Monday, March 17, 2014

Dancing With The Stars, Ep. 18.1

Welcome to Season 18 of Dancing With The Stars! This season is going to be a different one that's for sure. There are lots of changes coming this season:

  1. Partner switch--at some point in the season, viewers will vote on new pairings, that may or may not last for more than just one week.
  2. New voting--votes cast the previous week will be added to the judges' scores from the previous week. Last season, the judges' scores from the current week were added to the previous week, which some thought gave the judges the final say in who went home.
  3. New co-host--Erin Andrews (former DWTS finalist) is replacing Brooke Burke-Charvet
  4. New band--out is Harold Wheeler and his band, and in is Ray Chew (from American Idol and The Singing Bee)
  5. The return of Maks!
  6. New theme nights--rumored themes: Party Anthems night, American Icons and Disney
  7. New and more guest judges--they experimented with some guest judges in the past, and moreso last season, and there are rumors of even more this season, with as many as 1 new judge per week (in addition to the 3 permanent judges)
  8. New ballroom look--bigger screen behind the stage, a smaller stage for more intimate dances, and the skybox is returning (boo!)
Let's get to the dancing!

NeNe & Tony - ChaChaCha
Girl's got attitude, there's no doubt about it. She's also got some moves. I kind of thought she might, but you just never know. Her legs could be a little quicker, but her hips and upper body can really move. Not bad.
Score: 21

James & Peta - Foxtrot
So, OK, can you say "awkward"?! Apparently they went out, he went on tour and she never heard from him again until he walked through the door as her partner. That's another new twist for the season! As for the dancing...he's hot, he's a musician, so of course he's going to be a great dancer. Doesn't always happen, but 99% of the time it does, and that's the case here.
Score: 21

Danica & Val - Foxtrot
How cute are they together?! She's a total natural. She looks like the type of person who just is good at everything she tries and she makes it look so easy. She looked like she was having a blast. I loved the upbeat and more current music for the foxtrot. Normally, this dance calls for all the old style music. That was fun!
Score: 24

Sean & Cheryl - Contemporary
I don't know what to think about this guy. He kind of scares me a little. He looks like the evil villain from the movies. And his face is so tight, he looks like he's had a lot of work done. His contemporary was pretty stiff, but he pulled off the big lifts very easily. It seemed a bit rushed at times and you could see him thinking a little too much. There's some potential there for sure. I don't know if he will be able to win people over with any kind of likability factor.
Score: 20

Billy & Emma - ChaChaCha
God bless Emma, that poor girl. The guy is ancient. But, she was able to work wonders on Bill and work to all his strengths, so it's no surprise that she pulls out lots of Star Wars props for his first dance. He can move even less than I thought he would be able too. This just isn't fair...someone who can't move at all should not even be asked to be on the show. I mean, the guy is 77 and has had 2 hip replacements...come on! Not only is it not fair for his pro, to the other celebrity dancers, and just the competition in general, it's also a safety and health concern for him. Good for him, I guess, to want to try this, but Ugh! That's all I can say. 
Score: 15

Meryl & Maks -ChaChaCha
Maks is in heaven right now with having her as his partner. Of course, she was very good. There was no question about that. Her one spin looked a little weird, she looked like she was a little crooked or off-balance. But other than that, it was fun and energetic. 
Score: 24

Candace & Mark - Contemporary
I think I might be the most excited to see these 2 as partners. I love the camera angle above them as they're making really cool shapes laying down. Whoa, an upside down spin lift on the first dance of the season! She was really feeling it, and making some really nice shapes. I think she did a pretty good job on a very difficult dance style and some really tough choreography on the first dance.
Score: 25

Cody & Witney - ChaChaCha
Again, a no-brainer in the talent category. He's a performer, so obviously performing while dancing is going to come very natural and easy for him. They make a really good couple, and if he can sustain the fan votes, he could go really far. The only things going against him is that most Americans and the older generation have no idea who he is, and the other thing is his partner Witney being a first-time pro, she also probably doesn't have the fan base that some of the others are coming in with.
Score: 22

Drew & Cheryl - Foxtrot
I just think Drew is hilarious. I love their Monopoly theme, and the floor was turned into the board...how cool! I thought that maybe he would have some moves, and he does! I kind of see him as being really good, but not really making much improvement over the course of the season. 
Score: 21

Amy & Derek - ChaChaCha
Such an inspiration! She moves so well, you would never be able to tell that she is a double amputee, if you didn't see her legs. And of course Derek picks one of my all-time favorite songs, so there is nothing to dislike about this performance. Awesome! He didn't hold back on the choreography one bit. It was great!
Score: 24

Diana & Henry - Foxtrot
Poor Henry. They always give the newbies a challenge don't they. She's older and she can't dance in heels. This is a recipe for disaster. What a surprise...a horrible old song to slow (and I mean slow) dance to. Well, she was quicker than Billy Dee, and she actually moved an showed a little personality (instead of looking dead)...but it was still pretty awful to watch.
Score: 18

Charlie & Sharna - Contemporary
Well, I'm glad to see his hair has been toned down...a smidge. It looks a little more normal now. I still think he would look better with a much shorter 'do. Beautiful song choice, and a beautiful dance. I can't wait to see what Sharna does with a real competitor for a partner. Charlie is very used to partnering and lifting, so it was no surprise to see him just lift her up like she was nothing. They had such easy transitions. It was just so pleasant and beautiful to watch.
Score: 27

Preview for next week: the producers asked the celebrities what dance they were most looking forward to doing, and that's the dance they will be doing next week. As they revealed the choices, all of the stars looked very perplexed and some were downright surprised by the choice that the producers supposedly said that they had picked. Did someone drop the cue cards and get them all mixed up? Should be interesting!


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