I was in disagreement a lot with the judges tonight. And I was disappointed by my personal fave in this competition. But yet there was some great stuff going on tonight too. Here’s tonight’s rundown, in order of performance:
- Marlee & Fabian: Another fantastic night for these two. Marlee did a good job keeping count in the jive, every now and then she had timing problems, which I think kept the score lower than it could have been. She was still a great, high-energy opening for the show… and I thought deserving of a slightly higher score.
- Steve & Anna: This was a drama-free tango. I was surprised the judges praised it as much as they did, and that it scored the same as Marlee’s dance (which was so much better). I did like the rehearsal footage of Jonathan subbing in for an ailing Anna… that was funny.
- Cristian & Cheryl: Cristian’s best dance yet. He really came alive in the jive, finally showing some of the spark I’d been looking for from him. Looks like Cheryl finally tapped in to his inner dancer.
- Mario & Karina: I was stunned at how much the judges came down on him for his tango. Yes, there was the clear mistake at the edge of the stage right near the end. But on the whole I thought the choreography and performance were top notch. The music was great too… I love that version of “Roxanne” (which came out of Moulin Rouge).
- Shannon & Derek: Shannon has become a favorite and Derek knows exactly how to bring out the best in her. He creates pretty complex choreography that she nails. Another week, another stunning performance. She’s looking serious to make final rounds. I was glad to see she was happy to admit that she was completely winded after the tango too, having a seat on the stage floor.
- Adam & Julianne: The judges praised him too much. His tango didn’t move me at all. He had seconds upon seconds where Julianne didn’t have him move and when he did move, I felt like he was lumbering around the floor. His scores were just too high.
- Marissa & Tony: So disappointing. I really thought she would catch fire this week. The finale number in Hairspray (“You Can’t Stop The Beat”) is a powerhouse number and very much in the jive style. She bombed here. I’m not sure if Tony’s not figuring out how to show her off or what (I’m just thinking what someone like Louis, Maks, Derek or Mark could do with her to make her soar), but she needs to find the right mix soon or she’s going to be gone. And for point of comparison, here’s her Hairspray performance from the Tony Awards in 2003.
- Priscilla & Louis: Another solid week for Priscilla with the dramatic tango. I loved Louis’ choreography for her. I know she says she’s still nervous, but she’s looking more confident every week.
- Jason & Edyta: Bruno had it right calling this the “cool jive.” It was fun, but cool and sharp and great. I too marvel at how fluid Jason is given his size. Can’t wait to see what comes next for him.
- Kristi & Mark: Precision excellence here. Mark gave her great moves (although his facial expressions were just a little bizarre). She does need to work on her personality in the dances to be able to show character. She should be able to work on that full time since she nails the moves every time.
Best dances: For the tango I have to give it to Mario. I felt like he had the best overall package. I liked the choreography, the performance and the energy. For the jive, I go with Shannon who had a great routine and sold it very well.
Who is going home? I fear for Marissa. She is the lowest on the scoreboard and performed poorly overall. I’m still hoping for Adam though because I’m tired of watching stomp around the dance floor.
Update: Yay! Marissa was safe!!!! She better pay that off for everyone who voted for her. Kylie was fantastic, and Mark and Julianne’s dance to “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” was kick ass. Alvin Aliey was a treat (sadly, here in NYC that got interrupted due to a tornado warning in the area, so while we got to see the whole dance we couldn’t hear all of the music) and they did one of my all time favorite dances. The April Fool’s joke that was the segment that showed what the stars did away from the dance floor. Marlee as narcotics cop was too perfect. And off Steve goes into the red light… it was awesome that Steve got to dance with Jonathan at the top of the show to show more of what his rehearsal was like with Anna sick.
