Tom opens by reminding us that there is a double elimination tonight. And I'm not getting my hopes up that Woz will be one of the ones leaving, because I don't like to set myself up for failure. Last night, Gilles and Cheryl got the season's first perfect score, and it was well-deserved. So who will be going home (and going home) tonight? We'll find out LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! I feel like Tom's signature line was a little unenthused tonight. Maybe he knows Woz is staying.
Tom and Samantha open the show and Samantha can still barely talk. Yay! Tom gives the stat that eighteen points separated the top and bottom last night. As we review the performances, there is (as usual) some new interview footage. Chuck and Julianne want higher scores. LT doesn't know how to get higher scores. Dance better? I do want to apologize for my comments about DAG and Melissa's kicks last night; one of the forum posters set me straight that, in the Lindy Hop, you are not supposed to flick your foot when you kick. I don't know what Tony was doing with the toilet paper thing in rehearsal then, and I think the non-flicking looks weird, but if that's what the dance requires, then so be it. Mea culpa. Steve-O is proud that he overcame his stress, even though he recognizes that he's not a great dancer. The judges "hated" Woz again when they pointed out his horrible dancing. Holly apologizes to the audience for forgetting her whole routine. Shawn is happy that she got a standing ovation even if the judges didn't give her great scores. Ty is humble about Carrie Ann calling him a dancer. Lil Kim was thrilled to get the first ten of the season. Melissa was thrilled with her scores as well. Cheryl compliments her partner for her chemistry and he gives her a big old kiss on the side of the head. You can bet rumors will be swirling now. He's European! They kiss people! Relax.
Hey! We get an encore! Len is wearing a supremely ugly canary yellow shirt with a white collar. It's horrible. Anyway, he asks to see Gilles and Cheryl's routine again. Hot damn. It is smoldering. And their footwork is just as intricate and amazing as it was last night. That might be one of my favorite all-time routines.
After recapping the scores from last night, Tom tells us that there is no dance-off tonight. Between that and Samantha not being able to talk, this is the best results show ever. Tom is going to reveal two safe couples and one in the bottom three. The first safe couple is... Gilles and Cheryl. I'm glad they got that out of the way. The second safe couple is... LT and Edyta. Well, that's kind of surprising. The first couple in the bottom three is... Holly and Dmitry. They aren't surprised. Holly knows she screwed up and she was in the dance-off last week.
Tom says that week, some of the couples will be doing the paso doble. So some of the pros will be dancing that routine right now as Kevin Rudolf performs. I didn't think I knew who this dude was, but I do know the song. I think I heard it on Gossip Girl. That's pretty much the only place I'm ever exposed to new music. The pros dancing are Lacey, Julianne, and Chelsie with Derek and some other dude. The beginning part is kind of dull, but then Derek and Julianne come out and do a section in and out of hold, and Lacey and the other guy follow suit. Those parts are quite amazing. Kevin Rudolf looks like he might be 42 years old, though. I think I liked him better when I didn't know who he was.
Backstage, Samantha interviews the three couples whose fate has been revealed. Cheryl says it's easy to have chemistry. LT says that every day of the week is stressful, except for Tuesday when you get to find out how much the fans love you. Edyta says she's proud of her partner, especially since he never danced before. Holly says she is stressed out about possibly being eliminated, but at least she will have a buddy. She says she hated the dance-off last week, but tonight she kind of wishes she could do it since she screwed up her routine last night.
As Samantha throws it back to Tom, Bruno is doing something goofy that we don't get to see. Tom then reveals that Shawn and Mark are safe while managing to make a crack about Mark's outfit. Yeah, Mark really needs to rein the Corky in.
Since we already saw the paso doble, now we get to see week's other routine, the Viennese waltz, as choreographed by Louis Van Amstel. I'm trying to figure out who the pros are as they twirl around to "You Fill Up My Senses." I think I spot Jonathan and Anna, and Louis of course. It's really a pretty routine, and well-synchronized. The spins are all happening at the same rate and at the same time, which has to be difficult.
Then there's a clip package where the various stars reveal how scared they are of the double elimination. Woz doesn't understand how it works. Well, the two lowest scoring couples go home. How is that hard to understand? Isn't he supposed to be smart? Basically, they all agree that it's scary and that they aren't ready to go home yet.
As Tom gets ready to reveal some more fates, Gilles is noticeably absent. Apparently, he had to use the men's room. He runs in just as the lights go down. The couple to be saved is Chuck and Julianne. And the couple in the bottom three is Steve-O and Lacey. So I'm guessing that the third couple in the bottom is DAG and Kym. Boooo!
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Hey, remember Boyz II Men? They'll make love to you? They have a hard time saying goodbye to yesterday? They've come to the end of the road? They're not too hard, not too soft? I apparently remember them (and their songs) quite well. Well, they are back! Like the New Kids! And they are performing a medley of Motown songs for your audio-visual pleasure. Cheryl, Tony, Kym, and Dmitry will be dancing along. I will say this for the Boyz -- they are doing some vigorous choreography given that they must be at least my age if not older. Cheryl is dancing with Tony while Dmitry dances with Kym. Cheryl has really toned up in the off-season. Her cut-outs at the waist no longer make me uncomfortable. The ironic thing is that the Boyz sound great on the two covers they do, but sound kind of terrible on "End of the Road." They look like they know it too. Maybe they caught Samantha's illness.
Samantha is backstage with more couples. Chuck says he's thrilled that they got a standing ovation for the first time last night. Steve-O says that he's not used to dealing with stress and pressure without drugs and alcohol and he's proud every day that he doesn't get loaded. The audience laughs, but he's totally serious and for once, Samantha actually has an appropriate reaction as she says that he's doing great.
Let's kill some time by finding out what the judges think of the season so far. Carrie Ann thinks it might be the best season so far. Bruno encourages the couples to use the pressure in a positive way. Shawn executes Mark's directions to perfection. Chuck needs to step it up to match his partner. Holly needs to project more passion. Woz is a joy to watch, even if he can't dance. Melissa needs to stretch herself. LT has to loosen up and sell himself. Kim gives the audience what they want. DAG needs to relax and push himself. Can you do both at the same time? Gilles has the passion and knows how to make the ladies swoon. Ty is a great athlete but needs to loosen up. Steve-O needs to lighten up, especially given what he's been through. The judges all agree that they'll give out good scores for good and entertaining routines. I know I'm a nerd, but I would like more specific examples in that montage. Like show me an example of Ty being too uptight or Holly lacking passion instead of just random clips chosen by some editing monkey. I guess that's the composition instructor in me, always looking for opinions supported by specific examples. And television doesn't work that way.
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So let's find out who else is safe! The safe couple is... Kim and Derek. Yay! And the safe couple is... Melissa and Tony. Well, really? Did you think they'd be in the bottom? Even if she weren't a great dancer, she's still riding that tide of good will from The Bachelor.
Now that the judges have had their say, the stars get to talk about how hard they try to impress the judges. They all agree that they do what they can, but they also have to work on impressing the audience at home. Because we hate good dancing. So it's difficult to make both sides happy. At least that's the message I'm getting. We're reminded that the judges' scores count for half of the couple's total, and the audience vote counts for the other half. Each couple's judge score is turned into a percentage of the total points allotted. So for example, if the total of all scores that night was a 300, and Gilles and Cheryl got a 30, they would be awarded 10% for the judges' half. The same is done for the audience vote, although the numbers are obviously much bigger. So it's not as much about how many votes someone gets as it is about how many MORE votes they get than anyone else. You can vote by phone, online, or by text message. Chuck points out that Woz got a 10 total and then wasn't in the bottom two, which shows how important the audience vote is. So part of their strategies have to be to fire up their fanbase through personal appearances and such. And if you're Woz, unleash your nerd army! As a nerd, I'm kind of offended that anyone thinks I might vote for Woz. OR that I don't have anything better to do than sign up for eighty different e-mail addresses so that I can power vote online.
Tom is now going to reveal that third couple in the bottom three. Ty and Chelsie... are safe. Woz and Karina... are in the bottom three. Karina looks PISSED. DAG and Kym are safe! Yay! Oh, no. I'm starting to get my hopes up. Tamp it down! Tamp it down!
After the break, it's time to find out who's going home. And the first couple eliminated is... Holly and Dmitry. They aren't shocked or anything. Holly does her nervous giggle a few times, and kind of looks like she's about to cry. So who is the other couple going home? It's... Woz and Karina!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just broke into a chorus of "Oh happy day" all up in my living room. Hey, remember like two paragraphs ago when I said that I wasn't overly invested in this show? I might be wrong.
Samantha is allowed to talk again to question the losers. Holly says that it was way more physically challenging than she thought it would be. Woz babbles some nonsense, but does have nice things to say about how well Holly and Dmitry did in dress rehearsal. Woz praises the show and the voting system and finally remembers that he has a partner. Holly and Dmitry talk about how awesome their partner is too, and then it's a four-way goodbye dance. Well, Karina can go plan her wedding now. I hope her plans include getting a new hairstyle, because hers has been BAD lately. And I'll see you week!
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