by Kylene Hamulak

 

This is it, guys. The entire season comes down to this. Sure, it's the semi-finals, and yes, the teams want to win, but NO ONE wants to go home the week before the finals. In a season with (arguably) more talent than any before, it all comes down to two sets of dances. Starting with...

 

Round 1

Team: William and Cheryl
Dance: Tango
William and Cheryl start with a tango and will later dance the samba, and we see in rehearsal that William is having a little trouble with the steps. He knows that "good" isn't enough - you have to be excellent or you'll be going home. As they tango around the dance floor, William is intense, and I can't tell if it's just his character, or if he's just extremely focused. Judges said:
9 - Len notes that this semi-final is going to be the toughest ever, and he has to be overly critical, so he starts by telling William that he thought it was terrific. Despite a few little things he could improve on, Len says, "great job, well done."
10 - Bruno calls William the "master of the house." "For me, it was ACE!"
9 - Carrie Ann begins by complimenting William for being more than just a pretty face and noting all the things that make his dances (and not just him) beautiful...she starts getting picky about dance terms I don't understand, and the audience starts booing. It's the semi-finals, guys!

Carrie Ann HAS to do something to feel superior for enjoying it as much as we did!
Score=28

Team: Katherine and Mark
Dance: Quick Step
Katherine's journey to the semi-final has been an evolution from somewhat naïve to a wiggling little vixen who's pantsing Mark. Oh sure, she says it's by accident, but can we trust her at this point? I'm not so sure. She wants her two dances to show her personality: Classy and Sassy. I'm biased because I like her anyway - I think their dance is playful but technical and looks great. Judges said:
10 - Bruno calls it a picture-perfect rendition of all the energy and razzle and dazzle of the roaring 20's.
10 - Carrie Ann does the old fake out, telling Katherine that she really needed to bring her A game, and she doesn't think she did that. (dramatic pause) "I think you brought your A-PLUS game!" Holllllla, Carrie Ann! I was so on to you, but I'll accept the A+. She goes on to call it possibly the best dance she's ever seen on Dancing With the Stars.
9 - Len: "I knew you could sing but, honestly Katherine, you can dance." Fabulous number overall, though he did note a slight "foot thing", which Mark takes the heat for, blaming it on himself for kneeing her.
Score=29

 

Team: Donald and Peta
Dance: Waltz
I love every time Donald mentions being a fan of the show and then backs it up. Tonight, he notes that he can't remember a semi-final having four teams this strong, and while it's nothing the judges haven't already said, I honestly believe he can name some of those previous contenders. The fog machine is a little out of control on the dance floor, but Donald and Peta present a beautiful waltz that makes me want to go watch Romeo + Juliet (the DiCaprio version). Judges said:
9 - Carrie Ann calls the dance dreamy, but noticed some missteps. Still, she calls it "fantastically mesmerizing."
9 - Len says he was taken back to a different era, one with more beauty and grace, and calls the routine "absolutely charming." He does make a comment about Donald turning his head, but describes him as a "Big, rough, tough, cream puff." Len's analogies are always my favorites.
10 - Bruno tells Donald it's much harder to impress with a waltz than one of the faster dances, but says he did just that. "Like watching romance blossoming in front of my eyes."
Score=28

 

(And yet another routine that leaves me asking just what Donald has to do to get his 10s?!)

 

Team: Maria and Derek
Dance: Argentine Tango
Maria and Derek's rehearsal time is stressful, but this time it's not Maria's fault - it's Derek, feeling like his choreography may not be the best it can be for Maria. There's a lot of back and forth about who supports whom more, and then there are tears, and...well, you've seen THIS dance before. Spoiler alert: as usual, they BRING IT on the dance floor...and then end up (pretending to be?) making out at the end. Judges said:
10 - Len says it's fabulous.
10 - Bruno says, "What you've achieved is absolutely utterly fabulous." (Note: Maria looks like she might vomit at this point. Why is she always so surprised when they point out how good she is?)
10 - Carrie Ann gives goes through a laundry list of compliments to tell Maria how much she liked it. Let's just say...it's a lot. She liked it A LOT. (And now? Maria is crying.)
Score=30

 

(And in case you wondered - yes, Brooke DID remind us about all of this team's injuries. Because the perfect score isn't enough, they apparently need the pity votes too.)

 

Round 2
The second round of dances will showcase not only our dancers, but also their own personal stories about the hardships that have shaped their lives. I thought we did this already, but apparently these will be new and improved stories. Or something.

 

Team: William and Cheryl
Dance: Samba
William's journey from Cuba is just one piece of his hard-working, competitive drive. Coming from virtually nothing, William has made it his mission to help his family survive since they arrived in the United States. Lucky for him (and THE WORLD), modeling opened doors that led to a new life for them all. (Also lucky for THE WORLD: William didn't have many clothes when he started modeling. I'm not sure if that's WHY so many of his photo shoots show so much skin, but no one is complaining.) Their samba? It's like a party on the dance floor. Judges said:
10 - Bruno informs us all that he's going to "die with bum envy!" That's a good thing, though.
10 - Carrie Ann is all hot and bothered as usual and tells William this dance lived up to every expectation; "freaking amazing."
10 - Len calls him - and I quote - "the hunk with the junk in his trunk." Well done.
Score=30

 

(And well deserved.)

 

Team: Katherine and Mark
Dance: Salsa
Katherine's journey from Wales isn't quite like William's experience. Singing from a young age, she was fortunate enough to have all her dreams come true doing what she loves, then recently had her heart broken. Dancing has been therapeutic for her as she works through it. The dance is shocking for a few reasons. First, Katherine, as she noted earlier, is showing her belly. Second, she does a great job wiggling around, but it's definitely a new style for her. But mostly, the ending - there was a misstep, and something went wrong (though I don't know what), and the next thing we know, Mark is repeating "I got you" while Katherine is covering her face and apologizing. She seems shaken up but doesn't want to delay the show. Judges said:
9 - Carrie Ann loved seeing Katherine push her boundaries and thought it was a fantastic job.
9 - Len says "Katherine the Great" absolutely came out and gave that 100%.
9 - Bruno tells her not to worry about what happened at the end - "it happens to everyone, and up to that point, it was absolutely wonderful."
Score=27

 

(As it turned out, something went wrong with Katherine's back, though it's unclear what. I'm pretty sure Maria and Derek are scrambling backstage to figure out how to win back their pity votes.)

 

Team: Donald and Peta
Dance: Samba
Like William, Donald came from a very tough place. All the clichés? They're true. Dad in prison, living in a U-Haul under a bridge, selling drugs, sports as his only way out. He has competed his entire life, and his life didn't turn around until he met his wife. As his family, friends, and teammates talk about how he never gives up, I start to wonder how hard he'll have to work to get that damn 10. Once again, their dance is entertaining and it looks good, so it'll just be a matter of whether the skill level was high enough. Judges said:
9 - Len calls it a little bit careful but says he liked it.
10 - Bruno notes that Donald's routine took the Brazil out of the samba, but the risk was well done - "it worked beautifully!"
10 - Carrie Ann is smiling. Just...smiling. Apparently we're short on time, so she's going to make us guess what she means. What does it mean? "A-plus game!" It would've been faster if you had just said that, Carrie Ann.
Score=29

 

(So. Close. Even Tom says, "Man, what is it gonna take to get a 10 from Len?!")

 

Team: Maria and Derek
Dance: Jive
I KNOW I've already heard this story about Maria's parents being janitors and how deprived she was as a child because of it. Her parents worked hard and taught her that working hard, you could do whatever you put your mind to. She put herself through college to pursue journalism and took the crown as Miss Massachusetts USA in the process. There are, of course, more tears, but this time? I kinda don't blame her. The dance is cute, and of course they do it well, but it wasn't my favorite from them. Judges said:
10 - Bruno really liked the quirky and unexpected details; "It all worked beautifully - it shouldn't!" But it did. Fantastically.
10 - Carrie Ann calls Maria a winner (but just for tonight) and says it was another stunner. "I'm blown away."
9 - Len liked the whole feel of the dance but pointed out just a slight misstep.
Score=29

 

At the end of Round 2, only three points separate the leaders (Maria and Derek with 59) from Katherine and Mark, at the bottom of the board with 56. Katherine is there to close out the show, but she'll be getting checked out immediately - will that hurt her chances of making it to the finale? I'm not even going to guess who might be in danger. I'm just going to enjoy what the dancing we have left and throw my votes someone's way....

 

 

Don't miss the live results of Dancing With The Stars tomorrow night on ABC!

 

(Image courtesy of ABC)