Hello all and welcome to November :D
We have arrived at Week eight of season seventeen of
Dancing with the Stars. Last week, Snooki and her partner Sasha were eliminated from the competition. I don’t believe she was the correct choice to go with Bill and Leah still in the competition as weaker dancers but this is after all, a show that is based somewhat on America’s votes, so it is what it is. I thought Snooki changed people’s perceptions of her and exited the show proving to be quite a good little dancer, but now we go forward with the final seven contestants. And boy do they have someone massive to impress this week…The iconic legend Cher will be on hand as both a guest judge (replacing Len Goodman) and as a special guest performer. That’s pretty exciting. It is a major “get” for the show to have someone of her caliber come on. She does have history of course with the show, as her son Chaz was a contestant a while back. In fact, Cher had some choice words for the judges, especially Bruno during that season, so it should be interesting to see if any playful banter comes out of that.
The couples are tasked twice this week- any unlearned dance plus dance-off’s for extra points from the judges. All of the dance routines will be performed to classic songs by Cher. In addition, after every individual routine is performed, the highest-scorer will receive immunity and avoid elimination for this week. The remaining six couples will then compete in pairs for the dance-off challenge. Ever since Tom announced it pre-season, I am wondering when the dreaded double elimination will take place. Will it be this week or will the show announce it in advance to get viewers to tune in? We shall see.
The competition is really divided into three solid categories at this point. We have the obvious contenders to the title (Amber, Elizabeth, and Corbin), the middle of the pack but still in it group (Brant and Jack) and the those barely hanging on at least when it comes to scoring (Leah and Bill). Will it be more of the same this week or will we see something major shake things up? It could very turn out to be another surprising elimination this week with the season finale less than a month away. Let’s get it going…
The show opens in mega fashion as Cher is brought down on a platform to perform one of her signature songs, “Believe” before being joined by the pros and troupe members. Suffice it to say, she looks and sounds amazing. Many celebrities in the audience including Chaz, Jennifer Lopez, the Osbourne family and more.
Individual round is up first. Remember- the highest scoring couple in this round will have immunity.
Corbin & Karina (dancing the Argentine Tango)
Corbin has had a tough week in terms of not being able to be at rehearsals as much as he wants due to other commitments. Karina, like Derek, is awesome at choreographing argentine tango routines. So much passion and intensity here. Lots of fantastic lifts that Corbin pulls off, though the one at the end was tricky and a little awkward. But the dancing here is awesome. I love the footwork and chemistry here and Karina looks amazingly stunning in this routine. It is very sexy and on point. I think Derek’s similar routine with Amber was a tad bit better but the entertainment and technique combined in this was fabulous.
Carrie Ann thought Corbin brought his A-game. She felt that Corbin’s footwork wasn’t as smooth as it could have been but she loved it. Bruno loved the performance and said it had so much depth. But tonight, some passes were not as clean as they usually are. Cher thought it was amazing.
Carrie Ann-9, Cher-9, Bruno-9, for a total of 27/30
To VOTE for Corbin & Karina, call 800-868-3406, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 7 votes per method allowed this week.
I hope this isn’t like the week Julianne Hough was around where all three judges give identical scores for everyone. There’s no fun in that. :P
Leah & Tony (dancing the Viennese Waltz)
Leah is happy Len is not around because it means Cher might look at the whole routine as opposed to whether or not the lift was on point. This is sweet. They are re-imagining the day Cher met Sonny and it is quite nice. Of course, some elements of the waltz are not as sharp as they should be (a bit of the footwork and in-hold stuff) but Leah has some nice fluidity going on. It isn’t a very difficult routine but kudos to Tony for choreographing to Leah’s strengths, the major one being her acting and performance value. This is just a very warm and fuzzy routine and I’m sure it took Cher back in time.
Bruno loved the sweet and innocence of it. He tells her to be careful in-hold with the body contact. He thought the side by side part though, was excellent. Carrie Ann thought it looked like Leah was having the time of her life but she does agree with Bruno. She thinks Leah got under the timing a bit. Cher was enthralled by the routine.
Carrie Ann-8, Cher-9, Bruno-8, for a total of 25/30
To VOTE for Leah & Tony, call 800-868-3411, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 7 votes per method allowed this week.
Oh good, different scoring but of course, Cher is going to be very kind tonight, as expected.
Brant & Peta (dancing the Foxtrot)
They visited the set of “Pretty Little Liars” before rehearsal. This is a jam packed routine. Peta seems to think Brant is a tad bit better than he is when she choreographs. Don’t get me wrong, he is good but she puts SO much into their routines. This is a very fast foxtrot with a lot of content involved. Brant is pulling most of it off well enough and has a big smile on his face. The chemistry, as always with these two, is perfect. I just wonder if putting so much in the routine for Brant to work on ends up hurting the whole package. I mean, they have only so much time to rehearse so it is rather difficult to make even a simple routine perfect, let alone one that has so many steps involved. But good on Brant for keeping up and always being game.
Carrie Ann says that Brant has star quality and has the most potential and growing week to week. She warns though that Brant needs to watch his lines and his knees from going in. Bruno loved the content and difficulty. He does agree with Carrie Ann that it needs some refining. Cher thought Brant had star quality and loved the chemistry with Peta.
Carrie Ann-9, Cher-9, Bruno-9, for a total of 27/30
To VOTE for Brant & Peta, call 800-868-3403, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 7 votes per method allowed this week.
Elizabeth & Val (dancing Jazz)
Elizabeth changed the song and so Val was overwhelmed to come up with new choreography. This is an odd routine- a fusion of sorts of jazz mixed with contemporary. I’m not quite sure it completely works for me. Elizabeth is definitely in it with her intensity. She has lots of fierce solo action going on, which is always a delight to see. I just think the dance itself doesn’t come together totally. Val may have really tried a bit much with this one. In addition, Elizabeth is actually a bit off musically (which is odd for her). This just isn’t the best we have seen Elizabeth dance. Put it this way- I think it sounded better on paper than in execution.
Cher thought it was great and rough. HA. Cher cursed and was bleeped. No clue what she said. Bruno compared it to “The Hunger Games“. Bruno mentions that because of the intensity that Elizabeth missed some of the musical cues. Carrie Ann thought Elizabeth was rather one-dimensional in the dance and it lost a bit of impact.
Carrie Ann-8, Cher-9, Bruno-8, for a total of 25/30
To VOTE for Elizabeth & Val, call 800-868-3405, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 7 votes per method allowed this week.
Bill & Emma (dancing Disco)
So, Bill really wanted to do disco, huh? He is completely into this. Unfortunately, at least to me, it looks like a drunk father who got up at his daughter’s wedding at did a disco routine. The lifts are okay, though you keep hoping that Emma isn’t going to end up flat on her face. Come on, Bill is highly entertaining and fun but so much of this is a hot mess. A disco routine is supposed to be fun but certain technical stuff still applies and Bill misses most of it. Without a doubt, he is having the time of his life. I’m not sure what else to say about it. LOL.
Bruno thought it was so funny. He thought the spirit was going. Carrie Ann calls Bill the Mayor of the show. She says that Bill was off the beat but she still loved it. Cher was amazed by the lifts.
Carrie Ann-8, Cher-8, Bruno-8, for a total of 24/30
To VOTE for Bill & Emma, call 800-868-3409, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 7 votes per method allowed this week.
Jack & Cheryl (dancing the Tango)
Jack and Cheryl are both intimidated by dancing in front of Cher. Jack is doing very well with this tango. He has such an intense expression on his face while in-hold. LOL. But it works for the tango. Some nice and fancy footwork here. Jack is keeping his posture excellently. Good on him for doing it correctly. Cheryl is another choreographer who rarely goes wrong with giving her partner good stuff to do and this is no different. I don’t know the voting is going with the fans but both Jack and Brant (the two middle of the pack males when you consider Corbin) are neck and neck tonight in their routines. Good job!
Carrie Ann says Jack is so confident and is smooth and in control. There was one thing Jack missed that Carrie Ann pointed out but she loved it. Cher thought Jack looked like a pimp out there. Bruno agrees that the dance is about the pimp and the hooker and this was a proper and classic tango.
Carrie Ann-9, Cher-9, Bruno-9, for a total of 27/30
To VOTE for Jack & Cheryl, call 800-868-3402, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 7 votes per method allowed this week.
Amber & Derek (dancing the Rumba)
Amber continues to have knee issues so Derek brought in Witney to let Amber watch since she is a very good at visual rehearsal. Wow. My eyes are just on Derek here, to be honest. Yes, Amber is bringing the sexy and I see no glaring issues but Derek is like a rumba king here. Those hips are working overtime. This isn’t a perfect rumba and we have seen better (not routines tonight per say but rumba routines in past seasons) but it definitely is one people will remember. I mean, Derek is shirtless and Amber is bringing all of her sexiness out. Once again, being a performer and actress goes a very long way into enhancing a routine. This might be enough to earn a better score and break the current three-way-tie though for me, I personally think it deserves a 27.
Cher thought it was sexy and loved it. Bruno thought Amber took control of the rumba and he bought it big time. Carrie Ann felt it wasn’t her best dance and she could push herself a bit more. She found it safe and she wants more.
Carrie Ann-9, Cher-9, Bruno-10, for a total of 28/30
To VOTE for Amber & Derek, call 800-868-3407, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 7 votes per method allowed this week.
So, thanks to Bruno- Amber and Derek have the highest score and do not have to do the dance-off and are SAFE for next week.
Cher is back to perform her new single “I Hope You Find It.” This is a nice song. Uplifting and powerful and some nice contemporary dancing accompanies Cher here thanks to Tony and Tyne.
Dance-off round…
Amber and Derek are immune. One couple picks who to face off against and the other couple picks the dance style. The choices are cha-cha-cha, disco, and rumba. Val, like in a past season, wants to face someone major instead of someone easy. The winning couple in each dance-off gets 3 points.
Corbin And Karina pick Val And Elizabeth. Val And Elizabeth pick cha-cha-cha.
Corbin and Karina are up first. Good cha-cha-cha although Corbin has a few timing issues at the very beginning. Overall, a success. Elizabeth and Val take the floor and this is a bit better though it doesn’t have as much content as Corbin and Karina. This is going to be difficult. Both had some pros and cons.
Carrie Ann says it is going to be tough. Bruno compares it to being in Vegas and he doesn’t know how he is going to roll. Cher finds it fascinating how different people interpret the same idea.
Carrie Ann picks Corbin And Karina.
Cher pics Corbin And Karina.
Bruno picks Corbin And Karina.
Brant And Peta pick Leah And Tony. Leah And Tony pick rumba.
Brant and Peta are up first. A nice rumba. One or two missteps by Brant with the timing but nothing major. Leah and Tony go next. Leah has less content here than Brant. I think Brant and Peta won.
Bruno loves when Brant goes into the latin moves and thinks Leah gets sexier and sexier. Carrie Ann thinks Brant needed a bit more hip action and Leah was doing well. Cher was enthralled with both and finds it tough.
Carrie Ann picks Leah And Tony.
Cher picks Leah And Tony.
Bruno picks Brant And Peta.
Wow, a surprising win for Leah and Tony over Brant and Peta. Could those 3 points added to Leah’s score help her escape elimination and perhaps cause Brant to be eliminated?
Jack And Cheryl by default, are up against Bill And Emma.
Jack and Cheryl go first. Everything is going well here except for the fact that Cheryl and Jack are not exactly in-sync when dancing side-by-side. But everything else looks good. Bill and Emma are up next. Bill is basically repeating his earlier routine, though it was better earlier. I think Jack and Cheryl won.
Carrie Ann was surprised by Jack. She noted Bill just did a disco. Cher was LOL at how Bill just tossed Emma and left her. Bruno thought Jack turned disco into dirty dancing.
Carrie Ann picks Jack And Cheryl.
Cher picks Jack And Cheryl.
Bruno picks Jack And Cheryl.
Week 8 Judges’ Leaderboard:
Amber & Derek- 28/30 (SAFE WITH IMMUNITY)
—
* 33 because in addition to the individual routines, 3 points were up for grabs in the dance-offs.
Corbin & Karina- 30/33
Jack & Cheryl- 30/33
Leah & Tony- 28/33
Brant & Peta- 27/33
Elizabeth & Val- 25/33
Bill & Emma- 24/33
Tom asks Bill to read the teleprompter. Guess what? Bill And Emma are SAFE! Yep. Bill obviously has a huge fanbase and they aren’t letting up.
Results coming up…
Elizabeth And Val are SAFE!
Corbin And Karina are SAFE!
Leah And Tony are SAFE!
Not exactly the bottom two (mhm), who will be eliminated out of Jack and Cheryl and Brant and Peta?
On this 8th week of competition, the couple eliminated is…
Brant And Peta.
BOO! Not the right results for the second week in a row. Bill and Leah are both inferior dances and deserved the boot before Brant. You could make a case for Jack and everyone else but that’s about it. Brant and Peta are emotionally upset but thankful for everything. This is sad. Yet another case where having a fanbase and being well known always helps out in the audience portion of the voting.
I hope you guys had fun during Cher night. It was pretty action packed with dancing and POLLS will go up in a new post in a few minutes. :D
