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Wk 10 Review - Dancing With The Stars
- Author:
- Phillip Stephens (713-248-2299 | philtex44@aol.com)
- Date Published:
- November 28, 2010
Dancing With The Stars - The Finals
Season 11 Week 10, 11/22/2010
After listening to the show’s Opening Remarks, I thought: Well, of COURSE each contestant wants to win. Wouldn’t it be more surprising if, after 14 weeks, one of the three finalists DIDN’T want to win?
It’s debatable that Kyle ever learned anything concrete about Ballroom dancing, and he certainly didn’t do anything to promote the “get in shape” benefits derived from 14 weeks of fairly continuous exercise. I wonder what his caloric intake has been each week.
Bristol certainly has improved, though not enough to win this contest on sheer dance ability.
Jennifer has performed beautifully in most weeks, and was a delight to watch after she got past the “whiney-butt” stage.
Kyle should not be practicing without shoes on. A person can never get a proper “feel” for the dance floor and how it’s used in Foxtrot – or any dance – without shoes on!
Kyle Massey & Lacey Schwimmer – Redemption Foxtrot
Better outfits this time around, and it certainly is calmer looking than their earlier “disco-flavored” Foxtrot during “TV Theme Week”. Kyle did look more in control of what he was presenting, and I did see a bit more “authentic” Foxtrot. However, I must agree with Michael Schedler who noted that Kyle didn’t lead one move in that routine. 25?
Len – Noted that it was better than the first go-round; Bruno – Thinks his technique has improved enormously (so ya know Bruno’s slurpin’ from Len’s bottle); Carrie Ann – A bit too focused on the technical aspect. 9+9+9 = 27
Freestyle – Although boringly repetitive, “Tootsie Roll” is certainly music that Kyle is comfortable with. A good job with lots of energy, though not spectacular in any way that would make me choose him as the winner. I’d give this routine 25 to 27 points.
Len – Great fun, great entertainment; Bruno – Amazing charisma & he loved every minute of it; Carrie Ann – Thought he was the “Fresh Prince” of DWTS (She and Bruno probably finished off that bottle) 10+9+10 = 29, which is a tad too high in my opinion.
Bristol Palin & Mark Ballas – Redemption Jive
I didn’t care for Bristol’s comment about “Lots of ‘haters’ out there waiting for her to fail”. You don’t have to be a ‘hater’ to see that she isn’t skilled enough to win this event. Her timing was better and she certainly looked more relaxed on the floor. She still doesn’t have enough “punch” for a Jive, but this is much better than the “Gorilla Girl” performance. The choreography was well suited for the music and Bristol’s ability, but she would need more body rhythm and a lot more ankle and knee action to perform Jive correctly. After watching their final move, I wonder if Mark still has functioning testicles. 24 or 25 points.
Bruno – She had a good time and we all enjoyed it; Carrie Ann – Brighter and more vibrant than ever; Len – High energy and a vast improvement (over what?) 9+9+9 = 27.
Freestyle - Interesting that Mark chose a Broadway Musical for this dance. It was going pretty good until they brought out the fuchsia chiffon, which added nothing to the routine and which didn’t seem to go with the story at all. Actually, I thought Bristol did a better than adequate job with this performance, but the story just didn’t seem to be there and this routine wasn’t “novel” or “cutting edge” in any way. The choreography seemed mediocre and lacking in risk. 25.
Bruno – Did well, but not quite at the level that this song requires; Carrie Ann – Proud of her for dancing in a cage although she didn’t live up to the expectation of the music; Len – Thought it was fantastic. 8+9+8 = 25, which is right for that performance.
Jennifer Gray & Derek Hough – Redemption Paso Doble
Cool lighting for the opening, though it did make viewing a bit difficult. A lot of drama at the beginning that was more suited to a “show” dance than to a dance competition. Good posture, nice lines. Looked in control and in command at times but she never did fully take charge of the dancing; in fact Jennifer did more posing than dancing while Derek did his spin-leap, spin-drop-pose bits. Michael Schedler and I were disappointed in this performance, especially as a “redemption” dance. The only thing I can say here is that it was better than her previous attempt at Paso Doble. At the rate the judges are going, she’ll probably get 30 points, though I’d award no more than 27
Carrie Ann – Thought this was the meaning of “redemption. (Was that because Jennifer didn’t go blank during the performance?); Len – Thought it was fantastic? (He’s been sippin’ that sauce again!); Bruno – Poetically effusive and just WAY over the top. (He must have shared another of Len’s bottles.) 10+10+10 = 30.
Freestyle – I don’t blame Jennifer for being a bit hesitant about risking injuries to her neck. This music was a bit slow, but they did a good job of performing to it. The routine contained some fairly risky moves and most of them went well. The bit on the judges’ table was well done, though riskier in some ways than some of the floor work. Derek has obviously been spending time at the gym and wanted to display his abundant strength. As Michael Schedler noted, Derek – who normally creates brilliant routines – almost put too much “crap” in this one and it didn’t all fit together in a nice package. Still, this was definitely the best of the three freestyle routines. 30 for sure.
Carrie Ann – Thought it was amazing and perfect; Len – She’s like a juggernaut heading down the road for that Mirror Ball Trophy; Bruno – Used a lot of effusiveness to tell us he liked it. 10+10+10 = 30.
Interesting that Jennifer seemed to think dancing to "this" 25+ year old song from Dirty Dancing over "that" 25+ year old song from Dirty Dancing was doing something “fresh” with Derek.
That's a wrap for this article, but another one covering the Results Show will soon follow.
