canadianman30
Member
(season premiere)
We begin the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars with a men's professional routine. As good as all the men are, it's just not as compelling as women's
flowing (or non-existent) dresses. Tom and Samantha welcome us to the show and reminds us that there are minor twists, including extra double eliminations. Our first twist is the Relay: basically a rehashed group dance. We welcome the dancers for the first time down the stairs. While the women aren't performing, they descend and sit in the audience.
Round 1
Aaron Carter / Karina Smirnoff (Cha-Cha)
I'm digging the 180-camera the show is using for introductions. He comes off as the drugged out version of Cody Linley: awkward young male. He continues the boy band trend on this show.
We start judging with Len, and he sees the potential in Aaron. Nick and the rest of the Backstreet Boys applaud from the audience. Bruno thinks he dances too sharp and needs control.
Score: 22 (7, 8, 7)
Chuck Liddell / Anna Trebunskaya (Foxtrot)
Anna met Chuck at the gym and he shows her his kickboxing skills. Anna finds him scary, so her big goal is to make sure he smiles. When the music starts,
you know it's going downhill when the hat struggles to stay on. Chuck's foxtrot is really robotic and you could see the stress on his face; he was counting while making a sour face when he messed up.
Bruno thought the dance was rough and everything basically sucked. Carrie Ann likes the charm, but he needs to work on his movement.
Score: 16 (6, 5, 5)
Mark Dacascos / Lacey Schwimmer (Cha-Cha)
I think I'm going to be happily surprised by Mark. He's genuinely excited to be here. Of course, production gives him "Kung Fu Fighting." The dancing has a lot of potential, and his flexibility will definitely come to his advantage in the future.
Carrie Ann sees the potential, but his arms need to be less sharp. Len doesn't like gimmicks, so he's hoping that the kung fu disappears next week.
Score: 21 (7, 7, 7)
Ashley Hamilton / Edyta Sliwinska (Foxtrot)
Edyta finds Ashley to be a little bit of a challenge. He's had several accidents, and his left side isn't as strong. Ashley looked down several times, and his arm
extensions need a lot of help.
Len thought the basic steps were right, but still rough. Bruno can see the similarities with George Hamilton except that he has no charm.
Score: 15 (5, 6, 4)
Donny Osmond / Kym Johnson (Foxtrot)
Donny reminds us that Marie was third after an insane doll performance. Whenever Kym tries to teach him something intimate, he starts laughing and getting nervous. As the two dance it shows he has the kind of charisma that can b/s his way through a performance. I also think he got an easy song to foxtrot to ("All that Jazz").
Bruno loved the theatrics, but his holds are poor. Carrie Ann agrees and knows he'll survive with America's vote.
Score: 20 (7, 6, 7)
Louie Vito / Chelsie Hightower (Foxtrot)
Louie admitted that he's never actually seen the show before and he's only 5'5". Chelsie is an intense teacher and she tapes his head to the dreaded shoulder bar. There is definitely a minor slip-up in the beginning, but it looks like Louie is having a fun time. Although he constantly licks his lips in
nervousness, I thought his timing was decent, until they ended when Chelsie turned after the music was done.
Carrie Ann knows he's never danced and he was slipping a little in the shoe. Len dislikes his snowboarder's hair, but his technique was good.
Score: 19 (6, 7, 6)
Michael Irvin / Anna Demidova (Cha-Cha)
Michael admits that he's doing the show to do better than Jerry Rice. Anna gets a hula hoop to unlock Michael's hips. Michael starts off the dance with a
little solo work which I think is the loosest he was in the whole performance. He bumbled his way around the floor, seemingly walking into place in several
spots.
Len thought it wasn't a good opener, and the dance needs more content. Bruno thought that the Cha-Cha was really poor.
Score: 13 (5, 4, 4)
Tom Delay / Cheryl Burke (Cha-Cha)
Tom seems excited about learning, but is quite stiff. I was expecting Tom to dance similarly to Cloris Leachman; he's definitely better with the help of
Cheryl using better choreography.
Bruno thought the Cha-Cha was decent, but the air guitar was odd. Carrie Ann thought the basic steps were nice and Tom was light on his feet.
Score: 16 (6, 5, 5)
Round 2 – Relay Dances
Group 1: Ashley, Chuck, Donny, Louie – Salsa
This is basically the face-off that the show uses in the final three, except there is no group dancing at the end. While all the couples think of different
techniques, Donny falls on his ass. Ashley starts off first, and Edyta ramping up her sex appeal definitely helps. Chuck is second and although his arms are
awkward, he's smiling the whole time. Donny follows and he definitely shows his showman skills. Louie comes in with a flip like Derek Hough would; the two
bring in the youth and spunk.
Carrie Ann is convinced that Donny smoked the group, but was also impressed by Chuck. Len thought Ashley failed, but Donny had rhythm.
Scores:
1) Donny & Kym - 10
2) Louie & Chelise - 8
3) Chuck & Anna - 6
4) Ashley & Edyta – 4
Group 2: Aaron, Mark, Michael, Tom – Viennese Waltz
While the couples practice, Aaron keeps getting dizzy, Mark feels too stiff, Tom wants to be demur, and Michael suffers from tempo issues and posture. Aaron starts and although it seems a little frantic, it's quite good. Mark and Lacey slow it down just a little, but the two seem to lack content. Cheryl knows how to make 30 seconds look longer and Tom fits his mature
character better. Michael stays in place for a little too long for me to appreciate a Viennese Waltz, but I'm blaming Anna's choreography.
Len thought Tom needed to be smoother, but liked Mark. Bruno liked how Aaron worked the floor, Mark's lines, Michael improved a little.
Scores:
1) Aaron & Karina –10
2) Mark & Lacey – 8
3) Michael & Anna – 6
4) Tom & Cheryl – 4
Overall Scores
High:
Aaron & Karina – 32
Donny & Kym – 30
Mark & Lacey – 29
Louie & Chelsie – 27
Low:
Chuck & Anna T.– 22
Tom & Cheryl – 20
Ashley & Edyta– 19
Michael & Anna D. – 19
Who's going home?
I don't think Ashley stood out at all. He probably has the smallest fan base versus the other two (Michael and Tom) near the bottom. Although I'd be very
disappointed not seeing Edyta for the rest of the season, this gives a little more time for the two Anna's to shine. There's a small chance that Chuck
may get the early boot, but I think that the three point difference may be enough to keep him around another week.
We begin the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars with a men's professional routine. As good as all the men are, it's just not as compelling as women's
flowing (or non-existent) dresses. Tom and Samantha welcome us to the show and reminds us that there are minor twists, including extra double eliminations. Our first twist is the Relay: basically a rehashed group dance. We welcome the dancers for the first time down the stairs. While the women aren't performing, they descend and sit in the audience.
Round 1
Aaron Carter / Karina Smirnoff (Cha-Cha)
I'm digging the 180-camera the show is using for introductions. He comes off as the drugged out version of Cody Linley: awkward young male. He continues the boy band trend on this show.
We start judging with Len, and he sees the potential in Aaron. Nick and the rest of the Backstreet Boys applaud from the audience. Bruno thinks he dances too sharp and needs control.
Score: 22 (7, 8, 7)
Chuck Liddell / Anna Trebunskaya (Foxtrot)
Anna met Chuck at the gym and he shows her his kickboxing skills. Anna finds him scary, so her big goal is to make sure he smiles. When the music starts,
you know it's going downhill when the hat struggles to stay on. Chuck's foxtrot is really robotic and you could see the stress on his face; he was counting while making a sour face when he messed up.
Bruno thought the dance was rough and everything basically sucked. Carrie Ann likes the charm, but he needs to work on his movement.
Score: 16 (6, 5, 5)
Mark Dacascos / Lacey Schwimmer (Cha-Cha)
I think I'm going to be happily surprised by Mark. He's genuinely excited to be here. Of course, production gives him "Kung Fu Fighting." The dancing has a lot of potential, and his flexibility will definitely come to his advantage in the future.
Carrie Ann sees the potential, but his arms need to be less sharp. Len doesn't like gimmicks, so he's hoping that the kung fu disappears next week.
Score: 21 (7, 7, 7)
Ashley Hamilton / Edyta Sliwinska (Foxtrot)
Edyta finds Ashley to be a little bit of a challenge. He's had several accidents, and his left side isn't as strong. Ashley looked down several times, and his arm
extensions need a lot of help.
Len thought the basic steps were right, but still rough. Bruno can see the similarities with George Hamilton except that he has no charm.
Score: 15 (5, 6, 4)
Donny Osmond / Kym Johnson (Foxtrot)
Donny reminds us that Marie was third after an insane doll performance. Whenever Kym tries to teach him something intimate, he starts laughing and getting nervous. As the two dance it shows he has the kind of charisma that can b/s his way through a performance. I also think he got an easy song to foxtrot to ("All that Jazz").
Bruno loved the theatrics, but his holds are poor. Carrie Ann agrees and knows he'll survive with America's vote.
Score: 20 (7, 6, 7)
Louie Vito / Chelsie Hightower (Foxtrot)
Louie admitted that he's never actually seen the show before and he's only 5'5". Chelsie is an intense teacher and she tapes his head to the dreaded shoulder bar. There is definitely a minor slip-up in the beginning, but it looks like Louie is having a fun time. Although he constantly licks his lips in
nervousness, I thought his timing was decent, until they ended when Chelsie turned after the music was done.
Carrie Ann knows he's never danced and he was slipping a little in the shoe. Len dislikes his snowboarder's hair, but his technique was good.
Score: 19 (6, 7, 6)
Michael Irvin / Anna Demidova (Cha-Cha)
Michael admits that he's doing the show to do better than Jerry Rice. Anna gets a hula hoop to unlock Michael's hips. Michael starts off the dance with a
little solo work which I think is the loosest he was in the whole performance. He bumbled his way around the floor, seemingly walking into place in several
spots.
Len thought it wasn't a good opener, and the dance needs more content. Bruno thought that the Cha-Cha was really poor.
Score: 13 (5, 4, 4)
Tom Delay / Cheryl Burke (Cha-Cha)
Tom seems excited about learning, but is quite stiff. I was expecting Tom to dance similarly to Cloris Leachman; he's definitely better with the help of
Cheryl using better choreography.
Bruno thought the Cha-Cha was decent, but the air guitar was odd. Carrie Ann thought the basic steps were nice and Tom was light on his feet.
Score: 16 (6, 5, 5)
Round 2 – Relay Dances
Group 1: Ashley, Chuck, Donny, Louie – Salsa
This is basically the face-off that the show uses in the final three, except there is no group dancing at the end. While all the couples think of different
techniques, Donny falls on his ass. Ashley starts off first, and Edyta ramping up her sex appeal definitely helps. Chuck is second and although his arms are
awkward, he's smiling the whole time. Donny follows and he definitely shows his showman skills. Louie comes in with a flip like Derek Hough would; the two
bring in the youth and spunk.
Carrie Ann is convinced that Donny smoked the group, but was also impressed by Chuck. Len thought Ashley failed, but Donny had rhythm.
Scores:
1) Donny & Kym - 10
2) Louie & Chelise - 8
3) Chuck & Anna - 6
4) Ashley & Edyta – 4
Group 2: Aaron, Mark, Michael, Tom – Viennese Waltz
While the couples practice, Aaron keeps getting dizzy, Mark feels too stiff, Tom wants to be demur, and Michael suffers from tempo issues and posture. Aaron starts and although it seems a little frantic, it's quite good. Mark and Lacey slow it down just a little, but the two seem to lack content. Cheryl knows how to make 30 seconds look longer and Tom fits his mature
character better. Michael stays in place for a little too long for me to appreciate a Viennese Waltz, but I'm blaming Anna's choreography.
Len thought Tom needed to be smoother, but liked Mark. Bruno liked how Aaron worked the floor, Mark's lines, Michael improved a little.
Scores:
1) Aaron & Karina –10
2) Mark & Lacey – 8
3) Michael & Anna – 6
4) Tom & Cheryl – 4
Overall Scores
High:
Aaron & Karina – 32
Donny & Kym – 30
Mark & Lacey – 29
Louie & Chelsie – 27
Low:
Chuck & Anna T.– 22
Tom & Cheryl – 20
Ashley & Edyta– 19
Michael & Anna D. – 19
Who's going home?
I don't think Ashley stood out at all. He probably has the smallest fan base versus the other two (Michael and Tom) near the bottom. Although I'd be very
disappointed not seeing Edyta for the rest of the season, this gives a little more time for the two Anna's to shine. There's a small chance that Chuck
may get the early boot, but I think that the three point difference may be enough to keep him around another week.
