Dancing with the Stars Season 18, Week 5 – Dancing by the Numbers!
Well, this week is fairly simple. Drew has a tough row to hoe this week, with the biggest margins since week 2. And really, I don’t have too many complaints with the scores overall, as they rather reflect my feelings after my initial viewing of the show. What I AM waiting for, is the hammer to fall on Maks and Meryl for the “messing about” that Maks puts in about 75% of his dances. It’s even more glaringly obvious after Val and Meryl’s Argentine Tango. Anyone else who had a ringer of that caliber (particularly Derek) would have gotten hosed by now for all the crap. But really, Derek has often gotten hosed for crap in dances that other couples get away with in the very same show. I’m looking at you, Tony, Val AND Maks. Usually, this occurs when Derek has a really good partner. Now, the shoe is on the other foot and we get nothing but praise for the golden couple. Oddly, Charlie is just as big a ringer and he is getting the ringer treatment. Seriously, 3 points deducted for dropping that cane? If ever there was a time that the judges should have gotten together and said “hey, killer routine, very difficult – a dropped cane is only worth one point.” But no, they couldn’t manage that. Are they REALLY trying to manipulate the audience into thinking that Meryl should win?? Because you know, some of the audience resemble sheep – they want to vote for the perceived winner. This is a dangerous game, though, because the audience also likes an underdog – especially if one is as good a dancer with harder choreo than the golden girl. It will be interesting to see how things continue to progress on this front.
I heard a couple people say that Meryl was underscored this week and that Charlie was overscored (??), as were James and Danica. No, I don’t really think so. I really liked James’ dance as well as Danica’s. Can’t get mad if the other ringers take the top of the leaderboard over the main ringers. James, at least, is a pretty low level ringer, compared to Charlie, Meryl and Danica. Think Lance Bass, only less so. There might have been a tiny bit of overscoring going on (Candace, NeNe) but I’m not really even so sure about that. Until I looked at the numbers.
As I was alluding to in my opening paragraph, it’s rather obvious that the judges are done with Drew. Was he underscored? Probably not. But if you overscore Candace and NeNe a bit (and don’t get me wrong, I liked both dances) you create a pretty good buffer between Drew and the rest of the cast. See below:
Seven points between Drew and Candace?? That seems a bit…harsh. I don’t know that she was that much better than Drew. But it’s also easier to do when there are four judges. Anyway, Drew has a ways to go to be safe this week. As you can see from the table below…
Drew needs close to 22k more votes per million votes cast than Candace in order to be safe. Can he do it? If it wasn’t Candace, I would say yes. This is really tough, as I think these two are rather popular. And look at what Candace needs: she only needs a little more than 3,100 votes per million votes cast to get past either Meryl or NeNe – and think she beats NeNe in this area easily.
If Candace is getting enough votes to pass NeNe in the rankings, then Drew has to actually beat NeNe (or Meryl) in order to stay. I tend to think that Candace isn’t beating Meryl, which leaves Drew to duke it out with NeNe alone. That is, Meryl is above the fray, NeNe, Candace and Drew in the bottom three. Candace beats NeNe which leaves NeNe and Drew in the bottom two.
That means the question is if Drew is getting enough votes to get past NeNe. To actually stay over NeNe, Drew has to get nearly 25k more votes per million votes cast. Can he do this? Well, it’s really hard to say. I’m thinking that perhaps NeNe’s tiff with Tony last week, combined with her already smaller DWTS voting fanbase (compared to Drew, at least) means she could be out the door. I doubt NeNe is getting the 6,211 votes per million votes cast to beat either Charlie or Amy so that means that she’s stuck in the bottom two with Drew.
What about the chances of a shocking elimination?? Well, I don’t *think* so, but you never know. For it to be “shocking” I think it would have to be Meryl, Charlie or James – maybe Amy or Danica. For it to be James going home, a whole lot of things have to happen. Every other person in the cast has to be getting a lot more votes than him. Sure, it’s possible but is it likely that NeNe (for example) is getting 12.5k more votes than him per million votes cast? I don’t think so. Charlie and Amy have the same score – what about them as the shocking elimination? Again, I don’t see NeNe getting the 31oo more votes per million votes cast than either of them to send them home. And while Drew may get more than what he needs to beat Meryl, surely NeNe won’t.
For those reasons, I’m guessing that it’s NeNe and Drew at the bottom and I’m guessing that NeNe goes home. If I’m wrong, I think it’s Drew’s time to go. We’ll see tomorrow!
Question: Is Charlie the only celeb to have done a bumper?
Question: Is Charlie the only celeb to have done a solo bumper?
As much as I loe Drew, I don’t think he is showing any improvement at all. I would love it if Nene goes home though, she is really getting on my last nerve.
I think that the caliber of dancing this season says something. Meryl is a high-quality dancer, who is third from the bottom of the leaderboard.
I think that TPTB are not so much trying to get rid of Drew, rather, they are trying to keep NeNe, for purposes of drama. We don’t know how the votes will stack up, but I think the 7-point spread was manufactured to try to make the vote margin so great that Drew couldn’t make it up. It might not have been super extreme, but a little tiny bit of overscoring for NeNe and Candace and a little bit of underscoring for Drew sets up a large margin. And they can get away with underscoring Drew – he doesn’t have the dance ability that the Top 5 have. (In my opinion Amy, Danica, Meryl, Charlie, and James are the top 5. 4 of those 5 will make the finals, IMO. The other three are basically cannon fodder for TPTB.)
The other thing the producers did to try to keep NeNe in is put Candace just a bit lower than her. And they are also counting on the ability of the ice dancing fans to keep Meryl in. I think that Drew could make up the margin, because of the nostalgia vote; he is appealing to the older members of the audience. The question is, can Candace make up the margin between her and NeNe? And can Meryl get enough votes to keep her safe if both of them make up the margin?
Here’s a thought. Maybe the scores for Meryl next week will tell us how close she was to the eliminee in terms of votes. If she is overscored a little bit, we’ll see that she is closer in votes, and if she is scored even or underscored, she will be safer. I’m just kinda hoping we don’t see a Sabrina with her…
Ugh, Maks…he gets a ringer and then he blows it. I’m kind of wishing him & Meryl get knocked off the top of the leaderboard so Maks will give at least 100% if that’s even possible.
Thanks for the info!
Heidi, you are dead on. I hate to say it, but, I think they are indeed trying to help Meryl and Maks win as much as they can….and it’s not fair to the others especially since Maks has had several dances now where he spends time messing around. How sad. You’d think he take every opportunity to really bring it with the caliber partner he has. This is a time he could really show people he can choreograph and dance. Oh well.
You are right too (comparing to Meryl) that Charlie has had much harder dances and has done them better (imo). Sharna has challenged him to the max not to mention herself too….just like Derek does with all of his partners. Neither stop at trying to offer something creative, new, and different. I think Peta is trying hard to come up with cool tricks and challenge James and herself too. Same with Val as well.
Anyway, I bet you are right how Drew might be eliminated. I’m still worried for Candace as well. More than all of them though and like Ria, I hope Tony and Nene will be eliminated.
As far as I can remember, Susan – yes.
I really don’t understand how the judges supposedly boosted Meryl this week. They tied her for fifth. WITH NENE. That is the bottom half of the leaderboard, not the top.
They are boosting her because ANYone else who did that dance would have gotten a score probably two points lower. To anyone else Len would have given a 7. She also got nothing but lavish praise. Charlie’s dance, for example, was a thousand times more difficult and he’s only ONE point higher.
After watching Sharna’s choreos in this season I really really want her and Charlie to stay. Not only because I love Charlie but I want to see more of her choreographies.
Those are big numbers for Drew to hurdle. If Drew is safe tomorrow, then we’ll know he is getting tons of votes. While I liked NeNe and her dances the past two weeks, I just like Drew more so I would like for him to stay.
I’ve liked Maks for years (not so much since Val has been on the show) and I completely agree. He complains and complains and complains…. and then he puts out a Samba like he put out last week. I think they got overscored because they KNOW there would be drama if they did something and they just didnt want to deal with it. I think when he gets a task that he knows won’t be super great (Danica acouple weeks back and then the Samba to a non samba song), he backs off. I stand by the fact that the show has outgrown him. Mr. “I’m traditional ballroom” needs to get over the fact that the show has different expectations then in the past and he needs to adapt.
Wow, rant over. Sorry about that.
What I was going to say that I agree with the sentiment that they prefer NeNe over Drew. Its reality show law, someone more interesting needs to say over someone who deserves to stay more. Drew just isn’t that interesting.
I think I am jumping on the Charlie/Sharna boat right now because I am really starting to love Sharna and he’s less dramatic but with alot of talent.
These posts always amaze me…. I suck at math.
Hm I don’t know. Even the folks at Afterbuzz said that Meryl’s technique was good and the scores were deserved, and they are always honest and critical (and don’t play favorites, if anything, they despise Maks). Besides, the Jungle Book song is totally not a very good samba song, and it has really the opposite feel of a samba. They didn’t even use the Big Daddy Voodoo version they used for last season Cheryl’s trio, which is more samba like (probably because they had to use Disney songs). That was the caliber of a pretty darn good samba, probably the best that you can get out of that song (they also had to fit in dancing the animations). I think we can agree though that Maks cut down on “fluff” this week though.
The scoring was all over the place last week. Nene was a little overscored, in my opinion. Charlie’s dance was difficult, but I can understand why they didn’t give 10s. The judges have a very short period of time to score, and if they were feeling nervous about Charlie dropping the cane the whole time, the experience isn’t going to be as enjoyable as it would and could have been (seems like in rehearsal it was doing well judging from sharna’s comments). Then he dropped the cane. Got right back into the music (almost), but still dropped it. It’s hard using a prop, but you always have the risk of dropping it if you use one.
I mean, Meryl and Val’s AT was just as difficult as Charlie’s jazz if not more because it was more athletic (precise and many lifts/sharp turns). Meryl pulled of the AT pretty darn well while Charlie dropped the cane, so I would say its unfair to say that Charlie is doing harder dances better than Meryl.
I think the true test for Max (following the switch-up)will be this week. Although Max & Meryl did dance together last week, I feel like the judges gave them a bit of a pass where critiquing was concerned because (imho) they got the short end of the stick w/ having to Samba to the Jungle Book. Add in they also had the animation & I felt it was a pretty lackluster Samba – again, I think large part was b/c of the music and a small part that Max wasn’t thrilled to choreograph for it.
I’ll be interested to see what he brings to the Tango tomorrow with Meryl – also, I anticipate a lot of fans will be comparing it to her dance w/ Val although they are two different dances.
Sidebar: After seeing Sharna’s short video for her party anthem dance with Charlie, I am not most excited to see their Cha-Cha! I think it’s going to be a lot of fun – I cannot wait!
@Jackie – I agree with you. The animation and the song choice kind of knocked the dance down a notch. It didnt help that he probably wasnt too fond with either issue. I agree, Tango will be a good test. I hope he takes it as a challenge to make it better then Val’s and not digress. And I think Sharna and Charlie’s chacha will be fun. I love both of their energies.
If Maks puts a lot of messing about in the Tango tomorrow I dearly hope he gets called out on it by the judges. Not just Len, but all of them.
I hope it’s NeNe eliminated instead of Drew. When you have two celebs with the same skill level in the bottom then it comes down to who I personally like better.
I’ll be shocked if NeNe doesn’t go home. She seems to be taking a lot of heat for her comments (in places like DWTS’s Facebook page), and turned off a lot of people. While I thought Tony was more of an a** than NeNe, either way that team seems really unpopular right now.
I agree Drew’s probably near the bottom as well. His dance wasn’t great, he went early and honestly all I remember is the intrusive animation and Drew’s weird facial expression.
Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if James is struggling in the vote department. He was really good last week but I didn’t think it was 40 great. To me it felt like the show went out of their way to make him look like a legitimate contender. I like his personality a lot but his dancing has been up and down for me. I just wonder if he has a voting block. Apparently Cody didn’t, although his not embracing the show was his downfall. James at least doesn’t have that issue, but he also doesn’t have the FH and Christian vote like Candace.
Maks is now phoning it in even in the promotional video posted on DWTS’ facebook page. Looks like he is is bored or something :P. Julianne’s comments may have not been politically correct but she was right. Maks fans are touting his standing through most of the video where he is shown, as being cute. It makes them want to vote for him even more.
PH, Quick question and apologies if I’m being a math-moron. Do we know whether TPTB count Cody’s score as part of the total number of points awarded before handing out the averages? It seems to me, he was eliminated so his judges score should be not be used.
Regardless, I hope your analysis is spot-on this week. I’d rather keep Drew over NeNe and Candace over Drew. So I’ve go my fingers crossed that NeNe is the one who gets to go home on Monday.
Thanks for including that too cute picture from Charlie’s bumper! 😛
Gotta run. Will be back later to see what folks are chatting about.
I believe that Drew has more people voting for him than NeNe and can stay over her. At least that’s what I’m hoping. I do agree that NeNe and Tony are not very popular right now after last week’s package and I personally, don’t care for either one of them. I would much rather see Drew stay one more week over her.
I don’t think Maks is capable of bringing challenging choreography. It’s getting to be the same old stuff, without a lot of killing time. The judges need to start calling him out on that. I do feel bad for Meryl though, because she is capable of so much more.
Bottom three will be Candace, NeNe and Drew, with hopefully NeNe leaving.
Sorry, it’s getting to be the same old stuff, with a lot of killing time. Can’t type today.
I feel sorry for Nene. I realize she gave the producers exactly what they wanted, but she looked mortified afterwards. I hope the audience gives her another chance, but it doesn’t sound like that will be the case.
@Jackie: So Maks wasn’t thrilled to choreograph the dance. Poor baby. Can you imagine if the man had an 8-5 job like most of us? I believe Len is giving him a pass because he is being told to. The producers know he has a quick temper, which will erupt sooner or later and might spoil the plan.
Can’t wait to see Derek and Amy.
Meryl and Val’s AT was “just as difficult” as Charlies Jazz??? Maybe so…but she got a *39*. No comparison. As for Afterbuzz, as much as I like those folks, there is only so far they are willing to go in their criticisms – they pull punches all the time because they don’t want to lose access. I don’t put their opinions above anyone elses. They are a media outlet that doesn’t want to lose access. They will never talk about someone being propped up in the same way they won’t talk about ringers and other difficult topics. I don’t blame them, but they aren’t the arbiter of what’s right and wrong. They are just another opinion.
EVERYONE gets music that is difficult or that they don’t like. Talented people work around it instead of pouting. Poor widdle maksie isn’t the only person in the history of the show to get saddled with a clunker.
I appreciate all of your mathematical analysis of the voting numbers. I am new to DWTS, and so many of the posts here help me to understand this program, much better than I could on my own.
As a figure skating fan, though, it is hard for me to read all of the negative comments about Meryl Davis. I worry that skaters have a pretty small fan base to begin with (compared to those stars who have been on TV programs), and it is cut in half, because most are fans of both her and Charlie.
To me (and admittedly I am biased in her favor) it does not seem like the powers that be are trying to push her as a winner. I thought she had a poorer quality song than the other dancers, and less appealing animation to work with. It bugged me that she was in 5th place and at the same time given no helpful feedback, to help her improve.
We don’t know, Cidra. But it’s my guess that since they were handed out, they were counted. And I think they should be, if the judges want to claim they don’t know who’s going home and who isn’t.
KarenT #17, I think that Cody’s elimination might have actually helped James. Some teenyboppers tend to attach themselves to any cute young guys they see. So, some fans of James might also be fans of Cody, and vice Versa. Which leads to vote splitting. Without Cody, the teenage votes all go to James.
I like afterbuzz but I don’t think they despise Maks. If anything, there is a lot of love given to the C brothers and never critical of them while Suri loves Derek, I feel maybe because they know he brings comments from C bro fans who post, they at times, seem to placate the whole he gets good partners while never acknowledging 1) C brothers got tons of good partners 2) Derek is just a great of a teacher. Kristin always brings up Kelly Monaco but never gives Derek his due for his teaching Kellie a non dancer to dance and to compete with Zendaya. Even why Shirley said it. I feel they try hard not to give Derek credit bc they fear other pros who think any faint praise for D is bias. It is like Julz says Derek is clever. But bends over backwards to praise Val.
As for jazz, I feel not enough credit is given to how challenging that jazz choreo was for Charlie. The AT is dramatic but to say that jazz choreo was not packed with content and requires skills too is not giving it enough credit.
I found the comments in the recent promo video fb interesting. Lots of love Danica as the best dancer with no experience. Again, afterbuzz ignoring and not pointing out Danica training at maybe she is so good for not being a “ringer”. Bet if she was with Derek, it would be mentioned. They had no problem constantly mentioning cheerleading for Kellie. Think Danica may sneak into top four bc tptb want that rivalry. Bros against each other and Charlie vs Meryl. I am curious how Amy’s jive goes. I am tired of hearing people say she is not covering the floor or just being lifted. When is floor coverage, especially for spot dances like Latin dances, essential? But if she pull off the jive, it may quiet some of the Amy gets special treatment backlash I see and remind people she is dancing and not just standing there. And that she is doing this all without legs.
I’m probably in the minority here, but I think Drew has improved, even if it’s only a tiny bit, and NeNe has improved for sure. I’d like to see them stick around. I hope Candace is going home, but she appears to have a strong fan base amongst church people.She isn’t fun to watch and, in my very humble opinion (and I’m probably in the minority) hasn’t improved at all from her first dance, which was her strongest.
Lorelei, I think we as an audience must be careful to judge an individual based on his/her representation on TV. I would not be surprised if the producers told Maks to just stand there and pretend like he’s phoning in or if he thought it would be funny or something.
On the issue of phoning in- I think it is a little disrespectful to say that any of the pros are not giving their all to their partners- some may not produce as good choreography as others, but not everyone can be a phenomenal choreographer. Plenty of amazing professional dancers cannot choreograph well at all.
@Cynthia – My feelings are very mutual w/ what you just said. I am a Meryl fan (first & foremost)and it’s been very discouraging to read across so many social media platforms that basically state “IF she wins, it’s b/c TPTB wanted Maks to finally have a trophy” (and not b/c she may earn it.)
While I have watched DWTS in seasons past, I’m not a loyal viewer like so many here are from season to season – so I’ll be the first to admit I’m likely viewing a lot with rose colored glasses where show politics are concerned.
At the same time, it also feels like there will be naysayers this season no matter who wins. Whether it’s Meryl, Charlie, James, Amy or Danica – I could see the argument some fans would have as to why they didn’t “deserve” it – is the case every season? If so, I can imagine why it’s smart to take things w/ a grain of salt and not get so invested into the outcome. I truly do enjoy watching the journey of all the contestants on the show. I think they all bring a special something that makes this season one of a kind.
With that said, I wouldn’t mind seeing this week as being Nene’s last. Hoping both Candace & Drew have the fan base to keep them safe and to dance another week.
Very good points, all, Melissa. They do bend over backward to appear fair, even at the cost of serious honesty.
But on this show, Mona, you have to be a good choreographer. If you’re not, you won’t do right by your celeb – and that celeb should not be handed a win just because their pro can’t choreograph. How is that fair to other participants??
Pros also get a trophy so they should earn it too. I went back and watched some Mel dances. Good ones like her first paso but there is a lot of filler then too. I compared Mel’s samba to Jennie’s samba. While Jennie was insecure, it seemed like Derek just filled that samba will tons of content, no filler. There was some with Maks choreo even then. Mel could handle more. I mean, look at Sabrina’s jive and cha cha to what Mel did. Thought that then and still now with Meryl. Afterbuzz say maybe we nitpick because she is so good but what really should be saying is maybe Maks could give her better choreo, work more in her technique, etc.
@Jackie, I like both Meryl and Charlie but I much prefer Charlie/Sharna to Meryl/Maks. Still, I agree it’s sad some viewers are projecting their dislike of Maks onto Meryl when she’s just being loyal to her partner and doing what little she’s been given to do very well. In addition, she’s managing to get along with Maks and make him behave better than he usually does (which is an accomplishment in itself).
However, all that aside, the proof is in the dancing. Charlie is just as talented and gets along with Sharna just as well; but unlike Maks, Sharna is pushing Charlie on the dance floor with challenging choreography, and he’s been delivering. One could make the argument that the physicality of Meryl’s AT was on par with the physical requirements of Charlie’s Jazz. However, that’s one dance out of five. Of the remaining four, Sharna’s choreography has been far more difficult than Maks’s, and Charlie has nailed it every time.
Even if you give Meryl the AT, over Charlie’s Jazz because he dropped the cane once (and by the way, he’s the only celeb this season to dance a whole routine with a prop), that’s still Charlie 4 and Meryl 1. Let’s say Sharna continues to give Charlie challenging choreography that he dances well and Maks gives Meryl simple routines that she dances well. If Meryl wins the MBT she will *not* have earned it. For her to earn the win, Maks has to up his game and starts giving Meryl choreography that challenges her. That’s why I wish Meryl had been given a different pro dancer. Then it would have been about Meryl. As it is, it’s back to being about Maks. *sigh*
Cidra, I think that sometimes dislike of a pro can be projected onto a star, and sometimes dislike of a star can be projected onto a pro as well. I just feel bad for Meryl – she really got the short end of the stick. It would be interesting to see what would happen if Maks were to get hurt. Sometimes they have other pros fill in.
Not that I have any ability to get anywhere close to Maks.
In terms of deserving and earning, I was just listening to an Afterbuzz SYTYCD podcast on the bus last week, and AJ, one of the hosts, talked about the difference between deserving and earning. If you say you deserve something, it’s a worse attitude than if you’ve actually earned it. I think Maks might think he deserves the mirror ball, and therefore, I don’t want him to win. Charlie and Sharna, if they win it, will have truly earned it. And that’s why I want him to win. I just wish that Maks was better suited for Meryl. I would love her to win.
I agree. I was wishing Meryl would have gotten either Mark or even Val(although I liked Tristan too)because I was never wowed by Maks’ choreos thru all the years that I watched DWTS. Coupled with his arrogant attitude(This is my show!)I just never warmed to him.
And I hate to admit, but I am going off on Meryl because of him. He still might prove me wrong but I doubt it. And then this loey-dovey thing just turns me more off. I just want to see good dancing. Period.
I agree. I was wishing Meryl would have gotten either Mark or even Val(although I liked Tristan too)because I was never wowed by Maks’ choreos thru all the years that I watched DWTS. Coupled with his arrogant attitude(This is my show!)I just never warmed to him.
And I hate to admit, but I am going off on Meryl because of him. He still might prove me wrong but I doubt it. And then this loey-dovey thing just turns me more off. I just want to see good dancing. Period.
Sorry for the double post. Don’t know what happened.
Cidra – thank you for your response. I truly appreciate your entire commentary along with excellent points. My main issue was that it feels like so many viewers (as you said) who dislike Maks are projecting it onto Meryl by default. Aside from the Samba, I haven’t come to the defense of any of the choreography where Maks is concerned. Even then, I still held him responsible but also thought the music was a hard one to make “lemons out of lemonade” out of. (just my honest opinion)So I hope it didn’t come across like I was trying to defend Maks choreography and putting his work on a pederast above the others.
If Meryl doesn’t win the MBT, I’ll still be happy for any of the other contestants & pro partners because I could genuinely see anyone taking it home this season – everyone is truly that good. I suppose it speaks leaps & bounds for those that aren’t even considered “ringers.”
What I seemed to gather from everything is that it’s going to be a lose/lose situation IF Meryl does win the MBT? Either it’s going to be that TPTB promised it to Maks or even though she won it, it wasn’t earned b/c of Maks lack of choreography? (Or maybe this is 1 in the same actually)
It is kind of a lose-lose for us, even though I might be looking at this completely wrong. If Meryl and Maks win, we might see some producer manipulation and overscoring, which is just annoying. And we might even see some bragging from the Chmercocky camp – “See, this time you couldn’t do anything about it! We finally beat you!” If they lose, Maks and Val fans come to blame either Derek – “HEY! Derek always gets a ringer!” – or us – “Court made this happen! The mods at Pure made this happen!”
Ugh.
Well put, Aviva. I don’t think anyone “deserves” to win anything. A win needs to be “earned”.
Since Maks isn’t exactly exerting himself, the chances of him getting hurt are slim to none (and as much as he gets on my last nerve, I wouldn’t wish injury on anyone) — Not that I think *you* were wishing that either. You were just speculating on how it might change the dynamic of the show if it were to happen.
Ria, I adore Tristan and wish he was on this season. However, while I think he’d work 110% and would be doing a better job than Maks, I’m not sure his choreography would have truly challenged Meryl either. However, they would have told the most beautiful stories, and they would have been enchanting together.
Just another thought to put out there since I am stewing over this convo & trying to see it from all angles.
I understand why it’s being said that in the end that Meryl will not have “earned” it if she does indeed win the MBT. With that said though, if Meryl is working the dances & the choreograph her partner has given her each and every week – is it really fair to say she didn’t “earn” her way to the end? Because in the end, she’s not in control of how each and every dance is played out – so it doesn’t feel fair to say because she wasn’t tested to her limits (Mak’s responsibility, not hers right?) that she didn’t “earn” it.
I hope what I am saying makes sense. I am in no way trying to get defensive and I appreciate the healthy conversation from you all. I like hearing and reading points from other vantages that I may not have ever considered without this site.
I just watched the new DWTS promo, and of all the pros and all the celebs, Maks is the only one who just stood there, motionless, with his hands in his pockets. Every other pro was engaged with his/her celeb, goofing it up for dance party week, while Meryl was left to do a delicate dance around Maks. In the second round Maks deigned to give us a few moves, but soon propelled himself onto and across the floor. It is really shockingly reflective of his attitude towards the competition. I do feel terribly for Meryl, she so deserves better. But I am sick to death of this man and his attitude. The silver lining, if there is one, is that long after the show is gone, Maks will continue to make himself miserable. I just look forward to it happening outside of my view.
Jackie, you’re welcome. I agree giving Meryl/Maks the Jungle Book song and more or less telling Maks he was going to be Mowgli, was not the best choice; but as others have said, he’s not the first (or last) pro to be given a song they didn’t like or that didn’t fit them or was a horrible fit for the theme or dance style. The pros are, well, pros — and it’s their job to make it work (as best they can). I think Karina is one of the best at that — she managed to turn “Boom Boom Pow” into a Foxtrot for Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and she stitched together a “country” Samba with Ralph Maccio to “Sweet Home Alabama”. Now that’s what I call getting screwed. Maks suffers from a total lack of imagination and an outsize sense of “if things don’t go my way, it’s always someone else’s fault”.
Oh yeah, it’s gonna be ugly if Maks doesn’t win this season, and while I’d love to see him *not* win, I’d be sad that Meryl would be caught up in the ensuing Chmercocky firestorm.
I agree with the majority – I was really looking forward to Meryl at the start of the season but she has been a major disappointment (mostly down to Maks), and I will be gutted if she wins unless Maks steps up and delivers proper dances with no messing about – although I think that is very unlikely. I agree with whoever said that she is the second coming of William Levy. The only couple I truly care about is Derek and Amy with Charlie as the only other that I wouldn’t mind winning, although he is a very distant second to Derek.
In terms of this week’s elimination, as much as I would love it to be NeNe, Danica or Meryl, I think the points difference is too large for Drew to overcome. I know Bill E. overcame similar deficits last season, but I don’t think Drew has connected with the public as much as Bill did – the only dance of his I’ve enjoyed has been his Cha-Cha, the rest I haven’t cared for at all.
#$3 Susan check out Sharna’s Instagram photo today where she says it’s not because it’s natural or easy but because he works his ass off even when she’s not around that Charlie is so amazing. And in the comments she talks about how proud of him she is. Then you have Maks who can’t seem to talk about anything but how easy it is with Meryl.
# Aviva … If any of the Chmercocky fans are moronic enough to say that their loss is due to Derek again having a ringer, they should be informed that a ringer, under any circumstances, cannot be someone who HAS NO FEET. It’s to their credit that Amy and Derek make looking so good seem so effortless, but it allows others to delude themselves into thinking that it really isn’t so hard. It is incredibly hard. Both Amy and Derek have the heart and talent of champions. Maks does not.
Jackie, (#42) I see your point, and it’s certainly a valid argument that if Meryl’s giving 100%, doing everything her pro is giving her, and doing it well, that she has earned the win. So perhaps this might be the time where the term “deserve” actually should be used. By that I mean, Meryl’s not competing in a vacuum or just against herself. She’s competing with other celebs who are also giving 100%, who are being given more difficult choreography by their pros and are rising to meet the more difficult challenge. So others will have worked harder and done more, yet she wins by being given an easier road. So while she has “earned” the win by her efforts, it could be said she doesn’t “deserve” the win as much as her competitors who have done more than she did.
Guess that brings us back to the discussion of whether or not anyone “deserves” to win something, and even if they do, it’s one of the realities of life that we often don’t get what we “deserve” even if we’ve worked hard enough to “earn” it.
What I’m going to take away from this philosophical discussion is this: We shouldn’t be talking about Meryl earning the win but about the team (celeb & pro) — since “it takes two to tango”. If Meryl &Maks win, *they* (as a team) will not have “earned” it unless Maks steps up his choreography, or unless the other teams make enough mistakes that, on the whole, they don’t perform as well as Meryl/Maks do. Of course, all this is just about the dancing, and experience has shown that dancing is hardly the key factor in deciding who wins DWTS.
Well said Susan! I don’t think we’ll ever come even close to understanding how hard it is for Amy and Derek to do what they’re doing.
Cidra – Seriously. You have a gift of putting your thoughts down in such a way, it’s almost like poetry to me. LOL. I appreciate SO much that while our opinions differ & also at the same time can be in agreement I can have this discussion with you and learn so much w/o things getting ugly or hostile.
Truth be told, I’ve been hesitant to post a lot here because I know this is a bit of a safe haven for those that absolutely despise Maks therefore I don’t always feel “safe” coming out to say anything pro-Meryl.
Truly thankful for the time you spent today helping me see so much from another view point!! Very appreciative <3
Love reading these discussions and seeing everyone’s great points.
All I am going to say is: MERYL would have earned her MBT for her hard work and dedication while MAKS, so far, would NOT for his lack of choreography skills. That is all.
I do believe Sharna creates great dances for Charlie, but I also believe it is easy for him, relatively speaking. Peta made that abundantly clear in the People magazine write up which was mysteriously edited to exclude those comments.
Jackie I find it interesting that you hesitate to post anything pro Meryl But have no problem calling people here Maks haters lol. Passive-aggressive much?
I didn’t know we were so powerful. 🙂 The C-bros camp are bad losers, but they’re even worse winners. I fully expect that DEREK will be the one hoisting Meryl if they win, with the C-bros celebrate among themselves in the background, a la Season 15. Undoubtedly the most disgusting display I’ve seen on DWTS.
Jackie, you’re right – it won’t be Meryl’s fault if they win (or lose). It’s totally on Maks. And I don’t think Meryl would be devastated if she lost. But the issue is Maks. He’s desperate for a win yet isn’t doing what it takes to get there. I think it’s possible for Meryl to have earned a win – and at this point she would have to win in spite of Maks, who hasn’t earned it at all. Not yet, anyway.
Cidra-I agree with you.
Rose-Sharna begs to differ. Peta phoned it in during her switch up week. Peta wants Team Jeta to win. She knew what she was doing all along. That was Charlie’s worse week with lack of choreo, lack of rumba moves compared to all his other weeks.
Rose – my apologies, sincerely, that was not my intention. However, this site for the most part, makes it clear where their feelings stand in regards to Maks. I don’t fault them for that, I still come here b/c I appreciate all the insider information and the lively discussions I get to see go down with every new post.
As I said previously, I’m a Meryl fan first & foremost BUT by default I know she gets flak because of who her partner is. That’s all I meant by it & why I have been hesitant. However, because of todays discussion with Cidra and others – I now feel completely different b/c it was a healthy, positive discussion even though our views & opinions vary.
Lorelei – you have to PROVE shit like that here, not just spout it off as if it were fact.
PH…I totally missed that first time around. WOW!! that speaks volumes….Melissa was just totally left out in that celebration until Derek
I’m just going off the scores as proof and how the choreo was lacking that week compared to what Sharna comes up with. Perhaps “phoning it in” was a poor choice of words. It always seems to be. Peta’s choreo is not her forte and it showed. And from the package footage, mentally she was with James with how many times he got mentioned. That could have added to being even more underwhelming.
Jackie, I apologize as well.
LOL, Jackie. Thank you for the compliment. But really, I just over analyze everything and talk too much. Look at CC (#50) — Got it said in 3 sentences. Wish I could be that succinct. 😉
I hope you won’t be put off from joining in the discussion and stating your opinions. The majority of us (especially the long-time regulars) are respectful of others’ opinions.
” If any of the Chmercocky fans are moronic enough to say that their loss is due to Derek again having a ringer, they should be informed that a ringer, under any circumstances, cannot be someone who HAS NO FEET”
In their dictionary, I’m pretty sure a ringer is anyone dancing with Derek regardless of any lack of dance experience, whole & functioning limbs, discernable pulse, etc.
Regarding, Meryl & Maks, I do not think he’s as capable as some other pros, yet he’s a far better strategist than most people give him credit for, so he may be saving *his* best for later when it most counts. Maybe not fair but effective. I also think a couple of mismatched songs as well as Meryl’s schedule and ‘keeping it light & fun’ vibe may be factoring in. Now if they’d only redirect that energy from the hokey sorta showmance into their routines…
Anyway, as for who is going home, I suspect Drew with outside chance of Nene though I could also see at least one of these two lasting longer into the season than the bulk of fans think they ought. Also, while I rather like James, I have a feeling that he is getting lost amongst the remaining contestants so it wouldn’t surprise to see him be a surprising elimination. While not coming off last week’s performance, Danica’s another outside chance of one too though not off of last week’s performance and the sympathy fallout of the “phone it in” plot.
Cidra – It’s true though, your words (no matter how many or how long any sentence would be) is pure Poetry to my me!
Funny though that you mention CC (#50) – where was she when we needed her earlier!? She hit both our points w/ 1 post and 3 sentences! Ha.
However, I’m the type of person that enjoys all the extra details (that may not even matter to some) so you can over-analyze away in my company anytime!!
Thank you again for being SO welcoming – I hope even the long time lurkers will see today’s discussion and also get the courage to come out of the woodwork, lol.
@Jackie (#64) HE* hahaha but that aside, I was enjoying reading all this discussion while happily stuffing my face with 5+ chocolate bunnies 🙂
CC – Ahhh, I am SO SORRY! You know what they say about people who assume!? I’m one big one right now! Thank you for having such a good sense of humor about everything SIR! 😉 Have an extra chocolate bunny for me!
I fully expect that DEREK will be the one hoisting Meryl if they win, with the C-bros celebrate among themselves in the background, a la Season 15. Undoubtedly the most disgusting display I’ve seen on DWTS.”
Agreed except when Maks hoists the trophy, there will be no background about it. Ugh.
Lorelei, while it appeared that Peta was more interested in James than in Charlie during switch-up week, that could have been clever cutting of rehearsal footage to fit TPTB’s storyboarding.
Peta’s rumba choreography didn’t impress me, but I think it was about the best she could do. In my opinion, she’s just not much of a choreographer. Compared to Sharna, who seems to know how to make her celebrity the focus of each dance, Peta is better at creating routines where she is the focus. I get that rumba is considered “the woman’s dance”, but as a female pro you have to find a way to spotlight your celeb even in “the woman’s dance” (and she didn’t do that very well).
@Jackie, WELCOME, and keep coming and posting!
Believe it or not, this IS a nice place to be! There are many people who come here, and many differing opinions, and all are as right as the other…. And people RESPECT each other here, and we can have discussions and differing opinions, and wind up as FRIENDS, not enemies… Because of that word… RESPECT! Disrespect isn’t tolerated, and it does tend to anger some.
All pros are called out when they’re full of *Stuff*, some just have a tendency to be full of *Stuff* more than others. And if it stinks, we’ll talk about it. 🙂
Glad to be getting to know you!
Ah, Jackie — you got caught in CC’s clever trap! 😛 He does *not* deserve an extra chocolate bunny — it’s all his fault. I’m sure he does it on purpose. 😉 If CC had the courtesy to use a moniker that hinted at his gender, there would be no need for slip-ups. May I suggest “Sir CC”? (“Prince CC” would be presumptuous since this is the Princess’s site).
@Lorelei Honestly, I am kinda sure that Peta would have choreographed a similar Rumba for James. All her Rumbas, to me, seem to be kinda the same: lots of leg lifting, some “harsh movements that look like Contemporary” and then a lot of focus on her. I personally don’t mind it but yeah the judges seem to not like it. I don’t think she was “phoning” anything… I just think she was just being Peta.
@Cidra I will take that into consideration… was thinking maybe “King CC” but maybe not. Maybe next season I’ll have a better one 😉
Thank you Lori for such a warm, welcoming post. This definitely won’t be the only time you’ll be seeing me from here on out!
Also to add – LOL @ “full of stuff” – preach that, makes sense why certain pros are mentioned more than others on here in that regard. Well put!!
@CC LOL looks like you finished your bunnies. “King CC” probably isn’t a great choice. If you come up with something different next season be sure to clue us in with (formerly known as CC) for a week so we’ll recognize you!
I wonder if Peta will try to go for a smoother style when she rumbas with James considering her first effort created such a dust-up?
I’d like to see Peta’s rumba for James if he gets one. I do agree that her rumba was in the ballpark where it usually lands. I was merely responding that she mentioned in the People article in not so many words that Charlie is a pro (whether that was intentional to expose that he is a ringer… who knows). When there is not much complicated choreo to deal with, everyone could have it easy. But then we see the end result like her rumba, where there wasn’t much substance and the hip action was lacking. Whereas Sharna seems to think that the start of the week is usually a struggle.
tldr Charlie has to learn just like everyone else. It is not easy for him.
Maybe Sharna’s comments about “struggle” are the flip side of the “it’s easy” for the same intentions/reasons. Must be tough when you have another pro constantly stating “it’s easy” with his partner of equal skills of Charlie.
Yes, it seems simple enough that it could be the pros choreographing skill is inversely proportional to the time it takes the celeb to pick up and get comfortable with that choreography.
You need to state it as your opinion and not as some sort of fact based on insider knowledge, Lorelei. And many don’t agree with you so it’s not “proof” at all.
To echo everyone else, welcome, Jackie! I love the openness of the community here, and I’m sure you will fit right it! I sure have!
I want to play devil’s advocate for a second here re the whole S15 thing. Maks this season has been talking a lot about how much he loves Mrryl, how great this is for
Meryl, etc. Do you think this could prevent a repeat of season 15? Also, for my sake, because I didn’t watch that season, what happened with William Levy?
To echo everyone else, welcome, Jackie! I love the openness of the community here, and I’m sure you will fit right it! I sure have!
I want to play devil’s advocate for a second here re the whole S15 thing. Maks this season has been talking a lot about how much he loves Meryl, how great this is for
Meryl, etc. Do you think this could prevent a repeat of season 15? Also, for my sake, because I didn’t watch that season, what happened with William Levy?
Oops, sorry for the double post. Something went weird with my iPad!
No on has to “expose” that Charlie is a ringer – EVERYONE knows that he and Meryl are ringers. As for it not being easy?? It wouldn’t be easy for Meryl either, if Maks was doing right by her in terms of choreo.
William Levy was drooled over, propped up, worshiped and basically shoved down our throats for the whole season to the point that we were sick of hearing about him. And he wasn’t that great a dancer. Worst of all, he had THE MOST annoying fans who bombarded this site and proceeded to try to educate us on the wonders of Willy. Then he lost. 🙂
@Heidi – Yup, The Willy love all came to a screeching halt when Len called out Cheryl and Willy on their oh so predictable and lame Salsa freestyle. Heck, even Donald “called it” beforehand.
First-time poster (after, admittedly, just discovering this site a few weeks ago). Disclaimer: I’m a he. 🙂
I think you have to throw Cody’s judges points out before calculating the scores for the remaining contestants; otherwise, the points aren’t equal (~90 judges’ voting points versus 100 audience voting points).
If you throw them out, here are the standings (based out of 288 points):
1. James 40 = 13.89%
2. Danica 39 = 13.54%
3t. Charlie 37 = 12.85%
3t. Amy 37 = 12.85%
5t. Meryl 36 = 12.50%
5t. NeNe 36 = 12.50%
7. Candace 35 = 12.15%
8. Drew 28 = 9.72%
So I think James’ lead over Drew is actually 4.17%, rather than 3.72% (or about 4,500 more votes per million), and Candace is about 2.43% ahead (about 2,500 more votes per million).
PH- oops, I don’t have the slightest bit of insider info. Of course, those were my opinions in response to other opinions. I come here to get my DWTS fix 😉 Less than 24 hours until we partyyy!!
Ah yes…”poor” Willy. He never moved more that two feet in any direction. Cheryl just basically used him as a stripper pole.
Welcome (Mr.) Sam – thanks for sorting out the (s)he issue right off the bat. 🙂 My niece Samantha goes by Sam; so one never knows, do one?
Lorelei, just a suggestion — to be on the safe side, throw in a few “I think”s and “in my opinion”s. That way there’s never any doubt. 😉
LOL, PJ. True, he was pretty stationery; but he looked good in tight white pants, and that worked for a while. I always felt sort of sorry for him and thought he had more potential than Cheryl took advantage of. It was definitely one of her checked out seasons.
@Cidra: Thanks. 🙂
A propos of the choreography discussion. . . . Going by order of appearance, I’d say the stuff that has impressed me most has been:
* Candace & Mark’s contemporary. That one had me saying “cool” about 10 seconds in, and I was almost disappointed when they got up off the floor.
* Charlie & Sharna’s jive. “Originally he wanted to start that dance on Fairfax.” 🙂
* Amy & Derek’s contemporary (notice a theme? :-)). If you weren’t moved by that, you might be a robot.
* Meryl & Val’s Argentine tango. I didn’t know human legs could move like that.
* Charlie & Sharna’s jazz AND James & Peta’s contemporary. Both of them were marvels: Charlie’s was all about speed, James’s about strength. Both of them were incredibly risky, and it just so happened that Peta’s bet worked, while Sharna’s didn’t quite.
@Sam, I like how you put it. Peta “bet” that James could pull off all those difficult lifts (and he almost didn’t! James was cutting it a little bit close and almost dropped Peta but luckily he didn’t!), and James delivered when he needed to.
Sharna on the other hand “bet” that Charlie could pull off the cane-throwing, difficult choreography, and unfortunately it didn’t work out quite as hoped. I heard he was doing it super well in practice though (Sharna said they were expecting all 10s in an after interview), so it’s a shame that it didn’t work out the one time it mattered, the performance.
I have to give props to everyone competing on DWTS. You really have to go out and deliver 100%, every time. It doesn’t really matter how it’s going in rehearsal, because that’s not what’s being scored. It’s what goes down on competition monday that counts. It’s quite a bit of pressure! Getting those high scores is definitely not easy. Can’t wait to see what goes down tomorrow!!
I’m new to this site (and I love it!!!) but I really want to what TPTB stands for, everyone uses it and all I can guess is that it’s referring to the produces for the show? But what does it exactly stand for??
Aside from that, I’m really looking forward to Maks and Meryl’s tango, and I want to see if Maks can up his game with this one. Back in switch up week, Maks said in an interview or something how he though it was an unfair move by the producers to give meryl the argentine tango the week she was dancing with someone else, as he had been doing dforever tango for months last year and stuff, and he was looking forward to showcasing that, so in all honesty ih he doesn’t bring his a-game with this tango, I’m going to start losing hope. I know that the argentine tango is in no mean completely similiar to the argentine tango that he suposedly specialises in, but I think he should still be able to incorporate some stellar moves, IF he’s smart and pushes Meryl into doin some choreography that we havent seen before from him.
Well, here is my two cents. I am a Derek fan because he earned my respect not only for his choreography but also for how he treats his celebs and his peers. I admire his work ethic. The hardest lesson I ever learned is that we assume people are reasonable and rational….however they aren’t. Rationally I can back up my issues with Maks. Who remembers Deb Mazer,I think that was her name. I felt he was just plain cruel to her. She obviously didn’t respond well to how he taught. Instead of figuring out how to teach her, he was just plain ugly. For me, that was the end of Maks. I like Meryl but it is hard to get behind her, for me,because of Maks. Should I be a bigger person? Probably, bu.t it is what it is. If Maks stepped up and gave her the choreo she deserves, I might be swayed, but the patronizing way he fawns over her makes me want to puke.
Charlotte, TPTB means the powers that be, aka the producers. And welcome to both you and Sam! It’s kinda neat to see so many new faces!
# Aviva — I really appreciate and agree with your sentiment, but if you’re “seeing faces,” it might be time to take a break … 🙂
Welcome, Charlotte. 🙂 Court would be the one to really speak to this, but I don’t think there’s a lot of similarity between ATango and Tango. ATango is flashier, but when Tango is done well, I find it very enjoyable to watch. Of course, I love ATango too.
You can’t do lifts in Tango and the couple is supposed to get in hold quickly and stay in hold. Usually on DWTS there’s a bit more leeway in terms of the hold, but still, there’s not a lot of scope for “wow moves”. So I wouldn’t look for massive choreographic genius from Maks this week. The other wrinkle Maks will have to address in this dance is the extreme height difference between him and Meryl. Tango tends to look better (to me, anyway), when the couple is more similar in height.
LOL, Susan! At least Aviva’s not “hearing voices”. That would be seriously troubling. 😛
#95 Cidra I don’t think Maks is worried about lifts or hold or height difference. Based on his tweet last night it looks like he’s just going to continue to cater to the shippers.
Ugh, I saw that Donna. If he’s not careful, he’ll turn into a one-trick pony. Should we take bets now on how long it takes them to get into hold??
Welcome, Jackie. My sentiments exactly,I came here bc I appreciated the
insider information and the lively discussions.But I was said to be
screaming at people and trolling! I was doing neither. I said something
about Derek and his routine and folks did not like that even though I
stated that I am BIGBIGFAN of his. I have learned in the short time
I have been coming to this site that most are big fans of Derek and I just wanted to make that clear while stating my position so people
would not get upset, but it did’nt work. I’m not as good as you
are with words. This is all very new to me(posting)so hopefully everybody
will give me another chance. Thank You for your posts.
I still don’t think they’re trying to act like they have a romance. Their dance is the tango. They’re supposed to look like that. If they wanted to fuel rumors, there are so many opportunities with their travel schedule but when you see photos any of the 4 are sharing, there is NO body language what so ever that suggests romantic attraction. Looks like 4 good buddies.
To me it always seems like Maks likes Maks.
#98 Heidi, he’ll turn into one? Is he not already there?
#100 Jess I for one don’t think there is a romance or even any romantic interest between them. I think Maks is trying to sell the illusion of one because it translates into easy votes (and we know Maks likes when it’s easy). Read the comments under the photo to see how bad it’s gotten. Kiss her! Date her! Propose to her! Marry her! I personally find it stomach turning.
Some of the more off-the-wall shippers on tumblr are already naming Meryl & Maks’ kids 😯 And I accidentally stumbled upon some Meryl & Maks fan fiction the other day…it was not G-rated…my eyes… 😯
LOL! What delusions. The only positive thing I get with this showmance is that the shippers have stopped vilifying Charlie and Tanith.
“Mature content” Meryl/Maks fanfic — oh, ick! — what is the world coming to. Court, your poor virgin eyes (not). *snort*
Naming their kids??? Bwahahahaha. That’s funny in a pathetic way.
@ Lynne #92 … I agree with almost everything you said. Except for me, I don’t care if Maks steps it up or not. Given his arrogant attitude and after the way he treat Deb Mazer, Hope Solo, Melissa Gilbert and others, there’s no way I would ever vote for him. And yes, the patronizing way he fawns over Meryl makes me want to puke too. He’s all over her like a bad rash. IMO) most of his fans like him primarily for one reason. It’s not his snarky personality and it’s not his stale choreography. Yes, he’s handsome but he never learned that real beauty comes from inside.
Welcome Jackie and thank you for all of your posts. I don’t know if you will see this, but just in case here goes. I have been part of this site for awhile, but this season haven’t posted much because I am a huge fan of Meryl as well. I also really like Charlie and Sharna. Having said that I feel uncomfortable posting how I feel about Meryl because I know many feel differently then I do.
Having said that I am also and always have been a huge fan of Derek and everything he does. What he is doing with Amy is just amazing and I don’t have enough words to describe the challenge the two of them face each week.
This season because of following the Olympics I already loved both Meryl and Charlie. I was never a huge fan of Max, but for me I like him and Meryl together. I may be the only one who loved their Foxtrot, but I did. I also didn’t feel that Max was phoning it in when he was paired with Danica during Switch Up week. I listened to After Buzz and both Artem and Jenna who were in the studio when they talked about it. Jenna was part of the routine and said how the band didn’t play the track and what we saw as viewers was different then what was originally choreographed. She even gave props to Danica because she recovered quickly, and continued on better then she has seen some pros do. Max’s intent with the dance was to make Danica shine and according to her and Artem the rehearsal was spectacular and if the track had played we would have seen a different beginning. I know both NeNe and Derek suffered with the band not playing the track for them as well.
This past week’s dance I agree with what you have already posted so won’t repeat it again.
Just want you to know that as I was reading all your posts I completely agree with you and have felt the same way. I’m surprised that I do like the pairing of Meryl with Max. I didn’t think it would work, but for me it does. I guess that is why I decided it was better not to post because I thought I was all alone in my thinking.
The last thing I wanted to mention was Cidra and her style of writing. I feel the same way about her as well and in another earlier post I complemented her as well. She has am amazing gift and as you said it’s almost like reading poetry. She also made some very valid points, and I know I share her feelings about Charlie. For me I am very torn because I do like both Meryl and Charlie and certain weeks I like the way Meryl has danced better and other weeks it has been Charlie. If Meryl were to win I would feel bad that people would compare her (as an example) to the season that Melissa won with Tony. There is no way imo that Melissa is half the dancer Meryl is. This post is jmho of how I feel and not meant to disrespect others who feel differently.
Shippers, Maks and how many? Derek and Maria?, Derek and Shawn? Mark and Shawn? Karina and JR?, Kym and Hines? Louis and Kelly, oh, I guess not, Julianne and Apollo, how many has Cheryl supposedly done? etc etc
Annoying and even yuck, and kind of an old old story as far as dwts goes, but I guess people love the idea of people falling in love. Why else rom coms?
Gail – Hello! I appreciate you saying that after seeing my post you also felt comfortable to come out & bond over our appreciation for Meryl! 🙂 Someone else had posted prior to myself in this thread that made me feel comfortable to come out and do the same …. so I’m glad it’s having a chain reaction of Meryl LOVE! 😉
Everything you said – it felt like you were reading my mind – because we are Meryl fans, by default we have to support her partner Maks. It doesn’t mean we are blind to the history, but at the same time if we want to continue to see Meryl this season then of course we’re gonna want the best for both of them!
You’re right – Cidra is THE BEST! Not sure if you saw “CC’s” post but he also was apart of our discussion and they were both nothing but respectful! They both put me at ease & felt super comfortable to continue posting here. Although our opinions and takes on things may sometime be in the minority – you never know who could be lurking/reading and relating to how you felt as well.
I also have come to accept that no matter who wins this season, it’s going to be a lose-lose situation. I’m gonna do my best to take the good w/ the bad in the event that it is Meryl. I absolutely love her attitude that she’s truly in it not necessarily to win but is more focused on enjoying the journey. I’m trying to do that along with her as well! We’re fortunate enough to have so much Meryl time (on tv) this year so want to take advantage while we still can! 😉
Hey Gail! Nice to “hear your voice” again. 🙂
Even on a well-moderated blog like this one, it’s hard to speak up when you feel you hold the minority position because you don’t want sound like you’re trying to pick a fight. This is particularly true when Maks is involved. He’s such a polarizing figure and any mention of him draws in some of his crazy groupies. They tend to rile up the board by calling people “haters”. This drowns out any rational comments regarding Meryl and her partnership with Maks and can get you lumped in with “those crazies”. So I understand your cautious approach.
And stop it, you and Jackie, with the “Cidra poetry” nonsense! It’s very flattering, but embarrassing. I don’t feel I state my opinionsany better than so many others do. Many times what others are saying is much more thought provoking. As long as the opinions are offered respectfully, the content is of far more value than the way it’s expressed.
Cidra – You know it’s neither of our intentions to embarrass you. I don’t think either of us we’re trying in any way to put you above others – you just have a natural gift (that clearly comes across w/ just your posts alone) that can put even the people like Gail & myself who are supporting Maks by default (b/c of our Meryl love) at ease.
I’ve felt, prior to posting, intimidated to post my thoughts/opinions because I think it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle and easily generalized as a “crazy” b/c I’m supporting Maks this season. Does that make sense?
One of the things that does bum me out is that b/c of his past behavior everything he does from here on out is magnified on another level. Ex: I saw someone mention the party rock anthem video that CBS posted yesterday. They were comparing Maks and how he was just standing around, not dancing like everyone else was in that video. I feel like you’re (NOT YOU) taking away from the fun of the video & it makes it look like people are looking for things to complain about – which is why I was originally leery to say ANYTHING. I, personally, was happy to just see Meryl goofing off and having fun. I didn’t take any issue w/ what he was doing – I care about Meryl, end of story.
Of course I’m not naive to believe that other pro’s don’t get flak to a degree either, I think it’s just probably not done on this board.
Sorry for going off on a tangent. I promise this will be the last I mention of all this. I’m glad to see some others coming out of lurking thanks to our conversation yesterday. As I said previously, you never know who could be relating to you unless you put your voice/input out there.
Jackie, I was the person who mentioned Maks just standing around in the promo. To my eye it’s Maks who takes the fun out of the video by standing there and looking like this was all beneath him. Additionally, as someone who also likes Meryl, I felt badly for her that she was left to do a little dance by herself instead of being supported in the revelry by her partner. Meryl was brilliant in her AT with Val, and I’m frustrated (and annoyed) that Maks, to my mind, is not coming thru for her. I’m not looking for things. I see what I see.
Jackie, when you write as you have been, you have nothing to worry about. The sad fact is as Cidra said – we get lots of crazy maks fans who don’t get that it’s not about them being a fan of Maks, it’s their complete lack of civility. They just come here to start fights.
FWIW – I like Meryl very much and I do wish that Maks was able to do right by her. I DO think she would have been better served by either Derek or Val.
Heidi – Thank you SO much. My fear all along was that I would lumped/generalized as a rabid fan, lol. It’s sad that those who lack the civility can gives those like myself, Gail and even others a bad rap! I appreciate the assurance that it won’t be the case here! 🙂
Just adding to what Heidi said – we have no problems whatsoever with opposing opinions. We know not everyone is going to be on the same page. What we do have a problem with is when people with those opposing opinions come at us guns blazing – tossing out insults, swearing, saying things just to inflame other posters…just generally being rude. And that’s when we unfortunately have to start putting people on comment moderation and blocking them altogether – when they can’t converse like civilized human beings. And then when we do have to start deleting – they miss the point, and claim that we’re deleting them because of their opposing opinion, when in reality it’s because they’re just being rude. You have been nothing but civil and I appreciate that greatly 🙂
And like Heidi, I actually have no issues whatsoever with Meryl – she seems like a very sweet girl with a great work ethic. Unfortunately, like William Levy in season 14, I feel like TPTB are kinda putting her up on a pedestal – and it’s that feeling of having the producers tell me who I should like that is turning me off. It’s to no fault of Meryl’s – it’s unfortunately just the propaganda of the show. The thing that sucks is that she is talented enough on her own that she shouldn’t have to be “pimped” by those in charge – I think it’s almost an insult to her talent to be propping her up in the way they have.
Courtney – thank you for your response. As I said in the members area, I truly feel like this site has some amazing posters, members and MODS! 😉 I’m truly naive to the politics on the show – so I’ll be the first to admit I’m probably still seeing a lot w/ rose colored glasses. I appreciate you helping me understand more why yourself & others may be turned off to Meryl b/c of the show politics. It’s not to say that anyone owes me a reason, but it certainly helps me to better understand where others are coming from when they say she doesn’t deserve a win. As a fan, it’s disheartening to hear that about your “Fav” BUT w/ that said I completely understand now that I have been better educated.
I can’t say THANK YOU enough to everyone in the past 24 hours who I have had the pleasure to converse w/ and make me feel so comfortable to share my input here. I hope, for those that continue to lurk, might see this discussion and now feel (thanks to both posters & mods) that even if their opinion may vary – it’s still welcomed to share here.
Same here. I love Meryl. I’m not a big fan to Maks like I use to be, but, that doesn’t mean I have any issues with Meryl what so ever or that I don’t welcome others who like her and Maks. In fact, when the season first started, they were one of my top three favorite couples.
Also, we’re not just a Derek fan site. I’ve always felt we were welcoming to all fans and anyone to disagree, but, when you come in being disrespectful or come in playing games, etc is when we have problems.
Jackie and Cidra – thank you to the both of you and what you each had to say in your posts after reading what I wrote. Glad you both saw my post and that I actually had the nerve to hit the submit button. I really did hesitate, but Jackie you paved the way for me to at least express how I was feeling. Funny how you said you felt like I was reading your mind because that was how I felt as I read your posts. What you said in this last one I agree with as well. I was happy to see Meryl goofing off and having fun. She just seems so relaxed and imo that is why I like the two of them together. For whatever reason I do feel they bring out the best in each other. It’s such a nice change after the extreme pressure the Olympic experience had to be for her. Now it’s party time. Hope that makes sense. I’m just so happy that I read your post today and now I feel better knowing we are in this together spreading the Meryl love. 🙂
Sorry, I forgot about mentioning CC as well and he made me hungry mentioning eating the chocolate bunnies. What I would give to have one myself about now. 🙂
Cidra you were so right about me being very cautious and not wanting to be lumped in as one of those crazies. I’m not and I’m certainly not one of those shippers either. 🙂 I’m actually learning some new terminology daily – I’m not even sure if I know what a shipper is. I’m guessing it has to do with pretending Max and Meryl are a couple and just about ready to get married, have babies, etc. lol
Cidra Jackie is right we were not trying to embarrass you at all. I have noticed and loved your posts for as long as I have been part of this site. You have a way that does make people feel at ease and even if some of us have a different opinion you are willing to listen to our opinions and discuss it. I promise not to mention it again because I would never want to make you feel uncomfortable. Just know that you have two fellow posters who you have made feel very comfortable. I’m sure there are many, many more. 🙂
I’m ready for tonight’s show and hoping it is a good one!!!
Gail – Yayy!! I’m so happy to hear all of that. Also excited to know that you’ll be sticking around for the rest of the season to share your input. I look forward to our future discussions with yourself & other posters. So glad you hit that “submit” button!! 🙂
While I was busy writing my post I missed the ones from all the Mods and I just want to add a big thank you to all of you as well. Thanks for all that you do to make this site what it is.
I see Jackie mentioned the Members Area. I have been meaning to ask about it. I see that on my right hand part of the screen all the time, but I guess I never understood what it was for. Is it something that I can join as well? I just stayed out because I’m not sure what being a member is and if I am considered one or not. Thank you.
You have me Jackie. 🙂 I’m glad I hit it as well.
I am really hoping for NeNe and Tony to be eliminated…time to go too much drama.
I am not a fan of Maks and given the fact he danced Forever Tango on Broadway this summer with Karina and I watched some of the show, he will have a great dance tonight.
I think it is totally unfair, because Meryl did a Tango with Val and they should be given a different style dance. It is so obvious how the producers are working the win, but I hope will vote differently. Go Sharna and Charlie!!
I remember the season when Zendaya and Val were on and the crazy abuse the mods on this site had to put up with. These people weren’t amusing crazy, they were scary crazy. Like “let’s quietly slip Ketamine in their tea and run like hell!” kind of crazy.
The thing is most posters liked Zendaya, what they didn’t like was the blatant propping by the showrunners and the pathetic kowtowing to her rabid fan base. She was good enough that she didn’t need any of that.
I’ve gone from really looking forward to Maks and Meryl as a couple at the start of the season to extreme disappointment. She’s doing the best she can do with what she’s been given, but what she has been given is so beneath her talent and potential that it’s almost depressing.
Speaking of Maks and his choreography taking forever to actually start, does anyone remember his Waltz with Erin? The one where he blindfolded her in the beginning? It literally took so long for him to get that stupid blindfold on her that I has time to do the dishes, help my daughter with her spelling homework, brush my cats and clean my kitchen grout before the actual dancing ever started. By the time they actually went into hold for the Waltz I myself was ready for a friggin blindfold!
I never want to see Maks pull that crap with Meryl.
Thank you Jackie and Gail for your compliments.
Jackie, nothing wrong with rose colored glasses as long as you wear them by choice. Those of us who’ve been watching forever are perhaps sometimes a bit cynical and maybe see the glass half empty more often than we should. I point the finger at Maks and say all he does is complain, yet in all honesty, I’ve been known to get in that mode about the show too. So maybe I need to check myself in the mirror more often.
Enjoy the show!