With the celebrities nearing the finale, let’s take a look at this week’s performances and analyze their previous work. Not all of the celebrities can make it to the finals, so we’ll take a look at what steps they’ve taken to make it to next week. The listed “Other Dances” would include the non-Ballroom or Latin dances, as well as the lift-friendly Argentine Tango or next week’s possible Disco.
Zendaya & Val
Cumulative Score: 265
Best Latin Dance: Cha-Cha (29) / Trio Salsa (30)
Best Ballroom Dance: Foxtrot (28)
Best Other Dance: Argentine Tango (29)
Dances Remaining: Waltz, Tango, Quickstep, Jazz, Rumba
Week 8 Analysis
Foxtrot - Val needed competitive spirit from Zendaya, so he pushed her harder. I loved the choice of music for the two because they got to play off the glee of the performance. They looked playful as they danced, which helped emphasize her age. I thought the holds were strong and Val’s choreography has gotten better. Judges’ Score: 28
Trio Salsa with Gleb - Val wanted to make sure Zendaya was the focus of the Salsa and Gleb happily obliged. There was even more emphasis on the Throne. I appreciate that Val puts Zendaya in pants because of the length of her legs. I thought the dance was fun, though I wished there was more contact because the side-by-side choreography looked like something she’d have to learn for her Disney channel show. Judges’ Score: 30
Outlook - Guaranteed Final 3 - Even with the first 30 of the season, the biggest issue with Zendaya is that she is a Disney product. While several have made it to the final three (Chelsea Kane in Season 12, Kyle Massey in Season 11), they’ve never won. I’m going on the record and saying Zendaya won’t either. I’m sure the Chmerkovskiy fanbase can help, but I don’t think it’ll be enough. That being said, Zendaya is a sponge for choreography and her smile is infectious. She'll give whoever she’s up against a good fight.
Sean & Peta
Cumulative Score: 216
Best Latin Dance: Rumba (24)
Best Ballroom Dance: Quickstep (24)
Best Other Dance: Jazz (21)
Dances Remaining: Paso Doble, Salsa, Waltz, Contemporary, Argentine Tango
Week 8 Analysis
Tango - Sean continues to show a lack of any musicality. In all truth, he’s a good body with a smile that has boyish charm, but Peta can’t make endless miracles. Sean should look like he was leading Peta, but he still seems like he’s being dragged around. Judge’s Score: 21
Trio Jazz with Sharna - Peta is BFFs with Sharna, so it seemed like an obvious choice. Sharna was also good choreographing jazz. They created a magician-style performance. I thought the opening magic sequence was probably the best because the rest it looked like an awkward white guy trying to be cool. If I could score just Peta and Sharna, it would be a great performance. Sean’s timing was even worse than his Tango. Judges’ Score: 21
Outlook - Toast - I’m convinced that his scores are being bolstered because he’s an ABC product. I’m also sure they are trying for a Bachelor wedding, so the longer the exposure, the better chances of increased ratings. Don’t worry, I’m still hoping he’ll be gone soon.
Jacoby & Karina
Cumulative Score: 241
Best Latin Dance: Salsa (27)
Best Ballroom Dance: Viennese Waltz (27)
Best Other Dance: Jazz (23)
Dances Remaining: Samba, Tango, Waltz, Contemporary, Argentine Tango
Week 8 Analysis
Viennese Waltz - Jacoby’s mother came in to help motivate him, so Jacoby knew that he had to get technique right. Outside of potential lifts, I thought Jacoby’s arm extensions have improved and he is much smoother than he’s ever been in a slower-tempoed dance. The shirt opening was a waste of time, but a vote getter. Judges’ Score: 27
Trio Paso Doble with Cheryl - Both pros wanted to make sure that Jacoby was the strong matador. With such a typical pure paso song, I was expecting a lot of strength and passion in the performance, but I really thought Karina and Cheryl were much more interesting to watch. Jacoby lacked some finesse in the performance that will need to improve in the future. Judges’ Score: 25
Outlook - Semi-finalist / Final 3 Dark Horse - Jacoby lacks the technical spirit of both Aly and Zendaya, and the open-mindedness of Kellie. However, he is still the best male celebrity with endless charm. Countless football players have made it to the finale and have upset the status quo, and Jacoby has a chance to do that again this year. Karina’s choreography is smart, so I think that he has an outside shot to win as long as she doesn’t get a hip-hop routine. Would he deserve it? No.
Ingo & Kym
Cumulative Score: 221
Best Latin Dance: Rumba (22) / Trio Jive (24)
Best Ballroom Dance: Tango & Foxtrot (24)
Best Other Dance: Contemporary (20)
Dances Remaining: Argentine Tango, Jazz, Salsa, Samba, Waltz
Week 8 Analysis
Foxtrot - Kym’s acting helped match Ingo’s natural charm as he tried to match his acting with his dancing. His arms have improved, but once in a while he still had sloppy movements, including when he was trying to spin around and wobbled. Judges’ Score: 24
Trio Jive with Lindsay - Ingo thought that he could do handsprings in the routine. Lindsay actually brought some positive energy into the practice rooms. By placing Ingo in the middle, his lack of leg movement was even more noticeable. I thought the choreography was too easy for this stage of the routine where the roll and the slide just wasted time. Judges’ Score: 24
Outlook - Toast - The problem with Ingo was that I think he knows that he has no chance to win. The question is to keep pushing even though there are four celebrities above and beyond him, or if he should just bow out and let the tide take him to fifth. Nothing he can do will help him win. His scores are nowhere near Jacoby, his closest competitor. He still is being given simplistic choreography. He may survive a bit longer if he gets an Argentine Tango, could lift Kym and spin her around for a minute, and spend 30 seconds pretending to lead.
Kellie & Derek
Cumulative Score: 263
Best Latin Dance: Samba (29)
Best Ballroom Dance: Quickstep (29)
Best Other Dance: Jazz (26)
Dances Remaining: Argentine Tango, Contemporary, Salsa, Tango, Waltz
Week 8 Analysis
Viennese Waltz - Derek wanted to emphasize more emotion in the performances, so he created a story of “What if you only had one minute left with your grandmother.” She tried to let all of her walls down during the performance and I found the dance to have intimacy and emotion. She was smooth, though the clouded flooring definitely helped her (over Jacoby’s lack of in his performance). Judges’ Score: 28
Trio Paso Doble with Tristan - Derek thought of an alternate universe performance compared to the Viennese Waltz. Kellie worried about intensity. I loved that the mirror was still there from the first dance and Kellie was still in a similar dress that transformed into a black dress. I was thoroughly impressed by the whole routine, though I thought that the lack of Tristan in the middle was cheating the “trio” concept. Judges’ Score: 27
Outlook - Guaranteed Final 2 - After Wynona Judd’s elimination, Kellie solidified the country music voters. She already had competitive reality television experience with Idol and probably some of the pure-Idol fans. She’s willing to put in as much effort as possible and hit some of her highest scores during her busiest week while she toured. Kellie has every chance to win, and Derek’s choreography is some of the smartest that covers his partner’s weaknesses.
Aly & Mark
Cumulative Score: 257
Best Latin Dance: Salsa (29)
Best Ballroom Dance: Foxtrot (27)
Best Other Dance: Argentine Tango (29)
Dances Remaining: Jazz, Tango, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jazz
Week 8 Analysis
Argentine Tango - Mark was excited to choreograph the Argentine tango because of the storyline. While she joked around in the practices, she’s grown into building characters. I thought the table sequence made Aly look boxy, but she was off of it quickly. She made beautiful shapes and planted her feet in the right places. I liked the technique, but would have preferred more passion. Judges’ Score: 29
Trio Jive with Henry - Aly had a slight upper-hand since she worked with Henry last week. Mark just wanted to make sure she’s perfect on the beat. The music was a bit slower than Ingo, which allowed her to automatically look better. Her movements were nice, but I still wished the performance was sharper or that Mark had added more flicks or kicks to make the performance feel more like a Jive and less of a Jazz routine. Judges’ Score: 27
Outlook - Finals Battler - Aly is consistent and technical - two very important factors for a win. She’s been gaining character week after week. Olympians have generally done well on DWTS, and the direct comparison os Shawn Johnson (who placed 1st and 2nd against some tough competition). I think the difference is that Aly has Mark, and sometimes his choreography can be polarizing (the Afro-Samba or the Harry Potter Viennese Waltz come to mind immediately) which could harm her chances if he tries a Freestyle that just doesn’t work. The target audience watching DWTS is much older than Mark Ballas, so I hope he understands a hip-hop freestyle won’t work.