S028 Week 6: The Week Inexplicably with No Theme (and Inexcusably)

 
Twenty-eight seasons, each week with a theme, and suddenly they run out of creative juices and have no theme? WT actual F? How ridiculous is this? I know they have a new director, wanting to put his own mark on things, but this was inexcusable. We have weeks we rely upon. But ok, it is what it is, let’s proceeds with No Theme Week (listed on IMDB as simply “Week 6”). Sigh.

Sasha and Ally, quickstep

The wondrous Sasha and Ally start us off in this no theme week by diving into the 80s. They start off with Ally in a blue box (to match her outfit) and Sasha in a yellow box. I don’t know what it was about it, but it really screamed 80s to me. All the creative lights and sets really worked for me too—the squares and circles merging… oh yes, the dance. I personally loved it. I love Ally and Sasha. At the end, Ally slipped a bit, but Sasha caught her gallantly.

They were dancing the quickstep to AHA’s “Take On Me.”

Bruno and Carrie Ann think that Ally “lost synchronicity.” Len disagrees. Carrie Ann: “I love the concept, first of all. It’s very hard to start in two separate areas. You have excelled. The body contact was just gorgeous.” She says that she’s “not going to move her chair” (since she slipped and fell out of it last week). Len shocks Tom Bergeron by being the first to give them a 9.

JUDGES: 25 (out of 30)

Pasha and Kate, Viennese waltz

Don’t they both look so beautiful? I Love this couple. I was rooting so hard for them all season. I really really really wanted them to win. Pasha’s choreography with Kate Flannery was nothing short of brilliant, all season long. Every dance they danced (to me) was magical. And the Viennese waltz? Swoon. It’s so hard to do a proper Viennese waltz. I loved this dance so much.

They danced to Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.” It was breathtaking.

JUDGES: 27 (out of 30)

Kate even says: “Pasha is amazing. He knows how to get me to do what I need to do.” (And she did all those spins while suffering from vertigo.) Wow.

Witney and Kel, quickstep

Maybe this started out as an 80s Week, but then it fell apart? Kel and Witney are dancing to Stevie Wonder’s “Part-Time Lover.” After the sublime pastry that was Kate and Pasha’s Viennese waltz, this seemed like a bit of a mess to me. Didn’t like it at all.

Len: “I thought the routine was terrific. Kel, I congratulate you on your dancing, however, there was a major incident over here. I thought you did an amazing job. Quickstep’s a hard dance. It was fast, it was clean.” This misstep, which Witney blames on her dress (and DWTS always makes dresses too long, and dancers trip over them), makes Witney cry backstage with Erin. Aw. Boo boo.

JUDGES: 26 (out of 30)

Jenna and Karamo, contemporary

Jenna Johnson is the Queen of Contemporary on this show. To my eyes, no one does it better. For me personally though, it’s my least favorite dance on this show. But what they did was beautiful. Very moving. Karamo dedicated it to his dad, whom he had been out of touch with. (Kind of bizarre because they danced to “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi, and the lyrics are of a romantic nature.)

Lots of folks are getting their first 9s this week.

JUDGES: 25 (out of 30)

Alan and Hannah, samba

The more I think about it, the more MOST of this show seems like it was supposed to be an 80s theme. And then SOME PEOPLE decided not to do that. Yes, I’m looking at you, Hannah Brown, dancing to Carrie Underwood.

Although we do get a primo shirt-ripping-open moment from Alan, so there’s that.

Val and Sailor, jive

Again back to our (possible) 80s theme, we have Val and Sailor dancing a jive to WHAM’s “Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go).”

Vsl Chmerkovskiy is one of the best (if not THE best) choreographer on this show. What I love most about him is that he really HEARS the lyrics and punctuates them in the dance. It’s truly brilliant. Plus, the steps! The choreography in this dance was just amazing. Some of the best jive I’ve ever seen. So damn good. And Sailor kept right up with him. Wonderful dance.

I loved it so much.

JUDGES: 27 (out of 30)

Lindsay and Sean, Viennese waltz

Ugh. Just typing that makes me cringe. Viennese waltz? Sean Spicer? Ugh. Especially after the luminous and wonderful Viennese waltz we had earlier with Kate and Pasha.

As expected, it was a train wreck. Please avert your eyes. Luckily, Lindsay did all the Viennese waltz type steps and Sean mostly walked around. Ugh.

JUDGES: 21 (out of 30)

Emma and James, samba

The lighting designer deserves a medal for this amazing lighting design. (Tell me again how this wasn’t supposed to be 80s Week…)

Ah, but to the samba. It’s wonderful.

Bet you thought James Van Der Beek couldn’t shake his hips, samba-style? Well, you’d be wrong. It was blissful to watch, with all the samba moves you’d expect (and many you wouldn’t). Did you know that people on DWTS rarely incorporate the hand movements that go with samba? Well, James did.

JUDGES: 27 (out of 30)

Erin mentions that they are at the top of the Leader Board. (They are combining last week’s scores with this week’s, since no one went home on Disney Night.)

They deserve it. That dance was really spectacular.

Gleb and Lauren, contemporary

So, one of the things that was lost with this new director is that we used to have a day where everyone got out their emotional stuff, usually in the third or fourth week. The whole night was one of sobbing. I miss that.

This dance hits on many of my DWTS pet peeves: contemporary dance, sobby emotional messes and worst of all, a singer performing their own song. UGH. I was unmoved by this dance.

But let’s proceed.

JUDGES: 26 (out of 30)

Now, at this point, after seeing so many great dances tonight, you’d be thinking: “Well, OF COURSE, Sean Spicer is the one going home. He’s TERRIBLE.” Well, you’d be wrong.

I have learned that when they have these right-wing nut jobs on, there is a large contingent of Americans who vote them up just for sport, irrelevant of how they are actually dancing. Which is truly tragic, and unfair to the great dancers of the night. As is the case tonight.

The two couples in the Bottom Two were people who danced the best tonight: Ally/Sasha and Sailor/Val. As they were announced, I heard America SCREAMING at their TVs: “Not Sean Spicer? WTF?”

Nope. My favorite dancers of the night go home. So sad. And poor Sailor was beside herself. She couldn’t stop crying. Understandably. How can you do so well (and watch someone who clearly sucks) and you’re the one going home? It’s a hard DWTS lesson. Sorry, Sailor. You deserved better.

MICHE’s Favorites of Week 6 (NO theme night, maybe shoulda been an 80s Night?)

1.  Val and Sailor, jive 

2. Pasha and Kate, Viennese waltz 

3. Sasha and Ally, quickstep

4. Emma and James, samba

5. Jenna and Karamo, contemporary

6. Alan and Hannah, samba

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