SPOILERS!!! DWTS 11, Week 8 – The Results
La la la la la… to the twitter white space. 
Dance Center is the funniest damn thing ever – if they insist on having lots of filler, why not more of that. And Len? Call me, since you’re now a Derek fangirl. Geez, I just gave you guys a cheesecake preview all in the name of not accidentally spoiling anyone.
Well, Kurt and Anna leave us tonight. I will be honest and say that I would rather Bristol have gone, although she was doing well and improving. For me, sometimes it’s just about the boys and I prefer Kurt to Mark. 
Shallow I am.
Anyway, I said I thought it would finally be one of the bottom two and Bristol didn’t need much to get past Kurt so it’s not the least bit “shocking”. Of course, the producers put Brandy and Maks up there next to them – that’s what happens when you fight with one of the judges and refuse to let it go. Very ungracious. Props to Brandy for putting her hand over his mouth. Not that the producers were trying to get back at them – no, it’s all about the DRAMA!! But ya know? Poor Brandy for being in that position most likely due to Maks drama with Carrie Ann. And I’ll leave it at that because I should save my rants for the Cheesecake.
So it is two dances next week in the semi-final? Is this the week where they have to do a solo in one of the dances? I’m trying to remember from last year.
I must say I was very impressed with the way Bristol handles herself behind the scenes. She is unflappable and was comforting Mark about the “mapping” mistake, as she called it. Not what I expected from someone so shy.
Wow. Nathan and I are obviously feeling awesome! ” atleast i think he is lol ” Brandy and Bristol are still in!!
Bristol is so hot…
Zack, how did you read my mind! Of course! I’m ecstatic!! YES!!!!! I love Brandy! And although Audrina is my official crush of Season 11, Bristol is cute. High five, Zack!
Woohoo! Yes actually I do read minds. Like my friend Vogue is probably really excited bout the cheesecake.
Just kiddin
LOL Zack!! Gawd, another week of Bristol coming. *criessss* Not sure I can take it agian. lol J/k!!
Just a shout out to Courtney. Sorry your fave red headed Russian and her teddy bear are going home. They should be proud though. He really was the “Gentleman” of this Season and he had the perfect partner.
Heidi, I can’t wait for our Cheesecake!!
Oh, and Heidi, I so loved The Dancer Center too. They were all three so funny.
And wow, weren’t those kids on the show tonight amazing?? So good!!
I didn’t DVR the show, so does anyone know where I can go on the web and watch the pro dance again? I’m looking for the one with Louis, Tony, Dmitry, Peta, Kym, and Chelsie.
I think they should do DanceCenter every week and add Erin Andrews as a “sidelines” reporter. That would be hilarious.
I too am sad about Kurt and Anna. Maks looked so smug standing there at the end, almost like he knew what the result was going to be. He and Brandy didn’t even walk over to Kurt and Anna–Kurt walked over to them. Usually it’s the other way around when someone is eliminated.
Those kids were freakin awesome, Vogue!! Your’e right!
that is you’re lol
Yea Kurt was awesome! He brought major class to this show!
I thought Maks actually looked more worried than usual in his facial expressions. He seemed to be playing around a little to try and keep Brandy from loosing it. She always seems nervous, and after the contraversy last night, I thought she might lose it tonight wating for the results.
Did anyone else see the Maks/Carrie Ann hug at the end?
Did someone just say Bristol is hot? Ugh! Ok, I prefer blondes, but really?
Bristol needs to go next week please!
Depressed Kurt is gone. Guess I’ll be voting for Jennifer now. And yeah, I love Dance Center, I wait for it all season long! They were actually considering not doing it last season, so glad they came to their senses.
Ok, I’ve tried SO VERY HARD to be nice about Bristol Palin on DWTS, but I just can’t do it anymore! So without further ado, here is my rant:
Actually, Bristol NEEDED to go home weeks ago! What else NEEDS to happen is judges actually scoring her, not inflating her scores as they have been, because you can sure as hell bet ANYBODY else (even Kurt) forgetting that many steps in dances would NEVER end up with scores anywhere NEAR that high (and he’s not a dancer or performer either, so people with THAT argument need to come off it; football player does NOT equal performer, it equals ATHLETE!) and the fact that it has happened in multiple dances is simply further evidence that she should be gone and that the judges need to start scoring her accordingly. They didn’t give Kurt Warner any breaks, why do they KEEP giving so many to Bristol? And if people are going to talk about IMPROVEMENT, Kyle and Kurt are the two that improved the most, Bristol stopped getting ANY better WEEKS ago and has since flatlined. I can only hope that next week will bring the end of the assault on our eyes that is Bristol Palin “dancing”.
Oopsie! Because of my rant, I got sidetracked in wanting to comment about another good recap by Heidi
and say the 2 absolutely best things about tonight were DanceCenter and the ADORABLE little kids dancing!! Loved both!! 
Did they announce which pros were chosen for Design A Dance?
Carrie Ann is the ungracious one! Mark and Kurt defended Maks b/c Carrie Ann is the WORST judge in the history of judging.
I agree jeanmom. When did Kurt speak up for Maks? Even Mark had to speak up, everyone knows she was the one in the wrong. She judged Maks instead of judging Brandy’s dancing which her damn job, although she has is not even qualified to that since she has no ballroom or latin experience. I think Maks was gracious in apologizing to see his fans. This won’t have changed anything, it has encouraged those who support Brandy and Maks to vote more, those people who are moaning about Mas would have never voted anyway. Kurt was such a nice guy, I actually really liked his dances.
Guys,
When do they do the freestyle! Is it next week or the final?
@Margaret – The freestyle is done during the final round. So not next week – the week after.
@Vogue – Thanks for the love, m’dear
I am really gonna miss Kurt & Anna! But who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky and run into them while having playtime out in Arizona…I will totally share pictures if I do! Haven’t decided who my votes are going to go to yet…I started off voting for Sitch & Karina, and then Kurt & Anna, and now I’m torn between voting for Kyle & Lacey (because I worry they may be the next casualty of Bristol) or Jennifer & Derek. Hmmm.
@Meggie – Next week is the final 2 unlearned dances – 1 ballroom, 1 Latin. They haven’t really said yet (to my knowledge) if there’s any sort of theme or special challenge to it – in the past the Latin dance has been the “decade” dance. If memory serves, here’s what everyone has left to dance:
Jennifer & Derek – cha/cha & waltz
Brandy & Maks – paso doble & Argentine tango
Kyle & Lacey – samba & Argentine tango
Bristol & Mark – paso doble & waltz
I’m honestly really worried for Kyle & Lacey next week. I could see Bristol easily faking her way through paso & waltz and getting decent scores, and I feel like Kyle may really struggle with samba. Yikes.
I’m so bummed Kurt&Anna got eliminated. He was having so much fun, that alone should have kept him in longer. They did a good interview on Kimmel and Anna looked HOT.
Thanks Courtney, for the awesome info on next week’s dances!
A penny for Anna’s thoughts? Their 8s on Monday reminded me of the 8s she and Evan got last season – and the look on her face when she knew it was over with the judges.
Did I say I love Kyle? I, too, hope he does well. It’s not that I don’t like Bristol, I just don’t think she’s finalist material. And the more I think about Mark having to use a chair to lift her, the more I realize they don’t stand a chance in a freestyle.
Courtney,
Thanks for the info! Please vote for Jen and Derek! Those two are working so hard and have great chemistry. Kyle is good, but a good entertainer, I can’t see him as a real competitor and I totally lost respect for Maks after his behavior last night. That was uncalled for, he was very arrogant. What do you think?
Jay, He lifted her without a chair the first time. Didnt you see the whole dance??? Where she like proped herself on him? They just used the chair for effect. Plenty of the dancers do that! Even the girl pros.
Yes, John. I said Bristol is hot!! She freakin is too.
LOLLLL John and Zack!!!!
Jay, I’m with you – after that ho-hum AT on Monday (which was, ironically, her best dance), I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in seeing a Bristol freestyle. What would Mark have her do? Shimmy the whole time? Oy.
You’re welcome, Meggie & Margaret
I think I’m going to throw my votes Kyle & Lacey’s way next week, because I think (*fingers crossed*) that Jennifer ought to be safe, barring any flak from the judges or major meltdowns. IMO, Kyle & Lacey are going to be the next casualties of Bristol the Pistol, unless the judges can score Bristol fairly (meaning lower) and Kyle & Lacey can overcome her in votes. I think they deserve to be in the finale. I’ll admit, as much as Lacey has grated on my nerves this season, Kyle has been a delight to watch – and I would be curious to see how Lacey can redeem herself with a freestyle this time around, after the lackluster one she did with Lance in season 7. Also kinda curious to see what she can come up with for Argentine tango, since she’s never choreographed one on the show before.
The last time I voted for Maks was in season 5. After this week’s debacle (and the fact that I just don’t think Brandy is as good as Jennifer), I have no intention of throwing any votes their way.
Poor Kurt. I read a quote from Anna somewhere awhile back that the dance he was looking forward to was samba. That would have been next week, and it might have been pretty good if his cha-cha was any indication. And I bet A. tango lifts would have been cool.
I agree with Fangrl that it seems like Bristol gets scoring breaks more often than the others. I’m still trying to figure out how she and Kurt got almost the same score. Does that mean her samba would have gotten a 26 or 27 if she’d remembered the whole thing?
I know Bristol didn’t need much to get past Kurt, but it still means she needed to match HIS fanbase size (which I don’t think was small) plus get a little more. I worry for Kyle especially if the scoring tightens. Unless he falls apart next week, I think he’ll get my “Kurt” votes.
Point taken about Mark’s lift of Bristol. However, it doesn’t matter that plenty of the women pros lean into a lift. They’re not the ones doing the heavy lifting, especially in a freestyle situation. Mark cannot clean and jerk Bristol, in a lift anyway.
He’s as limited with her outweighing him and Cheryl was with the height difference. At some point it just looks funny and doesn’t work.
I’m also restating my comment from earlier about future stars being reluctant to come on the show. Call it “Being Bristoled.” Meaning that her influence has negatively affected other participants – knocking them out prematurely. Not based on her personally, but on everything her mere presence brings to the show.
Well, Mark agreeing with Maks doesn’t mean that Maks is right – it just means Mark agrees with him. And Mark was an ass about it too, on either Access Hollywood or ET. He’s mad because he’s not getting better scores. What’s funny is, I’m pretty darn sure that Maks is talking about Bristol when he says that the judges are tearing some couples down (Jen and Brandy) and building others up (Kurt and Bristol). Ooop, Markie, Maks is dissing your girl too. LOL. And you know what, on that point I actually agree with Maks. It’s just how Maks chooses to express himself and his frustration that I can’t stand.
Look, Carrie Ann is a crappy judge. We’ve been saying she’s a crappy judge for weeks now (although I doubt you guys thought she was so crappy when Jen was her target
). All the pros are entitled to the same opinion – that she’s a crappy judge. It’s how you express those opinions that’s at issue – most of the time. Bitching and moaning during the show to the point that everyone else in the room is uncomfortable INCLUDING your partner? Not cool. And if he causes the show to run over, he could be in a lot of trouble. You want to rant and rave to the press afterward? Well, not the best plan (especially when you’re dancing with Bristol – I mean, really), but it’s not as big a deal. It’s just people like me who get on you for it then. 
Especially when you diss other people on the show. Plus, it’s not just you in the equation – it’s Brandy too. Derek commented on it too – and at the age of 25 I’m not sure how he manages to always be so politic. He said something like, “Hey, it’s live TV, we’re all passionate, protective, stuff happens.” He doesn’t take an obvious side and he doesn’t diss anyone.
Problem this time is, sometimes even crappy judges are right on target – and she was right on target monday night. I was yelling at the TV because I knew that was going to be a problem. Everyone else started dancing right away – except maybe kyle, but he was engaging the audience. Maks and Brandy sat on their butts for a several seconds, then walked slowly to the dance floor, then stood still. Either ET or AH actually had a counter on it counting off the seconds – 18 seconds. That’s a lot of time in a minute and a half dance. When you add in the running and clapping at the end you have a dance that is barely over a minute long. Lacey, Derek, Mark and Anna choreographed entire routines. Maks is on record saying he only choreographed a minute. To then complain loud and long *during the show* about Carrie Ann’s comment is arrogant in the extreme. He needs to ask himself how he would have felt if Brandy had gone home last night, with that as either the cause, or as everyone’s last impression of her as a dancer.
As for judging Maks instead of Brandy – well, I hate to break it to you, but they’re a team. Maks doesn’t get to eliminate himself from the equation. If Brandy is standing still, she’s not dancing. And hell, they still got a great score – that dance wasn’t even worthy of the 28 she got. I think Maks even said that he was suprised by the score after the talk. So I think the “Judge Brandy not me” is smoke and mirrors.
“Yes, John. I said Bristol is hot!! She freakin is too. ” -Zach
Well, I don’t know what to say to that. I don’t think she’s ugly, but hot goes a bit far for me. That’s alright though. I’m glad that someone thinks so.
As far as Mark lifting Bristol, I read one report that said that Bristol actually gained 15 lbs this season. I’m not sure how legitimate the report is, but that would be amazing if it is true.
True too, Jay. Guess we’ll have to see. Great points.
I realllly doubt that report….
Zack, your Bristol crush is just the cutest thing ever.
Heidi, I’m with you. Since when is the scoring just about the celebrity and not about the team? Not to mention, the Insta Dance contest was about making the routine fit the last minute music. Brandy AND Maks were way overscored based on the contest.
I was really bummed to see Kurt go. Again, based on the competition it was his time though. He was a true gentlemen and will be missed.
Lol, Heidi! Thx, Cant wait for some cheesecake.
Instant dance means start dancing right when the music starts Maks. I expected more from the choreography because of Brandy’s musicality.
Maks is a jerk. I think he’s even eclipsed Derek in terms of being the pro I dislike the most, and I didn’t think that’d ever happen.
“I read one report that said that Bristol actually gained 15 lbs this season. I’m not sure how legitimate the report is, but that would be amazing if it is true.”
Meh… It’s possible that Bristol lost some fat and gained some muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. At least, that’s what I’ve always been told! Haha.
I don’t think Carrie Ann is a crappy judge. Her scores are not terribly off base and sometimes she makes the most constructive comment out of three of them. However she does have a tendency to get too personally involved every once in a while. It doesn’t usually effect her score much but the impression she leaves after that kind of comment is not good. I tend to ignore her when she gets overly involved because I don’t think it effects the outcome significantly plus it kind of does make her seam passionate about what she does (too much so, but hey, what can you do).
This has nothing to do with the situation at hand (Her vs. Maks), it’s just a general observation.
Every judge has moments when something bothers them which the others don’t see as a problem. But since there is no clean and crisp judging criteria because of contestants going in with varying forehand skill and knowledge, they are allowed to have an occasional crazy moment in my mind.
I really wish the show would go back to saying who is actually in the bottom two. With everything else going on this season, it just makes it feel even more manipulative.
How in the world is Bristol not being called out by the judges for her poor dancing? Not extending her legs on the AT? Just letting them hang loosely there? Getting lost in the dances and forgetting steps week after week? Have we even seen that before this far into the season?
You can make it far on this show with either great dancing or great charisma/performing skills. Bristol has neither.
Any other contestant in any other season that got this far into the competition with such poor quality dances would be very rudely called out by the judges.
That said, I have been enjoying this season. I made peace several weeks back that Bristol was going to get through – probably to the finals. I thought it was pretty hilarious how last week they showed Kelly Osbourne’s lovely performance from her FIRST week followed by Bristol’s SEVENTH week heavily walking about the dance floor.
At this point I am throwing all of my support to Kyle. That kid gives it his all out there and has a great attitude and no drama. I think he deserves to make it to third.
Just wanted to add some farewell love to Anna (till pro dances & next season hopefully). What I love the most about her is that I feel I can love her without feeling the need to be overprotective about her because I think she doesn’t need and doesn’t want anybody to be overprotective of her. She is a strong, smart, capable, talented and funny (sarcastically) woman. I don’t even feel the need to complain about some lousy scores her & Kurt got. Shit happens. If they had gotten some nines last night maybe they would still be in the competition. But they didn’t, that’s the way it played out and nothing to do about it.
All in all: awesome job guys!
Unless there’s an injury, I’m guessing Kyle is the next to go. Since Bristol has made it this far, she’s in the finals. A few weeks ago this would’ve sounded nuts but now it doesn’t (though I may still be nuts). The only way to keep her out is to wing out those 3 and 4 paddles – see that happening?
I dunno Jay. I think people might rally around Kyle to kick out Bristol. I like her but if she stays another week I will be majorly pissed. Unless of course she produces a miracle performance next week.
sasa, I’m thinking that the judges, known to throw in low paddles to make it a contest, have lost the ability to score her with anything other than 8s or 9s at this point. They have boxed themselves out of any other type of scores (10s are possible, I suppose, but what are the odds?). Kyle can get 8s, 9s and 10s but that only puts him in the same situation as Bristol. Her fan base only needs to overcome his and that is very probable.
We’ll see. I’m not saying it isn’t possible. I’m just hoping people are realizing they need to vote, vote, vote for Kyle. If someone else falls victim to this and not Bristol I won’t complain much because I’m rooting for Kyle anyway, but I know many would be very pissed. Should be interesting next week and that’s the most important thing.
I’m so glad Kyle made it to the semi-finals. I almost want to vote, just so that he makes it to the finals. Almost. Regardless if he can overcome her fanbase or not, I think it’s fantastic that someone we all thought (before the season started) was going to go home so early because of the lack of name recognition has done so well. It kind of reminds me of Gilles, who no one knew, but came out dazzling with non-icky sex appeal, great routines and sincere performances. But instead of the sex appeal, Kyle is simply charming and earnest. I’m happy for the kid, and so is my daughter (who actually knew who he was because she’s watched his shows).
Heidi- I didn’t see ET or AH yesterday but that’s really interesting that one of them had a “dance countdown clock” I was wondering exactly how much time he wasted at the beginning of the dance.
Every single pro that has ever been on DWTS has used some sort of fluff at the beginning or end of their dances so Maks isn’t the only one guilty of wasting time, but it’s starting to become his signature move. And Brandy is a good dancer, stop wasting time and let her dance.
It’d be interesting to see a compilation of the beginning/end of Maks’ dances when him and his partner are wasting time and walking around or just sitting there.
I was disappointed to see Kurt and Anna go. I cannot believe that Bristol is still in the competition. The judges have been very lenient with her while being overly critical of others who weren’t as bad as Bristol. Mark is flying around her and at times seems to be dragging her around. I wonder why she was even selected to be on the show in the first place–she is not a “star”. It has been a disappointing season for me. I didn’t even watch a couple times and I normally love this program. I didn’t even bother to vote this year–a first for me.
Brenda Warner (Kurt’s wife) tweeted “Well that sucks!” after the show last night. LOL She was a Marine, so I guess she gets right to the point.
mmc, that’s hilarious! lol
While I like Maks and Brandy, I thought their instant dance was by far the worst of the five. Their eating of time was obvious, and unlike Kyle’s, did not contribute at all to the dance or entertainment value. Even what WAS danced was uninteresting and blah – and I LOVE the chachacha. She has better ability than that, and Maks has it in him to do some great routines – but occasionally he really misfires, and that was one of them. I thought they were overscored, as was Bristol. I kind of understand that the scores are sometimes relative to what each individual can do, and sometimes relative to the other couples – and I think in Bristol’s case they are definitely curved towards HER abilities and not the other contestants. While this may seem unfair, they judges do it all the time – it just happens right now to be at the expense of better dancers or better performers.
Oh and I forgot to add, I’m so glad Steve-O showed up the other night! I love him and all the Jackass guys, and he was so endearing on the show both as a dancer and there to support Lacey. I hope they can get another one of the Jackass guys on there – get Wee Man and then we can talk about some height difficulties!
Oh and I take it back – I do think that Brandy and Maks were better than Mark and Bristol’s samba, but that the other dances were better than Brandy and Maks.
Sorry for the spam! Wish I could edit!
Fig, that’s Maks for you. He didn’t like the instant dance concept and probably rebelled by not choreographing a full, decent routine. When he got called out for it, there was no way to go but self-defense. The only other way would be for him to acknowledge he did it on Brandy’s expense. And we all know he would never admit to doing something for himself despite his partner’s better interest.
heidi you said what i wanted to say about maks. he an bristol are a couple. judges will judge him too.
how many times len criticized pros choreography? classical example: sabrina’s chachacha “too much hip hop”.
heidi you said what i wanted to say about maks. he and brandy are a couple. judges will judge him too. why is it wrong?
how many times len criticized pros choreography? classical example: sabrina’s chachacha “too much hip hop”.
messed up LOL
Its sad that Kurt left
. I guess Kyle is getting the third spot in the finals now unless Bristol pulls off yet another surprise. She si getting so much better but not quick enough if she makes it to the final its going to be kelly osbourne all over again. As for Maks vs Carrie Ann, Maks needs to chill out. I can’t wait until they give him a horrible partner and he has to get eliminated….maybe he wll learn not to be so mouthy.
THE show is the best on t.v., but you need new rules. You sit there every week and watch the stars work so hard, and know in your heart and know the best.Why in the world is Bristol. still on the show? I’ll tell you why, because her mother knows lots of people, not because she can dance.Even though you allow the people to call ,to vote for whom they choose,You should have the last say so. When it comes down to the last two in the bottom. Most of the people you have on are so good,then you have people like Bristol, she has no swing to her swag, not really sure she has any swag.I ask that you please think about the rules [maybe add change] not for me, but the ones who have stood up to the challenge.I have never been so touched as i was when i watched you show 11-09-10, and saw Brandy about to cry. she knew the Bristol girl should have been in the bottom.
Well, a pound of muscle takes up less space, is smaller in mass, than a pound of fat. So, you can weigh exactly the same but shrink in size. Or something like that.
Suz, yes I was rather surprised with Bristol’s score for her AT and her Samba. She did the same lift/split thing as Nicole did and her legs were like cooked spaghetti. Not that she should be compared to Nicole, but they were like that through the whole dance. Very weak legs. And I don’t think she knew what she was doing half the time in her Samba.
I dunno, Jay, Bristol really hasn’t had to do a lot, votes-wise, in order to stay up to this point. There was always someone down in the same point range as her who had a weaker fanbase – and a fanbase we knew going in was weaker, like Audrina. When you get down to four, it concentrates all the usual voters on to those four people – and it makes it more difficult for a wack fanbase to have an impact. Do you think the people who were fans of Kurt or Rick or Audrina are going to vote Bristol?? I sure don’t. I think the might all vote very hard for Kyle. Jennifer and Brandy might have something to worry about.
Noel, that compilation of time wasting can be arranged.
If I’m feeling mean enough, and I have time once the season is over, I could be convinced to do it. 
Anyway, I have both those shows on TiVo so it will likely show up here later in the week – the countdown clock, that is.
And yes, every single pro has done it – but they usually go into it knowing they might catch hell for it. They consider the risk worth it. Derek and Mark have both said something like, “Yeah, I knew we were taking a risk with that, but we wanted to entertain.” Fine! ALL the pros should know by now what has a tendency (on occasion) to set the judges off – either do it anyway and accept the consequences, or don’t do it at all. That’s one of the reasons why Maks’ complaining is SO annoying. He should know better by now.
Heidi, when the time comes that you want to sit down and create that compilation…let me know how I can be of service, hehe
Courtney, I have the video, all I need is proper motivation and a little time.
Maybe this weekend.
Meggie, Sylvain has no choice but to rethink her wording – me and Courtney might have a contest to see who can delete her first.
Question: Did Maks’ throw the F-bomb backstage after Monday?
I agree with Ms. Heidi, every pro can express their opinions about the judges, but DO IT in a kindly manner! When Derek was criticized by Carrie Ann for his Rumba with Nicole last year (the whole lift before the music ended thing). Derek just politely said, “But it was over” and kept his composure. Even if Derek was “mad” about it, he hid it well and afterward explained his side of the story on Twitter. And Tony, who is also “anti-Carrie Ann” kept his cool after Carrie Ann nailed him about something. Maks’ just keeps pissing me off with his bitchiness.
@ Heidi, yeah, that’s what I meant! LOL. So muscle does weigh more than fat, right? If you have a block of muscle and a block of fat, and they’re the same volume, then the muscle will weigh more. So I guess I could see Bristol gaining weight if she had absolutely no muscle prior to this show, which I could believe.
Heidi, Thanks! If I was at all tech savvy I would attempt to do it myself, but compiling a video like that goes above and beyond my computer knowledge.
You’d think Maks would’ve learned his lesson about wasting time by now, he gets called out on it at least once a season. But if he’s going to continue to do it, which wouldn’t surprise me, be professional and take the hit like everyone else.
Yeah, blah, sort of. You have to include the volume part, is the thing. Because a pound is always ways a pound.
But if you include the volume, then it makes more sense.
Okay, I can’t have what I would have liked to have in the finals (Audrina, Rick, Kyle, and Bristol…no previous dance experience, truly fun to watch), but if I can’t have that, than I would really love to see Bristol come full out next week and completely put together her dancing. (Yep, I think she can do it…the waltz and the paso doble should be good dances for her). I’d like to see JG or Brandy (can’t decide which one) go home (I don’t care that it’s unlikely, this is is just what I want to happen. When I want to see professional-level dancers, I watch a professional competition). Bristol has awkward moments, but she also has moments of brilliance. Having been a participant and an observer of many dance events, where new dancers and more experienced dancers were out in full force, and seeing the new dancers progress over time, I think Bristol has what it takes. Some people are slower to learn…no time, really, for that in this competition, I understand, but there are some who progress quickly, then stall, others who progress slowly and keep getting better…that last group? Usually those who never had any dance or performance background (or participation in another disciplined balance/movement sport like gymnastics or figure skating, as previously mentioned). For Bristol to get past next week (and earn it from dancing alone, though I doubt her non-fans will give her any breaks at this point…some people see what they want to see), she needs to completely connect her movements to her facial expressions and eliminate the awkward moments that so many of us would have if we were to take up dance for the first time and perform in front of millions of people. It takes longer than 40 hours to master dancing…. fyi, for those of you who keep insisting that Bristol’s fan base is completely political, because of her mother, get a clue. Her mother isn’t that popular, not even with the Republican party. Famous, yes…wide spread popularity, no. Bristol’s fans? Those who can relate to never having done something, to being brave enough to get up there and do it, to make mistakes and keep going, and to do it with dignity and grace, without dramatics.
This is my first season really following the show, so forgive me if this is something the rest of you already know, but my take on the judges scoring is that it is invariably rigged. For example, no way did Brandy deserve the scores she got for the instant dance …seems the judges really, really wanted to make sure she stayed on the show for the finals. The only completely honest element in all of it appears to be the viewer voting. Since 90% of those viewers (very rough estimate, I’m sure the 90% doesn’t include any of you) have limited knowledge about ballroom dance technique, they probably shouldn’t be trying to figure out who the best dancer is…just vote for your favorite, for whatever reason it is you’re watching the show.
I was sorry to see Kurt go, though…never voted for him, but I sure did like him! If Bristol had been voted off, he would have been getting all of my votes next week. I think it’s difficult to predict to whom Kurt’s voters will go…I suspect Bristol will get her fair share.
Just wanted to say I loved your comments Heidi on post 34 and 66. They are similar thoughts to my own that I wrote on the Power Rankings thread.
And figamentation, totally agree with your post 56.
Onto the semi-finals, hopefully some more great dancing and no fighting!
Kay, you make a great point. Bristol is not the best dancer nor performer, but she has struck a cord with a lot of people. I don’t think its politically based either – I mean seriously, this is dwts. We have a big group that watches together every Monday night and my 20 – 30 year old nieces are all voting for Bristol. They think she is real and they like the chemistry between she and Mark.
SYTYCD Tour = EPIC WIN. Best night of my life. Anyways, since I missed last night’s show, I want someone to tell me what happened.
I was shocked when I heard that Kurt and Anna were eliminated. I thought it was going to be Bristol, like everyone else. Yes, she is popular because she’s sweet and “real”, but it’s not fair that other dancers are better than her and they’re the ones getting eliminated. If Kyle gets eliminated next week, I will scream.
GREEEAATTTT… finally a good results show, and I miss it. I heard from a friend that the DanceCenter thing was really funny and that Jeanine did really good with Mark. But seeing all the guy SYTYCD dancers’ AWESOME ABS (which ALL of the guys had)?! SO worth it.
Agreed, Kay! And not just because I think shes majory hot.
I’m still thinking that Bristol may survive this week and go into the finals. Valid point that she only needed to overcome weaker fanbases thus far. But I also think Brandy and Jennifer will command a lot of insurance votes that perhaps Kyle would have gotten – because Bristol is on the scene and they feel like she’s become rather invincible.
Without getting too much into the appearance thing, the fact is that Mark can’t lift her. She’s at least his weight and it’s not a pure muscle gain. She’s not in the kind of shape Lacey is, where Lacey can really assist Kyle. It will be interesting to see how Mark plots out their dances next week – and how they are scored.
Jay, Do we need to go over that again? He did lift her WITHOUT a chair the first time then after he had lifted her the second time he spun her around for awhile which means he has enough strengh to lift her. How do you know its not muscle too? Did She or Mark tell you? It probably is atleast mainly muscle. Get it?
Zach: You make a good point. They do look more balanced to me now and I get it.
Yea actually the first time I watched it DID look like she was taller then him and I was like ” Uhhh well these lifts are gonna be ackward…” but after rewatching it I saw they were about the same height.