Welcome to week 4 of season sixteen of Dancing with the Stars. Last week, we said goodbye to Country superstar Wynonna Judd and her partner, Tony Dovolani. It was surprising to me as I expected her fans to keep in her for a while longer. I imagine with her gone, Kellie Pickler is going to pick up the country voters who were split between her and Wynonna. Andy And Sharna hit the bottom last week, so they really need to pull out all the stops to survive. And even though Victor And Lindsay were safe, they are going to need continued high scores and favorable edits to stay in. The same goes for Lisa And Gleb. It seems as though D.L. can do just about anything on the floor and stay out of danger. Will his “feud” with Len continue this week or will the show try an smooth that over and build a redemption arc? The rest of the cast remains as they have been- the leaders are still doing well and the middle of the pack couples are staying middle of the pack. Maybe this will be the week the leader board changes up? We shall see.
Tonight’s them is “Best Year of My Life,” so we can expect some tearful memories, touching stories, and a very personal look at the celebrities. In terms of the dancing- the couples must once again master any unlearned dance. They have to try to merge their respective back stories about what was the best year of their life with a fitting routine. They also need to include a short solo within the dance. Lots of styles will be on display tonight from Cha-cha-cha down to Contemporary.
Ten votes for each dancer, voting extended through social media (Facebook) and perhaps some twitter hashtag fun for an encore. Who knows what the producers may have cooked up for this week but I’m excited. With all that being said, let’s see what the ten couples have achieved as the best year of their lives are on display. Enjoy! :D
Uh-oh. It seems Lisa fainted in rehearsals and Gleb has walked out in the beginning without her. I bet she will be fine though. DRAMA on reality-competition television? SHOCKING! Oh, she sat out for rehearsal due to Doc’s orders and it is up to her whether or not she will dance later.
Sean Lowe (Reality television star) & Peta Murgatroyd (Viennese Waltz)
Sean’s best year is of course, 2012 when he met his fiance on “The Bachelor.”
Well, Sean continues his streak of being an okay dancer but nothing spectacular. He is still a bit stiff and awkward during the dance. Even a slow dance shows his issues. He did have a really nice moment toward the end with Peta and of course, the solo followed by kissing his fiance was sweet. All in all, I can’t say very much because Sean is just at this level where he isn’t getting better or worse. He is just existing. And since we are week four, I expect to see at the very least, some improvement. A nice merge of Sean’s best year and dance with some beautiful choreography by Peta but unfortunately, it is pretty much the same old from Mr. Lowe.
Len said Sean was steaming and he (Len) is beaming. He warns him that he got excited a bit and lost the musicality at times and the footwork was iffy at moments. Bruno called it sweet but slightly hesitant. Bruno wants him to work on making it throughout the dance with stumbles. Carrie Ann is back at the lift police, and noticed two lifts during that. She agrees with Sean working on the musicality.
Carrie Ann- 6 Len- 7 Bruno- 7 for a total of 20/30
To vote for Sean & Peta, call 1800-868-3407. You can also text “VOTE” to 3407. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.
Victor Ortiz (Professional boxer) & Lindsay Arnold – (Paso Doble)
Victor’s best year is the year he won a WBC boxing championship in 2011.
Victor is really nice to look at without his shirt, if I may be allowed to be shallow for a moment. Unfortunately, the dancing isn’t so nice to look at. Victor is all over the place here. A definite decrease from the quality dance he performed last week. He goes wrong with his feet and loses his musicality a number of times. He is trying way too hard to be powerful (which I know the routine calls for) but it is causing him to lose just about all dance quality. Lindsay is trying to bring him back into the dance but Victor is just stomping around and it isn’t good. On a positive note, he did have a few of the traditional Paso moves in there but I am disappointed as last week was much better.
Bruno said Victor is supposed to dance, not destroy it. Bruno mentions missed footwork and his Spanish line. Carrie Ann loves the face and heart but the dancing needs a lot of work. Work on the arms, she adds. Len admires his spirit and determination. The dance needed more refining and better shaping but he is proud of him.
Carrie Ann- 6 Len- 6 Bruno- 6 for a total of 18/30
To vote for Victor & Lindsay, call 1800-868-3402. You can also text “VOTE” to 3402. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.
Jacoby Jones (NFL wide receiver) & Karina Smirnoff – (Foxtrot)
2012 for Jacoby- the year he won the SuperBowl and the year his son was born.
This is a really strong foxtrot. Jacoby once again proves that despite being a man of his size, he can be elegant and sweet. Karina has some great foxtrot choreography going on here and Jacoby keeps up beautifully. He is on the money with the musicality and the footwork. I don’t see any stumbles or issues here. His solo is precious. He does the usual Jacoby moves but dances right near his son. Adorable! That was a very fitting solo. This is the best dance of the night so far both in tone and in quality. Jacoby continues to be the best male dancer on the show (non-pro, of course). Nice foxtrot!
Carrie Ann called the dance phenomenal. She mentioned it wasn’t old-school foxtrot (while looking over at Len) but she loved it. She mentioned that he needs to try and get his booty in for his posture and he could win the competition. Len was a fan of the foxtrot. He wasn’t sure about the solo but he loves big guys trying to be elegant. Bruno loves Jacoby’s flash and flare. Bruno mentions Jacoby’s hands. They resemble spatulas at times, so he wants him to work on them a bit. But overall, he enjoyed it as well.
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.
Aly Raisman (Olympic gold medal gymnast) & Mark Ballas – (Contemporary)
2012 was her best year because of the Olympics when she represented the USA.
Wow. I finally feel connected to a dance by Aly. Perhaps it is because they are dancing contemporary but this is the most emotionally connected I have felt toward any routine Aly has done on the show. A beautiful opening solo and some great gymnastic movements. The actual contemporary dancing with Mark is phenomenal. I love the way Aly and Mark are mixing the standard contemporary movements with some great emotional moments. Again, I see nothing of issue here and I am quite happy that I can finally say that Aly has arrived emotionally. Great job!
Len enjoyed the balance between emotion and athleticism. He makes a joke about Aly’s gymnastics. Bruno said Aly is going for gold. He loved everything about it. Carrie Ann is very proud because of how good Aly’s emotion was during the dance.
Carrie Ann- 9 Len- 9 Bruno- 9 for a total of 27/30
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 – (Viennese Waltz)
2013 is the year for Andy. He talks about his daughter Meg and how he wants to dedicate a song to her to make up for everything his troubles have put her through.
Aww, Andy is sweet. This is pretty good if you consider Andy’s standard. He has stopped with the comedy here and focused on the dancing. He even conquers some really difficult waltz steps and keeps his posture for most of it. His footwork, as usual, could be a bit better at times but this is definitely his best dance. His solo is cute and just needed a bit more rehearsal in my eyes. But Andy has put all of his emotion into this dance and has definitely come out impressing. He should be very proud of himself.
Bruno calls it simple and effecting. The best Andy has dances since show one, according to Bruno. Carrie Ann is completely sobbing and goes to hug Andy. Yes, she is in tears. She calls it the simplest poem. She adds that his dancing vocabulary is small but he makes the most of it. Len says Andy came into the show a man but will go out (whenever he does), a hero.
Carrie Ann- 7 Len- 7 Bruno- 7 for a total of 21/30
To vote for Andy & Sharna, call 1800-868-3411. You can also text “VOTE” to 3411. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.
Zendaya Coleman (Dinsey Channel star) & Valentin Chmerkovskiy – (Samba)
2009 is her year because it was the year she got “discovered” and her career really started.
This is fabulous. This is a different kind of Samba than we are used to seeing because Val has added in some of Zendaya’s personal style into the dance. She has a really cool solo and once Val joins in, we have some dynamic steps going on. She is right there with Val in all the samba moves- though not a single samba roll is to be seen. That could be a good thing since it never works out so well on this show. Zendaya has the emotion down, the style, swag, and of course, dance quality. I love how she seems so effortless when dancing, as if these are steps she has been practicing for months. Once again, Zendaya continues to dance her way to the finals of this competition.
Carrie Ann calls her baby Beyonce. She compliments Val’s choreography and tells Zendaya that Beyonce better watch out. Len would have liked more samba in the solo section. He also mentioned that Zendaya’s legs sometimes need to be more flexed but he liked it a whole lot. Bruno said that every kid that watches Zendaya would want to perform a samba like that. Suffice it to say, he loved it too.
Carrie Ann- 9 Len- 8 Bruno- 9 for a total of 26/30
To vote for Zendaya & Val, call 1800-868-3406. You can also text “VOTE” to 3406. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.
Ingo Rademacher (Soap opera actor) & Kym Johnson – (Viennese Waltz)
2009 for Ingo because it is the year he got married.
Ingo reminds me so much of Sean in this competition. A good effort each week but you can see some of the stiff and awkward come out during the dance. This week though, Ingo has improved a bit and that’s a positive. Kym, as usual, creates a lovely and elegant waltz and Ingo for the most part, keeps up. This is another emotional routine dedicated to someone who loves someone and so, by definition, it has a lot of feeling. He definitely stays in character and his solo was nice, if unspectacular since he was only walking and twirling. Though for a waltz, it was rather fitting. Some really nice waltz movements here and there for the duo. Again, will Ingo’s dancing be the most memorable out of the night? No. But I think his fans will be very pleased that he has at least been consistent and showed promise.
Len commends Ingo on his footwork and the solo. Unfortunately, a few incidents with Ingo’s arms, says Len. Overall, he enjoyed it very much. Bruno calls it elegant, dashing, and deeply romantic. He also compliments Ingo on taking the judges comments and working on them. Carrie Ann says Ingo worked on his core like she said, and it shows. She likes how when you add love to these dances, it makes such a difference.
Carrie Ann- 8 Len- 7 Bruno- 8 for a total of 23/30
To vote for Ingo & Kym, call 1800-868-3403. You can also text “VOTE” to 3403. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.
D.L. Hughley (Comedian and actor) & Cheryl Burke – (Foxtrot)
D.L. picks the year he was in elementary school because life was easier.
This is a much, much improved D.L. I am impressed that Cheryl actually added in more content and D.L. pulls off some foctrot steps. Of course, at times, he goes out of sync and Cheryl does some dancing around him. His solo is nothing to talk about other than it being a big show off in front of the judges and D.L. saying “kiss my…” to Len. Funny. I can’t be too tough on him this week because this is an improved dance. It helped a whole lot that he got the foxtrot this week because on a whole, he didn’t need to worry too much about musicality or moving his hips. His attitude seems somewhat improved as well. I imagine he is going to survive another week because if he can make it through while being horrible, he surely can for being okay on the floor. It should be interesting to see if some praise from the judges as opposed to harsh critiques results in LESS of his fans voting or not.
Bruno says tough love works. Carrie Ann is so proud. She calls it a real breakthrough for D.L. Len admires his spirit and for him, it had more content and was far better. He calls it smoother and feels it was D.L.’s best dance.
Carrie Ann- 7 Len- 7 Bruno- 7 for a total of 21/30
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.
Kellie Pickler (Country music singer) & Derek Hough – (Rumba)
Kellie picked the year (2011) she got married and finally found a rock in her life. She is dancing with her husband singing on stage.
Kellie and Derek with the rumba is sexy and sweet personified. That being said, I must mention that Kellie had a few incidents this week. A couple of times during the dance, her moves were a bit odd. It is easy to notice because the rumba is so slow and romantic that you catch every single thing. Perhaps it was nerves and emotions since her husband is right there in front of her singing. It was still a beautiful dance with a very nice solo but Kellie has performed better overall on the show. The emotion was there and Derek continues to choreograph well for Kellie. It seems she and Zendaya are going to tie this week with Aly taking the lead for the ladies. I only mention the other two in this post because let’s face it, those three are head over heels above the rest, with the exception of Jacoby.
Carrie Ann says Kellie makes the most beautiful pictures of her body. She does say though that Kellie’s movements were a bit clipped. Len thought Kellie was really in the dance but agrees that the moves needed a bit more fluidity. Bruno simply calls it beautiful.
Carrie Ann- 9 Len- 8 Bruno- 9 for a total of 26/30
To vote for Kellie & Derek, call 1800-868-3401. You can also text “VOTE” to 3401. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.
Lisa Vanderpump (Reality television star) & Gleb Savchenko (Cha-cha-cha)
Of course, Lisa has decided to dance. Her year is the year her daughter got married. We see all the footage of Lisa fainting because of pushing herself too much with no rest and the flu.
Well, all the lack of rehearsal shows here. I won’t be overly harsh but let’s be honest, this isn’t too good. Lisa goes off timing a few times, and some of her steps are really shaky. The solo is pretty off as well, especially since Lisa seems to be behind the music and unsure of her movements. Gleb (naturally) removes his clothing again and while that’s fun to see, it is obviously a way to try and take away from Lisa’s issues while dancing. Let me just say this, the dance had some cha-cha-cha in it that Lisa did well but you have to imagine with a whole lot more rehearsal and refinement, this would have been a whole lot better. The judges will most likely be kind though and I expect her fans to rally.
Len says she gave her best shot but it was slightly under-rehearsed. Bruno says Lisa looks great but there was a lot of mistakes. But what she did, she did well. Carrie Ann would have loved to see that without the issues that happened. Again, the lift police is back and Carrie Ann says a point will be deducted.
Carrie Ann- 6 Len- 6 Bruno- 6 for a total of 18/30
To vote for Lisa & Gleb, call 1800-868-3404. You can also text “VOTE” to 3404. Finally, register at ABC.COM to vote online.
Final Judges Leaderboard:
Aly And Mark- 27/30
Kellie And Derek- 26/30
Zendaya And Val – 26/30
Jacoby And Karina- 24/30
Ingo And Kym- 23/30
D.L. And Cheryl- 21/30
Andy And Sharna- 21/30
Sean And Peta- 20/30
Victor And Lindsay- 18/30
Lisa And Gleb- 18/30
Now, off to the polls! :D
