Well, I was way off last week. 4 people were sent home, none of them being those that I predicted. The bottom three couples were Ryan and Ricky, Iveta and Nick (Iveta of World Championship ballroom status), and Missy and Wadi. Somehow, Nigel and Co. found it fit to keep Ryan and Ricky! The worst.

Right off the bat, we get to meet our judges who include the annoying Lil C who wastes no time in talking about his “buckness”. Dumb. They also include the FABULOUS and tiny Kristin Chenoweth. Olive Snook (and Glinda), for the eternal win.

Sasha and Alexander: These two have a contemporary routine by Dee Caspary. They are dancing a very emotional piece. I think it shows off both of their strength as dancers. It gets a bit weird at the end when Sasha crawls into the prop piano and then sort of plays from within it. It is odd. Overall, the dance was strong. Nigel has no criticism for Sasha, but tells Alexander that he needs to connect with his audience a little more (a la Chenoweth). Chenoweth herself tells a humorous story about her experience as a dancing tulip when a frog (dancer) peed on her.

Caitlynn and Mitchell: These two have a samba from Jean Marc Genereux. I like Caitlynn’s samba dress…it is all shredded and ragsy. Mitchell comes through in the dance better than Caitlynn does, from what I see. She doesn’t always finish her movements. The routine is entertaining enough, but didn’t blow my mind. Our resident ballroom expert, Mary Murphy, tells us that they were both very good. Mitchell had good strength and Caitlynn had excellent leg extensions. All the judges love it, so perhaps I am off.

Miranda and Robert: Miranda and Robert get to do a Broadway routine by Tyce DiOrio. Miranda is playing a character who is a high class hooker. Something for everyone on this show. Her dress is a halter and it keeps almost setting one of her boobs free. It is distracting. The routine is good, but the song is really fast and sometimes the routine has the dancers just stop while the fast music races on. It is just not my favourite choreography. They dance it well, for sure. The judges have nothing but praise for the routine.

Melanie and Marko: These two are definitely my favourite couple so far, let’s see if they can live up to it tonight. They have a lyrical hip hop routine by Tabitha and Napolean. These two are amazing. Melanie is so engaging when she dances, I am completely drawn in by her. Marko is also engaging, and great in the partnership. The routine is also quite good, it is interesting choreography and the story works. The judges love them. Lil C, Nigel and Mary all call them a power couple in the competition. Mary is talking about the kiss in the middle of the routine when Nigel decides to plant one on her. Cat adorably says that it is like walking in on her parents and calls it “Gross!”. Hilarious. After wee Chenoweth gives her critique, she assault-kisses Lil C, which is also hilarious. It devolves from there, with Nigel giving Lil C the standard television “dude kisses another dude” thing where he kind of kisses the side of his face. Lame.

Ashley and Chris: These two have a jazz routine with the nutty Sonya Tayeh. The routine is zombie-inspired and I enjoy it. I think they both sell the creepy, zombie side of things while performing the dance well. That being said, this couple is still rather boring to me. Nigel didn’t love the song and was distracted by the zombie stuff. Mary gives them props for their difficult synchronization. Kristin agrees with Nigel that this style really isn’t her bag, but she likes them as dancers.

Clarice and Jess: These two have a Jean Marc Genereux foxtrot. The theme for the dance is Sinatra, but despite the classic song “Fly me to the Moon”, the routine is just a bit boring. There isn’t a lot of excitement to it. Mary tells us that the foxtrot should be gliding, smooth and jazzy in the solos, which apparently this was. I am way off tonight, as all of the judges praise it highly.

Ryan and Ricky: I am so angry that these two are still here. I will try to forget and just look at their dance, but consider this fair warning. They have a contemporary routine by Sonya, and they are really setting it up as a killer routine (soft music in the clip package). The dance is interesting…they use a long strip of fabric that is attached to Ryan as a prop throughout the routine. The judges love it, and the audience goes bonkers. I still don’t love them. Lil C calls them another power couple, but I do not see it.

Jordan and Tadd: These two have a hip hop routine by Tabitha and Napolean, and the story of it seems really dumb. They have just had a one-night stand and have to find their clothing. For real. This is the premise. Dumb. When they finally get to the dancing, it is decent, but most of the time is spent adding or removing clothing. It just seems like such a waste. The judges seem to universally love it, so I must be off my game. Mary tells them that they “gave us the whammy”. What the hell does that mean?

More Assisted Leaps

• Favourite routines of the night are Melanie and Marko (of course) and Sasha and Alexander’s contemporary routine.
• Least favourite are Miranda and Robert’s Broadway, Jordan and Tadd’s hip hop mess, and Clarice and Jess’s foxtrot
• I felt like the judges were way too easy on everyone tonight. Nigel maybe said one negative thing to one couple, but other than that it was praise from all sides.
• Apologies for this being so late. Damn holiday weekend! Look for this week’s recap in the next day!