There should have been nightmares, but Halloween week turned out to be a sweet dream for everyone.
Dancing with the Stars 23 Halloween Episode
The stars and the dancers picked scary music, and staged one of the most memorable shows from start to finish for this, or any, season. Even with one professional out due to injury, and a not so surprising elimination, this show could have been a lot scarier for everyone involved.
The Dancers: Calvin and Lindsay The Dance: Quickstep
How They Danced
This was a solid Quickstep, with our without the skeleton costumes. If you're wondering why a professional Wide Receiver in football who runs faster than most humans for a living was breathing hard after a ballroom dance - it's because it takes hard work to make something look that easy.
Moving Forward
Calvin has an incredible knack for ballroom dancing, and by "knack" we mean - he's busted his butt in rehearsals to make this look like a natural hobby for him. That being said, he's got to continue to utilize the volume he can create on the floor. As much as he has done, there is still more, and he is fully capable of showing it in the coming weeks.
Calvin and Lindsay continued to streak towards the DWTS 23 endzone with a Jive that hit all the necessary details, and capitalized on all the unexpected ones.
The Dancers: Jana and Gleb The Dance: Jazz / Swing
How They Danced
Who would have thought that it would take a Swing to the theme song of "Little Shop of Horrors" to see Jana and Gleb dial back the overtly sexual card they've played all season. Going for a very Broadway-esque performance, and utilizing less overt means to showcase this beauty (see: No Shower on the Dance Floor), Jana and Gleb showed charisma, restraint, and we were finally able to focus on what a great dancer she has become.
Moving Forward
Whether this was part of the master strategy from the beginning, or not, Gleb and Jana picked the perfect time to pivot and show they are capable of more.
What she needs is a week of elegance and class, without feigned love making, groping, or a shower in the middle of the dance floor.
The Dancers: Ryan and Cheryl The Dance: Tango
How They Danced
Ryan and Cheryl finished with a solid Tango. Ryan stretched his stride and created some great volume on the dance floor. While his posture didn't fully materialize, what was more unsettling was the overuse of the background dancers which seemed to be a consistent theme with the pair this season.
Moving Forward
That being said, the inevitable happened on Halloween week and Ryan and Cheryl were eliminated. Ryan had a great run, much further than most people expected - particularly after the scandal at the Olympics. While the background dancers, lighting, and special effects have been a consistent distraction from his dancing, let's just hope that his dancing can serve as a distraction for the dings to his public image over the summer.
With guys like Calvin and James to contend with, Ryan's time on the show should be nearing an end.
The Dancers: Laurie and Val The Dance: Waltz
How They Danced
If there's a couple in this competition that can have an off week, it's Laurie and Val. This song is a difficult one, not only from a timing standpoint, but also because of how revered the original Willy Wonka movie is. As great as Laurie and Val have been throughout this season, the idea behind this routine just wasn't executed to its potential. The positives? Laurie looked absolutely stunning and her movement and commitment to it was fantastic.
Moving Forward
As frontrunners in this competition, Laurie and Val may suffer from the Adam Lambert/American Idol scenario. Lambert absolutely demolished his season on American Idol only to lose, shockingly, to Kris Alan in the finale. For Laurie and Val to win this wire to wire, they need to show America that they are still pushing, and not basking in their current success thus far.
ABC may start raising their advertising rates for commercials airing just before she performs as it is consistently the highlight of the show.
The Dancers: Marilu and Derek The Dance: Tango
How They Danced
Great song choice and thoughtful use of the props and additional performers. This Tango, or Argentine Tango - if you're watching more carefully, had some great dance moments, a very human moment, and both will work in their favor. That human moment, a little miscue, was followed by a very subtle apology by Marilu to Derek in their final pose. Regardless of how frustrating that may have seemed from a performance standpoint, everyone from DWTS voters to dance judges love to see how people recover from dance mistakes. Marilu may not be as perfect as Laurie, but that may be why people continue to vote for her.
Moving Forward
Physically speaking, Marilu continues to defy any perception that she is the proud owner of an AARP card. Her greatest challenge is a consistent struggle that many dancers can relate to: Overthinking. Whether this is the material in her dance routines, or making unfair comparisons to girls that could legitimately call her "grandma" - she's got to leave the second guessing pessimist out of all future rehearsals.
Marilu will need to continue to commit to the details in her footwork and focal points when dancing opposite this multi-talented star.
The Dancers: James and Jenna The Dance: Viennese Waltz
How They Danced
The camera angles, the costuming, the storytelling, oh... and some great Waltzing makes Suicide Squad routine one of the favorites of DWTS Season 23. It's already hovering around 350k views on YouTube in less than a week. The only drawback was that Sharna was dealing with a knee injury, prompting Jenna Johnson, gone after the first elimination, to fill in beautifully. Eonline is reporting that Sharna is planning to make her comeback on the very next show, and in other news - James and Jenna received 30 out of 30 by the judges.
Moving Forward
James made another bold move in his campaign towards the mirrorball trophy. While Laurie and Val have been frontrunners since episode 1, team #StopandGo have proven that they will be tough to beat.
"It's crazy to think that there may be a week in the not-too-distant future where America may need to decide between Calvin and James, and by the looks of it - the future ex-race car driver turned Broadway performer has the edge. "
The Dancers: Terra and Sasha The Dance: Cha-Cha
How They Danced
The movie Beetlejuice took an iconic song by Harry Belafonte and added a few more decades to its shelf life. Terra and Sasha performed a Cha Cha that may add a few more weeks to their DWTS season. Right out of the re-enacted dinner scene, their Cha Cha Cha was filled with syncopations and quick hitting action. It's great to see how adjusted Terra has become to the dances as the skill level has increased.
Moving Forward
Foot placement. If Terra is going to fight her way into the top 3, she will need to clean up and articulate her footwork. This is not the stage of the competition to cut corners.
From week to week Terra's transitions are improving and she seems to find areas to add her charm and charisma with less effort than before.
