'DWTS' Recap: Lea Thompson Steals the Show!
This week's episode of DWTS was a special My Jam Monday edition, where the songs were chosen by contestants who were able to dance to any music they chose. The routines were hot, the judges were excited, and the stars were ready to show how much they had improved from last week.
Let's take a look at the individual dance numbers and see whose gotten better and who the judges think need more work.
As new host Julianne Hough said, "What a great way to start the night." The audience loved the military-themed routine and were on their feet cheering their hearts out as the number ended. It energized the crowd. Len, Julianne and Bruno all agreed that it was tremendously entertaining, but Couture needed to round off some of the rough edges. Carrie Ann, however, said she the dance wasn't passionate enough - much to the dissatisfaction of the audience, who loudly disagreed.
Janel and Val's gorgeous, black-tie foxtrot saw the pair dancing their hearts out while dressed to the nines – with Janel in a flowing white gown and Val in a full-on tuxedo. The judges responded with a lot of love, which was reflected in their generous score.
In this 50s themed dance, Lea wore cheetah print dress and Artem rocked out in a black leather jacket while. As Bruno put it, "Viva La Lea!" But the chemistry and affection between Lea, Artem and all the judges radiated out with intensity. It was so good, Carrie Ann even fell out of her chair.
In a beach theme, the 51-year-old racecar driver had a fun, light-hearted dance number that was very fun, even if it wasn't particularly exciting. Carrie Ann was the first judge to acknowledge how entertaining his personality is, but many pointed out that wacky wasn't the same as technically accurate.
Tavis and Sharna showed their stuff with a 70s boogie theme – he was in a bright gold jacket while she was in a revealing, turquoise, form-hugging, bell-bottomed pant-suit that made you remember why the 70s were both the best and the worst time in American fashion simultaneously. However, Len said it "lacked a bit of polish," which the audience might have disagreed with, but the other judges seemed to feel the same way.
It's clear that Alfonso has mad skills – he was at the top of the leader board last week, after all – and this week he danced to his former Fresh Prince co-star's hit 1997 single, and samba-ed his way into the hearts of America. The judges all said that he needed to work on his technical skill in the Samba, but that the performance was great. As Len put it, "You were popping like buttons on a tight shirt."
Taking the title literally, Derek and Bethany performed with an actual Bass at the top of their routine and they ended up turning the song into a lovely number that didn't once look like her damaged ankle was causing her pain. Bruno raved by saying it was a "Bob Fossi Foxtrot" and Len even said, "That was a great number. The best I've seen tonight."
The 72-year-old Fashion Designer floated around on the stage with Tony in a way no one was expecting, and it even blew the judges away. "Last night was a night to forget, tonight is a night to remember… I have never seen you look so great."
This simple, sensual Rumba was brimming with simmering sexuality that had the room wrapped up in the passion on stage. Each judge praised Antonio for his vast improvement over the previous week, and Bruno even said, "The Latin lover is starting to smolder."
This super-bright Salsa – complete with feathered fans and neon shirts – perfectly accented the comedic and fun personality of the famous Tommy Chong, and really showed that he wasn't a person who was afraid to get into the rhythm, despite being 76. As Bruno put it, "You are really proving age is a state of mind. You're as young as you feel."
Black and gold can be one powerful combo, and when it's being worn by two astoundingly talented and good looking people, it works even better. It was a rock and roll explosion that worked for some of the judges, but a few felt that it was too sharp and jerky for a Cha Cha Cha.
As Mark Ballas explained in the pre-recorded segment before the routine, it's challenging to choreograph a Jazz number to a country song, but he managed to pull it off, despite it "not gelling" for Len. However, Bruno was incredibly excited, saying "That was great my darling." Sadie and Mark's numbers ended up being lower than last week, which clearly didn't sit well with them.
For more DWTS fun, check out this look at the best and worst moments from the first episode of Season 19.