cheer his ex-partner on. Len thinks they looked comfortable together, but Cody lacked lyricism and musicality. Tom jokes that the people in the red room are speed-dialing Michael Flatley, seeing as how grouchy Len is back this week. Bruno thinks it lacked control and was clumsy. Carrie Ann thought it was great, and the crowd goes nuts, after booing the first two judges. Backstage, Samantha says they've never had a star change partners midway through the season. Cody admits that he was nervous, because Julianne knew him well. But he thinks things are going well. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 7, and Bruno 7. Lots of boos from the audience for that one. Edyta adds that she's proud of Cody. Tom jokes that Cody must be eighteen, because he thinks his six-week relationship with Julianne was "forever."
Lance and Lacey were at the top of the heap last week with their jive. Lacey thinks the rumba is very "earthy, grounded, and freeing," so they rehearsed barefoot. Lance broke his toe last week and has trouble in rehearsal. He keeps complaining about it, and Lacey tells him that she knows he's going to do what he wants anyway. She gets really upset and says that she can't keep him positive anymore. In tears, she tells the cameras that she gets frustrated with his negative attitude. The day, she apologizes, but I notice that Lance doesn't apologize, even though he was kind of being a jerk too.
So they start their rumba. There's a park bench in the middle of the dance floor. Lacey's kind of wearing a burlap sack, and the barefoot thing isn't really working for me. It seems like it would be way harder to do the dance with no shoes on. Although it does kind of have a Dirty Dancing feeling, like when they're dancing on the log? Over the creek? Lance's form looks good, but this does seem like a pretty Lacey-centric routine. They show Kathy Griffin and Topanga from Boy Meets World ["Who apparently used to date Lance... back before he revealed he was gay." -- Angel] going nuts in the audience. Bruno thinks it was sexy and inspired. Carrie Ann wasn't sure about the barefoot thing, but it totally worked. Len says he didn't get it, because the barefoot thing was a distraction. The shoes help you go on the balls of your feet, and Lance was flat-footed according to Len. He advises Lacey that she's getting better and better and doesn't need all the bullshit. Carrie Ann and Bruno argue with him and Lacey gives a sarcastic, "Welcome back, Len!" Shut up, Lacey. Tom advises Len: "Fiber. Fiber." Bruno dies laughing. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 7, and Bruno 9.
Brooke and Derek were knocked from the top of the leaderboard last week, so now they're trying to claw their way back up. They decide to regroup and decide to do a great dance. As opposed to other weeks, when they decided to do a mediocre dance? This week, they'll be doing the foxtrot, and Brooke is still dealing with her foot injury. Derek tells Brooke that, at times, he feels like he's dancing with a professional when they dance, which is really very flattering.
Derek skips down the stairs and has to mug for the camera as usual. Derek does a lot of fancy footwork at times, but I'm not seeing the same from Brooke. She does looks graceful, but I'm not wowed. I feel like they've set the bar too high. Maybe the judges were. Carrie Ann says that their front runner has returned, and Brooke is getting as good as some of their professionals. Bruno tells them it was truly fantastic. Bruno thought it was thrilling from start to finish. I must just be tired or something. Backstage, Samantha points out that the judges didn't have anything negative to say. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10. The first perfect score of the season! Derek starts unbuttoning his shirt to get ready for the team dance and the ladies start screaming. Like he didn't totally do that on purpose to get votes. Smart. But calculated.
Tom explains the team concept. Susan and Warren were named team captains. Susan's team includes Susan and Tony, Lance and Lacey, and Cody and Edyta, and they'll be doing the cha cha. Warren's team is Warren and Kym, Maurice and Cheryl, and Brooke and Derek doing the paso doble. Each team gets a score, and that is then added to their individual scores.
Team Cha Cha is up first. Cody thinks their strength is in the performance side, because they are all entertainers instead of athletes. They all worked their solo parts individually and then regrouped for the team dance rehearsal on Saturday. Susan feels like she's a step behind because she was in New York. She doesn't talk about how she was the weak link in the hip hop routine, but we all know she was. Tony kept taking time to work with Susan and everyone else looked annoyed that they didn't get to work on the group parts.
Team Cha Cha begins their routine, and I realize that Susan is the only female non-pro out there. That's got to be rough. The couples get off beat at one point, but they quickly go into Cody and Edyta's solo spot, which looks really good. These two have chemistry, I think. Tony and Susan are . Susan still looks really stiff. She just doesn't get the concept of hip action. Her footwork is okay. Lance and Lacey come out last. They do great. All of the couples come out. Susan looks lost. The men shake it hard at the end and overall, the whole thing looks pretty awesome, actually. Len thinks that Lance and Lacey saved the day with the solos. Bruno says it was teetering on the brink of disaster until Lance and Lacey saved it. Carrie Ann says that the unison was terrible, which was part of a group number, but she thinks Lance and Lacey did a great job. Well, Lance and Lacey must feel good about themselves, but everyone else must feel like shit. Backstage, Susan says that she didn't get a lot of team time this week. Cody thought they did well given the limited time they had to rehearse together. Scores: Carrie Ann 6, Len 7, and Bruno 7.
Team Paso Doble is up . Cheryl suggests that she and Maurice do their spot in the middle because they're the only ones who haven't done the paso yet, and then they'll start and finish strong. Warren yells encouragement to Maurice, which was nice to see. Then they go to work on their solo spots. They reconvene and Warren gives them a pep talk. We see lots of footage of them screwing up. Derek is worried that they won't be in unison, and it will be obvious.
Team Paso Doble begins their routine. They're a little bit off, but not bad. Warren and Kym take the first solo spot. Warren looks a little stiff, but I guess that's appropriate for this dance. Maurice and Cheryl take over . Maurice's posture is not great, but he does a nice jump in the middle. Derek and Brooke come in to finish off. They really look amazing. Their spins are incredible. The group reconvenes and, when they're all together, they do great. Brooke fits right in with the female pros, and somehow the men make it work too. They look like a professional group. They really made the other team look like amateurs. Bruno thought it was invincible, and he loved the team unity. Carrie Ann agrees, and says the solos were flawless. Len agrees, although he concedes that the formations are easier to keep in this dance than in a cha cha cha. Tom asks Len how his romantic life is, as if to say that he needs to get laid. Derek nods as if Len is correct in saying that the paso makes unison a little easier. Backstage, the team says it was fun and they feel like they nailed it. They all helped each other out in learning the dance too. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 9, and Bruno 10. The team goes nuts.
So I didn't think I would like the team thing, but it was okay. I don't feel like the team divisions were very fair, though. The team score really helped Warren and Kym, who went from last place to third once you add in the team score. Susan and Tony should really go home this week. Susan was bad in her individual dance and bad in her group dance, and there's no way she'll be able to learn two individual dances week. Let her go.
Brooke and Derek: 30 + 29 = 59
Maurice and Cheryl: 25 + 29 = 54
Warren and Kym: 21 + 29 = 50
Lance and Lacey: 25 + 20 = 45
Susan and Tony: 24 + 20 = 44
Cody and Edyta: 22 + 20 = 42
Kim plots world domination, one domain at a time, at her blog Fresh Hell. You can contact her at reedkim@gmail.com.