Kellie & Derek - Argentine Tango - Derek was worried about having a full Flamenco this week, but luckily for him Argentine Tango is one of his best categories because he could really create passion in most of his dancers and Kellie is no exception. The silhouette section was great, though it was a technique Derek has used before with Ricki Lake, seemed better used with Kellie's shape. Kellie glided with such ease in the performance and because of the lighting, it covered up any emotion/expression issues that Kellie may have had. I would have preferred Kelly without the wig and she still would have been in character.
Judges' Score: 30
My Score: 10
Ingo & Kym - Samba - Ingo still seems like he lumbers around, though his hip action was much better than his cha-cha. Kym tried to make sure Ingo's acting skills were put to their advantage. Of Ingo had a few more weeks to perform, I think he'd be finals ready. There were just moments that were still forced. If he stole a spot from the other four celebrities I'd be a bit disappointed, but he has fought hard to get to where he is now. The judges mentioned the word "inconsistent" and when the other four dancers have precision in one form or another, he's out of his league.
Judges' Score: 24
My Score: 8 / 10
Aly & Mark - Rumba - Aly's issues earlier in the season has been her stiffness so the Rumba was a good choice near the end of the season where she's been past a Salsa that involved a lot of shaking. This performance also showed an increased amount of flexibility and acting skills. It's not my favorite performance of hers, but she showed smooth arm extensions and showed some decent hip actions. Mark didn't over-dance and let Aly shine. The keyword of the performance was maturity.
Judges' Score: 30
My Score: 9 / 10
Jacoby & Karina - Argentine Tango - Karina was a bit stressed out during rehearsals and while she was mentally frustrated she was also injured during Sunday's camera blocking where she hurt her neck. Watching the performance was great for Karina's choices for choreography and Jacoby's pure strength when he easily lifted her helped. The scene was so dark from the floor and the lighting that it was hard to discern how poor or arched Jacoby's shoulders were, but since the lighting choices that Derek had also covered minor mistakes Karina had the choice as well. The spats on Jacoby's shoes helped.
Judges' Score: 30
My Score: 10 / 10
Zendaya & Val - Quickstep - If Hip-Hop isn't a ringer's dance for Zendaya, I don't know what is. Unfortunately for Val, he wasn't as in tune. The go-karting felt stupid and a waste of time. As they got into the dancing, it was fast-paced and fun. The pacing was something that Carrie-Ann disliked, but I think it worked with the song. It had a frantic nature that made their Quickstep seem modern. Zendaya's good, so it's not like I can fault her accuracy or passion to dance. I loved that Val didn't break holds or break rules.
Judges' Score: 25
My Score: 9 / 10
Round Two: Twitter Dances
Kellie & Derek - Flamenco - Hey, an actual picture of Kellie on American Idol! Good for this show for getting the rights of one picture both Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood to say positive things about her. I liked the square staging of the routine, but since my exposure to Flamenco is via the Baz Luhrmann movie Strictly Ballroom, I can only assume that the actual steps were accurate. I found the routine to be fascinating but Derek seemed to have done most of the work, but that ending flip was amazing. Kellie followed with sharp staccato moves, but she really circled Derek a large amount of the dance.
Judges' Score: 28
My Score: 9 / 10
Ingo & Kym - Charleston - The evolution from Ingo from Germany to New Zealand, to LA and finally to Hawaii really makes him a worldly man. Of all the Twitter dances, Ingo seemed to be perfect for Charleston because of his acting background. Kym also did great with Donnie Osmond before so it's not foreign for her. The moment where Ingo was on the floor looked awful and his side-by-side lacked confidence in the beginning as he looked at Kym to make sure he was okay. There were still a few points where Ingo looked like he was walking into place and even if Jacoby had the same choreography, Jacoby would add flair.
Judges' Score: 27
My Score: 8 / 10
Aly & Mark - Afro-Jazz - Before the performance even started I just wondered, "Who did Mark offend now with his costuming choices?" I got to say since we heard their interviews I loved Aly's enthusiastic parents during the Olympics. As the performance began, I couldn't help but think how cliché the performance was. They got the "Afro" part right, but I didn't see enough Jazz. The routine looked like the most intense Zumba performance. I imagine performances that are more of a neo-Jazz from Sonya Tayeh (So You Think You Can Dance Choreographer) where African moves are interpreted and not so obvious. Mark went too literal. Aly put everything she could into the performance so I give her credit.
Judges' Score: 29
My Score: 9 / 10
Jacoby & Karina - Lindy hop - Jacoby apparently was too small when he was a kid, but look at him now. I didn't understand the opening with Harold Wheeler screaming at the two, but as they started dancing I ignored the opening and switched to thinking that Jacoby's height was a big disadvantage to him in this performance as he hunched to match Karina. There was too much time was wasted on the judges' table where choreography could have been placed instead of showboating.
Judges' Score: 29
My Score: 9 / 10
Zendaya & Val - Hip-Hop - The opening looked cute and it was nice that there was no British voice-over, because it would have thrown the dance. I think Val's lack of sharpness hurt the routine because Zendaya was in her zone. The whole routine was great to watch, but I found it funny that Zendaya also got to have a non-band performed routine. There was something about the two outfits that made it look like Zendaya was a student and Val was a teacher that was trying to keep up.
Judges' Score: 30
My Score: 10 / 10
Interestingly, Zendaya is only four points away from Ingo and seeing how the General Hospital contingency helped Kelly Monaco last year, it may prove to help Ingo knock off the Disney star. Funny enough, I doubt that people would be up in arms because Aly, Jacoby, and Kellie all have a wonderful shot of winning the whole season with or without Zendaya there.