Round One - Individual Dances
Amber & Derek - Quickstep - Amber felt like her confidence was growing, but with the amount of energy she had to put into the dance, her knees were showing a lot of pain. The couple began on the stage to a drum set but immediately got into hold. Amber's feet were okay based off of the injury, but I wished that the performance had a bit more depth or at least sharper kicks. Amber looked a bit lost at points, but put a lot of effort into the routine. The judges appreciated the choreography, but there were moments without polish. Score: 24 (8,8,8)
Leah & Tony - Tango - Leah was worried about her frame and posture, but Tony knew that she could bring the character into the routine. Tony didn't want to be written off so he tried to make the choreography a degree harder.The opening was strong and once they got into hold Leah tried her best to fake the dance with her emotion on her face. I thought that her feet were in the right places most of the time, but the dance felt tame. The judges appreciated that the tango was proper and reminded her to keep focus in the dance. Score: 27 (9,9,9)
Corbin & Karina - Waltz - Karina explained that the strategy of the Waltz was to have a clear traditional slow waltz to counteract the Game of Thrones over the top Viennese Waltz. I liked that the dance went straight into the dance and their movements were graceful. Corbin's hands occasionally looked inexpressive, but if my biggest concern is his fingers having issues, then the dance was extremely strong and powerful in it's simplicity. The judges loved the dreamy nature with a beautiful hold, but Carrie Ann didn't think he was centered in his turns. Score: 28 (9,9,10)
Jack & Cheryl - Viennese Waltz - At week nine, Cheryl made sure that his choreography was perfect. His week of practice had a minor break because of his 28th birthday. The high spirits actually gave him a bit extra push because his frame was better than I remembered. Unlike Corbin, Jack has expression in his arms and hands. Jack's feet were great and he's shown so much improvement from the prior weeks. The judges appreciated the frames and turns, though Bruno didn't like his hands as much as I did. Score: 29 (10,10,9)
Bill & Emma - Charleston - Bill knows that he has to step up his game and even with a new pro, he wanted to succeed for the both of them. Emma decided to keep him in character mode. The dance started off with the cute character, but Bill's legs looked like they lacked any oil and his hands were everywhere. The choreography looked exactly the same as several weeks ago. It seemed like he carried Emma for most of the dance and wasted a lot of time. The judges hated the timing and the dance wasn't semi-final worthy. Score: 21 (7,7,7)
Elizabeth & Val - Viennese Waltz - The two decided that Elizabeth shouldn't keep asking questions after each move. Elizabeth realized that the different communication style helped her learn. The two started off like a married couple on top of a cake. The choice of choreography in the beginning and several points had extremely sharp movements which helped put difference on the softer moments. The couple hay have spent too much time on top of the "cake" because the dance looked like it ended quickly. Carrie Ann and Bruno loved the subtle choreography and lines, but Len thought it wasn't enough of a Viennese Waltz for him. Score: 26 (9,8,9)
Round Two - Trio Dances
Amber & Derek ft. Mark - Salsa - Mark loved the experence and working with a quick learner as Amber. Amber was confused by Mark and Derek's choreography and speaking in "ha" and "shoop." Derek emphasized that the two pros had to be like backup dancers. I was surprised that the group considered a lift. The trio didn't seem perfectly centered, but I liked the interactions between them. The salsa motions were nice though some of the hip-hop undertones could have been toned down. I actually thought that this was some of Derek's strongest trio choreography, possibly because he got to work with Mark. The judges thought there needed to be more hip action at moments, even though she had fire throughout the performance. Score: 27 (9,9,9)
Leah & Tony ft. Henry - Jive - Tony knew that picking Henry the last time with Melissa Rycroft got them 30s. The three decided to pretend that they were the judges as fun. I loved the opening sequence and once the trio got into the dance I actually appreciated that all three got into their characters. Leah's kicks could have been higher but she had so much more energy than I expected from the dance that Leah didn't even give during her salsa. The judges loved the control of the routine and the concept. Score: 27 (9,9,9)
Corbin & Karina ft. Witney - Jazz - Karina picked Witney because she expected Witney to be a strong Jazz person. The trio wanted to have Fosse undertones and tap. Karina was worried how ambitious the three were going to be. I liked the opening where the three were on stairs, but by the time that they were down the stairs, the choreography was questionable to me. Almost immediately Karina lost her hat too early, but she was a pro and kept going. No one was going to disagree that Corbin was the spotlight of the performance, but it almost felt too much like Karina and Witney were backup dancers. Carrie Ann was convinced that it was the best routine she's ever seen. Both Len and Bruno were also positive. Score: 30 (10,10,10)
Jack & Cheryl ft. Sharna - Samba - Cheryl picked Sharna that the two had similar personalities. The three created the idea of Sharna being the bad guy. Since the two were very similar teachers, Jack felt a bit pressured by the Cheryl/Sharna combination. Jack hoped that he could get into character for the routine. As the Disney music began and the cheesy acting passed through, I realized that the routine was going to be fun. I'm not sure if it was technically correct, but Jack went through all the motions.Sharna was a bit underused near the end of the routine, but Jack was having a great time. The judges loved the fun of the routine, but it wasn't technically clean. Score: 25 (8,8,9)
Bill & Emma ft. Peta - Salsa - Peta was excited to join the duo because of how quirky the trio. The theme was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the three immediately had a fun time practicing. Bill's timing was awful from the beginning but the three were clearly having fun. The two women were doing their best to cover up the fact that Bill barely moved. He basically watched the two girls do splits and spins, then crawled between their legs. The judges called out Bill on his poor rhythm and timing. Score: 21 (7,7,7)
Elizabeth & Val ft. Gleb - Salsa - Elizabeth felt like she was in the first day of school as she had to be positioned in an eastern European sandwich. Val emphasized that there was speed and Elizabeth needed to be the center of attention. I was happy to see this salsa in comparison to the other two we saw tonight as trio because it was the most like a salsa. There were moments where Elizabeth looked like a confused deer as she danced, but she had the most content and street salsa spirit. The judges loved the interplay of the three and her technique. Score: 30 (10,10,10)
After all the dances were completed the two in jeopardy were Elizabeth & Val and Bill & Emma. After a very strong showing Elizabeth & Val were eliminated.
Corbin & Karina, Jack & Cheryl, Amber & Derek, Leah & Tony, and the shockingly safe Bill & Emma. Will the judges have to throw sixes in his way to get him eliminated?
Week 9 Final Scores
High
Corbin & Karina - 58 (28+30)
Leah & Tony - 54 (27+27)
Jack & Cheryl - 54 (29+25)
Low
Amber & Derek - 51 (24+27)
Bill & Emma - 42 (21+21)