Howdy :D
Well, week nine of season seventeen of Dancing with the Stars has arrived. The finale is only 2 weeks away! Last week, Brant Daugherty and his partner, Peta were eliminated, unfortunate as it was. Really, when you look at it, that’s the third consecutive (Christina, Snooki, Brant) boot where a stronger dancer went home as opposed to a weaker one. Will this be the fourth week where the same happens? Or could week nine spell the end for either Bill or Leah? Could it dare be a double elimination where we lose both, a combo of one and someone else, or two different couples completely? I love speculation. :)
At the end of the day, the fact is we are quickly approaching the finish line to what has been a quite enjoyable season.
Tonight is the “Trio Challenge.” You guys remember how this works. Each couple will perform with a second professional partner, either someone who has been eliminated or a member of the troupe. Amber and Derek have Mark. Corbin and Karina have Witney. Elizabeth and Val have Gleb. Jack and Cheryl have Sharna. Leah and Tony have Henry. Bill and Emma have Peta. It should be interesting to see which celebrities are elevated by having two pros share a routine with them and which do not look so hot when dealing with two others who are superior dancers. In addition, all the couples will perform one unlearned ballroom dance. I do hope the judges (Len Goodman returns this week) are strict and score properly. If there was ever a time to grade everyone with a critical eye, it is now.
It is a full night of dancing, everything from Charleston down to Jive and with an elimination looming at the end of the night, the pressure is on as the final six dance for judges scores and your support. I posted my power rankings previously, so you all know where I stand. Let’s see if any of these couples make a grand showing and move up or perhaps flounder and take a dive. The DWTS “Trio Challenge” night starts now…
Round 1 – Individual Dances
Amber & Derek (dancing the Quickstep)
Amber’s knees are really hurting during rehearsals. This is some fun choreography. Amber and Derek are going fast on the floor. For the first time I can remember, Amber is a tad bit behind the music and I noticed two distinct mistakes in her footwork. She is right there with performance value but I think the pain could be affecting her more than usual. Some of the dual footwork with her and Derek isn’t totally in-sync despite Derek doing everything he possibly could do choreograph a fun and entertaining routine. Not one of Amber’s best routines overall but still above average.
Len compliments the choreography but says that the choreography covered some blemishes. He critiques Amber’s top lines and mentioned a little incident. It didn’t a bit of polish. Bruno compliments the performance level but agrees with Len in saying there were mistakes and Amber cannot lean forward for her top lines. Carrie Ann says that Amber set the standard very high and she agrees with her fellow judges. Derek mentioned just how injured Amber is.
Carrie Ann-8, Len-8, Bruno-8, for a total of 24/30
To VOTE for Amber & Derek, call 800-868-3407, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Leah & Tony (dancing the Tango)
This could possibly be Leah’s strongest dance. The tango suits her well. Not only in entertainment value but technique as well. She is bringing passion and intensity to this. And kudos to Tony for getting right to the choreography that works in a tango- passionate steps, staccato movements, and fiery intensity. Yes, I said passion and intensity a bit too much in this. LOL. But seriously, a much improved dance from Leah than I have seen and perhaps the most “technically” accurate dance she has done. I guess if there was ever a time to totally bring it, now would be the time.
Bruno calls it a bad-ass proper tango. Bruno wants Leah to maintain focus because as the dance goes on, the focus gets a bit less and less. Carrie Ann is truly impressed. But she says that Leah needs to work on her arms and feet because sometimes they are void of emotion. Len liked the ingredients and steps and thought Leah brought the flavor.
Carrie Ann-9, Len-9, Bruno-9, for a total of 27/30
To VOTE for Leah & Tony, call 800-868-3411, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Corbin & Karina (dancing the Waltz)
A nice and lovely waltz. So elegant. Karina choreographed some lovely steps here. Oops. A little mistake by Corbin. Actually, a tad bit of this is sloppy and needs some refinement. Nothing bad but you could tell Corbin would have benefited from another day of rehearsal. That being said, he has some great fluidity going on here and I am quite enjoying the rise and fall with Karina as they move around the ballroom. This is definitely an adequate routine but like Amber, I have seen Corbin do better in previous numbers.
Carrie Ann found it so dreamy. One thing that threw her off was that Corbin wasn’t on his center twice. Len found the dance expressive and loved the in-hold stuff. He wanted a bit more of it. And he wants Corbin to do a bit more rise and fall but he did love the number. Bruno found it enchanting. For Bruno, it was breathtaking.
Carrie Ann-9, Len-9, Bruno-10, for a total of 28/30
To VOTE for Corbin & Karina, call 800-868-3406, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Amber And Derek win the twitter vote on the best opening introduction move. In other words, a vote that means nothing except maybe that Amber and Derek have a solid base voting for them? Who knows.
Jack & Cheryl (dancing the Viennese Waltz)
It was Jsck’s birthday this week. Cheryl gave him a little mirror ball declaring him her favorite partner ever. Oh Cheryl- how easy you forget those you won the championships with. LOL. Gosh, could they use more smoke on the floor? It is almost impossible to see their feet during some of the routine. But from what I can see, this is working so well for Jack. This is a really nice routine. Jack needs to relax his face sometimes though because his routines also show a look on his face that he is nearly petrified of messing up. It works for some dances but not an elegant one. This has everything you want from a viennese waltz though from the rise and fall to the fluidity to the elegant lines to the frame. One of Jack’s strongest ballroom routines as long as his feet were on point which I think they were but again…the SMOKE!
Len loved the natural turns into the pivots and reverse turns. He is extremely impressed. Bruno thinks ballroom is just amazing for Jack. He just wants Jack to watch his hands. Carrie Ann is astounded that Jack has built his ability on technique. She loved the routine.
Carrie Ann-10, Len-10, Bruno-9, for a total of 29/30
To VOTE for Jack & Cheryl, call 800-868-3402, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Bill & Emma (dancing the Charleston)
Oh geez. Again, we are back to Emma choreographing one of the easiest routines I have seen on this show. And it is still a mess. Again, this is like someone’s dad getting up a wedding or festival and kind of making a joke out of a dance. I mean, there’s hardly anything here to be positive about. It is funny? Bill seems totally engaged? Yes, all of that is true but come on, the steps are so easy and yet, the musicality is off. How can that be? One of Bill’s weakest routines and definitely the weakest tonight. If we are grading the two weakest dancers left, Leah totally owned Bill tonight.
Bruno says that the timing was off and so was the footwork. Carrie Ann enjoys Bill so much and thinks the rehearsal package was actually better than the live dance. Len thinks it will be the end of the line for Bill if he doesn’t improve in the second round. This wasn’t a good routine.
Carrie Ann-7, Len-7, Bruno-7, for a total of 21/30
To VOTE for Bill & Emma, call 800-868-3409, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Elizabeth & Val (dancing the Viennese Waltz)
Interesting choreography. Val has opted to mix contemporary with the viennese waltz. I’m not sure how I feel about that overall. Val has been really hit and miss this season with Elizabeth and I think it hurts her more than helps. The viennese waltz parts of this are pretty fabulous (lines, turns, extensions) but I didn’t get adding the dark and troubled contemporary moves to it. Was that necessary? Just dance the dance and perfect the technique. I personally think that if they kept the routine as it was intended and just refined every aspect of it, this could have been a three 10 routine.
Carrie Ann loves the choreography and musicality. She loves her lines. One quick out of sync thing was all that Carrie Ann saw. If Len had a personal leader board, Elizabeth would be at his top. But this didn’t work for him very much. It was good but not up there with some of her other routines. Bruno thinks this week, Elizabeth played it a different way (haunted and tormented) and he loved it.
Carrie Ann-9, Len-8, Bruno-9, for a total of 26/30
To VOTE for Elizabeth & Val, call 800-868-3405, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Reigning champion Kellie Pickler is in the house and will perform during the week of the finals. She has a new album out.
Round 2 – Trio Challenge
Amber & Derek (dancing the Salsa with Mark)
Wow. Talk about having to contend with two major choreographing egos. In a good way, of course. This is pretty cool. Lots of fun here. The salsa is definitely a party dance and Amber is bringing it. I could have done without Mark and Derek picking up Amber because it took away from what was the flow of the dance. But going back into the routine, some really great steps here and of course, Amber airs her usual flare. Lots of booty shaking going on. Full-on salsa for sure. And considering how much that has to hurt the knees to do those moves, I give Amber props. Tonight hasn’t been her best evening on the show and hopefully the injuries get better in a week’s time so she can come back strong.
Len calls Amber a ray of sunshine. A little more hip action would have been appreciated but he thought it was a fun dance. Bruno calls Amber irresistible. Again, some critique on the hips chalked up to injury. Carrie Ann calls it the dream team and wonders if Amber is worried. Amber isn’t worried- she is in it to win it. Carrie Ann thought it was great.
Carrie Ann-9, Len-9, Bruno-9, for a total of 27/30
To VOTE for Amber & Derek, call 800-868-3407, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Leah & Tony (dancing the Salsa with Henry)
LOLZ. Leah, Tony, and Henry are making a parody routine out of the judges. And it is hysterical. Back to the technique, this is a pretty decent jive but of course, Leah could have stronger kicks and flicks and they could be more in-sync with Tony and Henry. But overall, I love the concept and think Leah is keeping up adequately for a jive. The concept is kind of overriding the technique of the return, but that might be very smart of Tony to do at this point. Leah is having one of her, if not, her strongest night of the season. I think she definitely bought herself a ticket to next week’s semi-finals. Even her overall attitude seems improved.
Bruno thought it was like watching a mirror. He loved it. A couple of kicks and flicks missed though. Carrie Ann loves a woman who takes control. She loved it and thinks this is the time when strategy matters. Len loved the concept and routine. He thought it was fantastic entertainment and good fun.
Carrie Ann-9, Len-9, Bruno-9, for a total of 27/30
To VOTE for Leah & Tony, call 800-868-3411, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Corbin & Karina (dancing Jazz with Witney)
WOW! Holy smokes. In my power rankings, I said Corbin needed a blockbuster routine. THAT was it for sure. That’s something people will want to vote for. This is totally Corbin’s show and the girls are just there. I mean, I’m not even watching the girls. Corbin is doing everything here. This routine is amazing. It is like a total mash-up of three different styles and it all comes together perfectly. This is definitely my favorite dance of the entire season thus far. Corbin just made a huge case for himself to unseat Amber as a possible victor this season. When you can honestly say you were more impressed with the celebrity in a dance as opposed to the pro(s), well…that’s saying something.
Carrie Ann thinks it might be the best routine in 17 seasons of the show. She absolutely loved every single second of it. She didn’t even see the girls in the number. Len trolled everyone thinking he wasn’t going going to like it but he thought it was completely fabulous. Bruno calls him grandmaster Corbin the magnificent. Compliments all the way around.
Carrie Ann-10, Len-10, Bruno-10, for a total of 30/30
To VOTE for Corbin & Karina, call 800-868-3406, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Jack & Cheryl (dancing the Samba with Sharna)
Eh, this is the perfect example of how sometimes, the trio challenge doesn’t work too well. Sharna and Cheryl are killing it but Jack is back to being a tad bit stiff throughout. He seems to be having fun and I have to give him a point for changing up his usual scared facial expression. The dancing though is not on the money. Jack isn’t able to effortlessly go between Cheryl and Sharna and make it work. His first routine tonight was definitely stronger. Hey, they attempted samba rolls, or it may have been a single roll. It wasn’t exactly great but kudos for trying. Again, interesting thought process coming up with the idea for the routine but the execution didn’t come together completely.
Len thought it was clever. The technique in some places wasn’t very good but he loved the fun of it. Bruno had fun watching it. Carrie Ann loved to see Jack come out of his shell but the technique wasn’t there completely.
Carrie Ann-8, Len-8, Bruno-9, for a total of 25/30
To VOTE for Jack & Cheryl, call 800-868-3402, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Bill & Emma (dancing the Salsa with Peta)
Oh boy. It REALLY is time for Bill to exit. This is just embarrassing. You know how some celebs bring the humor and it works. Not here. Bill is bringing the humor but in a way that makes you not enjoy the routine. At one point, Bill just stands around doing his usual hand rolling while Peta and Emma dance around him. And then he crawls between their legs. And he smiles. And they dance. That’s really it. A Willy Wonka inspired routine that makes me not crave any candy whatsoever. Even easier choreography (as usual) can’t make this better. Sorry if I am being harsh but this was just weak.
Bruno loved the lunacy of it all. Rhythm and timing is off, though. Bruno says he has been saying it for five weeks. Carrie Ann found it so weird. She agrees with Bruno. Len thinks Bill needed some liquor to loosen up. Len says Bill needs to lift up his performances.
Carrie Ann-7, Len-7, Bruno-7, for a total of 21/30
To VOTE for Bill & Emma, call 800-868-3409, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Elizabeth & Val (dancing the Salsa with Gleb)
GLEB! Yummy. Okay, sorry. Shallow Franky time over. How long until he removes his shirt though? This is an awesome salsa. Lots of great movements from Elizabeth when going back and forth between Val and Gleb. I think adding Gleb was perfect because he must have added in some choreography and Val needed that. Elizabeth is totally in this and with just one minor out of sync moment I noticed, this is nearing perfection. Love the salsa steps. This is hot, spicy, and fun. And yep, the shirts come off. I knew it was coming, Gleb. Gosh, I hope he is back next season as a pro. LOL. Great dance to end the night for Elizabeth.
Carrie Ann calls her a girl on fire. It was her favorite of Elizabeth’s routine. Len calls it fantastic. Bruno says it takes two to get Elizabeth going. He loved the interplay. He agrees with Carrie Ann about it being Elizabeth’s best dance.
Carrie Ann-10, Len-10, Bruno-10, for a total of 30/30
To VOTE for Elizabeth & Val, call 800-868-3405, or use ABC.COM and/or Facebook. 6 votes per method allowed this week.
Week 9 Judges’ Leaderboard:
Corbin & Karina- 58/60
Elizabeth & Val- 56/60
Jack & Cheryl- 54/60
Leah & Tony- 54/60
Amber & Derek- 51/60
Bill & Emma- 42/60
Results…
The first couple safe is… Corbin And Karina.
The second couple safe is… Jack And Cheryl.
Elizabeth And Val are in jeopardy.
Amber And Derek are safe.
Leah And Tony are safe.
Bill and Emma are in jeopardy.
The usual “not exactly bottom two” speech. And tonight, one week short of the semi-finals, the couple exiting DWTS in week nine is…
ELIZABETH AND VAL. OH. MY. GOD.
Damn. Both Leah and Bill live to dance yet again. And Elizabeth (whom I will admit never reached full potential and I blame Val for some of that), who I thought would at least make the finals, doesn’t even make the semi-finals. And this is now the fourth (Christina, Snooki, Brant, and Elizabeth) who have left before their respective times if we only consider dance technique. But we all know, that’s now what the show is only about.
Is the competition now officially between Amber and Corbin? Or could we see a shocking win from either Jack, Bill, or Leah? Hey, this is reality-competition television. Anything can happen. Again though, WOW!!!
5 polls are coming your way guys and I hope you enjoyed watching the show along with me this week and I’ll see you next week for the semi-finals.
