Last week, the last slacker went home, as LT was eliminated, and now the pressure is totally on. Plus, the dancers have to dance as a couple and then as part of a team, so it's a whole new challenge! I feel like they go to two dances per night a lot earlier than this usually. Checking Wikipedia and...I'm totally wrong. Usually this week is the first time the couples are given two scores; it's just that last season and this season the second score is for the team dance, whereas before that, the second score was for a second dance as a couple. This season just seems to be going slowly to me but maybe it's because there's no inevitable frontrunner. So tonight we get to see each couple perform twice and it will be LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!
Tom and Samantha introduce the couples and we get the super-extended theme song once again, probably because there are fewer people to introduce these days. People were abuzz in the forums because Jewel said on Twitter that Ty was getting his first spray tan this week, and lo and behold, he does have some color. It looks pretty good, though -- not the terrible dark orange that a lot of them have. He looks fairly natural. Spray tanning does make me nervous, though. I did it once, and it kind of freaked me out to have all those chemicals in such an enclosed space, even though I held my breath the best I could. I guess it's better than skin cancer, although time will tell. Anyway, on that down note, the final couple is introduced and it's Tony and Melissa. Except there's no Melissa. Tony's walking down the steps by himself. What's going on? In the lineup, Tony looks very serious. Tom explains that Melissa has been injured and won't be dancing tonight, and they'll explain how that will work later. Samantha explains the team thing: one team will be doing mambo and the other will be doing the tango, and their team score will be added to their individual score.
Gilles and Cheryl are up first. Last week, Gilles and Cheryl got high scores but still ended up in third place, and Gilles says he's feeling scared that he's falling down the leader board. As they rehearse the Lindy Hop, Gilles has trouble with his shoulder, so he goes to the doctor to get a cortisone shot. The routine Cheryl has devised has a lot of lifts and tricks, and she explains that if Gilles doesn't commit to it one hundred percent, it's going to be a disaster. In fact, in rehearsal, he drops Cheryl almost on her head at one point. So this should be interesting. It's also interesting because Gilles is dressed in bright green and purple with a giant pompadour. We're talking Brad Pitt in Johnny Suede giant. I feel like this is a huge miscalculation on Cheryl's part (assuming she came up with the character/costumes) -- I think throughout, they're going for sort of a '40s cartoon style nerd, but Gilles's strength is smoldering and sexy. They should have done a '40s gangster type because this just isn't working for me, and I've made no secret that Gilles is my favorite. It doesn't help that throughout the first half or so of the dance, Gilles is off the beat. And the other thing this couple does well is have amazing chemistry, but they spend most of the routine chasing each other up and down the stairs or around the floor instead of dancing together. I don't know what the judges will say, but this is a big miss for me. I hope they do better in the team dance. I will say that Gilles is really enjoying the nerd character.
Len points out that the French are famous for lots of things, and he wants to add Lindy Hop to the list. Bruno also liked it, and enjoyed Gilles's versatility and comedic performance. Carrie Ann enjoys seeing a new side of Gilles. Man, I could not disagree more. Maybe I'm just cranky because we're having record-breaking heat and I'm sitting here with a laptop burning up my lap. Backstage, Gilles says that his shoulder wasn't really a factor this week. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9. Gilles and Cheryl are thrilled with that score.
Lil Kim and Derek are the couple to dance. Last week, Kim tried to tone herself down and was scolded by the judges. So this week, Derek declares that the queen bee will be back in the paso doble. Kim struggles since she loves to move her hips and that isn't supposed to happen in the paso. Kim is excited to bring her strength and aggression to the dance floor since that's what she's known for in the rap world. Their paso begins, and Kim is more covered up than usual, but it works for her because her skirt is long and swirly and she uses it almost like another appendage to extend her lines. I still can't believe how, for such a petite lady, she makes such big movements on the floor. She and Derek don't miss a beat, although I am getting a little tired of the Lil Kim face that she makes in every dance. Luckily, her grace and power overcome her facial expressions. They end with Derek dragging Kim along the floor as her skirt swirls out like a cape, and immediately get a standing ovation. It's not my all-time favorite paso -- I think that belongs to Maks and Mel -- but it's pretty damn good. The audience jumps up into a standing ovation.
Bruno jumps up and yells, "The bitch is back and she means business!" He goes on to say that it was a classic paso doble. Carrie Ann loved that Kim showed off her passion and strength, but she also brought elegance and beauty to the routine. Len thinks this competition isn't just about mastering the dances you're good at, but it's about doing well in the dances you aren't good at. Len didn't have high hopes for her with this routine, and he was more than pleasantly surprised. Kim doles out hugs and kisses to all of the judges before heading backstage. Have you ever noticed that Samantha only calls African-American women "girl"? It's a theory I have. I'll have to pay closer attention and see if it's true. Anyway, scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 10.
Last week, Julianne and Chuck hit the big time with their samba and finally joined the top of the leaderboard and felt like they were finally in contention. Julianne hopes that they can use the flirtiness and goofiness of their real-life relationship to do well in the cha cha. Chuck really wants to catch up with Gilles for some reason. Not sure why Gilles is specifically being targeted. Their cha cha is full of energy and quite sexual; I wonder if Len will think it's too raunchy. Chuck has definitely lost the upper-body stiffness he was showing in the beginning of the season, which is a good thing.
Carrie Ann tells Chuck that he's definitely in the game, and tells him to watch his chin. Len thinks Chuck is getting stronger and stronger, and had good hip action, but he needs to work on his arms a bit. Bruno compliments Chuck on his "great bum action," but he needs to place his arms instead of just throwing them out there. The crowd is really behind Chuck and Julianne and they're usually not quite this vocal for this pair. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 8. They're a little disappointed with Bruno's slightly lower score, but feel like they are breaking through at the right time.
Shawn got her first ten of the season from Bruno last week, and was thrilled, but now she wants another one with the samba. Shawn has a hard time learning the feminine side of the samba from Mark, so he brings in his mother Shirley, who's a three-time Latin world champion, to help out. Shawn gives some interviews where she sounds like she's reading from cue cards. I'd like to see some more authenticity from her in those on-camera interviews. So they start their samba to one of my favorite Kool & The Gang songs, "Get Down On It," but it's really slow. Shawn gets the steps perfect, as usual, and she actually looks like she's hearing the music, which I noticed from her last week as well. That's new for her in the last two weeks. I'm not crazy about the routine though. It almost seems like it's in slow motion and it's kind of boring. Technically good, but I'm not feeling the energy.
Len doesn't think that Shawn will ever do poorly, but she needs to be great at this stage in the competition. It was okay, but not her best. Bruno tells Shawn that she's not Lady Gaga yet, but it was a good samba. I don't know what that means. Carrie Ann points out that becoming Lady Gaga isn't the point of the competition, and that Shawn nailed every step and had great technique. But is that enough, as Len said, at this point in the competition? Backstage, Samantha asks them about the team dance, and Mark says that Chuck is Team Mambo's secret weapon. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 8, and Bruno 9. Wow, the judges are all over the place.
Now we get to find out what's up with Melissa. She came in first last week with her Argentine tango. Her injury must have happened recently, because it seems like they're just showing the clip package they would have shown if she were healthy, and it's all about the trouble she had in learning the jive. During one move, Melissa starts whimpering and kneels on the floor. Melissa explains that she hurt her ribs last week and she reinjured it this week, so she went to the doctor, who told her that she has a hairline fracture of the ribs. He said she could continue dancing, but that she had to take it easy. Tony thought they shouldn't practice more, but Melissa didn't think she knew the routine well enough. Cut to Tom, who explains that Melissa's pain progressed all day and won't be able to perform tonight. As with Steve-O, the judges and home viewers will be basing their scores on the rehearsal footage. There are two things that suck for them about this. First, Melissa is clearly not performing the routine, although she does a great job with the footwork and technique. But she's not smiling, or full of energy, like she usually is. And second, near the end, Melissa kind of starts walking through the steps, perhaps trying to prevent further injury, and the ending is just awkward. It's a shame. The jive isn't my favorite, but I know a healthy Melissa would have done a good job with it. Oh, and the other problem they have is that Melissa is wearing the lowest-cut jeans ever and her butt crack is kind of hanging out, so she stops halfway through the dance to pull up her pants.
Tony is on hand to face the judges alone. Bruno says they have to comment on what they see, and he knows they weren't dancing full out. Carrie Ann agrees that marking (going through the motions) is normal in rehearsal, but it makes it difficult to score. Len thinks it's like judging a racecar driver on the warm-up lap, which is a shame. Backstage, Tony says that Melissa had some treatment today that caused more pain, and she even came out tonight and tried to dance, but couldn't. Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 7, and Bruno 7. Tony knows that the judges are giving the scores that they must, given what they saw.
Ty and Chelsie hit the comeback trail last week with their waltz. This week, they have to do the salsa, which involves a lot of hip movement. Ty tries to shimmy his shoulders in rehearsals, and Chelsie just laughs at him. Dmitri comes in to show Ty how to move and lead. Chelsie points out how pale Ty is, and takes him in for his first spray tan. Ty thinks they need to at least get a seven for this, but Chelsie is hoping for a nine. So let's see. Chelsie pulled a page from Julianne's playbook and wore a really sparkly fringed dress to distract from her partner's lack of footwork. Ty does great when he gets to plant his feet and twirl or dip his partner, but when he has to move around the floor, he's kind of just running instead of dancing. But the audience loves it.
Carrie Ann is screaming. She loved it! She thought it was a great salsa, and that his upper body strength made up for what his knees were lacking. Len thinks Ty has had highs and lows, but he's held on for eight weeks. Len thinks this might be his week to go, though. The audience is pissed! Bruno thinks Ty just went wild, throwing Chelsie around on the floor. He doesn't think it was a perfect salsa, but he enjoyed watching it anyway. Backstage, Ty says that he'll do whatever Chelsie tells him to, and he thinks that was his best salsa. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 7, and Bruno 8.
When Tom comes back, it's very distracting, because there is a spinning Ugly Betty ad right near his crotch. Anyway, Team Mambo is up first. This team consists of Chuck and Julianne, Shawn and Mark, and probably just Tony, although Melissa was with them in rehearsals. Should be interesting. They are psyched in rehearsal, because those three teams were the top three last week. It seems a little pointless to watch Melissa and Tony rehearsing because you know they're not performing together in the dance. Each couple works on their solo piece, and then work together to help out with their group work. So let's see how it all turned out. Tom explains that Lacey is going to fill in for Melissa, but we're not supposed to base our votes on Tony and Lacey's work.
Am I supposed to close my eyes when Tony and Lacey do their solo because I'm not supposed to be watching them? Anyway, the group is dancing to "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. Since Tony and Lacey do their solo first, I'll just say it's really good and Beyonce-inspired. Shawn and Mark have their solo . Mark is really bugging me. He's hamming it up and over-exaggerating his movements in a way that I feel takes away from the overall routine. As always, Shawn's technique is flawless and the choreography is really complicated. Chuck and Julianne are , and his technique pales in comparison to Shawn's, but he does seem to be having fun. At the end, the ladies lose their skirts and end up looking like Beyonce in her video. And then the guys rip off their pants, and they're wearing leotards too. If you've never seen the video, you probably are very confused by the reference, but it's an homage to the video as well as all of the imitators, including the Justin Timberlake parody on SNL. I like that they used humor.
Judges? Len thought it was fun and entertaining, and he gives Lacey props for stepping in with very little notice, even though he's ignoring her for scoring purposes. Bruno makes a reference to men that shop in the women's department, so he obviously watches Idol. Carrie Ann says that the ending was fun but distracting, and she thought the music was more fun than the dancers. That's a great song. I sort of see what she means. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 9.
So Team Tango consists of Kim and Derek, Gilles and Cheryl, and Ty and Chelsie. In rehearsals, they point out that they are the underdogs, and they have a lot of personality. Kim enjoys working with the female pros, and Ty enjoys working with the male pros. Cheryl is mean as always in rehearsal; obviously that works for Gilles, but she would drive me nuts. They all want to make the solo sections good because they know one weak link will make things bad for all of them. Gilles the cheerleader gives everyone a pep talk. He's so positive! I could work with him before I would work with Cheryl.
So how is their tango to "Womanizer." Well, Gilles and Ty are shirtless and Kim is in between them. Interesting that they started out with all three amateurs on the floor. Will their risk pay off? Kim and Derek have the first solo slot. Kim seems to screw up her footwork at one point, and she even smiles a little bit like she knows it, but she covers well. Ty and Chelsie have the solo. This dance works well for Ty because it requires good posture although he does kind of look more like a zombie than a dancer. Gilles and Cheryl have the last solo and the crowd goes wild for them. I'm glad smoldering Gilles is back. I have to say their section is a little more boring than I've come to expect from them. Maybe I'm just not used to the regular tango instead of the Argentine tango. All three teams rejoin and have really great synchronicity. Their last segment almost looks like six pros, which is impressive.
Bruno starts for the judges, saying that they were "like a pack of voracious raptors" and gave him goosebumps. Carrie Ann thinks their team takes it because they showed off flawless unison work at the end. Len noticed Kim's blunder and he thought Gilles's footwork was atrocious. But he thinks Ty nailed it, which is what Ty needed. Nathan Fillion is in the audience. I think he would be great on this show, although I think he's almost too big of a star at this point. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 10. So Team Tango takes it.
Will Melissa and Tony be able to overcome their low scores due to her injury? Is Len right that it might be Ty's time to go? Or will there by a shocking elimination from someone who got high scores? Here are the final scores, and we'll be back tomorrow night to find out who is eliminated:
Kim and Derek: 28 + 28 = 56
Gilles and Cheryl: 27 + 28 = 55
Shawn and Mark: 27 + 25 = 52
Ty and Chelsie: 24 + 28 = 52
Chuck and Julianne: 26 + 25 = 51
Melissa and Tony: 21 + 25 = 46