Dancing with the Stars recap: Semi-Finals

To quote Tom Bergeron, the Dancing with the Stars semi-finals was an emotional roller coaster. Never before have I cried in previous seasons as I did last night. For multiple contestants. Was it just me? Or did you find yourself dabbing a tear here and choking back a sob there? The remaining five contestants came to win. Moreover, they all could win. These are the seasons that go down as memorable. Next week is going to be FIERCE!

Sharna and James
Argentine Tango
“Santa Maria” by Gotan Project
We learned in James’ intro package that he is engaged to his high school sweetheart and has a best friend from childhood. This makes me love him even more because I translate that as James is a loyal person. We dipped into his car crash story once again. We’ve heard the gist of his awful experience, but this time he praised his Indy car for saving his life. He also praised Sharna for being there for him during this harrowing experience. It was a bit of a stretch, but everything made sense when Sharna decided that SHE would wear a blindfold the entire dance. Also, SHE’S BACK! It’s all about trust, people. And it’s all about forgetting that this blindfold has been done twice before. Just go with it like the weird diamond patch on Sharna’s lower back. James did a great job tapping into his natural chemistry with Sharna. Of course Carrie Ann nitpicked. I’m sorry, did she not see him execute a handstand on the chair at the end?
SCORE: 29

Terra and Sasha
Rumba
“Scars to your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara
Terra’s “Let’s See If We Can Make Lincee Cry” moment involved her explaining how her parents adopted a little person sibling so Terra wouldn’t feel all alone with average size parents. Terra followed that with a sweet tribute to her brother and how he always supported her when she moved to L.A. to become a singer. Once Sasha started crying, I decided to join him. I admit, I was nervous about the rumba. I’ll also admit that it was all for naught. Terra has legit hip action. She also makes pretty shapes with her arms. The entire thing was very fluid. Unlike most rumbas, it was not seductive at all. It was more of a soft empowerment piece. The judges loved it.
SCORE: 30

Gleb and Jana
Quickstep
“Go Mama” by Wayne Beckford
Did anyone know that Jana was a figure skater from the ages of 5 to 16? I did not. She spoke again about her “bad relationship,” but this time praised her mother for being by her side as a model of strength. We all cried — me, Jana and her mom. That emotion quickly morphed into confusion when I saw Jana in a makeshift shoe store. Her big floppy hat was equally puzzling. One thing is for sure: Gleb and Jana’s ombre white and Pepto-Bismol pink outfits were perfection. I loved Jana’s long furry white neck thing and her glittery bodice. I loved Gleb’s Pepto pink shoes. The quickstep was all over the place (literally) but fun. It’s too bad Gleb stumbled at the end. The judges have no choice but to dock points for stuff like that.
SCORE: 28

Calvin and Lindsay
Tango
“Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes
Sweet Calvin is loved by all. There isn’t anything he can’t do. All of his montage pictures showcased a different talent. Apparently he can play baseball, basketball, football and the trumpet. He has a very close family and values his own. That’s why he walked away from the Detroit Lions while he was in his prime. He wanted to be able to bend over to pick his kids up. Also, if his family gets in a financial bind, they can always sell his mom’s magical elixir that keeps her face looking decades younger than reality. Let’s call that Plan B. Lindsay took a risk at the beginning of the dance, choreographing this weird bit with hands coming out of holes in a wall that grabbed at Lindsay and Calvin. It did not land. Their dance did. Unfortunately, toward the end, our couple literally ran out of dance floor and Lindsay had to awkwardly swoop out of a hold in order not to bite it on the spectator’s lap in the front row.
SCORE: 26

Laurie and Val
Foxtrot
“Hollow” by Tori Kelly
This one got me. I bawled like a baby. The camera followed Laurie as she visited her grandmother in a nursing home. She has Alzheimer’s. Laurie worked hard to follow her dreams because her grandmother did the same when she came to America from Puerto Rico. The day after the interview was shot, Laurie’s grandmother died. Val held her in his arms as she cried. I held myself as I cried when footage of her grandmother saying, “I am so proud of your Laurie!” aired right before this child danced a foxtrot. B-L-E-S-S. Toward the beginning of the dance, Laurie effortlessly wiped a tear from her eye. Then she crushed the dance floor with her talent. Sweet Tom Bergeron hugged her and wiped his own tear away. There were no words.
SCORE: 30

Jenna and Sharna and James
Jive
“Gimme Some Lovin’” by The Spencer Davis Group
First of all, this is the only song I recognized from the entire night. Second of all, jive has never been my favorite. I give all the props to James for sitting tall, with Jenna and Sharna flanked on either side, as he looks into the camera and says, “Welcome to our threesome.” Homeboy forgot it was called a trio. He laughed and then said, “I wanted Keo but he wasn’t available.” So dang funny. James wore a sparkly jumpsuit. Jenna and Sharna wore black panties, black bras with shoulder pads, one black knee boot and one gold knee boot. It was a look. Jenna knows how to work a camera. My eyes are always drawn to her for some reason. There was major hairography in this dance too. Again, jive is not my favorite, but I loved the pop of champagne confetti at the end of the dance.
SCORE: 30

Terra and Sasha and Artem
Tango
“Hideaway” by Kieza
Terra has a major crush on Artem and Sasha tries not to let it bother him. We all know it does. When he tells Terra that their dance is all about choosing between two men, Terra automatically responds, “Let’s go, Artem.” Then they cut to a dorky Three’s Company montage. I fast forwarded through it. I’ll further admit that I didn’t love this dance, but I do agree with Bruno that Sasha did an terrific job choreographing a routine that showcased Terra completely. She was the focus, if you don’t count Sasha and Artem’s fake tattoos.
SCORE: 30

Jana and Alan and Gleb
Paso
“Kill of the Night” by Gin Wigmore
Is Alan the younger Gleb? Who’s more attractive? Why would Jana want to pretend murder either of them in her routine? So many questions. I also didn’t get the weird branch motif going on. Was Jana supposed to be the queen of trees? Is that why her collar was made of sticks? You can’t say that she doesn’t have her “angry” face nailed down. And I did enjoy the part where Gleb flings her through both his legs and Alan’s legs. It didn’t feel like a paso to me, but I did appreciate the artistry and Jana’s total commitment to the role. The judges LOVED it.
SCORE: 30

Calvin and Lindsay, Witney
Salsa
“Limbo” by Daddy Yankee
Sometimes I want to pull Lindsay and Witney to the side and encourage them not to project themselves as dumb blonds on national television. Then I rest in the fact that I’m sure someone in their lives has already tried to do that. Her name is Erin Andrews. Lindsay wisely used Calvin’s muscles as her secret weapon. She doesn’t care that 30 minutes ago her parter said that he was weary and that football takes a toll on your body. Lindsay wants that mirrorball trophy and if she and Witney have to use Calvin like a human jungle gym, so be it. There were insane lifts. All three were balls of lime green energy. At one point, Calvin jumped over both Lindsay and Witney who were balled together like tiny Havana Barbies. I could barely keep up. I guess that’s a good thing for a salsa?
SCORE: 30

Laurie and Val and Maks
Samba
“Magalenha” by Sergio Mendes
The brothers are together again. Val (BLEEPING) loves his brother and choreographed an entire homage to Maks. He is Val’s mentor and has always been his dance instructor. In what I thought was an extremely creative move, Val manages to utilize Maks as an instructor coaching Laurie and Val through a samba routine. It begins in a dance studio and transitions into a competition. There was a costume change somewhere in the middle that came out of nowhere. Laurie looked like she was having a ball! I know I was. It may have something to do with Val’s deep v-neck.
SCORE: 30

Because this is a live show, Tom and Erin had to scoot through the elimination portion of our night. Terra and Calvin were the last two standing, but it was Terra who didn’t make it through the next round. The entire cast covered her in hugs and kisses, which says a lot. She made quite an impact on the show.

It’s go time. I want to hear who you are rooting for? I vacillate between the remaining four. Right now, I would have to choose James. I feel like he works hard to learn the steps, but he has the most fun doing it. What do you think? Sound off in the comments section!