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There’s nothing that the producers of Dancing with the Stars do better than wasting time.  This was not more evident than this evening, when the first half hour was nothing more than a recap of “breakthrough performances” for each of the pairs during this season. There was a very nice professional routine at the beginning of the show, but again just a time filler.  Why, oh why, didn’t ABC just have the show run for 90 minutes?  It would be action filled, and jam packed with dancing and interviews.  Instead we have to wait and wait to see the first performance of the night.  If you’re on the west coast, the dancing doesn’t begin until about 25 or 30 minutes after the start of the show.

Finally, the dancing began with Melissa and Tony doing the Quickstep.  She looked gorgeous and the dance was nice, but to me it was missing some excitement.  At first I thought maybe it was me, because the audience seemed to love them, giving a standing ovation.  But Bruno and Carrie Ann both thought that something was missing from the performance.  Bruno said it was very, very good but not as exhilarating as it could be, and that was what he was looking for in the semi finals.  Carrie Ann said it was very nice and very pretty, but it didn’t seem as if the performance was connected to her soul.  Len thought it was a delight, saying it had great musicality and mentioned that her feet were much improved.  They got 28 out of 30 for this performance.

Gilles and Cheryl danced second, doing the Waltz.  Cheryl brought in some help this week, with Jonathan Roberts helping Gilles become more sophisticated in the performance.  The routine was very nice.  The judges loved it.  Bruno told him that this was how you get to the finals.  Carrie Ann said it was breathtaking, gorgeous and perfection.  Len said he was giving them a sitting down standing ovation. They got a perfect score of 30 for this routine.

Shawn and Mark were next, dancing the Argentine Tango.  This was a great performance.  I was kind of worried that she wouldn’t get the sexy innuendo in the dance, but she did a really good job with the performance.  The judges loved it.  Carrie Ann said she delivered the emotion needed to perform this dance.  Len said she showed a maturity he wasn’t expecting, and that for him this was her best dance.  Bruno compared her to Catherine Zeta-Jones, and said that it was good.  They got a perfect score of 30 as well.

Ty and Chelsie finished up the ballroom round, doing the Viennese Waltz.  I love Ty.  It was painful to watch this performance, compared to the other three dances.  He’s not the strongest dancer left in the field by any stretch of the imagination, but he is the hardest working (and most likeable in my opinion).  Len liked the performance, or at least was kind in his critique.  He said that even with the wobbles and issues overall he thought it was well done.  Bruno was not so kind, comparing his arm movements to chasing flies.  Carrie Ann said it’s fantastic to see him generate all the fan support, but his dance tonight was not his best.  He ended up with 25 out of 30.

Melissa and Tony were up first again in the Latin round, this time performing the Cha Cha Cha.  I didn’t like this performance.  I can’t put my finger on why, but I just didn’t enjoy it.  The judges weren’t 100% thrilled with it.  Len said that Melissa could never dance badly, because she is a good dancer but he didn’t like this dance as much as he was hoping to.  Bruno said that she had moments where she was sensational, and others where she was lackluster.  He said she needs to sustain the energy during the dance.  Carrie Ann said that she was much more attached to this dance, but also felt a disconnect with the performance.  They got a score of 27 out of 30.

Gilles and Cheryl performed a Salsa next.  I have one word to describe it – hot.  The judges loved it.  I know I’ve said that several times before, but this time they really loved it.  Len said he wished he had an 11 paddle to use.  Bruno said he deserves to be in the finals.  Carrie Ann said this was Gilles Marini at his best, and she wants to see him in the finals.  They got their second perfect 30 of the night.

Shawn and Mark danced their Jive next.  Watching the performance tonight I thought that again they were taking some risks in making the Jive their own.  The risks didn’t pay off.  Len said it was too much messing around and not enough traditional Jive.  Bruno said it was more like a Lindy Hop, but he likes it when Shawn goes wild.  Carrie Ann said that she’s come so far in her performance skills, but that she lost some steam as the performance progressed.  They got a 26 out of 30.

Ty and Chelsie finished the night with a Samba.  I love Ty and thought he tried so hard to make this dance fun and exciting but he’s just not as good as the others left in the competition.  If he makes it to the finals it’ll be another Marie Osmond, where the fans got him through.  Carrie Ann said that he reminds people that with hard work and determination you can go anywhere.  Bruno said he’s got resilience and determination, but it looked as if he was dancing on a tight rope.  Len called it too quick and hectic, but said Chelsie did a great job to get him this far.  They got 23 out of 30.

I think that it’s a toss up as to who goes home.  Gilles might be safe based solely on his perfect score.  Shawn and Mark are probably safe since they are in second place, but that doesn’t mean much.  I think the bottom 2 will be between Melissa and Ty, but for both we’ve seen the power of fan votes.  I will be interested to see who does go home.

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 11th, 2009 at 9:04 pm and is filed under Dancing With The Stars.