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'Dancing with the Stars': The Finals Push
That's right ladies and gentlemen. We are on the precipice of the finals of Dancing with the Stars. With just four celebs remaining, who will grab this opportunity with both hands and who will unintentionally spit in opportunity's eye?
Spoilers!
More little changes in this, the "season of surprises" in that this week the couples will perform the one dance style they haven't done yet as well as the return of two of the dreaded four new styles from a couple weeks ago. P.S. That singer in the band's forehead chandelier was beyond description tonight.
1. Brooke Burke & Derek
Dance/Song: Jive/"The House Is Rockin'"
Derek is getting frustrated with the choreography this week since the second dance they're doing, the Salsa, is one he's unfamiliar with. But Brooke is more concerned with achieving a "wow factor" in the Jive and actually connecting with the audience. Oh, what's that Brooke? You're stating what I've been saying is your one big weakness for weeks now? It's nice to know we're on the same page. She had a few bobbles here and that might be because she was concentrating so much on being high-energy and full of personality. Okay, so that was a lift...Carrie Ann will not be pleased. Did I say a few bobbles? Make that a lot of bobbles. This is the most I've seen her mess up since the first couple weeks but bonus points on dialing up the personality factor (or at least trying).
Judges: Len said it was messy, Bruno is shocked because her technique wasn't good, and Carrie Ann tweaked hard about the list calling it "blatant and disrespectful." Yowch.
Score: 21 (all 7's)
2. Cody Linley & Julianne
Dance/Song: Paso Doble/"Le Disko" by Shiny Toy Guns
Julianne and Cody are reunited and it feels so good. Too bad that got a weird song to Paso to. Terrible. But I do like the military theme Julianne gave the number and I want a pair of boots just like hers. Cody's game face is on, there's a good intensity but there's something odd about his carriage at times. There were a couple timing issues and, while he was a little stiff, due to the military flavor I understand why he'd go that direction. I think it might be that he needed one more day of practice so he wouldn't have to think so hard about everything.
Judges: Bruno found him/it a bit robotic and had issues with the content, Carrie Ann complimented his determination but could tell how concentrated he was on the movements, and Len thought it was "stiff and wooden."
Score: 22 (8-7-7)
3. Warren Sapp & Kym
Dance/Song: Mambo/a Latin-friendly version of "Tequila" by The Champs
Warren's schedule is busy almost like Susan's is so he and Kym are practicing whenever and wherever they can. He's tired and getting frustrated in rehearsals but determined to make it to the next round. It's a rough night for everyone seemingly as Warren also messes up a bit, but he's still darn entertaining. And man has he slimmed down. Kym has also done a good job of putting some interesting moments into the dance, even though the content was a bit light.
Judges: Carrie Ann liked the performance aspect but wants more challenging routines, Len said that even though he's not great with technique at least he comes with the entertainment factor, and Bruno agrees, stating that Warren's grand sense of fun let's him "get away with murder."
Score: 24 (all 8's)
4. Lance Bass & Lacey
Dance/Song: Mambo/"
The other dance they're doing is the Jitterbug so Lance invited his dad and grandfather to come out from Mississippi to watch a rehearsal and see the show. Lance's grandpa was in World War II and hasn't been in LA since then. He was in the Navy and he and his friends used to come to the big city to dance. Watching James Bass, Sr. get a kick out of seeing his grandson dance like that was adorable. But onto the Mambo. Personality and performance-wise, it was fantastic. He definitely needs to work on his feet still but otherwise the technique is good. This is definitely one of the most entertaining Mambos of the season. Thank you Lance & Lacey for not mucking up like everyone else.
Judges: Len said that it was the best dance so far, Bruno thought it was full of content and imaginative, and Carrie Ann called it a "showstopper" and their best dance this season.
Score: 28 (10-9-9)
Before we get to the second round, we get Len's Master Class. The segment starts with him dancing with Kym and Cheryl in a tux in a dream sequence. He visits Lance & Lacey first, zeroing on Lance's feet (namely that he's pigeon-toed). Len used to have the same problem so that was fixed pretty easily. Len says Cody's problem is his hip action, or rather his relative lack thereof. This was less of a snap to solve but at least there was improvement. Brooke's issue is her leg action, not straightening them at the right time and whatnot. And finally Len tried to help Warren with his feet while Warren teaches him his trademark shuffle-like dance in return.
To pad the show a bit more, we get exhibition dances from professionals so the folks at home can know what the judges are looking for in the new styles. The first pros are Salsa champions Paul Barris & Yesenia Adame. They were good - their lifts were quite impressive.
5. Brook Burke & Derek
Dance/Song: Salsa/
Lifts must be allowed in this round because they came out of the gate with one. If not, they're going to be in big trouble. It's a definite improvement from the first dance. There still a form break here and there but it's an enjoyable number with a really good ending. I still feel like she's only at 85% personality capacity, though.
Judges: All the judges licked her dance shoes as expected. Carrie Ann was impressed by the lifts, though there were a lot of them. They must've been allowed or else she would've had a meltdown.
Score: 28 (9-10-9)
6. Cody Linley & Julianne
Dance/Song: Salsa/
He's still a little stiff but he's got a lot of personality going in this number. The timing was off a little at times but the choreography was really good.
Judges: Carrie Ann thought the musicality was lacking too much to make it to the finals, Len disagrees and was quite impressed by the lift, and Bruno thought it was great fun but still a little weak technique-wise.
Score: 24 (all 8's)
Our Jitterbug professionals are Christian Perry & Annette Nicole, former Swing champs. I swear I've seen Christian Perry somewhere before. Watching them makes me feel like I'm watching one of those Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movies - lots of energy and flying about. Very cool.
7. Warren Sapp & Kym
Dance/Song: Jitterbug/"That Old Black Magic"
Warren starts out by dealing cards to the judges and then a casino waitress appareled Kym comes out. The technique, as always, is imperfect but gosh darn it, he knows how to engage an audience. The lifts were crazy since he could essentially juggle all the remaining female dancers. I do, however, find the song to sort of not work for this type of dance.
Judges: Len again says how joyful Warren is to watch, Bruno says that the master class didn't work, and Carrie Ann loved it.
Score: 25 (9-8-8)
8. Lance Bass & Lacey
Dance/Song: Jitterbug/"Jim Dandy"
As a shout-out to G-pa, Lance is dressed in a white sailor's uniform. This number looked much more like the pros' performance than Warren & Kym's. I really liked it. Wait...did Lance's shoe just fly off? Nice. Bonus points for doing five-sixths of the number lopsided. It had a lot of personality, was well choreographed, and Lacey even lifted Lance once or twice. C'est magnifique!
Judges: Bruno called it a "real joy" and likened it to the movie On The Town, Carrie Ann thought it was "magic on the dance floor," and Len thought it was "fabulous."
Score: 29 (10-9-10) - Lance said he wanted two 10's on this number...
The Bottom Two: I'm thinking it's between Warren and Cody.
Who's Out: Um...it's a toss up. I could very easily see it going either way with a slight edge to Cody staying based on the determined tween demo voting for him.
Did you like the addition of the new dances to the semi-finals? Were you surprised that there was so much choking in the first round? Did you have a favorite dance? Any other thoughts?
Well crap - my apologies to everyone who posted a comment prior to this. There was a hiccup in the system and it deleted the recap so I had to re-post. Grrr. This is what happens when you try to work before your morning pick-me-up...
Tamara B. | Nov 18, 2008 10:01:22 AM | #Christian Perry was on a TLC show where "regular people" were taught how to ballroom dance. TRhat might be where you saw him. I think he may also have performed on a DWTS Finale show in a past season.
MAJOR props to Lance for doing so well despite losing his shoe!
I find it annoying that the judges let Warren get away with poor technique. Yes, he's entertaining, but c'mon!
I am not happy that the judges overscore Warren. He is not a good dancer, I don't watch DWTS for performance only.
Kudos to Lance. I can't even walk straight with one shoe off, much less dance.
I voted for Brooke, sorry Tamara, but I still like watching her. My pick for the finals are Brooke, Lance and Cody. It is time for Warren to go home.
Trupen | Nov 18, 2008 11:57:33 AM | #Warren has to go. He better not stay just because he's a former NFL player. Emmitt Smith, Jason Taylor and Jerry Rice were good enough to stay to the finals but Warren Sapp is not. He's always been overscored.
I voted for Cody last night. I thought he and Julianne did a great job and were underscored for their performances. By the way I'm not a tween, I'm actually Lance's age.
Penny | Nov 18, 2008 12:07:10 PM | #Are there really tweens watching this show and voting? It is ballroom dancing, after all. I would think the audience is a bit older than the tween set.
I wonder how far Cody would have made it if Julianne had never been his partner. Cody is likable enough but he's not that strong a dancer so I really think Julianne has had an awful lot to do with his still being there. She has her own fan base.
But no matter what order Cody and Warren go, if all is fair and just in the DWTS world, the final two will be Lance and Brooke. :) And after last night, I don't know who I want to win! Lance and Lacey were soooo good last night!
PM | Nov 18, 2008 12:26:13 PM | #Penny - I'm not saying that only tweens vote for Cody, but never underestimate the power of that fanbase (especially those Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus fans). Julianne also taps into that too. They aren't enough to push him to win but they may be enough to lift him past Warren this week.
PM - My niece is 11 and loves the show. I watched all the talent based shows when I was a younger too. With the calls being free and so many kids having cell phones, there's plenty of voting power there. The demo for the show is really broad which is why ABC salivates so much over it - it draws an audience of all ages.
Trupen - Vote for whomever you like - lol. I'm not saying you can't like Brooke, I'm just explaining why I'm not 100% buying into her. But she has made vast improvements on her stage presence so there's that. And she deserved the praise for the second dance, if for no other reason than the great recovery from a disastrous first round.
Tamara B. | Nov 18, 2008 1:27:35 PM | #PM - Oh, and I totally agree with you on Julianne's fanbase. I think she's a big part of why Adam Corolla stayed in so long last season.
Tamara B. | Nov 18, 2008 1:29:02 PM | #I've voted for Cody in the past, but he isn't near the finalist level. His skills are too far below Lance and Lacey, and Brooke and Derek.
The best dancers should win, not the person with the most winning personality or biggest fan base.
Maureen | Nov 18, 2008 2:57:26 PM | #still voted for Cody, i think he deserves to be there as much as anyone. i like Lance too but he's been an underperformer all season, and only broke out a bit last night. so i'm still not convinced he is a "shoe-in" for the final (okay i know it was bad but i couldn't resist!) :)
Warren could go, but oh he is so fun to watch. Brooke, she is pretty good but, meh.
go Cody and Julianne, i hope they survive tonight!
Lance and Lacey ROCKED it. I LOVED both routines. They were clearly the best pair all night. Their Jitterbug was so fun and cute. I hope they make it to the finals!
Mel | Nov 18, 2008 5:35:16 PM | #I can't imagine there AREN'T tweens watching the show - can you imagine any OTHER reason for an 18-year-old Hannah Montanah star to be on this show?
I used ALL my votes for Warren. This has been a terrible year for actual dancing, so what's LEFT besides the performance?
I hope it's better next go round, or I'm gone.
Susan | Nov 18, 2008 6:50:44 PM | #Brooke is awful. If you can get past the lack of clothing and watch her feet and legs, you will notice she is always off. Her legs are always slightly bent and her feet don't keep up with the music. I don't think anyone really stands out this season. But Lance is the most improved and they have been the most creative with the dance numbers. My vote goes for Lance!!
Connie | Nov 19, 2008 9:58:21 AM | #I will be happy if Lance or Brooke win. Warren can not dance, so he does not deserve it. His so called entertainment factor is not a reason to win. I am not entertained by him.
Trupen | Nov 19, 2008 12:07:16 PM | #
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