Dancing With the Stars: Bon Voyage Bachelor!

This week the stars will be performing two dances.  The first will be a Samba or Tango, and the second will be the group Swing dance.  If you’ll recall from last season, this is the dance that most closely mirrors actual professional competition.  The competitors will share the floor initially, but each couple will be eliminated one by one until one winning couple remains.  A friendly tap on the shoulder will be their cue to have a seat.  First up are the individual couple performances.

Jake & Chelsie
Hopefully Jake keeps his pants on this week.  He’s looking to join Evan and Nicole atop the leaderboard, but he’s had some clumsy missteps in the past.  Their Samba begins with great energy and he really seems to embrace the character.  I love their song selection.  Everything is going great until Jake trips over the step near the judges’ table.  He doesn’t miss a beat and keeps that goofy grin plastered on his face for the duration.  Len said he’s showing more confidence and the performance was more polished.  He said the rhythm was a bit lacking.  Bruno agreed and said that it also lacked bounce.  He didn’t wiggle correctly.  Carrie Ann said he always pushes himself to the max and that’s why he falls sometimes.  He needs to connect more to the music and let it “flow through his body.”  Carrie Ann: 7 Len: 7 Bruno: 7

Evan & Anna
Last week Evan earned his highest score to date.  This week results in his lowest score, unfortunately.  During rehearsal they practice for the Swing Dance portion and Evan smacks his head on the floor pretty hard.  He went to the hospital to make sure he wasn’t concussed, and the doctor gave him a green light.  When they take to the floor it looks like Evan has recovered from his injury, but his performance is lacking.  He always has great lines and moves regally, but the Samba doesn’t require those dancing attributes.  It’s an earthier dance, and one needs to really get the hips moving.  Evan simply didn’t have the goods, though his excellent technique and hard-working approach shone through.  Too bad it was the wrong approach for this Samba.  Bruno said he has good lyrical lines but for this dance it doesn’t work.  Samba requires a different type of action.  It was pretty to look at it but it wasn’t right for this dance.  Carrie Ann said that he wasn’t suited for this dance and it was a disjointed performance.  Len said it was his worst dance and was far too balletic.  Everyone comes up against one dance that really doesn’t suit them, and this was Evan’s.  I totally agree with their assessment.  7s across the board.

Niecy & Louis
Niecy has been advised to work on her technique and footwork.  This week she’ll be performing an Argentine Tango with comedic flair.  This will be a first for the competition, and I wonder what Len the Purist will think about that choice.  Niecy puts emphasis on the footwork in practice, as the dance is ladened with lots of intricate moves.  Their routine begins with a laugh as they fool around with a rose.  Niecy isn’t the strongest female remaining at this stage, but she is a strong contestant.  I’m surprised at her flexibility and I like the approach that she and Louis took to the dance.  Carrie Ann said it was nice to see Niecy really dancing and she has come so far in just a week; she was in the zone.  She didn’t think Niecy needed the comedy.  Ironically, Len liked the comedic aspect and overall thought it was good.  Bruno appreciated the attention to footwork, but noted that the dance lacked some intensity due to her singular focus on the feet.  Carrie Ann: 7  Len: 7  Bruno: 7

Erin & Maks
The most difficult aspect of Samba for Erin during rehearsal was keeping up with Maks.  She doesn’t want him to outdo her.  She’s still over-analyzing every move and it’s really starting to get annoying.  Luckily she still managed to pick up the Samba relatively easily.  Erin is a pretty good dancer, although I think her long limbs appear gangly and awkward sometimes.  Her Samba was fun to watch and she moves fairly well.  Len said that he always gives her 7s and she’s going to get another one from him because he’s fed up with stunts and wants more substance.  He scolds Maks.  Bruno said it was exciting and you can’t blame Erin for Maks’ choreography.  Carrie Ann said she nailed it.  Carrie Ann: 9  Len: 7  Bruno: 10 Ok  Bruno it wasn’t THAT good.  But 2 outta 3 ain’t bad.

Chad & Cheryl
Chad had a disastrous dance last week, turning in his worst performance yet.  This week he and Cheryl will try to regain the judges’ favor with a smoldering Argentine Tango.  During rehearsal time they go back to Cincinnati so Chad can connect with some Bengals fans and get positive vibes from them.  Each star brings their own strength to the competition, and for Chad his major strength is….well, his strength.  In the literal sense of the word.  If you’re partnered with a football player you might as well play on his strength, and that’s what Cheryl does.  Chad is stoic and masculine and embodies the perfect character for the Tango.  He holds Cheryl powerfully and you can see that she trusts him fully.  Could you imagine past contestants Jerry Springer, Kenny Mayne, or Adam Corolla pulling that off?  No way.  The judges think this is his best performance to date.  Bruno said it was strong and powerful.  He said he was hard on Chad in the past because he knew he could do it.  Carrie Ann says that they were hard on him because he wasn’t dancing that well, but this week he nailed it.  He was arrogant, sensual, dramatic and powerful.  The lines were gorgeous.  Len said you either grow or you go, and Chad grew tonight.  8s across the board.

Nicole & Derek
Nicole is similar to Erin in that both are annoying perfectionists.  They both need to shut up and defer to their partners who do this dancing thing for a living.  But boy can that Nicole dance her ass off.  Yes she can.  Her Samba was the shiznit.  She looks like she does this in her sleep.  Of course that means that Len hated it, while Carrie Ann and Bruno were beside themselves.  Carrie Ann said it was ridiculous.  The only criticism she could muster was that she didn’t like Nicole’s facial expressions.  Len said the difficulty and performance level were great, but her lines were ugly and he hated the gyrations.  He criticized Derek for omitting two key maneuvers he wanted to see in the Samba.  Bruno said it was superlative.  She’s got nothing to worry about.  Carrie Ann: 9  Len: 7 Bruno: 10

Pam & Damian
Pam has inexplicably been in the bottom two more than once, despite decent scores from the judges.  Last week the judges weren’t too impressed with her Quickstep.  This week she’ll attempt a passionate Argentine Tango.  During rehearsal she vows to keep fighting while staying true to herself.  The couples are permitted to do lifts this week, and Damian wants to incorporate a few.  Pam has difficulty rehearsing the lifts, but she’s determined to stay out of the bottom two.  I thought their dance was sexy and Pam (again) nailed the character.  She wore a dark wig this week and really embraced her role for the dance.  I thought her footwork was good and I’ve always appreciated the chemistry between her and Damian.  Len said it had a nice smoldering intensity, but it was a bit “scruffy.”  Bruno said it was another great character: Angelina the Sultry Latina.  LOL.  Carrie Ann said it was unquestionably sexy and she loved the commitment to character, but her frame and legs could have been better.  Carrie Ann: 7  Len: 7  Bruno: 8

SWING DANCE MARATHON (SECOND ROUND)
The celebrities have been challenged with the task of learning two dances this week.  They must each learn a Swing dance in addition to their ballroom dance.  They have the freedom to perform lifts, and most couples have been upping the ante with as many athletic moves as they can muster.  This will also be the first chance to see all of the stars side by side to see who really stands out above the rest.  They will earn points based on how they finish.  I think the more fit contestants will thrive in this format, with this type of dance.  All of the couples begin jumbled up on the dance floor.  Right away the better dancers distinguish themselves, both in technique and floor position.  Jake and Chelsea are eliminated first, followed by Niecy and Louis.  Nicole and Erin seem to be the best.  Evan & Anna are eliminated next, leaving four couples.  Nicole and Derek are working the hardest.  Chad and Cheryl are asked to sit down.  And then there were three.  Pam is eliminated, leaving Erin and Nicole.  True to form, Nicole prevails.

RESULTS SHOW
Solidifying his place as the Comeback Kid, Chad is selected for the encore performance.  He and Cheryl give a repeat of their Argentine Tango, and it seems almost better the second time around.  Now that Kate has been sent packing, it’s really tough to tell who should be eliminated next.  I think Niecy and Jake are the weakest of the remaining contestants.  Pam and Chad are middle tier dancers, and Nicole and Evan are clear favorites.  Evan turned in a sub-par performance this week though, so you never know how things will play out.  I think Erin is a wild card.  One night she might get all 7s, another night she could receive a 10 and it wouldn’t surprise me.  We find out fairly early that Pam is safe, and I’m relieved.  She’s not the best, but Pam is pretty darn good and has suffered in the bottom two more than once.  She deserves a break.  Chad is safe, but Evan has to sweat it out a bit longer.  Ultimately Niecy and Jake are in the bottom two.  That is more than fair.  Len says he’ll miss Niecy’s bubbly personality if she leaves, and he’ll miss Jake’s enthusiasm if it’s him to go.  Jake is the one that the voters have decided to eliminate, and he seems pretty choked up about it.  Man up Dude. It’s just Dancing With the Stars.  Don’t take it so seriously.  I guess if I found out my 15 minutes of reality fame was finally up, I might cry too.

Season 10, Week 6: Round 5 Performances and Results Show (originally aired April 26 and 27, 2010)

For more on Dancing with the Stars, click here.

Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.

Photographs courtesy of ABC, Adam Larkey