The show opens with a glitzy Lindy Hop/Charleston type number. I like how they're integrating the troupe this season. They're not constantly telling us about the troupe, like seasons – they just dance in the opening and the bumpers and after a while you might notice, "Hey, that Gleb is pretty good" or whatever. Also, Sasha is featured strongly in this number which makes me think he's going home tonight. Or he choreographed it. Nope, Tom says it was choreographed by the Schwimmer siblings.
There's a new twist tonight where the dances are going to dance side-by-side. We'll see how that goes. Bill and Emma are up first, and they're shocked that Mark and Christina went home last week. This week, they are dancing a tango to "Cheeseburger in Paradise" by Jimmy Buffet (which Emma calls "Beefburger in Paradise" by Jimmy Buff-ay. This is going to be a tough sell, since this is such an upbeat song and the tango is really aggressive. They do a whole skit that I didn't really need where they argue about who's going to get the cheeseburger. But the actual dancing is pretty good. Bill's posture is great. Near the end, they have a series of turns and Bill seems a little lost or at least concerned about his footwork.
Judges? Len thought it had a lot of content and was overall well done. Bruno says there was plenty of beef on top but a little cheesy underneath, with some timing issues. Carrie Ann points out that his steps are too big, and that's where he gets into trouble, but she loved the performance. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 7.
Elizabeth and Val were hoping for 10s last week, and didn't get them. So this week with the cha cha, Val wants to showcase her powerful and sexy side. Elizabeth gets emotional talking about how she made Showgirls and it flopped, and she thought she'd never dance in public again. Elizabeth looks great, and confident, and beautiful. Her technique is good, although she overdances a few times and slips. I thought there could be more cha cha and less spinning, but what do I know?
Judges? Bruno tells her that she's still got it, and it was sexy, clean, and sharp. Carrie Ann loves that Elizabeth has been gracious and learned from their critiques, and calls her a "white panther." Len thinks Elizabeth and Val are a formidable partnership, and consistently good. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10. First perfect score of the season. It was deserved, although I'm surprised that Len didn't ding them for not having more cha cha content.
Leah didn't feel good about her dance last week, and this week she has the quickstep, which she struggles with. And then, as she says, her "friend Jen" came to see her rehearsals. Oh, it's only Jennifer Lopez. No big deal. I bet the producers were shitting themselves. Anyway, she reminds Leah that this is supposed to be fun, and Leah hopes to remember that. She does look like she's having fun out there and she doesn't seem as unsure with the steps as dances. I mean, it's no 10 but it's good.
Judges? Carrie Ann thinks it's the biggest turnaround she's ever seen. Len brings up the fact that she was supposed to be in hold the whole time, and he warns those coming up that he won't be as lenient. That said, he thought she shot way up. Bruno thinks she's turning into Ginger Rogers, and he loved her confidence. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9. What a confidence booster for Leah. I hope it will keep the sour puss off her face for the rest of her time there.
Brant makes sure to thank his Pretty Little Liars fanbase, since they are probably helping keep him on the show. Peta does her part by working with Brant on technique so that the judges can't ding him on scores. This week, they have the tango. Brant does a great job with his posture and facial expressions, and even his kicks, for the first third of the dance. He loses a little intensity as the routine goes on.
Judges? Len loved that they had no gimmicks and lots of dancing. Bruno loved the aggression and how Brant led, even though he lost balance a few times. Len and Bruno argue over whether there were any stumbles. Carrie Ann says it was amazing technique-wise, but he did have a little stumble. She also calls him a Ken doll. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 10, and Bruno 9. They are thrilled to get a 10 from Len, as they should be.
Tom interviews Lacey Schwimmer, who's in the audience. She should totally take Brooke's job. Anyway, Derek and Amber got a low score from Len last week, but they made it through. This week, they have the samba, and Derek tries to get Amber to learn the samba roll, which is really hard. They butt heads a little in rehearsal, but Amber says that she knows he's the choreographer and she just has to listen to him. He could be less rude. Anyway, their dance is amazing. Amber starts out solo but then they put a lot of traditional bounce samba moves in there, including the samba roll, and then there's a slow motion breakdown in the middle that is like nothing I've ever seen on this show. I don't know if Len will like it, but I did.
Judges? Bruno says that the performance was out of this world, and Amber hit every piece of samba content. Carrie Ann loved that all of the samba elements were there and then she gets sexual and I don't know. Len calls Derek out for repeating certain elements. Carrie Ann and Bruno think that Len is crazy. I feel bad for Amber because she's somehow trapped in the middle of Len and Derek's weird war over content. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 8, and Bruno 10.
Jack and Cheryl have the paso doble this week, and Jack hasn't been as successful at Latin as he has at ballroom. Jack gets the moves but has trouble with the attitude, and he hopes to become like Val. So Val comes in and helps him a little bit. Jack does a good job with the attitude but he loses his spot early on and then seems a bit rushed through the rest of the routine. He does a decent job, but it could have been better.
Judges? Carrie Ann thinks that he felt locked into the character and forgot some of the movements. Len thought it had intent and purpose, even if there were small mistakes. Bruno loved the pride and dignity but he was chasing the music instead of being on the beat. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 9, and Bruno 8. They are happy with those scores.
Snooki and Sasha have the foxtrot this week, so Snooki has to be glamorous and classy. She struggles. That's all I'll say about that. Snooki is adorable in this routine. Seriously, so cute. The only problem is that there are these four lampposts on the dance floor and she has to dance around them and seems to struggle at times. Also, she drops character about 2/3 of the way though, although she comes back. But her technique was graceful and beautiful.
Judges? Len thinks that everyone was happy with that. Bruno says that she graduated from charm school, and she was sweet and elegant. Carrie Ann thinks that Snooki has improved the most out of anyone. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9. That's fair. It was good but it wasn't perfect.
Corbin and Karina are the final couple to go in the first round, and they are dancing to the theme from Game of Thrones. And they're dressed the part in furs and metal? I guess? In rehearsals, Corbin is way too excited about this dance. Karina has choreographed an unconventional Viennese waltz. Wow, Corbin is really angling for a spot on Thrones. What a nerd. Anyway, it feels more like a paso doble than a waltz, but as usual, Corbin dances the hell out of it. If I watched Game of Thrones, I probably would have liked that more.
Judges? Bruno thought it was an epic drama, but Corbin didn't have continuous lines. Carrie Ann thought the unusual movement worked, although she wished it would have been in hold more. Len says that he tries to be consistent, not cranky, and he has to tell them that they didn't do the ballroom hold, even if it was a beautiful interpretation of a dance in ¾ time. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 7, and Bruno 8.
Mika and Ariana Grande are on hand to perform so that the dancers can have time to change and prepare for the round.
We see a clip of the couples learning about the Switch-Up Challenge. They won't be given a particular style of dance, and they won't hear the music prior. So they just have to freestyle it and hope for the best. I'm not sure what this will prove other than who is a naturally good dancer, and don't we already know that? Leah gets so upset about this that she actually just leaves the room. The rest of them start trying to dance and when they see Bill just goofing off, they all feel a little bit better. Leah even comes back. Amber explains that they will be dancing four couples at a time, and the longer you stay on the floor, the more points you get.
They all pick paddles to determine if they will be in the first group or the second group, and then there's a break while everyone gets organized.
The first group of four is Bill and Emma, Jack and Cheryl, Corbin and Karina, and Snooki and Sasha. This is insane, they play like sixteen bars of a song and then switch to something completely different. I would fall down laughing. Bill and Emma aren't doing much dancing; it's more of Bill standing there and Emma dancing around him, and they are the first ones out. "Let's Get It On" comes on and everyone starts grinding except Jack and Cheryl, so they are tapped out. They were the only ones actually dancing! Corbin and Karina handle the transition amazingly well, so they get to stick around while Snooki and Sasha get the boot. That was weird.
Now it's time for the group. We have Leah and Tony, Derek and Amber, Brant and Peta, and Elizabeth and Val. Despite doing an amazing spinning lift, Leah and Tony are predictably the first ones out. I love that Derek and Amber are doing everything in hold. Anyway, Elizabeth and Val are the ones out. I don't know what Brant and Peta's jive is but Peta is on the floor and humping it? So they get bumped and Derek and Amber are the last ones standing. That was predictable. Like I said, the best natural dancers got the points.
Here is your leaderboard. It's bizarre.
Elizabeth and Val: 30 + 2 = 32
Amber and Derek: 28 + 4 = 32
Brant and Peta: 28 + 3 = 31
Snooki and Sasha: 27 + 3 = 30
Leah and Tony: 27 + 1 = 28
Jack and Cheryl: 25 + 2 = 27
Corbin and Karina: 23 + 4 = 27
Bill and Emma: 23 + 1 = 24
Tom and Brooke rip through the couples at lightning speed until it's just Jack and Cheryl and Bill and Emma left. Tom tells Jack and Cheryl that they're safe. Bill and Emma start crying…until Tom tells them that they're safe too. There was a glitch with the phone voting last week, where they showed the wrong score on the screen, so in order to be fair, they are going to discard the viewer votes from last week. week, they will use the past two weeks of judges' scores and one week of viewer votes. Guess that means a double elimination coming up.