By Kim
Last week, the new round of contestants all performed for the first time. Some (Kirstie Alley, Ralph Macchio) did great! Some (Wendy Williams, Mike Catherwood) did not do well! Tonight, they get to dance one more time before the first elimination tomorrow night. Watching the opening credits, I'm realizing that I forgot some of these people were even on the show in the past week. Like Chelsea Kane? And Hines Ward? And they did well, from what I remember.
Tom and Brooke introduce the couples as they walk down the staircase. This is such a time killer, especially in the early days when there are a million couples. Once everyone is down the stairs and lined up and mugging for the camera, Tom and Brooke do an introduction that's mostly nonsense, while I keep staring at the fact that Kendra doesn't know how to clap. Like my fourteen-month-old claps better than she does. What that's about?
Sugar Ray and Anna are up first. Last week, Bruno told Ray that his feet moved well but his posture made him look like a turtle, which was a bit harsh, but also true. So in rehearsals, Anna tells him that they have the jive, and he won't have to worry about his posture quite as much. Anna tries to school him on the kicks and flicks, and he has a little trouble keeping up. I mean, he's no spring chicken. The jive is always a problem for the oldsters, unless they slow the music down so much that it doesn't even look like a jive. Let's see how he does.
So their jive is... okay? I'm trying to pinpoint why it was good and not great. The footwork was fine. Sugar Ray has an athlete's pigeon toe problem, but it's not horribly noticeable. And he didn't miss a lot of steps, although he did miss a few. His facial expressions were good. I think it just lacked intensity. Like it was pleasant and fine but I lost interest about halfway through, and it felt like maybe he did too. It wasn't bad; he'll likely stick around a few more weeks. But it didn't grab me. Judges? Len tells Ray that he's in jeopardy because it didn't have refinement or dance quality, though it was entertaining. Bruno thought it was pleasant, but needs more punch in the feet. Carrie Ann said his face was very entertaining and engaging, but his lower half wasn't as sharp as it should be. She advises him to use his feet like he uses his hands while boxing, which is actually good advice. Scores: Carrie Ann 6, Len 5, and Bruno 6 for a total of 17, which matches their score from last week.
Kendra and Louis got decent marks last week for her ambitious choreography. This week, they have the quickstep, and Louis wants to work on getting rid of her tomboyish ways. Good idea. That's what put me off last week. He tries to make her be elegant and ladylike, and then they show poor Kendra swearing and smelling her armpits. Oh. That's too bad. Kendra gets stressed out trying to be more ladylike and breaks down crying, saying that she feels like a boy even though her image is sexy Playboy model, and she tells the camera that this is about more than dancing for her. Well, if they were trying to make her more sympathetic, that kind of worked. Although I really wish Kendra would get some counseling for her issues instead of working them out on various reality shows.