Dancing With the Stars – Everyone brings their A-Game to the semi-finals

We’re down to the final four on Dancing With the Stars and Tara correctly predicted last week’s double elimination. And for once, I believe we have the four best dancers in the competition heading into the finals. It’s going to be a very tough elimination tomorrow night with such a high caliber of dance between William, Donald, Katherine and Maria, but a mishap on the dance floor tonight could have serious and surprising repercussions. But we’ll get to that in a minute. Tom also teased us with news about next season’s show being announced tomorrow … hmm, could it be the All-Star Edition that we mentioned a couple of weeks ago? Whatever happens after tonight, each celebrity can certainly be proud of their work this season. Let’s see how they did in their two rounds of dancing.

Round One

William & Cheryl, Tango — Great footwork, loved the fast and slow of the dance, William’s leg extensions and lines were amazing, and the strength of the hold, and his excellent partnering with Cheryl were top notch. Bruno thought it was “ace.” Carrie Ann was picky on some of the technique, but I have no idea what a shanae is. Score: 28

Katherine & Mark, Quick Step — Good fake out by Carrie Ann when she told Katherine she didn’t bring her A-Game … she brought her A+ Game! Judges raved about the dance, Len noticed a little foot slip which Mark took blame for. I thought the beginning of the dance was a bit lifeless but it picked up in the middle for a good finish. Has Katherine peaked too soon? Score: 29

Donald & Peta, Waltz — Donald is Mr. Smooth, gliding with Peta across the floor and exuding so much passion. But I bet the judges hate all that smoke so they can’t see the footwork. Len was concerned about him not keeping his head to the left, but Bruno thought the dance was impressive. Score: 28

Maria & Derek, Argentine Tango — This is one of my favorite dances and I think she nailed it. It was totally mesmerizing, with great footwork and lines and amazing lifts. The judges all loved it, so much so that Len was practically speechless. Score: 30

Round Two

The celebs related their upbringings from William’s impoverished life in Cuba to Maria’s immigrant parents struggling to provide for their kids in Boston. All the stories were touching, but were they just used to sway viewers sympathetic votes? If so, all of that may have been undone by a dance floor accident.

William & Cheryl, Samba — William has the booty shaking down, doesn’t he? A fun, vibrant and sexy dance. Bruno is going to die from “Bum Envy” with all that shaking going on. Len said he’s never looked at a man’s bum for such a long time, calling him the “hunk with the junk in the trunk.” Score: 30. Final score: 58. William has proven that he can dance, but will he have to depend on his sex appeal carry him to the finals?

Katherine & Mark, Salsa — A fun, light-hearted dance, an interesting Middle Eastern flavored salsa ended in near disaster. Apparently Katherine’s back gave out causing Mark to stumble as he crossed over her, making him fall but he managed to keep her up. A marvelous dance to that point and it was heartbreaking to see her so upset. But the judges overlooked the mishap and praised the rest of the dance. Score: 27. Final score: 56. Katherine finds herself in last place for the first time, so will sympathy votes after her accident bring her back to the finals, or will her injury take her our of the competition? She still looked to be in a lot of pain at the end of the show, so the viewer votes may not have much impact if she can’t compete.

Donald & Peta, Samba — Another fun dance, and they need to rename Donald “Twinkle Toes” after watching the way he practically tip-toed across the dance floor. Len thought the dance was acceptable, but Carrie Ann thought it was A+ game. Score: 29. Final score: 57. Donald has the charisma, the dedication and the moves to carry him to the finals, but does he have the fan base to carry him out of third place if a lot of votes swing over to Katherine?

Maria & Derek, Jive — This was the least jive-iest Jive I’ve ever seen, and Derek did all the work. Seriously, Maria (who has proven she can handle the dances even with all of her injuries), barely moved during this dance while Derek, with a back injury, did all of heavy lifting. But somehow the judges saw a lot more to it than I did. Surprisingly, even Len didn’t even mind that it lacked Jive content, and for a semi-final dance, it should have been ALL content. It left me cold. Score: 29. Final score: 59. Maria has the talent and the drive, and being in first place doesn’t hurt her chances at getting to the finals. But, if viewers felt the same way about her last dance as I did, that — and the Katherine factor — could hurt her.

It’s a tough call this week with such an amazing final four, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, William, Donald and Katherine will be the final three. Who are you rooting for?

Clacked by Chuck Duncan
on May 14, 2012 @ 22:17 EST5EDT