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Week 9 Elimination
Original Air Date: May 18, 2010
Annette – Sr. Reviewer
annette@thetwocentscorp.com
After last night’s rocking semi-finals, it’s time to say goodbye to one more star and reveal the three finalists. So will it play out as expected, or will America have voted off one of the top dancers in a shocking elimination?
Well, right off the bat, Evan and Anna learn they will be dancing next week. But the rest of the stars have to sweat it out as we watch some other people dance and sing.
The encore dance goes to Evan and Anna’s Paso Doble. I would have liked to see Nicole and Derek’s Tango again, but I guess since they got the encore dance last week, it’s only fair to let Evan and Anna shine. With the freedom of not worrying about being judged it was even better than last night, if that’s possible.
Musical guests were Sarah McLachlan and Miley Cyrus. Let’s talk about polar opposites. Sarah looked lovely, classy, and beautiful. Miley Cyrus looked like she was wearing a demented crow costume. Really?
We finally get to see the Macy’s Design a Dance performance: Melissa Rycroft and Joey Fatone dancing the Tango. They did a great job considering Joey Fatone probably hasn’t done any ballroom dancing since his appearance on Season Four. But, what was going on with those costumes? Melissa looked OK (sort of) but Joey looked like a fool. I felt bad for him.
Utah Valley University and Rutgers University compete in the College Dance Championship dancing the Cha-Cha. The winner of tonight’s challenge will compete in next week’s finale against Purdue University.
Rutgers University:
Len thought it was a great effort – clear, precise and good pattern changes; Bruno said they did a good job for a new team; Carrie Ann said the pattern changes and creativity were wonderful. Carrie Ann: 7, Len: 7, Bruno: 7.
Utah Valley University:
Bruno said it was sharp, precise, brilliant patterns, well executed; Carrie Ann said it was incredible; Len said it was a very accomplished performance with a high degree of difficulty. Carrie Ann: 10; Len: 9; Bruno: 10.
Utah Valley definitely looked like a much more polished, experienced team. No offense to Rutgers who just started team dancing last month, but Utah definitely deserves to dance next week.
Finally, the results are announced. In what I’m sure is not a shock to anyone, Chad and Cheryl are eliminated. However, as Tom pointed out several times, they do have the distinction of being the 100th eliminated couple. I’m sure that is a great comfort to them. It is the obvious choice, Chad not being on the level of the other three, but it is still hard to see him go. He surprised me this season as I wasn’t sure I would even like him, but he was fun to watch.
Next week the finalists will have to dance four (!) competitive dances including the always popular free style. Considering the level of performances we’ve seen thus far, it should be an amazing night. How do you feel about tonight’s elimination? What are your expectations for the finale next week? Leave me your two cents!
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TheTwoCents 
You’re right, I think Anna and Evan’s paso was better tonight. And it was pretty damn good to start with!
And Joey. Poor Joey. I just watched season four for the first time on Hulu and fell in love with him. But the dance fell flat for me. Possibly because I was so distracted by feeling sorry for Joey having to wear that awful costume on national tv.
I am SO happy to see Erin make it through. I wasn’t as sure as it seems like you were, since it all comes down to fan base, really. But I’m totally on Team Erin (and probably always have been, honestly, now that I look back). Realistically, I don’t expect her to come in higher than third, but I love her. I think Evan and Nicole had more of an unfair advantage coming into the competition, so I think Erin has come the farthest from where she was. I don’t mind rooting for the underdog when the underdog is as good as she is.
It wasn’t so much that I was sure as that she deserved to be in the finals much more than Chad. I’m glad she made it through as well. And I agree with you that I expect her place third. I am not as impressed by her as the judges seem to be, but she has improved greatly and really held her ground against some really tough competition.