'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: It Takes Two Scores to Tango
Monday, April 12, 2010
Meghan Carlson
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Tonight on
Dancing with the Stars: the nine couples take on the sexy, steamy, oh-so-dreamy dances of
looooove, tango and rumba. And style always counts, but tonight it's literal: each couple will get separate scores for footwork and flair. It's the "DOUBLE SCORE SHOWDOWN"!
Wondering who's dancing what? We'll tell you!
While we wait for the real action to start, allow me to point you to your DWTS required reading for the week: Maksim Chmerkovskiy's blog over at TV Guide is extra long, extra juicy and extra angry (justifiably, I'd say) about
one journalist's claim that Erin Andrews is acting like a "bimbo" by going on this "fluff" TV show we all adore. Go get 'em, Maks! And
you should go read his thoughts. Reason #3,490,123 to love Maks: He doesn't hold back. (Reason #1: Look at him!)
So, my questions of the evening to get the comments ball a-rollin':
- Will Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya hold on to the top of the leader board?
- How will Kate Gosselin perform--or should I say
cope?--with the tango?
- Will Pam's rumba be too scandalous for primetime? (I, for one, am
hoping so.)
We'll find it all out, and more, because here come the Week 4 performances of
Dancing with the Stars season 10 ... Liiiiiive!
It's "passion night," says Brooke Burke. And it looks like passion translates into skin, in terms of costumes. Edyta and Pam are skimpy and slinky tonight: watch out for wardrobe malfunctions ...
First, the judges sit around a dimly lit table for a mafia-don-esque discussion of the nine stars and their weak points, and what they're looking for in tonight's tangos and rumbas. Each dance also has required elements that the judges will watch for. With the tango, they want to see: Viennese Cross, Outside Swivel and Contra Check.
And, speaking of tango, up first ...
Erin Andrews & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing: Tango
Song: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
Judges Say: "The start was brilliant. This was a full-on tango. You came out and really worked hard. Get onto your heels." - Len
"You started it very, very well. Flamboyant, aggressive like a murderess. Then you went wrong." - Bruno
"Your performance suffered because you were too focused on technique. You're a really beautiful dancer but I think the technique got the best of you." - Carrie Ann
I Say: Amazing classic 80's song, but not quite an iconic tango. After last week's blindfolded sexiness that Len criticized for not being
enough waltz, Maks and Erin encountered the opposite problem: this tango, and Erin, suffered under the technical requirements, and ended up more like a series of moves than an overall artistic or emotional
performance.
Scores:
Technique:
6+6+6=18
Performance:
7+7+7=21
Total: 39
Evan Lysacek & Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing: Tango
Song: "Wait a Minute"
Judges Say: "Strong, powerful, with a hint of cut(?)-like arrogance." - Bruno
"That technique was amazing and the performance, I love. What a perfect blend of technique and performance." - Carrie Ann
"You nailed the Viennese cross, and as always, great performance." - Len
I Say: Sexy, but still technically rigorous, that tango had a modern twist and more passion that the previous, and was also visibly sharper in the details. The choreography dragged just a bit in the middle, but, physically, Evan and Anna never did, and that opening with the chair? H-O-T. ("Hello, top of leader board! Nice to see you again!" - Team Evanna)
Scores:
Technique:
9+8+9=26
Performance:
9+8+9=26
Total: 52
Here's what the judges want to see in tonight's rumbas: it's the dance of love, but the couples should be careful to go sexy, not raunchy. (Lookin' at you, Pam!) And it's a slow dance, so they need to make it passionate and "regal." The moves to watch for: Opening out to the right and left, sliding doors and ... ? Oops, I missed it.
Niecy Nash & Louis van Amstel
Dancing: Rumba
Song: "Taking Chances"
Judges Say: "Beautiful arms, lovely musicality. I would have liked to see some more hips. There were no highlights going on. It was all on one level." - Len
"You looked like you were in a trance, my darling. It didn't gel." Bruno
"I felt the emotional connection you had to the dance. It's so internal, it didn't read well in the dance. In your mind you might have been dancing bigger than we saw." - Carrie Ann
I Say: Louis, who calls this a very "spiritual dance," dedicated their performance to Niecy's brother, who was murdered 17 years ago. So, naturally, they already got me teary-eyed before the dance even started. And THEN they chose one of my fave Celine Dion songs (and
Glee covers!), so I was predisposed to love this routine. Unfortunately, while the emotion was there, but the technical "wow" factor wasn't. However, I don't think the dance was as bad as the judges think--well, maybe they didn't say "bad," but
I certainly felt some gelling.
Scores:
Technique:
6+6+6=18
Performance:
6+6+6=18
Total: 36
Aiden Turner & Edyta Sliwinska
Dancing: Rumba
Song: "Live Like We're Dyin'"
Judges Say: "I definitely felt that you were more comfortable out there. You did a lot of movement generating from the shoulders. Generated from the wrong place." - Carrie Ann
"You acted out the dance, but to be honest there was no flow to it. It was all stop and start, no musicality. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, you've come out and done that." - Len
"The Blue Steel was good ... the problem was when you started dancing it was like stop-motion animation. It has to flow, it has to be continuous, and that did not happen." - Bruno
I Say: Aiden brought his sexy soap stud persona out to play for this rumba, and Edyta's showing some major skin. Unfortunately for them, the sexy acting didn't translate into a technically sharp rumba, and the "flow" didn't come down from Aiden's face into his hips. But it wasn't
all bad: his comfort level was up, and his stiffness level was down. I may not know much, but I still thought it was entertaining!
Scores:
Technique:
5+5+5=15
Performance:
6+6+6=18
Total: 33
Nicole Scherzinger & Derek Hough
Dancing: Rumba
Song: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
Judges Say: "Beautiful to watch, always, but tonight you were a bit hesitant. There were a few stumbles. Give me a little bit more sex." - Bruno
"You were nervous tonight. Your ankles were quivering. You seemed a bit out of sorts. I liked the traditional lines." - Carrie Ann
"You got the balance correct between the technique and performance. It is a really tough dance. The sliding doors: your arms got over-exaggerated a bit. But you're a great dancer and a wonderful performer." - Len
I Say: As you'll recall, last week Len shook his finger at these two for ditching the rules and going for vaudeville. Well, could that have been more different? This was technical to a T, and still never lost the oomph. Lyrical, sensual and beautiful, even though Nicole seems to be suffering under the weight of high expectations: hers
and the judges'. At least they're more forgiving with the scores ...
Scores:
Technical:
9+8+8=25
Performance:
8+8+9=25
Total: 50
Jake Pavelka & Chelsie Hightower
Dancing: Tango
Song: "Never Met a Girl Like You Before"
Judges Say: "You attacked the dance. The spirit of tango, giving it plenty. Because of that aggression and attack, you had a couple of incidents. The attitude was great." - Len
"You throw in a lot of energy, tonight was very, very, very messy. You lost your posture. Your footwork was questionable. It's got to be clean." - Bruno
"You're still dancing your own dance, you're not quite connected emotionally and physically. You were really into it. I liked the way it came across. Very focused." - Carrie Ann
I Say: Hmm ... I think that big ol' smile says it all. Jake went a little over the top, and his enthusiasm leaked all the way down to his feet, which tripped him up (literally, once) in their frenzy to keep up. The judges liked his attitude, but I found it more 'happy-go-lucky' than 'passionate,' which took me out of the moment ... and kind of made me laugh. Probably not the reaction they were going for.
Scores:
Technique:
6+7+6=19
Performance:
7+6+6=19
Total: 38
Kate Gosselin & Tony Dovolani
Dancing: Tango
Song: "For Your Entertainment"
Judges Say: "A mini-breakthrough tonight! Tough love works for you. A step in the right direction. But don't get too excited. You're actually starting to move out there." - Bruno
"You may not have artistry in your movement, but you have determination. I have so much respect for you for your performance out there." - Carrie Ann
"Tony, you've done a good job bringing Kate to do her best dance so far." - Len
I Say: Sorry, Kate. You still looked like you were walking through most of this routine. The problems (musicality, stiffness, personality) are still there, but it was still tons better than last week! So I'll stop talking now. Whatever I think, I'm sure you know what
you think.
Scores:
Technique:
4+5+5=14
Performance:
6+6+6=18
Total: 32
Chad Ochocinco & Cheryl Burke
Dancing: Rumba
Song: "Sleeping With a Broken Heart"
Judges Say: "You definitely turned on the heat, and of all the dances, this is your best dance by miles. The hip action was ... DAMN!" - Carrie Ann
"Improvement in the posture, improvement in the performance, your best dance. Well done." - Len
"Cheryl, what have you been doing this week? The hunk is SMOLDERING tonight! Those hips were alive. You were fluid. You sustained the lines. Very few men do that, and I commend you for it." - Bruno
I Say: A little rough and jerky at those points where he needed to drag and pull Cheryl around, but this rumba was more romantic than I anticipated, and Chad had as much to do with it as Cheryl did this time around. He was sensual and fluid through every limb, yet controlled. I think that ring Chad gave Cheryl is actually the end of a leash, because she whipped him into shape this week.
Scores:
Technique:
7+6+8=21
Performance:
8+7+8=23
Total: 44
Pamela Anderson & Damian Whitewood
Dancing: Rumba
Song: "I Can't Make You Love Me"
Judges Say: "It was understated, it had a sophistication. The spiral was very, very good. Well done, great dance." - Len
"Pamela Anderson can do refinement and elegance and still be drop-dead sexy. Technically, the best dance you've ever done." - Bruno
"Beautiful sophistication. I felt something profound happening. Something was happening a little strange with your arms. But other than that, well done." - Carrie Ann
I Say: Pam's task tonight was to make her movement more refined, and I think she got most of the way there. The slowness of the rumba and her sultry look made her seem a little sleepy at times, but more often it was a tender and luxurious partnership of movement. Very intimate, but not raunchy. (Well, besides those splits at the end.)
Scores:
Technique:
7+8+8=23
Performance:
8+7+9=24
Total: 47
That's it for
Dancing with the Stars: Passion Night! What did you think of the couples' tangos and rumbas?
Once again, Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya hit the top of the leader board, but Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough were hot on their tail ... and I do mean
hot. No one should be shocked to see these front-runners take hold again, but my award for Happiest Surprise goes to Chad Ochocinco. He earned those 8's, and I hope there are more to come. He's growing on me, on the dance floor and in those intro packages. And it looks like Cheryl's warming up to him as well ...
And how about Kate? She's at the bottom of the board, but got plenty of encouragement from the judges. Is a little improvement good enough to keep her in the running? Will one of the struggling leading men (Jake and Aiden) get the ax rather than the controversial mom of eight? Whatever your opinion, she sure makes this season more intense.
I want to know what you think, so let me know down there in the comments. Don't forget to vote for your favorites tonight, and then join me tomorrow for the complete run-down in my Week 4 Performances rankings and recap of the Elimination Show.