[jodyguercio]

I'm not trying to fill in for Stuart with this, he asked me to start the thread this week and he'll add in his review a little later.

Overall this week I think we are starting to see who is going to go far in the competition.

The one thing, for me at least, that has never really seemed to make sense is the musical selections. Who chooses the songs? The producers? When you are waiting to see a latin dance Im sure that there are songs that are more befitting the dance than "I Kissed a Girl". Yes I know that it was meant as a little bit of a joke, but still it didnt really work for me. On that also, I liked Lacey very much on SYTYCD and was glad to see her on DWTS. She and Mr Bass are never going to achieve the scores that they can if they dont start following the rules.

Best dance, for me, was Mr Sapp and Ms Johnson. To see someone move like he does for his size is nothing short of amazing. Ms Brooke Burke is also amazing as well.

Ms Braxton and Cody (forgive me I don't know his last name), solid.

Ms Traynor and Ms Lucci, improving. You can see that they are both still stage shy. It's as if you can almost see in their posture and eyes when they are thinking about the steps and not connecting with their partners.

Mr Greene, the potential is there. He can be great if he would also just relax.

Ms Leachman. Like Carrie Ann I will abstain from commenting.

Bottom two, Mr Dispirito and Ms Kardashian. Either one could go home.

 

[Stuart Sweet]

Faithful readers, I apologize for the late review, but I'm sure you agree jodyguercio did a great job! In order to make up for the tardiness, I'm live blogging, reviewing as I watch. You'll read my review written before the judges give theirs, and my comments on the pro judges' opinions.

This week we get to see what the dancers can do with a short time frame in which to learn. This is where we see who has talent and who merely can succeed given enough practice.

Ms. Braxton and Mr. Mazo (Rumba) -- I thought this dance was sensual but lacked precision and emotion. Was there a small lift there at the beginning? According to the judges there were but they didn't seem to be penalized. (score:23)

Ms. (Brooke) Burke and Mr. Hough (Paso Doble) -- First let me say the people at Zales can't buy this kind of publicity. The composition they use for their commercials was used for the dance. Here I see a lot of work but not a lot of intensity. Still, really quite good for week 2! The judges seemed a bit more impressed and Mr. Bergeron noticed the commercial tie-in as well. (score:24)

Mr. Dispirito and Ms. Smirnoff (Rumba) -- I fully expected Ms. Smirnoff to take the spotlight, as she has before when her partners have not been up to the challenge, but Mr. Dispirito really tried his best. He is no dancer, unfortunately. The judges seemed to agree. (score:16)

Mr. Bass and Ms. Schwimmer (Paso Doble) -- the package before the dance tells me that I won't get a standard Paso. I'm already prejudiced against this dance. It's a shame really because they've got chemistry and intensity, if only they'd dance the dance they're given, I'd be a big fan. Mr. Goodman agreed; it's no paso doble. (score:20... and I think that's too high!)

Ms. Kardashian and Mr. (Mark) Ballas (Rumba) -- OK. I'll give it to Ms. Kardashian for working on the appeal; she really tried to work the "pussycat doll" aspect but there just wasn't a lot of dancing. The judges agreed... they were even harsher than I would be. (score:17)

Ms. May-Trainor and Mr. Chmerkovsky (Paso Doble) -- High energy, high style but a lot of little missteps. Still it's week two, right? I give them credit for a very athletic routine. I think the judges felt the same way. (score: 21)

Mr. Green and Ms. (Cheryl) Burke (Rumba) -- This was smooth and felt like a lazy sunny afternoon; it brought a smile to my face. Sure, Ms. Burke danced circles around Mr. Green, but I saw a lot of emotion and a very successful week 2 effort. The judges disagreed, calling it stiff and uninteresting. (score:19)

Ms. Leachman and Mr. (Corky) Ballas (Paso Doble) -- As I've said before, she's judge-proof. Three tens from me. If you disagree, ask yourself if your mother (or grandmother) could do as well. (score:15... well they halfway agreed)

Ms. Lucci and Mr. Dovolani (Rumba) -- I see some real improvement this week. Ms. Lucci still seems stiff but no longer seems scared. This dance was very light on content, though, and I can't wait to see if the judges agree. They seem to think she needs more emotion. (score:21)

Mr. Sapp and Ms. Johnson (Paso Doble) -- I've been impressed in the past by Mr. Sapp's light footwork... let's see what comes our way this week. They look like they came from The Matrix. Unfortunately Mr. Sapp's natural smile seems out of character in the Paso. He falls a little short this week. The judges were much more impressed. (score:24)

Mr. Linley and Ms. Hough (Rumba) -- I was extremely pleased. This was smooth and soft and romantic... youthful and fun... I can't say enough. Sure it had its rough spots but for a week two routine, I think it could not have been much better. The judges were giving some very high-level critiques and to me that means they agreed. (score:21)

Tonight we saw the best dancers beginning to shine, and the rest beginning to fall.

My pick to go home tonight: Mr. Bass
Who will probably go home: Ms. Lucci or Ms. Dispirito

 

[phrelin]

With regard to Ms. Leachman, we are grandparents and used to dance ballroom alot, in the day. But we're not quite her age yet and she could dance circles around us. It's impressive, though probably not competitively fair to depend on the "for her age" vote.

But, Leachman notwithstanding, we agreed with the audience about who actually did "go home" tonight.

 

[Lee L]

For Brook Burke and Hough, isn;t that song actually the general Diamond song and not any one Jewelers?

Also, I can;t really disagree with Kim Kardashian going. She just was not that good. Still plenty of bottom feeders to go next. And I honestly don;t get all teh talk about Kim's booty. She looked pretty much normal to me.

 

[Stuart Sweet]

Well, my guesses were pretty far off the mark. I guess I won't be guest judging any time soon. It's a shame to see another dancer go, but I agree that in the end Ms. Kardashian was certainly one of the weaker competitors and the choice was fair.

As far as the "diamond" song, yes it is used for DeBeers as well. Here in Southern California though, Zales glommed on to it for a while. I believe it's called "Palladio."