'Dancing with the Stars': First perfect score
This week's Dancing with the Stars featured another big format change in that there were scored team dances that yielded mixed results. Also, the judges gave out their first perfect score. Bet you can't guess to who? (She says sarcastically - *yawn*)
Spoilers!
1. Warren Sapp & Kym
Dance/Song: Foxtrot/"Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" by
Warren is having some issues with fully grasping the dance so Kym takes him to see former World American Ballroom champ Nick Kosovich (also a former DWTS pro) so he can see how the guy's part is supposed to look and get pointers. The overall technique is good but Warren seemed smidge clunky at times, which is odd. Overall it was okay but it wasn't great.
Judges: Len said it wasn't his best dance and noticed the clumsiness, Bruno thinks he regressed a bit, and Carrie Ann asked exactly what the problem was because she noticed he was off from the beginning. Apparently there was something wrong with Warren's shoes which totally explains the heavy feet.
Score: 21 (all 7's)
2. Susan Lucci & Tony
Dance/Song: Paso Doble/"
It was inevitable. Tony and Susan had their first little snit. He's really pushing her in rehearsal and calls her out on not being confident enough during performances. Tony's aggressive teaching method this week was done with the express purpose to get Susan emotional and fiery so she can channel it. But did it work? There was more fire in her eyes but, bless her heart, Susan Lucci is a delicate little flower. It's Jane Seymour Syndrome. There's nothing wrong with being demure, it just works against the inherent nature of some dances. But it is a step up from last week in terms of consistency of intensity and she seemed much more sure on the steps in general.
Judges: Happy thoughts from all the judges on what is essentially a breakthrough performance.
Score: 24 (all 8's)
3. Maurice Greene & Cheryl
Dance/Song: Cha Cha/"Cupid Shuffle" by
Maurice is really stressing out in rehearsal...and to make matters worse, he hyperextended his leg during group practice and, as Cheryl says, he hasn't been the same since (both mentally and physically). But now that he can do one of the "party dances" again, his overall performance is much better than last week. Maurice's leg is still messed up but you could only really tell at the end when, after the music stopped, he had to stand up from being down on one knee.
Judges: Carrie Ann wants to see more dances like this, Len thought it was his best, and Bruno compliments his natural sense of rhythm.
Score: 25 (8-9-8)
4. Cody Linley & Edyta
Dance/Song: Viennese Waltz/"Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" by Bryan Adams
Since Julianne is temporarily out of the competition healing up from her surgery, Edyta is taking over for the time being. They visit Julianne and Cody vows to do really well. Since they don't really know each other, Cody and Edyta must take a little extra time to get to know each other and figure out what will work choreography wise. Overall, Cody did a solid job. There was something funky about his posture or something at times...though it might just be that extension/arm control issue that always plagues him to varying degrees.
Judges: Len thinks he didn't look comfortable, Bruno says it was like watching a fledgling bird stretching his wings and not really taking off, and Carrie Ann thought it was great and commended that Cody always tries the best that he can at a dance.
Score: 22 (8-7-7)
5. Lance Bass & Lacey
Dance/Song: Rumba/"Your Body Is A Wonderland" by John Mayer - BOOOOOOO!
Lance hurt his toe last week which is going to be a problem since they're trying to do the number without shoes. After Lance is unable to do it during rehearsal and is a bit negative, Lacey gets frustrated and tweaks a little and leaves. But Lacey apologizes the next day for overreacting and they make up. Dude, why they keep getting the inappropriate songs? Big ups to Lacey for choreographing a great number in spite of the terrible song. They had chemistry, it was innovative, and Lance had solid technique.
Judges: Bruno called it "inspired and romantic," Carrie Ann thought it was their best dance, and Len, predictably, didn't like it because they were barefoot.
Score: 25 (9-7-9)
6. Brooke Burke & Derek
Dance/Song: Foxtrot/"Lullaby of Birdland" by
Brooke is still dealing with her injured foot but, since the Foxtrot isn't a dance that requires Latin dance type fire, I doubt it'll be an issue. As usual, she was very good in general. Sure, the technique is great but, for me, she's fantastic in snapshots but lacks consistent personality throughout an entire dance.
Judges: All the judges slobbered over her. Bleh.
Score: 30 (all 10's) - fine. Be that way.
So this is the week where everyone does two dances but, to "mix things up," the producers have decided to have the couple do "team dances." The six couple will be split into two teams and perform the same number at the same time, receiving a group score that will be added to their individual dances. Huh? Okay, whatever man.
Susan and Warren are named team captains and choose their fellow dancers. "Team Cha Cha" consists of Susan & Tony, Lance & Lacey and Cody & Edyta and "Team Paso Doble" contains Warren & Kym, Brooke & Derek, and Maurice & Cheryl.
Team Cha Cha
Song: "Mercy" by Duffy
After strategizing as a group, the couples go off to work on their solo parts. Susan feels like she's a step behind because she's had a busy week in New York. Which she kind of is and that worries everyone else. Come performance time, they start out with a close-up on Cody and he's so very clearly counting out loud. But he and Edyta's solo bit is really good. Susan's working it out pretty well during their part. She messes up a bit but overall is better than the last time she did a Latin dance. Lance & Lacey are the last to do their solos and it was darn impressive. And they end with all the guys doing a booty shake before dropping into a pose. Good times.
Judges: Len liked it in general and thought Lance & Lacey's were the best solo, Bruno agreed, and Carrie Ann thought the unison portions were terrible and found them painful to watch because of the straight formations but also thinks Lance & Lacey saved the day. But at least she says they looked great.
Score: 20 (6-7-7)
Team Paso Doble
Song: "Get Your Rocks Off" - A distractingly terrible song choice
They rehearse as a team first before practicing their solos. And at their final rehearsal, Warren gives them a rally speech. It was very football of him, if that makes sense. Warren & Kym do their solo section first. There's a frentic energy to it, but it's solid overall. Maurice & Cheryl are next. Maurice's posture is...weird and they're a little all over the place. It might have something to do with the music. Brooke & Derek finish up. They're also kind of frenzied and sloppy. Maybe it's because the music is on the fast side for a Paso? The unison parts were good but the solos weren't so hot, the opposite of Team Cha Cha. But they did bring a really good energy to the whole number at least.
Judges: Bruno dug it, Carrie Ann agrees that the teamwork was really good but I disagree with her calling the solos flawless, and Len liked it and pointed out that it's easier to keep a formation in a marching dance as opposed to a syncopated dance like the Cha Cha.
Score: 29 (10-9-10) - I guess I wasn't watching the same dance...
The Bottom Two: I'm thinking it'll be Susan and either Cody or Maurice.
Who's Out: As much as I love my La Lucci, it's time for her to go. I wish she had more time to rehearse so she could improve at a greater rate.
Did you like the group dances? Surprisingly, I like the idea but it would've been nice if Susan had more time to practice for it. Did you have a favorite dance of the night? Do you think Team Paso Doble was over-scored? Any other thoughts?
First!
I liked the team dance, it seemed fun.
Lucci is leaving. She was really bad, a lot of missteps. I think her problem is she doesn't trust herself or her partner so there is a hesitation.
Doesn't matter how much time Susan Lucci has to practice, she is just too demure and timid looking for this stuff.
Warren lookeked clumsy in the foxtrott. Kim's choreography did not suit him. Making a 300lbs guy do pirouettes in the air is generally not a good idea. Shoes, Warren? Come on!
Bruno: "I am what I am", while wearing a pink boa. You gotta love him.
Wow, Susan, what a rebound! Nice chemistry throughout the dance.
Maurice - good, but did not wow me. Cheryl looks uncomfortable with him.
Cody and Edyta: I agree with Carrie-Ann - I loved it. Maybe because Edyta is so charismatic, that I hardly payed attention to Cody. Boo the scores!
Lacey- the man hurt his toe and he's in pain dancing barefoot! If that makes you throw a tantrum, I don't know what doesn't. Poor Lance, patiently taking it as anyone would with a 3 year old. Nice, sexy dance, though. I guess she knew what she was doing when she insisted, but did not need to be so dramatic about it. Jeez!
Brooke was incredible. Ginger and Fred all the way. Carrie-Ann did a timid whoo-hoo.
I felt for Susan, having to dance in sync with two female pros half her age. She did her best. Lance and Lacey rocked, and I just LOVE Duffy. Carrie-Ann - 6? Did it look like Clorky to you?
Good paso, Brooke of course being the best, but team Cha-cha gets my sympathy vote.
Tom, lay off Len. He was trying to make a valid point about paso being easier to synchronize. He's an expert, while you're a well-groomed teleprompter reader with occasional flashes of semi-funny wit.
My rank (individual dances):
Brooke
Susan-Lance-Cody
Warren
Maurice
Susan will likely go. The Peter Principle has kicked in - everybody rises to their own level of incompetence - and it has been obvious the last two weeks that she can't go any further.
I missed most of the show - I figured if I wanted to laugh, it should be on purpose, so I watched SNLs Election Bash.
I'm really disappointed in DWTS this year.
Tamara B., i wasn't watching the same paso doble team dance as the judges either...i agree with you about that. i didn't find it flawless or particularly fun to watch. (in fact i thought the team cha cha dance was alot better.) and then 10's for the team paso? huh?
and the song "get your rocks off?" huh?
anyway, i hate this scored team/group dance thing.
and why do they all fawn over brooke? i agree, she's not that great.
cody's my fave and i hope to see julianne back with him soon. (get well soon, julianne!)
hope la-lucci goes this week.
I know that I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I have to say that the judges are still OVERSCORING BROOKE! This is nothing new, since last year I noticed that they were always overscoring Jason Taylor, in an attempt to give Kristi some competition. This time, I have a feeling that the judges want to make sure that Brooke makes it to the finals, but they don't know if she has a large enough fan base. I don't think they have to overscore Lance or Warren because they know N*SYNC fans and NFL fans will vote for them. I just knew that they would give Brooke a perfect 30, even though I could think of at least 3 foxtrots from previous seasons that were better (and none received any 10s). I think one of my favorite dances of any DwtS season was when Kristi and Mark did their foxtrot in the very first week, and they received only three 9s (and in my opinion, it was superior to Brooke's).
I think that the rest of the dances received the scores that they deserved -- no one else seemed picked on or favored (besides Brooke). The only dance that stood out for me was Lance and Lacey because I could tell that Lance has been improving steadily (smooth movements and nice arm extensions). Please, DwtS producers, NO MORE JOHN MAYER SONGS!!!
Cody and Edyta were a little rough, but I'll give them a break considering he had to adjust to a new partner. Warren looked clumsy during the foxtrot, but I didn't understand what the problem was when he said he wasn't wearing the "right" shoes??? Maurice had the proper energy for the cha cha, but I keep getting distracted by his bad posture.
As for the team dances, I thought that both teams did pretty well, considering the limited rehearsal time. I thought that Team Cha Cha deserved 7s, but Carrie Ann's 6 was too low (BOOOO!). Lance/Lacey's solo part was just as good or better than the solos for the other team. Then olf course, the judges overscored Team Paso Doble. I could see giving them three 9s, but giving them two 10s was ridiculous!
Oh, look... is it coincidence that Brooke was on Team Paso Doble? Sorry, I swear that I don't hate Brooke, but I DO HATE WHEN THE JUDGES OBVIOUSLY PLAY FAVORITES! :-( I suspect that Susan and Cody might be the bottom two this week.
-Warren just wasn't good, whatever the real reason.
-Susan needs to go. It is too late in the competition for the judges to give her better scores than other better dancers just because she improved a little over her usual blahness. And the way they praise her she won't work to improve as much as she really needs to improve.
-Maurice was pretty good, he is just not a standout and never my favorite.
-Cody was better than his scores. And had to deal with a new partner which isn't easy for non pros especially. He wasn't clunky- there were other things to be critical of but not that.
-Lance is improving and I loved the choreography here. Actually would have preferred shoes on but still liked it.
-Brooke was great but not a 30. The season has been lackluster so maybe they wanted to finally throw out more 10s to make it look like there are top notch dancers. She still needs more expression and the lack of fans might not even get her to the finals though she deserves it.
-Team danceoff was much better idea than group dance but it seemed unfair. It is easier to sell the Paso and look like you are a better dancer in the Paso to the average viewer than the cha cha. Team Paso had better group choreography and better unison but didn't deserve a 30. Cody wasntcbad either but they seemed to lump him with Susan and the scores were a bit harsh.
-Still a very dull season with only standout performances here and there and no couple that truly matches many from past seasons. I voted for Cody because he doesn't deserve to go at all and I want to see Julianne again. Most likely shecwont be able to dance with him until the top 4 and he deserves one more shot with her. Also it could be her last season due to focusing on her music career.
There has only ever been one "STAR" on dwts and that was Stacey Keibler - does anyone remember her and Tony and the memorable Samba (?) she performed
She should have won that year and there wasn't favoritism she earned all the 10's she received
Does any one out there agree?
According to DialIdol, Susan & Tony and Brooke & Derek are in the bottom two w/ Susan going home. Len needs to pull the stick out of his rear and start getting real.
The scoring on the team dances was ridiculous and totally unfair. If they're going to go with that concept again, they should all do the same dance style.
While I do think Brooke has been consistently good, I don't think she's been GREAT. I thought Lance was better than she was again last night.