Each couples has a few seconds to dance in the opening and we're supposed to tweet which one we think has the best moves, but seriously, they each get only a few seconds, so it's hard to get anything done in that time.
Amber had a tough week last week, so she was really grateful to get to continue on the show. But this week she suffered some injuries again, and didn't get to rehearse as much as Derek was hoping for. So will it show in their quickstep? There's a bit too much faffing about in the beginning (as Len would say) but when they get back into it, the content is fast and furious. Amber's posture could be a little better but the footwork is really amazing and she doesn't miss a step.
Judges? Len thought the choreography was terrific, but he thought Amber was "a little bit loose in her top line." I agree, that's what I meant with her posture. Bruno thought it was wild and exciting, but she made a few mistakes and he also thought Amber was leaning forward a bit. Carrie Ann admits that Amber has set a high standard and this one didn't quite meet it. Derek tosses in that Amber couldn't even walk yesterday, like that matters for scoring. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 8.
Leah and Tony have the tango, and Leah struggles with the tango because Tony has given her a challenging routine. Tony explains that he thinks she's a legit contender but they have to show the judges and viewers that too. Wow. Leah's tango was great. Her best dance so far. Her frame is great, her footwork is sharp and on point, and her attitude is fantastic. There might be a little bungle near the end, but they recover well.
Judges? Bruno says that it was badass, and Leah is stunning when she maintains focus. Carrie Ann was impressed, and advises Leah to make sure she finishes her moves. Len thought the choreography was great, and Leah added the flavor. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9. Well deserved.
Corbin and Karina have a slow waltz this week, and their worst dance so far was their Viennese waltz, so they're worried. Karina decides to make it very traditional, because she knows this is Len's favorite dance. Well, it was fine. It didn't make me feel anything, but I couldn't see anything wrong with it technically. Once in a while, Corbin seems to totter when he was on his tiptoes.
Judges? Carrie Ann thought it was dreamy, although she saw a flaw where Corbin wasn't on his center. I don't know what that means other than maybe he was a little off-balance, and that was the wobbling I saw? Len loved it when he was in hold, but has a few pieces of technical advise. Bruno thought it had flawless musicality and breathtaking. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 10.
Remember when you could tweet earlier? Turns out that Amber and Derek were the favorites.
Jack and Cheryl have the Viennese waltz this week. Jack has done well with ballroom, so Cheryl is really trying to make it perfect since the judges will expect more. Wow, this is a fast waltz. Also Jack has somehow sweated through his shirt AND suit jacket because he has pit stains. Someone needs to introduce him to dress shields. But aesthetics aside, it's beautifully done. Jack is weirdly very graceful. Sometimes his movements are a bit too choppy, and there could be more connection between them during the dance, but overall I liked it.
Judges? Len calls it crackerjack, and says that the hold was fantastic. He loved the turns and how great Jack's technique was. Bruno is so impressed with Jack's ballroom technique. Carrie Ann thinks Jack has built a great foundation of technique and now he's able to add style and flourish. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 9. Wow, I do not think Jack was expecting such high scores.
Bill can't believe he's still in this thing, and I kind of agree. I like him as a person but his dancing is…not great. Anyway, they have the Charleston and Emma knows that Bill does better when he has a character to play or a goofy routine to enact, so she gives him exactly that. I don't know if Bill's knees are hurting him more than usual but he's barely bending them throughout this routine. There's not much dancing; it's more walking around, and there's a huge lack of musicality. Bill's heart doesn't even seem to be in it this week. I don't know if he's just hurting and done or what.
Judges? Bruno thought the timing was all off. Carrie Ann enjoys watching Bill dance, but it's the quarterfinals so she has to point out his lack of musicality and technique. Len advises him to do better on his dance, because this had no swivel and it was wooden. The crowd boos, but the judges are right. Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 7, and Bruno 7. That's fair. It was not good.
This week in rehearsals, Elizabeth vowed to just listen to Val instead of questioning him all the time as they learned their Viennese waltz. The storyline seems to be the fears and worries behind the people on top of a wedding cake, I guess? Anyway, they got some contemporary in their waltz, and I'm not sure how Len will feel about that. It was interesting to watch, and the spins and twirls were very beautiful, but there wasn't much waltz in that waltz.
Judges? Carrie Ann loved the drama of it, and Elizabeth's lines are beautiful. Len says that Elizabeth is his top dancer, but he's too old-fashioned to truly appreciate this particular routine. Bruno thought Elizabeth nailed it this week with her haunted, tormented quality. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 8, and Bruno 9. I thought the scores were going to be higher based on the comments.
Now it's time for the trio dance. Amber and Derek are dancing with Mark, of course. As they rehearse, Mark and Derek debate choreography while Amber stares blankly into space. They do seem to be speaking another language. Anyway, here's their salsa. Derek pitched it exactly right, where he and Mark seem to be Amber's back-up dancers. The problem is that they are doing so much MORE dancing than Amber, who mostly stands around and holds their hands while they dance some more. The few dance breaks where she does participate are very good; I just would have liked more of them. I don't know if Derek was choreographing around Amber's injuries or what, but she seems to do a lot of standing in the middle and shimmying while the men danced.
Judges? Len thought Amber was like a ray of sunshine, even if she needed a bit more hip action. Bruno thought she let it rip, and her shimmy is fabulous. Carrie Ann thinks they were the dream team, and she's worried that Amber's injury might be holding her back. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9.
Leah and Tony will be doing the jive with Henry. They're song is "We're Not Gonna Take It" and they decide to pretend to be the judges. Leah is Carrie Ann, Henry is Len, and Henry is Bruno. Their imitations are pretty hilarious in rehearsals; Tony's Bruno is particularly fun. Okay, I seriously don't know where Leah was hiding this dancing ability all along but she is ON FIRE this week. Her musicality is so evident in this jive, where every kick and flick is right on the beat. Not to mention that the nods to the judges are funny but not so over the top that you get sick of it. I'm not usually a huge fan of schtick-filled dances but I loved that one. Maybe I've just watched this show too long.
Judges? Bruno says it was like looking in a mirror, and then says it was the most witty routine he's seen in a long time. He also loved that Leah was the focus the whole time, even if she missed a few kicks and flicks. Carrie Ann loved that Leah was in control the whole time, and she admires their strategy. Len loved the concept and the routine as well. Scores: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, and Bruno 9. I think if Leah hadn't missed those kicks in the middle section, they would have had some perfect scores.
Corbin and Karina are doing a jazz routine with Whitney from the troupe. Corbin uses his Broadway experience to help with the choreography, and Whitney also has a bunch of experience. Karina almost seems like the odd woman out at times, and she doesn't look super happy about it. This should be interesting. Corbin is AMAZING at this style of dance. This is his jam. I almost wish we could've seen this routine without Karina. That said, it seemed a bit like a Corbin solo routine at times. He definitely showed off his skills but was it a trio routine? I'm guessing the judges probably won't care because he was so great.
Judges? Carrie Ann thought it was the best routine she's seen in every season, and she thinks Corbin was a modern day Bob Fosse. Carrie Ann admits that she didn't even see the girls, which was my point. Len didn't see any fireworks, because Corbin came out and exploded, and the music and the routine and the performance all came together. Bruno can only say that it was magnificent and Corbin lived up to the Fosse standard. Corbin seems really touched by the compliments. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10.
I would not want to have to go after that one. Jack and Cheryl are dancing the samba with Sharna. Jack struggles with getting into character because it's kind of corny; they are doing some sort of jungle theme where Cheryl and Sharna are competing for Jack. And he really does commit. I'm impressed. Some of the moves are a little over-extended, if that's a word? But it's a complicated routine and Jack nails it.
Judges? Len thought it was clever and fun but his technique got sloppy in places. Bruno loved watching it because the samba is the party dance and that came through. Carrie Ann loved seeing Jack come out of his shell, but his technique got worse when he danced with both women. Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, and Bruno 9.
Bill and Emma will be dancing the salsa with Peta. The three of them get up to a lot of shenanigans during rehearsals, and they come up with a candy-themed routine where Bill is Willy Wonka. I mean. Bill's dancing is terrible. He has somehow gotten worse when everyone else has gotten better. But he's game and I can't stop looking at the screen because of Peta and Emma in their hot pink wigs. It was visually interesting, for sure.
Judges? Bruno loved "the lunacy of it all" but he has no rhythm or timing. Carrie Ann says it was "so weird." Len has similar comments: fun, but not good dancing. Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 7, and Bruno 7.
Elizabeth and Val chose Gleb to dance the salsa with them. Elizabeth enjoys having a new energy in the room, but Val is really challenging her with the choreography. There's one point where Elizabeth is looking into the camera and her crazy eyes are scaring me. Salsa is not her dance. It's a good thing she's got the two nearly naked men there for distraction. I mean, she's dancing her ass off, but she does way better with the slow, graceful routines. Although her spins are really great. There was a point where they were out of sync.
Judges? Carrie Ann says it was her favorite Elizabeth routine so far. Len says it was fantastic and full of rhythm. Bruno says it takes two to get Elizabeth going, and she handled those boys well. Bruno makes up a word: armography. That's not a word, right? Maybe in the dance world. Scores: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, and Bruno 10. Seriously? Seriously. Maybe it's just the end of the show and I'm tired but I did not think that deserved a perfect score.
Here's the leaderboard right now:
Corbin and Karina: 28 + 30 = 58
Elizabeth and Val: 26 + 30 = 56
Jack and Cheryl: 29 + 25 = 54
Leah and Tony: 27 + 27 = 54
Amber and Derek: 24 + 27 = 51
Bill and Emma: 21 + 21 = 42
Tom and Brooke reveal who's safe and who's in jeopardy and rather than give you the play-by-play, I will just tell you that the two couples in jeopardy are Elizabeth and Val and Bill and Emma. Bill is way in the bottom, score-wise, but he probably garnered a lot of viewer votes with his joyful performance last week. So who's going home? Elizabeth and Val. Bill is shocked. I'm not that sad because I don't love Elizabeth, but that's a few weeks that Bill has made it ahead of more talented dancers. Elizabeth's exit speech is super classy, so I guess she was prepared for this. Val hopes that Elizabeth will learn to love herself as much as everyone else loves her. I hope that Bill will go home week. Come on. Enough.