Dancing With the Stars: Surprising Elimination

And then there were ten.  Our celebrity bunch has been whittled down further, and each couple will dance twice this week: one solo (Argentine Tango or Paso Doble) and one group performance.

Natalie & Alec:  I like this pair and think they always give a very good performance, consistently well-choreographed and executed.  They have the Paso Doble, which is inspired by Natalie’s medal-winning turn at the last Olympics.  She’s wearing a red, white and blue get-up.  I thought it was good.  Len said everything she does is clean and precise but it lacked some aggression.  Bruno said “Wonder Woman” was wonder-less and it lacked conviction.  Carrie Ann said she’s a great student, but she needs to work on her movement. Carrie Ann complains about a lift.  What is her deal with the lifts?!  Carrie Ann: 7 Len: 8 Bruno: 7.

Aaron & Karina: I was surprised by Aaron’s near-dismissal last week and expect him to rebound nicely with the Argentine Tango.  He’s one of the most talented guys this season.  He gets into character wonderfully and I think it’s hot!  Their movements are precise, the choreography fits the music perfectly, and I think it’s a sexy dance.  Bruno said he switched on the magnetism and compares him to the Twilight dude. Carrie Ann starts by giving him a kiss and cheering.  Len even loved it, so you know it was good. Aww I like Aaron, with his soft ass self. Always crying like a baby.  He’s a cutie pie. 8s across the board.

Michael & Anna: They have the Paso Doble and it suits Michael, who is allowed to showcase his physical strength.  He’s still not much of a dancer in my book, but I’ll admit it’s probably his best dance yet.  He always puts forth effort, so I can’t knock him there.  Carrie Ann really enjoyed it and said it was her favorite dance so far.  Len also enjoyed it.  Bruno makes it three for three and there’s some nasty business about a coin Irvin had stuck in his rump. Don’t ask, you had to be there. 7s across the board.

Mya & Dmitry:  Mya gets to kill the Argentine Tango this week.  During rehearsal she keeps accidentally kneeing Dmitry in the nads LOL.  They also help build houses for Habitat 4 Humanity, which was random and nice.  She’s on a whole other level.  Their routine was hot, it was dramatic, complicated with difficult choreography.  Len liked it.  Bruno loved it and said that she is a great technician, but she has to keep in mind the emotion for future dances.  Carrie Ann agrees with Bruno.  9s across the board.

Mark & Lacey: She had a hard time getting him to tap into his masculinity during rehearsal.  Their Paso is pretty good.    Bruno enjoyed it, Carrie Ann said he was focused, and Len said he needed posture, passion, and performance and he had all three. Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 8.

Donny & Kym: They have the Argentine Tango.  It looks romantic and it’s pretty steamy too, I actually enjoyed it very much and you know I don’t want to like Donny.  Even Tom Bergeron is blown away.  Carrie Ann loves it.  Len says it’s his best dance and Bruno says he’s Donny Darko now.  Carrie Ann: 10 Len: 9 Bruno: 10.

Louis & Chelsea: They have the Argentine Tango.  Dude is too short, I can’t really take him seriously this week.  Bizarro Scott Caan, totally.  He actually isn’t that bad, now that I pay attention.  His footwork looks like it has improved.  Len said he wasn’t expecting a lot, but he was pleasantly surprised.  Bruno said it was great storytelling but he has to keep working.  Carrie Ann said he needs to stay in dancer mode, but it was good. Carrie Ann: 7 Len: 8 Bruno: 7.

Melissa & Mark:  They have the Argentine Tango. Mark was getting sick during their training and had to wear a mask.  He eventually brought Anna in to teach Melissa in his place until he feels better so she doesn’t miss a beat.  He’s wearing red spats, which I think is pretty cool.  It’s a good dance but her Tango is not as good as the ones we saw earlier.  Bruno said that she lost her steps and looked more grumpy than sexy.  Carrie Ann said she definitely maintained the character, despite a few stumbles.  Len said it did lack the seduction but she coped with all that difficult choreography and it was well-done. I missed the judges’ individual scores, but they combined for a score of 23.

Kelly & Louie: This guy really likes wearing eye makeup. That’s all I have to say.  During rehearsal Kelly has trouble staying focused, she keeps laughing spontaneously.  They’re going to dance to one of her father’s songs, “Crazy Train.”  It’s a decent Paso, but I’m not blown away.  It ends with nice dramatic flair but I’m not sold.  Carrie Ann loved it.  Len said it was really good and well-done.  Bruno basically told her she has all the tools to do well in this competition. 8s across the board.

Joanna & Maks: Derek gets the flu, so Maks has to fill in.  I think their Argentine Tango is sexy and very well-done, right up until she screws up and nearly makes him fall. Yikes. Bruno said it was fabulous up until that point.  Len said she did well under the circumstances and Carrie Ann agrees.  8s across the board,  in spite of her obvious error.

Mark’s dad Corky is a world-champion dancer in his own right and does the choreography for the group dance, a 70’s inspired Hustle, complete with ridiculous costumes aplenty.  They all did ok, but there were some near-falls too LOL.  The contestants were allowed to do lifts, at their own peril.  Melissa in particular looked like she almost bit it.

Elimination

Norah Jones performs one of my favorites, “Come Away With Me,” a lovely song.  They replay the highlights from last night’s episode and we see a slow-mo shot of Joanna screwing up her dance with a stumble that sent Maks flailing.  The judges want to see an encore performance of Donny & Kym’s seductive Tango, and it looks even better the second time around.  There’s no way these two will be in the bottom.  We find out quickly that Mark, Donny, and Mya are safe.  Once again Michael Irvin escapes the bottom two.  I’ll admit he had a solid week, but when viewing the field as a whole, he doesn’t measure up.  The pro dancers do a tribute to Michael Jackson, which is only fitting.  Melissa and Joanna find out they are safe. I’m starting to feel bad for our stars. Natalie and Aaron are in the bottom two and it doesn’t seem fair.  Aaron is one of the best and Natalie has great potential.  Len says it’s one thing to vote for the underdog, but justice must prevail and neither couple should be in the bottom two. Natalie gets voted off and she takes it kinda hard. All of the stars look sad and/or nauseous. The band plays “Aint That A Shame?” Seems kinda harsh LOL.  This week’s elimination was a shocker.  Maybe next week will play out less dramatically, but you never know.  The best insurance the stars have against elimination is to dance well, but this week showed that even that may not be enough.

Season 9, Week 5: Episodes 10&11 (originally aired October 19 and 20, 2009)

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Elimination Tuesdays at 9/8C, ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC, Adam Larkey