Hey All :)
Welcome to week four of this season’s edition of Dancing with the Stars. Last week, the bottom two consisted of Lamar & Peta and Kel & Witney. But because Ray Lewis and his partner Cheryl had to leave the competition due to injury, both were spared from being cut. They will dance yet again tonight, along with the remaining eight pairs before America’s live coast to coast vote is revealed and the judges handle another elimination.
Former contestant and actress Leah Remini will be on hand to serve as a guest judge, so all scores this week will be out of 40. Can Lamar & Kel do enough to avoid a second consecutive trip to the bottom this week? And who will shine as we inch closer to the halfway point of the competition? I am also interested to see if this is the week the judges hand out the first “9” paddle of the season. I personally like the fact that the judges are making these contestants work for good scores.
For my weekly reminder, here is the voting information you need.
Those of you not seeing the show live right now can still participate and vote for your favorite couples.
Voting commences at the top of the show as follows:
-You can head on over to ABC.COM or use the ABC App. A valid email is required and a limit of 10 votes per method.
-You can text the name of your choice to 21523. Example- text the word Lamar to 21523 to place a vote for Lamar. Again, a limit of 10 votes for this method.
Tom and Erin are out first and introduce our guest judge, Leah Remini. The cast is out next. Some very nice outfits, I must say. Leah notes she is looking for dancing tonight. No opening routine this evening. With much to do, let’s get started…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-_Cc3hX2Mc
Sean & Lindsay – Paso Doble
Well, the paso is well suited to what Sean can do- stomp around. Lindsay, again being smart, doesn’t give him all that much to do besides support her. He isn’t tasked with anything difficult and what he is asked to do, he does. This was probably the easiest and most limited in content paso you will ever see. But with easiness in a dance comes a sure way not to make too many mistakes. So there’s that as well.
Len says it wasn’t great technically but he enjoyed the attack. Bruno says he took the bulls by the horn. He says the flamenco moves were not in-sync. He wants him to work on his core. Carrie Ann loved his arms in the dance. She wants him to be careful of his face- he had no expression during the dance. Leah loves that he tries his best.
Carrie Ann- 5
Leah- 6
Len- 5
Bruno- 5 for 21/40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIIxTWCMGv4
Ally & Sasha – Jive
Solid dance. Ally, at time during that, was just a hair under the energy she needed but Sasha made up for that but slowing himself down a bit to match. That’s a good partner. She took the song well and did some classic Tina Turner moves, so she was really feeling herself during this. A solid and acceptable jive with some good kicks and flicks throughout.
Bruno calls it a diva jive. He calls Sasha an accessory in that. He wants her to keep going that way. Carrie Ann calls it amazing. She says Ally nailed it. Leah says it was difficult and thought she was amazing. Len was proud of the performance- good technique and personality.
Carrie Ann- 8
Leah- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 8 for 32/40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaLr8BPW6o8
Kel & Witney – Cha-Cha-Cha
One of Kel’s stronger overall performances. Some interesting hip-hop things thrown in there which Kel does well but I wonder if Len is going to harp on content because of that. Kel is definitely better when he lets loose and doesn’t overthink the technical aspects of the dance. Sure, he always seems to need a bit of refining but all in all, a very acceptable routine from start to finish.
Carrie Ann has been waiting to see that from Kel. Leah calls him wonderful to watch. She wants him to start owning that he is good. Len says he has been under the radar but not tonight. Bruno tells him he saw his personality- which was engaging. He has to believe in himself, Bruno notes.
Carrie Ann- 8
Leah- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 8 for 32/40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf6bJ1WH4Pk
Kate & Pasha – Argentine Tango
Kate continues to be the unexpected surprise of the season. She really is what the show is all about when an inexperienced dancer has a journey that’s pleasant to watch. This wasn’t as good as last week with some notable things but all in all, it was a very decent argentine tango. Could it have been more crisp with some better footwork? Sure, but it was nothing to sneeze at either. Proud of Kate.
Leah loves her energy and says she represents a lot of the audience. Len thinks the character was a struggle for Kate this go around. Bruno says she went for it but she lost balance and the smoothness. He calls it jagged. Carrie Ann loves the way she uses the floor and how she extends her lines. She wants her to work on her face.
Carrie Ann- 7
Leah- 7
Len- 6
Bruno- 6 for 26/40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA6kQkiDBvQ
James & Emma – Quickstep
Really strong dance. I love when a quickstep comes together. Fast, fun, with good intricate footwork. I thought James was also really strong in hold, which is hard to do when your feet have to go a mile a minute. Congrats to James and his wife on her pregnancy with their sixth (damn) child. Good celebratory routine here for that occasion.
Len calls him a terrific dancer. He wanted a little more in hold. He tells this to Emma. But he loved the clever choreography. Bruno says he can tell a story and he can dance it. He agrees with Len though and tells him to watch the small and subtle things. Carrie Ann notices they are dancing almost as two soloists- she wants them to dance more like a pair. Leah loves watching him.
Carrie Ann- 7
Leah- 7
Len- 7
Bruno- 7 for 28/40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y52G0siqpA
Hannah & Alan (Paso Doble)
Ah. Great paso. To think Sean had a paso earlier when you look at this and it is just amazing. Love the fierceness throughout. Alan was on point with his choreography here and Hannah played the character really well. A very traditional paso in steps but brought to life by the pair of them accompanied by a good song and really solid lighting around them. Aces!
Bruno says the sexy beast is our of the cage. He loved the lines, shaping, and choreography. He tells her she got a bit out of breath at the end but he calls it drop dead gorgeous. Carrie Ann feels there was a huge difference this week compared to last week. Leah feels Hannah is so cute. Len says it was fast and clear. He enjoyed that it was controlled aggression.
Carrie Ann- 8
Leah- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 8 for 32/40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00caOdRUqYo
Lamar & Peta – Viennese Waltz
Oh boy. Well, I am going to be gentle here. Lamar really took the dance seriously. It had a sweetness to it and a nice elegant quality. Of course, it also had a lot of stiffness and the flow just wasn’t there as it should be. But it could have turned out a whole lot worse? I mean, let’s pull some lemonade out of lemons here.
Carrie Ann says Lamar has a lot of courage and a lot of vulnerability. Leah says Lamar is working hard and this is really difficult for him. Len says there is a gentleness about Lamar. Bruno loved the tender moments and the connection with Peta. He says the continuous rotation was lacking.
Carrie Ann- 5
Leah- 7
Leah- 4
Bruno- 4 for 20/40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3reN4bec7GU
Sailor & Val – Cha-Cha-Cha
What I have noticed about Sailor is that she is stronger when in-hold with Val than she is when they part. Some of her solo stuff falls a little flat and looks a bit awkward but she is totally aces when Val is leading. She perhaps needs to work a bit on that because it matters in some of these routines. But it was a nice cha-cha-cha with many technical steps you expect to see executed well.
Leah says Sailor makes her smile. Len calls it another terrific performance. Bruno says her light is shining bright each week. He appreciates that she worked on the correct foot and leg placement. Carrie Ann points out that she needs to find consistency with her feet under her (sometimes she steps too small, other times too wide) but good job overall.
Carrie Ann- 7
Leah- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 8 for 31/40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM9cswaQK_8
Lauren & Gleb – Foxtrot
Good acting from Lauren here. And a hell of a nice foxtrot with some good rise and fall action. I would caution Lauren to be careful depending on Gleb too much. He tends to drag her around sometimes when they are in-hold. She need to be confident and strong enough to let him lead but still look like she knows the steps without being carried. But a solid performance overall for sure.
Len didn’t like the opening with the swing. He calls it very nice and tells Gleb he knows Gleb throws in some technical stuff for him and then throws in anything he wants. LOL. Bruno loves the musical phrasing within the dance and calls it elegant. Carrie Ann says the foxtrot was her dance. She says Lauren has a gravitas now and a sensuality. Leah loved it all and how she told the story.
Carrie Ann- 8
Leah- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 8 for 32/40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjuSJuqpYpY
Karamo & Jenna – Tango
A much better dance than we are used to seeing from Karamo. He was exuding confidence here. I love the way the costume department dressed the pair of them for this. They looked great. A nice tango that has passion. Jenna was pretty basic with choreography here but that’s not a bad thing. Karamo has had a bad time with scores on this show so perhaps doing well with a technical dance will earn him more points.
Bruno tells him looking good. He says he turned on the leading man attitude. He warns him not make the tango to “stepy.” Carrie Ann calls it her favorite Karamo dance. LIFT POLICE CARRIE ANN. She calls out Jenna for the starting position lift. POINT DEDUCTION. Good grief. Leah doesn’t think Karamo gets enough credit. Len mentions his right elbow and some of his footwork that he didn’t like. He liked and didn’t like the dance.
Carrie Ann- 7
Leah- 7
Len- 7
Bruno- 7 for 28/40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrsLMPTSdds
RESULTS TIME! – All votes from two weeks + judges scores from two weeks have been added together
SAFE– Kel & Witney, Hannah & Alan, Sailor & Val, James & Emma, Ally & Sasha, Lauren & Gleb, Kate & Pasha, and Sean & Lindsay
Bottom 2– Lamar & Peta and Karamo & Jenna
Carrie Ann SAVES Karamo & Jenna
Bruno SAVES Karamo & Jenna
Lamar & Peta are ELIMINATED.
Lamar feels lucky to be walking and talking and he loved dancing with Peta. Tom tells him it has been a pleasure having him on the show.
Final Judge Leaderboard For Week 4 (Out Of 40)
Ally- 32
Hannah- 32
Kel- 32
Lauren- 32
Sailor- 31
James- 28
Karamo- 28
Kate- 26
Sean- 21
Lamar- 20
Next week- it is “Disney Night.” POLLS will be up later or tomorrow. Thanks y’all for watching the show with me tonight and we will do it all again next Monday night. :D