Dancing With the Stars Week 6

    

 Motown on Dancing With the Stars this week was brilliant!  With the talents of Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves and The Temptations you could feel that the crooners were still smooth after all these years. Although The Temptations does not consist of all original members, the vibe and rhythm of the all-male group was strong and made me shake a tail feather!   We sadly said goodbye to Gavin when eliminated last week.  I give him a standing “O” for stepping out of his comfort zone, and trying something gutsy like dancing live on television before millions of viewers.  Great job, piano man! 

     I am thrilled to be joined this week by coolio blogger, Michelle Bell; southern belle, author Tracie Banister; and last but never least the other female who balances out the testosterone in my home, my daughter Gracie.  Let’s roll!   

Standout Performance of the week:

Tracie: I was very pleasantly surprised by Melissa Gilbert's Viennese Waltz.  It was really lovely.  She had grace and fluidity and her spins were amazing!  Her shoulders were hunched up a bit towards the end, but overall, it was her best, most enjoyable to watch performance yet.  Kudos, Half Pint!  If Melissa stays in the competition, I think it will be to her advantage that she's already gotten so many of the Latin dances out of the way.  Ballroom seems to come more naturally to her.  Perhaps because when she's dancing in hold with Maks, she can just relax and follow rather than rush to keep up with him?

Michelle: The group cha-cha!  I loved it! You could see who has come far and who is still struggling. I was shocked that Maria and Derek went out as fast as they did.  I was disappointed that William spent a lot of time sliding around on his knees. I loved Katherine and Mark. It was a fun dance off.

Jen: I thought Katherine and Mark’s Samba was fun!  Their moves looked so effortless and I know that was due to hard work in rehearsals.  In my eyes, Katherine is the quintessential non-professional dance partner.  She can shake it like a Polaroid picture one week, and then grace the floor effortlessly in a more controlled dance step the next.

Gracie: Maria and Derek were so, so cool!  I bet she is hungry after she dances.  Do you think they go to Taco Bell when the show is over?  

 

This Was Definitely Not Your Dance - Worst Performance:

Tracie: Oh, Roshon.  I knew that you would struggle with the slow, sensual movements of the Rumba and I'm afraid you did.  I really feel like the Rumba is an "adult" dance and poor Roshon is just too young to really grasp the concept of it.  He did try and I give him credit for that, but in the end, he was too herky jerky and hitting every move too hard.  When in doubt, he always falls back on Michael Jackson moves.  I feel like every dance of his this season has had that MJ flavor.

Michelle: I was not fond of Gladys and Tristan's dance tonight, but it was Roshon and Chelsie that I found to be the weakest of the night. Roshon is a cute kid, he and Chelsie have fun together, but the dancing is just not up to par with the rest of the contestants.  The dance was disconnected and clunky for me.  (And yes there was a lift, even if Chelsie wanted to argue it.)

Jen: I think that Gladys really struggled on the floor tonight.  Perhaps she was nervous with old friends singing as she took her steps.  I felt she found it difficult to maintain the moves.  She looked amazing in her purple dress, and with her countenance bright and gleaming you know that she had a ball regardless.  When it gets to the heart of the matter, having fun is what this show is all about.

Gracie: Why are William and Cheryl acting like they are on a date?  They didn’t dance very much this time.  They were all kissy and stuff; that’s gross!

The Tina Sparkle Award for best use of sequins and spandex:

Tracie: It's a tie for me this week.  I thought Melissa looked exquisite in her floaty emerald green gown (a great color for a pale redhead!) and her upswept hair was styled in an elegant and sophisticated way that really suited her Ballroom dance.  Gladys Knight was adorable in her grape-colored Rumba dress, which was very flattering to her figure.  I could have done without the Betty Rubble wig with the little purple bow, though. 

Michelle: I really loved Cheryl's dress tonight. The cut, the color, the way it flowed. It was the perfect look for her tonight.  

Jen: So many stars looked beautiful and their wardrobe embraced the Motown vibe; so hard to choose!  I already mentioned Gladys; she stunned the ballroom from head to toe.  Melissa looked like a porcelain goddess in her emerald green dress.  With her stunning red locks, it was the perfect complement!

Gracie: Did you see Chelsie?  She was wearing pinkish-tannish!  She was my favorite because she planned the best outfit.

I liked Maria too!  She looked like that lady in the movies that Mommy loves who wears black and pearls (Audrey Hepburn).  She was a princess!

This just in . . . the wardrobe department hates you!

Tracie: My eyes, my eyes!  Donald Driver's tux was turquoise, people!  A bright, cornea-searing shade of turquoise!  That is not a color that should ever be used in men’s formalwear.  And Peta's gown was the exact same shade, so when they danced, they melded together into this big bright blue blob (try saying that five times fast!) floating around the floor.  Not good!

Michelle: Maria looked like a dancing mirror ball! It was her worst outfit this season for me.

I love Tristan but the purple suit was not working.  He looked silly in it and I was trying not to laugh. I do give him some props for the hot geek glasses he was wearing, though.  I do love a geeky boy, just not one wearing a purple suit.

Jen: As much as I loved Gladys, the purple cardy that Tristan sported needed some sprucing up.  I would have loved to have seen him wear a letterman’s sweater, dress like Fonzie; something a little different.  LOVED that he embraced his inner geek wearing glasses!

What were the judges' smoking?

Tracie: I don't think that Len and Carrie Ann saw the same Rumba from Cheryl and William that I did.  Len thought it was too "raunchy" while Carrie Ann complained that the pair didn't seem "connected" at certain times in the dance.  How can something be raunchy when the dancers aren't connecting?  Oy!  That "8" from Len was ridiculous and a bit insulting.  I thought William did one of the better Rumbas I've seen from a male celebrity on this show.   

Michelle: Bruno must have gotten into a bit of trouble for his over the top sexually charged comments last week.  He slid in little zingers here and there, but he was on better behavior.  He still looks at William as if he would love to take a bite.  Len and his "midwife" comment to Katherine was a little weird. I was also surprised he scored Roshon with an 8 after he heavily criticized the dance between Roshon and Chelsie.

Jen: When Bruno said to Katherine, “You can bounce and you can funk,” I needed a moment.  It sounded to me like he said something quite different.  Once my brain caught up with his actual discourse with her, I was fine.  Scared me for a minute there, Bruno!

Gracie: Why did Carrie Ann cut off all her hair to make it curly tonight?!?  My daddy would be so, so mad if I cut my long hair.  I bet she goes to timeout when her parents see it.

*Mom’s note: I told her Carrie Ann’s hair was pinned up; she didn’t buy it.*

Tom Bergeron's best one-liner:

Tracie: Tom was on fire last night!  I was going to pick Tom calling Maks a "charm school dropout."  But since Michelle already mentioned that one, I'll go with Tom's comeback to Bruno when the latter said that Cheryl and William were "wired for sex" and Tom retorted, "Stop being an electrician."  Hee!

Michelle: "Next up Melissa and charm school drop-out, Maks" tossed in after Maks had a meltdown. That is the classic Maks that I love, though.  He is all about attitude and arrogance, temperamental and demanding.  And it is exactly what Melissa needs.

Jen: “Later tonight, Len will be home reading Fifty Shades of Grey…”  I have nothing more to add; it’s self-explanatory, really.

The "Oh, Brooke!" moment of the week:

Tracie: The question to William asking him if he thought he was intimidating the other celebs with the hotness of his Rumba was pretty lame.  I love how confused William always looks when he's in the celebraquarium and Brooke is nattering on.  He may understand English, but the language of the Brooke-bot is still incomprehensible to him.  

Michelle: "Do you think you intimidated the rest of the competitors?  Did you enjoy *this* dance with Cheryl?"  Brooke was all but leering at William. (And while the dance was spicy, I didn't find it as "ecstasy inducing" as it was being called.)

Jen: Am I softening to “Brooke Speak?”  Maybe I am tuning her out?  I cannot pick one monumental mishap.  Was she there tonight?

Time to hang up your dancing shoes:

Tracie: I think we'll probably be seeing Gladys and Rochon in the Dance Duel tonight.  I just don't know how Gladys can overcome the point spread between her and the other low scorers from last night, even with her tremendous voting fanbase.  If Gladys ends up in the B2, I can't see the judges keeping her over any of the other remaining celebs.  If it's Roshon and another celeb, like Maria or Jaleel, in the DD with him, Roshon is toast.

Michelle: I was sad to see Gavin get the boot last week as I really had hoped that Jaleel would go home. But it was time for Gavin to go, he wasn't as strong a dancer as the others.   I think that Roshon has about hit his peak.  The judges aren't enjoying him as much and it is obvious Roshon and Chelsie are getting frustrated with the critique and lack of higher scores. I think they could see the bottom two again.

Melissa did pretty well tonight.  I was impressed with her dance.  But maybe it’s a little too late.  Last week I said that Maks needed to get firm with Melissa and make her work harder.  They showed improvement tonight, but is it too late?

And as much as I adore Tristan, I think Gladys has gone as far as she can go.  I really feel this is her week.  Sorry, Gladys, I enjoy you and your partner, but it is time.

Jen: I think this might be the week we say farewell to Gladys.  Roshon and Chelsie also scored low this week, so they might be headed to the bottom two as well. 

Gracie: You know, I think they all worked so hard and should stay!  I know I don’t like it when they forget to wear pink and get mad  but sometimes I like to wear different colors too and so I will not say that anyone should leave.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Michelle, Tracie, Jen & Gracie