Dacing With the Stars: Week 4

America finally decided that Bristol Palin’s time on Dancing With the Stars is over. Bristol and Mark’s Rock n’ Roll dance highlighted her artistic transformation. Bristol was really developing into a dancer and it was fun to see her improvement. Her footwork this week was cleaner than the past, but she still was miles behind the other celebrity competitors. Also, her enthusiasm was lacking when compared to Mark’s, and at times she looked bored during the routine. It was evident by watching the reel cut from the practices that Bristol didn’t want to push the envelope; she was perfectly content just completing the assignment whereas the rest of the celebrities on the all-star cast consistently try to out-do their previous dances and everything that’s been done before them.

Kirstie Alley and Maks landed on the bottom of the leader board once again, and they were in the so-called bottom three this week. However, their Charleston was fun and you could tell that Kirstie and Maks were trying to add new and more complicated elements to their performance. Their efforts attempted to push Kirstie’s dance abilities to the next level. I feel they did well, and this was the first week that I didn’t feel like Kirstie’s feet were desperately trying to catch up with her body. I believe America also saw the saw growth and potential in Kirstie, and that’s why they voted to keep her.

This week I was able to narrow my list of favorites down to just two, and they’ve been long time favorites. Shawn Johnson and Derek had a high energy, fun mambo routine. Their lifts were more than just standard lifts. There were added twists and turns, and often one lift contained multiple elements. Gilles and Peta landed on my favorite list again with their creative nod to Bollywood. This dance was like nothing ever seen on Dancing with the Stars. There were fun tricks, including Gilles leaping over Peta’s leg during a kick. Gilles had some great facial expressions to really deliver the experience; as a viewer I really felt like I was transported to Bollywood.

There are a couple other dancers that are worth mentioning this week. I thoroughly enjoyed Emmitt Smith and Cheryl’s Bolero. It was smooth, sensual, and clean. The dance was simple and didn’t have many frills, but it was so well done and emotional that it didn’t need the smoke and mirrors. In addition, Sabrina Bryant and Louie bettered their efforts of last week by taking more risks. Last week, Carrie Anne criticized them for delivering a routine that was like others Sabrina had performed in the past. The duo changed it up and gave the judges what they asked for.