It's a very special week on
Dancing with the Stars because an old
champion is returning. Len Goodman is taking some time off, so former pro partner
Julianne Hough will be taking over as guest judge. The two-time Mirror Ball winner will oversee the Top 10 couples and trade
in her dancing shoes for judging paddles.
How will Judgy-anne
Hough do? Will she be fair to everyone, including her brother Derek? And
which couples will be third to go home?
We'll find out tonight on
Dancing with the Stars!
The opening group number ends with an introduction of the judges, with a special solo intro for Julianne Hough.
Tom Bergeron then helps Julianne promote her upcoming movie,
Paradise, which opens in less than two
weeks.
Julianne promises to be kind, but she'll crack the whip
when she needs to. She also lets us know she's focusing more on the
stars, so there will be no conflict of interest with judging her
brother.
Jack Osbourne and Cheryl Burke: QuickstepCheryl
admits to PMSing during rehearsals, which might be why she seems so
cranky with Jack (who has some serious envy of Corbin). Jack certainly
slipped last week, but this week is a bit better. He seems to do a good
job with the steps, but he lacks fluidity. Julianne thinks ballroom is
his best style, but he needs to have more fun.
Carrie Ann Inaba then disagrees with Julianne. Ooh, I think someone is a tad jealous over not being the prettiest girl at the table anymore.
Judges' Scores: 8+8+8=24Elizabeth Berkley and Val Chmerkovskiy: Argentine TangoDuring
rehearsal Elizabeth gets into character by staring into Val's eyes for a
disturbingly long time to form a connection. The routine itself has
Elizabeth as a puppet master controlling Val's violinist. It's
wonderfully passionate and exciting, everything I want from a steamy,
sultry tango. The judges love it, and Carrie Ann is especially fond of
Elizabeth's sharpness. Julianne says that Elizabeth has already fixed
the one flaw she was going to point out.
Judges' Scores: 9+9+9=27I was kind of expecting a 10. I feel like these judges are too scared to give out the first one.
Brant Daugherty and Peta Murgatroyd: SalsaBrant
has an old bike injury that's making some of Peta's more ambitious
lifts hard, but she's pushing very hard because they want 10s. The dance
itself features Brant taking his shirt off, which is an easy way to
give everyone something to shout about. It's definitely hot, but it
seems kind of sloppy and they're focusing too much on big moves and
lifts and not enough on the actual dance. Carrie Ann loved the lifts,
but points out that, by taking his shirt off, he exposed his
loosey-goosey arm movements. Julianne agrees, but adds that she's single
now. Naughty girl, but I can't really blame her.
Judges' Scores: 7+7+7=21That's
unfortunate. I'd have given them an 8, with the extra point for Brant
taking his shirt off. I hope the fact that the audience vote is from
last week (when he was the best) offsets his low score tonight.
Valerie Harper and Tristan MacManus: Viennese WaltzValerie
knows she was a disaster last week but wants to forget it and move on.
This is definitely a better style for her. She still seems a bit
lost
at times, but there are some solid moments and it's definitely a slight
improvements. It's pleasant and beautiful. Julianne points out that
it's much better when Valerie and Tristan are together rather than
having her off
on her own.
Judges' Scores: 6+6+6=18Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani: Cha-Cha-ChaLeah's
idea to get better scores is for Tony to show off some skin and let her
sit down and do fewer moves. He refuses to listen. I have to give her a
ton of credit, because she was shaking her cha-cha all over the
ballroom and did a pretty great job at making it sexy. Carrie Ann loves
the face but needs better movements. Julianne and
Bruno Tonioli have a bit of a fight over footwork and shoes. It's all very constructive and great
feedback.
Judges' Scores: 8+8+8=24I'm kind of bored with the judges agreeing with the scores.
Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff: Paso DobleKarina's
strategy is to make it as technical and traditional as possible with no
gimmicks. It seems like a
waste to do that the one week Len Goodman isn't here. The actual
routine is mesmerizing. Corbin is powerful and dominant. He goes
shirtless, which would be more special if Brant hadn't already done it,
but Corbin is damn fine in his own right and it fits with the Paso so it
doesn't feel as
shameless.
The whole thing is just kind of flawless. The judges all point out some
very minor hip problems, but they agree that it was brilliant and near
perfect.
Judges' Scores: 9+9+9=27Seriously, they are now actively looking for ways to avoid giving out 10s.
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Sasha Farber: JiveIt's
a cheerleader theme, which brings up Snooki's history with anorexia
when she'd only eat one salad, cracker or grape per day, if that. The
dance feels kind of lazy, even though it's quite energetic and they're
jumping all around. Also, the cheerleader outfit makes Snooki look
really small. Like, she looks like she's an actual little person. Carrie
Ann regrettably brings up Len calling Snooki a "pocket
rocket." The judges criticize her wayward knees and T-Rex arms.
Judges' Scores:
8+8+8=24Of course they all agree. I think that deserved at least one 7.
Christina Milian and Mark Ballas: FoxtrotShe's
very worried about going home because she was in jeopardy last week,
even though that didn't actually mean she was at the bottom. As always,
their routine is too stylized for my taste. It opens behind prison bars
and then proceeds. It's the polar opposite of what Karina did with
Corbin, because everything about the choreography seemed to distract
from Christina. Julianne gives voice to my primary complaint, that Mark
is a spotlight hog.
Judges' Scores: 8+8+8=24Why
do we even have three judges? I'm not sure, but has there ever been an entire night of
DWTS where the judges agreed every time?
Amber Riley and Derek Hough: TangoShe
had a knee injury this week, so she's also been struggling with a lack
of rehearsal time this week, having to just watch. The routine is solid
and consistent with the two connected almost the whole time. It's severe
and precise, which is just what you want in a Tango. There's a cute
moment where Derek tries to bribe his sister with $10, bringing up all
kinds of sibling rivalries about Barbie heads. But they all love it.
Judges' Scores:
9+9+9=27I feel like if Derek wasn't Julianne's brother, she
may have dusted off the 10 paddle. Just kidding, that paddle clearly
doesn't exist.
Bill Engvall and Emma Slater: SambaLast
week during dress rehearsal, Bill bumped Emma's head, and he took it
harder than she did. For the Samba, it involves a little more hip action
than he's used to. He tries hard, and it's funny in certain places, but
it's pretty sloppy. He seemed to have fun and it was entertaining, but
not as good as I've come to expect from him. Julianne thinks he's like
her dad, and she loves dancing with her dad. Bruno said it had
everything you want in a Samba, "except timing and rhythm." HA!
Judges' Scores: 7+7+7=21So the judges were in agreement for every single performance. Yawn. Also, there's no way Bill and Brant deserved the same score.
The Results
Right after Bill and Emma's scores, Tom gives some somewhat surprising news.
Bill and Emma are...SAFEWow, way to take away some of the drama. I feel like this bodes poorly for Brant, but I hope not.
These couples are also
SAFE:
Elizabeth and Val
Leah and Tony
Corbin and Karina
Amber and Derek
Jack and Cheryl
Christina and MarkSo the three
IN JEOPARDY:
Brant and Peta
Valerie and Tristan
Snooki and SashaSnooki and Sasha are...SAFEValerie Harper and Tristan MacManus are ELIMINATED!Whew,
that seems fair. Sure, her story is amazing and inspiring, but getting
to dance for four weeks seems like enough of a gift. She gets a standing
ovation and she's so incredibly positive and happy to have had this
opportunity. Tristan adds that meeting Valerie has changed his life for
the better, which is sweet as well.
She had a remarkable run, but
I appreciate that the worst three dancers were the first three couples
eliminated this season. That restores my faith in democratic voting.
That does it for another week of impressive dances where just about everyone got either a 24 or a 27. Julianne Hough was fun and
offered constructive criticism, even though the scoring was embarrassingly consistent.
Next week on
Dancing with the Stars,
the couples will celebrate the most memorable years and moments of
their lives. It's fine that Valerie won't be around, because I suspect
we saw her best year unfold over the last month.
The Leaderboard
27: Elizabeth Berkley, Corbin Bleu, Amber Riley
24: Jack Osbourne, Leah Remini, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Christina Milian
21: Brant Daugherty, Bill Engvall
18: Valerie
Harper