DWTS Week 6: 10/17/06

On tonight's episode of Dancing With the Stars, the five remaining couples tackled their first group dance:  A freestyle disco routine.  Each indivudual couple also performed a different dance, and each of those dances (plus the Tango, which Sara would have done had she not withdrawn from the show) were expertly demonstrated by the professional dancers at the top of the program.

Mario: Mambo.  Mario and Karina were up first this week, so I expected them to be subject to what I so affectionately call the 'first dance screw'.  Their movements looked reasonably natural, and I thought Mario did a better job of not clipping his moves (as Carrie-Ann had requested).  However, I wasn't overwhelmingly impressed to be honest; not sure why.  Len called him the "Mambo King"; Bruno said he was "sinfully good"; and Carrie-Ann said he's close to the "level of our professionals" and that's why she nit-picks.

9, 9, 10 = 28

Monique: Samba.  I was totally amused when Louis said that he was letting Monique do her own freestyle solo!  I was sure she could do it well, but it was just amusing.  She was, as always, very flexible and dynamic, and I really liked the 'attitude' she put forth this week.  But, I wasn't sure I saw a lot of Samba in it.  Carrie-Ann said her "energy was fantastic", but found the solo "self-indulgent"; Len said it was "all cheese, no burger" and didn't like it; Bruno said they should have stuck to the Samba and not gone off with random pieces of dance.

9, 7, 7 = 23

Joey: Rumba.  They looked like they were wearing sheets, which is guess is fitting for a sexy dance!  I liked the end-pose quite a lot, but wasn't super overwhelmed with the performance in general.  Bruno said they "could have gotten a bit dirtier" for him; Carrie-Ann said the dancing was much better tonight and that their chemistry was there, but that she hated the beginning with the microphone; Len said that he thought it was "right on the money".  (Incidentally, my husband remarked that hanging out with Joey would be exhausting because he's so spastically energetic, and that he'd be tempted to "take the other battery out".  LOL.)

8, 8, 8 = 24

Emmitt: Jive.  The cheerleaders had me laughing.  (Not that I think they're funny, it was just amusing to see him with them.)  I loved Cheryl's dress - so cute.  My husband remarked that he's pretty good and that he looked like "he was really concentrating" at the beginning.  He really seemed to enjoy himself out there.  I thought it was really entertaining (in a good way, not in a Jerry Springer way).  Len said it was "full of vitality" but that he went out of time once; Bruno said "you can boogie with the best"; Carrie-Ann said that there were a lot of mistakes, but that the style was great.

8, 8, 9 = 25

Jerry: Paso Doble.  He looked so painfully awkward during the intro segment that I was sure it would be a disaster!  And seeing him in that bull ring with the calf was hilarious.  Great costuming, but hardly any actual dancing at all, and definitely almost no Paso Doble!  It looked awkward and just awful to me - not even all that funny this week.  Carrie-Ann said it was taken too far with the guitar; Len said that everyone should congratulate Kym for great dancing; Bruno called it a "perverse pleasure watching [him] butcher every dance" and said tonight was "the Texas Chainsaw Massacre". 

7, 6, 5 = 18

The Group Freestyle Disco: When Jerry showed up at the rehearsal in that white suit, I just about had a fit.  He's always doing weird things to get more votes!  Anyway, each couple was given 20 seconds to do their own little solo, and they were allowed to do lifts for the first time.  It was a pretty amusing dance.  It was striking to think that Monique was the only female competitor left. 

If Jerry isn't eliminated this week, I'm going to be upset!  He's not anywhere near as good a dancer as the others left.  Bruno was right on with giving him a 5; I was really disappointed with Carrie-Ann for giving him a 7.  After all, she only gave Emmitt and Joey 8's and they were so much better than Jerry!   It's totally time to get serious with the eliminations.  Even Jerry himself said that the others were all much better dancers than he is.  Get it together, America!