DWTS9 Week 5 Power Rankings
For the first time this season, I really don’t have much to say about tonight. Despite having two of the most emotionally-charged dances (and an energetic group dance), my overall feeling for tonight is “blah” – which is why I really had a hard time with this week’s rankings. Probably the hardest yet, because very few people really “stood out” tonight – and the paso dobles seemed to really get lost in the shuffle amongst a sea of Argentine tangos. Oh well…on with it…
1.) Joanna & Maks – Yes, they did flub…but it will probably make this tango that much more memorable and will also get a lot of sympathy votes (as if Heidi didn’t drum up enough for sick Derek via Twitter! 😉 ). And they had the virtue of being in the “money spot” (which I don’t think was accidental…) Joanna was actually quite good in the tango – she had the heat, and was the only one that seemed to get the characteristic “brush” of the feet against the floor. This was probably my fave routine of hers yet – it just would have been a heck of a lot better with Derek in it! Although, oddly enough, Maks & Joanna seemed to get along pretty well…maybe the eastern European connection? 😛 But no worries, Heidi…there is only one man for Joanna, and it starts with a “D” and ends in “Erek Hough”…
2.) Donny & Kym – (WARNING TO DONNY FANS: Hatchet job in process…don’t bother reading on if you get offended easily!) Now, I did say last week that it was pointless to talk about Donny’s dancing because he’s gonna get a ton of votes (and a lot of smoke blown up his tookus from the judges) week after week. But I feel it’s my duty to point out that he was RIDICULOUSLY overscored this week. His tango was, at best, stiff and cold. I got NO HEAT from him – and honestly, who really wants to see a smoldering Osmond? I think I threw up in my mouth a little when he made the comment about “knowing about passion” because he had 5 kids. And again with the hackneyed fauxmance with Bruno…ick, ick, ick. But the crowd still cheers the loudest for him, and everyone (with the exception of maybe me, Heidi, & John) thinks he’s just dandy. *sigh* Have fun on your trip to the finals, Donny boy…
3.) Mya & Dmitry – Still stone cold. Great choreography (Dmitry really seems to shine in Argentine tango), near-flawless execution from Mya – and not a smidge of heat between them. I had high hopes for Mya after the steam she brought to the lambada last week, but alas, it was all in vain. *sigh* But their scores (and Mya’s fanbase) will likely carry them through again…
4.) Kelly & Louis – I give Kelly mad props for seemingly bringing Louis out of his shell – the guy has been wearing more makeup than some of the girls this season! It definitely makes them memorable, as does their song choice (honoring dear old daddy 🙂 ) and rocking theme. And I am aware she was dancing with an injury…but let’s be honest – her paso was highly mediocre. Kelly seems to be receding further into her shell with each performance, and it looked like she was more or less just walking through her choreo tonight…she may be the “loveable underdog” this season, but she is beginning to run the risk of becoming boring. And boring does not keep you safe week after week…
5.) Louie & Chelsie – I’m gonna put it out there: Louie & Chelsie read my rankings last week and are heeding my advice and playing up the showmance 😉 These two look more smitten each time I see them – putting their heads together (a big body language indicator of attraction and trust, as it is a very vulnerable position), smiling broadly during practice, always facing their bodies toward one another. But I actually agreed with Len and thought this was their best routine yet tonight – it had a story to it (which most of the other tangos didn’t), they were connected physically and emotionally, and the execution was clean. I gotta hand it to Louie – he is always there for Chelsie physically during all of the stunts. He’s a strong lil guy! And those two are still cute as a button…onto next week…
6.) Mark & Lacey – These two are still getting lost in the shuffle for me, despite the fact that they seem to be improving. Their paso actually left me a little confused this week – Mark had some moments of great strength and character during the routine, and he also had some moments where I actually found him to be a little bit…effeminate. Not sure if it was the way he was sticking out his hips or the expression on his face, but at certain points he really looked absolutely ridiculous to me. Surprisingly enough, I actually preferred their two-step last week over this one. But if the judges say they’re improving, the voters will likely follow, and they’ll live to dance another week. I’m just not sure they’re improving at enough of a clip to stick around much longer…
7.) Michael & Anna – I don’t think it was any accident that Michael got paso this week…after the disaster that was the bolero last week, I think the producers took pity on poor Anna and gave them a dance without a hint of romance. But the paso suited him well, and he was actually quite entertaining to watch – not too painful on the eyes. But I find that paso can be a dance that is easy to “fake” your way through, and really, that’s all he was doing. And Michael the ham came out strong with a bit about “holding a quarter with your butt” and then took a cue from Donny and pandered to Bruno…probably a wise move on his part. There’s a slight chance these two could end up in the bottom two, but after they were snatched from the jaws of death last week by Michael’s fans, I sincerely doubt they’re leaving this week.
8.) Melissa & Mark – Sorry Melissa, looks like you really are a one-week wonder. And yes, I know your partner was sick one day (and you got to work with the fabulous Anna T., whom I adore 🙂 ) – but your tango still sucked. The energy was low, and Mark did most of the fancy footwork (which is really supposed to be the woman’s job in this dance). Aside from that, I remember nothing about it. And I don’t know how much longer you can coast through on Mark’s popularity…
9.) Aaron & Karina – Oh Aaron, what are we going to do with you? (and ironically enough, this was actually a lyric in one of his early songs back in the day! lol) I daresay you’ve got a lot of reputation repair to do to recover from your emotional outbursts the past two weeks. And it doesn’t help that you seemed to be on the verge of happy tears upon getting your scores this week…although your tango was actually pretty darn good. Like Louie, Aaron is strong, and good at tricks – he never seems to falter when he’s hoisting his partner around, and for the first time I actually felt a little bit of heat between he & Karina when their faces were close together. But when they were apart? Totally blank. Not a whole lot of showmanship here. And they performed early in the show, which never seems to help. On a (slightly) unrelated note – does anyone else detect a rivalry between Aaron & Louie? Louie definitely took a cheap shot at Aaron during his confessional last week, and their “Who can do the best flip?” contest during the hustle practice seemed to have a slightly aggressive undercurrent…
10.) Natalie & Alec – Robotic, emotionless, low energy, and BLAH. I really have nothing more to say about it. I don’t know how it’s possible, but Natalie seems to have actually gotten WORSE with each passing week, in both stage presence & technique. It certainly didn’t help that she got stuck in the “crap spot” by dancing first…and she definitely doesn’t have the scores to keep her safe this week. I also noticed her starting to develop the “Wish I had more to say…
So ummm yah…I really don’t have a lot more to say. I think it’ll come down to Aaron & Karina (or maybe Melissa & Mark) and Natalie & Alec in the bottom 2, with Natalie probably going home. We’ll suffer through the group hustle once again as the encore, and we’ll probably be underwhelmed by the MJ tribute. *sigh* But hopefully you guys will have some strong opinions about tonights show…and I wanna hear ’em!
Also, feel free to take a look back at all the previous Dancing with the Stars power rankings to see how they’ve changed as the show progressed.
Courtney, I am actually kind of surprised by your comments, I really enjoyed tonight for the most part! I will just go in order…
Natalie & Alec – I totaly agree with this one, she does seem to get worse each week. But, I think that she will stick around longer than she probably should.
Aaron & Karina – His personality and attitude are killing him. My husband watched the show with me tonight and the first thing he said after they danced was “Wow, he sure can’t live up to all of that conceitedness” and I agreed totally. He was VERY stiff.
Michael & Anna – It’s really sad that he had to resort to a dumb stunt to get some publicity. I think he kind of used that to overshadow his poor dancing.
Mya & Dmitry – Surprisingly, this was my favorite dance of theirs so far. I felt the connection and the spicyness more than I have yet. Albeit, it was not much, but it was more than she has been giving.
Mark & Lacey – I really enjoyed this one! I felt like we got to see a little more of the old Lacey come back. It was really enjoyable.
Donny & Kym – 100% agreed. He was WAY overscored, and he will be the entire competition. He is good, but he is not GREAT.
Louie & Chelsie – You can totally tell these two are into each other. It also looked like they gave each other a little peck during the dance. It’s really cute, and I enjoyed their dance throughly.
Melissa & Mark – She really stumbled through this one. It looked like she forgot some of her choreography, which is not her partner’s fault. I think she was a one hit wonder.
Kelly & Louie – I want her to be so much better than she is. She has gotten to the point where she flubs through her choreography every week, and I hate that. I felt like they did not live up to their music and atmosphere they created.
Joanna & Maks – She did a great job considering her circumstances. They looked great together, however, I am still really sad that Derek was gone. I wonder if he will be dancing during the tribute tomorrow night…
Courtney please please include me in the “don’t think Donny is dandy” club!
I was really looking forward to this week. I love the paso and couldn’t wait to see it but it did seem to get lost in the tango sea. It was a little underwhelming tonight.
I think that Melissa seems to depend a lot on Mark and when he wasn’t there she faltered. She didn’t do as bad as she could have and I really hope that she gets another chance.
I kinda forgot about Natalie again. She is just boring and I really hope she goes home this week. And I really didn’t like her costume.
I’m trying to recall Mya’s dance and I can’t.
I really enjoyed Maks and Joanna together but I missed Derek. I hate that they stumbled but it was pretty amazing!
Melissa and Mark: the funny thing is that she may have flubbed but at one point is seemed Mark over powered her and pulled her some which cause some mis-steps.
Donny: I get that you guys dont like him but I do. He deserved his score.
Aaron Carter: I feel such a NEED to defend him. Unfair to just ANYONE ON PERSONALITY ALONE. Who ever said a guy can’t get upset over something…he has so much potential but he really is just trying too hard to be perfect and forgetting to go out there and have fun.
Overall I thought the show was great. The group dance was fun and silly…lol those wigs on some of those guy were terrible…but I just wanted to get out there and dance with them. This competion is just fun to watch….Bruno is just crazy and make me laugh cause you never know what he will say or do next.
Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Natalie is sooo beautiful and I want her to do well, but she is just so forgetable. I think she’s having issues with Alec. I think she might be in trouble. This is my lead in to saying I agree with most everything Courtney said.
I have to give a shoutout to Maks – I thought he did a great job picking up for at-death’s-door Derek. That boy was sick. I don’t know when I’ve ever seen anyone that thin and in shape sweat that much. It was painful to look at. You could see it coming on in the group dance rehearsal which was the day before he called off sick (and he and Jo rehearsed after the group rehearsal) – his face was beet red in the Hustle package.
I have to say – Jo’s tango with the stumble was better than Melissa’s dance – that girl (Melissa) continues to get over scored! Good lord, she was a mess tonight!! And I may be watching too much media, because I don’t LIKE the woman. She bugs.
Donny – I think I might have to side with Amanda, up to a point. I enjoyed Donny tonight but then he, as always, took it too far. Donny, DANCE AND SHUT UP!!! Dang, dude, you almost had me and then you went too far (again).
Mya….boooorrrrrinnnngggg. I just don’t see the chemistry between her and Dmitry. I think she might have been better served with Derek or Louis or MAKS – someone with more personality that Dmitry. Not that Dmitry is bad, but the two of them together is just too much quiet and COOL. Not a good combo. She’s got the Kristi factor in terms of dance – no one could screw her up! Give her a loud pro who will contrast with her nicely.
My darling Kelly – I love her so much. I love her personality, I love her with Louis. But she’s getting worse instead of better when it comes to dancing. She just didn’t have it tonight and I think she got the scores she did because the judges didn’t want to diss her in front of her dad.
Aaron’s dancing didn’t really suck (although he still had some of the flamboyancy issues), it was his personality after that got to me. CHILL dude!
That’s all for now – it’s late here! I will say, the shows are improving, in general. But I do think some couples are mis-matched.
Sorry Courtney. I’m not in the don’t find Donny dandy club. Actually I find Donny the epitome of dandy and so that’s why I don’t enjoy watching him dance. That said, my wife has a bit of a connection with him and being mormon I’m happy to see him successful. Even if I don’t enjoy watching him dance. Oh, but I should also mention that I enjoy Donny 100 times better than Marie.
So, basically I have mixed feelings about Donny and at the end of the day just let it go.
Even with the stumble tonight, Joanna’s dance was THE most memorable. She’s got the attitude and attack, and most of the time the technique is there too. She did pretty well with Maks, but let’s hope Derek is truly back next week. But all Joanna has to do is survive.
Donny is getting away with showmanship, and his fans (women in their 50s) are THE perfect demographic for the voters. They’ll put him into the finals.
Mya has all the technique but she needs to channel Joanna’s fire. Between the two Joanna wants it WAY more.
The old fireball Lacey came out to play tonight! I wish Mark was better than he is, but he IS improving. I just think he’s going to run out of time.
I call Louis “The Hobbit.” He makes me nuts. I have to hand it to him this week, though. He showed improvement. But he’s gone soon enough.
Melissa and Natalie – interchangeable and forgettable. They still have to think too much about what they’re doing and can’t let it rip like Joanna.
And gorgeous comeback girl Kelly – I want her to succeed and it does seem that she is enjoying herself. I know I give her a little more credit than she deserves but she is so earnest and what a transformation she’s achieved! I admire what she’s done. Her Twitter repartee with Louis is great fun!
All right, one more DWTS amateur commentator signs off! Until next week!
You’re completely wrong about Donny. People clearly did not look at the passion, tension and the chemistry between Donny and Kym then there’s good footwork and lines there. He hardly gets much sleep and he has a gig in Vegas and has 5 kids and a wife. That is a lot and it’s amazing he managed to get a 29 after all that. So he’s a determined and talented guy. You guys need to stop your hate on Donny and open your eyes!
Donny will win because of his talent, enthusiasm and entertainment value…….If that’s not a well deserved reason to win then I dont know what is!!!
GO DONNY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I with Liz…I could have said it better myself. I mean really its not like they are competing for money…its just a silly trophy and bragging rights that dont last very long. I dont think Joanna is THAT great sure she has a great partner…I like Derek but Im not going to vote for Joanna JUST because she is Dereks partner. At the end of the day I thought everyone stepped up their game…I meant no one was absolutely horrible.
Amanda,
Actually, that’s not true. They do get paid to be on the show and a lot of money at that. Plus, the farther they go the more they get paid. You can see the details of what Shawn Johnson got paid: https://www.puredwts.com/2009/03/31/shawn-johnson-makes-big-money-on-dancing-with-the-stars/
My favorite dance was by far Lacey and MArk paso, so cool, i loved, the rest i didn’t really liked, Joanna before the mistake was great but that mistake was just to big to ignore.
John I figured they got paid I meant more like they arent competing for a charity or something like that.
I hate to say it but – Donny knew going in that the schedule was going to be brutal. No excuse. He knew going in that he had a wife and five kids. MOST people on the show have other stuff going on.
And, for the record, no one here (if I remember correctly) has ever said that Donny wasn’t a good entertainer or that he couldn’t dance at all – In fact, that is a reason that several of us took issue with him. He has, arguably, too much entertainment and showmanship experience, not to mention a huge fanbase. Those things definitely give him an advantage that others don’t have. But STILL, no one has “hated” on Donny. This is SOOO typical with fans (and I’m sure I’ve been guilty in the past) – they can’t distinguish between hate and apathy. Just because someone doesn’t worship or love Donny, doesn’t mean they hate him – there is a whole lot of grey area between the two emotions. I even said last night that he was winning me over (with his dancing), it was his antics after the dance that ruined it for me. DON’T try to take the mic from Tom Bergeron – EVER.
Donny will likely win because he has a huge, passionate fanbase. If the win were based on dancing and nothing else, it would be Mya and, IMO of course, with Natalie, Donny and Joanna coming along. But those three women don’t have one important element – voting fanbase. Plus Natalie is having a serious chemistry problem. After last night, Mark D could also be back in the running.
I still don’t know why donny got two 10’s, Kym did everything on that dance, to be honest Kym,KArina and Chelsie were all dancing around their partners, the only guy for me that danced last night was MArk D.
Mya is the best dancer and her dance was great but by the end of the show i couldn’t remenber her dance, she and Dmitry are boring and forgettable IMO.
I fell like Mya and Natalie would have a bigger chance of winning with different partners, like Maks ,Derek, Mark and Louis.
I don’t understand why you have to bash Donny each week. He does a good job each week and has yet until last nigth recieved the scores he should have. People just don’t want to admit that Donny is good. Of course Donny knew what he was getting into before he started the show. Why is it that everytime Donny makes a comment he is put down. But everyone else can say whatever they want. You have to know Donny. He has a wonderful sense of humor. I am proud to be on of those 50 plus yr. olds that will help Donny go on farther in the show. But I vote for Donny because I think that he deserves to go on in the show. He works harder than anyone else in the show and improves more each week. I think it’s time for the Donny bashing to stop. Donny does not deserve it. Enough is enough. Let’s just enjoy Donny and leave it alone. I know I intend to.
Like Heidi said, we never said Donny was a bad dancer, but the fact is he does have a slightly unfair history entertainment/showmanship experience. He is a great dancer, but, like Heidi, I almost like him and then he pulls dumb stunts to get attention after he dances. I prefer when the dancers let the dance speak for itself and do not feel the need to pull dumb stunts to garner attention. That just shows me that they don’t think their dancing is getting enough attention. All that being said, Donny is a good dancer, and he will probably win the competition. Just because of his good dancing and annoying personality that older women are smitten with. Some of the other dancers are better than Donny, but they get pushed aside because of Donny’s stunts. That’s the only thing that annoys me.
Donny gets bashed every week on this blog by most of the writers. Donny is still there and will be for a long time not because of his fan base but because HE CAN DANCE! It’s not that I get offended easily by people saying not nice things about Donny, it is the degree to which it is done that is really annoying. There probably is only one or two blog posts on here that haven’t said something mean or nasty or snarky about Donny. Almost every post has a not Donny again, pimping Donny again, Donny again, Donny’s a ringer, I daresay Donny could probably walk center stage and read the phonebook as a routine and he still wouldn’t get voted off!, the plague of the histrionic Osmonds continues, tacky, pimp Donny, pointless to talk about Donny’s dancing, threw up in my mouth, ick, ick, ick, RIDICULOUSLY overscored this week, Still annoying, Disturbingly heavy in some stars (Donny),The first one is of, who else, Donny Osmond, Kym is teaching him a sexy dance? No comment, Not a good sign if Donny and Marie are already bugging me, right?, on and on.
I enjoy reading this blog except when you talk about Donny. I agree with a lot of the power rankings week after week. I just wish you could do Donny’s ranking without any smart snarky remarks. There is a nice and polite way to say that you did not like what he said to Bruno or how he acted. The negative remarks about him are very irritating. Especially since you don’t talk about anyone else the way you do Donny. Please give him the respect that you give the other dancers.
I’m really glad to see some Donny support here in the comments. Oh yeah, and I do disagree with your comments about Donny’s dancing and his scores. I think his scores were right on. And this week I did think he was very sexy! Yeah, baby!!!!
I somehow knew this post would ignite a firestom 😀 But that’s a good thing…what fun are power rankings if no one disputes them?
Now for the record, after the large volume of comments on this post about Donny, I felt obligated to go back and watch his performance again to see if I was maybe just in a crummy mood when I watched it. And watch it I did – three times. And I still stand by my opinion that he was overscored, and the showmanship was not there last night like it was in previous nights. I found Aaron & Mya’s routines to be much stronger (and more difficult) technically than Donny’s, and I thought that Donny actually looked a bit vacant at times – as if he couldn’t quite grasp the character of the dance. I also found his legwork to be a bit stiff, and agree with whoever said that Kym was doing most of the work in this routine. That is my unbiased, pure technical opinion. I also encourage some of you to read some of my previous posts about Donny’s dancing – I actually find him to be a great showman and have pretty good technique, when he isn’t stomping all over it with his off-stage shenanigans…
…which brings me to the topic of Donny’s “antics”. I agree with Heidi that it totally detracts from his dancing. I don’t think I would be so hard on him if I didn’t find him downright obnoxious at times when he’s not dancing. The Bruno stunt is not only getting old, but I actually find it to be in rather poor taste as well – it is beginning to feel a bit exploitative, as if Donny is somehow using Bruno’s sexuality for attention. Again, not making ANY assertions about Donny’s beliefs or morals – I just can see why some might be offended by it. Hence my “ick, ick, ick” comment – I find the whole thing to be tacky and rather uncomfortable to watch. And to echo Heidi’s sentiments again – NOBODY takes the mic away from Tom Bergeron. NOBODY…not even an Osmond. There have been times that, the moment after he performs, I am honestly wowed by him – and then the over-the-top theatrics begin and I find myself almost completely forgetting his dancing because I am so put off by what he says.
And to address the comment about “not talking about anyone else the way I do Donny” – I certainly haven’t had completely sunny reports about all the contestants week after week. Aaron’s attitude has almost completely turned me off to his dancing; I think Michael just plain stinks; Natalie has no emotion whatsoever for me; I think Melissa is overrated; I find Mya comes across as too “cool”; I don’t think Mark is living up to his full potential; Kelly seems to get worse with each passing week for me; I am still on the fence about Joanna at times; and while I find Louie & Chelsie adorable, I have openly admitted that they aren’t very good technically. I do my best to not hold punches when it comes to any of the dancers, no matter how much I may like (or dislike) them.
I respect everyone’s opinion and and just ask that you respect mine in return. We’re allowed to “agree to disagree” and that’s perfectly alright – again, it definitely makes things interesting on these posts! I’m honestly a bit disappointed that some of you didn’t voice your opinions about Donny earlier, since it’s clear you follow this blog week to week…thanks for continuing to read, and please feel free to voice your opinion! 🙂
We all have our favorites. If we didn’t it wouldn’t be much of a show. We’d have our winner on week one. (Although some may say that we already have that…but that’s another post). I have to say that Courtney’s a pretty equal opportunity offender. 🙂
That being said I have to agree that Donny’s antics are over the top. What do I remember about his dance? That he tried to take the mic from Tom or that he “made out” with Bruno. That’s not what you want.
Courtney, I think you missed the point of my post. I’m not saying you have to love Donny and his dancing (although I don’t know why you don’t!), I’m just asking and I think the other posters are too that you critique Donny in a more respectful manner. Your reply was done very well in that you didn’t use any smart comments or digs about Donny in replying to my post. You just stated facts. Which is good. We can handle your opinion. It’s just the manner in which the opinion is delivered sometimes is what is getting really old.
I read the ABC DWTS board and there is constant Donny bashing there. I guess I am just frustrated and your few remarks just put me over the edge. I know that I was forewarned.
Courtney my other post wasn’t directed just at you. I said in the first line that MOST of the bloggers say smart comments about Donny. Your post was the one that just sent me over the edge. Sorry.
And believe it or not, I actually agree with you about the Bruno thing. I’m tired of it and I don’t like it. Enough already. That said, being the Donny fan that I am, I just over look that. Can you honestly say that you LOVE everything your husband or boyfriend has said or done. We all say and do stupid things. I do cringe when Donny starts his antics but that does not mean he is not a good dancer and it doesn’t make me like him any less. I just overlook that because most of the time he is not like that.
Also the reason I felt that I had to say something about your Donny comments was because I know that you had written some nice things about him. I actually had to go back to the top to see who had written the post because it sounded like Heidi had written it. (Sorry Heidi!) So I was surprised when I saw it was written by you.
I know that you said that you have made comments about the others. Maybe they don’t stick out to me because I don’t really know any of these people and I don’t really care about any of them. However, I have been a fan of Donny’s for 41 years! Yes, I am that rabid over 50 fan base (couldn’t you tell from my post!) So anything you say about him is like saying something about one of my family members. I guess I am just too close to Donny to be objective when it comes to him. Sort of like Heidi and Derek.
I really do enjoy reading this blog.
Glad Donny is safe for another week. I feel bad for Natalie. I liked her. I think Michael or Louie should have went before Natalie.
Mary Ann
I will add that Michael Irvin was also an offender this week by giving Bruno the nickel. Now Bruno encourages a lot of this behavior, but enough is enough. Michael had his ONE shot (and it was funny but gross in the extreme considering the flu going around), but Donny is past two now. It needs to stop. Just because Bruno is gay you can pull this crap?? I find it offensive. Bruno may be fine with it, but I am becoming less so. Courtney is absolutely right – Donny’s antics detract from his dancing. It’s holding him back.
“it just would have been a heck of a lot better with Derek in it! Although, oddly enough, Maks & Joanna seemed to get along pretty well…maybe the eastern European connection?”
I find your dismissal of Maksim and Joanna’s work to be insulting, truly intentionally derisive crap unworthy of a supposedly intelligent critique. Maksim’s tango was the most charged with energy and man/woman tension of all those danced that night. Joanna was fantastic at the mood, or story, of the dance — which Maksim taught her! Your opinion was predetermined, which means prejudiced, which means bias, which means your opinion is worthless. The “eastern European” crap is simply added disgusting insult. Grow up.
Jo Ann, while I have the utmost respect for your opinion and appreciate that you read this blog, I feel as though you’re being rather harsh on what is supposed to be an opinion piece on which dancers are most likely to stay and which are most likely to go. Strong emphasis on the word “OPINION” – meaning it’s my own personal take on things, and in no way meant to reflect what the masses think. People that read this are going to (sometimes passionately! 🙂 ) disagree with what I write – and that is perfectly ok, and actually appreciated! All I ask is that we all do so respectfully – without devaluing others’ views, or hurling insults at one another. From what everyone has been writing, I can tell that we’re all mature, intelligent individuals here – let’s conduct ourselves like it 🙂
I am entitled to my opinion that Joanna partners better with Derek than she does with Maks. They are, in my opinion, well-matched physically (which is always a plus in ballroom dancing!) and I feel as though she & Derek have developed a good working rapport and chemistry since beginning the competition – a chemistry that would probably be very difficult to develop with Maks in just a few days. Hence, I think I would have enjoyed the tango even more if she had danced it with Derek – there would have been a bit more of an intimate “feel” between them than she had with Maks. As for getting along – I don’t think it can be argued that Maks has a bit of a reputation for butting heads with his partners…however, I didn’t see that side of him this week, and actually found him to be rather warm & likeable.
And I would also like to clarify a few things I believe you may have misconstrued or read out of context. First of all, I did not say that I didn’t enjoy Joanna & Maks’ tango – if you read above, you can see that I actually commended Joanna’s technique, and even went as far to say it was my favorite routine of hers yet. And I agreed that it was the most memorable of the night – in what way did you find my opinion “predetermined”? If you were offended by the “eastern European” comment, I am truly sorry, as it was not made in any sort of “insulting” manner – it was actually more of an observation that Joanna has been the first partner of Maks’ to actually be from eastern Europe as well. And honestly, I don’t think it has any sort of bearing whatsoever on how they get along, and was meant to be a joke (hence the smiley face after 😀 ) As for any sort of “bias” – of course there is going to be a bit of bias in any sort of opinion piece. That’s why it’s an opinion piece! And as I said before, feel free to disagree with it – but please do so respectfully. I like to think that no one’s opinion is “worthless”…
Anyone who claims no bias when watching, writing about, discussing and *commenting* about this show is, simply put, patently dishonest. Period. NO ONE is without bias, and one’s opinion is just that – one’s opinion. But yes, you have to give it respectfully – and Joann, I think you were treading a fine line. You claimed it wasn’t personal in another post – it sure sounds personal now.
Courtney: None of your nice explanation came across in the flat unexplained phrase “…it just would have been a heck of a lot better with Derek in it!” And you apparently were unaware that I have discussed at length the apparent prejudice on this site against eastern European dancers — which caused me to be extra offended by your reference to their immigration to the US. I regret that my post was too harsh in your eyes, but my reaction against the flagrant favoritism for Derek and Mark, to the point where your posters refer to the dancers as “the older ones” versus the supposedly correctly younger ones (these guys are in the 20’s!) just belies your site name. You are not about DWTS really, you are about the adoration of a few dancers. I argue that you need truth in naming instead of the pretense of objective criticism.
Princess Heidi: It’s not personal, it’s sincere outrage — Your columns are written from a predetermined bias no matter what happens, making the site misleading. It’s a PROMOTIONAL site on behalf of Hough/Ballas,period. Name it such then and quit dissing the other dancers by feint praise!
One time on that post was more, way more, than enough.
Heidi
I am biased toward Derek. Um….DUH!! I’ve never pretended otherwise. But Courtney is not me. John is not me. Tabitha is not me…the list goes on. If you believe I’ve ever feigned ANYTHING on this site, you haven’t been paying attention – or you are simply blinded by your own biases – of which there are clearly many. Until you admit your own issues, you are off my radar. And if you keep up with that tone I’ll just start deleting you. This is a blog site, not a democracy, and not a news site.
Melissa is overscored but she is not getting by on Mark’s fans. She is a popular child star people saw grow up on t.v. She has tons of fans and they are keeping her on the show. She is not awful but just mediocre but the judges overscore her. She should have left around the same time as Kathy ireland.
I do not know what you are seeing, but you and anyone else that thinks Dmya does not have heat are not looking at them. That Rumba was on it and what couple do you see hugging the way they do. She always leans into his body and he puts his arm around her. The results show when they show the confessional alot of us noticed Dmitry either grabbed her hand to hold it or he put his hand on her leg and they were sitting so close to each other. They have the best chemistry on that show and we see it everytime we see them. Trying watching again more than once or twice maybe you will see it too. Dmitry was born to be a choreographer he is the best one on the show. Their music is always perfect for the dance they are about to do. Last Tuesday’s scores should have been their third perfect score. Their Lambada was the best and so was their AT along again with their Rumba.They are first class and in case you did not realize Dmitry was sick, but he is ok now. Which we are happy to hear. Stop going along with what you hear and watch them for yourself. One thing people forget is that she was trying to make sure she did not hurt Dmitry again as she had in practice and was probably concentrating on that as well as doing the dance. When the dance was over she hugged him and held on to his arm while they walked over to speak with Tom and the judges. Maybe also there was a little distance if you felt that way becasue he was sick and did not want her to get sick. Yes, Team Dmya is on it.
Actually Denise…most of the couples hold hands and hug and kiss after their dances and during the confessionals. I think Kelly and Louis (even if it isn’t romantic) and Chelsie and Louie have the best chemistry on the show. I feel like Mya and Dmitry are faking the chemistry…like putting down rose petals and having candlelight to learn the Rumba. Mya is a very good actress and dancer and one of the best ways to get votes is a “showmance.” Chelsie and Louie may be doing the exact thing though. It seems that Kelly and Louis have true chemistry through. I love to watch them together. They laugh and they are always talking on twitter. I think that they have created a friendship will last. If you look back at Shawn and Mark they were particulary touchy. And Gilles and Louis have both said that they love their partners. I just don’t feel the heat from Mya and Dmitry.
Eh. Mya and Dmitry = trying too hard to have chemistry. I don’t see it. They’re both good looking people, and both can dance like crazy, but that doesn’t equal chemistry. You wanna watch something that shows what I’m talking about? Look at their interviews – when Dmitry is talking, Mya doesn’t even acknowledge that he’s speaking a lot of the time. She’s facing the camera, as opposed to looking at him. Joanna looks at Derek, Kelly looks at Louis, Donny looks at Kym and so on. Most of the remaining couples, I think, have relatively decent chemistry with the exception of Mya/Dmitry and, maybe, Michael/Anna. As far as touchy feely goes – Derek is often criticized for being far TOO hands on with his parters. All of them hold hands, hug, and so on. Derek is one that is almost always in physical contact. When D and Mya were called safe – did she turn around and hug him, or acknowledge him in anyway? I don’t think so – and it’s been noticed on other message boards. I didn’t realize it until it was pointed out to me. All of the other couples show great relief and hug each other when called safe. Now, it may just be that Mya and Dmitry both are just too quiet and it’s not coming across on screen – but that could turn out to be a BIG problem. Same problem that Natalie and Alec had. I called them as “in trouble” on Monday night because the audience wasn’t seeing anything relateable. Mya’s not acknowledging Dmitry could also be seen as arrogance, when she’s just quiet and shy – but that is NOT a good thing on this show.