Dancing with the Stars added a new theme night to the rotation: Cirque Du Soleil! Each couple had to perform with a theme from different Cirque Du Soleil shows. Fun twist, great performances.
Calvin Johnson Jr. and Lindsay Arnold set the ballroom on fire with their Charleston. First of all, the choreography was fantastic and second of all, the lifts were through the roof. They looked so good together. I was blown away by Megatron. I was definitely expecting more than 8s. 23.
Maureen McCormick is a big pile of mush. She and Artem Chigvintsev had a rough week in rehearsals, a lot of friction. But I've seen a season or 2 of DWTS and I know, friction during the week ALWAYS translates into a game-changing performances. The pair danced an Argentine Tango and Maureen was graceful and stoic. She pulled it off, definitely her best performance to date. After receiving her score of 24, she said, "You can dream about something like this...". Really, Maureen? You dream of all 8s? Time to kick it up a notch, mama.
Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko performed a Foxtrot to the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" and it was flipping adorable. They were a little happy hippie couple and I loved it. Their chemistry was mesmerizing. I could have watched an entire show of those two... and I'm no fan of Gleb. 23. The judges critiques were so positive, I was expecting more.
The Paso Doble that Marilu Henner and Derek Hough performed was the first performance that really incorporated elements of Cirque de Soleil. They had some "background dancers" (for lack of a better term) that added and worked with the entire production. I loved it. Judges' score: 21. Production value: priceless!
The producers at DWTS gave Amber Rose a "Zumanity"- themed Argentine Tango. Wait, they gave her the show that is sexually themed?! I'm shocked. I gotta tell you, within seconds of watching her and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, I felt like I was watching something I should not be watching. Hot is an understatement. I'm gonna go ahead and say I was right, those dang wigs were stealing her mojo! This was the most confident Amber has been and by far, her best performance. 24
Ryan Lochte and Cheryl Burke's Viennese Waltz was okay. It was pretty pedestrian to start out, but when they incorporated some dancers from "O", it changed the dynamic. It became a beautiful show. Lochte is slowly but surely upping his game. Slowly. 22.
Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds is the King of Cool. He totally jacked up his Tango with Allison Holker and yet, he was cool as a cucumber when getting comments from the judges. Their interpretation of "LOVE" was fantastic. They were only illuminated by 1 or 2 spotlights at a time. Unfortunately, keeping up with the spotlights wasn't the issue. Babyface lost his footing very early on and couldn't get the choreography back. Such a shame, because he would have knocked it out of the park. 18.
For the way Terra Jole’ comes across in the weekly packages, I'm always so blown away by her overwhelming confidence. She owns that stage. I love it! Her Samba with Sasha Farber was fierce and fun. Carrie Ann nailed it when she said, "You dance beyond your body." That is it. 25.
Laurie Hernandez. Laurie adorable-16-year-old Hernandez. Her charisma and personality are infectious. She and Valentin Chmerkovskiy Jazzed their way to PERFECTION this week. They performed to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" and it was unbelievable. I'm telling you, Youtube it right now. I'm watching it thinking, she's like a little Debbie Allen out there. Then Bruno nails it when he says she's like Debbie Allen, Janet Jackson AND Paula Abdul combined. This was a perfect example of all the pieces falling into place and Ms. Hernandez performing beyond her years. First 30 of the season. Flipping nailed it.
Vanilla Ice was tasked with following Laurie Hernandez. Tough spot. Also, he is apparently still touring and had five shows in five days. So, despite difficulty getting rehearsal time in, he and Witney Carson really pulled off their Viennese Waltz. He did have a sense of ease around him which I haven't seen yet. Baby steps. 23. The Ice finally got himself out of the bottom of the barrel.
James Hinchcliffe capped off the night with a super fun Quickstep with Sharna Burgess. It was a Broadway showstopper. His personality shines in everything he does. If it wasn't for one tiny misstep, that I'm not even sure I saw, he would have gotten a perfect score. 28.
A double elimination looms. Unfortunately, I think Babyface is out. I hope he gets the opportunity to do his Cirque Du Soleil dance one more time. I willing Lochte to go, but wonder if Marilu will also be on the chopping block. We shall see.
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