Dancing With the Stars: Double Elimination

This was an interesting week on Dancing With the Stars. They’ve switched up the format, and the next two weeks will be double eliminations.  The couple with the lowest overall score goes home, but the next two lowest scoring couples will compete in a “dance off,” decided by the judges.  This is good because it counteracts the occasionally idiotic audience vote.  Unfortunately, this also means that our couples have to learn three dances each week!  That’s a tall order.  This week our couples will be dancing the Waltz or Jitterbug, followed by a group Mambo competition.  Group dances are effective in that you can really see how the stars measure up against one another.

Mya & Dmitry:  For the first time I was less than 100% impressed with Mya.  She could never be truly bad, but I just wasn’t crazy about her Jitterbug.  It was energetic and fun, but it looked too wild to me.  Len was disappointed that the couple spent some of their dance time acting out their characters rather than dancing, and I tend to agree.  He said that the last refuge of the untalented is gimmick and props, and Mya is better than that.  Bruno, as usual, loved her.  Stylistically he said it was spot-on.  Carrie Ann actually thought it was inappropriately soft and muted.  Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 7 Bruno: 9

Melissa & Mark: She had a poor showing last week, so she’ll need to rebound with the Waltz.  Mark has great lineage.  I knew his father was a world champion dancer, and it turns out that his mother is too.  She comes in to work with Melissa and it’s like boot camp.  I thought their Waltz was elegant and pretty good, but what do I know? The judges hated it.  Bruno cut right to the chase and said it was not good. There was no flow to the dance and her posture was poor.  Carrie Ann said it looked like the floor was sticky.  Len actually liked it and thought she was elegant, so maybe my opinion was right after all.  Carrie Ann: 7 Len: 7  Bruno: 6

Mark & Lacey:  They have an energetic Jitterbug and Mark does a great job.  It’s very athletic and difficult, with lots of tricks.  He hasn’t been in jeopardy on elimination yet, so the sky’s the limit.  Carrie Ann loved it, despite a small stumble.  Len also loved the energy and thought it was great.  Bruno mentioned that he lost the timing at the end, but he liked it.  Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 8

Aaron & Karina:  Aaron really shined in his Waltz.  He conveyed graceful maturity, despite being one of the youngest dancers.  His carriage was great and he covered the floor well.  Len said it was Aaron’s best dance and he was proud.  Bruno pointed out that he lost his footing, but it was good.  Carrie Ann gave him an A for effort and appreciated the dignity he brought to the dance.  Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 9 Bruno: 8

Michael & Anna: Michael is hanging on by a thread.  He catches a break with the Waltz. Can you imagine him trying to do the Jitterbug??  He does a decent job, but I can’t tell if he’s improving or if he’s just been lucky with his last two dance assignments.   If he’d had back to back Latin dances he would’ve bombed.  Anyway, he’s still here and he did an ok job.  Bruno said it was not a first-rate Waltz.  Michael is likeable, but the dance was not good.  Carrie Ann thought it was charming, but she noticed a stumble.  Len thought his footwork was the best of any Waltz up to that point and liked it.  Carrie Ann: 6 Len:  8 Bruno:  6

Kelly & Louis:  Kelly still lacks confidence in rehearsal, so Louis gets the bright idea that she should swing from a trapeze to overcome her fear.  She eventually does it, so I guess this is supposed to make her think that she can accomplish anything now.  We shall see.  I’m not sure if the exercise worked, because their Jitterbug was rather tame.  It was decent, but when you compare it to Mark’s, it was sub-par.  Carrie Ann pointed out a stumble and said that Kelly needs to stop over-thinking it.  Len said it lacked freedom, it was like a blueberry muffin with no blueberries.  Bruno said she has to ignite the performer inside and cast off the fear.  He said it was “beige.” That’s a new one!  Carrie Ann: 7  Len: 6   Bruno: 7  Kelly better step it up or she might find herself on the hot seat soon.

Louie & Chelsea: Ummm, yeah. This Jitterbug was kinda bad. He kept dropping her!  It was erratic and frenzied.  Chelsea was a good sport, but it was sloppy as hell.  He was out of control, like a bull in a china shop.  He was tossing Chelsea around like a sack of potatoes.  Len said that parts of it were fantastic and he enjoyed the enthusiasm, but there were problems.  Bruno said that being wacky suits the dance, but it lacked precision.  Carrie Ann said she liked it and enjoyed the athleticism, but dropping his partner was unacceptable. 7s across the board.

Joanna & Derek:  She had a rough dance last week and is relieved to be back with Derek, who was sick last week.  They have a Waltz, and she does very well.  She had trouble maintaining a strong frame in rehearsal, but I thought she did a nice job on game day.  She’s a lovely girl and they made an elegant pair.  Bruno said it was like watching a butterfly glide over a meadow.  Carrie Ann said her lines were beautiful and her carriage was gorgeous, but she saw some hesitation and doubt.  Len said her footwork wasn’t great but she went straight into the dance and had good hold/posture.  He actually thought it was the best Waltz of the night.  Carrie Ann:  8 Len: 9  Bruno: 9

Donny & Kym: They have the Jitterbug, which should suit Donny’s “ham” personality.  The two are dressed in ridiculous engineer outfits, corresponding with their song – some little ditty that goes “choo choo chuh boogie.” LMAO.  They have the right energy and seemed to have fun doing it.  Carrie Ann said they know how to work a room, but there were moments when they were out of sync, and there was a stumble.  Len thought it was entertaining but noticed the stumble too.  Bruno said it was a great performance but Donny lost the timing at one point.  8s across the board.

Group Mambo: This is a fun, sexy dance that pits our stars against one another in classic ballroom competition format.  When your time is up you get tapped on the shoulder and have to sit down.  The last couple standing wins.  The dance will last four minutes, which seems like an eternity.  It will be difficult to maintain floor space on a congested dance floor.  With two people going home this week, every point counts, as Aaron astutely observes.  Once the dance begins they’re all dancing around, showing varying degrees of talent.  Michael and Anna sit down first, followed by Louie and Chelsea.  Most of them are very good and I’m impressed.  Mya and Dmitry manage to find the middle of the floor, a clear advantage.  Melissa and Mark are eliminated next, and eventually it comes down to Mya and Joanna going head to head.  Joanna has endless energy and prevails.  Poor girl, Derek was working the hell out of her.  She deserved to win the group competition.

Elimination

The usual favorites are safe, but there is mild surprise when Melissa goes home.  She showed promise, had one hell of a Charleston a few weeks ago, and certainly wasn’t the worst of the remaining stars.  Michael and Louie are the other two low scorers, and must compete in a head to head competition.  They had to have seen this coming – they’re simply not that great.  Louie and Chelsea dance the Jive, and Michael and Anna dance the Samba.  Both guys are hard-working and well-intentioned, but not too impressive.  The judges are split and end up selecting the lesser of two evils to continue on in the competition: Michael Irvin.

Season 9, Week 6: Episodes 12&13 (originally aired October 26 and 27, 2009)

For more on Dancing with the Stars, click here.

Competition Mondays at 8/7C, ABC

Elimination Tuesdays at 9/8C, ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC, Adam Larkey