There are only four celebrities left, and only three will make it to week's finals. So who will stay and who will go? And how many clip packages will they pack into this week's episodes.
Okay, very rarely does this show have a musical artist perform that I haven't heard of that I actually enjoy. But I'm kind of in love with the dude performing right now. His name is Raphael Saadiq and he's dressed like a '60s era James Brown with the horn-rimmed glasses and the skinny tie and slim-fitting suit. He's singing in front of a band with a full horn section, and he gets down on the floor and dances, but not in a Timberlake wannabe way. I love him. I am buying his album on iTunes. I just looked him up and he was in Tony! Toni! Toné! I feel so old that I've never even heard of him. I've officially turned into my parents. Thanks, DWTS!
Last night, Ty got the judges arguing over whether or not his mistakes were enough to warrant taking points off, but he's just happy that he's still there after such a bad start in week one. Melissa was underscored, I think. She was at least as good as Shawn and Mark, I thought. Maybe I'm missing something. Shawn was disappointed that the judges didn't like her jive. Gilles and Cheryl got two perfect scores, and Gilles got really emotional about it.
Shawn and Mark have been chosen to dance their tango again. I hope Mark stocked up on eyeliner. Upon rewatch, I really am impressed with their lifts and tricks; I'm not usually a fan, but they seem very well integrated with the routine instead of just added in for the wow factor. And I'm really impressed with Mark's strength (see, I can say nice things about him!), because he makes it look effortless.
Former winners Brooke Burke, Drew Lachey, and Helio Castroneves have returned to be interviewed for a clip package about this season's semifinalists. Brooke thinks that Melissa makes dancing look effortless, but she needs to "dirty it up a little bit." Drew jokes that Gilles needs to strengthen his female fanbase a little bit, but might need to relax a bit. All three of the former winners are impressed with Ty's determination and improvement. Brooke points out that Shawn is determined and focused, but they all agree that she needs to relax and have fun out there. Brooke adds that the best dancer won't necessarily win; it's the celebrity that America wants to see win who will get the trophy. [cough] Helio [cough].
The potential pros are back! This week, they'll be dancing with one of the current pros, one ballroom and one Latin. Mayo is dancing with Kym, and they'll be doing the cha cha and the tango and Kym has some doubts about some of Mayo's choreography, but by the end of the week, she's on board. So they'll be doing their tango first. I still think Mayo looks two dimensional, like Flat Eddie or something. He has beautiful lines, but I just don't feel the passion or the almost threatening nature that I expect from the tango. Let's go to the judges. Len says that it exemplified what he loves about ballroom. Bruno liked the lines and thought Mayo used his partner well. Carrie Ann was impressed with the choreography, but she wants to see more personality from him.
Anne is dancing with Maks, who admits that he's very picky about choreography. Anna thinks that she can deal with Maks by being even tougher than him. Maks admits that she knows exactly what she's doing. So their first dance is the quickstep. I think Maks has put on some weight in his off weeks. His butt looks big. Ironic for the dude who made some (later rescinded) comments about Cheryl and Lacey's weight last season. Despite that, the quickstep is really lovely. It's actually quick! And there are a lot of steps! I love it. Bruno thought it was magnificent and lightning fast, and it combined both technique and performance. Carrie Ann thinks she almost outshined Maks. Len also thinks she brought the best out in Maks.
Tom announces that there have been only four times this season where the couple with the lowest judges' scores has gone home. So Samantha is backstage with Gilles, who had the highest scores from last night, and Ty, who had the lowest. Gilles says he's not totally confident they're staying. Ty repeats his normal statement that he's surprised to still be there, but he's willing to work hard if he gets to stay.
It's time to find out the winners of the Design-A-Dance contest. It will be a quickstep danced by Julianne and Lacey, along with Mark and Derek. Huh? Why so many? Derek and Julianne dance together, and then Mark and Lacey dance together. They do swap partners throughout, and there's a lot of dancing done out of hold as well. And then Derek pretends to play a trumpet and Mark pretends to play a trombone. This dance is dumb. At one point, Derek and Mark dance together while Julianne and Lacey dance together. And then the girls are up on wheeled tables being rolled around the floor? I have no idea. What a waste.
Mayo and Kym are back to do their cha cha cha. Mayo is dressed like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, if you took John Travolta and stretched him out on a rack and then flattened him with a heavy weight. The song is "Shake Your Groove Thing" but about ten times slower than the original. The choreography is really fun, but Mayo is stiff as a board. His idea of personality is making guppy faces. Carrie Ann wonders if Mayo is versatile enough, even though he is a wonderful dancer. Len thinks the tango was better than this one, but they were both good. Bruno counsels Mayo against taking risks without knowing the possible reward. No one seems to know what in the hell Bruno is talking about, as usual, but I think that was the gist. Luckily Tom is there to go, "Oooooookay then."
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Anna and Maks are now up to do the samba. It's a weird routine because Anna dances alone on the floor for quite a bit of time, which doesn't really seem like the best way to show off her partnering skills. I don't love the choreography either; Maks does great Latin, and this doesn't seem to play to his strengths. Overall, though, I'd rather see a new female pro on the show than a new male. I think there are plenty of males in reserve, like Alec or Jonathan or Fabian or Dmitry, that I'd like to see come back instead of adding a new male pro. The audience reaction is kind of subdued, as well. Len thinks Anna has been really strong all four weeks, and thinks there's no question that Anna should win the competition. Bruno thinks Anna has versatility and has done well with all of her partners. Carrie Ann wants to see more of Anna's dancing and hopes she returns.
It's finally time to reveal two couples that will be moving on to the finals. The first couple moving on is...Gilles and Cheryl. Well, no surprise there after their high scores last night. The second couple moving on is...Shawn and Mark. Aw. Shawn looks so happy. We have to wait until after the break to find out who will be the third couple going on to the finals and who will be going home.
It's between Melissa and Tony and Ty and Chelsie. Samantha emphasizes that they are not necessarily the bottom two. Tom asks the judges about the remaining two couples. Len says that if everyone else has climbed hills, then Ty has climbed mountains. He adds that Melissa only had four days notice that she would be on the show, and yet other than the week that she was injured, she has performed beautifully each week. Bruno thinks that Melissa is a potential champion. Carrie Ann doesn't get to give an opinion because time is running out. You see Seacrest? That's how you keep a show on time. So who's going home? It's...Ty and Chelsie. Well, thank God. I mean, good for him for making it so much further than anyone imagined, but it would have been a shame if Melissa didn't make it to the finals.
Ty tells Samantha that he thinks Chelsie had a big challenge, because he never knew what he was doing wrong or how to improve. Tom stops the questioning and just tells Ty that it's not about knowing the steps; it's about the total package, and Ty had it. Chelsie adds that she feels really blessed to have Ty as a partner for her first season on the show. Ty and Chelsie move to the floor for their final dance, and Ty picks her up and spins her around. I have to tell you, he looks more than a little relieved. And now we have an awesome and competitive final to look forward to week. See you then!
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