{"id":6386,"date":"2018-04-02T21:16:13","date_gmt":"2018-04-02T19:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=6386"},"modified":"2018-04-02T21:16:13","modified_gmt":"2018-04-02T19:16:13","slug":"end-of-the-dwtssa-journey-for-former-miss-sa-liesl-laurie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2018\/04\/02\/end-of-the-dwtssa-journey-for-former-miss-sa-liesl-laurie\/","title":{"rendered":"End Of The DWTSSA Journey For Former Miss SA Liesl Laurie"},"content":{"rendered":"

Radio host and former beauty queen Liesl Laurie and her dance partner, three-time British Show Dance champion\u00a0Ryan Hammond, had to bid Dancing With The Stars SA farewell tonight [1 April] after three out of the four judges opted to save netball champ Vanes-Mari du Toit in her third Dance-Off.<\/p>\n

Bryan Watson remarked on what a difficult choice this was \u2013 \u201cboth ladies left their hearts on the floor\u201d, he noted. \u201cBut on this occasion I will save Liesl and Ryan,\u201d he reluctantly concluded. Debbie agreed that both ladies had implemented the judges\u2019 comments from tonight\u2019s show in their Dance-Off performances, and she elected to keep Vanes-Mari and Johannes.<\/p>\n

Judge Tebogo also decided to save Vanes-Mari, and that left the deciding vote to head judge Jason Gilkison, who declared that for him, Vanes-Mari had given the \u201cmore committed and more positive performance\u201d in the Dance-Off.<\/p>\n

The former Miss SA and radio host Liesl opened her run on Dancing With The Stars SA with the very first dance of the season, a Cha-Cha-Ch\u00e1,\u00a0in Week 1,\u00a0and judge Debbie Turner predicted then that as her confidence grew over the weeks, Liesl would be \u201cstunning\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the two months since then, Debbie\u2019s prediction turned out to be true.<\/p>\n

Despite having to perform with a back injury in Week 3, Liesl powered through the pain and bounced back the following week with a scintillating Quickstep, after which Bryan Watson thought that she \u201clit up the floor\u201d.<\/p>\n

The judges had some issues with Liesl\u2019s Week 5 Salsa, with head judge Jason cautioning her to try to have the same amazing communication with her partner as she had with the camera, but they were all blown away by her passionate headbanging Rock-inspired Paso Doble in Week 6. \u201cNow we see a completely different side of you! I really, really enjoyed it,\u201d Debbie commented then.<\/p>\n

In Week 7 Debbie was equally impressed with Liesl\u2019s American Smooth, complimenting the way that she managed to communicate energy through the tips of her fingers, and last week she commented on the musicality of Liesl\u2019s Salsa. But unfortunately this week Debbie didn\u2019t think that Liesl sufficiently portrayed the characterisation behind the song to which she and Ryan performed the Foxtrot, Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s \u201cListen\u201d, and Jason agreed. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to do the dancing from the inside,\u201d he chided Liesl, reducing her to tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of tears, but I did warn everyone in the beginning that there would be!\u201d Liesl smiled tonight after the result was announced. \u201cI don\u2019t leave this competition with any losses,\u201d she said graciously. \u201cMaybe the loss of my beautiful toes!\u201d she joked.<\/p>\n

The vote count and ranking of contestants is done according to the international format rules and was independently computed by Deloitte and Touche and confirmed against the vote results determined by M-Net.<\/p>\n

Next week, 8 April, these 5 couples remaining in the competition will each perform two numbers:<\/p>\n