I’ll be honest, I didn’t have high expectations for Bond Night. I know absolutely nothing about the James Bond franchise, so I figured the theme wouldn’t be of much interest to me. However, I found myself truly entertained by all the theatrics that Bond Night brought to the show. A lot of dances started or ended with some fun theatrical choreography, and the entire show started with a cute skit and an exciting opening number!
THE DANCES:
Charli & Mark – Rumba 8/8/8/9
Another excellent performance from Charli! I was impressed to see not just a clean performance like the last two weeks, but also a more dynamic performance. I also loved the theatrical touch right at the end!
Cheryl & Louis – Rumba 6/6/6/6
After a rough routine last week, I was glad to see Cheryl much more in control of the dance, much like her Week 1 routine. This week, she was able to show what she is really capable of.
Trevor & Emma – Tango 7/6/7/7
Trevor’s done pretty well in the competition so far, but I couldn’t help but notice in this dance, he could have been lighter on his feet, and he definitely needed to exhale.
Daniel & Britt – Rumba 8/7/8/8
I hate when they use fog in the dances! Regardless, Daniel was expecting to struggle with the rumba, but it was hard to tell with the strong presence he brought to the dance. Any steps he missed or rhythms he got off of, he more than made up for by being a strong lead and using his acting skills to bring character to the routine.
Jordin & Brandon – Rumba 7/7/7/8
This performance was really nice! I still did notice some moments that could have been a touch sharper.
Sam & Cheryl – Samba 6/6/6/7
I like Sam, and I want him to keep improving on the show. However, between the all-black outfit and the dark lighting, I couldn’t tell how he did on his samba. I did enjoy the theatrical choreography at the beginning, though.
Selma & Sasha – Rumba 7/7/7/7
To help prevent Selma from experiencing sensory overload while dancing, she and Sasha incorporated her wearing a blindfold into the routine. The blindfold seemed to help, although I did notice a sequence in which she was off the rhythm. However, Selma and Sasha’s overall performance looked great, and the connection the two partners have is impressive.
Wayne & Witney – Tango 8/8/8/9
In my opinion, Wayne and Witney were the best dressed of the night! Wayne was challenged by the tango, a style different from his first two dances, and he did really well! He is always so great to watch.
Vinny & Koko – Rumba 6/5/6/6
Things went over well for this team last week, but not as much this week. When you watch Vinny rehearse and dance, it’s pretty clear that he is putting in the work and thinking really hard about what he’s doing. For this rumba, I could see he was placing his arms and legs where they needed to be, but I thought he was just placing them, rather than moving his body. The judges said that he’s good to watch, but needs more attention to detail, and I agree with both of those notes.
Heidi & Artem – Argentine Tango
Heidi and Artem set out to impress this week, especially with some neat tricks at the beginning and end of the number. The content and execution was impressive as well, especially to the judges.
Shangela & Gleb – Rumba 8/7/7/8
This rumba brought an energy to the dance floor that was unique to all the other rumbas of the night, in the best way. It was fast, fiery, and fierce, which added difficulty to the dance, but Shangela was in control of it. Her legs needed to be straightened out in some moments, but overall it was a great performance.
Jessie & Alan – Rumba 6/6/6/7/7
First of all, WHAT did they put in Jessie to turn her gold? I did not see a speck of it rubbing off on Alan’s white suit! As for the dance, I think Jessie is improving a little bit each week.
Joseph & Alexis – Argentine Tango 8/7/7/7
Daniella was still out with covid, so Alexis spent the whole week training with Joseph. I will be honest, Alexis’s footwork and legwork looked so amazing during this Argentine tango, I barely noticed how Joseph was doing. Because it was an Argentine tango, they were allowed to do tricks and lifts, and they included one that Len called “out of character.” I agree it’s not the conventional Argentine tango lift, but I think it was choreographed to play to his strengths by paying homage to his background as a bodybuilder. It’s exactly the kind of lift Daniella would have incorporated into one of her routines.
Gabby & Val – Cha Cha
Another neat performance from Gabby! A solid closer for Bond night.
THE ELIMINATION:
(do not read if you are avoiding spoilers!)
The final two couples for Week 3 were Sam & Cheryl and Cheryl & Louis. This week, the judges were back on the same page and unanimously voted to save Sam & Cheryl and to eliminate Cheryl and Louis. I agree with their decision, since Sam has more room for improvement, and this was Cheryl's second week in a row in the bottom two. In my opinion, when someone’s been in the bottom two at least twice consecutively, it’s usually time for them to go.
Once again, another week on Dancing with the Stars ends with Charli & Mark, Wayne & Witney, and Gabby & Val tied for first place with identical scores. All three of the frontrunning couples are really great to watch, it’ll be interesting to see if and when one of them will pull ahead of the others.
The next theme night on Dancing with the Stars is my favorite, Disney+ night! I look forward to seeing the next round of performances!
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