Last week, “Dancing with the Stars” ended with another surprise elimination, as third-place couple Kristin Cavallari & Mark Ballas said good-bye to the ballroom. They left in place of less superior dancers like Chaz Bono and Nancy Grace. This week, the couples had to perform to some of the most memorable movie scores. Most of the dancers showed marked improvement this week as they interpreted movie songs through dance. The night featured highs and lows, as well as a much-anticipated appearance by Cher.
The show started with a medley of movie scores from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “Star Wars.” I could not remember the other song in the medley to save my life. (It’ll probably remember it in a day or two). The “Dancing with the Stars” troupe accompanied the band as they played. The troupe returned later in the show, dancing to “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head” from “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and the theme song from “Love Story.”
Top of the Block
Ricki Lake & Derek Hough danced the tango to the theme song for “Psycho.” They opened their performance in sillouettes. It would have been nice to open it with the iconic shower scene, the scene that freaked people out for years. It was not their best dance so far, but you could see the work they put into it. It would have been fun to see Derek dressed like Norman Bates as his mother. Anyway, the judges liked the technique and the artistry. They earned the first 10s of the season, Len being the only holdout. Ricki & Derek got a 29 for their work, topping the leaderboard for the third week in a row.
J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff landed in second place for their foxtrot to the “The Pink Panther” theme song, which should be quirky and funny like the 1960s movies. J.R. wore a fake mustache like Inspector Clouseau . The couple wore so much pink that it looked like they’d been douced in Pepto-Bismol and Cotton Candy nail polish. Their foxtrot was smooth and light, not as quirky as I would have liked it to be. They received a 26. I was surprised at the high scores becasue of the judges’ critiques.
The 24 Club
Two couples earned 24 for their dances. Hope Solo & Maksim Chmerkovskiy performed a foxtrot to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from the animated hit movie “Toy Story.” They dressed in cowboy characters in honor of Woody and Jessie. Of course, in the movies, Jessie and Woody are friends; Jessie is in love with Buzz Lightyear. It was a cute dance. I thought it was one of the most fun dances to watch of the night. Len chastised them about their profanity-laced arguements.
Later, Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke performed a paso doble to the theme song from “Superman.” I thought the paso doble was the perfect dance to do to the “Superman” theme song. Although it looked like Cheryl wanted to add elements of the paso, I don’t think Rob had the right aggression for the dance. Carrie Ann thought it was really good. Personally, I agreed with Len. It was adequate but not exciting. I’ve been aggreeing with Len a lot during this season.
The Rest
David Arquette & Kym Johnson dance a “Raiders of the Lost Ark”-inspired paso doble, with David even donning a whip and hat based on Harrison Ford’s famous accessories. David swung into the ballroom on a rope while Kim stood behind a cage dressed in what looked like a modified genie outfit. It was definitely a more interesting and fun follow up to Chynna & Tony’s tango. The crowd loved their performance, giving them a standing ovation. Bruno went into one of his incomprehensible praises of their dance. Len was critical of the technique; Courtney Cox looked on in surprise. The paso doble was definitely David’s best dance so far. Despite the criticism, Len gave David & Kym a 7. The dance received a combined total of 23.
Chynna Phillips & Tony Dovolani performed the tango to the “Theme from Mission Impossible.” Tony entered the ballroom like Tom Cruise in the famous hanging from the ceiling by the wire scene. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, you know what I’m talking about. I didn’t find it as intense as I thought a tango to this song could be. Chynna’s face expressed disappointment in this dance because previous performances had been so well. The judges pointed out the mistakes. Carrie Ann made a good point by mentioning that it’s just a show; Chynna seemed to be taking it way too seriously. Chynna & Tony still earned a respectable 21.
Nancy Grace & Tristan McManus did the paso doble to a Queen song from the science fiction movie, “Flash Gordon.” Tristan visited Nacy on the set of her legal television show. Nancy had the facial intensity needed for a paso doble. There were glimpses of paso doble technique, but I noticed a few misteps, especially toward the end of the dance. Despite some negative criticism from the judges, Nancy & Tristan got a 21, tying with Chynna & Tony.
Chaz Bono & Lacey Schwimmer did a paso doble to the theme song from “Rocky.” Cher showed up for this performance. Richard Simmons ame to one of their rehearsals to give Chaz boxing tips. I was surprised at how old Richard Simmons looked. I forget that he’s been around since I was a kid. This was their best dance although Chaz still looked cluncky and awkward on the ballroom floor. Cher clapped like any parent watching their child perform and got teary eyed at the end. Carrie Ann let loose the waterworks for this dance. Chaz and Lacey received their highest score of the competition, a 21.
Carson Kressley & Anna Trebunskaya danced the Viennese waltz to the theme song form “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.” A guy came in and showed them sword-fighting moves to add to the waltz. Their outfits were ridiculously corny, especially the hat with the parrot on top. I must say that I’ve never seen a Viennese waltz quite like it. It was fun but not waltzy enough. The judges gave them a 20 for their performance, the lowest of the night.
Conclusion
The judges were pretty generous with their scores. Even low-scoring couples managed to impress the judges with their interpretations of the move theme songs. It’s almost certain that Chaz & Lacey will not be eliminated after the night’s performance. With first and last place being so close, it will likely be another surprise elimination. The “Dancing with the Stars” result’s show should be entertaining and suspenseful. It will feature Julian Hough’s return to the ballroom, plugging her new movie, the long-awaited remake of “Footloose.” Performers include country singer Blake Shelton and Susan Boyle.
Leader Board
Ricki Lake & Derek Hough 10 9 10 = 29
J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff 8 9 9 = 26
Hope Solo & Maksim Chmerkovskiy 8 8 8 = 24
Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke 8 8 8 = 24
David Arquette & Kym Johnson 8 7 8 = 23
Chynna Phillips & Tony Dovolani 7 7 7 = 21
Nancy Grace & Tristan McManus 7 7 7 = 21
Chaz Bono & Lacey Schwimmer 7 7 7 = 21
Carson Kressley & Anna Trebunskaya 7 6 7 = 20
Source:
http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/index