Guest Writer: @ETownMelly
Well…I’ve had a few days to digest what went down on Tuesday night and gather my thoughts. To say I’m a little upset is an understatement.
But, let’s start at the beginning. The second week of The Real Dirty Dancing on FOX, begins with the boys heading off to the lake with Cat, where get set to do the life. You know, that life, the one Johnny and Baby practice over and over and over. Howie is up first and lifts Cat Cora several times. She also ended up in the water too. This is set up, for Cat to decide who she wants to pick as her Johnny for the remainder of the show. I mean…we all know who I’d be picking.
Fast forward to the moment when the winners from week one, Tyler Cameron and Cat Cora get to pick their partner for the rest of the contest. Tyler goes first and picks, you guest it…Howie’s partner from last week, Anjelah Johnson. Cat’s turn and she picks Corbin Blue. Left to partner up are Antonio Gates, Howie, Loni Love, and Brie Bella. Antonio picked Brie and Howie and Loni are paired up.
As I was writing this, I learned that Howie and Loni truly only had a few hours to put the dance together and practice.
The chemistry was immediate as they stepped together and bodies touched. In true Howie charm, he transformed into Johnny. Let me tell you that his hips don’t lie. They moved smoothly across the floor with plenty of eye contact, sizzle, and a lot of shaky shaky, coochie coochie.
Guest judge, Jane Brucker (she played Baby’s sister in the movie) said the pair looked good. They sure did and it isn’t even because we’re biased. The next two teams went and the judges now had to deliberate as to who was staying and who was going.
Sadly, fate had different plans for Howie and Loni. The pair were eliminated and won’t continue. Both seemed shocked and saddened by the news.
Howie went on to say, through tears: “I’m the real baby here. But nobody puts Baby in the corner. And that’s what I feel I accomplished through this. Was that I came out of my corner. And hopefully showed another side of who I am. To the world.”
You did Howie you did. It took guts to get up there. To do icon dances from a movie the whole world knows and loves. Well…the whole world now knows that side of you. You made all of us Howie girls proud and we will forever be Team Dorough.
As his sister, Pollyanna told me as we watched together and texted back and forth; ”I’m still so proud of my brother.”
We all are. We all are.