Welcome to Week 8 of Season 25 of Dancing with the Stars. This is Trio Week, but this time, they are putting a little spin on it. (Usually the trio is made up of the two competitors, plus some pro that they choose—either one that got eliminated, or one of the troupe members). This year, the third person is a returning champion. (BTW, great hair, Erin!)
REGULAR ROUND
But before that kicks off, they are going to do individual dances.
Can we just stop and give some thanks to the amazing costumers at #DWTS? Look at this.
Sadly, the dance didn't match that quality. Although the troupe members were superb. Charleston is for sure my favorite dance on this show, but some people can’t really handle it. My favorite part of this dance was that Sasha and Jenna were in it.
Len: “That’s the way we start off a fabulous show.” He goes on to say that Terrell is the most improved celebrity (arguable). Bruno: “That was priceless. Your star is still rising.” Carrie Ann: “The dance never got away from you. You’re peaking, my friend.”
Len has inexplicably donned a ’20s hat for the judging.
JUDGES’ SCORES: 27 (out of 30)
These two went from the bottom of the leader board to near the top last week. Drew says he “honestly feels they are contenders for the Mirror Ball.” and he wouldn’t be wrong.
About Linda, his fiancée, he says, “I couldn’t live without her.”
And they do just a spectacular waltz, with stunning incredible choreography by Emma. So beautiful. The version of the song makes it really poignant, too. They do this spin (there are a lot of spins in the choreography), but this one spin ends with them stopped, still, face to face. It’s so intimate and beautiful. (That is a regular element of her choreography that I love: a moment of stopping. It’s just stunning when she does it.) And the dance ends as it began, with her in his arms, catching her fall. Gorgeous. God, what a dance! Just incredible choreography. Loved the version of the song, too.
Bruno: “Your intentions were very clear and very deeply felt.” Carrie Ann: “The intention was clear in the upper half of your body, but your lower half didn’t keep the tempo.” Len: “It was full of emotion. I loved the bit where you got a bit of light and shade, and then speed came into it, then back into the... It’s your frame. The frame has to be constant throughout the dance, and it’s not.”
So, I just wanna say this about that. The judges often have their picks of who wins (they love the dancers, those who execute things perfectly). I think the judges seem to be indicating that these two are among those who should go home.
America, thank goodness, has a mind of its own. And whoever originally came up with this show, and added in the “America votes” part was a genius. It makes ALL the difference. Cause I thought this dance was amazing. (And I voted as such.)
JUDGES’ SCORES: 22 (out of 30)
They scare us just before we go to break by showing us that Victoria had a muscle spasm during rehearsal. Very scary.
When they had this show on two nights, they did this thing where they showed the pros backstage, and what they said to their partners off camera. It really added context to the show, and I wish they did it more.
But they show Val and Victoria watching the package (last week), and after Val says, “Dance like you would dance with the love of your life,” they show Val onstage, saying to Victoria: “Have a good time. You’re dancing with me. I’m a lot better at dancing than talking.” (He is sublime at dancing.)
Val, the consummate lover (loved from afar by both men and women, as he told us earlier in the season), has to work with Victoria, who hasn’t had many torrid affairs. Last week, they had an issue because of her inexperience with love. She did, ultimately pull it off in the dance, but at first she looked like a deer in headlights.
Victoria says: “We’re bringing sexy back... (then laughs) I don’t know if I ever had it before.” (No, you didn’t.)
This week, they have the most passionate dance (other than rumba), Argentine tango. Many of Val’s smiley partners (I’m looking at you, Ginger Zee) had trouble with this dance (ie, turning OFF the smile thing and adopting a character who’s fierce, and takes no guff). Going into this, I don’t have big hopes for Victoria pulling this off. (Both because she’s not had masses of passion in her life, and because she’s one of the smiley ones.) Then again, Val Chmerkovskiy IS her teacher. So, let’s see.
Well, she’s way more successful with it than Ginger Zee was. Victoria even manages a sly wink to the camera, which helps to downplay her natural smiley thing. It sort of conveys that she’s playing him, which works.
It ends with them on the floor, which is very, very sexy.
Carrie Ann: “We’re heading into the Semifinals, and everything matters. I did feel that you tried very hard to master the intensity of the drama, but you dropped your eyes a lot. In those moments, I knew you did’t feel comfortable.” (As Carrie Ann says that, Victoria drops her eyes.) “The body movements were fantastic.” Len: “It was clean, and it was exact. It had a nice, smoldering intensity about it. The lifts were good. I didn’t really get transported to Argentina, but it was a very good job. Well done.” Bruno: “You looked good. Great shapes, great lifts, good lines. Now, you have to ACT the part. (She drops her eyes again.) It’s all about maintaining the character throughout the dance, in the Argentine tango above any other dance. It’s all about that tension, keep that going.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 (out of 30)
There’s a nice #DWTS Live bumper with Jenna and Artem and Gleb and Hayley.
I know that one of the things the judges watch for in the samba is whether she uses the samba arm movements, as well as the leg movements, and boy, are they there! Lots of both.
Len: “In that bit over there, you didn‘t look quite as surefooted as you normally are... It was full of rhythm, great imagination. I loved the stationary samba walks. One or two bits, I found a bit irksome. You had a bit of bounce. You could‘ve had a bit more hip action.” Bruno: “It wasn‘t your standard samba. There was something kind of unexpected, and very avant garde about it, but I actually liked it.” Carrie Ann: “I loved the creativity. It was so cutting-edge and bizarre. I really loved that. But I’m going to agree with Len: you did not look as sure on your feet as you normally do... But it was a fantastic and brilliant samba.”
Tom steps in to correct Carrie Ann, who had said that “it‘s the semifinals.” (“It’s not quite the semifinals YET. That’s next week.”)
JUDGES’ SCORES: 26 (out of 30)
Last week, Witney and Frankie had a BLISTERING contemporary which landed them atop the leader board. Frankie is still in shock about it.
In honor of their perfect score from last week, they dance a Viennese waltz to Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.” There is more attention paid to the words of the song than usual in a Witney Carson dance, and I appreciated that.
Bruno: “It was like being in a starlit dream sequence. It was so stylish, so elegant. Wonderful flow of movement. Very polished performance.” Carrie Ann: “So far, for me, that was the closest thing to perfection. You are so exquisite when you dance.” Len: “It was FAR from perfection. (He goes on to explain why.) It’s about an undulating movement across the floor. I never saw that.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 26 (out of 30)
Lindsay mentions in their package about how she’s never received a Mirror Ball before. Jordan, the dancer, basically says he’s gonna help her get it. Jordan also asks if it’s physically possible to chassée that fast... We shall see...
They pass one of the toughest quickstep tests, and stay in hold the whole LONG dance. Really incredible. And not at all boring. (Costumes, sets and lighting helped. LOVED that pop of red under her skirt.)
Carrie Ann: “It was incredible. It was Bob Fosse and Austin Powers. It was brilliant and sassy.” Len: (gives a standing ovation, which he NEVER does). Bruno: “It was a quickstep like I’ve never seen before. It was a mixture of psychedelic pop art, Swinging ’60s and the technically most demanding, intricate quickstep I have ever seen, done with such ease. It was absolutely outstanding.”
MICHE’S FAVORITE DANCES OF WEEK EIGHT
1. Lindsay and Jordan (quickstep)
2. Emma and Drew (waltz)
3. Mark and Lindsey (samba)
4. Val and Victoria (Argentine tango)
5. Witney and Frankie (Viennese waltz)
6. Cheryl and Terrell (Charleston)
TRIOS ROUND
Cheryl and Terrell team up with the very first #DWTS winner, Kelly Monaco (she’s still on General Hospital). DWTS was very different back when she was on... Cheryl says in the package that Kelly is “one of my best friends.” And they are all doing a rumba. Terrell notes that Kelly “is single, and so am I. I hope she doesn’t get distracted at how handsome I am.” (*eyeroll*)
He says that if he gets three 10s, he’ll take Kelly on a date.
Cheryl does a lot of spinning for a rumba... Just sayin...
Len: “The first dance, the Charleston, really suited your personality. This one, not so much.” Bruno: “You’ve got two lovely cherries on your rumba cake. You’ve definitely brought the sexy back. I couldn’t quite look at the steps, I don’t know why...” (PRO TIP to competitors, if you think you’re doing poorly, just throw in lots of sex. It’ll throw Bruno off... and he’ll score you higher than you should normally get.) “It needed a little bit more rumba.” Carrie Ann: “First of all, I’ve never seen so many goofy grins by all the ladies (she motions to the ladies in the front row). I wanted to see more movement, more choreography. I think it wasn’t as challenging as it could have been, but it was well performed.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 (out of 30) (Sorry, no date for Kelly.)
Oh wait, Tom Bergeron motions to the three dancers holding 10s up in the skybox. Heh.
Well, look who’s back with Emma! Rashad Jennings, whom she won her Mirror Ball with. YAY. Drew calls Rashad his “swag coach.” Drew says he wants to “capture my inner Rashadness.” Good luck, baby.
But then, they are doing a cha cha to James Brown’s “Get Up Offa That Thing.” How can your swag not come out with that music? Emma’s choreography is again stunning, and she has a silent STOP moment here, too, except this time she’s gazing into Rashad’s face when she does it (Nice!). I just can’t stop smiling, this whole dance long.
Bruno: “I loved the funky disco feel. Keeping up with Rashad is a very hard act to do.” Carrie Ann gives Drew “the new title of Prince of Soul. I could feel you. You had everything goin‘ on. It raised your game tremendously.” Len: “What I liked was that everyone contributed to that performance.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 25 (out of 30)
We come back from commercial with the troupe entertaining us with a bit of skybox choreography. Nice!
Bizarrely, Victoria has a big black pile of duct tape on her back. Not sure what that’s all about. Odd for the costumers to leave something so visible, unless it’s supposed to represent her brokenness, and rising above that.
It was a pretty cool dance.
Carrie Ann finds the parts where Victoria had to act “the weakest. You didn’t quite know what to do with yourself. You need to remember: you’re the star.” Len: “Lots of recognizable jive mixed in there. It just needed to be a little bit more sharp and clear, during the dance.” Bruno: “Jive is all about accuracy and precision in the legs.”
Tom Bergeron then goes on to explain that Victoria is in pain, and she made some accommodations.
JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 (out of 30)
Mark Ballas is certainly the reason I started watching the show regularly. For me, he is still the one that brings the magic of dance the most consistently. His dances with Lindsey all this season (and really, with all his partners) have been creative works of art. But there is this other side to him. He just came from an extended stint on Broadway, starring in a show.
Jazz dance, I will remind you, is often called “Broadway dance,” except LA doesn’t think Broadway is that big a thing, so they call it “jazz dance” on DWTS. But every moment of this number, and specifically in Mark Ballas’ parts, you can just see the star he has become (even bigger than the star he was). Every kick is higher, every Broadway moment is drenched in Broadway. It is stunning and beautiful to watch.
And even the big stars who are Kristi Yamaguchi and Lindsey Stirling (certainly stars in their own right), can only stand in his starry shadow. He is unquestionably the star of this dance, and I loved every Broadway minute of it. And I am so grateful for every single minute that he is on the show.
Len: “On those two performances tonight, you’ve got no trouble.” Bruno: “It was classic Hollywood movie style. Everything I love. Well done.” Carrie Ann: “There was such incredible synergy. It was like I paid money to go see that dance. It was so fantastic. Clean and spot-on.”
Frankie is with Witney’s former Mirror Ball winning champion, Alfonso Ribero, for a jive.
Bruno: “There is something about Witney that brings the best out of both of you. You never overpowered each other. You had the perfect frame for her to shine.” Carrie Ann: “It was a very strong performance. Frankie, you looked intimidated at moments.” Len: “I thought it was full of energy, it was full of content. You’re a good dancer, Frankie. Come out and perform.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 27 (out of 30)
All season long, Witney was pretty much begging to stay, and it was unseemly and made me not vote for them.
I’m sorry, but when you are watching this, you are watching nothing less than three professional dancers. So symmetrical. Great salsa.
Carrie Ann: “OMG. #Amazeballs. Triple fire emoji. The unison was sick. Amazing.” Len: “It’s not difficult to please old Len, really. Play good music, dance with rhythm and style, show me good technique and capture the character of the dance.” Bruno: “That was phenomenal. It was two bodies responding with one soul. You really represented what it is to be Latin. The joy of life, the joy of dance. Nailing every move. This dance will go down in DWTS history.”
JUDGES’ SCORES: 30 (out of 30)
Who’s going home?
MICHE’S FAVORITE TRIOS OF WEEK EIGHT
1. Emma and Drew and Rashad (cha cha)
2. Mark and Lindsey and Kristy (jazz)
3. Lindsay and Jordan and Corbin (salsa)
4. Val and Victoria and Laurie (jive)
5. Witney and Frankie and Alfonso (jive)
6. Cheryl and Terrell and Kelly (rumba)
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