DWTS - Performance #7

Well, what do you know? We finally got a week where I didn't hear the words "jiggly parts" the entire show!

Actually, I love Niecy. She looks like a lot of fun, but not so fun that she's never serious about hard work. Her partnership with Louis is adorable. And I appreciate how she'll gladly eat a cheeseburger without fear of bursting from a (gasp) size 2 dress.

Unfortunately, I think she's gone after tonight. Which is probably fitting - I think she and Chad have gone as far as they can with their skills. But Niecy is at the bottom of the leaderboard and I don't think her fanbase can compete with Chad's to make up the difference. As someone who also loves to eat, I'll miss her candor and acceptance. And dammit, the woman is funny.

Other than the jiggly parts bit, most aspects of the show remained the same. Chad making a move on Cheryl? Check. Nicole crying because "it's not easy" for her? Check. Brooke's weekly reminder that she once danced on the show? Check. Montage about how everybody wants to do their best? Check. And duh.

Chad and Cheryl - I think he has hit the wall this week. I love how much fun he seems to have when he dances, and at least he's working hard and not coasting on votes and his smile. But I'm not sure how much more he could improve. He's a decent party dancer who wouldn't embarrass a date on the dance floor (at least not due to lack of rhythm), but he's just not very graceful. His Argentine Tango was stiff, and his "jive" wasn't so much a jive - very few flicks and kicks. Quite disappointing.

Niecy and Louis - I really liked her waltz. I can see what the judges were saying about Louis jerking her here and there a little bit, but I've always had a soft spot for "I Got You, Babe." She positively floated across that floor and did the steps very well. Her paso, however... not so good. (And I'm still wondering why they'd include the 90s, while leaving the much more distinctive 70s out of the whole thing.) I think that dance has done in our Miss Jiggly Parts, unfortunately.

Erin and Maks -Hey CI and Bruno - how do you go on and on about how hot and awesome that tango was and then give these two a 9? It's the dancing equivalent of blue balls. That AT better get the encore tonight. It wasn't the highest score of the night, but it continued a nice breakthrough for these two and they have yet to get an encore this season. I was disappointed in their rumba, however. For two people to be this sexy and totally into each other, that dance was surprisingly lacking in chemistry. It wasn't smooth enough, and they didn't look at each other very much.

Evan and Anna - My geek love for this guy just got stronger with his Wall-E impression. That charm sneaks up on you, doesn't it? I knew he'd be a class act but had no idea he was actually funny before the second or third episode of this season. I thought his robot cha-cha was really good (nice choreography, Anna!), although his waltz bored me a little bit. From the message boards I've seen, though, it looks like a lot of people are voting for him this week. So he should be fine. He's actually my pick to win it all - he'll get to the Final Two with Nicole, but his dancing is close enough to hers where he'll beat her out on personality.

Nicole and Derek - Well, will you look at that... our little princess is having FUN! I actually enjoyed her dancing this week, and that's the first time I've been able to say that. She smiled! With teeth and everything! That foxtrot was totally charming, and they did a good job incorporating 50s moves into a paso doble (although they got an assist from the music department - was that even a song from the era?). Derek annoys me to no end with his attention-hogging mug, but I have to admit he's one of the best choreographers they have on the show. Now if we could only boycott the "woe is me, the Artist" rehearsal footage...

And now, on to my favorite night of the week. DWTS results, LOST and V. I'm a happy girl in May Sweeps!