Dancing With The Stars Recap, Week 6

By Jackie Josephs

Well, with Toni out of the competition, it's getting very interesting and definitely tougher week by week.

Susan and Tony (Mambo): Susan has really impressed me ever since her Tango. Her confidence has heightened and it shows in her dancing. Mambo is all about being sassy and sexy while having quick feet and lot of body rhythms. With that being said, her swivels were fantastic and the speed in her spins was much improved. She did however get lost in the choreography a few times and she also got off time in some areas; even though she did slip up a few times, her sass and sexiness throughout the routine allowed me to look past it and really enjoy her spicy, out of the box Mambo!

Warren and Kym (Rumba): As you know, I am really a big fan of Warren and how graceful and quick he is for his size; however, tonight, I did not see that side of him. I felt that the judges were too easy on him. We are at the halfway point of the competition and he failed to show the true characteristics of the Rumba. Rumba is all about being sexy and soft and having all of his attention towards your partner. He was taking heel leads the whole time and his movements were rough and ridged. It also seemed to me that he blanked a few times in the routine. However, I could tell that he was trying to get into the character and tell a story but for me he was not on in the specific dance - not like I’ve seen in the past.

Cloris and Corky (Cha Cha): Let me start with the fact that Carrie Ann was extremely rude and unprofessional with her comment to Cloris about the fact that we lost Toni for her….how unclassy. I would love to see Carrie Ann get out there and show us what she can do…prove that she understands ballroom dancing since she’s never done it before. Ok, now that I got that off my chest, there isn’t much Cha Cha to comment on with Cloris’s routine; however, her timing was right on for the most part and I liked how Corky incorporated the hat into the story of their dance. She looked so cute chasing him around and did a great trick….again for her age she really does impress me, she deserves a lot of credit. No matter what, she goes out there she smiles and that’s what dancing is about at the end of the day - going out onto the stage and having fun!!

Cody and Julianne (Samba): He is really starting to grow on me and I disagreed with his score. I felt that he deserved higher than a 23. Bruno made a comment about how Samba is free and loose; however, in a way he is right but at the same time it is also about precise movements and accurate lines. I feel that Cody did just that, his feet were great and his leg extensions in his lunges were really impressive as well as his Samba walks. I also noticed a huge improvement with his posture and of course as usual Julianne's choreography matched the music perfectly! Well done Cody, and my thoughts and prayers are with Julianne during her surgery.

Derek and Brooke (Rumba): I was so bummed to hear that Brooke had injured her foot and I had really hoped that it wouldn’t affect her performance in her Rumba and, in my opinion, I really don’t think that it did. I think the judges were tough on her just because they know what she is capable of doing but in comparison to everyone else she did fantastic, especially only having about 3 days to learn it all! Her lines as usual were gorgeous and flawless as well as her feeling and understanding of what type of story the Rumba should tell. She was slightly off balance and her toes can be pointed a little bit more in leg extensions but overall - excellent job.

Maurice and Cheryl (Viennese Waltz): Poor Maurice, he tried so hard tonight but just didn’t cut it. Viennese Waltz should be very whimsical and almost float across the dance floor; however, Maurice failed to do this. The choreography was very piecey and choppy and had no fluidity. He was also behind the music a few times and he just looked like he was trying way too hard, nowhere near as natural as his Rhythm dances. He did, however, have better posture and his frame was decent. It’s very important that as man you should never look at the lady in Smooth when you are in closed frame and he did this the majority of the time. I hope that he improves in this area because as a winner of this show you should be well versed in both styles and right now his Smooth is far behind his Rhythm.

Lance and Lacey (Jive): YES, YES, YES…this is the Lance I was expecting to see from the beginning of the season. He had great confidence and energy the whole routine and his posture and movement were both much improved. The choreography really showcased him, which is how it always should be and the tricks and spins were really entertaining. He sold himself perfectly tonight and I loved every minute of it….job well done!!