Everyone was feeling the pressure during last night’s DwtS semifinals – some cracked, some persevered, and four worthy couples advanced to the finals.
The big news of the night is that at long last, the couple that should have been eliminated in Week 1 is finally gone. Yes, the couple eliminated in fifth place, one week short of the finals is… Tommy and Peta!
For their final dances, Tommy and Peta (read: Peta by herself) did a jazz and a rhumba. I actually watched the jazz because Peta was in a jumpsuit, and dayum! If ManCrushMonday is apparently a thing, is WomanCrushMonday also a thing? Because I found mine! The rhumba was Nutcracker-themed, and the takeaway is that Tom called Len a nutcracker.
A fifth place finish is a bit above average for Peta. Her more successful seasons are last season (fourth place with James Maslow) and season 14 (first place with Donald Driver). This marks her fifth time in the semifinals. Derek broke his own record by appearing in his twelfth semifinal (having missed it only twice). It was Mark’s eighth semifinal in fifteen seasons, allowing him to move past Maks for third most semifinal appearances (behind Derek and Cheryl). Val, like Peta, was appearing in his third semifinal out of seven seasons. And this marks Witney’s first semifinal appearance – hopefully the first of many!
The gimmick this week was that stars dance two dances to different arrangements of the same song. The latter iteration of the song would be “unplugged,” meaning re-orchestrated beyond recognition. We also got to find out our semifinalists’ backstories, which used to be much more impactful before Most Memorable Year became a regular theme on this show. Let’s welcome our stars!
First Place, 78 points (40+38): Janel and Val. As other couples are struggling, Janel and Val are ascendant. This was the first time that I felt they truly deserved to top the leaderboard. After a visit from Val’s brother Maks, Janel and Val delivered a superb paso doble. For the first time in weeks, they did a routine full of content, with Janel mastering the technique. It was everything a paso should be, and justly received a perfect score.
Unlike most of the other exceedingly tragic backstories, Janel’s was about her moving from Hawaii to LA to pursue an acting career. Janel has apparently “always been a ham,” and much was made of how much she loves life. I think it’s refreshing to get a backstory that isn’t a sob story. She and Val did an intense Argentine tango, with Val playing the violin as a bonus. The lifts had slightly wonky moments, as Len said, but this couple really peaked this week, and I am now much more on board with them as finalists and possible winners. In fact, unless Derek pulls something obscenely impressive for the freestyle, or Val really messes it up, I think Janel and Val are the favorites to take home the trophy.
Second Place, 76 points (36+40): Bethany and Derek. Unacceptable. There was so much gimmickry and so little content in both of their routines today, that I am appalled by their inflated scores. I am a huge fan of Derek, but spending half a samba with his partner sitting down, especially in the semifinals, is not okay. And it’s not okay to give all nines to such half-assed dance. What samba she did was excellent, but there was not nearly enough of it. It was also a trio dance for some reason, with Sasha joining in. I appreciated all the shenanigans outside the dance – it ended with Derek and Sasha kissing, which became even funnier when Len and Erin described the number as sticky.
Her second dance, contemporary, involved dancing around a huge frame that completely overstayed its welcome. I was once again unimpressed, yet they got a perfect forty. Derek had a creative block this week, have difficulty choreographing – this does happen almost every season, as he says. I suppose it’s hard to be consistently brilliant every single week. Good thing it happened this week, so we can expect the usual awesomeness for the finals. Bethany’s backstory was mostly rehashing Most Memorable Year Week – she was bullied, and then overcame that through YouTube. I expect much more from this couple next week.
Third Place, 75 points (36+39): Alfonso and Witney. They both really want it… enough to cry this week. Alfonso cried after his first dance, a mixture of pain and relief to be half-done. Witney cried when Alfonso’s injury limited their rehearsal… she’s further in the competition than she’s ever been, and I bet she can almost taste victory at this point. A bad back is bad news for the Argentine tango, and Alfonso’s did not include as many lifts and tricks as expected, but it was a great routine. I have to hand it to Witney for superb choreography. She allowed Alfonso to do as little as possible while still delivering a full-on routine.
Alfonso definitely had the best backstory package, all about how great he is. He and Witney closed the show with a beautiful contemporary routine. Len was a Grinch, and gave a nine, though I fail to see anything wrong here. If Alfonso can keep himself from falling apart before next Tuesday, he stands a good chance of winning the Mirrorball.
Last Place, 74 points (37+37): Sadie and Mark. With the pressure getting to Sadie, there was every possibility she would mess up, but she didn’t. She and mark delivered a very good and very fast quickstep to open the show. She got a coveted “from Len, the ten!” She just happened to post Len holding a ten on Twitter earlier that day as her #ManCrushMonday. (Is this actually a thing?) Did the producers ask Len to give her a ten if possible so they’d have a chance to mention this? Debatable, but quite possible.
For Sadie’s backstory, the video editors wisely did not devote too much time to Duck Dynasty, and instead mostly had Sadie’s family talking about how delightful she is. She and Mark performed a “Guitargentine tango” (per Tom), and I thought it was very cleverly done. I do wish Sadie would wear real heels once in a while, since her footwork just does not look sharp and pointed in those half-inch heels. Sadie has announced to us that she has matured a lot; Tom admits he hasn’t in the nine years he’d been there. As proof, he goaded Mark into doing a quickstep with an accordion next week. I quite look forward to it, if he actually does it!
All four couples are within four points of each other, which translates to a negligible one percent of the judges scores. In other words, the next elimination is entirely in the hands of the viewers. Honestly, this could be the most evenly matched final four in years, and it’s anyone’s Mirrorball next week. Place your bets!
Whose backstory grabbed you the most? Who are you voting for? And who is your ManCrushMonday?
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