Red Foo To Guest Judge Next Week, Carrie Ann Inaba Writes On DWTS Week 5 And Defends Her Judging
Carrie Ann Inaba has penned a new blog at Parade. She was sad and shocked to see Cody Simpson and Witney Carson eliminated this week on Dancing With The Stars. She writes, “First of all, no one saw that coming. Cody has 6.5 million twitter followers. I thought for sure his fans would keep him in. Where were they for him when it mattered?” That’s what I wondered too!! She also defends how she judged Amy and Derek. I’ve heard both sides of the argument on this and I still believe Carrie Ann did the right thing and what she writes below seals if for me even more….
Amy Purdy and Derek Hough–when she dances, it’s hard not to notice the miracle that is happening. It really is incredible to see in person; it’s something that can’t be ignored. She is dancing without the bottom half of her legs, so there are some things she just can’t do. They have to find a new technique to make things work. I couldn’t take off for the lifts last night because she can’t feel if her feet are still on the ground like everyone else. Also, it is very hard for Amy to come down the stairs. I have noticed that they are always carrying her down the stairs, so I couldn’t take off for that lift either. I know some people are upset with me about this, but I have to live with my scores as well and I have to do what I believe in and I did not think that it’s fair to take off a point for something that she can’t feel. For anyone who can feel whether or not their feet are on the floor, I feel it is fair to take off a point because lifts in certain dances are just not allowed. But that is not the case here. Anyway, it was a beautiful performance and wouldn’t it be kind of cool if Disney did make their next princess someone like Amy?
Be sure her full blog at Parade. Note to how she mentions Red Foo from LMFAO is the guest judge next week which will be perfect for Party Anthem Week!
The tweens were to busy fangirling instead of voting! 😉
I think Carrie Ann made the right choice there and she had to make reference to why because she is such a stickler. In my opinion that was such a small part of the routine and Derek’s choreography also shows it is possible to create beautiful things within limitations. For other choreographers who want to create dances for those with physical challenges he also showed what could be done. Educating others in his profession as well. It is a learning curve for all those wanting to extend opportunities and he is helping in that also. So it extends beyond Amy I think and Carrie Ann is also talking to that imo.
lol I bet you are right!
I didn’t mind at all that she didn’t deduct for lifts, but then why mention it? As Anna said on AfterBuzz, it’s patronizing more than anything. CAI acts like it’s a miracle Amy bothers getting out of bed, and doing anything for herself, as a disabled person, THAT’S what bothers me, and that’s no fault of Amy’s at all.
LOL, Jimmbboe, and I for one am grateful for the tweens fangirling. It will be so much more pleasant in the ballroom without all that high-pitched squeeling.
I agree with CarrieAnn relaxing her lift policy for Amy as she described it — a little assist down the stairs and not docking her if she gets some accidental air, especially since anyone with brains knows Derek won’t take advantage of the situation and start throwing in tons of lifts in lieu of dancing.
That said, I still feel CarrieAnn needs to be more discriminating about calling lifts for *everyone*. I’m a complete non-dancer, yet I have no trouble at all differentiating between a designed lift and a case where the woman’s feet get an inch or two above the floor by accident. We’re dealing with celebs who have less than a week to learn a dance. So let’s get real about what’s more important, being entertaining while getting the basic technique and flavor of the dance, or having everyone’s feet glued to the floor at all times.
I’ve always felt like Carrie Ann’s lift policy is arbitrary, subjective, and rather opportunistic – it’s almost just used as a plot device in the grand storyboarding scheme of the show. Got a couple that’s absolutely killing it and you need a plot twist? Deduct points for a lift that Carrie Ann allegedly saw. Need to level the playing field between a weaker couple and a stronger one? Oops, looks like the stronger couple’s feet came off the floor – minus 1 point for a lift!!! Ditto for Len’s policy on breaking hold – it only gets enforced when the storyboarding needs it to. I say throw both out the door if they can’t been consistently enforced across the board. They’re petty little policies with no real basis in reality, anyway – I’ve seen things in professional competition that, by the show’s standards, could be considered a lift; and the judges there aren’t batting an eye. Hell, half the time they’re only getting to see 5-second snippets of the couple before having to shift their gaze to one of the other couples on the floor. Odds are they aren’t even seeing it if the lady’s foot is coming off the floor for a second or two.
I believe if Carrie Ann felt that way should have kept it to herself.
But lets remember that Len established this on the first show that the
judges were to treat her like everyone else and she agreed! So personally it surprised me and I was very disappointed that Amy did
not say something. Also Derek does not have to choreograph a lift! And
I am not a Derek hater as a matter of fact-BIGBIGFAN!!! I thought the
point of wanting to do the show was the challenge as an athlete. In the
real world of competition athletes rely on a fair playing field. And
some of you are right it’s not that big of a deal she probably won’t win.
I just know as a former athletic person myself I HATE not being
judged fairly and on my own accomplishments. I don’t want someone slid-
ing the scale for me and most people I Know agree. What is the point
of the competition for Amy if she is treated so blatantly different. I
thought that was why so many admired her or is it because of Derek! JUST A FRIENDLY DISCUSSION PEOPLE-NOT GOING TO LOSE ANY SLEEP!
Oh boy…sounding awfully defensive there, aren’t we BMP? If this were truly a “friendly discussion” and you are supposedly “not going to lose any sleep” – then why are you screaming at us??? And why are you so eager to ensure us that you’re such a “BIGBIGFAN!!!” of Derek’s? But anyway, I guess since you want a “FRIENDLY DISCUSSION!!!”, I’ll give you one in list form:
1.) Why they hell would you expect Amy to say anything while the judges were critiquing her??? “Oh Carrie Ann, please do go ahead and deduct a point for the lifts – you promised you would earlier in the season!!! Nevermind the fact that I was on the struggle bus for most of this week and still can’t get my prostheses to rise and fall like the feet of all my able-bodied competitors and I’m currently in tears because I was actually able to finish the dance.” I think that’s just downright foolish for you to expect that from her.
2.) Derek intentionally choreographed the lifts to suit Amy, and I think he was fully expecting to get docked for them. He’s knowingly broken the rules before and accepted the consequences – go watch his season 15 quickstep with Shawn. Not his fault that the judges chose not to penalize them this time – your rage is misplaced here, dear.
3.) You keep throwing out the word “fair”. Is it fair that Amy lost both her legs to a near-fatal infection that she had no control over? Is it fair that technology hasn’t advanced to the point where prostheses can perform just like a real limb? Is it fair that Amy is physically incapable of achieving the rise and fall of the waltz with her prostheses? Hell, is it fair that two Olympic ice dancers are being pitted against people with zero dance experience? Life isn’t fair, and this show has never been 100% fair, honey. And once again, I reiterate: in the grand scheme of things, what is one point going to matter? Do you feel like your favorites are going to lose the MBT because of that one point that Amy wasn’t deducted for the lifts in her waltz?
I’m guessing you’re probably just trolling for attention, especially since your choice of words (“not losing any sleep!”) makes it seem like you’ve read and gotten defensive about another post I wrote, but I’ll go ahead and humor your contrived rage for now.
Not sure why are so upset about Carrie Ann. Suri in afterbuzz even said they are inconsistent so it is not worth getting upset. Unless you feel she is a threat to your fave. I find Julz on afterbuzz incredibly annoying to begin with and mostly bc he doesn’t listen. He doesn’t remember what he even said in previous weeks. He is all how can I fairly critique amy for a waltz if she cannot do a rise and fall. Well maybe commend her for creating new technique. Then surprised she didn’t do pivots. Just last week, which Anna pointed out, she cannot do. Julz is harping about certain technique but at this point with gimmicks and all, dwts barely even has technical standards. The thing is when I heard Julz, he sounds like some posts I see in comment sections or elsewhere where people seem to not realize Amy’s situation. I guess the level of insensitivity surprises me. Not to mention some who think Amy is a ringer. Really? On the same season as Charlie, Meryl and Danica?
WORD Court!! Geez BMP, I’m sorry but, let’s see you lose your legs from the knee down and then attempt to dance and then we’ll talk about judging YOU “fair”!! I also disagree that Amy can’t win. She CAN win and is a serious contender imo. Though I have a feeling that bothers you a little, doesn’t it?
Court. I agree….BMP is trolling.
Well first, I took Len’s comment to mean that the judging policy seems to have evolved over the seasons where the judges try not to compare the stars to one another for dance ability but rather from where they start, how and if they improve and grow, and if they are entertaining. And THEN they let the audience pick their choices, favs etc. So when he said they would judge Amy like the others it would be, can she dance, is she improving and are the dances entertaining. So they are judging people by their individual accomplishments so why would they do any differently for Amy?
So I really appreciate CAI’s ability to discern the difference about why and when she may or may not dock Amy for a lift. I mean is Derek adding something blatent and in her face knowing it’s against the rules of that dance or is he just facilitating the continuing movement in the dance?
If you try a little experiment, like in meditation,center your thoughts and mentally think about (feel) your legs to the knees and no farther, it is unfathomable to even understand how Amy is doing any of this on DWTS and as a dancer(the case of all the judges), CAI HAS to understand how Amy is doing the impossible with Derek’s help, even more than most. When an amputee learns to walk it is repetative, in a straight line mostly, and they get familiar with the feeling after yrs of doinng the same thing over and over. It’s taken Amy what , 15+ years to perfect snoboarding to be able to win a medal. But dancing with all it’s changes in movement, height, weight shifting with appliances attached to you that have no natural movement and learning in a week!
As CAI said it is some kind of miracle. And so far I’ve heard from people I know who didn’t know Amy say when they watched her on DWTS, had no idea she was an amputee until they googled her or it came up in the package.
And one more thing Carrie Ann, if you read this blog for you judges…as someone who has known Derek and been friends of his you must be incredibly proud and as amazed as many of us are by not just his accomplishments but his ability to adapt to so many different partners and make them shine. And in Amy’s case, he is going to have a special place in the hearts of many more people for what he is helping her do. I hope you tell him that once in a while for all of us who will never have an opportunity to pay him a compliment in person. His talent is monumental and impactful and still he seems quite humble and to have a very kind heart.
Anyway I am glad CAI explained her reasoning which I think makes sense especially in this case. And also alot of judging for dance is subjective and in the end the audience decides what they enjoy and if they think a certain person deserves their votes.
For those that keep saying Amy being judged differently because of her disability is unfair, ask yourself this- What is everyone else’s excuse?
I can name one or two more dancers getting “special treatment” that have legs. So tell me why it is FAIR for them to NOT GET CALLED OUT but not Amy?
Certainly the better option would have been for CAI to not mention anything at all about Amy’s lifts. Once we’re past that, what bothers me a lot is that on air CAI intimated that she would allow the lift because of the limitations she has in doing other things. What she said in the article, “How can I take a point off for a lift for someone who can’t feel the floor?” is a much different thing, and for me, much more profound, much less objectionable in terms of her mentioning anything at all, and much less solicitous of Amy as someone who needs “help” as opposed to simply taking into account the facts of the physical universe in which Amy lives.
However, I do have to give it to CAI for saying that she hopes the next Disney Princess would be like Amy. I think Amy probably appreciated that greatly, not so much because of how it reflects on her, but because of how much it would mean to other girls facing challenges.
On a tangential note, I’m surprised that there has been (to my knowledge) no mention by anyone connected to Amy or the show of the new prosthetic meant for dancing developed by MIT for the dancer who lost one leg in the Boston Marathon bombing. I did tweet about it with a link to both Amy and Derek. I’m just surprised that Amy would not want to use the media attention to announce such important progress, especially at a moment when it’s so meaningful to her.
I agree with Courtney – I think Derek looked quite surprised when CA said she *wasn’t* going to dock them for the lift. I think he did his usual – run a choreographic choice past his partner, warn them of the rule break and the point-deduct consequence and then run with it if it’s OK with them…
IMO, the lift policy is a joke. It was always my understanding that the so-called policy was to protect the “star” contestants until they had progressed in their dancing. But now they have contemporary in the first week which is always full of lifts. So why have a rule against lifts?
Susan – I saw Amy directly tweet someone about MIT, and the dance legs. She said she has been working with that same guy for years on snowboarding legs, but that it takes quite awhile. Maybe she doesn’t want to talk about it until she herself knows more about the dance legs.
Susan Rethy
to Pure
6 minutes agoDetails
CM — Thanks for telling me. Don’t know how I missed it. While I’m sure every situation is different, the dance leg was developed in a year, inspired specifically for a dancer injured in last year’s bombing. There was recently a TED conference about her and the leg, and there is also a full report on CNN. The dancer, using the new leg, gave Anderson Cooper a dance lesson. The man who developed the new leg is himself a double amputee. His sport is mountain climbing, and he said that he can climb much better with the legs he developed for himself than he could with his natural legs. He decided to design the new leg after seeing the dancer interviewed about her desire to dance again, wanting her to be able to recreate with her prosthesis what she could do before she needed one. You may remember that Derek said he would be happy to dance with her when she was ready.
Since Derek is creative producer (or whatever the title is) of the Macy’s Stars of Dance this season, he has plans to feature Adrianne in one of those pieces between now and the finale. If that’s the case, Amy probably wants to let Adrianne be the one to show off this new prosthetic breakthrough.
sorry, left out a word. I meant to say “perhaps he has plans” — needless to say I have no idea what he is or isn’t planning. I don’t even know the guy. 😉
You had me going there for a minute, Cidra. I consider myself relatively up to date on everything Derek is doing. 😀 As much as it is possible, with a guy like Derek. Dude is tight lipped!!