DWTS, Season 9, Recap 11/9/09

For the first time this week, the couples had to do two individual dances, a ballroom dance and a Latin dance.

The judges outlined their expectations for the ballroom round:

Donny, “The Born Entertainer,” will be doing a Viennese Waltz, but has to look out for his posture, which has been a problem in weeks past.

Joanna, “The Glamour Girl,” will do a quickstep, and needs to look out for her balance, as she’s had a few stumbles every week.

Kelly is “The Wild Child,” and will do the foxtrot. Kelly will likely do better with this round than the Latin, but she hasn’t gotten better since week 3.   She needs to “grow or go.”

Mya, the “Dancing Diva,” needs to cut out the gimmicks and just dance.

Aaron, “The Boy who Became a Man,” will do a foxtrot, but he’s sometimes overly exuberant.   If he isn’t wild and stays in the zone, he’ll nail it.

Mya and Dmitry–Quickstep

Mya worked harder than ever this week, but said she “plans to have a ball.” Dmitry took her out to a stable to get out of the studio and alleviate stress. They showed the horses running, and Dmitry commented the step-ball-change the horse does is “just like in the quickstep w’re doing.” Mya replied,”no, that’s way better.”

Len: My priority is how you dance, your priority is the wow factor. This is a disappointment to me–because I couldn’t find anything to criticize.

Bruno: This. Is. Quality. Full of flavor: once you taste it, nothing else will do.

Carrie Ann: What can I say? You made something so difficult look like it flowed out of your body with ease and grace.

Mya: We did stick to the technical, but we still had that wow factor. Hopefully we got that balance.

Carrie: 9

Len: 10

Bruno: 10

TOTAL: 29

(I thought I saw a stumble in there, but I’m not a professional. Did anyone else notice it?)

Aaron Carter and Karina– Foxtrot

Aaron said he doesn’t think he’s showing the world what he can do; He’s never won anything in his life.  (Is he resorting to guilt for some more votes??) Karina is running a fever and Aaron and Karina dance with surgical masks in practice. She won’t quit though because she doesn’t want anything to get in the way of Aaron’s foxtrot.

Bruno: I can see how much work went into this, but it was a little tense, without the ease necessary for a foxtrot.

Carrie Anne: Her foot left the floor, and I agree with Bruno.

Len: Watching you is like watching my son in a toy store. I am proud of you, no matter what happens.

Aaron: I love being here every week, Mondays and even Tuesdays, even though Tuesdays are…a little different.

Karina: I feel better after getting sick. Still not all there, but better today than yesterday.

Carrie Ann: 7

Len: 8

Bruno: 8

TOTAL: 23

(I can’t help but noticing that Aaron looks nice with his hair slicked back like that; and also, wow, look at all the clothes Karina isn’t wearing. The bodice she chose was a strappy number that was far more skin than fabric.)

Joanna Krupa and Derek–Quickstep

Joanna said that quickstep is hard “because you have to hold your frame steady but your feet are going crazy.” They analyzed old footage of Mya because she’s also doing the quickstep.

Carrie Ann: These dances are really long, you a had a few out of sync moments, but your frame was good. Though you kept forgetting to point the toes.

Len: These was a lot of running about, this is NOT the standard for the quarter final.

Bruno: What happened? It looked like you were running away from the scene of a crime. There were a few mistakes. It’s a lot of work for one night, two dances.

Joanna: Mya is amazing.

Derek: We have to worry about ourselves and not worry about anyone else. It’s a lot of hard work, difficult dances. Just wait til our second dance!

Carrie Ann: 8

Len: 7

Bruno: 8

TOTAL: 23

Kelly Osbourne and Louis–Foxtrot

Kelly said, “It’s not fear anymore, it’s excitement” in response to judge commentary from weeks ago when they commented that she looked terrified on the dancefloor. Kelly and Louis haven’t done ballroom since week one, so Louis wanted to go back to the basics they learned in the first month of practices. Louis also said that Kelly will use any trick in the book to get distracted. They show her answering her phone, then bringing in her dogs, reading, and playing on her laptop. Louis started stealing everything of hers, locking it in a box in the corner of the rehearsal room, and then kicking out the dogs, to which Kelly protested, “but they can be our little team captains!”

Len: It’s been a while since we’ve seen you do ballroom, and I forgotten how much grace you have. You had a few mistakes with your footwork.

Bruno: Who would know that you could be so light and etheral?

Carrie Ann: You ahve a secret weapon: when you have a breakthrough, the audience goes crazy, and you have them all the time. If you’re going to continue, you need more extension in your range of motion.

Kelly: When he took away my stuff, it drove me crazy but it helped.

Louis: I had a lot of fun with it. She makes me wear tassle pants, I’m going to torture her too.

Carrie Ann: 8

Len: 8

Bruno: 9

TOTAL:25

Kelly: I’m very happy with that.

Donny Osmond and Kym–Viennese Waltz

Donny said he didn’t have any down time and wasn’t having any fun anymore, so he had to reset his mind in order to start to enjoy it again.   He decided to start to see it as a whole new competition.

Bruno: Like a Lifetime movie: romantic, emotional. How can you fail as an entertainer?

Carrie Ann: I found it mesmerizing. Your posture improved.

Len: Yes, there was improvement in your posture. It was a bit artsy-fartsy.

Donny: This is really cool. We go from airy-fairy to arty-farty.

Donny: I started fresh. And I really enjoyed that dance. It was just…arty farty to me.

Kym: Donny’s got everything it takes: the personality and the determination.

Carrie Ann: 9

Len: 8

Bruno: 9

TOTAL: 26

They had a group of professionals do a Latin dance to “show them how it’s done.” Mark and Tony were joined by, as Tom said, “some of the best pros in the country.”

The Latin round will have our stars fired up. The judges gave their expectations again:

Donny will be doing an 80’s style paso. He needs to channel Rambo. He has what it takes but he makes mistakes. He can’t hide mistakes with the showmanship this time.

Mya will be doing a 70’s samba. She’s gotta be groovy. She has excellent technique, but she tends to play it safe. Carrie Ann said, “She needs to prove to us she wants to win it, because right now I don’t believe that.”

Super Duper Joanna Krupa (much more effective in Len’s accent) will do a futuristic paso. Carrie Ann said “If she delivers like I know she can, I see 10’s in her future.”

Kelly is better in holds than alone, but that won’t do with the jive.

Aaron: With the 90’s samba, I expect bounce, bump, and bongos. It’s youthful and fun, totally Aaron. He needs to “shake what your momma gave ya.”

Mya and Dmitry–70’s Samba

Dmitry wore a period-appropriate oversized ’stache and Mya is wearing a skin tight hot pink body suit with fringe. You really need to see it. Google image, immediately. I also want to say I’m impressed with the double sided tape she must have used on that low cut back. Quite impressive.

Dmitry worked to incorporate Disco into this week’s samba. Mya said she was trying to channel Diana Ross, Cher, and the like, but felt she was doing a better job channeling Raggedy Ann.

This is the farthest Dmitry has ever gotten.

Carrie Ann: I believe it! I belive you want to win.

Len: You’re on fire. Your hips were hypnotic. Two dances of the highest standard, with no gimmicks.

Bruno: You are unbelievable. You do a mean, mean samba.

Mya pandered for votes.

Carrie Ann: 10

Len: 10

Bruno: 10

TOTAL: 30

First perfect score of the season!

Then Bruno began singing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Aaron Carter and Karina–90’s Samba

Tom made a joke about Aaron being 3 at the beginning of the 90’s. Aaron said, “the 90’s is perfect for me because it’s the era I grew up in.” Then they showed really embarrassing clips of him as a child, bowl cut and bright sunshine yellow suit and all. In the studio, he tried to show Karina moves from his childhood, and she made fun of them and said she couldn’t incorporate them.

Len: That was tough, coming right after a perfect score. But you came out and performed it and sold it.

Bruno: All the energy is made good. It was the 90’s off beat…I thought it was going to be a disaster, to be honest.

Carrie Ann: All I could think about was all the difficult times. You really hit that.

Carrie Ann: 9

Len: 9

Bruno: 9

TOTAL: 27

Samantha: What happened on stage at the end there?

Aaron: I almost threw up because I’ve gotten Karina’s illness.

Tom: That would be our oversharing moment for the night.

Did they totally pass over Aaron getting sick in the intros? They spent a lot of time talking about how Karina had gotten sick and showing them with those newly trendy swine-masks, but said nothing of Aaron actually catching it.

Joanna Krupa and Derek–Futuristic Paso

We have a lot of side by sides in this, so if she messes up it will be really noticeable.

Joanna said that this is the hardest week ever.

This dance was interesting in that they did it in the dark with glow in the dark bands on their outfits. And some of the most intense eye makeup I’ve ever seen. And a faux hawk, which I love on Derek.

Bruno: A masterful reinvention of a classic. Derek, you’re a genius.

Carrie Ann: Outstanding execution of the theme, Derek, but you didn’t miss a step here. But there was a kick, and I saw it.

Len: Genius. I didn’t know how you were going to do this. I wouldn’t know where to see. The theme was great, the content was great. Fantastic.

Carrie Ann: 9

Len: 10

Bruno: 10

TOTAL: 29

Kelly Osbourne and Louie: 60’s Jive

Kelly said that the 60’s is one of her favorite eras and shows Louis some moves. She expressed concern, though, saying “if I can’t keep up with the speed of the jive, this could be our last week.”

They danced with a rag doll for the first half, tossing it around and fighting over it, with Kelly in a bright green wig and Louis in a Beetles inspired mop top.

Len: You have been a revelation to me. The work, the pressure would get to you. But you come out on that.

Bruno: Groovy, baby. That was great. Go for it even more.

Carrie Ann: Definitely one of your best performances. You got stuck a little, the doll lasted a little too long and was a strange creative choice. A few missteps, but great work.

Samantha: Did you think you would get this far?

Kelly: Hell no. No. Thanks to the voters because you’re making my dream come true. I’m becoming a lady on this show.

Carrie Ann: 8

Len: 9

Bruno: 9

TOTAL: 26

I found it interesting that Len–who thinks Mya is often too gimmicky–didn’t say anything about the doll, which took a lot of time and didn’t add a whole lot to the performance.

Donny Osmond and Kym–80’s

Donny in a curly mullet wig is genius. And the lip print. And the bolero jacket. Just so great. And KYM, with huge crimpy hair… and what I like to call a mullet dress. There were fog and wind machines involved.

Len: That was the most crazy bizarre paso doble I’ve ever seen. But I liked it.

Bruno: Donny. Nobody could top this. It was like Donny doing Marie Doing Donny doing Marie.

Carrie Ann: I thought it was hysterical. You stepped past what was ok, and went a little insane right about…here. (She pointed to the where Donny sat in front of the wind/fog machines.)

Donny: This is how I normally dress. I’m known as the wild man of Provo, Utah.

Kym: I think he looks amazing.

Carrie Ann: 8

Len: 8

Bruno: 8

TOTAL: 24

TOTAL SCORES FOR BOTH DANCES

Mya: 59

Joanna: 52

Kelly: 51

Aaron/Donny: 50

As much as I hate to admit it, I think Aaron’s going home. I think he actually did a better job than Kelly, despite her better scores, and did technical, more impressive stuff than Donny. That said, it’s about votes now, and Aaron just doesn’t have them. He needed a top score to have a shot this week, I’m afraid.

Written by Christine

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