Last week, Lil Kim was voted off and I didn't realize how much I was rooting for her until she left. I guess Cinderella was right; you don't know what you got 'til it's gone. And it ain't easy to get back, takes so lo-ooo-oong. Sorry, my hair metal roots are showing. Have I told you guys about my Bon Jovi posters? Wouldn't Jon Bon Jovi be an awesome contestant on this show? I'm still holding out hope for Rick Springfield, though. Producers? Are you listening? Anyway, now it's the semifinals, and no one wants to go home. At first, I thought, "As if people DID want to go home before the semifinals!" And then I remembered Lawrence Taylor. Touche, Mr. Bergeron. Anyway, tonight they will be dancing again LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE.
The show opens with a pro number to "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" by The Clash. Oh, dear. Joe Strummer is rolling over in his grave. Anyway, the dancers are Louis, Dmitri and possibly Genya Mazo? Along with Karina, Chelsie and some other blonde chick. It's short, and while I always appreciate adding dancing in as filler on a show about dancing, I don't really get what the point of that routine was. Then the semifinalists are introduced and I'm pretty sure Mark is wearing guyliner. I already miss Derek. Samantha's boobs look like they're about to pop out of her dress. I can't stop looking at them. They're mesmerizing. Tom and Samantha explain that the dancers will be performing one last Latin and ballroom dance each.
Melissa and Tony talk about how their foxtrot in week three was a breakthrough because Melissa finally got it. They reshow the whole routine and we get to hear Melissa and Tony's commentary as they watch it with us. I dig this new innovation, although there's not much about it to recap. For their Latin round, they rewatch their samba, and Melissa talks about how nervous she was during the solo at the opening. Melissa claims that in this dance, she finally understood the Latin hips, and she also was able to perform the dance for the first time instead of just thinking through the steps. She doesn't mention the part about how her boob popped out, which I totally missed, but my editor Angel caught. I mean, she didn't literally catch it. You know what I mean.
up for review are Gilles and Cheryl. So we're going to do this for all of the couples and then see the dances? Interesting. They choose their foxtrot from week nine for review. Gilles loved his costume, but inside he felt incredibly nervous. As they watch, Cheryl notices what Len picked up on, with Gilles' lack of rise and fall. Gilles points out a particularly difficult step, which to their credit doesn't look that difficult. Cheryl compliments his heel leads, and Gilles say that they had to work on it for many hours. Their favorite Latin dance was their paso doble in week five. Gilles reveals that it was Cheryl's idea for him to start without a shirt. Cheryl takes credit for a stumble at one point, and Gilles thinks that they covered it due to their facial expressions. Cheryl points out during the final killing shot that her head hit the floor really hard. Wow, you can totally see her head bouncing off the floor. Yikes.
Tom interviews Gilles and Cheryl about how mean Cheryl can be in rehearsal. Gilles says that he couldn't learn dancing any other way (how does he know?) and her urges Cheryl not to change. Tom jokes that Cheryl needs to stay cranky, and Cheryl laughs and says she would call it strict. This format change is throwing me off my game.
Shawn and Mark are going to review their ballroom dances . They think their breakthrough ballroom dance came with the quickstep, because Shawn got to show her personality. They discuss how they took a risk in breaking hold, and that the audience loved it even if the judges didn't. Mark and Shawn don't have much to say, so we're basically just rewatching the routine. For the Latin, Shawn thought the paso doble was important because no one thought she could be serious. Shawn admits that she struggled with the character, but she got so into it that she actually smacked Mark kind of hard at one point. It's kind of weird to me that they chose the two dances they did last week. It's not like there are rules to this little exercise, but it's not supposed to be your best; it's supposed to be your breakthrough. Anyway.
Tom interviews Shawn and Mark on the dance floor. Shawn is excited to do the Argentine tango tonight because she's gotten into the angry character after the paso doble. She's quick to clarify: "Only here! Only here!" You know what? I hope someone lets Shawn know that it's okay to be angry sometimes, and she doesn't have to be America's Sweetheart 24/7. And in fact, she'll be a lot more interesting as a person if she drops the bubbly bouncy crap when she's not feeling it. I'm not denying that she seems inherently sweet and happy most of the time, but no one feels like that ALL the time, and people are more interesting when they're multifaceted. Especially when they are role models to young girls. That's why I like Kristen Stewart. She seems bitchy. I dig that.
Ty and Chelsie are the last to review their dances. Ty remembers their "comeback"in week two with their quickstep, since he got a 14 in the first week, so he needed a decent score to remain in contention. Chelsie points out how good Ty's frame and posture is, and asks him to keep that in mind this week. Chelsie announces that the Lindy Hop in week four was the first time Ty showed he could do something besides be a "wooden robot." Ty says he was confident, and he liked how the dance started with them leaping off the stage. Chelsie thinks he looks like he's enjoying himself, and that his strength in the lifts was an asset. They're pleased that they went from fours to nines in terms of scoring, but know they have to make zero mistakes this week.
Tom interviews Ty and Chelsie and asks which of his two dances he's looking forward to tonight. Ty says he's looking forward to both of them. Tom calls him on changing his answer since the rehearsal, but they all laugh it off. And now the dancing will begin! I guess this was their last-minute filler since they added thirty minutes to the show at the last minute; luckily I realized it and changed the end time on my DVR in time or this would be a truncated recap.
The actual dancing is about to begin, and the ballroom round is first. Melissa and Tony didn't do as well as expected with their Viennese waltz last week, but earned perfect scores for their samba. They're doing the cha cha and the quickstep this week. Melissa is really nervous about her footwork, because she knows that Len will be watching her like a hawk. Tony pushes her to get the heel leads right because he knows the details will make a difference this week. I still can't really tell the difference between a heel lead and lack thereof; I understand conceptually what it means, but their feet move so fast that I can't tell if they're doing them in practice. Anyway, their quickstep is very fluid and graceful, which are not normally two words I would use to describe that routine. I'm used to the quickstep being more frenetic and energetic; this almost seems like a waltz in 4/4 time with a few nods to a quickstep. It's executed beautifully and Tony (for once) does a great job making the movements fit the music well. It ends with a beautiful spin move. I'm always impressed when they do those moves where the man grabs the woman's arm and spins her around the floor; they always manage to look graceful and I would just look like an elephant clomping to the ground and then being spun like a beetle on its back.
Len tells Melissa that her feet are much improved and that the routine was a delight. Bruno thought it was very good, but he needs to be more nitpicky since it's the semifinals, but it lacked some zing. I totally agree. Zing! That's the word I was looking for. Carrie Ann agrees with Bruno and says that Melissa is a beautiful dancer but there's no soul to her dancing. Melissa looks like she's about to cry, but I've been saying that about Melissa for weeks. She's so used to performing, whether in ballet or cheerleading, that she has this fake smile pasted on at all times and you get the sense that she's performing instead of dancing. Shawn does a bit of that too. Backstage, Melissa thinks she did the best that she possibly could have. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 10, and Bruno 9. Melissa and Tony are thrilled to get a 10 from Len.
Gilles and Cheryl got a great reaction with their foxtrot, but the judges thought their rumba was too steamy. This week, they have the salsa and the Viennese waltz. Cheryl tries to get Gilles to channel Lil Kim in his salsa, and then she invites Jonathan in to help Gilles with the sophistication of the waltz. Gilles found it really helpful to have a man show him how to do it. Jonathan gives Gilles a list of about twenty-five things to keep in mind while doing the waltz, and Gilles raises an eyebrow to camera. Their waltz begins to "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones. Gilles starts sitting in a chair and Cheryl brings him onto the dance floor. I feel like we've seen Cheryl's white snow queen dress before. The routine is very pretty, and Gilles is very graceful, but I feel like these two can't keep the sexiness out of any routine. There's still a lot of "we're going to put our faces really close together and almost kiss but then not kiss" as well as "I'm going to stroke your face lovingly and then you break away like 'NO' but then quickly turn back like 'MAYBE'." Those are all patented Cheryl moves. I do see a lot of rise and fall, so Len should be happy. And it is pretty to look at.
Bruno can't even wait until Tom introduces him before he stands up and screams that it was a perfect semifinal routine, and Gilles had power and beauty. Carrie Ann thought it was breathtaking and captured everyone's imagination. Len says he's giving them "a sitting-down standing ovation." Gilles and Cheryl hug and Gilles looks like he's about to cry. Backstage, Samantha asks Gilles if he's crying. Gilles is clearly emotional as he says that they worked really hard and Cheryl has made him into a great dancer. At least I think that's what he said; his voice is quiet and husky, so it's hard to tell. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10.
Shawn and Mark, well, we just heard about both of the dances that they did last week. Shawn explains that they broke the rules last week in the hopes of entertaining their fans, but this week they can't afford to lose any points. Shawn thinks there's a lot of jumping in the jive, but she really has trouble with the lift they're trying to do in their Argentine tango. Mark wears two more in a series of d-bag hats throughout rehearsal. Their tango begins and Shawn's dress is REALLY short. I mean, she's worn a leotard in front of a worldwide audience, so I'm sure she's fine with it, but it's super short and it's not flattering to her heavily muscled legs. Neither are the seams on the back of her stockings. The dance itself goes well, although it seems like Mark is the one doing all the flicks and kicks, while Shawn just lets herself be turned and twirled. The three or so lifts they do are amazing, though.
Carrie Ann wonders if Shawn can deliver the emotional content in some dances, but she totally delivered here. Len admires Shawn's maturity and intensity and he thought it was Shawn's best performance. Bruno calls her "Catherine Zeta Shawn" and he starts singing "He Had It Coming" from Chicago. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10. That's their first perfect score of the season. Mark really needs to cut back on the eyeliner.
Ty and Chelsie are set to wrap up the ballroom round. Last week, his tango and rumba put him in the bottom two, but his fans saved him. So he takes Chelsie to ride a mechanical bull? I don't know. There are a lot of high fives. This week, they have the samba, which means that Ty has to shake his butt. He looks like a paint mixer. Their other routine is the Viennese waltz, which Ty wants to look smooth, effortless, and graceful. Ty jokes that he knows it's not likely, but he wants to show his fans that their efforts were justified. Ooh. Their waltz is to one of my favorite songs: "Tuesday's Gone" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Girrrrrrl. This is my jam. Remember the end of Dazed and Confused? We're going to get Aerosmith tickets? Anyway, back to their dance. Ty's frame and posture are good, and the beginning is actually quite nice. He gets a little ahead of the beat, and there's a pretty big bobble near the end with a spin. The thing that bugs me about Ty, that none of the judges have mentioned, is his facial expression. Note that it's singular; he only has one, which is terrified/pasted-on smile. He could do a perfect routine, but he lags behind the others in terms of becoming a character on the dance floor and connecting to the dance. He's never done it, but somehow he gets a pass.
Len doesn't think anyone has worked harder or tried harder than Ty to become a dancer. He knows there were some issues with the routine, but he thought it was fabulous. Bruno thinks America loves Ty for the reasons Len said, and then Bruno and Len get in an argument over whether it was smooth enough. Tom has to tell them to shut up and Carrie Ann says that she's impressed by how much the audience supports Ty, but she knows he struggled a bit. Len keeps arguing with them, defending Ty. Tom sends Ty and Chelsie backstage and the judges still seriously can't shut up so that Tom can do his little speech to give the dancers time to get backstage. Ty says that they worked hard and did the best they could. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 9, and Bruno 8.
Hometown visits! Let's go to Melissa's hometown of Dallas, Texas. Melissa's mom says that Melissa did ballet and drill team as a girl, and she'd get frustrated when she couldn't get things right on the first try. Her mom is impressed that Melissa has worked through the pain of her rib injury. I'm kind of in love with Melissa's former coach on the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. I would watch a whole show about her. I mean, I did watch that DCC reality show, but it's not the same. I want to know, like, what she eats for breakfast. Anyway, then Melissa got accepted and then rejected on The Bachelor, which you may have heard about, and now she's determined to make it to the finals.
Whew, is it finally time to dance the cha cha cha? This routine is probably my favorite routine they've done so far. It's fun, and flirty, and there's not a ton of tricks and lifts and stuff -- just dancing. Melissa actually looks like she's having fun out there, and like she feels good about herself, and it's really a joy to watch. I didn't even hate the fact that they were wearing fedoras, and you know how I feel about extraneous hats. The audience loved it too.
Bruno says he likes his cha cha full on, and at times they were sensational, but the energy wasn't sustained, and that's what they need to win this thing. Carrie Ann thinks Melissa was much more emotional and attached, but her footwork wasn't perfect. Len says he liked it, but it's not up to her usual standards, because she's a really good dancer. Hmm. I liked it more than the judges. That rarely happens. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9.
Let's visit Gilles's hometown of Cannes in France! Gilles explains that he grew up in the center of town, the middle of three kids, and they apparently didn't live in the lap of luxury. Gilles thinks that French men can show their passion and emotion without shame. Gilles's best friend reveals that Gilles used to do the moonwalk and yelp like Michael Jackson. Then there's a photo of Gilles's father, and he had the MOST AWESOME mustache ever. Anyway, after his father's death, Gilles and his wife came to America where he worked as a model and tried to support his family. And Gilles also really wants to win.
So how's their salsa? Gilles starts off with some maracas, and he doesn't stop shaking it even after he drops them a few seconds into the dance. My only quibble is that Gilles seems like he is dancing in a club or at a party instead of in a competition; his movements seem kind of frantic and not very precise. But he looks like he's having a helluva time doing it. There's one segment where he and Cheryl are standing to each other dancing that makes me really excited for their freestyle if they make it through to week. Gilles really does have a great sense of natural rhythm. He'd be really fun at a wedding reception.
Carrie Ann stands up and does like a ten-minute dance sequence before she gives any comments. I guess she liked it? She says that she wants to see him in the finals. Len is almost speechless and says that he wishes he had an 11 paddle. Gilles is almost crying and he and Cheryl hug. Bruno says that Lil Kim is alive and well and hiding in Gilles's pants. She wishes. I just hope all this judge praise doesn't mean people won't vote for them, because they really do deserve to be in the finals. Backstage, Gilles asks the people at home to put him through. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10. Perfect score for the evening.
Shawn is from Des Moines, Iowa. And she creepily looks the exact same in her baby pictures as she does today. Shawn's mom tells a story about how Shawn took the swings off the swing set and used it as a parallel bar. Shawn's gymnastics coach talks about how she is determined and never gives up. Shawn thinks her Olympian work ethic helps her on the show too. A friend talks about how Shawn had the flu and still did her beam routine in the Olympics. So Shawn as the heart of a champion.
On to their jive. Shawn looks adorbs in her polka dot dress and pigtails. Their routine is bouncy and cute and full of energy. There are a few spots where it looks like they get out of sync but it's hard to tell if they've messed up or if it was meant to be that way. Mark bugs me, but that's not news to anyone. They finish up on the judges' table holding 10 paddles, which seems a bit presumptuous. I blame Mark. But overall, I really liked it.
As Tom waits for the audience to stop cheering, he says that this feels like the finals for most seasons. Len compliments the band and singers for the great music. He tells Shawn that it was fast and fun, but there was too much "messing about dancing" and not enough traditional jive. (Which again, seems like it is Mark's fault. -- Angel) Bruno likes Shawn when she goes wild, and she sold it. Carrie Ann thought she loves a little steam towards the end, but it was still wonderful. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 8, Bruno 9. Ooh. Len. I thought they'd get three nines, for sure.
So they've saved Ty and Chelsie for last. Ty is a fourth-generation cowboy, and it's all he's ever wanted to do. His parents reveal that Ty never played with toys; he just wanted to rope and ride. He was a super cute little kid, too. Ty talks about how confident he is on a bull, and he's really lacked that on this show, because he doesn't know what he's doing. Ty explains that once he committed to being on the show, he knew he was going to go full bore. Jewel explains that Ty is strong and macho, but she's glad that America is getting to see that he's also tender and sweet.
But can he dance? It's time for the samba. I'll say this for Ty. His samba rolls are really good, and that's something that a lot of couples can't pull off. And he's cute out there. But he's just not good, and I think this routine was actually worse than weeks. And it's going to be a shame if he makes it into the finals over any of the other three, because they aren't just a little bit better than him; they're a lot better, even on their worst days. Any other season, Ty probably would be justified in making the finals, but not this one, not with these competitors.
Bruno loves Ty's determination, even if he looks like he's walking a tightrope. Carrie Ann thinks Ty is the MVP of the season for his efforts. Len thinks it was frantic, but compliments Chelsie for her great teaching. These scores might be pretty low. Ty tells the people at home that he won't let his fans down. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len7, and Bruno 8. Chelsie admits that she wasn't sure they'd ever be in the semifinals, and she's happy to be there.
Overall scores:
Gilles and Cheryl: 30 + 30 = 60
Shawn and Mark: 30 + 26 = 56
Melissa and Tony: 28 + 27 = 55
Ty and Chelsie: 25 + 23 = 48
Which celebs should try their hand at this show ? Our vloggers have some suggestions.