Hola and Bienvenidos, because it was Latin Night on #DWTS this week…’Ole! The show opened with guest judge Ricky Martin singing his new song “Vida,” which brought the show to its best intro this season. He was “Livin’ La Vida Loca” while wearing offensively ugly pants.The energy levels in the ballroom were at an all-time high after the rousing Latin routine…blah blah, NENE LEAKES HAS GEL IN HER HAIR! As the cast came out, the costumes were more 80’s night than Latin night, but we can get over it. Don’t forget, Danica has a broken rib, but she is dancing anyway! And, that’s not the only injury of the night! Now, let’s check out the routines! BA BA DA BA BA BA BA BA BA DA BA BA!
Amy and Derek opened the show, after their safety, along with Danica’s safety and James’ state of jeopardy, was revealed. They danced an intimate Rumba (at least, that is what Derek was hoping for), which made Amy depressed over her own relationship. Amy, there’s no crying! THERE’S NO CRYING IN THE BALLROOM! The dance was a tad stiff at times, but there was some impeccable fluidity that made it an overall wonderful dance. However…
Carrie Ann did say she will have to take into consideration lifts now, as Derek can easily change the choreography to allow for less of a chance for them to happen. Kudos to Derek for not fighting back at the judges like every other pro, it seems like. Side note: Carrie Ann’s bob is AHMAZING! 4 Nines from the judges.
James and Peta danced a Samba to “Gasolina,” a song that is so NOT about an auto repair shop. I was surprised they didn’t pull a Girls and have sex on the stage, it was so darn steamy. It began a little too hip-hop-y for me, but it wasn’t bad. Not his best. Bruno’s comments was pretty much pick-up line after pick-up line. All judges agreed, however, on their “sick” chemistry. 3 Nines and an Eight from Len.
Danica and Val danced a Salsa, but their rehearsal footage showed the rib breaking, her thoughts on her own “injurable” body, but at least we got to see a super gorgeous…x-ray. The danced opened with the obvious thing to do when you have a broken rib…jump rope. Her energy was great and her legs were so on point last night with the quick movements, but you could clearly tell she was in pain, thus one of her worst routines in a while. Audience saw the amount of sexiness, as you could tell from their huge applause (though, it could’ve just been for her jean short-shorts). Len said it was too “pop video” for him (ummm…did you see James’ dance?!), but Bruno called it the “Salsa from the hood,” which is a compliment? 3 Eights and a Nine from Ricky Martin.
#DWTSShirtOn/#DWTSShirtOff is the question that no one has ever asked themselves. Moving on…
Hold on, Amy has injured her back! Apparently after her dance, she turned and her whole back cracked and pain quickly followed. She had a quick talk with Erin, who explained the rules regarding the upcoming team dance. We will get to that later. We here at LaughingPlace.com are hoping for a quick and speedy recovery for Amy!
Meryl and Candace (!) are safe, while Charlie and Nene are in jeopardy.
Nene and Tony danced an Argentine Tango that was…eh. I did enjoy seeing NayNay come out of Nene, though. Her character was very fun, but the dance was lacking the technique that was visible in something like her “Cruella de Vil” routine. She ended up looking like a Latina Big Mama from Chicago. Ricky said she was floating, but I feel like that is one of the only adjectives he knows, because I don’t agree. Overall, technique was a Nono for Nene. 3 Eights and a SEHVEN from Len.
Charlie and Sharna danced a Paso Doble to “SAIL,” which is so not a Latin song, it’s humorous. I need a really good Paso to like it (Case and Point, Nicole and Derek’s 50’s Paso that was ridiculously good), but this was pretty good. Carrie Ann wants to see sharpness, while Bruno notices he messed up, which led to a death glare from Charlie that actually frightened me. 2 Nines, a Ten from Ricky and an Eight from Len.
Candace and Mark started by going to a sports therapist to try and get over her ballroom fright. After some tears and realizations, she danced her best dance yet. This sexy, leg flick-tastic, Argentine Tango was amazing and in my top 2 dances of the night. It was everything we’ve wanted to see in Candace this season. The judges agreed, but they did see a small flub. An Eight from Carrie Ann and 3 Nines.
Meryl and Maks danced a Salsa and, shocker of the century, they were amazing. Though she was surrounded by the Troupe, she took command of the stage and danced some spectacular choreography. I wanted to bottle up the performance and show it to friends at school. Frankly, in that moment, she became a member of the troupe. The only complaint was that Len saw it as too hectic, which disgusted me. 3 Tens and a Nine from Len (BOO).
Team Vida (Nene, James, Charlie) was the lesser of the two groups, with Nene looking very “Week 1,” Charlie being solid and James being just so-so. When they were all together, it was a very solid routine. 2 Eights, a Ten from Ricky and a Nine from Bruno.
Team Loca (Amy, Candace, Meryl, Danica) was incredible, especially we saw the dress rehearsal video, as that is protocol for when a member of a group dance isn’t present during the live performance. Apparently, they still performed their routine live in the ballroom, which makes me want to go to the finale so badly (Cough Cough ABC HOOK ME UP Cough Cough). It was the best group routine I’ve ever seen, so detailed and magnificent. 3 Tens and a Nine from Len.
Nene was revealed to be the star sent home this week, which means no more hair updates for her. RIP Nene Hair Watch 2014.
Overall, it was a wonderful night in the ballroom, as it got me in the Latin spirit…as I bought some Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin songs on iTunes and made a reservation for Bongos on Saturday…
Next week Abby Miller of Dance Moms will be the guest judge. Let me know your thoughts below or on the discussion boards.