Posted on 11/16/2009 by David in Dancing with the Stars
by David McAlpine
Last week on Dancing With the Stars, it
was Aaron Carter’s turn to go home after he failed to beat out the rest of the
pack with the judges’ scores (and we all knew people weren’t voting for him,
anyway).
Tonight, it’s down to the final four
couples: Joanna and Derek, Mya and Dmitry, Kelly and Louis and Donny and Kym.
It’s semifinals night on Dancing With the Stars, and each celebrity and their
partner have to perform three dances, upping the stakes for last week. This
season has been up and down for all four couples, so it’s really up in the air
going into the dances. This is how everyone did:
Celebrity: Donny Osmond
Professional Partner: Kym Johnson
Dance: Tango
Song: “Black and Gold” by Sam Sparro
Breakdown: In a surprise appearance, last
season’s runner-up Gilles Marini comes to give Donny some spicy tips on how to
tango. Unfortunately for Donny, Gilles is infinitely more attractive and sexy,
so he can’t exactly work it the same way—but he gives a good shot. The end is
especially rough, and it’s clear that Donny is upset at himself on his way over
to the judges’ table. He gets some rough comparison to his Argentine tango a
couple weeks ago, and they all let him know that he really screwed up at the
end, though he did handle getting caught in Kym’s costume really well.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 7 Len: 7 Bruno: 7
Total: 21/30
Celebrity: Joanna Krupa
Professional Partner: Derek Hough
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Song: “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen
Breakdown: First off, Joanna looks
stunning in her dress, which helps the dance that much more. Both of them look
absolutely graceful, and the dance itself is really captivating, not to mention
the song is famous for being the ultimate “dance on clouds” song. Personally, I
thought it was deserving of a 30, but the judges thought there was an element
of hesitation and weirdness. I even rewound it on TiVo and didn’t see it, so I
think she was a little slighted.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 9
Total: 27/30
Celebrity: Kelly Osbourne
Professional Partner: Louis van Amstel
Dance: Rumba
Song: “Angels” by Robbie Williams
Breakdown: Kelly braves a solo in the
dance, which is kind of uncomfortable and seems out of place, considering she
really lacks the rhythm or the sultriness to be able to depart from Louis and
handle the spotlight on her own. However, her pairing with Louis is really
solid and they seem to give a great dance. It didn’t seem spectacular, but I
didn’t see anything wrong with it. Kelly’s solo left her mother jumping up and
down in the audience and the judges gave her credit for it, but they still
penalized her for the lack of feeling and “eroticism” (straight from Bruno).
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 8 Bruno: 8
Total: 24/30
Celebrity: Mya
Professional Partner: Dmitry Chaplin
Dance: Waltz
Song: “Amore e Musica” by Russell Watson
Breakdown: So far, Mya has been the most
consistent dancer and the only one to get a perfect 30, so I think she’s the
one who has the most to lose tonight. Her and Dmitry come out and absolutely
nail the waltz. I thought Joanna and Derek were great, but these guys were
awesome. Len nailed it right on the head: it “was love set to music.” Still,
Carrie Ann and Len still found nitpicks. Is anything that anyone does this
season good enough for the judges?
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 10
Total: 28/30
Celebrity: Donny Osmond
Professional Partner: Kym Johnson
Dance: Samba
Song: “One Bad Apple” by The Osmonds
Breakdown: First off, I just want to say
I’m surprised there’s not more cross-promotion on this show considering how many
celebrities there are and how much potential ABC has with the amount of the
viewers. And yet we’re not subjected to it that much. So I respected when Donny
danced to his own song, I really did. Though his hips still don’t seem to move
the way in which they should, Donny’s samba is much easier and more fluid than
his first dance. Again, his inconsistency really bothers me because of how
great of a performer he is. The judges still thought it was sloppy, but
definitely better than his first attempt.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 9 Bruno: 9
Total: 26/30
Celebrity: Joanna Krupa
Professional Partner: Derek Hough
Dance: Cha-Cha-Cha
Song: “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” by
Kylie Minogue
Breakdown: Since Joanna has nailed almost
every Latin dance this season, I’m really expecting nothing less of her this
time around. It really helped that I love the song, but everything seemed a lot
more slowed down. It was almost as if Derek wasn’t confident enough that Joanna
could handle the choreography, so he slowed it down, which he definitely should
not have done. On the bright side, Bruno still thought it was “natural sex.”
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 9
Total: 27/30
Celebrity: Kelly Osbourne
Professional Partner: Louis van Amstel
Dance: Quickstep
Song: “99 Red Balloons” by Nena
Breakdown: This is for sure the Kelly
that we all love to see. I’m telling you, it’s Comeback Kelly, and she rears
her head only when Kelly is on the brink of elimination. Not to say that her
last dance was terrible, but she really needed a high score if she wanted to
even think about staying this week. This dance was fast—faster than I think
we’ve ever seen her dance before. Her feet were like lightning and I never
really thought she could move like that. The judges also thought it was
amazing, but they all commented on one small thing that was wrong.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 9
Total: 27/30
Celebrity: Mya
Professional Partner: Dmitry Chaplin
Dance: Salsa
Song: “”La Isla Bonita” by Madonna
Breakdown: After the first dance, it’s
been made very clear that Mya is probably the judges’ favorite for the mirror
ball trophy. However, after her second dance, she’s probably proven that she’s
the best dancer here. I thought Kelly’s performance was shockingly
surprising—Mya’s was amazing! Not to mention it was extremely complicated and
she never faltered even once. With that dance, Mya earns her first 30 of the
night and second of the season.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 10 Len: 10 Bruno: 10
Total: 30/30
For each of their last dances (in a
segment called the “knockout round”—I still don’t get why), the couples chose
the style and the song, taking complete control of the dance. The dances were
also all (thankfully) shorter, almost like a last chance shot to get some quick
points.
Celebrity: Donny Osmond
Professional Partner: Kym Johnson
Dance: Jitterbug
Song: “Jump Shout Boogie” by Barry
Manilow
Breakdown: Now that Donny has performed
on the dance floor twice, it’s evident that he’s warmed up and ready to get a
30. His jitterbug is definitely high on performance and energy, but it’s chock
full of technique, too. It was really enjoyable to watch, and refreshing to see
the old Donny.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 9
Total: 27/30
Celebrity: Joanna Krupa
Professional Partner: Derek Hough
Dance: Salsa
Song: “La Luz Del Ritmo” by Los Fabulosos
Cadillacs
Breakdown: After Mya’s sensational salsa,
Joanna and Derek definitely had a lot to live up to, especially since this was
their personal dance. Sure, Joanna can shake it, but it still fails to live up
to Mya’s amazing dance just a few minutes before. I’m sure the judges aren’t
supposed to compare, but it’s really hard to do otherwise.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 9
Total: 27/30
Celebrity: Kelly Osbourne
Professional Partner: Louis van Amstel
Dance: Cha-Cha-Cha
Song: “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by
Cyndi Lauper
Breakdown: Like Donny, I think Kelly
needs to be on the dance floor a couple times to get warmed up, especially to
overcome that initial discomfort that she feels when she first starts. She
always looks so good when she’s focused and she knows the movements, but
unfortunately the judges bring her down a lot, which I’m sure affects her
performance. Her dance is really well timed and very precise, especially with
her hand and foot placement. Again, as great as it was, it really lacked the
pizzazz that Mya’s dance had.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 9
Total: 27/30
Celebrity: Mya
Professional Partner: Dmitry Chaplin
Dance: Cha-Cha-Cha
Song: “Fire Burning” by Sean Kingston
Breakdown: As if destroying the samba
wasn’t enough, Mya and Dmitry take to the floor with another spicy number, this
time to another one of my favorite songs. Earlier, I thought Joanna nailed her
cha-cha-cha. Kelly, who had just danced before, did almost just as good a job.
But Mya proved once again that she’s willing to one up anyone by making her
cha-cha-cha that much more faster and enjoyable to watch. Carrie Ann wasn’t
feeling it (what?) but Bruno and Len ate it up.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 10 Bruno: 10
Total: 29/30
Total Scores:
Mya and Dmitry: 87/90
Joanna and Derek: 81/90
Kelly and Louis: 78/90
Donny and Kym: 74/90
Looking at the scores, it’s definitely
going to be a close call given how close the bottom three are. Realistically, I
don’t think Mya is going anywhere, and I think Donny’s fanbase alone is enough
to get him to the finals. Right now, I’m going to guess Kelly and Louis for the
elimination just because I don’t think she has the fan backing to save her from
her scores.
Be sure to tune in tomorrow night at 9/8c
for the live results show to see which three stars make the finals only on
Dancing With the Stars on ABC!
(Photo courtesy of ABC)
Follow David on Twitter: @DavidMcAlpine
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