Dance War, Episode 6: Muy Caliente

For all you Dance Warsfans, Jill is out this week and asked me to fill in for her. Something about heart-shaped bean burgers…I didn’t ask any more. Oh no, I hope this wasn’t a surprise ruined for her sweetie!

Drew Lachey opens up the show looking rather dapper. His hosting skills seem to have improved somewhat since late last year when he filled in as host of Dancing with the Stars. He mentions that the winner of the show will get a recording contract. I’m confused, isn’t this supposed to be a dance show? Or is it supposed to be a singing show? If it’s a singing show, why isn’t it called Singing Wars or Song and Dance Wars? Ahhh… just a little soapbox rant there.

Kicking off Latin week, the girls are up front and start out together. The singing is a little off and it sounds a little like something you’d hear on a cruise ship. They sound like they’re behind the music and each other. The boys are slightly better as a group than the girls when you can hear them. Mariel and Lacey compete to outdo the others and can be heard above the rest regularly. Overall, it isn’t spectacular, but is sort of kitschy.

Bruno and Carrie Ann take the stage and try to make nice with a little hug. Carrie Ann looks fabulous in a short green dress. What a great color on her!

Drew shows us more than a pretty face when he calculates with higher math while asking Bruno about being down in numbers in the competition. Can his team make a comeback? Even after two Tivo rewinds, I have no earthly idea what Bruno says at first. But then he goes on to say that they’re coming back with more power and tight teamwork. He hopes that America will vote for them. He talks about going to Havana, then Miami as the settings for this week’s dances by his team.

In a quick recap of one of last week’s numbers, we see Bruno tearing into Chris and his being behind the beat. None of this mattered as Carrie Ann’s team won yet again.

Carrie Ann decides to reward her team’s win with a day off and a relaxing trip to the spa for massages and food. Mmmm… Qis looks pretty good with his shirt off. That should help out his ratings with the fans and female voters going forward.

Now, when American Idol tries to do Latin weeks or Gloria Estefan weeks, it usually is a rough one to watch as the singers tend to butcher the songs. So how will these groups handle the pressure of nailing the vocals while pulling off sharp Latin dance moves? It remains to be seen.

Up first, Carrie Ann’s team, all in crisp white, takes the stage. They do look like they could be spending a balmy day in Havana. Carrie Ann promises a classic, challenging, and ambitious number this time. That can only set them up for disaster, don’t you think? Will they be able to tackle Gloria Estefan’s “Conga”?

Whoa, the girls’ vocals start out very well, but the guys dancing on pedestals in the background are a little off already. Maybe Bruno was right about Chris last week. In this dance, he seems just a half beat behind the other two boys. Elizabeth is the weakest of the girls this week, but still spectacular. Overall, this is a pretty good performance and one of the better of the season so far. The vocals and dancing fit together and they didn’t butcher the song. This wasn’t an easy number.

Carrie Ann is beside herself and tells the girls that they nailed it. Apparently, Elizabeth had some kind of “wardrobe malfunction,” but I’m too lazy tonight to rewind.

On to Team Bruno and their defeat last week. The group is dejected, but is wanting to get their spirits up again. Zack has a brother with Down’s Syndrome, so somehow the team is invited to go do an outreach at his school. The team is met with a bevy of excited fans who are just as excited to show off their own moves. This may have been a boost this team needs to pull it together this week.

Because there are only four of them, Bruno tells us that the crispness and chemistry between them must be sharp. They have to all bring it on as they can’t hide. Or something like that.