Well, it”s that time again – elimination night. I think there are some candidates for execution, but, as usual, there”s no guessing who the American public will fall in love with. So let”s not waste any time guessing, as the truth is about to be revealed. Eventually. In about 55 minutes, more or less. On (and on and on) with the show.
The group dance doesn”t wow me, but the dancers all look a little stressed out. Which is completely understandable, really.
Lil” C is back, as is Kristin Chenowith, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe. Kristin plugs her country album. She made a music video. And we get to see it. For about a second. And because it”s a snippet, I can”t tell if I like the song or if the video makes any sense at all. But Kristin looks good, and that”s all that matters, I suppose.
Without further ado (but I thought there was a lot of ado), Cat welcomes our first three couples. Melanie and Marko are first up. No way they”re going home. They really are the couple to beat, if you ask me. We see all the kissing again, along with a bonus kiss between Melanie and Marko. And yes, they”re safe.
Ashley and Chris are up next. Chris looks discouraged already. And for good reason, as he and Ashley are in the bottom three. Next up are Ryan and Ricky. Her hair looks great. They”re not in danger, which is disappointing, honestly. I still don”t completely feel like Ryan is delivering the goods.
We halt the bloodbath for a plug for National Dance Day. Robin Antin did a sexy routine, NappyTabs did a fun routine, and Mary Murphy did an old geezer routine. And each routine will be posted on fox.com/dance on Wednesday. Plug, plug, plug, zzzzzzzz.
Next three couples! We start with Jordan and Tadd. They”re fine, I”m sure. And they are. Sasha and Alexander are up next. But wait, we must check in with Miranda and Robert. And the unlucky couple is… Miranda and Robert. I don”t quite understand why they”ve been in the bottom three twice, but I wonder if all of Robert”s wooing got on people”s nerves. He hasn”t done it much lately, but that and the Urkel costumes may not have helped him.
Next group. Clarice and Jess are first on the block. But wait! Caitlynn and Mitchell are next. So, on the bottom is… Clarice and Jess, right? Wrong. Caitlynn and Mitchell? What? That is SO wrong. I thought Clarice and Jess were great last night, don”t get me wrong, but I”m starting to see their limitations. Caitlynn and Mitchell, on the other hand, wowed me.
Axis is a dance troupe in Oakland that pairs dancers with disabilities with able-bodied dancers, like “Glee” but without the singing. This is a great routine, though it”s very, very serious. She is climbing all over his wheelchair, so I hope it”s sturdy. He can pop a mean wheelie. Very nice work.
And can I just say that Cat”s braid is really more of a fashion don”t, especially paired with the necklace and the busy outfit? But maybe she just needs to surround herself with happy things to cheer herself up on Thursday nights.
The first solo from Ashley. She really is a beautiful dancer, and she has amazing extension. Given her performance last night, though, I”m not convinced she”s staying.
Chris is next. I love that his dance has contemporary elements. I think he”s really grown in the competition thus far, and I”m thinking he might stick around because of that.
Miranda dances. She”s good, too. God, everyone”s really good, but especially the girls. It is a shame anyone has to go home.
Robert brings a lot more to his solo this time around. I get the impression he knows he”s really fighting for his life this time.
The final girl solo is from Caitlynn. She”s just adorable and, again, great dancer. And the final guy is Mitchell. What extension! He may be one of the strongest guys, if not the strongest guy, in the competition. Excellent form.
Right now I”m leaning toward Ashley and Robert as the cut couple. Cut, not cute, although they are both perfectly cute. God, this is just depressing.
Not that Kristin is leaning toward eliminating anyone. Kristin loves everyone! She can”t send someone home! Time for the other judges to ignore Kristin and auf someone. Current ballroom champions Eric Luna and Georgia Ambarian perform. And MAN, they”re incredible. It”s almost hard to believe these are real people, as they just seem to defy gravity. This one is worth rewinding. Heck, it”s worth recording and hitting the keep button on your DVR. Beautiful.
Time for the first cut. Nigel wants to say the judges love all three girls. And the judges are not unanimous. He tells Miranda she”s the most improved girl. But she”s going home. Really? Okay, I guess this is where the judges change it up a bit. With Ryan, it was all about potential. Miranda clearly has potential coming out of her ears. But, because she”s been in the bottom twice, that factor is tossed out and she”s eliminated because she doesn”t have a fan base. Such a shame. I would have liked to see more from her.
Time to cut a guy. Nigel says it”s unanimous as to whom they”re going to cut. He has Mitchell step forward. He tells him he”s dancing well but not connecting with the public. Nigel tells Chris he dances with passion and he loved the woodpecker routine. Wait, that was Robert! But he wants Chris to grow quicker. And Robert”s going home. He gets a woo from the audience. Both he and Miranda are incredibly gracious and sweet in making their exits. It”s hard to see them go, but I guess there”s some truth to the fact they weren”t connecting, since they ended up in the bottom not once but twice. But I”m sure they both have rich careers ahead of them. And pay attention, network executives: Robert already has his sitcom-ready catchphrase.
What do you think about the elimination? Who would you have sent home? And were you amazed by Eric Luna and Georgia Ambarian?