William Levy & Cheryl Burke
Cheryl warns William that the Viennese Waltz is a dance that Len will nitpick because of its technical difficulty. William says that he was born on the streets in Cuba, what does he know of classical? And they're off and dancing while a 12-year-old soprano who sounds like a 36-year-old sings "Ave Maria." It's very weird to hear that voice come out of that little face, so I'm glad we're watching the dancing now. There's so much dry ice floating over the stage that we don't even know that William has ankles, much less whether the previously mentioned injured one is acting up. That being said, the dance is smooth and fast, which are the two main things in a Viennese Waltz, as far as I'm concerned. Carrie Ann has to wait for William's fans to shut up so she can talk. Calm yourself, ladies. Carrie Ann says he brought the content this week. Len says he wasn't transported to Vienna, but it was close - he was in Austria. He says week after week, Williams' "up and down like a fiddler's elbow" and this week he was up. Bruno says he saw vulnerability tonight, and that he followed the melodic line in a way only a professional dancer does.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 9
'Dancing with the Stars' recap: Maria Menounos owns 'Classical' night
Roshon Fegan & Chelsie Hightower
Roshon seems dispirited, saying that he gives his all every week, but that he's not connecting. Aw, I've grown to like the kid, I want to see him succeed now. So now Roshon goes to Val to learn how to be more masculine - he's giving him some decent advice about body language and facial expressions. They're doing the Argentine tango to a "classical" version of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance." I don't know if that's terrible or fantastic. Roshon's long, skinny legs look great as always - HELLO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY - I just got about 10 seconds of the logo filling the screen instead of dancing. Roshon gets a pretty great foot flick sequence in near the end. Len says overall it was "clean" and "confident." Bruno says the lifts were "seamless" but he wants to see strength in the legs, because sometimes Roshon's legs get a little wobbly - Bruno, they are but tiny, skinny things, he's doing the best he can. Carrie Ann is so happy she comes around to hug him. He IS kinda adorable, right?
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 8 Bruno: 8
Eep. With those scores, it'll be a miracle if he's not in the dance duel.
I'm loving all the reinterpretations of the show's theme the orchestra/band is doing as the show comes out of commercial. Why not let your live band loose if you've got one?
Donald Driver & Peta Murgatroyd
Donald wants to be the first contestant to get the triple tens. Peta says she's choreographing a "professional grade routine" and then she lists a bunch of technical terms to back it up. In rehearsal, I swear it looks like Donald's upper arms are bigger than his lower legs. They start out sitting in thrones while the tenor sings "La Donna è Mobile" Then they head into the Viennese waltz and I like that they've got some rise and fall going. And they finish with Donald doing one of those "whirl her around by one arm and one leg lift/spins". Donald's supercute son is in the audience - so cute he can even pull off a hat. Bruno loved it and said it was a credit to his home country (presuming he means the song, not the dance.) Carrie Ann was looking down at the right moment so she didn't see the lift. Huzzah. Len was afraid when he saw Donald's costume that he was going to be a walking "Ferrero Rocher." (Mmm, hazelnuts.)
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 9
Maria Menounos & Derek Hough
They're doing a paso doble to a piece called "Montagues and Capulets," so accordingly Derek is playing it as a tragedy. Maria's having a hard time this week, letting the pressure get to her. Derek has to be one of the most supportive pros ever on this show. So nice he is to his partners. Derek starts out doing that high-knee walk crawl thing and I swear as Maria bares her teeth at him it looks like she has fangs. Oooh, they do a cool move where she drops toward the floor face first and Derek catches her on a knee - that's some guts there. Aha - she does have fangs! Finishes the routine by going for Derek's neck and dropping him on the floor after she "feeds" and then wiping her mouth with her dress. Very goth, Hough. Carrie Ann says "That didn't suck," and adds that Katherine better watch her back. Len says it was, "sharp as a razor, crisp as a Pringle, and more tension than [his] grandmother's knicker elastic." Bruno says the structure, with the drama and the storytelling, was spellbinding.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 10 Len: 10 Bruno: 10
The ballroom goes nuts, Derek and Maria go nuts, the other dancers go nuts! Pandemonium! Maria is super stoked.
