"Dancing with the Stars": Dancers move to Motown
(CBS News) There is nothing that says Motown like ballroom dancing. Well, other than, perhaps singing and soul and Detroit.
Still, themes have become very important for reality shows. They are like special offers at the supermarket. They're supposed to get you that little bit more interested.
Pictures: "Dancing with the Stars" Season 14
First was someone who actually remembers Motown - because she was a part of it - Gladys Knight. Her song was the Temptations' "My Girl." Which, of course, everyone rumbaed to back in the day. Gladys used to whip the Temptations' butt during softball games on the road, so she said.
Could she whip this rumba's butt? The amusement here was that The Temptations would actually sing live. Partner Tristan McManus again made sure that tempo wasn't too fast. He guided Knight and allowed her to not stretch beyond her limits.
"If I could judge purely with my heart, you would be top of my leaderboard," gushed judge Len Goodman.
"I like my rumba a bit steamier," complained Bruno Tonioli.
Maria Menounos had to foxtrot. But few people could claim to have ever done that to Martha Reeves singing live. Partner Derek Hough was desperate for her to be classy. This doesn't come naturally to Menounos - apparently because she was brought up with a lot of boys and not because she presents entertainment shows.
This foxtrot wasn't very Detroit. But what foxtrot is? Menounos and Hough were, at times, not exactly in sync with each other. But they tried to offer enough Michigan demureness to please the enchanted.
"A gleaming blend of wit, sophistication and elegance," insisted Tonioli. In truth, it was the sort of pleasant that you forget just seconds after it's over.
What was quite mesmerizing, though, was that while Brooke Burke-Charvet was chatting to Menounos after her dance, the card she clutched in her silver-jeweled hand faced the camera. There was a huge amount of writing on it. How could she read it all so quickly? This is talent.
This, though a challenge was quite stunningly good. As long as you ignored Fegan's face - which doesn't yet fake it right - his arms and hips did stellar work. They moved like those of a swan family member and his whole body offered a pleasing precision that was highly believable.
Carrie Ann Inaba, whose hair had been infused with "Dynasty" hairspray, decided Fegan's moves were "over-exaggerated." So like Inaba's tears most weeks? Goodman called it "clipped and jerky." Hightower wanted to slap both of them.
"What you lack in size, you make up in fire," Tonioli encouraged. However, he, too, claimed it was all too hip-hopular.
Katherine Jenkins was asked to samba to "Can't Get Next to You" - a song that has probably not enjoyed the sambas it has deserved over the years. In rehearsals, she struggled with bouncing. Still, once the Temptations had stimulated her temptation to bounce, Jenkins looked a little unsure at times - like an opera singer suddenly asked to perform, well, cartwheels. She didn't quite have her Motown down, but she faked it as best she could. Her beehive survived, too.
"I'm going to call you the midwife," said Goodman. "You keep delivering week after week after week.
"The marriage of Brazil and Funkytown has never been more exhilarating," gushed Tonioli. Which only made one wonder how many Brazilians would choose to live in Detroit. Oddly, Inaba and Tonioli both gave this a 10.
Donald Driver was desperate to get a 10 from Goodman, and yet his technique has never deserved it. Half way through, Driver stumbled while mugging for the camera. This was not a fine portent. Somehow, these disciplined moves weren't looking natural when being attempted by Driver's legs. His shoulders, too, suffered from a lack of massaging.
"I thought you were going to take off and end up in the orchestra pit," said Tonioli.
Goodman adored it - almost as much as Goodman can adore anything. However, he had to toss some vinegar into the salad. "The routine wasn't as big as his talent," he said.
The Viennese waltz was made for Motown. How fortunate, then, for Melissa Gilbert that hers was this blessed chalice. Partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy was borderline brutal to her in rehearsal. He became so frustrated that he walked out, leaving her sprawled on the floor. Ukrainian charm is an acquired taste.
"You could do worse," he told her. "How?" she pleaded. "You could have an ugly partner," he preened.
Gilbert did very well to keep up with Chmerkovskiy's demands. She tired, but she tried.
"You work so hard and it's finally paying off," declared Inaba, from beneath someone else's hair.
Jaleel White's task was to do the Motown cha-cha. White claimed he was feeling stress from having been in the bottom two the previous week.
For this, the Temptations had changed into suits of black with silver ruffles that somehow reminded one of the Masons. "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" was the song. White wasn't begging. He was attacking. The Detroit cha-cha is perhaps not a dance that has been performed very often, but White, in a green tuxedo, chiseled at the masonry of it as much as he was able.
"You're back," said Goodman.
"You banged that floor," said Tonioli. "That was the biggest sizzler of the season."
Inaba, stunningly, offered him a 10, as did Tonioli.
As William Levy and Cheryl Burke practiced their rumba, a fire broke out. Surely this was a poetic precursor to sensual delight. With a brown satin shirt barely encompassing his tight torso, Levy did a lot of staring. He focused on waggling his hips and he seemed to take a certain (professional) satisfaction is rubbing his hand quite far up Burke's thigh. The whole thing was appropriately inappropriate.
Tonioli called it "absolute and utter filth." He added: "And I loved every minute of it." He believed he had espied women in the audience in ecstasy. He finished with this flourish: "You two are wired for sex."
"On behalf of all the women out there, thank you," said Inaba. However, what did it say about all the women out there when she added: "I'd like to see more content"? Was she saying that Levy is just a pretty face? Alas, I fear she was.
Goodman found it too raunchy. "I can't go into ecstasy like some people here," he said. This was so very understandable.
There were still minutes to fill. What could the producers do? Why, organize a dance marathon. Yes, everyone would dance and wait for the tap on the shoulder that would signify it was the end of their night.
Knight was the first to be eliminated. Which was merciful. She felt she could never last the full four minutes.
The last three on the floor were White, Levy and Jenkins. Soon, White was gone, then Levy. Jenkins and partner Mark Ballas were the winners. Which just went to prove that if you can dance and are wearing lime green, you improve your chances just a little.
TOP THREE: Katherine Jenkins, William Levy, Roshon Fegan
BOTTOM THREE: Gladys Knight, Melissa Gilbert, Maria Menounos
