Tom reminds us that Maurice went home last week, and now the stars will have to perform twice tonight if they want a shot at making it to the finals. And we'll see it all LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!
Samantha's hair looks much better this week. I know you were wondering. There are four competitors left, and only three get to go to the finals. There are some questionable fashion choices tonight, but I'll save my commentary until we get to the individual dances. Julianne is back, though! Tom reminds us that we started the season nine weeks ago, and this may be the most competitive final four we've ever had. I might agree with that. Not the most competitive final two, and not the best dancers ever, but possibly the most equal in terms of talent and possibility of winning. Brooke's obviously the most talented dancer left, but when you factor in fanbase, the others have got to be nearly her equal. Samantha explains that each couple will do the two dances tonight, and Tom adds that each couple got a visit from Len Goodman to get some final dancing tips. Tom can't resist making a crack about Len's age.
Brooke and Derek are up first. Last week, she got really high scores and praise for her technical expertise. Derek says that this week, they are dancing the jive and the salsa. Derek puts a lot of pressure on himself to come up with great choreography, and doesn't want to waste rehearsal time coming up with the moves. Meanwhile, Brooke wants to come up with ways to connect more to the audience. She reminds Derek that he and Julianne got everyone fired up with their routine last week, so now she needs Derek to teach her how to do that. He gives pointers on making eye contact with various people in the audience but laughs and has to remind Brooke not to scare them.
Their jive begins and it looks a little herky jerky. Not in the way the jive usually does, with kicks and fast footwork and whatnot -- it looks disjointed, and the moves don't flow into each other. They have a blatant lift in the middle, where Derek picks Brooke up and spins her around, so I guess the lift restriction is gone for the semifinals? Brooke is doing better with acting the part and facial expressions, but I still don't see her looking at the audience much. She seems to be glued to Derek, and maybe that's because she's unsure of the moves. I say this because, near the end, something goes horribly wrong -- there was clearly supposed to be a lift or something and it gets screwed up. Derek tries to cover, but it affects the whole rest of the dance as Brooke gets kind of a panicked look on her face and even their ending, where they collapse in front of the judges' table, had poor timing. Overall, this was probably their worst routine, and this is not the week to have your worst routine.
What did the judges think? Len says that it was a disaster. The crowd boos, but not even that vehemently. Bruno says that their technique went down the toilet, and he's shocked. Carrie Ann says she found it disrespectful that they did a blatant lift, so I guess that restriction wasn't lifted. Wow. They didn't even try to pretend like Brooke's feet were skimming the floor. Usually when someone does a lift, it's a mistake where the foot goes off the floor just a bit. So Brooke and Derek got the "disappointed dad" take from the judges. Backstage, Samantha says that this is Brooke's first time getting raked over the coals. Brooke says that all her fears came true, because she missed the first step and never got back on track. Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 7, and Bruno 7. The crowd boos, but I think that was generous. If she did that routine in week one or two, she would have had some sixes in there, for sure. I feel bad for her, but hopefully they will make it up with the salsa.
Last week, Cody got rescued by the viewers' votes so that he could be reunited with Julianne, who was out getting her appendix removed. During the week, Cody went to the Country Music Awards to surprise Julianne, who was attending. I'm not sure what that segment was about, since it had nothing to do with anything, other than promoting the CMAs, which already aired, so I don't get it. Cody has a lot of trouble learning the paso doble, and Julianne tries to get him to channel his feelings into the dance.
So their paso doble is first. Cody is dressed up like a GI, while Julianne has on a military dress with a full skirt. It's an interesting take on the paso; at least it's not all Spanish with the bull and the cape. I wonder if it's too much of a departure, though. Cody does well, but he seems to sometimes confuse being purposeful in his movements with being stiff. He looks like a robot at times. The whole routine, while well done, seems a bit toned down to me compared to Julianne's usual choreography. I don't know if that's due to Cody's limitations, Julianne's illnesses, or something else entirely.
Cody and Julianne are thrilled, but what about the judges? Bruno says he's all for innovation but he didn't see enough of the Spanish lines of the dance. Carrie Ann admires Cody for his determination but she sees too much tension in his movements. Len doesn't think it was good, but Julianne tells Cody that he was awesome. Len adds that it lacked dance quality. I admire that Julianne is trying so hard to shore up Cody's confidence, but at this point, he shouldn't need it quite so much, should he? Backstage, Cody says that he'll take the judges' critiques, and Julianne thinks Cody was strong, when the judges always accuse him of being too loose. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 7, and Bruno 7. Julianne celebrates for a minute over beating her big brother, but then remembers that she probably shouldn't gloat when she needs people to vote for her, and clams up. I kind of wish they would play up the sibling relationship more, in terms of competitiveness. I guess they're still trying to pretend the celebrities are the only reason people watch this show, when I think many of the pros have become the draw.
Last week, Warren got his first 10. After the results show every week, Warren flies to Philly to do Inside the NFL. They really start rehearsing on Thursday, but then Warren has to do another show for the NFL network. Warren says he's really tired but he doesn't want to go home yet. This week, they have the jitterbug, which is really draining his energy. Warren throws a couple of hissyfits in rehearsals because he's angry with himself.
Warren and Kym being their mambo to "Tequila." Is there anyone anywhere who can listen to this song and not think of Pee Wee Herman? Anyway, Warren does a better job than the two dancers of remembering the steps and not screwing up, but then again, the bar's been set pretty low. I don't see much hip action, but his footwork is good, and his arm extension is better than it has been previously. He doesn't loosen up until about halfway through the routine, when he removes his jacket and really shakes it. I don't think it was a great routine, but in comparison to the ones that came before, I think he'll be just fine. The crowd obviously disagrees with me, since they give him a standing ovation, but the crowd really loves Warren.
Judges? Carrie Ann thinks Warren knows how to appeal to the house, but he needs to up his game just a little by adding more content and difficulty. Len thinks Warren knows how to perform, and that's what he does, and he doesn't worry about technique. And Len is actually saying this as a compliment. Bruno thinks Warren gets away with murder because he's so engaging, but he needs to sort out his footwork problems before the finals if he makes it. Backstage, Warren gets his scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8. Warren is thrilled with those numbers. Warren mumbles something about pipes (?) and Samantha and Kym wonder what he's going on about so we throw it back to Tom.
Lance and Lacey finally got into Len's good graces last week. In rehearsal, Lacey tells Lance that they have the mambo and the jitterbug this week. Lance invited his father and his grandfather out to see his jitterbug, since his grandfather was in WWII and knows the culture of the era. Lance also rehearses the mambo but apparently didn't have a relative from Latin America or wherever, so that gets short shrift.
Lance and Lacey begin their mambo. Lacey looks really pretty this week. I like her hair and makeup. Her dress? Not so much. It's a basic black dress with a rooster tail made of ribbons on the butt -- it looks like she's pooping a fountain of ribbons. Not a good look. Their mambo looks sharp to me, although admittedly I'm not as familiar with this dance. They don't have any major mistakes that I can see, and Lance does a great job of playing to the crowd and the cameras without mugging. They do one cool move that Kym and Warren actually did as well -- Lacey does a modified death drop and then freezes in the backbend while Lance does some solo moves. That has got to take abs of steel.
The crowd gives them a standing ovation and Lance is pumped. Len says that he's been tough on them, but it's all about where you finish in the competition, and he thinks this was their best routine so far. Bruno pronounces it semifinal material, and is happy to see it. Carrie Ann thinks it was a showstopper, and the best dance so far also. Backstage, it's time for scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 9, and Bruno 9. Lacey nearly falls over when she sees the 10. Lance thanks his grandfather for being there, as he's clearly a good luck charm. Lance adds that they've timed their resurgence just right, and they're hoping for more tens.
So the first round is over, and the second begins with Brooke and Derek at the bottom of the scoreboard. Each couple got to choose from the four new dances this year, and then Len visited them for a master class. Then there's a super lame intro where Len dances on stage with Cheryl and Kym before waking up from that dream. It just takes too long. I'd rather see more time with Len and the couples. First he visits Lance, whose biggest problem is that he's pigeon-toed. Len comes in with no shoes on as a joke. He dances with Lance and shows him how to avoid being pigeon-toed. It involves turning out your thigh. , Len visits Cody to work on the hip action. He gets him to roll his hips, and Cody realizes that Len is not that scary. Len goes to see Brooke to get her to straighten her legs at the appropriate times. Finally, Len goes to help Warren with his footwork, especially his flicks and kicks. In return, Warren shows Len how he did his solo move from last week. Len is actually pretty good at it!
Yay! Experts to show us what the new dances are supposed to look like! I've been asking for this for a while. Although I would prefer if they had these two do the routine and then had Len break it down with a telestrator to point out specific things to look for -- didn't they used to do that back in the first or second season? Or am I making that up? Anyway, first we see a salsa and what I got out of it was that there should be a lot of turns and twirls, with good hip action.
So Brooke and Derek are first to do their salsa. Brooke has a bit of a wardrobe malfunction and her thong is hanging out the back of her pants for almost the entire routine. They also do three lifts, by my count. I have to think that Derek just misunderstood the rules or something, because he's not normally one to flout them this way. The routine itself is good. The crowd gets really into it, anyway. I was so distracted by the illegal lifts that I couldn't get into it, but they don't have any major mistakes, so it's a definitely improvement over the first week. And it's not like they could take the lifts out, if there was a misunderstanding. The crowd gives them a standing ovation. Bruno thinks that Brooke is back and he thought she shook it to a fever pitch. Carrie Ann mentions the lifts, but adds that they really added to the number, and congratulates Brooke on coming back from her disastrous first dance. Len tells Brooke to play to her strengths, which this routine did, instead of trying to worry what the other dancers are doing. Backstage, Samantha congratulates them on their comeback. Brooke is happy that she was able to come back after her worst fears came true. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 10, and Bruno 9. They really need to work out this whole lift thing, since Carrie Ann is obviously the only person who lets it affect her scoring and she's kind of coming off like a jerk, when she's just trying to follow the rules. As a rules-follower myself, I can empathize.
Cody and Julianne have a tough act to follow with their salsa. Once again, Julianne's choreography is just outstanding. She knows Cody's weaknesses are his hip action and stiff movements, so she creates movements that distract from that. There are a lot of complicated moves done in hold, with twists and turns, and a big lift at the end that Cody executes well. It's definitely got a wow factor, even if I think Cody is the weakest dancer left in the competition. But what do the judges think? Carrie Ann thinks it was fun, but Cody was a little ahead of the beat, which is true. Len disagrees, and liked Cody's hip movement and strengths in his lifts. Bruno calls Cody "a little cheeky devil" but says he needs to work on his technique. Cody says he'll do whatever it takes to make the finals. Backstage, Cody thanks his fans for bringing him back so that he could dance with Julianne again. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8. Wow, after all that praise from Len and Bruno, I thought the scores would be higher from them.
A pro couple demonstrates the jitterbug, a dance with which most casual viewers are probably more familiar. And then my recording cuts out for a few minutes, and I missed Warren and Kym's whole routine! Stupid cable. I tried to find it online but ABC doesn't put up the episodes before my deadline, so I'll tell you that the forum posters (who are really smart) said it was lethargic, slow, and flat-footed. When my recording returns, Warren and Kym are facing the judges after their jitterbug. Len thinks Warren is joyful and sells his routines one hundred percent. Bruno says something about Starship Troopers, and then tells Len that his master class didn't work because Warren's feet were terrible. Carrie Ann loved the routine, even if their lifts seemed a bit dangerous. Backstage, Samantha tries to do Warren's moves. Oh, dear. That was bad. Samantha is worse at dancing than she is at hosting. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 8, and Bruno 8.
Lance and Lacey are last with their jitterbug. It's very USO flavored, as Lance is wearing a sailor outfit and Lacey has on a red white and blue dress. A minute into their routine, Lance accidentally kicks off one shoe, and it seems to distract him for the rest of the routine. They do okay, but not as stellar as I think they could. There was a lot of weirdness in the choreography, including a lot of jazz fingers. I would have loved a traditional high-energy jitterbug from these two, and I think they could have pulled it off. The crowd liked it, though, as Tom can't even get them to settle down so he can compliment Lance dancing with only one shoe. Bruno thought it was brilliant, and loved the reference to Gene Kelley and Ann Miller in On The Town. Carrie Ann thought it was magic on the dance floor. Len salutes them for dancing two fabulous routines tonight. I swear, there must be something about seeing these routines in person that makes a difference, because I feel like I don't get some of the enthusiasm at times. Backstage, Lance sheds a few tears over how much that was dedicated to his grandfather. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 9, and Bruno 10. Lance and Lacey are thrilled with their scores. I hope they're not peaking too early.
So here are the standings at the end of the night:
Lance and Lacey: 28 + 29 = 57
Warren and Kym: 24 + 25 = 49
Brooke and Derek: 21 + 28 = 49
Cody and Julianne: 22 + 24 = 46
I think Cody is the one that shouldn't go to the finals, although he did well tonight. He might be Warren's equal in technique, but he doesn't have Warren's charisma. He does have a huge squealing girl fanbase though, so it's really anyone's game at this point. We'll find out tomorrow night!
Kim plots world domination, one domain at a time, at her blog Fresh Hell. You can contact her at reedkim@gmail.com.
Find out who Maksim thinks should make it to the finals, then see how this season's stars stack up against stars from season's past. And watch our video recap of this week's episode.