First let me begin with two corrections from my previous DWTS post. I do know who Andy Grammer is; at least I know his hit song. And now I also know who Alek Skarlatos is, one of the men who subdued a terrorist on a train in France recently.
And now, on with the recap. Rather than talking about each contestant, I will be giving my opinion on the best and worst moments of the show:
Winning dance style of the night: The Jive
Three contestants danced the Jive: husband and wife Carlos and Alexa Penavega, and Bindi Irwin, and all three were very successful. Their jives were performed with great technique, and bucketfuls of energy, enthusiasm, and personality. Of the three, Bindi got the most love from the audience, and the judges. Her overall score of 24 tied for highest of the night, and the crowd went wild for her.
Runner up dance style of the night: The Foxtrot
Of the three contestants who danced the Foxtrot, Internet sensation Hayes Grier, singer Andy Grammer, and hero Alek Skarlatos, I would say Alek took the prize. The judges were more impressed with Hayes than I was, Andy's dance was decent, especially thanks to his partner Allison, but we all found Alek's dance to be enchanting, with the music and Lindsey's choreography blending together beautifully.
Losing dance style of the night: The Salsa
Unfortunately in most cases, the cha cha didn't fare much better, but both of the contestants who danced the Salsa, Victor Espinoza and Kim Zolziak-Biermann, had a rough time. Kim received the lowest scores of the night, which was unfortunate, because I think she has it in her to be a good dancer, but she was incredibly nervous. I have to say, I'm quite surprised that Dancing with the Stars foisted both the Salsa and the Quickstep on the contestants in the first week! Those are both incredibly hard styles to master.
Surprisingly good performance of the night:
This is not to say that I thought Tamar Braxton would be a bad dancer. I'm saying her performance was a surprise because she was given the dreaded Quickstep, and she and Val made it work! They weren't perfect of course, but they had the elements you look for in a Quickstep: speed, footwork, good use of the dance space, and I thought she had a decent frame for a first dance. She tied with Carlos Penavega for second highest set of scores of the night: 23.
My cringeworthy moments of the evening:
1) Paula Deen's slow, nervous Quickstep wasn't good, but her comment about almost soiling her underwear was crude and TMI.
2) Apparently many people were amused by Gary Busey's antics and incomprehensible ramblings, but I found both his dance and his post-performance interactions with Tom and Erin to be painful and uncomfortable. I have to say, though, that I just love both Tom and Erin; they can make the strangest happenings in the ballroom bearable with humor and a caring spirit.
Sweethearts of the ballroom: Bindi Irwin and Alek Skarlatos
Of the two contestants that I haven't mentioned yet, singer Chaka Khan and Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, Nick was much more successful with the Cha Cha. His dance was infused with some hip hop and boy band moves, and I was entertained. I also enjoyed watching all three judges fangirling over Nick. Nick tied with Bindi Irwin for highest scores of the night. Chaka's dance, conversely, was a hot mess, but at least she seemed to have a good time. Unfortunately, I don't think third season will be the charm for Keo.
Two more observations:
1) The opening number was a showstopper, featuring thousands of extras during the outdoor filming, and lots of glitz and fanfare. Too bad most of the dances didn't live up to the hype of the show's beginning.
2) I found it very strange that Len's absence was given so little time and attention. Tom simply said, "Len won't be judging this season," and that was it. Twenty one seasons, Len as head judge for every season, and that is all the recognition he receives? I hope this means he's not retiring, that he is only taking a season off. If he is retiring, he deserves way more of a goodbye than that.
Overall, the dancing was pretty good, but I think my expectations were a bit too high. I'm hoping to see some improvements in week 2. Oh, and my pet peeve from the previous season continued last night: I do NOT want extra dancers in these individual performances! Extra dancers should be reserved for the trio dances and the freestyles. You're jumping the shark, DWTS - quit it!
librarianintx
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