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Week 6 – "Dance Hard or Go Home"

Playtime is over. The judges aren't pulling any punches. As they mentioned numerous times, "It's week six." No free rides, no favors, no more mister nice judge.

But even though the scores throughout the night were fairly tight (ranging from 20 to 26), the introduction of the Competition Mambo brought a whole new twist to the evening, and spread the scores out a lot, putting the favorites way at the top, and pushing the four low scorers frighteningly lower.

Aaron Carter stood out tonight, embracing the Waltz as his dance. Len called it his best dance and was enormously impressed, giving him a 9. (In fact, Len gave three 9's tonight, likewise awarding Mark and Joanna with his rare high praise.)

On the other end of the spectrum, however, Melissa, Michael, and Kelly all initially received 20s, and Louie barely scraped up a 21. The judges don't seem to miss a stumble. But the low scorers had a chance to jump back up in the Competition Mambo...

It didn't happen. During this 4-minute dance, Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno all rose from their seats—to get a good view of the crowded dance floor.  As they watched the nine couples and conferred, they indicated which couples were to be "tapped out." The last pair remaining would receive the most points, and the first pair eliminated, the least. Alas, Michael, Louie, Melissa and Kelly were the first four tapped out of the competition. Their fates for the night were sealed. Now it's up to the home viewers to decide who's out.

Of course... tomorrow is a double elimination. Which means the 2nd and 3rd lowest scorers will face the judges in a dance-off, with just 30 seconds to prove themselves by performing a dance they have been specially preparing for this night. The pressure's on.
 

Top Three Scores

Joanna & Derek (Waltz - 26) + 1st Place Competition Mambo: 36
Mya & Dmitry (Jitterbug - 24) + 2nd Place Competition Mambo: 33
Aaron & Karina (Waltz - 25) + 3rd Place Competition Mambo: 33 

Highlight of the night:

Mark and Lacey's Jitterbug.  "That's the Jitterbug! That's the energy I was looking for! I loved it!" -- Carrie Ann.  "Sometimes less is more... but not in the Jitterbug. More is more! Chuck it all in—kicks, tricks, spins, flips, absolutely full-on, full of energy. Great!" -- Len.  "Truly spectacular!" -- Bruno.  The audience lept to their feet, with screaming applause that just wouldn't stop. (And Mark and Lacey just looked adorable, too.)
 

Comments from He Said/She Said

"Does the Jitterbug also automatically mean polka dots and loud colors? I'm so not feeling the Jitterbug outfits tonight. Does anyone?" -- Meg

"Ok, I think a score of 20 is lame for Melissa & Mark's waltz. (Even Len turned to his fellow judges and said, 'I think their critiques are a little bit harsh...') That said, she did dance a little more like my elderly mother (no offense, dearest momma) than the age-appropriate kid sister I want her to be. A little stiff, yes, but I'm still rooting for her." -- Karl

Read more and join the conversation at He Said/She Said