Suddenly nine weeks are gone and we are at the semi-finals. It was a very close competition tonight with some great dances, as well as a surprising clunker. This week each dancer did two dances that they picked out of a mirror ball at random. As has been usual lately, there’s one ballroom and one Latin to do.
Here’s the rundown of tonight’s dances. The couples are in the order of their initial performance:
- Jason & Edyta: (Ballroom: Foxtrot) This was the very first dance Jason did and doing it again now shows just how far he’s come. It was polished, fluid and also quite whimsical. (Latin: Paso Doble). This is was the unexpected clunker for me. When he pulled the paso out of the mirror ball I was excited given his track record with this dance, but this one just fell flat for me. Technically it looked good, but I just was not moved or inspired by it. Jason finished the night in third place with a combined score of 55.
- Marissa & Tony:(Ballroom: Quickstep) It was fun, energetic and had great foot work. Apparently there was a mis-step that the judges pointed out, but I missed it. In particular for me, the last 15 or 20 seconds were truly amazing. (Latin: Rumba) I completely disagree with Carrie Anne. I loved this dance. It gave me goosebumps. They were completely sensual. Tony really came through with excellent choreography. Marissa came in last with the judges with a combined score of 52.
- Cristian & Cheryl: (Ballroom: Viennese Waltz) I loved the whole dance, but second half was just stunning. Cheryl outdid herself here and it showed off Cristian’s style perfectly. (Latin: Samba) Scary! The dance that hurt Cristian just two weeks ago. He pulled it together and Cheryl gave him choreography that protected his arm and still made him shine. Cristian ended the night in second place with a combined score of 56.
- Kristi & Mark: (Ballroom: Tango) The footwork and movement here were perfection. As usual it was technically perfect. I thought her emotions and performance weren’t right on, but the dazzling choreography more than made up for that. (Latin: Jive) Super fast, my goodness… seemed dizzying at times. In particular I loved the moving half-split she did. It was great to see her do to very different dances tonight. This was my favorite of the two though. Kristi regained her top spot tonight (for the first time in two weeks) with a combined score of 57.
Best dances: For Ballroom it goes to Jason for the Foxtrot. For Latin, I’m going to give it to Marissa for the goosebump inducing Rumba.
It pains me to say this, I think Marissa won’t survive into the finals. She’s getting all my votes tonight because I would love to see what she’d bring for a freestyle, but I think this is where she’ll go home because of these four she is the weakest.
Results Show Update: As expected, it was Marissa’s time to go. Next week’s final features Jason, Cristian and Kristi and it should be spectacular. The finals for the junior competition was tonight with three competitors going for the championship. All the couples were fun to watch, but the paso doble from Brandon & Brittany was incredible. The show has just ended so it’s not posted anywhere yet, but if I find it on You Tube later I will post it. I can’t rave about it enough. The winner for the juniors is also announced next week.
