It’s….Week 8!

Hmph!

There’s no snappy name for this week’s show.  Bummer.

Of course, Tom and Brooke have to start out the show with the drama…oohhhh double elimination….ooohhhh trio dance!

But they aren’t wasting time….right to the dances.  So, I won’t waste any time either.

Here we go!

Ballroom dances

Donald and Peta dancing the Tango.

• Donald is getting really hard on himself.
• Couldn’t tell who they were watching on the iPad.
• I didn’t really like the very start of the dance…it was a little messy.
• Overall, he’s doing a really nice job.  Mom thinks he’s going to get 8s…I think he might get better than 8s.
• Len:  “Ding-dong, Donald.”
• Bruno:  “First out, first class”
• Carrie Ann:  “You were in the zone.” She wants more of the drama versus the aggression.  Bruno and Len don’t agree with her.
• 9 from Carrie Ann; 9 from Len; 9 from Bruno
• 9+9+9=27

Tom stokes the fire by bringing up Len not giving a 10.  Oh, Tom.

Maria and Derek dancing the Viennese Waltz.

• Derek feels the pressure more than the celebrities do most of the time.  And, he takes it out on his partner.
• They spent Saturday playing by a pool in Vegas…perhaps that should have been skipped if he was so worried.
• So far, the dance looks nice.  I’m sure she didn’t lift her feet off the ground during that spin.
• As usual, Derek has come up with some nice choreography. ..at least I think so.
• I liked the spin at the end.  That was pretty.
• Maria’s parents seem to like it.
• Bruno:  “Maria…heavenly fluidity.”  “This is amazing.”
• Carrie Ann:  “Sometimes dances speak to you.  Sometimes they sing to you.”
• Len:  “I would have liked a little more dancing in hold.”
• The judges are arguing again.  I’m always amazed when the dances cause such a division amongst the judges.
• How cute…they went waltzing off the floor.
• Very nice of Derek to admit being a jerk during rehearsals.
• 10 from Carrie Ann; 8 from Len; 10 from Bruno (WHOA!)
• 10+8+10=28
• Geez, Len!

Melissa and Maks dancing the Foxtrot

• “Considerable uptick in the headbutting.” Really, Melissa?
• Maks is going on one heck of a swearing jag here.
• How many bars was that before the dancing even started?
• And, oh dear, once it did start, it wasn’t good…she immediately had some problems.
• There are some very nice moments, but as a whole, she’s not nailing it.  Sorry, Melissa.
• Technically, this is not great.
• From Maks’ reaction, he knows it.
• However, she seemed the most comfortable doing the Foxtrot than any of the dances I’ve seen to this point.
• Carrie Ann:  “Your shoulders were down!”  “That was your best dance ever!”
• Len:  “Carrie Ann is right, this was your best dance.”
• Bruno:  “Yes, there were a couple mistakes, but the presentation was the best you’ve done.”
• I’m not sure if I agree that this was her best dance ever.  I do agree that it was very good, though.  She seemed to let go a bit more.  Perhaps because she knows she is likely to be eliminated.
• 8 from Carrie Ann; 8 from Len; 8 from Bruno
• 8+8+8=24

Katherine and Mark dancing the Viennese Waltz.

• Katherine is getting her ass kicked in rehearsal.  Take it easy, Mark!
• It looks like the Welsh in Katherine is trying to out-tough the Greek in Maria.
• As usual, Katherine is holding her own nicely in the dance.  There are ridiculously miniscule moments where she didn’t seem quite on balance.
• That last move at the end didn’t seem to work out quite the way they wanted it to.  That had to hurt when she hit the dance floor.
• I don’t think that spin worked out the way they wanted it to.  It didn’t look quite right.
• Len:  “I didn’t think the spinny thing was really in character.”
• Bruno:  “Your technique is superb.”
• Carrie Ann:  “I agree that your technique is astounding.”
• Here’s the thing:  I don’t think this was Katherine’s best dance.  It was beautiful!  But not her best.  The Waltz during Personal Stories Week was the best, I think.
• 8 from Carrie Ann; 9 from Len; 9 from Bruno (Did you see the look Len gave Carrie Ann?)
• 8+9+9=26

Roshon and Chelsie dancing the Foxtrot.

• Okay…I like Conchita.  She got right out there and told Roshon and Chelsie what’s what!
• Why do Foxtrots always have to start with some cheesy scene at the beginning?
• So far, he’s doing a nice job with the foxtrot.  Though there still some footwork and leg movements that give me the wiggins.
• This was a very good dance.
• Bruno:  “What you’ve done in a week is incredible.”
• Carrie Ann:  “You made your grannies proud and you made us proud.”
• Len:  “Like two little dancing munchkins.”
• Roshon got some positive comments from the judges…his cocky smile is back.
• 10 from Carrie Ann; 9 from Len; 10 from Bruno
• 10+9+10=29
• I think those 10s were a bit much.  It was really a very good dance – his best so far, I think – but not worth the 10s.

William and Cheryl dancing the Foxtrot.

• William doesn’t like the rules, huh?  Wow.  Shocking.
• Cheryl really is a good teacher…she has amazing patience.
• “Stray Cat Strut” – nice song.  Good one for a Foxtrot.
• William just looks good in a tuxedo.
• And he’s doing a really nice job with this foxtrot – for a guy who doesn’t like the rules, he follows them nicely.
• Of course, the crowd goes wild.
• Carrie Ann:  “Meow! Meow! Meow!”
• Len: “Mix of care and flare.”
• Bruno: Couldn’t hear a word Bruno was saying for all of the screaming.
• I need to turn on the closed captioning whenever William finishes dancing.
• 10 from Carrie Ann; 10 from Len; 10 from Bruno
• 10+10+10=30
• That was deserved.  I really, really liked that dance.

Trio Dances

Donald, Peta, and Karina dancing the Jive.

• Donald seems to be holding his own with both Peta and Karina.
• Some of his kicks and flicks need a little work, but not bad for having to learn two dances in a week.
• Nice leapfrog over both of them…very nice, indeed.
• Len:  “Three words…Fun, Fun, Fun!”
• Bruno:  “Keeping up with these two firecrackers is tough and you did!”
• Carrie Ann:  “I loved your three-way!  It was great!”
• 10 from Carrie Ann; 9 from Len; 9 from Bruno
• 10+9+9=28
• 55 total for the night

Maria, Derek, and Henry dancing the Samba.

• A Bollywood Samba.  Interesting.
• Maria definitely has some hip action going.
• Overall, I liked it.  I don’t know if it’s my favorite dance ever, but it was fun and flirty and interesting.  Len probably won’t like it that much since it’s not a traditional Samba.  But, he’s surprised me before.
• Bruno:  “I have to say, creatively, this dance was incredible.” “But you lost timing a couple of times.”
• Carrie Ann: “As a number, that was incredible.”  “There was a few little slip ups…but it was a feast for my Asian senses.”
• Len:  “If I was judging a Bollywood number, this was a 10, but I’m judging a Samba.” (I was right.)
• 9 from Carrie Ann; 7 from Len; 9 from Bruno (Dayum, Len!  That was brutal.)
• 9+7+9=25
• 53 total for the night

Melissa, Maks, and Val dancing the Samba.

• So Melissa gets to start a dance by having Maks and Val rip her clothes off..not too shabby
• Melissa is actually doing a really good job.  If she’d been dancing like this all season, she wouldn’t have needed the fans to save her week after week.
• I really liked this one…I think THIS is her best dance.
• Carrie Ann:  “That was your best number by a mile.”
• Len:  “That is your best dance.  Well done.”
• Bruno:  “It obviously takes 2 to get the best out of you.”
• 9 from Carrie Ann; 9 from Len; 9 from Bruno
• 9+9+9=27
• 51 for the night

Katherine, Mark, and Tristan dancing the Cha Cha.

• Of course clothes get ripped off….but not all the way. A pant leg doesn’t want to let go.  Well done, Katherine just carrying on and then getting rid of that pant leg (she nonchalantly got rid of it during a choreographed kick).
• Overall, it was fun…nice choreography, Kath held her own with Mark and Tristan.
• Len:  “It was clean, it was clear, it was clever.”
• Bruno:  “That was sexy and cool.”
• Carrie Ann:  “Last time I thought you were lacking a little fire, well, bring on the fire!”
• All praise for dealing with the clothing mishap.
• 10 from Carrie Ann; 9 from Len; 10 from Bruno
• 10+9+10=29
• 55 for the night

Roshon, Chelsie, and Sasha dancing the Paso Doble.

• Roshon is doing fairly well.  I think he’s actually better out of hold.  From my perspective, he seems to give up some of the control to Chelsie once they go into hold.
• It was a good dance, overall.  I’m sure the judges will love it.
• Bruno:  “You lost synch with Sasha sometimes…there were times when I couldn’t tell between the two of you.”
• Carrie Ann:  “You went off.”
• Len:  “You were like two skinny fries chasing the ketchup.”
• 9 from Carrie Ann; 9 from Len; 9 from Bruno
• 9+9+9=27
• 56 for the night

William, Cheryl and Tony dancing the Paso Doble.

• The head to head footwork with Tony was a little off, but overall he seems to be holding his own.
• Oops…there was a little William blip in the choreography…looked like he was about to start a move too soon.
• Carrie Ann:  “Went out of synch once.”
• Len:  “William, Tony and you Cheryl, I salute you.”
• Bruno: “William and Tony…the raging bulls!”  “But, you lost synch.”
• 9 from Carrie Ann; 9 from Len; 9 from Bruno
• 9+9+9=27
• 57 for the night.

There we have it!  This was an amazing night of dancing, Kids.  It really was.

How do things look on the leaderboard?

	Wk 8	Trio	Total
William/Cheryl	30	27	57
Roshon/Chelsie	29	27	56
Katherine/Mark	26	29	55
Donald/Peta	27	28	55
Maria/Derek	28	25	53
Melissa/Maks	24	27	51

William/Cheryl won the ballroom dance portion of the night, but Katherine/Mark and Tristan won the trio dance.  While Katherine’s comeback during the Cha Cha was enough to move her out of 5th place for the night, William still managed to hold on to the top score for the night.  The difference between William in 1st place and Melissa in 6th place is only 6 points.  That’s a great night of dancing.

The couples I expected to be eliminated easily this week aren’t easy eliminations anymore.

So, now…I need to do some more voting.  None of the stars are safe!!!  They all need our votes.  Don’t rest, people!

As with politics….if you don’t vote, don’t complain when your favorite doesn’t win!

Who will you be voting for?