It’s every couple for themselves this week as they all take on different dances, not to mention their first ever group dance. But it was this time last season that favourite Sabrina unexpectedly crashed out of the competition, so will there be a similar shock elimination this time around?
The Magnificent Seven
- Jason and Edyta (cha cha): After being told last week that he wasn’t dancing enough, Jason’s routine had a lot more content this time around, but although he started well, it wasn’t entirely consistent. There were moments when he lost the timing or reverted back to “oh my god, I’m doing the cha cha live in front of millions, this is a bit embarrassing, isn’t it?”. A good effort overall, but one that was in need of a little more polish to be truly stunning.
- Shannon and Derek (rumba): Shannon was in tears and Derek was uncharacteristically heated after the judges accused her of lacking hip action, but I can see where they were coming from- there may have been a bit of hip action, but thanks to that unflattering outfit, it wasn’t exactly easy to see. Anyway, being the Derek fan that I am, I liked the choreography, especially the ending.
- Marlee and Fabian (mambo): Fabian may be the mambo king, but I’m with Carrie-Ann on this one- it looked like they were ‘forcing and struggling’ out there, and the result was largely disappointing. I can’t say how much I admire Marlee for making so much progress when she can’t even hear the music, but this definitely wasn’t her dance.
- Cristián and Cheryl (foxtrot): This week, Cristián become “Frederico Astaire” on the floor, with a polished foxtrot that once again shows how far he has come since the beginning. Aside from the fact that Len threatened to show his bum if he ended up in the bottom two again, Cristián has evolved into a real contender, and will hopefully make it all the way to the final (not least because we need to keep Len’s bum covered).
- Marissa and Tony (Viennese waltz): Even though Marissa has the kind of personality that I don’t tend to get on with in real life, I still kind of like her because of her honesty and openness (it’s nice to see someone happy at an 8 instead of complaining because they didn’t get a 9 or 10). Anyway, this dance picked her out as the ‘journey’ celebrity, the one who has really progressed since the early weeks, so while I’m still not a particular fan of this couple, I can appreciate how far she’s come.
- Kristi and Mark (jive): What a great routine- fast, energetic and fun, and by DWTS levels, worthy of the perfect 30 it received. I didn’t even know that Kristi had clubfeet (to be honest, why would I?), which makes all she’s accomplished that much more impressive.
- Mario and Karina (rumba): was this sizzling and raunchy, or just too hot to handle? Although I can vaguely see Len’s point, I thought this was a good rumba, but the costume seemed to be a bad example of tying a tablecloth to a bikini. Still, Mario was probably made for the rumba, so good scores were deserved- although it’s a shame about the lift.
- Group dance: the cowboy number was a bit likely barely controlled chaos the first time around, so I’m actually glad they got to redo it in the results show, because second time around it seemed a lot more polished. I especially liked Jason and Edyta’s lift.
Results show
- Ashlee Simpson: another week, another artist I don’t particularly care for, but at least the song was generally bearable- and the accompanying dance was good to watch.
- Macy’s Stars of Dance: It was time for Riverdance to take to the stage (minus Michael Flatley), and although I’m not really a fan of Irish dancing, I like the music and can appreciate the technical aspects of it. Still, this seasons’ Stars of Dance selection seems rather weak compared to what we saw last season.
- The kids dance, week three: this week it was the turn of the thirteen and under category, with thirteen and twelve year old couples performing a cha cha and a jive. The interesting thing this week was how at this age the girls have started to grow up and mature, but the boys still look very young in comparison.
- Elimination: This week it was the turn of Marlee and Fabian and Mario and Karina in the bottom two, with Marlee ultimately getting knocked out. Again, I was surprised to see Mario and Karina in the bottom two, but it was Marlee’s time to go- she’s done incredibly well and hopefully inspired many, but over the last couple of weeks she hasn’t really progressed. Of the remaining competitors, Marissa is probably the weakest and the one who should go next, but she seems to be the Marie Osmond of the season and therefore may make it all the way to the final.
