The “acoustic” theater-in-the-round deal was…something different, I guess. The round stage threw a few of the dancers off their game. It would have been quite a show if somebody had danced off the stage.
Completely blowing away the competition, and with the first 10s of the season were Jennifer and Derek who danced a beautiful Argentine Tango. They scored a whopping 56 points out of 60–combined technical and performance scores.
The next highest score came from Brandy and Maks, with 48. Audrina fell a bit this week. The judges didn’t seem to like her technique or performance much. She got a 46, but I think they underscored her.
Bringing up the rear was The Situation and Karina. Oy, poor Karina. Situation is a wretched dancer, but he seems to have a fan base that keeps saving him. Seriously, he needs to go this week. Or the boring Florence Henderson. I’d be happy saying goodbye to either…
Videos and Live blog after the JUMP…
Dancing with the Stars! Tonight, the ballroom has been transformed for the first ever acoustic week!
It’s a dance in the round, with the audience seated all around the stage. The judges will award two scores tonight. One for performance and another for technique.
The pros talk about the challenges of choreographing for a small stage in an intimate setting. The acoustic music will also be challenging. The Argentine tango and rumba are demonstrated by the pros. (Ew. What the band is doing to “Chasing Pavements” is gross). – VIDEO
Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya – Rumba – “Drops of Jupiter” – Christian, Kurt is uncomfortable with the sexy dancing! Kurt’s wife drops by to observe and bless the sexy dance. The wife need not have worried. He’s a total dork up there. The “hip action” is quite hi-larious! Len thinks Kurt’s got a good hip action, but bad posture. He liked the way he pitched the romantic side. Bruno didn’t like the way he moved his hands. He didn’t find it very sexy. Carrie Ann loved it. She thinks they have chemistry and was a good balance between performance with Anna and the audience. His musicality was a bit off. – Tech: Carrie Ann – 5, Len – 5, Bruno – 5. Performance: Carrie Ann – 7, Len – 6, Bruno – 6 – Total 34 – Kurt is disappointed he thought he did better than that. It’s his wedding anniversary – 1-800-868-3408 – intro dance/scores
Brandy and Maks Chmerkovskiy – Rumba – “Woman’s Work” – Brandy hasn’t been with anyone in 6 years! She does not feel very sexy. Maks takes her to a bar. They “pretend” to be romantic. I don’t know about sexy, but the dance is very pretty. Brandy seems a little tense…or something. Bruno loved the soft sensuality. “You played it very well” He didn’t like her hands. Carrie Ann says, “I’ve been waiting for the real Brandy to show up. It’s your comeback night.” Feels she needs strength in her legs. Len liked her technique, but it was a little hot and spicy for him. – Tech: Carrie Ann – 7 Len – 8, Bruno – 7 Performance: Carrie Ann – 9, Len – 8, Bruno 9 – 48 – 1-800-868-3406 – intro/dance scores
The pros demonstrate the Argentine Tango. Lifts are allowed! So there, Carrie Ann. – VIDEO
Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke – Argentine Tango – Cheryl went to Argentina this summer to learn the dance. This is the first time Rick has seemed clumsy on stage. He’s not getting the foot or leg work at all. He looks like he’s concentrating really hard on getting the steps right. Cheryl is doing most of the dancing. Carrie Ann, “it just felt one dimensional, I didn’t feel like the passion was steaming out of you. The stage size was problem for you.” Len says, “I thought your lifts were excellent, you started the dance full of intent and drama, but gradually lost it. All around a good performance.” Bruno says, “It kind of didn’t hold all the way through. Some of the passes looked like megatron. It wasn’t as musical as it could have been.” – Tech: Carrie Ann – 6, Len – 7, Bruno 6 Performance: Carrie Ann – 6, Len – 7, Bruno 7 – 39 – 1-800-868-3404 – intro dance/scores
Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer – Rumba – “Beautiful Girls” – Kyle is working on his crappy footwork! Lacy says she doesn’t think Kyle knows what sexy is. His technique is still terrible, but Kyle is able to get serious and sexy, much to my surprise. Len says, “Your footwork was much better, but it had a staccato feel. It didn’t flow. The performance was excellent.” Bruno says, “You always play it well.” He agrees with Len about the fluidity. Carrie Ann says, “I thought it had an innocence to it. I liked that. You paid more attention to the footwork, but you were uneven in your dynamic.” – Tech: Carrie Ann – 6, Len – 6, Bruno – 6. Performance: Carrie Ann – 8, Len – 7, Bruno – 7 – 40 – 1-800-868-3403 – intro/dance/scores
The Situation and Karina Smirnoff – Argentine Tango – That first lift was terrible. It was like he was lifting weights at the gym. This is comically bad. The second lift was a little better, but he still looks scared shitless. HOT MESS. He’s laughing, he knows it sucked. Bruno says, “You know that was a terrible mess. An incredible amount of mistakes, really really really terrible.” Carrie Ann liked his abs. It was a rough ride, she says, and she sees improvement (!!!). Lens says, “It was consistent, it was bad throughout.” – Tech: Carrie Ann – 4, Len – 4, Bruno – 4. Performance: Carrie Ann – 6, Len – 5, Bruno – 5 – 28 – 1-800-868-3410 – intro dance scores
Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas – Rumba – “Yesterday” – Corky pushes Florence harder than ever before! Florence is NOT afraid to be sexy! Their children drop by to make sure the dance isn’t too hot (???) WTF? They’re going the comic route and they both look silly. Carrie Ann says, “What just happened? You’re Mrs. Brady! You proved that age has no relationship how dirty you can be. I got a little uncomfortable!” Len says, “It was much better than I expected. Well done.” Bruno says, “You went through everything…you lost timing many many times. I’ve seen better.” – Tech: Carrie Ann – 6, Len – 6, Bruno – 5. Performance: Carrie Ann – 6, Len – 6, Bruno – 6 – 35 – 1-800-868-3409 – intro/dance/scores
Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough – Argentine Tango – “Umbrella” – She’s got a pinched nerve in the ball of her foot, and a neck injury. Wow. This is pretty spectacular. maybe Jennifer’s best dance yet. Len says, “Excellent technique, beautifully played. well done.” Bruno says, “This really is prime time delight. Fantastic. the musicality unsurpassed.” Carrie An says, “That was amazing” The judges rush through their critiques. Running short on time? Tech: Carrie Ann – 9, Len – 9, Bruno – 9. Performance: Carrie Ann – 10, Len – 9, Bruno – 10 – 56 – First 10 of the season. 1-800-868-3411 – intro/dance scores
Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas – Rumba – The rumba and Bristol have absolutely zero in common, says Mark. Ouch! Whoa…shirtless Mark! Actually, this is better than I expected. Sarah Palin is in the audience tonight. Bristol is managing to play up the sexy. Bruno says, “Technically, you’re clean, but those moves never go anywhere. I’m still waiting. You have to sustain it all the way through.” Carrie Ann says, “There’s no effort. We’re in week 4. I want you to dance with much more intensity.” Len says, “You don’t see me taking my shirt off. These things are distractions. I want to see more we and less me. Your technique was there.” Hm. I think the judges were a little hard on her. – Tech: Carrie Ann – 6, Len – 6, Bruno 6. Performance: Carrie Ann – 4, Len – 5, Bruno – 5 – 32 – 1-800-868-3407 – intro/dance/scores
Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani – Argentine Tango – “Somebody to Love” – Audrina works on some acting technique with Tony. This is pretty solid. I think Audrina’s stiff, icy demeanor works for her here. Carrie Ann, “You’re so close, you have to work on extending your foot past your toe. Dismount was floppy. Performance is growing.” Len says, “Clean, clear lifts were very good. I didn’t get transported to a seedy club.” Bruno says, “You performed like the Ice queen type, it works in a certain way. You put in difficult embellishments. It wasn’t sharp.” Tech: Carrie Ann – 8, Len – 8, Bruno – 8. Performance: Carrie Ann – 8, Len – 7, Bruno 7 – 46 – 1-800-868-3401 – intro/dance/scores
