Dancing with the Stars Recap: The Top 6 are falling apart


Shoulders, ribs...these folks are limping towards the finish line!

It was clear from the opening of the show that someone was missing, and host Tom Bergeron told us that "Bachelor" "star" Melissa had injured herself and wouldn't be performing that night. He saved until later telling how "how that would affect the competition".

Last night each couple did their own routine, plus the 6 couples were split into two teams to compete against one another. Very Jets and Sharks. They first introduced this team concept last year, and I'm not entirely sold. At least this year the Top 6 couples are all fairly competent. I seem to recall that last year there were still some duds in the Top 6...and it didn't seem fair to their teammates.

Let's get started:

1. Gilles and Cheryl danced the Lindy Hop

Apparently Gilles has an injured shoulder which is being exacerbated by all the lifting and flinging of Cheryl. I thought it showed in this Lindy Hop. I know the judges fell all over it, but I thought the entire beginning seemed out of synch, while once they got in synch it still seemed awkward and frenetic. it was more aerobics than dancing, and i didn't find it fun to watch.

2. Lil Kim and Derek danced the Paso Doble

This was pretty great...she has a lot of sharpness and power to her moves, despite her diminutive size. Sometimes her intense gaze looks more like she's concentrating real hard than like she's relating to Derek in an intense way, but she's definitely got skillz!

3. Chuck and Julianne danced the Cha Cha Cha

Well, color me surprised, but Chuck continues to keep up with the four couples I thought would far outpace him. I didn't see a ton of actual cha cha cha in this routine, but there was a lot of spark and a lot of surprising hip action from Chuck! He has made way more progress than I ever expected. I almost find it possible that he might boot out a better dancer on the strength of his underdog status and Julianne's popularity.

4. Shawn and Mark danced the Samba

I like Shawn's new saucy style...last week with the Cha Cha Cha and this week with the Samba. She didn't start out seeming like she was going to be so great at the LAtin dances, and she's exceeded my expectations on them. That being said, this seemed a bit slow-paced. The music choice felt sluggish, and so did their dancing. Even though there were some fancy moves thrown in, the whole thing didn't feel that advanced...not like what she's capable of. Shawn also seemed low-energy during the team dance. She'll need to step it up to stay in.

5. Melissa and Tony danced the Jive

So, similar to Steve O's recorded performance earlier in the season, Melissa was allowed to compete via video playback from a morning rehearsal. So, first I just have to marvel at how her jeans stayed up at all, but that's a total side note. More to the point, there were entire sections of the dance where they were clearly marking it. (As Carrie Ann described "marking it" is when you go through the basic motions, but don't put yourself into it 100% and often don't even fully extend your arm or leg movements fully.) She was obviously in pain and losing steam towards the end. How will it come out. Will the voters prop her up? She deserves it more than at least one couple, namely...

6. Ty and Chelsie, who danced the Salsa

Chelsie did a great job with the choreography, and he held it together...so props to him. but Len is right, of course, it's time for him to go. He's done a great job making it this far. I really thought he might go the first week. But he's not the caliber of the other remaining contestants. He did better than expected on this routine, and she absolutely rocked it. But he should go, don't you think?

For the Team dances, they broke down like this:

Chuck & Julianne, Shawn & Mark and Tony (with Lacey stepping in for Melissa) danced the Mambo to Beyonce's Single Ladies. They incorporated the routine from her video for the song, and in the end the guys stripped down to leotards...with white tights. It was hilarious, but a little disturbing. None of them could pull it off like Justin Timberlake, let's just say that!

Ty and Chelsie, Gilles and Cheryl and Lil Kim and Derek danced the Tango, and it was much better than the Mambo, mostly because they weren't trying to be so gimmicky, and actually focused on the dance.

Bottom Line for the Bottom 2:

Seems like the Bottom 2 has to be Ty/Chelsie and Melissa/Tony. And as I said: It's time for Ty to ride off into the sunset.

But what did you think?

Posted: Tue - April 28, 2009 at 12:20 PM       EmailFeedback

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