I’m going to be positive this week. I’ve been looking forward to this one because it’s the 100th episode and some former winners are coming back, plus all the irritating contestants have gone.
Kristi Yamaguchi opened the show with the Quickstep and I found it a bit boring. It was technically very good – watching the show for the first time, I don’t think you’d know which was the professional, Kristi or Mark – but it just didn’t do anything for me. I am going to be positive. I am! Len Goodman loved it, saying he’d been fed up all day and it cheered him right up. Carrie Ann Inaba said they went a bit out of sync and the audience booed.
Mario’s Viennese Waltz was the first dance of this series to make me cry. Plus the lift gave me the shivers. He’s not the best technically, but it was beautiful. Bruno Tonioli called him “Prince Mario”. After comparing Mario’s previous dances to Britney Spears getting out of a car (“not very elegant and sometimes you see odd things you’d rather not”), Len said it was the most elegant he’d seen him dance.
Next out was Marissa Jaret Winokur with the Foxtrot and I loved that too. She and her partner Tony danced apart for a while and I thought that was amazing. In hold it was good, but separately it was better. I was sorry when it ended. Carrie Ann said Marissa always brings so much joy to the floor. Len thought it was better in hold and Bruno said it was a bit too stompy for the Foxtrot.
Jason Taylor had the Tango and it was brilliant. It didn’t move me, but it did transfix me. Len said it was “a tad too much like an Argentine Tango.” I actually originally turned the show on part-way through this dance and I too thought it was an Argentine Tango so, once again, I’m with Len. “I hate you because you’re so beautiful,” said Bruno. To Edyta and Jason, not to Len.
The last dance of the ballroom round was Cristian de la Fuente’s Tango. Cheryl had to choreograph around his injury, which was obviously a challenge, particularly since they had to do a lift. “No pain, no mirrorball trophy,” said Cristian. As it turned out, the lift was fabulous and I loved the whole routine. It was dramatic, but also fun. It made me smile. Bruno and Carrie Ann both said you couldn’t tell Cristian was injured. Len congratulated Cheryl on the choreography. Carrie Ann gave it a 10 and the other two 9s and, very sweetly, Cristian jumped up and celebrated with the other contestants.
At the end of the ballroom round, Kristi and Jason were tied at the top and Marissa was bottom.
Again I thought Kristi’s Samba was good, but it didn’t do anything for me. Carrie Ann said she didn’t care for it. She said maybe it was a bit ambitious. Len said that it was unbalanced – it had great speed and energy, but lost a bit of rhythm. Bruno liked it though.
Mario’s Jive was all over the place. He made a mess of the beginning and the ending and the middle wasn’t much better. Len said the whole thing had a roughness about it and there was no technique in the footwork. Bruno said it was the spirit of rock and roll and what a Jive should be. But I think a Jive should make you smile and that one just made me puzzled.
Marissa Jaret Winokur’s Mambo was pretty poor. I like her, but it was unpolished. It looked more like week 1 than a week off the semi finals. Bruno said it was sexy. Carrie Ann said she loves that Marissa goes for it, but Len said it was, again, a bit too careful. I agree (again) – she didn’t look as confident as she has in previous dances.
Jason and Edyta also had the Samba and it irritated me. Edyta was wearing practically nothing, Jason looked tentative, there was a dramatic lift at the end, which he really struggled with. Carrie Ann said his musicality was a little bit muddy, but Bruno went further, calling it a turkey.
Cristian’s Mambo was fabulous. One of my favourite dances of the entire series and he did it practically with one hand behind his back. Loved it. The judges loved it too. They got 29 and he ran around kissing the other contestants. He’s my favourite again.
At the end of both dances, Marissa was still bottom, but Cristian was – deservedly – top.
The results show opened with a phenomenal group dance by current and former professionals, featuring a breathtaking flying leap by Karina. Amazing.
Then, during a performance by Rascall Flatts (Rascall Flatts?), Apolo Anton Ohno was back dancing with Julianne Hough and it was incredible. I love to watch them dance together. Her choreography is always so creative and they’ve got such great chemistry, it made me blush.
Previous winner Mario Lopez returned with the cast of A Chorus Line (in which he’s been appearing on Broadway), but he’ll always be A.C. Slater to me. They did One – in a, you know, chorus line – and it was completely thrilling. I LOVED it. And I particularly loved seeing the judges singing and dancing with abandon behind them. Pure joy.
It was so good to see Mel B and Maks back. The one minute they did was perhaps more thrilling than anything else seen this series. It really was a travesty that they didn’t win the last season. And I really hope Maks returns next season.
Marissa and Tony were the first through and I was thrilled. Not as thrilled as she was, obviously, she screamed the place down. Kristi and Marc were also through, leaving Mario, Jason and Cristian. Of the three, I would have liked to see the back of Jason. He bores me.
Samantha then announced they would to reveal “in no particular order” the next couple through. How can one couple be in no particular order? Anyway, it was Cristian.
So Jason and Mario were in the bottom two, which wasn’t necessarily the bottom two, if you know what I mean. But one was the absolute bottom and it was Mario.
He thanked Len for calling him an inspiration, but then said that the real brave young people are the men and women serving overseas. Well, yeah. But what’s that got to do with anything? No-one’s suggesting that any of you dancing celebs are in any way braver than servicemen and women, are they? It was a bit odd.
That aside, this was the best week of this season by far, but that’s partly because of the returning contestants in the results show. None of this season’s contestants can hold a candle to Mel and Maks or Julianne and Apolo. Still. Roll on the semi final.
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