DANCING WITH THE STARS Recap - Week 3 - Give Me My Remote : Give Me My Remote

DANCING WITH THE STARS Recap – Week 3

April 4, 2011 by  

This week, the celebrities got to pick their own music so even the non-actors had the ability to channel their emotions. It probably gave the non-actor/musicians a small opportunity to match the level of the celebrities with the natural ability to emote.

Interestingly, most of the dances were categorized as a “rumba” because of the slow tempos. As for the non-rumba dancers, I think it’s too early for these contestants to get the paso doble or the samba. It looked like the couples should have alternated between the rumba and the waltz/Wiennese waltz instead of mixing up all the dances.

I’m now tempted to believe that the producers want Kirstie, Chris, Ralph, Romeo, and Kendra as their final five contestants because they were all given the same dance. Both Chelsea and Wendy are expendable and given week one dances. I’m also guessing that, since Sugar Ray, Hines and Petra have interesting backstories, but don’t look like they will go that far in the competition, the producers decided to give them dances that were less challenging so they would be able to dance it before their pending eliminations.

DWTS Dance Troupe – We get a demo of what exactly we’re looking for in a Paso Doble, Rumba, and Samba. Did someone forget that a couple had the Waltz? Basically the whole performance was a time waster and it seems really early in the season to eat up time. I really did like the use of part of the B-Stage and I hope that acoustic night from last season returns.

Wendy & TonyFoxtrot – Wendy wanted to bring her radio career into the dance. She felt like a superhero, so she started her dance on a rotating platform. Although she was really awkward going down the stairs, the dance wasn’t horrible — it was just unnecessarily slow. It’s as if Tony is too afraid to push Wendy as far as Maks is pushing Kirstie.

Len saw there was hard work, but the dance was a struggle. Bruno thought that the foxtrot wasn’t fluid enough. Carrie Ann appreciates Wendy as a woman, but she took a step backwards. Score: 15 (5,5,5).

Chelsea & MarkCha-Cha – Chelsea wanted to make sure that she stayed traditional. She picked “Chelsea,” a song that was written about her; it was her first love. Chelsea was intimidated by the flirtation and hip motions. I was a bit scared when Chelsea looked a lot like Holly Madison in her outfit, but she actually danced. I thought the dance was a lot of walking, standing hip shakes and Mark looking like a total fool.

Bruno thought the dance was sexy and felt the excitement of the cha-cha. Carrie Ann was a fan of the cha-cha and she was reminded of Julianne Hough. She suggested improving the hip action. Len thought it was her best dance. Score: 23 (7,8,8).

Chris & CherylRumba – Chris chose “Let it Be” because it reminds him of his mother — he wanted to take care of his mother, but she wanted to make sure he worked. Cheryl pointed out instead of sexual, they wanted to go for “soulful” instead. I liked the beginning of the dance with the solo work. You could see the connection between Chris and Cheryl during the performance and for once Cheryl was really elegant instead of being the seductress we’re used to.

Carrie Ann was choked up and happy to see the emotional qualities, even though his hip action was strange. Len thought the choreography covered up his arms, he lacked fluidity because of it. He loved the lines. Bruno pointed out a naked vulnerability, but he had to link his steps together. Score: 21 (7,7,7).

Kendra & LouisRumba – Kendra chose “You and Me” because it reminded her of the relationship with Hank. People were ashamed of the relationship. Louis tried his best to channel his inner Hank, especially with the facial hair. We got the first of many smoke-related dances; I couldn’t even see her dancing on the stage. After the awkward walking down the stairs, Kendra was sexy. This time, I thought that the choreography wasn’t too hard, so Kendra had the ability to place emotion behind the steps.

Len thought there were some unnecessary gyrations and wobbles, but her leg action has improved from the cha-cha. Bruno thought that the whole performance was erotic. Carrie Ann thought the performance was hot and she celebrated her sensuality. Score: 23 (8,7,8).

Romeo & ChelsieRumba – Romeo was inspired to work harder and decided to use “I’ll Be There” because he lost two cousins at a young age. Chelsie wanted to make sure there’s love and loss instead of the sexual energy of a normal rumba. Romeo started to complain about the shoes, but the next day he apologized because he was upset because he wanted to make sure the performance was special. Romeo started, crouched in the center and from the beginning I saw a lot of potential. His arms were extended better than I expected and he listened to Chelise’s critiques of having full-body emotions. Chelsie looked amazing, but Romeo was there creating a beautiful frame for her.

Bruno loved seeing the heart and soul of the performance, but he thought the footwork was more heel instead of toe. Carrie Ann loved the commitment throughout the whole piece and she saw movements refined. Len thought that the dance was a step backwards from last week. Score: 20 (7,6,7).

Hines & KymSamba – Hines picked “Fantasy” by Earth Wind and Fire which was dedicated to his mother who worked hard to get Hines where he is today. Hines was confused during practice because of samba’s intricacy, but he kept working for his mother’s sake. The couple started with a very interesting slow spin sequence and went into the dance. I was worried that the song would be too slow for the samba, but it was sped up to an acceptable level. There were a few points where Hines was a few paces ahead, but he quickly caught up to Kym. I think he could have improved his hip actions, but it was good for week three.

Carrie Ann thought he looked like he was dancing samba his whole life. Len was proud of his dancing. Bruno was uplifted and thought it was happy hour. Score: 25 (9,8,8).

Petra & DmitryWaltz – Petra wanted to dance to “You Raise Me Up” because the song helped her with the tsunami and it was the impetus of her creating her charity. Petra was worried about her posture, but Dmitry worked with her to fix her shoulders. We got the stereotypical cloud setting for the waltz. Petra was light enough for the dance and you could definitely see that she was feeling the performance. I really liked how the couple began and ended on the stage in a beautiful bookend. It reminded me of a couple in a music box.

Len thought this season was his favorite because of how well Petra has improved. Bruno thought the dance was heavenly and appreciated her improvement. Carrie Ann agreed, she saw heart and felt the inspiration through the dance. Score: 25 (8,9,8).

Sugar Ray & AnnaPaso Doble – Sugar Ray felt so much torture being under the bottom two lights that he didn’t want to go back. He chose “My Prerogative” because he beat the odds as a boxer. Anna wanted to make sure that there was strength; at one point she called him a girl because of his posture. With an awkward boxing opening, Sugar Ray started in the aquarium and had a bit of back and forth with Anna. Anna did the best she could to showcase Sugar Ray, but he didn’t have that many movements that were too hard for him. Then the dance totally jumped the shark when a punching bag popped up and he punched it as the ending. What was that? The dance didn’t have enough content for me.

Bruno thought he had fighting spirit, but he needed to refine his lines. Carrie Ann saw a lot of improvement and thought the dance was great. Len compared the dances to different rounds of fights and this round, he fought back. Score: 20 (7,6,7)

Kirstie & MaksRumba – Kirstie selected “Over the Rainbow” because her parents were hit by a drunk driver right around when she got her first role on STAR TREK 2. She wanted to explain how there’s the good to counterbalance the bad. Maks wanted to portray Kirstie’s vulnerability, but Kirstie was worried about being sexy and dramatic. Maks injured himself almost immediately and winced for several seconds. He found a spot to go back in and the rest of the dance was good. The unfortunate part was then Maks started to over-compensate his lines. Kirstie did her best to keep up and probably did better so she wouldn’t disappoint Maks. After the dance Maks pointed out that his thigh gave out.

Carrie Ann thought that despite the mistake, the dance was great because of the determination. Len thought that she overcame diversity. Bruno thought after the mistake the performance was better than ever. Score: 21 (7,7,7).

Ralph & KarinaRumba – Ralph chose “Stay Gold” because it was attached to his first film THE OUTSIDERS, which also was his wedding song. Ralph worried about having the right emotions because he dedicated the song this wife. Ralph definitely put emotion in each of his steps. Something about his swooping arms still confused me, because of its fin-like swoops. Ralph’s biggest strength was that he always finishes his lines.

Len thought the whole routine was crisp, but it needs more refinement especially in his hands, hips, and feet. Bruno knew it was beautiful, but he still had spatula hands. Carrie Ann thought the dance was sweet, but she suggested working on his core strength. The judges continued to bicker as the commercial hit. Score: 21 (7,7,7).

Week 3 Scores

High

Petra & Dmitry – 25

Hines & Kym – 25

Middle

Kendra & Louis – 23

Chelsea & Mark – 23

Kirstie & Maks – 21

Ralph & Karina – 21

Chris & Cheryl – 21

Low

Romeo & Chelsie – 20

Sugar Ray & Anna – 20

Wendy & Tony – 15

It was clearly unfair for the two dancers that had the highest scores not be one of the five rumbas. The five rumbas all got clumped in the middle of the scores with Kendra providing the best rumba of the night. I don’t think that Wendy would have done any better if she was given any other style of dance. The real question is if she could survive a five point deficit from both Sugar Ray and Romeo? A part of me hopes so, just so that they could keep making fun of her on THE SOUP.

What do you think?

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Who Went Home on DANCING WITH THE STARS?
Dancing with the Stars Recap – Week 2
DANCING WITH THE STARS Season Premiere Recap

Comments

One Response to “DANCING WITH THE STARS Recap – Week 3”

  1. Bob on April 5th, 2011 7:28 pm

    Hines not go far? He’s been the best dancer so far, he has the backing of the Steeler Nation, he’s got the sexiest partner, and he’s the most charismatic contestant on the show. I’m having trouble seeing how he won’t go far.