Eras Night brought us through all over the timeline of the twentieth century. And with team dances representing the past and the future, the performances to be spectacular.
And here are Paul Bentley’s and Julia Delbel’s thoughts on the show!
[Order of the Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli]
[Order of the Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli]
Individual Dances
Dances to Themes of Different Eras
Laurie Hernandez and Valentin Chmerkovskiy
1960’s Quickstep: One Fine Day by The Chiffons
The Judges’ Scores: 8, 8, 9, 9 (34/40)
#TeamValaur 1(800)868-3407
Paul Bentley: Laurie is by no doubt a perfectionist, and they shows through her dedication and execution of every dance she does on the show. She is probably the most energetic contestant of this season, and that is usually a good thing for her. This week, though, that might have been a slight disadvantage. The hold was a bit all over the place, which I partially blame on the choreography, and frankly, there wasn’t enough Quickstep content that was covered up by Charleston and dilly dallying, which I think could have been dealt with. I also noticed how Laurie was a bit robotic for the first time this season, which was kind of surprising. But was this Quickstep bad? Far from it! I love the theme and I found a lot of the footwork to be very on point. I just expect to see more at this point of the competition, so critique is key for both Laurie and Val to keep learning how to work with the partnership the best.
Bentley’s Score: 8
Julia: This was a fun and energetic dance that was “acted” well but a little messy in places. A Quickstep needs to be hectic in a controlled way, and parts of this dance seemed pretty out-of-control to me. I enjoyed the theme of this dance and as a performance it was one of the best of the night, but I have noticed Laurie has seemed to be forced into a “naive little girl” type of “role” on the show, which might lead some viewers to vote for other contestants instead of her. I don’t think she’s leaving anytime soon but I would like to see the more mature side of her pop up again soon, or she could be in trouble come Finals week.
Julia’s Score: 8
Ryan Lochte and Cheryl Burke
1990’s Rumba: I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith
The Judges’ Scores: 7, 7, 7, 7 (28/40) Tied for Lowest Individual Dance Score
#TeamCherloch 1(800)868-3411
Paul Bentley: Am I the only one that thinks of Blades of Glory whenever this song comes on? I cannot take this song seriously! Anyway, I think Ryan and Cheryl’s connection has skyrocketed from anything else they have done this season, and the chemistry seem more raw than usual. Ryan, however, was not very technical, just like with his Cha-Cha-Cha. And at this point of the competition, that it something that needs to be addressed until it is improved on. His lines were not very fluid, he rushed half of the dance, and he was a bit clumsy. But hey, it was sensual in every right way, and that’s the most important thing in the Rumba, right?!
Bentley’s Score: 7
Julia: I barely remember this dance. What I do remember from it was sloppy transitions and half-completed movements. Cheryl didn’t include much Rumba content in this routine and I was disappointed in her for that. Ryan did manage to capture the sensual essence of the Rumba in some parts of the dance but not others, and this plus his “death spot” in the running order this week lead me to believe he could be a goner on Monday.
Julia’s Score: 6
Marilu Henner and Derek Hough
1920’s Charleston: Never Forget You by Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox featuring Addie Hamilton
The Judges’ Scores: 7, 7, 8, 7 (29/40)
#TeamHennergy 1(800)868-3408
Paul Bentley: The fact that Marilu’s movements were not quite big enough for the Charleston makes the dance look low energy and, compared to Derek, very unsymmetrical between the two of them. During the dance, Derek was jumping up and down all over the floor while Marilu was doing pretty much the same things, but with a lot less oomph. All in all, though, I saw Marilu miss only one step, even with the challenging choreography that Derek gave her. It was very fun, filled with pure Charleston, and stuck to Marilu’s strengths. The tap section was the most impressive part of the dance to me, especially when compared to the rest of the dance. Although there are sometimes parts of dances that Marilu has some trouble with, there are always moments that impress me because of how much she excels at some of the hardest parts of her performances.
Bentley’s Score: 7
Julia: Marilu had all the steps of this dance down, she just executed some of them off-time and the technique got lost in some places as a result. Unfortunately, since this was a Charleston, the asymmetricality of the dance was very obvious and detracted from the performance. I wish Derek had choreographed to her abilities a bit more, though it’s entirely possible this was another case of Marilu doing great in rehearsals but messing up during the live show. This couple could be going home next week but I hope they manage to stick around.
Julia’s Score: 7
Calvin Johnson, Jr. and Lindsay Arnold
1950’s Jive: Good Golly Miss Molly by Little Richard
The Judges’ Scores: 9, 9, 9, 9 (36/40) Tied for Highest Individual Dance Score
#TeamLindsatron 1(800)868-3403
Paul Bentley: I’m glad that it was addressed before the dance that Calvin physically can’t point his toes all the way because his feet were very clearly unbent because of how big his feet are. Looking past that, Calvin was in step from the very first step, and just kept gaining momentum until the very end of the dance. I really like how Lindsay decided to make this Jive filled with various basic and non-basic Jive steps, showing us that she in fact is challenging Calvin to the best of his abilities. Towards the end, I saw a slight lack of technique in his side kicks, but that’s about it. Calvin was filled with enthusiasm and used that to make up for not being able to point his toes!
Bentley’s Score: 9
Julia: Calvin proved once again just how versatile a dancer he is! He managed to keep up with the challenging Jive Lindsay crafted for him, and was great as a performer as well! There were a couple of weird instances towards the end but this was still my favorite decade-themed dance of the night!
Julia’s Score: 9
Maureen McCormick and Artem Chigvintsev Eliminated- 8th
1980’s Tango: You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi
The Judges’ Scores: 7, 7, 7, 7 (28/40) Tied for Lowest Individual Dance Score
#TeamMaureen 1(800)868-3409
Paul Bentley: Right off the bat, I just want to appreciate Artem’s wig in this dance. This dance had some interesting costumes, but I think Artem’s wig takes the cake! It took awhile for Maureen and Artem to finally get into hold, but that has apparently become the norm on this show anyway. I find it a bit odd that Artem decided to choreograph their Tango to the slow beat, especially because I think Maureen is perfectly capable of faster choreography. The performance itself was a shaky and unbalanced with some obvious mistakes, but I think the fierce attitude of it all overshadowed that. Maureen and Artem, of course, were eliminated, which was no surprise at all, and frankly, I think she had a hard time catching up to everyone else with her scores. But at least she was able to end with that amazing team Freestyle!
Bentley’s Score: 7
Julia: Like Bentley said, this Tango was oddly slow, and I think that may have contributed to some of the problems. Sometimes dancing slowly can be more difficult than dancing quickly! I thought Maureen did a decent enough job with this routine, and I felt bad that Artem’s mistake detracted from the performance, but I was happy they got to redeem themselves with another dance later in the episode!
Julia’s Score: 7
Terra Jolé and Sasha Farber
1930’s Foxtrot: Cheek to Cheek by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
The Judges’ Scores: 9, 8, 9, 8 (34/40)
# TeamXL 1(800)868-3412
Paul Bentley: I always love a good American Smooth Foxtrot! This dance was so effortlessly smooth and delicate in a perfect way, although there could have been some more pizazz in the arms. The hold was fantastic, and the footwork, from the little amount of it that I could see under that dress, was executed fine as well. The drag at the end was more of a lazy spin, and there were some slight moments that were a little too sporadic compared to the rest of the dance, but hey, this was still an improvement of Terra’s ballroom technique. She and Sasha also have a great connection, and that can make them soar miles in this competition!
Bentley’s Score: 8
Julia: Terra has been doing well with the Ballroom dances all season, and this Foxtrot was no exception to that! Her frame and footwork were wonderful, as was her “character” performance. There were a couple moments where I wanted to see a bit more refined technique from Terra, but that was my only issue with this otherwise superb performance!
Julia’s Score: 9
Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko
1970’s Samba: Get Down Tonight by KC and the Sunshine Band
The Judges’ Scores: 8, 8, 9, 9 (34/40)
#TeamGlamer 1(800)868-3406
Paul Bentley: This dance made me feel like Jana’s bottom half is completely disconnected from her top half. Her footwork was astounding, but Jana’s upper body was subpar. She threw her lines away and came off as awkward in her armwork by constantly flicking her arms out when she is not supposed to. And that reverse Samba roll was just. . . odd. I loved the theme, though, and I actually adored the concept, despite it taking away from the dance. A laundromat in the 1970’s?! Perfect! And as for Gleb’s talking back to Len, he better watch out. Nobody talks back to Len without some backlash! I doubt it will actually affect much of anything for this couple, but there is always some kind of reaction to this type of stuff, whether it be from the audience or the judges.
Bentley’s Score: 8
Julia: I was impressed by the performance quality of this piece, and Jana handled most of the Samba steps reasonably well, but she seemed stiff and robotic in her upper body for a good chunk of this routine. I wish Gleb had put more content into the dance, because I think Jana could have handled it. Still not sure how these two are doing with votes, but I don’t think it’ll matter next week because I have a strong feeling they’re going to be the ones getting immunity on Monday.
Julia’s Score: 8
James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess
1940’s Jitterbug: In the Mood by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
The Judges’ Scores: 9, 9, 9, 9 (36/40) Tied for Highest Individual Dance Score
#TeamStopAndGo 1(800)868-3405
Julia: This was the first time in quite awhile that we’d seen a Jitterbug performed on Dancing With the Stars, and it’s a style that borrows from several others and doesn’t have a lot of rules or requirements so I don’t really know how to judge this dance. I noticed a lot of Lindy Hop-style lifts in this routine which were cool, and James was quite light on his feet which I think was a good thing. I know Sharna was injured during this and I was impressed at her determination to get through this dance (though I did find the “I haven’t won yet!” business in the package annoying). The only problem I had with this number was that it seemed awkward in places, like it didn’t flow as well as it should have. But James was a great actor yet again (I know I’ve said that about pretty much everyone this week but I think James was the best of all at it) and I’m even more convinced he has a great shot at winning the season.
Julia’s Score: 9
Paul Bentley: The little nuances that made this Jitterbug cheeky and fun were great and all, but I think there was a little too much acting in it. But like Julia, I do think that James is a great actor. It’s just that there wasn’t a whole lot of side-by-side that was in sync, and also not a whole lot of Jitterbug. Some of the lifts were a bit iffy, and because of the way the dance was choreographed, I wasn’t able to see James match up with Sharna too much. In my opinion, I would like to have seen a little less troupe and some more one-on-one just because of how hectic this routine was. But despite all of that, James gave it his all and fell right into place with the music.
Bentley’s Score: 9
Rankings of the Week 7 Individual Performances
Paul Bentley
1. Calvin & Lindsay
2. James & Sharna
3. Laurie & Val
4. Terra & Sasha
5. Jana & Gleb
6. Ryan & Cheryl
7. Maureen & Artem
8. Marilu & Derek
Julia
1. Calvin & Lindsay
2. Terra & Sasha
3. James & Sharna
4. Laurie & Val
5. Jana & Gleb
6. Marilu & Derek
7. Maureen & Artem
8. Ryan & Cheryl
Team Dances
Team Past vs. Team Future
Team Past (James & Sharna, Calvin & Lindsay, Maureen & Artem, Ryan & Cheryl)
Freestyle: The Skye Boat Song by Raya Yarbrough from Outlander
The Judges’ Scores: 10, 9, 9, 10 (38/40) Winning Team Dance
#TeamPast
Julia: This dance brought out the best of both of last season’s team dances; it had everyone dancing together for most of the routine (I don’t much care for the lengthy solos we’re used to seeing in team dances because it makes them more of a team relay then a number involving a lot of actual teamwork) and was simple enough for all the dancers to execute well (though this time they actually did something more than just jumping around the stage). Maureen held her own among the female pros, and all of the men danced with impeccable grace and elegance. Everyone on the team performed in a classy fashion and were all in sync when they needed to be...for the most part. Other than a couple of points where people were off time, this was an excellent team dance, probably one of the best I’ve ever seen on DWTS!
Julia’s Score: 9
Paul Bentley: This is definitely my favorite team dance that I have ever seen on Dancing With the Stars! The entire dance just captivated me. The Viennese Waltz implementation was perfect for the song and time period, and made for a team dance like no other! Everyone held their own, and everyone came together to make everyone else look good. Now that’s teamwork! The short solos at the beginning was just the right amount of the solo, and the rest of the Viennese Waltz was such a creative way to cohesively turn a dance style that is between two people into a dance that puts eight people all on the same level. Maureen was elegant in her own way, Ryan became a leading man, Calvin nailed his technique, and James was definitely transformed into his character. All of this together from Team Past made for a perfect team Freestyle!
Bentley’s Score: 10
Team Future (Marilu & Derek, Terra & Sasha, Jana & Gleb, Laurie & Val)
Freestyle: Embrace by Armin van Buuren featuring Eric Vloeimans
The Judges’ Scores: 8, 9, 9, 9 (35/40) Losing Team Dance
#TeamFuture
Paul Bentley: It took me a second to fully understand the concept of the dance, but I overall enjoyed this team Freestyle. I like how the dance was choreographed to use the small space of the stage, then spread out on the dance floor, then go to the other stage at the end to show a future that goes back to nature after technology fails (or at least that’s how I saw it). Most of the technical problems I saw were in the solo sections, but there were also some variations of how each line was executed between the couples when dancing all together, which made it incohesive. Terra was the perfect leader of the dance, expressing dynamic emotion and putting everything she had in every line, proving that she can do what the other couples can do on the dance floor. I found Laurie to be the best technically, and I found Jana to be the best in terms of connection to the song and her partner. Marilu held her own as well, and managed to recover well after Derek flat out pushed her to the floor (accidentally, of course!). I liked this dance, but it just didn’t captivate me like Team Past did. Team Future had an interesting concept, and it actually made me think afterwards.
Bentley’s Score: 8
Julia: This was yet another case of a team being screwed over by an odd song, and this was one of the strangest pieces of music for a team dance on this show ever. I thought this dance was okay despite the disjointed feel to it (which was pretty much dictated by the music) but I did see some off-time moments. I thought everyone did a good job with this performance but it just never fully come together for me. I agree with Bentley on Laurie being the technical standout and Jana being the best with the acting, and I certainly commend Marilu for getting right back into the dance after falling to the ground! Or course Terra did a good job as well and I think this team worked well together. That is, except for the part in rehearsals where the pros deliberately spoke in a language Terra couldn’t understand so they could talk about her while she was in the room. I was very disappointed in Sasha, Val, and Gleb for doing this, and Derek for seemingly enabling them to do so. They really should have just included Terra in the discussion so they could make sure she was comfortable with the moves. I mean I know everything turned out fine in the end but that wasn’t cool at all.
Julia’s Score: 8
Which team dance did we think was better?
Paul Bentley: Team Past
Julia: Team Past
Overall Rankings for Eras Night
Julia
1. Team Past
2. Calvin & Lindsay
3. Terra & Sasha
4. James & Sharna
5. Laurie & Val
6. Team Future
7. Jana & Gleb
8. Marilu & Derek
9. Maureen & Artem
10. Ryan & Cheryl
Paul Bentley
1. Team Past
2. Calvin & Lindsay
3. James & Sharna
4. Team Future
5. Laurie & Val
6. Terra & Sasha
7. Jana & Gleb
8. Ryan & Cheryl
9. Maureen & Artem
10. Marilu & Derek
Total Combined Scores for Week 7
Calvin and Lindsay 36/40 + 38/40 = 74/80
James and Sharna 36/40 + 38/40 = 74/80
Jana and Gleb 34/40 + 35/40 = 69/80
Laurie and Val 34/40 + 35/40 = 69/80
Terra and Sasha 34/40 + 25/40 = 69/80
Maureen and Artem 28/40 + 38/40 = 66/80 Eliminated- 8th
Ryan and Cheryl 28/40 + 38/40 = 66/80
Marilu and Derek 29/40 + 35/40 = 64/80
Predictions for Elimination
Paul Bentley: Looking at the leaderboard, I want to say that I think Marilu is going home next week, but I am not completely confident in that answer. Since Ryan is only two points ahead of her, I actually think he will be the next one going home, considering that I believe that Marilu is possibly getting slightly more votes than him. The dance-offs might have a slight impact on the scores next week (that is, if the additional points are added onto this week’s scores, which I doubt), but I doubt it. Even with immunity up for grabs, I very much doubt that either Ryan or Marilu will win the immunity over somebody else. So my final prediction this week for elimination is Ryan and Cheryl.
Julia: I guess I’ll say Ryan though I believe it could possibly be Marilu or even Terra. I think it’s possible that Jana could be set to be sent packing on Monday but as I said earlier I have a feeling she’ll be getting immunity so I doubt she’ll actually leave this week.
MVP (Most Valuable Pro) Picks for Week 7
Julia: This week I’m choosing Lindsay Arnold because she did a great job at creating a Jive that suited Calvin and at helping with putting together an awesome dance for Team Past. (Also because she was the only pro that didn’t annoy me at some point during this episode.)
Paul Bentley: I have to hand it to Lindsay Arnold for her continuous ability to make her partners shine. Not only does she come up with some of the most creative choreography on the show, but she always makes sure that her partner is the center of attention, which is how it should be. And as Julia said, I like what she contributed to Team Past as well. It was very innovative, yet classic.
Additional Comments
Julia: So Maureen and Artem were eliminated this episode and now that they’re out I wanted to comment on a pattern I’ve noticed with Artem and his partners...I talked about this after last season, but I don’t think Artem is very good at providing emotional support for his partners or dealing with people who have a lack of confidence in themselves. I’ve only seen bits and pieces of his time on Strictly Come Dancing and I noticed some shades of this there as well. It’s very telling that the only partner on Dancing With the Stars we never saw him get annoyed with was Patti LaBelle, the one partner he\s had who seemed completely comfortable in her own skin. The rest have been insecure to one degree or another and Artem has gotten frustrated at them for it. It seems his patience level may be lower than most of the other pros, which is a concern going forward. Some of the other pros have managed to improve in dealing with confidence issues in their stars...I guess time will tell if this happens with Artem.
Paul Bentley: The scores really plummeted this week! The couples really need to step up their games if they want to make it to the finale. A lot of the couples this season go back and forth with having high-ish and low-ish scores, which is never a good thing. Certain weeks, the competition seems really tight, and others make the competition seem not very competitive. But I think as we are quickly approaching the finale, we will find out who the weaker links are that will fall short of the Mirror Ball Trophy.
Julia: The last few episodes have felt overscored for the most part (especially the week when no one received less than an 8) so it was nice to see the judges get real with their paddles this week. I hope things stay this way; I want high scores to be truly earned by the teams going forward.
Follow Us on Twitter! (links)
Paul Bentley: @TheBentleyNinja
Julia Delbel: @juliadelbel
Fangirl: @24_7dwts
Katie Henry: @katiegotbandzz
Angelina Mikheeva: @angelinarose42
The DWTS 2016 Social Square (run by Paul Bentley): @DWTS2016
What did you think of Eras Night on Dancing With the Stars? Which couple do you think portrayed their era the best in their individual dance? Which team dance did you like better? Team Past or Team Future? What did you think of Maureen and Artem’s elimination? Who do you think will be eliminated next week, coming in seventh place?
Next week is Halloween Night on DWTS! For the first round of competition of the night, the couples will dance spooky performances to Halloween themes. The couple with the highest score in the first round (or, if there is a tie for the highest score, the couple with the highest overall total score from the entire season so far) will win immunity for the night, keeping them safe from elimination. This also means that that couple will not compete in the challenge of the night because they will automatically receive five points to their overall score for the next elimination. In second round, the other couples will compete in the Dance-Off Challenge. They will perform dances to styles chosen live on the show, and will face one other couple to win three extra points to their overall score from the judges. Then, at the end of the night, another couple will be eliminated from the competition!
Link to the week 7 dances: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK1f1bOs9XyeecPRdWMgle7WyjHMOmfer
#DWTS #DWTS23
