‘Dancing with the Stars 22’ review: Nyle DiMarco, Ginger Zee, Wanya Morris, and America’s scores
Monday night’s new episode of “Dancing with the Stars” is a little bit out of the ordinary, even for this show. Sure, we’ve seen America score the contestants before, but it’s such a strange experiment since we can see some really odd ways in which this could go awry. Thankfully, it hasn’t happened yet with this show, but who knows if things will really stay that way?
We’re going to be reviewing tonight’s episode live as per usual, so be sure to check back throughout for some further updates on how the Stars fare!
Nyle DiMarco & Peta Murgatroyd – Paso Doble – “Victorious” by Panic! At The Disco. Was this routine victorious in its own way? It was certainly a good way to start the show, but we noticed some timing issues here and there that have us wondering if the score here should’ve been a 27. Then again, hasn’t Nyle been docked points this season because of the official scoring system? It seems to level off. Score: 29.
Antonio Brown & Sharna Burgess – Viennese Waltz – “Love on the Brain” by Rihanna. Did Antonio take advantage of a chance to surge ahead? This was a really nice, fluid routine by Antonio, but we do wonder what the logic here is in telling the guy he’s in jeopardy before he performs. Why make it harder on him? Luckily, this was still his best performance of the season, equally strong to Nyle’s in our mind. Score: 27.
Jodie Sweetin & Keo Motsepe – Jive – “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” by Christina Aguilera. Is Jodie thriving as an underdog? DEFINITELY. This was her best performance of the season. Not only that, but this is the best routine we’ve seen Keo do. Full of fun and energy, she may have just made things a little bit more competitive going into later in the night. Score: 30.
Paige VanZant & Mark Ballas – Viennese Waltz – “Stone Cold” by Demi Lovato. How much power and grace did Paige pack in here? There was a lot, but it was all somewhat difficult to really judge since there was so much going on here visually that it was a distraction. She’s very good, but at this point, so is everyone! Score: 28.
Ginger Zee & Valentin Chmerkovskiy – Argentine Tango – “Telephone” by Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé. Did Ginger bring the fun to this dance? We do feel like this is a strong case for a less-in-more way of thinking for this show. We’ve seen more content in other dances, but the execution here was really flawless. Score: 30.
Wanyá Morris & Lindsay Arnold – Jive –”Can You Do This” by Aloe Blacc. Did Wanya continue his frontrunner status? This was rough. There were some mishaps that threw these two off, but we think that the nature of how it went down should get them a sympathy vote. Score: 25.
Now, we get to America voting!
Nyle and Jodie – Lovely concept. Also, applause to Bruno for helping to choreograph a same-sex routine for a few steps. It’s about time that the show did something like this. Apparently, America are harsh critics. Score: 29.
Wanya and Ginger – Given that this routine was all sorts of corny, plus there were errors, it’s clear that the judges aren’t going to score their fellow judge choreographing this low. America remains the harshest critic, and we’ll have that imagine of Len Goodman’s island garb in our head forever. Score: 29.
Antonio and Paige – Yeah, this feels familiar when it comes to scores. Nyle and Jodie’s, for the record, was our overall favorite. Score: 29.
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