Apparently, Cirque du Soleil is pretty dangerous.
Sure, there's all the crazy stunts, the weird-but-cool music, and it just seems to mesh perfectly with the Las Vegas strip. It doesn't, however, seem to mesh well with the celebrities on Dancing with the Stars 23... or at least two of them.
Then again, it turned out to be a life changing week for the professionals... well, two of them.
This Foxtrot should have a big question mark next to it. For those that are new to the dance, what you'll see here may have the tempo, two patterns, and the title of Foxtrot, but calling this a Foxtrot would be like calling Major League Baseball "Greco-Roman Wrestling".
Quote from Last Week
"... she's going to need to show a softer, and more elegant, side when dances like the Waltz and Foxtrot come up. "
Marilu and Derek kept with their theme of taking on difficult songs and assembling a solid, and creative dance performance from them. Flying props and superfluous background dancers aside, this was the first performance where it seemed like Marilu was tentative, and Derek was compensating for that.
Quote from Last Week
"At some point, every celebrity has a physical or mental wall they must climb. We don't think the physical aspect will be her undoing, so let's hope she stays focused, and enjoys the process."
The Costume department pulled off an incredible look for this pair in their Viennese Waltz. Unfortunately, the prop department agreed to fog up the dance floor to cover up any trace of footwork. Guess we'll have to wait another week to see if that's developing. Overall, this was a solid, but conservative, performance by Ryan.
Quote from Last Week
"The song they are dancing to is from Cirque Du Soleil's "O", which is a water-themed show. As long as they aren't wearing goggles or holding their breath, expect Lochte to make his move in week 4. "
This could have been the first big disaster for Terra, but this pair pulled off another well executed performance - even to a dance as challenging as Samba. Terra's dancing has improved, but the frenetic pace and movements apart from Sasha helped to minimize the need for more complicated Samba choreography. If Samba were an R rated feature, then this Samba was the Made for TV version.
Quote from Last Week
"Sasha Faber has done a great job with Terra Jole. Not only with choreography to flatter her body type, but in his inside-out approach to the theme each week. "
Rumor has it that Amber received a lot of internet fame in her responses to very famous people. Based on her demeanor and execution in her Argentine Tango, it seems that Julianne Hough's (*cough) "controversy" about being body shamed seemed to have lit the necessary fuse that drives Amber to post surgically precise twitter rants, and well crafted, sexy Tango routines.
Quote from Last Week
"Amber and Maks played their twerking trump card, and there isn't much ammunition left."
Aside from the "clowns make me scared" theme music, this was a solid performance by Mr. Ice. With a much better ratio of recognizable versus fluff dance material, he was Waltzing far outside of his comfort zone.
Overall Assessment
It was great to see how positive Vanilla Ice was about this process considering how far this was outside of his public persona. We hope that this is the start to something new for him, and not the end of Vanilla Ice the ballroom dancer.
So, if you didn't know already, James is trying to win this competition. The choices this team made with choreography this week with their Quickstep is as clear an indication as Mr. Hinchcliffe's timing. From the opening solo, to the complex staging with extras, Hinchcliffe and Sharna were on their game, and they are playing to win.
Quote from Last Week
"If Randy Jackson were ever a guest judge on the show, he'd say "Yo, this dude is in it to win it!" To which most of the viewing public would probably agree."
The concept was big, the music was big, but the delivery just seemed to come up short. While Babyface is a musical genius that could sing riffs and write music with any layer of syncopated complexity, it's tough for that to translate to the limbs of a new dancer.
Overall Assessment
Allison did a fantastic job showing us how smooth Babyface can be, even without a microphone in his hands. She took a no-holds-barred approach with his learning, and consistently stretched him with each week's performance. He seemed genuinely touched by what ballroom dancing has done for him, and we sincerely hope he continues as a smooth social dancer.
Combining an old car, telephone booth, background dancers ready for a shirtless moment, and the iconic music from the king of Pop with the frontrunners for the title was a match made in Dancing with the Stars heaven. Val orchestrated another solid week and Laurie delivered.
Quote from Last Week
"... what do you get when you combine a clear cut favorite with some of the most iconic music and dancing the world has ever seen? A possible Emmy nomination, a trending hashtag, and hopefully not a complete forfeit by the other celebrity competitors."
This dance had the poise of an Argentine Tango - inward, sultry, and romantic, but with the movement of a classic tango - powerful, sharp, and bold. The resulting Tango had some nice moments, but looked tentative. There's just something about changing your focal point that says you're confident and you've got your act together. Maureen and Artem need to take this week as feedback and seek to avoid performances like this one going forward.
Quote from Last Week
"Maureen's Salsa showed the viewing public that she's more than just a classy, elegant, woman. She showed that sex appeal can be delivered in a tasteful way (sorry Amber)."
A tall, physical specimen like Calvin could be the partner equivalent of a lifeless climbing apparatus that can lift you (when it's approved by Carrie Ann, of course). But Calvin Johnson doesn't fall into that category. Lindsay is transposing the football agility of this once in a generation talent onto the dance floor, and to top it all off - he looks happy when he's lifting her over his head with little to no effort.
Quote from Last Week
"If you're capable of smiling while dancing Viennese Waltz - that says a lot, and that's just one reason why Calvin Johnson is a legitimate contender."
In a genuinely lovely television moment, we saw two of the professionals get engaged on national television. After a perfectly executed setup by host, Tom Bergeron, Sasha popped the question to Emma Slater.
Considering the extra tears on a double elimination, it was nice to see some happy ones.
Read more about our DWTS Season 23 Predictions
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