Dancing with the Stars: Yacht Rock Night

All aboard for Week Three: Yacht Rock Night!

This theme night turned out better than I expected! The vibes were fun, if cheesy, and the mocktail bit was a choice, but overall, it served as a good backdrop for a lot of stars to reach a pivotal moment in this season.

I did find some of the songs were a bit awkward for the dance styles. Usually, I find the show does a good job composing and adjusting the songs to fit the style. Still, I specifically found Hold the Line and Easy Lover fell short in helping the dance instead of hindering it.

I'm going to keep my overall notes on each dance relatively concise this week because I think we need to focus on the end of the show and the controversial elimination.

Amber & Pasha

Foxtrot to 'Hold the Line' by Toto

These two have the best partner connection and chemistry in the season right now. They pair beautifully, and seeing Amber overcome her anxiety around partner work has had incredible results. Pasha knows how to compose impressive, entertaining dances that truly make his partner shine.

Amber is certainly a frontrunner this season, if not my number one pick to win. Compared to those up there with her, she has the most impressive dancing technique-wise. I would have to start making things up to find complaints about her dancing. I found them to be underscored last week and am happy to see credit given where it's due tonight.

Judges' Score:8 8 8 My Score:8

Julia & Ezra

Salsa to 'I Can't Go For That' by Hall & Oates

Julia Stiles, welcome to the ballroom. This is what we have been waiting for! This week she finally let go and opened up in her dancing, and it reflected how impressive she really is. Her performance quality shifted noticeably from the last few weeks to tonight, and her technique has improved week by week. If she can keep this momentum, I can see her going the distance this season.

Props to Ezra for the Salsa content. Yes, the tricks are a key part of the style, but delivering them without overwhelming the dance makes for a clean, fun-to-watch routine. He is really rising in the ranks amongst the newer pros and impresses me with every dance.

Judges Score:7 6 6 My Score:6

Guillermo & Witney

Foxtrot to 'Escape (The Pina Colada Song)' by Rupert Holmes

First of all, I'm very happy to see the umbrella flip get its props, because it genuinely stunned me at the top of the dance. While this was another entertaining dance, I wanted more from Guillermo. I want one dance without a shtick or joke. I keep seeing credit given for how hard he is trying. I want those props to be given merit in the form of a dance that is not 'ha-ha I'm dancing' but really shows that he is taking this seriously as a competition.

The crowd work at the end of the dance should have sealed it for everyone that we cannot predict when this man is going home. I wish the judges would show him more respect with legitimate critiques as they do for other dancers, instead of compliment-sandwich jokes.

Judges Score:5 5 5 My Score:5

Tatyana & Jan

Quickstep to 'Maneater' by Hall & Oates

This was a textbook breakthrough dance. Not just a showcase of technical development, but Tatyana really let her personality shine tonight. Most importantly, I really believed she was enjoying the dance tonight. It felt so authentic, and as fans, I think we need to wake up to what she is really capable of. Call me crazy, but this was my favorite dance of the night.

I am so glad they highlighted Jan's choreography. He gets a lot of heat for not having the same classic training as other pros, but what fans don't realize is that bringing in dancers with other backgrounds results in dances like this! True quickstep content while bringing in fun, dynamic elements that breathe new air into each week.

Judges Score:7 7 7 My Score:7.5

Harry & Jenna

Jive to 'You Make My Dream Come True' by Hall & Oates

The mustache isn't real; it can't hurt me. Anyway, Harry doing a jive felt like a match made in heaven. His big critique last week was that he needed to reel it in a little bit so that the movements didn't get away from him. This week felt like an overcorrection. In a dance like the Jive, I want some movement to be big and dramatic, and this dance didn't have the hits I was looking for.

These two are undeniably good, but I find that a detriment to their performances. Everyone is hungry for something bigger and better from Harry, and I want to see him pushed to give us that. These dances are getting close to what I am looking for, but they're missing the elements that push him over the edge.

Judges' Score:8 8 8 My Score:7.5

Taylor & Britt

Foxtrot to 'What a Fool Believes' by The Doobie Brothers

I have a lot to say in general, but for now let's keep it to this dance. Compared to weeks 1 and 2, I thought this one was just okay. Taylor has consistently done well visually, but something was lacking for me this week personality-wise. These two came out so strongly in week one that the following dances felt a little stagnant. I believe they dulled his power by cutting and slicking back his hair.

I do not agree with the take that this was their best dance. Coming out with such a solid quickstep in week one is a disservice to the following weeks because it inherently overshadows dances that, while not bad, don't have the same fire.

Judges Score:6 6 6 My Score:6

Maura & Mark

Quickstep to 'Turn Your Love Around' by George Benson

Maura is still working on shaking off the nerves from her hot entrance to the season. She didn't seem nearly as nervous as last week, but I still felt the first half of the dance was a little reserved. Her dancing overall reads as so clean and professional, but I am itching for some more personality. I want to see her in some more fun, relaxed styles and really see what she can bring to the table.

This is my plea to the costume department: stop putting leather gloves on Mark! This is the second week he's had them on, and something about it freaks me out! No one else? Alright, fair enough. I better not see them any more this season.

Judges Score:7 7 8 My Score:7

Ciara & Brandon

Cha Cha to 'Never Too Much' by Luther Vandross

This dance was so, so close to what I have been looking for from Ciara. Her personality is so carefree and fun, and week by week we get to see a little bit more of it in her dancing. She is maintaining a better flow throughout the moves, but I need each one to be stronger, deeper. I need her to really ground herself and connect with the movements.

Something about this couple's choreography has felt off this season. It feels simple, maybe even more so than it actually is. I have noticed enough that I feel like Brandon even looks a little awkward in the dances. We all know how incredible he is, so I cannot place this off vibe I get when they dance.

Judges Score:6 6 6 My Score:6

Jackson & Emma

Paso Doble to 'Easy Lover' by Philip Bailey & Phil Collins

Last week was rather pleasant coming from Jackson, but this week was unfortunate. This style felt like a struggle for him to get into, and I don't think the song composition helped his case. I needed more attack from him! He is hitting the moves, but I consistently feel like he's floating along the floor instead of really digging into the intensity asked of him. I get the vibe that he is so in his head that he is trying to get through the dance instead of being in the moment.

The whole vibe of this dance really lacked the drama I want from a Paso Doble. I found it hard to focus on the two of them and missed the hard-hitting moments I am looking for. Also, no knee walks? Guillermo set the bar last week, and frankly I am always going to look for them regardless.

Judges' Score:6 6 6 My Score:5.5

Connor & Rylee

Foxtrot to 'Everywhere' by Fleetwood Mac

What do we need to do to get this man out of his head! Every week, he inches along and gets better technically. Still, I can visibly see his nervousness and where he is holding back. Even when he is hitting good moments within the dance itself, he feels so hyperaware of Rylee and what is next that it disrupts the vibe of the dance.

The note about him stepping into being a leading man will be crucial to his performance this season. Looking back, I don't know if Rylee has ever had a partner that I believe in that role. She is a very strong, captivating dancer, and sometimes I think she could benefit from matching her partners a bit more. I don't want her to dance worse by any means, but I want them to feel more connected to each other.

Judges Score:7 6 7 My Score:6

Jenna & Val

Samba to 'Africa' by Toto

I want to like Jenna so badly! I feel like a broken record week by week because yes, I can acknowledge she is good, but I feel nothing when she dances. She tends to overdance, which makes it hard to place each move and see what is going on. Even with behind-the-scenes, the packages, the dances themselves, I don't feel anything watching her. The way I watch the show, being able to connect with the stars is a huge part of who I root for, and I don't feel it here.

Now I do have big respect for a clean Samba roll. I look for it the same way I do for knee walks in a Paso Doble. I agree with Derek regarding the upcoming weeks. I want to see her slow it down and assess whether there is more quality than the surface-level performances we have been seeing.

Judges' Score:7 7 7 My Score:7

Tyler & Sharna

Jive to 'Still the One' by Orleans

This was my pleasant surprise of the week. For most of the dance, I thought he seemed light on his feet and, overall, I found the dance very cute. Sometimes I feel like he throws himself into the next move, like there's a slight lapse before he jumps into what's next. He is another competitor that I feel is getting more nervous as the show goes on, and it's unfortunate because I think it makes him hold back.

I cannot blame Sharna for pulling out the stops week by week to snag the fans. The shirt off, the red hair, but that is not what I am looking for. I want content! I really liked the jive content we did get but I needed more! Show me that he can tackle a more demanding dance because he feels so close to being there, but I am waiting to be wowed.

Judges' Score:5 6 6 My Score:5.5

Ezra & Daniella

Foxtrot to 'Just the Two of Us' by Grover Washington Jr.

This was a very sweet dance from these two. What this dance suffered from was how incredible and high-energy last week's dance was. Coming off something so fiery, this dance just defaulted to being a little underwhelming. There was nothing necessarily wrong with this dance, but their bar is so incredibly high now.

Another round of praise for Daniella for how beautifully she adapts her movements and the dance itself to make Ezra look so natural. Now I love Ezra's sentiment about wanting to be a good dancer, separate from his disability. Though I found Carrie Anne's comment that he makes them better judges a bit misguided. He is asking to be judged on par with the rest of the couples, her comment felt almost invalidating of that.

Judges Score:7 7 7 My Score:7

The Elimination

This week's elimination is what took me so long to finish this blog post. I went through all seven stages of grief and at this point am just so upset for both Taylor and Britt. I am not one to put a lot of weight on show conspiracy regarding who wins, who goes home, etc. This instance did make me pause a bit, though.

Off the rip, let me say this is in all love for the eliminated couple, with no hate toward the ones who survived. I don't know who should have gone home, but something felt unjust tonight.

Now I was starting to feel like there was some tension between Taylor and Britt or between them and the show as a whole. But I found this feeling very hard to place. Watching the elimination back, I can't help but see how that off vibe progresses. Before the eliminated couple is even announced, you can see Britt tearing up. Britt, who has been snubbed year after year. Who is the only non-first-time pro to never make it to the finale. Who gets her flowers for tour production and choreographing pro numbers but is consistently undervalued as a pro herself. It was like she just knew they got the short end of the stick before it was even announced.

I don't have enough words to commend her for maintaining her composure as best she could, and Taylor had some critical boyband PR training going on to contain his reaction. The vibes were maybe the most somber I have ever seen as each safe couple came down to provide their condolences. It was as if we got to see everyone process in real time that none of these eliminations can be predicted; anyone can go home at any time.

I think it was very deliberate for Julianne to highlight that Taylor himself asked to be paired with Britt. It's well known that Britt has mentioned Harry Shum Jr. was her dream partner, so a lot of fans were upset to see him paired with Jenna instead. This felt like a very intentional call-off of the hordes of fans that the show knew would be in an uproar regarding this early snub.

I wanted to see online reactions before writing this, and I'm not confident in social media deduction skills. Fans have hyper-analyzed every inch each competitor moved, trying to make sense of this shocking moment. Pros and stars alike took to social media to commemorate this elimination in a way that felt more like mourning than I have ever seen before. The transparency of disapproval from pros and judges alike has been frankly jarring. Everyone seems to be put off and is freely expressing it online.

Watching Taylor and Britt on the official podcast really showed how much heart they had for both the show and each other. I think they had so much more to offer us, and I can't imagine how it feels to process genuine shock like this while still trying to seem polite and grateful for what they did get.

As much as I do not want to believe it, conspiracies about Britt as a pro have been circulating for a while now. I would hate to think that, even with the outpouring of love from fans, something behind the scenes limits her longevity on the show. It is comforting to think the show is 100% transparent about judges' scores and fan votes, but surprise eliminations like this really make people look twice at the production.

In the future, we need to be prepared for the fact that anyone can go home, no matter how things look online and on the show itself. Much love to Taylor and Britt; their journey ended too soon, and I will mourn the future performances we never got to see. Remember both the eliminated and safe couples are real human beings. Just because someone we went home we disagree with does not mean we need to devalue those who survived. At the end of the day, I do not put any blame on the safe competitors for the outcome.