It’s A THREE-WAY, High-scoring TIE!! DWTS Season 21, Week 06

 Andy & Allison, Tamar & Val, 

and Bindi & Derek All Tie For The Lead On 

DWTS’ Exciting Famous Dances Night! 

Season 21, Week 06

Dancing With Stars’ highly-anticipated Famous Dances Night turned out to be thrilling in more ways than one, as the Season 21 Teams of Andy & Allison, Tamar & Val, and Bindi & Derek all met Monday night and ended at the top of the Leader Board in a shocking, three-way tie, each Couple having earned A PERFECT SCORE!

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Tamar & Val

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Andy & Allison

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Beginning this seemingly catching, high-scoring trend, Andy Grammer and his partner, Allison Holker, danced a delightful Jazz routine to “Good Morning” from the timeless Musical classic, Singing in the Rain.

Andy & Allison

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

What has happened to Andy, because that dance was FANTASTIC!

Andy & Allison

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Seriously now, some well-deserved choreography props must first go out to Allie, who took a world-famous TAP routine and made it danceable for Grammer; AND with that, Andy’s dancing was SO very good!!

Andy & Allison

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

His Frame was great, his Musicality was DEAD-ON (!), and his overall appropriately-lighthearted Character Portrayal in the dance was terrific!

Andy & Allison

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

To be completely (albeit brutally) honest …  and perhaps too picky … I thought it was more than a little cheesy that Allison had Troupe members Sasha Farber and Alan Bersten come in at the climax of the routine and help flip the couch for the Couple.

I agree with what Allison said in the Rehearsal Package, that the “couch flip/ride” IS one of the more memorable moments from the scene … so why wouldn’t she and Andy take the time to properly learn it?

Of course, it is possible that Allison was wary of the couch sliding on the always-slick Ballroom Dance floor; but, if that was indeed the case, why wouldn’t she have a carpet brought in, or something?  The weekly live production that is DWTS has pulled off many a crazier notion!

I am just saying, it is such a famous ending that it probably required a little more thought and effort then it seems was afforded it.

However - and having noted that - I positively LOVED it, very well done!!

Andy & Allison

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Also earning a perfect score of all 10’s was Tamar Braxton and her Professional partner, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, who danced a Jazz Number to “Rhythm Nation” by Janet Jackson.

Tamar & Val

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Now, here is a Week 06 routine that I found undeserving of a perfect score (Key word here being:  “PERFECT”.)

Granted, Tamar’s Musicality was excellent; and, for the majority of the routine, her dancing terrific; however, there were more than a couple of times when Tamar’s moves were not quite finished, a fact most easily spotted when also watching the Professional Dancers that surrounded her during the routine.

Tamar & Val

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Not to mention, when attempting the all-important, in-sync steps and arm motions, Tamar’s was distinctly (and once again … you’re killing us here, Tamar!) LAZY, and lacking in that crisp, sharp edge.

And so, as usual, and while certainly near-perfect, Tamar fell tragically short of dancing-greatness.

(But as for Val, it should be noted, this Chmerkovskiy just completely killed it [We would expect nothing less!] with the condensing down of the choreography of this well-known piece! … Fantastic job!!)

Tamar & Val

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

And now we come to what just might have been my ABSOLUTE favorite routine of the night (!!) …

Ladies and Gentlemen, dancing a Rumba and earning her first perfect score of the Season, it’s Bindi Irwin, and her Professional partner, Derek “Swayze” Hough, performing what was truly a timeless, DWTS-take on “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” from Dirty Dancing.

  

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Nobody puts Bindi in the corner!

You know that I the time of MY life watching this gratifying routine; and, I STILL cannot believe how exquisite Bindi’s dancing was on this night!!

Her Frame was nothing short of excellent, her Musicality superb, her Footwork amazing, and her so-very-important-to-get-it-right-Character Portrayal of Baby, positively endearing!!

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

But we cannot compliment Bindi, and not take one (or more!) paragraphs to talk about the one and only Derek, who did an absolutely REMARKABLE job of redesigning this iconic routine and condensing it down to Ballroom size!

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

First off, Derek’s imitation of the still-beloved Patrick Swayze was just completely stellar (and, let’s face it movie-goers, so very thrilling!); and secondly, his choreography was positively 100% BRILLIANT!!

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Seriously now, I loved each and every tiny and perhaps seemingly-insignificant-on-the-surface Dirty Dancing detail that quite literally made this performance; not to mention, afforded a most-welcomed nostalgic dance back through time to that delightful Talent Show-climax of the 1980’s classic!

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

From the exciting nod to the ever-cool “Swayze Walk”, to the (PERFECTLY duplicated!!) costumes of the routine’s surrounding Cast, to the “live audience” that lined that famous isle,

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

this dance’s film-inspired conception exceeded all expectations … and that is saying an awful lot!

And what about the Lift? … THE Lift that has stood the test of time, spanning decades in the ever-fond memories of Dance Fans and Cinema Lovers the world-over?!!

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Well, it made Dancing With The Stars veteran and 5-time Mirror Ball Champion, Derek Hough, the most nervous he’s ever been on the show (as he has readily admitted time and again - before, during, and after Monday night’s episode);

it had only had (according to Hough in a post-show, accesshollywood.com interview) a “50-50” success rate leading right up to the night’s daring performance;

it required some distinct, last-minute assistance from DWTS’ Wardrobe’s Department (According to people.com Derek had also revealed, “We were practicing the lift and Bindi's dress kept sliding up.  If it came up too high, she would fall down. We ran over to wardrobe and I said, 'Please sew the dress to her underwear so it won't slide up.'  They were literally cutting the string right as we were running on stage to perform,”);

and the incredible team that is Bindi & Derek pulled it off BEAUTIFULLY!

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

Now granted, once lifted, Bindi’s actual arm placement left a little something to be desired, falling short of what could be called “perfect” …  that said, however  … she made it.

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

…She made it, and in more-than-decent Form at THAT (!!); and the elation felt from the immediate Standing Ovation given by the show’s live audience, the Australian Teen, her relieved and can-breath-now partner Derek, and the Judges’ Panel was a little more than contagious and duly made complete when awarded with a much-cheered-for-scoring of all 10’s!

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week

“You just have to jump and know you can rely on your partner.  So I did.”, Irwin later told people.com, following the Dynamite Duo’s performance while her still ecstatic Pro dished to accesshollywood.com, “… it was one of the greatest moments ever on the show for me.”!

Bindi & Derek

DWTS Season 21, Week 06 -

Famous Dance Week