Yes, there have been a LOT of upsets on Season 7 of SYTYCD. Two of the best dancers are gone, and not because of lack of votes. My first pick for early choice to win is gone. The best female dancer on the show is gone. What NEXT? Billy Bell sidelined with a knee injury? Oh, what’s that? Billy’s injured? Oh.

Gorgeous, wonderful, teddy bear Kenny Ortega is a guest judge tonight which is really amazing and a great treat for us. Sa-weeeet!

Does anyone know what Cat Deely is wearing tonight? My husband said it looked like her original dress had static cling and picked up a red scarf. He has a point.

First up: Last girl standing Lauren and all-star Twitch with a Hip Hop routine. I’ll give this to Lauren she is one powerful dancer. She’s got muscles and she’s not afraid to use them. She works this dance within an inch of it’s life. What about that rollover she did–twice? What? Cool. Not my favorite NappyTabs number, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless. Judge’s love it and her. Nigel noted that Twitch looked like he’d been “ridden hard and put away wet.” Ooh, baby.

Jose is next with all-star Allison for a contemporary number with Sonya Tayeh. A sad, breakup contemporary number, which will be interesting to see Jose in, since he’s super good at loving the girl. And Allison says she melts when she’s around him. Hmmmm… The dance starts on the edge of the stage which is awesome, we’ve not seen that for a while. Jose really got nailed bad last week for his dancing and I’m not certain that he pulls it out here, either. He’s very into the acting and the moments with Allison, though, to his credit. But then again, there is not much dancing for him to do here. The piece is mostly acting. Very quaint and sweet. The judges have trouble critiquing it, as his performance was great but his dancing didn’t seem to shine because of what she gave him to do.

Robert is paired with Lauren for a Tyce DiOrio Jazz routine. The boys are fawning (or is that foaming) over Lauren and her juicy booty. Sexy dance indeed for the two of them, along with sexy music from My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult…although I am left a bit unimpressed with the entire thing. It was good, though, don’t get me wrong. I just wasn’t blown away. Mia noted that it was refreshing to see just a strait jazz piece with no story. The choreography was good, but I do miss story (that’s my thang and all). Judges loved it and Robert.

Little Kent is matched with Kathryn for another Sonya Tayeh number, but jazz this time. Hopefully Kent can contain his love for the audience this time. I love this piece from the music to the costumes, to the great choreography. The chemistry is there between them, but is more like sister and brother rather than romantic. But it works for them because the both of them are so sweet. This is just tons of fun. And the song, “Tightrope” by Janelle Monae is just first rate music, I’m checking into her right now. Mia gets on his case for making the choreography “juvenile” with his facial expression. I really see her point, but it seemed to work in this piece. The other judges love him.

AdeChike gets to do a NappyTabs Hip Hop with Comfort next. This one is a bit more serious than the cowboy one, so it should be interesting. Not to mention she really smacked the hell out of him in the rehearsal (did you see the slowmo?). Lyrical Hip Hop? We’ll see. Oooh, props on the stage! Alicia Keys’ “Fallin’” lends itself so wonderfully to hip hop, yet is not the usual driving music. I liked it. I think that it needed a bit more of the softer side of the love to match the violence, but it was very good, especially Ade, he really was moved by the scenario, you could totally tell. It was very raw and real, and very cinematic, as the judges said. Nicely done by AdeChike!

Lauren and Robert are the first contestants to be paired together for the night, and get to do a Dmitry Chaplin Samba, set at a beach party. Lauren’s butt is a lethal weapon, ya’ll. I’ve never seen a behind cocked up and rolled so much. Pretty amazing stuff. She shot me with her butt. This was a non-traditional samba, pretty cool, though. I love Dmitry. They did a great job, very clean, precise and lots of shaking and rolls. Robert really looked like a ballroom dancer, wow!

AdeChike and Jose get to do a…Paso Doble together? Two guys, very interesting concept. Will Dmitry and the boys be able to pull it off with the concept of them fighting over the girl? I think the Paso is the most challenging dance anyone will ever do on the show for so many reasons. It is unfortunately clear who the more technically accomplished and undoubtedly better dancer is here, folks. It is kinda unfair to pair Jose with AdeChike. But on the whole, it was not so bad, they were both committed to the piece and had connection.

The last contestant pairing is Kent and Billy. Will Billy bring Kent down to earth or will Kent send billy up into the stratosphere? We’ll never know, will we? Nor will we ever get to see Billy do Step. And I’m disappointed, because for two contemporary/ballet boys to do straight rhythmic movement would be something to see. Twitch gets to do the routine with him which is fine, but defeats the purpose of having two ballet boys do it. I much prefer stepping with a large crowd of men, I think it resonates better and has more power. But I think it’s great we get to see a new style on the show, one that doesn’t get much air time on national TV (Tahitian dancing, Russian dancing, what’s next?) Not my favorite thing, but done pretty well. The judges gush over it and that’s…okay. Mia says Kent is the one to beat. Mia, love ya, but we’re not on the same page.

The standout solo of the night is the only one I’m going to comment on and that’s AdeChike’s solo to the infamous “Women’s Work” covered by Maxwell. This was an absolutely superb solo, and I could not take my eyes off him. I was a little nervous for him using the song that was already “done” two season’s ago with Tyce’s cancer piece, but no. He ripped his heart out and left it on the stage. Perfection. Ade is officially my new front runner and favorite dancer on the show. Can I get an amen?

That’s all for this week, it’s whittling down to the best of the best. Who will go home tomorrow night? Let’s hope it’s due to votes and not an injury. Cross your fingers, people.

Five couples are left on Season 10 of Dancing With the Stars:

Niecy and Louis
Nicole and Derek
Evan and Anna
Erin and Maks
Chad and Cheryl

Three couples stand out (ability-wise) as shoo-ins for the semis:

Nicole and Derek
Evan and Anna
Erin and Maks

It is really up in the air for the last spot. Who will survive the cut tomorrow night? As much as I love Niecy, she may just not make it based on her performances. Chad as well. BUT–who knows?? Last season I wished and hoped (and voted) and got my “dream finals”. Anything can happen with a big enough fan base holding their phones in their hands.

This week the stars learned two whole routines with their pros. Tonight was split up into the Ballroom round and the Latin round. The Latin round was to have it’s own slant: the couples drew decades out of the hat to see how they had to theme their Latin dance: 50s, 60s, 80s, 90s and Future (why no 70s?).

Each of the pros sized up each of the stars in segments before the rounds. This was great, I thought, and seemed candid and sometimes a bit harsh with the truth. What was great to hear from the pros mouths was not only notes on technique and precision, but heart, enjoyment, emotion and connection. I like hearing the pros opinions, and this is a segment that you would probably have not seen the first few seasons. The pros are now stars in their own right, and their opinion matters.

Tonight the dancing for most of the couples seemed to be a “two steps forward, one step back” kind of round. Last week was really fabulous all around, but this week seemed to lack a bit.There were three absolute standout dances this evening, and two of them were from the same couple. While everyone worked very hard, I’m going to focus on these three.

Even though they were in the bottom two last week, Erin and Maks’ Argentine Tango really sizzled. And yet Another dress that I’m totally stealing for my tango. The leap and catch off the stage into the upside-down extention was truly dazzling. Beautiful lines and very passionate hold. She just needs to stop making that funny pursing-thing with her lips to approximate anger. I know she’s capable of real emotion, huh? One thing for sure, those two are really good at the double-entendre (“Just jump on me woman!”).

I’m pretty sure we’re in for three more weeks of Nicole completely freaking out about every dance during rehearsals. If I were Derek, I would be pulling out my hair. Nicole, Nicole, Nicole. Let yourself off the hook puh-leeze. We get it that this is not easy for you. And we totally get that you want it to be good–perfect. And you care–LOTS. Bonus points, baby. Just check out this light, funny, charming and cute Foxtrot, full of chemistry and excellent precision dancing.

So that’s the first two stand out dances for me tonight. The second round, the Latin “decades” round is something that I can’t quite fathom and I’m wondering if the execs should just chuck it. I can’t remember it working that well last year, either. I just don’t think that trying to “force” a specific dance into a specific time period just doesn’t actually work. Well, Chad’s seemed to work. But then–a stroke of genius.

When Nicole drew 50s from the hat, Derek stood there, dumbfounded. How in the hell were they supposed to meld the 50s with the Paso Doble? It wouldn’t work. I had an idea that they could do it like the “cool beatniks” in all black and shades, that might work. But what they came up with was just pure brilliance, and at the same time revived the usual tired and overwrought dance that is the Paso.

So it was an interesting night to say the least. And the couple that originally I did not embrace for being a ringer are now fully in my heart. Will my underdog favorite make it into the semi-finals and beyond? We’ll find out tomorrow on the Results show (cross your fingers)!

Tonight on Dancing With the Stars, the judges submitted a NEW challenge to the stars and their pros: Telling a Story! This is so up my alley I can barely contain myself. Dance as a Story is MY BAG.

Whew! Let’s start the show.

Ooh! We get examples of the Waltz, the Paso Doble and the Quickstep from our beautiful pros, what the stars should aspire to do. And THERE’S Lacey Schwimmer! So fantastic to see her on the DWTS floor.

First up is Evan and Anna, doing the Quickstep to the “Hot Honey Rag” from Chicago. OMG the Quickstep is really a super, super hard dance and Evan did wonderfully. I didn’t see a tremendous story except in the very beginning. The lady kept the man waiting. But then they just danced. Ok, not an A+ in my book, but really great on the dancing! OH, and just to add to that: THEN we find out in the fishtank that Evan has two broken toes. Cripes boy, what a pro! Judges’ scores: 9-8-8

Before we go to commercial, they give us previews of what’s to come in the rehearsal rooms: stress stress stress, drama drama drama, tears tears tears. Looks like we’re in for it, folks!

Next is Buzz Aldrin, who is hangin’ in there and promoting the space program, by gum! They have a story that could really be a tear-jerker; a daughter greeting her father back from war. Ashly his pro is so really sweet to him and just keeps him on the right track. He did a great job and he looked good. The judges try to be as kind as possible, but he knows that he’s not really that great and it’s all good. Judge’s scores: 5-4-4

Jake and Chelsie are up after the break, and they’re doing the Quickstep to “Walk Like an Egyptian”. What? Ok, gotta see if this can work. And there is stress in the rehearsal room. Frustration! Put it into the dance, folks. Seems like the frustration paid off, they do very well. Lots of props, too, which I thought they weren’t supposed to use. Anyway, they are super fast across the floor and the performance and storytelling is good. The judges pick at his frame and legs, which are a bit soft. Judges’ scores: 7-7-7

Nicey and Louis are next and they choose a story that is close to both of them (if I’m not mistaken, Louis is gay), a interracial couple falling in love in the 60′s, a time when in some places it was actually still illegal. This is a different side to Nicey, and very genuine and sweet. It affected her to put herself in the place of the role she was playing. ACTING! BRILLIANT! Louis did a fantastic job on choreography, and her ivory dress with the various panels really brought the most out of it during the spins. I felt that she was very graceful, even in the face of a stumble at the beginning. Their song was a world class duet from Billy Preston and Syreeta (“With You I’m Born Again”) and really added to the story. The judges really love Nicey, but were picky about the stumble and her technique, which she needs to work on. I disagreed with Carrie Ann that the story was confusing, and it didn’t have a happy ending. But that wasn’t the point of the story. I felt Nicey’s intoxication with a love that fills her heart, but the danger of knowing how society will react and possibly retaliate. She was super vulnerable, and Louis, too. This is first-rate dance as a story. Judges’ scores: 7-7-7

Mr. Ochocinco and Cheryl are next with the fiery Paso Doble, set to this fantastic song sung by Antonio Bandaras in the beginning of the movie “Desperado” (love it). Chad does pretty darn well with it (even after the rehearsal drama). Very powerful and dynamic. He really focused on Cheryl and wanted the girl. Great comeback from last week! Judges’ scores: 7-6-7

Miss Pam and Damien are next. They were the surprise in the bottom two last week, since she was such a crowd-pleaser. This week they’re back with the Paso Doble–their story is of a woman and the bull-fighter. She loves him, but she hates what he does as an animal activist (they are very cruel to the bulls in bullfighting). She looked fabulous and did a great job telling the story. She’s not just a blonde bombshell, that’s not all she can do. The routing seemed at times a little sloppy, but I think that was just her passion. She did great. Judges’ scores: 7-7-7 (lots of 21s tonight)

Aiden and Edyta are next and we see that even though he had a comeback last week, he was super nervous and actually vomited backstage (thanks ABC for blurring the gross stuff out). They are doing the Quickstep tonight and things are lighter for the two of them as they celebrate his birthday and his wife and beautiful 7 month old girl come in with cake (Edyta eats cake?). Their dance is pretty good, but I realize that I completely missed what their story was supposed to be. Len says that he was a bit careful, and I didn’t see that, but I did see his shoulders way up by his ears. I’m sure he’s nervous as hell, with a stomach to match. Judges’ scores: 7-6-7

Erin and Maks are next with a Waltz telling a story of trust: Erin has to dance over half of their waltz while BLINDFOLDED. It was pointed out to me by a reader that Erin actually does have prior dance experience, so I’m not looking at her in quite the same way this week, but she really is graceful. I thought it was a really beautifully done by both of them. Judges’ scores: 8-7-8

Kate and Tony are next with a Paso Doble done to “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga, a song that speaks directly to Kate, because they follow her wherever she goes. Kate can’t seem to connect with Tony for the passion and anger, and he calls in an acting coach. She sees a lot of emotion that is bottled up inside, and it needs to come out. Do we really want Kate Gosselin letting all her emotions out? Hmmm…During the dance she comes at Tony with intention and anger, but she steps around the floor like she has clogs on her feet. Not a lot of grace. Tons better than last week, though. Carrie Ann said it was “odd”. Judges’ scores: 5-5-5

Nicole and Derek have the Quickstep and their story is two sailors slacking off to “Anything Goes”. Nicole freaks out a little at the difficulty of the dance, she’s scared. The dance is A-MA-ZING. Really first rate. And I love that this wasn’t Nicole’s “Pussy Cat Doll” card. It was completely opposite of what she is used to doing. Super cute and technically hard as hell. And…not a Quickstep, according to the judges. Too bad. But true. Loved it. Judges’ scores: 8-6-9

And who will be the surprise elimination this week? Tune in tonight to ABC and find out! (then be like me and watch LOST, because you just can’t get enough suspense) ;o)

Whew! What a night! Nine, count ‘em, nine dances: bam, bam, bam, bam! Very exciting and breathtaking, I could barely take it all in. For sure there was absolutely no bad dancing tonight, just a lot of shining, and some instances of brilliance. Shall I recount? Let’s get to it then.

With absolutely no pomp and circumstance at the intro, we went directly into an absolutely sizzling Samba from Ryan and Kathryn. They crackled like they did last week with their Cha Cha Cha, again with choreography from Jason Gilkison. Fantastic, exciting and dynamic with the slow lifts and arabesques in the intro that flowed right into the frenetic sexy gyrations for the main part of the dance. And the lift/throw of Kathryn over Ryan’s head to land on his back was completely jaw dropping. Bravo.

Next was Ellenore and Jakob with a Tyce DiOrio Broadway routine, a classic Fosse number “I Gotcha.” A classic, was classy and had a ton of class and style. Fosse choreography is a fave of mine just because Bob thumbed his nose at the dance establishment when he started as a dancer. He didn’t have perfect turnout, so he turned his toes IN. Ellenore’s style really matched this dance and she and Jakob oozed charisma, almost like a machine. It was quite mesmerizing to watch. This piece was hip and happening.

Ashleigh and Russell came next with a Sonya Tayeh Lyrical Jazz piece that was beautiful and flowy, with Russell playing a troubled man with his guardian angel Ashleigh helping guide him. I really liked this piece conceptually, because there was a great reverse flow with Ashleigh doing much of the catching/lifting/throwing/carrying as she attempted to help Russell. And Russell was also just stunning with his portrayal of anger and passionate frustration. There was a measure of Russell’s “style” thrown in to pique interest. Great story and excellently danced.

Ellenore and Ryan had what was my least favorite piece of the evening, a very odd yet facinating Jazz routine from Gary Stewart. This dance once again suited Ellenore’s style as it was quite robotic and quirky in it’s movements. I saw what the choreographer was trying to do with the interesting way the dancers would connect with their legs and arms into the next movement, but it was completely devoid of any emotion. A for effort!

Ashleigh and Jakob were up next with a really solid Fox Trot. Nothing extraordinary here, just really great fox trotting by both of them. It always seems like Jakob wouldn’t be able to be a good lifting partner, just because his body seems a tad slight, but he is always a really fine and strong partner for the girls. Looks can be deceiving, I guess. They both sparkled in this and looked like they had a lot of fun. Plus, any time you use a song with the singular voice of Eva Cassidy (unfortunately no longer with us) I’m happy as a clam.

Next was a fantastic Paso Doble from Jason Gilkinson for Ellenore and Russell. Ellenore had fire from the get go with her silohette against the red screen background (the one good use of that damn screen that I wanted them to just completely turn off this entire season), arching backwards and doing the Spanish hands. This was a great choice in music as well, from the Blood Diamond soundtrack. The two of them danced it fast and hard and were right there with each other for that push and pull the Paso calls for. The last moment was milked for every dramatic second as he landed over her on the ground. Solid work by both!

Then–Kathryn and Jakob practically stopped the show with their Contemporary number (choreographed by Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden of Complexions Dance fame). Their music was “At This Moment”, covered by Michael Buble. The beginning seemed to be reminiscent of a slow dance with all it’s continual swaying lifts in the beginning. Then it broke out of that and told a story of a frustrated and heart-wrenching relationship. The choreography was phenomenal and VERY physical. They had this great moment where they stopped and looked across the stage at each other, really made contact, then proceeded to fall to the ground on top of each other and roll across the floor. Emotion was translated directly into movement and I love to see that. Bravissimo.

Then came the dance I was waiting for: married couple Ashleigh and Ryan doing a Travis Wall Contemporary. I was glad they drew this, because it was a very special dance for them. It was pure love and pure loveliness. I mean really, you could see joy oozing from them from getting to dance together again after so many weeks of being paired with others. They danced the beautiful, flowy movements like they were alone in the studio together and had only eyes for each other, no distractions. Perfectly synchronous and completely in touch with each other. I don’t think I was paying particular attention to the choreography itself, which to me means that it was perfect because it simply conveyed the emotional, tender moment between these two. Sentimental sigh. Ok, I’m done with that, if you’re allergic to sugar ;o)

Russell and Kathryn were the last of the evening with a NappyTabs Hip-Hop number. All I can say is Russell f-in’ R-O-C-K-E-D!!! AND-and Kathryn was with him there every step of the way, giving it as fast and hard, down and dirty and street as he did (this is the girl who at the beginning would cry at the drop of a hat, her voice going up all way high and annoying? NO!). Russell was able to put the most of his Krumping style into the movement, and I’m sure Tabetha and Napoleon encouraged him in this, because it just made him shine like the sun. They were perfectly in synch with each other and kept eye contact the entire dance, and seemed to say to each other “woo hoo, SOOOO fun!” Really exceptional, probably the best NappyTabs number of the season, and a great way to end the night.

At the end, I perculated. I didn’t want to limit myself in voting, I thought the entire night was fantastic and everyone did amazing things and danced better than they ever had. I originally had thought that nine dances was overkill and the top 6 instead of top 4 kinda ruined things. Not so. I salivated for every dance and was exited at the dance after dance after dance way the show was presented. What a treat to get to just see so many different stylels of dance, choreographed by masters and danced by the next wave of stars. You don’t get that every day.

Last week I voted for everyone. But this week I said to myself, just off the cuff, which guy and which girl would you vote for? And my answer came fast and easy: Russell and Kathryn. And there you have it, my votes. And if you pinned me down to choose MY winner? Russell. I have a feeling though, from America. I think Kathryn McCormick is America’s Favorite Dancer. And she would absolutely deserve it.

Aside from my musings, who will win tonight? Who knows? You have to tune in and watch the 2 friggin’ hour, star-studded finale to find out. And I’ll be right there with ya.

(Images courtesy of FOX Television)

I always have mixed feelings about the finals.  I think I expect too much out of everyone, and maybe get disappointed. But I forget that these are the same people as before, just one more week along.  So logically, they are not going to turn into full-fledged pro dancers in 7 days (or really 5 days because that’s all the time they get). Tonight I watched with that in mind so I could really enjoy myself.  These three stars (and their pros) have really busted ass to get in the Finals and they deserved it!  Now I wanted them to show me the stuff!

First the stars did one last regular-style dance by themselves.  Kelly Osbourne was first with her Argentine Tango.  Now this is my favorite Ballrooom/Latin dance, and I was crossing my fingers that she would do well, and better than her last effort.  Fortunately, Carrie Ann Inaba made a visit to their rehearsal to give her some coaching specifically on her emotional connection with her partner.  This is something she has always needed to work on, even though Kelly is really “The Transformer” of the show.  She’s the one that’s come the farthest and really discovered dance.  But she has never quite had that connect with Louis Van Amstel that would allow them to play lovers.

Let me tell you she did NOT disappoint. Her footwork was excellent, lines were beautiful and they really smoldered when looking into each other’s eyes. It was the real connection this time, yea!  Strangely, this was the lowest scoring first dance of the night, with a 9-9-8, and I sincerely believe it was the best first dance of all three.  Maybe the judges were warming up or something.  The only big criticism that I heard was from Bruno Tonioli who said that Kelly’s “free hand” was doing odd things while she danced.  Ugh, whatever.

Next up was Mya. Len Goodman paid her and Dmitry Chaplin a visit as they rehearsed. Len’s intention as they practiced was to really push Mya to her limits in the Paso Doble. He even yelled at her about her kicks, that she could kick his upper hand out of the way. This is a great thing, because I have thought through pretty much the whole season that Mya was too cool of a cucumber, and never really revealing much or reaching her limits.

Technically, the dance looked good and had that measure of anger and sharpness that the Paso calls for.  But I really didn’t feel the passion that it needs.  The Paso is such a difficult dance to pull off and make look super spectacular in my opinion, you really need a variety of great moves coupled with a really great passionate anger with your partner. Nothing can hold a candle to Mel B. and Maks Chmerkovskiy’s Paso in season 7. Incidentally, Len mentions Mel’s dance in his critique of Mya, saying hers was up there. As you can guess, I do not agree. Judges scores: 10-10-10.

Donny Osmond was next with his Cha Cha Cha. Bruno made a visit to him and partner Kym Johnson to help sharpen up his technique enough to match his showmanship. This is great because Donny can always pull out a crowd-pleasing performance, but not be technically perfect. Bruno took him to task and really put him through his paces. Oddly enough, I didn’t see much evidence of this in his Cha Cha, where he did what seemed as little actual dancing as possible.  I thought I might be wrong, but my friend sitting next to me echoed my thoughts exactly. The judges seemed quite happy with it, so it’s possible I don’t understand the man’s role in the Cha Cha. Judges scores: 9-9-9.

A new element this season was the Megamix, where all three couples danced a “superdance” at the same time.  Three dances, same choreography (by Nick Kosovich from seasons 2 and 3). This, in theory, is a great idea, I always love the pro dances where up to 5 couples dance at the same time–but those are not PRO dancers.  Do you know how hard it is to have six people dancing in complete synchronization and stay in a specific formation?  HARD. I personally thought that the Megamix was a mess, and the girls outfits were rather unflattering and distracting. They combined Viennese Waltz, Samba and Jive which to me was rather jarring.

In any case, the stars seemed to enjoy themselves, which makes it all ok in the end. Mya came in first, Donny second and Kelly third for 30, 28 and 26 points respectively.

Lastly was the most anticipated dance: the Freestyle. They kept on saying that the Freestyle can make or break a dancer and they could win or lose the trophy with it.  I have to say, I completely disagree, and the Freestyle is always interesting to me, but NOT my favorite. I feel that the Freestyle is some odd excuse to trot out every single trick, lift and leap you’ve ever wanted to do.  It’s never simply been about dancing. Freestyles usually do not live up to expectations and don’t always get the best scores.

Kelly and Louis were up first with a disco Freestyle to Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”,which she had adopted as her theme song, just because her DWTS trip has definitely been an up and down one for her. Yet she still came out shining. Her dance was fun and free, with lots of smiling and singing along from her (which I love). Also thrown in were lots of tricks, not all of which were completely pulled off. But she smiled and laughed the whole way along and never gave up. This got her kudos from the judges if not high paddles. Judges scores: 8-8-8.

Mya and Dmitry did a puzzling Freestyle to “Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray. I liked it a lot, mostly for the reason that they didn’t pull out every trick in the book.  It was good dancing, but not show-stopping.  And her outfit was super cute.  I think they should have gone with Mya’s out-of-the-box idea. Judges scores: 9-9-9.

Donny and Kym were last with what was the most entertaining Freestyle of the evening. Donny did what Donny does the best: entertain us with energy, enthusiasm and style (why didn’t everyone do that?). “Hollywood at it’s best, ” yelled Bruno.  Agreed. Carrie said his Broadway number went down into history with the best, including Drew Lachey’s “Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy” and Shawn Johnson’s Jabbawokeez-inspired Freestyle. Two really great ones in a sea of not really memorable Freestyles. Judges scores: 10-10-10. Well deserved.

The voting has been unpredictable this season. Almost as unpredictable as this season’s predictable winner. But the probability of Mya winning the mirror-ball trophy does not take away from the suspense.  Will the obviously enormous fan bases of Kelly’s and Donny’s come out screaming overnight to deliver an upset?  Even though all three stars have delivered a fantastic season (Mya included), I am keeping my fingers crossed for Miss Osbourne.  Nobody deserves the win more.

Agree? Disagree?  Lemme have it!!

Whew! Well, after the fallout from Nigel Lythgoe’s tirade last week, the mood on the set of So You Think You Can Dance this week was decidedly subdued. Criticism was given quite a bit milder, and enthusiasm was not as big (geeze, Mary only yelled once the entire show). This was not to say that the dancing did not merit enthusiasm, however. This was a darn good night, with my favorite dance of the season so far.

Ashleigh and Jakob opened the night with a NappyTabs Hip-Hop number. The story was of a girl and her cheatin’ guy–and she finds out by looking at a text on his phone (how very of the times). I love that NappyTabs tells stories with their choreography. Before SYTYCD, I had never experienced Hip-Hop this way, and it was quite a revelation for me. Ashleigh and Jakob really came out fighting in this piece, they took hold of the story and told it with the movements, creating their relationship. They absolutely had the passion and the hurt, but I felt needed just a tad more love. After all, there’s no hurt if there was no love, right? Nigel predicted Jakob to go to the top 10, and told Ashleigh she has grown super-fast as a dancer on the show. Kudos all around.

Next were Karen and Kevin with a Spencer Liff Broadway ditty from Sweet Charity. This was an interesting combination of super-cuteness and super-hard choreography. Broadway is never an easy task, and doesn’t usually garner high praise from the judges. Karen and Kevin were cute together (a 180 from sizzling hotness the past few weeks), but the level of cuteness and humor needed to be far above what they gave on stage for the whole thing to work. Lots more *wink* would have worked for them.

Interestingly enough, Noelle and Russell drew Foxtrot once again out of the hat, with Eddie Simon choreographing. Wow, did Russell improve vastly from his Foxtrot a few weeks ago. But seriously, can Russell do no wrong? The two of them looked like they were having just the time of their lives up on stage, you could almost feel the joy through the tv. Their movements were smooth and effortless and were great to watch. Sheer elegance.

Channing and Victor got a Tyce DiOrio Jazz number where they got to portray “two curious, eclectic, blackbirds coming out to play,” as Tyce said. They used the Beatles’ “Blackbird” covered by Bobby McFerrin, which lent itself very well to the stacatto movements. They had good connection and synchronization and really popped in this dance. I could have even taken even more bird-like mannerisms. After all, if you’re going to portray an animal, you might as well go all the way, huh? Channing and Victor definitely seemed to enjoy them selves in this, there was a certain freedom that I’d never seen before in their dancing.

Kathryn and Legacy drew the “Paso Doble from Hell” (choreographer Tony Meredith’s words). This one was a lot of fun to watch. The Paso can very easily look silly and overdone, and this was not the case with Kathryn and Legacy. They committed to the story of the sea Admiral coming back to claim his angry, heartbroken woman. Whew! Much anger, passion, heat and fire. There could have been a little more precision, and Legacy’s shoulders were pretty tense (as were Kevin’s, it’s common with guy dancers), but overall it was really terrific.

Ellenore and Ryan performed my favorite dance of the night, and of the season so far, a Travis Wall Contemporary number. This told the story of a broken up couple who happens to bump into each other one day. She nursed a broken heart for along time and got over him, he suddenly realized he missed the boat with her. The moment they bumped into each other was truly exquisite, they really took their time and SAW each other, and reacted, it was a real moment. From there the connection strengthened and their performance was superb. Their movements were completely in tune with each other, and you felt their dilemma with the “I really love you but I can’t do this again” thing. They had a fearlessness when they danced with each other, and the lifts and leaps just seemed to happen with no effort. The dance closed brilliantly, bringing them back to the first moment where they bumped into each other, portraying the whole experience happening in a moment in their heads, and they went their separate ways. Genius.

Mollee and Nathan closed out the show with a LaurieAnn Gibson Pop Jazz routine. Loriann had them use an interesting technique of doing a lot of yelling while they danced, because sound unlocks the spirit. I liked this odd technique, sound is always good, and it also gets you to BREATHE, which dancers often forget to do (yeah, right?). Unfortunately, Mollee’s dress was truly awful and took me completely out of it to begin with, and then I just didn’t GET this dance at all. What was I missing? There was even one move where they looked like they were in a sexual position. But, they were big, coordinated, strong, and committed to the dance. Kudos. Not much connection with each other, however, and I really think that comes with just being too young and inexperienced in relationships. They are babies, after all. Talented babies.

Well! We wait with baited breath for elimination tonight. Will Kevin and Karen get sent home as Nigel predicts? Tune in and see!

(Images courtesy of FOX television)

The final five pairings: Mya and Dmitry Chaplin, Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff, Joanna Krupa and Derek Huff, Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson and Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel squared off and did two full dances this week, one Ballroom and one Latin.

This was a good, quality night for everyone, even with the flu still running rampant among the dancers. There was lots of dancing with medical masks and scarves on.

Mya and Dmitry turned in a really solid Quickstep that was super fluid and smooth.  The judges (Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli) loved it with a 9-10-10 score. Their next dance was a 70′s Samba which the judges positively gushed over, giving it the first perfect 30 of the season.  Personally, it fell a little flat for me, as they slowed their song down quite a bit (Donna Summer’s “Bad Girl”) and that just took the party out of the dance. Overall, Mya has a very good chance in the Semi-Finals.

Aaron and Karina, dancing with face masks on to keep germs at bay, first performed their Foxtrot which on the whole was solid, but seemed a bit awkward at times and not as fluid as it could have been.  They did have a pretty cool move in the middle where in hold Karina turned and flipped her leg up and out; very nice. Next for them was a 90′s Samba which matched for Aaron well, as he had his hit single during that time.  They incorporated moves that he did for his song (the cowboy walk was seriously silly) and it turned out really good.  The Samba’s energy is perfect for Aaron and he really had the fierce, party feel during the dance.

Seeing that Aaron and Karina were in the bottom two last week, I really hope that his fans come out and vote for him to keep him safe and on to the Semi-Finals!

Joanna and Derek did a Quickstep for their Ballroom round which I thought was good, but Joanna’s arms and feet got “lazy” at times. Len thought it was not the standard for Quarterfinals. Ouch.  They then pulled a “Futuristic” Paso Doble out of the hat (yikes) and came up with a concept that was pretty sensational.  Cool makeup, lighted silver costumes and “Living on Video” (which ironically is from the 80′s) for the song. Again, Joanna’s arms and legs were a bit limp for my taste, not enough force and strength for the Paso, but the judges gave it a 9-10-10 score.  We’ll see how she fares for getting into the Semi-Finals.

Kelly and Louis were a breath of fresh air in the evening, with Kelly’s return to a traditional Ballroom dance since her first week. Gone are the nerves, she said, and they have turned to excitement. She’s a little girls who’s learned something new and she wants to show off.  Good!  This is what I’ve been waiting for with her! She danced her Foxtrot with Louis wearing that sweet, giddy smile on her face. Their performance was smooth, graceful and elegant, with a hint of naughtiness which is perfect for her personality. Carrie Ann had it exactly right about Kelly when she said” The moment you have a breakthrough the audience goes crazy.” I know I was hopping up and down in my seat watching her at home. Her scores for the Ballroom round: 8-8-9.

Next was a 60′s Jive for Kelly and Louis. They came up with some 60′s style movements that blended in very well with the Jive. Kelly’s flicks were sharp and quick and she turned in a super performance that was reminiscent of an Austin Powers number (which I adore). Plus, she’s whittling away that waistline and looked amazing in her outfit. Her scores improved this round with an 8-9-9. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for her and hope the voting goes her way for the Semifinals.

Donny and Kym did a Viennese Waltz for the first round which started a tiny bit sluggish but quickly gained momentum and excitement with their connection and Donny’s personality. Donny once again gave a first class showmanship performance, and Bruno commented that his Waltz played out like a “Lifetime Movie,” and as silly as Bruno’s comments can get at times, this one definitely hit the mark!

Their second dance for the Latin round was an 80′s Paso Doble. They picked a Dead or Alive song and dressed Donny up like Adam Ant which rocked, but unfortunately didn’t do great things for his lines during the Paso. The whole thing was kind of odd, even though it was pretty good. Once again Bruno’s comment rang true: “It’s like I was watching Donny playing Marie, playing Donny, playing Marie.” Looking at Donny’s makeup, you can see his point.

I think Donny is enough of a crowd favorite he’s secured his spot in the Semi-Finals.

Good luck to them all, tune in tomorrow for the results!

So in my last post I didn’t really talk about the team dances, I thought I better come back and do that.

Team Tango had a couple of advantages over Team Paso, unfortunately (or fortunately, however you see it).  The Paso team had 4 couples, Tango had 3.  Paso is mostly done out of hold, Tango in (this helps for synchronization).  The Paso pros decided to hash (and I mean HASH) things out with the stars in the room, the Tango pros handled the choreography beforehand and then taught it to the stars. Team Paso did a good job of making Team Tango look much more professional and a TEAM.

That said, the Paso didn’t turn out badly at all, it had real power, force and energy, everything a Paso Doble needs.  Plus, Mark redeemed himself from his individual dance earlier and Mya caught the judges eye.

But the Tango really came together and was spectacular, garnering better scores than the Paso.  Just goes to show that “leaving the egos at the door” really helps when being a professional artist, and I wholly support that school of thought.

Both teams, in the end, should be commended for undertaking a difficult task!

Last night was a very interesting night on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.  I have been looking forward to tango/paso doble night for a little while, it never disappoints.

Argentine Tango is my favorite ballroom dance. Heat, passion, lust, anger and awesome legwork are always in order. The one contestant who really pulled it out of the bag and delivered wholeheartedly was “little” Aaron Carter. Damn if he didn’t pull it together, focus and connect with excellent precision and a LOT of lust for Karina (he’s a young man, who can blame him?). After his last two low-score weeks (and I don’t completely agree with the judges on that) this was new life in his dancing. Unfortunately, his scores were not as good as some of the other contestants, but I really think he gave it all and did excellently (and the judges did like it a lot).

The one dance that I was really looking forward to was Kelly Osbourne’s paso doble.  She was doing it to her father Ozzy’s song “Crazy Train” and I thought “oh yeah, this will be great.” It was good, she looked great in her grey skirt and spiky hair, and Louis looked great in his Ozzy Ozbourne makeup.

Kelly and her Daddy 'do

But I think her nerves got the better of her again, I feel like she’s holding on too hard to NOT mess up.  I think she held on less in the very first week of competition maybe because it was her first time doing this and she thought “what do I have to lose?”  And now, she got such high praise (well deserved) that now she’s afraid to not live up to those standards.  Just let go Kelly, and HAVE FUN–you’re great as-is.

On a different note, the hair was completely out of control last night.  In fact, Tom Bergeron called it when he said “hairstyles by Fellini.” The ‘do I really liked was Kelly’s ,she looked like a blonde version of her father from the early 80′s.  But Lacey’s ratty looking faux-hawk just didn’t read well on TV.  As well, Samantha Harris’ terrible, frizzy curly ‘do made her look like she had it done in 1983 with bad hot rollers (and she’s the worlds most glamorous paper doll on TV, they really know how to dress her up).  Ugh.  THEN to top it off, all the guys wore the silliest, poufy wigs for the Hustle group dance–but that was pure fun! ;o)