Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas - The Jive

9:28 PM

The last time they did this dance they got a perfect 30.  Can they repeat?  Probably.

Dynamic start, with Mark sliding between her legs.  They're going for a technically demanding, high energy jive.  Tons of side-by-side in sync dancing.  Lots of leg pumping.  Kristi has a huge piece of hair stuck in her mouth, but she's not brushing it off.  Mark's busting out the facial expressions.  The hair is still there...  Fantastic dance, that looked really really hard.

Bruno says "for me this is the cherry on the top of the icing on the cake of a sweet delicious jive!"  I think he liked it.  Carrie Ann admires Mark's ambitious and difficult choreography, but thought they were a hair out of sync.  Len praises the dance but nitpicks a little.

Comments

[Caroline]

I liked the outfits better for this jive but this time the dance wasn't quite as high energy. Considering the scores the others were gettin I don't think they were scored fairly.

[DWTS Fan]

Love Kristi & Mark!!

[Amy Miller]

I thought they weren't scored fairly and should have gotten better scores from Carrie Ann and Len. The slower pace makes sense because they were going to the beat. Slower music, slower dance. It was still high-speed, but Mark actually wasn't in sync in parts. He screwed it, not Kristi.

[Karen]

I agree with Caroline. I really am a Christie fan, but tonight was slow and her knees did not kick as high as last time. I really am surprised they are in first.

[Susan]

I liked this dance, as usual the choreography was very difficult. How about judging the dances like Olympic diving, 2 scores one on the difficulty and one on the execution.

[j]

Whatever you think. She has received the same scores from some judges as Marissa. That is absolutely ridiculous. There is no comparison. Marissa is not even close to Kristi.

[bloulu72]

agree woth j, marissa is no where near the competition! Scoring hr=er as high as kristi is bunk!!!she should have been gone long ago!!

[The aviator]

woah...am i missing somthing here, people griping all around about this person and that, and how routines shouldnt have been scored the same,because one wasnt as good as the other.. hello, any one remember Jason Taylors first Paso...To the football theme...What the flip was that, and he recieved high marks too go figure, and am I missing somthing here, since when is the jive a Latin Dance?? mabye giving christie a little advantage by letting her dance the best dance she did so far. I agree it was good the first time, but have to question it being in the semi finals

[The aviator]

woah...am i missing somthing here, people griping all around about this person and that, and how routines shouldnt have been scored the same,because one wasnt as good as the other.. hello, any one remember Jason Taylors first Paso...To the football theme...What the flip was that, and he recieved high marks too go figure, and am I missing somthing here, since when is the jive a Latin Dance?? mabye giving christie a little advantage by letting her dance the best dance she did so far. I agree it was good the first time, but have to question it being in the semi finals

[Alberto]

Always learn something from these shows: the JIVE is a latin dance.
Helloooooooooo!!!!

[Alberto]

Sorry, I am correcting myself. Cristi and Mark's TANGO was the latin dance and the jive the other.

[Jen]

Very good dance. I absolutely LOVED the choregraphy. Mark is amazing! Not quite feeling the song, though. I thought they were scored fairly.

[000TRACY000]

You've had choreography! you don't deserve to win

[shookenbac]

The judging is a joke. Whether it's Jerry Rice or Marissa. The don't belong in the semi's or finals. Len and crew try to sevel things out between them to keep it close and in question. She is not good. Not as good as any of the others, yet Len keeps scoring her high. Looks like this show has become just another fake show. There fis a lot on TV these days. I think I willo be finding something else to watch.

[EdNnC]

What was the name of the song Mark & Kristi danced the jive to tonight?

[jmb]

Kristi and Mark are so much better than the scores they got!!!

[Saber2thTigrrr]

Kristi~ You Rock! You and Mark were given a weird, albeit done well, song. You did the kind of Jive that went to that kind of music. 10! See you in the finals! See you with the trophy! Don't forget to have a good time!

[jls]

For god sakes if u can turn on ice skates how hard is it to turn in heels on a dance floor.. She is overrated!! Jason deserves to win!!!

[Tina]

people, if you watch real ballroom, you would know tango is considered ballroom, and jive is considered latin, it does not make sense, but it is true, now as for the scoring, people stop comparing the dancers to one another, you score on the dance, and the technique, kristi and marissa can get the same score because, they are being judged on the technical range of their dance,as well as how they perform it, not against one another, that is why cristian, can get 9's on something less challenging than kristi's dance, they both have that same 9, stop judging people by body type, personality, and looks, study the art form, and then your opinion can be more objective, and remember, it is what they did, and how they did it, difficult doesn't mean better, and boring does't mean technically bad.

[camelliacity53]

Yes, there really should be something done about the scoring-- there are too many issues to even go into at once!

Anyway, the TANGO is a BALLROOM category dance (a classic, like the waltz and foxtrot, etc.) whereas the JIVE is classified as a LATIN category dance. It doesn't seem to make sense, but that's the way it is....!!!

[Beajay]

I don't think they score fairly across the board. This dance was way harder and near perfect, but they got nines just as others did for far less intricate and less challanging dances. Just because one person seems to have more ease at learning the dances and generally does better they shouldn't be judged and held to a higher standard than the others. Maybe nines shouldn't be the status quo so there is more room to reward hard coreography than just that one point.

Jls sounds like another person jealous of how good Kristi and Mark are. I'm guessing the couple you want to win didn't do so great...Go Kristi and Mark!

[Melanie]

Not as good as their first jive. Great choreography, but Kristi WAS a little out of sync with Mark's energy level at the start. They're definitely getting MY votes this week! I would LOVE to see her win this! (Mario was my second choice)

[Melanie]

jls...The "TURNS on ice skates are done on FLAT FEET, the turns in ballroom are done on either toes or the balls of your feet. How good are YOU at "re-learning" how to do something after you've been doing it the same way for most of your life? Jason can't even HANDLE difficult choreography - every time Edyta tries to throw a difficult move in, JASON trips over his own feet!

[Melanie]

Tina - THANK you! I was beginning to think nobody else understood the way this works! It seems that most people are focusing on the dancers, and not the actual dance techniques. Of course, this isn't real ballroom - it's more of a popularity contest. I think the public votes shouldn't count at this point - once the show gets to the final four, it should be the PROFESSIONAL JUDGES SCORES that determine the winner.

[madetomove2]

Kristi and Mark are wonderful, but they are trying much too hard, and all the effort is hard to watch. Relax, have fun, and watch things turn around! Let her have some space and time in her choreography to breathe and react.

[dancer]

I think that Kristi and Mark are being judged unfairly. Their choreography is so much more difficult, and Len and Carrie Ann nit pick it to bits. They deserved 10's.

[japantownBAY]

WE LOVE YOU KRISTI AND MARK AND ANY NEGATIVE HERE POSTED IS BECAUSE: THEY ARE JEALOUS, DON'T UNDERSTAND SKATING FROM DANCING-AND THEY KNOW HOW TO DO NEITHER, AND THEY ARE AFRAID BECAUSE THEIR FAVE IS WEAK!!!WE DON'T CARE IF IT'S NOT GRANTED TO YOU, YOUR THE BEST HUMAN BEING AND THAT'S A LOT MORE IMPORTANT TO US! DOMO ARIGATO

[pixie]

even though w/ her skating background, she deserves to win. marissa is a good sport though.

[Mama Sensei]

To EdNnc: the name of the song is "Nutbush City Limits" (by Ike and Tina Turner, I believe)

I have to say, I was VERY impressed with Kristi's poise - anyone else would have brushed the hair off of their face and it takes amazing discipline and control to let little things like that go and keep dancing - it may not seem like a big deal (like a costume malfunction) but it can really distract a performer...if he/she allows it to and I though Kristi did very well in keeping her focus. I really hope she and Mark make it the finals - it won't be nearly as exciting without them!

[EdNnc]

To Mama Sensei - thanks!!!

[Louise]

Does anyone know the name of song that Kristi and Mark danced the jive to on May 12, 2008??

Kristi and Mark should win it all!! who cares that she was a skater there is a way big difference between skating and dancing!!

[wjmoore]

Kristi and Mark I really think you are doing very well and I do hope you will win this competition overall, I really did not realize you both were so talented and I was very glad that you have done so well with all you have had to overcome.