DWTS11 Week 3 Power Rankings
Let me just preface these rankings with this warning: I’m suffering from, quite possibly, the worst bout of hayfever I’ve had in years, and I think the judges smoked a whole lotta something strong before taking to the table tonight, because the scoring was just WHACK. Translation: I’m kinda miserable and probably going to be doing some bitching & moaning. Capeesh? 😉
1.) Audrina & Tony – RIDICULOUSLY overscored, in my opinion, but that score will likely make them untouchable this week. It was a very nice, pretty waltz, but I don’t think it was worthy of two 9’s. Audrina is still pretty tentative in her movement and seems to get this vacant stare from time to time that really keeps her from connecting 100% to the dance. I give them props for doing a decent job of telling a story (on a night where I think a lot of the couples seem to forget the whole TELL A STORY part…), and Audrina really does seem to be a sweet girl who gets along well with her partner. But I think she’s running the risk of becoming unmemorable unless she really starts to shake things up a bit. These two got a good running order position (midpoint of the show), a great score, and are still riding the coattails of the whole leg waxing gag…they’re safe.
2.) Jennifer & Derek – Man, all that speculation over what song they were gonna use – only to have them dance to a minor hit that really didn’t have anything to do with teachers & students! But this was still totally adorable, and I gotta be honest – I actually think this samba was better than the one Nicole did. Don’t know if it was the choreography, the theme, or Jen’s damn good execution, but even with the mistake I thought it was a really strong performance. Loved that they redid it on the fly – and redid it perfectly 😉 Interested to see if they get rumba or Argentine tango next week – I’m sure they’ll knock either one out of the park, but I think I’d rather see them challenged a bit more with the tango, since they’ve already done one really romantic dance (their Viennese waltz). Good running order, good score (although I think they were STILL underscored by a point), and Jennifer’s developing quite a following on her own. Carry on, Jenougher 😉
3.) Brandy & Maks – Oh man, I’m putting this out there now: this time tomorrow people will be talking “smack-gate”. I personally couldn’t care much less if he slaps Brandy’s butt or hands – as long as Brandy’s ok with it, more power to him. It seemed to work, as Brandy was back on her game this week and seemed comfortable and on-beat with their samba this week. I think Jennifer’s technique was stronger, but Brandy definitely gave her a run for her money – she was holding her on in this one, and I actually really liked the whole Bodyguard theme. One glaring instance of crack smokage by the judges tonight – what didn’t they get about the storyline? Maks was there, doing what bodyguards do – surveying the perimeter and being stoic. What the hell did they want him to do, walk out in front of her before every step and slap some obsessed fans’ hands out of the way? Jeebus. ANYWHO, I still think their combined popularity and decent score will keep them safe for many weeks to come – as long as they can keep up the momentum.
4.) Kurt & Anna – Ok, I think this may have been my favorite performance of the night 🙂 Just made me smile and go “Awwww!” from the first step to the last – Kurt is really just the sweetest, calmest, most charming guy ever. If The Sitch is the lovable dork, then Kurt is the teddy bear of the show – the bit with his twin girls just made me melt. And dude – he improved MAJORLY this week! I was afraid that he’d revert back to his nervous awkwardness from the first week, since he had a ballroom dance this week – but he must’ve really buckled down and worked with Anna, because I thought this was just lovely. And I found myself shouting obscenities at the TV when Bruno got a smug look on his face and threw up the “7” paddle. I’m really starting to hate that guy. Still a good score, and a vast improvement – the only thing that worries me is their running order. Why the hell do they keep getting shoved to 2nd & 3rd position? It’s bad news bears territory…but luckily for them, I think there are still couples who are weaker and not as well liked that need to go home before Kurt even touches the danger zone (no pun intended ;-))
5.) Rick & Cheryl – One of the couples I had a bit of a beef with, due to the fact that they really didn’t do much to convey their storyline (seriously? Loser in a bar just gets hit on by a hot chick out of the blue and dances a sexy dance, despite losing an NBA championship?), but at least they made up for it with some pretty good dancing. Rick still continues to wow me with his ability to tackle very fine movements despite his height, and the ass shakin’ was not too shabby, hehe. I think I preferred his jive to this samba, but I’m wondering what he’s gonna pull out next week – I think he’s gonna be better off with the tango, but I’m getting the sinking feeling he might get the rumba instead. Hmmm. Anywho, this season’s ladies’ man got the pimp spot and a pretty good score, so he ain’t goin’ anywhere this week.
6.) Kyle & Lacey – Ok, another couple I have a beef with, but for a different reason. So apparently you can now demand a better song if you don’t like the one you’re dealt??? I thought it was a bit of a cop-out on their part – I think a good choreographer (and an open-minded partner!) can make any song work for them, given enough effort. That said – this was a pretty good waltz. Kyle continues to be the actor, really getting into the character of each dance; his technique seems to be improving a TEENSY bit, but I daresay the judges are becoming progressively less swayed by his charisma and are beginning to notice his footwork more. Luckily, they had a good score and a cute storyline, so they should be good – but Lacey, a warning: you have GOT to focus on Kyle’s technique. The energy you two generate is only going to carry you so far!
7.) The Situation & Karina – I gotta hand it to the Sitch – I feel like the poor guy is really giving it his all, and very well might turn out to be the “little engine that could” this season. He’s a terribly awkward mover, yes; but I do notice a bit of improvement each week, and at least this week he managed to stay on time. And props to them for dealing with the crappiest song assignment of the night – take heed, Kyle & Lacey! – and managing to make something oddly entertaining out of it. The one thing that worries me is that he actually seemed to let nerves get the better of him tonight – I almost like him better when he’s a bit more of a trainwreck, but at least he’s laughing and smiling. Maybe I’m being optimistic, but I think he’ll be okay again this week – he seems to be gaining more supporters with each goofy comment, and the fact that they keep putting him towards the end of the show seems like an encouraging sign. 🙂
8.) Margaret & Louis – Y’know, these two always seem to start out strong…and then abandon good dancing altogether and generally seem to shoot themselves in the foot for the other 2/3 of the dance. What a freaking disaster. How many actual samba steps were in this one? And how many of them did Margaret actually do on time? Forget a storyline – there wasn’t one. And while I admire them for standing up for their cause – I’m not sure this was the best way to do it, and I’m not sure how well-received it’s going to be. However, these two seem to be stayin’ alive so far, so they must have a pretty strong voting fanbase, so I don’t think these two will be leaving us this week, despite that trainwreck of a samba. But man, as we weed out some of the less popular dancers, they better be ready to work if they want to stick around.
9.) Bristol & Mark – I actually felt really, really bad for Bristol this week – I felt like she got raked across the coals for a dance that wasn’t really all that bad and wasn’t necessarily her fault for being mediocre. Was this a super electrifying foxtrot? No, but it wasn’t painful to watch either, and she stayed on time and did manage to convey some emotion. I’m a bit irked with Mark, though, because Len’s complaint that the dance was “too contemporary” seems to be something that’s really more his fault – wasn’t a fan of his who little dance solo at the beginning. Yes, she needs to come out of her shell, but really – I can think of 2 other acts tonight that I thought were overall worse, and I actually think she’s a better dancer than the Situation. That being said – she could be in trouble. I’m not quite sure how much of a voting fanbase she has, but I think her continued presence is the result of a combo of decent scores and decent voting…and now that the scores have slipped, I’m not sure the votes can compensate for it. Guess we’ll have to wait and see…
10.) Florence & Corky – Snooze, barf, cringe, snooze again. Repeat! When I’m not comparing watching these two move in slo-mo to watching grass grow (the latter is more entertaining, IMO), I’m upchucking my Claritin watching them do gimmicky crap like kissing. I didn’t think the dance told a story, I didn’t think there was any real technique or improvement from last week, I didn’t even think the choreo was good – and these two are dancing in the crap spot AGAIN, so I’m thinking they could be the next to go. Or maybe I’m hoping they’ll be the next to go, because they’ve really just been plain weird this season. Arrrgghhh…who knows. I have to pick someone to go home, and I think they’re the most likely candidates. Sorry Mrs. Brady.
So on the whole – did you guys love or hate storytelling week? Have any favorite/least favorite performances? Any bets on whether Boltongate has died down enough for Michael to perform this week without a heckling from Bruno? 😉 Cure me of my hayfever by hollering at me! 😀
I liked Audrina and Tony – but didn’t think what they did was worthy of 2 9’s – thinking maybe they aren’t getting the votes they deserve.
Maks and Brandy – I will go into much greater detail in my own post, but I really like the two of them, yet I”m continually disappointed in their dance. This was just WEAK – and it’s about her arms. Weak weak weak.
I was having connection problems, but Derek tweeted just before the show – basically, he chickened out of the more nerd like hairstyle, but they both still looked cute. And, considering the women Derek has dated, it’s totally believable that he has a thing for older women. 🙂
The rest? Lots of over scoring and bizarreness – and a crush on The Situation. 🙂 More tomorrow.
Well, I absolutely love the Waltz and know a good amount about it, and Audrina really wasn’t overscored that bad if any. She had a nice frame, not as good as say, Joanna Krupa’s from season 9 (who I think had the best frame out of any girl of DWTS imo), but it was good, and the footwork was really well executed. Her emotional quality was far beyond what it was the last two weeks, so I think she and Tony’s score given was well deserved. Jennifer and Derek ROCKED it like usual. I might actually go with you and saying Jennifer did just as well, if not better, than Nicole did in her Samba. I know my Samba and Jennifer was hittin those beats, shakin her hips, producing bounce, and being the “fun” version of sexy. She was a little bit underscored for me too. I also completely agree on Brandy and Maks, she was back on her game this week, and the story was completely understandable. I loved Kurt’s dance too, and when you said it made you go “Awwww” I was like “It made me do that too!!” I loved that dance, so charming 🙂 I’m not sure if I prefer Rick’s Jive to his Samba, that Samba was real nice, the Jive was just pretty good. Kyle surprised me by how fluid and mature he was in his dance, he needs to hit that technique though you’re exactly right. His feet were really bugging me through parts of it. I really appreciate that the Situation is trying, I really give him props, I like him. He’s improving bit by bit, and he and Karina did well even with the crappy song. Margaret did a…ok Samba for week 3. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t….awful. She was off time and beat SO many times though it made me wanna pick up that hat she took off and smack her with it 😀 I like her though, and I liked her and Loius’s story of just having fun and being joyful. Bristol was pretty good I thought this week, and was underscored a little by the judges, just a little. Florence’s dance was sweet, and it did make me smile, but honestly I’m not sure she’ll last this week. Great analysis Courtney, I’m pretty much on board with you on who’s safe and who’s not.
We had guests watching the show with us tonight again, and the general consensus was that Jennifer and Derek were the best, and were again underscored. Everyone found Audrina and Tony terribly boring (although I appreciated the drama-free package they presented. It’s nice to see someone who actually listens to her pro.) I love watching the relationship between Anna and Kurt – very professional, friendly, and charming. All in all, this is shaping up to be a good season. I hope Margaret goes next.
I would actually switch Florence and Margaret in your rankings – but that might just be me. 🙂 Margaret’s story was non-existant, whereas Florence was much more telling – just using the song an the dance.
I think Bristol and Florence have a good fanbase and i dont think either will be eliminated this is Margaret’s 2nd time at the bottom ( Woulda been third if it werent for Micheal Bolton ). SEE YA CHO!
I had the opposite reaction to Derek’s on the spot do-over. I hated it! It’s the second time I’ve seen him do it (finale with Nicole). To me, it looks like poor sportsmanship. Everyone gets one chance, and he shouldn’t be the exception. I’m sure many couples have parts of their routines they know they could have done better if given another shot.
I thought Florence, Bristol, and the Sitch were all overscored. I also noticed the audience is oddly silent when the Sitch speaks in his rehearsal. He got a raw deal with the song, but his movement still looks so strange that I wouldn’t be sad to see him go.
P.S. Im with Heidi about the rankings with Florence and Margaret 😀
Awesome review of the night Courtney!! My absolute faves of the night were Audrina and Tony and Maks and Brandy!! If I had to choose one couple in first, I would give it to Audrina and Tony by a couple of hairs. Fantastic dances!
Next I loved Lacy and Kyle. I have to give it to Lacy. I think this dance had the best choreography of the night. Once again. Kyle is a charmer and so entertaining!! He commands the stage when he’s out there. Not many people have that natural gift.
Next, I’d pick Cheryl and Rick!! They had one fansatic sexy fast dance. I thought he was a little sluggish at times and she was dominating the dance some. But, the shakes at the end and the whole package made up for it.
I’d pick Jennifer and Derek in the 5th position since it was a little sloppy and her timing was off. They were still very entertaining though and I love their spirit.
Next Kurt and Anna. I think Kurt was the most improved of the week. I was starting to think he couldn’t step up his game much from last week and the week before. I was wrong. He danced much lighter and to the beat of the music. Good job Kurt!
Next, Corky and Flo! I was so glad to see an improvement here too. Like the judges said, their hearts were totally into it. So romantic and beautiful. Loved the kiss at the end to seal it perfectly.
The Sitch and Karina – Ok, this might have been the oddest dance ever. lol But, that’s why I liked it. We’re seeing a maturity in the Situation too and he’s really trying.
The worst of the night – Margaret and Louis and Bristol and Mark. Both dances were bad. But, I think it should be Bristol to go home since her heart was not into at all tonight. She was stiff as a board…and in personality too. She went backwards tonight instead of forward.
Ok, so those are my thoughts. Can’t wait to hear everyone elses.
Sorry one more thing. Really excited about this weeks Cheesecake Awards Mwahahahahaha this is gonna be good!
I reeeeeally cant see Bristol going home tomorrow. Margaret was way worse and shes got potential unlike Margaret who just goes out there and pretty much screams ( HEY IM FUNNY AND GAY! BYE! ) and no real dancing. The Sitch is really ackward too. lol
Courtney- What a great analysis on tonight’s show. I thought Audrina and Tony waltz was only okay and WAY overscored. I didn’t feel connected to the dance and was bored. If they do an encore tomorrow night I would be suprised if they are not chosen since the judges loved it. Rick and Cheryl sure know how to sell a dance and can’t wait to see what he will do next week. I loved Jennifer and Derek’s samba. They should be safe even if they went first. As much as I like Kyle (he is such a entertainer) I agree that technique is not all there and he will need to work on that more in order to stay in the competition. I liked Kurt and Brandy stepped it up a little. As much as Margaret and Louis story was a noble cause, if they didn’t mentioned it, I would not have known. Florence may be in the bottom tomorrow, but Margaret might be there as well.
Grr… I NEED BACHACATAS. They’re a necessity for me when I’m watching a samba. I’m still watching the show, so I wanna know: Is there any bachacatas in a samba this week? That way I’ll look forward to the performance.
I think Kyle and Lacey were over rated. Yes, he is fun – but he has little technique. Sooner or later that has got to catch up to him.
I don’t think that Rick and Cheryl were better than Jennifer and Derek – there was less dancing!! But they were still good.
Bruno gave a 7 for all 3 foxtrots (Kurt, Bristol, Sitch). What’s up with that? They sure didn’t all seem the same to me.
do you really think that jen grey samba was better than nicole’s? I think thay joey fatone’s was better than jen grey. don’t get me wrong, i want she win dwts11, but, c’mon!!!!
I so agree with the above comments about Florence and Corky. The schmoozy “Sound of Music” and all the pukey sentimentality. Ick!
The judges are really annoying me this year. They seem to think it’s all about them and how clever and memorable they can be with their remarks. I don’t know who piddled in Len’s cornflakes between the first half of the show and the second half, but DAMN, he was annoyingly crumudgeonly. And Bruno, what a joke with all his sweeping motions and hyperbole. Even Carrie Anne managed to annoy me. They judge unevenly. No way Bristol’s dance was worth the same as Sitch’s disaster. Maybe it wasn’t the best foxtrot ever danced on DWTS, but it certainly was better than that dog’s breakfast of a time travel thing. And don’t get me started on the over-reaction to the way Maks has found to get Brandy’s attention focused. If Brandy didn’t like it, she’d say something and Maks would stop. You know, it’s like the producer’s great casting coup of The Hoff got cut very short, the Sitch isn’t being as controversial as they were hoping and the black eye the whole show received as a result of Bruno’s idiocy over Michael Bolton has sent them scrambling to manufacture some kind of drama or outrage to get people watching. And IT’S NOT WORKING! It’s pissing off loyal viewers. I don’t like what they’re doing to my show. It’s supposed to be about dancing and growth and fun – not controversy and drama and how over-the-top Bruno can be from week to week. And please, can someone get Len some fibre in his diet?
While I agree with ya on Florence being not good this week, I think she might get some sympathy on dedicating her dace to her husband. Also, i wasn’t bored by Audrinas dance, I quite enjoyed it, actually
I loved both Brandy and Audrina’s dances. I’m over the moon that Brandy got a good video package (minus the butt slapping) and they came back! Was it the best samba ever? No, but they proved that they’re not backing down and I LOVE THAT!!!!
**
Audrina, oh what can I say? That was artistry in motion. Courtney, you are right. She does have blank stares at times, but if anyone watched The Hills, she was kind of infamous for those infamous ditzy blank stares. But, I just am growing to love Audrina and Brandy so much more now, that it’s going to be hard to decide who to vote for when it comes down to the wire.
**
Voguerista, you and I are on the same page! Cool! Thanks for your support!
I don’t know about demanding a better song, but there’s nothing stopping you from asking for and getting a new song if you don’t like the original one – Jennifer and Derek did it with their Jive last week.
I was kind of walking around the house when Kyle and Lacey’s turn came up and I heard them say they got “Take It to the Limit” as I was walking by the tv. Then I walked through again during their dance and was super confused.
I wanted to tear into Derek and Jen tonight because I think they have got a lot of hype. But they deserve every mark they got. Derek is giving Jennifer FAR more difficult Samba work than most contestants on this show. That choreography was much tougher than Nicole’s for example. Jennifer had a lovely Samba style to her dancing, great Samba bounce, good foot work, rolls, turns and reverse turns, voltas, botofogos, travelling voltas, etc…so I saw a lot of good things going on there. But this show isn’t about mastery of the Samba, it’s about putting on a show, and in Derek’s zeal to show Len that he actually teaches this work, the performance suffered, in that the complicated transitions made them think more and get a little hung up. Derek needed to pull back on the choreography a bit, but I sense that Jen herself is competing with Nicole’s ghost and is demanding the tougher work. So the 8’s were justified. She’s capable of better. I wasn’t crazy about her costume, it seemed bulky and far too much material. I thought the premise was a little bit tired as well, but great job on the dancing.
Audrina bored me to tears. Her footwork wasn’t sharp, the transitions hesitant and the “acting” vacant. The choreography ugh..how many freaking times to we have to see the guy goes to war scenario Way overscored.
Bristol is an even more vapid version of Audrina. She’s doing the work without the conviction. It just sucks, and there’s no entertainment value in it, no matter how hard Mark tries to get a performance out of it.
Mark, however, was excellent. I was hoping he would have a partner worthy of his conviction to the piece.
I simply do not get the hype around Warner. His posture is still bad and he dances mechanically. He’s just uncomfortable to watch because he really does not feel the music.
In contrast, Kyle is naturally gifted at feeling the music, he’s good but he’s lazy, and he’s sitting back on his charm instead of learning. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be doing proper heel leads. He has the ability. That’s irritating because the frat boy humor is wearing thin.
Margaret looked like the drunk girl at a party. She was just all over the place, off time, with no significant footwork to critique.
Florence was as expected, she dances like a 76 year old. Cloris was better, by a lot. Sure she was camp, which got annoying for some, but she was pretty darned impressive with her flexibilty and her movement.
The Situation oddly amusing, but there’s nothing one can do to fix his feet.. the whole thing was just odd. Far too often in that dance Karina would suddenly strike a Latin line and it just was jarring in a Foxtrot.
I actually quite liked Maks and Brandy’s Samba tonight. It had a good flow, nice transitions, good travelling work on the runs…yeah.. and I liked it. The bum slaps in rehearsal were “different” but I don’t think the intent is abusive at all. I don’t think Maks would ever teach like that, I think it was staged for the viewers to get that l love you/I hate you hot tension between the two of them. It worked for me 🙂
I think Rick and Cheryl did a good job with the Samba. There are still some finesse required but he’s really managing that big frame quite well, and is becoming more adapt as time progresses. I think they played up his charm and good looks and he can shake it, which is a good sign of really getting the music to flow through you. The choreography was certainly not particularly difficult, but overall it was pleasing to watch, and it made me smile.
You’re welcome Nathan! 😉 Keep those videos coming!
I agree with you all too about the judges. I was shocked especially when they gave Bristol a “7”. I mean…come on!! There is no way she deserved a 7 or even a 6 for that dance!!
I think Kyle and Lacey, Rick and Cheryl were overrated. Kyle has a great personality, but his technique is not worthy of those scores. Cheryl dances around Rick way too much, imo, and I would be happier if she gave him more to do. The story was also very weird.
Bristol was forgettable, and Audrina had more emotion but I think I wanted more rise and fall from her waltz.
I liked Jennifer and Derek’s, but thought she got caught up in the routine and the costume was a bit meh on her. I also really dislike it when Derek has to redo stuff that they messed up on and sometimes it seems borderline of being an attention whore and kind of like, “look we can really do it! I promise! See!!” I really wish he would stop doing that.
Kurt and Anna’s was adorable and he definitely improved and portrays with a lot of genuine feelings and he always looks so happy.
I think Florence and Margaret seem like really hard workers and very determined, but sometimes that gets in the way and they end up with ok routines.
The Sitch seems to be a different person on dwts than jersey shore and it’s great to see him so determined. He is improving little by little but they are very noticeable even though he is still a very awkward mover.
That is your bias putting Jennifer and Derek above Brandy and Maks. They was no way these two dances where in the same field. First of all, Brandy had a comeback week this week. Jennifer messed up her routine, she messed up the choreography in places, Brandy did not do that, she was clean throughout.
Didn’t like Jennifer’s Samba at all. She was overscored IMO. Also, she’s gotten 24 for 3 weeks in a row while the other are catching up. She’s shown no improvement. C’mon Jennifer, you can do it.
Audrina had the best dance of the night. That’s a fact.
Since this was storytelling week, I was expecting more story through the dance, and I don’t think some of the pros did a terrific job with that. Jennifer and Derek did a great job conveying the story throughout, as did Kyle and Lacey, and Audrina and Tony. Margaret and Louis failed, I think, because to me, the story was told in only her costuming. I think Mark failed Bristol, and it surprised me, because I thought he would do much better. It was like he took all of her faults, and put them front and center, where everyone will look at them, and fault her for what she was fearing most. Until this week, I actually liked Mark, and I thought that Bristol was finally showing me that Mark COULD be a good teacher, but last night…. It wasn’t there. Me personally, I like when the teacher (pro) knows where the student’s faults lie, and choreograph around them. And Mark didn’t do that. The judges said they wanted her to “perform” more, so instead of helping her learn that, he simply says, “stand there and act?” I don’t think Cheryl did a good job with the story, it just wasn’t there to me. And, she seemed to do most of the dancing, and she hid a lot of Rick’s faulty footwork, by standing in front of him. Honestly, if I had to choose one athlete to stay and one to go, I would prefer Kurt to stay, and Rick to go. Yes, Brandy did dance well, but I didn’t get the story! Some of the performances were just forgettable.
About Derek, and redoing the steps they missed…. Derek’s always seemed to be a perfectionist to me, and the redo, I felt, was just to settle his mind, because he knew they could do it. It’s like something is bothering you, and you have to do something, just to get it to stop bugging you… That doesn’t make sense, probably.
I think that audrina and Tony were great and deserved three 9s (just my opinion) and Jenniffer deserved a 27 as well. I kinda liked Florence henderson’s dance. It was sweet and the backstory was great too. Kyle and Lacey were a big letdown. They should have stayed with the first song……the who are the eagles comment was stupid. Brandy did a nice job (i am just going to ignore Maks and the slaping stuff). I just didn’t like the whole bit where Brandy was like the montage made it seem that we argue all the time. I like Briatol’s dance actually. If anyone is to blame for the choreography its Mark. The situation was ok for once and Rick and Cheryl were just alright (once agin my opinion). the gf sas he was great and voted for him nonetheless since he took his shirt off lol. Margret and louis were ok but i think she is trying to hard to be likeable. Plus, Louis choreogrpahy isn’t doing them any favors (they seriously needed someome with a personality for her like Damien who danced with Pam Anderson (i forgot his last name). On a side note, i was good to see Jonathan roberts dance. he is great :).
Evaine: LOVED your comments and agreed with all of them, especially with the Judges portion. They are starting to forget why we all tune in!
OK, so I totally get Marg and Louis support gay rights, as do I, but dressing her in what was basically a pride flag was just WAY too much. Totally distracting, which given how bad she danced was good, but as a gay friend of mine once said: “Subtly will help the cause, in your face pisses just people off”
@Karla I just want to say, look back at Jennifer and Derek’s dance. There was really only one over arm transition that messed up. That was authentic Samba with very little “filler” in it. Brandy and Maks’ did a good job tonight as well, but Brandy does not have Jennifer’s ease of technique. Derek put a LOT of Samba technique in that dance and I don’t think people realize how difficult that was.
@karla – “That is your bias putting Jennifer and Derek above Brandy and Maks.” Gee, sure it isn’t YOUR bias putting Brandy & Maks above Jennifer & Derek? I found Jennifer’s choreography to be of a higher level of difficulty and was executed more cleanly – even with the mistake. After watching Brandy’s routine a 2nd time, I now realize that she is not closing her legs properly and is still unsure of what to do with her arms. That is my opinion; you a free to yours. But don’t try to pretend that we all don’t have some sort of bias here.
@Jennifer – “Audrina had the best dance of the night. That’s a fact.” No, that’s an opinion – she may have had the highest score of the night, but I don’t think that necessarily means her dance was the best. It was not technically as sound to me as some other routines last night, and the entertainment value was not there for me. It was a nice dance, yes; but in my opinion – not the best.
@Steve – You bring up a good point about The Situation being a very different person on DWTS than he is on Jersey Shore. I bought the October issue of Cosmo the other day, and there’s a short little fluff piece in there that examines the body language of both Snooki & The Situation. It goes on to explain that a lot of The Situation’s bravado and machismo is really just an act – that deep down he’s actually a pretty humble guy that has insecurities just like the rest of us. I found it rather endearing 🙂 As for Snooki – they way they put it, what you see is what you get with her…the Snooki we see in the public eye is the real one. That’s not so endearing to me…lol.
And just a general statement about Margaret & Louis – if there’s one couple I think DESERVES to go home ASAP, it’s them. Do I think they WILL get sent home? NO. I have a bad feeling all of the talk they’ve generated from their god-awful, tacky performance will keep them around at least another week, and that even though the way they went about supporting their cause was rather in-your-face (and a bit obnoxious, in my opinion), the LGBT community is still going to stand behind it and will probably throw quite a few votes their way.
I just wanted to say to Andie that I agree with most of your comments and enjoyed reading your posts.
@ Jennifer, Other may be catching up to Jennifer and having the same score of 24 for 3 weeks looks to show as no improvement but she was a tad underscored on her jive last week. It’s like how Audrina was WAY over scored this week. Judges are not consistent and unpredictable. Anyways, Jennifer is showing improvement and her stamina seemed pretty good last night too.
I guess I am in the minority here, because I just don’t see “The Situation” as endearing at. all. He just comes off as arrogant and his overall presence just doesn’t sit well with me. I think either he or Margaret needs to get sent home ASAP. I do think it will be Margaret tonight. I just don’t think the LGBT viewers can keep up with the voting demographic of this show, so I dunno…
I thought Audrina was overscored, Jennifer underscored, and I still can’t get on the Brandy and Maks bandwagon. Something about her just rubs me the wrong way. She’s kind of a disappointment, I guess I just expected her to be a lot better than she actually is.
Others are catching up to Jennifer and she’s stayed at 24 for three weeks = no improvement? Nonsense. That theory implies that the judging is perfect and on target for every couple. I don’t think there is a single person reading this blog that truly believes that.
As for Derek re-doing moves – he’s a perfectionist and so what? It makes no difference because the scores have already been determined. They are scored the instant they stop dancing and they know that – you can see the judges writing it down and handing it to a PA before the couple even makes it over to Tom. If you don’t like it, just say so – but don’t imply that he’s trying to change anything significant by doing it.
Boy Blake, it’s weird you say that about Brandy and Maks. I’m not usually on Maks bandwagon but I really like her and him together – which is why I’m perplexed about the level of Brandy dislike I’m hearing out and about. I guess I”m always against the grain on Maks and his partners. 🙂 I’ve had several people who are just general viewers, with no particular favorite pro, tell me that they don’t like her at all. And, unfortunately for them, their edit last week was bad news – I had a couple people tell me they felt sorry for Maks.
Well, Derek has always been my favorite pro, but I have always also liked Maks despite his attitude. I just haven’t really felt his partnerships the last couple of seasons for some reason. I just can’t put my finger on it?
I thought Tony and Anna did what the pros are supposed to do: create DANCING performances that are matched to their celebrity’s abilities. Both dances were pleasing to watch, i.e. charming. It does seem like the judges “adjust” the outcomes as the show goes along??? I also think it is too soon to bring Michael Bolton back for a reconciliation??? Tom Bergeron has disappointed me on his reaction to this; watch his entire segment on the George Lopez show. There are plenty of reality TV shows and insult comedy shows. DWTS promised something better: entertainment plus encouraging people to dance for fitness, discipline, self-expression and sharing with a partner. Enjoyed everyone’s input.
Courtney, consider what the Judges said. They all critiqued Jennifer for messing up the choreography. They all praised Brandy for being clean and improving from last week. Derek’s choreography was disappointing, and I am a fan of Derek, I’ve supported him previous seasons but it was very clear to me. I do not think the choreography he gave Jennifer was any harder than the choreography Maks gave Brandy. And Brandy practically got straight into it, while Jennifer and Derek where by a desk for half of the routine. There is no way.
You are wrong on Brandy, she did not mess up any of her choreography, the Judges did not mention anything. She was technically clean.
Blake that is odd. Maybe you should watch some of their backstage interviews. You could get to see her and Maks more.
Week 3 backstage:
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=7705997
Blake because Brandy is a singer you may be associating her with people like Mya and Nicole who had so much dance experience that is impossible for Brandy to live up to your expectations, because she doesn’t have that dance experience. For not having much dance experience I think Brandy is amazing.
Oh, excellent link Karla. Thanks for that! 😉 xx
@Karla If the others were asked to do Jennifer Grey’s choreography they would just roll up in a corner. Seriously. Brandy did a lot of shimmy shakes, and a lot of side by side stuff, a few basic grapevine steps, not very much Samba in latin hold at all. There’s no way she could do the work required of Jennifer. There were no botofogos, barely a few voltas, absolutely no samba rolls. She looked wobbly on her feet out there as it is. Maks made that dance interesting because he as the bodyguard was very sexy to watch.
Boy Karla, I think you are way wrong on both Jennifer AND Brandy. Jennifer’s choreography was much more difficult than Brandy’s and Brandy’s execution was still not all that. As for getting straight into it – they were not by the desk for long at all and it was story week. That was kinda the point. I don’t think Maks’ story was any stronger than Derek’s at all. And since you appear to be valuing what the judges say – they all liked Jennifer and Derek’s story. Brandy’s? Not so much.
Brandy was clean? No, not in my opinion. Not if you look at her arms.
Call me a weirdo, but I loved it when Derek and Jen redid the transition to perfection. I love when he has that much trust in his student to just nail it at tempo without music. I guess it’s just the teacher in me. Imagine, if you will anyone else in this competition being lead into a piece of the dance without having to think about where they are in routine, not off the top, just smack dab in the middle without music to give you a sense of place in the line of dance. Without thinking about it Jen went with the flow. I thought it was fabulous.
@Karla – Everything you’ve said hinges upon the assumption that the judges are always spot-on with their scoring & their critiques…which I think couldn’t be further from the truth. Season after season, we’ve all gone “WTF?!” with some of the scores they’ve handed out. They may have pointed out Jennifer’s mistake, yet they still gave her the same score as Brandy, who had no mention of any mistakes – even though you could drive a boat show between her legs and she unfortunately seems to suffer from chicken arm syndrome like Erin. As for Derek & Jennifer spending too much time by the desk – I could argue that Brandy and Maks did the same thing with the microphone. And I still stand behind my statement that Derek’s choreography was more difficult (including samba rolls, which are almost universally considered the hardest samba step to master), as well as being more meat-and-potatoes samba steps. But I’m done with the whole “Who had the better samba, Derek & Jen, or Maks & Brandy?” debate – I can see we’re at an impasse and we’re just going to have to agree to disagree. 🙂
@Andie – I agree about the little redo – I liked the spontaneity of it, and was impressed that Jen was able to do it perfectly on the fly. I think it showed that she really did know her choreography well, and it was just a bit of a fluke (maybe her balance wavered) that she fouled it up in the dance. Since the judges had already turned in their scores, I don’t think it was a matter of trying to get an extra point or two – if anything it was a matter of proving to themselves that they knew how to do it right.
@Heidi – People don’t like Brandy? That’s surprising – she always struck me as being a sweetheart that voters would take to really well. Well if you’re against the grain when it comes to Maks, then I am too – I actually think Brandy has been his best partner thus far, and they have a really good synergy between them. So weird that people don’t like her…is it just because of the Brandy & Maks “Hate-gate” of last week?
Courtney, part of it is because of their package, but I’ve had people telling me they don’t like her since the first week. And yes, I was really surprised by that because I find her very refreshing. She’s not passive aggressive like I think Erin is (and often just plain snotty), she’s not whiny like some of his partners have been. She’s just straight up. Anyway, it’s pretty common knowledge around here that I write on a blog so people are always giving me their opinion of who they like and who they don’t. In my neck of the woods, the favorites appear to be Jennifer, Kyle and, to a lesser extent, Audrina.
Hmm well I’m often a fan of Maks, but I am not into Brandy and Maks this season either. It’s not so much that I don’t like her, I just don’t feel the connection between them like I have with some of his other partners.
Courtney, well I would say that Brandy and Maks where at the mike stand for a shorter time than Jennifer and Derek where by the desk lol lol lol lol. Seriously though, Jennifer did mistakes, that was obvious, whether the Judges said it or not, she made mistakes, and Brandy did not.
Heidi true
on to the rumba and argentine tango next week
Good luck to all the couples
Well, Karla, some of us would call sloppy arms and legs a mistake, and some of us also don’t find the judges infallible like you clearly do. At least until they pick on Brandy and Maks again. 🙂 Then I imagine you will be singing a different tune.
And you aren’t seriously trying to nit pick time at the mic versus time at the desk are you? On story night? What ever helps you sleep at night I guess…just be sure to block out Maks’ entire season 10. LOL.
Interesting stats on the DWTS Odds…Jennifer is still the favorite, with Rick in pursuit. Brandy has fallen like a stone, wow.
http://www.963wdvd.com/Article.asp?id=1978493&spid=38780