Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars: Who Was Voted Off?
Gilles Marini was pegged by many as the winner going into the all-star season, especially because he lost to Shawn Johnson by less than 1% in the spring of 2009. Many thought he should have won the Mirror Ball then. But magic didn’t strike twice, and he and partner Peta Murgatroyd were one of the two eliminated couples on Tuesday’s “Dancing with the Stars.”
I think I speak for many when I say I really looked forward to seeing Gilles in an all-star season, but the second taste of him wasn’t nearly as tantalizing as the first. Gilles didn’t have the chemistry with new partner Peta that he did with original pro Cheryl Burke, his cumulative standing slipped in recent weeks, and he started to sound as desperate and neurotic as Week 6 eliminee Sabrina Bryan often did. He became haunted with a need for perfection and forgot to enjoy himself.
The other couple standing at the bottom of the stage at 8:57 p.m. EST looked as if they were certain they would be the ones ousted. Apolo Anton Ohno was grim, and Karina Smirnoff was crying. But Apolo and Karina lived on to dance in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, the earlier departure of Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy surprised no one. They had been near or at the bottom of the leaderboard since the first week, with the next couple 12 ½ points ahead of them after Monday night. Kirstie lacked the stamina of her fellow all-stars and the ability or sophistication to handle tougher choreography. Whether it was her decision or one by the producers, Kirstie seemed to be here primarily to entertain rather than to develop and legitimately compete. She had a classy, happy sendoff, thanking the judges for their critiques.
Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars: Who Was Voted Off?
Yet again, “DWTS” threw a challenge at the all-stars: They had to choose a dance style and theme for their competition from a list. We have some bizarre combinations to look forward to next week, such as …
- “Caveman” hustle by Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani (selected by Kelly Monaco and Valentin Chmerkovskiy)
- “Knight Rider” bhangra by Shawn and Derek Hough (selected by Emmitt Smith and Cheryl). Said host Tom Bergeron to a puzzled-looking Derek, “It’s an Indian folk dance, Mr. Choreographer.”
- “Big Top” jazz by Apolo and Karina (selected by Gilles and Peta)
- “Espionage” lindy hop by Emmitt and Cheryl (selected by Shawn and Derek)
- “Surfer” flamenco by Kelly and Val
As for the musical numbers, flashing lights rather than “DWTS” pros accompanied NeYo for his latest hit, “Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself).” Earlier, Kylie Minogue opened the show by revisiting her first hit, the remake of “The Loco-Motion.” Tristan MacManus, Kym Johnson and the Troupe didn’t appear to be doing much of the Loco-Motion with Kylie or with anyone else. Kylie seemed to have left her pants in 1987.
Going farther back in time, the Macy’s Stars of Dance took us to the newspaper strike of 1899 with “Seize the Day” from the musical “Newsies.” It may be a number that plays better on the Broadway stage; in the ballroom, it was hard to ignore the prerecorded track.
Anna Trebunskaya and Val joined two principal dancers from the New York City Ballet, Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild, for a beautiful, sunset-colored piece set to “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. Tom said the judges looked more serene than they had all season. It’s always a treat to see some NYCB dancers on “DWTS,” and it’s such a shame the number was so short.
Quote of the night, from Troupe member Sasha: “We were so in sync we were Backstreet Boys.”
Next week, the semifinals – and a trip in the wayback machine to the 1980s. Not only do we have the previously teased Michael Jackson “Bad” round, but guest judge Paula Abdul will come back to the ballroom to sing and dance. “American Idol” watchers, did Paula ever perform during her many seasons as a judge on that show?
What did you think of Tuesday’s eliminations? Any speculation on what a “Knight Rider” bhangra is? And who should win this whole all-star shebang?
