PureDWTS Season 18, Week 6 – Power Rankings
So as predicted, the show took a few liberties with “party anthems” last night – I can’t speak for you guys, but I’ve never been drunk off my heiny at a frat party and gone “OMG!!! This is my JAAAAAMMMM!” while toasting my Keystone in the air to “You’re the One That I Want” from Grease. But hey, that’s just me 😛 I’m also not quite sure that “Feels So Close” is even popular enough to receive “anthem” status, but maybe at 29 I’m just getting too old to know what’s popular…
Anywho…so Redfoo (aka Berry Gordy’s baby boy) did about as well as a guest judge as we expected him to – he was there more for entertainment value, comic relief, and self-promotion more than any sort of constructive input on the dances, but I was oddly ok with the whole thing because I don’t think it really affected the scores or critiques for better or worse. I’d much rather hear Redfoo’s incoherent analogies about crustaceans running in the sand and NeNe being an entrepreneur than Donny Osmond’s self-centered prattling (or worse yet – the hellfire which I imagine the insidious Abby Lee Miller will be raining down on Derek & Mark two weeks from now 😯 ). I can’t imagine he’s up to a whole lot since LMFAO decided to go on hiatus a year and a half ago – I have a feeling that the call he got from TPTB went something like this: “So Redfoo, we want you as a guest judge on DWTS!” “Sounds cool, but what’s in it for me?” “$100 bucks, a sammich, and your own personalized set of neon zebra print paddles!” “I’M SO THERE!!! Let me just go tease my hair real quick…”
Kinda sad to see Drew go, but I think he was ready – seemed like he was getting really tired and burnt out, and hadn’t been able to recapture the magic of his switch week dance with Witney in these past two weeks with Cheryl. Really & truly, I wish it had been NeNe – and I guess I’m hoping that the novelty of her is beginning to wear off and we might say goodbye to her next week. She may be fun to watch, but at this point, I feel like she’s not really even picking up legitimate choreography – it’s just a lot of booty shaking and “NeNe-ing” around the floor and getting absurdly high scores, while others doing appropriate choreography (namely Candace & Charlie) just can’t seem to catch any breaks with the judges. What gives???
1.) Meryl & Maks – Hmmmm. Can’t decide if that rehearsal package was the real deal, or totally staged – the whole hand-holding thing just seemed a little to convenient for me, since they put it in their tango. Even the temper tantrum from Maks felt a bit contrived, since I didn’t really see Meryl royally screwing up…his reaction to it was just a bit too strong for some relatively minute errors she was making. And I guess I’m just not really understanding the purpose of it – was it to show this sort of “emotional growth” from them? Or were they pandering to the shippers and trying to reinforce the showmance rumors? Idk…but it all felt just odd to me. Their tango was great – no doubt about that. Meryl didn’t struggle with any of it, and I think this may have been the strongest choreography we’ve seen out of Maks this season. I still feel like Meryl came off a bit icy in it – I think Charlie better embodied the passion of the tango in his own routine in week 2 – but I feel like she’s starting to open up a bit more to the audience. I hated the song – how is that a party anthem? It’s barely a “something playing in the background while I’m balancing my checkbook” anthem. Too calm. But anyway, the judges gush, gush, gush, and Meryl’s back at the top of the leaderboard. Too bad they don’t gush about Charlie the same way…
2.) Charlie & Sharna – I give up: what is Charlie doing so wrong that he can’t seem to get any love from the judges? I swear, that boy could go out there and dance like freaking Baryshnikov and still get nitpicked to death by the judges…and to what end? Is he just KILLING it in the votes and they feel as though they have to handicap him? For being saddled with a pretty sh*tastic cha cha song, I thought this routine was pretty damn good – it was proper cha-cha (with enough pseduo-hip-hop thrown in to fit the song) and I don’t feel like Charlie really struggled with any of it…and he sold it well. And he seemed like he was having fun!!! I’m just drawing a blank as to why he only got four 9’s. I guess he’s in the same boat this week as Meryl was last week – except I could understand why Meryl got four 9’s, yet the judges said nothing; I can’t understand why Charlie got four 9’s, but the judges were nitpicking anything they thought might stick. Thought the blacklight portion was genius, and much harder than we can appreciate from just watching it on tv – black lights don’t really help you see well; they just highlight certain features that are black light reactive. I guess I’m hoping that they’re trying to set Charlie up for more of a “growth arc” and we’ll see his scores improve in the coming weeks, but part of me worries that TPTB might see him as a threat to Meryl winning and are trying to keep him from getting too close. Poor guy (and Sharna!) – I just wish he would stop getting saddled with 9’s!
3.) Amy & Derek – Not to toot my own horn, but “beep beep” – because I totally guessed their jive song last week 😛 And as I said on Twitter, I think this may have been the cutest routine I’ve ever seen Derek choreograph – loved the Wedding Crashers theme. Sure, there were a few slip-ups – seemed like there was a problem with one of the dips and that set off a chain reaction that got several steps off-time, but considering that the routine was so cute and high-energy, it didn’t really detract for me personally. Amy seemed to really have fun with it, too, which was a nice change of pace after her struggles last week. I know some viewers once again are up in arms about the score Amy got, but honestly – with the way they’re scoring Meryl & Danica, do you really think Amy stands a chance of actually winning? I don’t. God love her, she’s fun to watch and has this amazing energy – but unfortunately, I don’t think TPTB are gonna let her anywhere near the MBT. That being said – I still think she’s got a few weeks left in her, as we weed out some of the weaker couples (namely NeNe).
4.) James & Peta – I had a feeling we might see a bit of a backslide from James this week – poor guy got saddled with a very un-partylike ballroom dance in a week where most everyone else was bopping around to Latin dances, and he was really the only one that had a decent chance of bumping Charlie out of the #2 spot in cumulative points to become a team captain. I knew TPTB wouldn’t allow those 10 paddles to come out again this week. Despite having a hard song, I felt like James gave it his best shot – he seemed a little stiff and a bit too bent in his knees, and as a result I don’t feel like he ever got 100% on top of the beat – it was as if he was just barely keeping up with it. I have to wonder if Peta was told to break hold, knowing that it would cost them points, because I think she’s witnessed points being docked for broken hold enough to know that she shouldn’t do it – then again, maybe it was a calculated risk, and she was hoping they would score high enough on performance and technique that a slight deduction wouldn’t hurt them. Still, I think James’ work ethic and his ability to throw himself headlong into any dance they give him is an asset, and he’s still got some mileage left in the coming weeks.
5.) Danica & Val – The judges sure do love to gush about Danica, huh? Kinda makes me wonder if she ain’t getting the votes. As I’ve said in previous weeks, Danica’s not bad, per se – I’m just not left feeling super-enthusiastic about any of her dances. Even her quickstep last week (while nearly flawless) just kinda left me feeling “meh”. And I don’t really know what it is about her that’s making her fade into the woodwork for me – maybe it’s the fact that she never seems 100% at ease with any of the dances she’s doing? I think she did seem a little hesitant in her cha-cha last night – a couple times she seemed to look at Val as if to say “Am I doing this right?”, and got a tad wobbly on some of her turns as a result. It was a cute routine and Danica didn’t do BAD – but I also don’t feel like she really nailed it. Her samba was better for me. But I will tip my hat to Val for the correct use of a wardrobe change – the skirt came off quickly & easily, and actually fit the choreography. Just not really sure where Danica stands in terms of votes – the fact that she was in jeopardy this week makes me think she may be struggling with votes.
6.) NeNe & Tony – If I am at a loss as to why Charlie is getting such hell from the judges, I’m also at a loss as to why NeNe is getting such praise from them – there was little to no salsa in this salsa, and I felt like the bulk of this dance was just a lot of gyrating and ass-shaking from both NeNe & Tony. Sure, she sells the gyrating well – but it’s still just gyrating, and not actual salsa. And for the first time, I really noticed NeNe’s height…and it wasn’t a good thing. There was one part where she went down to lunge her leg between Tony’s, and because she’s so tall, she could only go down so far and it ended up looking more like a bit of a stoop down to pick up trash on the floor…wasn’t exactly visually pleasing. I just wish the judges would get real with her – quit gushing about choreography that doesn’t fit a dance and quit acting like NeNe just gyrating around is a-ok for every single dance. Was honestly expecting a lot more after her great foxtrot last week…but who knows where she currently stands with votes. She wasn’t even in jeopardy last night! Ack…if this keeps up, she really needs to go home over Candace…
7.) Candace & Mark – Now I’ll be the first to admit that Candace does struggle out there on the floor – she seemed especially timid and unsure of herself last night, and I think that negatively affected her performance more than anything else. But was she really one point WORSE than NeNe? Candace was, at the very least, doing proper cha-cha choreography, and not just gallivanting around the floor doing whatever she pleased. I still can’t really figure out whether TPTB have decided that Candace is disposable, or if they’re just valuing entertainment more than technique and adherence to conventions of these dances this season. Either way, I feel bad for Candace, because I do feel like she’s genuinely trying – just like Charlie & James, who also got kinda hosed this week. I hate to say this, but I think Candace could be in genuine danger next week – and it makes me mad, when she’s actually trying while others (NeNe) just seem to be doing whatever the hell they want…
So what are your thoughts about party anthem week? Were the scores right? Did the right person go home?
I have to wonder if getting saddled with a Quickstep this week was the price Peta had to pay to get “Let It Go” last week. . . .
Yayy! Thank you, Courtney. Been looking forward to this post and sharing my thoughts from last night…..(here’s how I ranked everyone)
1.) Meryl & Maks – The dance itself gave me chills. I thought it was absolute perfection & definitely Maks’ best choreography yet. I know there’s a LOT of talk regarding the package. My take? I think the pressure has finally hit Maks. He has to be hearing about all the talk in regards to not challenging Meryl & stepping up his routine. I think he finally realized he can’t stick to his mediocre strictly ballroom ways. Not only does he need to BRING it if he wants to finish this to the end, but he also needs to do it because his partner deserves it – and say what you want about him, but it’s clear to me the first & last person he’d ever want to fear disappointing is Meryl. I didn’t think there was ANYTHING disingenuous about their rehearsal. I thought it was the most vulnerable I’ve ever seen Maks -which is probably why some were weirded out, because he’s never shown this side in 13 seasons.
2.) Amy & Derek – she sure shut up everyone (myself included) who had any doubts whether she could not only do a Jive but ROCK it the way she did. I’m simply AMAZED w/ her dance number last night. Even w/ the flub and all – this was her best dance of the season. I am so glad they saved her for last because they ended this Party Rock Anthem night with a BANG! I expected Redfoo to hand out more 10’s then he did – so I am glad he used it on her – even though that paddle was used sparingly. Also, happy to see that Bruno did s well – though surprised but still in my heart feel she deserved those scores! Sidebar: I loved her outfit as well and thought she’s never looked better.
3.) Charlie & Sharna – I was so excited for their dance b/c of the song choice they received I didn’t consider that this was going to be a tough song to Cha-Cha too. Sharna BROUGHT it in the choreography department but I almost wish she didn’t bring SO much to this routine. I absolutely loved the dance overall, including the black-lighting special effects but I think having to transition to that area of the dance floor in the middle of the crowd hurt their routine a little. After all the positive feedback they received for their routine (w/ the exception of grumpy old man Len) I’m shocked they didn’t receive an single 10. Reminded me of last week for Meryl when she also received nothing but praise & received 9’s. I wish the judges would offer some form of constructive feedback so they can perfect their techniques to receive 10’s if the judges aren’t going to give it.
4.) Danica & Val – Another enjoyable routine. I liked it better when they were “in hold” as opposed to when they were not. Again, they received only positive feedback so while I assumed they would have a few 10’s I still think their score was deserving.
5.) James & Peta – we knew from the package this was a routine that James was struggling with all week. For the most, I think he did great. What may have hurt him was coming off the high of a perfect score for their contemporary last week where technique/poster is SO different then a ballroom dance. I could have done w/out the extra troupe dancers for their routine. I also, while enjoy the song, didn’t think it was very appropriate for a Party Rock Anthem week. I look forward to him redeeming himself with Latin week next week, I expect nothing less from a guy that strives for perfection every week.
6.) Candace & Mark – You can tell she really worked hard this past week to bring out the best Cha-Cha she could. While she’s not the best dancer, I enjoy watching her every week to see her journey continue to unfold on this show. I felt like the song was slowed down and so it kind of hindered the pace of their dance again. Obviously, this was done purposely but I think had it been sped up a little bit then they could have kept the energy.
7.) Nene & Tony – Let me just say, I wanted to really LIKE this Salsa. Truly, I did. But what I saw (in my limited knowledge) was NO SALSA! I know Tony stated in a blog last week they were going to break some rules but did he mean the entire rules of Salsa? I didn’t like them going from one dance floor – to the next- and then back again. It took a lot of time away from the routine and therefore it felt like it lacked a lot of choreo. While she was the one I wanted to see leave tonight, I’m glad she gets to stay since it was clear Drew had checked out for the season.
Other notes:
– I wasn’t impressed by the opening number like I thought I would be, we’ve seen Mandy Moore do better – this was not the week for me
– I’ve seen enough routines this season w/ a troupe number or 12 to last a lifetime. In some ways, I think it’s hurts some of their routines to continually add them in. It’s nice of them to showcase from time to time, but it’s not needed for so many dances in my opinion.
– Macys Stars of Dance – Tom didn’t really introduce the extra performers or showcase them like they were deserved tonight. I’d be bummed, had I been one of them, b/c to the average viewer they may just think it’s the same troupe dancers they’ve been saying all week.
Overall I really enjoyed last nights show – it had a lot to do w/ my top 3 dances being my favorite of the season. Truly looking forward to Latin week and what the Team Dances may bring ….. besides the mending of fences! 😉 #TeamPeacemaker for the win!!
Didn’t love Red Foo but he did what he was there to do, like you said. I would rather have him on ever week for the rest of the season than see Abby Lee Miller. I can’t even believe the show is stooping THIS low for some press.
I thought it was Maks’ best week for choreo yet. Great dance. She really does bring out good things in Maks, but honestly, I think she would bring good things out of whichever pro got her. The package was weird and whether it was staged or not, I want to see more focus on Meryl than Maks and his never winning before. Can’t believe we are STILL talking about Julianne’s comment on air. For her ‘being too young for her opinion to matter,’ it definitely seems to have affected you Maks, so maybe there was a little realization going on there? Charlie & Sharna really need to make the finals, because if they don’t, I feel like we could have another All-Star season on our hands where we hear over and over how a certain pro has never won and every other pro in the finals has and they might just get it with the sympathy vote more than on merit. If Sharna is there, at least another pro who has never won is there.
Charlie & Sharna were excellent, unique, and fun and I am really not understanding the judges with him. I hope he is killing it in votes. My only consolation is that generally the person on top in the middle of season is not the same one that has the momentum at the end. We might see another shift here everyone.
Amy & Derek were so awesome. I loved the concept and thought she was so fantastic. I wish they didn’t have the one mess up! I hope to see her go all the way to the finals.
Those were the 3 I loved last night. James was weaker than he has been, but still not bad, I always enjoy him. Danica was just ok for me as was Candace. Not memorable. But yes, at least both of them did real cha cha, where Nene was just doing club moves mostly. And the height difference and size difference was more jarring tonight than usual. Lazy choreo by Tony and surprised the judges didn’t call him out more for lack of content. I hope Nene goes next week!
Just curious Courtney, why do you think TPTB won’t let Amy near the mirrorball? Just so Derek doesn’t win again? That’s the only reason I can think of….
Jackie, despite what I said in my own post, I definitely think what you said about the Meryl/Maks package could be dead on! Your whole post was great.
Also forgot to add that the opening number was just ok, but I loved the Macys SOD!
@EPMusic – I appreciate that! I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one that feels this way. Clearly, there has been a LOT of talk across social media w/ regards to that package. It was clear to me that Maks has a lot of pride where his work ethic is concerned. For him, it probably felt like not only his character was attacked but also his pride & dignity. He must have still been stewing on the phoning in comment until it all came to a head in rehearsals last week. Hopefully, that will now be the LAST we hear of it …. we’ve given it enough life to last us all a lifetime.
I also agree with you regarding the Macys SOD routine! I’ve already re-watched it 3x since we saw it last night. I enjoyed that so many extra dancers, along with the troupes and other performers were able to showcase their talents!
I enjoyed Redfoo, although one week of guest judging will last me a long time. I have never heard of Abby Lee Miller, but I don’t watch Dance Moms or anything else – from what I hear, it’s like bringing Kate Gosselin on. This will be the first guest judge that really makes me shake my head. Yuck.
I adored Amy and Derek’s routine last night – the concept was brilliant, the execution was (almost) flawless, and it was one of my favorite dances of the season. I am always impressed with her, but I marveled at this jive.
My second favorite was definitely Charlie and Sharna. What a difficult song to use, but concept and choreo really, really suited it. Charlie is so much fun to watch and I think it was egregiously underscored. He’s probably KILLING the votes, and based on the people that I’ve talked to, that is definitely the case.
I liked James and Peta’s quickstep, but they definitely got a bit hosed in the song and dance department for last night. Also, those shoes he wore were extremely distracting and I can’t help but wonder if they accentuated the bent knees and butt out look. Still, I think he’s gained A LOT of fans in his time on the show so I’m not too worried, and I believe he is finals-bound. But if there was a week that he may make a surprise elimination, I suppose after last night’s dance it would be this week – not great scores and a dance that was less flashy than many. Regardless, I think that is not a very likely scenario and he should be fine.
I didn’t find Meryl and Maks’s package to be that contrived or anything, and even if it was slightly nudged I do think he expressed genuine sentiment. I enjoy their partnership a lot more than I thought I would. I didn’t LOVE this dance though, but partly might be from the meh song. I do think it was a really good effort though.
The part that I like most about Candace is that I think she represents a true newb that does have some natural talent, some doubts and insecurities, but she’s really trying and does better than the judges give her credit for. Her legs looked good last night and she really does seem to enjoy it as much as anyone I’ve seen on the show. I loved her dress and even Mark’s shoes.
I liked Danica and Val’s cha-cha a lot – intellectually. But I just can’t help not liking something about her, and I wonder how much of it is my tainted view of her due to her experience and how much of it is truly just how she comes across. My boyfriend likes her a lot and thinks she is adorable, but I’m left sorta cold.
I enjoyed Nene’s non-salsa, as she sells it well and moves decently for her height. Sure the technique is not good and they aren’t performing syllabus steps, but she does look like she’s having fun and at least Tony is embracing that aspect of the partnership. That being said, she’s definitely overscored and I hope she’s the next to go so that Candace can stick around a little while longer. But I wouldn’t be surprised if her personality and “fun-ness” keeps her in the competition over Candace and even Danica.
For me it’s 1. Meryl and Maks 2. Amy and Derek 3. Charlie and Sharna 4. James and Peta 5. Danica and Val 6. Candace and Mark 7. NeNe and Tony
What a great commentary Courtney! While some think Maks’ package was sincere I am not in that camp. These things are calculated for the journey the contestant is going on and Meryl’s journey is apparently making Maks into a “sweet guy”. This is not about Meryl anymore it is about reinventing Maks. I think it has worked though as they have received a lot of support from the fans. I am wondering about Danica being a possible elimination surprise. Cannot for the life of me understand what tptb are doing with Charlie though. Sharna must be ready to scream. That was a great dance and he was so good. I just don’t get it. I hope Amy makes the finals and she has my votes.
In order of appearance:
NeNe & Tony: What is it with these two always getting so much praise for doing a dance that isn’t even what they were given? I like NeNe and all, but seriously that Salsa had as much Salsa as there are penguins in the Sahara desert. Then the judges go all goo-goo-ga-ga over it? Seriously do not understand why they keep overscoring her. Certainly didn’t think it was better than Candace’s Cha-cha-cha. I give it a 7.
Candace & Mark: Seriously looks like Latin is just Candace’s Achilles’ heel. While she did do a proper Cha-cha (unlike NeNe’s unproper Salsa) it just looked very wobbly to me. Often times she didn’t look secure in her movements which makes me agree with Bruno about her being like a switch that was going on and off repeatedly. Next week is Latin week and if she gets something like a Salsa or Paso Doble I worry about her. My guess is she’ll get the Arg Tango to contrast the last two weeks of her getting actual Latin dances? Either way, at least if she makes it past Latin Week she’ll finally get a Ballroom dance like the Foxtrot or Waltz where I think she’ll do MUCH better in. I give her ChaCha an 8.
James & Peta: Yeah his footwork was sloppy and the technical side of it kinda fell apart, but honestly I found myself enjoying the dance a lot. It may just be that I absolutely love the song (though I wouldn’t consider it a party anthem) but the performance was very good. I think he kept up rather well with Peta and that fast music and at least he made it through the dance. He certainly got the short end of the stick with this dance and song, but I am guessing it was just his “off” week of the season and next week he’ll bounce right back up and WOW everyone, specially if he gets the Argentine Tango like I hope he does. I give his QS a 9.
Danica & Val: I think, personally, there are weeks where I just can’t stand Danica and there are weeks where I am not all that bothered by her (Week 3, Week 5..). This week was kinda in the middle. I gotta say, and I am in the minority here I believe, I actually liked her Cha Cha better than Charlie. It may have been the song (because I love it, unlike Charlie’s song which I really dislike) but I just liked this dance a hair more. As I said last night, though, I don’t particularly think it deserved a higher score than Charlie. I thought the score was fine and I’ll give her a 9, myself. I just don’t think she’ll last too long — her being in jeopardy also makes me think she may be struggling with votes?
Meryl & Maks: Alright the dance was pretty freaking great. There’s no denying that she can dance her booty off and that she performed the heck out of the dance. I personally didn’t like the walking and hand-holding in the beginning and end of the dance (felt REALLY cheesy to me) but the whole dance in hold was pretty awesome. About the training package? Idk what to think so I choose to ignore it. Just made me feel a bit awkward watching it. Oh well. I give the dance a 10 as well.
Charlie & Sharna: I worried at first that Charlie was going to struggle a lot during his Latin dances because of the hip action but he shut me right up. I thought this was a pretty good dance to a song that I just do not like at all. I liked the whole glowing in the dark part; thought that was pretty cool. I wasn’t crazy about the dance though. I personally thought the four 9’s were deserved but that’s just me. I give them a 9 as well.
Amy & Derek: Color me impressed! I didn’t doubt that Amy would be able to Jive WELL but I did have my doubts that she would ACE it and then she did! That was such a cute and fun routine that Derek put together. The whole wedding crashers theme was fun — made me wanna join in and dance with them! This girl can really, really move. Yeah there was that mistake in the middle, but they recovered from that very well. Can’t wait to see her next week! I’m thinking with a Samba? We’ll see! I give her Jive a 9.5 😛
Sad to see Drew go, but it was his time (though I’d rather it been NeNe… or even Danica). Looking forward to next week’s Latin dances. Just for fun I’m gonna predict what they’ll dance: James & Peta (Arg. Tango/Paso Doble… can’t decide). Amy & Derek (Samba). Candace & Mark (Arg. Tango). NeNe & Tony (Samba). Charlie & Sharna (Samba). Meryl & Maks (Salsa). Danica & Val (Rumba).
Oh, and btw, Abby Lee Miller? BAAAARFFFFF.
First time poster here and right off the bat let me say that I am an unabashed Charlie fan and I LOVE his pairing with Sharna. So, I guess some of my “annoyance” could be taken with a grain of salt.
I’ve watched DWTS off and on for a number of seasons but I’m not a dedicated viewer like so many of you but in the past, I’ve tended to favor Derek and his choreography. This year, I think he’s having to be even more clever and innovative than usual and my hat is off to him.
Here are my favs from last night & my totally biased opinions:
1) Charlie & Sharna {of course ;-)} I LOVED this but did see a couple of teeny tiny little bobbles from Charlie (right after they came down the stairs, he was a bit early in his turning to face Sharna and then right before they did the black light bit, I’d swear it looked like he had a bit of a slip). That being said, I totally feel like he’s been underscored the past 2 weeks. If Amy & Derek can have OBVIOUS mistakes in the middle of the routine and STILL receive 2 10’s, then Charlie’s cane drop last week & this very content packed Cha Cha Cha deserved more than 1 10 out of 8 scores given.
2) Meryl & Maks. I’m hesitant to say this since there seems to be such an obvious anti-Chmerkovskiy sentiment prevalent on the board, but I really loved this dance. That package was tipping into the manipulative/ridiculous for me at times, but it didn’t completely turn me off. Meryl is TRULY talented (I believe even Charlie has said she’s a better dancer/skater than he is).
3) Amy & Derek. Amy is simply amazing in what she does. I’d like to see the judges actually judging her like every other contestant. I don’t know that a routine with such obvious choreography mishaps deserves 10’s (& probably wouldn’t have been awarded to any other contestant dancing that same routine with those same mistakes).
After that, I really don’t have an order. I thought James looked heavy footed and a bit clunky in those shoes. Danica is almost too earnest for me. I can’t even remember Candace’s dance and Drew was just the “fun” in the show but it was time for him to go. Nene . . . what can I say. Was there actual choreography in that dance? She looked like she was stomping around on the floor. I almost wonder if she was afraid of losing her footing in the shoes?
I’m very interested in reading other opinions on last night’s show.
My random thoughts, it’s not a ranking, just me typing as I’m thinking of each pair.
I wasn’t completely thrilled with the opening number, I think I’ve simply been Mandy Moore’d out. Yes, she is a good choreographer, but so are a LOT of other people…. She’s now done 6 opening numbers, let’s spread the wealth a little bit. I’d love to see what Nappytabs could come up with as an opening number for our pros……. Or, how about giving the troupe/eliminated pros the job to choreograph an opening number or 2 or 3 or 4?
Macy’s Stars of Dance was good, but it didn’t “grab” me…. Maybe it’s my eyes are getting older, but it just seemed way too dark for me, but I did like the song and the club/party feel of it. It DEFINITELY fit the Party Anthem theme, so I was excited about that. I’ve no idea who the extras were, and no one mentioned their names after. Usually even when a dance is pre-recorded (which I am thinking it was, just because of the staging, etc) Tom will mention who was dancing, even if it’s just “our pros, our troupe, and….”
Meryl and Maks…. Yes, it was a good dance, and yes, the choreography was stepped up, but I don’t know how to take the package. I’ve been watching this show for A VERY LONG TIME now, and I’ve seen Maks for most of it…. And honestly, I don’t know how much I believe that he’s suddenly scared and frightened and unsure, and how much of it is an act that he’s putting on. Sorry, that’s how I feel. It’s like I’m watching him on the show, and holding my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But at the same time, I’m hopeful, because SOMETHING jogged him enough that he worked hard and stepped up the difficulty of his choreography. Can he keep it up? I don’t know. He keeps saying how easy it is with Meryl, and I keep remembering something one of those pesky Hough/Ballas kids said (I don’t remember which one, think it was ONE of the Houghs)… “If something comes easy, I’m not working hard enough.” And look what happened…. He worked hard and gave Meryl harder stuff than he has, and he was praised all over the place for it!
Danica and Val…. I think I liked last week’s dance better. She’s a good dancer, but I’m not really connecting with her. And unfortunately, it was the same last season when Val danced with Elizabeth… She’s a good dancer, but she seems to be dancing “internally” and not really showing anyone HER! All of a sudden last season, I saw Elizabeth “get it” and she didn’t just dance the steps and change her facial expressions, but she suddenly CONNECTED to the dance, and the dance and emotion was just THERE, but it feels like Danica hasn’t gotten there yet. Is Val an intense teacher? I don’t know, but it seems like sometimes, IMHO, he concentrates well on the COMPETITION and doesn’t always remember to stress that the whole thing is supposed to be FUN! I always connect better with him and his partners when they figure it out.
Candace and Mark… Week 1 contemporary aside, I do think this was her best dance! No, she’s still not letting herself go as much as she could, but she’s trying hard, and she’s progressing….. And she’s sweet and pleasant, and even has fun on the floor!
NeNe and Tony…. Well, she’s having fun. She doesn’t seem to ever really leave her wheelhouse, and Tony HAS been working to give more choreography, even if what he gives her isn’t completely what she’s supposed to be dancing. And I think she wore low-heeled ballroom dance shoes last night.
James and Peta… I must admit that I am impressed with Peta this season….. She’s not taken the easy way out when choreographing for James. She’s been giving him content, and working on helping him improve, and they’ve got a great working relationship, and they are having fun. No, I don’t think she’s one of the best female choreographers, but I give her a LOT of credit for mostly going against her instincts when she’s given a good looking male celebrity, and working hard to improve both her and her partner.
Drew and Cheryl…. I liked him, loved his work ethic, happy that the old Cheryl is still there, and am going to miss this pair.
Charlie and Sharna… I do think she can easily rival Cheryl and Karina with her choreography, and I love that she’s pushing Charlie as much as she is. She’s been challenging herself as much as she’s challenging Charlie, and he’s such a JOY to watch dance! Unfortunately, I can see this as a bad thing….. If for even one week, she takes it even the SLIGHTEST bit easier than normal (while still being probably the most difficult choreography on the show that week) they’ll be panned more than ever, and scored down, because the choreography isn’t hard enough for him (if Len follows the pattern of previous seasons, that is)
Amy and Derek…. I didn’t even catch the error in the dance, until I replayed it later. Loved the dance. Not sure what else I can say about it that hasn’t already been said.
So these are my rankings but they are not at all what I expected them to be before the show.
1)Charlie and Sharna: Underscored. So much fun! Loved the cool dayglo glow in the dark aspect.
2)Meryl and Maks: Loved this one too. Saying that, Maks’ little breakdown was a little odd. Fake? Real? Who knows. This dance (like her argentine tango with Val and most of her dances) is how she is so precise like a surgeon out there, which obviously comes with the territory given her profession, but it strikes me as funny that she is all about the percision while Charlie is more about the fun and personality.
3)James and Peta: Loved this quiclstep. Not really sure why they underscored him though. The part where he danced with the other dancers was really the standout to me.
Now the next two are the ones I only liked.
4)Amy and Derek: I thought it was clever and she did really good but not my fav dance from her. This was so much fun though and screamed “Derek” so that was really cool.
5)Danica and Val: My mother calls her ballroom Barbie and as the weeks have gone by, she has shown more and more personality which is great. I remember week 1 and thinking she is way too excited and it shows. She has learned to hold that in which is awesome. I loved how she was loving every minute of that dance but I expected more out of the choreography.
There were two I really disliked:
6) Candance and Mark: I love how she is 100% commited to winning this mirrorball trophy but she definately seemed a little timid. Mark’s choreography was great but she needed to give it more energa dn just go all out. She definately was holidng back a bit (I’m guessing something about her religious beleifs and her modesty?). If they have another dance where she needs to let loose (which I’m thinking isn’t going to happen….I’m thinking she is getting a tango next week or maybe a paso…..more like hoping she does becuase I want to see her do one before she gets eliminated…she needs to watch some videos of Chelsea Kane and how she handled Mark’s chorepgraphy.)
7)Nene and Tony: I’m at a loos here. When the dance ended, I thought “She is getting straight 7s”. Then the judges overscored her. I have to give Tony credit for getting her to improve this much and for definately having a bit more fun with the wardrobe. In fact, I think this is the most fun he has had with it in a long time but that was just not up to par with everyone else’s choreography this week.
Now as for Redfoo………I loved him. He made me laugh. It was like an even more unpredictable version of Bruno. At one point, Tom said that Red judged like the love child of Carrie Ann and Bruno and he hit it on the head with that one. Wouldn’t mind if he came bk next season as a guest judge again at all. I’m all for him competing as well.
Court, love your hysterical opening paragraphs followed by your always spot-on analysis of how the couples stack up in terms of “staying power”. Being able to laugh about Party Anthem Night has helped me recover at least a little bit of perspective on what, for me, was this season’s huge turd of a theme night. There’s always one every season. If at 29, you’re getting too old to know what’s popular that explains why at 52, I’m utterly clueless and absolutely can’t relate. In a strange way that actually makes me feel better. Thanks! 😀
I made my comments on the show in the Week 6 recap on Monday night so no need to say it again.
Oh, and we have a great new term to describe dances — “NeNe-ing around the floor”. Love it!
Last one I promise 🙂
The Macy’s Stars of Dance. I missed it becuase I was walking the dog but my mother and father said something about Tron and remembered the song name so I’m glad I missed it.
One of my fave posts every week for a reason. Good job Court and everyone so far!!
Ok. here are my rankings in order….
1. Maks and Meryl – When I first saw what was happening in the package, I was worried, but, omg, did Maks ever raise the bar in his choreography for what we were all commenting on last week. In fact, I agree with Carrie Ann that his was his best choreography ever. Just fearless, full of attack, and sexy. I loved all the twisting twirls. Well well done.
2. Amy and Derek – OMG, these two continue to amaze me. Those backward kick things were so clever. I couldn’t believe she could do that. And what about the cartwheel at the end? She defied any and all again. Another well choreographed routine by Derek too. They left my jaw on the ground. Just magical!! Redfoo’s “whooOoooo” at the end of their dance said it all!
3. Charlie and Sharna – Right from the get go, I was hooked with the cool arm and hand sequences. Then they started dancing. Charlie’s hips moved with every rhythm. I loved the choreography by Sharna and the way she pushed him. I loved the ending too when everything got dark. So creative and different!!
4. Val and Danica – I really find myself warming up to this girl now. She makes an improvement every week. This time she seemed so natural out there and just relaxing and having fun with Val and the audience. Very clever choreography by Val again. He too is pushing his partner which is a must this season and it’s fun to watch.
5. James and Peta – Sadly, he didn’t do as well this week as last week. I’m with Carrie Ann, the foot work was a little strange and he broke hold, but, other than those things, it was fun and it brought back great memories of “Grease”.
6. Tony and Nene- Oh how I loved their song and it totally worked for her. She needed to be lighter on her feet like Len mentioned and she looked a little slow and worn out by the end, but, for the most part that was fun to watch. Though was this a Salsa?
7. Candice and Mark – For the positives: as always I love her zest and positiveness for life. It comes out in her dances. She’s so cute like Redfoo pointed out. I loved her costume as well. The negatives: her legs were slow and she didn’t bend her knees enough. It all comes off a little wooden and not the best as it could be.
My comments:
No way NeNe should have scored better than Candace.
I want the dress Candace was wearing.
Meryl is so good for Maks, she seems to keep him sane & grounded.
It was definitely Drew’s time to go.
Charlie was the best of the night for me, LOVED the black light stuff.
Amy & Derek – WOW WOW WOW!
Did anyone else notice that when they came back from break to “Jump Around” Len was wearing Redfoo glasses and Tom’s bad dancing (?) in the background?
Crap, forgot Danica again. What does that say?
I’m glad I’m not the only one who is having trouble connecting with Danica. I thought maybe it was because I still have some residual annoyance with her being a secret ringer. That might be part of it for me but honestly when I watch her dance I feel nada.
Maybe I’m just shooting rainbows out of my ass today, but I look at Charlie’s lower scores as a bit of plus. It almost allows him to fly under the radar while Meryl and her perfect scores take all the ringer heat. It’s not fair to either Charlie or Meryl but if Charlie slowly builds the perfect scores up over several more weeks then he’ll be hitting the semi-finals with the most forward momentum while minimizing the “he doesn’t have to improve, he’s already a perfect ringer!” talk.
Last post
I didn’t forget James, I must have typed over it.
I enjoyed it, glad Peta’s not pushing the sexy
I enjoyed the show last night & whether we all beieve in what Maks was going through,i am sure alot of people in that profession feel the same, being vulnerable, or whether it was staged, he definately had some frustration that she was having some problems with the steps, Media can be good or it can be bad, depending on everones attitude & perception of things,
I do believe we saw a sensitive vulnerable side in him, with feeling the pressure, even also i am sure charlie & meryl went through the same thing trying to reach there goal, so who knows …
finally got what he deserved & she is good also, she is small but she is mighty. and whether or not they are or not dating is really none of my business, wish at times peopel would let that be & let them dance & learn
and if it does happen well good for them, they are both capricorns so who knows ..
I thought the dances were great. Charlie and Sharna underscored again. They should have had at least 2 10’s. Of course, Maks was wonderful, he did Forever Tango on Broadway with Karina and I am sure he used some of that choreography, but why another Tango for Meryl? The writing on the wall is showing more and more…..they want this to be a Meryla nd Maks win it is so obvious in the comments. Amy and Derek ….just wow, wow…she really surprised me.
I am ready for NeNe to go home….Tony is struggling trying to be appealing to the young crowd.
I’m just as baffled as everyone else with Charlie. I cannot believe that cha-cha didn’t get at least TWO 10s after the judges comments. Redfoo definitely could have given it a 10, and I really don’t know why he didn’t?
Charlie got a good portion of my votes this week. I really hope he’s got the Argentine Tango or Paso or something really good next week so that he can come back strong and get the scores he deserves.
Just a note on NeNe. I didn’t particularly care for her dance and thought she was criminally overscored. But I wasn’t quite prepared for shock of seeing her at the top of the recap immediately after Amy and Derek’s exacting, controlled, energetic Jive. NeNe instantly appeared on the screen, a gesticulating, gyrating, Big Bird in full throttle. I think her scores would have been much lower had she not gone first. The juxtaposition in following anyone else’s dance would not have worked to her favor. She needs to go.
@Susan: “NeNe instantly appeared on the screen, a gesticulating, gyrating, Big Bird in full throttle.”
That made my day.
Susan, Interesting point. Lately, I’ve been thinking of the #1 spot as the place you get if TPTB want you gone. However, it could also serve as the place to put the weak dancer who has some vote support whom they want to overscore in order to hang onto for another week. Hope it doesn’t work and she’s gone next week.
The opening number wasn’t as good as those in the past. I didn’t really care for Party Anthem week and hope it doesn’t get repeated. Abby Lee Miller? Really? She doesn’t deserve the attention she’s getting and I don’t understand why she was asked to do the show. I’m debating with myself if I want to watch it live or dvr it so I don’t have to listen to her.
NeNe/Tony – I’m sorry, I didn’t like it. I didn’t need to see Tony shirtless and I wasn’t entertained at all. Her dances are the same thing each week. Just a lot of shaking on the dance floor and for some reason, the judges love it. If Tony stated on a blog that he was going to break some rules, why weren’t they called out for it? It was overscored too. For me, they’ve worn out their welcome and need to go home.
Candace/Mark – I liked the dance. She had fun with it. There was more content in her dance than NeNe had in hers. Candace should have had at least the same score as NeNe.
James/Peta – Loved it! It wasn’t his best, but it was still good. I’ve said before, he’s completely changed my opinion of him and would like to see him make the finals.
Danica/Val – Nothing to say.
Meryl/Maks – I think that was the best they’ve done and Maks finally put in enough choreography. Hopefully, he keeps it up. I have nothing against Meryl, she’s doing great on the show, which comes as no surprise. But with everyone assuming they’re going to win because Maks never has ruins them for me. Maks needs to earn it like everyone else has. Oops, wait, Tony didn’t earn it and won.
Drew/Cheryl – Sad to see him go, but if it wasn’t NeNe, the odds weren’t in his favor to stay.
Charlie/Sharna – These two just can’t seem to do enough for the judges. Each week, they’ve done great dances, and the judges still pick on them for something. Hopefully Courtney is right and they’re setting him up for a late growth arc and he’ll get the scores he deserves.
Amy/Derek – Amy was fantastic. She basically has no fear to try whatever Derek throws at her knowing he’s not going to give her something she can’t handle. In my opinion, she out does herself every week. I loved that jive. I would love to see her win, but I don’t have high hopes for it. I’m hoping she finishes no lower than 4th place.
As for the bottom on Monday, I’m hoping NeNe is one of them. How she can continually be safe is beyond my comprehension right now. She needs to go. Candace will probably be there for the 3rd week in a row, with Danica again or maybe James. I’m hoping Candace has one more week and NeNe goes.
@Susan, #24, that made me laugh! What a perfect description!
The opening number was kinda eh this time, I think they need someone new for sure to come up with something better. I agree with Lori on that.
Amy and Derek- I know they wont win this time but who knows but I hope they go to the top 5 or top 4 at least! She amazes me every single week and just keeps getting better. I loved their jive! It made me want to get up and dance along. Loved the energy, loved the theme they did. It was great! I just love Amy in general! she’s awesome. The only other dance im worried about is the quickstep for her, but i think like this jive she will be okay!
James and Peta, It wasn’t a terrible dance but of course compared to last week it was not as great but who gives someone a quickstep and everyone else a latin dance? that was unfair but he did the best he could.
Meryl and Maks- I dont know it was a good tango but I did not think it was all 10 worthy but thats just me. That pity party package really annoyed me hes pulling the all stars tony comments “oh I never won a trophy” I am this and i am that” and Meryl kinda getting sick of her too.
So sad to see Drew go I hope Nene does go home next week.
Nene’s dance eh I don’t know it was nothing special and tony needs to stop taking his shirt off he is not Derek and should stop trying to be a wanna be lol
I liked charlie’s dance it was good and Candace was kinda stiff but she was alright last night I dont have any complaints on Danica right now it was a good dance.
Cant wait to see the team dances and the other dances they have next Monday! Thanks for posting this, I love the power rankings!
BTW: over on his blog on People.com, James has announced his individual dance for next week.
I won’t spoil it here, but I will say it ends in a vowel. 😉
Oops. . . . Parade.com, not People.com.
I have a question. When did the scoring start getting so out of hand? In previous seasons, getting 6’s and 7’s the first week was expected and if you got straight 7’s as the first couple out of the gate, the pro dancer was STOKED? It seemed like they also used to always score the first dancer of the night in ALL of the preliminary rounds lower, so as to give themselves somewhere else to go. The past couple of seasons that I’ve seen, that has so not been the case (or so it seems to me).
I’d love to hear some insights or maybe have someone tell me that I’m just imagining things.
Come one really “You’re the one that I want”. Listen Grease is my all time favorite movie but NEVER in my life have I asked the DJ to play that song or any song from Grease, for that matter, when I want to get out on the dance floor and shake it. The dance alone wasn’t a poor enough choice for Party Anthem week?? and now those teams?? wow the hits just keep on coming 🙂
lol
Thought Danica & Val were the best of the night..this seems to be an unpopular opinion here…but for me they have the best chemistry by a landslide of the teams left. The dance deserved 10’s clearly but the judges had to save the big 40 for their pets M&M…lol I know Val is not winning this year but imo he has had the best choro this season & seems inspired above what he normally is…the whole BF coming out of the woodwork was very odd since no one even thought Danica was with someone…Redfoo even mentioned the connection between them which is so obvious as the weeks go by.
I agree. “You’re the One That I Want” isn’t really party anthem material, but a remix of “So Close” by Calvin Harris was quite popular in clubs last year (that doesn’t necessarily mean party anthem material, but I’m thinking that Calvin Harris is probably more of a party anthem than Grease is…)
Well, they explained contextually how “Your the One That I Want” is one of the most popular karaoke hits, and they are correct – so if it’s a karaoke party, I suppose it works 🙂
Still, definitely one of the weaker song choices.
@Susan #24 …you said
NeNe instantly appeared on the screen, a gesticulating, gyrating, Big Bird in full throttle.
Great description and you are quite articuate. Got a laugh out of me. Thanks.
@Lisa #37
“the whole BF coming out of the woodwork was very odd since no one even thought Danica was with someone…Redfoo even mentioned the connection between them which is so obvious as the weeks go by.”
I think it’s possible Val didn’t want a repeat of ‘are they or aren’t they’ with Danica like it was with Kelly Monaco with that embarrassing, poorly acted, showmance that Val got questions about long after. Val said in an interview after Zendaya’s season that he couldn’t even look at that season with Monaco because it wasn’t who he was. I give him props for maturing on that front.
Or I’m reading way too much into it and he just mentioned Danica’s boyfriend off the cuff. Entirely possible.
I was looking forward to the opening number,didn’t like it. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy RedFoo so much but he kept the party attitude going throughout the show, I enjoyed his input and his attitude “I don’t do technical”-perfect for party dances IMO. Although mostly, I wish they would use 4th judge time to do more background on the dnce prep.
No show that is trying to showcase dancing, promote it and make it even more popular so we get to see even more of it in the mainstream, maybe even more quality dance movies etc, should NEVER give Abby Lee Miller even one minute of airtime.period.
I like Derek’s first Macy’s dance “Ameksa” better but I did love this one too. It was great for the party-club vibe, the song is big right now. I love almost all dance so I do wish while Derek has the opportunity and because of the demo of this show (and my Mom, uncles, aunts etc would LOVE it)that he would do a ‘homage to some movie musicals, maybe GKelly, Astaire, Busby Berkeley, and even some Fosse, Fosse, Fosse (They should have Liza Minelli judge), while he has production, staff etc to make it happen.
Charlie was underscored again, it smells, and I really hope it backfires. The Maks, Meryl stuff is so fake and so bad that I am even beginning to NOT like Meryl, and I was a big fan. I would have rather seen NeNe go before Drew, her dances are the same, kinda all run together. And maybe Candace before Drew as well. I think she wants to do well, and her dress-LOVED, but I don’t think she can loosen up enough or commit to really be a contender. If Val would just stop talking and Danika could admit to all her experience, I could allllmost like them and their dances. I just can’t get past all the weekly lying and I really think part of her problem is trying to cover up how good she really is which has to be uncomfortable.
James is a cutie but he has technique problems and doesn’t always finish out movements completely. I really like a couple of his dances so far but the rest are kinda meh for me. Amy and Derek just continue to amaze and I am just fascinated and excited to see them each week. Up until she explained I always thought the jive might be the worst dance for her but Wow, other than her getting her knee in between Dereks legs instead of both of them to the outside right before that kicking sequence, it looked like the rest was just like Derek planned it. It was so much fun and fun to watch.
I’m not happy with the teams. Seems TPTB wasnt to make everyone complicit in getting Maks his trophy. Putting Val on the team so the Cherm-worshippers won’t have to split votes, putting Amy on it who I think is prob. getting LOTs of votes plus Derek. If Julianne or her comment even comes up I am gonna be furious and if Derek even starts to apologise for it I’m gonna be very unhappy with him. If it does Derek should just say Maks you and I get along (or are friends, if they are) but you know, not everybody HAS to like you. God knows, your fans hate on me all day, everyday.
sorry for typo–meant to say TPTB WANT to make… And in the first paragraph “dance prep”
I’m not sure how Derek, Mark and Val being on Meryl and Maks’ team makes them complicit in the MBT. People will still have to split votes – there is no vote on the team dance. I’m not sure what you’re worried about, Raine.
I liked the opening number and I liked the fact that the stars were dancing with the pros when Redfoo came out. It’s interesting how everyone seems to undergo a costume change now during the show. I don’t recall that in past seasons.
I did not like the Macys Stars of Dance performance.
Some of the “party anthems” were questionable. I would think that we should recognize songs being played if they are common party songs but maybe that is just me. Totally agree on the Grease comments. I would think Grease Lightning is the party anthem.
Meryl/Maks: Definitely the dance of the night. She executed wonderfully and I have no issue with the perfect score except that she should have gotten it 2 weeks ago with the AT. That said, maybe it’s because I’m used to seeing Meryl dress differently but the outfits were a little creepy. Meryl looked nice but the pants ensemble just didn’t flatter very much. My feeling is all packages are scripted or edited at this point to suit the producer agenda. We know Meryl was traveling with Charlie and a field producer all week yet he got the SOI mention in his package and she did not. In fact, I’d bet what they’d aired for Meryl was taped in less than an hour in LA.
Charlie/Sharna: I find it hard to believe he is killing it in votes over James and Meryl. The feedback I see on his and Meryl’s Facebook page seems to be more pro-Meryl. Plus she and Maks have a bigger fanbase it seems than Charlie and Sharna. I’m basing this on twitter following. James also doesn’t come across as cocky as Charlie. Anyway, the 9s were deserved. His performance was great but it wasn’t a perfect 40. There were slip ups and he seemed off the music a couple times too.
Amy/Derek: I was so scared for them and they AMAZED me. WOW!!! I know it wasn’t a perfect jive but it was awesome. Good for them! Amy seemed so radiant after the dance too. And I loved the theming too.
Candace/Mark: I really enjoyed her package this week and how she finally seemed to accept that this is just acting. Maybe that realization alone will help her loosen up a bit on the floor. I do enjoy her and hope she sticks around a while. I thought she danced well too but I can’t seem to remember her dance either. 🙁
Danica/Val: The dance was good. Nothing spectacular. I seem to remember her turquoise outfit more than the dance though so that’s probably a problem.
James/Peta: Another good but not great.
NeNe/Tony: Can she PLEASE leave next week?
WHY do people continue to hold up twitter as an indication of fanbase size especially in regards to who’s getting votes? WHY? Those of us who have watched this show since before twitter was invented (yes, there was such a time) can tell you that this is not an indicator. I’ve listed the examples a dozen times…I’m just going forward with the assumption Ya’ll can’t read or you like surprises.
Big bird? Wow. Why do people have to insult Nene? It really is kinda mean – the viewers want her there for now whether she is the worst dancer or not. She really is trying and improving and she can only do the dance choreographed for her. I want to engage here, but some people are just so snooty about everything. It’s supposed to be a fun show with amateur dancers. Geez.
Denise, I’ll give you a free pass on this one, but you need to keep your opinions about other posters to yourself – not your place to call someone “snooty”. And if you find this place to be “snooty”, then feel free to go “engage” elsewhere…
I did not mean it that way at all. I’m just a fan of Nene (and others) and it is sad to see personal attacks on her. Maybe snooty wasn’t the correct word. I will go, though.
Then leave, denise. And since you don’t know…the viewers don’t necessarily want NeNe around. She had a huge points lead over Drew that he couldn’t overcome. So maybe they want her around…and maybe they don’t so much.
I’m really tired seeing the troupe and other pros in the couple’s dances, this season it seems like everyone wants to try it out, and unless it actually WORKS in the concept of the dance or the theme (like Amy and Derek’s jive this week because it was so dang adorable and even Drew and Cheryl’s tango this week, it was his last dance and they were trying to make him look a pimp) but if its completely pointless (like in James and Peta’s quickstep and Charlie and Sharna’s jazz last week IMO) DONT USE EXTRA DANCERS!!! I think the pros need to realise that they don’t need extra dancers to create a fun routine!!!
I realise that they’re probably doing it in order to fit the weekly themes, but hey people like Mark and even Tony have not yet tried that tactic, and they have the underdogs of the competition as their partners and they don’t feel the need to use other professionals to elevate their routines (although this is really only directed at Mark as he’s putting substantial content in his routine which can not be said for Tony) It takes away from the actual celebrity and gives room for extra, pointless larking about rather than doing actual dancing, in my opinion.
#42 Heather, Meryl and Maks’s package crap had to be filmed on Tuesday or early Wednesday since they were in the DWTS rehearsal studio for it. They left town Wednesday afternoon and Meryl & Charlie didn’t return to LA until Monday morning. So considering how “easy” Maks keeps saying it is, I find it hard to believe he got that “frustrated” with Meryl on only the first or second day of her learning a new dance.
@Heidi: As far as Twitter followers go, let me use an analogy here (bear with me a moment).
Picture a diamond ring. Now picture a pencil. Both the diamond and the lead (graphite) in the pencil are made of carbon.
Believe it or not, the carbon in the pencil is *more* stable than the carbon in the diamond. At least in theory, over time, the carbon in the diamond ring should turn into carbon like the pencil lead. Thankfully for us men, no woman has ever gone to bed only to wake up and find this has happened. 🙂 That’s because while it *can* happen, the way the reaction would have to take place makes it extremely, extremely, extremely slow.
Now what does this have to do with Twitter? The existence of a large fanbase on Twitter makes things *possible*, but it depends on how active the fanbase is.
Cody’s Twitter fanbase was so large relative to everyone else that IF he had been able to mobilize it properly, he had a clear path to the finals. Clearly, that didn’t happen.
With James and NeNe, who have by far the largest Twitter fanbases of any remaining contestant, we simply don’t know how active their fanbases are, and how many total votes are cast. Certainly in James’ case, his fanbase appears to be far more active than any of the others. Who knows, though, whether that’s getting him an extra 100,000 votes (i.e., just enough to keep him ahead of the elimination bear) or an extra 5,000,000 votes (which could be enough to carry him to the finals)? Ditto for NeNe.
#49 Thumbs up!
So, you used all those words to basically agree with me, Sam. BECAUSE, the converse is also true. Someone may have a relatively small twitter following but we don’t know how large a portion of the average audience is voting for THEM. See Kellie Pickler versus Zendaya. See Cody versus Amy/Charlie/Meryl. NeNe and James having a large twitter following means exactly nothing.
And I’m a geologist – the carbon lecture was wasted on me.
so, while looking for some dwts news i see a comment about Redfoo his dad $100 and a sammich?