Dancing with the Stars Finale Part 1

Posted By: admin On: November 28, 2007 Comments: ( 0 )

By: Alyssa

Well, my tivo flaked out on me last night do to some workers over yesterday who just conveniently forgot to plug back in my satellite. I was FURIOUS - BEYOND FURIOUS when I got home only to find the only episode that I wanted to see this season was NOT recorded. Anyways, I am writing this a day late as I’m watching the episode on abc.com. Thanks ABC for posting full episodes. Now onto my take…

I loved the drama of the first package showing all the stars pulling out the stops and Tom Bergeron’s voice. It makes it so dramatic. First impressions: Oh Golly, Samantha Harris is bustin’ out - GEEZ OH PETE! Mel B. looks risque, Helio and Julianne are as cute as can be, Marie looks smug and needs to be slapped. Helio is so cute and is all smiles as he turns to the crowd smiling and clapping. I love his energy. Jonathon Roberts is sweating already - geez! Is he afraid of lifting Marie already?

Up first is Mel B. and Maksim. They bring in some boyz from the Spice Girl tour who bring some hip hop flavor to the freestyle dance. One boy is showing Maks how to dance and it is rather humorous as Maks normally is very arrogant. It is good to see him taking direction from a kid. What’s good is Maks realizes that it is challenging for him. The judges pick the cha cha cha for Mel B. and Maks as they danced it on week 1 and the judges want to see improvement.  I agree with Bridget that the song choice was a little odd. I can kind of see it for this dance because of the beat pattern, but the words/lyrics didn’t seem to mesh. I noticed that Mel B. looked down a lot instead of playing to the crowd. Overall, I still think she did a fine job and I did notice improvement over week 1. She is very confident on the dance floor and that’s a good thing. She received a standing O and we get to see the Spice Girls in the crowd.

Len congratulated her on making it this far. He said it was a great performance and a great opening for tonight’s show. Bruno said she’s improved technically and has stunning visual impact. Carrie Ann said she looked great and it was really good. The footwork was so crisp and the hip action good, but she was expecting more excitement. Mel smacks Tom’s ass as she leaves and Maks hugs him with Tom saying “yes, yes get us much as you can.” LOL! She received a 28 out of 30.

Marie and Jonathon are up next. Jonathon brings out the crash pad for lifts. She has bruises all over her right arm. Dang! They ride a window washer lift to spy on Julianne and Helio - cheater - doesn’t suprise me. Appearing on Oprah and Larry King to promote yourself falls into that same category. Moving on…Judges pick Samba for Marie since she fainted the last time. Guess they want to see her do it while breathing and so they can critque it since they didn’t get to last time..or they just want to see her faint again - I don’t know. Her dance lacked content and there was a lot of cheeky poses followed by Marie’s big wide grin trying to flirt her way to the top. Didn’t work for me. She seems excited about it though.

Bruno said “I’m gonna tell you the truth. You always come out here giving your heart and soul. Technically the Samba is tricky. Technically it wasn’t your best.” Carrie Ann said that it was very entertaining and her range of motion is very limited and it showed here. Len said technically she isn’t the strongest. But right on the money with the entertainment factor. Yeah, that’s nice talk for - Marie, you don’t compare with the others. Marie, you don’t belong in the finals. Her score was 8’s across the board for a 24 out of 30. They were surprised! I’m not.

As we cut to break, we see Helio and Julianne back stage and he has her glasses in her hand. She’s acting like she can’t see. I just love these two. They are up next dancing the judgest pick of the jive. The first time he danced it he got 3 8’s so they are looking for improvement. They are all decked out in sock-hop outfits - pink sock hop outfits. They dance to “Let’s Twist Again”. It was cute and Julianne is quite the actress especially her face at the end. I would have liked to seen more jive kicks though as I love watching that, but overall it was pretty cute and I enjoyed it. The entertainment factor was way more than Marie’s that is for sure.  He’s super excited about it as he picks Julianne up and twirls her around - and the crowd LOVES it as the keep cheering and you can’t even hear Carrie Ann! Carrie Ann said “It was completely exciting. I loved it, but, you had some problems with your footwork and your flickss and kicks were a bit off.” Len said, “You’re flatfooted. You come out high octane, but unfortunately it was a disappointment.” Bruno said, “Boundless energy, everyone loves you..the footwork wasn’t good enough, but the performance was great.”  Julianne looks a bit disappointed - and she should be. The judges were hard on them. They received 2 8’s from Len and Carrie Ann and a thankful 9 from Bruno for a total of 25 out of 30. Either Marie’s scores needed to be lowers like 7 or Helio’s needed to be higher because her getting 8’s isn’t the same as Helio getting 8’s. Ugh! I’m dissappointed.

Leaderboard after round 1
Mel and Maks 28 out of 30
Helio and Juliane 25 out of 30
Marie and Jonathon 24 out of 30

Now onto the freestyle dances with Mel and Maks up first. This is supposedly where everyone pulls out the stops and can do lifts, tricks, and basically throw the rule book out the window. Yayyy - we don’t like rule books.  She’s all decked out in black and looks fantastic. They dance to Timbaland’s Song and the title has escaped me, but it is something about “Like you Just the Way You Are”. He spins a chair around while Mel waits by a chair with her back to the audience. He rips her black top from her revealing a red silky leotard resembling lingerie in my opinion and I must admit that these singers are AWFUL on this song. If you’ve heard the original, these singers are just awful - ugh! It is like nails on a chalkboard and really interrupts me watching the dance. Personally, I don’t know what Maks was thinking here. This lacked content - I wasn’t following what was going on. There were a lot of lifts in the air, but it didn’t seem to go with the song. I was bored. The crowd initially didn’t stand up. The Spice Girls did and then everyone followed suit. Carrie Ann said “Although I enjoyed it, I think you are better than that. I don’t think it showcased all that you did. It wasn’t all I was hoping for.” The Spice Girls boo her in the background and Tom being the great host he is says “I know someone who’s not getting tour tickets.” LOL! That Tom! Len said “I loved the lifts. I loved the humor and all that work with the chair. I thought you gave a great performance. It didn’t flow for me, but great job.” Bruno said, “Spectacular lifts. Cool! Hip! You put something in that we don’t usually see. You tried it and you did a good job.” I’m not sure what Bruno is referring to and by the look on Maks face, neither does he as he looks completely puzzled as he wrinkles his nose and gives a blank stare.  They hug Tom really big and Maks even kisses his cheek as he does the bit into the commercial - they then run off to go backstage with bustin-out Samantha. She received 3 9’s for a total of 27 out of 30. Mel thought she was gonna get a 4 or 5. Hmm..I wonder why. Mel and Maks play backstage as Samantha does her spiel about votes - yada yada. Maks grabs Samantha’s card and starts fanning himself and Mel. He then starts fanning her behind as she shakes it. It was pretty cute and Mel said “Wooh..I like that!”

Next up is cheater, Marie. I’m preparing myself to see some cheeky poses and her cheeky face as she acts her way to the mirrorball trophy. Jonathon comes out carrying Marie and she wobbles around like a dummy (no pun intended). She has rosy cheeks so I guess she’s no dummy, but a doll. They dance to “Start Me Up” by The Rolling Stones. Um, yeah, I don’t really have any words for what I just saw. Very cheesy - where’s the wine? She never really left the doll pose - she could have at least come out of that persona to give us some good moves, but it was all choppy like she was wooden. Yep, still in character, but where’s the dancing? She even fell on the last lift. EmbarrASSing is all I can say. Len said, “You think you have a good idea and when it comes out it somehow doesn’t work. I’ve got to say in this routine for me - didn’t happen.” Bruno said, “This is the loopiest thing I’ve ever seen. It defies criticism. It is like Baby Jane and the Bride of Chucky. How can I criticize it. It isn’t a dance. It’s unique.” Carrie Ann said, “I will give you that you are a risk taker. You are the queen performer. I’m gonna agree with the guys. Sometimes we just make some odd choices and that one was not the best.” Marie boasts that she’s a doll designer. DUH! This is a dance show not a doll designer show. Samantha asks her a question and I guess Marie gets long winded and Samantha cuts her off very abruptly. I loved it! Good job, Samantha! Her scores were 2 7’s from Len and Bruno and an 8 from Carrie Ann for a 22 out of 30. Samantha again cuts off Marie and it is sooooo hilarious! I think Samantha is getting annoyed with Marie..and frankly, so would I. Obnoxious people make me tired!

Finally Helio and Julianne and their freestyle dance. They are decked out in racecar driver gear. CUTE! LOVE IT! They step out of the gear and reveal some sparkly gold outfits Helio’s still resembling a racecar driver and Julianne has on gold boots. They do a lot of 60’s style movements (mashed potatoe, alligator) as that is what the song called for. I can’t for the life of me think of the title of the song, but it will come to me. I have to take a moment to compose myself. I have tears streaming down my face. This was a happy feel good song and I guess I just loved it so much that it overwhelmed me. I really, really loved it! When Helio was lifting her above his head and she was spralled out straight, he was bobbing her around and had this huge, huge grin on his face. It is so typical of him. They sat at the end like they were in the race car and it soooo gelled with the music and their moves before it. It was perfect. The lifts were great and they had so much fun. They were so excited when they finished and so am I! A perfect ending! The crowd is on their feet. Helio is picking up Julianne. They are jumping all over the place. Tom keeps saying “You Did it!” and Helio screams back “I did it!” You did, Helio! Did the judges think so?

Bruno said, “Well, here we got it taking on a very difficult routine and lifts.” Carrie Ann said, “I’m worn out. Helio, that was fantastic. You are a perfect blend of what Marie brings to the table and Mel B. brings to the table. You’ve got technique and the entertainment factor, but the lifts were a little rough going in and out.” Len said, “Best freestyle of the night by miles!” Woohoo! Helio thanked everyone including “this little one” referring to Julianne. She laughed. Samantha let him talk - and for that, Thank You Samantha. His scores were 2 10’s from Len and Bruno and a PMSy 9 from Carrie Ann for a total of 29 out of 30. They dance and hop as Samantha does her Spiel. Helio even gets up in the camera real close. It was sooo cute.

Who takes the cake? Helio and Julianne! Who will be the runner up? Mel and Maks. I don’t see how Marie could win after those pitiful performances. Celine Dion will be on tonight’s results show and it will be 2 hours - YAYY! Can’t wait.

Leaderboard after both rounds
Mel and Maks with 55 out of 60
Helio and Julianne with 54 out of 60
Marie and Jonathon with  46 out of 60