It’s time for the ballroom to get muy caliente on Dancing with the Stars. It’s Latin Night with special guest judge Pitbull, which should make for quite an entertaining evening. The nine couples will all perform their Latin routines before one couple gets eliminated based on last week.
After the first four eliminated stars were all men, is it finally time for a woman to go home, or will Ryan, Calvin, or James continue the streak? Also, Laurie, James, and Calvin are the only stars to top the leaderboard at all this season, so will someone else finally emerge?
LIVE…from Hollywood…this is Dancing with the Stars!
Mr. 305, Mr. Worldwide opens the show and he is pure entertainment. I fully expect him to be performing at a Super Bowl halftime show in the next few years because Pitbull knows how to get it started. He’ll be taking Len Goodman’s judges’ chair between Carrie Ann Inaba and Julianne Hough.
We’ll be getting results as we go.
Ryan and Cheryl are…SAFE!
Ryan Lochte and Cheryl Burke: Salsa
He’s confused by all of the fast steps, comparing it to taking the SATs. They’re dressed in neon, though his shirt and pants get ripped off by the end of the routine so they can do some glow-in-dark dancing in their underwear. However, Ryan just stands in one place for most of the routine and shakes his hands and hips. It’s pretty weak without the distraction of the bright colors and stripping. Pitbull prematurely reveals that he’s giving them an 8. Carrie Ann says that his musicality wasn’t that good. That’s a nice way of putting it. He is back to being terrible.
Judges’ Scores: 7+8+8+7=30
Pitbull must’ve given Julianne some of whatever he’s smoking.
James and Sharna are…SAFE!
Terra and Sasha are…SAFE!
Amber and Maks are…IN JEOPARDY!
Marilu and Derek are…SAFE!
Terra Jole and Sasha Farber: Paso Doble
It’s hard for her to bring anger to this routine. He decides to annoy her during rehearsal to get her ready. The dancing is pretty good as usual. She moves very well and hits the steps nicely. But I don’t actually feel the passion or fire you really need for a Paso. Julianne is right that this style just wasn’t for her. Bruno Tonioli thought it got a little fuzzy.
Judges’ Scores: 7+8+8+7=30
I’m glad we’re back to 7s, but once again Julianne is too nice.
Amber Rose and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: Cha-Cha-Cha
Maks knows she hasn’t reached her potential and she’s standing in her own way. Ugh, they have a bit of a spat during rehearsal where she leaves as he tells her not to. This is exhausting, I’m so over her. The dance starts off way too slow with a Cabaret vibe. She actually moves decently, though it kind of feels more like an Argentine Tango than a Cha-Cha-Cha to me. Carrie Ann points out that it’s like there’s an invisible glass ceiling that stops her from giving it her all. Julianne wants her to smack it.
Judges’ Scores: 7+7+7+7=28
Ouch, even Pitbull gave her a 7.
James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess: Rumba
The nice Canadian boy is struggling to be sexy, but he has an alter ego named Ricardo to channel it. There’s a painfully dumb but hilarious rehearsal montage of James vs. Ricardo. Dear God, I write this every week, but this man is a revelation. He is stunning, sexy, passionate, charismatic, and a brilliant dancer. He’s the total package. I feel like he may be overtaking Laurie as the true frontrunner of this season. Julianne loves his subtlety and calls him the best male dancer this show has ever had.
Judges’ Scores: 10+9+9+10=38
Boo, Pitbull and Julianne.
Marilu Henner and Derek Hough: Cha-Cha-Cha
Maybe it’s because she’s older than his usual partners, but he’s more willing to defer to her in their rehearsals. Derek has an adorable moment where he talks about how hot Marilu is, which is weird because she’s his mom’s age. It’s a fine routine, but I still think she needs to loosen up even more. However, compared to the first three dances of the night, it’s really strong. Julianne loves her legs and mocks her brother for his creepy comment about their mom. The judges all praise her confidence.
Judges’ Scores: 8+9+9+8=34
We’re back to Pitbull and Julianne being nicer than Carrie Ann and Bruno.
Laurie and Val are…SAFE!
Calvin and Lindsay are…IN JEOPARDY!
Maureen and Artem are…SAFE!
Jana and Gleb are…IN JEOPARDY!
So it’s Amber, Calvin, or Jana. Amber going home is the only acceptable outcome.
Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko: Argentine Tango
They’re adding a bed and a shower scene, so Gleb promises that it’s going to be the sexiest routine ever. It’s definitely sexy and her legs are outstanding. The poses she’s able to strike are stunning. And the final part in a shower is exciting as they actually dance in the pouring water. When she whips her hair and the water flings off, it looks beautiful. Gleb really knows how to give us what we want. The judges love it and Bruno falls down, legs in the air.
Judges’ Scores: 10+10+10+10=40
The second perfect score of the season! Now let’s hope they don’t go home tonight.
Maureen McCormick and Artem Chigvintsev: Samba
She’s confident after last week, but she shouldn’t have that much because she was still at the bottom of the leaderboard. Artem gets frustrated trying to teach her. Like Amber, I’m over this drama. If they haven’t figured out how to work together by now, they never will. The routine reflects that. It’s really sloppy and they seem to be on two different pages. The judges like her positivity and the content.
Judges’ Scores: 8+7+8+8=31
I actually agree with Pitbull.
Calvin Johnson and Lindsay Arnold: Argentine Tango
Lindsay knows that living up to Jana and Gleb’s standard of sexiness isn’t easy. Unfortunately, these two goofballs aren’t used to that. It may not have the same sexual bells and whistles as Jana and Gleb, but it’s a very strong routine. It’s more of a slow burn, with lots of great moves and a ton of content. There’s a windmill lift that is extraordinary.
Judges’ Scores: 9+10+9+9=37
It’s absurd that Calvin or Jana could go home tonight. I know it’s based on last week, but still.
Laurie Hernandez and Val Chmerkovskiy: Salsa
This is another routine where her young age makes it difficult. She’s too giggly. Luckily she’s on tour with Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin, so they can give her advice. She’s great as usual and I appreciate that the routine is jam-packed with content and some cool lifts that show off her gymnastic expertise. If I have a complaint, it’s that she doesn’t add a whole lot, character-wise. The judges love her power. Carrie Ann points out a few missteps.
Judges’ Scores: 9+9+9+10=37
No, Bruno.
THE RESULTS
It’s down to Amber and Calvin, who were tied at the bottom of the leaderboard last week, and Jana, who was in the top half.
The next couple SAFE is…Jana and Gleb!
Whew.
Amber Rose and Maksim Chmerkovskiy ARE ELIMINATED!
That’s the right call. And since she was at the bottom of the leaderboard tonight, she just would’ve been eliminated next week anyway.
THE LEADERBOARD
40: Jana Kramer
38: James Hinchcliffe
37: Calvin Johnson, Laurie Hernandez
34: Marilu Henner
31: Maureen McCormick
30: Ryan Lochte, Terra Jole
Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC. Len Goodman returns next week for dances from different Eras, as well as the team dances.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
