Two dances, six celebrities on Dancing With The Stars
Tonight was the first week the contestants had to do two individual dances. Here’s my take on the night, in the order in which the dances were performed.
Marissa and Tony’s Tango. I’m not a big fan of the Tango, but I thought this one was really good. Marissa has really come into her own at the right time. Len said it was her best dance yet, and both Bruno and Carrie Ann thought it was great. They gave her a 27 out of 30 for this dance.
Cristian and Cheryl’s Viennese Waltz. I was kind of bored by the performance. It was nice but nothing special. The judges thought it was nice to watch but both Len and Carrie Ann thought something was missing. They got a score of 25 out of 30 for this dance.
Kristi and Mark’s Viennese Waltz. I loved this performance. I thought it was beautiful and romantic. Len didn’t like their beginning or the fact they used a prop (an umbrella), but Bruno and Carrie Ann thought the prop worked. Both of them, though, criticized her technique on some turns. Very difficult ones, I might add, ones you won’t see any of the other celebrities attempting for the most part. They ended up with a score of 26 out of 30.
Mario and Karina’s Foxtrot. I just didn’t care for the dance. I don’t know why, but I just didn’t like it. The judges said he was a pleasure to watch but that he lacked the elegance and posture that the Foxtrot requires. The judges gave him a score of 24 out of 30 for this dance.
Shannon and Derek’s Tango. As I mentioned before I don’t really care for the Tango, and this performance was no exception. The judges, on the other hand, loved her. Maybe they were afraid she’d bad mouth them again in her confessional. Carrie Ann said it was her best dance yet, by far. They got at 27 out of 30 for this dance.
Jason and Edyta’s Quickstep. This was one awesome performance. As a professional athlete I think Jason doesn’t like to lose. He was disappointed with the results last week so he came out tonight on fire. It was fun, it was entertaining and got a standing ovation. The judges loved it too, and he got a score of 29 out of 30.
Marissa and Tony’s Rumba. Marissa doesn’t have the typical dancer’s body, nor does she have a body typical of the other celebrities in the competition. She looks like a real woman. And I think tonight she did all us real women proud. She showed everyone that you don’t have to be a size zero to be beautiful and romantic and a bit sexy. The judges were kind of split on her performance – Carrie Ann said it gave her goosebumps but the men didn’t get the same reaction. She got a score of 25 out of 30 for this dance.
Cristian and Cheryl’s Samba. I was distracted by the dance and didn’t care for it. I was kind of half watching it when I saw Cristian get hurt. He said it was a pulled muscle in his arm, but it looked as if he was in so much pain. For being hurt he still tried to finish the routine and give Cheryl and hand as she got off the floor. He initially told Tom Bergeron he didn’t need a break before the judges’ comments but the good sense of the director intervened and they did go to commercial to get his arm checked out. The EMT’s said it was a severe muscle cramp. The judges said they would judge the routine up to the injury. They didn’t give him any comments on the dances, but with a score of 21 out of 30 you can tell they didn’t care for the routine.
Kristi and Mark’s Cha Cha Cha. Kristi was on fire after her first round scores. The dance was just great. Mark is an amazing dancer and choreographer. She got a standing ovation for this performance. The judges were split – Bruno and Carrie Ann loved it and both gave her a 10; cranky old Len gave her an 8, totaling 28 for the round.
Mario and Karina’s Mambo. There’s no question that Mario is a Latin dancer. This style just seems to suit him really well, and the judges all commented that he has the fire and passion that is needed to do the Latin dances well. He got 9’s across the board, for a total of 27 out of 30.
Shannon and Derek’s Mambo. I’ll give them credit, because they really took the judges’ critique from last name and put it back in their faces, literally. They complained about Shannon’s lack of hip action, so what did she do? She shook her hips right in their faces. They said it was a good job but she had to work more on her lines. They got a 24 out of 30.
Jason and Edyta’s Paso Doble. I was excited when I found out that Jason was doing the Paso, because this is probably my favorite dance. I was disappointed to hear the theme from Monday Night Football as the song they had to dance to. Poor Edyta – last season with Cameron Mathison it was the theme from Superman, and now this. She did a good job but I found the music just too distracting to really enjoy his performance. There was a lift in the dance near the end so they were penalized for that. They got a score of 26 out of 30 for this round.
I think that Cristian and Shannon are in trouble this week but of course I could be wrong. Def Leppard is the musical guest tomorrow night. Where did that one come from?
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