Welcome to week three of season twenty-two of Dancing with the Stars, also known this go around as “Most Memorable Year.” Yep, you know the drill. Expect lots of emotional backstories, tears, and tales of love and loss. In the past, this is one the weeks where some stars are able to shine brightest, drawing on true life experiences in their dances. Seven different dance styles will be represented tonight, ranging from contemporary to waltz. At the end of the night, a second couple will be eliminated from the competition. Let’s take a look at last week’s poll results.
32% of you picked Nyle & Peta as your favorite partnership, with Wanya & Lindsay a close second with 26%. The rest are in single digits. For favorite routine, 35% of you went with Wanya & Lindsay and their salsa. 21% enjoyed the salsa from Paige & Alan (stepping in for Mark). Also in double digits was Nyle & Peta with their rumba at 20% and Jodie & Keo at 10% for the samba. An overwhelming 78% disliked Mischa & Artem and their take on the cha-cha-cha. Also in overwhelming fashion, 93% agreed with last week’s elimination of Geraldo & Edyta. Episode two ranked below the premiere for you guys, with an average grade of B-/B. Now, turning our attention to tonight’s boot…
90% of you feel it is the end of the road for Mischa & Artem and just like last week, I have to agree. The more interesting question is who may join them in jeopardy (if the announced jeopardy couples are legit and not done for the sake of drama). The show could put someone in jeopardy to get their fans to vote harder, or they could do it by the book this week. I have a sneeking suspicion we could see one of the football players (in addition to Doug) end up in the bottom. They might be spliting some votes and since neither are really hitting it out of the park, a bottom apperance wouldn’t surprise me.
Some of the other big questions this week are the health of Mark Ballas and whether he will be dancing with Paige as well as seeing if someone like Nyle can move back up the leaderboard after faltering somewhat last week. Will anyone break away from the middle of the pack? And can anyone who dwells toward the bottom make a case to survive beyond next week? Get those tissues handy because emotions are about to run sky high as “Most Memorable Year” begins…
Here come the couples. Mark is with Paige! Wow, many gorgeous outfits tonight on the ladies. The costume department really did some work this week. No opening number this week. Time to get right into the dancing.
Ginger & Val – Contemporary
Ginger’s year is 2013. That’s when she had her first date with her husband, where they kissed for the time, and where they got engaged. Ginger talks about her career and her family, with a nice message from her husband, Ben. A nice and elegant contemporary piece. Nothing too abstract or surprising here. We’ve seen this type of routine done many times before (the lifts, the movements, etc…) but Ginger is able to bring a nice humility and sweetness to it that I’m sure resonates with viewers at home. I am still waiting for Val to really challenge Ginger in the choreography department.
Len wanted a bit more fluidity but he loved the marriage between music and movement. Bruno calls it well pitched and well played with a clear emotional story. He compliments Ginger’s ability to act. He agrees with Len though about the extensions. Carrie Ann thought the joy was contagious and it was beautiful.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 7
Bruno- 7
Total: 21/30
You can vote for Ginger & Val by calling 1-800-868-3404 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Ginger & Val’s Contemporary VIDEO
*Ginger’s husband and baby are out during the score reveal and the baby is hysterical. Ginger’s husband says it is because he is still pissed Geraldo is out. LOL.
Doug & Karina – Waltz
Doug’s year is 2015. His father passed away. And his mother passed away the same day. Wow. He is dancing a song dedicated to both of them. It seems his mother died of a broken heart. Oh wow, Doug got Andra Day performing the song live as he dances. Well, this is a tough one to judge. It is really hard to separate the backstory and what the dance means to the dancer from the actual dancing. I kind of wish I didn’t watch the initial package. It was an okay waltz that had a few issues. Doug was awkward at times, had a few stumbles (one at the end nearly had him falling), and his foot placement needed work. That’s the technical part of it. The emotional side was pitch perfect. A tough one but at the end of the day, we must critique the actual dancing.
Bruno says Doug’s parents are right there with him. Bruno wanted more fluidity. Carrie Ann (almost in tears) says this is how Doug’s parents live on. She gives bonus points for ripping her heart out. She calls it a simple routine. Len says it was unstable at times but had elegance and style.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 6
Bruno- 7
Total: 20/30
You can vote for Doug & Karina by calling 1-800-868-3402 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Doug and Karina’s Waltz VIDEO
Kim & Sasha – Foxtrot
Kim’s year is 1976. She booked her very first gig- a commercial. Janet Jackson was even at the audition. It eventually led to “The Facts Of Life.” Charlotte Rae (yes, from the show) speaks a bit. Kim feels this is like a big thank you note to the fans. Fun! This is arguable Kim’s best dance from a technical standpoint. It is a really good foxtrot with some nice rise and fall, good posture, and very cute and appropriate choreography from Sasha. I’m sure Kim brought smiles to a lot of viewers faces with that considering the song and the memories.
Carrie Ann thinks Kim and Sasha dance perfectly together. Len liked that the dance was smooth and tasty, with no messing about. Bruno says Kim got the fun of it all. He liked the foxtrot content. He mentions her shoulders and how it looks like a turtle when Kim’s shoulders go up.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 7
Bruno- 7
Total: 22/30
You can vote for Kim & Sasha by calling 1-800-868-3406 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern).
*The Switch-Up is back on April 18th. You can vote on facebook or twitter to switch up the celebs and pros and you can head to ABC.COM for details on how it all works. – Click to Watch Kim & Sasha’s Foxtrot VIDEO
Von & Witney – Contemporary
Von’s year is 2016 because, well…he won the Super Bowl. Von’s dad didn’t want him to play football. But his mother let him and kept it a big secret. Of course, his dad approves now. The song this week is the song Von listens to before each and every game. Well, alright. So, Ginger and Val had the better of the two contemporary routines tonight. Witney did the majority of this with Von basically acting doing the lifts and not a whole lot else. He had some typical contemporary steps but looked just a bit awkward doing them, The height difference between the two hurt them here. And perhaps Witney needed to really study some previous routines to determine the best way to tackle this.
Len feels Von gives it 100%. He calls it charming. Bruno gets all flirty with Von, which is rather weird as usual. Von looks uncomfortable. Bruno wants Von to work on his turns a bit because he is so big. This is getting raunchy here. Carrie Ann thinks Von has more potential than he is giving. She thinks Von wasn’t in the level he could be at.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 6
Bruno- 7
Total: 20/30
You can vote for Von & Witney by calling 1-800-868-3411 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Von and Witney’s Contemporary VIDEO
Marla & Tony – Jive
Marla’s year is 1993. The year she gave birth to her daughter. Marla mentions that in 2000, when she divorced Donald, it was a bit challenging. Her daughter is at rehearsal and is very excited to see her mother perform. See Tony? Challenging Marla a bit more than you have was a step in the right direction. This was my favorite Marla routine. Nice kicks and flicks, good character, fun, lots of energy, and a heck of a lot of content. Sure, could some of it have been sharper? Yes. But all in all, this is the direction Marla has to go in. She doesn’t need to dance safe and careful. She can do it.
Bruno praises that it was a proper jive. He wants her to be careful of timing and not to go flat footed. Carrie Ann calls Marla bright. She mentions the content. She mentions a little mistake at the top. Len is happy. Tony goes to give him a kiss.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 7
Bruno- 7
Total: 21/30
You can vote for Marla & Tony by calling 1-800-868-3407 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Marla & Tony’s Jive VIDEO
*Zendaya is back next week as a guest judge for Disney Night.
Antonio & Sharna – Foxtrot
Antonio’s year is 2007. He was a freshman in College and his son was born. Antonio says football will come and go but his family will last forever. His son is actually dancing in the number. Alright, so his son isn’t really in the number. A bit at the beginning a few bars at the end. Cute idea though. I don’t think this was Antonio’s breakout dance that I was mentioning int he power list he needs to do but it was better than what he has done. He finally had some choreography behind him that allowed us to see the potential of a very strong dancer. Some nice rise and fall, decent posture, and he seemed to be enjoying himself. This is a step in the right direction.
Carrie Ann gives the kid a 10. LOL. She saw more refinement in the dance. She wants Antonio to watch his hands though. Len disagrees. He didn’t see enough refinement. He thought it was a competent performance. Bruno calls Antonio Jr the secret weapon. He thought the complexity of the steps was high but Antonio starts to skip.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 6
Bruno- 7
Total: 20/30
You can vote for Antonio & Sharna by calling 1-800-868-3401 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Antonio & Sharna’s Foxtrot VIDEO
Paige & Mark – Paso Doble
Paige’s year is 2014- the year of her first UFC fight. She was bullied a lot. She found fighting. And it totally worked for her. Alan is helping out at rehearsal but Mark will be dancing tonight. They are in a built in octagon. For those that don’t know, that’s what the UFC fighters fight in. This is very smart choreography from Mark for a few reasons. One, it totally captures who Paige is- athletic, strong, and vibrant. Two, it stands out. That what Paige needs to do to get votes. And three, it totally mixed elements of a proper paso doble with some nice modern steps. A really strong routine danced very well.
Len loves the choreography IF it was contemporary but didn’t think it was a paso doble. Bruno really enjoyed it. Bruno thinks Mark has a winner on his hands. Carrie Ann calls it bad ass. She totally disagrees with Len. She loved it.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 7
Bruno- 8
Total: 23/30
You can vote for Paige & Mark by calling 1-800-868-3410 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Paige & Mark’s Paso Doble VIDEO
Jodie & Keo – Foxtrot
Jodie’s year is 2016. She talks about how when the show wrapped the first time, it was a big shift in her life. Drugs and alcohol numbed everything. Jodie has been sober for five years now. Some of her Full House cast members talk. Now that the show is back, Jodie feels as though it is a gift. Andra Day is back to perform. Even though Jodie is an actress, I don’t feel like this routine needs much in the way of getting into character. This is Jodie’s life and you can tell how much it means to her. This is sort of a contemporary foxtrot if you will. Will Len complain about it? I don’t know. But I did think it was nice to see Jodie finally get the opportunity to do something really special. Keo finally came though for her with a dance suited to her backstory that showed her off. Good job!
Bruno compliments Andra’s vocals and says that it gave Jodie her best performance. Carrie Ann thought the performance came from Jodie and was the dance of the night. Len felt it was portrayed well. The elements in hold were terrific but the end lost a bit of the foxtrot feel. He thought she did a wonderful job though.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 7
Bruno- 8
Total: 23/30
You can vote for Jodie & Keo by calling 1-800-868-3405 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Jodie & Keo’s Foxtrot VIDEO
Mischa & Artem – Samba
Mischa’s year is 2008. Oh. Bad moments last week between Mischa and Artem. She doesn’t want to deal with all this and Artem feels she is already in a mindset of not wanting to be there. Mischa left the show she was on and went to England. Artem says Mischa is determined this week to show she wants to be here and can do this. Okay. So, Mischa improves. By a lot? No. She does the dance and while there aren’t any glaring over the top errors, all of it is just a bit careful and a bit lazy looking. This is a samba. It is supposed to be a big party. This was more of what happens at the party winds down. But props to Mischa for at least improving on the last two weeks. If she doesn’t go home tonight, will this be enough to save her through next week? I don’t believe so.
Carrie Ann thinks the show is having profound effect on Mischa. She saw the breakthrough but wants the musicality improved. Len says it was more fun and it was her best dance. Bruno says Mischa was more relaxed and engaged but timing isn’t Mischa’s strong suit.
Carrie Ann- 6
Len- 6
Bruno- 6
Total: 18/30
You can vote for Mischa & Artem by calling 1-800-868-3408 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Mischa & Artem’s Samba VIDEO
Wanya & Lindsay – Waltz
Wanya’s year is 1996. There was a terrorist attack at the Olympics that year. Wanya performed with the group that year and it was really special. Lindsay notes how this will be different from what Wanya is used to so far on the show. Oh. The National Anthem. Smart (very smart) choice. Nice! Elegant, flowing, graceful. Between the music, the red, white, and blue flowing in the back, and the dance itself- this was a very skillfully put together routine by Lindsay. But that’s not to take anything away from Wanya. He delivered. My only critique would be that in hold, and only a bit, his posture could have been better. But it was so small an issue that in the grand scheme of things, it won’t matter. Wanya is so far three for three on this show.
Len says the posture was lost on occasions. But he thinks Wanya has such fluid movement. He thinks Wanya is great. Bruno thought it was a stellar performance. He does think that when emotions are involved, you get overexcited and little mistakes come to light. Carrie Ann loved the musicality.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 8
Total: 24/30
You can vote for Wanya & Lindsay by calling 1-800-868-3412 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Wanya & Lindsay’s Waltz VIDEO
Nyle & Peta – Tango
Nyle’s year is 2012. Nyle traveled the world. He was born into a deaf family four generations back. He needed to get away and find himself. Peta was not happy with Carrie Ann’s musicality comment. She doesn’t think that’s fair. Nyle is positive though in rehearsal- wants to move on and keep it up. Nyle doesn’t expect the judges to take it easy on him. Such strong movements. Perfect for a tango. Wonderful staccato steps. I can’t even fathom how this dude is able to do this without hearing this song. The tango depends so much on hitting the steps at certain beats. Kudos to Peta for once again choreographing and being a truly exceptional teacher. Nyle can stand to improve that posture a bit in hold. Similar to Wanya in that respect. He just has to be careful that the butt doesn’t stick out too much and that he doesn’t lose that top line. But overall, this was a really solid tango and I assume the judges will like it more than they did the rumba last week.
Carrie Ann talks about her comments from last week. She thought tonight was brilliant. She calls Nyle better than Superman. Bruno says that was what he was waiting for. He says it has passion and belief. Len mentions some frame was lost on occasion due to the speed. He probably would have liked some stillness in the dance. But he says Nyle is proof anyone can do anything if they want to.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 9
Total: 25/30
You can vote for Nyle & Peta by calling 1-800-868-3409 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Nyla & Peta’s Tango VIDEO
Tom informs Nyle he is safe. But for everyone else, let’s see. It is time for results.
Doug & Karina are in jeopardy.
Nischa & Artem are in jeopardy.
Jodie & Keo are in jeopardy. (Hmm. I don’t quite know if I believe that one. A way to earn some votes? Maybe)
And the couple going home is…
Mischa & Artem
Mischa seems a bit relieved. Mischa says she had a good time and is glad she was on the show. She notes it was a wonderful experience. Honestly, you can so tell she was ready to go. This show just wasn’t for her. It showed in everything she did. – Click to Watch Mischa and Artem’s Elimination VIDEO
Judge Leaderboard Following Week 3 Dances (Out of a possible 30)
Nyle & Peta – 25/30
Wanya & Lindsay – 24/30
Jodie & Keo – 23/30
Paige & Mark – 23/30
Kim & Sasha – 22/30
Marla & Tony – 21/30
Ginger & Val – 21/30
Doug & Karina – 20/30
Von & Witney – 20/30
Antonio & Sharna – 20/30
Mischa & Artem – 18/30
With that, “Most Memorable Year” comes to a close. Surprisingly, I found it a bit less emotional than in year’s past. I only teared up two or three times. LOL. In seriousness though, it was a nice night where the celebs got to share their personal stories. Feel free to sound off in the comments and stay tuned because a new POLL thread is moments away from being posted. I thank you all for watching with me tonight and hope you have a great week. Disney night next week and the Switch-Up returns in two weeks!