Dancing with the Stars - Season 16

Welcome to week 3 of season sixteen of Dancing with the Stars. After last week’s surprising result show where Dorothy Hamill had to withdraw from the competition due to injury, we welcome back all the couples, including those that were in danger of potentially going home. That’s right, regardless of how you voted, Victor & Lindsay and Lisa & Gleb (the bottom two) have received yet another chance in the ballroom. Will they make the most of it or is their time to go quickly approaching? And what about D.L.? After two very lackluster dances, the comedian wasn’t even in danger. Will he able to improve this week and show his supporters that they were right in voting for him? It should also be fun to see if any of the middle of the pack couples can surge ahead and if the current high scorers can keep their spots.

Tonight is one of those themed night’s we all have come to expect from this show. It is being labeled as “prom week” and we are promised some memorable routines with classic songs and decked out prom clothing. It could be sweet and memorable, yet it could also be quite a snooze if every dance is something special and touching. Let’s hope for some variety. All the couples are tasked with performing any unlearned dance, so expect everything tonight from Cha-cha-cha to Salsa. You get eleven votes per phone, text, and email and voting has been extended to social media (facebook) as well. So, let’s put on those gowns, tuxedos, and corsages and go to prom! :D

Before we begin, all eleven couples take to the floor to dance. In a twist, fans can tweet the name of the male and female star they love the most and the male star will be named “Prom King” and the female star will be named “Prom Queen.” This voting will go down on Twitter until tomorrow morning. Let me just say, this was a lot of fun but technically, it was mostly a mess. Some of the solo routines were really bad. But a few stars (Zendaya and Jacoby for instance) were strong. Overall, this is one of the routines we are used to seeing late in the season when the groups get together and while it is entertaining, it usually falls apart in many places. But the theme is prom, so everyone is in the “gymnasium” if you will to dance. It will be fun to see who garners the most votes from the audience because TWO points will be added to the score of the Prom King and Queen.

Aly Raisman (Olympic gold medal gymnast) & Mark Ballas – (Vinnese Waltz)
Is this a Viennese Waltz or contemporary? Oh Mark. Anyways, after a few seconds, it gets into the actual dance. It is a lovely waltz. Some great movement by Aly and nice elegance. Mark choreographed the waltz part of the routine well and the two are gliding nicely together on the floor. However, once again, I still don’t feel connected to Aly while she dances. I don’t know what it is. It could be her lack of emotion or something else but whenever she dances, I love the technical aspect of it but it doesn’t make me feel much. Regardless, no denying it was a strong Viennese Waltz.

Len wasn’t impressed by Aly tonight. April Fools… Nice fake out from Len. Bruno said we were all swept away in a world of romance. He was impressed by Aly’s expressions. He wants her back frame worked on though. Carrie Ann loves her movement quality but wants her to work on staying in the character. She wants to see Aly stay in it more, not come in and out of it.
Carrie Ann- 7 Len- 8 Bruno- 8 for a total of 23/30
To vote for Aly & Mark, call 1800-868-3408. You can also text “VOTE” to 3408. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.

Andy Dick (Comedian and actor) & Sharna Burgess – (Cha-cha-cha)
Oh boy. Alright, once again, we have the entertainment factor here but not the dancing. Andy attempts a few legit Cha-cha-cha moves but doesn’t really pull them off. Because he can’t dance as well as the others, he is going to go for the jokes and charm as much as he can. I applaud him for trying though as he clearly wants to improve. I’m just not sure it is possible. I wish Sharna would push him a bit more to try and move away from the comedy and really attempt to hit his spots during the dance. For example, they could have worked on the actual Cha-cha-cha steps instead of playing up the characters so much for the audience. Being funny and a possible fan favorite will only get Andy so far in the competition before the audience gets tired of it.

Bruno is glad Andy let it all hang out. He tells him the timing and placement was off but entertainment was on. Carrie Ann compliments Sharna and says Andy is keeping up. She loves that Andy tries. But of course she mentions that Andy needs to work. Len compares him to a sneeze, saying you know it coming but there’s nothing you can do about it. He says Andy isn’t a great dancer but he does make him feel good.
Carrie Ann- 6 Len- 6 Bruno- 6 for a total of 18/30
To vote for Andy & Sharna, call 1800-868-3411. You can also text “VOTE” to 3411. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.

Ingo Rademacher (Soap opera actor) & Kym Johnson – (Paso Doble)
Kym is great with choreography and always brings it. I am enjoying the passion that Ingo is bringing to a dance that clearly requires it. However, he is a tad awkward. It is definitely the Paso Doble type look that he needs but something in his body seems off. It could be some odd positioning of his arms and feet but it reminds me of someone going over the top to look mean because the dance calls for it. I guess being an actor helps Ingo get into character but I wish it looked more natural. The two had a nice moment of being in-sync when they weren’t together in hold, which was nice to see. This is definitely a serviceable routine but nothing to go nuts about.

Carrie Ann liked the power and aggression. But she thinks Ingo’s core is weak, so his posture is weak. She wants him to work harder. Len enjoyed the attack but mentioned a few things that need work. Bruno thought Ingo was a bit too aggressive and thinks Ingo needs to refine things a bit.
Carrie Ann- 7 Len- 7 Bruno- 7 for a total of 21/30
To vote for Ingo & Kym, call 1800-868-3403. You can also text “VOTE” to 3403. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.

Lisa Vanderpump (Reality television star) & Gleb Savchenko (Viennese Waltz)
A much better performance this week from Lisa. This type of dance suits her because she can be slow and elegant. A few errors here and there, which could be fixed with more practice and some refinement. Lisa obviously does better when she has a character type dance like this as opposed to a fast ballroom routine. It was nice and flowed well, minus a few moments where Lisa lost her control. Out of the three dances she has done, this was her best

Len thought it was nice, light, and breezy. She needs to work on her posture and feet. He is glad they weren’t in hold much because in hold, it wasn’t very good. But he enjoyed the feel of it if not so much the dancing. Bruno thought she was much more at ease and this was much better but warns her that she misses passes and begins to deflate. Carrie Ann loves watching the two of them. She mentions that she will give her the same comment she gave Aly, to stay in character throughout.
Carrie Ann- 7 Len- 7 Bruno- 7 for a total of 21/30
To vote for Lisa & Gleb, call 1800-868-3404. You can also text “VOTE” to 3404. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.

Kellie Pickler (Country music singer) & Derek Hough – (Jive)
Wow. Kellie is doing a ferociously awesome Jive. The kicks and flicks are fantastic. Derek is doing a bit of Mark Ballas mugging for the camera but Kellie is totally keeping up with him. She is in it with the dance and the character. Just a moment or two where she slipped a bit and got out of the dance but it was nothing to talk about. For a week three Jive, this was really fantastic. Zendaya did the Jive last week and was fantastic and Kellie has answered back with a great routine of her own.

Bruno said there was nothing loose about that performance. He compliments everything. Carrie Ann called it ridiculously amazing. She says every once in a while, Kellie’s knees get a little stiff but she loved it. Len officially calls Kellie the queen of the prom. He loved it too.
Carrie Ann- 8 Len- 9 Bruno- 8 for a total of 25/30
To vote for Kellie & Derek, call 1800-868-3401. You can also text “VOTE” to 3401. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.

Victor Ortiz (Professional boxer) & Lindsay Arnold – (Contemporary)
Dang, Victor improved. Much like Lisa, this is Victor’s best dance so far. Contemporary fits him well. Lindsay should know how to choreograph this type of dance from her season of SYTYCD, so I expected to see some of the usual contemporary elements. And I did. And Victor did them well. The lifts were nice. And both had a connection and told a story. You can tell that Victor is happy he got this dance because it covers up his lack of actual dance technique you would need in a traditional ballroom routine. But I must give him his due on this one!

Carrie Ann calls Victor a dancer. She complimented the chemistry and the movement. She loved it. Len was hoping for the best and expecting the worst. He was pleasantly surprised though. He wants Victor to work on dance a little more but his best dance so far. Bruno calls him strong, gentle, caring, and sentimental. He said he made his partner proud.
Carrie Ann- 8 Len- 7 Bruno- 8 for a total of 23/30
To vote for Victor & Lindsay, call 1800-868-3402. You can also text “VOTE” to 3402. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.

D.L. Hughley (Comedian and actor) & Cheryl Burke – (Salsa)
…And we are back to D.L. being pretty awful. Alright, so he has the character down a bit but this really isn’t a Salsa routine. Cheryl is attempting to choreograph around D.L.’s limitations. She does a whole lot dancing herself and puts in easy moves that D.L. can pull off. Unfortunately, he doesn’t pull them off well and the fact that this was about as far from a Salsa as you can get, I am disappointed. It felt like D.L. was every so slowly attempting a comeback last week but this wasn’t very good. He might get the votes once again and be safe but the two couples who were in the bottom last week (Lisa and Victor) out-danced him tonight. Keep practicing, D.L. The question is, does he have the capabilities to get better?

Len admires his spirit but it wasn’t a Salsa. No rhythm, hip action, or passing. Bruno tells D.L. he appreciates the effort but tells him it looked like hip replacement. Carrie Ann says D.L. is making baby steps and sees the improvement. She tells him to work on his musicality.
Carrie Ann-6 Len- 5 Bruno- 5 for a total of 16/30
To vote for D.L. & Cheryl, call 1800-868-3405. You can also text “VOTE” to 3405. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.

Jacoby Jones (NFL wide receiver) & Karina Smirnoff – (Rumba)
Oh. Jacoby bring the sex out for this. Nice. He and Karina are really heating up the floor. I love the classic Rumba moves that Jacoby is doing. His hips are working, his lines are good, and he is totally connected to Karina here. I am really impressed by how well Jacoby has got the tone of the dance down. The Rumba is easy to consider boring because it is a whole lot of slow moving around but the intricacies and connection is what makes it work. And both Jacoby and Karina nailed that here. Good job!

Bruno says Jacoby was smoldering. He loved it. He tells him to just watch his foot placement. Carrie Ann is impressed by Jacoby’s artistry. He feels the music and she got pulled into it. Len is shocked because he knew Jacoby could do goofy stuff but this was refined.
Carrie Ann- 8 Len- 8 Bruno- 8 for a total of 24/30
To vote for Jacoby & Karina, call 1800-868-3412. You can also text “VOTE” to 3412. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.

Wynonna Judd (Country music singer) & Tony Dovolani – (Samba)
Oy. Last week, it was a “slow-step” for Wynonna and this week, it is a slow Samba. I don’t get it. The routine has so many things going for it (substance, style, costumes) but the dancing is just weak. At times during the routine, Wynonna isn’t even dancing. She is basically just walking around and moving her feet from side to side. This is unfortunate. As has been the case for the last two dances, Wynonna needs to let loose finally and practice as hard as she can. Maybe like some of the others, this is as good as we are going to get.

Carrie Ann says she asked for wild but it was more like a whisper. She just didn’t see it go up a notch. Len says she is like Mount Rushmore. She looks great but she doesn’t move. Bruno felt it was sedated. He wants Wynonna to hit it hard.
Carrie Ann- 5 Len- 5 Bruno- 5 for a total of 15/30
To vote for Wynonna & Tony, call 1800-868-3410. You can also text “VOTE” to 3410. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.

Sean Lowe (Reality television star) & Peta Murgatroyd (Cha-cha-cha)
The troupe is out to help out. I’m not sure if it is because this is a YMCA routine or because they need to take some attention away from Sean’s lack of great dancing. I’m being harsh. This isn’t horrible. Sean is trying his hardest and he definitely gives the moves and routine his all. His problem is just that he doesn’t dance all that well. He comes off awkward at times and while he is nice to look at, looking at him dance is another story. I do think he has potential and can actually improve because the correct steps are there. They just need some refining and obviously, more practice. It was a fun dance though because who doesn’t love and get up to dance along with the YMCA?

Len thought Sean exploded on the floor. He wants Sean to work on his feet but declares it was his best dance. Bruno begins to hit on Sean. He called it full of fun but clean the footwork and finish the moves. Carrie Ann compliments Sean and agrees about the footwork. Uh-oh… Bruno is getting up to dance with Sean. Tom stops him. This could get awkward.
Carrie Ann- 7 Len- 7 Bruno- 7 for a total of 21/30
To vote for Sean & Peta, call 1800-868-3407. You can also text “VOTE” to 3407. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.

Zendaya Coleman (Dinsey Channel star) & Valentin Chmerkovskiy – (Viennese Waltz)
This is a beautiful routine. Zendaya and Val are showing a nice connection here and Zendaya has some lovely lines. She really is a natural at dancing. Unlike Aly, I actually do feel something when Zendaya dances. This is your by the numbers Viennese Waltz. No tricks or special effects, just a lovely and elegant dance. A small stumble at the end (at least I think) but overall, a wonderful routine. It seems as though Kellie and Zendaya are the two to beat in terms of the women, if not everyone. Solid job!

Bruno says it was enchanting. A couple of stumbles but overall, beautiful. Carrie Ann loves how lyrical Zendaya is but she still feels like the best is yet to come. Len calls the dancing natural but goes on to mention that he prefers a Viennese Waltz that has more in-hold and less arm swinging. He wasn’t really criticizing Zendaya but more all the couples who have to do this routine.
Carrie Ann- 8 Len- 8 Bruno-8 for a total of 24/30
To vote for Zendaya & Val, call 1800-868-3406. You can also text “VOTE” to 3406. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.