High Energy

Cody Linley was still having some trouble reigning in his energy, and his partner, Julianne Hough, had to tell him to “just calm down a little bit” at one point in their rehearsals. That’s a lot of energy, considering they were dancing the fast paced Jive. Cody did pretty well, but his kick flicks were pretty bad. Carrie Ann said the “energy was definitely high” but she noted that he was “counting the whole [dance]” which was a pet peeve of hers. Bruno didn’t seem to like it, and said simply, “you’ve got the talent, use it.” Len said that “the first half was fantastic [but] then it got repetitious.” He didn’t like the parts where Cody pretended to play the guitar on Julianne’s legs. The judges all gave Cody 7’s for a total of 21.

Going Back to the Roots

Toni Braxton and her partner, Alec Mazo, decided to add a twist to their Viennese Waltz, “spicing it up a little bit.” Alec also wanted Toni to do a handstand, which she struggled with but with his encouragement, finally nailed it. Their waltz, done in costumes from the Marie Antoinette era, was pretty good, and quite entertaining. Carrie Ann said she “liked it [and she] got it.” She said the dance was originally supposed to be “scandalous” and that they were “going back to the roots” of the dance. Bruno said they took a “huge risk” with the dance, and noted that Toni was a good dancer who didn’t need to “overproduce.” Len said “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” He said she was a “lovely dancer [who] didn’t need gimmicks.” Bruno and Len gave Toni 7’s, while Carrie Ann gave her an 8 for a total of 22.

Jivin’?

Cloris Leachman and her partner, Corky Ballas, noted that they needed to build up Cloris’s stamina as the Jive required a lot of energy and they had to dance for 30 seconds longer this week. Corky noted that they were going to “go back to fun and entertainment” as opposed to doing a traditional dance. At one point, Corky asked Cloris if “a cartwheel was possible?” to which Cloris quipped, “twenty years ago, maybe.” Their dance was very slow, and didn’t look at all like a jive, although it was entertaining, and Cloris lost her wig at one point. Carrie Ann said she was “a bit speechless” and couldn’t give Cloris “a lot of credit for technique.” Bruno said that “to call this wacky would be the understatement of the year.” Len noted that Cloris did “do a basic step.” As in one, single step? Bruno and Len gave Cloris 5’s while Carrie Ann gave her a 6 for a total of 16.

Fighting to Perfection

Brooke Burke and her partner, Derek Hough had a rough week in rehearsals, fighting and having what Brooke termed, “combative moments.” Derek was pushing Brooke extra hard on the Viennese Waltz and she was getting increasingly frustrated. They seemed to have work things out because their dance was quite lovely, and ended on a sweet note, with Brooke giving her daughter a kiss. Carrie Ann said that Brooke was “quickly becoming [Carrie Ann’s] favorite dancer” and that the performance was a “pleasure to watch.” Bruno said it was “dazzling, beautiful, [and that it] was beautiful to watch.” Len said it was “simply the best dance of the season so far.” Carrie Ann and Bruno gave Brooke 9’s, while Len gave her a perfect 10 for a total of 28.

We Predict

With Misty May-Treanor’s untimely exit from the competition, we’re guessing there will be no elimination this week, as two exits in one week will throw the show off its schedule and mess with the already-set finale date.