DWTS S023 Week 4: She Said Yes, and Cirque du Soleil Enhances the Dances

There was a vice presidential debate. There was a double elimination. There was a Cirque du Soleil event with clowns and bicycles and juggling and lots of stuff. For my money, not a thing on TV this week was more important (and better TV) than this moment. Sasha Farber and Emma Slater, two of our favorites from Dancing with the Stars, and quite possibly (it seems anyway) two of the nicest people around, got engaged in front of us all.

I was wondering when she knew something was up. Maybe the fact that they were asked to dance together to do a bumper (not a common occurrence). Maybe when he kissed her on the forehead at the beginning. Maybe when he kissed her on the lips at the end. Maybe when suave Tom Bergeron mentioned what "great chemistry" they both have (not a common statement from him). Surely, by the time Tom backed away and said he was letting Sasha "host for awhile," she had figured it out.

I think it was about that time that I, and the rest of America and the ballroom, started crying. The big sign behind them, flashing "She said YES!," the confetti streamers falling around them, the rest of the cast surrounding them with congratulations. It was an epic DWTS moment.

So so happy for you both. What a great couple. Ah, but back to the matters at hand...

We also had this this week: Cirque du Soleil! First time ever in #DWTS history. Of course, we had the regular dances, but Cirque du Soleil was there, in and around and through all of them. And cast members got to visit the shows that they were portraying (whether in Vegas or NYC) for inspiration.

One of the best things about Lindsay Arnold is that she seems to have single-handedly brought (and kept) the Charleston in this competition. It is often her go-to dance, and thank goodness for that. Here, decked out in their Kurios steampunk costumes, they do an amazing Charleston.

I really love Maureen and Artem. Maureen is trying so hard. I just love to watch them dance. This week, they had an Argentine tango (not the easiest of dances) to Mystere. It was beautiful.

I also have to commend the costume department for these lovely and amazing costumes (this week, but really all season long). The materials they are using make for incredible visual experiences, as you can see above.

Jana, who's in the mode of "Oh, poor me, I have so many other concerts and things to do" (while I should be rehearsing for this TV show I committed to), aka, you get no sympathy from me... performs a passable foxtrot from The Beatles' LOVE ("Here Comes the Sun"). Bruno calls it, "magic hour in Malibu in 1962," which is inaccurate, cause this song wasn't written yet in 1962, but picky picky.

They had fire! They had flags! They had the paso doble. You would think this would be a stunning dance. (They also had troupe members.) But as the judges alluded to, Marilu seems to be too much in her head. She really hasn't let loose in any of the dances she's done, even though she seems to be getting the steps completely accurately. So, I dunno. I liked them in the beginning, but I even liked Jana and Gleb's dance better this week. :-(

Maks, in the package, says this dance "is gonna be too hot for TV." Um, no. Too hot was Gleb and Jana's first dance. Too hot was Mark Ballas last season, with that white shirt. That's too hot. This was, at best, mildly hot. Course, they are doing Zumanity. Still, Amber is too wrapped up in her own sexuality, and not enough in the dance. She, too, like Marilu, really hasn't let loose this season yet. (Although the Booty song was close.)

There is also a dustup with her and Julianne. Awkward.

(To this moment, cannot find a pic of Ryan and Cheryl dancing in Week 4...)

Ryan and Cheryl are tasked with (of course) O, the aquatic Cirque du Soleil project. Although why? Other than to get some shots of Ryan Lochte in the water (like we haven't seen that before), it didn't make any sense. They are dancing a Viennese waltz. It was merely OK.

Well, I've said before that I just love Allison Holker and her choreography. And I've enjoyed watching her and Babyface, even though he doesn't quite keep up to her often. This week, they are also dancing a song from The Beatles LOVE ("Come Together"). Unfortunately, the trick that they have to maintain is hitting a series of spotlights as they are turning (a complicated move, even for a professional dancer). So, while I enjoyed watching it, the dance as a whole didn't quite come together, and they ended up getting the lowest score of the night (18!). Hard to come back from that. Allison did not look happy.

So we just slogged through five dances where people were too much in their head, not hitting marks, too wrapped up in themselves, blah blah. Don't worry, folks, Terra and Sasha are here to save the day.

HOLY GOD, was this amazing! Terra Jole rocked that salsa like nobody's business. She reminded us what this whole "dancing" thing is supposed to be about. Hip action? Sweet Jesus, was there hip action. I cannot believe this dance. It was so incredible.

Sasha and Terra get the first 9 of the season.

But, as it turns out, that amazing performance by Terra and Sasha was just a warm-up for the best performance of the night: Val and Laurie, doing jazz to Michael Jackson ONE. And I'm going to call it right here and now in Week 4: Val and Laurie are going to win this season's Mirror Ball. (I would love to see it be Terra and Sasha, or James and Sharna...) But they are destined to win. They are knocking it out of the park with every dance.

And as fantastic as Laurie Hernandez was, let's not forget that Valentin Chmerkovskiy is Michael Jackson in this dance. They were both spectacular. Not surprisingly, they get the first perfect score of the season.

Unfortunately, this was next. Vanilla Ice, who had five concerts in six days, and thus no rehearsal time. Oh, and they were doing a Viennese waltz, to La Nouba. You guess what happened. I have no sympathy for people who don't take this show seriously.

How much do I love love love James and Sharna? They are amazing. The choreography was stunning. The costumes were awesome. Great number. They quickstepped to Paramour, which they actually went to see on Broadway. Just wonderful.

MICHE FAVORITES ON CIRQUE DU SOLEIL WEEK
1. Val and Laurie (jazz, Michael Jackson ONE)
2. Sasha and Terra (salsa, O)
3. Sharna and James (quickstep, Paramour)
4. Lindsay and Calvin (Charleston, Kurios)
5. Artem and Maureen (Argentine tango, Mystere)

FRONTRUNNERS
1. Laurie and Val*
2. James and Sharna
3. Terra and Sasha
4. Calvin and Lindsay

* Prediction to Win (Week 4)

PLEASE GO HOME
1. Jana and Gleb
2. Ryan and Cheryl
3. Marilu and Derek

(Please forgive my lack of accents. My machine doesn't do accents.)

All is right with the world.

So, let's get back to what's really important of these two nights. (See above.)

Oh, and the double elimination.

First, though, we had a performance by DNCE, with dance assist by four couples, all pros (except for Alan).

Then two couples are safe...



Come back from commercial, and we have a bumper to show us Contemporary dance, with these two. Oh man, was this wonderful.

Then, we had a package about all the stars' superstitious rituals, while everyone onstage was crying and congratulating Sasha and Emma.

There was a beautiful dance by (almost all) the male pros, plus Alan. Moody and atmospheric, notable for dueling Chmerkovskiys on opposite tables. Very nice. (Can't find a picture, sorry.)

Then, another "safe" or "in jeopardy"? moment...

Maureen and Artem are safe, unfortunately Allison and Babyface are the first elimination on this double elimination night. I am sad about this.

Then we have a little package about how rough it is to be a pro.

Then Derek (as he does sometimes) choreographed (and played drums and danced in) this number.

More results. Then some chick sang while dancers (including Witney) danced.

Then, this final elimination, with Vanilla Ice and Witney finally going home. I was really tired of hearing about how his schedule is so taxing, so I'm glad he now has more time to devote to just doing concerts.

NEXT WEEK: My Most Memorable Year

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DWTS Season 21 Week 5: Switch Partners and Blow Our Minds

When last we left Alexa Vega, she was upset because missing a few steps gave her a low score. Mark Ballas, her partner, was hinting that she might be kicked out soon.

But this week: THIS! Holy moly. (But we'll get to that.)

DWTS Week 5: I love every single thing people are wearing here. How often does that happen?

First, my condolences to Tom Bergeron. To my knowledge, after 10 years of watching Dancing with the Stars, I don't ever remember Tom Bergeron missing a single episode for any reason. He missed last week (Alfonso Ribeiro filled in for him) because his father died. But he's back this week. What professionalism! Wow. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

So, Tom is back, Erin looks hot as ever (fabulous red sequined dress) and says "I Love You" to Tom on camera. (Awesome. Loved that!) And oh, Maksim Chmerkovskiy is in one of the judges' chairs. Yay for that! (He's an excellent judge, btw, the perfect foil for Bruno's antics, wish he were on all the time. Besides he's also smoking hot sitting there. Love his new long hair.)

This week was already emotionally charged, from frame one. And this week, if you haven't garnered this from the first image with Alexa and Derek, is Switch-Up Week.

For those unaware of the blissful joy of Switch-Up Week, it goes like this. Just about the time that the stars are getting used to dancing with their pro partners, they SWITCH! and get NEW partners. Fun!

The only drama of Switch-Up Week is that originally Mark was paired with Bindi, and Val with Paula. Something (DUN-DUN-DUNNN) happened, and somehow, instead, Mark got switched to Paula and Val to Bindi. Not sure what exactly, but I'm quite sure that Paula's a damn handful. So thank you, Mark, for being a professional.

There was, in Switch-Up Week, a lot of pushing boundaries that aren't otherwise pushed. Emma, for example (who's paired with teen Hayes this season, and is usually paired with really old guys), got to perform her first rumba (which Erin called, "the hottest rumba she's ever seen"). Andy performed a steamy Argentine tango with Sharna, showing a sexual/sensual side that we haven't yet seen with him and Allison. The Mark-Paula pairing was interesting because we got to see a sexual side of her that Louis hadn't really been bringing out. Although I could really do without ever having to see Paula lift her skirt again, thank you.

But seeing Mark Ballas as a "pervy milkman" as Tom called him, was really cute and funny, since Mark Ballas doesn't often show his humourous side.

Personally, I discovered another thing. That some people, whom I really don't like, I just ignore when they are with their other partners, cause I like the partners so much. For example, I really dislike Taymar (but love Val), and really could just ignore what she did with new partner Louis. Simliarly, while I love watching Alek, I really don't like Lindsay much as a dance pro, so her dance with Carlos kinda did nothing for me personally, though the judges seemed bowled over by it.

I really love watching Sharna dance, and have loved what she's been doing with Nick as her partner so far, but I realized that I really feel like he's kind of leaden overall, and didn't get very thrilled by his dance with Witney.

Miche's Favorite Dances of Switch-Up Week, Week 5
1. Alexa and Derek (tango)
2. Andy and Sharna (Argentine tango)
3. Alek and Emma (steamy hot rumba)
4. Bindi and Val (cha cha)
5. Allison and Hayes (Viennese waltz)
6. Carlos and Lindsay (quickstep)
7. Nick and Witney (paso doble)

Courtesy of purederekhough.com and ABC.com.

Let me skip out of the dances which less than thrilled me to the ones which blew my mind. And in this moment, let me take a second to compliment the amazing technicians they have working on Dancing with the Stars each week. The stagecraft of all the sets they are moving around between numbers is astonishing. The glorious beauty of the costumes every week (this season has just been spectacular with that). The camera magic that they are pushing the envelope with week after week (see the b/w effects above) are why this team wins Emmys for their work.

Just incredible, incredible stuff.

This number, with Alexa and Derek, does rank among one of the best dances I've seen on this show. Here's what I believe at this moment, too. (Alexa misunderstood what Alfonso Ribeiro said to her last week. What he meant was: both of them (her husband Carlos and she Alexa) cannot win. ONE of them can win, only one. And he was actually complimenting her by saying he thought it would be HER.) So let me say it again, since she didn't understand it.

I don't know that she'll WIN (for sure) at this point. But I do know that I'd put more money on her going further in this competition than Carlos. And this incredible tango she did with Derek proved why.

Look at this! Look at everything in this photograph. The stagecraft! The lighting! The costumes! The emotion of the dance. This is why I watch Dancing with the Stars every week. This kind of stuff is what makes this show one of the best shows on TV, and worth every moment of suffering through nonsense with Gary Busey. Cause there are also magical stunning moments like this. DWTS, to me, is a work of art. Cutting-edge, beautiful art. This week, none more than this dance.

The sexiest female dancer, Sharna, gave us a super steamy Argentine tango. Luckily, Maksim, king of Argentine tango (seriously, he is), was there to comment on it. Wondrous work by Sharna.

Steamiest dance of the night, though (one of the steamiest I've seen too) was between Alek and Emma. Emma, who never dances rumbas because her partners are "either too ripe or not ripe enough," thought Alek was "just right." And Alek, not a dancer, not even a person in entertainment who has to deal with kissing random people on screen and such, just a regular Joe, is obviously smitten with Miss Emma, and found it difficult to concentrate on this dance, without... well, showing his interest in her.

I suspect, though I don't know this for sure, that initially they had him in light colored trousers (to match the colors of her dress) and later, WISELY, changed that to black pants... just in case his "interest" showed a little too much. WOW, was it steamy.

Later, Erin pushed them to state on camera whether or not a date would come of this steaminess. Emma said yes. "Sure, why not?"

More on that later, hopefully. (Emma deserves a hot romance!)

I have so enjoyed watching Bindi Irwin, in all phases of her love affair with the press. She has been a joy to watch with Derek Hough, and last week's homage to her father was a special high point so far. She's kind of grown up before our eyes. So it was fitting that she bursts out of the Dad homage into the arms of another partner.

As Val said to her in the package, "You're not a little chicklet anymore, you're a grown-ass chick." And there was a maturity, a change in stature with her and her new partner Val. Loved their dance, whose chorus was "I'm ready for this." Apparently, yes, yes, you are.

Emma's tactic with teen Hayes has been to play up his boyish side. Allison's tactic this week was more to show him what a man could be. What a man should aspire to. And as someone who dreams of my future husband to someday be wearing gray tails in our wedding, this beautiful Viennese waltz was a sight to behold. (Again, kudos to the costume department. Cause: Wow!)

Please Get Off the Screen Now (Miche picks)
1. Paula
2. Taymar
3. Hayes
4. Andy
5. Carlos

FINAL FIVE PREDICTION (not in order)
Bindi and Derek
Alexa and Mark
Nick and Sharna
Andy and Allison
Alek and Lindsay

Next week: Top movie/memorable dances

No one was eliminated this week, cause it would just be weird to have people paired up with other people and then be kicked out with their partners, so the scores from last week and this one are going to be computed for the big boot next week.

Meanwhile, we swoon at this new (potential) couple...

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DWTS Season 20 Champs: Valentin and Rumer!

Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy win the 20th Season Mirror Ball. Courtesy of ABC.

After years of finishing anywhere from 2nd to 4th place, Valentin Chmerkovskiy finally nabbed his first Mirror Ball, for the 20th season of Dancing with the Stars. It was a sweet victory, that was foreshadowed by a perfect opening dance on the first episode of this season that they recreated during Finals week.

But my favorite moment of the Finals, which was a big, splashy hooha thing, was when Val turned to the camera, after winning, and mouthed, "Thank you" to all the fans who got him there, FINALLY. That was really nice. And you're welcome. ;-)

But it was a two-night extravaganza. Let's take a look back at the first night.

Each team performed a dance from earlier in the season that they wanted to perfect. Noah and Sharna chose their Argentine tango, which yes, was better, but not perfect.

It was a beautiful dance, and the choreography was stunning.

Certainly none of the dances this season was as spectacular as Riker and Allison doing a paso doble to Pirates of the Caribbean. It was fantastic the first time around. This time around, it received a standing ovation from Len (which he doesn't ever do).

Just FANTASTIC. "Packed full of content," as the judges said. Holker has obviously learned what not to do from her experience last season.

Of course, they received all 10s for this.

And then, there was Rumer and Val. When they performed their foxtrot in the first episode of this season, it made me sit up and take notice. I felt then that it was the best dance of the night, and that they could win this season. Throughout the season, they have presented stunning dances.

And on this finals night, when they recreated this first dance, there was a confidence and a fluidity that showed how hard she had worked all season, and how this season has transformed her. Val, too, was confident and playful, at ease with these steps. It was just beautiful to watch.

Perfect scores, once again.

And then, the freestyle round.

When I think spectacular freestyle round, I think of Mark Ballas' incredible Super Mario freestyle from last season. That, to me, is a freestyle. We had nothing like that this time. But here's what we did have: three dances which were true to the people dancing them. Two of them extremely vulnerable and personal, and one a toe-tapping showstopper. All fantastic.

First, Noah and Sharna. All season long, Sharna has portrayed Noah's ordeal in various forms. She has done incredible things with choreography to tell his story. This freestyle was probably the showstopper of all of those. Really incredible and vulnerable.

It was amazing, ending with a moment of him alone in a spotlight. Stunning.

Very powerful image. Very moving. Perfect scores.

Riker and Allison's freestyle couldn't be more different. It was flashy and dancy and fun. Tap shoes and top hats. Wonderful.

It was an homage to where DWTS has been, and a hint of where it could be. Great choreography, interesting music, fun stuff.

Both of the first freestyles had lots of other dancers and movement. Rumer and Val's didn't. In fact, they didn't have any flashy props or sets or anything. Just straight-up dance, from the heart.

"There's pressure with the freestyle, cause it's all about bigger, and better and larger than life productions," said Val in his package. "That's not me. Every time I've tried to do that, I've failed, because it wasn't honest. I realized the best thing possible is to just strip it down."

And yes, it's true. Makism Chmerkovskiy is a presence who looms large on DWTS, even when he's not there. And perhaps Val has always lived in his shadow. But for this viewer, Val has always been his own man, his own dancer. I have always enjoyed and looked forward to his choreography, which is different than what Maks presented to us.

But I do also think there is something to the fact that Val has given us more of his emotion (his soft, vulnerable side) than Maks ever did. Even taking this risk in this freestyle, to turn down the tried and true of the splashy and big for a softer, more vulnerable, more honest freestyle. Would it work?

Would this team be the one to win the Mirror Ball, after all the great teams that Val has been part of which came so close, and went home empty-handed?

The answer, of course, is YES. Because it was just stunning dancing. Incredible choreography.

For this viewer, it was always between Allison and Val during this season. But Val has been so close and so deserving so many times, I'm glad that he was the one to take home the Mirror Ball this time. Allison will have plenty of times to do so.

And Val, after he won, after wanting it so many times, asked what he was going to do now. I sincerely hope that he DOESN'T do what his brother did after winning his Mirror Ball. That he comes back to us, his fans, again next season to vie for another Mirror Ball.

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DWTS Season 20 Semifinals: The most emotional DWTS ep ever

Dancer extraordinaire Len Goodman gave us a bit of magic for the Semifinals. With Nastia.

I have long believed this about reality shows. You can manufacture "moments," but nothing is as powerful as reality. That very first moment when Sue told off Richard at the very first Survivor tribal council, which kicked off the reality craze. You can't write that stuff. Well, you can try, but it's never as powerful as the unvarnished truth.

Case in point on Dancing with the Stars. A couple weeks ago, they had a big hooha with their 10th anniversary celebration. And it was nice and all (to see, well, most of the former competitors back again). But it wasn't one iota as powerful as the DWTS semifinal this week.

Why? Truth and reality.

The producers must've wet their pants when Noah Galloway came to them and said, Hey, I want to propose to my girlfriend on the show, is that OK? (And mind you, that was a key factor in the nonstop waterworks that came from my eyes during that whole show.) But for me, the most sentimental moment (which, frankly, I wish the producers had done more with) was the moment with Len.

Len, you see, way back in the last century, was a dance champion himself. The short version of the story goes like this. Len was a champion, then he started judging dance competitions himself. Then a 12-year-old named Derek Hough and his 9-year-old sister Julianne started competing in front of this judge (and Mark Ballas too!). Cut to: Julianne is now a judge next to Len, after winning more than one Mirror Ball herself, and Derek is one of the four remaining semifinals.

THAT, my friends, is the actual history. That is something you can honestly look at, and go: Wow, they've known each other all their lives! So when Derek and Nastia did their Judge's Choice (which I'll get to explaining a bit later), it was truly poignant to have a dance where Derek starts the dance with Nastia and Dance Champion Len Goodman finishes it.

Not a dry eye in the house, or across the country, with that one. It was really one of the most special moments of DWTS ever.

And if Len Goodman steps down after this season of DWTS (which has been rumored), this dance will have been a very fitting goodbye to him.

But, oh, let's not go there yet... I'm tearing up again... whew...

Let's look at the evening from the beginning. First in this semifinal, we had each of the four couples do an individual dance. Rumer and Val kicked it off with a seriously steamy 50 Shades homage.

Then the producers set up this trope (which they've never done before in this season or others) of having a significant other backstage to comment on their sister/lover/daughter/whatever's dance. After Rumer's dance with Val, for example, there was Demi Moore (mom to Rumer) commenting on how proud she was of her. Yeah, OK.

Next up? Sharna and Noah. They, like Rumer and Val before them, did a Viennese waltz. It was beautiful and lyrical and Sharna's movements matched Noah's and that was all incredible.

Then, backstage, as Erin is inocuously asking questions of Noah's girlfriend, we have the proposal (above) which makes her his new fiancee.

Pretty much from that moment until the end, I was sobbing. (Even after that, actually.)

The producers, wisely, kept the announcement of this little event happening from pretty much everyone, so the jubilation around was natural.

Kinda hard to keep the show going after all that happened, though.

Riker and Allison did an amazing contemporary (all of their dances are amazing, really).

And then, we had Nastia (and Sasha).

Let me just say this about that. As I mentioned last week, this competition is not only won on technical merits. You must also win the hearts of America. That's just the facts of how this works.

To my eyes, Nastia (who was eliminated this week) lost this competition when, in her package, she basically said: "I don't have to answer that." Well, yes, yes you do. America isn't judging on the finer points of how you dance. That's what the judges are for (and really those are the only types of judges Nastia has known). America is judging on what kind of PERSON you are, and whether or not they like you, and whether or not you deserve to walk away with a Mirror Ball trophy.

Whatever the circumstances, whatever mood she was in, whatever... she answered that question how she answered it. Basically saying: I don't give a crap about what the fans want to know, I wanna go home.

And go home she did.

And so we have as our three finalists three people who very much deserve to be there, and who know how to be real for the folks back home: Rumer and Val, Noah and Sharna, and Riker and Allison. I can't wait for the finals.

But before all that, we had four more dances from everyone. This is something I wish they'd incorporated a long time ago, but shockingly, it's the first time ever. Each judge was slated to work with one of the remaining semifinalists, to create whatever dance they thought would best showcase that person.

They danced this round in the order they had danced the first.

Bruno worked with Rumer and Val, and (of course, with Bruno being as over the top as he is), they did Swan Lake (for heaven's sake!). And it was tremendous. Let's just cut to the chase and say that all judges scored all of these with 10s. (I mean, they should just leave the scoring out of this part next time, cause how is a judge going to vote against a fellow judge's work? Won't happen.)

Seriously, Swan Frikking Lake. And it was just unbelievable. And beautiful. Even if Val didn't wear his rumored tights (only).

Noah and Sharna worked with Carrie Ann, who did this amazing Valkyrian paso doble number with male backup dancers working behind Noah. It was stunning.

At this point, you're thinking this must be the finals or something, cause these numbers are just so spectacular and amazing.

Then we had Riker and Allison. If I had one complaint about this team, it's that the movement tends to be harsh and angular. There haven't been a lot (or even any) really sexy moments between them all season. Certainly not compared to what the other dancers are putting out.

Then Julianne gives us this (she decided to join in the dance, too).

It was an Argentine tango that was a threesome, and it was hot.

Then lastly, the Derek-Nastia-Len number, which was just so fitting as a last number for these two.

The votes for the eventual winner have, by now, been cast, from this particular show. But who will win? All of these performances were incredible, many of them even scoring perfectly from the judges.

It is harder now, after seeing these amazing dances from all to pick who will win, but I'm still going with my pick from last week: Rumer and Val.

The only difficulty these dancers are going to have is (as Tom Bergeron noted during the semifinal show): How are the finals going to top THIS?

Well, we shall see. Good luck to them all.

Dancing's finals are Monday and Tuesday, sandwiched in between the battling Bachelorettes, who are also Monday and Tuesday nights.

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