Dancing With the Stars Season 22- Week 5 (America's Switch-Up) Breakdown [Bentley, Julia, and Angelina]

Everyone had something to say about this controversial night of Dancing With the Stars! The America’s Switch-Up Challenge showed some true colors, but were the colors a little too bright for our TV screens? Here are Angelina’s, Julia’s, and Bentley’s thoughts on the intense night of performances!

[Order of the Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Bruno Tonioli]

Wanyá Morris and Witney Carson

Tango: Hold Back the River by James Bay

Judges’ Scores: 8, 7, 7, 8 (30/40)

Wanyá and Lindsay: #TeamYayZee 1(800)868-3412

Wanyá adapted really well to a new partner. Even though tango is supposed to be a sharp dance regarding frame-work, I would’ve liked a bit more fluidity in his steps because at times it seemed a bit too abrupt and with the song, it threw the dance off a bit. His facial expressions were amazing as usual. Their frame was a bit all over the place whereas nothing really happened on the bottom, like Maks and Len said. I don’t think people should’ve been booed because this isn’t a popularity contest, but a dancing competition. There will be constructive criticism but maybe judges could just use other words.

I really like how nothing seems to phase Wanyá. He has adapted to every new dance style was grace and this week we saw the same with this new partnership! He nailed the steps but his top half did move a it too much. He also didn’t really “perform” the dance with his face as much as he has in the past but still did a pretty good job. I’m definitely expecting him to be safe next week. I do feel sorry for Witney, though. The Season 19 Switch-Up seemed to shake her and the effects of that may still be lasting to this day.

This Tango was a bit like a traffic light. It was just stop, go, stop, go, stop, go. I wanted to see Wanyá’s ability to adjust to the fluidity of the frame while keeping up with the footwork of the Tango, but the choreography just did not allow it. I think the pairing of these two was a contribution to the clunkiness of the routine. I feel as though Witney would have been better paired with Doug (because she is really good with “older” contestants), and I think Wanyá would have been able to match better with someone like Karina. But overall, Wanyá and Witney nailed the moves, even though they were a bit scattered around.

Angelina’s Score: 7  

Julia’s Score: 7

Bentley’s Score: 7

Kim Fields and Keoikantse Motsepe

Viennese Waltz: These Arms of Mine by Otis Redding

Judges’ Scores: 8, 6, 6, 8 (28/40)

Kim and Sasha: #TeamKimsha 1(800)868-3406

Kim did very well with a different partner. She had a beautiful fluidity and pretty clean footwork. I saw a few slip-ups but other than that pretty good, considering she is with someone new and it is only week 5. I have to agree with Bruno with the fact that it seemed more smooth than Viennese. I disagree though with Len and Maks, because in a real competition people with such a height difference would not usually be partnered up and Keo was right that it was not his fault! He tried his best and they both did wonderfully and they did amazing.

This was really the first time we got a fair taste of Keo’s teaching skills. Previously he had danced with celebrities who were not invested in learning or in Jodie’s case, a ringer. Kim is somewhere in between; not a ringer, but clearly excited to be there and learning. I really liked the energy between the two of them this week. I think Keo’s relaxed style of teaching was a good fit for Kim because they had very good chemistry out on the dance floor! They had the hardest challenge this week (except Sharna with Nyle) and in all honesty I think they were probably going to get hosed by the judges either way (having a lot of stuff in hold would have been awkward with such a large height difference) so I think Keo made the right call with the choreography, though I still wish they’d gotten the Paso Doble option instead. Maks was a real hypocrite with his comments for this one, and I’ll elaborate later, but I’m sad that this height issue may turn out to be an unfair price to pay for Kim.

I’m a little bit on the fence about this. Yes, there is quite a significant height difference between Kim and Keo, but that is not enough of an excuse for the fluff that engorged the routine. I did not mind the implementation of the spaced hold because of the major difference in height, but there was not enough of even that for me to consider it to be a Viennese Waltz. Nonetheless, Keo did choreograph some stunning and stellar sections, greatly improving on Kim’s extensions. I think both th sixes and the eights were fair for this performance, considering what each judge looks for. Even though Kim is a neophyte of the Viennese Waltz- and dance in general- she had a the most tremendous improvement out of all the celebrities on Monday, even with connection to her new partner!

Angelina’s Score: 7
Julia’s Score: 7

Bentley’s Score: 7

Doug Flutie and Peta Murgatroyd Bottom of the Leaderboard

Tango: Black & Gold by Sam Sparro

Judges’ Scores: 7, 7, 7, 7 (28/40)

Doug and Karina: #TeamKutie 1(800)868-3402

Doug seemed to be really struggling this week. Throughout his dance, he looked very confused and yes, determined, but he didn’t have that musicality that Bruno spoke about. Again, tango is a sharp dance but you still need to be fluid and show characteristics of that love and passion that a tango beholds. He showed quite a bit of passion but made it too aggressive in my opinion, I do think Doug can do very well in this competition if he just maybe tried to not just focus on winning but also to have a bit of fun. But bravo to him and the other contestants for even being on this competition because I know I would not be able to.

I was very impressed by Doug this week! He got the footwork correct and really played the role he had in the dance well. Unfortunately, there were some posture issues and it wasn’t very fluid. I think Doug is leaving next week (he’s 8 points below the second-lowest person on the leaderboard so he has a lot of voting ground to cover in order to make it through). I hope he can relax and have fun for however long he remains in the competition.

I also have a hunch that Doug will be out next, but can we ever be sure? I am enchanted by how well Peta can mold the weaker dancers into better dancers that can cover mistakes really well. This was just enough choreography for Doug not to fall apart, yet it is clear that it challenged him as well. Doug needs to straighten that elbow of his, and he has learn how to distribute his weight properly, but the progress is palpable.

Angelina’s Score: 7

Julia’s Score: 7

Bentley’s Score: 7

Ginger Zee and Mark Ballas

Salsa: La Malanga by eddie Palmieri

Judges’ Scores: 8, 8, 8, 8 (32/40)

Ginger and Valentin: #TeamGinAndJuice 1(800)868-3404

Mark and Ginger are always amazing at becoming different characters and I was so excited when I heard they were dancing together! They performed amazing tricks and Ginger looked like she was having a blast which I think is important to remember during the show. Her footwork was so clean and precise. I am surprised they didn’t get 9’s because I thought they did great!

This couple was nice but I didn’t think it was any better or worse than the Ginger and Val pairing, other than the fact that Mark did the introductory “scene setting” BEFORE starting the dance. Ginger has certainly mastered the balance between working hard and playing hard! She puts her all into her rehearsals and performances but she also seems to be having a lot of fun! And “fun” is probably the best word to describe her Salsa with Mark. She is doing very well with the Latin dance content but a lot of her movements are small and she seemed a bit behind towards the end of the routine. I suppose I would like to see a little more sex appeal from her but not every Salsa has to be “sexy”!

Building off of you, Julia, I want see more of a fiery side to Ginger as well. Her performances have all been nice since week one, but now I want to seem a variety of different expressions, such as attitude, Latin heat, romantic connection, etc. And Angelina, you are completely right; I love the characters that Ginger and Mark both play! They are phenomenal actors! I was really loving the characters for this performance in particular since the stressed accents, club references, and set remind me of my hometown in Jersey (I never lived directly in the city, but I always went there!). Ginger was a lot more connected to the music this week than ever before, but her movements, like I’ve seen in some her other performances, were small. She needs to put her whole body into it for the audience to get into it as well.

Angelina’s Score: 9

Julia’s Score: 8

Bentley’s Score: 8

Antonio Brown and Karina Smirnoff

Cha-Cha-Cha: Son of a Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield

Judges’ Scores: 7, 6, 6, 7 (26/40)

Antonio and Sharna: #TeamBOOMin 1(800)868-3401

I didn’t really like Antonio’s package because I didn’t really understand what he was trying to get at by being proud or careless he was late. I understand he may have more important things to do but then maybe you shouldn’t be in the show because this is a competition. His form was off, steps were sloppy, and I would like to see more effort on him. All this attacking on social media at Sharna is wrong because it is not on her it is on Antonio so she shouldn’t take all the blame. He has a lot of energy which is great but he just needs to apply it correctly.

I was very happy we got a package that finally showed what’s REALLY been going on with Antonio behind-the-scenes. Sharna has been getting a lot of heat this season and I’m glad they finally showed us who is really to blame here. I actually thought he did okay with the Cha-Cha content and I like his energy. However, it really wasn’t anything that great. If he can’t get his act together-and fast-he may be leaving us pretty soon. I think his scores last week as well as the votes from Steeler Nation will get him to at least Week 7, though.

This routine was just awkward. Whenever Antonio would fan out from Karina in the basic Cha-Cha-Cha steps, he would do this weird bend with his knees that made it look like he was bowing down to a king or something. My only guess for why he did so poor was because of the lack of practice he had in rehearsals since in week two, his Rumba (which is basically just a slow Cha-Cha-Cha) was not as unsteady as this switch-up dance. Karina did well with what she was given, but now it is up to Antonio to really feel the movements, instead of just half-assing them.

Angelina’s Score: 6

Julia’s Score: 7

Bentley’s Score: 6

Paige VanZant and Sasha Farber

Rumba: Perfect by One Direction

Judges’ Scores: 8, 8, 7, 8 (31/40)

Paige and Mark: #PowRightInTheKisser 1(800)868-3410

This dance had to be my favorite one of the night. It was fluid, it was elegant and I watched in awe. I was so proud of Paige, her footwork, in my eyes were perfect. I agree with Carrie Ann on how she is fierce and elegant and I loved it. I disagree with Len, I don’t think that is true at all. Paige was exceptional, especially during switch-up week.

This dance was very good! I was sort of surprised when Paige said she was having trouble trusting her partners, especially since it’s Mark (and now Sasha) she has been dancing with (oh and Alan at one point). Paige had wonderful chemistry with Sasha and her movements were very fluid. I think certain judges actively tried to find things that were wrong with this dance to harp on about. The only thing that bothered me was the slight lift at one point (which I don’t think was intentional) but Paige just keeps getting better and better! (And yes I did think there was enough Rumba content in there to label it as such.)

Oh boy, it’s one of those controversial routines! Where do I start? Let me just begin my saying that the execution was spot-on, which really enhances the performance quality. Surprisingly enough, the artificial connection Paige had with Sasha was substantial, and did not come off as untrusting at all. I personally did not mind the lift, but once again, inconsistent Carrie Ann decided not to call it out. Now for the hard part. I do not think this routine deserved a 9, and I actually think that giving an 8 is fair, but only coming from certain judges. There was a severe lack of Rumba content, and the small amount of Rumba content that there was did not have any closed hold. There was also a complete lack of dynamics, which was the biggest thing that made this feel more Contemporary than it should have. It was a beautiful piece, but, like her Paso Doble, it lost connection to the actual dance style.

Angelina’s Score: 9

Julia’s Score: 9

Bentley’s Score: 8

Von Miller and Lindsay Arnold

Jive: Hips by Beans and Fatback

Judges’ Scores: 8, 7, 7, 7 (29/40)

Von and Witney: #TeamBlondeMiller 1(800)868-3411

I always enjoy Von’s dances! You can see the amount of effort he puts into each dance. Yes, maybe his kicks should’ve been a bit more sharp but the energy he brought to the floor was amazing! Technique could’ve been a bit more cleaner but I don’t have any more to say than that! Great job Von!

I love how much work Von puts into his dances. This was a great effort from him, and I loved Lindsay’s choreography. She did a great job teaching Von this week, but as I expected, Jive just wasn’t his thing. He didn’t point his toes and his kicks and flicks were quite small. The two of them had great chemistry though.

This guy is really messing with my head! Just like Hayes Grier in season 21, Von has one amazing week, and then the next is half-mediocre. Pick up those knees, Von! Point those toes! I appreciate the southern twist to this Jive, but I ended up paying more attention to Lindsay’s incredible moves than Von’s Frankenstein feet. Unfortunately, at least for me, it looked like Von took a large dose of Xanax before hitting the dance floor. In order for Von to make it further than Antonio, he has to stick out to me. Von’s lack of performance quality in the Jive, however, did not help with that.

Angelina’s Score: 7

Julia’s Score: 7

Bentley’s Score: 6

Nyle DiMarco and Sharna Burgess Top of the Leaderboard

Viennese Waltz: I Get to Love You by Ruelle

Judges’ Scores: 9, 10, 9, 9 (37/40)*

Nyle and Peta: #RedefiningDance 1(800)868-3409

*Maks and Bruno wanted to give 10’s, but because they had originally wrote down 9’s on the pad, they have to keep the 9’s as the final score; they are not allowed to switch it to 10’s while giving out scores.

Nyle did a great job portraying the vulnerability that Sharna asked him to bring. I was amazed to find out that Nyle was in a 10 year relationship! It was a little foggy to see technique and footwork but from what I saw, it was very good and clean. He had a great fluidity and musicality. I love the fact that he realizes that dance is supposed to tell a story and move people because that is the goal! I agree with Carrie Ann about how he is at an advantage and I am so proud of him.

Nyle is going to win. I think that pretty much says it all, but I’ll try to think of something else to add here. He had amazing chemistry with Sharna and I’m glad she put the effort in to learn to teach him properly. The dance was incredible except for the wobbly bits that mostly happened near the beginning. But yeah, Nyle DiMarco: Season 22 Champion. That is all.

What else is there to say about Nyle? We have all been praising him week after week, and his performances continue to be inspiring and refreshing. This was one of the most emotional dances of the season so far, thanks to Sharna and her hypnotic ways of transporting me into another realm. (Side note: I am still not over that breathtaking Viennese Waltz she did with Nick Carter last season, and the sweet Viennese Waltz she performed with Noah Galloway last Spring). Sharna is the best choreographer when it comes to emotions, and apparently it affects me the most in her Viennese Waltzes. Nyle was a little more sturdy in his lines than usual, but does anyone really care? At this point, though, everything matters. . . and Nyle knows that!

Angelina’s Score: 9

Julia’s Score: 9

Bentley’s Score: 9

Jodie Sweetin and Valentin Chmerkovskiy

Paso Doble: Under Control by Calvin Harris and Alesso

Judges’ Scores: 9, 8, 9, 9 (35/40)

Jodie and Keoikantse: #TeamMoSweet 1(800)868-3405

Yes, Val is a very hard teacher I know from experience because I had him as a child, but his technique is effective. He pushed Jodie a little more than she was used to and she did so amazing tonight! Her technique and work was clean, you could see her power and confidence and she enjoyed herself which is most important. I am glad to see her having fun and to jump back even stronger after a harder experience last week.

This was my favorite dance of the night! Jodie had a lot of power in her movements and she nailed each step. And I was especially happy to see her truly enjoy the performance! I’ve seen a lot of commenters saying they would have preferred her partner to be Val, but after hearing some tense behind-the-scenes stories of Jodie almost breaking down under Val’s strict and harsh tutelage I think this might have been better off as a one-week thing. However, I think Keo is too much on the opposite end of things, perhaps not being tough enough on her. I felt bad for Keo because he got the same treatment Mark did in last season’s switch-up (minus the unflattering package). If Jodie tells Keo to not hold back on critiques so much going forward, I think she will continue to do well since she seems to need that balance between strict coaching and a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Don’t get me wrong- I am a fan of Val’s choreography most of the time, but don’t his Paso Dobles tend to be exceedingly analogous? His Paso Dobles tend to have futuristic qualities, and are dark in terms of the set and costumes. But I don’t mind so much due to the fact that they are usually packed with dynamic content. Jodie was full of attack, and was exceptionally conscientious of her profound lines. Jodie has finally found her niche, and is now on her way to the top! This is a minor note, but she did some weird transitions with her neck and face for the unteenth time this season. Did that change my opinion on the dance at all? Of course not. Jodie did fan out a tad bit too far at certain points, but that did not take away from the best dance she has done thus far this season.

Angelina’s Score: 9

Julia’s Score: 9

Bentley’s Score: 9

Final Scores When Combining the Scores From Weeks Four and Five:

Nyle DiMarco 34/40 + 37/40 = 71/80

Ginger Zee 36/40 + 32/40 = 68/80

Paige VanZant 36/40 + 31/40 = 67/80

Wanyá Morris 35/40 + 30/40 = 65/80

Jodie Sweetin 27/40 + 35/40 = 62/80

Antonio Brown 35/40 + 26/40 = 61/80

Von Miller 32/40 + 29/40 = 61/80

Doug Flutie 24/40 + 28/30 = 52/80

Angelina’s Rankings of the Switch-Up Week Dances

1. Jodie & Val

2. Nyle & Sharna

3. Ginger & Mark

4. Paige & Sasha

5. Kim & Keo

6. Von & Lindsay

7. Wanya & Witney

8. Doug & Peta

9. Antonio & Karina

Julia’s Rankings of the Switch-Up Week Dances

1. Jodie & Val

2. Paige & Sasha

3. Nyle & Sharna

4. Ginger & Mark

5. Kim & Keo

6. Von & Lindsay

7. Wanyá & Witney

8. Doug & Peta

9. Antonio & Karina

Bentley’s Rankings of the Switch-Up Week Dances

1. Jodie & Val

2. Nyle & Sharna

3. Ginger & Mark

4. Paige & Sasha

5. Wanyá & Witney

6. Kim & Keo

7. Doug & Peta

8. Antonio & Karina

9. Von & Lindsay

Some Other Thoughts we had on Switch-Up Night

- Maks was a guest judge for the third time last night. This was the first time I wasn’t totally dreading his presence but then it turned out to be his worst night as a judge BY FAR. His critiques were noticeably more like the ones Len usually gives than those he gave the other two times he was in this role, which made it so obvious that he’s eyeing Len’s potentially-open-in-the-near-future spot on the judging panel. But the thing is, Len generally has class. The sheer hypocrisy we got from Maks this week was absolutely infuriating. For example, Keo mentioned the big height gap between himself and Kim and Maks responded with “it’s no excuse, remember Maks and Meryl’s height difference?” Yes, I do remember that the height difference was at least four inches less and that Meryl was a professional dancer (ice dancer counts). And then there was the bias towards the “Fam” but that was to be expected considering his last stint as a guest judge. Maks was noticeably kinder to and/or gave his highest scores to the regular and Switch-Up partners of his fiancee and brother. His entire critique for almost everyone else consisted of telling the pros off for “lack of content” regardless of whether or not there was actually a lot of content in the routine (Sasha actually posted a list of all the Rumba steps he included in his routine with Paige this week which pretty much proved what utter BS Maks’ critique for that dance was). If Maks would like to see a routine with “only one step of Rumba” I’ll gladly direct him to this routine from a few seasons back. I can’t recall him giving any constructive criticism to the actual contestants; it was either just a ton of praise for the celebrity with no tips to improve or target practice on the pros. AT LEAST ABBY LEE MILLER REMEMBERED TO CRITIQUE THE CELEBRITIES. And speaking of that woman, remember that time she called MAKS out for “lack of content”? (It’s in the video I linked if you haven’t seen.) Yeah, something tells me if the judges gave Maks some of the critiques he dished out last night he wouldn’t handle it with nearly a much grace as the pros did this week. And the worst part is I think the Dancing With the Stars producers might have actually LIKED Maks’ showing as a judge last night and may want to hire him on permanently soon because it made for “good television”.

- That’s a really in-depth analysis of Maks, Julia! I didn’t actually make the connection between Maks’s Rumba with Meryl to Paige’s Rumba until now. You’re right- in reality, Maks’s Rumba had much less content that Paige’s. However, Paige’s Rumba did need more content in it as well (but it did have more than just a cucaracha, which was executed beautifully, I might add!). I agree with you in thinking that Maks was harsh to some, and more lenient on others. Do I dislike Maks as a judge, though? No. I think he made some good points, even though some were a little more exaggerated or figurative than others. Maks is just Maks, so I deal with him being as a judge for one week. For an entire season, though? That could be a totally different story.

- If the explanation for the mix-up with Nyle’s scores was true, it seemed very preventable. Apparently, Len writes down each judge’s score on a sheet then handed to production staff, and those are the final scores, and misheard Maks and Bruno when scoring Nyle last night. Why don’t they just have each judge record their own score? That would make much more sense.

- It must have been a little disappointing for Nyle to have those tens “taken away” from him, even though he currently has the highest score of the season so far! Either way, I don’t think this little hiccup will affect Nyle negatively in any way. It must have been really cringey to be in that ballroom at that time!

- Yeah he’s still winning this season so it won’t matter. In fact, it will probably inspire people to vote even harder for him.

- So, um, I’ve been criticizing Val for his long introductions that have eaten up a lot of dance time this season, and suddenly when given a new partner he delivers a routine chock-full of content. And he SHOULD be giving his all to his Switch-Up partner...I’m just wondering why he hasn’t been doing this for his ORIGINAL partner. Does he just not have as much faith in her? That seems strange, considering her dance experience. I know he and Jodie have been friends since he guest starred on Fuller House and he even mentioned that a lot of people expected them to be a regular pair for the season...is he perhaps a little bitter this didn’t happen? It does seem a tad unfair that Marla/Tony and Paige/Mark got to dance with their friends and Jodie and Val didn’t. I’m sure they have become friends with the partners they were given, but there is record of her saying she would want to be partnered with Val if she were to ever be on the show (and the way Maks has been acting very kindly towards Jodie and slamming Keo these past two weeks makes me think maybe he wanted this pairing as well). It could just be a coincidence, but if Val is in fact showing bitterness about this than I am certainly disappointed in him.

- Speaking of Val, you had him as a teacher at one point, Angelina? That’s really cool! You must be strong to deal with that kind of tough instruction. Val seems very intense to me and for that reason I would probably not want him as a pro partner if I were ever on the show (then again, I’m the person who travels an hour away to see a dentist that’s not too hard on me).

- Haha yes I did! Him and Maks used to teach me and now I am trained by one of their older instructors and friends :) They weren’t as intense as they seem. I remember Val more and bumped into him at the tour and he is the sweetest guy ever.

- In week one, I praised the fact that the pros were giving the celebrities routines full of content and subtle in fluff. For weeks two through four, I felt as though they derailed from that. But the Switch-Up this week was strictly ballroom! I truly appreciated the stripped-down performances this week, allowing us to see their full abilities and endurance for routines.

- Am I the only one who was not a fan of pretty much all of the costumes and music on Monday? I absolutely love the costume crew as well as Ray Chew Live, but tonight was not their night. I guess the fact that the Switch-Up does not have a particular dance theme makes the producers save certain songs and certain creative ideas for the more “memorable” weeks.

- I didn’t care for most of the music either (especially the cover of the Calvin Harris song; it really made the dance lose a bit of its impact for me) but I loved the costumes for Von & Lindsay’s Jive, Paige & Sasha’s Rumba, and especially Kim & Keo’s Viennese Waltz!

- Next week is Famous Dances Night which is probably my least favorite theme ever, and I’m likely going to hate it even more next week now that Len is back and this is yet another week where content goes out the window (though last season they were specifically told to copy the original dances so we’ll see how that goes over if that is the case again). The manipulation will most likely be kicked into high gear this week with who gets which dance, so it’s pretty much impossible to guess who will succeed (or not).

- I like Famous Dances Night to a certain extent. I think that some of the most memorable performances from season 21 were from Famous Dances Night, including Nick Carter’s Samba, Bindi Irwin’s Rumba, and Andy Grammer’s Jazz. However, some couples can get a little too creative with the choreography, so I feel as though if Famous Dances Night has to happen, it should just be a night of Freestyles, and make the (possible) Freestyle team dances actual ballroom dances.

- I think Doug will get the boot next week, but I have not even the slightest idea who could be gone after him! I have a gut feeling that it will be Kim gone after Doug (that is, is Doug is even eliminated next week), and if not her, maybe Antonio. I have come to realize that I am much better at predicting the eliminations in Fall seasons than Spring seasons for whatever the case may be.

- I agree Doug is probably gone next week barring a shocker, but those usually happen on Week 7. Like I said, who leaves the week after next is probably going to come down to who gets assigned the worst or least-memorable iconic routines next week. Next week could even be a double elimination but I don’t think that will happen until Week 7 or later so the team dances (assuming they are happening) can have an even split of couples.

- I found myself laughing more than once at that segment where the celebrities and pros got to know each other! So we learned that Wanyá used to put urine on his face. . . that’s disgusting. And Nyle’s joke about actually being able to hear? Hilarious!

- Carrie Ann called Ginger “liquid sunshine”. I am so over Carrie Ann’s comments, but I do have to say that I did end up agreeing with a lot of what she said Monday night. The judges were a bit all over the place, but that’s how I like it! I love the conflicting views! Why else would we have an entire judging panel if we didn’t see a fight over a Cucaracha once in awhile?!

- Well, it looks like I judged like Len again, except when it came to the highest-scoring performances of the night! Although you could arguably say that the scoring has been inconsistent this season, it is a lot more consistent this season that it has been in other seasons!

- How about those James Bay performances?! I have been a James Bay fan ever since Alek and Emma did a sensual Rumba to Let It Go for last season’s switch-up. People say that I look and dress just like James Bay (we both wear fedoras and have long hair, LOL), which is hopefully a good thing. During James Bay’s mid-show live performance, Artem and Jenna had one of the steamiest Contemporary pieces I have ever seen! That was by far the highlight of the night for me!

- I’m writing this comment a few days after the show, but People just reported that Jodie was hospitalized for an ankle injury. Wishing her all the best and hoping she can perform on Monday (and it’d especially be a shame for her to have to drop out now since she got a really cool dance for this week) but if she ends up having to leave the competition, I wonder if they will still have an elimination on Monday? I’m inclined to believe they will, since there are only ten weeks this season and since no one was eliminated last week they will need to get rid of two people in the same week at some point and it’d be nuts to base the next one on three weeks worth of scores and votes. The only reason I think they’d have to NOT eliminate anyone else would be a desire to keep the team dances even. If Jodie has to bow out and they boot a second couple on Monday, the team dances will either be uneven on Week 7 (which has happened in the past) or they’ll do them Week 8 with three couples on each team (which has also happened before).

- Oh boy. I hope Jodie is okay! With all the news about Chyna and Prince dying, I somehow didn’t get this memo. This information apparently just broke out about 45 minutes ago (April 21 at approximately 3:45 PM), so props to having good journalism skills, Julia! This will be particularly interesting considering she most likely has Contemporary this week, which is all about flexing the ankles. The most important thing, though, is her health. Let’s hope the best for #TeamMoSweet!

[Playlist of the DWTS Season 22 Switch-Up Dances]

What did you think of America’s Switch-Up Challenge on DWTS? What was your favorite dance of the night? Who was your favorite pairing for the Switch-Up? What did you think of the controversial scoring, and Maksim Chmerkovskiy as a guest judge? Who do you think will be eliminated next week?

Next week is Famous Dances Night, where the couples will come back together to create show-stopping performances that replicate famous routines from music videos, movies, and more!

For more about Dancing With the Stars, follow Angelina Mikheeva on Twitter at @angelinarose42, follow Julia Delbel on Twitter at @juliadelbel and on Tumblr at forevertrueblue, and follow Paul Bentley on Twitter at @DWTS2016.

#DWTS #DWTS22