'Dancing with the Stars': The Finals
This is it folks. It's Freestyle night on Dancing with the Stars which means we're just one day away from finding out this season's winner. Will Kristi Yamaguchi dazzle us? Will Jason Taylor finally master a Latin dance? Will Cristian de la Fuente hurt his other arm? Will anyone choke like they did last year? It's time to find out...live!
Spoilers!
1. All Couples
Dance/Song: Cha Cha - "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Lionel Richie
Cristian & Cheryl go first. He starts out by jumping off the stage and sliding on his knees across the floor to her. They also finish with a floor slide, Cristian on his knees and Cheryl in a dip in his arms. Pretty nifty. Cristian's got great hip action, such an improvement from how stiff he used to be. And he really looked like he was having fun. Jason & Edyta are next. There's a patti-cake type portion in the middle that reminds me of Footloose for some reason. They're good but so far Cristian was a little better which is not a surprise since Jason's always had trouble with the Latin dances. Last, Kristi & Mark. Kristi comes out and lays a kiss on Bruno in addition to clapping and playing towards the crowd. Very sassy Ms. Kristi. And I love her shimmy dress. To say the she schooled the other guys would be entirely accurate. She had the steps, the technique, and looked like she was having a good time. At the end, all the couples come out and finish with Jason and Cristian lifting Kristi in the air (Cristian with one arm). That was pretty dang impressive, even if Jason messed up a bit at the end.
Judges: All the judges agreed and their sentiments are the same as mine.
Score: Cristian - 26 (8-9-9), Jason - 24 (8-8-8), Kristi - 30 (10-10-10)
2. Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark
Dance/Song: Freestyle - "Working Day & Night" by Michael Jackson
Apparently, when Mark & Sabrina danced a Cha Cha in last year's finale, Mark dislocated his shoulder during the dance and finished the routine. Crazy. So Kristi's a little apprehensive about trying all the insane maneuvers Mark wants to put in. Enter Julianne (who used to dance with Mark professionally) to give her some pointers. And man, were those some good pointers. Wow. That was...wow. I lost count of the lifts. And it was a great mix of hip-hop and Ballroom.
Judges: Bruno waxed poetic as usual, Carrie Ann finished her spiel with a simple declaration, "Love it." Even Len, ever the grump, actually loved it. Even the hip-hop stuff.
Score: 30 (10-10-10)
3. Jason Taylor & Edyta
Dance/Song: Freestyle - "Miami" by Will Smith
Edyta is super excited because she's finally made it to the finals after being on the show since the first season. She's really pushing the envelope and got dropped a time or two for it. To help give Jason a boost, his family came in - the visit concluding with his wife Katina telling him he better win. But no pressure. The lifts were fantastic, including a no-handed helicopter. And, at the end, Edyta rips off Jason's tank top. Skin to win, Edyta, skin to win. Jason was funky and did a good job but it's tough to follow Kristi.
Judges: All the judges appreciated the funkiness and sense of humor and commented on the stellar lifts.
Score: 27 (9-9-9)
4. Cristian de la Fuente & Cheryl
Dance/Song: Freestyle - "Suavemente" by Elivis Crespo
Cheryl wants to take it easy but Cristian wants to push it. He fell on his arm at one point and hurt himself, which freaked her out to no end but still, he pushes on. The one-arm lifts she put in are impressive. Just, overall, I gotta give it up to Cheryl for the great choreography. I admire how he really performed the heck out of the number and it was very entertaining. He was shaking it like a tambourine.
Judges: The general consensus was, and I paraphrase, "That was good, especially for one arm, but um...Kristi." And Len added that his lifts, while good, were not as impressive as everyone else's.
Score: 26 (9-8-9)
Projected Winner: Sure, it could be someone else but it's gotta be Kristi with Cristian the runner-up. Seriously. Kristi better win.
Woot First...
Thanks for the recap...
Was flipping through HIMYM and American Gladiators, missed some of the scores.
I hope Kristi wins.
Loved how everyone was trying to talk around Kristi working toward the "uncontested" female champ...makes ABC almost admit that they rigged first season's results...
I'm in the ABK camp...that would be Anyone But Kristi.
Yes, she is technically flawless. Yes, she hits all her marks. Still, I couldn't be more bored watching her. She's like a little dance robot who, for me, exudes zero p***ion. I watch...I guess I enjoy...I wish she had half the charisma of her mind-blowingly amazing partner Marc Ballas. I'm sorry, she just doesn't grab me. I think back to the sheer joy in every dance performed by fellow Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno and am reminded that technical perfection and genuine charisma can indeed go hand in hand. Besides, I still can't get past her...umm...quirky facial tics and odd expressions.
We are also long past the "I'm a woman and that makes me the underdog" BS. It's wholly insincere, especially after numerous 10-10-10 scores and three judges who clearly think she can do no wrong (even when she does...like that bizarro tango thing they had an orgasm for last week). Yeah, we get it...a woman hasn't won the show in five seasons. Girl power...Blah, blah, blah.
I agree Kristi did a great job in the cha cha cha face off (a new addition to the show I would like to see more of next season) but Christian is the one who had me smiling throughout his set. As for the freestyle number, I'm sorry but Kristi and Marc might have had lots of lifts but she hit most of her landings with a thud and let's just say that hip-hop is not her strong point.
Oh, one thing we can all agree on: the graceless, often rude and wholly annoying Sam Harris must go. If the always spot-on Tom Bergeron really needs a side kick, hold some open auditions and get us someone who knows how to conduct an interview and crack a joke. Harris looks amazing in a gold dress but that's where it ends.
I'm looking for Kristi to win. She is by far the better dancer and I think her personality does shine through in her dancing.
I also like how her & Mark's dances are about the dancing and not about who can wear the least amount of clothes.
As everyone agrees, Jason looks awkward dancing the cha cha. His arms in particular.
And as for personality, I don't think Jason shows that much personality through his dancing (what personality?). Whereas for Cristian, it's basically his strong suit (when compared to the other two finalists).
Ron H: What show are you watching? I mean, I know we're watching the same show because we both agree that Sam H is bloody awful. I will say this in her defense, I think she has no skills interviewing or reading a teleprompter. I heard her on Adam Carolla's radio show and she came off as sweet, personable, and likable... and she didn't stumble over her words once! I think that since the producers make her rush for time it gets her flustered and she doesn't know how to handle it.
Now, when we're watching different shows is when Kristi is on. I think she's worked super hard on getting her personality to fall in line with her technical ability. The hip hop was awesome, it was fun, and she looked to be having a great time. This is DANCING with the Stars, not "I really enjoy watching personal growth and charisma with the stars." Kristi is the best dancer, bar none. That equals winner in my book. Just my two cents.
Kristi's the best, but I really hope she doesn't win. On Episode 1, my mom told me that Kristi was going to win and I told her she wouldn't based on the popularity contest/Sabrina effect. The bet is that if Kristi does win, I have to be her slave (in a doing cleaning everyday sorta thing!) I ***umed that the finals would be really close, but with this much of a lead, I don't think even viewer votes will change anything!
I've never watched this show before, but I saw tonight's episode. My rookie ***essment:
Cristián is adorable and funny and I love his accent, I hope to see him on my TV again.
Kristi is an awesome dancer, but then she was awesome figure skater, so no surprise there.
Jason, or whatever his name is, is really hot. He should be a model. Cute kids too.
Don't care who wins, but I so need to start watching this show, I was very entertained.
JC -- Thanks so much for the voice of reason!!! I, too, am hoping Kristi wins. You're absolutely right - Kristi brings top-notch dancing AND personality
far above her fellow competitors. Thanks for bringing up the point that Kristi's about the dancing and not about how skimpy we can get our clothes or how much we can show off our chest and muscles. Kudos to Jason and Cristian for all their hard work and getting into the finals, but, sorry, hands down, Kristi deserves that mirrorball trophy. GIRL POWER - YEAH!!!
Ron H: You called Kristi flat-footed in her routine (she was wearing tennis shoes by the way) Flat-footed "my foot"- you try doing aerial lifts and spins wthout getting dizzy and still come out of them keeping step to difficult dance moves. She is a cl*** act and may the "best woman" win- Go Kristi!!!
MEL...please do not misquote me. I defy you to find the term "flat footed" in my comment. I said her landings in the freestyle generally hit with a thud. Perhaps if you re-watch the routine you will see what I mean. She is a WORLD CHAMPION FIGURE SKATER. If she can't do spins and lifts without getting dizzy no one can. Part of doing a lift is completing the move and that includes the landing. Hers were awkward and she struggled a bit each time. Sorry you don't agree but "cl*** act" or not, that was not a routine worthy of a perfect score.