Last week, the men and women danced separately, tonight they complete together! Whee!
Baz Lurhmann, director of Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet, is sitting in for judge Len Goodman. Baz’s mom was a professional ballroom judge.
Aaron Carter and Mya led the pack tonight with 27 points each. Aaron danced the best Quickstep of the night, but I think Mya and Dmitry’s Jive was the dance of the night. Donny Osmond came in third, with a well-executed, albiet hammy Jive.
There’s a gap between Donny’s 25 points, and the rest of the pack–with Natalie Coughlin, Debi Mazur and Mark Decascos (over-scored for a routine that was a bit of a trainwreck) at 21 points, Joanna Kupra falling behind this week (she was in first place last week) at 20 and Michael Irvin (over-scored for his slo-mo Quikstep) also scoring 20.
The rest of the dancers languish in the teens, with Kathy Ireland and Tom Delay bringing up the rear at 18. The clumsy, and personality -free Kathy Ireland is going home next, if you ask me.
Baz Lurhmann fulfilled the promise of most guest judges–appear charming without offending anyone. He really had little to say in the way of critiques…
Live blog and VIDEOS after the JUMP…
Joanna Kupra and Derek Hough – The Jive – Joanna may give out a bitchy vibe, but I got to hand it to her…she can dance. But not as well, this week. The routine is a little sloppy. Her hair is scaring me. Carrie Ann says, “You got a lot of hair, girlfriend” She thought she had a lot of energy, but her feet were spastic. Bruno likes that she doesn’t hold back, but her kicks and flicks were not precise. Baz would like to see more connection between the partners. Carrie Ann – 6 Baz – 7, Bruno – 7 – 20 – 1-800-868-3415 – VIDEO
Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo – Quickstep – She’s holding her breath, as if she’s still swimming. Natalie is singing along with “I Want You Back” Could she lose points for that? She looks nervous. She really needs to loosen up! Bruno tells Natalie to relax more. She’s still not breathing. Baz notes that the quickstep is hard, he says she’s thinking too hard, but when she’s in the moment, she’s good Carrie Ann says she’s one of her favorite competitors. Carrie Ann – 7, Baz – 7, Bruno – 7 – 21 – 1-800-868-3413 – VIDEO
Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya – Tango – Anna decides to put some of Chuck’s fighting moves into the routine. Well, Len isn’t around to call it a gimmick, so… Ha ha they’re dancing to “7 Nation Army”. And oh my, this dance? It’s pretty icky. Chuck is so stiff and looks like a deer caught in headlights. Yikes. Baz gives him credit for trying. Yep, Len WOULD rip him to shreds. Carrie Ann says she was a little scared. Bruno also give him props for trying. Hm. Carrie Ann – 6, Baz – 7, Bruno – 6 – 19 – 1-800-868-3402 – VIDEO
Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas – Jive – Melissa looks like she’s having fun. Better than last week….much better than last week. Carrie Ann says, “I’m so happy…but this week it was working, great energy.” Bruno says “You have to be careful…with your feet.” Baz says, “Big big improvement. Bit of a Debbie Reynolds thing going on…work on your stepwork.” Carrie Ann – 7, Baz – 6, Bruno – 6 – 19 – Oh, wow. I thought she was WAY better than Chuck… –1-800-868-3410 – VIDEO
Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova – Quickstep – They rehearsed morning, noon and night. I thought they were limited to 5 hours a day? Hm? This is not very…quick. I feel like I’m watching the dance in slow motion. Bruno says, “We wanted content, you gave us content…this is the way to improve.” Baz says, “You confront the challenge, you are a natural performer.” Carrie Ann says, “Compared to last week, like a touchdown.” Eh, I wasn’t that impressed. Carrie Ann – 7, Baz – 7, Bruno – 6 – 20. 1-800-868-3407 – VIDEO
Debi Mazar and Maksim Chmerkovskiy – Tango – They have a love/hate relationship! Perfect for the Tango. What a coincidence! Debi looks gorgeous! Way better than last week. The Tango takes advantage of Debi’s acting skillz. Baz says, “Playing out the story was really an achievement.” Carrie Ann calls her a drama queen, and that she worked it out on the dance floor. Bruno says, “I like when you channel the feisty ball breaker.” Carrie Ann – 7, Baz – 7, Bruno – 7 – 21 – 1-800-868-3409 – VIDEO
Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower – Jive – OMG they’re both so cuuuttee! Please vote for them! Heh. Carrie Ann says, “You have so much joy when you dance…you lost touch with the music a little bit.” Bruno accuses him of “mucking about” and that Louie is better than that. He’s got a point. Baz says, “You are a great couple…I thought it was tremendous.” Carrie Ann – 6, Baz – 7, Bruno – 6 – 19 – 1-800-868-3406 – VIDEO
Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff – Quickstep – They’re dancing to the Muppet theme song. And the muppets are making a cameo. OK, best quickstep of the night, best ROUTINE of the night. I still think Aaron is kind of a douche, though. “Spectacular! Mini Fred Astair…you have to live up to this.” Baz says, “It’s great to see a performer growing…clever inventive.” Carrie Ann says, “That was truly a pleasure…the contact in your hold was ridiculous.” Carrie Ann – 9, Baz – 9, Bruno – 9 – 27 Highest so far! 1-800–868-3401. – VIDEO
Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel – Tango – Kelly needs to look more fierce and less nervous. She made some mistakes and didn’t handle it well. She really lacks confidence. Baz says, “There’s such a self-revelation coming to you…there were mistakes…you never gave up.” Carrie Ann says, “Once you let go of your guard..I like what I see.” Bruno says, “You could be amazing, but too many mistakes.” Carrie Ann – 6, Baz – 7, Bruno – 6 – 19 – 1-800-868-3416. – VIDEO
Kathy Ireland and Tony Dovolani – Quickstep – She’s just such a stiff. So boring to watch. She doesn’t give an inch. Carrie Ann says, “This suited you better than the Salsa….you’re so reserved, so carefully placed.” Bruno says, “You’re elegant, but you have to be engaging.” Baz says, “Elegant…but the quickstep is an exciting dance.” Carrie Ann – 6, Baz – 6, Bruno – 6 – 18 – 1-800-868-3412 – VIDEO
Mark Decascos and Lacey Schwimmer – Quickstep – Well, that looked like a lot of fun, but the dancing wasn’t so good. Eep, Mark fell. I kinda miss the Kung Fu. Bruno says, “What a great performer…if only you could get your footwork under control.” Baz says, “I thought that was an incredible comeback.” Carrie Ann, “Your very tight, very clean when you dance…your recovery from your slip was good…you need to breathe.” Carrie Ann – 7, Baz – 7, Bruno – 7 – 21 – 1-800-868-3403. – VIDEO
Mya and Dmitry Chaplin – Jive – Wow. Mya is sensational! Love her. Nobody better give her a 5 this week. This song they’re dancing to? Not so family friendly! Baz says, “That is the real deal, that was fantastic. Bravo.” Carrie Ann says, “Leo wouldn’t have liked the beginning…great energy through the legs.” Bruno says, “Original and inventive…like seeing Josephine Baker and Clark Kent…you really are a great performer.” Carrie Ann – 9, Baz – 9, Bruno – 9 – 27 – 1-800-868-3411. – VIDEO
Tom Delay and Cheryl Burke – Tango – Tom has a pre-stress fracture on his toes…but nothing is going to stop him from dancing the tango! Drat. He doesn’t look as ridiculous as he did last week. Notice I said “As”. Carrie Ann says, “You are an oddly well matched couple…I liked it until the end.” She told him, in so many words, that he had to squeeze his butt (!!!). Thanks for that image! Not. Bruno says, “You nearly pulled it out of the bag…it went to pieces.” Baz says, “It was a cliff hanger…strong hold…great dignity and grace.” Carrie Ann – 6, Baz – 6, Bruno – 6 – 18 – 1-800-868-3408. – VIDEO
Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson – Jive – OMG he’s such a ham! Donny, quit pulling all those goofy faces. Standing O for Donny and Kym. Bruno says, “That was well pitched, well executed…very very good jive.” Baz says, “It’s fantastic that dance knows no age.” Carrie Ann says, “That is an amazing performance…keep up what you’re doing.” Carrie Ann – 8, Baz – 9, Bruno – 8 – 25 – 1-800-868-3405 – VIDEO
