Dancing With the Stars: Episode 710
BySeason: 7
Episode: 20
First Aired: 11/24/2008
Prod Code: 720
It’s the last chance for the remaining celebrities to get your vote, while their dancing also includes the much loved freestyle round.
Stars:
Derek Hough (Professional Dancer)
Kym Johnson (Professional Dancer)
Warren Sapp (Season 7 - Celebrity Dancer)
Lance Bass (Season 7 - Celebrity Dancer)
Brooke Burke (Season 7 - Celebrity Dancer)
Samantha Harris (Host)
Tom Bergeron (Host)
Len Goodman (Judge)
Bruno Tonioli (Judge)
Carrie Ann Inaba (Judge)
Lacey Schwimmer (Professional Dancer)
Monday night marked the half-way point of season seven, giving the judges license to launch full-blown critiques. As the dances get more difficult–this was the first week ever for the hustle, jitterbug, salsa and West Coast swing–the scoring benchmark rises. Cody, Brooke and Warren measured up, while Susan and Toni fell behind.
Not surprisingly, swing champ Lacey Schwimmer was given her hallmark dance to teach partner Lance Bass. While her expertise should have made it a breeze to pass down some new tricks, Lacey managed to only showcase her own talent. As she literally danced circles around Lance, he was left to meander, struggle and even fall on his booty. The judges warned Lacey to channel her attentions to making Lance look good, not herself, and sent her packing with a score of 21.
Looking to make her big breakthrough performance, Toni Braxton and partner Alec brought a Michael Jackson feel to their West Coast swing. But the judges weren’t fans of the literal interpretation, noting that the moonwalk has no place in swing choreography. Once again, Toni was encouraged to dig deep and come back stronger. A 22 leaves her plenty of room to grow should she be back in the ballroom next week.
Susan Lucci may not be the best dancer in the bunch, but with two fractured bones in her foot, a baby she is not. Geared up in some gold, glittery dancers’ boots, Susan rode out her adrenaline wave and managed a score of 22 for her frou frou hustle. One of my biggest issues with Susan has been her fragility; she never seems to really get after a dance, and Tony totally caters to that image. Well, the judges finally spoke up and said Tony needs to quit treating her like a precious porcelain doll and put some aggression into their routines. If Susan sticks around another week, it’ll be interesting to see her tackle this new task.
With a failed samba under his belt from last week, Warren Sapp needed a heroic hustle to win over the judges. Bravo to Kym for whipping up just the routine Warren needed to make his comeback. Hitting all the quintessential hustle moves, this duo delighted the audience and judges alike. Their 25-point routine was super fun, strong and nostalgic. In short, everything Susan’s hustle was not. I love how much Warren seems to be enjoying this ride and hope he can keep the good stuff comin’ and make it to the final three.
After raking in her highest scores of the season last week, Cloris Leachman still found herself in the bottom two. Dancing the salsa this week, Cloris mustered up as much strength and content as her 84-year-old body could handle. And I must say, this is the first time I’ve been able to stomach her routine. Cloris concentrated and didn’t completely rely on silliness (although I wish the same could be said for her partner, Corky). A score of 21 leaves her at the bottom of the scoreboard, but likely not out of the good graces of the at-home voters.
Despite taking a big hit from the judges last week, Maurice Green’s salsa garnered a big hug from Carrie Ann and a score of 27. Maurice seemed to respond to partner Cheryl’s tough love in rehearsals and stepped up his commitment and enthusiasm. Outshining his floundering contemporary, Toni, Maurice will likely snag himself another week in the competition and another chance to prove his will to win.
Though we expect nothing less than a great performance from Brooke Burke, this week threatened to be her most difficult dance yet. Not because of her own skill, but because her partner Derek had never danced the jitterbug before in his life. Not willing to let his lack of knowledge stand in Brooke’s way, Derek took to the Internet to school himself on the ‘bug. Equipped with computer print outs, Derek strolled into rehearsals and managed to piecemeal a great dance that tickled the judges. Brooke and Derek took home a 29–the highest score of the season.
Not to be outdone by her little bro, Julianne (also a newbie to the jitterbug) used her creativity to play up partner Cody Linley’s goofy personality. Concocting a slapstick “I Love Lucy” themed routine, Julianne gave Cody the platform he needed to keep his momentum going from last week’s tango. A score of 28 left them just shy of Brooke and Derek’s top score for the night.
By Ashley
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