by Kylene Hamulak

 

Following 14 seasons of competition, Dancing With The Stars: All Stars is pulling out all the stops to keep the viewers interested. Last week, the couples brought back some of the iconic performances from the past. This week, we'll be seeing dance styles that have rarely - if ever - been performed before on the show, plus we've got Paula Abdul at the judge's table. She's here representing Laker Girls and MC Skat Kat. And let's be honest...you give Paula a mic, and there's no telling what nonsense she might bring to the ballroom. Let's begin!

 

Team: Kirstie and Maks

Dance: Charleston

I really like the relationship between Kirstie and Maks. She knows she's in over her head skill wise, but Maks doesn't seem frustrated with her (usually). I'm not sure where they were rehearsing, but it was a beautiful room that looked like a parlor at Downton Abbey, which seems appropriate for their Charleston. There are some new tricks that Kirstie is nervous about, but her cartwheel move goes smoothly and the dance is another fun one from this pair. Judges said:

7.5 - Len tells her, "Kirstie, you turn Monday into a FUN day." Though he would've liked it a little cleaner, he says she's the best for fun.

7.5 - Paula loves the way she takes on the role of the characters. "You're a joy to watch."

7.5 - Bruno demonstrated Kirstie's journey through dance in the routine and said, "Who cares? We love it!"

7.5 - Carrie Ann says her dancing was fabulous because she was playing to her strengths.

TOTAL: 30.0

 

Team: Bristol and Mark

Dance: Rock n Roll

When we meet up with last week's most dramatic pair, Mark is trying to convince Bristol he should be dressing up like a bunny for their routine. She is frustrated (surprise!) because she's having trouble picking up the steps, and she's nervous that adding in a gimmick will hurt their score. Her lack of confidence results in a "dumbed down" routine - but no bunny suit. Cute dance, but I kind of feel like I could've done it. And if you knew how uncoordinated I was, you'd understand why that was significant. Judges said:

8.0 - Paula says she sees improvement in Bristol and appreciates that she's trying to have fun.

8.0 - Bruno commends her for her focus tonight, saying that she was hitting all her steps very quickly. "Well done."

8.0 - Carrie Ann gives her a double high-five and says she was very impressed with her. "It's so nice to see you come out of your shell this way."

8.0 - Len thinks Bristol came out and gave it her all, and it was fantastic with the elements, though it was a little safe in parts. He says that for him, it is her best dance so far. (Sidenote: I guess it's harder than it looks and once again I demonstrate how little I know about dancing.)

TOTAL: 32.0

 

Team: Sabrina and Louis

Dance: Disco

WHY IS SABRINA WEARING SULLEY FROM MONSTERS INC.? Ok, now that I got that out...Sabrina and Louis were in the bottom 2 last week, so this week they want to WOW the judges. They definitely get style points for their costumes and hair! It's kind of fun to see disco in the ballroom - I mean, isn't that what the giant mirror ball is there for? - and their routine is terrific. Judges said:

9.0 - Bruno thinks that, as far as performances go, this was their most vibrant and alive, but he says for the first time ever, he noticed that Sabrina lost timing. Carrie disagrees - and so does the crowd.

9.0 - Carrie Ann reminds Sabrina that last week, she told her she'd need to show them more than they expect. This week? "You showed us something very different." She calls it vibrant and exciting, but did notice trouble with one dismount.

9.0 - Len takes us back to 1978 - he's having a moment. "I thought it was brilliant and I loved it - well done."

8.5 - Paula believes the homage to Studio 54 was spot on and fantastic.

TOTAL: 35.5

 

Team: Emmitt and Cheryl

Dance: Bolero

Like almost everyone else in the ballroom, Cheryl has limited knowledge of Bolero and isn't quite sure how to teach it, so she brings in some other dancers. Emmitt doesn't consider himself as smooth as some of the other competitors, but he's crazy. The routine has lots of smoke to bring the drama level up, but nothing can fog Emmitt's moves on the dance floor. Judges said:

9.0 - Carrie Ann says Emmitt, "There's nothing better than watching a big, burly man get all dramatic and sexy and focused. That was beautiful."

9.0 - Len reveals that he was concerned about this dance for them, but he thinks they coped brilliantly - "lovely fluidity of movement...the lifts were clean...fabulous."

9.0 - Paula calls the dance "exquisite" and says they left everyone wanting more.

9.0 - Bruno says "the mood was steamier than August in Louisiana."

TOTAL: 36.0

 

Team: Gilles and Peta

Dance: Bollywood

One of the toughest dance choices for any of the stars was Bollywood, especially because so many of the pros - including Peta - were unfamiliar with it. At their rehearsal, a Bollywood expert comes in to help out, and Gilles says that since he's only going to do this once in his life, he wants to do it full on. Does anyone in this competition have a better attitude than him? As for their performance, if Bollywood is as hard as their rehearsals made it seem, their performance tells the opposite story. It's so good, I had to rewind and watch it again. Judges said:

9.5 - Len admits he knows nothing about Bollywood (welcome to the club, Len!) but he knows what he likes - and he liked this.

10.0 - Paula channels Bruno for her critique - the best thing I got out of it was her comment to Gilles: "I've got a special little that I'd like to keep you inside of."

10.0 - Bruno declares, "A Bollywood superstar is born!"

10.0 - Carrie Ann says that the routine was beyond belief - she thought the expressions and lines were fantastic.

TOTAL: 39.5, highest score of the season

 

Team: Melissa and Tony
Dance: Jitterbug

So it seems that several of the couples with the quick dances are a little intimidated by what Shawn can do, and that includes Melissa and Tony. They want to add some tricks, but they know that with an Olympic gymnast in the competition, they'll have to find a different way to impress the ballroom. The routine is really cute and very entertaining, but there was one very obvious misstep - with all the tricks thrown it, it's surprising there weren't more. Judges said:

9.5 - Paula thinks these two fit together like "hand in glove." She tells Melissa her footwork was impeccable, and despite the misstep, they nailed it.

9.5 - Bruno calls Melissa "fearless and fierce." He says it was near perfection.

9.0 - Carrie Ann tells Melissa she has the amazing ability to make the dancing look effortless and compliments Tony on his choreography.

9.0 - Len says Melissa is a "class dancer" and that everything she does is clean and correct. "You've made Little Lenny very happy." That's not a euphemism.

TOTAL: 37.0

 

Sidenote: Brooke's dress totally matches Melissa and Tony's costumes.

 

Team: Shawn and Derek

Dance: Mambo

Coming off a very well received routine, how can Shawn and Derek possibly top their last performance? These two are committed to pushing themselves every week, and Shawn hopes the Mambo will be a chance for her to try something new and dangerous. What she tried was a completely entertaining dance that was a lot less trick-y and a lot more pure awesome. Judges said:

10.0 - Bruno begins by saying "This show - you think you've seen it all, and it keeps getting better!"

10.0 - Carrie Ann lets us know that if she was the other contestants? She'd be a little scared right now. She says that every movement finishes in absolute syncronicity.

9.5 - Len delivers "Good news from Goodman - I liked it, I really liked it." He notes that to get all that speed and still keep timing is brilliant.

10.0 - Paula says Shawn didn't miss one step - "you were elegant and shining." She calls it her favorite dance.

TOTAL: 39.5, tied for highest of the season and the night

 

Team: Apolo and Karina

Dance: Hip Hop

Karina is having a hard time getting used to the idea of choreographing Hip Hop when we see her with Apolo at rehearsal. To bring some swag to their routine, they bring in some help...and also some really cute outfits. The performance seems to be going pretty well until Apolo starts taking off the top of that cute outfit, and I realized that he wasn't just stripping for the hell of it - his mic pack was threatening to bring him down. As he threw it across the ballroom floor and continued his dance with Karina, you'd never guess it wasn't planned. Except Karina totally breaks down at the end and says that she slipped, and she's apologizing profusely. Mostly, people seem confused - no one noticed the fall. Judges said:

8.5 - Carrie Ann, after assuring Karina she did NOT mess up the whole routine, says that they nailed the choreography, even with the trouble in the middle.

9.0 - Len is totally honest - he tells Karina he wasn't even looking at her, so he doesn't care if she fell. "YOU," he says to Apolo, "came out and you were fantastic."

8.5 - Paula gives kudos to Apolo, telling him this style seems very natural for him.

8.5 - Bruno says Apolo "even made the running man look good."

TOTAL: 34.5

 

Team: Kelly and Val

Dance: Contemporary

Kelly and Val will be performing Contemporary, a style that many people aren't familiar with. The only reason I know it is from So You Think You Can Dance, but I'm excited to see what they'll do with it. It's a dance that requires a lot of emotion, and we know there's a lot of something between these two. Is there passion for their routine? Um...yes. Yes, yes there is. Judges said:

9.5 - Len says that what is great about dance is contrast, and that's what we saw with this routine. He calls Kelly "the biggest revelation" of the competition for him.

9.5 - Paula calls it a beautiful routine, and when she mentions Kelly's broken toe (an injury that happened earlier in the day), I realize I had totally forgotten she was injured.

9.5 - Bruno thinks the Contemporary may have been the biggest challenge of all the styles performed tonight, and he says they did it beautifully. "I believed every moment of it - you should be proud, my darling."

9.0 - Carrie Ann seems choked up as she calls the routine "stunning." Even though some of the moves were beyond their ability, she applauds them for having the courage to do it.

TOTAL: 37.5

In addition to elimination this week, our couples will also be joined on two teams for next week's freestyle. So who will be left out of that fun? I don't even want to predict anymore. With strong fan bases for Kirstie and Bristol, the obvious choice would be Sabrina, but we should all know by now that no one is safe during the All Star season!

 

Don't miss the live results of Dancing With The Stars Tuesday at 8/7c on ABC!

 

(Image courtesy of ABC)