Dancing with the Stars – The Finals

Dancing with the Stars – The Finals

By Armando Martin
Former U.S. Champion and National Dance Director

The semi-finals started this week with some very big surprises on who is left in the competition. Gone are some of the worst dancers we’ve seen on this program - Wayne Newton and Floyd Mayweather Jr. - but also gone are some of the best this show has ever seen, Sabrina Bryan and Jane Seymour. I am really surprised to be writing about Marie Osmond and Jennie Garth this late in the show. America sent some great dancers home and left us to watch the rest, but here we are. So let’s see what they can bring to the floor this week.

Marie and Jonathan started the night with a very smartly choreographed Quickstep that was a pleasure to watch, although technically she was very weak. Her posture was suspect, she was sticking her rear end out and there was no body contact to speak of throughout the dance. But you have to give her credit; she has lost a lot of weight and always gives a great performance.

Marie’s second dance was the Mambo. Wearing a Carmen Miranda-type dress, she came out ready to shock. And shock she did with an incredibly entertaining dance. This girl is truly crazy and fun, as you could see, since the judges only spoke about her energy and personality. That’s because there were a lot of mistakes in her dance and, like me, they didn’t know where to start. So, like them, I won’t. Score after two dances, 56

Dancing in the second position this week were Maks and Mel. Their interpretation of the Viennese Waltz was terrific. They truly covered the floor with great movement. I did not enjoy the splits that they did across the floor; they were heavy looking and brought a lot of attention to her shoulders, which tend to be too high anyway. But overall it was a good performance.

In the Paso Doble I very much disagree with the judges. I think that having done the dance so well last week they took a real chance repeating it. I don’t think it was as good as before. They did, however, do a great job overall and they are the best dancers left in the competition. Score after two dances, 60

Jennie and Derek danced a very strong, determined and positive Tango this week. The problem is that Derek really can’t do the Tango very well, so while the dance might look good to the layman’s eye, if you know dancing, you can see how forced and physical it was. For me it was too much too late, but I am sure that people out there liked it a lot.

Jennie’s Cha Cha this week was the best technical performance of the night. The fact that she looked hot in her dress didn’t hurt either. She put all her emotions and sex appeal on the floor and she made it work. Score after two dances, 58


After becoming one of the favorites this season, Helio the racecar driver has been able to stay ahead of the competition by using some supercharged steps and choreography that continue to make him a crowed pleaser. This week he danced a Foxtrot that had class, musicality and charisma. The only thing Helio needs to work on are his lines, which he tends to hit too hard.

His second dance this week was the Cha Cha, and what a great dance it was. The choreography was so entertaining and clever that I am not sure if I was watching Helio or Julianne or the material they are dancing. But whatever the case, it works, and they bring it on every time. Score after two dances, 60

I must say that this season has been full of great dancing and characters. I would bet that Jennie is going home this week and that the last two standing for the title will be Helio and Mel. So I will be back next week to see if I was right.