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RSS'Dancing with the Stars': Kicks and Hips
This is another one of those weeks of opposites on "Dancing with the Stars" - the contestants must perform either the slow, theoretically sensual Rumba or the fast, fun Jive. Let's see if anyone gets mixed up and delivers smooth kicks or sharp hips.
Spoilers!
During the intro parade down the steps, I thought Lil' Kim and Edyta were vying for the most eye-popping outfit until Julianne came out. I'm not sure what to make of it right now but it's very lacy and...um...fascinating. Also, our favorite singer seems to have dipped a bunch of leaves in gold and fashioned them into a giant band to race across her forehead.
1. Ty Murray & Chelsie
Dance/Song: Jive/"The Girl's Gone Wild" by Travis Tritt
To help Ty loosen up this week, Chelsie brings in a hula hoop and a mini trampoline for hips and bounciness. Since they're dancing to a Country song, Chelsie smartly put a little Line Dance bit at the beginning. Ty started out really stiff but loosened up once the number really kicked in. Well, a little anyway. I felt like Chelsie was doing a Jive and Ty was still Line Dancing.
Judges: Len loves Ty's bewildered charm and appreciates how hard he tries, too bad the actual dance didn't do great. Bruno thought the Line Dancing was good but the Jive was a mess. Carrie Ann thought it was exciting but this dance is not suited for him.
Score: 18 (all 6's)
2. Shawn Johnson & Mark
Dance/Song: Rumba/"Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" by John Mayer
Since Shawn is not only shy, she's not even legal yet so she had a hard time adapting to this discipline. She's missing her prom this year so Mark recreated it for her to get into the character of the dance. Awww...how sweet. I think this is one of those dances that let's you really appreciate how great her lines are. I mean, wow. She was really, really good, especially considering how uncomfortable she was in practice. My only slight quibble is she needs a little more hip action. Great choreography, Mark.
Judges: Bruno thought it was "angelic" with a hint of "devil" and agrees about the hip action. Carrie Ann could see she was a little uncomfortable at the beginning but was glad it clicked in the middle. Len enjoyed it, stating it had the right amount of sizzle.
Score: 26 (8-9-9)
3. Lawrence Taylor & Edyta
Dance/Song: Jive/"Ain't That Peculiar" by Marvin Gaye
LT was having a lot of trouble in rehearsal and getting frustrated so enter the ever-entertaining Warren Sapp to lighten him up. It did help because Lawrence seemed to have more fun than he's had in awhile. He might have messed up a little and maybe he wasn't very bouncy but he wasn't super-clompy. It was fun. Oh, and Edyta's outfit was crazy.
Judges: Carrie Ann loved that LT got his groove back, adding Edyta didn't need to put that lift in. Len appreciated that there was a lot of basic Jive steps and fun, though wishes he was a little lighter on his feet. Bruno said it was his best performance to date and wants Warren to help him every week.
Score: 22 (7-7-8)
4. Melissa Rycroft & Tony
Dance/Song: Rumba/"If I Were A Boy" by Beyonce - blargh, hello mute button
Melissa's having an easier time picking things up in rehearsal than last week with the Paso. Like Shawn, Melissa isn't giving me enough hip action. She extends her limbs beautifully and connected to the character well, it just wasn't doing it for me. I'm not feeling the choreography this week Tony.
Judges: Unlike me, Len liked the choreography and thought she did well but wants a little more "earthy" and less ballet. Bruno loves how effortlessly she moves but wants more fire. Carrie Ann "believed every moment" but advises to put more oomph into her hip action.
Score: 27 (all 9's)
5. Lil' Kim & Derek
Dance/Song: Jive/"Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley
Kim's having some problems connecting to her 50's-era character so Derek took her to Car Hop Day at Bob's Big Boy. This is the first week that she's kind of struggled. The charisma was still there, it was lots of fun and had good choreography but the footwork wasn't quite bouncy enough. But enjoyable anyway.
Judges: Bruno was extremely excited by it. Carrie Ann stood up and screamed, loosing a bracelet in the process. Len thought it was fun and had great energy but there was a little too much story and not enough content for his tastes.
Score: 28 (10-8-10) - hmmm...not sure how I feel about the scores
VIDEO: Lil' Kim wardrobe malfunction?
6. Steve-O & Lacey
Dance/Song: Rumba/"Fall For You" by Secondhand Serenade
Steve wasn't really connecting the movements together and he didn't have enough hip action, but I thought he did a good job - much better than I expected for sure. His arm extensions and posture were nice, he connected with the character, and had some genuinely pretty moments.
It wasn't perfect but I think he's improving.
Judges: Carrie Ann thought it was oddly mesmerizing and thinks his utter commitment and vunerablitly are great. Len wasn't nearly as positive calling it "no good." Bruno thought Lacey looked hot but Steve's dancing was bad.
Score: 16 (7-4-5)
7. Gilles Marini & Cheryl
Dance/Song: Jive/"Dance Dance" by Fall Out Boy
Cheryl took Gilles to a soccer (futbol) field to help him get the hang of the quick footwork of the Jive. Because of the song and the outfit choice, it was almost like their characters from last week decided to do something a little happier this week. I liked it much better muted. It was good overall but there was a slight snap missing from his kicks, though I can't tell if it's just because the cut of his pants around the ankle obscured my vision.
Judges: Len liked the bounce and footwork but found it a little frantic and wild. Bruno called it "fast and furious" and gave the tip to watch the sharpness and cleanliness for rapid dances to avoid looking like a "mad squirrel." Carrie Ann appreciates that he can do sexy and showy but advises to, despite his apparent shoulder injury, find a happy medium so he's not dancing with "tiny arms."
Score: 26 (9-8-9)
8. Chuck Wicks & Julianne
Dance/Song: Rumba/"She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5
Bleh. I can do without all that coupley, lovey-dovey stuff in the rehearsal package. Double blargh. The stuff in hold was good and his hip action was solid overall (it wasn't so great in the walks though). He didn't want the judges to say they lacked chemistry and that most certainly was not the case. Sometimes I got distracted by his breaks in technique to appreciate the big picture.
Judges: Bruno thought it was a step in the right direction but the footwork needs to be more solid so the hip action isn't wonky. Carrie Ann loved the passion and agrees about the hips. And of course it was too raunchy for Len. He also is frustrated by the uneven technique from Chuck.
Score: 23 (8-7-8)
Overall Thoughts: The Rumbas were surprisingly enjoyable overall. I'm usually not impressed but most everyone did well. Sadly, none of the Jives really floated my boat. Not even Lil' Kim's and I heart her (though it was fun to watch). Also, I think Steve-O was underscored. He certainly wasn't worse than last week.
Bottom Two: I'm pretty confident LT will be one with either Ty or Steve-O joining them. I don't think it'll be this week but Chuck's time in the Red Light of Doom will come very soon.
Who's Out: It'll be a close one. It totally depends on who's in the Dance Off.
Which was your favorite dance of the night? Were you surprised that no-one pulled out a great Jive? Was Cheryl's choreography a little too advanced this week? Any other thoughts?
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Zap2it Twitter Talk 
Am I the only one who thinks the Jives looked umm Jivey? I didn't think any of them had enough of those flick kicks. When I think of a Jive I think of Joey Fatone. I did like Lil' Kim's though, and thought her score was on point! Did anyone catch the look Tony gave when they judges were giving their critiques? RUDE I LOVED Shawn's rumba. I thought it was age-appropiate and still looked sexy. I think Steve-O and either Ty or LT will be in bottom. Time for LT to go!
shoot..i meant that the Jives didn't look Jivey enough :-D
I preferred the rumbas this week, and although I enjoyed Lil Kim's jive (my favourite dance of the week), I have to agree with Len that it wasn't the most jivey jive I've ever seen.
BTW, "futbol" is just the Spanish spelling for what Americans' call soccer. Most of the English speaking world spells it "football".
Favorites:
Lil Kim- yes it could have had more jive content but it was so energetic and fun. Derek knows that some weeks it's ok to get the crowd and Bruno & Carrie Ann excited instead of trying to please just Len with the technical. It was the best jive of the night anyway.
Shawn- loved the choreography and her lines. Mark is a great partner all around. It was sexy but in an innocent way and I thought it was the best rumba of the night.
Good but not favorites:
Chuck- I thought she choreographed a great dance and he didn't just hold her but actually had things to do and did most of them well. I actually enjoyed it more than Melissas.
Melissa- did still enjoy it but something is still missing for me with her. I like her routines but am never excited about them. She did finally connect more emotionally though! I think it's a combo of wanting to see her put more drive behind her movements and not caring for Tony as a partner or choreographer most of the time.
Gilles- good but certainly his weakest of the season- and I figured it would be ahead of time. He is more suited for cl***y ballroom or sexy latin than the giddy fun and kicking of the jive. I will give them that the song was terrible for a jive but he looked slightly awkward this week and his injury was much more apparent than usual.
And just...not happening;
Ty- love his attitude and personality but that just did not work. Too much standing still and he just didn't ever get the feel of it.
Steve-O- I like that he does take this seriously but some people just aren't meant to dance. For instance, every detail in the hands they tried to put in would normally come off as more polished for others but just looked terrible on him. It is his time.
Lawrence- it is Steve-Os time but I still just want LT to go. Not a fan of Edytas choreography, this partnership or LTs personality. He did look happier out there and had a nice little groove in his movements but his feet barely left the ground in his steps or kicks and he never once looked up but looked at the ground most of the dance!!
PS- the singers were really terrible tonight. I try to be nice but really tonight they just butchered most of the songs.
Bottom 2-
Should be: LT & Steve-O
Will be: Ty? & Steve-O?
Leaving: Not positive that it will be Steve-O. Dialidol has really close numbers with some of the higher scores beneath the lower ones so I really don't know. It could be anyone from Chuck, Ty, LT, Steve-O. But hopefully it's LT or Steve-O.
I like Gilles, but I think he was slightly overscored last night. I really enjoyed Lil Kim and think Len was a little harsh.
I think both Ty and Steve-O were underscored. I don't think Ty's jive was four points worse than Lawrence's. Sucks to be the first dancer in the night - judges are always more conservative with the marking to start. I think it's going to be Lawrence and Ty in the bottom three, although I'd rather see Steve-O there instead of Ty. And I think it's going to be Lawrence going home.
Favourite dance of the night was Shawn and Mark's rumba. It was just lovely. I thought she did great.
Did Mark pitch tent fow Shawana again?
Most of the Latin dances look like the same dance to me. They are all arm movements, dips and through the legs. It may just be me or it may be the camera angles but I rarely see actual prescribed dance steps. It is all show and little substance. The other dances such as the waltz and jive can be recognized as such. The costumes have gotten absurd in their brevity. I worry more about a "wardrobe malfunction" than the dances. Speaking of the dancers, I think Ty and Steve O need to hit the trail next. For me, the top 4 are Shawn, Lil Kim, Melissa and Gilles.
I'm sorry but I thought Mark & Shawn was like watching kiddie porn. Disgusting.
Good comments, Erin!
My favorites were Shawn's rhumba and Lil' Kim's Jive. Shawn is quite the little trooper; she was uncomfortable during practices, but really pulled it out when it counted.
Derek took a risk, but I think it was worth it, because the routine WAS entertaining.
Just based on attitude, alone, I'd like to see LT go.