About Last Night: Dancing With the Stars

The end is near & only one more day & we’ll have our winner. The show was finally down to one hour & it went by rather quickly. Brooke Burke was still tying to grab all the attention she could get. This time her boobs were in check, but that hair! It was teased up taller than the Empire State Building. It also looked like Tom had some hair management too. He looked freshly clipped as he informed us that it was a two-dance night. The first would be a “redemption dance”, one that the judges thought they sucked at & wanted them to try again. The second was the all-out, no holds barred, bring on the lifts freestyle dance. This is usually the dance that declares the winner. Well let’s take a final look at our couples.

ERIN & MAKS:

The judges decided that Erin needed to redo her Samba. Visions of that awful bathroom rug style purple skirt came back to haunt me. This time Maks had help in getting Erin to shake & sway in the form of Bruno. He gave her great direction about how to keep things tight, sharp & her leg movements closer. The dance was okay, but it certainly didn’t wow me. Erin was given another awful skirt, this one orange, that was all long & dangling. Maybe it was to cover a bruise on her thigh that I noticed during their rehearsals. In the end, they samba’d up to the judges station, shimmying & shaking & planting a kiss on Len’s bald head. I thought it was shamefully lame! What do I know… the judges loved it. 10-10-9=29

Maks was determined to do something different for their freestyle dance. He stepped outside his comfort zone of ballroom dancing & chose to do something contemporary. I immediately thought of pro-dancer Lacey. She always tried to add this form of dance into her routines & the judges never liked it. Enter “So You Think You Can Dance” Mandy Moore. She helped Erin & Maks come up with a dance that was sooo different that I was nervous for them. Well, I have to tell you, this was amazing to watch & Erin’s confidence was in full force. She was awesome to watch. No more “afraid to jump”. The thrashing around on the bed was a bit overboard, but I loved it. Did the judges? Of course not! …especially Len. 9-8-9=26 Total: 55

NICOLE & DEREK:

For their redemption dance, the judges chose the Rumba, stating that Nicloe was too wobbly the first time around. This time CarrieAnn was there to guide her through her rehearsals. She coached her into not thinking about the technique & to just “Let go!” (arghhh…. she’ll go into the light if she does!) Dancing to “Lady in Red”, I think they did a great job. Not the best I’ve ever seen them, but once again it was Derek’s choreography that made it so good. Lift-buster CarrieAnn jumped them on a lift that he executed at the very end, claiming that even though he did it after the singers final note, the song wasn’t over yet. 9-9-10=28

The two were very excited about their freestyle dance. It’s what they’ve been waiting for all season. Full of lifts, classic ballroom steps & great choreography, they really did nail this one… that is until, towards the end, they decided to rip off their fancy, sparkly black suits to reveal sparly yellow costumes. They had trouble & the cameraman turned to the judges station for a moment, making things awkward. They lost their timing & blew their final lift. It was a shame too, because they were so good until then. You could tell that the judges really wanted to give them tens, but with that blunder, they couldn’t. 9-9-9=27 Total: 55

EVAN & ANNA:

The Viennese Waltz was a nightmare for Evan the first time around. He was still in his figure-skating mode & it showed. This is why the judges chose this dance for his redo. Len was his coach & he emphasized the fact that Evan still needed to connect emotionally with Anna, especially after their extension returns. For a Viennese Waltz, their dance was fast-paced & energetic, to say the least, but I loved it. Len was a tad upset that it had a little too much movement, causing Evan to “collapse a bit”. I’m not sure what that means. 10-9-9=28

Anna proclaimed that she would rather choreograph a hundred pasos & jives than one freestyle. Thus began the nightmare freestyle rehearsals. Evan turned into a real DIVA. The shy little figure skater was gone. He argued with Anna on every move, claiming she wasn’t making it unique. He ended up storming out & she was left crying over the whole thing. What a drama queen! I mean Evan, not Anna. I’m thinking we finally got to see the real Evan. After calling in some dude named Bobby Newberry as a negotiator, they were able to compromise on a routine. Dancing to “Footloose”, they came out hopping. I thought it was wonderful. The judges did not. They complained that it was all over the place & CarrieAnn said that they looked like they were both dancing a different dance, not in sync at all. 8-8-8=24 Total: 52

In the end, their faces said it all. The final camera shot showed Maks & Erin all lovey-dovey, hugging & smiling, Nicole & Derek were mugging it up for the camera, smiling & waving & there stood Evan & Anna with fake smiles frozen on their faces. You knew that they knew that they had lost. Tonight they will dance 2 more dances & the judges scores will be added to the call-in votes & Nicole will win, thanks to Derek & his awesome choreography.