Dancing with the Stars recap: Halloween Week

I always look forward to Halloween night on Dancing with the Stars because the wardrobe and makeup departments go above and beyond. It’s up to the choreographer to then weave their specific dance format into the theme without compromising the integrity of the piece. Some people do that well. Others phone it in like the random opening number from last night’s show. In the end, we can be sure of three things:

  1. Of course Erin’s wears ears with a slinky black dress like a Playboy bunny at a fancy cocktail party as her costume.
  2. Marilu looks amazing, but needs to tuck her boobs back into her outfit before she suffocates.
  3. If Chris Harrison wasn’t already my pick, Tom Bergeron would definitely be my favorite host.

Terra and Sasha
Cha-Cha
“Day-O” by Harry Belafonte
On the surface, a routine inspired by Beetlejuice has potential. Especially when you’re music showcases this particular moment of the movie. Unfortunately our dynamic duo didn’t pull it off, even with the help of a gaggle of eager JV dancers. The biggest problem is Terra’s legs. She has a hard time straightening them, which is ideal cha-cha technique. Second, Sasha puts her on the dining table for the first half of the entire dance and she looks nervous. Even I’m afraid she might fall off. (PS: I think it would be hard for pros to dance a cha-cha on a table.) Finally, “Day-O” is a slow song, which subconsciously makes your mind assume that Sasha had to dumb the routine down so Terra can keep up. I don’t think that was the case. All the judges agree that they want to see Terra move up to the next level. Ironically, she received pretty good numbers even with those specific notes. Sometimes dancing first in the lineup is a good thing. Had she performed later in the evening, those 8s would have been 7s.
SCORE: 24

Laurie and Val
Viennese Waltz
“Pure Imagination” by Jane Monheit
Val made me cry. I won’t deny it. There were so many feels that I didn’t know what to do with myself. Neither did Laurie. Her partner is upset because they received a perfect score way back in week 4. Since then, they’ve been middle-of-the-roaders. Val tells the camera that Laurie is phenomenal. He can only conclude it’s his choreography or his personality that is bringing her down. He hates this because Laurie exudes joy. She can win. Moreover, she deserves to win. He transforms himself into Willy Wonka at the chocolate factory (or lollipop factory in this particular case) and dances with Laurie who is a beloved girl version of Charlie. It was a pretty, swirly waltz, complete with golden tickets dropping from the ceiling. I thought it was charming, sweet and well executed. I also believe Laurie can win. But I think that about Calvin and James, too.
SCORE: 30

Marilu and Derek
Argentine Tango
“Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” by Emily Browning
Marilu’s montage begins with b-roll footage of her falling in the group routine last week. Or should I say Derek pushing her down in the group routine last week? With all the mistakes from her previous dance, bruised heels and lack of confidence, Derek decides that his technique this week is to convince Marilu she can do no wrong. Even when she messes up steps in rehearsals, he tells her she looks great. She’s the SPIDER QUEEN! Whatever she wants to do in her web, she can do. Marilu takes that direction and proceeds to mess up again this week. She slips as she stands up from a seated position, misses a few steps and whacks Derek in the head with her elbow. Marilu is her own worst critic right now and needs to settle down. She knows the steps and she has fabulous legs. She just needs to breathe.
SCORE: 23

Calvin and Lindsay
Quickstep
“Dr. Bones” by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
What I love about Calvin is that he’s a hard worker. You never hear him complaining. You never hear him saying that he can’t do something. He just does what Lindsay needs him to do. Sure he kids with her, claiming he’d rather have Witney as a partner, but everyone knows (and by everyone, I mean me) that Lindsay is one of the best choreographers on the show. Her steps are interesting and true to the dance form. She manages to make the audience invest in the story she is telling with this quickstep. The skeleton outfits make it fun and interesting. But it is still at the core, a quickstep. This is the key. And this is why it was one of my favorite dances of the night. See for yourself:
SCORE: 10

Cheryl and Ryan
Tango
“Howlin’ for You” by The Black Keys
Cheryl goes all drill sergeant on Ryan this week and it actually works. When she treats him like an Olympian who has switched swimming hours in the pool for dancing hours in a rehearsal room, there is literal improvement. Also, bless his sweet baby heart for trying so hard.
SCORE: 23

Jana and Gleb
Jazz

“Little Shop of Horrors” by Alan Menken
When Gleb tells Jana this is the first jazz routine he has ever choreographed, I thought she was either going to cry or punch him. They have a love/hate relationship like that. Gleb throws everything into this routine. There may have been a kitchen sink. I do know there were two different sets on opposite sides of a single wall. JV dancers are everywhere and Jana does the splits every other eight count. Gleb throws in some traditional Latin ballroom steps. Carrie Ann loves this idea. Julianne hates it. Bruno is too distracted by Gleb to notice. It was a high school musical on crack. The music called for quick choreography, but it was a little mass chaos to me.
SCORE: 27

James and Jenna
Viennese Waltz
“You Don’t Own Me” by Grace featuring G-Eazy
Sharna is down with an injury and is out for the season. This makes me so, so sad. You know if James wins, Sharna isn’t going to feel that her first mirrorball trophy is truly hers. She’ll have to share it with Jenna. James consoles her, reminding Sharna that he knows a thing or two about recovery. (That’s right, Sharna. Talk to James when you have a piece of metal sticking through your gut and poking out the other side.) James slays his Viennese Waltz with Jenna and it’s not just because he is extremely graceful with impeccable posture. James and Jenna both become their characters from the movie Suicide Squad. This movie bands a bunch of incarcerated super villains together to save the word. James plays The Joker and Jenna plays Harley Quinn. Think of them as crazy murderers who are in love with each other. That’s why some of the moves look a little jarring. When James holds Jenna around the neck as she’s laughing or twists her into weird positions, it’s essential to the performance. Although most people probably have not seen the movie, it is a really cool interpretation of how the Joker and Harley would have waltzed. They both NAILED IT. The judges give them a perfect score. Jenna freaks out because she’s never seen 10s before. Bless her. Sharna cheers from the Glitterdome and James wins immunity. Here’s their performance:
SCORE: 30

The six remaining couples face off, each with a different form of dance. It’s up to the live audience to vote. Too bad we were watching the show via DVD so we could fast forward, but I think the chips fell precisely where they were supposed to in most cases.

Laurie requests Calvin and Calvin asks for the jive. Both couples look great in their sparkly outfits. Everyone is clean and energetic, but Laurie and Val pull ahead with 63% of the votes.

Jana chooses to face off with Terra. She and Sasha choose the salsa, because they have never danced it before. Seems odd to me, but whatever. Sasha twirls Terra for half their solo while Gleb wisely takes off his shirt during their solo. Voters select Jana and Gleb, but only by a small margin of 54%.

Marilu and Ryan each cha-cha-cha into the competitor’s side of the ballroom on numerous occasions. I’m sure Carrie Ann took points off for that. Both are mediocre, but the voters feel more sorry for Ryan and choose him to win the dance off.

Sadly, that didn’t keep him from remaining in the competition. Ryan and Terra stand in the red light of doom, but it is our redeemed Olympian who is sent home in week 8.

What did you think of Halloween night? If you had to choose between Calvin’s quickstep or James’ waltz, which would you choose? Did Ryan deserve to go home before Marilu? Does Laurie have a better shot now that Val cried on national television? Sound off in the comments!

Photo By: ABC.com
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Skylar
Skylar
November 1, 2016 10:13 am

Halloween night is awesome but i was hoping for something similar to last year’s group dances because the Nightmare before Christmas number was pretty amazing. The dance off was pretty cool though!

Ryan didn’t deserve to go home yet!!! I think Marilu needs to give Derrick a big hug because IMO people are voting to keep him on the show, not her. Now I have to figure out who else to vote for.

I’m thinking Tom and Chris need to be contestants on DWTS!!

Skylar
Skylar
November 1, 2016 10:23 am
Reply to  Skylar

And one more thing – I loved James’ dance more than Calvin’s only because when I think of Halloween I think of Viennese Waltz. I think that only comes from Disney World’s Haunted Mansion ball room which is, of course, the BEST room on the ride!

CO Kathleen
CO Kathleen
November 1, 2016 3:07 pm

I LOVE Calvin. I love his attitude and his style on the dance floor. Always felt he’s been underscored but was happy he got perfect scores last night…even though I thought the costumes he and Lindsey wore were distracting.

My, oh my James is something else to watch. He comes out-of-nowhere with regards to dance experience and looks so polished and handsome and in character every time. I secretly hope he wins just because he delivers every time.

Was really turned off by Val’s interruption of Len last week. His rudeness on national television was uncalled for. I felt bad for Len having to endure that. I think Laurie is a phenomenal dancer but…I put all my votes in the basket for James because he’s great and humble. I do hope Calvin, James, and Laurie are the final 3.

I read somewhere this morning that Nick Viall is “Mesnicking” all over the place on The Bachelor next season…

Sha
Sha
November 1, 2016 3:43 pm

I have to disagree with you about Lindsay and Calvin’s dance. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love them as a couple and he’s incredible but I didn’t think their dance came close to deserving a perfect score. It felt rushed and all over the place to me and it didn’t have anything to do with his size (or massive feet. LOL!)

Laurie and Hinch blew me away with their Viennese Waltzes and those were my favorites dances of the night. I’d be happy with either of them winning the Mirrorball Trophy this season.

Marilu is a total mess and I truly believe it’s all in her head. I don’t know if it’s possible to try too hard but I think that’s what is happening with her and Derek isn’t helping. For me, she is on the bottom now that Ryan is gone.

Dianne
Dianne
November 2, 2016 12:13 am

Marilou needs to take a few shots of tequila about 45 minutes before she dances and I bet her scores would go up a lot. Derek is being a little snarky. And last week it did look like he gave her a little push right before she fell down. She could be awesome if she just decided to dance for fun and not for competition. My favorites are Calvin and James. Lauri third.

Aimee
November 2, 2016 8:28 am

I have really enjoyed this season!

James is my favorite! I just loved his dance and thought he did great. I feel like he fits right in with his pro and is just a joy to watch! I love Laurie too – she is so full of energy and I think a great role model for young girls. I like Calvin too – he is just so fun and I love his smile. I absolutely loved their costumes last night.

Such a fun season for sure!!

Amber Fischer
Amber Fischer
November 2, 2016 10:15 am

James is just crazy amazing!!! I think I’ve gotten goosebumps with EVERY SINGLE DANCE of his. He’s consistent and has a humble charm that I just love!! (When I saw him the first night of DWTS, I didn’t think he was handsome… now I think he’s a babe!) And Calvin is just adorable. Such good work ethic and seems so kindhearted and lovable. I was so happy for him this week getting perfect scores! Oh, and Marilu… I just feel so uncomfortable watching her dance because you can tell she’s just so in her head and waiting for a mistake to happen. I’ve never seen Derek seem so hopeless (and just downright done with the whole thing). Time to go, Marilu.

Pia
Pia
November 2, 2016 10:20 am

I agree about James. What a nice surprise. I would love to only watch James and Calvin dance and banter the entire show! James especially. Not only is he an amazing dancer, he seems grounded and hilarious to boot.

I was glad the program showed Derek’s snarky side. I never would have thought he had that in him. I’d always liked him, but that was really disappointing. I guess fame and expectations have him preferring to be voted off as he can’t get Marilu out of her head and so HE’s over it. All of America got to see him behave badly. When they went to the judges table, it was all he could do to put his arm around her, albeit briefly. I agree it looks as though Derek gave Marilu an extra push and glad she called him on it, and they showed it.

Haley Alexis
Haley Alexis
November 2, 2016 12:31 pm

I was glad Ryan went, I thought it was his time to go a few episodes ago. It always bothers me when people vote for the person they want on for “redemption” rather than on the dancing, but to each their own.

SO bummed about Sharna being out! Completely agree that she won’t feel like it is all hers but she is an amazing choreographer. I really wanted her to have her first mirrorball.

Laurie, Calvin, and James are fantastic. Top 3 for sure!

Helen
Helen
November 2, 2016 1:11 pm

Interesting Lincee how you mentioned thinking that perhaps Val crying might give Laurie a better shot. Call me jaded, but it occurred to me that it might have been vote bait on Val’s part as Laurie has been overshadowed recently. Something felt a little off to me. I actually said to my TV, oh c’mon really Val???? Derek’s frustration is palpable, and he is probably not happy that he wasn’t given a ringer this season!! And he can’t seem to make it be what he wants. Jaded being that I am, wondering also if they were punishing Derek for taking a season off. He usually gets the cream of the crop as a partner.

LOL Lincee, those boobs on Marilu seemed like they were cut from another body and pasted on.

Love, love, love James. I really do hope he wins.

Christine
Christine
November 2, 2016 8:39 pm
Reply to  Helen

I also think Derek is being punished. And I think he knows it and is very frustrated.

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