“Dancing with the Stars” 2011 tapped, shimmied and strutted on with season 13’s sixth week of action. The Broadway-themed extravaganza featured the seven remaining couples hoofing it to a music from a variety of popular shows, including “Spamalot” and “Jersey Boys”, and the season’s first group dance. Oh, and a heated exchange between one pro hoofer and a judge! Here’s a look at who rocked and who faltered.
The show kicked off with a performance by the company of the smash hit musical “Sister Act”. Never have there been so many sparkly habits in the “DWTS” ballroom. And then… the week’s action!
Up first to dance were reality star Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke, who were assigned a Cha Cha set to “Walk Like a Man” from “Jersey Boys”. Rob’s mom Kris Jenner swung by rehearsals to visit and talk up her son, telling him “you’ve gone from a boy to a man” while on “Dancing”. She told him to “kick some” butt and stop being nice. Rob said the visit really “motivated” him to do his best.
Rob and Cheryl were cute in their matching black, white and red outfits. And Kim, Khloe and Kourtney’s little bro certainly got some good booty shakes thrown in there. It’s hard to look really good next to Cheryl, but it was a solid effort. Len Goodman called it “clean” and “precise” and said it had “good timing” but declared it rhythmless and “stiff and starchy”. Bruno Tonioli called it “adequate” but said it lacked “impact and power”, which was really more a criticism of Cheryl than Rob. Carrie Ann Inaba praised Rob’s increased “charisma” but likened him to a “late college bloomer” yet to go for his Masters. Uh, okay. Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke’s “DWTS” season 13 week 6 scores: 8, 7, 7 = 22.
Second in order were TV host Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus with a Foxtrot set to the “Spamalot” tune “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”. Nancy shared during rehearsals that the duo was “really stepping up the choreography”, and then the host oddly accused her partner of deliberately setting her up for failure. As they practiced, they argued like an old married couple.
Nancy and Tristan offered up a cute, clean, fun routine that featured the Irishman skipping around… a lot. And Nancy seemingly having a really good time. It was cheeky good fun, if you ask me. And the costumers were awesome. Hey, and she finally got to knock Tristan over at the end! Bruno declared “it’s Nancy in Dancealot with Sir Lancealot”. He appreciated the “Pythonesque” quality of the dance and called it “well done”. Carrie Ann said “you upped the ante” and “you nailed it” before calling it “a show-stopper”. A grinning Len praised Nancy for showing a “different side” of her personality and enjoyed “the razzle dazzle” but didn’t care for the actual Foxtrot itself. Hmm. Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus’ “DWTS” season 13 week 6 scores: 9, 7, 8 = 24.
The “Greece” hit “We Go Together” served as the music for the next couple’s Broadway week routine. Actor David Arquette and Kym Johnson hoped to “maintain” their momentum following a successful week 6 routine. David said he was pleased to be dancing during Broadway week, and was particularly happy to be dancing the Quickstep, which he likened to his personality. He did, however, have to work to keep his enthusiasm under control. He hoped to “surprise a lot of people”, including himself.
You know, I wasn’t a big David fan early on, but his dance showed his growth in the ballroom over the season. It was cute, joyful, and reasonably well-controlled. (And most importantly, Coco loved it.) Carrie Ann said he’d “lived up to any expectations” they’d had performance-wise, but noted they were “out of synch” at times. Len said “it was what it was” but that it was “high energy” and “full-on”. Bruno likened him to an excessivley energized teen on Spring break, but enjoyed the energy. David Arquette and Kym Johnson’s “Dancing with the Stars” 2011 week 6 scores: 8, 7, 8 = 23.
Talk show host Ricki Lake and Derek Hough followed with a Quickstep set to music from “Guys and Dolls”. After receiving lackluster scores during week 5, Ricki hoped to “redeem herself”. She also hoped her stamina would allow her to make it through the dance. Derek admitted that he was being “tough” on his partner in order to motivate her to do better.
“Luck be a Lady” served as the musical accompaniment for their visual spectacle of a dance. Their hold seemed a little loose during runs, but other than that, it was a fleet-footed, decidedly Broadway-ish routine that brought the audience to their footies. Len said “you don’t need luck if you’ve got talent” and “it was really motoring”. Bruno said “impeccable style, outstanding choreography” and appreciated their “interpretation of the music”. Carrie Ann said “it’s beautiful to see such poetry in motion done so well” and “can anyone say Tony Award?” Ricki Lake and Derek Hough’s “Dancing with the Stars” scores: 10, 9, 10 = 29.
A “Phanton of the Opera” Tango was on the menu next, and it was assigned to activist Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer. Chaz hoped to “show people that I’m still in the game and deserve to be here”. During rehearsals, Chaz struggled with learning the choreography, and Lacey worried that his loose motions would cause big problems with the judges.
Well, kudos to Chaz for dancing in that mask. It must’ve been uncomfy. But it was a little frustrating to be unable to see his feet amid the ongoing swirling of Lacey’s long white ballgown. Bruno called it “a different phantom” like “watching a cute little penguin trying to be a big menacing bird of prey”. He acknowledged that it was hard, but that the character of the dance didn’t hit Chaz. Carrie Ann agreed with Bruno to a degree, but said “this is the most aggressive we’ve seen you”. She wished for more content, and said they need to see “more difficult choreography”. Len praised Chaz for getting through the routine and for his effort, but knocked them for lacking in hold and aggression. Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer’s “Dancing with the Stars” 2011 week 6 scores: 7, 6, 6 = 19.
Rumba was the dance of the week for soccer star Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who went next. During rehearsals, Maks recruited three of the female pros from the troupe to help her learn how to get into the character of the Rumba. Hope called having them there “incredible” and learned a lot from the experience. But it wasn’t all roses: The next day, Maks struggled with overcoming Hope’s natural “athlete” mode, and admitted that he was close to giving up on the notion of her becoming a good dancer.
Hope and Maks’ “Rent” dance started off steamy enough, with the two entwined in a hot embrace. But then, oh, I don’t know. There was something clunky about the way she placed her feet at times. It was good. Great? No. But a good effort. Carrie Ann appreciated the “effort” Hope showed, and the “glimpses” she got of “a beautiful, vulnerable girl”. But she called some of the moves a little too forced. Len assured her “I’ve never lost faith in you”, but noted that the dance was full of heel-leads, probably thanks to the boots. He called it her “worst dance” of the season. Maks sassed him, and an ugly interaction resulted that raised he hackles of all three judges. Ouch. Bruno addressed Hope first. He acknowledged that it was a difficult song, but knocked her for not “linking” the motions enough. Hope Solo and Maks Chmerkovskiy’s “DWTS” week 6 scores: 7, 6, 7 = 20. Maks had a little more to say post-score reveal: “With all due respect, this is my show…. I’m a little tired that we’re being judged some on effort, and some nit-picking on heel leads.”
With six dances down, only one couple remained: War veteran and soap star J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff. The pair worked hard on their Quickstep, and Karina felt he pressure to prove that J.R. was “not a fluke”. She called their dance the most ambitious she’d ever done for “DWTS”. J.R. hoped to sit alone at the top of the leaderboard by night’s end, calling it “my spot”.
J.R. and Karina’s dance was theatrical and lots of fun. And J.R. had that big grin on display throughout. Len called him “truly relentless” and likened the effort to racecar champ Helio Castroneves’ legendary banana man routine. Bruno said “you’ve created a rip roaring, organ’s rising, 11 o’clock number that makes the show a hit!”. Carrie Ann asked if she could give away another Tony Award. J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff’s “DWTS” season 13 week 6 scores: 10, 9, 10 = 29.
So that’s it for the inidividual dances. No huge scoring surprises this week.
And then the show took something of a results night turn as Kristin Chenoweth performed a medley of Broadway hits. Some male pros gyrated around her. Poor girl.
And then… dum da dum… the Broadway group dance, choreographed by Kevin Maher. And creatively directed by Carson Kressley. The money money money intensive dance was fun, and appropriately theatrical. Not surprisingly, David seemed to have the best time of all, based on his enthused expression. Len called it “a fitting tribute the Broadway”. He called Ricki “very brave” and Rob “powerful”. Bruno also noted Rob’s role. Carrie Ann gave Nancy an “extra bonus point” for her lift.
So who gets the boot? Were voting fair, it would be Chaz Bono, hands’ down. But I’m thinking his fan base will keep him alive longer. Hope Solo is probably the most likely to fall, but you never know. To see who fails to move on, watch the “Dancing with the Stars” 2011 week 6 results show tomorrow at 9 PM on ABC. Or you can just check in with me. You know I’ll be watching.