‘Dancing with the Stars 21’ review: Alexa PenaVega, Nick Carter, Hayes Grier take on Halloween
It’s Halloween season on “Dancing with the Stars“! Monday night’s episode is featuring a variety of cool routines inspired by October 31. We love this time of year, the creepy Halloween ballroom, and everything else that the show proves that we like to define as truly fitting the holiday spirit.
Oh, and we should mention that there are also some dances. As per usual with this show, we’re going to give you our take on some of the routines as the night goes. Be sure to refresh for further updates, and we’ll have our take on the results (which are very unpredictable) at the end of the night.
Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess, Argentine tango – Whoever goes first always seems to be a little screwed when it comes to the scores. We’re not going to sit here and proclaim that this was his best dance to dance (there were some stumbles), but it was probably worth at least one nine from the judges. Score: 24.
Hayes Grier and Emma Slater, waltz – This pretty lovely given that Hayes is so young, and there was so much pressure on him to deliver an adult dance. He doesn’t have the life experience to showcase some of the vulnerability needed for this dance, but in terms of technique most of it is there. Score: 26.
Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas, paso doble – Call it a comeback! We didn’t think that she was going to struggle with her steps for too long, and she came out with intensity and purpose for this particularly-spooky routine. It may not be our favorite of hers, but it is high on the list. Score: 27.
Tamar Braxton and Val Chmerkovskiy, foxtrot – The intense chemistry at times between these two is great for faster routines, but not for a foxtrot. The technique was good, but the emotion just wasn’t there. Maybe we blame the editing in part for this, since we’re shocked that they actually showed Tamar saying that she is the best person left. Score: 24.
Andy Grammer and Allison Holker, paso doble – Did the judges feel like they gave too many perfect scores out last week? We’re not sure anyone is deserving so far, but it is odd. There were a few technical mistakes overall in what was somewhat of a strange paso; still, it’s nice to see Andy more into this, and unafraid of taking on a challenge after doing so well last week. Score: 26.
Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough, Argentine tango – Oh, here is your perfect score, and one that is very much deserved. Pretty perfect choreography and performance across the board from Bindi. Yes, it is remarkable how Derek Hough continues to get great partners, but after a certain point shouldn’t we also just admit that he may be a big part of the reason for their success? Score: 30.
Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold – Alek continues to be a very solid dancer on the show, but the problem is that he’s surrounded by titans. Not the best routine of the night, but serviceable enough technically to maybe have a chance at being remembered. Score: 25.
Carlos PenaVega and Witney Carson – Kudos to Carlos for actually saying that he felt he was over-scored last week. This routine was much better, and probably better overall than the routine last time, even if it was a little wobbly here and there. Score: 28.
Were there group dances? Sure, but we have a hard time saying that we actually cared for most of them. The judges didn’t really seem to, given that Julianne Hough gave Bindi, Alexa, Carlos, and Alek a 10 despite some mistakes, citing “the fog.” This team was two points lower than Andy, Tamar, Derek, and Hayes.
You can see the results for tonight over at the link here! Also, be sure to sign up to get some further TV news sent over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)