While the audience grows fonder of two candidates, one model has to go: Eva Padberg is the third candidate eliminated from the RTL show “Let’s Dance”. The 44-year-old received the fewest points from the jury and audience for her quickstep alongside professional dancer Paul Lorenz. “I have to clear my head now,” said Padberg, but took the decision on Saturday night in a sporting manner.
The model only received 12 out of a possible 30 points from the jury for the appearance. “That’s not enough,” said the usual strict juror Joachim Llambi about the performance. Like his jury colleagues Jorge González and Motsi Mabuse, he certainly had words of praise for the first half of the dance. But then, according to the experts, Padberg ran out of steam. “There was a lack of consistency,” said Llambi.
17th season without any big flyers
The fourth show also showed that the 17th season is a developmental season – i.e. one without any big high-flyers, such as model Anna Ermakowa in 2023 or footballer Rúrik Gislason and actress Valentina Pahde in 2021, who already achieved the highest score of 30 in the first three shows danced. But a season in which the audience and jury can follow the constant development of the celebrities on their hero’s journey. Year after year there are these dancers who start out as relatively unknown figures, but then dance – or talk – their way into the hearts of the audience week after week.
Like singer Gabriel Kelly in a clip before his performance. At the beginning of the training week, the 22-year-old son of the musician Angelo Kelly – known for the family band The Kelly Family (“An Angel”) – embarrassingly asked his girlfriend Leoni whether he would be in the live show during the rumba was allowed to “look in love” at his professional dance partner Malika Dzumaev. Leoni generously approved the foreign flirtation for show purposes on the dance floor. And the Kelly offspring promptly delivered a fiery performance – in front of his girlfriend. “The atmosphere was there, I’m convinced,” praised Mabuse. “Such great basics make me happy.” Llambi was given the title “Best footwork of the evening” – and a dancer’s saying that doesn’t necessarily get any better if you read it twice: “If it’s right downstairs, you can do anything upstairs.” With 24 points we went straight into the next round.
Bauer doesn’t want luck, but “a little less bad luck”
Comedian Tony Bauer is becoming a crowd favorite. After his feel-good quickstep with Anastasia Stan, chants of “There is only one Tony Bauer” could be heard. While the audience was still cheering, Jorge González pulled out his first 10-point board of the season with the words “I’ve been waiting for this moment.” “It was so beautiful for me, so easy.” Joachim Llambi also came out as a fan of the young man, who has struggled with serious health problems since childhood.
Bauer suffers from short bowel syndrome, which is why his small intestine had to be removed. “I just asked God not to get any more luck, but just a little less bad luck. I just wanted to be a normal boy,” Bauer reported during the season. Because life hasn’t been easy for him, the 28-year-old wants to make people laugh. That happened on Friday evening. “You are like sunshine,” said Mabuse beaming about the dancing couple. Llambi added: “You are so positive – and you dance well too.” That meant: 25 jury points, best score of the evening.
Author and motivational speaker Biyon Kattilathu (Mabuse: “This energy is hot, hot, hot!”) were also in a development mood with 22 points and sports journalist Jana Wosnitza and actor Mark Keller with 19 points each. Influencer Sophia Thiel was also pleased about an increase to 17 points.
Detlef D! Soost’s retraining comes to a halt
There was a small setback for Detlef D! Soost’s retraining from a trained hip-hop specialist to a standard dance newcomer. There were only 17 points for the Paso Doble with Ekaterina Leonova. “You have to become more nimble and finer in your movements,” demanded Llambi. Mabuse also thought: “It really wasn’t finished.”
Close behind in the jury vote were pop singer Lulu Lewe, sister of Sarah Connor, with 16 points, actress Lina Larissa Strahl (15 points) and influencer Ann-Kathrin Bendixen (13 points).
Next Friday, “Let’s Dance” continues with the motto “Italo Night” – also with the German-Italian influencer Stefano Zarrella. The brother of the entertainer Giovanni Zarrella could not hide his nervousness during the slow waltz with Mariia Maksina and initially received the fewest points from the jury (10). With the help of the audience’s votes, he prevailed against Padberg in the decision. He will have to stretch to survive in this developmental season.
