Dancing with the Stars – Recap & Review – Week 7

photo: abc

Dancing with the Stars
Week 7

Original Air Date: Nov 1, 2010

Annette: Associate Staff Writer
annette@thetwocentscorp.com

It’s the 200th show week celebration. Many former celebrities and pros are in the audience. Except for any celebs from Season 6 (other than Kristi Yamaguchi) – not sure what their deal is.

This week’s competition featured individual dances and the ever popular team dances. The teams danced the Cha Cha and were headed by former DWTS Champions Kristi Yamaguchi and Apolo Anton Ohno (who did not actually dance – but sort of coached). The individual dances were reinterpretations of former dances and were judged by the celebrity who originated the dance. Confused? Yeah, me too. First up were the team dances…

Team Kristi
Rick & Cheryl, Bristol & Mark, Kyle & Lacey
24/30 (8, 8, 8 )
Judges’ Comments: Len said “…you’re the underdogs… you dogs have quite a bite.” Bruno told them they did a good job. Carrie said they were in sync.
My 2Cents: They mostly stayed together in their formation dancing – except Bristol forgot some of her steps while dancing with the female pros. During the solos Rick did a good job for his first time doing the Cha-Cha, except he was hunching over so he looked a little like Frankenstein’s monster. Bristol’s solo was uneventful – a little shimmying, a lot of pose striking. Kyle rocked his solo – particularly his Michael Jackson move.

Team Apolo
Kurt & Anna, Brandy & Maks, Jennifer & Derek
27/30 (9, 9, 9)
Judges’ Comments: Bruno said he loved it. Carrie Ann thought it was very tight, very crisp, and wonderful. Len said the formation was tight and he liked the pattern transitions. He told them “individually you’ve all upped your game.”
My 2Cents: During his solo, Kurt looked a little heavy on his feet. Brandy may have gotten a little bit lost in her solo. Jennifer was right on for hers. The formation dancing was tight and they looked great. I also loved that they were all wearing bandanas in homage to Apolo.

Individual Dances
Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy – Gilles Marini’s Foxtrot – 64/70
37/40 (9, 9, 10, 9)
Judges’ Comments: Bruno said that was a foxtrot sizzling with sex. Gilles said he felt goose bumps. Carrie Ann said she attacked the sensuality but had elegant and beautiful posture. Len said he just witnessed the most fantastic foxtrot of the season.
My 2Cents: I wish I liked Brandy better because we might be looking at the winner of this competition. That dance was incredible. It’s pretty hard to be as sexy and Gilles Marini but she was. Bruno and Carrie Ann pointed out a misstep she made and Len said they were quibbling. I did my football official instant replay and I did not see her foot get caught in her dress.

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough – Drew Lachey’s Tango – 64/70
37/40 (10, 9, 9, 9)
Judges’ Comments: Carrie Ann said she “blew the doors…” (off something I couldn’t hear because the audience was screaming. Len said she vented all her frustration into this tango – it had tension, passion attack. Really well done. Drew said her musicality was amazing and her lines were beautiful. Bruno called her “a phoenix rising from her own ashes more splendid than ever.”
My 2Cents: I am at a loss for words. That dance was absolutely incredible. The choreography was beautiful and Jennifer did not miss a beat. Best dance of the night.

Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya – Emmitt Smith’s Tango – 61/70
34/40 (10, 8, 8, 8 )
Judges’ Comments: Bruno said Kurt last week “went from Mission Impossible to Mission Accomplished.” Carrie Ann was pleased to see him bring his own character like Emmitt always did. Emmitt said he looked dapper, his technique was excellent and that he saw something very special on the dance floor. Len complimented him for “coming back stronger every week and this was no exception – it was sharp and it had drama.”
My 2Cents: His technique was much better and at first I thought we were going to lose the Kurt character because he was so focused on technique, but the character came through once he got going. Awesome.

Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke – Helio Castroneves’s Quickstep – 61/70
37/40 (10, 9, 9, 9)
Judges’ Comments: Len said he came out full throttle, it was quick, it was good. Bruno called it his best performance. Helio said it was incredible. Carrie Ann said it was by far his best.
My 2Cents: He was such a goof ball in this dance but I loved it! He wasn’t quite as quick and sharp as Helio, but you could see how much fun he was having.

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer – Mel B’s Paso Doble – 59/70
35/40 (10, 9, 8, 8 )
Judges’ Comments: Len told Kyle “that was your best dance.” Mel said “That was amazing…you blew me away.” Bruno told him “you had the attack and energy of an untamed young bull.” Carrie Ann complimented him on bringing his own power and strength to the dance just as Mel did.
My 2Cents: They may not have been as sexy as Mel and Maks, but the dance was powerful and tight. Definitely his best dance so far – I loved it.

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas – Kelly Osbourne’s Viennese Waltz – 57/70
33/40 (9, 8, 8, 8 )
Judges’ Comments: Carrie Ann told Bristol that she finds her endearing but she’s still slightly detached. Kelly told her “You stole my heart. You gave my goose bumps.” Len said he enjoyed it very much but they still lack a bit of chemistry. Bruno told her she is a natural mover, but she needs to connect a little bit more.
My 2Cents: The dance was lovely. Her footwork was very good and she had moments where she was into the dance and moments where she was back to the blank stare.

I was all jazzed about this competition because everyone nailed their dances. It was the best night of competition that we’ve seen this season… and then the judging. Len gave Brandy a 10 despite the fact that she made a mistake (he admits there was one but says it was unimportant), and gives Jennifer a 9. Jennifer’s dance was every bit as good as Brandy’s – better in my opinion. What’s the deal? I am getting increasingly frustrated. What do you think? Do you agree with me, or did you think Brandy had the better dance this week? And props to Kurt for tying for 3rd! Woo-hoo! Leave me your two cents!