Alright, everyone ā I owe you all an apology.Ā I did not do a power ranking for last weekā¦shame on me L Unfortunately I was in the midst of end-of-quarter at work, and consequently worked some long hoursā¦long hours that resulted in me watching last weekās show on a 12ā old TV with aluminum foil on the antenna in the breakroom.Ā Yikes!
But alas, I am back with a vengeance this week, and I will be taking into account both this week & last weekās performances in my rankings.Ā Ok, did I miss the announcement that the theme of this weekās show was āSee how much you can upset your partnerā? Because I saw more tears & dramatic storm-off this week than I see in an entire week of soap operasā¦but those who managed to avoid the drama seemed to fare better than those who buckled under the pressureā¦.
1.)Ā Ā Ā Nicole & Derek ā Top of the scoreboard both last week & this week, the first 2 tens of the season (correct me if Iām wrong, but isnāt this a record? Earliest 10 ever given in the competition?), and two solid performances.Ā Their waltz was just lovely ā Nicole has got great lines, and actually has a very nice emotional connection to both the dance and to Derek.Ā Their jive was one of the cleanest Iāve ever seen ā razor sharp flicks, and Nicole stayed on beat despite some crazy energetic moves and what seemed to be a rather fast tempo ā however, I didnāt quite see the connection to the dance like I did last week (poor Nicole seemed to get a bit winded by the middle ā but I give her points for effort!) and would have liked a bit more sass from Nicole.Ā Now Heidi is currently freaking out (she thinks the two 10ās are a harbinger of doom, silly girl!), so everyone humor her and pick up the phone to vote for Team Houghzinger so we can prove her wrong ā I personally think theyāre safe and will be for quite some time š
2.)Ā Ā Ā Evan & Anna ā The one thing that gives Nicole a big edge over Evan: she actually has chemistry with her partner.Ā Their waltz, while technically beautiful (perhaps even technically stronger than Nicole & Derek), left me feeling rather cold ā poor Evan seemed so nervous that he just seemed to be going through the motions of the dance.Ā This week was a vast improvement in entertainment value ā Evan looked like he was having a ton of fun, it made me smile J – but it seemed to come at the cost of a bit of technique (Len was right ā Evan was doing something wonky with his feet, I saw it too).Ā I think theyāre also pretty safe this week (and likely the next few weeks, as we weed out some of the weaker, less memorable dancers), but I fear that they might be becoming too ānormalā ā they donāt fight, Evan catches on quickly, and they do cute, social things like visiting Evanās hometown.Ā Now Iām not suggesting that they start picking fights with one another just to boost ratings ā just maybe turn up the emotion a bit, both in their lead-in package and in their dancing š
3.)Ā Ā Ā Pam & Damian ā If you ask me, the big āupsetā elimination that could have happened last week that Tom was referring to at the beginning of the show could very well have been Pam & Damian.Ā Their cha-cha last week, while entertaining, was a lot of fluff & hair flipping and not a lot of āmeat & potatoesā dance steps ā but I will hand it to Pam, she knows how to āsex upā a dance! Which is exactly what she did with the foxtrot this week ā it was cute, and not the worst of the night, but my god, her frame was ATROCIOUS.Ā I like Pam, I really do ā but Iām afraid the whole āsex kittenā act will only work for so long before it becomes a bit hackneyed and boring to votersā¦plus I donāt see her having an easy time sexing up the quickstep or lindy hop, haha. But she is likely safe this week, based solely on her scoresā¦
4.)Ā Ā Ā Niecy & Louis ā This may be the most underrated couple of the season.Ā I absolutely LOVE watching them, but the judges donāt seem to give them much credit.Ā True, Louisā choreography isnāt the most difficult; but Niecy dances it cleanly and adds her own attitude to it to make it fun.Ā I thought their cha-cha was underscored ā Niecy was one of the few people that looked like she was actually having fun out there last week ā but their foxtrot this week seemed to get more recognition and a better response from the judges & audience.Ā These two have a great energy and are quickly becoming my favoriteā¦Iām hoping voters agree! But these two ought to be safe this week, based on their antics both on and off-stage ā and a little shameless self-promotion by Niecy on The Insider.
5.)Ā Ā Ā Jake & Chelsie ā Now if Niecy & Louis were the underscored couple last week, then these two were the overscored onces.Ā I found Jakeās waltz to be shuffle-y and messy, and heās doing some weird flail-y thing every time he extends his arms.Ā And you can practically hear the boy counting to himself in his head! Granted, their jive this week was an improvement ā Jake managed to keep up, but on the whole it felt low-energy and a little generic (a pattern Iām starting to notice with Chelsieās jive routines ā check out Tyās & Louieās and see if you agree). Jake also came across as rather whiney to me in the package, which is especially off-putting when itās coming from a grown man. I doubt theyāre headed home this week, but unless Jake makes vast improvements (and soon), Iām not sure theyāre going to have a whole lot of longevity in this competitionā¦
6.)Ā Ā Ā Erin & Maks ā I agonized over putting Jake & Chelsie above these two, but in the end I decided that Erin & Maks are running the risk of becoming rather boring ā which is often a bigger threat than being whiney, hehe.Ā I thought her cha-cha was actually quite good (aside from some crazy chicken arms) and she seemed like she was at ease & having fun. I wasnāt as wowed by the foxtrot this weekā¦the choreography seemed a bit boring (no real āmomentsā) and Erin fell victim to that glassy-eyed āI donāt quite know what to do with my face during the ballroom dancesā expression, which resulted in very little connection to Maks or the audience.Ā The solo work and the beginning and some of her stretches showed off her jazz dance background, so we know sheās got some natural talent.Ā But hereās the thing thatās kinda puzzling me about her: based on what was shown in the package (and granted, I know that they tend to edit that stuff to make things look worse than they really are), it almost seems like sheās a bigger drama queen than Maksā¦if this is the case, I think she may need to learn to tame her tantrum reflex, lest she become a bit āwitchyā in the eyes of votersā¦
7.)Ā Ā Ā Shannen & Mark ā Props to Shannen for her hard work both last week & this week ā you can tell she is making a genuine effort to do well in this competition.Ā However, I think Markās choreography, while done in an effort to āchallengeā her, is beginning to overwhelm her completely ā she almost disappears amidst a sea of wild steps and just seems to be trying to keep her head above water.Ā If Mark could just pare down some of his crazy steps into simpler, more cleanly-executeable ones, we could see some amazing growth from Shannen.Ā I liked the waltz better than the jive (it was slightly less frenzied), and love Shannenās devotion to her father.Ā But theyāve gotten stuck with crappy running-order numbers both weeks (they performed 2nd last week, and 1st), which often makes them harder to remember in viewersā minds.Ā I donāt think theyāre going home, but I pray that Mark just calms down his choreo a bit to really give Shannen a chance to shine and connect to the audienceā¦he should have Louis give him some pointers.Ā I <3 Louisā¦
8.)Ā Ā Ā Buzz & Ashly ā There is nothing I can really say about Buzzās dancing ā he stinks, and in the back of our heads we all knew he would really struggle in this competition.Ā But could we have had a more charming senior citizen on the show this season? Heās got Tom DeLayās charm (without the checkered past) and Clorisā humor (without being overly offensive), and just seems to be having so much fun and is so happy to be there.Ā He gets standing oās with every performance, despite having the lowest scores of the week; people truly love & respect him, which is why he wonāt go home this week.Ā He may be in the bottom 3 (based on his low scores), but I think the baby boomer voters will likely rally around their legend to keep him in for another week or twoā¦
9.)Ā Ā Ā Aiden & Edyta ā I knew from the minute I heard the first few notes of āHungry Like the Wolfā last week that this couple was probably going to be a disaster.Ā Aiden is a very, very awkward mover ā but at least heās an awkward mover with a sexy accent.Ā The cha-cha was bad ā almost bad to the point of it being a caricature of a cha-cha.Ā The foxtrot this week was a vast improvement, but you can tell that he is just not used to moving this way at all.Ā Add to that an Edyta meltdown (Iāve never seen her cry on the show before!) and an elbow to the eye (what is it with Edyta and assaulting her partnerās corneas?), and these two could be in danger this week.Ā Aidenās fans from All My Children could pull through and keep them safe this week, but they are one of the weaker couples, and likely wonāt survive long.
10.)Ā Ā Ā Chad & Cheryl ā I was really expecting Chad to have an explosive personality out on the floor, based on his antics on the football field ā unfortunately, he and Cheryl have been really boring thus far, to the point of me forgetting they are part of this yearās cast (ā9, 10ā¦crap, whoās the 11th couple? Darnitā¦hmmmā¦oh wait, itās Chad & Cherylā¦) and even having a hard time paying attention to their performances! Everything is just soā¦ordinary.Ā And Chad is anything but, which is what makes it even worse.Ā Their cha-cha wasnāt bad, but it wasnāt great or particularly exciting either; the foxtrot this week was actually a downgrade, as Chad looked extremely uncomfortably & slouchy (is it just me, or is there a significant height difference between him & Cheryl?) Heās even blending into the background during the lead-inā¦I couldnāt honestly tell you one thing he said tonight.Ā Chad seems like a true competitor and someone who could really succeed this seasonā¦but unless he finds a way to stand out from the crowd, it may be curtains for him sooner rather than later.
11.)Ā Ā Kate & Tony ā Kate, Kate, Kate.Ā I honestly was going to give you a chance.Ā But then you went and proved me right ā not only are you a terrible dancer, but you have the personality of a wet mop and a crap attitude.Ā Could Kate have possibly been more insecure or negative during the lead-ins? Poor Tony was doomed from the start ā itās hard to motivate someone who is constantly in need of reassurance, both on and off the floor.Ā Their waltz was stiff and awkward, to the point of it being painful to watch; I honestly had to avert my eyes during portions of their jive (did Kate even do half of the choreo Tony gave her?).Ā And the shout-outs to the kids, while sweet, are beginning to feel a bit desperate to me ā a rather āI have 8 kids and a good-for-nothing ex-husband, please donāt send me home even though my attitude & dancing stinkā gesture.Ā If Kate set out to prove that she is indeed the bitter, unsavory woman the tabloids have made her out to be ā Iām afraid she succeeded.Ā I would be very, very surprised if she did not go home tomorrow.Ā If only you had at least faked like you were having a good time, Kateā¦
Alright, so two performances in, this is how I see them stacking upā¦Iām predicting Kate, Chad, & Aiden in the bottom 3, with Kate on the chopping block.Ā What do you guys think? Could Kate be snatched from the jaws of death? Will there indeed be an āupsetā elimination? Will Brookeās co-hosting skills become less awkward? Will Len stop inventing words? š