Reality TV
Week eight of Dancing With The Stars saw Melissa Rycroft unable to appear through injury, forcing the judges to score her on a rehearsal video. The remaining five couples took to the floor to perform an unlearned Latin dance from earlier in the competition.
The stars were also tasked with attempting a group dance - either the mambo or the tango - with each team's overall score being added to the individual scores of each of the group members.
Here's what the judges had to say:
Gilles Marini and Cheryl - Lindy Hop
Len: "I made a list of the things that the French are famous for - French toast, French fries, French kissing and from today, you can put the Lindy Hop on that list." (9)
Bruno: "Happy Days are here again and The Fonz has never looked better! You are a great dancer but what I want to point out is your versatility. We all know you can do the romantic lead and the sexy hot guy, but what you revealed here is your sense of comedy which we didn't see to its full extent until now. Shame there was a tiny, little mistake, but good." (9)
Carrie-Ann: "I agree with Bruno. I usually expect you to be better with the dramatic dances but this was a whole new side of Gilles and I'm so glad because we're nearing the end and you have to bring out every side. I don't think you need to worry about the audience at home voting for you because it was great." (9)
Total: 27 (+ 28 from group dance = 55)
Lil' Kim and Derek - Paso Doble
Bruno: "The bitch is back and she means business! A Paso Doble full of pride, attack and artistry, and not just that - it was a classic Paso. Well done." (10)
Carrie-Ann: "I think the Paso is such a great showcase for you because it shows us how dramatic, how passionate, how aggressive you are, which is your forte. But, it's also showing us how far you've grown. You are so refined, so elegant and the resistance in your shapes was gorgeous. I love it." (9)
Len: "This competition isn't about mastering the dances you are good at, it's coping with the dances that maybe you are not going to be so good at. I thought this was going to be a bit of a disaster but I've got to tell you, you came out with fire and passion. I was expecting 'oh no' and I got 'olé!'" (9)
Total: 28 (+ 28 from group dance = 56)
Chuck Wicks and Julianne - Cha Cha Cha
Carrie-Ann: "You are definitely in the game! You have hit your stride and you are running. Those hips are running for you! Fantastic, but now that you're in the game, watch your chin." (9)
Len: "This is turining into a fantastic competition, it's 11 weeks and it's not how you start, it's how you finish. You are getting stronger and stronger. Great hips. I'm going to say work on your arms, they're very wooden. You have to use your joints and shoulders, but fantastic, right up there." (9)
Bruno: "Great bum action! You learned to use it and there's no stopping you! I felt your arms were a bit too thrown away and a bit too wooden for the Cha Cha - I know you enjoy the lower regions, but you have to bring the fluidity into the placement at the top." (8)
Total: 26 (+ 25 from group dance = 51)
Shawn Johnson and Mark - Samba
Len: "Well, I don't think you'll ever dance bad, but at this stage of the competition with three weeks to the final, good isn't good enough. You have to come out great. For me, this lacked hip action and the dress was doing most of the work. I thought there were too many running promenades. It was okay, but it wasn't your best." (8)
Bruno: "You're always an effortless, carefree dancer, everything you do for me is always well placed and beautifully done. You're not a wild child, you're not Lady GaGa yet, but you have time to grow into it and for me, you did a good Samba." (9)
Carrie-Ann: "I don't think the goal of this competition is necessarily to be Lady GaGa. What I'm looking for is great technique, solid performance, nailing every step, not making mistakes and that's what I saw tonight. It was wonderful and you're sort of getting this little, sexy thing going on and I love it!" (10)
Total: 27 (+ 25 from group dance = 52)
Melissa Rycroft and Tony - Jive
(Judges scored based on rehearsal footage)
Bruno: "It's very unfortunate we have to comment on what we see, because a rehearsal tape doesn't have the performance power which is 50% of the effectiveness of a dance. The kicks and the flicks were weak because they were slightly marked and the placement of the arm was marked. It's a shame." (7)
Carrie-Ann: "Unfortunately you guys were marking, which is were you just go through the motions but you don't do it full out because you're not interacting with the audience. But, unfortunately we have to judge that and it hurts a lot in the scoring." (7)
Len: "Judging a rehearsal is a bit like judging a race car driver on the warm up lap. It's just a practice, you're going through it making sure the band and you are together, but that's what we have to judge. Unfortunately, you were just marking it through and your arms were too soft, the kicks weren't strong and there was no bounce." (7)
Total: 21 (+ 25 from group dance = 46)
Ty Murray and Chelsie - Salsa
Carrie-Ann: "I loved it. You're the most inconsistent dancer we've had and I never know what to expect when you come out on the dance floor. Usually when it's Latin, I'm going 'oh no' but that was a salsa! Your upper body strength makes up for what your knees are lacking. I loved it!" (9)
Len: "You, more than anyone, have had the wildest of rides. It's like riding a bull, you've had highs, lows, twists and turns and you've hung on for eight weeks. I thought you'd be gone, falling off that bull after two shows, but you've done really well. But, unless you come out in this group tango and really perform, I think it's time you hit the trail." (7)
Bruno: "Maybe it was the spray tan, but you just went wild! You were using her like she was a lasso! I enjoyed watching it, it wasn't a perfect Salsa because all the hip action came from the knees, but I tell you, it was a great effort." (8)
Total: 24 (+ 28 from group dance = 52)
Shawn Johnson and Mark, Chuck Wicks and Julianne, Lacey Schwimmer (standing in for Melissa Rycroft) and Tony - Mambo
Len: "It was fun, it was entertaining and I thought that the section you did together was tight. I just have to say what a fantastic job the pros do stepping in with 10 or 15 minutes notice, but however good you were Lacey and Tony, we have to ignore you. But, the rest of you, your solo performance had rhythm. Good job, well done." (8)
Bruno: "Something definitely stood out tonight! It really is nice to see men who shop in the women's department and wear it with pride!" (9)
Carrie-Ann: "I know it's all fun and stuff, but we're still competing! I thought the end was fun but I found it a little distracting. It was a bit much and I thought the music overpowered you - it was more fun than you guys were in your number." (8)
Total: 25
Ty Murray and Chelsie, Gilles Marini and Cheryl, Lil' Kim and Derek - Tango
Bruno: "Team Tango! You were like a pack of voracious raptors going for the attack! Powerful, naughty, beautiful and the end sequence gave me the goosebumps." (10)
Carrie-Ann: "This is my humble opinion, but I think Team Tango takes it! The reason is this is about teamwork and your unison work at the end was flawless. Lil' Kim, you had a little mess up, but as a group, that was how to do it." (9)
Len: "It was a shame, Lil' Kim, that you made that little blunder. Gilles, your footwork was atrocious. Ty, I said if you don't come out and nail this then you're going home, and I tell you what, you nailed it!" (9)
Total: 28
The stars were also tasked with attempting a group dance - either the mambo or the tango - with each team's overall score being added to the individual scores of each of the group members.
Here's what the judges had to say:
Len: "I made a list of the things that the French are famous for - French toast, French fries, French kissing and from today, you can put the Lindy Hop on that list." (9)
Bruno: "Happy Days are here again and The Fonz has never looked better! You are a great dancer but what I want to point out is your versatility. We all know you can do the romantic lead and the sexy hot guy, but what you revealed here is your sense of comedy which we didn't see to its full extent until now. Shame there was a tiny, little mistake, but good." (9)
Carrie-Ann: "I agree with Bruno. I usually expect you to be better with the dramatic dances but this was a whole new side of Gilles and I'm so glad because we're nearing the end and you have to bring out every side. I don't think you need to worry about the audience at home voting for you because it was great." (9)
Total: 27 (+ 28 from group dance = 55)
Bruno: "The bitch is back and she means business! A Paso Doble full of pride, attack and artistry, and not just that - it was a classic Paso. Well done." (10)
Carrie-Ann: "I think the Paso is such a great showcase for you because it shows us how dramatic, how passionate, how aggressive you are, which is your forte. But, it's also showing us how far you've grown. You are so refined, so elegant and the resistance in your shapes was gorgeous. I love it." (9)
Len: "This competition isn't about mastering the dances you are good at, it's coping with the dances that maybe you are not going to be so good at. I thought this was going to be a bit of a disaster but I've got to tell you, you came out with fire and passion. I was expecting 'oh no' and I got 'olé!'" (9)
Total: 28 (+ 28 from group dance = 56)
Carrie-Ann: "You are definitely in the game! You have hit your stride and you are running. Those hips are running for you! Fantastic, but now that you're in the game, watch your chin." (9)
Len: "This is turining into a fantastic competition, it's 11 weeks and it's not how you start, it's how you finish. You are getting stronger and stronger. Great hips. I'm going to say work on your arms, they're very wooden. You have to use your joints and shoulders, but fantastic, right up there." (9)
Bruno: "Great bum action! You learned to use it and there's no stopping you! I felt your arms were a bit too thrown away and a bit too wooden for the Cha Cha - I know you enjoy the lower regions, but you have to bring the fluidity into the placement at the top." (8)
Total: 26 (+ 25 from group dance = 51)
Len: "Well, I don't think you'll ever dance bad, but at this stage of the competition with three weeks to the final, good isn't good enough. You have to come out great. For me, this lacked hip action and the dress was doing most of the work. I thought there were too many running promenades. It was okay, but it wasn't your best." (8)
Bruno: "You're always an effortless, carefree dancer, everything you do for me is always well placed and beautifully done. You're not a wild child, you're not Lady GaGa yet, but you have time to grow into it and for me, you did a good Samba." (9)
Carrie-Ann: "I don't think the goal of this competition is necessarily to be Lady GaGa. What I'm looking for is great technique, solid performance, nailing every step, not making mistakes and that's what I saw tonight. It was wonderful and you're sort of getting this little, sexy thing going on and I love it!" (10)
Total: 27 (+ 25 from group dance = 52)
(Judges scored based on rehearsal footage)
Bruno: "It's very unfortunate we have to comment on what we see, because a rehearsal tape doesn't have the performance power which is 50% of the effectiveness of a dance. The kicks and the flicks were weak because they were slightly marked and the placement of the arm was marked. It's a shame." (7)
Carrie-Ann: "Unfortunately you guys were marking, which is were you just go through the motions but you don't do it full out because you're not interacting with the audience. But, unfortunately we have to judge that and it hurts a lot in the scoring." (7)
Len: "Judging a rehearsal is a bit like judging a race car driver on the warm up lap. It's just a practice, you're going through it making sure the band and you are together, but that's what we have to judge. Unfortunately, you were just marking it through and your arms were too soft, the kicks weren't strong and there was no bounce." (7)
Total: 21 (+ 25 from group dance = 46)
Carrie-Ann: "I loved it. You're the most inconsistent dancer we've had and I never know what to expect when you come out on the dance floor. Usually when it's Latin, I'm going 'oh no' but that was a salsa! Your upper body strength makes up for what your knees are lacking. I loved it!" (9)
Len: "You, more than anyone, have had the wildest of rides. It's like riding a bull, you've had highs, lows, twists and turns and you've hung on for eight weeks. I thought you'd be gone, falling off that bull after two shows, but you've done really well. But, unless you come out in this group tango and really perform, I think it's time you hit the trail." (7)
Bruno: "Maybe it was the spray tan, but you just went wild! You were using her like she was a lasso! I enjoyed watching it, it wasn't a perfect Salsa because all the hip action came from the knees, but I tell you, it was a great effort." (8)
Total: 24 (+ 28 from group dance = 52)
Len: "It was fun, it was entertaining and I thought that the section you did together was tight. I just have to say what a fantastic job the pros do stepping in with 10 or 15 minutes notice, but however good you were Lacey and Tony, we have to ignore you. But, the rest of you, your solo performance had rhythm. Good job, well done." (8)
Bruno: "Something definitely stood out tonight! It really is nice to see men who shop in the women's department and wear it with pride!" (9)
Carrie-Ann: "I know it's all fun and stuff, but we're still competing! I thought the end was fun but I found it a little distracting. It was a bit much and I thought the music overpowered you - it was more fun than you guys were in your number." (8)
Total: 25
Bruno: "Team Tango! You were like a pack of voracious raptors going for the attack! Powerful, naughty, beautiful and the end sequence gave me the goosebumps." (10)
Carrie-Ann: "This is my humble opinion, but I think Team Tango takes it! The reason is this is about teamwork and your unison work at the end was flawless. Lil' Kim, you had a little mess up, but as a group, that was how to do it." (9)
Len: "It was a shame, Lil' Kim, that you made that little blunder. Gilles, your footwork was atrocious. Ty, I said if you don't come out and nail this then you're going home, and I tell you what, you nailed it!" (9)
Total: 28
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