#team dances

Opening was less than impressive tonight. With this week’s theme they could have done some really fun stuff recreating a medley of boy band and girl group dances. I don’t understand why there was no Spice Girls songs involved in this entire night. 

Let’s see how Nick Carter does as a guest judge. 

The song choices/assignments are awful for these styles of dances. I love a good boy band and girl group and I know

Simone and Sasha- Samba –Survivor by Destiny’s Child The song for this was awful. There are other girl group songs that would have been more suited for the Samba.  I don’t know how Sasha even came up with choreo for this. I did think Simone messed up at the beginning. She did embody the feel the of the dance.   9, 8, 9, 9 = 35  (Um, why is Nick Carter the harsher judge?)

Bonner and Sharna- Rumba – I Want It That Way by BSB – The judges were spot on with their critiques. I do think he needs to let go and let the dance flow. Len was spot on saying it wasn’t his best dance, but also not his worst. 8, 8, 7, 7 = 30  

Nancy and Artem- Paso Doble –Free Your Mind by En Vogue -  Nancy got in her head too much this week trying to compare herself to Mel B. Len was correct, don’t let it get in your head. The beginning in the cage was too long. I got bored with it. Her shaping was a bit off and she seemed a little wobbly. I did love the part where she was “taming” the boys that Bruno pointed out. I still like Nancy and think she has the potential to be in the top 4.  9, 8, 8, 8  =33

Nick and Peta- Jive –Fun, Fun, Fun by the Beach Boys – This was a fun dance. Nick did show fun and embodied the spirit of the dance. He did need sharper kicks and flicks.  I do think he did as well as Bonner and should have had the same scores. 7, 7, 7, 7 = 28

Normani and Val- Salsa – When I Grow Up by the Pussycat Dolls – Len was correct, there needed to be more salsa content. I felt it was more of a freestyle than a salsa. What do I remember from this dance… spins and the hip hop break. Val needs to just keep his mouth shut, because he knows what Len meant. I think she was over scored and at most should have been 36.  10, 10, 8, 10  = 38

David and Lindsay- Argentine Tango – I Want You Back by Nsync – I think the judges were way harsher on David than they needed to be. This dance was good. He did wobble on the lift a bit but he didn’t drop her. The frustration got to David this week and that is totally understandable. I hope he sticks around a while longer because I do enjoy him. He should have gotten straight 8’s on this dance, but the judges seem to be harder on some than they are others. 7, 8, 7, 7 = 29

Rashad and Emma- Tango – Reach Out by the Four Tops – I LOVE RASHAD!!! He is fantastic! He did lose a little control because of attacking the dance, but like Len said it’s better to attack than to be passive. Even though he wasn’t perfect it was still my fave dance of the night. Glad to see him and Emma come back and move up the leader board. 9, 10, 9, 9 = 37

Heather and Maks- Rumba Waterfalls by TLC – Heather finally had her breakthrough. I don’t think it had anything to do with Maks vs Alan, but she finally seemed to connect with the audience and the dance. She did have fantastic lines, continuous movements and hip action which is very important in the rumba. I see that CAI didn’t mind the lift in this dance. (This is why I get annoyed with her lift police act… BE CONSISTENT) 10, 10, 10, 10  = 40

Team Dances

Team Boy Band – Medley of Jackson 5, NKOTB and One Direction – This was fantastic and hilarious. They really embodied the boy band feel in everything they did. 8, 9, 8, 8 = 33

Team Girl Group – Medley of Chiffons, TLC and 5th Harmony I hate to say it but I agreed with CAI that I expected more from them. I also agreed with Len, their dancing was better but the guys were more entertaining. The girls did seem to flip their hair and sit around a lot. I also think Simone spin off time at the beginning and I don’t know if Simone and Nancy were late with a move or Normani and Heather early or if they weren’t all 4 supposed to dip over at one point. 8,9,8,9 = 34 

Before the dances we’re told that all the men are safe and the ladies are in jeopardy. After the dances Simone and Normani are told they are safe, leaving Nancy and Heather in jeopardy. We have our “shocking elimination” this week as Heather is sent home after scoring the first perfect score of the season. I am honestly not surprised at all. I don’t believe Heather ever really connected with the audience at home or really showed her personality of who is until it was too late and people have already connected with other contestants. I do feel Bonner should be worried for this same reason, although Nick shouldn’t feel too comfy because his score is so low.

Overall Nick Carter wasn’t too shabby of a guest judge even if I didn’t agree with everything he said or scored.

Team 50s Tennis:

Kareem looks like a maypole.  Oh well.  If you can’t fix it, feature it.  

Lots of too-big steps and too little content.

And WTF is up with the faux-Elvis version of “Hit Me Baby One More Time”?

I give it a 7.

Team 70s Football:

With both figure skaters on this team, it’s essentially 6 professional dancers and two decent celebrities.

This opening looks more like one of the bumpers by the troupe.  Well done.  

Transitions are tight and well done.

The men’s fros are a wonderful touch. “I thought it was Bob Ross from Joy of Painting” ~Tom Bergeron.

I give it a 9.