Tom claims in his opening voiceover that it doesn't matter who has been the judge or fan favorite so far, because "tonight, the slate is wiped clean." Except it's totally not. I mean, if someone has been a big fan of Erin or Evan all along, it's not like now they think, "Well, it's the semifinals, so I'm going to be open-minded and possibly vote for Nicole or Chad." If anything, people are even more entrenched in their positions (based on the forums, anyway). That was just a weird thing to say, when it's all happening LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!
Tom and Brooke appear to introduce the couples and Brooke has foregone the bandage dress this week to wear a leather looking bustier that must be left over from her days hosting Rock Star. Chad and Maks are both wearing sheer shirts; there must have been a sale on that material at the local Hobby Lobby. Do they even sell fabric at Hobby Lobby? It's just a funny name. Like Piggly Wiggly. Or the grocery store in the town where my mom grew up: Market Basket.
Wait, what's going on? Tom interrupts the show opening to reveal that they usually don't reveal who is first in the viewer votes but tonight he's going to tell us that each of the couples has led in viewer votes at least one week. That was the big announcement? The way he led up to it, I thought there was going to be a change in procedure or something. I mean, I am a little surprised that Erin and Chad led the voting at least one week, but I'm not like falling down shocked or anything. That was weird.
Erin and Maks are up first tonight. In rehearsals, Maks explains that he thinks they have a good shot at making it to the finals and even winning, so he is super focused and pushing Erin hard. Instead of their usual squabbling, they are getting along and working hard. So does it pay off in their Viennese waltz? Maks does that thing he always does that I hate in slow dances -- start and ends with random walking around the stage. I feel like it's a copout to avoid having to choreograph segments. Erin's lines are beautiful and they move well together, but some of her turns are a little choppy. The ending features them sitting on the stairs and then scooting together and Erin putting her head on Maks's shoulder. It's cute, but at this point, I expect something a little more content-filled.
Len thinks that Erin just took a step towards making the finals. Bruno loved her lines and fluidity, although he saw the bobble on the turn. Carrie Ann loves watching Erin grow, and she advises Erin to stop being nervous in her dance, because it shows in her ankles. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9. Erin and Maks are thrilled with that score, although Bruno almost gives them a 10 and they freak out and laugh.
Nicole and Derek are up . In rehearsals, Derek admits to Nicole that his neck and back are bothering him, making learning the routine difficult. Does it affect their Argentine tango? All along this season, I have not been Nicole's biggest fan, and thought she was kind of overhyped, but this routine is amazing. There are some incredibly complicated moves, including one part where Derek walks down the stairs while Nicole is tangled up in his legs, and another where Nicole does flicks and kicks between Derek's legs while they are turning. I can't even imagine the timing and practice that would take to perfect. I did not see one flaw in that routine.
Bruno tells Nicole he was "enslaved by you, enchanted by the dance." For moments after, Bruno acts like he is exhausted. Carrie Ann is CRYING and tells Nicole that she is incredible, and also compliments Derek's choreography. Len says that it was "more delicious than [his] grandmother's apple pie." Meanwhile, Nicole is hugging Carrie Ann and Bruno. I think this might hurt them in the fan voting, though. People at home might see it as her being overly cozy with the judges. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10.
Chad and Cheryl were in the bottom two last week, so can they make a comeback? They get the same edit as most of the other couples -- Cheryl is pushing Chad really hard to be precise, and he says that he doesn't want to go home. Got it. So how is their waltz? I think his lines are good, but they don't extend to his hands -- he's got pancake hands. He has good rise and fall action in the beginning, and his posture is better, but there's no spark. Cheryl is trying like hell, throwing her hair around like crazy, but he seems pretty wooden. It's good, but it's not finalist good. And what happened to their chemistry?
Carrie Ann thinks he nailed it, and she appreciated his posture and fluidity, which she hasn't seen before. Len points out that Chad is the only one left with zero dance experience or training, which makes his achievement all the more impressive. Bruno points out that they've been really harsh on Chad all along, and he thinks it paid off this week. Did they just watch the same routine I did? It may have been a good routine for Chad, but compared to what Nicole just did, it was just average. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9.
The last of the ballroom round is Evan and Anna. They work in rehearsals on Evan connecting to his emotions, since he has been criticized for being cold and robotic. He has a little nephew that he loves, who is super cute, so Anna tries to tap into that emotion. His foxtrot is ADORABLE. I have not been an Evan fan either, mostly because I think he's a robot who just goes in a closet at night and powers down, but he shows such joy and a sense of fun in this routine that he wins me over. And it's technically very good too -- I don't see the issues with his feet that usually plague him, or at least not to the same degree. I think letting go was good for him.
Len loved the artistry and musicality, but also loved seeing the happy-go-lucky fun side. Len mentions some problems in hold, though. Bruno didn't know that Evan had that vivacity in him, and Tom jokes that it was like looking in a mirror for Bruno. Carrie Ann felt Evan and Anna's connection as well as their connection to the audience. I think that was his best performance, and it was definitely the one that I enjoyed the most. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 9, and Bruno 10. I really thought they were going to get a perfect score, but I don't know the technical stuff to look for the way that Len does.
Moving on to the second half of the show, the Latin round, in which each star will be required to perform a solo. Erin and Maks are back to go first, and we're going to find out more about her background. Erin was tall and skinny growing up, and was very self-conscious. She took ballet, tap, and jazz growing up, but knew she wanted to be a sports broadcaster. And then, as most people know, she had a stalker who filmed her through a peephole while she was in her hotel room, naked, and the video leaked onto the Internet. She decided to take on this challenge to prove that she's not a victim (ELISABETH HASSELBECK). Anyway, her dance tonight is the paso doble. Okay, maybe it's because it's set to "U Got The Look" by Prince but this doesn't feel like a paso. It feels very modern. I mean, Erin performs it well, but I don't like the choreography at all, and I usually love the paso dobles that Maks does. It's kind of herky jerky, and really fast, and doesn't have any of the bullfighter elements that I've come to expect. And also, Maks stumbles at the end. That said, Erin looks like she's having a blast.
Bruno calls Erin "a hot chick with an attitude" and then curses, I guess, because they bleep it out. Carrie Ann loved the power and the choreography. Really? Len is a traditionalist, like me, and calls it a "funky monkey," and admits that he's confused. It's just like Derek has done multiple times this season -- choreographed a great dance that doesn't have the traditional elements of the dance, and it's too bad that the star gets punished for the pro's decision. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 9, and Bruno 10. Maks takes off his shirt and starts flexing. Well, that's one way to get votes.
Nicole and Derek must be dancing to Prince too, because they're both dressed in purple. Nicole is from Hawaii, and her mother was young when she was born, so they lived with Nicole's grandparents in a small house with fourteen people. Nicole moved to Kentucky at six, and turned to singing because she felt like an outcast, because she looked so different. She was big into the theater program in high school. And after joining the Pussycat Dolls, Nicole was able to buy her mother a house in Hawaii to be with her family. Anyway, they are dancing the cha cha cha to "Kiss," so I was right about the Prince thing. Her solo is basically her giving a lap dance to an empty chair; impressive as an athletic feat, but is it a cha cha? When Derek comes out, they do some cha cha moves, and they are whipping around the dance floor. It ends with Derek smacking Nicole on the ass, and you can see the judges in the background. Bruno loves it and Len is making a schoolmarm face. Uh oh.
Carrie Ann thinks the dancing looks like it comes naturally to Nicole, even though she has to work hard. Len didn't see a lot of cha cha cha in the solo either, but he thinks Nicole needs to be in the finals. Bruno calls her "the sexylicious purple queen of the cha cha cha." Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 9, and Bruno 10. The audience boos Len's score, but come on. It's only fair.
Chad and Cheryl are back for their Latin round. Chad was a big baby, and super cute. He grew up in a rough area, but he used the negativity as motivation. He was raised by his grandmother, and he knew sports was going to be his way out, because he knew it wasn't going to be academics. It took him a while to get to the NFL, but he got there. And now he has four kids, and he takes them wherever he goes. Which is great stability for the kids. I'm just saying. Chad's friends think that he was shocked by how hard it was to be on the show, but he put in the work, and now he's in the semifinals. I kind of love his grandmother. Anyway, they are doing the samba. It's a little herky-jerky to me, but probably the most traditional content of any of the Latin dances so far. He seems self-conscious during his solo (which is done shirtless). You'd think someone with such a big ego would love the chance to show off his moves.
Len wonders why the men need to go shirtless in the samba, but he thinks Chad did a great job with a tough dance. Bruno is torn between admiration and envy of Chad's body, and he thinks Chad nailed the dance's attitude. Carrie Ann says that the technique wasn't quite there, but Chad started lower than the others so it's to be expected, and his charisma makes up for it. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 9. Hmm. I thought it was a little better than that, especially given the judges' comments.
The final couple is Evan and Anna. Evan grew up in Naperville, and started skating when he was eight. His mom says that he's driven and detail-oriented. He had a growth spurt at fourteen and wanted to quit skating, but his mom convinced him to stick with it and work hard. Even his coach says that his gold medal is due to hard work more than innate talent. So they are doing a Twilight-themed paso doble, which is probably very appealing to his fan base, but I think it's kind of a bunch of horseshit. I'm not sure what to make of this paso. On the one hand, it's very traditional, which I appreciate, and it's interesting to watch. On the other hand, they seem like they are fighting each other, and not in a good way. Evan's solo is great, but he seems kind of wild and out of control. It end with him "biting" Anna on the neck and leaving her for dead.
Bruno loved it because it was "a paso doble with passion and [Evan's] got balls!" Carrie Ann loved that Evan went for power instead of beauty and grace. Len thinks the man should dominate in the paso, and Evan did it. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10. Evan says that they've worked harder this week than ever to deliver for their fans.
I guess it could be anyone's game. Chad should really be the one to go home this week, but he has a huge fanbase, so who knows? I hope Erin sticks around, though. She has kind of won me over this season. Here are the final scores:
Nicole and Derek: 30 + 29 = 59
Evan and Anna: 29 + 30 = 59
Erin and Maks: 27 + 29 = 56
Chad and Cheryl: 27 + 25 = 52
If you missed it, catch the dances here. It is nice seeing Evan not be a total robot for a change.
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