Shay’s Dancing With the Stars Week 4 Recap

Week 4 of this season brought a new twist, the stars and their partners where switched, as voted by the audience. They only had one week to rehearse for the show with their new partner. So who was paired together and did they pull off the dances with these new people? Here is my recap of the show. Also, another guest judge was on this weeks panel. Former DWTS alum Julianne Hough took her turn at the critics table.

Cody Simpson/Sharna Burgess - The foxtrot was their dance this week and it was pretty good over all. However, his arms were a little off, which will cost them a point or two  overall, I think. Cody also sang a little as they danced to one of his songs.

NeNe Leakes/Derek Hough - Performed a jazz routine this week. Derek is a great choreographer but I was not a fan of this dance. NeNe just basically stood as Derek danced around her. It was more upper body arm movements than dancing. Having said that I do think this is something NeNe was more comfortable with.

Charlie White/Peta Murgatroyd - The sexy rumba was just that for these two....sexy. Charlie has great upper body extensions and flowing movements that make him a natural on the dance floor especially for a dance like the rumba. Great pairing with Peta!

Drew Carey/Witney Carson - These two had a good chemistry last night and it showed in their Cha-Cha-Cha. Although, Drew is still a little stiff with his arms he's coming along pretty well with the footwork. He's also a crowd pleaser; it almost sounded like he was getting boo-ed but they were chanting 'Drew, Drew, Drew'.

James Maslow/Cheryl Burkes - The tango is a great dance for James. He is a great dancer, I don't think he's had any previous experience. This dance is intense and takes a lot of upper body strength for the holds; James has that and pulled this off flawlessly in my opinion.

Meryl Davis/Val Chmerkovskiy -  WOW! An Argentine tango that was incredibly intense. Meryl knows how to work the music with her expressions and then add in the intricate foot work of the Argentine tango and you have a winner. Her original partner is Maks this week she ended up with little brother Val but it didn't make a difference. She's just a top notch dancer.

 Danica McKellar/Maks Chmerkovskiy - These two did the jive this week and it's not really one of my favorites. However, I think Danica did alright but it wasn't spectacular. There wasn't anything that truly stood out for me.

Amy Purdy/Mark Ballas - Salsa was their given dance. I think this was a little guarded in the choreography. Amy has proven she can dance but it seems Mark didn't give her enough; it was a little bland for me. I am amazed by her ability and I think she could have done more. I probably won't be in agreement with the judges though on this one.

Candace Cameron Bure/Tony Dovaloni - Candace performed a quickstep. I thought she did pretty well, she seemed to keep up with Tony and she's never had any dance lessons. This is all totally new to her and I think she's been holding her own pretty well.

Was I a fan of the 'switch up'? Not really, but I think it can be a good tool too. They learned something new from someone else who has a different teaching style. Believe me no two teachers teach the same. I've danced since I was 2 1/2 years old and they all bring something different to the table. However, it can be nerve wracking making that change when you've gotten used to a certain partner, style and technique. No one was eliminated this week so this weeks scores will be reflected in next weeks competition.