DWTS 11-25 Final show part 1
This week all of the stars performed 2 full dances plus a
Samba Relay. The Samba Relay was worth 5
pts for best couple down to 2 pts for lowest couple. Both full dances performed have a possible 30
points each, so total possible points for the evening is 65.
The night was kicked off by Kellie Pickler singing Little
Bit Gypsy. Kellie was also on hand all
night long to give her unique perspective to what the couples were feeling as
the evening progressed and her opinion of the dances.
The full dances were a Judge’s Pick and the Freestyle. The Judge’s Pick was a dance that the couple
had done earlier in the season. The
judges went to practice to watch them and point out the things that the judges
were going to be looking for and the things the star could do to improve.
The dances were kicked off by Bill & Emma with their
Viennese Waltz. The judges wanted to see
improvement on fluidity, rhythm and timing.
Len went to help Bill with his dance.
He pointed out that when Bill is off time he’s ahead of the music
instead of behind it because he’s so intent on what he’s doing. Their waltz was very pretty and his fluidity
was much better; his rhythm had improved but his timing still was lacking. They scored 8-8-8 for a 24.
Next were Corbin & Karina with their Quick Step. The first time they did it they were more
hectic and lacked control. Len again
visited and coached Corbin, showing what they wanted. The results were mixed from the judges. Len said he saw more control and areas in the
dance where it was quick-quick-slow-quick-quick, Bruno pointed out that they
were out of sync in an area, and Carrie Ann said she didn’t see much
improvement from last time. They scored
9-9-9 for a 27.
Jack & Cheryl followed with a Jive. Bruno went to show Jack how by changing where
he bounced on his feet the whole stance of his dance would change also. Jack had been doing his kicks & flicks
flatfooted with his weight more balanced on his heels. By changing his weight forward to the balls
of his foot he was able to keep everything sharper. Unfortunately, Jack was concentrating so hard
on his kicks & flicks that his timing went south. They actually scored lower this time on their
Jive than they did before, getting 8-8-8 for a 24.
Finishing out the Judge’s Pick dance were Amber & Derek
with a Charleston. They last did the
Charleston in week 3, and Amber had trouble keeping up with the fast pace of
it. Carrie Ann coached the couple,
watching the rehearsal and stopping them in mid step to point out things that
needed correcting because that’s what the judges would focus on. Amber is very coachable, and throws herself
into making the changes that the judges comment on. They were way more in sync than the first
dance, and they were the most improved Judges’ Pick dancers, scoring 10-10-10
for a 30.
The Samba Relay came next.
All 4 couples danced to the same song, but they didn’t do separate
routines. Each couple did ¼ of the song,
transitioning in and out with the other couples. Jack & Cheryl started the dance, followed
by Amber & Derek who were followed by Bill & Emma and the dance closed
with Corbin & Karina. After their
poor first dance, Jack & Cheryl admirably shook off what they did and
attacked their dance. They were still
not quite there, but much better than the first dance. Amber & Derek were very good, with
excellent Samba Rolls (which they did better than their first Samba). Bill & Emma were quite cautious, wanting
to do well but not try for too much which could result in poor timing. Their transition in was the most fun, as Emma
& Amber danced together as did Bill & Derek. Corbin & Karina wowed everyone with their
finale. This was the first Samba that
Corbin had done so he didn’t have anything to fall back on.
Scores for Samba Relay were – 5 pts Corbin & Karina; 4
pts Amber & Derek; 3 pts Jack & Cheryl; and 2 pts Bill & Emma
Everyone’s favorite dance finished out the evening. The Freestyle can be one dance, multiple
dances, or something totally different from what they had been doing all
season. Jumps, props, lifts, and extra
dancers are all legal. The only couple
not to incorporate extra dancers was Bill & Emma which was a smart move
because it requires a strong dancer to hold their own with the extra people.
Bill and Emma’s freestyle was to the theme from Indiana
Jones. Bill did the beginning scene
where Indiana Jones swapped out a weighted pouch for an idol but the temple
released a stone to trample him. Bill’s
‘idol’ was the mirror ball trophy and the ‘stone’ was a computer animated
mirror ball rolling down the band’s steps coming after him. They fused a Paso Doble into their freestyle
and used a whip (real or imitation I couldn’t say) as part of the prop during
their dance. It was fun to watch, and at
the end Bill took his shirt and tossed it.
Carrie Ann almost fell off her chair she was laughing so hard. Tom Bergeron said ‘for those of us with a
one-pack, we thank you!’ The dance was
entertaining and ‘insanely good fun’.
They scored their highest of the season 8-9-8 for 25. Their cumulative total was a 51.
Corbin & Karina did a freestyle to Michael Jackson’s
Smooth Criminal. They traveled to Las
Vegas to work with Michael’s choreographer and worked with some of the Cirque
de Soleil dancers; incorporating some of the Cirque moves into the
routine. There is always an element of
danger doing moves that are so iconic or linked so strongly to one person, but
Corbin nailed it. The judges commented
on the Michael Jackson moves with the ballroom touches. And they received a standing ovation from
Len. They scored a 10-10-10 for a 30,
with a cumulative score of 62.
Jack & Cheryl did a dancing review of the season, using
Jack’s strongest dances. The song was
‘Putting On My Top Hat’ and they did it like an old Hollywood Revue. Cheryl choreographed a very strong routine,
and Jack had to either rise to it or go down in flames and he rose like a hot
air balloon. At the end, Cheryl was in tears
listening to the rave reviews from the judges.
They said his family should be so proud of him; that the piece was a
showstopper and Cheryl should be applauded for her choreography (that brought
extra tears) and that it should be Hooray For Jack! They scored 10-10-10 for a 30, with a cumulative
score of 57. Here’s where their mistake
in the first dance really hurt them!
Amber and Derek finished out with a freestyle that
incorporated stepping. Amber had been
part of a stepping team when she was in junior high/high school and Derek
wanted to show that off. He had never
done it before, and she ended up showing them the routine. There were portions that she had to take out
because Derek said he couldn’t do it (Tom ribbed him about that one!). There were about 4 other pro’s dancing with
them, with Amber being the only lady.
Len said that the whole number was about Amber, Bruno commented that she
was definitely the leading lady of the routine, and Carrie Ann remarked that
She was in control of the pro dancers, and that the whole time she had been
riveted by Amber and only noticed the men in the background. They scored 10-10-10 for a 30, with a
cumulative score of 64. They had the
high score of the evening.
Tonight Bill & Emma were voted off. They were quite ready for it, in fact Bill
was thankful.
Tuesday night each of the remaining couples has to do a new
dance. They will have to have 2 elements
in the dance that they only learned about at the end of the show, and it was
picked for them by another couple.
Denise
