Good Monday Folks :)
We have now reached the midway point of season 21 of Dancing with the Stars. Four couples have been eliminated with nine remaining. Tonight, the show presents “Famous Dances.” The pairings will dance any unlearned style to an iconic dance from either a movie or music video. We have some really fun and historical dances being paid tribute to. From Grease and Singing In The Rain to Madonna and Janet Jackson.
Last week, the “Switch-Up” shook up the competition. Even though no one was eliminated (scores from the week four and 5 are being added together for tonight’s elimination), the leaderboard changed quite a bit. Dancing with a new partner seemed to help some (Carlos, Alexa, and Andy for example) while others (Tamar, Hayes, Nick) took a hit. Let’s see what you guys thought.
Five couples were actually in double digits this week with the top three being very close together in the favorite routine poll. In what is almost a tie, Alexa & Derek and Bindi & Val are at the top. Alek & Emma, Carlos & Lindsay, and Andy & Sharna were also voted highly. Once again, Paula took an overwhelming amount of votes in the least favorite routine poll with 63%. You guys really loved the new partnership of Alek & Emma, giving them 38% of the vote with Bindi & Val at 21%. For the second straight week, you think Paula is toast with 87% of the vote. No one else even comes close.
So, will tonight finally be when Paula gets the boot? It should. She has the lowest combined scores by far and it would take a hell of a lot of viewer votes to get her to jump over the next likely candidate for elimination, Andy. Have strange things happened on this show before? Yes. But I don’t think a shocker is going to happen tonight. I think Paula goes and we are left with arguably the strongest eight dancers.
Olivia Newton-John (singer-songwriter and actress from Grease) is on hand to guest judge. Due to sports, Erin Andrews is not on hand to co-host tonight. Former DWTS cast member Leah Remini will fill in. All the celebs are back with their original partners. It should be interesting to see if those that improved last week can keep that momentum and if the stars who faltered can get back the mojo by going back to who they are used to. And of course, it will be fun to see some what the couples have come up with for these iconic dances. Let’s get things started…
Yay for extended opening numbers! Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is the music as our pros and troupe members dance to some very iconic moments in film history. They all come together at the end for a major production number. Fun! Mandy Moore choreographed that. Good job to get us in the spirit of famous dances.
Click to Watch the Week 6 Opening Number by Mandy Moore
Tom and Leah welcome us and here come the stars. Well, everyone is dressed to the nines in spirit of their numbers. This should be really fun. Olivia Newton-John is welcomed to the judges table. Carrie Ann is looking for fantastic recreations of the dances.
Hayes and Emma – Jazz to “You’re The One That I Want” from Grease
Hayes was nervous last week. And he has no clue what Grease is. And I feel so old. Emma wants Hayes to channel his inner John Travolta. Heck, he can’t even get the character’s name right. Emma says he needs to feel it this week, not just go through the steps. We some extra time so a commercial is coming. OMG. They did an awesome job on Hayes’ hair. Aw, quite adorable. Pretty perfect choreography by Emma from start to finish. This is a very lovely tribute to the film and you can’t help but smile. However, it does need to be said that Hayes needs to practice more. He gets all the steps on point but they tend to a look shaky. It just needs to be more precise. Hayes has it in him but he needs to now go from cute and passable to the next level. But kudos to him and Emma for opening the night with a feel good and adequate number.
Olivia loved the choreography. She can’t believe Hayes is 15. She calls him a baby John. Bruno says totally sold on charisma and star quality. Time for tough love though. He wants Hayes to learn to splice the beat. He sometimes gets shaky. Carrie Ann calls Hayes a stud. But she does agree with Bruno. Hayes needs some finesse in his dancing. Julianne says the dance took a lot of courage. She thought Hayes opened his eyes and owned it.
Carrie Ann- 8
Olivia- 8
Julianne- 8
Bruno- 8
Total: 32/40
You can vote for Hayes & Emma by calling 1-855-234-5608 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 Hays and Emma’s Jazz VIDEO
Andy and Allison – Jazz to “Good Morning” from Singing In The Rain
Andy was so pleased teaming with Sharna last week. He actually feels some confidence this week. Allison says the dance is very important to the dance world. Patricia Kelly, Gene’s widow, gives Andy some advice. Good for Andy. He is keeping up with what he learned and experienced last week and continuing to do well. Look at those tapping feet! Andy looks happy, confident, and he is totally in the moment with Allison here. This is another dance where the choreography pays honest tribute to the original but adds some new flavor. Good on Allison here. Andy may have very well found his footing finally. He is even correcting those little errors that plagued him in earlier weeks, which is all you can really ask for- gradual improvement.
Bruno says it takes balls to take it on and Andy succeeded with honor. Carrie Ann thought it had ease and grace but she felt it was just as exciting as the original. Julianne was a little worried going into it but she thinks Andy is getting better weekly. Olivia thought it was wonderful.
Carrie Ann- 10
Olivia- 10
Julianne- 10
Bruno- 10
Total: 40/40
You can vote for Andy & Allison by calling 1-855-234-5603 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 Andy and Allison’s Jazz VIDEO
Alexa and Mark – Cha-Cha-Cha to “I’m A Slave 4 U” by Britney Spears
Alexa is thrilled about last week’s first perfect score of the season. Alexa is intimidated by recreating the dance. And here comes the snake. Ominous music. LOL. Alexa looks petrified. She doesn’t want to make the snake nervous. Okay. I need to give some credit to Mark for actually putting together a Cha-Cha-Cha to that. It couldn’t have been easy considering the song and the theme of the dance. Alexa is doing a decent job but something feels lacking. I don’t know if the costumes are getting the way (Alexa almost tripped on Mark when he was on ground) or nerves (perhaps the intimidation of last week) but this isn’t as perfect. No denying it is decent but I think, like Hayes, Alexa would have been better with some more practice. Everything was just a step down from hitting all the right notes. And the snake comes out. For not very long. LOL. She has more guts than me, that’s for sure.
Carrie Ann felt Alexa missed the essence of the dance. She just wasn’t aware of the movements. She thought it Alexa owned it more with the snake. Julianne agrees and wanted Alexa more grounded and into the floor. She did feel Alexa went down a bit from last week. Olivia thought it was sexy and she thought Alexa was brave. Bruno thought it worked very well. He wants Alexa not to hold back.
Carrie Ann- 8
Olivia- 7
Julianne- 7
Bruno- 8
Total: 30/40
You can vote for Alexa & Mark by calling 1-855-234-5602 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 Alexa and Mark’s Cha Cha Cha Video
Bindi and Derek – Rumba to “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” from Dirty Dancing
Bindi & Derek are very happy to be back together. Bindi is nervous but excited. This is a rumba but not a traditional rumba. Epic lift ahead! Jennifer Grey makes an appearance to give some pointers. Let’s not forget, she won the show with Derek. They are practicing the lift in the water. Mmm. So gorgeous. A perfect meld of rumba with the right choreography to pay tribute to the movie. And here comes the lift… nailed it. I was a wee bit nervous there. Derek was shaking. Thank goodness they pulled it off. This is a pretty perfect dedication to the dance from the movie. Loved the “into the crowd” dancing from the film. So on point and together. Great job.
Julianne loved Bindi’s rumba legs. She loved the details in the dance. Olivia thought it was amazing and it touched her heart. Bruno calls it blindingly brilliant. Carrie Ann says Bindi makes her job easy (and she alludes to giving her a 10, of course).
Carrie Ann- 10
Olivia- 10
Julianne- 10
Bruno- 10
Total: 40/40
You can vote for Bindi & Derek by calling 1-855-234-5604 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 Bindi and Derek’s Rumba VIDEO
Paula and Louis – Jazz to “Vogue” by Madonna
Paula is so over the moon that she got some 7’s. Paula thinks the message to her is now to have fun. She couldn’t be any different from Madonna but the goal is to have fun. Louis of course wants her to up her game. OMG at the production on this. Why does Paula look like Bette Davis in Baby Jane? Lots of troupe members needed for this. And why? Well, Paula is doing the least bit of work possible. The fan she is using is doing a whole lot of work. I need to pull positives so good on Paula for doing the famous Madonna arms. But other than that, this is very by the books (even by Paula standards) dance that for something paying homage to Madonna, is really underwhelming.
Olivia says Paula looks gorgeous. She thinks Paula did Madonna proud. Bruno isn’t sure if it was Vogue. He did enjoy her gliding about. Carrie Ann is wondering what happened to Paula from last week. The costumes overwhelmed Paula. Julianne thought the sexual tension and energy wasn’t really there other than the men dancing with them.
Carrie Ann- 6
Olivia- 6
Julianne- 6
Bruno- 6
Total: 24/40
You can vote for Paula & Lpuis by calling 1-855-234-5611 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 Paula and Louis’ Jazz VIDEO
Carlos and Witney – Rumba to “Pony” from Magic Mike
Carlos called last week a big week. He is not so over the moon about the routine. He feels as though he doesn’t want to be raunchy because it isn’t who he is. Witney and Carlos are having difficulties in rehearsal. Witney notes Carlos is being way too timid. Oh boy. SEX. Pure SEX. This is probably going to be crazy divisive with people. You either thought it was over the top raunchy and ridiculous or you thought it was a really fitting tribute to the movie and done well. I’m more of the latter to be honest. I do see some rumba (okay, not much) but more than that, I am impressed by the moves. They aren’t just doing the bumping and grinding you would expect but some actual dancing steps. This dance is probably 75/25 between performance quality and technique so good on Carlos for “acting” at the very least. I would also commend Witney for basically taking a solo dance and turning it into something two people can do.
Bruno feels like he experienced the seven deadly sins. Carrie Ann understands the fears but she thought it was a great routine. Julianne thought it was handled the pro. She thought it was the sexiest rumba she has ever seen. Olivia is speechless. She thinks Carlos missed his calling. She is teasing.
Carrie Ann- 10
Olivia- 9
Julianne- 9
Bruno- 10
Total: 38/40
You can vote for Carlos & Witney by calling 1-855-234-5605 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 Carlos and Witney’s Rumba VIDEO
Nick and Sharna – Samba to “You Should Be Dancing” from Saturday Nigth Fever”
Nick felt he was a bit overconfident last week because he was without Sharna. Nick wants to get it right because this is such an iconic scene. This is right up there on the level with Bindi’s earlier dance in terms of paying a direct tribute to the original. Yes to proper samba steps being included. But this all about that 70’s magic. Nick is totally channeling his inner Travolta in a way Hayes didn’t earlier. I’m not entirely sure why they didn’t just give the two of them a disco routine. But props again to the samba moves. A definite show stopper to get people up and dancing. Sharna’s hair is pretty darn amazing. It was a lot of fun to watch.
Carrie Ann saw Nick come in and out of character. She felt Nick felt more committed with some steps than others. Julianne thought it was a true re-invention. She thought it was outstanding. Olivia thought Nick brought disco back. Bruno points out how seamless the samba was incorporated into the number.
Carrie Ann- 9
Olivia- 10
Julianne- 10
Bruno- 10
Total: 39/40
You can vote for Nick & Sharna by calling 1-855-234-5610 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 Nick and Sharna’s Samba VIDEO
*Next week is Halloween week on the show. We have the team dances back again and lots of fun and spooky routines and costumes. No announcement of whether or not a guest judge will be included.
Alek and Lindsay- Jive to “Jailhouse Rock” from Jailhouse Rock”
Alek was very happy with this rumba last week but not with his scores. Lindsay wants this jive to prove to the judges that he can perform. Lindsay brought in an actor who has played Elvis to help out. ALek walks outside to totally be in character as Elvis. Hysterical. OMG at the hair. The hair department is amazing tonight. This is nice but a little underwhelming. The jive combined with Elvis should be absolutely explosive. This is just… an okay jive. No kicks and flicks but some decent pelvic thrusting as an homage to the King. I just wish Alek put a bit more into this because I was honestly expecting more. I get that Alek isn’t our typical star and he is probably still so scared of the show but he needs to get out of his head because those days are being a contender in earlier weeks need to come back.
Julianne felt as though Alek definitely improved on the performance value. She wants him to connect even harder. She wants him to stop going in and out of character. Olivia thought he did a great job. Bruno enjoyed the jive content was Alek went wrong a few times. He also didn’t want Alek to hold back. Carrie Ann saw lots of improvement but she wants to see Alek work with Artem- she feels like he could benefit from that.
Carrie Ann- 8
Olivia- 7
Julianne- 8
Bruno- 7
Total: 30/40
You can vote for Alek & Lindsay by calling 1-855-234-5601 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 Alek and Lindsay’s Jive VIDEO
Tamar and Val – Jazz to “Rhythm Nation” by Janet Jackson
Tamar has had a very rough week. She was less than pleased with the judges comments and scores last week. On top of that, she is sick. She has no voice and had to miss some rehearsal. Val is worried about their place in the competition. All that being said, she is ready to bring it and not let anything get in the way of her rising to the occasion. She seems really focused on coming back strong from last week. Now there’s the Tamar we have come to expect. The black and white picture and production value is really adding to this. One of the issues people have had with Tamar is her connection to Val in dances. That really isn’t even an issue to be discussed here because they are more dancing in a music video as opposed to one another. Lots of on point steps that are totally reminiscent of Janet Jackson. The choreography is a nice mixed back of what the video was all about and some new stuff from Val. Nice lift. Great routine.
Olivia loved the choreography and how precise Tamar was. Bruno says that Tamar came back with a knockout. She was the star of the show. Carrie Ann says that this dance was the hardest of the night and she nailed it. Julianne thought it was intricate and fast and no messing up.
Carrie Ann- 10
Olivia- 10
Julianne- 10
Bruno- 10
Total: 40/40
You can vote for Tamar & Val by calling 1-855-234-5612 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 Tamar and Val’s Jazz VIDEO
Judge Leaderboard After Week Six
Tamar & Val- 40/40
Bindi & Derek- 40/40
Andy & Allison- 40/40
Nick & Sharna- 39/40
Carlos & Witney- 38/40
Hayes & Emma- 32/40
Alek & Lindsay- 30/40
Alexa & Mark- 30/40
Paula & Louis- 24/40
And now…ELIMINATION TIME! Uh-oh.
IN JEOPARDY tonight…
Paula & Louis
Alexa & Mark
Everyone else… SAFE.
And now, in week six, the fifth couple eliminated from the competition is…
PAULA & LOUIS
Paula is happy she gets to she her grandchildren. It took the show a long time to convince her to do it but even though she felt like a fish out of water, she thought it was wonderful and fun.
What a fun night of iconic dances. It was really great to see so many historic dances, music videos, and movies re-imagined. This is what dance is all about- the history being mixed with new flavor to create something inspiring, entertaining, and moving.
Click to Watch Paula and Louis’ Elimination
If you would like, a new post will be up in moments with some fun polls based on tonight. As always, I thank you for watching with me and I’ll see you all here next week. :D