Our first guest judge of the season Robin Roberts was welcomed to the judges’ table. She was a big fan of the show so she was very excited to be on. In the end, Robin didn’t veer far from Len, Carrie Ann, or Bruno so the scores stayed pretty tight.

The Switch-Up challenge is also upon us which has left the celebrities a bit nervous. The professionals will dance with a different celebrity thankfully for only one week. The pros were nervous to show their teaching skills and also equally nervous if their original celebrity did better with a different pro. Some of the top contenders that Tom and Erin mentioned were Cody Simpson possibly being with Peta Murgatroyd and Amy Purdy being paired up with Mark Ballas.

Billy Dee and Emma had to quit the show because his doctor exclaimed that he should stop because of his chronic back problem. He was excited to have participated, but he just couldn’t keep going. I applaud him for trying the show, but everyone knew that he was going to be eliminated soon if he didn’t get eliminated.

James & Peta - Jive - Peta emphasized how sexy James was, but he explained that he was a chubby kid when he was growing up. He picked 2007 as his memorable year because he looked past the bullying and got to be a part of Big Time Rush. As the couple danced they started dancing on a table, which I’m surprised how small it was. James did really well considering how height tends to be a detracting factor in a jive. He kept his energy contained correctly. James had power in his kicks and leg flicks and had energy throughout the whole performance.

Len thought the performance was his best. Robin appreciated how well James attacked the dance. Bruno thought the performance was explosive and superb. Carrie Ann was happy how active he was, she warned him of “claw” hands. Score: 36 (9,9,9,9)

NeNe & Tony - Rumba - Tony wanted to apologize about Carrie Ann’s critiques. NeNe picked a Whitney Houston song because it was her wedding song. NeNe evolved after getting married, breaking up, and coming back together in 2013. The couple had a bed as their prop, but didn’t use much of it in the beginning. I appreciated that NeNe extends her legs really well. For me, NeNe still doesn’t dance “sensual” but still a little too “sexual” for my tastes. Either way, I appreciate NeNe’s movement throughout the floor and Tony choreographs really well for NeNe’s personality.

Robin thought she was the life of the party and loved that she showed a different side of her personality. Bruno thought she was a siren, her flow between steps were nice, but she needed better basic movements. Carrie Ann thought that the passion came through the dance. Len was pleasantly surprised by the routine, but she needed to put better pressure on her feet. Score: 31 (8,7,8,8)

Cody & Witney - Jazz - Cody explained that 2010 was when he moved to the US and explained that his family gave up everything for Cody to succeed. He’s dancing to “Surfboard,” his own song because it connected him with his childhood. I found the dance to be an easy excuse for Cody to do really whatever he wanted. He could pop and lock to his heart’s content. The problem was that he wasn’t as synchronized with Witney as I hoped he would have been. With a dance that was heavy with side-by-side choreography, it was really noticeable.

Bruno called the routine refreshing and saw the modern elements. Carrie Ann loved the vocabulary of movement. Len thought it was a tight routine. Robin loved his style and how he respected the dance. Score: 35 (9,8,9,9)

Danica & Val - Contemporary - Val was proud of Danica after the sexy samba, Danica was excited to have “Lullabye” as her song. She chose 2010 as her most memorable year because it was the birth of his son, but also she experienced the loss of her grandmother. I appreciated how much couple work Val put into the choreography without being too dependent on lifts. The lifts were nice punctuations between good amounts of choreography that actually transitioned wall. Danica put her heart in the performance and I loved that she was holding her son during judging.

Carrie Ann loved the sincerity of the performance, she had grace and a delicate nature. Len loved how fluid the movement was. Robin thought the performance was a “wonder” and loved how meaningful it was for her. Bruno loved how enchanting the performance was. Score: 36 (9,9,9,9)

[ new page ]

Drew & Cheryl - Waltz - Drew knew his timing was off last week and wanted to improve this week. He picked 2005 because his son was born then. He knew that he wanted to be with his son so he couldn’t be fat and have medical issues. Drew’s arms still looked awkward, but he tried his hardest to keep a good frame. I thought that his extensions looked really odd, but it didn’t help that I disliked the band’s arrangement of the song. The dance had emotion, but just not the good footwork.

Len saw the charm of the routine, but saw that he was on the wrong foot. Robin called Drew a pleasant surprise and was blown away by his approach to the show. Bruno appreciated the waltz content, but saw the mistakes. Carrie Ann thought the intensity of Drew’s face messed up the ease of motion that he normally had. Score: 30 (7,7,8,8)

Meryl & Maks - Foxtrot - Meryl explained that she has gone through a 17-year journey. She was shy when she started and couldn’t even look at Charlie. She pointed out that there was a collective triumph when she stood at the medal. She picked “All of Me” because she gave everything for the Olympics. There was a gracefulness to the dance that was immediately noticeable as Meryl walked down the stairs. The sharpness of Meryl’s kicks fit perfectly in the dance. There’s this amount of trust that Meryl gives as a partner to Maks that I haven’t seen in a celebrity in a while.

Robin loved that she saw journey in her dance. Bruno found the romance in the routine to be great and the emotions matched the technique. Carrie Ann was in tears because of how sheerly beautiful the routine was; she appreciated the partnership the two had. Len loved the routine because of the light and shade. Score: 39 (10,9,10,10)

Amy & Derek - Contemporary - Amy explained that 1999 was when she lost her legs and kidney functions. Her father donated a kidney to keep her alive. Amy explained how painful and confining she felt when she started her new legs. Amy got up and started dancing with her father and learned that she could live a great life no matter what. Amy tried a new pair of feet that allows Amy to point her feet. Derek tried to tell the story of her journey through the choreography. Just watching the performance left me breathless because you knew that this was exactly what Amy experienced. this was also one of the few times that I will accept the assisted lift walk as good choreography.

Bruno knew how heart wrenching and motivational the routine was. Carrie Ann knew how inspiring the routine was and it was more beautiful seeing her legs. Len thought the routine was truly beautiful. Robin was at a loss for words. Score: 36 (9,9,9,9)

Charlie & Sharna - Jive - Charlie was happy to be on the top of the leaderboard and explained that 2010 was the idea of being so close to having a gold and they knew they had to go on the journey for the next four years. He dedicated the dance to his parents and girlfriend. The opening sequence was really nice on a production level, but it felt like almost an unfair advantage because Charlie had so many people helping his routine. I liked Sharna’s choice of choreography with the exception of unnecessary amounts of clapping. Charlie was kicking and excited to dance.

Carrie Ann loved how he moved across the room, but she saw that he was ahead of the music. Len was happy for seeing the routine. Robin loved the celebration and how he worked the room. Bruno loved the cheerfulness and uplifting routines. Score: 36 (9,9,9,9)

Candace & Mark - Jive - Candace was worried that she was a fish out of water with the Rumba. Candace picked 1995 which was the last year of Full House and when she got engaged. She explained that the Full House cast still stayed close and wanted to do a tribute to the show. Candace was not as good as I expected when she did so well on week one, but she’s having fun being on the show and is trying to keep up with Mark. She wasn’t as confident with some of her steps and stumbled into several spots. It was a Jive, yes, but she’s up against tough competition.

Len loved the energy and liked how sharp it was. Robin thought it was wonderful to watch. Bruno told her to watch her footwork. Carrie Ann saw the high energy, but she needed to stop hunching her shoulders. Score: 32 (8,8,8,8)

Week 3 Scores

High
Meryl & Maks - 39
Charlie & Sharna - 36
Amy & Derek - 36
Danica & Val - 36
James & Peta - 36

Low
Cody & Witney - 35
Candace & Mark - 32
NeNe & Tony - 31
Drew & Cheryl - 30