DWTS Season 12, Week 8 – Who’s Dancing What?
I dropped the “and what” off the title because most of the blabbermouths are off the show and even those who have talked in the past have been keeping the dance order quiet. It’s very annoying. 
Eight different dances, five couples. I’m sure to SOMEONE that makes perfect sense. :::rolls eyes::: Here’s what I’ve gleaned:
Ralph and Karina - V. Waltz and Instant Cha Cha
Voting Number: 1.800.VOTE4.08
Chelsea and Mark - Waltz and Instant Salsa
Voting Number: 1.800.VOTE4.01
Kirstie and Maks - Argentine Tango, Instant Salsa
Voting Number: 1.800.VOTE4.11
Romeo and Chelsie - Tango and Instant Salsa
Voting Number: 1.800.VOTE4.05
Hines and Kym - Foxtrot and Instant Jive
Voting Number: 1.800.VOTE4.03
Okay, this seems patently unfair to me – they have Hines and Ralph doing two completely different dances to everyone else for the instant dance. The Instant Jive??? Are you kidding me?? I will predict right now that Chelsea moves to the top of the leaderboard because the two best men are just hosed. Why not give EVERYONE Salsa?? Why? Unless you want to screw over the top 2 men. By the same token, though, I think those two men will do better with their V.Waltz and Foxtrot than Chelsea will with her Slow Waltz, but still. I find this highly annoying. No one has done Salsa yet so there is no excuse not to give that dance to everyone. Especially since everyone has a different dance in the regular round. This just feels like tinkering to me.
I am highly annoyed. But I will post these pics from last night anyway.
Hunh… I thought they were all doing the insta-salsa. Well, that’s kinda stupid.
Look at how adorably tough Anna is in those glasses! Right out of The Matrix or something. I miss her.
And Lacey’s new look is TONS better! She’s an attractive young woman when she takes a bit of the ‘edge’ off.
And Maks… just… *happy sigh*
Everyone doing different dances each week has annoyed me all season. How can they possibly think that it can be fair? Or is that why they are doing it (‘tinkering” as you call it Heidi)? It’s just not a level playing field from week to week. It’s like judging apples and oranges. It must be for ratings and so the entertaining celebs ie: Kirstie will stick around a little longer. I guess if we saw Hines and Kirstie, for example, do the same dance on the same night, we might realize just how big the gap is! Okay, I’m done! Thanks for letting me vent!
Can I ask a stupid question? I thought I heard Tom mention something last week about the insta-dances and that they wouldn’t get the music until they got on the dance floor (or right before). Last time, they had about 40 minutes to rehearse with the music before they went on. Did I just imagine that or are they really tweaking the insta-dance format?
And just looking back at last season, same week, the only reference with an insta-dance:
V. Waltz – Insta Jive
Quickstep – Insta Rumba
Waltz – Insta Cha Cha
A. Tango – Insta Samba
Waltz – Insta Cha Cha
So the mis-match of dances isn’t new – except I never noticed that last season two pairs had the exact same pairings of dances – and both went home before the finals – coincidence?
This is the point in the season when the couples usually all have different dances, so that doesn’t bother me. I do like the idea of everyone doing an isntant salsa, but I don’t think Hines and Ralph are screwed.
Cha cha is a week 1 dance, so it’s not the most difficult. Ralph also did the cha cha last week, which should help him a lot. I don’t think latin’s his thing and that will be his biggest problem. If anything, having a different dance could help him since it will be more difficult to compare him to the other guys.
*shaking my head* So what did they do, decide at the last minute “Hey, why don’t we toss salsa & Argentine tango in at the last minute, just for sh*ts & giggles?” The randomness of this season is beyond annoying…and not always fair.
I think Ralph & Karina ought to be ok – injury or not. Not only do fans seem to vote harder when someone’s injured, but I feel like the judges go a bit easier on the couple as well. Ralph rocks at the ballroom dances…and really, he wasn’t as bad as I thought he’d be in the team cha-cha last week.
As for everyone else…err. I think it’s entirely possible that any of them go this week, for all different reasons. Romeo & Chelsie already seem to be on borrowed time; Chelsea & Mark are skating on thin ice with the envelope-pushing; Kirstie & Maks’ weaknessess seem to be showing more than ever, now that all the weaker couples are gone; and I’m just not sure how viewers are going to react to Hines’ incident last week (for a full explanation, go read my comment on the “Hines in Handcuffs?” post – I don’t feel like explaining it again
). I’m still holding out for a truly “shocking” elim before the finale.
I saw this video today : http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news%2Fentertainment&id=8116534
At about 1:44 in, Kym says Hines’ teammates are “going to make fun of you for a long time after this Foxtrot.” Anyone other than me think he’ll start (or end) the dance in handcuffs?
I agree Lacey looks TREMENDOUSLY better – not that dried up platinum blond and not the two tone monstrosity.
SueB, I thought last season that it was really tinkering when they had everyone do different instant dances. Last season it was the “instant rumba” that boggled my mind. It’s not just the “instant” aspect of it, but the fact that it seems like some types of dances would be easier to “insta-” than others. Maybe I’m way off base, but it seems like Salsa would be WAY easier to wing, than a cha cha or, especially, a Jive. So when you stack a cha cha and a jive against a bunch of Sambas, it seems to me that those two are more hampered by the style of dance. I could be way wrong. I was certainly way wrong last season since Derek and Jennifer’s instant rumba was one of my favorite dances of the season. Oh, and yes, it was about 40 minutes before they danced that they got the music – should be similar this week.
Yeah, Court, I think (barring a really bad dance) Ralph and Hines are likely the only two who are safe. Of course, now that I’ve said that they’ll both dance like crap and I’ll be eating my words.
I think the instant salsa would be WAY easier than an instant cha-cha or jive. Salsa is a relatively easy dance, in my opinion.
The producers must really be trying to even things out amongst the couples, considering the couples who are probably the most in danger of going home next week got salsa. I predict the scores will be almost equal and that they’ll hype up a “shocking” elimination.
Kelsey, that’s what I was thinking, that the salsa would be easier to do an “instant” version of. And I do wonder if those getting the lower votes or the worse dancers got it.
Does anyone know if its Karina or Ralph thats injured?
I agree about the instant dance. To be fair, they should all get the same dance.
Oh well, I’m excited. I can’t wait for tomorrow night. From the bunch, I think Hines will probably be the most safe. I’m hoping Ralph and Kirstie are going to really kill it. I dream of Mark and Chelsea going home.
Oh yeah and adding: I want Maks COAT from last night.
I’m worried about Ralph this week given his injury and limited rehearsal time. If it wasn’t for that, I’d be pretty sure Romeo was going to go home this week. But if I said he had a great body anyway, would you hold it against me? We shall see tomorrow I guess. All I know is this show is my everlasting love!
Oh boy Buttercup…”Hold it Against Me” by Britney Spears & “Everlasting Love” by Gloria Estefan? I’m assuming the latter is meant to be a salsa…maybe? Idk…I figure it out in the morning
Well Salsa is suited to instant dance, yes but only if you’re able to master the rythm. Problem is, if you miss a beat you’ll have to fill in until the next 8-count cycle, I am not sure they are able to do that without panicking.
‘Everlasting Love’ could be a Foxtrot. Maks & Misty had it for their Foxtrot.
Ok, random thought upon waking up at 3 AM coughing & sneezing: if Kirstie is doing the Argentine tango this week, does that mean she’s going to be exempt from doing the standard tango? If my spidey sense is correct, if she makes it through this week she’ll have to do the paso doble & Viennese waltz next week. No room for standard tango – or salsa. In fact, I’m thinking that everyone is going to have to either do standard tango or Argentine tango, and not both – there just isn’t time for both. Anyone else find this a bit unfair to those couples stuck with standard tango? It just doesn’t seem as popular w/viewers as the Argentine tango. And if both Ralph & Hines make it through this week, they’re going to have to do salsa next week, because they’re both doing their last Latin dances this week. God this season is screwy
So if I’m correct, this is what we have to look forward to (yeah, right) next week:
Ralph & Karina – tango/Argentine tango & salsa
Hines & Kym – waltz & salsa
Kirstie & Maks – Viennese waltz & paso doble
Chelsea & Mark – tango/Argentine tango & rumba
Romeo & Chelsie – Viennese waltz & jive
Yikes. If Kirstie makes it through this week – she’s gonna have a hard time next week
Hines and Kym are going to have a lot to live up to with their instant jive. Remember Kyle and Lacey… Need I say more.
Oh, how I love it when Buttercup gives us hints.
*so excited for tonight! BRING IT ON!!
C; “screwy season” you can say that again!
Courtney, I was just thinking the same thing! The only thing I can think of is if they actually gave them one new dance in the finals like season 9…Confusing. Ok so this week I basically think anybody can be at the top and anybody could be at the top, except for Chelsea and Mark, she wont be at the bottom ” Prays my jinx will work ”
I also hope Romeo, Kirstie, and Ralph have a good week and that atleast one of them absolutely KILLS it, unless Mark ticks them off with all his crap and they want to kill him instead then we can go with that 
. Excited about tonight!
Chelsea and Romeo will have to amp their game and please the judges since they’re the least popular celebrities.
Is Ralph’s injury serious?
I’m also really worried about Ralph with his injury and lack of practicing this week. Sure hope he will still be able to dance, and dance well.
One point for Courtney, one point for Jenny. And not sure about that dance spread Courtney – next week there is supposed to be another thing where they all do the same dance, but not sure on exact details of how it works.
My head is spinning just from all this funkiness of the dances being chosen. Eek! But you have any other clues for me, Buttercup?
@J – I’m worried about Ralph too, but for some reason I have a strange feeling he’ll be fine whatever happens – as long as he doesn’t withdraw from the competition. This wouldn’t be the first time someone has been unable to dance due to injury. Both Steve-O & Melissa were unable to dance live during different weeks in season 8, so they showed their rehearsal footage for scoring instead. Both managed to actually stay during their respective “injury” weeks. Hopefully Ralph can at least perform his Viennese waltz during the rehearsal. Not sure what they’d do about his instant cha-cha – if they would just count it out loud or what, since he doesn’t have his music yet. If he actually able to dance live (fingers crossed), I do think the judges will probably go a bit easier on him. And Ralph’s fans have proven before that they can snatch him from the danger of some pretty low scores
In this interview Hines & Kym say they would have the Argentine Tango in the Finale if they make it:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11129/1145183-67.stm
So I would assume that all couples that make it to the Finale would have to do both Tango versions.
Sounds like they may be doing an “unlearned” dance in the final then. That hasn’t happened too often has it?
It looks to me like Ralph and Hines used up too many Latin dances early in the season, so TPTB added salsa so those 2 would have enough. That leaves 1 unlearned dance pushed to the finale.