For the semifinals in Season 14 of “Dancing with the Stars,” there were no guest singers or even dancers from The Troupe. Week 9 brought 90 minutes of dancing, dancing, dancing with the celebrities’ touching background stories sandwiched in between — it was great, even with the commercials.
Each couple had to perform two dances, one from ballroom and the other, a Latin routine. Judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and especially Carrie Ann Inaba were a bit more nitpicky than usual since it was the semifinals, but overall were very enthusiastic. In fact, Len said about the competition, “I’ve not been this excited since my mother put me in long trousers.”
William Levy and partner Cheryl Burke were first on the floor with a torrid tango. Bruno called William, “powerful, firm, convincing,” and Carrie Ann said, “You dance so beautifully.” While Carrie Ann and Len scored it a 9, Bruno gave them a 10 for a total of 28. Their second dance was a samba that had William and Cheryl shaking and shimmying all over the floor. Carrie Ann sighed that William “had me at ‘Hello'” while Len said, “I’ve never looked at a man’s bum for so long in my life.” The dance had non-stop energy and excitement, and was rewarded with three 10’s for a perfect score of 30 and a total for the night of 58.
Katherine Jenkins and partner Mark Ballas danced a fast and furious quickstep for their first dance. Although there was a tiny misstep at the start by Katherine, the rest was “outstanding,” said Bruno. Carrie Ann said, “I didn’t think you brought your A-game — you brought your A-plus game. The best dance ever.” While Len gave the couple a 9, both Carrie Ann and Bruno held up the 10 paddle for a score of 29. For their second dance, Katherine and Mark did a salsa with a belly-dancing theme. They were moving fast, shaking like crazy with lots of the Welsh Wiggles, but with the last tricky move, Katherine said she felt her lower back go out and it seemed she almost fainted. As Mark grabbed her, saying repeatedly, “I’ve got you, I’ve got you,” and host Tom Bergeron asked if she was OK, Katherine held her face in her hands. The judges were sympathetic and worried, but had to judge the dance as it was. All three gave the couple 9’s for a score of 27 and a total for the night of 56. At the end of the program, Tom said that Katherine, who seemed in agony, was “getting medical attention after the show.”
Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd performed a romantic, almost magical, waltz that Carrie Ann described as “dreamy,” and Len called “absolutely charming. You’re a big, rough, tough cream puff.” Carrie Ann and Len gave them 9’s but Bruno came through with a 10 for a score of 28. The couple’s second dance was a samba with an office theme, and it wasn’t filled with enough shaking hips and sexy moves. Len thought it was “a little bit careful” but he liked it, while Carrie Ann just smiled contentedly at the pair. Carrie Ann and Bruno thought it deserved 10’s, but Donald still hasn’t gotten a “10 from Len” — he gave them a 9 for a score of 29 and the night’s total of 57.
It’s really looking like Maria Menounos and Derek Hough are the ones to beat, if only the fans agree. Their first dance was an Argentine tango that almost set the dance floor on fire, with crisp moves, sexy looks and one of those “almost” kisses. Len, reaching for his British idioms, merely mumbled, “I was totally coldcocked by the whole thing.” When Maria asked what he meant, Len said it was, “silently fabulous.” All three judges were blown away by the dance and gave the pair three 10’s for a perfect score — at which point, Maria jumped on the seat in the skybox and screamed with joy at her parents in the audience. Their second dance was a jive with lots of Derek’s unique choreography, which can be risky. But the judges loved it — Carrie Ann and Bruno gave them 10’s but Len followed his praise with only a 9 for a score of 29 and the high score for the night of 59.
The leaderboard lineup is:
Maria and Derek — 59
William and Cheryl — 58
Donald and Peta — 57
Katherine and Mark — 56
As Donald Driver said at one point, “I’ve watched this show for a long time and I’ve never seen four people in the semifinals who can dance this well.” I agree completely. Now it’s up to the viewers to decide who will be in the Top Three. It will be sad for whichever couple comes up short after such an outstanding showing. Which three do you think will be vying for the mirrorball trophy next week?
