It was “Your Most Memorable Year” this week on DWTS, with Robin Roberts guest judging…blah blah blah NENE LEAKES IS WEARING A HEADBAND AND CARRIE ANN HAS A PONYTAIL STRAIGHT FROM HER IN LIVING COLOR DAYS!The new hair decision opened Monday’s episode, along with a subdued contestant entrance and Billy Dee Williams missing. SOMEONE CALL VERONICA MARS! Let’s get right into the dances! BA BA DA BA BA BA BA BA BA DA BA BA!
Peta and James opened the show with a jive dedicated to him being bullied for being fat as a kid. Not to knock on his weight…but this kind of seemed annoying. It seemed more like him showing off his muscles than trying to promote an end to bullying, but whatever. Peta looked like Cher from Clueless, which I, like, so approve of. I saw a quick leg timing issue, but other than that, it was a really fun and strong dance, my favorite of his yet. It seemed like the moral of the dance was “If I unbutton my shirt after I dance a Jive at school, I won’t be bullied!” or something along those lines. 4 Nines from the judges.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuePHgC-Rjg
Jimmy Eat World music was great to hear on the show. A quick shot of Amy turned into Derek…shocker! We were also told that the Switch twist will take place next week and ONLY next week, which I didn’t expect. Tom and Erin then dropped a bomb on the ballroom…Billy Dee is out for medical reasons. While I am sorry about his chronic back pain…PRAISE THE SEQUIN GODS! I was getting chronic back pain from watching his performances. His grandkids came out on stage, as if we were supposed to vote for him. Pity tactics don’t work when you aren’t on the show anymore, Billy.
Nene and Tony were up next, dancing a rumba in honor of her love to the man she married for a second time. All I could think of was “BIG ARMS or Carrie Ann will get pissed at you again.” What happened right of the bat? Big arms! Wahoo! The dance was very steamy and very lyrical, but was nice. It was interesting to see this side of Nene, but it was welcome. Robin had a mini panic attack during the dance, but also saw a different side of Nene. 3 Eights and a SEHVEN from Len.
Cody and Witney danced next, and I am already dreading what’s about to come, especially since he thinks he can rock a fedora. His most memorable year was moving to the USA to pursue his music career, so his superficiality continues. BUT WAIT, it gets better…he danced to his own song. WAIT, WHAT?!? I can’t stand this kid. It’s called “Surfboard”, which is also a bad choice, since all I could think about was Beyoncé’s version of the word (#SURFBORT). It was a jazz number that was way too modern for me. Len described as a “boy band jazz routine” which he saw as a positive compliment, but I saw it negatively. Unfortunately, he got 3 Nines and an Eight from Len.
Danica and Val hit a homerun with their magnificent contemporary routine dedicated to her son Draco (?) and her grandmother, who passed away a few weeks before her son was born. The stage was draped with bulky white curtains, which is required in the state of California to accompany all contemporary dances. The dance was gorgeous and definitely her best yet. Then I cried. I freakin’ cried. 4 Nines from the judges.
Erin does a quick twerk coming back from commercial and we are on to our next dance.
Drew and Cheryl danced with 2005 as his inspiration, the year his son was born and he realized he needed to do something about his weight to make sure he could be alive for his son. The waltz started with an unnecessarily large chandelier in the middle of the floor, then a fine dance. The problem was since the dance wasn’t the usually “fun” nature of his past dances, he was incredibly stiff in his arms and face. He also had a wrong foot placement at one point in the dance, but Bruno looked on the bright side and said “Less wrong than last week!” True Dat. Connor, Drew’s son, joined his dad on stage, then hit on Cheryl. Uncomfortable. 2 SEHVENs and 2 Eights from the judges.
Meryl and Maks danced the foxtrot next and wow. Just wow. Magnificent and Stunning dance, totally the best of the season thus far. It was dedicated to her journey to the gold medal win (obvi), so she danced to John Legend? I don’t even care though, because it was technically stunning and my absolute favorite dance of the night, hands down. Len named them Team M&M, so that happened. Erin made the duo incredibly uncomfortable after asking about their chemistry. The first tens of the season were handed out, with 3 Tens and a Nine from Len.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juvEp6YcUpQ
Amy and Derek performed a contemporary routine that was equally moving, about her 1999, where she lost both legs and slowly got accustomed to her new prosthetics. The struggles were shown beautifully and the song choice (“Human” by Christina Perri) was brilliant. There wasn’t a dry eye in the ballroom after her dance, it was just amazing. I do have to give credit to Derek for the wonderful choreography, but once they were being interviewed by Erin, he answered questions for her. Back to hating him. 4 Nines from the panel.
Sharna and Charlie danced a super “Happy” jive to explain his emotions after finally winning the gold after all of his hard work. The dance went all over the studio and was crazy infectious. He danced, of course, to “Happy”, which is the 3rd most overplayed song of all-time (next to “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Don’t Stop Believin’”). He worked those awkwardly hemmed pants through the routine, but the only problem I had was that it was SO joyful after two rather somber routines. Carrie called him out for being off beat twice, which I am okay with, since that means Meryl is beating him and that is what I want. 4 Nines from the judges.
Candace and Mark ended the night and I was having trouble breathing after all of the Full House cast members. Becky and Gibbler met her in rehearsals, then Gibbler and Scott were in the audience to cheer on her “Ode to Uncle Jesse” jive set to Elvis. It was introduced by Tom atop the judges table and a DWTS Mosh Pit, which I assume includes them poppin’ Molly and doing “kick-ball-changes”. It was a really fun way to close the show and her footwork was incredibly in sync with Mark, which was nice. She did get 3 Eights from the judges, but GIBBLER APPROVED SO GIVE HER ALL TENS!
Week 3 was fantastic! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on the discussion boards and let me know what pairs you hope are created as part of next week’s Switch!