DWTS 15, Week 7 – Power Rankings
Once again, I’m left with a week where these rankings are kind of a moot point, since no one is going home – so basically, take these as who I think would go home if there was actually an elimination tomorrow night. But keep in mind that next week is a double elim, so those who don’t do so hot this week are going to have to really step their game up even more next week, because their chances of going home are even greater – and once again, the multitude of points from 4 different dances (the fusion & marathon dances this week, and a regular ballroom dance and Latin trio dance next week) is going to make the margins uber-close…even moreso than they were last week. We’re going to have another fanbase battle royale on our hands…hope you guys have created more accounts to vote with!
Well, looks like the judges were back to hitting the wacky tobacky this week – although Carrie Ann seemed at least a bit more sober than those other two goobers. Definite over and under-scoring going on, and I have to wonder if there are certain celebs that need a bit of protection…
1.) Shawn & Mark (Derek) – For all the hoopla surrounding “Will Derek dance or not?”, I actually thought things turned out pretty damn good for Shawn this week – she FINALLY got that perfect 30, and I think Derek’s choreo for she & Mark was the epitome of what the judges were looking for in terms of a “fusion dance” (even if they didn’t specifically spell it out) – I literally could not count how many times they switched from tango to paso, paso to tango, and back again. Derek delivered on his promise – he created a fusion where the two component dances melted together effortlessly, and you couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. And Shawn & Mark handled it beautifully – was nice to see shades of the unflappable Team Shark, but with the upgrade of Shawn’s maturity and some of Derek’s choreography. As for the marathon dance – just as I expected, Shawn had the endurance of a Kenyan, and didn’t even seem to be getting winded, and I thought she and Mark had some great, flashy choreo that SHOULD have kept them around longer. But as someone mentioned on Twitter (Will, maybe?), I think Mark may have gotten them tapped out when he went for the breakdancing move that left them separated for so long and Shawn…just kinda standing there. Had he not done that move, I think they probably would have gone on to win the marathon, because they were showing no signs of fatigue. C’est la vie. I’m just happy that Shawn didn’t get low-balled by Len for once, and they’ve got a decent lead heading into week 8, for Derek’s return.
2.) Emmitt & Cheryl – These two are one big question mark for me. I feel like Emmitt isn’t really doing enough to stand out amongst some of the other couples, but I also can’t shake the feeling that the judges just love him, and that he’s getting a LOT of votes. The guy is charming, don’t get me wrong – and he’s not a bad dancer. But I feel like he’s kinda plateaued, and the level of difficulty that he’s dancing at isn’t up-to-snuff with what the other couples are doing at this point. I think their fusion dance illustrated this pretty well – it was better than I expected, and definitely cute and very “typical Emmitt”. And therein lies the problem: I feel like I was seeing the exact same steps and overall mood that I’ve been seeing in the bulk of his dances this season. There was no “upping the ante” in terms of difficulty, and we didn’t really see anything new from he & Cheryl in terms of character or mood of the dance. I felt like I was watching a repeat of his samba a few weeks ago. Was it a good effort, given their fusion and the song they got? Yes. Did Emmitt dance it well? Sure. But nothing really jumped out at me that said “This guy is a contender for the finale.” In the marathon dance, I thought they were cute, and doing just enough lifting and moving just slow enough that they didn’t exert themselves – I don’t feel like they were giving it 100%, though, and probably gone a bit harder and been a bit flashier and still been ok. If there were an elim tomorrow, I’m fairly confident they’ll be safe. But I think they’ll probably end up doing the jive as their trio dance next week, and I’m curious to see how Emmitt fares doing a fast dance where he has to remain in sync with not only Cheryl, but another person as well…I think his weaknesses could be on display.
3.) Kelly & Val – These two are also a bit of an enigma for me, since I can’t really tell whether the judges are going easy on her to keep her around, or don’t really care if she stays or goes…and the soap fanbase still remains untested, considering that EVERYONE beat Sabrina last week. I generally like their fusion dance – was very cute and had appropriate amounts of both cha-cha and foxtrot in it, and I think Kelly’s cha-cha sections were actually much sharper and cleaner than Melissa’s. But I wish Val would quit incorporating all of these spin sequences into Kelly’s routine – she’s good for the first 2 or 3, then I think she gets dizzy and tends to get off-balance…and thus, off-time. I did see a few stutters after she finished the spins in this one. He either needs to cut back on the spins, or teach her how to PROPERLY spot her turns. Then we have the marathon…*sigh*. I will say this: they did have some very fun, eye-catching tricks. But I felt like that’s all they had – tricks. Not many swing steps in between, and by the end, Kelly seemed to be getting pretty winded, and I saw quite a bit of them standing in place while Kelly caught her breath. I want to see endurance in the marathon – not short bursts of energy with a lot of panting in between (which is probably how Gilles is in the boudoir – ZING! 😯 ). If the elimination were this week, I would think they’d have enough of a bubble to stay safe – but I wonder if the tides will turn next week, as I think they’ll end up with the jive as their trio dance as well. Kelly’s endurance sure didn’t impress me this week…and she’s gonna need even more next week.
4.) Melissa & Tony – She may be at the top of the leaderboard this week, but it’s exactly that fact that makes me worry that the judges feel the need to protect her – could she have been the other half of the unknown bottom 2 with Sabrina last week? I’m really starting to wonder. I liked their fusion dance, but I didn’t love it – I thought the tango part was far better than the cha-cha part, and the cha-cha part embodied what seems to be my biggest complaint about Melissa: that she still dances a bit too softly. She’s had ballroom dances the past few weeks, and she seems to hit a bit harder in those (likely because she has Tony leading her), but not that I’ve seen her do Latin again, I’m reminded that she still tends to move kind of “pretty” and delicately, and she never really got a lot of punch in her cha-cha. I do think the tango section was an improvement over her tango two weeks ago, though. I think they were really overscored, though – I don’t think I saw enough impact from Melissa (or enough hard-hitting choreography from Tony) to really justify that 29, when I thought Emmitt, Apolo, and Kelly all performed better and got higher scores. I like Melissa, I really do – and I do think she deserves to be in the finale. But I can’t overlook some of the lingering problems she seems to have with her dancing, and I think the judges were very, very kind to her this week. In the marathon dance, I think she got lucky that Mark kinda whiffed it for he & Shawn with that breakdance move, and that Kelly was rapidly running out of steam…because I’m not sure that she & Tony would have won the marathon dance otherwise. I do think they had a good strategy, though – they paced themselves well and stuck with a lot of basics that were sure to please Len. I don’t necessarily think they had the best tricks or the highest energy level, but in the end, endurance won out over flashiness, and I am glad they won…like I said, I have nothing against Melissa, or any of the other remaining Team CMM members 🙂 I’m curious to see what she gets as her trio dance next week – she’s still got rumba and paso left, and since I can’t really picture a rumba trio (kinky…), I’m guessing she’s got paso…which could be problematic, considering it’s the man’s dance. Could this week’s high scores been an attempt to shield her from a possible fall next week?
5.) Apolo & Karina – I’m seriously going to have to run the numbers for whether certain running order positions get screwed in scores (ugh…my brain hurts just thinking about it), because I can only imagine the questions I’m going to get from Apolo fans wanting to know why he got low-balled for what I thought was one of the better dances of the night. I don’t have a good answer for you, kids, because I haven’t run the numbers to determine whether going first means that you’re going to get low-balled in the scores. I’ll admit, their fusion dance felt a bit frantic at times, and I saw a few minor bobbles, but overall, I really thought it was intense and entertaining – and that Apolo was really giving it 110%. I’d definitely say it had a higher difficulty level than everyone except Shawn tonight – Karina didn’t hold back on the choreo, so I do have to give her credit there. Seeing Apolo doff his shirt was an added bonus 😉 I have to wonder if wearing JR & Karina’s infamous “newsies” jive costumes was a bit of bad juju for Apolo & Karina in the marathon dance – because like the jive she & JR did a year ago, the judges didn’t seem too fond of Karina & Apolo’s moves in the marathon. 🙁 Oh well. I’m just glad they outlasted Gilles 😉 I would be slightly worried for them this week, but I think they have the potential to come back in a major way next week, considering they have another ballroom dance to do (and Apolo seems to thrive with those), and they’re probably going to end up doing a jive trio as well (it will be the week of a million jive trios!), and I think Karina has the potential to rock the choreography for it. I’m not losing hope yet 😉
6.) Gilles & Peta – In quite possibly the most crack-addled critiquing and scoring of the night, the judges lavished all kinds of praise over this nonsensical “fusion” dance – first of all, WHERE THE HELL WAS THE SAMBA???? I think I saw a few samba runs and maybe a roll or two at the beginning, and then these two knuckleheads spent the rest of the dance doing Argentine tango…and crappy Argentine tango, at that. These two seemed to be moving in slow motion, compared to the music – wayyyy too much standing in place and relying on the impact of slow movement. And sorry, but this was all on Peta – I just don’t think she’s a good Argentine tango choreographer, and knowing Gilles, he was probably so fixated on how much he wanted to do the Argentine tango (and how much he DIDN’T want to do the samba) that he convinced Peta to minimize the amount of samba and maximize the amount of time he could spend reliving his Argentine tango glory days of 3 1/2 years ago. I would almost put money on it that it went down that way – and it’s for reasons such as those that I’m really starting to get flustered with Peta. As I’ve said for awhile – I get the feeling that Gilles is driving the bus, and Peta’s just letting him, while periodically shaking her head in shame at his reckless driving. She needs to put her foot down – both choreographically, and in terms of Gilles’ behavior. Glad they got a bit of a wake-up call in the swing marathon, because I didn’t really see them doing a whole lot. I’m wondering how he’s going to fare next week, because he’ll probably end up with paso doble as his trio dance – and while it is the man’s dance, he’s going to run the risk of getting upstaged if they pick another guy to be in their trio, and I’m not sure he could handle leading two ladies. It shall be interesting to see…it shall also be interesting to see if he’s actually getting a ton of votes or not. I’m not entirely convinced that he’ll even make it past next week…
7.) Kirstie & Maks – I really hate to harp on these two TOO much, because I do think Kirstie did a wonderful thing by helping to arrange the convoy to NYC and they probably lost a good deal of practice time as a result – but I do think they really stumbled this week in the fusion dance. The first half was actually quite good – I actually liked this quickstep better than the one they did a few weeks ago. But the minute it came time to transition into samba…it all kinda fell apart 🙁 She lost time, there wasn’t any bounce…and I think she and Maks stopped having fun as soon as the samba kicked in. And really, that’s when I really notice Kirstie & Maks’ shortcomings as a couple – when they stop having fun. It’s their biggest asset, and once they lose it…I’m afraid there’s not much else to keep me interested. But I do credit Kirstie for acknowledging that she just didn’t do well, rather than trying to make excuses for why her dancing wasn’t up to snuff (which is a move out of the Gilles playbook, by the way). No big suprises in the marathon – they were the first out, and probably should have been. Unfortunately, I think the end may be nigh for Team KStick – I think they’re probably going to end up with paso doble as their trio dance, and I don’t really see Kirstie knocking it out of the park…especially if Gilles and Melissa are doing it, too. But who knows…stranger things have happened. The person at the top of the leaderboard went home last week.
So what did you guys think of fusion night? If someone were to get eliminated tomorrow…who do you think it will be? And how do you think things will shake out next week?
After seeing Melissa’s reaction to winning the swing marathon, her likeablity for me went up a thousand points. Melissa and Tony are now my favorite couple in this season.
Once again, great write up as always Courtney 🙂
Did anybody else see Mark & Shawn do some of their Freestyle dance during the Swing Marathon? They were both on the floor pointing from side to side!
I love Melissa and wish she could win it all. I wonder if she her chances would have been better if she was partnered with Derek…
You read my mind and I didn’t even cheat by looking on twitter to see what you were saying. 🙂 About Gilles, I mean. I was just thinking that perhaps the bloom is off that particular rose because they just weren’t that hot for him and had no trouble tapping him out second in the marathon. Perhaps he ain’t all that??
Melissa I love, but I also wonder if they are protecting her a bit. Loved her dance and loved her in the marathon…but she totally ran out of steam in their fusion toward the end and everything was too soft.
I also agree with you on Shawn and Mark in the Marathon. I was screaming at the TV in frustration because I didn’t think they were doing enough and then when Mark did a Mark and made it all about him and his break dancing, I knew they were going to be tapped out. Ah well. They did great considering that it had to be particularly hard on her to be in between Mark and Derek – although I understand that they really enjoyed working together. I think she’s actually more comfortable with Derek – and happier. And Mark – I think he was about ready to die by the time the credits were rolling. That’s a whole lot of full out dancing in a short time frame.
Emmitt?? Still don’t get it. Kelly? Shouldn’t have made it to second place in the marathon with all that marking they did. Maks cracked me up with the sparks shooting out of his groin. Ah, I’m spoiling the cheese. 🙂
totally agree with everything this time.
Shawn and Mark was flawless, the choreo was perfection, I’m just so impressed by how well Shawn’s handle all this hard choreo. totally agreed in the marathon, they were so winning until that breakdance thing.
Melissa is nice and like her, but good god the overscoring was unreal, i totally agree on the cha cha, I find her flat , no sharp feet and just pretty, got lucky on that marathon for sure
When Kelly was dancing, I was like “enough with the turns”every dance they do that, and she is not even great doing.
WTF Gilles, 9.5 for standing there. horrible choreo, lazy dancing, worst dance o the night for me, I was so happy when he got cut out of the marathon.
For some reason I am truly and sincerely worried about Mel and Tony now…..i’m glad Shawn finally got her 30, just wish it had been with Derek. I also now want to ask the judges what color is the sky in their universe. And as much as I love Kirstie how come Len didn’t call them out on use of props? I mean what the f……
sparklers….and yet…and in what universe was Emmitt’s dance better than Apolo. And I’m not even an Apolo fan!!!
To me Shawn’s whole persona speaks volumes- she loves herself some derek! She almost seemed annoyed at times tonight with mark. Up in the skybox her face lights up around Derek and she dances much more passionately with him. Other than saying thanks for stepping in she really hasn’t given mark much props!
Joye- I just fell like her overall atitude was most out of respect for Derek (being injured). She is very close to mark, there is videos from him picking her up from rehearsals before this week, they hang out a lot together.
This was just weird for her, she didn’t even kiss Derek like she usually does after the after the dance was over, he was actually kind cold with the two of them em general, she just didn’t want hurt anyone fellings, and Brooke did not make easy.
For some reason and I didn’t think it was possible, I really dislike Giles even more now. And did you see Shawn pull her hand away from Mark in the rehearsal footage? That was telling. I did enjoy Val and Kelly although I wish tptb would stop fanning the doing it rumors and let them be natural together.
I was so excited for Shawn, and the dance was amazing. I think the three of them (Mark, Shawn, and Derek) all seemed a bit melancholy tonight..they didn’t quite know how to act when they got the 30..they were probably excited..but wished it could have been with Derek..it seemed quite bittersweet..can’t wait to have Derek back next week! Hopefully is will be alright!
I do like Melissa…but I don’t think her dance was necessarily all it was cracked up to be..I thought some of the transitions were pretty choppy.
I do think comparitively, Apolo deserved a higher score..buutt, of course he went first, so they probably didn’t want to score him too high right off the hop..I think there must be some history with lower scoring in the firt spot.
Apollo and Karina were the standout dance in the first hour. Ok, yeah, it was more half-and-half than a total fusion, but the content that they had was absolutely fantastic. And Apollo danced way more than Emmitt did, so how he got a lower score is beyond me.
Melissa is definitely better at being graceful than she is at being snappy. I get the feeling she isn’t going to fare well in the paso.
Kelly and Val did better than I thought they would. The turns were shaky, but overall, I think it was fused well. Idk, I loved the choreography–a nice break from their usual sexual tension infused personas.
Shawn and Mark/Derek were fantastic dance-wise, but yeah, I also noticed she seemed to be back to her stone-faced dancing. Maybe she was going for fierce? All I know is that it came off detached, whereas in the previous weeks, she was either sassy or emotional, and that was just kind of lacking this week.
Great write up as usual, Court.
I ‘m so glad Shawn finally got the 30 – too bad it wasn’t with Derek but you could tell it was his choreography.
Interesting comment Joey re: Shawn – I was thinking the exact same thing – she does light up around Derek.
I like Melissa & Tony as well but felt they were overscored and Apolo underscored.
Next week should be interesting.
Glad Derek will be back.
Pretty much agree with everything.
As soon as I saw Mark doing that breakdancing move in the marathon I was convinced they would be the next couple to leave the floor.
I like Shawn better with Derek – She seems much more relaxed.
Wondering if they’ll do the obvious and pick Mark for the trio dance… What do you think it will be Courtney? Samba or Paso?
Random comments… Between Apolo and that MMA guy on Gilles’ segment, Gilles and Val lost the shirtless battle tonight.
Loved Shawn’s moments off the dance floor. Her gymnast persona showed up when she went “Coaches, coaches!” during her package, and up in the skybox when Brooke asked the uncomfortable “who’s the better partner” question Shawn totally threw BBC off her game by saying “I’ll take you!”
I was gleefully laughing when Gilles got tapped out.
Dance Fusion was a big disappointment to me. I was hoping not to see 1/2 and 1/2, but that’s all there was! Next to Derek, I think Karina had the best idea…but I expected more from her.
I was cringing while watching Shawn’s package. Mark wanted to relive his glory days – and it’s so obvious Shawn prefers Derek. She definitely performs more with Derek – I thought she deserved her 30, but was surprised she got it, considering she obviously wasn’t in the moment with Mark like she is with Derek.
And Apolo’s routine was a bit frantic, but very difficult and he performed it beautifully (and was Karina’s dress incredible!!) – I had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that Emmitt was scored higher – and I didn’t like what Cheryl did at all. 10 seconds of each dance? I would have thought she’d be better at using rumba steps into samba timing or vice versa. And her attitude with these new challenges is just odd to me – I thought she’d love to do something different.
And Gilles and Peta (among others) are very predictable. Gilles’ attitude is horrible, but that’s not even the worst part – Peta is Cheryl-ing him and letting him be a one-dimensional performer, playing the hotness card. As someone who wants to be a multidimensional dancer but is still considered a “sexy” dancer, this particular method repulses me to no end. It’s a shame because Gilles is so good. It makes me believe he would have been better off with Karina – but I’m so glad she got Apolo instead. He’s a blasty blast.
I wasn’t expecting the swing marathon to turn out the way it did at all – but I saw Ballas sitting on the floor next to Shawn (CORNY) and knew right away they weren’t going to win.
I’m hoping to God for a “romantic” double elim next week – Maks and Peta…or should I say, Kirstie (although I love her) and Gilles.
And I’m sorry for the double post, but it drove me insane – how obnoxious and actually RUDE was it of Brooke to put Shawn on the spot like that in the aquarium?
Maybe I’m overreacting…but she looked gleeful at the idea of creating tension.
YAYYYYYYYY!!!! I love Melissa… she is a fine dancer and also a very nice person… i mean last week she could have stuck it to my other favorite Shawn but she gave her Paso/Tango and we all know that he Tango is the Passo of the standard dances and they are very easy to match and create something amazing (which is what happened) and you could see that Derek was happy with that! SO I love Melissa and i hope she sticks around to week9 and maybe the final… why not
in my dreams Kristie and Gilles will be gone next
then Kelly and Emmitt
which gives us a Shawn, Melissa and Apolo in the finale!
No, Shawn shouldn’t have won the marathon. Either Mark was outdancing her or she couldn’t keep up with him, they didn’t look good together
IN YOUR OPINION, C.B.G…
Apolo was definitely underscored, though I wonder if he was marked down a little for doing the two dances back to back, without any interweaving. Kirstie and Kelly were the other two whose fusions were that way, and Kelly had the same score as Apolo, and Kirstie was much lower, while every dance that did a little more weaving together got higher scores, by at least a little. Or it could be that he went first – given how much the judges were praising him, I was thinking at least 9.5’s all around. I’m really happy that Melissa and Tony won the marathon vs Kelly and Val – I think K&V weren’t doing that much, and should have gone sooner. I agree that Mark probably lost Shawn the marathon – he had an all about him moment, and there they went. Apolo and Karina also should have not been knocked out as soon as they were – I thought they were easily matching Cheryl and Emmitt and Kelly and Val. As far as the fusion dances – Melissa did a good job I thought, and while the score was maybe a tad high, I’m okay with that, because she’s just so likable. Kirstie’s quickstep portion was good, and Kelly and Val were fun (though I think Apolo and Karina’s dance was better than theirs, so no clue why they got the same score). The less said about Gilles, the better. Emmitt and Cheryl were better than I expected, but nothing special. He really seems to be struggling to match the dance quality from some of the other dancers. And Shawn knocked it out of the park – by far the best dance of the night! My only regret is that she didn’t dance it with Derek. I’m glad he retained control over the choreo, despite Mark telling him to sit down, and trying to take over. Good for Derek, sticking to his guns. A little awkward all around during the rehearsal/package/scores for the trio – I think Shawn isn’t quite sure how to deal with it all, especially since it seems she prefers dancing with Derek, and yet she doesn’t want to hurt Mark, and she likes him too. Brooke’s questions didn’t help any – not that I was expecting them to….
I thought Gilles dancing was the worst of the night. I mean I really thought it was even way below Kirstie. At least she moved! Gilles basically just stood there for most of the dance while Peta danced around him. Terrible! I thought Apolo was pretty darn good and deserved more than what the judges gave him. Shawn and Mark were my favorite and I loved what they did. I really cannot talk in a negative manner about Kirstie. After all the good she did this week I don’t have it in me to talk about her dancing. I love her self evaluations she does every week. No one knows better than Kirstie where her dancing ranks and why she is there. Everyone in life should be the kind of person that can get them that many fans.
Anon – I’m pretty sure Mark asked Derek to sit down because of his neck, not because he wanted to control the dance.
Maybe Peta is purposefully allowing Gilles to sink his own ship? Food for thought…
Whoever said it looked like Mark was trying live out his glory days is right. That is what I thought too! I felt they all handled that situation well though I feel like it should not have been so odd. Thinking back to when Jonathan, Maks, and Teddy stepped in. I also felt Shawn’s body language was like nice to see you again Mark but like dancing with Derek now. I know she is friends. They all hang out but I do feel she has a little extra something with Derek. In the end, glad she got her 30 and he is doing better! Hope Derek is healed and not rushing anything.
I just have to give kudos to Shawn and how her dancing tonight showed what a professional she is…I remember in seasons past when other pro’s had to step in and it was a nightmare…I get she danced with Mark before, but he and Derek are very different…Derek is much more fluid and goes with the nuances whereas in my opinion Mark is like “look at what I did”. Gosh, I was among you yelling at Mark with his move that clearly got them tapped out and I don’t think it was planned because Shawn didn’t appear to know what to do with it and it took 3 counts for them to get back in sync. I don’t think Kelly and Val deserved to be number two, but I was so hopeful when the judges tapped out Gilles. I hope the tweets and emails they have gotten about overscoring Gilles have made a difference (I said I hoped) and that bloom has worn off that dead rose. He just gets more smarmy every week…I am looking for him to get “injured” this week for the pity vote. Sorry, I said it. It’s only my opinion.
My perfect finals scenario- Shawn chooses the tango/paso fusion to dance again… with Derek. Then we get a chance to see what it can really look like. Maybe the judges will have to break out a new “10.5” paddle. 🙂 I admit I was skeptical of the Shawn/Derek pairing at first and pretty disappointed that she didn’t get matched with her original partner. Team Shark’s “PYT” cha-cha is my favorite DWTS dance bar-none. But somewhere between season 8 and now, Mark has lost a lot of his appeal. I’m not into this earrings-and-eyeliner style at all.
Becs- that would be my perfect scenario too- I wanna see Derek dancing that, I’m sure by watching the dance live, he will even find a way to improve.
I’m just too exited about this three doing the dance trio together ( thank god for Derek confirming that one already), they sure already have a big advance but who care, I wanna see something epic. I’m sure Shawn will be much more relax dancing with them together ,than the craziness off this past week.
Call me crazy, but I can totally see Gilles going home next week, that would be awesome.
I actually loved most of the dances tonight!
1) shawn & Mark (derek) – the tango/paso was ridicuously fluidly mixed. I couldnt even separate them, yet the tango and paso were both distinct. The only thing that kept this from being amazing was the song- Im so sick of livin on a prayer (retire it dwts). Mark lost them the marathon, although i thought it was hilarious, why was this dude breakdancing in the middle of a swing marathon? lmao
2) Melissa & Tony – I thought their routine was solid and the ‘beyonce’ transition was great, but this was overscored. I thought they lost body contact a lot during the tango…but their joy is so dang infectious. they have officially bumped karina & apolo from my top 3
3) Kelly & Val – I loved them tonight. It was so great just to see them light-hearted and having fun. I have to give val so much credit on the choreo, especially the marathon. It was a great mix of swing dance and interesting tricks without it being obviously super repetitive
4) Emmitt & cheryl – Emmitt actually suprised me the most tonight. I thought cheryl might have done the best job choreographically with the fusion save for derek, and i thought emmitt handled it very well. I really liked it.
5) Apolo & Karina – as much as i like them, i dont think the brought all they could bring tonight. The fusion was kind of meh to me until he transitioned into paso which i loved! agression on apolo is definitely a good look. He was less energetic than i thought he would be for the marathon, especially considering he went first – maybe it was just the choreo
6) Gilles & Peta – they strangely chose to dance to the part of the song that is most ill-fitted for A. tango, and then chose to make the routine 90 percent A. tango. The A. tango was good for what it was but didnt match the music…and the other 10 percent seemed more like cha cha than samba. IDK what they were doing for the marathon, i thought they should have got kicked off before kirstie
7) Kirstie & Maks – I love kirstie as a personality and a person, and she gave a great effort…but no. The quickstep was acceptable but the samba was a bit of a mess. I cant tell you what she did for marathon because i think the camera was smartly not on her
I do NOT think Melissa deserved to win that marathon. However, I am too happy about Gilles being out second to care. The whole Sabrina/Derek/Mark thing was awkward to watch, but luckily it didn’t seem to affect their fusion dance. Once again the first contestant was underscored, but Apolo has a large fan base so he’ll be okay. I hope to see Gilles and Kirstie go next elimination, but I’d be fine with Melissa going too.
Thanks for the outstanding write-up.
I believe Peta is a weak pro and that Donald’s wife was the brains of their win.
I do think that Shawn and Derek probably had the easiest tak for fusion, as Paso Doble and Tango are alreay somewhat similar.
I miss Sabrina
Courtney
I agree about Gilles leaving this next elimination. It’s been said how long now? If Gilles and Kirstie would go next week, what a amazing week.
If I don’t say it enough, here it is agai: Thanks to all who post the news here on this web page.
Sweepster, totally agree, her choreo is just weak, she wasted the best a.tango part of the song (the violins in the beggining) and had gilles walking for half of the time and standing the other rest. I bet the final pose(same as cheryl) was his idea. 9.5, i would give a 8.
Worried for Apolo and Karina….thinks they are one of the two couples that’ll be eliminated next, especially if he gets Swing….I know, not funny. But what was up with him and his legs? They had a lot of rest. Karina even told him in rehearsal package that it’s fast, you can’t sleep.
Just to confirm Tom did say 5 couples are going to the semi finals, right?
Speaking of Kelly, anyone do any grocery store runs this week? Kelly is on the cover of TABS telling about her ‘sex tape’ exposure.
Bad news for DWTS! Really horrible for a minor with parent grocery store shopping after watching Kelly on DWTS!
I googled it when I got home and sure nuff: more than one! But I dare not click on them as they probably contain a virus and besides I have no desire to watch Kelly in a porn sex tape.
oppps sorry if one of those words I use was not allowed? oooppps thought about it as I clicked it.
laila I agree 8s for Gilles dance tonight, maybe all the vibes will send Gilles home next.
I feel quite stuped right now, just saw derek tweet again, it doesn’t Really say that They are doing the trio together. I’m gonna try not get too excited about before they announced.
Tough to believe that Apolo is second from the bottom, with only Kirstie scoring lower.
During Apolo’s first season, he was a cheerful, laughing, hard working competitor. Julianne seemed to be quite the young, perky, blonde drill sergeant in practice, but Apolo seemed to be having fun anyway, and never got too stressed. When it was time to perform, they personified joy on the dance floor.
Now, he seems so stressed and overworked, as if he’s engaged in a death march to the finish. Not much fun or joy to be seen. On the dance floor, he performs his routines well, but without that special spark. I don’t sense the joy. It’s more like he just wants to finish this job well since he started it and doesn’t want to quit on it. Almost a little desperation mixed in, too. He’s working so hard but not getting consistent glowing feedback.
I wonder if it’s just a matter of different editing between the seasons. Or, having Karina as his partner could be all the difference. In any case, I’m now thinking Apolo is a bit less likely to be the winner this season. He’ll probably be in the finals, I’m still thinking. But he’s not quite as strong a contender as I had thought he would be. That’s my feeling, anyway.
Shawn’s fusion dance was a success and it looked like Derek and Mark really did work TOGETHER on the choreography, because I saw some specific moves in there that Mark typically uses for his own pasos/tangos. And I agree that it really was a FUSION and loved how they constantly went back and forth between the two dances.
But it really upset me to see Shawn’s coldness towards Mark. I cringed when I saw her give Mark the brush off in rehearsal and wouldn’t allow him to take her hand. And then she wouldn’t even look at him after they performed. I understand that she has gotten used to dancing with Derek now, but why the complete 180 on someone she was so close with and who she went on a special journey with before? The swing marathon was even to their old Freestyle song, and yet she didn’t even seem to enjoy reliving the memory of that.
Sorry Woodrose, but I disagree. Pertaining to the score, I think they’re doing to Apolo what they did to Shawn. She got one or two high scores, then she got lowballed for two weeks, without being given any actual critique. I don’t understand the logic behind it, but it doesn’t matter either way since the judges’ scores don’t mean anything at this point. Apolo undoubtedly has a large fanbase; I’ll honestly be shocked if he isn’t in the finals.
As far as partners go, I think Karina’s standard has really made him a better dancer. Yeah he was fun back in season 4, but when I rewatch his dances, they aren’t that impressive. The one dance of his from season 4 that’s stuck with me was the samba, and the only thing I really remember from that dance is the outlandish costumes.
Truth be told, I think Apolo enjoys the competitiveness of it all. He’s an Olympian. At this stage, I highly doubt he’d settle for just having fun and not pushing himself and working hard.
I really do not think Melissa should have won the marathon, she was just jumping around. Just my opinion, can’t wait for the trio dances next week though!
@Sara & @Woodrose I am just happy and relieved that, judging from his tweets and OTRC interview, both Apolo and Karina were upbeat and looking forward to next week. I think he’s got the right attitude now.
Shawn and Mark/Derek – WOW! They were explosive and the technique was out of this world. This dance was so fused, that you couldn’t tell where it separated. Just stunning in every way. Loved how serious Shawn’s face was too. Powerful and awesome choreography. 30 And finally, Len is happy!
Apolo and Karina – Wow, they killed it. What a fantastic opener!! Such clever choreography. It was fun, fierce, sexy, and powerful. I do think some of the turns were slightly messy when Apolo turned Karina on the floor, but overall, who cares. Just excellent. Awesome costumes too! 27.5
Tony and Melissa – Wow, what a joy these two were again. I’m just amazed at Tony and his choreography this season. He’s like a different dancer with Melissa. She was getting tired by the end and I would have liked the dip at the end to have more power in it, but, overall, what a sexy and fun dance. Loved the splits especially. If these two keep this level of dancing up, they are going to find themselves in the finals. And Melissa BOOTS! OMG!! HOT! 27 And wow to them winning the Marathon.
Emmitt and Cheryl – I just love Emmitt! He comes out and entertains and charms every time. I thought his knees could bend more, but, hey, it was still a fun and smooth dance. They made the fusion work which would be hard. I love how he sings to the song while he’s dancing a little and his smile. You can tell he just loves to dance for what it’s all about. 26.5
Kirstie and Maks – I liked this dance!!! They were smooth and I loved her carraige. Kirstie did seem a little tired at the end and she lost some timing in a few places. But, over all, they were entertaining, funny, and cute as always. 25.5 . Maks, YOUR BOOTS WERE HOT!
Kelly and Val – Lovely dance and you can feel their connection. They were so cute, but, there were several weak spots and it seemed she needed more oomph and force in places through out the dance. I wonder if she had just a few more days to rehearse she could have nailed it more? I don’t know. 24.5 And yay to them winning 2nd place in the Marathon dance. They had some unusual moves that separated them from the rest. I think if they didn’t get undecided at the end and pause, they might have won it.
Peta and Gilles – I don’t know. This dance left me cold. I felt he was trying so hard to be sexy, he wasn’t. In fact, he was trying so hard in general that it didn’t work. He wasn’t just enjoying himself as past dances. Like Carrie Ann, I didn’t like his arms…or his legs which don’t seem to move at times. 24
While I’ve watched DWTS most seasons, this is my first reading this site. Enjoying it tremendously! Kudos to all involved. Still learning the ropes, but wanted to add that I too thought it seemed tense between Shawn and Mark..a different vibe for sure. Really liked when up in the Shawn made a point of acknowledging (more like making sure we all knew) that Derek had done the choreography for the dance.
If there was an elimination tmo, I think it would be Kristie – that seems like alot of ground to make up – but she appears to have a huge fan base, so maybe not. I wish it would be Giles.
I thought the overall standard of dancing was damn high throughout the evening. There was a point in the marathon when I though: I wouldn’t want to be in judges place, everyone was doing so well.
The only two fusions I didn’t particularly enjoy were Kirstie’s and Gilles’. The rest were pretty damn great, each for their own reason. They were exceeding my expectations.
I gotta say, I was a little irritated with Shawn’s attitude towards Mark. I get that she is just trying to be reasonably nice to everyone but come on, give Derek&Mark some credit- they get along just fine. I thought the tension we saw was mostly of Shawn’s making with her personal “somebody could end up jealous” qualms. Even if there was a real possibility for jealousy, which I doubt, it’s not her job to keep the pros content. They should do it on their own, that’s why they are the pros.
I thought Shawn handled everything with grace and I am sure it was frustrating at times…too many cooks in the kitchen. Remember Mark and Derek lived together for years as brothers, and I am sure they have that brother like relationship which probably means a bit of bickering…lol!
I get your point. I guess it’s just not within Shawn’s character to roll with it and laugh at the two crazy cooks. She took everything VERY seriously and hard. IMO there was no reason to. It just made a sad situation (Derek’s neck) even more serious.
Well, whatever Shawn was thinking or doing with the situation, I don’t know if it translated well, because a lot of viewers (on various sites all over the internet) are commenting something “off” between her and Mark.
Sasa, I get what you are saying but I also think it was probably a very stressful week for Shawn. Until yesterday (Monday) morning she had no idea which one she was actually going to dance with. I also think having two Pros choreographing (I saw some of Marks work in that dance as well as Derek’s) may have at times been very confusing and stressful. I thought she was a little cool towards Mark after their dance but I also assume that must be caused by reasons we have no idea of. Who knows what caused it? All I know is their dance was fantastic and whatever was wrong she did not let it interfere with the dance which I think speaks very loudly in her favor as she is not one of the Pro dancers there. But, I notice she is also cool towards others as well. I see many of the female dancers run over and hug Tom after their dance or before they go backstage. Shawn NEVER does that. I have never seen her hug him. But, her and Derek together make magic happen. She has no trouble giving and accepting his hugs….:)
Hello from the UK. Thank you for posting your thoughts. I just watched all the YT clips. And I felt a little confuse about the criteria of judging panel.
Derek has the most exciting choreography of all, Paso/tango is always is going to be better fusion than the others. Have similar of shapes and stacatto. But Dereck bring it to a new level. Though I prefer Dereck dancing with Shawn than Mark. Mark had the tendencies to over dance his partners.
Personally I think Karina Choreography was much better than Cheryl and Peta. She brought a lot of difficult steps transition to the transition from the chachacha to the Paso. It,s not easy to do in that kind of fusion, cause this are two different dances with two different bits. She didn’t played safe and I don’t understand all of this Critiques toward her choreography, seems to me that people are going to go with her no matter what she does.
If she played safe the people anyway need are going to say something.
The comparison between Julianne and Karina is getting ridiculous. Apollo was very young and Juliane too, so they had a different relationship. Now he is a man he take the competition more seriously. I love Juliane, but she make also naff mistakes when she did some choreograph with Apollo that people forget. Specially in the jive and tango. Yes she produced a simple samba that please the judges and people at home, but if you go to watch that dance now, you just find wasn’t as good as it’s seems.
Smith doesn’t do nothing to me but I suppose you find charming, choreograph speaking was an amateur choreograph. Very simple steps taken over by just one dance.
Melissa was good but not existing enough.she is wobbly in some of her transitions.
Kelly, she seems very unsteady in her footwork and transitions. Val didn’t help using the spinning.
Kristy, she wasn’t bad as I expected, but the transition to the samba was poor.
Gilles, I wish I could take dislike of him from my judging objectively. Anyway Peta did a pretty bad job. I got lost to be honest because jut saw 95 percent of Argentine tango and maybe a little elements of samba.
1-Melissa: I’m surprised, they didn’t go the easy way. They blended tango and cha cha cha movements together, it’s a really tough job. It was a real fusion. All these heel toe things were mind blowing. Everything was there, performance, technique, everything. And she did it with an injured neck! They probably struggled all week long because of the injury, but the outcome was phenomenal. During their marathon routine, I was cheering for them, their energy was unbelievable.
2-Apolo: Some parts of it=10, some parts of it=9. But it was really exceptional. I get it why he left the marathon too early, his energy wasn’t enough, they seemed blatant, it was surprising in a way because he had plenty of time to catch his breath.
3-Shawn: A little blatant, because of the hair, the lights and the dress, but it was Shawn’s most technical dance this season. I think her quickstep and mambo were 8.5 at most, but with this fusion, it’s straight 10s.
4-Kelly: Her technique is not clean, and it ruins her dances. Somehow, every error is so visible, she cannot cover them. But, she shocked me with her marathon performance. You never expect so much energy from that tiny woman. Tricks were crowd pleasing, and apparently her technique pleased the judges.
5-Emmitt: It was a mediocre performance. But he always entertains people. Even if more technical dancers leave the competition, most people wouldn’t say “he should’ve gone”, because they find him entertaining.
6-Marini: His argentine tango was a flop, compared to his original argentine tango during season 8. The routine wasn’t even close to be memorable.
7-Kirstie: They could go for a little easier routine, she’d have less errors then. Still, she’s not a Bristol Palin. At least, she attempted to dance a rather hard choreography.
While I’m already nitpicking on personalities or how they came across- that incredibly fake smile that Karina gave at the very end of the show when she thought the camera was on her, followed by the (too) quick revert to bitch face was another WTF moment for me.
@Sasa – Really? I feel so bad for Karina, the poor girl has done NOTHING wrong (except dump that Big Bully Maks) and she is criticized for her every move, (or facial expression) every second. Why isn’t Maks taking any heat out of this deal?
Could we see the surprise elimination of Melissa next week? It makes me wonder if she is pulling in the votes. Her dancing is way overscored just about every week.
Hoping Apolo’s fanbase can pull him through the double elimination. In my opinion, if he is voted off next week, the finals will too predictable, and kind of boring.
For me…Peta’s choreography has been below standard all season. I mean AT is such a great dance and a dance that Gilles obv can do well and she just butchered it. It was all wrong. And I did not enjoy their cha cha last week either…not sure if Gilles is taking over that partnership and suffocating her or what but if she doesn’t change her and Gilles are going to be heading home (hopefully next week:)
I have to say I enjoyed all the dances tonight…It is so refreshing to see Tony so happy. Felt a little sorry for Shawn being in the middle of sibling rivalry, but she did survive, and the dance was superb. Loved Val and Kelly, that Val is a dancer. Now , if he could just teach Kelly how to navigate those spins. Emmitt was a delight as usual. I’m sure being a football fan, I’m a little prejudiced. Apolo is a a great dancer, but I’m beginning to see what CAI is talking about…a vague disconnect between him and Karina. Gilles and Peta were just ok. Nothing spectacular. Loved Kirstie and Maks QS…the samba not so much. Had to giggle at the pyrotechnics. 🙂 Can’t wait for the cheese. I’m auntie bellum and I approve this message.
@Sandy
Karina’s uber fake smile and me having a problem with it has absolutely nothing to do with Maks. I don’t even know how he got into this conversation. I just personally dislike people smiling when they clearly don’t feel like it at all. Watch the clip on YT. It would have bugged me no matter who the person in question was.
@sasa Everyone does that. It’s television. They’re tired, aching, some are injured; if the camera moves to them, what are they supposed to do? Not smile? Then more people would be pulling out the bitch card.
I think you may have misinterpreted my bitch face comment. I don’t mean to imply that it’s somehow bad all by itself (bitchy is more of a funny way of describing it). It just becomes bad when you’re trying to put a facade over it. And I don’t agree that everyone does it. I’ve seen quite a few bitchy/sad/resigned faced on dwts with the credits rolling over the years. It is what it is. Like I said, it’s my personal preference and it IS somewhat nitpickish but leaves a bad taste in my mouth. That said, in my surroundings (non USA) smiling is not such an requirement like it seems to be in the USA. I was very surprised to read a lot of “sourpuss” comments about Kelly. Like it’s her obligation to be ever cheerful. Blah.
Karina’s had many resigned moments. Did you see her confessional and backstage footage from their samba week? She didn’t even try to cover it up that week. But, of course, people criticized her that week too.
As far as the credits go, the cameras aren’t focused on them when the credits roll. Compare those moments to the beginning of the show, when the camera focuses in on each of the couples. Every single one of them fake-smiles, or at least over-smiles.
Get over YOURSELF, Peggy. It’s not all about Emmitt & Cheryl. If you’re not mature enough to deal with differing opinions, go elsewhere…or I’ll make you.
In no particular order, my comments about the fusion dances last night are as follows:
1. Derek/Mark and Shawn – I could tell when Shawn and Mark were dancing that they were going to get a 30. Shawn’s technique was great, and the fusion of the two dances was seamless. Having said that, I didn’t remember anything about the dance after it ended. It was a perfect dance but unmemorable to me. That’s the first time this season that I can’t remember anything about Shawn’s dance. Moreover, while Derek is the best choreographer on the show, I do think the paso/tango combination was the easiest to create a fusion dance for.
2. Karina and Apolo – This is the one dance that I remember clearly from last night (and it’s not because he took off his shirt). To my inexperienced eyes, it looked like Karina slipped several times on the dance floor. Apolo, however, appeared calm and collected. My eyes were focused on him throughout the dance. I think that may have been my favorite performance of a paso by a male contestant on DWTS since I started watching in Season 3. Underscored, but not a 30 in light of the couple slips.
3. Peta and Gilles – I didn’t dislike their dance as much as some other posters did. However, I did think it was heavy on the Argentine tango as opposed to the samba. Overscored.
4. Cheryl and Emmitt – He did better than I thought he would, but he keeps doing the same moves in the latin dances. Definitely overscored.
5. Tony and Melissa – Forgettable and overscored.
6. Maks and Kirstie – She’s definitely not on the same level as the other stars in the competition, but I do enjoy watching her give it her all on the dance floor.
7. Val and Kelly – I agree with Val that this was a bad combination for fusion dance. The opening was pretty. The rest of the dance I don’t really remember. However, I was put off by their “fake romance” talk before the dance.
@Sara
I was not one of those people criticizing her after the Samba. Do I think it would have been smarter for her and her partner if she could have managed to control it a bit more? Sure. Do I blame her that she wasn’t able to? No.
Fake smiling in the opening is fine by me because I assume everyone is so bloody nervous it’s a relief for them to be able to focus on appearing collected on the outside. Everyone is way more relaxed and natural come ending of the show.
Furthermore, (warning: theory not fact coming), I have a feeling Karina’s Samba meltdown had something to do with her and Apolo’s partnership going a bit downhill. I think he, the stone faced Olympian, couldn’t understand her letting herself have that reaction. They were so natural, funny and charming together before but lately It does all seem, to me, a bit strained and fake. Just like Karina trying to put a smile over her disappointment.
It’s week 7 and I have to admit that my feelings toward this season of All-Stars is just “meh”.
I really wish that I was feeling “it” more. I don’t know, something just seems “off” for me. Maybe it’s the lack of The Journey, The Unexpected, the Whom I am Surprised that I Like or Dislike… Something just is missing for me.
Even Shawn, as fabulous as she is, I am left with the same feeling. I have seen it already…. Nothing fresh, and original this season, just the “been there, done that”.
Dancing with the Stars is my Number One Favorite Show and I can’t wait until the new season starts, with a new, fresh, cast of stars.
Thanks for listening…. Just had to get that off my chest. 🙂
Shawn was put in a rather difficult position this past week (and how ANYONE can see her situation as an “advantage” is beyond me) and she handled it amazingly well for as young as she still is. The girl is *20*. I’ve seen people twice her age not handle such things nearly as diplomatically.
I think why it might have seemed awkward is because Derek was being Derek and Shawn was being Shawn – that is, Derek is very diplomatic and wont’ take more credit than he feels he’s owed (and sometimes won’t take credit when he should) and Shawn was being very careful not to hurt either man’s feelings. That left Mark in a position where he had to tone it down or look like a jerk. So it was odd. But I think they all did well in the end. And I agree that Mark was yelling at Derek because Derek can’t sit still, not because he was trying to take over. As soon as Derek lifted his leg in the air, Mark was like no, sit down. That was a good thing for him to do and he’s probably the ONLY person who could do it.
I also agree, though, that Shawn seems to light up with Derek. I think this whole thing made it starkly apparent why Derek takes most of his celebs very far on the show, regardless of their dance talent. I’m not sure what that quality is, but he brings something out in them – besides a great ability to hide their flaws.
Have to disagree on the nothing has been original Sandy!
I’ve said it before, I think Apolo & Shawn have improved as dancers and performers this time around. I think the new partnerships have been exciting as opposed to people with their partner from before. Well, except Gilles & Peta has been a downgrade from Gilles & Cheryl.
Yes I am a Derek fan anyway, but I think he has been really stellar this season choreography-wise and has tried many new tricks and came up with routines I will remember over time. If you ask me which routines I remember from All-Star season so far, most are Shawn & Dereks.
I will give you that many of the other pairs are doing about the same as they did on past seasons and it isn’t that exciting. Just my opinion!
Fake smiling in the opening, fake smiling in the closing–everyone has done both and everyone has had weeks where they didn’t try to smile. Karina isn’t exactly a standout in that area of showmanship.
“Do I think it would have been smarter for her and her partner if she could have managed to control it a bit more? Sure.”
So, basically, it doesn’t matter whether she tries to hide her emotions or not. She’s either not being smart or being overly fake.
As far as your theory goes, I disagree with most of it, but I’m not going to get into that. The only thing I will comment on is her meltdown. What does it matter if she was having a meltdown due to whatever argument they had? How is it any different from feeling a strain due to low judges’ scores? Stress is stress, and from what I’ve seen, sometimes she hides it, sometimes she doesn’t.
Heidi, totally agree with you, people just jump in the conclusions, she was not cold, she was diplomatically, before Brooke stuped question you could see her trying to please both Mark and Derek (you did the choreo, you danced, hope you are back, love dancing with you), she just didn;t want hurt anyone feelings.
@Sara
Oh, jeez. I agree with everything you said. You’re just operating under assumption that me disliking an incident (as Len would put it) somehow equals to me disliking the person or comparing her with others. Guess what? People that I love, respect, like… still do things that bug me. Yes, she wasn’t very smart with letting her emotions run the first time and she was fake yesterday. Big whoop.
“You’re just operating under assumption that me disliking an incident (as Len would put it) somehow equals to me disliking the person or comparing her with others.”
Yes, I’m assuming that you don’t like her because you specifically singled her out for something that everyone obviously does. That being said, I’m not accusing you for not liking her; obviously, I have my pros that I like and dislike. I am saying that criticizing her for something that everyone does is ridiculous and pointless. Even if you do love/respect/like/etc. her, I’d still say you’re being unnecessarily antagonistic.
sasa, Sara, let’s please move on to another topic. This is getting tiresome and I feel like it’s discouraging other people from jumping in to comment on other topics.
A lot about fake smiling this thread. I work in customer service. I know all about fake smiling.
I liked Shawn & Derek/Mark’s dance, but there was something off for me, and I think, after a second viewing, it was that spark that she has with Derek. I loved Shawn & Mark during their original season, but she’s grown and has a different chemistry with Derek, and that was missing last night.
As for Shawn’s attitude, I think she had a lot of stress on her last week and last night; two partners (one injured), an injured knee, and if she came off as “stone-faced,” I think it’s her going back to her gymnastics training and not showing emotion or stress.
I’m surprised that Kelly and Val lasted as long as they did, because everytime that I noticed them, they were standing still! Unless they lasted just so the judges can see if they are actually dancing??? I think some of the better dancers (Apolo and Shawn) got tapped out too soon…. I did see Mark stomp up and down a few times after being tapped out, while Shawn just went straight off the floor. It felt petulant to me.
Sorry Courtney. Didn’t mean to be discouraging to other readers/commenters.
Apolo was underscored yet again!
Or, to more accurately state my opinion, too many other dancers were overscored, thereby creating the effect of Apolo being underscored. No WAY was Emmitt better (in the fusion *or* the marathon)yet you wouldn’t know that based on the scores… SMH
On the other hand, Shawn was outstanding and for the first time, I actually threw some votes to someone other that Apolo. (Some. Not many. Want that man in the final bad) That was just amazing, and deserving. REALLY happy she was the only perfect score – that was really a stunning dance and congrats to ALL parties involved!
Oh – and thrilled to death Gilles didn’t get any 10’s (did you see his face fall? ROFL) and was 2nd out in the marathon. Still overscored, but the script seems to be changing?
@ LurkerB5
You thought the look on Gille’s expression was great when he didn’t get any 10’s (as did I), wait till you see his OTRC interview. He’s so pissed about getting tapped out second and showing up 5th on the leader board. Hilarious!
My turn!
Apolo & Karina: I thought this was a very solid routine. Unfortunately, I don’t think it was a true fusion, as I saw half the dance paso, half the dance cha-cha. But Karina still did managed to put together a good routine. A little frantic at times, I thought, but I still enjoyed the dance. They definitely had one of the better choices of music in terms of the fusion, and in that regard, I’m a little disappointed with Karina. I know I just said that she made a good routine, but I feel like the song gave her everything to go back and forth between the two styles. Instead, we got half and half. 🙁
Emmitt & Cheryl: I will give props to Cheryl for blending the two dances together. And she did it well, but I have to agree with Court: The choreography did not have enough impact; it was very basic. In that sense, I have no idea how he was scored higher than Apolo, even if it was by just half a point.
Kirstie & Maks: Yeah. Not much to say about this that hasn’t already been said. Her quickstep was surprisingly good, and it’s ironic because she hated the quickstep part. Their outfits were just bizarre to me as well. And when Maks had his little crotch explosion… there are no words.
Kelly & Val: I love Kelly, I really do. I love Val, I really do. But this dance, I did not love as much as I wanted. Again, only half the dance was foxtrot, half the dance was cha-cha. The judges even said it in that little somewhat pointless package at the beginning: they wanted a blend of the two dances, not half and half. And yet, NO ONE got called out on it? Anyway, that said, I think Kelly did do a good job, even if I wasn’t crazy about this dance. Her cha-cha was very tight, very clean and much better than her Week 1 cha-cha. Can’t say much about the foxtrot section tough, as she’s not done one this season, and I don’t remember her first one.
Melissa & Tony: When you give a couple I love a song I enjoy, it’s hard not to see the dance through rose tinted glasses. I thought it was a fantastic routine, and Tony did go back and forth between the two dances, which I was glad to see. Now that Court mentioned it, I see it now, in that she’s still hitting her latin dances too softly. I need to watch last nights dances again, but I felt like the score was deserved. But again, take what I say with a grain of salt about these two because my bias towards them is overwhelming.
Shawn & Mark (Derek): Hands down, Shawn prefers Derek over Mark. Pulling her hand out of Mark’s did not go unnoticed. The dance, however, was fantastic. Carrie-Ann was right: this was a true fusion of both dances. And of course, only Derek could achieve that. 😉 If I had one criticism about the dance, it would be the fact that Shawn had this stone cold look on her face. No emotion whatsoever. And I know these dances require a serious attitude, but… Still, definitely worthy of the 30.
Gilles & Peta: Little tiny samba steps at the beginning then into Argentine Tango. I agree, Peta and the Argentine Tango are not friends. However, this had more content, I thought, than both of Donald’s AT’s combined. I’m thinking Gilles peaked too early this season. This week, and last week, the judges finally grew some balls and are critiquing him, LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE! I’m seeing that William Levy sense of entitlement from Gilles. I could tell he was furious he didn’t get any 10s, even if he didn’t look it. He’s on his downward spiral, and I hope it continues next week. I do not see his ballroom dance being any good next week, so it makes me wonder which one he was given.
Swing Marathon: I was surprised when Shawn was eliminated. I didn’t see Mark go off on his breakdancing tangent, so I’ll have to take everyone’s word on it until I have a chance to watch it all back. I think Emmitt should have been tapped out before Apolo, but again, I need to watch this one back because it’s all a big blur to me. Once Shawn was eliminated, I knew Melissa pretty much had it in the bag because of all the pauses Kelly & Val were doing. And Court brings up an interesting point when she says if the judges feel the need to protect Melissa. And that does not give me much confidence going into next week.
I absolutely loved Karina and Apolo last night. I agree with her reaction earlier in the week that the song made for a really difficult dance, but I thought Karina’s choreography was almost at a professional level. The way Apolo tackled it blew my mind and the 9s were ridiculous in relation to some of the other dances. It’s a shame they lost control at one point, although I really believe the 9s were already decided anyway. Either Apolo has mega fan votes coming in, or they’re ready to sacrifice him because he’s more talented than the other two guys imo.
As for their chemistry, I’m really thinking Sasa and I must have been watching two different dances. I love watching them dance together and I enjoyed the OTRC interview. I saw nothing fake or forced in that interview. If Karina is acting, she should be the one tackling Hollywood instead of her ex, Douchelor.
I didn’t watch any of the other dances, or interviews. I’m only hanging on this season because of team ohyes. The manipulations are just too over the top to enjoy what should have been a stellar season. I still love this site though. The other highlight of the season.
AshleyL, maybe I will take a peek at Gilles’ OTRC interview lol 😉
Katarina,
Oh please share your thoughts afterwards! Tee hee. 🙂
Also, after having watched the OTRC interviews, it’s become clear to me Maks loves taking jabs at Gilles.
Ashley – thanks for the tip! I usually don’t watch his interviews (why irritate myself when I don’t have to?) but it was awfully sweet to see him so flumoxed. And he totally turns soprano when stressed! LOL
Just hoping the “social media exploding” over shirtless Apolo translates into many, many votes… 😉
Thanks, Court for the expert analysis. You reassured me that even though I’m not a dancer, my assessment and gut reaction to the performances were on target Monday night.
Not sure how I feel about fusion. I like the concept, but the devil’s in the details. Only two dances stood out for me — Shawn’s and Apolo’s.
The only thing that would have made Shawn’s better for me was if Derek had been dancing with her. Taking nothing away from Mark, I just think Derek is a better match, stylistically, for the more mature Shawn.
Apolo and Karina didn’t do the weave-fusion, but I thought their dance was a solid half-n-half fusion. It was content-rich with lots of performance quality. It could have used a few more rehearsals to smooth out the edges. Not whining or ranting, but I just have a niggling feeling it would have gotten 9.5s if they’d gone in the 2nd half of the running order. C’est la vie.
I saw it Ashley. Oh my, monsieur was in disbelief. He practiced 11 hours while everyone else sat on their asses? My favorite part was probably George telling him, “Welcome to All Stars.” That’s plural, Gilles. I didn’t see his dances from last night, but now I’m gonna have to go there too 🙂
Somewhat off topic but I wanted to know what people felt about the Macy’s dance that showcased the younger dancers. Maybe it is my age but I felt it was too frantic (just call me Len). The dancers were good but I just couldn’t get into it. It was either due to the dancing or maybe it was the lighting that was off putting.
I took a look at Gilles’ OTRC interview (not particularly enjoyable), and yes, he was in total disbelief that he was tapped out second and that he placed fifth on the leader board – he said “we’re last??!! and George reminded him that fifth is not last – but apparently, he’s never been that low, so this was just pure tragedy. Peta’s reaction to being tapped out wasn’t very classy either (of course, neither was Mark’s – stamping the floor). And then, when Gilles was talking about his trio – he said just him dancing salsa with *two* (two, not one, but two) blonds should rate him *four* tens…sigh…I really hope he goes next week. I really do.
Anon – four tens **eyes roll**, his last salsa was a joke, he barely did any dance and got a 30, and since he got three 9.5 for take another joke yesterday, he might get just get a 30 for a salsa next week. He must go home next week.
#50 Cali— Perhaps Shawn is not so hot with Mark because she saw and heard his banter about wanting to dance with Sabrina. he had a video on youtube telling fans to vote for her so the can have”redemption”. Food for thought.
Sara & Katarina, much of the negative Karina comments are for a reason and not because the camera’s red light went on and she smiled. THEY ALL do that, especially in the “box” while watching others. the camera is on them and all of a sudden yay for so & so…looking I’m smiling and clapping for them. perhaps Karina was taking in what Tom had just said about the order and she was calculating their scores and realized ” Crap we’re near the bottom.” Mark, Kelly, and Peta all did the same thing last night….different expression when camera panned to them. No biggie!
I definitely miss Shawn dancing with Derek and can’t wait until next week.
The only thing I didn’t really like was during the marathon, they were using their choreography for their freestyle in season 8. I don’t think that it’s fair to the other couples (this is coming from a Shawn fan btw). I wish they would have done some other new stuff which would really set them apart. They are lucky they got as far as they did with it. If I were the judges I would have knocked them out right away for it.
I still liked it a lot and agree that Mark definitely did get them out with the spinning on the ground. Just thought I would share my own opinion and see if anybody else noticed and/or agreed/disagreed.
So, not really loving this dance fusion stuff. In my opinion, only 3 couple really did great.
1)Apollo and Karina: LOVED it.
2)Shawn and Derek: LOVED it.
3)Mellissa and Tony: Loved it.
4)kelly and Val: Very cute.
5)Gilles and Peta: It was good not great. hated the second half.
6)Kirstie and Maks: It was fun. first half was awesome. the second half……not so much.
7)Emmitt and Cheryl: I really wanted to like it since he seems like such a nice guy and I know he can do so much more. It was alright but Cheryl kinda phoned it in with that one.
That leaves me with the swing dance thing: I said it from the start when Melissa and Tony started that they had that one. They were havng so much fun.
Katarina,
Ha, wasn’t that fun! I especially loved when George told Gilles he was full of it for acting like it didn’t bother him even though Gilles couldn’t stop talking about it. Good times. 🙂
all my votes went to apolo…it be unfair to see him go home next week with a great dance last night that was way underscored
Maks got bonus points for me in his OTRC interview where he blatantly made fun of Gilles without saying his name! I don’t think Maks cares for him too much…but then again who does?!
But sheery (#90), despite the Emmitt/Cheryl pairing, it was understood early on that the champions would get new partners, so Mark knew that, of his previous partners, he would not be dancing with Shawn. (So it would be Bristol, rather than Shawn, getting upset with hearing him talk about Sabrina)
It makes sense that Shawn is trying to be diplomatic, but unfortunately, I feel that she’s just providing fuel for the “Mark vs. Derek” debate. Mark and Derek obviously have no problems with each other, so maybe if she had just relaxed, the week would have come off better. The fact that Derek asked Mark to help out shows that he doesn’t share Shawn’s “cheating” qualms.
Yes, she is comfortable, happy, and having lots of fun with Derek, but she was also comfortable, happy, and had lots of fun with Mark in Season 8. I get that time changes things, but I didn’t understand Shawn’s noticeable standoffishness. I was so excited to see a temporary reunion of Team Shark last night, but was left feeling sad instead.
Just something I noticed and if I just somehow missed them then someone please correct me. For the first time ever I did not see Shawns parents in the audience. They are ALWAYS there without fail but last night it seems they were not. If that is so then maybe there is something going on in her family that added to her mellow mood last night? I have followed Shawn for all the years she has been a gymnast and her parents show up at everything, so for neither of them to be there seems pretty strange. We never know what may be going on in someones personal life.
Y’all have seen how storyboarding works on this show, right? Who can blame Shawn, a 20 year old young girl (I’m almost 56, I get to call her a young girl), for being uptight about the possibility of putting one toe wrong in front of the cameras – with everyone but Mark and Derek trying to stir the pot?
I’ve enjoyed reading all the commentary. I agree with so many it’s hard to make anything I think/thought sound original…but here are my thoughts from last night’s show…
Hands down – best of the night for me was Shawn and Mark/Derek. It was a true fusion – and I think should be the benchmark standard for any fusion dances this show has from here on out. Karina/Apolo did a really great dance – and they met the standard set by Len in his description during last week’s results show: 1 piece of music, 2 different dances…however, just like he has done in the past – Derek took those directions and made them REALLY work. He thrives when the show tries to throw curve balls – my favorite example is the 50s paso. How do you do a 50s paso? Like Derek. Unlike the 80s rumba Maks did – where they just wore 80s clothes and danced a regular rumba. He thinks outside the box…and he showed that he can follow the rules and still be exemplary! So take that, Len Goodman! 🙂
I loved Apolo and Karina’s dance – if not the scoring. However, my one criticism is: Karina jam packs his routines with content and obviously works on technique with him – however, in faster dances it all seems a bit frenzied to me. More is not always better. That said – she crammed content in to both halves of his fusion.
Emmitt and Melissa both have a style so inherently them that almost every dance they do looks the same to me. Emmitt’s dances look the same. Melissa’s dances look the same. And, now that I think about it…Kirstie’s dances look the same to me. My untrained eye can’t necessarily tell the difference between her quickstep or her foxtrot…her cha cha or her samba.
Shawn and Apolo have both, IMO…better than anyone else this season captured the flavor/essence of each dance and made each dance look distinct and distinctive.
I loved Gilles in his first season. I think this is an instance where it’s not good that he’s learned more English…because he’s just so whiny and entitled…and I just don’t know where the hard working Gilles who loved to dance with Cheryl went. I can’t even enjoy a good dance when he does it now…unless I’m youtubing the Gilles of old!
Kelly – oh Kelly. Val needs to stop with the spins and tone down the showmance. And then, I’ll really enjoy your dancing. At least, I think I will. 🙂 And…I’ve met her in person – girlfriend was a mumbler from waaaaaay back.
About the scoring – I can’t figure out of they’re trying to protect Melissa, or lull her fans into thinking she’s safe – as she’s never been in the bottom 2 or in “jeopardy” – and now she’s got the highest point total. Same with Kelly. Otherwise, I can’t figure why she lasted longer in the marathon than Shawn & Mark.
One more thing about Apolo/scoring, then I’ll let it go…why the effusive praise and then low scores? The guy is an athlete. He’s used to being coached. Give him something constructive to work on and THEN give him a 9. Don’t wax poetic and then give him the 2nd lowest scores of the evening. Just grates.
Okay…that’s all for now.
I’d just like to say that the negative campaigning was hilarious. And I enjoyed watching Shawn try to negotiate the Derek/Mark at once thing.
Shawn may have let other friends be in the audience tonight – each celeb only gets so many seats from what I understand. They definitely cut to a group of people after her dance. It’s also possible that they were seated elsewhere in the ballroom last night as opposed to that one spot they are often in.
And frankly, the only people having a REAL “Mark versus Derek” debate are Mark fans who were so ecstatic to see him back and a few low rent web sites that deal in that sort of thing in order to get lots of hits from rabid fans of either guy. Hence the silly polls where you can vote over and over again. Wet Paint was doing the same thing with the male pros “who’s the hottest” bullshit. It plays on fans need to make sure everyone knows their guy is the best – when all it really counts for is massive hits (and subsequent ad dollars) to a web site. I’ve told Derek fans for years not to waste their time – but I know it’s hard.
The woman in the group of people is her friend/manager Sheryl (don;t remeber her name).
This all Shawn Mark X Derek got really annoying, I’m a team Shawnough and Team Shark fan, love Mark and Derek, it is not that hard to see why Shawn was that way, again she just didn’t want hurt anyone feelings, I’m sure the trio dance, pressure free for Shawn (I hope), she will be her normal self.
I think is funny that some people in the boards saying that Shawn doesn’t like Mark, but they went out together yesterday after the show with Val (paparazzi video), they probably can’t stand each other.
The “political ads” were hilarious!
#99 I think that given Sabrina had top scores and went home just last week, it’s on people’s minds, and they will hopefully vote for Melissa – so they may have been trying to make sure she gets the votes.
Loved Shawn and Mark! Derek did such a great job on the choreography. I too was hoping she would win the marathon, but Melissa and Tony did a great job on it. They kept moving the entire time and were fun to watch. I don’t get the hype with Emmitt. Yes he can dance, but I don’t think he’s as good as everyone thinks or wants him to be. Cheryl is uninspiring, has been the last few seasons. I think she figures with him, she’s got a lock on at least the semis if not the finals. I just don’t see it. It’s obvious the judges want Kirstie gone, and it is time. She too can dance, she has a great attitude and she’s having fun. But she’s not on the level of a Shawn, Apolo or Melissa. It’s so nice seeing Tony having fun and smiling. It had to be hard not being with his family, but they did great. Gilles. Ugh. Can he just go away? Don’t like him or his attitude, have nothing nice to say, so I’m not. I’m just going to hope he’s gone next week. Kelly and Val are just old news. They started out great, I liked them, thought it was nice to have Val sticking around longer. But now, not so much. Apolo and Karina were good. If they do get the jive next week, I think it will help him. Karina’s jives are fantastic. The two going home next week will be Kirstie and then either Kelly or Emmitt. Although I’m holding out hope for one to be Gilles.
My Poem for Week Seven
THE BALLROOM SHUFFLE
The ballroom was shuffled, the deck was stacked
The dances were crazy mixed up, were attacked
The theme was fusion, a blending of two dances
Throwing cards in the air, taking many chances
Dance steps had to intertwine, into the other flow
We marveled as all the dancers aced them just so
Kelly and Val mixed Fox Trot, Cha-Cha with ease
Melissa and Tony mixed Tango, Cha-Cha to please
Emmitt and Cheryl gave the Rumba, Samba a whirl
Gilles, Peta gave Argentine Tango, Samba a twirl
Karina and Apolo’s Cha-Cha, Paso Doble excited
Max, Kirstie’s Quickstep, Samba surely delighted
A mixed up trio arrived to the Ballroom Shuffle dance
Two fellows dressed alike, only one will get the chance
Mark, chosen to dance Paso Doble, Tango with Shawn
All Derek could do was sit in the audience looking on
The Ballroom Shuffle experiment dazzled and amazed
The dancing cards shuffled, new dancing trails blazed
A swing dance marathon was danced to Do Your Thing
Who would be crowned Swing Dance Queen and King
The couples were tagged, they had to leave the floor
First to go were Kirstie and Max, were shown the door
Second to go, Gilles and Peta ended their swing dance
Apolo and Karina were tagged third, lost their chance
Fourth to be tagged, Emmitt, Cheryl’s time was done
Number Five, Shawn and Mark, had to leave the fun
It was down to two couples, who would get the score
Kelly and Val’s valiant try, number six, could go no more
Tony and Melissa’s endurance made them last to go
Winning the crown of the ballroom Swing Dance Show
Next week trios will dance together, not two but three
Kirstie and Max chose Tristan, what dance will we see
Kelly and Val chose Louis, three glide across the floor
Emmitt and Cheryl chose Kym, could not ask for more
Apolo and Karina chose Sasha from the dancing troupe
Melissa and Tony chose Henry, oh wow, what a group
Gilles and Peta chose Chelsie to help their dancing cause
Shawn and Derek chose Mark, to the ballroom’s applause
The deck was stacked, Ballroom Shuffle blazed the trail
Next Monday night the All-Stars will return without fail!
Written by Lois A. Troutman, November 6, 2012
THE BALLROOM SHUFFLE PROVED A ROUSING SUCCESS!
NEXT WEEK THREE WILL DANCE, WE EXPECT NOTHING LESS!
Shawn has been all kinds of delightful for me this season – and that’s before I even think about her dancing – but she floored me with her inspired rejoinder to BBC’s tacky question re Mark/vs Derek. Her comeback was even better in light of Brooke’s recent behavior – as other’s have observed, our host seems to revel in the off-putting question, and IMO is doing a damn fine impersonation of a Mean Girl. Who would have thunk that Shawn could have turned the tables so beautifully.
THANK YOU, Lois,for the Ballroom Shuffle. Much fun!
“I want to see endurance in the marathon – not short bursts of energy with a lot of panting in between (which is probably how Gilles is in the boudoir – ZING! ).”
LOL, I felt the urge to do a Sheldon Cooper-like “Bazinga!”
Lois, you’ve helped to inspire a new post. THANK YOU for your fun poem!! <3 <3 xx
Was it me or was the last move in Gille’s and Peta’s AT the same move that he and Cheryl did?
Peta needs to learn choreography….
It was the same, Peta is terrible choreographer.
Sure was. Really disappointed. I had high hopes for this newbie pro. 🙁
Poor Derek, after weeks of dancing 10-worthy dances, Shawn finaly gets a perfect score the one week he’s injured. I’m a bit disappointed in Shawn/Mark’s marathon dance, I wish they hadn’t have recylced the parts of Shawn’s Freestyle(which might be another reason they didn’t win)
I doubt very much Derek feels like “poor Derek” – he knows perfectly well that he and Shawn were being underscored and he did the choreo for that dance so the 10s were for him as well.
After all, one gets Emmy nominations for the choreography, not the execution. Not that I think that one will be nominated…just that that makes it clear where the emphasis normally is in the business.
Hi! I’ve been lurking this entire season, & I really find your comments and insights helpful and entertaining, I must say! I really wanted to put in my two cents regarding the Shawn/Derek/Mark partnership. I truly think that Derek choreographed this dance for the sole purpose of perfect score. In the package last week, Shawn expressed how she really wanted a perfect score, so he created this dance without tricks & gimmicks for her. In one of the interviews after the show he said that he probably could’ve danced on Monday, but he didn’t want to have to put Shawn in the position of ‘relearning’ it with him during showtime thereby compromising the integrity of the dance (aka…compromising the perfect score). He has Shawn’s best interests at heart, and he really is an amazing coach and teacher. I really don’t think there are any ill feelings among this trio … just love.
Last monday I thought I accidentally zapped to Nickelodeon! Ouch all those childish dances. I was going to fall asleep or start singing friday by that rebecca girl. Then came Val and Kelly, proved me it was still DWTS and the target demo is not pre teens. Doing their thing making millions swoon in front of tv. I already forgot other couples dances or maybe I was busy singing Friday. lol
I think Derek is very well aware that dancing a good, clean dance has NOTHING to do sometimes with what score you get. He’s no dummy. He choreographed it clean because he promised Len he would the previous week. I would not expect him to tailor his choreo to scores on a regular basis – not a good idea.
Rigggghhhtt, tundar, everyone was childish EXCEPT Val and Kelly – the two children playing soap dress up with the fake showmance. :::rolls eyes::: It’s so over the top at this point that I can’t believe anyone believes it.
Please tell me you’re not going to start posting the shipper crap on every post. Two is plenty.
Princess Heidi – I completely agree. However, I do think that he choreographed the Tango/Paso for the possibility of a perfect score. You’re right he choreographed it clean because he promised Len that he would do so. Although It seems to me, the only reason to create a Len loving dance is for that ’10’. Maybe I’m not imaginative enough but I can’t think of another reason. You’re right, Derek realizes that choreographing a clean dance will not guarantee a perfect score, however, if he wants one he’s going to have to make it clean, no gimmicks, to get Len’s ‘ten’. Based on this logic I do think that Derek was trying to give Shawn that perfect score on Monday. He’s a very smart cookie, a strategist. He did it on a non-elimination week, and you’re 100% right he will not continue choreographing for the score. I believe his primary goals are to make his star happy during the process & to get her to the Finals. I think he’s succeeding wonderfully. Just my two cents.
PH..do you mean….are you saying you don’t like the videos on YouTube of the two of them like they are fictional characters being shipped instead of two very real human beings?****gasp****
Yeah. That was sarcasm. Sorry. Had to do it.
I blame TPTB… They can’t leave anything alone.
No, Genster, I don’t really agree. Len has given great scores to dances that had gimmicks before. I think it’s a mistake to think that he won’t give a perfect score to a dance that has them. Besides, the definition of “gimmick” is always subject to change. That mambo was fantastic and in no rational world did it deserve an 8 – that was just ridiculous. To base all your scoring on some arbitrary definition of “clean” is stupid – and I don’t think Len actually does that. I think there is another agenda at work and I think Derek knows it too. I think Derek kinda played Len in this instance. He took Len’s own words about “frippery” and said loudly, on camera, that he was going to do what Len wanted in the next dance. When he did just that, Len almost HAD to give him a 10 – he had no excuse left. I think, otherwise, that Len would have given a 9 or a 9.5 because other times when he’s lowballed a dancer (Nicole…maybe Katherine) it’s week 8 that becomes the week where Len rewards them. It’s all part of making it dramatic: “When will Len give out the 10???” I think it’s pretty transparent and rarely has anything to do with the dance.
Remember, Len’s the one who was yelling at Derek and Maks for “fussing about” and then turned around and gave a crap dance where the couple was wearing monkey suits an *8*. He’s the biggest storyboarder of the trio, half the time.
I really wish you hadn’t told me there were shipper videos on Youtube, Cher. That’s something I didn’t need to know. That’s…disgusting.
Shawn: This is the first time I really enjoyed watching her dance. She didn’t looked hard-hitting for the first time. I think she actually looks better with Mark, I wish Mark was her partner this season. 10s.
Melissa: Tony’s choreo gets harder and Melissa’s dancing gets better every week. The tango parts were awesome, much better than her Toxic tango. I’m convinced that she’s one of the best dancers left, if not the best. There was a little slip at the end but it was kinda Tony’s fault. Other than that, I don’t think it was overscored. 10s(or 9.5s for the slip).
Emmitt: I really liked the choreography. The song was not good though. I love this couple because they look so easy-going. They are just enjoying the show(unlike some contestants and pros). Emmitt’s dancing was good but could be a little bit better. 9.5s.
Apolo: I didn’t liked the choreography. But Apolo did his best for sure. I think Karina needs to calm down, she moves so fast and looks kinda frantic, I think it actually makes Apolo a little bit distracted. Good dance though. 9.5s.
Kelly: This was really nice. But could be much better. I don’t like her in ballroom dances, this foxtrot and the quickstep in week 2 is pretty weak, compared to her latin(cha cha, paso) and other dances(swing, contemporary). 9s.
Gilles: It wasn’t really bad. But I think he can do much better than this. I think he forces himself so much to do everything perfectly, he looks strained. He needs to calm down and take it easy. 9s.
Kirstie: It was fun, the quickstep part was really good, but she lost it in the samba part. 8.
The marathon dance was great. I watched all the couples again and clearly Melissa was the best. I think Apolo and Karina saved their energy for the second half and while the lifts were good, the dancing wasn’t really as good as the rest. Didn’t expected that from Emmitt, he was pretty good. Shawn was good too but her dancing and the lifts were not as great as Melissa and Kelly. Kelly’s lifts were great, the dancing was good but they paused too much. Melissa danced nonstop and her dancing was really good. The lifts were awesome, best lifts for sure. They did at least 5 lifts. I’m surprised that she didn’t looked out of breath at the end, great energy. I hope she’ll get the scores she deserves this week.
Sorry PH for offending you. As a fan of Val because he is a talented individual and in extension Kelly it is frustrating to see this. It is like the producers took what used to be cute and natural and turned it into a, actually I don’t know what to call it. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to go on YouTube to look for videos of dances and interviews and to find…Fan videos yeah, I can see but shipper vids. To me that crosses a line into someones personal life and even if they are a “celebrity” I would say it disrespoects them but I’m not sure that is the right word to use.
Princess Heidi – I think you’re right. However, I think Derek isn’t playing this as a typical season. From the beginning of the season he kept saying that he would create dances that the would push the limit creatively, creating each dance like it was their last, going outside the box, & not necessarily choreographing for the judges scores. I think that he wasn’t really worried about getting a perfect score until closer to the end of the season or perhaps even as late as the Finals because historically this is when the scores have mattered. He has kept consistent with this game plan because I think he thought that Shawn and him were on the same page. However, when Shawn mentioned she was bit bummed at not getting a perfect score, I think he changed his plans a bit for her. The thing I ask myself is why would he care if Len gives him a ten or not if he was focused on audience appeal vs. scores at this stage of the game? He intentionally pointed out to Len that he would choreograph the next dance for him therefore practically cornering him to give them a ten -as you pointed out. Checkmate! An intentional move by Derek to secure a 10. However why would he want to play this card this week, when scores haven’t been an issue before? Perhaps, he knew that a 30 is important to Shawn (which it seems to be based on the package from last week), and would make her happy. Regarding the clean dances minus the tricks and gimmicks, unfortunately I think that Derek knows that Shawn and him are playing by a different set of rules than the other couples on the show. At this stage of the game, for them to get a perfect score they have to dance cleanly that’s just a fact. However towards the end of the season I’m sure Len will allow more ‘frippery”. I love that term! I still believe that Derek created this dance for a 30 in mind, and I truly love him for it. Of course I’m not a mind reader so I can’t really be sure … but it just seems to be the case based on what I’ve seen this season. Again, it’s my very humble opinion. Thanks for listening!!
Cher, I was being sarcastic – you didn’t offend me. Sorry, I should have put more of a hint in there that I was being…sardonic is a better word.
I would NOT blame the producers for what is going on with Val and Kelly. The two of them have been playing it to the hilt to try to get votes. I just hope it doesn’t work. It’s so over the top that it shouldn’t be rewarded.
I think you’re over thinking it, Genster. I think *Derek* was getting pissed at the low scores from Len on dances that he know were worthy of those scores and decided to play the game for a week. I don’t think there’s much more to say than that. It’s not that complicated. I also don’t think that he’ll have to dance “clean” (all his and shawn’s dances are clean as hell and I do rather object to that phrasing) for the rest of the season to get a perfect 30. It’s storyboarding by Len. You say that Len will allow more frippery at the end of the season – that’s just making an excuse for his low balling early on. You’ve bought into the game.
PH sardonic…sarcastic..either way.:D
They are adults. It would just be disappointing as a fan if they were purposefully trying to fake us out. Which is probably why we should stick to cheering for who can dance instead of who can’t all that well.
Its a bit disheartening.
I think Val and Kelly are gross. Sorry to their fans, but they have entered the *gross me out territory* and their is no turning back now.
Princess Heidi – I appreciate your input but I really don’t think I’m over thinking it. I’m basing all of my opinions on what Derek has stated in his interviews, packages etc… I think you’re right though, I think that Derek was frustrated at the Len’s low balling. However my point is that he shouldn’t have been frustrated if he was going for the audience appeal vs. judges scores. This is the issue I’m discussing. I guess it’s possible his priorities or goals could have changed during the season, but I truly think that Shawn’s opinion matters to him, and this might have something to do with the frustration. This could have caused the change of his priorities for this week if his priorities truly were creating dances for the audience vs. judges scores. No matter the reason, he was still trying for a 30 in the Tango/Paso, which I don’t think is arguable, and basically my point in my first post. Regarding the ‘clean’ dancing, I’m using this term the way that I think Len would use it, and I think using this term will make it easier for people to understand my post since it’s terminology that we all understand. I didn’t mean to offend, I apologize if I did. With that said, I 100% agree that Shawn and Derek’s dancing is flawless, and I too find it ‘clean’ based on my own personal definition. I don’t think that Derek will need to dance without gimmicks and tricks throughout the season to maintain a 30, just at this point. By I think weeks 9 & 10 they’ll be allowed more creative freedom by Len. I think in Len’s eyes they have to work up to it. I personally think Len thinks Shawn is too good of a dancer to do all these ‘tricks’, and it annoys him a bit – this opinion is based on his comments in week 1. I don’t agree with Len at all, but I think he’s totally old school, and well old. This old school mentality explains the low balling early on, well in my mind. I think Derek completely understands this, and he’s smart about it. I adore Shawn and Derek & hope they make it to the finals. This entire post is strictly opinion based on interviews and observations by me. Thanks!
:::rolls eyes::: When you take that many words to explain a simple concept, you’re trying too hard and are likely on the wrong track.
And lord knows, I know nothing about Derek. At all. (/sarcasm) That said, even I don’t claim to read his mind.
Drop it – you’ve had your say.
Princess Heidi – I apologize, I thought that everybody on this site were of like mind and similar in opinion, and I wouldn’t have posted here if I knew otherwise. My mistake. I won’t post here again. Thanks for hearing me out. It was fun … for me at least. Go Shawn and Derek!!
Oh lord…don’t be a martyr either. There is no koolaide here and I asked you to move on because you were beating the subject to death. There is nothing new to say on it.
I’ve never written a power rankings comment. Early in the morning, it’s dark, and I’m in the mood for some writing. So let me give it a try.
Before the marathon, I thought Gilles or Shawn is going to win. I’d never think Kelly and Melissa would be top 2, but as I watched the marathon I understand why they’re top 2 and not Shawn or Gilles.
Now normal dance routines.
1-Shawn-Every week she’s improving. Despite a confusing week it was a 10.
2-Apolo-Underscored, just like his quickstep.
3-Melissa-No errors as always, no missed steps. But it didn’t wow me.
4-Kelly-If there were no errors, I’d place her 3rd. She captured the character of both dances.
5-Gilles-Argentine tango wasn’t captivating, samba wasn’t bouncing enough.
6-Emmitt-Actually he tried harder than Gilles, it was kind of a tie between Gilles and Emmitt.
7-Kirstie-Their fun element wasn’t enough for me this week.
Princess Heidi – LOL. I love koolaide, and I do miss it! Haven’t had it in years. With that … I’ll be moving on. Good luck with the season!
Hey, why so serious? The post asks exactly “what did you guys think of fusion night” and I wrote what I thought. If I’ll write what you want me to say, it’ll be what you thought about DWTS not what I thought. This is the first and last time I’m replying to a negative comment, I don’t like arguments. In Switzerland, we don’t make war. Well, you know the rest of the saying, lol.
WTF are you talking about, tundar??