For weeks, Mya has endured critique after frustrating critique from judge Len Goodman on Dancing with the Stars. If he wasn’t complaining about her routines lacking content, it was that they were too theatrical. But during Monday night’s quarterfinal competition, Len said his only disappointment with with her routine was, “I couldn’t find anything to criticize.” The singer and her partner Dmitry Chaplin opened the show with a bang, nailing the quickstep and earning 29 points.
Later in the show, the couple’s ’70s-style samba had all three judges gushing with praise. Carrie Ann Inaba called the performace “perfect.” “On fire!” Len exclaimed. “Your hips were hypnotic.” Bruno Tonioli did Len one better, bursting into song. All of the judges dusted off their number ten paddles, awarding the couple the season’s first perfect score.
But that’s not to say the other four couples slacked off. In what was arguably the season’s most exciting night of performances, as all five couples came out swinging.
Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff performed an elegant and refined fox trot, though Carrie Ann remarked the routine lacked fluidity. Len, in keener spirits Monday, commended Aaron for his efforts. “I am proud of you,” he said. The couple received a respectable 23 points.
Derek Hough and Joanna Krupa were the picture of perfection in their quickstep attire. Despite the audience’s enthusiasm, there were missteps on the floor. Len scolded the pair, saying it was not up to the standard of the quarterfinals. Bruno more tactfully added, “It was not your best performance.” Still, the couple earned 23 points.
Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel lightened the mood with an uplifting fox trot that received a standing ovation from the crowd and high praise from all three judges, especially Bruno, who called the routine “light and ethereal” — and worthy of 25 points.
Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson were the last pair up for the ballroom round. The pair executed a graceful Viennese waltz, which Bruno likened to “a Lifetime movie” for its drama. Carrie Ann called the dance “mesmerizing,” while Len was less pleased, calling it too “arty farty.” Still, the couple earned a 26, putting them in second place.
During the show’s second hour, each couple performed a Latin dance assigned to a decade. Following up Mya and Dmitry’s perfect ’70s-style samba, Aaron and Karina bounced back with a spirited samba fit for the ’90s. Carrie Ann said Aaron “smoothed out all the edges” while Len patted him on the back for a job “well done.” The couple received 27 points.
Derek and Joanna’s paso doble took place “in the future,” and they lit up the room, literally, with LED-lights on their costumes that glowed in the dimly lit ballroom. All of the judges were impressed, with Bruno and Len calling Derek a “genius” for his inventive choreography that incorporated robotic moves into the classic Latin dance. The pair earned a 29.
Louis and Kelly’s ’60s jive, which Len called “an absolute revelation” and Bruno praised as “an achievement,” left Carrie Ann a little unfulfilled. But they received a solid 26.
Rounding out the evening were Donny and Kym, who channeled the ’80s with their paso doble. The routine, amped up with wind and smoke machines, was “crazy, bizarre, scary,” according to Len, and “insane, odd, off the edge,” was Carrie Ann’s take. Still, the performance earned them 24 points. –Monica Rizzo
The evening’s final scores:
Mya and Dmitry 59 points
Derek and Joanna 51 points
Kelly and Louis 51 points
Donny and Kym 50 points
Aaron and Karina 50 points
Tell us: What was your favorite performance of the night? Were the judges too hard on anyone? Who is going home?
Craig Sjodin/ABC
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