Hey Everyone :)
Are you ready to go back to the decade of The Smurfs, learning the moonwalk, and watching John Hughes movies? Yep, it is “80’s Night” on Dancing with the Stars. Tonight’s nostalgia filled evening will bring us a medley of eighties tunes, fun costumes, and *gasp* MULLETS. Of course, we will still lose one couple after the judges scores and your live votes are added together.
Last week, we said goodbye to Anne Heche & Keo in the most awkward and messed up elimination this show has ever seen. A mistake in the control room and Tyra Banks inability to reign anything in saw everyone confused by who was actually in the bottom. It was Monica & Val, who had to come back after already being called safe. What a mess. Let’s hope the producers get it together tonight.
There seems to be a pattern this season where the couple who survive the bottom two are eliminated the following week. Will Monica & Val suffer the same fate or break the pattern? And now that we have reached the point in the season where the judges are giving out the high 9 and 10 paddles (warranted and unwarranted), who else will score big? Jazz and contemporary are also added to the dance styles.
I will include voting details under each performance review but remember, you can begin voting as soon as the show begins and ends during the final commercial break before elimination. For anyone wanting to vote right at the top of the show- go to ABC.COM to vote online or use the following information to vote via text.
Text AJ to 21523 to vote for AJ McLean
Text CHRISHELL to 21523 to vote for Chrishell Stause
Text JEANNIE to 21523 to vote for Jeannie Mai
Text JESSE to 21523 to vote for Jesse Metcalfe
Text JOHNNY to 21523 to vote for Johnny Weir
Text JUSTINA to 21523 to vote for Justina Machado
Text KAITLYN to 21523 to vote for Kaitlyn Bristowe
Text MONICA to 21523 to vote for Monica Aldama
Text NELLY to 21523 to vote for Nelly
Text NEV to 21523 to vote for Nev Schulman
Text SKAI to 21523 to vote for Skai Jackson
Text VERNON to 21523 to vote for Vernon Davis
LOL. Aerobics with the stars. Out comes Tyra in her finest 80’s wear. Voting is now OPEN. Tyra clears up that all votes were counted and the bottom two was correct last week. Okay then. Let’s go…
Justina Machado & Sasha – Jazz
Jazz. Or as this show likes to do it, throw whatever you want in a routine and call it jazz. Okay, so Sasha kept the vibe of the movie and gave Justina a good routine to compliment it. Simplistic moves and nothing really out of the ordinary, but good enough to make her fans happy. It was high energy and fun, with the iconic water splash at the end to match the film. A good start.
Derek calls her a maniac in the best possible way. He calls her so much fun and tells her to stay focused. Bruno calls it deliciously 80’s. Carrie Ann had high expectations and thought Justina was incredible. She felt they were in-sync even with a small mistake.
Carrie Ann- 8, Derek- 8, Bruno- 8 = 24/30
Jesse Metcalfe & Sharna – Tango
Decent. Quite serious in character and execution, which can work for the tango. A little overly stiff in parts but nothing crazy. I saw some improved posture and with the majority of that being in-hold, that’s a positive. I’m not sure this was anything groundbreaking which is was Jesse needs but it continues his streak of decent, but unspectacular numbers.
Bruno says he started well but went wrong a few times. He says he lost timing. Carrie Ann agrees but thought Jesse was feeling the music for the first time. She wants him to reconnect to Sharna. Derek says they are collectively rooting for Jesse. He needs him to open up more in his frame. He does think he is improving but it wasn’t his best dance.
Carrie Ann- 7, Derek- 6, Bruno- 6 = 19/30
Chrishell Stause & Gleb – Cha-Cha-Cha
Oh boy. Yikes. Okay, so that now that Chrishell has gotten away from slow dances where you couldn’t really see her feet, she does a fiery Latin routine that exposed a lot of her lingering issues. Timing, foot placement, and balance all need refinement. Gleb of course, as he will do, tried to sex it up as much as possible but once you take the style away, you notice the lack of substance underneath.
Carrie Ann wanted more content- she didn’t see enough cha-cha. Derek loved the side by side material but wants to see her close her feet. He cautions her to place her arms as well, not throw them. Bruno calls her naughty. He doesn’t mind that but tells her to be careful of the way she places her feet and body.
Carrie Ann- 6, Derek- 6, Bruno- 7 = 19/30
Jeannie Mai & Brandon – Jazz
That was fun. More jazz than I expected, so good on then. It had a lot of content and a lot of lifts. The lifts were decent. A bit sloppy going in and coming out of the them but to be expected. The prop tub for me was a non-issue so it didn’t hinder them at all. It was fun and fresh and Jeannie looked to be having a blast.
Derek sees the confidence in Jeannie and it brings an energy and ease. He calls it a simple but clean routine. Bruno says it was like Madonna gone PG. Carrie Ann loved the performance- she feels she is the most exciting performer to watch.
Carrie Ann- 8, Derek- 8, Bruno- 8 = 24/30
Monica Aldama & Val – Tango
Hey…not bad at all. I saw a commitment to not only the character but the dance as well. Decent posture and good staccato tango movements. She had a quiet intensity during this which worked and Val gave her just enough technique that it looked like a proper tango without much in the way of messing about. A success this one was.
Brun
o says it was focused. He says some of the lines were fantastic. He tells her to be careful not to grab over him during hold. Carrie Ann feels she brought it this week and finally saw a dynamic performance. Derek feels the bottom two scare gave her a drive to do better.Carrie Ann- 9, Derek- 9, Bruno- 8 = 26/30
AJ McLean & Cheryl – Waltz
Quite pretty. Love the flow and AJ in parts was quite light on his feet. Unfortunately, in the faster sections (when he had to twirl Cheryl), it got a bit clunky and awkward. Practice would fix that. All in all, it had moments of elegance and it was nicely choreographed and pretty decently danced. Not a hit but a very nice routine.
Carrie Ann marvels at the elegance. She tells him watch his frame and watch trying to muscle her but good job. Derek says he had great control with his feet but he agrees with Carrie Ann on the frame. Bruno says it had a wonderful sweeping drive but be careful of the underarm turns and keep it graceful and regal.
Carrie Ann- 8, Derek- 8, Bruno- 8 = 24/30
Skai Jackson & Alan – Jazz
Imma need Skai to be a little less clumsy in parts of that dance. It had so much content that I wanted to see it perfected cause the little moments of awkwardness took me out of it. For example, she needs to be confident and not watch Alan so much. It almost looks like she is waiting for his approval to go to the next step. If she practices more, that should do the trick. It was a fun dance.
Derek calls it fun. He says when they are side by side, her energy rises. But in hold, her energy decreases. Bruno loved the style and moves. He tells her to be careful of the dismount in the lifts. Carrie Ann agrees and adds that because she is petite, she needs to expand her movement.
Carrie Ann- 8, Derek- 8, Bruno- 8 = 24/30
Vernon Davis &am
p; Peta – TangoSome of those in-hold steps were very yikes worthy. At one point, I’m not sure if there was an error of if Vernon was just pulling Peta around super hard. His tallness becomes an issue as well. At other points, it had a nice intensity to it. The steps were nothing beyond basic and for the most part, Vernon adequately did them, It just didn’t look very good in certain parts, sorry to say.
Bruno says it started well but then he went wrong. His footwork got flat after that. Carrie Ann likes the quality of movement but she wants him to be bigger when out of hold. Derek feels Vernon thrives in the softer dances. He wants more attack in certain dances.
Carrie Ann- 7, Derek- 7, Bruno- 7 = 21/30
Kaitlyn Bristowe & Artem – Tango
Huh? That was a tango. It look way to long to get there and I don’t know what the end was. The tango in the middle was decent. But I didn’t see hardly enough of it. Artem is one of the show’s stronger choreographers so I am surprised he went for this. Maybe he wanted to go the memorable route over technique. Should be interesting to see how the judges critique this.
Carrie Ann says in frame, she is far superior to anyone else’s frame. She thinks she nailed the end. Derek appreciated the end as well and the musicality. Bruno calls it an 80’s action packed blockbuster. He is all compliments.
Carrie Ann- 9, Derek- 9, Bruno- 9 = 27/30
Nelly & Daniella – Samba
LOL. You gotta love Nelly. It’s funny. Every dance, he brings himself with some Nelly moves that I have become accustomed to expect. But the difference tonight was that he included that while still completing some good samba steps. I saw good bounce and nice rhythm. Perfect? Naw. But so much dang gone fun to watch. He’s one of those contestants where you give a pass on lack of technique due to star quality.
Derek calls it his best dance yet. He says it was a legit samba. Bruno loved how light he was on his feet. Carrie Ann says that dance made her happy. It was easy and she calls it yummy.
Carrie Ann- 8, Derek- 8, Bruno- 8 = 24/30
Johnny Weir & Britt – Contemporary
Our first contemporary of the season. About what you would expect. Lots of flailing and jumping around. A lot of running into one another. A lot of angst. It sounds like I am knocking it but no. I’ve just seen so much contemporary on all the dancing shows that they tend to blend together. But for what it is, a very good dance that fits well within Johnny’s lyrical background. He should be very pleased with that.
Bruno says Johnny gives danc
e with meaning. He tells him to use contractions a little bit more. He calls it beautiful though. Carrie Ann says he crushed the contemporary. She compliments the choreography by Britt. Derek feels Johnny carries high expectations and he met them.Carrie Ann- 10, Derek- 10, Bruno- 9 = 29/30
Nev Schulman & Jenna – Quickstep
Very good choreography by Jenna. She really captured the look and feel of the 80’s while putting together that quickstep. Loved the little nuances sprinkled throughout. The beginning was adorable. Nice fast paced movement throughout. Nev continues to surprise in his ability to actually exceed expectations with his routines and I am really impressed by Jenna this season.
Carrie Ann compliments everyone on a successful 80’s night. She said the frame felt awkward a bit and his movements felt ahead of the music at times. Derek understands Nev’s story and he feels he did a great job. Bruno feels he took to the quickstep very well and he maintained the timing.
Carrie Ann- 8, Derek- 9, Bruno- 9 = 26/30
Judges Sc
oresJohnny- 29
–
Kaitlyn- 27
–
Monica- 26
Nev- 26
–
Justina- 24
Jeannie- 24
AJ- 24
Skai- 24
Nelly- 24
–
Vernon- 21
–
Jesse- 19
Chrishell- 19
RESULTS TIME!!! …hopefully with no mistakes.
The following couples are SAFE and will return to dance next week:
Monica & Val, Nelly & Daniella, Jeannie & Brandon, Johnny & Britt, Justina & Sasha, AJ & Cheryl, Nev & Jenna, Skai & Alan, Kaitlyn & Artem, and Chrishell & Gleb
The BOTTOM 2 are:
Vernon & Peta and Jesse & Sharna
Bruno SAVES Vernon & Peta
Carrie Ann SAVES Vernon & Peta
Derek SAVES Vernon & Peta
And with that, Jesse & Sharna are eliminated. Not a big shock, as he was never able to really break out. Vernon is now on notice but since Monica escaped the bottom two goes home the next week pattern, there’s hope. Next week…Derek comes out from behind the judges desk to dance. Oh, and the rest of the stars dance too. LOL.
I hope you guys had fun going back in time to the 80’s and watching with me tonight. I’ll see y’all in a week. Stay safe. :)