Tonight is the semi-finals. Tom tells us for the past several weeks each of these couples, at one time or another, have led in viewer votes. He says it’s a clean slate tonight for determining who dances for the trophy next week.
First up is Erin and Maks. Maks is happy they are doing so well and Erin is happy that Maks is happy. I think he has shown himself to be a very encouraging and patient teacher with her. They dance the Viennese Waltz to “February Song”. Len says she has made a step through the door toward the final with that performance. Bruno says she’s improved so much from the beginning, but he points out a small stumble. Carrie Ann sees grace and each week she sees her grow. She also says Erin’s nervousness was visible. They get a 9,9,9 from the judges for a total of 27.
Derek and Nicole are next. Derek shows up to rehearsal with neck pain and he’s really limited in his movements. He says he’ll dance, meaning there’s a possibility that he won’t. He does dance with Nicole as they perform the Tango to “Argentine Tango” and it is stunning. This is the season of Derek Hough. His choreography has been amazing. Bruno gives us one of his standing elaborate speeches of how Nicole “drew us into a love spell of which there’s no escape.” Carrie Ann weeps at the beauty that is Nicole’s dancing . Len says it was more delicious than his grandmother’s apple pie, which he tells us is the best compliment. They get a perfect score from the judges.
Chad and Cheryl are up next. Cheryl says this week is a clean slate and she wants Chad to stop thinking about last week. Rehearsal looks frustrating for both of them. They dance the Waltz to “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”. He has come a long way. Carrie Ann sings to him, in one of her awkward deliveries, that he nailed the Waltz. Len points out he’s the only one with zero dance experience and says he’s climbed mountains while the rest have climbed hills. Bruno says they have been hard on him in order to bring out what they saw tonight. They get a 9,9,9 from all the judges for a total of 27.
Evan and Anna are next and Evan tells us in rehearsal that it’s hard for him to let go. Anna wants him to connect with what makes him happy to carry him through the dance. He says it’s his nephew and we see video footage on his iPhone of his nephew. They dance the Foxtrot to “I’ve Got the World on a String.” He does seem very happy so the nephew thing worked. Len says he saw a new side of Evan, the happy-go-lucky side but there was a little issue when he was in hold with Anna. Bruno says he was high as a kite. Carrie Ann felt he connected to the audience. They get a 10,9,10 for a total of 29.
In this round of dancing, the dancers are required to do a solo. We get background on Erin from her sister. Erin was self-conscious about her height and body while growing up. Erin knew she wanted to be a sports broadcaster at a young age, and she signed on with ESPN at age 24. Erin speaks of her stalker from 2009 and the challenge of getting past it. Her father says DTWS has put a smile back on her face. They dance the Paso Doble to “U Got the Look”. I watched this dance three times because there was something about it I didn’t like. Was it the song, the choreography? I don’t know, but Erin performed it well. Bruno says he can’t believe the standard of dancing he has seen and says something that gets bleeped out. Carrie Ann says Erin is finally in her power and compliments Maks’ choreography. Len said he is a traditionalist but this was the “funky monkey” type of Paso. He’s confused whether to go with her talent or the dance. Maybe that’s what it was, like Len I am a traditionalist but I haven’t come out of the closet yet. They get a 10,9,10, from the judges for total of 29.
Nicole is up next and she speaks of being born in Hawaii. She lived in a house of 14 and had a humble upbringing. Her grandmother and her performing arts high school teachers influenced her musically. She’s proud of the fact she bought her mother a house so she could return to Hawaii. She gets a shout-out from P. Diddy who says “determination is Nicole”. They dance the Cha Cha Cha to “Kiss” and Nicole is dressed like Prince. Carrie Ann says it all comes naturally from Nicole despite the fact that she knows it doesn’t. Len says it didn’t show a lot of Cha Cha Cha but she needs to be in the final. I didn’t catch what Bruno said clearly. I think he said she’s the purple queen of the Cha Cha Cha. They get a 10,9,10 from the judges for total of 29.
Chad tells us he was born in Miami…like me! I weighed more than him as a baby though. He grew up in a rough area with drugs, etc. He used it to drive him. He was raised by his grandmother and he knew sports was the only way out for him. He’s a father of four and takes his kids everywhere with him. Chad says if he puts his mind to anything, he gets it done. They dance the Samba to “Alejandro”. Cheryl takes off his shirt right before his solo and his body is beautiful. Len rags on Maks by saying his body is an eight but Chad’s is a ten. He says Chad had the toughest Latin dance but did a great job. Bruno said he got the party mood of the Samba right. Carrie Ann says he was phenomenal and had a lot of charisma. He gets an 8,8,8 from the judges for a total of 24.
Lastly, Evan tells us he started skating when he was eight after his grandma gave him a pair of ice skates. She had wanted to be in the Ice Capades herself. His mother said he was very detail-oriented as a child, and he gave a hundred percent to everything he did. His coach said he wasn’t the most talented but the most driven. Vera Wang, of all people, comments on his willingness to learn. Maybe she taught him wedding dress design, I don’t know what the connection is. They dance the Paso Doble to “Bring Me to Life” and I thought he performed the best solo out of everyone. Bruno says it was a Paso Doble with passion and Evan has “balls”. Carrie Ann says his movements were guttural and powerful. Len said Evan did a good job dominating Anna which is rare for the male celebrities who are challenged with dominating their strong professional partners during this style of dance. He gets a perfect score.
So Evan and Nicole are tied with Erin and then Chad bringing up the rear. I am not sure if Erin is going to make it to the final, although she is the better dancer.
