DANCING WITH THE STARS Recap – Week 9

It was a week of injuries and stress as the contestants had to learn three dances — and the extra stress of the possibility of a fourth dance. Plus, Kym Johnson is a trooper after having one of the most painful looking injuries we’ve seen on this show. With Kirstie’s weight issues, Ralph’s knee, and Kym’s neck, it seems like a given that someone will have to club Mark Ballas in the arm.

The “Winner Takes All” Cha-Cha ended up more interesting than I expected, except for Brooke pointing out that she’s horrible live by not knowing how to read a coin. Sure the coin was some randomly made thing for the show, but Brooke should know that if there’s a head, that means it’s not tails. The fifteen points would have been able to save Brandy last season and it’s clear that the producers or judges would like to keep Chelsea around a bit longer, though I don’t know why.

Seeing that Romeo is gone, one wonders where all his votes have transferred to. If one stayed with the youth demographic, some would go to Chelsea, but I have a feeling more people would throw their support towards Ralph or Hines because both have proved that they are dynamic performers.

Round 1

Ralph & Karina – Argentine Tango – Ralph was so grateful for the fans. Karina pointed out that there are three dances for the week and Ralph was the most worried about the character of the salsa. Karina suggests using butt pads to enhance his posterior. Ralph was worried about a few tricks and his knee, but he soldiered on. The dance began with a bit of chair work which was interesting, but I thought wasted time. The light post work was better because it had actual Argentine steps. If Ralph was in any pain, he wasn’t showing it as he lifted Karina. The only issue was that some of the sequences seemed like he knew a chunk, then they had to pause, and then another chunk of choreography occurred.

Len thought it lacked emotion, but he liked the lamppost set-up and the content. Bruno thought Ralph was a bit detached and was looking more for the Latin lover. Carrie Ann noted the less amount of pain, but she agreed with Bruno; there was a disconnect between his emotions and his body. Score: 25 (8,9,8)

Kirstie & Maks – Viennese Waltz – Kirstie emphasized that she’s getting enough meals and sleep to make sure everything is okay. The two bickered a lot this week because of the semi-finals. Maks was looking for perfection during rehearsals and it caused Kirstie to storm off in tears. The two start off nice and graceful, but there’s something about Kirstie that isn’t as graceful as she’s been. The spins lacked a bit of control, but Kirstie stuck with the choreography and didn’t seem too winded by the end.

Bruno compared Kirstie to a ship; he loved the underarm passes. Carrie Ann loved the technique and emotion. Len loved the posture, movement, and rotations in the dance. Score: 27 (9,9,9)

Chelsea & Mark – Argentine Tango – Chelsea was worried about learning three dances, but Mark was more worried about the emotions of the steps. Mark stressed out that Chelsea wasn’t working hard enough. The two started off really sexy, but there was something about Mark’s hand and quick neck flicks that threw me off. Chelsea looked graceful as she kicked and went into some interesting lift sequences. I think it also helped that they had a really easy song to emote from. The audience gives them a mostly standing ovation.

Carrie Ann thought the dance wasn’t up to par; her legs need finishing and sharpness. Len agreed that her legs needed authority, but he liked the cleanliness and precision in the dance. Bruno compared her to Sharon Stone — she had the “basic instinct.” Score: 28 (9,9,10)

Hines & Kym – Argentine Tango – Kym wanted to make sure that the couple pulled off all the stops. Kym and Hines attempted a few lifts and flips that worried Hines during the practice. Kym knew that people had to take risks. When they attempted one lift, Hines missed and basically landed on Kym’s neck. She was placed in a neck brace and sent to the hospital. We assume that Kym was okay as she started dancing in her square. The couple started with some interesting table and chair work. Kym did include some really pretty lifts into the dance. Hines was there the whole time fully supportive and framing Kym. Hines gave a cheeky wink to end the performance; the couple was in tears after the dance.

Len loved watching the whole story unfold; he appreciated the whole performance. Bruno appreciated the emotions throughout the dance and compared the dance to good sex. Carrie Ann appreciated Kym’s recovery and was impressed by how Hines partnered Kym throughout the whole performance. Score: 30 (10,10,10)

Round 2

Ralph & Karina – Salsa – Ralph grew up in Long Island, NY and explained that he wanted to be an actor at a young age. His parents said that he had that spark. His wife met him at fifteen and the two had a spark. Soon he got on THE KARATE KID and then instantly got swept into the Hollywood stardom, but kept his family life. Though he wished for more work, he’s been focused on his children. I had to laugh a bit on the intro to their salsa with him trying to be dirty and Karina attempting to be a leopard. The two tried their best to be dirty, but Ralph had that look like a little kid who was having too much fun. Choreography wise, the performance was dynamic.

Len loved the commitment, but the dance was too wild and didn’t have rhythm. Bruno thought his legs were too far apart and wasn’t smooth enough. Carrie Ann liked the bizarreness of the performance even though he lost some of the technique. Score: 23 (8,7,8)

Kirstie & Maks – Paso Doble – Kirstie was born in Kansas and is a proud mid-western girl. Kirstie did cocaine in her 20s and people were shocked that she was doing it. She noted how she continued to fight. At 28 she went to California and got some success. After CHEERS she became a mother and got really fat. Kirstie had a solo moment where she ripped off her long skirt section. The performance covered a lot of ground and Kirstie had the right emotion for the dance. I actually thought the dance was really short, possibly because of how much time was wasted in the beginning.

Bruno compared the performance to a volcano and she endured the whole dance. Carrie Ann called her the queen of the Paso Doble. Len pointed out that Kirstie got two of the most difficult dances this week, but she did a great job. Score: 27 (9,9,9)

Chelsea & Mark – Rumba – Chelsea grew up in Arizona and her parents loved art and performance. She was in youth theater with AMERICAN IDOL contestant Jordin Sparks. Eventually she found a scam manager, but she managed to get her food in the door with Jonas and other Disney projects. Chelsea started with a long shawl that really didn’t add too much to the story. She was very smooth with her movements, but I couldn’t help but think the song really wasn’t a rhumba kind of song.

Carrie Ann loved the full range of motion and emotion. Len agreed, he liked the hip-action and performance. Bruno was hypnotized by the shape and romance. Score: 30 (10,10,10)

Hines & Kym – Salsa – Hines was born in Seoul, South Korea and he was tormented for being a mixed race kid. He and his mother to the US and taught him work ethic. He was teased by his race, but when he moved to athletics he was talented. He had no ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in his left knee and was drafted low, but he played with heart. He has the determination from his mother. Hines and Kym had some nice playful motions on the stage and when they got to the floor, Hines showed a lot of fun and some natural hip shaking that didn’t seem as overproduced as Ralph.

Len loved the performance and had the joy. Bruno thought the performance was beautiful. Carrie Ann loved the joy watching Hines dance. Score: 30 (10,10,10)

Round 3 – Winner Takes All Cha-Cha

We got an intricate explanation of the Cha-Cha. It was basically a four person tournament bracket. Two couples will compete (First and Fourth then Second and Third) and then the two winners will dance in an instant cha-cha. The competition was judge dependent.

Hines & Kym vs. Ralph & Karina – Hines & Kym started first and the two clearly were still on a high after their salsa. Their short snippet worked really well and had coverage of the floor. Ralph & Karina had a lot of movement for Ralph’s injury. Even though Karina had some issues with her hat, the two maintained a strong showing.

Len loved watching Hines perform and he appreciated Ralph’s commitment. Bruno thought Hines was solid and Ralph raised the bar. Carrie Ann thought Ralph was together, but Hines’ hips were in it to win it. Winner: Hines & Kym (3-0)

Chelsea & Mark vs. Kirstie & Maks – Mark returned his Michael Jackson pants, but this time had green socks. Mark also continued the choreography with the whip-like motions in his performance. Singing along to the song wasn’t the best move for him, but Chelsea was solid throughout. Kirstie started a bit nervously in the beginning but the two had some really sexy hip-motions and they covered some good ground and sensual turns.

Bruno thought Chelsea was clean and Kirstie was expressive. Carrie Ann loved the difference between the sexy versus cleanliness. Len agreed about Chelsea’s crispness versus Kirstie’s sensuality. Winner: Chelsea & Mark (3-0)

Hines & Kym vs. Chelsea & Mark – Instant Dance to “Just Dance” – After the confusing coin flip Hines started first. I was surprised how well the two did, but I’m assuming that both teams practiced a routine and did it without too much adjustment because it kind of went without too much emphasis on the lyrics. This was similar to when couples did the marathon and just practiced a long routine. After Hines & Kym finished the other two started off with Mark trying to hype himself up before they started. Chelsea really did a lot of the same performance that got them into the finals and she had some moments of staccato that didn’t really fit the performance that well.

Len loved the ease of Hines versus the dynamite of Chelsea. Bruno thought both did really well. Carrie Ann understood that with little time both proved to be good dancers. Winner: Chelsea & Mark (3-0)

Total Scores

Chelsea & Mark – 73 (28+30+15)

Hines & Kym – 60 (30+30)

Kirstie & Maks – 54 (27+27)

Ralph & Karina – 48 (25+23)

Sadly, I think this extra cha-cha would destroy my want of a Ralph versus Kirstie finale. I don’t consider Ralph the Bristol of this season because he’s proven that he’s good and was actually on the top of the leaderboard before.