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.

With that, Team Bruno performs “Sway.” Zack starts out with a solo and is dancing with Kelsey, who is just the epitome of sexy. Philip does a decent job with his portion of the song as well, but I can’t help but think that I’m watching this at Disneyland, other than Kelsey’s gyrations. The pink costumes on the girls don’t help the situation. This is just a very vanilla showing of their talents. This doesn’t bode well for this team again this week.

The High School Musical stage tour group is up next to perform. I fast-forward, as I’m not exactly in the target age bracket.

We’re back to Team Carrie Ann’s rehearsal hall, where we find out that the gang is practicing to perform Marc Anthony’s song “I Need to Know.” Will this team make J-Lo proud?

Once again, the girls start out with an amazing harmonization. They could do well in a band by themselves. The dancing is good, but not as sharp or as great as in their first number. Vocally, this team is way above par. The choreographers managed to mitigate Qis’ dancing somewhat by having him sit on a stoop and drum on it. He does a good job, but they effectively move him out of the more intricate moves. This team is just hot! They will be tough to beat yet again this week.

Wait, we cut to Drew, who tells us that next week is the live finale? Finale already? Wow, how do they decide who gets the recording contract? This is a strangely formatted show, don’t you think?

Back to Team Bruno behind the scenes. They are fired up and ready to go to win the votes. They’re performing “Line Up” (unless Drew said “Wine Up,” but that could be because my own wine glass is nearly empty). Bruno tells us that they’re working together as a band and that the boys are doing relentless tricks.

Oh, wait, I think the song is called “Wind Up.” The dancing is crisper than anything previously done tonight, but the vocals are just sub-par. They have a good overall performance that pulls the audience in, which could bring them some votes. Overall, I’d give them the best dancing of the night, but the worst singing. Wow, that’s tough to compete with, isn’t it? They are just fighting an uphill battle. I get the feeling that tonight will go to Carrie Ann again in a trouncing.

Bruno loves their performance and Carrie Ann gives them huge kudos as well. Drew asks Bruno if he loses again, if he can deal with a super-group of just three people. Bruno, in a bit of comedic pratfall, rolls down onto the floor in exasperation. He’s done everything in his power to help them win, but he just can’t afford to lose any of them.

Next is a montage of the day in the life of the teams. They start out at 8 a.m. with choreography and vocals, then to costumes and more vocals. In the end, well after 10 p.m., it’s pretty impressive to see all that they go through, and you know that these kids are just dead tired.

The voting results from last week are in and the winning team for last week is… pregnant pause… Team Bruno. Bruno is beside himself and falls to his knees. Carrie Ann’s team is visibly shocked and is in a group hug. Carrie Ann is fighting back tears and is choking on her words.

Carrie Ann struggles while announcing her final four of Keith, Bradley, Mariel, and Elizabeth.

Chris and Alyssa are left to sing it out, but with the way the three girls harmonize so well, I’d say that this will be the end of the road for Chris. What will Carrie Ann decide after the parting song?

Holy cow, I’m surprised after the shaky vocals, but Carrie Ann picks Chris to continue, while Alyssa is visibly stunned. She praises her team and the journey, and she goes out on a very positive note. Carrie Ann is in tears. I’m sure she’s bonded with the team well over all this time and not losing any until tonight.

Overall, I think Bruno’s team just wasn’t as sharp or vocally strong as the other team, and I think the winner of the competition will end up being Team Carrie Ann. Your votes from the 12 of you out there will decide the fate of these kids. Jill will take back over recapping next week. Thanks for letting me fill in!

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