Dancing with the Stars Week 8 Recap

Posted By: admin On: November 11, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )

By: Alyssa




I just read that Kym Johnson was treated for a shoulder injury this week, but she will be dancing tonight. Ahhh the dreaded injury curse. Let’s get on with tonight’s show, shall we? Samantha Harris is sporting some Princess Lea braids wrapped around in a bun. Not digging the hair.

First impressions: Cody looks spiffy in a suit and slicked back hair. Maurice Greene is even spiffier in a TUX and Cheryl has a big curly ball of poof coming out the back of her hair and some type of fringe going down her arms (looks gross). Brooke looks sexy in a form fitting red gown/Derek in a black suit with red tie. Lance Bass also has a tux on with a red tie/Lacey in red sequins. What is up with the suits and tuxes tonight? Is it just ballroom tonight? Warren Sapp has on a black tux with black tie, but I see he made way for sequins around the lapel. He is a sequinned freak, that Warren. Kym Boobby Trapp Johnson is bustin’ out tonight. And wow, that is all the stars we have. This season is moving quicker than I am.

Ahhh, Tom tells us the ballroom round is first and then the 2nd round is a latin round and it will be all solos. It will only be 15 seconds, but it can prove to be very interesting….

First up is Cody Linley and Edyta Sliwinska dancing the Foxtrot . Cody is down on himself for being in the bottom. He seems very bummed and not his usual cheery “sick” self. I say “sick” b/c my Mom gets grossed out by his antics - she calls him sick. LOL!  I thought he glided nicely, had nice rise and falls, and nice high kicks in sync with Edyta. It was very elegant for a 19 year old boy. Len starts off by saying he was pleasantly surprised - said footwork pretty good - top notch job said Len. Bruno said he was never gonna see it - sophisticated - most grown up performance to date. Carrie Ann loved the performance, but took off a point for a “lift” - get over the lifts Carrie Ann! Scores were all 8’s for a total of 24 out of 30.

Next up is Brooke Burke and Derek Hough dancing the tango. Derek is going treat Brooke as if she is a professional now. He says “amateur” several times and it sounds like he has a lisp when he says it. Doesn’t sound right to my ears. He is being really difficult with her, but she needs it to secure her spot in the finals. She has some nice jerky movements that the Tango requires, but she looked awkward in the hold position like uncomfortable or something. I didn’t really like the content either - the actual choreography, but that’s just my opinion. Bruno said it was more than a Tango - stunning. Carrie Ann said “that is why you are the last woman standing” - pitch perfect. Len said a lack of heel leads, got out of sync, lost body contact and posture, and he’s looking at Brooke as a professional. He thought it was riddled with mistakes. Bruno and CA are flabbergasted. I’m not. Scores were 2 10’s and an 8 from Len for a total of 28 out of 30.

Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke have the Quickstep tonight. This week could be Maurice’s downfall since ballroom is the heavy hitter and we all know ballroom is not his strong suit. Cheryl thought this would be his dance b/c it is quick like him, but he said it isn’t easy being attached to someone - that is exactly right, Maurice. And I’m sorry, but that dress does nothing for Cheryl’s A$$ and thighs. Looks like Cheryl is losing lots of things - earrings perhaps? They are all over the floor and his arm is wobbly like spaghetti. It was fun, but not my cup of tea for him. He is way better in Latin. C.A. said she loved it and loved his posture (did she not see his spaghetti arms?). Len said he flew around the floor, loved the footwork, thought he did a really good job for ballroom. Bruno said he kept it going all the way through and didn’t deflate. Scores were all 8’s for a total of 24 out of 30…tied with Cody.

Lance “I’m wearing shoes this week” Bass and Lacey Schwimmer are dancing the foxtrot. Lance wants to impress Len this week and wants to work hard on technique. Lacey said this week they are doing things by the book - no gimmics - pleasing Len is the focus. Lance is twinkle toes tonight - bouncing and hopping at the beginning of his foxtrot. He does some nice tricks in his solo work. I liked it and thought it was cute. Had nice movement, bounce, stride - very nice. Len starts by saying they’ve cleaned up the act, had great elements, but said the footwork could be better, but overall very good. Bruno said it was classic, but retained their quirky individuality which he really enjoyed. Carrie Ann loves the animation, called him a true bright light. Scores were 2 9’s and an 8 from stingy Len for a total of 26 out of 30.

Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson dance the Tango for the ballroom round. Oh man his tux is all glittery - didn’t notice that at first. This music is a little weird and fast for this dance. They have some complicated footwork, but I don’t think Warren is tight/jerky enough for this plus I saw a slight smile on his face which it should be serious. I did think it was fun though - fun to watch a big man carry on like that. Bruno said he did a mean tango. Carrie Ann said he brought his sparkle game to the floor - thought it was fantastic - thought he connected with the audience - smooth footwork. Len said last week a flop, this week on top, but didn’t like the rise and fall (that’s not a proper Tango), but said he was back. Scores were 2 9’s a 10 from CA for a total of 28 out of 30. Warren was blown away - literally.

Leader board After Ballroom Round:

Brooke Burke and Derek Hough 28 out of 30

Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson 28 out of 30

Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer 26 out of 30

Cody Linley and Edyta Sliwinska 24 out of 30

Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke 24 out of 30

First on the floor for the Latin round are Cody Linley and Edyta Sliwinska dancing the Mambo. She is wearing her typic Edyta wear - practically nothing with some fringe thrown in. He is wearing tight tan “Alec type” pants. He does splits off the stage and shakes his groove thing. Edyta leaves the stage while he has his solo and he goes NUTS! He shakes it hard and ends up flinging his body onto the judges table and does a playboy pose. I must say I love this solo business!! The judges looked like they were holding their breath during that flinging motion. LOL! C.A. Woohs and Laughs - gives it an A for effort and energy, but it was a little erratic, but said it was a bit disjointed. Len’s main concern is that Warren doesn’t do the same ending - LMAO! He’d break the table for sure. Len thought Cody has done 2 pretty good dances, said the Mambo was a bit stiff, but overall well done. Bruno said he has the Mambo fever and it was spastic at times, but he appreciates the effort he puts in. Scores were all 8’s for a total of 24 out of 30.

Julianne Update: She is doing great - well rested - and ready to come back and dance with Cody. So we have to vote. Alrighty then! Julianne will return tomorrow though and I heard a little rumor that she might be singing. We’ll see.

Brooke Burke and Derek Hough have the Mambo now. Derek starts off and Brooke is twisting her bow legs at the judges table. She’s got a nasty black wig on with bangs. Gawd, I hate bangs. Derek keeps doing the Benji Schwimmer foot slide. They do a drop where Derek grabs her by her neck and she touches the floor to get her bearings. Not a big deal, but thought I’d point it out. It was a fun number for them - but I couldn’t get passed the wig with bangs. Len starts by saying he thought it was very ambitious - wanted to see her feet at the beginning - said her legs were a bit too flexed at times, but said it was fantastic. Bruno called her a great dancer. C.A. said she liked her solo (oh yes, at the begining was her solo in front of the judges table) and it didn’t feel like a separate part of the dance. She did see that her posture felt a little awkward, but still a wonderful dance. Scores were all 9’s for a total of 27 out of 30.

Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke have the Paso Doble this round. He starts by dragging Cheryl across the floor like a swiffer. His solo involves a cape and some flashing strobe lights. It was all heavy cape action. He has some nice stomping action and has on quite the nice Paso “it hurts” face. They end with a nice trick where Cheryl falls down and Maurice grabs her neck. NICE! Bruno called his cape twirling was like a hurricane, said it was strong and powerful - it was nice. C.A. loved the focus, and the nailed steps, she wants to see the intensity bridged with the elegance next week. Len isn’t normally a cape lover, but said his cape work fit the dance, thought he did a great job. Scores were all 8’s for a total of 24 out of 30.

Dancing the Samba is Lance and Lacey, she is wearing short feathers has her dress and losing feathers with each step. His solo involved lots of turning and some hip hop stuff. They are really doing a great Samba with lots of bounce and typical Samba moves. I liked it. I didn’t think his solo fit in well, but we’ll see what they say..he did do great in his solo, but didn’t seem like it gelled. C.A. said this dance is one of the most difficult of the show and said they did a very good job, but told him to watch his spot during his solo - that his eyes go above and it is distracting. Bruno disagrees saying he was looking at the balcony. Len wanted the solo to be more of a Samba flavor, but said to work on footwork (pigeon toes) and called it atrocious. Bruno said he focused during his solo and liked it and loved how much content they put in tonight. Scores were an 8 from CA, 7 from Len, and a 9 from Bruno for a total of 24 out of 30.

Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson have the jive for the final dance of the night. He is so surprisingly light on his feet. He does a great job selling his dances with his face. He does some nice jive moves on his solo and really gets down at the end in his own Warren way. Kym knocks on his head along with the music - cute! Very entertaining and cute. Len says it is such a joyful thing to watch - his feet were “words can’t even describe it.” Bruno releases such fun, but said Kym was smart b/c she choreographed to his strengths. C.A. said he was a little flatfooted, but was amazed at how his feet kept going. Scores were 2 9’s from C.A. and Len and an 8 from Bruno for a total of 26 out of 30.

Final Leader Board:

Brooke Burke and Derek Hough 55 out of 60

Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson 54 out of 60

Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer 50 out of 60

Cody Linley and Edyta Sliwinska 48 out of 60

Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke 48 out of 60

I’m up in the air for what my favorite was. I’ll think about it and get back to you. BTW, I won’t be blogging tomorrow night so it will be all Bridget. I’m going to watch the Olympic Medal Gymnastic Team perform in Indy. I’m excited!