Dancing with the Stars is back down to one episode per week, and tonight is Movie Night! The 11 remaining couples will perform routines inspired by the silver screen. With head judge Len Goodman in England, movie star Kevin Hart is the guest judge. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.
The third week will also include plenty of new dances styles, with Waltzes, Tangos, a Contemporary routine and my personal favorite, the Paso Doble. Lights, camera, action!
LIVE…from Hollywood…this is Dancing with the Stars!
Kevin Hart arrives and he’s clearly not very good at dancing. He’s in Len’s seat, so his score will be the second.
The Switch-Up is also back, and two weeks from tonight the stars will get new partners. You can Tweet your ideas now.
Apparently there will be an elimination tonight based on last week’s scores and votes. Um…didn’t that already happen? So is this just whoever finished second-to-last, ahead of Tavis? This makes no sense to me at all.
Randy and Karina are…IN JEOPARDY!
Randy Couture and Karina Smirnoff: Paso Doble
They’ve got a Rocky-themed dance. It’s pretty stilted and clumsy, with Randy getting the biggest applause when he stands there and strikes a pose. Julianne Hough is first to criticize the timing and everything else. Bruno Tonioli didn’t like the timing or shape either. Carrie Ann Inaba, however, liked the intensity, but thought it lacked finesse. Kevin Hart immediately proves how little he knows because he’s impressed that he embraced it and he’s scared of him.
Judges’ Scores: 7+7+6+6=26
6s in week 3 is not good. He keeps going down.
Alfonso and Witney are…SAFE!
Betsey and Tony are…SAFE!
Alfonso Ribeiro and Witney Carson: Quickstep
An Austin Powers dance? Is this still lame or is it old enough to be retro cool? Instead of being cool, Witney is desperate to get Alfonso to do real ballroom like Len wanted. The frame and footwork are clearly there, but they still work in some of his groove and disco funk. The judges like his individuality, but give him some helpful, specific advice on how to improve his technique. Kevin Hart continues to be no help.
Judges’ Scores: 8+8+8+8=32
He stays the same as last week, but still good.
Betsey Johnson and Tony Dovolani: Contemporary
A Contemporary routine plus the movie Ghost is probably the best case scenario for Betsey. There are a lot of lifts, and one that turns into a split for the 72-year-old Betsey. It’s sweet and pleasant, but there isn’t a whole lot of content. Kevin Hart tells her that she dropped it like it’s hot. The judges are all pretty positive, except for a lack of toe-pointing.
Judges’ Scores: 7+9+6+7=29
A 9 from Kevin Hart? He needs to be fired immediately, mid-show.
Michael and Emma are…SAFE!
Sadie and Mark are…SAFE!
Antonio and Cheryl are…IN JEOPARDY!
Lea and Artem are…SAFE!
Obviously the Bottom 3 means nothing since Sadie and Michael were in the Bottom with Tavis last week, but now they’re safe, even though the results are based on the same scores and votes.
Lea Thompson and Artem Chigvintsev: Cha-Cha-Cha
They recreate the Back to the Future prom, complete with a DeLorean to make it to the show on time. It’s good and fun, but she seems a little more tentative and shaky than usual. The judges, especially Carrie Ann Inaba, aren’t afraid to point out that this was, in fact, her worst dance so far.
Judges’ Scores: 7+8+8+8=31
Ouch, her first 7 of the season. But that’s still good.
Michael Waltrip and Emma Slater: Waltz
They’re inspired by Robin Hood, and rehearsals show that he continues to be a creepy old man. But the dance itself is pretty good. It’s the best he’s ever been, but it’s slow and doesn’t seem that difficult. The judges are universally positive. I really hate having to admit that he did a good job because I just don’t like him.
Judges’ Scores: 7+7+7+7=28
Even his best isn’t that good.
Antonio Sabato, Jr. and Cheryl Burke: Foxtrot
They get the current hit movie, Guardians of the Galaxy. Like me, Cheryl hasn’t seen this film. He tries to have fun during rehearsals, but Cheryl isn’t having it. These two definitely do NOT get along, and between them and Michael/Emma, it’s making it kind of hard to enjoy what they do. Antonio is very good, but the routine is nothing special. There’s no gimmick or anything, it’s just a plain Foxtrot. It’s just a big snoozefest.
Judges’ Scores: 7+7+7+8=29
All of these scores are pretty even this week.
Sadie Robertson and Mark Ballas: Viennese Waltz
Sadie did not take being the Bottom 3 very well, nor does she handle the judges’ critiques well. Ugh, she’s coming across as a spoiled brat. They dance to Up, with balloons. The dancing itself is OK. She’s good enough, but I find her extremely bland and lacking any real stage presence or charisma. This was Carrie Ann’s favorite routine of the night.
Judges’ Scores: 8+8+8+8=32
So the best of the night only gets an 8? This is a subpar week.
Janel and Val are…SADE!
Bethany and Derek are…SAFE!
Tommy and Peta are…SAFE!
Jonathan and Allison are…IN JEOPARDY!
No! Jonathan had better not be going.
Jonathan Bennett and Allison Holker: Tango
They have a Gatsy Tango and Allison gets advice from Mark Ballas on choreographing for DWTS. I love the sensual choreography, but Jonathan does come across as a bit stiff. The judges say he needs to work on his frame, but they did a great job working with the song. The judges work overtime to apologize to Allison for making her doubt her choreography.
Judges’ Scores: 8+8+8+8=32
This week is all about 7s and 8s. He’s now tied for the lead, so he’d better not be eliminated.
Janel Parrish and Val Chmerkovskiy: Jazz
They dance to West Side Story, but the show’s legal department warns them not to recreate any of the movie’s actual moves. That throws a monkey wrench into rehearsals, but they do an amazing job. It’s so much fun and so energetic. Val even pulls a Derek by adding a bunch of extra dancers in the background to set the scene. The best part is when she washes a rag on Val’s washboard abs. The judges are all in love with it and call it perfection.
Judges’ Scores: 10+10+10+10=40
Holy cow, a perfect score?!? No one has EVER received a perfect score in the first three weeks in the past 18 seasons.
Tommy Chong and Peta Murgatroyd: Argentine Tango
I love their rehearsals more than anyone else this season. He’s so cheeky and entertaining. This 76-year-old man has no right being this debonair. Seriously, how is Tommy Chong this good? The judges love him, with Carrie Ann comparing him to Yoda. They obviously saved the best for last.
Judges’ Scores: 8+10+8+8=34
Seriously Kevin? Even Erin Andrews makes a joke about knowing why Kevin likes Tommy so much.
Bethany Mota and Derek Hough: Jazz
Derek Hough + Singin’ in the Rain + Jazz? Break out the 11 paddles. Derek worships Gene Kelly and even gets to meet his wife during rehearsals. This entire week is all about Derek, and Bethany doesn’t even seem to matter. She does a decent enough job with it, but it’s hard not to imagine how much better this would’ve been with a better dancer. The judges rave about the production and Derek paying homage to Gene Kelly. Bethany was about as important to this routine as the umbrellas.
Judges’ Scores: 10+10+10+10=40
That 40 is all for Derek. Janel actually earned hers on her own.
THE RESULTS
The dancing is over, and after seeing nine different 10 paddles for the last three dances, it’s time focus on the worst. Randy, Antonio and Jonathan are the Bottom 3 and one of them had the second-lowest combined score last week, only ahead of Tavis.
Randy Couture and Karina Smirnoff ARE ELIMINATED!
Oh well, it’s hard to be too sad when he had the worst dance of the night. I do feel badly for Karina as this is the second season in a row where she’s eliminated within the first three weeks.
Next week it’s the Most Memorable Year, and one couple will be eliminated based on tonight’s scores and votes. So it sounds like they’re getting rid of that annoying thing where they combined the next week’s scores with the previous week’s viewer votes.
THE LEADERBOARD
40: Janel Parrish, Bethany Mota
34: Tommy Chong
32: Alfonso Ribeiro, Sadie Robertson, Jonathan Bennett
31: Lea Thompson
29: Betsey Johnson, Antonio Sabato, Jr.
28: Michael Waltrip
(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.
