Dance War

ABC's new dance craze is back for its second week.  Last week on Dance War, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba scoured the country looking for the most talented dancers who can sing and singers who can dance, and narrowed down the field to just 14 young hopefuls.  And tonight on Dance War, we finally get to see Bruno and Carrie Ann go head-to-head as the first round of the battle begins.

The 14 Dance War finalists kick off the night with a group performance of "Get Ready" with a little bit of "Shake Your Groove Thing" thrown in.

Drew Lachey announces to the audience that one guy and one girl must go home tonight, and voting begins next week. Bruno explains that putting his dance team together is like putting a football team and reveals a surprisingly deep understanding of American football.

All the guys (Tony, Phillip, Chris, Zack, Maxx, Bradley and Marqis) do a group number first. They sing "Hold On I'm Coming," and each gets to have a turn in the spotlight, both vocally and with cool gymnastic dance moves. Carrie Ann likes Bradley and Zack the most. Bruno raves and raves about all of them, calling Phillip a dream boy.

The guys now break up into smaller groups to perform. The first group is made up of Maxx, Qis, Chris and Bradley. Bradley is really hyperactive, but he's really quite endearing. I love all of them, actually. They do a performance of the Backstreet Boys song, "Larger Than Life." I like these guys better than the original Backstreet Boys. Carrie Ann thought notices that Qis messed up the choreography a little bit. Bruno gives Maxx and Bradley some pointers for how to improve.

The next are Zack, Tony and Phillip. Zack continues to be my new TV boyfriend; he's shown hanging out and lifting weights with his brother who has Downs Syndrome. Tony came to Los Angeles with just the shirt on his back, and really wants to make it big. It's quite apparent that Phillip got a lot of coaching on his little voiceover. They perform "Hard to Handle." Carrie Ann thinks that they have the strongest voices of all the men. Bruno thinks Tony has so much more potential.

Now it's time for Carrie Ann and Bruno to fight over the guys. Drew Lachey gives them each an envelope: Carrie Ann's indicates that she gets first pick. She wants someone with heart, so she chooses Bradley. Bruno gets mock-angry at her for stealing Bradley. Bruno wants a leading man, so he chooses Zack. Zack and Bruno share an awkward man-hug. Carrie Ann chooses Chris, whom she thinks has the voice of an angel. Bruno next chooses Tony, who Bruno claims touched his soul. That means Maxx, Phillip and Qis must perform once more at the end of the show to determine which two will win a place on Team Bruno or Team Carrie Ann.

The seven girls are next: Allysa, Kelsey, Elizabeth, Corina, Lacey, Mariel and Charity. They perform "Bad Girls," all dressed in short, sequined sheaths, each one a different color. I find the girls' performance much more entertaining than the boys' dance. Bruno thinks that Lacey has a standout voice.

Just like the boys, the girls split up into two groups. In the first group are Kelsey, Corina, Allysa and Charity. Kelsey is reminiscent of younger, more innocent Britney Spears, not only because she's from Louisiana and is a cute blonde, but also because she's got a show business-type mom. Corina wants to be taken seriously as a performer instead of just a ditzy flirt. They perform "The Beat Goes On." I love their adorable, black and white mod dresses and go-go boots. Carrie Ann likes their dancing but wasn't too impressed with the singing. Bruno thinks Kelsey sold her performance.

The three women who are left to perform are Mariel, Lacey and Elizabeth.
Mariel has a heartbreaking story about her grandmother who is dying of cancer. Lacey is the choir director at her church. Elizabeth is not as much a dancer as she is a singer, and is determined to work really hard. These three perform "Lady Marmalade." I think Mariel has the best voice of these three. I could listen to her all day, and Carrie Ann agrees with me.

Having seen all seven women perform, Bruno and Carrie Ann now get to choose their favorites. As before, Drew gives them envelopes which determine who gets first pick. This time Bruno gets to choose first. He wants a diva in his group, so he chooses Lacey. Carrie Ann wants soul and chooses my favorite Mariel. Next Bruno chooses the hot, sexy and solid Kelsey. Carrie Ann chooses Elizabeth. That leaves Corina, Charity and Allysa, who have one more chance to prove to the Bruno and Carrie Ann that they are worth keeping around.

The six performers who are as yet teamless get to perform one last time. The women, Charity, Corina and Allysa, sing the hardest song known to man: Destiny Child's "I'm a Survivor." Seriously, I tried to sing it once at karaoke and, let me tell you, it was not pretty. Even these three talented singers kind of butcher the pitch and rhythm.

Qis, Maxx and Phillip stand together and sing a five-second version of Boyz II Men's "End of the Road." They do a much better job, but I think their song was easier to sing.

Bruno again gets first pick. He chooses Phillip and Charity. Carrie Ann chooses Qis and Allysa.

The teams are now complete. On Team Bruno are Zack, Tony, Lacey, Kelsey, Phillip and Charity. On Team Carrie Ann are Bradley, Chris, Mariel, Elizabeth, Qis and Allysa. Beginning next week, we at home will get to vote on our favorites.


-Debbie Chang, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)