The quarterfinal was tense - and only now did David Dvir decide to give praise | Tali Shtakelberg
David Dvir changed his tone - apparently, this stage of the program has arrived where it is easy to agree with him. The production's choices are still missing important points of interest, and the competition on the way to the "Dancing with the Stars" final is especially tight.
The quarterfinal of the fifth season of "Dancing with the Stars" is behind us, and the audience almost managed to create drama. I hinted last time that we need to use our power, but the results were different from what I planned. Which is fine—the audience's choice and so on. We cannot prove that the production really sticks to our votes from home, but either way, it was an episode that was fun to watch.
The episode placed the couples in a duel, where there is a winning couple and a couple sent to elimination. The first duel was between Amir Banai and Romi against Tzahi Halevi and Nina. Amir said that Tzahi is "his hero," and Tzahi said that Amir and Romi are "his favorites from the beginning of the season." It was a cute interaction.
Amir and Romi danced a musical to the sounds of "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin, performed by Will Smith. It was a stunning performance, where Amir's "excess energy" was to his advantage. I enjoyed the costumes, the choreography, and the set design—it was an excellent opening from a candidate who definitely earned his place in the final. The judges gave a justified 40, totaling 75 points with the previous dance.
Tzahi and Nina danced a paso doble to the sounds of "Malaguena" performed by Liona Boyd. It was a beautiful dance, but I agree with David Dvir that there were too many repetitions of steps, perhaps to "fill the space." The costumes were stunning, and I loved the image of the matador with the red cloth. By the way, did you know that bulls are colorblind and only react to the movement of the cloth? Tzahi and Nina received 36 points for the dance (72 weighted), meaning Amir and Romi won the duel, and Tzahi and Nina were candidates for elimination.
Noa Cohen and Eitan, and Bar Brimer and Sana participated in the second duel. Noa and Eitan danced an English waltz to the sounds of "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella performed by Jessie Ware. I loved the blue Cinderella dress and Eitan's white knight costume—it was simply magical. Haim Fershtain said that if he had an 11 paddle he would give it to them, but he had to settle for a 10. The judges gave them a 40, and their weighted score was 79 points.
Bar and Sana danced salsa to the sounds of "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran in a special arrangement. I am a salsa fan, but honestly, I wasn't blown away. They danced beautifully, but compared to the previous episode, I was missing something. As Anna Aronov says, Bar was great but didn't "explode on the dance floor." The judges gave them 36 points (76 weighted), meaning Noa and Eitan won, and Bar and Sana moved to elimination.
Which leaves the last duel: Shiri Maimon and Raphael against Sharan Yeini and Karin. It is easy to see who the production wants to keep. It would have been an interesting trick to place Shiri against Tzahi, as it would have created more interest among the viewers.
We received a reminder of the bets made by Sharan's teammates: Itay Shechter thought he would reach the semifinals, and Tal Ben Haim bet that he would be among the first to be eliminated. Both provided a moment of comic relief.
Sharan and Karin danced a paso doble to the sounds of "Virtuoso." I liked the Viking cosplay and the atmosphere, and Sharan was 200% into it, but technically, compared to Tzahi and Nina, they were lacking. I am happy that David Dvir gave good compliments this time; even though he told Sharan "you are not a dancer," he lifted him up. That is a great improvement in his critiques. They received 30 points (59 cumulative)—a score easy for Shiri and Raphael to surpass.
Shiri and Raphael danced a samba to the sounds of "Samba" by Gloria Estefan. There were moments where the movements were too fast and her body "froze," which the judges noticed. Yet, it was a beautiful performance. The judges gave them 33 points, enough to move them to the next stage with 70 points total.
The elimination status did not experience a turnaround, and Sharan and Karin ended their journey. I decided to vote for them because Sharan's effort is noteworthy, and he represents the program's spirit better than Tzahi. This doesn't mean Tzahi and Nina aren't good, but Tzahi barely moves, and Nina carries most of the weight. This is just my personal opinion as an average viewer.
The challenge in the next episode is the Eurovision challenge. Among the songs: "Michelle," "Espresso Macchiato," "Diva," "Volare," and of course "HaSheket SheNishar," which Shiri will dance to. It is a pity Eden Golan won't be in the challenge, but I assume she will be a guest in the audience.
If I were asked to dance, I would choose salsa or cha-cha to the sounds of "SloMo" by Chanel, Spain's representative to Eurovision 2022. She reached third place, and I would make her proud.
