Hey All :)
Welcome to week eight of season thirty-four of Dancing with the Stars. Tonight, we honor the artists and groups that have either been inducted or will be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Each couple will dance twice. Following their individual routines, everyone will compete in team dances to earn extra points.
Joining the judging panel tonight will be Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Flavor Flav. I don’t expected Mr. Flav to know much about ballroom dancing but he will be entertaining and speak his mind. We are in the home stretch folks. After tonight, only three episodes remain this season.
Last week, Halloween night featured some expected tricks and treats. At the top of the leaderboard once the dance marathon scores were added in was Alix Earle and Val. Andy Richter and Emma remained in their seemingly permanent spot at the bottom. Getting the boot however were Jen Affleck and Jan. With that, eight couples remain. And that includes Elaine Hendrix, who has been cleared to dance after her injury.
For tonight’s team dances, we will get live performances by two iconic groups- Chicago and Kool and the Gang. And in a team dance first, hosts Alfonso and Julianne will each participate in the fun. It’s a good thing one is a professional dancer and the other has won this show.
Your votes will be combined with the judges scores to determine which couple will be eliminated. Remember, VOTING begins at the top of the show and concludes after the final dance of the evening.
Alfonso and Julianne welcome us to the show and bring out our stars. And here comes Flavor Flav. His clock is a lot smaller than it used to be. Flav wants to see grace and smoothness. I’m sure he does. Elegance is exactly what I would imagine Flavor Flav wants to see in a ballroom dance.
Interesting. Whichever couple achieves the highest score at the end of tonight’s first round, they will win immunity from next week’s relay dances and receive extra points. So, a lot is up for grabs in this first round. Let’s get it started…
Dylan Efron & Daniella – Jive
Good lord @ Bruno in that music video for Elton John. Oh my. That was so much fun. Dylan is definitely one of the most improved overall contestants. I love Daniella’s choreography. She never skimps on the technical aspect of the dance but always gives Dylan something memorable and fun. The tribute to Bruno was cute. The kicks and flicks were decent, though a little more sharpness would have been appreciated. But it is hard to not watch that and smile at the very least.
Flav says that the dance was the proof from the floor to the roof. Whatever that means. Bruno wanted Dylan in his outfit from the music video. He tells him his feet were good and just missed one little pass. Carrie Ann noticed three moments where Dylan got a little messed up on the kicks and flicks. Derek wanted a little more energy.
Carrie Ann- 8, Derek- 9, Flav- 10, Bruno- 9 = 36/40
VOTE for Dylan & Daniella at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting DYLAN to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Alix Earle & Val – Paso Doble
I am not surprised at all that the show didn’t cover Alix’s mother very nasty comment about last week’s guest judge, Cheryl Burke. I won’t repeat it here but it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. But I must judge the dance and nothing else. And the dance was very good. I was worried Alix wouldn’t bring enough power to a paso but she did. Val gave her some very good paso steps that looked quite comfortable on her. The whole routine was strong and fierce.
Bruno calls Alix sexy as hell. He saw two predators challenging one another. Carrie Ann stands up and can’t even get the words out. She calls it strong and grounded and says Alix was in it to win it. Derek channels Bruno and calls it paso power. He was impressed. Flav mentions the unison of the two and the timing.
Carrie Ann- 10, Derek- 10, Flav- 9, Bruno- 10 = 39/40
VOTE for Alix & Val at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting ALIX to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Andy Richter & Emma – Contemporary
Oh lord. I mean, if you want to call that a contemporary dance, fine. But there was almost nothing there for Andy to do except walk around and occasional twirl with Emma. I get it. He doesn’t have any natural dancing ability and Emma was going for the emotion here. But we are less than a month away from crowning a winner. Are we really going to just say that was even remotely good enough? Even judging on a curve.
Carrie Ann calls it a beautiful tribute. She says Andy is teaching people who don’t know how to dance what it feels like to dance. Derek says dance is important and thanks Andy for embracing the process. Flav says they did a real good job out there. Bruno calls it charming and tender. He says Andy is just relatable.
Carrie Ann- 7, Derek- 7, Flav- 9, Bruno- 7 = 30/40
VOTE for Andy & Emma at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting ANDY to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
I am officially over Flav as a guest judge. He is pretty much useless. His scoring makes no sense and his critiques are not existent. I thought he would just be funny but it is actually irritating. Ugh.
Whitney Leavitt & Mark – Paso Doble
Nice! Whitney and Mark saw Alix and Val’s paso and said hold our beers. This was another strong routine that again, surprised me in how powerful the female was able to be to match the male. I absolutely loved the cape work and though the stuff they did in unison outside of hold was so on point and strong. This was very much the dance of the matador and it showed.
Derek says the ballroom is officially on fire. He loved how the routine was classic but still fresh. He says it was perfection. Flav compliments the moves and the timing. Bruno fells it was artistically exquisite. He says it was done perfectly. Carrie Ann says tonight is game on. She says she saw a few stumbles with Whitney’s feet. She wants to be fair and call it as she sees it.
Carrie Ann- 9, Derek- 10, Flav- 10, Bruno- 10 = 39/40
VOTE for Whitney & Mark at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting WHITNEY to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Apparently, next week’s big birthday bash has a guest judge so big that it will not be revealed until tomorrow morning on Good Morning America. Okay then. Any guesses?
Danielle Fishel & Pasha – Contemporary
Hmm. That didn’t really work for me. I got the idea of the dance and what they were trying to convey. But it just felt and looked like Pasha was throwing around a rag. I didn’t see much from Danielle except being a prop. And that is disappointing because she can do a lot more but this just fell a little flat for me. Also, enough with the smoke. The visibility was almost impossible at the beginning.
Flav calls it great and says he was looking at the unison. He really isn’t making much sense tonight. Bruno says something went wrong with timing but Danielle should be proud. Carrie Ann apologizes for her words from last week but she says she believes in her. She felt chills when watching that. Derek says everyone is rooting for Danielle but does feel the dance felt disjointed.
Carrie Ann- 9, Derek- 8, Flavl- 9, Bruno- 8 = 34/40
VOTE for Danielle & Pasha at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting Danielle to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Elaine Hendrix & Alan – Viennese Waltz
Much respect to Elaine. She has got to be in some pain but it didn’t show at all. She did those turns and that rise and fall and looked beautiful doing so. Her hold was really solid and it didn’t look as though Alan had to compromise at all on the choreography. It was an elegant and graceful piece and I am very impressed and happy that Elaine was able to come back after last week and continue on. Really good job.
Bruno welcomes Elaine back and calls it a sumptuous performance. He says she was like Charlize Theron. Okay. Carrie Ann says Elaine’s dancing is grounded in love and she feels so much when watching her. Derek calls her a breath of fresh air and says well done. Flav says she didn’t move like she was hurt and she healed up beautifully.
Carrie Ann- 9, Derek- 9, Flav- 10, Bruno- 9 = 37/40
VOTE for Elaine & Alan at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting ELAINE to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Jordan Chiles & Ezra – Jive
Now, that’s how you do an ode to Tina Turner. Probably my favorite overall dance tonight. Ezra took full advantage of Jordan’s gymnastic skills. And it paid off. Those tricks were so fun to watch. And even though this was one big Tina tribute, it still felt very fresh and very-Jordan if I can say that. Just one huge show of talent. It was pitch perfect from her and a whole lot of fun to watch. Compliments to Ezra on the choreography.
Carrie Ann says that was a risk that paid off. She calls her ballsy and sick. Derek. says the Queen of Rock and Roll and the Queen of the ballroom. He says he felt she did fantastic. Flav is thrilled. He calls her a warrior and he’s giving her a 55. Bruno calls it a spectacular display and it is good to see her wild side.
Carrie Ann- 10, Derek- 9, Flav- 10, Bruno- 9 = 38/40
VOTE for Jordan & Ezra at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting JORDAN to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
Robert Irwin & Witney – Paso Doble
Interesting that the three frontrunners (because they are) all got paso tonight and each one pretty much killed it. This was different because the male here was not a pro, it was Robert. But everything he did matched what I saw earlier from both Mark and Val. He had the shaping and the cape work and the sharp movements throughout. And he lead Witney beautifully. I especially enjoyed that solo work in the beginning. All the paso doble routines tonight were really top notch.
Derek calls Robert the matador and says he owned the arena. He appreciated the cape work. He mentions a slight hiccup. Flav calls Robert a new Fred Astaire. BIG COMPLIMENT there. Bruno says he was the thunder from down under. He loved the theatrical beginning. He calls it superb. Carrie Ann gives kudos to Witney and says Robert has momentum to carry him to the end. She does agree with Derek about a few wobbles but she says…who cares?
Carrie Ann- 9, Derek- 9, Flav- 10, Bruno- 10 = 38/40
VOTE for Robert & Witney at dwtsvote.abc.com and/or via texting ROBERT to 21523. Note- only US residents can vote using text method.
We get a little tour preview as we see which pros will be coming to a City near you to perform. You can go to dwtstour.com for tickets and more information. Mandy Moore choreographed that and she will of course be doing the choreography for the tour.
With the first round over, Whitney & Mark (thanks to the higher cumulative score for the season) will have immunity next week from the dance relays and receive 2 extra bonus points.
Team CHICAGO
Danielle & Pasha, Whitney & Mark, Jordan & Ezra, Dylan & Daniella with Alfonso Ribeiro with a special LIVE musical performance by CHICAGO
WOW. That was brilliant. We have seen some messes when it comes to team dances on this show in past seasons but that may have been the best team dance I have ever seen. Everyone brought it and totally contributed. It was a stellar idea conceived and brought fully to life by the entire team. So ins-sync, so much creativity… I can’t rave enough. That was a show.
Flav calls team Chicago the bomb. Bruno calls it slick and cool. Carrie Ann says it was so tight and clean. Derek says well done and compliments Alfonso.
Carrie Ann- 10, Derek- 10, Flav- 10, Bruno- 10 = 40/40
Team KOOL
Andy & Emma, Alix & Val, Robert & Witney, Elaine & Alan with Julianne Hough with a special LIVE musical performance by KOOL and the GANG
Well, that…. was something. Because Andy is there, the whole dance automatically has to be downgraded because he simply isn’t able to do what the others can. Now the dance itself was fun to watch but at moments, it sort of became a bit of a sloppy mess. But the main players held it together and Julianne did her best to ground the team. Each couple had a nice moment to shine but if we are comparing honestly, the first team dance was just perfection and this was… just good.
Bruno calls it fun and says it was a celebration of friendship. Carrie Ann calls it fun and enjoyable. She tries to say more but the audience begins to boo and so she shuts up. LOL. Derek says the other team was more tight but he loved the energy of this routine. Flav agrees with Derek.
Carrie Ann- 9, Derek- 10, Flav- 10, Bruno- 9 = 38/40
Judges Scores For Week 8 (Out Of 80 – 40 for Round 1, 40 for Round 2)
Whitney & Mark – 79
Jordan & Ezra – 78
Alix & Val – 77
Dylan & Daniella – 76
Robert & Witney – 76
Elaine & Alan – 75
Danielle & Pasha – 74
Andy & Emma – 68
ELIMINATION TIME!
It has been a full night of dancing with two rounds of competition. The leaderboard has been shaken up a bit and those votes from viewers are going to be very important in this upcoming elimination. Everyone wants to stick around for next week’s birthday celebration. Who will just miss out? Here we go…
The couples who are safe are– Alix & Val, Dylan & Daniella, Robert & Witney, Jordan & Ezra, Elaine & Alan, Whitney & Mark, and Andy & Emma.
Tonight’s eliminated couple is Danielle & Pasha.
SIGH. Danielle says the experience has meant everything to her and it has been life changing. Pasha calls Danielle her friend for life.
I don’t even know how to comment on this one. Are we just going to “Bobby Bones” Andy all the way to the finale? It might have been cute and heartwarming in the early weeks of the show but it isn’t fun at this point.
Watching better dancers get eliminated because we need to give props to Andy for being able to walk around the ballroom without falling and score him on a grading curve is insulting. I know… this is a popularity contest and I shouldn’t put so much energy into getting annoyed about the results but I can’t help it. It begins to feel like charity… ANYWAYS…………
Next week, we celebrate the show’s 20th birthday. Get ready for surprise returns and legends from the past two decades. The return of the relay dances with a special twist and a guest judge which will be announced tomorrow on GMA.
I really hope the show goes all out to celebrate with an episode that is fitting to honor this show’s history. It can be a frustrating watch at times and some of the choices for eliminations (and winners) over the years are questionable but it has also brought so much joy and water cooler moments to the television landscape. I’ll give more personal thoughts on this show next week before it airs because as usual, I have a lot to say.
I hope to see y’all next week and thanks for watching with me tonight! :)