Anyway, this week was Classical Week on DWTS. Maybe I should quote that because the producers of the show really went with a liberal definition, but you'll see what I mean. The show did start off with a beautiful performance by violinist Joshua Bell (with somewhat strange accompaniment by the DWTS troupe).
On to the dancing!
Katherine Jenkins & Mark Ballas
Dance: Rumba
Song: Canon D
Judges' Scores: 27 (trip 9's)
Before we begin the costuming needs mentioning. Classical in this case referred not just to the music style but the Classics Department as Mark went full gladiator, complete with shield, and Katherine went Greek goddess, complete with extremely large braid. Now for the Rumba. This one is tough because obviously the song was not the best. Katherine's dancing was fine, nice footwork and decent hip action. Of course she was graceful and elegant and even her face didn't have that look of fear she sometimes gets. It was just a bit boring. With no real emphasis to take advantage of in the song I don't really blame it on them but it is what it is.
Melissa Gilbert & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dance: Argentine Tango
Song: Marriage of Figaro
Judges' Scores: 21 (trip 7's)
Lots going on with them this week! Maks has an injured ankle so to be safe he brought Val into rehearsal just in case he couldn't perform Monday night. Maks did end up performing but it didn't really help them. Now, in their defense again Argentine to Mozart was not the best choice. Other things also weren't in their favor. Melissa's costume was atrocious; it emphasized her flaws instead of hiding them and just made her look even more awkward in the hip area. The dance also began and ended at a fake alter with a dummy groom which was just odd and kind of creepy. As far as the dance went, the only response is not well. She seemed to be in an awkward squatting position through much of the dance, especially through the tricks, that just made the whole thing uncomfortable to watch. There were also a bunch of small stumbles that interrupted the flow. But the major killer was the music, I think many of their flaws would have been better hidden to more appropriate tango music.
William Levy & Cheryl Burke
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Song: Ave Maria
Judges' Scores: 27 (trip 9's)
Well these two got the most appropriate music so far with 12 year old soprano Jackie Evancho accompanying them. There was a lot of talk by Cheryl in the rehearsal footage about letting in more content. I suppose she somewhat stuck to that in that she let him actually move this week but it would have been hard to have him stand still in the V Waltz. They had some help by the fog machine covering up some not so great footwork but even the intense fog couldn't cover up the somewhat strange squat/bent position that William kept throughout the dance. His frame was okay but not as good as it has been previously. I thought it was a decent dance and it was entertaining, I just wonder if Cheryl is really going to be able to push William in any meaningful way going forward.
Roshon Fegan & Chelsie Hightower
Dance: Argentine Tango
Song: Bad Romance
Judges' Scores: 25 (8's from Bruno & Len, a 9 from CA)
Val made another appearance in rehearsal footage to help Roshon with his masculinity. Did it help? I'm not sure but the dance was well done. I think Roshon would have been most helped if they had used a more relaxed, typical Argentine Tango frame instead of the more formal ballroom frame. It would have allowed them to get closer and really explore the intensity that they almost had going. The judges once again showed this couple is not their favorite although I'm still not sure why. And if you are keeping track, yes, they did dance to Lady Gaga. When you add violins that means it's classical, right?!
Donald Driver & Peta Murgatroyd
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Song: La Donna e Mobile
Judges' Scores: 27 (trip 9's)
Vittorio Grigolo accompanied them in a remarkably appropriate and classical song. Of course, their costumes were didn't help but can you really hope for two for two?! I enjoyed the dance and I enjoyed Donald's real attention to detail. You could tell how hard he was working and he did a really great job with the footwork. I agree with Len, the fleckerl combination was weird and his feet were floppy but I have to give him an A for effort.
Maria Menounos & Derek Hough
Dance: Paso Doble
Song: Montagues and Capulets
Judges' Scores: 30 (trip 10's)
So since they were dancing to one of my favorite songs I figured how could it go wrong? Oh, I forgot to consider the possibility that they'd do a vampire bit. Wait, what?! Yes, Derek came at Maria with a stake and Maria ended him in the end with a neck bite. Why, oh why? Aside from that I didn't mind the dance. I didn't feel like Maria really had to do a lot of Paso steps, there were a lot of side lunges and skirt flicks but Derek did most of the heavy lifting. It didn't bother me as much since it was the Paso but I don't think it really deserved the first perfect score of the season.
Jaleel White & Kym Johnson
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Song: Did I Make the Most of Loving You?
Judges' Scores: 24 (trip 8's)
Jaleel has definitely come pretty far from just phoning in the dances. He is trying hard, if maybe not as hard as Donald. The dance wasn't bad, and I do think he had more content to deal with than William, but it wasn't fantastic either. There was some awkwardness here and there but again nothing too bad.
Top Scoring Solo Performance of the Night
I'm surprised to say I really liked the tango. Really liked it! I thought the choreography was great and I was so excited to see real tango steps out of every single couple. I thought Roshon was the standout in terms of solos but the others each really got a chance to shine at some point. The scores? 27 out of 30 with a 10 from CA, an 8 from Len, and a 9 from Bruno.
Team Paso? Well, it isn't as though anyone really messed up. I just wasn't feeling it as much. The individual solos were okay and the group choreography was fine I just didn't like it as much as the tango. The judges marginally agreed with me giving the total score of 26 (9's from CA & Bruno and an 8 from Len). That said I thought both group dances were very entertaining and I loved watching all the couples dance on the same floor. Even more surprising, I thought everyone really performed to the best of their abilities and it brought out some good qualities I hadn't really seen before.
Top Scoring Group Number by Team Tango
Time for the leader board! I am going to include my impressions of the group dance into my rankings but not much. The less people there are the harder this gets!
Judges' Rankings Pre-Group Dance
| Place | Couple | Points |
| 1 | Maria & Derek | 30 |
| 2 | Donald & Peta | 27 |
| 2 | William & Cheryl | 27 |
| 2 | Katherine & Mark | 27 |
| 5 | Roshon & Chelsie | 25 |
| 6 | Jaleel & Kym | 24 |
| 7 | Melissa & Maks | 21 |
Judges' Rankings Post-Group Dance My Rankings
| Place | Couple | Points | Place | Couple |
| 1 | Maria & Derek | 57 | 1 | Maria & Derek |
| 2 | Katherine & Mark | 54 | 2 | Katherine & Mark |
| 3 | Donald & Peta | 53 | 3 | Roshon & Chelsie |
| 3 | William & Cheryl | 53 | 4 | Donald & Peta |
| 5 | Roshon & Chelsie | 52 | 5 | William & Cheryl |
| 6 | Jaleel & Kym | 51 | 6 | Jaleel & Kym |
| 7 | Melissa & Maks | 47 | 7 | Melissa & Maks |
I'm nervous for Roshon this week. He was a real standout in the team numbers and truly is a good dancer but he just isn't getting the votes. If Maks' fans keep him out of the bottom two, Roshon could be in trouble. Still I'm thinking it will be a Melissa or Jaleel exit this week.
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