Tom introduces all of the couples and announces that everyone will have to do two full routines tonight. The first will be their regular routine, and for the second, they will be partnered with another pro for a three-person dance. They did this last season and I had my doubts, but it turned out kind of cool. It's always interesting to me to see the star dance with another pro - sometimes they do a lot better. I wish we were more privy to the ego-bashing that must happen, but the show apparently wants to keep that behind the scenes, or only address it in a joking manner. Pity.
Zendaya and Val have the foxtrot this week. Val wants Zendaya to be more competitive and Zendaya wants Val to lighten up. They're dancing to "Don't Worry, Be Happy" which Zendaya loves. Of course she does. She farts rainbows. I'm trying to find flaws in this routine, and I really don't see any, and yet it's not clicking for me. I think I just hate this song, like all right-thinking people do. The whole thing is a little too "Aren't I cute? Look how cute I am? I'm like a hamster on a piano." And I'm grouchy, so it doesn't work for me. That said, the technique looks great and Zendaya has beautiful lines.
Judges? Len thinks that Zendaya is just getting stronger as the competition goes on. Bruno calls her "a breath of fresh air" with "incredible musicality." Carrie Ann says that she thought they didn't start strong, but they were great overall. The judges start arguing amongst one another as Zendaya and Val exit. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 10, and Bruno 9.
I always forget Sean is still in this thing. Why is Sean still in this thing? I could go to bed ten minutes earlier if Sean wasn't here. Not really, but he does feel like a waste of space. Anyway, Peta and Sean have the tango this week, so Peta works with Sean on having attack and being aggressive. She was right to be worried. He does okay with the footwork of the tango but he just doesn't have the aggressive posture or, more importantly, facial expressions. He looks worried more than angry. His feet are flat or wrong somehow and his frame is kind of weak. He's adequate.
Judges? Bruno thinks he lost his footwork and he doesn't sustain his dancing and loses it halfway through. Carrie Ann agrees that he's back to being inconsistent with no musicality. Len liked the punch and attack, but the attack meant that he lost the beauty of the dance. Len actually calls it "a little bit ugly." Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 7, and Bruno 7.
Jacoby and Karina have the Viennese waltz. This should be interesting; I don't see Jacoby as much of a waltzer. He's athletic and dynamic, but I don't know if he's graceful. Let's find out. Wow, that was pretty sexy. It didn't hurt that Jacoby ripped his shirt open at one point. That felt more like a rumba than a waltz. Jacoby moved around the floor in a way that was actually quite graceful. His footwork wasn't always perfect and his arms when he was in hold seemed a little weird. I do think their huge height differential affects their frame, though.
Judges? Carrie Ann thought it was stunning and smooth, and a nice surprise. Len asks Jacoby's mom if she loved it. She did, and so did Len. Jacoby actually looks happy that Len liked it. He cares! Bruno thought Jacoby made it look simple and effortless even though it's a difficult dance. Then Bruno and Jacoby's mom get into a hip-shaking contest. For real. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9. I think they might have been expecting 10s, but I think a 9 is about right.
Ingo struggles in rehearsals because his body is just breaking down, and he mentally checks out of rehearsals. Kym gets frustrated with him and pushes him to go on. Obviously, he did, because here they are to dance the foxtrot. The first half is really good, and I start thinking Ingo should have breakdowns every week. The second half doesn't quite live up to the first; there are a few stumbles and a turning arabesque that's just ugly. But overall, better than I expected based on the roll-in package.
Judges? Len liked the ease of movement, but it could have been softer in the arms and stronger in the footwork. But Len thinks it was well done. Bruno thought it was mostly Fred Astaire with a little Fred Flintstone, but it was good overall. Carrie Ann thought it was his best posture ever, and she loved the casualness of the attitude. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8.
Kellie and Derek have the Viennese waltz and Derek tells her the mood is like having one last moment with someone and trying to cherish every last second. Kellie starts thinking about her grandmother and cries a lot. Here's my problem with this routine: there's too much movement. It's like their arms are going bananas. And then there's a ton of smoke on the floor and I can't see their feet. I also am not getting the emotion from Kellie until the very end when Derek slips away and she collapses to the floor. But there was no wistfulness or longing or anything romantic in her movements, and I think it's because they were so fast. Technically, it was great as always, but I just didn't love the choreography or Kellie's performance.
Judges? Bruno says that Kellie was a queen tonight, and she was expressive. She was? Maybe it was all the fog. Carrie Ann thinks that Kellie needs to continue to access her emotion in order to win. Len thought it was sophisticated and beautiful, although he would have liked more heel leads. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 10.
Aly and Mark are the last couple in the first round. Ugh, Mark's fedora. It is THE WORST. And he never takes it off. Mark tries to get Aly to be sexy during rehearsals, and she just laughs at him. Maybe she'd be better at it if Mark were...more attractive? Less douche-y? Anyway, let me say first that Aly's legs looked amazing in this routine and they finally found her a flattering dress. She looks great. Her dancing was good, although I didn't really understand the story of the dance. I don't think that was Aly's fault though. Overall, this might be my favorite of her routines so far.
Judges? Carrie Ann loves Aly's transformation, because she's become a fiery and passionate, although Carrie Ann didn't love the lifts. Len loved the mood and atmosphere, and thought it was terrific. Bruno calls her a sultry temptress, and he thought the lifts were perfect. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 10, and Bruno 10. Wow, I didn't think it was THAT good. Maybe I'm blinded by my hatred for Mark's stupid hats.
Now we move into the second round, the trio dances. Val and Zendaya have chosen Gleb as their third partner in the cha cha. Val has to remind Gleb that Zendaya is young and they need to keep it age appropriate. So their dance is...cheerful? Val has done such a great job this season in trying to keep it age appropriate, but this felt almost too childish to me, like it's something you would see a bunch of 8-year-olds doing. Zendaya was great as always but her long arms seemed a little flail-y to me. But what do I know? Nothing. The audience loved it.
Judges? Len thought all three of them wove together well, and Zendaya was the star. Bruno also loved that all of the attention was on Zendaya, and she was amazing. Carrie Ann thinks Zendaya is the queen of the salsa. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10. It's the first perfect score of the season. Val tries to pick Brooke up but she ain't budging because she's got a speech to get through. Hilarious.
Peta and Sean picked Sharna for their third. And they have jazz. Oof. And their theme is magic. Yowch. This could be...interesting? Sean seems a hair behind the beat for more of the routine, and he's not doing much but standing there while the girls flutter around him. There are two sections where he has to do kicks and he does them, but there's zero musicality.
Judges? Bruno calls it "plenty of magic with a little bit of tragic" and says that Sean's feet were a disaster. Carrie Ann says that Bruno's right, and the girls were so good that Sean's mistakes were obvious. Len thinks it was like the first routine, where Sean used all his energy on the attack and lost any style. Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 7, and Bruno 7. Those were generous.
Jacoby and Karina have chosen Cheryl as their third for the paso doble. Jacoby is flummoxed in rehearsals, dealing with the two women, but Cheryl is great with athletes, so this could be good. Jacoby does such a great job with the strength and attitude of this routine, but I think he almost needs more to do. He moves so well and he spends a lot of this dance standing around. As choreographed, he did great. There was one stomping section in the middle where he was a little off, but other than that, he tossed those ladies around. I just wanted him to do more.
Judges? Carrie Ann gives Jacoby some shit for lacking finesse in his tossing. Len loved Jacoby's presence and how Jacoby took control of the dance, and he's now a contender. Bruno thought it was raw and powerful, but Jacoby needs to work on his lines and posture. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 9, and Bruno 8. Wow, that was underscored. The audience is booing.
Ingo and Kym chose Lindsay as their third for the jive. With such a young, cute girl in rehearsals, Ingo steps up his game. No more whining! This is not Ingo's dance. He looks like one of the Wiggles. The one who wears weird pants. I mean, he tries to sell it facially but he just isn't light enough on his feet for sections of this. It's good. It's not great.
Judges? Len thought it could have been sharper, but Ingo attacked it and had fun. Bruno loved the energy too, but he needs to clean up his kicks and flicks. Carrie Ann thought it was a little flat-footed, but he brought back the heart and fun that they lost when Andy was eliminated. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8. Overscored.
Kellie and Derek have chosen Tristan to dance in their paso doble. Derek's idea is to have this be the flipside of their dance, where that one was like heaven and this one is like hell. I like the idea of connecting the routines, but that idea is pretty hacky. The actual dance is really good though. It's set up that Tristan and Derek are battling over Kellie's soul, so she gets pushed back and forth between them. I don't know if it counts as a traditional paso doble, but it was interesting for sure. My one complaint is that Kellie seemed more like a prop and less like the focus of the dance. But Tristan's wearing eyeliner, so that's something.
Judges? Bruno thinks it was Masterpiece Theatre, and it was engrossing and entertaining. Carrie Ann has to come out and hug Kellie, so Bruno comes out and hugs Derek and Tristan. Len is apoplectic. He hated it because it wasn't a paso doble. The audience is booing and Carrie Ann and Bruno start yelling over him. Derek just laughs. And then Len yells at Bruno something about sticking something up his ass. What the fudge just happened? Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 7, and Bruno 10. Whoa. That was weird. But it will get Kellie and Derek some fan votes.
Aly and Mark chose Henry as their third, since Aly trained with him last week, and they are doing the jive. Mark razzes Aly in rehearsals for not hearing the music and not being able to count the beats. So now that's all I'm looking for in the routine, and he's right that she gets off beat a few times because she's just doing the moves in order instead of listening to the music. It's more obvious when all three of them are supposed to be in sync. She's got the attitude down, and the choreography of the routine is really good. And you know it pains me to say that about anything Mark does. He is, of course, wearing a fedora. Fedoras are the new spats. Although he's also still wearing those.
Judges? Carrie Ann loves her attitude and character, even if she was a little flat-footed. Len loved that she went for it, and the three of them were a great combination. Bruno loves how much Aly has grown as a performer over the season. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9. That's exactly the right score for that dance.
Either Sean or Ingo could go and I'd be fine with it, but it needs to be one of them. So here are your scores:
Zendaya and Val: 28 + 30 = 58
Aly and Mark: 29 + 27 = 56
Kellie and Derek: 28 + 27 = 55
Jacoby and Karina: 27 + 25 = 52
Ingo and Kym: 24 + 24 = 48
Sean and Peta: 21 + 21 = 42