Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Finals Are Set - Who's Got the Best Shot at the Mirrorball Trophy?

After the most compelling Semi Final EVER!!!! This is Dancing With the Stars! Next week is the Finale and three couples will be vying for the Mirrorball Trophy!

Wow, Brooke looks different with straight hair! I like it!

We also get to see another round of college dance-offs. Utah Valley University versus Rutgers tonight.

Right off the bat, we again find out who will be safe - I like it as a fan but really feel sorry for the couples that don’t hear their name called. Who will it be? Evan & Anna!

Len gives us his thoughts about last night. Every couple went beyond expectations. Erin did an absolutely beautiful Viennese Waltz, but she has to kiss the nerves goodbye if she’s going to kiss the Trophy. Nicole’s Argentine Tango satisfied every one of Len’s senses. Chad was a revelation with his Waltz, and any other season he’d be a shoo-in to win it. (Not really, that’s a little much if you ask me. He’s good, but not like Jerry Rice or Emmitt Smith was!) Evan’s Fox Trot was brilliant. On to the Latin Round, and Erin’s Paso Doble was full of intensity. (And that shot of Maks shirtless in the confessional was pretty intense too!) If Nicole isn’t in the Finals, there’s “something wrong with the world.” Chad’s Samba was good, but not quite good enough. Evan’s Paso Doble was genius.

The judges have decided that they want to see the couple who came out “full boar, all guns blazing” - and it’s Evan & Anna’s Paso Doble. I like it even better tonight - but it really looks like he slams her head to the floor at the end! Ouchie!

We get a taste of our Pros’ upbringing. Maks was born in the Ukraine but back then it was part of the USSR, behind the Iron Curtain. His father didn’t think that living there would give their kids a good life, so they moved to Brooklyn. The second day in America Maks was beat up and his roller blades were stolen. “Thanks, guys, for the warm welcome!” He didn’t want to dance in the Ukraine, but once he got to America, he really got into ballroom. He wants everything, but not to have it, “to achieve it.”

Lots going on tonight! The Design-A-Dance, Sarah Mclachlan will sing, and I heard something about Miley Cyrus too (not important enough to rewind). As Sarah Mclachlan sings “Arms of the Angel” we see Jonathan & Anna dancing, and it’s so pretty! She then goes into her new hit “Loving You is Easy” and Lacey & Damien and Dmitry & Kym come out to dance for that.

Brooke interviews the four stars backstage, and Evan says he hopes there’s a twist tonight and they take four to the Finals. (Ever the diplomat!) Erin is superstitious and won’t even discuss next week. Tom bursts Evan's bubble and says there's no twist.

Cheryl is highlighted next. She grew up near San Francisco. She was so shy her mom thought she was deaf. She started ballet and wouldn’t consider doing ballroom because she thought that was for old people, until she saw some kids doing it and then quit ballet to do ballroom full time. She says it’s a great way to express herself.

Now for the Design-A-Dance! Emilio Oh designed the costumes for Melissa Rycroft and Joey Fatone. They’ll be dancing a Tango to “I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night.” Doesn’t look like a great Tango to me, but I like the dance. Fatone has Kiss makeup on too - now I know what Tom meant when he said “Joey wants to see you (designer Emilio) outside after the show.” Okay, it was fun, but Fatone lost a little of his pizazz (and gained weight back) since his dancing days.

Rutgers will dance first in the College Dance-Off. They’re a formation team and have only been in existence for a month, but they practice 7 hours at a time three or four days a week. They’ll dance a Cha Cha. Their sync isn’t bad, and the dance is pretty perky. Len tells them it was a great effort considering the time they’ve had to practice, and aside from one or two little mistakes, he thought it was great. Bruno says for a new team they’ve done a great job. As a formation team they need time to learn each other to stay together. Carrie Ann says they have a future, loved the choreography. The judges give them: 7-7-7=21.

The Utah Valley University dance team are up next. They’re pretty organized, they have their cheer team there! It’s the only place that has a degree for ballroom dancing. Their coach runs it military style, doing callisthenics and stretches. They will also be dancing a Cha Cha. Hmmm, starting out they’re off sync. Uh oh, one fo the guys’ shirttail is hanging out! Minus points (heehee). Good dance, I like the way they end it with the girls upside down. Bruno tries to start his commentary but he’s having problems because the cheer team won’t shut up. He tells them it’s fantastic choreography and incredible technique. Carrie Ann tries to cheer too and fails miserably. She liked it also. Len calls it a very accomplished performance. He says their lines were perfect. Their scores: 10-9-10=29.

Tom says Miley Cyrus will be singing next and the shot of her backstage looks like she’s pissed at something, or maybe she just woke up.

Anna Trebunskaya’s profile is next - she grew up in an industrial city in Russia. It was a good childhood. She loved to dance, and it was a good escape. The air was bad and bothered Anna because she was born with asthma, so they moved to the US. Jonathan said she was cold and standoffish when he first met her, but then got to know her warm personality. (I can see that). Anna says she’s very lucky to have met Jonathan.

Miley Cyrus is up next with an exclusive TV debut of her new song. She’s got her own dancers and I could care less.....

Derek Hough is profiled next. He grew up in Utah with four sisters. The girls would dress him up and make fun of him. He didn’t want to dance but when he finally got into it, he loved it. His teacher was Corky Ballas and Derek wanted to be the best and wanted to live with the Ballas family. They moved to London and Derek went too. Corky says that Derek could get in trouble, and the best punishment was to take his hair gel away. He says it would be devastating to get so close to the Finals and not make it.

Back to some results - another couple that’s safe: Nicole & Derek. (Okay, so they got the obvious ones out of the way.) After the commercial, Tom tells us that during the commercial it was “very quiet in here.” We hear the judges’ opinions of the two remaining stars. Carrie Ann said Chad had promise, but didn’t do as well as they thought. Then he blossomed and watching him has been incredible. (Oh, and his dancing has improved too). Bruno says Erin would enter the Finals with momentum and has gotten better and better every week. Len tells us that under normal circumstances both remaining couples would be in the Finals - this is the highest standard of dancing ever. So who will go home as the 100th eliminated couple? Chad and Cheryl.

Chad enjoyed the journey and appreciated the good criticism from the judges. He says “in my eyes, I’ve already won.” Cheryl says he’s the most humble guy ever, and warm and soft. (Except for that beautifully chiseled chest!) Their stroll down memory lane shows Cheryl being tough on Chad, but she gives him a kiss when he does good. They’ve become great friends and Chad says their friendship will continue - and he’ll be here next year as a professional!

So next week, our couples have to do four dances, including a Freestyle - and it's all for that gaudy Mirrorball Trophy! I’m looking forward to an explosive evening!!!

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