Samba in Planet of the Apes

It’s week seven and the judges are expecting more than some of the celebrities have to give. Luckily some of the stars are up for the challenge. Michael Irvin improves by playing his Foxtrot subtly and Donny Osmond relied on his 50 years in show business to cover up the several mistakes he made with his dance. The judges had praise for both celebs and with Len singing your praises celebrities tend to shuffle off never to dance again. Then there was Mark whose samba was according to Carrie Ann “disjointed…[with] no flow” and Bruno had what was the most convoluted analogy of the night when he referred to the dance as “Kung Fu Panda doing the Samba in the Planet of the Apes.”

Then there was Mya’s foxtrot that Len hated, but was loved by Bruno and according to Carrie Ann “Len is officially smoking crack.” The scores reflected their comments. Meanwhile Aaron Carter’s dance had Len taking his 10-score paddle out of hibernation. What made the night was Kelly’s judging. Though she faced her fear of the dance, it was the judges’ reaction to her performance that made the night. As usual this is one show that is always surprising its audience – in a good way.

However, as the weeks go on and there are less contestants the show has too many fillers such as the opening dance routines of professional dancers and the unnecessary, staged scenes between Derek and Johanna. If Derek is auditioning he should do it on his own time and not on the viewers who only want to see him dance.

To add spice to the show the celebs are broken up into two dance teams – team Paso and team Tango. With Donny Osmond in the mix team Tango devastated team Paso with a collective score of 29, which was added to their individual score. Their dance was also privileged to be the repeat performance on Tuesday night.

The second night had a variety of musical guests with varied talents. Colbie Caillat performed her short and sweet tune “Falln’ for You” for an appreciative audience – then it was the musical styling of the Ballis- Hough band? Their auto-tune performance reminds the audience why it’s for performers who do not have a modicum of singing talent. Stick to dancing gentlemen. For a welcome change of pace Rod Stewart came out and sang a ‘60s favorite “It’s the Same Old Song.” His voice isn’t what it used to be, but anything is better than hearing people sing who are best known for their dancing.

As always the night was filled with tension as the focus went back to double-elimination, where Marc was a victim of having three partners and a lukewarm performance. Joining him were Aaron Carter and Michael Irvin, proving once again that this is a vote-in show. The judges are only a minor part of the equation and if you want the likes of Aaron Carter (who topped the leader board) to dance another day, then you have to vote and not count on Len to carry him to the next round. With one of the couples out-of-the-way, double-elimination set the stage for an intense dance off. It was an emotional send-off as the entire dancing cast joined in the farewell dance.

With the finale three weeks away, the remaining celebrities are sure to feel the heat.