DWTS 14 Week 5 Power Rankings
*yawn* Yeah, all in all, that’s kinda how I felt about Latin night – even with all of the hoopla surrounding some of the couples. We were on tacky prop overload tonight, and it seemed like a lot of the couples resorted to gimmicks and fluff that, quite frankly, I don’t think they needed. Seemed like there was an obvious attempt by the judges to shield some dancers from the duel, and to throw some dancers headlong into it. Should be interesting to see if things shake out like they intend them to…
1.) William & Cheryl – These two are not in the #1 spot because they’re “that good” – they’re here because the level of blatant favoritism they’ve achieved has hit an all-time high level of absurdity. Ankle injury? I’m beginning to think it was a complete fabrication, as they seemed to only quickly gloss over the legitimate details of it, and I didn’t see La Levy wincing in pain (a la JR during HIS Argentine tango last season) or moving any more limply than he usually does. And speaking of a flaccid tango – guess they really gave those 29 points to Cheryl, who didn’t fail to deliver a tango that was 90% her dancing dramatically around her partner like a damn maypole (or stripper pole…) and 10% her partner actually…well, moving at all. Seriously, I dare you all – go back and watch that tango in slow mo, and count how many steps Cheryl takes, and how many William takes. I’m willing to bet the ratio is AT LEAST 2:1. To give a 29 to a tango where the man barely moves, and the stunts are pretty bland? That’s a damn insult to people who actually deserved their score more, like Katherine. Was William bad? No, but I can’t really say he was good, either, considering he barely moved. So I guess my congrats go to the judges, who have backslid into blind worship of “the hottest piece of ass the show has ever had”. Makes me sick just typing it…
2.) Maria & Derek – Gotta give these two a bit of a “tsk, tsk” tonight. Let it be know that I HATE WHEN PEOPLE KISS IN A ROUTINE…even if the mood of the routine so dictates it. Just ask Chelsea & Mark, who I ripped apart a year ago for kissing in their waltz. It just reads to me as desperate and gimmicky, even if it was meant to be a bit of a “Haha, remember our rumba?” move. Ditto for the removal of the shirt, which to me was a nod to his lambada in season 9 with Joanna. Even with Maria’s injuries, I don’t think they needed to go the gimmicky route. As for the real choreo they did…meh. I’ve never been a huge fan of salsa on the show, but what they did in this routine felt fluffy - I would have liked to have seen more turns, a bigger variety of tricks, more side-by-side individual work, and fewer cross-body leads, lambada gyrations, arm wraps, and drop tricks. It just seemed like a neverending repetition of those last three things I mentioned…and Maria actually looked like she did to me in week one: tentative & nervous. Yes, I’m aware the woman is broken all over - but she was also broken last week, and I saw much more determination out of her then. I think they were lucky to have gotten a 27 - I probably wouldn’t have given this more than a 25, even though the energy was high and it was overall a “fun” routine. I’m just hoping I get more content from them next week, because I think Maria can handle it.
3.) Donald & Peta – Donald may have done quite a bit of “supermodel walking” this week, but at the end of the day, I thought he had a lot more content and did a lot more moving than William did – just look at how much of the stage Donald used, compared to William. I also found Donald’s lifts and tricks to be more impressive, and thought he was more invested in the dance, overall. I also just happen to love the chemistry he has with his partner – it doesn’t feel forced, uncomfortable, or over-the-top; it’s just natural and easy. I literally told my GM today (the one I have a friendly food wager with over the outcome of this season) that if Donald wins, I will gladly make him Oreo balls, no hard feelings, because I just LOVE Donald. The guy just seems to be embracing the entire experience and having a ball. And here’s the big shocker: he hasn’t had to talk up an injury or act inappropriately showmancy with Peta in order to get votes. He’s just himself – which is why he’s my new favorite to win 
4.) Katherine & Mark – I thought Katherine had the strongest performance of the night, technique-wise – but something was missing for me performance-wise, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. I think the storyline of their A. tango kinda threw me – so, Mark was supposed to be the village drunk, and Katherine was the virginal teetotaler? Maybe it was supposed to be really artsy & “out there” – but I just didn’t really “get” it. But I thought Katherine’s technique was spot-on – clean, crisp, and completely on-balance. I guess I just kinda wish that she had gotten a little more emotionally invested in the dance – I could tell she was trying to be sexy, but it wasn’t coming easily and the end result looked a bit more “pained” than “sexy”. For her to really & truly deserve that 29, she really needed to smolder…and I thought she just kinda lightly smoked. But I am seeing progress! I still think she’s technically the best female dancer this season, and deserves a spot in the finale.
5.) Roshon & Chelsie – I think this may have actually be my favorite routine of the night – I just get such a kick out of how excited Roshon gets when he gyrates 
And boy, does this boy gyrate – I saw more hip action (and chest action, and foot action, and arm action, and butt action…) out of him tonight than any of the other contestants combined. I think the salsa really played well to his strengths – his flexibility, his showmanship, and his swag. He does tend to get a tad bit too excited from time to time (I think I saw him almost drop Chelsie at one point), but in season where Katherine, Melissa, & Maria strike me as a bit timid at times, and William and Gladys still seem to barely move – I can deal with someone who is “too exciteable”. Now here’s the thing: I think Roshon may be able to dodge the dance duel this week, due to the wake-up call his fans got last week; but I’m not sure how well that sense of urgency is going to carry over in subsequent weeks. Kid needs to be getting 10′s, FAST, if he wants to stick around.
6.) Gladys & Tristan – Glad to see Gladys back in a dance where she can really have fun & let loose And I was actually kind of impressed by how much she actually did do, given her limited rehearsal time & range of motion – she actually did samba rolls!!! Holy cow. Who cares if they didn’t so much “roll” as they did “stroll”? It was just good to see her having fun out on the floor again. Given the decent volume of votes she needed to stick around last week, I’d say she’s probably safe from the duel this week – but with the team dances fast approaching, I can definitely see the judges trying to weed out the weaker dancers. I don’t think they’re going to be cutting Gladys any breaks anytime soon – and I think once she does fall into the duel, she only has a prayer of beating Gavin and maybe Melissa – if they’re still around at that point. Kinda sucks, but in a season where pretty much EVERYONE is good…they’ve gotta decide who’s less good.
7.) Jaleel & Kym – Jaleel isn’t a bad dancer – but I do think he’s trying a bit too hard, and it seems to be throwing him off his game a bit these days. He actually seemed a bit off-time to me this week, as his samba bounces seemed like they were frequently one-off from Kym’s…like he was going up while she was going down. I could tell he was putting in the effort, but I don’t know if it was necessarily focused in the right areas. This week is one week where I think he is legitimately in danger of fading into the woodwork – his samba wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great, and he got stuck dancing after Santana, so basically in one of the crap spots…for the second week in a row. He could be in trouble, and depending on how Melissa & Gavin’s fans vote, I could see him possibly replacing one of them in the dance duel. Even if he ends up there, I think he will likely end up beating the other person – so he’s probably not going home this week. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he got bumped out by a weaker dancer with a bigger fanbase at some point…
8.) Gavin & Karina - I definitely went back and forth a few times with regards to who I think will end up in the duel and who will emerge victorious – but I have to pick someone, so I’m going with this. Gavin’s samba was a hot mess - but it was a hilarious hot mess, so I kinda dug it for the same reasons I liked Chuck & Anna’s samba…it was totally campy & ridiculous. Do I really need to comment on the technique or lack thereof? His shoulders were up by his ears, his head and arms were be-boppin’ around awkwardly…it was kind of adorable. But anywho! I do think he’s gained quite a few fans since the first week or two of the show, and they did save him from the bottom 2 last week – but is his fanbase growing fast enough to save him from the duel this week? I’m not so sure. And as strange as it sounds – I could actually see the judges picking him to stay, based on his “growth” so far and his overall entertainment factor. It will all depend on who he falls into the duel with, but if it’s who I think it is, I think he could last another week…
9.) Melissa & Maks – I like Melissa, I really do – but I’m sorry, she is just not a natural dancer. Like so many other people this season, I feel like she was really & truly giving it her all during her salsa – but I think the end result was a little frantic and confused. She seemed to be holding her head and neck kinda funny as she danced this week, which makes me wonder if she’s still in a bit of pain - it also seemed to throw her a bit off-balance, so I wonder if the effects of her concussion are still in play. She seemed like she was having fun and loosening up a bit, but I think she was more affected by her physicial limitations this week than in previous weeks. If she does fall into the duel with Gavin (and I think it is a possibility), I’m thinking the judges might actually tell her she has the better technique, but that Gavin is the better entertainer…and then they’d keep Gavin (even though it’s basicall a stay of execution, as I don’t see him living through next week, too). I kinda wish Melissa hadn’t whacked her head last week, because I think she might have performed a bit better this week (either due to lack of injury or lack of fear of further injury) and gotten a few more points to save her from the duel. But I must applaud Half Pint – she lasted longer and put up more of a fight this season than I initially thought
So what did you guys think of Latin week? And who do you think is doomed to duel tomorrow night?
Thanks Vogue!
I sure do wish that Melissa could get a waltz of some sort – I just feel like she would do better at that style.
I’m officially going to be bummed out by anyone other than William leaving at this point. Seriously. I like this whole cast. Well, besides William, Roshon is my least favorite, but I don’t dislike him by any means.
I almost forgot…
Heh Heh…you said flaccid.
Wow, what a night! My fave night of this season. And finally a week where the music matched the style of dances!! DWTS at it’s finest. My rankings…
Peta and Donald – I was so WOWED with these two again. The dance told a story. It started off slow and then it intensified. It was dramatic, passionate, and full of clever choreography. So beautiful! Peta just stuns me at times with the way she dances. She’s heaven sent and so is he. 10,10,10
William and Cheryl – I was expecting a lot of issues with these two tonight, but, this whole dance was so clean. It was passionate and fierce. He was so into it all as Cheryl was. Loved them and his best dance to date. 10,10,10
Mark and Katherine – These two were on fire as well. I will say it again…this is the first season I’ve liked Mark. He deserves huge props. This dance was everything an Argentine Tango was meant to be. I loved his creative choreography. I loved their costumes as well. Classy! Beautiful! Pure perfection! 10,10,10
Roshon and Chelsie – This kid impresses me week after week. I love how he is listening to everything Chelsie says. It’s showing in every move. He was classy, smooth, a gentleman, and romantic. 10,10, 9
Maria and Derek – Not only did this routine have some tight, sexy, creative choreography, it was full out entertaining. I especially loved it when Derek put her head on his knee. OMG, I was dying at that point. And then there was that KISS!
She may have had some places that weren’t perfect in her footwork and turns, but, everything else was over the top and made up for it. I loved their facial expressions as well. 9,9,9
Maks and Melissa – Like Len said, there were good parts and there were bad parts in this dance. It was a great and creative routine, but, again, she was a little messy and just can’t seem to really let go. She was so pretty though tonight, she really tried, and she took risks. The waist spins were amazing and gutsy! 7,8,8
Kym and Jaleel – Once again, he seems so full of himself and it dominates the dance. I’m sorry, but, he should never take his shirt off when dancing. I didn’t appreciate when he grabbed Kym’s behind at the end. She didn’t look like she appreciated it either. I hope they are the two to go, but, it probably won’t be. 8,7,7
Gavin and Karina – He’s such a charmer and I liked some of his footwork and gliding, but, I felt he needed more hip action. 7,7,7
Gladys and Tristan – Once again, I worry for these two. I just love them both so much. She’s so sweet and positive. Tristan is such a doll with her. But, it was hard for her to keep up. 6, 6, 6
What I’d give to see Jaleel picked to go somehow, but, I’m going to guess the duel will be between Gavin and Gladys. Gladys will lose.
And Courtney, Good job. You did it even when you had a hard day and weren’t feeling the best. xxx
Katherine and Roshon were my favorite dances of the night. Cheryl and Derek- both major choreography fail. Donald had very impressive lifts but not much else. Jaleel was actually quite good but not very memorable. I skipped through Gladys and Gavin, I must admit. I don’t like to watch people I like not do so good. I hope I’m not forgetting anyone.
I am! Melissa. Not much to say. She doesn’t seem to make improvement.
Well, my intuition was right in thinking that the 3 ATs would be at the top. Like Donald’s the best.
Of course, I loved loved loved Roshon and Chelsie. She was close to having a wardrobe malfunction. Poor thing, it seems to happen with her. What a fatherly thing of Tom Bergeron to suggest Chelsie fix her dress strap even more and fix it himself.
Jungle Fever Salsa loved.
Hmmm. William was injured. I don’t think so. They didn’t show anything in the package and they showed the others hurting themselves.
Gladys isn’t going anywhere until after Motown week I think.
Roshon just gets on my last nerve, even though I thought his dance was pretty good.
I thought Jaleel showed the promise he showed in week one.
Gavin was a hot mess but a fun hot mess and so I gave him my votes.
Melissa just didn’t look that happy to be there, and I think she’s still in pain.
Katherine was beautiful, as was Maria and Donald is my new favourite.
I’m guessing Melissa and Gavin in the bottom two with Melissa going home.
I loved Gavin and Karina’s performance(note I didn’t say samba lol)! I haven’t had so much fun watching a dance since Carson and Anna from last season!
Here are my thoughts on the dancing tonight:
Jaleel/Kym – I like his upper body movement, but his feet were a bit messy at times. Why do I feel this samba should be faster? Maybe its because Gloria Estafan. I really enjoy this one. 8
Melissa/Maks – I understand why Maks mess around a bit in the beginning because of her injury. It’s an enjoyable dance! I can see she losses steam towards the end but it’s alright. 7
Maria/Derek – Oh boy, if Derek has to make himself the center of attention, he must be desperate since he seldom does that with his celeb. I feel this salsa should be faster and Maria looks like she is going to break at times, but it’s enjoyable since its full of tricks. 7
Katherine/Mark – Man, I’m missing Nicole and Evan right now. I was really hoping to be wowed since she has really good flicks in Jive. I think her legs were not strong enough for this tango and her spin is pretty weak. And why she looks lost half of the time? Shouldn’t she be angry with her ‘drunk’ partner? Well, I probably set my expectation too high. Still, it’s Katherine so her dancing is still good. 8
Gavin/Karina – I should be hating this because Gavin had terrible form and he messed up a trick towards the end, but I was laughing the whole way through. It was bad, but entertaining. 6
William/Cheryl – Wow! I am going to credit Cheryl for this really good choreo, since it looked great even with not much dancing from William. His legs were good, he has the tango intensity, the things I am missing from Katherine. What injury? 9
Gladys/Tristan – Can anyone hate Gladys? She has the same amount of dancing as her 3 previous dance, which is not a lot, but like I said, it’s Gladys, love her. 7
Roshon/Chelsie – It’s the only salsa tonight that has a feel of salsa to me. I love his dancing form in this one. He messed up a trick towards the end and I guess that messes up his timing of the ending. Still I enjoyed it very much, but I don’t think it’s enough to keep them from bottom two. 8
Donald/Peta – Where are the flicks? It’s missing the smoldering intensity of William’s dance, but oh my, how gorgeous is Peta? And I think that is part of the problem, I was watching Peta the whole time. But the ending really dropped my jaws. 8
My favorite dances tonight are Roshon, William and Donald (more accurately Peta
). My bottom two/dance duel are Roshon and Gavin with Gavin going home.
Also loved Roshon trying to channel William Levy, and William giving him pointers. Roshon took pointers not just about the dancing but how to win over viewers by being silly, fun, and a little self-depricating.
On a side note, I don’t think Brooke asked “how do you feel about that” once.
I think Melissa is not a natural dancer but would like to see her do a waltz or foxtrot. Actually same for Maria. I like Katherine but Mark and his story. It reminds me of sytycd and not really needed. But these two have so little chemistry when they dance. It was going through the steps. Also Carrie Ann, while she is good she is not the best anything in dwts history.
I loved Donald and if he wins, I know some complain about footballers but I love that he is a fan of the show. Proud fan too, lol.
Derek is always a star to me, and I think Maria did quite well tonight…I must say, though it pains me, I think the routine was a bit gratuitous..well, the kiss…though it still got me excited, and certainly created buzz, which is hopefully good!
I think Katherine did beautifully. The routine itself was a bit underwhelming for me, but she executed it wonderfully. I find her very charming.
I love Donald. I love his passion, I love his studiousness, I love his joy when dancing, and his relationship with Peta. If someone other than Maria and Derek had to go all the way, I would pull for him!…
I also love how he and Peta were watching Jennifer Grey and Derek’s argentine tango when studying
the routine!
William…what can I say..there is just nothing more to say..such overhype, it is exasperating. He is a beautiful man, and seems to have a beautiful heart, but I just can’t get in to him, because it feels like people are trying to force me to.
Cannot believe I’m agreeing w/CAI re Maria & Derek…spicy, but HOT would have been less is more: i.e. go for tongue up the side of the neck, there, D: and…SWOON. That said, your smackeroo in the middle of your Salsa, along with swishy Salsa fun made this a memorable one for me.
Hi Vogue, I noticed the Jaleel/Kym ass-grab too! I also noticed the way she grabbed his hand, moved it off her butt, and held onto it (the hand) tightly for the rest of their time in front of the judges. Too bad, because I want to like him so much and I even really liked the dance but he just keeps screwing up one way or another (in the dance, behind the scenes, etc.)
Once again, I agree with you, Courtney.
Well reasoned analysis. I think it’ll be Gavin & Melissa in the Dance Duel, but I think Gavin has the bulls-eye printed on his back…. and I’ll really be sad if he goes home.
Vogue, you’re absolutely right about Jaleel grabbing Kym’s behind. And like I said on Twitter, it’s time for her to use the naughty version of the “Kick-Ball-Change” step on him…
BTW, I still think Kym’s costume was inspired by a bottle brush! 
Tonight was fun. Not some of the best dances/routines I’ve seen, but three of them really stood out for me.
First, Maria and Derek…this team cracks me up. I laughed when she walked into rehearsal in bubble wrap. While the dance would have been better with the “less is more”, but I still liked it.
Second, Gavin’s dance was horrible, but he made me smile throughout. I really like this guy.
Finally, I really like Donald. If Derek doesn’t win his fourth trophy with Maria I will be completely satisfied seeing Peta win her first with Donald. This is definitely a team I can support.
Derek’s Choreo a fail?? Not hardly. Was it full of content? Not really. Will it be talked about on all the blogs and will all the little shippers be insane with happiness?? Yes. They already have the lead on E! News. Mission accomplished.
You can say a lot of things about Derek, but that boy knows how to work this show to his (and more importantly, his partner’s) advantage. This is a GAME, people – and Derek plays it very, very well. He’s a great choreographer, but when his partner needs attention drawn to her and away from a few weaknesses?? He’s the man for the job.
It doesn’t hurt that he’s put on a good ten pounds of muscle. Um, yum.
Every time I watch Gavin, I think “They got rid of Jack before him?” flat, heavy footed. And Karina’s belly band is back! It should go in the DWTS hall of fame with Mark’s spats.
And the only way Katherine was going to get a 29 was if she turned herself into a sexy cuban that ABC wants to promote.
Also, I’m not sure Mark’s coaching on characters is helping Katherine – she had issues last week trying to get into character and this week, it didn’t do her any favors. She may be better off just focusing on the dance and let her natural musicality drive the performance
Princess Heidi, you took the words right out of my mouth. Derek knows how to play the game. He’s tired of Maria being talked about for the injuries, so he took a story created by the fans from a few weeks ago and he ran with it. I certainly didn’t hate it.
I thought the top four couples were all overscored tonight.
Katherine’s and Mark’s AT routine was a ripoff of Nicole’s and Derek’s AT routine, and not done nearly as well. Carrie Ann’s comment that Katherine’s legs(?) or leg extensions(?) were the best she’s seen on the show was also ridiculous. At a minimum, Nicole’s and Jennifer’s were better, and there may have been other former contestants whose legs/leg extensions were better, too.
Maria’s and Derek’s routine was an edited rehash of the salsa routine that Derek performed with Brooke, which I loved, but I did not love this salsa routine. Maria was much more tentative in her performance than Brooke and seemed somewhat out of sync with Derek. I am also getting fed up with the “breaks” that Derek keeps choreographing into his routines. His salsa had two. I expect dancing from Derek, not theatrics.
As for William and Cheryl, this was another instance of Cheryl dancing around her partner and choreographing suggestive moves to make the dance seem better than it was.
I can’t comment on the difficulty of Donald’s lifts, but this AT reminds me of the movie, Strictly Ballroom, where the competitive ballroom dance teams were all focused on doing lifts rather than actual dance steps.
well, hooray and shoot. I wanted 3 intense smoldering Argentine Tangos, but feel like I got them in pieces. Katherine was beautiful, but emotionally absent, and though her steps seemed picture perfect and had the most content, she still felt unfinished and unsure in her arms and hands sometimes. Plus the colors of their costumes were so light and soft just didn’t have the oomph for me. It was beautiful, but it was a bit of a milk.
Donald was all hot with the intense and smolder, and the tricks were seriously sick – gobsmacked, I was, but I ended up wishing that Peta had given him more to do. He can handle more. I don’t think I want to talk about William, other than to say that I found it lol that both he and Donald ended up with the Rudolph noses. ooooohhh Donald! Bright Red.
Hated the start of Roshon & Chelsie’s jungle prop mania, but really enjoyed the actual dance. It wins as my favorite Salsa of the night.
Well US Weekly has a classy article on DWTS “Chelsie Hightower Nearly Suffers Nip Slip on DWTS.” This might bring in some new voters:) Bless her heart and her unintentional costume malfunctions. http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/chelsie-hightower-nearly-suffers-nip-slip-on-dancing-with-the-stars-2012164
Oh jeez…very classy indeed.
All in all I was somewhat disappointed with tonight. Maria, one of my two favorites, wasn’t up to her usual level of dancing in my opinion. I thought the middle part with Derek taking off his shirt and them kissing seemed like some sort of unnecessary fluff included in order to kill time. Gavin, my other favorite, did his worst routine yet in my opinion. I knew it would be bad for him when I heard ‘Gavin’ and ‘samba’ in the same sentence. I agree that I think Melissa and Gavin will be in the dance off, but I think Gavin has a fair shot at surviving since he gets to do a different dance than the samba. If Maks gives her yet another way too difficult dance that Melissa can’t handle, she might be the one going home. We’ll see tomorrow…
As for the rest, I thought Donald and Katherine stuck out for me. I liked both dances a lot!
my thoughts
jaleel & kym – surprisingly enjoyable…boys got rhythm, but hes got this “crazy eye” look that he does every once in a while and its hilarious (in a bad way)
Melissa & Maks – couldnt really tell what melissa was doing because i found it hard not to look at maks (damn that man looks good in white), but when i did glance over melissa footwork looked messy
Maria & Derek – decent but maria = STIFF (back to week 1 stiff) and agree with carrie ann , the shirt and kiss gimmick was akward
katherine & Mark – great dancing but didnt really steam like i like A. tangos to
gavin & karina – love him for trying, but wasnt much good about this dance
william & cheryl – good dance…i agree with people saying william didnt to much, but i actually thought he did more than donald…but ever since cheryl went to study the dance, her choreo has lacked pacing. it was all hard and hot with no slow and simmering
gladys & tristan – simple and ok….it lost steam at the end but i was suprised by how well she got through the dance, because i thought it was going to be a disaster
roshon & chelsie – fun salsa and good dancing (aside from that drunk pigeon walk he did at the beginning)….still dances like he just had a growth spurt and a red bull, but the best salsa of the night
donald & Peta – 100% agree with len. AMAZING lifts and a lot of blah in between…seemed like they just connected the lifts with him walking with his hand in his pocket in between
The judges scoring is still so so so wonky to me- Katherine actually dances for her entire dance and William just stands there while Cheryl the lightening stripper dances around him and they get the exact same score from each judge? Chelsie gives Roshon boatloads of content, he executes darn well and he is still outscored by Maria and Derek, who in my honest opinion did some of Derek’s worst and cheapest choreography? That was just a bunch gyrations and gratuitous playing to the audience! And of course they did a variation on my least favorite Derek move- the girls head thrusting against his crotch. Honestly, how is Derek constantly trying to make showmance references any better than Cheryl constantly referring to William’s supposed sexiness and throwing his shirt open? I think both their methods stink- but if you’re going to call him a genius for playing the system and working the show, shouldn’t you also call her one?
Also, honestly Melissa’s alright but how was her hunched, timid dancing really that much better than Gavin’s? I would have given them both all 6s. And finally, I’m surprised the judges gushed so much about Jaleel- while I was watching it I thought it was pretty bad- I usually like Kym’s choreography but I did not think it was helping the situation at all.
I guess it sounds like I didn’t like Latin week, but honestly I liked it better than last week!
Whenever I watch Katherine dance the word that keeps coming to mind is disingenuous. She knows she can dance so stop acting like you are so surprise when you get good scores. “Who…little ol’ me?? ” Agree the duel will probably be Melissa and Gavin with the judges giving it to Gavin, even though Melissa has scored higher than him previously.
I actually enjoyed most of today’s dances. Some werent the best but I was entertained, at least more than last week
.
I dont know if I was the only one that was distracted by some props bc they were just soooo distracting for me. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Mark’s bottle the whole time he held it. I seriously thought he was going to dance with it the whole time. And Kym’s and Peta’s dances were beautiful but distracting. I kept looking at Kym’s leg twirl fringe all the time, which was a good thing because she is fantastic. I barely looked at Jaleel which may have been a good thing. And I swear during Donald’s routine, i was like wow, they are great and Peta will turn and I would think, i hope that hip strap doesn’t break! every two seconds….
Oh and I just loved Santana!!
@Coutney
You guys should do a youtube show like those DanceJunkies. You guys go out of your way with loads of detail about Dwts. You would probably do a better show
Did you know that the host mentioned your coworker Voguerista twice on the show. Lot of the stuff they are saying sounds like they got from you. You guys should go for it and include the Cheesecake and some glasses of bubbly and wine like Hoda and Kathy Lee when you do your reviews. That would be so cool.
Remember when Gavin said last week, This is the best week ever, it reminds of that show The Soup when that guy Joel announces whose having the Best Week Ever. From the looks of it tonight, Katherine, William, Donald and Maria are definitely going to have the Best Week Ever when they survive tomorrow.
From the way things are looking for everyone else, Melissa may be safe because of the riled up Maks fans who still think that the Judges are holding a Grudge and they are Vowing they will vote all night. Tristan fans cant get enough him, they gotta have their Lucky Charm. Maks and Tristan seem to have Power Voters on their side. It’s hard to tell but wouldnt be surprised to see Gavin, Jaleel or Roshun in the bottom two. Wouldn’t be surprised if Gladys and Melissa are in a dance off next week.
Dont know why they are going overboard promoting William, most times he doesnt seem like he is in on it though. He seems a bit uncomfortable w/ all the Your Hot sexy pot talk. Latin week was colorful, but its time for some different type dances and they don’t have to be Latin or ballroom. Motown week should be promising
I understand that Derek intentionally was trying to pull attention to himself rather than Maria but that Salsa was cringey for me. Maria was timid, and it’s just so many of Derek’s recycled move which are just fluff. Seeing Derek go shirtless was just O_O and just ugh, I wish he didn’t need to do that. He even put in Lambada gyrations…….
Chelsie and Roshon was awesome. I liked her looking like a parrot XD Roshon was a bit too frantic, but like Court said, it’s better than boring. I really wanna see him go far. I’m pretty upset Maria got higher score than Roshon.
Jaleel was pretty impressive actually, if I wasn’t looking at his face. I loved Gladys~! She’s a real natural mover
Good job Tristan for putting in so many Samba steps. Gavin, oh Gavin…..I burst into giggles and couldn’t stop until the end. He was simulating Samba movements by bobbing instead of actual samba steps. And the super tourist-y costume….lol had a real good laugh XD Haven’t seen the rest.
I’d like to say that if you are a Derek Hough or a Menough fan, he GAVE the fans what they wanted. I see so many tweets to Maria & Derek abt their almost kiss and you don’t even want to know how many women tweet him about dancing shirtless. With that said, he was limited with what he could do with Maria with all her injuries bc he stated in an interview last week he couldn’t do the normal salsa tricks he wld normally do bc of her ribs and other stuff. I could have done without the kiss, but I do think it did go with the song and the dance. There have been many times where I’ve gone salsa dancing and snuck in a kiss with my dance partner…
lol I hated Carrie Ann’s comments because if that were William and Cheryl, she would have loved it & said she was Cheryl and given them a 10. =/ Anyways, I am ready to see Maria do a waltz.
I actually was disappointed in Katherine’s AT, it lacked fire and a sexual chemistry with Mark. I liked Willy’s a little bit more, but Cheryl was doing most of the dancing around him. I LOVED Donald and Peta’s AT though… but maybe it’s because I just learned how much of a badass dancer and choreographer Peta is. I thought Donald complemented her in that dance well.
I didn’t like any of the sambas. Melissa did good and was underscored. Roshon was very good, but he seems to not be connecting with the audience. His dancing and lines are so clean, but he can go spastic some times.. but not Mark spastic. lol.
I’m sorry to have sounded negative and judging. Derek and Maria’s routine was entertaining, a crowd pleaser, and showed that Derek is a very seasoned pro. It just really took me by surprise and I was baffled he did all those. But Maria’s physical condition is not ideal so yeah. I think I’m used to having high expectations of Derek.
William and Maria were overscored. I thought Gavin’s was better than Gladys’s, but he had barley any hip action.
Roshon was underscored. Katherine was pretty spot-on.
I’ve only watched the argentine tango and salsa so far, the 2 salsa were not real salsa, as usual, fun maybe but the salsa content was lacking especially for Maria & Derek. Katherine & Mark argentine tango was very cold (like the one he did with Chelsea Kane) and it was only lifts after lifts with quite no argentine tango between them, a great deception because I like her very much.
I liked Donald et Peta argentine tango even though he has that blank face who bothered me, it was really good. That lift where he carry her all the way through the stage was impressive for sure but it only shows how flexible she is, I didn’t like it, it felt, for me, out of place.
My favorite tango of the night was William & Cheryl’s tango. I love the musicality of their routine and I do give her props for creating a real argentine tango on a pop music with no tango accent. She overdanced him a little bit, for sure, but no more than what Kym did with Hines Ward, and William has a better technique. Too bad, because I’m sure he could have handled a little more.
wiwin, you are not alone. I felt the same way too when I saw Maria’s routine. But I think what really ticked me off (and perhaps other people too) is that it got a high score. But I understand why Derek did it. Bad running order and Maria’s limited range. Apparently very limited range since they did the same trick over and over again with Derek doing most of the work.
my thoughts of the night: my favourite performance by far was Donald…though i didn’t think his feet were perfect for the dance, they did some impressive lifts…of course AT was by far the favourite dance of the night because anyway you take it it is sexy and the lifts tend to make a strong impression…and they certainly did…did i want Derek and Maria to have AT? yes i did…but..we can’t choose, can we? about Derek…i would never say Derek did smth wrong. because for me he didn’t…first..the kiss…i felt that was a response to all the drama created by did they/didn’t they after the Rumba…the kiss was theatrical, was exaggerated …was in fact a statement…the choreography i thought it was very well thought so Maria would have an easier week…Derek said from the start that he will make the tricks … I keep on hearing. Salsa content was lacking. I am not a specialist… was has to content a Salsa so it can gets good scores?? What should have Maria done and didn’t ? I am just curious..
Melissa..i know she tries…but she just doesn’t have IT…sorry..for me she is up for the duel with Gavin..ironic…it is possible that she will eliminate her knight in shining armour ..i really like Gavin too…but man…he was do far out of his comfort zone with that Salsa…as I said…so out of place..like little Nemo in a tank full of sharks…
No way Katherine’s AT was better than Nicole’s or Jennifer’s…they had a lot of those choreos in their routine too…I don’t mind…I like Katherine and we don’t discover now the new world…those are typical moves for an AT .,.but she had no intensity…unfortunately her cold appearance keeps getting to her…and her feet were certainly not better than Nicole’s. I liked Gladys routine and the way she entertain ppl…just as Kath can’t … Gladys thrives J some have it some don’t..Jaleel is kind a nonevent for me…and btw..Derek has achieved what he wanted…Maria is on news again …this is a strategy game people…and the man knows how to play it..he is the only 3 time Champ of the Franchise for a reason
Talk about desperate.. I am wondering just who started the William injury report. Was it Cheryl? What it the producers? Seems to me WIlliam must not be cutting it in the votes. I sat through their package and dance, Never again, I hate this pairing even more now.
I was disappointed in Derek’s routine last night, he kind of was a *sell-out*. Derek is a brilliant cheorographer I just don’t think he needs the gimmicks.
Maks and Melissa were terrible… And Spinning Meliissa on the floor at the end, um… didn’t Donald and Peta do that last week.
I kept looking at Kym with her furry leg and kept thinking it was a tickler of some sort. To distracting, I didn’t get it.
It is so obvious that Katherine was a dancer of almost professional caliber. This seems so easy for her. But I am just not feeling her, she is not exciting enough, too bland.
I love the pairing of Donald and Peta, as someone mentioned above, no gimmicks, love the experience, entertaining, and I am mesmerized watching them dance. They are a breath of fresh air. Still my pick for the win!
@PH
You can call Derek smart for choreographing a routine like that. I would also. As I would call a lot of the ‘attention- grabbing, out-dancing-your-partner, gimicky’ routines that get ripped to shreds by this site (including Cheryl’s for William). You either call that kind of marketing and cover up smart or you shred it to pieces for the lack of dancing by a celebrity. Just the fact that Derek produced this one is not reason enough for me to make it somehow better.
I stand by my Derek and Cheryl- choreo fail.
And I agree that it’s insane Maria got better scores then Roshon.
Derek will be exactly the same as Cheryl when he starts ripping Maria’s shirt open, constantly talks about how hot she is (as opposed to talking about how her laugh is dash of cold water) and focuses on nothing else. For the first four weeks Derek choreographed her dances and taught her to dance. If he wants to have fun one week, fine by me. Same as any other couple. Derek hasn’t played up a showmance at all, outside of a kiss in a dance – and do you really think Mark is a drunk? He played one in their dance, so he must be promoting it, right??
So…how come we never saw a doctor gravely explaining that William had a serious sprain and that he could dance on it but at risk to his health??
Heh, wiwin – Derek’s cross to bear is being expected to do an Emmy worthy routine every single time.
Sasa, I will rip it to shreds when Derek starts doing it every single week. Until then, he gets a one week pass. Just like we give most other people.
So we’re basically saying the same thing except that you don’t asses the merits of an individual routine based on who it’s done by. What’s wrong with just saying it was a bad routine? That doesn’t make Derek somehow a lesser dancer or a person. It would actually make him look better to be the sort of person who has fans that can truthfully say: man, that was bad. Which, I’ve seen above in the comments, he is fortunate to have.
Well, sasa, because I don’t think it WAS a bad routine – certainly don’t think it just because you tell me it’s so. It was not a great routine. Certainly not his best ever. I didn’t think they needed the kiss – THAT’S what I’m giving him a pass for. I’m not going to say it was horrible just to prove some sort of point to you. There is a lot of land between great and horrible. That falls somewhere in the middle.
And no, we’re clearly not saying the same thing at all.
Yes, Derek knows the game and plays it well. No doubt. And I also have the feeling that he wants to have some fun on the show too, and he is entitled to that…. I think last season -last three seasons – were very stressful for him, I think he had to deliver for Ricki (and for Jen, and for Nicole), and Ricki got on his nerves big time. This season is a fun one, and it’s OK.
Oh, and see the attention the dance has created? Good one, Derek, it was a memorable routine!
Sorry I really enjoyed Derek and Maria. Melissa looked like she was still in pain. William hardly moved during the A.T and Cheryl did most of the work, it was decent, hardly deserved 10′s, sorry.
Donald and Peta were good, I really don’t think in all honesty that he deserved a 10. CAI should take a cold shower before she makes a judgement on these guys! These judges are really strange to try and figure.
Okay sorry, I misunderstood. So you think this was good but not his best. There we disagree. I think it was crappy (by no means the worst ever but pretty bad), cheap (recycled sexy moves) and over scored. Maria was very slow and dazed looking compared to Derek, he danced circles around her. And with the kiss and the shirtlessness he tried (and arguably managed) to make it not about the dancing but about “hotness”. Which is exactly was Cheryl has tried to do.
Except, because DWTS has a female audience, Derek had to do make it about himself while Cheryl covers it up better (I’m talking pure dancing here, not her crazy behavior, comments and interviews) because she can make it about her celebrity.
It’s a GREAT site and if you don’t like it, then move on. It certainly wouldn’t be much fun if everyone agreed all the time.
I thought Derek and Maria’s salsa was fun. The salsa is not my favourite dance. I thought they nailed the spirit of it.
I think it should be Gavin and Melissa in the bottom two. I hope that Gavin wins the dance duel. It pains me to watch Melissa dance and I’m not sure Maks is having that much fun either.
My first comment was in response to DANCEFAN; however, I don’t see the comment anymore. I think I need another coffee – I’m seeing things! Or maybe she/he just took my advice and moved on!
While Donald may or may not have deserved a 10, Margaret, he CERTAINLY didn’t deserve a damn 8 from Len. What the hell was up with that. I find Donald to be the highlight of the night, even though I had people telling me that William had a bit more content.
Sasa, we will never agree. If you seriously are putting Derek on the same level as Cheryl for ONE dance (as opposed to five weeks of out there behavior), then there’s really nothing for us to discuss. Credibly.
Hehe Meggie, my deletin’ finger was itchy
But while we’re at it, can someone please tell me what a “bish” is? Ohhh maybe it was a typo, and they meant “the moderators are dishes”. Yes ma’am, I sure think so 
*strikes pose*
Sally “the kick ball change”? LOLLLLLLLL I so agree with you and Biffette!
Loving everyone’s thoughts. I agree with Heidi giving Derek a pass last night…and for the entertainment reason alone. Brilliant choreography and so clever. They had my head spinnning.
As always, I can’t wait for Heidi’s numbers post later. It’s going to be interesting again.
Ooo…what people never seem to realize is that if someone calls me a bitch I feel like I’ve done something RIGHT.
Yer gonna be waiting a while, Vogue. Sorry to say that I’m off the net for a while starting….NOW. (Don’t get carried away, anyone, Courtney has fast fingers this morning.)
First off, thee has been some overscoring many times on this show. If I have to point to the most ridiculous, it would be William…always very little dancing, constant sex or sexual innuendo, judges tingling vaginas and BOOM – - big unrealistic scores. What about all the manufactured drama of yesterday? all the “help” from shows PTB? Katherine, experience with no acknowledgement coupled with the way she apparently wants us to perceive her ?wide-eyed innocent ? Lots of great borrowed choreo last night but it lacked AT attack and crispness.
Maria’s and Derek’s routine, seemed natural and in the moment and FUN just like they have been all along. They are just kind of “going with it”, rolling with the punches. He has to give her a llittle relief so she can hopefully recover from all the injuries and I thought the routine was great. What would seem abnormal to me is a couple this HOT, with lots of things in common,chemistry is if there was no kissing. Anyone who had a hold on Derek in that circumstance would kiss him !And face it…weeks and weeks of being ignored by all shows that cover DWTS including those on the same network and now this morning, first thing–MINUTES of extended coverage on Good Morning America and it won’t be the last.
LUUVVED IT ! love them as a couple so hot and so much fun. Hope they share kisses anytime they feel the urge.
I hope that Donald and Peta make it to the finals. Wow, their dancing is just stunning, and those lifts, man, they look effortless. I think they could have a freestyle that would be ah-mazing.
I agree with Heidi. Donald certainly did not deserve an 8. I don’t understand why they are being so tough on him. I mean all William has to do is be present for the dance and he gets 10′s. And let me just say, I feel disrespected as a viewer by the whole *injured ankle* thing. You know the saying, “Fool Me Once, Won’t Fool Me Twice.”
Just please understand that I ALWAYS try to judge and form an opinion one dance at a time as much as I can. I strive to it because I find it to be the most “fair” way. I have my favorite pros but would never vote for them if I really disliked the celebrity or thought the celebrity did a bad job at a given week or that the pro choreographed a crappy routine.
Tough love is a concept I’m a fan of, in theory and in personal life. If something sucks you gotta say it sucks because that way it can change for the better.
So yes, we don’t agree (I don’t know about the “never will” stuff but that doesn’t matter anyway) because you approach this from an entirely different perspective then I do.
Sorry..meant to say first of ….there…has been etc.
Argentine Tango should be about attack? I think it should be about passion with a pinch of melancholy. The ballroom tango and the Argentine tango are two very different things. And so I think that Kathrine’s and Mark’s tango was damn close to the original and very well done.
Katherine and Mark’s dance didn’t do it for me. I sort of went WTH when I saw their scores. Donald — much better and he was underscored. I also saw Jaleel’s butt grab and immediately (after the first dance no less lol ) I wanted him gone. He’s creepy, from the fighting with Kym, the crying and now this…
Some random thoughts about last night’s show:
1. Is a chair (and table) now a de rigeur prop for the Argentine tango? There was a chair in all three ATs last night and a table in two.
2. Being an Evan fan, I was never fond of Nicole, but I have to say, all the fawning over Katherine as a dancer this season, has made me realize how great Nicole was. Katherine is no Nicole.
3. What is up with the judges? I keep expecting Carrie Ann to call out lifts, and Len to complain about props and inappropriate “choreography,” but they’re mum.
4. I think that while Derek’s hard-core fans may have enjoyed/approved what he did last night he may have turned off some of his fair weather fans, i.e., those who split their votes among several couples. I saw a number of posts on other websites where the poster stated that he/she was disappointed with the quality and substance of Derek’s choreography and were giving his/her votes to Roshon instead because he/she felt that Roshon really danced a salsa and was underscored.
William and Donald’s ATs were all about lifts. They were just there to throw and present the female pros who did all the work. I really think they need to limit the lifts in these dances. Even though they are acceptable for some dances, I don’t think lifts should be the whole dance. I want to see steps.
I am tired of CAI declaring that someone has the “best” of all 14 seasons. I guess she has amnesia from staring at Willy too long! And if Willy had kissed Cheryl, CAI would have collapsed in a heap!
I agree with mimi. Derek has to do something to get the “entertainment” shows to cover Maria. Even with all her injuries, never a word. I think Extra should just fill the show with reports on her. I was glad Ricki was on GMA this AM, so Maria and Derek did get a mention. I thought they did a great job!
As for Katharine, I again agree with mimi on her wide-eyed innocent look. I don’t think she is all that innocent! She lacks personality. She’s playing the game!
My thoughts and personal preferences from last nights dances:
1)Roshon and Chelise. They were fun, did a great dance. I thought Roshon seemed a bit flail-y at times, but he kept it together for the most part. I hated Chelsie’s dress.
2) Donald and Peta. I thought they rocked it. I thought it was strong, sensual and wonderful. I’m becoming more of a fan of theirs ever week. Peta looked absolutely beautiful last night.
3) Katherine and Mark. They did well, which was expected. I think they need to step it up a bit though, just because she came out of the gate so strong. She seems to be losing a bit of steam.
4) William and Cheryl. The first routine of theirs I’ve liked. I thought they were intense and that it was a good dance. I wasn’t counting how many steps Cheryl was taking vs. how many William was taking, but I might go back and do that. I find it an interesting way to see how well the star is really dancing.
5) Jaleel and Kym. I have to say–I did love their dance. And if I didn’t find Jaleel to be so skeevy they probably would have placed 2nd with me. I hated that outfit Kym had on though.
6) Gavin and Karina. They didn’t do that great–but I still love watching them. They’re so genuine and humble.
7) Gladys and Tristan. They also didn’t do great, but I loved watching them. I’m still routing for the queen.
8) Maria and Derek. I did not like their dance at all last night. Maria seemed stiff. The routine in general seemed ridiculous. I’m not one who really cares if a dance is jammed with content. But, this felt like it was just silly. I hated the crotch move Derek did. I’ve always hated that thing, since he did it with Joanna. At least he didn’t bob Maria’s head up and down. I probably wouldn’t be so upset about their dance if they hadn’t scored so high. They were the most grossly overscored of the night, IMO, even worse than William (barely).
9) Melissa and Maks. I like them both a lot. They just are way at the bottom for me, dance wise, chemistry wise, personality wise. They are my least favorite couple.
Side note: I really liked the extra dances by Louis and Anna and the troupe. That neck drop thingy Emma did–WOW!
One thing I think tonight. No way is gladys going in my opinion. Next week is motown night. This just wouldn’t seem appropriate!
#mokkamilch–was hurrying maybe I should have chosen words more carefully. When I was referring to Katherines AT, by attack I meant there is supposed to be, commitment, precision and crispness in the movement. I find her movement soft, a little sloppy(or maybe not completed) at times. She has quite a bit of precision, but then, she has had quite a bit of training prior, but I just don’t BELIEVE her characters in the moment of the dances and because of that, I don’t enjoy her dances. You can almost “see” her other “motives” for doing this show and it is more about what she hopes the show will do for her afterwards, than really enjoying the experience, now.
I love Donald because you can tell he just loves DWTS. I think he was overscored last night a tad, but he is very good at many aspects of these dances and is learning. I also think Peta is starting to rival Karina in the best female choreo dept.
And Maria, is just Maria. She is going to embrace the experience, delve into it completely, do the best she can do and have FUN. It’s who she is and she has brought out the fun side of Derek more than anyone. He does things like take off his shirt because his fans urged him for years to do it. Derek is not oversold on himself, pokes alot of fun at himself…it’s more like Really?, you guys think I’m sexy? well, OK then. I and I think most( IMO) women find Derek’s type of sexy, hotter than the muscle-flexing, hip thrusting in your face overselling of Wm. And really, Maria and Derek are having a little more subtle fun at Wm’s expense than some of the others, Jalel, Roshon and Donald and a couple of the other pros, who are just calling him and the judges out.
And CAI couldn’t be more disingenuous and doesn’t bother to try to be unbiased. WHATEVER, Wm., Donald and at times Jaleel or Gavin do is just fine with her. But if a female celeb embraces some of the same type of behavior…TSK TSK well, it’s just too much !! Threatened and trying to hold on to her youth, much ???
Wow, a LOT of interesting thoughts in this thread! A couple more of mine –
Derek & Maria – I get what people are saying about that routine – in spots it really was a bit of a cop-out, and there were times that Derek did dance around Maria. I guess in that sense, you could say the routing was “Cheryl-like”.
But Maria is injured, and playing to the “hotness factor” looks like it did buy them a pass through week 5.
Willaim & Cheryl – It did look like he was just standing there a good bit of the time, but I actually liked the leg kicks (or were they flicks?) between Cheryl’s legs. In fact, I wish Peta had incorporated more of those moves in Donald’s AT. And on another note, it looked to me like CHERYL GOT THE MEMO!!!!! I didn’t hear a single mention of “He’s Hot!”, or tearing at his shirt. I actually LIKED the way she treated him last night! THANK YOU, CHERYL!
Donald & Peta – As has been said, WICKED lifts! Loved the one where he spun her around. If Peta had incorporated more footwork, I think Donald would’ve gotten 2 more 10′s.
Gladys & Tristan – I love Gladys to death. Really, I do. But compared to the other routines last night? Gladys just picked the wrong season to do DWTS – the bar is really high this time around, and there’s not a damn thing Tristan can do about her being 67 years old. She moves FANTASTIC for being 67, but against the rest of this bunch, there’s just no “sizzle & pop” for me. I hate writing that, but there it is…
Jaleel & Kym – I just can’t get past the ICK-factor with this guy, and grabbing Kym’s bum after the dance (in addition to the phony kiss) didn’t help one little bit. I thought that was an EXTREMELY DISRESPECTFUL thing to do to a woman on National TV – for me (repeat – FOR ME), it actually crossed the line into sexual harassment. Paraphrasing Courtney in another thread, Jaleel could cure AIDS, wipe out the National Debt, and create a car that runs on Dog Farts, and I’d have a hard time voting for him.
My thoughts from last night…
I think that Derek and Maria’s dance was a bit over the top. That being said, it was entertaining! It had salsa content that she could handle, and I see nothing wrong with Derek ripping his shirt off. I thought the kiss was a bit much. However…
WTF, Carrie Ann for saying “Dance is about the illusion of passion. Don’t go at it in front of everyone.” Oh, really, CAI? Would you be saying that if it had been William and Cheryl? Don’t think so. Quit being a jealous queen bee and start judging fairly. Oh, sorry, that’s asking too much.
I didn’t care for any of the sambas, though I found Gladys and Tristan and Gavin and Karina to really look like they were having fun.
Roshon was good, but I’m just not blown away by him, sorry.
William and Cheryl – overscored yet again. It’s like a broken record. And sorry, but I’m tired of seeing his chest. I’ve seen it more than I ever saw my ex-husband’s and that’s saying something. Yes, he’s pretty. Move on, Cheryl/Judges/TPTB.
Donald and Peta – my favorite of the night! If/when G&T go, this will be who gets my votes.
Melissa/Maks – I wish things were better. She’s trying, but she’s just not a natural.
Jaleel/Kym – He’s creepy. Period. And I did not care for the one-legged Fringe Fairy.
Katherine and Mark – Beautiful but wish it was just a hair more intense and sharp.
My last thought – Brooke was in rare form last night. “Maks if you were a street performer, what would you be?” Really? Is she taking a Psych 101 class in her spare time? Oy… I facepalmed so many times when she spoke.
Love this site and all the readers/commenters. The discussion is often lively and funny. Thanks for all that you guy and gals do!
I actually enjoyed Latin Night. =)
Jaleel & Kym – I think it was better than last week, that’s for sure. I kind of enjoyed it, but I wasn’t wowed by it. Jaleel has still a few obstacles to over come, but I found myself liking him a little more this week. I think he’s gonna be safe.
Melissa & Maks – A valient effort, but not enough to get any votes from me this week. I think Melissa’s time might be up. I felt her either rushing or trying to catch up with Maks, I can’t pick just one, but it was one of the two. There were some places that were good, and other times it was like “Yeah, she’s really embarrassed to do this.” I think she’s probably going to be in the dance duel.
Maria & Derek – I liked it! Some jerk on Wikipedia kept putting the song as “The Cup Of Life” when I’m pretty sure it was “Go Go Go, Ale Ale Ale.” Anyway, while I enjoyed it, the kiss was cheesey, and they stopped dancing for a while. How all of that added up to just one point deduction is beyond me. I felt that of her FASTER (not slow, I’m NOT talking about her rumba) Latin dances, it was an improvement, considering the first one as Cha-Cha and week 1. I felt her hips were lacking. I think a more appropriate score would have been 24-25.
Katherine & Mark – I have to admit, I fell in love with the song. It was a really good routine, her ins and outs of the lifts were really good. But here’s where I disagree with Court: I went into Katherine’s Argentine Tango thinking she’ll have good technique and missing the character. The opposite happened for me. I felt her intensity, but her leg work seemed a little soft and hesitent. It was still a really good dance. Her 10s are gonna keep her safe. And I really hope she gets the encore over freaking William.
Gavin & Karina – Yeah, not much to say about this for two reasons. One reason is that it just really wasn’t that great. If Gavin moves on, Latin is going to be a HUGE problem for him. Reason number 2 is because I was being forced off the living room tv into my parents room, so I missed the judges comments. Like, I have no idea what any one of them said. In any case, I think he might be safe, but he might be in the dance duel as well.
William & Cheryl – Okay, I have to admit, before reading what anyone said about his dance, I thought it was actually really good. I can’t remember the dance clearly in my head, but people have pointed out that he just stood there. And from what I can remember about the dance, I’m inclined to agree. However, he’s getting vagina votes and will probably have the encore. Also: PussyCat Dolls on Latin week? …Okay.
Gladys & Tristan – This woman is so adorable. I’m really warming up to Gladys. It was a pretty simple samba, as Len pointed out, but she worked it for all it’s worth. It wasn’t enough for me to vote for her, but I think she’s gonna be safe. She’s really trying and she’s having fun. At least she’s got that down.
Roshon & Chelsie – He’s still not my favorite, but I have admit, I’m warming up to Roshon. This salsa was probably the best of the night if we ignore the scores. I did agree with Len about the control, but for the first time, I think Roshon was under-scored by the judges. I really hope he doesn’t have to worry about the dance duel. And even if he’s in it, the judges would be stupid to not bring him back. Unless he’s in it with Katherine, Will or Donald (but I think this is highly unlikely).
Donald & Peta – Well, I’m really glad Peta didn’t end up dancing around Donald. I felt it was really good. And I love Sin Rumbo (their song). Those lifts were just…they were awesome. Peta is officially my favorite female pro. While I don’t think it was worth a 10, I don’t think it was worth an 8, that’s for sure. But he’s gonna be safe.
66 # mimi
But the tango rioplatense is sometimes softer than the ballroom tango and the footwork of the dancers seems sloppy from time to time. This kind of tango is more about improvisation and floating movements. And that was what I got from this routine. It felt like their natural movement. And both were in my opinion very precise and synchronal the whole time.
But maybe it’s in the end all about personal likings. I like watching her dancing from the very beginning and never got the feeling that she’s lacking fun in this experience. For me she’s besides Gladys and Donald one of the contestants who are really down to earth and enjoying every moment there …
Overall I really enjoyed last night! Doanld was the highlight of the night for me as some others have said and Len giving him an 8???? Len you DO realize you gave Bristol Palin an 8 for her A. Tango too right?? That was in-friggin-sane. If William can get a 29 for Cheryl dancing around him, essentialy then Donald and Peta deserved a 33. Donald and Peta BROUGHT the intense A. Tango mood with content and cool lifts to spare which he did with total ease. Also, Len never really gave a basis except for ” Close but not quite “. I hate criticisms like that because its just so vague, like ” Okay, Len what was not there? “, ofcourse, A vague criticism before giving a crap score to someone whose getting butt loads of votes after giving some MAJOR padding to another contestant whose been hailed as the best thing since PB&J, but I would guess not getting votes in droves – cough – William – cough – would make sense. So that part has me wanting to ball kick Len but other than that I was ok.
The ones that didn’t live up to my expectations were Gavin who was soooo fun to watch but he’s just not s dancer but gosh he had fun and basically did a Carrocco ( combo of Carson Kressly and Rocco Dispirito ) Carrocco: When a contestant and their partner decide to screw it and have fun when it becomes lucid to everybody they aren’t going to win so they basically screw any kind of legitimate dancing and have friggin fun. Thats a Carrocco. 
Other than that Melissa just looked like she was rushed and messy and I want to see her have a breakthrough, Maria was good but didn’t wow me and the Salsa was just to SLOW, more-so in some parts than others, Gladys actually impressed me, yes it was simple but she never lost time, successfully did Samba rolls, and she can WORK a crowd. Plus when you’re 67 and your name is Gladys Knight you don’t need some crazy routine beyond your scope of dance abbility ( Melissa and Maks tend to overcomplicate routines. Sorry but she’s no Nicole, Katherine, or Melissa Rycroft. ) so I think Gladys and Tristan are safe. Roshon and Chelise were so fun and my favorite Salsa of the night, Chelsie is the cutest darn thing ever, also 
, Katherine was also amazing, and I missed Jaleel’s so I have to go watch it. I wonder if I would still be forgetting Jaleel if I actually saw him dance? If so he’s in the deadly middle of the pack and still getting some bad press so I fear for them. So I think thr Duel will be Melissa and Gavin with Gavin losing or Gavin and Jaleel with Gavin loosing. Much to my dismay. I’d much rather see Gavin train wreck and have fun than Jaleel do average and be creepy. 
Man, I am just not really loving anyone this season (except Gavin but I fear he has danced his last).
Donald, Katherine, Maria and William are good dancers, but none of them seem to really feel the music or something. Katherine is kind of like Ricki Lake for me, good but I find her shock that everyone else thinks she’s good really disingenuous.
And I do like Derek but I don’t’ see the sharpness in Maria that Ricki had last year.
For the first year ever since I’ve been watching this show, I don’t really care who wins.
At the risk of annoying a lot of people, I do think William is a pretty good dancer, and I don’t think they’re pimping him any more than a lot of the other people. And I’m not saying that ’cause he’s hot either, he’s a nice looking man but I’m a Maks girl all the way.
Bruno needs a boyfriend I think.
Poor Derek is in the “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” category for some folks. It’s the price he pays for being so overwhelmingly heads and shoulders above the other pros in his personality, talent, and choreography. If there were someone on this show who was better than Derek, I would give them their props. Peta got some major props from me last night for her AT choreo. I think there was a lot of “tongue in cheek” (pun intended) stuff going on in the dance that Derek and Maria did last night plus a LOT of showmanship. Heidi is right – he’s not going to knock it out of the part every dance, but his batting average speaks for itself. Love Derek and Maria and hope they go all the way!!
Tony, Maria and Derek’s song IS called The Cup of Life. I’ve googled.
Plus Melissa and Tony danced a Salsa to that song, also, in season 8. The Wiki Jerk is right. 
Adding I was a little two hard on them above. It was an impressive ( and Sexy ) Salsa. They are also a great couple, Maria is such a fighter. I still feel like Maria is great as is Derek and should be in the semi’s easily.
Miss Boo, that really sums it up for me. For the first time, I don’t really care who wins, whether I can be home to watch the show or not, or whether someone gets over/underscored.
I’m not finding a lot of chemistry between any of the partners this year really, and since the judges are so blatant (yes, I know they are every year, but I cared more in past seasons), and now they have control over who stays and who goes for the next few weeks, I’m kind of with Court. Yawn.
Ok thoughts on last night show:
I actually understand why some people are not really keen to Katherines& Mark AT. When they were first announved during the show, and
@Zach: Oh. I just thought they were different songs is all. I also thought that because I’ve YouTube’d “Go Go Go, Ale Ale Ale” and it didn’t come up as “The Cup Of Life.” But then again, I haven’t listened to “The Cup Of Life” in a while and I recognized “Go, Ale” when they danced. Again, I thought there was a difference between the two songs.
The kiss between Derek and Maria was just a stage/fake kiss, right? It looked contrived to me. I’m with the others who don’t really care who wins. However I know who I definitely do not want to win …..with the dance duel it’s already a given who the top 3 will be any. It’s almost like why bother voting.
No one wowed me last night. I would put Gladys and Melissa in the duel tonight, but I don’t think it will go that way.
Maria and Derek are taking a lot of flack for their salsa so I just hope they got enough fan votes to keep going. I’m a little worried for them.
Courtney,
Regarding your comments concerning the lack of dance steps for William and the comparison to the number of Donald’s steps….. You’re incorrect…..I checked, and William had at least 15 more steps then Donald…..in addition, Cheryl’s ratio of dance steps to William isn’t any higher then Peta’s to Donald…..
I think all the couples are working very hard, and all should be given credit for their efforts, including the ones you don’t particularly care for.
@Marlene (#10) I think Brooke asked Kym and Jaleel how they felt about their scores…
@Sally I think you already got your wish. In camera blocking before Rock Week Kym landed on Jaleel’s jewels. (He made sure to tell the world on twitter.) After the butt-grab I think she needs to land harder next time.
As for William’s injury, if there even is one, it’s totally not as bad as it was made out to be. I’ve had a broken foot and also torn ligaments in both ankles at least 4 times each. By far the worst of the two types of injuries according to my orthopedic doctor was tearing ligaments, which is what William said happened. Each time I tore ligaments I was put in a cast for 6 weeks. If he truly tore ligaments it’s doubtful that he would even be able to get in a shoe much less lift Cheryl. Each time my ankles swelled up to the size of a softball and stayed that way for days even after icing. Seems like a cheap ploy for votes to me.
when I saw their costumes, I was really surprised.I will say this though, I watch a lot of AT(professionals and amateurs) and I have never seen anything like that. I think that Mark should be applauded for his innovative and amazing choreo(and Katherine for keeping up with him). People have to remember that the AT is very difficult for the female celeb(bc the woman does most of the work).Also some people who said that she appeared cold, well I have to disagree she was in the character of the dance(and btw she has never hidden her reasons for doing this show in the 1st place, I dont why she gets slated so much).
I am really loving Mark this season, he seems less obnoxious and more supportive of his partner.I really love his partnership with Katherine:):). I havent really supported him since he danced with Kristi(yes thats a long time lol) -
I actually think that Donald should have scored higher than William. And I dont get all the William love either(and yes Im woman).Its kind of unfortunate than whenever I see comments about his dances, 75% of the time, people are mentionning how HOT he is!! Like really??, we know that but should it be a criteria to judge how good someone is?
-Maria &Derek:I dont want to sound cold but Im sick and tired of hearing her injuries every week and the alledged “showmance”. And that was not a Salsa!(Lambada ?Samba? in a Salsa).I really wished they could end up in the bottom 2 , I dont know why the judges overscored them so much.
Regardless what I think of Jaleel, I actually think that he was underscored yesterday, same with Roshon.
Gavin is sweet and does try but he is terrible.Melissa and Gladys are not good.
I actually think that the bottom 2 couples will be :Jaleel and Melissa.
Because it appears to me that Gladys,Gavin,Maria have very strong fanbases.
This is a very good dwts blog btw;Im glad that I discovered it:):).
re Zach #70 ” I’d much rather see Gavin train wreck and have fun than Jaleel do average and be creepy” that’s exactly how I feel!
I can’t believe that you would put Maria in the same category as Gavin, Gladys, and Melissa! That’s hilarious! Have we been watching the same show? Did you see her rumba or her tango???
I agree with you on this site though!
OT:
Guys, where can I watch the Ballroom Battle? Any youtube user uploaded it?
@Courtney
BTW, I really loved your comments in the Power Rankings this week. They were spot on.
As an aside, I can’t jump on the Peta and Donald bandwagon, even though they are likely to win. I’m probably a minority of one in not liking their personalities. I find Peta to be smug, and Donald to be egotistical. Plus, I’m biased against football players on this show. They seem to get away with doing less dancing than some of the other male contestants.
Jaleel gave me an uneasy feeling with his body language or something I couldn’t quite put my finger on the first show. After the crying with no tears, the argument with Kym, Donald, and Mark, then last nights grab ass, face it, he’s arrogant and creepy. I hope if he’s in the bottom two……. Need I say more? Everyone else needs to stay and keep on dancing
Does anyone else feel the reason for the dance off for the next few weeks is for Roshon? Just like they did for Chelsea with the cha cha duels?
@Vikayanna – Jaleel is creepy and such a disappointment this season, I thought he would be my favorite but he is not. Donald has taken over the top spot for me.
Speaking of grabbing a**, well Maksim is still pinching Tom’s butt… What’s up with that? A grown man pinching another grown man’s butt. Talk about creepy and weird.
Let me start off by saying that I only really liked four of the dances so I’ll seperate the top 4 from the rest this week:
1) Maria and Derek: She had fun and was it was a lot of fun to watch. Footwrk was great.
2) William and Cheryl: As much as it pains me to say it it was the best AT that I shave seen in al ong time on the show.
3)Roshon and chelsie: It was great!
4) Donald and Peta: It was great!
Now for the rest:
5) Katherine and Mark: tecjnique was great BUT I really disliked the dance itself. It was just too predictable for an AT. The way I thought the story line was that he was some creepy vagabond/gypsy and she wanted nothing to do with him becuase she was more upper class (I was an English major so I kinda had fun trying to figure out the storyline lmao)
6) Jaleel and Kym: I forgot about it so this was clearly not a memorable dance. never a good sign.
7) M+M: Same thing I said for G+K
8) Gavin and Karina: It was fun to see him have fun but he lost technique.
9) Gladys and Tristan: It was the worst dance of the night.
Now I had one major grievance with last night’s show: Santana was GREAT but why did they not use Tony and one of the trope members for the second song?! Tony would have loved it.
@Zach: ” I’d much rather see Gavin train wreck and have fun than Jaleel do average and be creepy” Couldn’t agree more but at this point in the show I would have thought he would have gotten sooooooo much better (especially since he wwas great last week and the week before), It was kinda like 5 step forwards two steps back for him this week in particular.
RJ (#81) LOL! Yeah, I saw that twitter pic this morning. Loved the (kinda cheesy) “Oops! Did I do THAT???” look on her face. Given that he grabbed her ass last night, she obviously didn’t hit ‘em hard ENOUGH.
I have to admit, I’m getting downright sad at the thought of Gavin leaving tonight, but I think that’s by FAR the most likely outcome. As both Vin & Zach have said, I’d prefer to watch someone like Gavin, who doesn’t have the natural ability, but is trying & having fun, instead of creepy, narcissistic, misogynistic Jaleel. I guess Jagger said it best: “You don’t always get what you want”…
Well, Vikyanna, I really don’t believe you, considering William remained stationary for a good portion if his performance.
And just FYI – it’s not your place to tell me how I should write. A blog is a work of opinion – and in my opinion, Williams’s dance was not that great. I’m not about to start playing the “everyone’s a winner!” game…so if you don’t like it, no one is forcing you to read it. Your choice.
Loved seeing Santana and Louis and Anna dancing.
As much as I hate to admit it, I liked Katherine and Mark’s AT. To me it was the best of the night.
Wondering why Donald and Peta got such a low score from Len. I thought their AT was second best of the night
Wondering why Derek got such a high score from the judges. Maria hardly moved in that dance. I think I just answered my own question. Derek got the score.
Wondering why William ( no, actually I know why.
) got such a high score…it was good, but not that good.
I kinda agree with the other scores. Loved Gladys…for a 67 year old she is amazing.
Gavin is such a good guy, I would hate to see him in a dance off with Melissa after he came to her rescue.
Guess we’ll have to wait until tonight to see how this all unfolds. Fans of the bottom 2 will be mad as wet hens.
Imo, Top for me was Donald/Peta. Bottom Melissa and Maksim.
I was trying to think of a case where a kiss in the dance works and the only one i thought of was helio and juliane’s quickstep. I feel kinda mad that Derek did no acrobatics of any kind, this was the dance to do it.
Sandy, I agree… I know it started with Mel B….. But it’s really getting old
And Vin…..I agree with your rankings
I enjoyed Latin night, and thought most of the dances were either well done or fun to watch. Loved Anna and Louis’s “Sambo”
they were moving!
If I had to pick, I’d say Katherine and Roshon were my favorites. Kath could have smoldered a bit more but I liked Mark’s choreo and their costumes were great. Roshon can really move and loved his energy. I wouldn’t have minded seeing a 10 for him since they’re handing them out like candy this season.
Maria and Derek’s Salsa was full-on fun. Derek just took this opportunity to cut loose, have a laugh, and give some of his fans what they’ve been clamoring for. So I had no problems with the staged kiss or the shirt-off. It’s not like he uses these gimmicks as a crutch week after week (like some others have done).
Donald gave a clinic in male partnering in the AT and Peta was spectacular (and gorgeous), but I would have liked to have seen them do some of those intricate in and out leg flicks. Still that 8 from Len was uncalled for; he needs to apologize AGAIN to Donald for underscoring him.
William was overscored, as expected, but I liked the AT better than I thought I would. Uh, Len, if you’re gonna give Will a 9 (for smoldering, I guess) then you gotta give Donald a 9 for top-notch partnering. Just sayin’.
Gladys shook her tail feathers amazingly well and it was so fun to see her “dancing happy”.
Ai, ai, ai Gavin was all over the place, but it was fun. I was impressed with the way he ditched any inhibitions and just went for it.
Melissa gave it a valiant effort, but there was too much to overcome. I wish it hadn’t been Latin week and they could have done a Slow Waltz.
My dueling dancers are Melissa and Gavin; and if the judges have any brains left at all, they’ll keep Gavin.
Loved Donald and Peta, from week one they have been scored too low. It really annoys me because they have been so generous with the the score in regard to the other couples.
@Vikayanna: Thanks
I felt so bad putting gladys and gavin on the bottom though. They are trying so hard and really are doing ok (each had a really good weeks….gladys week one and the week she foxtroted and gavin with the rumba and last week)
If I had to guess whose gonna be in the danceduel I’m going to say Gavin and Gladys and I have a bad feeling the judges would keep gladys around becuase she is a legend and so freaking adorablely nice. She is like the nicest person ever on the show but in my opinion the worst dancer there at the moment.
I just watched all of the Argentine Tangos again (it is my favourite of all the dances), and would rate them as this:
Mark/Katherine (which pains me ’cause I don’t really like either one of them)
William/Cheryl
Donald/Peta
They were all great, but I think Katherine really did the best with the steps, and I did think that William/Cheryl had more content than Donald/Peta.
As much as I like the partnership between Maria & Derek, I don’t think Maria’s cutting it. She lacks so much fluidity when she dances and I can’t help but to yell at my TV when she waits in transition for her next move. *Step.. turn.. wait for Derek*. Maria’s got a really good athletic body and a choreographer to die for but I feel that her dancing is still meh.. which is a shame because I like her.
Donald and Peeta on the other hand are totally on the next level! LOVED that Argentine Tango; full of passion and mesmerizing! Could Peeta be the next DWTS it girl?
@Vin (#90) – the storyline I got from Katherine and Mark’s choreo was that they were a couple and she’s leaving him because of his drinking problem. She’s walking out the door with her suitcase, he stops her, while they’re dancing she’s trying to take the bottle away from him, hoping that she’ll then have a reason to stay, but he won’t let her, so in the end she pushes him away and leaves.
I cannot imagine Gladys is going home. She talked about seeing all her friends at Motown week, etc.–the judges aren’t going to mess with that.
@Cidra (#105) Thats a godo one too! That dance probaably was the best storyline wise.
@Marie (#106) I said the same thing last week about Sherri because Latin week would be so much fun for her.
I have one simple question: Did William wear the same shirt Gavin used on his Rumba? o_O William’s Argentine Tango was good. Its a pity though that Cheryl has to do almost all of the dancing.
Maria and Katherine’s routines were OVERRATED. They both lack self-confidence and emotions. I can’t feel the connection between them and their partners.
Donald’s Argentine Tango was beautiful! I love all the tricks, the lifts, and all the emotions Donald and Peta has put in the dance. It was underrated, It didn’t deserve an 8 nor a 9. I’d love to see Peta win her first mirror ball trophy this Season.
Gavin’s Samba was a fail. I guess the Samba was Gavin’s worst dance and it didn’t suit him. I don’t think he’ll be ending up in the bottom two though because of his huge commitment and effort.
Roshon really made a good job on his Salsa. I love the choreography. It deserves a “good job, dog!” from Len.
Jaleel, Melissa, and Gladys routines were average. Not too good, and not too bad either.
I think Jaleel and Gladys would be ending up in bottom. I think Gladys would be leaving this week.
Jaleel – I thought it was his best dance since week 1, yet something is still ‘off’ there and I found myself forgetting about him by the end of the night. I do think he’ll end the run of 1st spotters going home. even if he did end up bottom two, think he’d win the dance off against the others I suspect would join him there.
Melissa – Gutsy gal who tries but just can’t quite overcome. The sympathy factor, Chmerkovskiy fanatics, and the fact she is still a better dancer than a couple others might keep her around for a bit longer.
Maria – Flat for me this week. Not a fan of the gimmicks, repetition or lack of hip action in this one.
Katherine – Technically very good for what it was, but missing the fire between the pair.
William – Really captured the tone of the dance and had some nice moments. The height difference and possible injury are problematic. Did he say the ligament is torn clear from bone?!? If so, don’t see how he could dance last night let alone continue onward. He’ll make it through tonight if he doesn’t defect.
Gladys – Larger on star power than dance talent. In trouble IF she lands in the bottom 2.
Roshon – Has there ever been a faster mover on DWTS? Torn a bit. While I like the showmanship and individuality of his dances, I’d also like to see more traditional styling on the whole. Seems his lack of votes puts him at risk for bottom 2, but he should prevail in a dance off against most others that’d be there.
Gavin – I’ve like him since day 1. His dancing…not so much. Likely bottom 2 both on fanbase and votes.
Donald – Presents Peta well and always captures the tone of the dance. However, since the 1st week where his enthusiasm overided his technique, it’s almost as if he’s since too contemplative at times during the dances. Also, while a generally humble guy, a bit of ego creeps out at times. And best to not over-react to judges’ scoring (no matter how out-of-scale it may be). Doubt we’ll ever see him in the bottom 2.
What is this motown week going to be about ??? Urghhhh !!! More theme weeks!
From what I understand, they’re just going to be dancing to Motown music – which I actually don’t mind, considering that I love Motown and it’s rhythmic enough to lend itself nicely to a variety of dances. Depending on what dances everyone has, I might do a “Motown Week Song Predictions” post. So far, all I know is that if Maria & Derek make it through, they have foxtrot next week. Have any other couples revealed their dances? I haven’t had time to go through all of the media yet.
I still think that (unfortunately )people didnt like Katherines AT that much because it was so different from what we are used to see(costume,storytelling…)
An AT doesnt have to be about sex all the time(roll eyes..) and your partner trying to dance around you like a pole dancer(no offense)!!!!
@dwtsfan: not gonna lie i hate the idea of motown week too. When i was a kid my parents would always have on 101.1 cbs fm (an oldies station in ny and jersey and people who are interested can stream it online probably) and would NEVER change the radio dial so its going to make them happy but i’m probaly going to pull my hair out lol
Ok thanks for the explanation Courtney:). I wonder who is going to repeat their dances tonight(one thing is sure its going to be one of the AT). I would prefer to see K&M AT again.
I actually think that we may have a big surprise for our bottom 2 tonight. How can I vote online, I looked everywhere but I dont see a correct link.And can I still vote?
This is a very good site by the way:):):).
Wiki says William has rumba, not sure if that is true. If so, I think the song he will get is something like “let’s get it on.” Wiki also says Melissa has V.Waltz, Donald Foxtrot, and Katherine samba. Again, we will see if wiki is correct about the dances.
Court, you need to see our first post of the Media today. All of them but two revealed their next dance.
Great reviews All!!
As far as Motown song predictions, for some reason I could see Roshon dancing to Try a Little Tenderness a la Duckie (Jon Cryer) in Pretty in Pink. Not sure which dance would fit that song
Thank you dwtsfan
Unfortunately, the voting period ends at 11 AM EST the day after the show, so you’re not able to vote for this week. But the voting period begins again at 8 PM EST on Monday night, so you can get your verified accounts ready to vote for then!
I’m actually not sure if there’s going to be an encore tonight – seems like they’ve got a pretty full hour planned, with Train, Santana, & Selena Gomez all performing, probably a Macy’s Stars of Dance performance and/or an AT&T Spotlight performance, and then of course we have the dance duel. If they do pick an encore, though, I would think it would have to be William or Katherine, the way the judges gushed about them. Hope it’s Katherine – I still don’t think William’s was all that great.
From the OTRC interviews with George, I got the impression that Motown singers (some legends maybe?) will be singing while the couples perform (I think Maks said something to that effect). Gives me hope that TPTB and the Judges will make *sure* Gladys is around to dance one more week.
BTW, William is tweeting about how horrible his ankle feels today but I’m still not buying it.
Probably Katherine will get the encore, remember William allegedly has a broken ankle, torn ligament, or whatever alleged ailment worked for last nights voting.
Loved all the Argentine Tango’s. I’d like to see the Mambo done if producers bring back Latin week.
My bottom 2 of the night are Melissa and Gavin. I think Gavin will be leaving the ballroom tonight.
Love Motown music. The music fits to most of the styles of dances and I’m expecting great dances next week.
A few thoughts about last night’s show…
Jaleel and Kym: Such a non-factor for me. I found the dance boring. He does not appeal to me at all, and as much as I Iove Kym, I would be happy if they left.
Melissa and Maks: I really like her and want to watch the journey, but this is not the right season for her. Her development will take time that she does not have. The others are better – Maks pulls her around the floor trying to keep up with the leading dancers and she looks lost much of the time. Last night was better but I wish she was on a different season.
Maria and Derek: Liked the shirtless look and kiss but hated it at the same time. I thought it added nothing whatsoever to the dance, but to their chemistry – yes! yes! yes!
Katherine and Mark: Love, love, love this girl!! I love the grace and the beauty that is Katherine. I love how Mark allows her to shine. This team makes me happy (obviously).
Donald and Peta: I do not, for the life of me, understand the scores they give him. Len underscores him constantly! Why?! He is a joy to watch, his technique is really good, he has a blast on the floor, and he wants it sooo bad. Len is a crotchety old fool. And if I ever see him on the street, I’m going to yell that at him.
William and Cheryl: Loved it! They are my guilty pleasure. I thought that Cheryl acted appropriately, finally! And what happened with footage about his injured ankle? There was a teaser and then nothing in the package. Or did I miss it?
Enjoyed the other dances – Roshon is fun to watch, Gladys is smooth, and Gavin is just so damn endearing. I don’t know what it is about him, but I hope he stays around for a little longer.
Cidra – I could also see TPTB giving Gladys the heave-ho, then asking her & the Pips to come back next week to sing a number (or two), a-la Michael Bolton (though he was on a results show).
#Sandy#122—how come you keep reading my mind ?? LOL
1) I love Motown
2) I thought Jaleel danced well. There seemed to be a problem with the beat and choroegraphy. That song ( I forget what it was ) has a fast beat. I think Kym may have asked for it to be slowed down a bit. And then I think they danced a little too slow for the revised version. Something just didn’t click there. Just my take on it.
3) Maria was on GMA this morning discussing her nude photos in Allure magazine. Her male fans will rejoice
Sorry but I see no chem with Derek & Maria, he seems to be trying way too hard to make it seem like they have all this chem which makes one think the reason for that is …….they don’t lol
Also bad Salsa, not sure WTH the judges were seeing but it was not what was happening out there, blatant favourtism, did I spell that right…lol
SO badly overscored, Maria was stiff stiff stiff & the kiss was so cheesy, not sure what they judges were so gaga about, going on about Maria being this great dancer seemed odd when it was her worst dance, she looked like she was posing while Derek danced around, also seems the men this year want to take their shirts off alot more….Derek, Maks, Donald all seem to be suffering from the ……I am as hot as William Levy syndrome…
The salsa was fun. Maria has improved alot but not quite up there like her recent dances. But Maria and Derek have chemistr which s why I felt the kiss was not needed. Everyone sees their chemistry. But hey it was a one time thing.
Jaleel & Kym: I think it was his best dance after Foxtrot. Should get 9s.
. Poor Karina, she’s the champion of previous season and now her partner is Gavin.. I think he should eliminated in week 1, not Martina. Because in my opinion, if Martina stayed to week 5, she would improve better.
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. It was just entertaining, so enjoyable to watch. And definitely classy 
.
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Melissa & Maks: Is it just me or everytime she dances it looks frantic? Of course, -no offense- its Maks’s fault(IMO). Why not calm down and prepare a cheography like Tristan’s samba this week. You’re not trying to catch a plane or something, right?
Maria & Derek: Definitely overscored. I think it deserved max 8s. Because if you take all the kissing, nudity, gimmicks out, there’s not much left… Just average dancing. I agree with Tony, her hips wasn’t good.
Katherine & Mark: Some said her legs were soft, I agree she wasn’t very sharp. But does it matter? I mean, I watched a few argentine tangos on youtube and some of them were really smooth, soft. Perhaps we’re just used to DWTS type of ATs, like Nicole’s, Marini’s etc… Perhaps being soft is normal in AT. I’m not sure though..
Gavin & Karina: I think he did deserve 5s
William & Cheryl: I don’t know, I have to watch again. I’d say he deserved 9s not 10s. But since Maria got 9s, I think its normal that he got 10s. His lifts was good, I didn’t expected him to be that good. Of course it wasn’t as good as Donald’s lifts
Gladys & Tristan: Ok, I think they deserved their score. I guess she missed some steps, weren’t in sync with Tristan sometimes. But I don’t care! I think thats gonna be in my top 10 sambas list
Roshon & Tristan: I’m pretty confused about this. Because I think he didn’t do much better than Jaleel, so I think he should get 8s but then I think, “so he danced worse than Maria?”. No, definitely not. So, I think he should get three 9s. Even this would be underscored, because he obviously danced better than Maria. But getting three 10s would be too much of course. Then the perfect solution would be Maria getting 8s, Roshon(and Jaleel) getting three 9s
Donald & Peta: I think it did lack some movement, dancing… But those lifts were awesome! 8 from Len? I’m not angry or something. I think that will only boost Donalds votes, so… thanks len
By the way, I don’t think Jaleel meant to put his hand on Kym’s butt. If you watch closely, he wasn’t doing it intentionally. Yes, Kym holds his hand and moves away from her butt. But that doesn’t mean he’s abusing her or something. Remember David Arquette? He was always holding Kym’s hip, and she was holding his hand and moving away. But I don’t think he(david) was doing it intentionally, too because most of the celebrities hold their partners this way, looks like Kym is uncomfortable when someone holds her like this-which is pretty normal, I don’t understand how others allow their partners to touch those places, lol
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Sorry I wrote a lot but I really wanted to write what I think about the dances. It’s always fun to read others comments by the way
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I love reading your posts. It really is the highlight before and after each episode, but lately you seem so angry about William that I find myself skipping over your commentary. This is a fun show and it should be enjoyed that way.
Regardless of the number of steps, it was a good dance. Was it the best? No, but that doesn’t make ok to be so angry.
Last night I don’t recall Maria saying anything about her foot or her ribs. And she wrestled last week. Does that mean we should call her out? Or is it just William?
KT, I’ll be brief: not your place to tell me how to feel, act, or write. Don’t like it? No one’s forcing you to read it.
I have every right to be angry when a show I enjoy gets overshadowed by the ulterior motives & blatant favoritism by the judges. For you to tell me I’m not allowed to get upset is absurd.
So, let me get this straight, Maria hid two broken ribs for two weeks and insists that she’s okay at every opportunity, to the point Tom makes fun of her and we should call her out?? KT, if you’re going to cross a huge line in talking to Courtney that way you should at least attempt to be logical when you do it. Fail. Now, if you don’t like what’s being written, leave.
Woah Sherri just mentioned on The View that based on the new system Jaleel won’t be in danger of elimination next week. Is she just making this stuff up?! That can’t be true right!? For someone so enthusiastic about the show, she sure seems confused about the details.
Yup, I just mentioned it on another post on this site. SMH
Jaleel is on the View now. He said 2 hr rehearsal of cha cha only.
Now Sherri is bringing up the “issue”.
It appears he’s going back to court because of her “allegations”. Did U get the impression HE’S suing the “ex’?
Peta and Donald were Blatantly Underscored. The Judges need to stop with all the Favoritism, but you know thats not going to Happen.
They will continue to manipulate and overscore who they want in the finals. If their pets don’t have enough viewer votes they should not be compensating for them.
The Dance Dual sucks because they are just dissing the viewer votes by doing this. It only gives them more power to stick it to who they dont like. If the Judges would comment and score fair and consistently there would not be as much disdain over the Dance Dual.
Peta did a wonderful job in her choreography, she looked disappointed aand as very sad
and I dont blame her.
Hopefully Donald wont go off on the Judges, {because they love to hold grudges} If he starts to get vocal then he will get labeled and the media will run with it.
They need Fresh New Judges.
@Sheery I haven’t seen what Jaleel said on The View, but I take anything he says now with a huge grain of salt. Jaleel’s attorney filed a motion recently in court asking for a gag order to be placed on his ex to prevent her from speaking to the media. The judge denied Jaleel’s motion. Did he reveal that part?
I am not defending Jaleel one iota…
But it sucks that his ex- chose to bring this out while he is on the show. Um, wouldn’t his appearance on this show maybe lead to more jobs and more money, in essence, more money for her. I still don’t like him, just had to get that off my chest.
@Sandy I agree. Not to say what she’s claiming has no basis in truth, but her timing is really suspect. I’m not sure what she has to gain at this point. I personally think they both need to grow up and work things out for the sake of their daughter. Essentially that’s what the judge told both of them when he denied Jaleel’s gag order motion.
SueB, Anna loves to wear the “belly bands” also.
Stephen, go somewhere else. Comments like that are not welcome here.
[...] Courtney: Put Jaleel versus Melissa in the duel with Melissa going home; outside chance of Jaleel versus Roshon. [...]