It's finally here, dance fans! It's the big blowout 10th anniversary celebration of "Dancing with the Stars," as they remind us of some of the wild, crazy, awkward, painful, and stellar moments of the past 20 seasons. There's a lot jam packed into this special, as past contestants and winners return to share in the fun.During resident-opening-number-choreographer Mandy Moore's exciting first group routine, lots of stars return, hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews fly in on a giant "10," and the four judges, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Len Goodman, and Julianne Hough, make their grand entrance. Lots of cutaways to the audience show many other past stars who have returned but are apparently not dancing tonight, like Sabrina Bryan, who we're reminded of also by last night's shocking elimination. Like Willow last night, Sabrina was a frontrunner in both of her seasons (5 and All-Star season 15), but she was eliminated in week 6 both times. There have been several shocking moments like that in the series, and I'm frankly a little disappointed they don't mention them tonight. But they're probably trying to only show the good sides of the show.
A package runs through all the season winners, from season 1's Kelly Monaco -- who later does a paso doble in a teeny tiny bikini, with Val in an equally minuscule speedo--to the reigning champ, season 19's Alfonso Ribeiro. I'm sorry to admit I haven't watched every season, and it seems I've definitely missed some splendid dancing and dramatic moments.
We see several of those moments in various ways, from themed packages to bizarre holograms. Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke's groundbreaking Season 2 freestyle routine is mentioned at least twice, even though Cheryl couldn't be at the event live. We also see a hologram of Steve Wozniak attempting the worm, which as Tom points out, is a difficult image to get out of your head.
Mark and Sasha, filling in for injured Derek, perform a group number with six of the previous female competitors: Kristi Yamaguchi, Amy Purdy (who looks even more amazing now), Maria Menounos, Amber Riley, Katherine Jenkins (who is four months pregnant), and Chelsea Kane. As fun as the routine is, the most amazing moment for me is that incredible costume change! How on earth did they do that? At first I thought it was a lighting trick or something, but Amber went from black pants and a top to a cute red dress. That's more than just lighting. That's wild.
Two very dramatic packages follow: the first shows the various mishaps in the show's history, from wardrobe malfunctions and flying shoes to horrifying falls and injuries, to classic temper tantrums and walkouts--not to mention the classic Maks-Len "bromance" (not really). The second (after a commercial break and a bumper from Billy Ray Cyrus) discusses the immense inspiration DWTS has brought to viewers, particularly from competitors Amy Purdy, J.R. Martinez, Heather Mills, Marlee Matlin, and this season's Noah Galloway. It's tear-inducing and poignant.
Finally we get to one of the two highly promoted events this evening: a Ballroom Showdown between the two most recent champions, Alfonso Ribeiro (with partner Witney) and Meryl Davis (with partner Maks). It's so great to see both of them back and dancing again, especially Alfonso, who is just as dynamic as last season (I know, it hasn't been that long). They both do great routines, though I like Alfonso's just a tiny bit more because it has a little more variety (like that hip-hop section along with the salsa part). I will say that for all the cool tricks and big fancy lifts, Meryl and Maks still impress with just a simple walking step.
In a fascinating package, the pros talk about how much the show has changed and developed over the seasons. Since its simple beginnings where the couples just got on the floor and danced, the show now has big group numbers, team dances, fancier tricks, lots of different dance styles, more involved props and sets (like the "Inception room" for Derek's inverted routine), higher production values, and of course playing plenty with technology and visual effects. It's an awesome time capsule of the history of the show.
Former champion and new host of the upcoming Perfect 10 tour, Melissa Rycroft is in the ballroom to promote her new gig, but also dances a samba with Tony. She still seems guarded, but she looks beautiful. The judges then, in a package, tell us what they look for in a routine, and choose the one number over the seasons that stands out for them. This isn't too surprising, especially Len's standard: he looks for impeccable technique, which he found in Hélio Castroneves's quickstep. Carrie Ann prefers the emotional impact (which we could tell from the two 10s she awarded last night), and chooses Amy Purdy and Derek's stunning contemporary routine. Julianne looks for artistry, citing Donald Driver's argentine tango, and Bruno is downright scary in his passionate plea for passion in Mel B.'s paso doble. OK, Bruno, that's way more about you than I ever wanted to know.
Len also mentions what he considers is the biggest change in the show over the years: as evidenced by the production values, the standard continues to get higher, especially the bar set by the dancers. That's true, thank goodness. There's still an issue with voting, but I sure hope the days of Master P are long gone.
After the DWTS football players dance a nerve-wracking routine where they toss the women pros around like footballs, it's time for the second big event promoted this evening: Patti LaBelle, Amber Riley, and Lil Kim sing LaBelle's mega hit, "Lady Marmalade." It's such a great song, and these are three powerhouse women. You can just imagine this is a dream come true for Amber. It's a bit chaotic, but it's also very entertaining--and reminds me I need to watch Moulin Rouge! again.
Before a massive final group line dance with everyone in the cast, there's a sweet package about how the show has changed people's lives. Bill Engvall is particularly poignant about this, and confesses that he misses the show. I appreciate this a lot, but the positive affects are more a result of the dancing aspect than the show aspect. I'd love for them to promote that and remind the general audience that they too could earn those benefits if they just give dancing a try.
So what do you think, dance fans? Did you enjoy the 10th anniversary celebration? What were your favorite moments?
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