Everybody Swings in ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Week 6
The Round of 7 Features the First (Chaotic) Group Dance
The sixth week of competition on Dancing with the Stars opened with the news that, for the first time, the celebrities and their professional partners would join together in a group performance of the All-American Swing, in addition to their regular Latin ballroom dance. Although the program left that event for last, the rehearsal footage at least turned out to be the most entertaining part of the show as all but Heather Mills, away in London, and her partner Jonathan Roberts, participated in a group rehearsal full of horseplay and wisecracks. The funniest of the quips came from Laila Ali when the instructors started prepping the women for their maneuvers. The boxer made sure everyone knew that nobody was going to flip her, so she must be flipping one of the guys. And that she did, too, using a shorter and smaller Apolo Ohno (or rather she spun him around). The crowded, chaotic number was great fun meant only for viewers to consider, since the judges didn’t score it, only making very short, uniformly complimentary comments afterwards.
Otherwise, the episode was a typical hodgepodge of more- or less-accomplished routines and alternatively biting and doting commentary from the judges. The two celebrities who ended the night tied with the highest score awarded of 28, namely Laila and her “flippee” Apolo, both received a perfect 10 from a customarily high-spirited Bruno Tonioli.
Joey Fatone/Kym Johnson—Samba
- Joey pulled some of his old boy-band moves in this fantastic number that started the night off on an excellent, energetic note, making it clear that the visit by Season 3 competitor Jerry Springer during rehearsal worked like a charm helping Joey and Kym take their dancing up another notch. The three judges mostly agreed. Head judge Len Goodman called the routine a “great performance,” although Carrie Ann Inaba noted some problems with the footwork at the end, and Bruno Tonioli pointed out that they “messed it up a little bit.” It was an emphatic 9 for me, nonetheless.
- Score: 9 (Carrie Ann), 9 (Len), 9 (Bruno) = 27/30 Points
Heather Mills/Jonathan Roberts—Paso Doble
- Winding up in the Bottom 2 with her partner last week after a fall that many felt she faked, Heather had a lot to make up for despite the lengthy transatlantic commute she now has between London and California (which caused her to miss the group Swing rehearsal and only start learning the dance the day before the celebrities debuted it). I didn’t like this performance at all, although the couple did get a standing ovation. Heather looked unprepared and unsteady on her feet, and it also seemed like she kept her mouth agape the whole time for no obvious reason. The performance, the worst one from Heather and Jonathan by far, in my opinion, was no better than a 6 in my opinion. Bruno gloated, as usual, about Heather getting better every week, while Carrie Ann seemed to pick up on what I did when she noted that regardless of her generally favorable impression, something still seemed to be missing. Len liked the routine also, but agreed with Carrie Ann that Heather needs to work on her upper body and posture.
- Score: 7 (Carrie Ann), 8 (Len), 8 (Bruno) = 23/30 Points
John Ratzenberger/Edyta Sliwinska—Mambo
- John was booked up this week with his voice work for Pixar animated films and complained mightily about how little time he had to learn the Mambo routine, which is all about footwork and hip action. Well, unfortunately, John’s lack of time showed when he hit the dance floor and, according to head judge Len, “waddled out like a duck.” Bruno piled on the criticism, as well, noting the “major technical problems,” while a kind-hearted Carrie Ann simply pointed out the problematic footwork despite John looking like a cute “little dancing teddy bear.” Sure, the choreography was low on professional-style moves, but, as always, John and Edyta seemed like they were having a really good time, which counts for quite a lot. I gave the duo a 6.
- Score: 7 (Carrie Ann), 6 (Len), 6 (Bruno) = 19/30 Points
Laila Ali/Maksim Chmerkovskiy—Cha Cha Cha
- Determined to put some funk in her Cha Cha to avoid doing the same old stale steps again, Laila convinced Maksim to join in her quest, and they then proceeded to turn the audience out with the indisputable best performance of the show. It was a 10 all the way for me, the crowd that got on their feet at the end, and Bruno, who thought Laila was stunning and magnificent. Party poopers Carrie Ann and Len gave the couple measly 9s, the first advising Laila to keep her eyes up while dancing (she did look down too much) and Len sharing his displeasure with the final funkified portion of the routine, although he still felt Laila was “pure gold.” [And let me record for all of posterity how cohost Samantha Harris gave away Laila and Maksim's total score of 28/30 before the judges actually revealed them onscreen. Her explanation was that she could hear the results, presumably through an earpiece, beforehand.]
- Score: 9 (Carrie Ann), 9 (Len), 10 (Bruno) = 28/30 Points
Billy Ray Cyrus/Karina Smirnoff—Jive
- Karina’s goal with her choreography this week was to get Billy Ray to have some fun while performing, not worry so much about doing the steps correctly. Did she succeed? Heck, yeah. Although Billy Ray will probably never look like a natural dancer, no matter how much time and effort he devotes to practicing, the steps that Karina included were less rigid and traditional, allowing Billy Ray to improvise his own variations on several occasions. The singer-actor seemed to have a particular fondness for what Karina called the “Who’s Your Daddy,” a forward and backward hip-thrusting move. The result was a smoother, more entertaining presentation that I think deserved a solid 7, one point away from Billy Ray’s goal score of an 8. After Bruno commented that “the crazy bear has been let loose,” he confirmed that Billy Ray did do some steps that were relevant to the Jive. Carrie Ann loved the new moves that Billy Ray improvised and appreciated the fact that his obvious efforts have won everyone over. Len basically stated that despite Billy Ray’s lack of dancing talent, he still loves watching his entertaining performances.
- Score: 7 (Carrie Ann), 7 (Len), 7 (Bruno) = 21/30 Points
Apolo Anton Ohno/Julianne Hough—Rumba
- During rehearsal, not only was Julianne sick, but Apolo was having a bit of a tough time channeling the sexy vibe that performing the Rumba requires. Julianne’s brother Derek Hough, who’s also a professional dancer, stopped by, then, to help the skater with the second problem and get him into the right frame of mind for the romantic dance. As usual, I thought the performance was great primarily because of Julianne’s enormous talent, while Apolo was customarily somewhat stiff and unimpressive, leading to my score of 8. Carrie Ann liked the beauty of the dance and the fact that, after receiving a perfect score last week, the pair delivered again. Len and Bruno, who got into an involved argument, disagreed. Len received the performance well, but he thought it was too theatrical and relied on the use of a chair too much. Bruno gushed like he always does when commenting on Apolo’s work, declaring the routine a fresh, artistic, inventive poem that took risks.
- Score: 9 (Carrie Ann), 9 (Len), 10 (Bruno) = 28/30 Points
Ian Ziering/Cheryl Burke—Paso Doble
- Despite Ian’s assertions during rehearsal that he would devote his efforts to perfecting his showmanship this time around, I thought the performance was one of his least appealing. His body language not only seemed more rigid than ever, but he also just didn’t move well, appearing hesitant and off-beat on some steps, probably a side effect of continuing to overthink his actions. The judges were disappointed, as well, with Len claiming that the performance lacked drama and that he didn’t like Ian’s posture and arms. Following their dispute only minutes earlier, Bruno still agreed completely, also confessing his disappointment that Ian is not breaking free of his safety net and taking risks. Carrie Ann, certain that Ian has what it takes to last in the competition, tried to help with the constructive suggestion that Ian pay attention to the exuberance, focus, passion, and heart that less talented Billy Ray brings to his performances. I think Carrie Ann gave very good advice, and my score was a 7.
- Score: 8 (Carrie Ann), 8 (Len), 8 (Bruno) = 24/30 Points
Judges’ Leaderboard for Week 6
- Laila Ali/Maksim Chmerkovskiy [28/30]
Apolo Anton Ohno/Julianne Hough [28/30] - Joey Fatone/Kym Johnson [27/30]
- Ian Ziering/Cheryl Burke [24/30]
- Heather Mills/Jonathan Roberts [23/30]
- Billy Ray Cyrus/Karina Smirnoff [21/30]
- John Ratzenberger/Edyta Sliwinska [19/30]
tv|jots Leaderboard for Week 6
- Laila Ali/Maksim Chmerkovskiy [10/10]
- Joey Fatone/Kym Johnson [9/10]
- Apolo Anton Ohno/Julianne Hough [8/10]
- Billy Ray Cyrus/Karina Smirnoff [7/10]
Ian Ziering/Cheryl Burke [7/10] - Heather Mills/Jonathan Roberts [6/10]
John Ratzenberger/Edyta Sliwinska [6/10]
tv|jots Leaderboard for Weeks 1–6
- Laila Ali/Maksim Chmerkovskiy [51/60]
- Joey Fatone/Kym Johnson [50/60]
- Ian Ziering/Cheryl Burke [47/60]
- Apolo Anton Ohno/Julianne Hough [42/60]
- Heather Mills/Jonathan Roberts [40/60]
- John Ratzenberger/Edyta Sliwinska [35/60]
- Billy Ray Cyrus/Karina Smirnoff [31/60]
Related Links: Dancing with the Stars Recaps
Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8pm EST (performance) and Tuesdays at 9pm EST (results) on ABC.
Dancing with the Stars photo/image courtesy of ABC
