DWTS18 Semi-Finals More Post Show Interviews, Asked About Final Dances
The Afterbuzz TV interviews have been released with JC Rubio. The couples talk of the dances last night and also give a few hints for the finals….uhh, which isn’t much.
Note: Derek has no idea (or won’t say) for what they will do for the finals. He doesn’t know the song yet either.
Meryl says their freestyle is a secret. Maks says he doesn’t know what they will do yet.
Mark is tight lipped. He says they won’t be treating next week any differently and he hopes he and Candace can just enjoy the process.
They haven’t posted an interview with Peta and James yet, but, watch this link in case they do soon.
And below is Sharna and Charlie reflecting. Oh man, this is sad and bittersweet at the same time. Love them so much…
ETA: OK! Magazine interviewed Maks and Meryl. They ask Maks if he’s coming back next season. He promises to tell next week and that it’s already been decided. Uggh, I don’t want to even think about it….
That’s the million dollar question,” he said with a grin after Monday night’s show. “It’s already decided. I’m not telling. I’ll tell you next week. I promise.”
As he and Meryl advance to the finals (really, was there ever any doubt?), the pair aren’t taking anything for granted.
“It’s not surreal,” says the Olympic gold medal-winning ice dancer. “It feels very real to be honest with you. I’ve been saying as an Olympian you never really celebrate until you get to the place you’re looking towards. Of course we’re really excited about our dances tonight. I think we both had an amazing time but we’re already looking to next week.”
Next week’s freestyle should knock everyone’s socks off, although as of last night Maks had no idea what he was going to choreograph. He says by Friday they’ll have something special locked in.
ETA2: Below is Extra with the couples….
Also, the On The Red Carpet interviews have been released. And below is Charlie and Sharna with Access Hollywood.
Carrie Ann Inaba has also written a new blog at Parade reviewing the night and the dances. Below she talks about the finals. I am a bit upset for what she wrote about Charlie and Sharna…more on that at the link as I am biting my teeth.
The finals are going to be great, no doubt about it! It will be exciting and I hope to see some mind-blowing freestyles! I’m also looking forward to seeing each of the couples redo the routines they did when we had the switch up week but with their real partners again. This season has been so different in so many ways, but I do believe it’s been a good season overall and I can’t wait to see who will take home the mirror ball trophy. It’s going to be an intense two nights! Don’t forget we are on Monday night and Tuesday night next week, so keep your schedules clear so you can be right there with us when we crown the season 18 champion! Tweet me and let me know who you think will be taking it home this year!
James Maslow wrote about the finals as well at Parade saying this….
We’re both really excited. Peta is ecstatic because it’s only the second time she’s been in the finals. The only other time was in her second season with Donald [Driver] and she won it. So it’s a familiar feeling for her, but she’s also that much more nervous. I’ve literally put blood, sweat, and tears into this competition and making it all 10 weeks is rewarding. We’re going to give it everything we’ve got because at this point there’s just no turning back.
Being in these finals is such an honor for me because everyone is so talented. I think Amy has a huge advantage being paired with Derek. He’s very creative with her and making what they do incredibly sharp. Meryl is an incredibly strong dancer and has the technique as an ice skater that’s obviously transitioned well to the dance floor with her and Maks. And Candace has constantly been progressing, and I think America loves seeing that. It’s really hard to say who the biggest competitor is, I guess Meryl, just in terms of dance ability.
ETA3: The Ice Network interviewed Charlie and Sharna as well. Below is a take. Thanks to Kate for sending.
“It’s been an amazing cap to a wonderful season,” he said. “Going from the Olympics to DWTS, we didn’t have a moment to rest, but it was the best way to do it. Right from the get-go, it was an amazing learning experience.
“Obviously, I’m upset that we couldn’t dance in the finale … but I definitely feel very grateful for everything I did get to experience.”
White said he was appreciative that Burgess did not hold back choreographically despite his grueling schedule. Through her, he was able to gain a deep understanding of the origins of many dances he and Davis have interpreted on ice over the years.
“We certainly feel we’re masters of our craft, and yet there’s this whole other layer. Getting to work on that and discover new things was a pleasure,” White said. “We definitely have fresh perspective on so many different things, from the way you partner to the steps you have in your repertoire.”
Burgess said beyond teaching and choreographing, she has enjoyed dancing with White.
“The bar is set higher, and there were very high expectations for someone like Charlie,” Burgess said. “I had a lot of pressure on myself to create those amazing routines, to make it difficult enough for him and to give him the great technique on top of it. I didn’t go easy on him, and I didn’t take it easy on myself. I was constantly going back and looking at my work and making sure it was worthy of something that he would do.
“I wanted him to go out on the floor every Monday and do the absolute best routines that he could possibly have molded on him,” she added. “I feel like we achieved that week to week.”
Team USA also interviewed Charlie and Sharna. This is a good one. Be sure you read it in full at the link. Thanks to Ria for the heads up.
At what point did you start to think you were going home?
I think as soon as we knew it was the three Olympians in jeopardy, I had a bit of a feeling, but it could have gone any way. Having said that, I’m really looking forward to cheering on my fellow Team USA-ers.
How did it feel being eliminated after receiving perfect scores two weeks in a row?It’s disappointing. We were looking forward to moving on and up, and it felt like we were peaking at the right time. It’s just one of those things where it doesn’t work out the way that you want it to, and, thankfully, with all my experience in competing you learn how to handle disappointment. Both of us are looking at the bright side and trying to learn from it.
Would you have done anything differently over the past nine weeks?
Absolutely not. That’s one of the reasons we can hold our heads so high leaving. We can honestly say to ourselves and to each other that we did pretty much everything we could have, whether it be choreographically or being true to ourselves in a reality TV show, which maybe isn’t always the easiest, or the way we represented ourselves. It’s not easy, but we did literally everything that we could.
What is your favorite memory from the show?
It’s tough to say there’s just one. I think Disney night when we got to do our (“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” dance) was really special. It was one of those moments you’ll never forget. I got to dance with some cartoon penguins — that’s pretty memorable. It was a really special night.
Fascinating to hear Derek and Amy talk about what it was like to work with her running blades. It sounds like the proper ballroom posture is totally counter to what the running blades produce, so Amy had to work extra hard to create what she did. So amazing.
Ditto Butterflywhirl. I like hearing the mechanics of how the different feet have to work or Amy gets them to work. If I Derek didn’t tell us, it would seem so easy because Amy is that good.
As far as Maks knowing already whether or not he’s coming back next season. I’m going with no. To know this far in advance, I think he came back for Meryl and his last shot at the MBT before he ‘retired’ from the show. That seems most likely the agreement he and the producers made.
AH has an interview with Sharna and Charlie, and Sharna mentions what her idea for their freestyle would have been – and now I’m even more bummed we won’t get to see it. 🙁
Butterfly and AshleyL, Ditto from me too. I love hearing Amy and Derek talk about what really goes into making it possible for them to produce the awesome routines we see every Monday night. These two have a collaboration like no other, ever, on DWTS. It’s a damn good thing because it couldn’t work any other way. And may I just say that Amy looked so gorgeous tonight in both her Quickstep and Jazz costumes. Love the contrast between the white QStep and the black Jazz outfits. Derek, spot on as ever with the costuming.
Ugh, Charlie and Sharna are tearing my heart out. It is what it is, and you have to play the hand you’re dealth, but I’m glad Sharna’s voicing some discontent over the edits they were given and the dance styles too. It makes me sad to see the fire’s gone out of her beautiful blue eyes.
I watched the On The Red Carpet with Meryl and Maks. It’s hard to believe, but he almost seems to be bragging that he doesn’t put any work in planning the choreography ahead of time, and only starts thinking about it when he gets to the studio. Is he serious, or is he saying that because he thinks it makes him seem like some kind of a bad-ass? If it’s true, then no wonder he’s never won.
Sheesh, I need to stop watching these things because it’s making me think less of Meryl, who I love. Her dear friend and partner just got crushed, and she can’t stop giggling and cooing with Maks long enough to express any sympathy. Not cool.
AC 5:
Yep I just watched that too and I was taken aback by some of the comments in that interview. Hey it’s definitely some things we’ve all been saying on this blog though. He said he should’ve learned after 13 seasons but he hasn’t and is never well prepared which is why you saw the meltdown in the package. This from the same person that is scared to death he is going to fail Meryl? Obviously you are scared enough that you can’t even prepare better to help her have even better dancer?
Then the comment at the end that it’s all about the end result, not how you got there?!??!? As bad as it is to say that without something to compare it to, it’s also funny because his ‘rival’ Derek says the exact opposite thing about the show and life all the time…..
AC, LOL, I can see Maks being honest about that; and everyone works differently. So it’s not necessarily bad if that’s the way you roll *if* that’s how your creative juices get flowing. However, if that *is* his style then it sure does show his creative limits because his choreography sure has an extremely formulaic feel with very little wow factor. Meryl has sold it better than any other partner, but it’s still not Grade A work on his part.
Carrie Ann wrote: “Really, I can’t believe Charlie White, the Olympic champion who consistently delivered solid and high-scoring routines with his partner Sharna Burgess went home, a week before the finals. Our baby Baryshnikov… I have no explanation for this one, except that our viewers weren’t moved enough by his performances to give him that chance in the finals.”
OK ARE YOU SERIOUS WOMAN?!? Yes he consistently delivered solid performances that should have been scored HIGHER if you and the rest of the stooges hadn’t nitpick him all season long. “Our viewers weren’t moved”? No, we were very moved. YOU and the rest of the judges apparently weren’t because every single week you dropped the hammer on him for no reason whatsoever and underscored dances that, again, he should have scored higher in. The viewers alone aren’t to blame. It is also your fault CAI and that of the other judges for calling him out on his dances “not being special enough” and then underscoring him.
Rant over.GRRRR
Oh! Interesting about the re-do dances! So, Amy will be doing the Salsa, Meryl AT, James Tango, Candace Quickstep. Do they have to use the same songs?
CC, couldn’t agree more. Crazy!
CAI is such a hypocrite. I’m sure they were told by the higher ups to nitpick on his coring so just shut up already.
And it’s not like Charlie is not aware of what they did to him and Sharna. If you look at what he said in one of the interviews:
“I think that in this momemt you’re able to reflect a bit about the journey and where you’ve been and how you got to be where you at. And I think that being able to look at each other and say that we were 100% truthful to ourselves and did everything the right way as well as put our whole heart, soul, passion into the dancing which was really the most important thing”.
Yes, Charlie and Sharna. You did not have to resort to any drama, faux
romance etc etc but sorry that honesty and professionalism do not always count into this so called reality TV. You were true to yourselves and I applaud both of you.
Love watching these videos of Amy and Derek. So sorry Charlie went home last night. He has a sweet spirit like Amy and Derek has. When you go to YT to watch videos of Derek and Amy, all these videos of Maks and Meryl pop up. Voting on ABC.com is the same thing. After voting for Amy and Derek, what video should play but Meryl and Maks. I wanted to see Amy and Derek. What is going on?
Go take a well-deserved break Vogue.
Good grief CAI has made me so mad this season. I can’t stand it when she gets all surprised and superior when a contestant that she’s picked on all season gets sent home. Because it’s all the dim-witted, uneducated about dance viewer’s fault.
I swear if she lived next door to me, I would take five cats worth of poop and fling it at her front door.
Gosh, Maks is such a genius that he can make up a Freestyle on a moments notice with only 3 days to go until the final. As Dr. Evil would say “Riigghhtt!”.
So they’re all re-doing the dances they had during the switch-up then? Interesting. But it’s not really a re-do, then, is it?
@AR It’s a Redo of the dance style. Pretty sure the pros won’t copy the same exact routine that the Switch-Up pro-partners choreographed for the celebs. Now I do wonder if they’ll get the same songs… I think they won’t but you just never know with this show
I had to add a 1 by my name since there is one more Kate now.
#11 Ria
Yeah, Charlie knew this all along. He is a very smart guy. Charlie was expressing his frustration in his usual positive manner. If you read between the lines, you can tell exactly what he was feeling. He knows fully what gamesmanship is going on to get ahead. But this is a reality show and that is all fair and square and actually needed. Now he’s definitely not going to throw his 17 year partner under the bus. Clearly, his ice dance partner of 17 years has succumbed to doing what the TPTB want. Charlie, on the other hand, has stayed true to his character. I think he pointed that out in his subtle way.
Imo, Amy has been over-scored lately. Sitting on a chair, then on a table, is not dancing. Yes, she was injured but so was Danica.
I know how hard it is to do something when you’re disabled (I’ve been a wheelchair user for 20 years) but Len said they’d treat her just like the others. I guess he forgot.
Personally, if they had to pick dances for “redemption” as they have done in the past I would have chosen the same ones for Amy, Candace, James and Charlie (had he not been eliminated). Amy’s Salsa, while hot, was a bit lackluster. James’ Tango, while hot, also needed improvement on the posture. Candace’s QS also needed improvement on… a lot of things. And Charlie’s Rumba well, we all know how that went for him.
Now giving Meryl the Argentine Tango again? What is she even supposed to do BETTER? Don’t the judges usually go in to talk to them during rehearsals for this dances? What the heck are they supposed to tell her to do better when the dance was pretty much perfect the first time? If anything she should have gotten the ChaChaCha or Rumba. I get that the whole point of this is to make the celebs dance the styles they didn’t do with their partners during the Switch Week but still…
I would have liked them to do:
Night 1: One unlearned dance (James the Arg Tango, Meryl the QS, Candace a Paso and Amy a Samba) and the Freestyle
Night 2: Fusion dance and some relay/face off dance.
JJ if you really believe that Amy is being overscored and not being treated like the others, then you HAVE to feel the same way about Meryl. All that walking in her routines is a big time waster, not to mention that Amy’s Jive was actually better than hers. Sorry, but Amy is making dancing with no legs look easy, and is making the people who critique her look pretty darn silly and hypocritical.
Love how you claim it’s not dancing when people have won Emmy’s for far less entertaining dances.
I disagree J.J. She was moving, dancing, and working that table…not just sitting on it. As for the chair, she had to do a balancing act on it which would require a lot of strength. I’d invite anyone to try what she did with both props and then we’ll talk. I know I could have never done it and with so much beauty.
JJ, then don’t watch Chelsie in bleeding love where is does more emoting than dancing. Heidi the same for an Emmy winning dance. Or most sytycd or any competition dance. The lack of coverage will make you say it is not dancing. Though same critics said Amber just did a hand jive. Really? It’s called tutting and not easy.
Good point, PH. Man, good thing these folks did not see Chris Scott’s amazing group number where dancers sat in rocking chairs! What? They are trained dancers, they can do more. Chris is holding them back. Pretty much the off the mark comments being made about Amy.
Derek’s worst freestyle which wasn’t even bad IMO was his one with Ricki. But still better than what Maks did with Mel whoa as a trained performer. I think he is not focusing on winning but making it about Amy. He has to know Meryl is the fave and Maks came back for a reason. I like the zen attitude.
If Maks can give us the unexpected with Meryl, I will be impressed. Come on, do hip hop. Though I can see him attempting even Bollywood. Since ?Meryl did an OD to it. Yet can’t see him pulling it off.
Yes Kate(1). I very much agree and that is why I have changed my opinion on Meryl after this DWTS sojourn. She is already a terrific dancer, there was no need for the fake romance. They could have just said they’re friends but have chemistry on the floor. But of course, it does not make for good drama so they play coy and to tell you the truth that disgusts me.
I liked both of them before DWTS. Now I have much, much more admiration for Charlie and much less for her.
Infuriating that Carrie Ann is still condescending to Charlie even after he’s voted off. What the heck does she think her job is, if not to tell the audience what to think about the contestants? “Baby” Baryshnikov who didn’t touch people? Bite me, lady.
“…being able to look at each other and say that we were 100% truthful to ourselves and did everything the right way…” Hmmm, I hadn’t paid much attention to that comment, but it does seem rather pointed. Do you think people on the show tried to talk Charlie and Sharna into manufacturing drama? Maybe Maks in a friendly way on some of those long plane rides? Or perhaps TPTB, with those short packages as punishment when they wouldn’t play along?
I am tending to lean that way. They have had a lot of funny interactions during rehearsals(see Charlie/Sharna twitter pages)but they never appeared on heir packages at all. Instead they cut one of his packages where he appeared to be whining about not getting 10s.
And that is why Sharna referred to Charlie in that interview as “genuine” so I will guess he did not want to play along for whatever they wanted him to do like maybe dissing Meryl for their “rivalry’ etc. IMO.
Sharna very much strikes me as someone with a low tolerance for bullshit. Personal integrity seems to be something that’s woefully lacking in show biz, so good for her.
Ria
Sharna did say in one of the interviews that they had so much fun in rehearsals and it was sad that they didn’t show any of that. I think there may be some truth to Charlie not playing along or maybe their attempts at demoralizing him every week were not having the intended effect. It also made for the producers not getting any usable content out of his rehearsals because I suspect most of it was all feel good, no nonsense, “normal” behavior. Hence, they cut whatever they could grasp at, to show Charlie and Sharna in somewhat of a not so appealing light, which was really unfair in the big scheme of things.
I absolutely agree Ria, my admiration has increased for Charlie by leaps and bounds with it decreasing by the same amount for Meryl. I thought she was stronger than that.
I guess I should have known the deck was stacked when they didn’t use any of that adorable footage of Charlie ice skating with his dog, DJ.
Charlie + ice skates + puppy = mirror ball.
Sadly I do too. When I saw them at the Stars on Ice last week I was hoping to really enjoy the show(which was fabulous). However, like I said, the DWTS thing colored my perception and made it just a little bit disappointing.
I can never go back to where I enjoyed both of them absolutely. I find that I can’t even enjoy their youtube competition videos anymore(gosh, I sound pathetic, me an educated mature woman, my husband just look at me like uhbut everytime I see Meryl and Maks pawing each other it just makes me gag.
Does anyone think that Oprah’s endorsement will help Amy and Derek?
Seeing Amber in the ballroom again made me realize what a perfect example Amy is of what Amber said when she won, that regardless of whatever, you can do anything you put your mind to. Ladies and gentlemen, Amy Purdy.
Does anyone think that Oprah’s endorsement will help Amy and Derek?
Seeing Amber in the ballroom again made me realize what a perfect example Amy is of what Amber said when she won, that regardless of whatever, you can do anything you put your mind to. Ladies and gentlemen, Amy Purdy.
I don’t know if Oprah’s endorsement will make a difference, but I had to smile when she said, “WHEN u will I will take u out to dinner”. I like her confidence.
Can the new showrunner please dump CAI and her nit-infested extensions out on the street before next season? If I have to even look at that smug face, let alone listen to her vapid comments anymore, I swear I’m gonna open a vein.
It just slays me how every season ALL the Stooges (but especially CAI and Len) always point the finger at the viewers and say “they’re the ones who didn’t vote for so-and-so; don’t blame us!” I call BULLSHIT on that (not that it does me any good).
In addition to missing out on a fabulous freestyle from Charlie, I’m now crying my eyes out that I don’t get to see Charlie and Sharna do a real Rumba with Sharna. The only consolation I have is I think it’s fabulous that Meryl’s do-over dance is going to prove to anyone with even 1/4 of a brain that Val C. makes Maks C. look like the poser he is. 👿 Of course, it will probably still get a 40 🙄 Yes, I’m angry. M&M shippers, “bite me.”
Lordy, I’m so angry I can’t put a sentence together anymore Sharna is apparently so brilliant she’s gonna dance with herself and Charlie. LOL, I’m gonna blame it on the alcohol.
I admire Sharna for going for it and giving Charlie the hardest choreos she could throw at him and not playing is safe.
In the TeamUSA interview Charlie said he and Sharna can exit the show with their heads held high because they did everything their way by being true to themselves which is not the easiest way to go in a reality TV show. Love these two.
Sharna said she learned a lot from Charlie’s positivity in life and his approach to everything and she is grateful for him being now her friend which also includes his family and Tanith.
Charlie said his friends now include Drew, Cody and James. Hm. No inclusion of Maks at all? I don’t think Charlie thinks to highly of him
and he was very careful to say anything about him at all in his interviews.
LOL Cidra…Hugssss!
CAI and her blog are infuriating and that is putting it mildly. I don’t know how scum like her make it anywhere.
OMG you just reminded me, I really wanted to see his Rumba again. Last night was like someone cutting off your air supply. 🙁
I’m curious what the second night will be like. I wonder how much time Sharna and Charlie will get with all the couples coming back. Not counting on much time. 🙁
#35 Ria
Haha…how did I miss that? Maks is a glaring omission. I love Charlie. 🙂
Kate and Ria, thanks so much for the heads up on the two interviews. They’ve both been added to the post. 😉
Derek is a passionate-love that he wants to create a freestyle and select the song based on Amy’s journey on dwts. I’m glad he’s letting people know that what Amy has accomplished is truly amazing and no easy feat!
Admittedly, I cheered when Len when Len “finally” acknowledged Derek’s amazing skills as a choreographer in that piece with Amy!
Derek said he will always remember that compliment for Kenny Ortega! He got right Derek truly does redefine choreography for our generation. BRAVO!!! BTW, I loved that Jazz number.
Good luck to all the contestants. Wow, it would be something if Amy went on to win this competition! With Oprah waiting in the wings, who knows-lol
Thanks for posting all the videos here..
Sad to see Charlie go.
Sorry for the typos/duplications -hope my comments are understood. I guess posting from a phone was not the best option for me-lol
Thanks again for all the work you guys do here at Puredwts – it’s so appreciated!!
so it’s a sure thing that every couple is doing the week 4 dance?I have to say it won’t be good for meryl. she’s already almost perfect the first time so what’s there to improve? the other three coulple’s dances have something to improve. I ‘d love to see her dance a cha cha or a proper foxtrot or a proper rumba, all of the three could show improvement which is exactly tue theme of redemption dance.
Dee #39,len acknoledge derek’s chreo ability way back in season 9 after the futuristic paso by saying he is an absolute genius. i think len likes derek really much, just having different opinion at times makes him giving derek low scores.
I miss Charlie and Sharna already…..they were so much fun. Loved their routines and the Sharna gave him difficult choreography……..Mary Poppins will always be a favorite for me.
You should have been in the finals, just do not like the way the judges have been all season.
Someone said they have already inscribed the MBT for Maks and Meryl and that made me sad. The whole season was based on Maks having a MBT, it makes it difficult to watch the finals…but I will be voting, not sure who I will support at this time.
Ria (#35) God I love Charlie. Always the gentleman; but sometimes what a gentleman chooses *not* to say, speaks volumes, doesn’t it? 🙂
Thanks Kate(1)(#36) Yep, it felt like someone had their hands on my throat and was slowly choking me all Monday night. As for how much of Charlie/Sharna we’ll see on Tuesday, well of course they could totally change things up in the interest of being edgy and hip (not), but last season Brant and Christina & their pros danced a duet, Snookie had a nice little solo number as did Valerie Harper. So it’s possible we’ll get another pretty decent-length dance from Charlie/Sharna. Of course with the lack of respect they’ve accorded him all season, he and Sharna will probably get stuffed at the back of a big group number with the early eliminees. So I’m not getting my hopes up too high.
Charlie does have the distinction of being the only celeb ever in a bumper, and one with dancing penguins, no less. Wish he could get a bit of recognition for that.
Cidra: That non-mention of Maks really struck me as odd. Maks and Sharna went on tours with them and Charlie must have spent lots of times with him yet I can’t remember him mentioning him in his interviews like he has mentioned Drew Carey for example.
Meryl might have bought his whatever or she could just maybe want to really win but I don’t think Charlie is into him at all. He is profuse in his admiration for Sharna and Drew and even hanged out with the crew of DWTS(they really liked him)but he never went out with him in LA even when he was by himself .
Cidra
Yes, he is very clever that way. He is nice but he is by no means a pushover. 😛
I’m not getting my hopes high either. The producers know by now that Charlie and Sharna have the capability of outshining most of the finalists. They’ve been a threat since day 1 to Maks’ MBT because they are so good. Therefore, I feel the time allotted to them will be less. Looking back, I thought Charlie’s response to Erin’s drama bait question “What’s your shock level?” was so great. He totally ignored it. This guy is always thinking two thoughts ahead! 😀
I’m fully expecting a blatant M&M pimpage to the last second of the show next week.
I hope Derek and Amy kill it in the freestyle.
Oh no Mark 🙁 I was just starting to enjoy you again this year and you had to go and pull the olympic card thing (and touring on the road ?? guess that was the dig for James) to further highlight that Candace has no training/ experience. Hey I hear those religious missions can be pretty intense. 🙂
Her voice still bothers me 20 some years later
Talk about classy. He went and thanked the judges!(the same judges who have been so shitty to him all season). Too bad they esp. CAI don’t have any consciences to be embarrassed.
I would have bitchslapped CAI till her extentions fall off.
Funny Mark because you won with two Olympians and one was a figure skater. Actually since Candace acts, she has more performance experience than Amy. Snowboarding does not require choreography or performing with a smile like the afterbuzz folks pointed out.
I just hope Amy kills it this Monday. Even though ?Meryl has tons of support, would be great to see her snatch that win in the end?
Yeah, Mark’s only wins were with Olympians – one of which is probably the second biggest ringer in the history of the show. How quickly they forget. 🙂
Oh, and Markie? That quote was DEREK’S that Kenny repeated. Dude. Please.
Good for Charlie, positive but made his point. I had a feeling he didn’t want to play their games. He must cringe watching Maks draped over Meryl non stop. Anyone notice that Monday Maks was anything but lovey dovey after being called in jeopardy, that is until they showed his true colors in the package? Then he turned it on again.
Ashley #2
>>As far as Maks knowing already whether or not he’s coming back next season. I’m going with no. To know this far in advance, I think he came back for Meryl and his last shot at the MBT before he ‘retired’ from the show. That seems most likely the agreement he and the producers made.<<
I think he’s permanently coming back – as a judge. That would certainly explain why TPTB and the stooges are making sure that he wins the MBT.
Yep, I’m leaning toward the Maks coming back as a permanent judge school of thought as well. While Len is not one foot in the grave by any means, he’s no spring chicken. Fall is when he does double duty on SCD and on DWTS. The jet lag must be pretty heinous.
That’s a very interesting theory, Jara. It would be harder (though not impossible) to be a judge on this show having never won. He’s going to give Mark or Cheryl pointers on how to win? I don’t think so. 🙂 I’m back to praying once again that Derek won’t be back. Surely they won’t be able to find someone new to tempt him onto the floor…
I am already leaning on not watching DWTS anymore because of all the shitty things they did this season but Maks coming back as a judge is just icing on the cake. If there is a celebrity that I like on the show next fall I will just youtube it and just focus on the dance and nothing else.
Another gem from Charlie:
“You don’t have to be outrageous or fake something to be entertaining.
Sometimes, being inspiring is enough.”
I love you.
#56 – I agree, Ria. That is a *great* quote from Charlie, and I’m proud of him and Sharna and how they were this season.
As far as CAI and her comments about not understanding how Charlie could leave – either she is being really disingenuous, and wanting to blame anyone but herself and the other judges, or she has no clue how this show works, and how people work, and the power of the judges’ words and scores, when repeated often enough (as with Charlie).
And #53 – please no. I really hope not.
Ria
That is a gem isn’t it. And going by what he said, it is apt to vote for Amy and Derek. They are both very inspiring. 🙂
What they did to him and Sharna was plain dirty. I just realized that all his latin routines(Rumba w/Peta, ChaCha, Paso, Samba) were made more of a challenge to not just him but Sharna as well. She did a very good job with the ridiculous song choices she was given.
If they do a dance in the finale, I hope it is contemporary. 🙂
Yikes about Maks being a judge but thinking about that makes his “announcement” even more ominous. Like others have said, the pros don’t know this early about next season and why announce you won’t be coming back so soon. So that judge thing makes sense. However, if that is the case I will have more spare time next fall because I will not watch the show if he is a permanent judge. So if he wins and they announce him being a judge on the final show- might not be able to watch tuesday either. What manipulation we have all been a part of. Unbelievable.
If it’s already been arranged that Maks will be a judge next season, that would be quite a conflict of interest that should have been disclosed up front. It’s very likely the judges would treat him differently than the other pros knowing he’d on their side of the table later.
Giving someone, who describes himself as not necessarily proficient with words, a job where his main responsibility is to speak, is not exactly a brilliant decision.
I hate that they are doing the switch-up dances as the redemption dance They used to pick a dance that they wanted to see an improvement on. Meryl sure as hell doesn’t need improving on the A.Tango, that was her best dance I think they picked these dances as the redemption because Maks was pissed that he didn’t get to do the A.Tango, which is one of his favorite dances to do. Giving into Maks jmo
Yes, but think of how delicious it will be if Maks’s AT doesn’t compare well to Val. One of the stooges might actually say something about that. Could be big silver lining time.
Ria, I loved that quote from Charlie too. As a matter of fact, it’s now in the biography section on my twitter page. Of course, giving Charlie credit for those heartfelt words. 🙂
I have nothing but respect for Charlie, Sharna, Derek, and Amy. Love their spirits. If there is any justice in this world, someone that has earned it will win. Hopefully, Oprah will back her words up with some hardcore voting for Amy. *fingers crossed*
I’m so impressed at how Sharna and Charlie have been insistent that everyone deserved to make it through to the finals, even during their initial reaction. All class, those two.
It’s no secret Charlie is my favorite and I think he should still be there. But I wince when I see people saying that one person deserves to win more than another. All the celebrities have been working hard, giving it their all, and playing by the rules. They have nothing to do with the judging or the shenanigans, and whoever gets the most votes will have earned the win.
Not to be overly nit picky, but no, getting the most votes doesn’t guarantee a win. It’s the highest combined score that wins. Judges scores plus viewer votes. Technically, someone who gets more votes than the high scorer could still lose.
So true, PH. How big an anvil do you think they’ll drop on Amy and Derek? Of course if A(mazing) & D(elightful) hit a home run, the Stooges can’t low-ball them too much. That would be so obvious that even the sheeple would be saying WTF? I hope TPTB are wrong in assuming the bulk of Charlie’s votes will go to Meryl. If a goodly number switch to Amy (as I think they could), TPTB might misjudge how much they need to underscore Amy to ensure a Maks win. We could end up with a “shocking victory” and “wouldn’t that be loverly”? 😉
If Amy dances like she has been the past few weeks, they won’t be able to low ball too much – and really, they might not want to. It’s hard to tell with them. I think the *producers* don’t care who wins, only who gets how far. The judges, on the other hand, I think have competing agendas – they want to be right (see James’ high scores last week), they want the “best” dancer to win, and they want to be right (yes, I did say that twice 🙂 ) They are also sensitive to a backlash – CAI is anyway. She’s so defensive in her blogs, and has seemed to cave to pressure before. So, like you said Cidra, they’ll not be able to low ball too much if Amy just kills it.
I agree, the producers have never cared *before* who won. However, I do wonder if that changed this season because if they didn’t care who won, then why pull the stunt they pulled in the quarterfinals. Scaring all the clueless Davis/White fans into abandoning Charlie for Meryl seemed to be designed to create exactly the scenario that unfolded in the Semis — Charlie’s elimination. Going into the season, we all thought the producers were shooting for a Meryl vs. Charlie showdown in the finale. Something changed, and the only thing I can come up with is that they need Maks to win the MBT (which brings us back to Jara’s interesting hypothesis of Maks as judge).
I just hope Amy and Derek kill it and ruin whatever nefarious plan TPTB have up their sleeve.
Wasn’t it Maks who at the beginning of the season reported that he had been asked back as a judge, and he rejected the idea immediately. Of course, I’m sitting here and thinking about consistency, and we’re talking about Maks.
Which by the way, I have a feeling that one of the things Charlie didn’t like at all is the way Maks drapes himself all over Meryl. I’m a bit curious why she puts up with it. Not that she has to be hostile, but give the girl some space! It’s really gotten creepy.
If the rumors about Maks are true, does that mean there will be 4 judges permanently? That’s a horrible horrible idea. More air time for judges … yeah … that’s the ticket!
Maybe Meryl wasn’t getting as many votes as they hoped…at least not enough to get past Amy…and they were looking to change that.
This is
Meryl’s to lose even if she didn’t have Maks as a partner. But it seems like this pairing was about to give Maks that win. Funny how this is a obvious celeb who would win yet some still think Derek was propped to win five times. No. He earned it with a variety of different partners. How anyone at this point think Tptb are out to get Meryl confuses me. Maybe Amy or James are closest to compete with Meryl so to make it look competitive. I just hope Amy or even James pulls it off bc Maks losing with Meryl would be best drama. But the internet may erupt if Meryl loses, lol.
It’s not really a rumor, Susan – it’s speculation. Huge difference. And yeah, I think it’s a horrible idea. ON the plus side, Courtney and I could have a new feature called Shit Maks ‘N Erin Say. 🙂 Although I have to say that Erin has settled into the job a bit and isn’t as bad as she was early on.
@Heidi – You better load up on your beer supply before the finale… Just in case!! 🙂
LOL!!! This would be too funny! DO IT!!!
That is a good point PH. Only the TPTB know what the voting numbers are and they dial up the drama where necessary in response to it. Then they hope that their manipulations has their intended effect on the voting. This time they are not going to leave much room for anyone to get too close to Maks and that MBT.
Ooops! I had a bit of a “moment” on Miss Inaba’s blog. Guess I have that in common with Sharna. lol (only, I kept it relatively clean). nitwit, producer’s lackey stooge.
Have to wonder if Maks’ mouth/ego are writing checks his choreographic abilities just can’t cash regarding the FS, ya know?
As for Charlie & Sharna in all the exit interviews? I could gush and gush about these 2 for days, but I’m sure everyone is sick to DEATH of my going on and on about them (him). Suffice it to say, I am just now able to read and watch the post show interviews TODAY (Wednesday). I was a bit saddened when I saw that Charlie had favorited a tweet I sent out the other day about still being heart sore regarding their elimination 24 hours after the fact.
*deep breath* *shakes self*
I’m really stopping now. Sorry. *sigh*
I’ve read all the stories about how Charlie got screwed to ensure Meryl’s win. However, there is also the possibility that Charlie never got enough momentum to begin with.
Here’s a possible version of the story. The premise before the live shows was that Charlie was gonna capture everyone with his personality and funny side, while Meryl was this shy, little cold and very professional person. Of course, dance-wise, both were expected to be very good.
So, once live shows started, people discovered a Meryl they did not expect, while Charlie was much more focused than expected. Maybe hard core D/W fans were faithful to both, but I tend to think that the general public went with Meryl rather than Charlie. This is likely also because Meryl had some very good weeks early on.
Now, by mid-season the show realized that Charlie is not gaining momentum so TBTP wanted something more from them. They probably wanted to stick to just pure dancing, and so the only alternative TBTP were left with is nitpicking by judges to rile up fans and side with Charlie. But that may have not worked either….
There is no way of knowing actual votes. So, I still think TBTP wanted a Meryl/Charlie finale, and I don’t think that they wanted to sabotage Charlie. For all I know, if that can be taken as any indication, few people watched their dances on YT, or commented on their dancing on social media. Don’t get me wrong, all their dances were very good, and Sharna came up with intricate chore, but I still remember her foxtrot and jazz with Andy better than some of the dances with Charlie… sorry to say this.
Anna #79, it’s very hard to “capture everyone with his personality and funny side” when the producers were giving him LESS than a 90 second pre-dance package every week and NEVER showed he and Sharna having so much of the fun she kept talking about. He got a very “surface skimming” treatment in those clips and the general public never got the chance to really get to know him, imo.
Maybe Angie, but I heard several pros, and ones that I care much about, say how much fun they had with their partner after they exit the show, that I sometimes wonder if the fun they refer to is simply having amicable relations as opposed to real funny stuff.
And don’t get my post wrong, some of my favorites on DWTS have been pairs that had this sort of amicable, respectable and dance-focused partnerships. Corbin and Karina are one example. To their advantage, I think their season was less competitive, and some of their early routines were quite memorable, at least to me.
Not to mention the fact that the producers pimped the hell out of the
fauxmance between Maks and Meryl which the sheeple and D/W fans actually lapped and believed.
Ria (#82) I feel offended by calling “sheeple” anyone that has been drawn to Meryl/Maks partnership. I am an educated, mature person and Maks is not even my favorite pro. Yet I did get drawn into their partnership.
And believe it or not, last season I was all about DWTS is a dance show, and we should all care only about the quality of the dance. And while I still believe in that, and good dancing still comes first for me, I couldn’t help but realize this season that when many couples produce good dancing, that extra bit surrounding partnerships matters quite a lot.
Also I have not been a fan of either W/D or Sharna/Maks. So, I consider myself as general public with respect to this season.
Oh and let’s not forget that in their official ABC and FB pages made it a point to keep Charlie off any sort of publicity. The only time they had 3 of his videos up were to point out the judges criticism of his routines prior to the Abby Lee show. Once they saw how good Charlie was (after week 2), they started to lay the foundation for his removal. They tried to get him to self destruct, the night of the Paso but that worked real well. I think he was pegged to be used as the shock elimination of the season. And guess what it worked!!!!
I forgot to add all the W-altz T-ango F-oxtrot songs that Sharna was given for most of her routines. I think that was definitely done to make things harder for them. C’mon that samba song was atrocious!!!
Anna, that would be a good theory….if this was the first time this had happened.
Yes. Cynthia Dagnal-Myron that journalist that I talked about before was so appalled at how the show treated Charlie. She said that when some fans put up a video for Charlie, DWTS takes it down as fast as it could. No wonder he could not get any attention. She was so mad she even berated CAI in her Parade blog and actually commiserated with Jacqui White in her twitter page. And after the way they treated him he was still all class and positivity.
There were a lot of funny stuff in their rehearsals but the producers never showed any of it in the show. They critized his dancing but did not tell him what was wrong yet they gave away 10’s like confetti to less deserving celebs.
I could care less if he got eliminated in the third week. It is the way they treated him that really makes me mad.
Ria and Kate(1), I could go on and on pointing out all of the ways tptb seemingly sabotaged Charlie from like Week 3 on, but it could be construed as sour grapes on my part. However, I am right there with you. And can they even BEGIN to explain the fact the he was given EVERY Latin dance, the ONLY celeb required to do a Paso and had to wait until Week freaking 8 to get one of the Ballroom dances EVERYONE knew he could slay?
Talk about not being able to gain momentum? If tptb had given him a FT or QS the same week the Meryl got a FT (week 3?) and not saddled him with having to learn a rhumba in what could realistically be called a “Week 1” situation, with a brand new partner (switch-up), the momentum could have TOTALLY shifted. Just look at how he wowed with that Jazz in Week 5. THEN, it was back to the Latin with a WTF song choice for a Cha Cha in Week 6. Then, and I truly believe this, the Latin Week pre-dance package totally screwed him when it came to the judges. If feel like they were all just gunning for him for admitting that he wanted 10’s, but I also feel like that package was mostly a producers manipulation and so freaking staged.
Well, shoot, I went on and on when I said I wouldn’t. My bad. *dammit*
Oh and here’s my theory about the first perfect score of the season. I truly believe that the producers and judges were NEVER going to give the first perfect score of the entire season to either of the Ice Dancers. That left them scrambling to try and explain why Meryl’s AT with Val didn’t get all 10’s or EVERYONE but Len deciding to judge Charlies Jazz as if he were a pro and deduct for the cane drop. You can rave on James’ Frozen number, but frankly, I didn’t feel it at all and when they got that perfect score, the light bulb went off in my head that they had been DESPERATE to find SOMEONE they thought they could justify all 10’s for with semi-straight faces.
Angie, the clip of Charlie in the patio discussing getting tens is almost a replay of Apolo’s clip with Karina when they were setting him up for elimination. Same location, very similar dialogue. Totally sounded scripted.
Why they needed him bashed and trashed when their chosen ones both have a large fan base, she is near pro level in ability, and the shippers were going gaga from day one is still a mystery to me unless they wanted to keep a more diverse audience demographic or they wanted to divert Charlie’s votes to Maks to ensure the win.
Angie, I just want to thank for posting on that CAI blog. I was going to post but you already said everything I wanted to say to that hypocritical smug sorry excuse of a judge(who gives 10 to anybody who rips off his shirt).
I just had a horrible thought! 🙁
What if TPTB did promise Maks a win if he came back this season to finish out his contract, (so they could put him on as a judge). I think they have been pre-searching for a replacement judge, and that’s why they have been trying out having a 4th judge all these weeks this season. IF this is true then the fix is in for Maks. Because, if he doesn’t win, he would have an attitude (like he doesn’t have one now) for not getting the MBT and it would surface and could wreak havoc next season on the judges panel. 😮
What’s your thoughts??
Ria #91, I was a bit pissed after I read her blog and kind of let my emotions get the better of me. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been avoiding social media since Monday night. I’ve just been so damn MAD! I was hoping a couple of days distance would give me some perspective, but obviously, I was wrong since nearly everyone one of my posts here at Pure today have been voicing my disgust and outrage regarding the treatment of Charlie and Sharna. It’s just ruined this entire show for me now and I can’t muster enthusiasm for anyone (altho, I am usually a devoted fan of Derek and whatever celeb partner he has).
Anyway, thanks for the shout out about Miss Stooges’ blog.
@kreativekat, if Mak is going to be a judge next season then he will win. They could hardly have a judge from the roster of pros who hasn’t won a mbt. That would be so ridiculous imo. How could he judge if he hadn’t won, so, imo if Meryl Maks win the trophy Monday night, it has been fixed. And ABC and DWTS producers are complicit in this. There are many ways of swaying public opinion and both those entities have done everything to make that team, above all others, in the forefront of peoples thoughts and votes.
Angie, I feel the same way. I don’t know that I ever felt so mad at this show which I have watched for years(but keeps losing interest because of the unfairness of the judges and the way it treats the celebs that they do not want on the show).
I don’t know when the judges started getting so mean but the first years of the show were really good. No wonder they keep losing viewers every year. Why is it that they prefer cruel barbs instead of helpful criticisms I’d never know. I can not enjoy shows that makes fun of contestants or rips them apart for the sale of entertainment. The same way I can not enjoy comedians who insults, makes fun of people etc all in guise of comedy. No thank you.
I guess treating people decently is almost a thing of the past.
More outrageous people succeed and nice guys finish last.
I was thinking that I couldn’t quite put my finger on why I’m so blasé about this season, but truth is …I don’t have enough fingers!
As a die hard fan since day one, oh so many years ago, I’ve gotta say, this season finds me extremely disinterested. Talent-wise, one of the better seasons we’ve had, but didn’t like the way Diana Nyad & Sean were eliminated; didn’t like the machinations with BDW’s exit, don’t like the heavy handed pimping (they’ve always pimped, but this season seems especially aggressive), the list goes on, mirroring everyone’s feelings here. And from what I’ve been reading on this site, the puppet masters are not done – more crap to come in the 2-day finale. UGH!
I really do hope they are pre-searching for new judge but IMHO they should be searching for several – I never thought I’d hear myself say this but Bruno is the only one I’d want to stay LOL. The best news for the show by far is that Conrad Greenwithenvy is leaving. I gotta think (and pray) new blood will take us in a new (better) direction. Give us back the sparkly dancing show we so loved and leave the damn drama for the afternoon soaps.
My thoughts exactly! Give us good dancing, fair judges and enough with the dramas, showmances, barely there costumes(Peta, I( am looking at you).
I am so tired of these stuff. They were doing so well when they started
but they started cranking up new stuff trying to get younger viewers who could care less about ballroom dancing. They would do better catering to
their core audience some of whom had stuck with them like myslef but who is fast losing interest because of all these shenanigans. Pitting pros with other pros, pitting celebs with other celebs. What next?
#Linde “I really do hope they are pre-searching for new judge but IMHO they should be searching for several – I never thought I’d hear myself say this but Bruno is the only one I’d want to stay LOL. The best news for the show by far is that Conrad Greenwithenvy is leaving. I gotta think (and pray) new blood will take us in a new (better) direction. Give us back the sparkly dancing show we so loved and leave the damn drama for the afternoon soaps.”
Heaven help me… I agree, regarding Bruno. Len has stopped being the one to hold the line and CAI… Well… I’m never too sure just what her standards are.
Can we also agree that whomever was responsible for getting ALM on the show should be canned… [tarred and feathered would be ok as well]?
#79 Anna wrote that the anticipated audience reaction to Charlie [FUN!] and Meryl [Dull] [my summary, not Anna’s exact words] turned the expected upside-down.
If folks haven’t seen the OTRC interview w/ M&M and George P, they should. A big part of the interview is Meryl relaying her assertiveness when Sunday’s flight was delayed from a 8:30/9PM departure to 1:30AM Monday morning is telling. Meryl quoted what she said to Charlie about after spending so much time w/ Maks there was no way she was going to put up with that. She demanded and they both were rebooked on a flight leaving 20 minutes after the original flight. And even the luggage was changed to the new flight. Which meant they got back to LA and were actually able to get close to a full nights sleep. What was so interesting to me was Maks reaction: thrilled/proud. Maks has been working on more than dancing.
Thus, their partnership [M&M] is also drawing out much more of Meryl’s personality and ability to assert herself. Perhaps this is also playing out in their interpersonal actions and making it’s way into the ‘packages’?
Meryl has also stated she not only wanted to really learn the dance techniques, but to delve into the emotional side of dance. Didn’t see that same passion from Charlie. The emotional impact of both of their performances has been vastly different…and perhaps was key in drawing in viewers to Meryl’s performances?
Charlie, while the funny stuff could and should have been shown, didn’t seem to have that same vivacious chemistry w/ Sharna. Also, his routines, imo, were too loaded w/ choreo too early and despite his legendary work ethic [shared by Meryl] resulted in performances which weren’t as clean…and perhaps, didn’t impact the viewers as much as Meryl’s? Also, while Maks method of doing choreo on the fly on Tuesday’s w/ Meryl in the room resulted in a tossed mic-pack after it dropped off his waist, he was designing specifically for Meryl, her strengths, what he felt confident she could learn and perform that week, and any current health issues [suspect footwear for the past couple of weeks played into this] Sharna, iirc, brought in outside talent… perhaps this is a drawback? Val does a variant on the theme, where he’s in the studio into the wee hours on Monday, works out the routine w/ a pro, then fed it to Danica. [I see pluses and minuses for all three styles, and what works for one, might not work for another pro or their celebrity.]
Also, it seems Maks has consistency in vision for Meryl’s ‘brand’: classy, elegant OGM winner. No raunchy outfits…even Latin night was tasteful. Nothing cheesy, either. Also, the way the M&M were costumed, they related. Some of Sharna’s seemed at odds with how Charlie was dressed and thus, didn’t do anything to reinforce the sense of unity so apparent w/ M&M.
I know I expected Charlie to be the more interesting performer yet found myself riveted by the M&M performances. [As a former fashion industry professional, the costuming!!! is included as part of the performance] Don’t think I was alone as the FB ‘likes’ and even YT views put Charlie well down on the list for ‘likes’ and views compared to several of the other contestants.
As far as the crap music others have mentioned… It wasn’t just Charlie stuck w/ horrid songs… although he might have had more of the worst…
And just to rant: did it seem to me that some of the ‘American Icons’ weren’t ‘icons’? Or at least not yet? It wasn’t only the Icon night which had such dodgy inclusions. This chasing after ‘younger viewers’ is a big flop, imo. Also, the trend over the years of adding all sorts of ‘no-rule’ dances also seems to have created another set of problems… Judging has been overinflated and imo, also contributed to some pairs leaving too soon… and at least one staying too long. [Nene]
Let’s hope the departure of Mr. Green and replacement with the chap who was onboard during the early years will result in a program more faithful to DWTS roots.
I should also add to my previous post, that other pairs packages were crafted to boost viewer interest. Frankly, while I’ve been really impressed with Amy, especially at the beginning, I now want to ban the word ‘inspirational’…other than the change up in lower legs for the QS, I’ve not seen the performance arc of Candace, for example…it also is wearing thin… James/Peta showmance was another, which wore thin. Frankly, if not for his teenybopper fan base, James would have been gone long ago. For such a fit guy, his technique hasn’t improved the way I thought it would… and now James is offering signed photos to fans who can prove they voted 1,000x [or so I read] That’s just cheesy and beneath the integrity of the competition, but clearly had an impact on vote tallies…bumping Charlie out…[And if the producers think those kids are all watching the show, they’ve got rocks in their head, imo. Suspect the vast majority of his voting fanbase are just voting/not watching]
Also, until George P told Sharna how short the S/C packages were relative to the others, she had no idea…That’s inexperience showing…
In summary… While I’m crushed Charlie is not in the final 4, I do not think his departure can be solely blamed on ‘producer manipulation’… I believe there were many moving parts and unfortunately, too many of them ended up not working to his favor.
That the producers chose to capitalize on the unfortunate outcome by setting up the ugly situation of the 17 year pair wondering which one is leaving… Well, I doubt the viewers appreciated it and thought it cheesy.
To me, DWTS historically was less a ‘reality’ show [thank goodness] and more of a docu-tition. [documentary/competition-my term and I wish the industry would make the distinction] I LIKE getting to know more about the contestants, the pros, how they work, and see random goofiness etc, etc. Yet, it seems that the program over the past several years has gone more into the ‘reality’ genre, to the detriment of the show…and has fostered perceptions of participants/pros which aren’t accurate. The clearest example is the fair-haired All-American Derek v. the brooding/moody ‘foreign’ guy, Maks… Both are highly talented, both widely respected in the industry [and have differing, yet equally valuable strengths]… yet, in the misguided attempt to drive a narrative, they’ve created a monster…that has spilled over into resentment of Derek for perceived [and perhaps at times, real] favoritism and character maligning of Maks. For example: it’s widely claimed Maks stinks at choreo…Yet, look what he’s been turning out week after week…He also comes from Latin/Ballroom and isn’t as keen on the whole SYTYCD look, which Derek seems to enjoy. Which is more faithful to the intent of the show? Is DWTS a choreo competition or all about getting the contestants to improve as much as humanly possible and turn out the very best dance quality they are capable of? This isn’t an attempt to cast ‘shade’ on anyone… IMO, it’s a serious issue which gets to the heart of some of the issues cropping up in the past several years.
Here’s to hoping the show can be restored before it’s totally run into the ground and the characters of both men are further maligned.
Speaking of maligning… Someone mentioned elsewhere an increasing trend towards judges casting aspersions on both contestants and pros in a personal manner… That is beneath the dignity of the show and is insulting to any who have experienced the treatment. In one famous episode, Maks let Len have it…In another, he let that horrid woman, Abby have it…Say what you want about the guy, but he does care deeply about the quality of the program and it’s importance to dance in general, to be on the air. IMO, he’s been a defender of the program and has resisted going down the trashy reality path…to his own detriment.
One more post:
For those thinking there is anything to not mentioning Maks in the list of contestants Charlie befriended… Why would he list a PRO he spent weeks on the road with and on several occasions clearly indicated the strong bond all FOUR of them forged? Additionally, Maks and Sharna go way back and have an excellent relationship. Both were cheering on each others star and were clearly interested in both M/C making it to the final four. All four were on the same page of NOT going along w/ the ‘rivalry’ meme so apparently favored by the producers. [Which went so far as not letting the ‘Mom’s’ sit together, nor interviewing them, which would have been a wonderful addition to either of their packages or part of a separate bumper as it is a unique story to DWTS of having a pair separate on the show]
Again, I’m crushed Charlie isn’t in the final 4. So are M/M. I’m disappointed that some choose to try to make some sort of issue out of the M/M relationship to S/C. It’s clearly NOT what they want…And, ironically, is feeding into exactly what the producers tried to foster!
#100 *cue hysterical laughter* followed by *biting of my tongue until it bleeds* *deep breath*
Ok, here are some of my thoughts on “producer manipulations.” IT EXISTS!! On every one of these reality competition shows, it exists and some are more blatant than others. It’s the producers who decide and shape exactly what the public is going to see of each contestants journey/story/drama arc and, unfortunately, often time the viewing public falls for it hook, line and sinker. When I saw viewing public, I refer to the millions of people who DON’T follow blog pages about the shows, who DON’T read articles after the performances and who DON’T seek out the after show interviews, where we can really get to know contestants. In other words, the casual fan (whom I would liken to PH’s sheeple or as we called them in AI terms, lemmings). The producers have less and almost NO impact on the truly devout fan, like those of us posting here or like those who frequented TWOP before it was scrapped earlier this year. The 2 shows I have the most experience with are DWTS and AI, and I can tell you, the pre-determined “story arc” of certain contestants on each show are nearly the same.
There is always a TCO (the chosen one) who get the “pimpage” the entire season, the better song selection, better critiques, the “pimp spot” (going last), the best video packages, etc. Even when they don’t seem to be living up to the initial hype, producers rarely change TCO in middle season, even when public “pimpage fatigue” sets in.
Then there is usually the “ingenue,” either someone younger or just more inexperienced and we are meant to MARVEL at their improvement arc. Their packages show their struggle to master each week’s challenge and their judges critiques are usually a bit gentler and very encouraging and they seem to ALWAYS comment on the improvement from the week before.
The there is (and don’t jump on me for the wording, cuz it mostly comes from AI) the “sob story.” This is someone who is dealing with so much adversity in their lives or past that we are meant to feel sympathy for what they’ve gone through and be absolutely INSPIRED that they are able to compete. Often times (at least in AI’s history), the “sob story” starts to turn on the contestant as the viewing public gets very tired of hearing about it (the big reference in my mind is Gokey’s dead wife. It became a drinking game during the show about how many times she would be referenced).
To a lesser extent, there are the “drama queens” and the “criers.” People who’s video packages ALWAYS include some kind of drama and/or crying in rehearsals.
Much of the rest of the field is considered “cannon fodder.” People to fill out the numbers. They are pleasant and sometimes fun contestants but the producers will do nothing to assist them in standing out from the crowd, thus the appellation of “cannon fodder,” meant to take all the blows/damage while the producers choices remain safely out of firing range.
Occasionally, a contestant will rise out of the pack and figure out how the game is played and figure out a way to make himself/herself standout and be remembered (I’m thinking again, specifically of an AI contestant who spoiled the show’s TCO by just being so freaking good and figuring out how to connect with the viewing audience better than anyone in the show’s history). It seems to be harder to do on DWTS and I’m guessing it’s because of the format or something?
Please don’t take this post as a lecture to anyone or a dissing of either show. I just needed to explain my views and what I mean by “producer manipulation.” I’m sure the long time viewers of the show and the mods and long time posters on this board have heard all this before and it’s certainly not news to them. Again, I mean no disrespect to any of them. I’ve just seen a number of people posting about how they are first time watchers and some of the comments about not believing the producers’ manipulation have that much of an impact made me unable to contain myself.
Please feel free to delete this comment if it feels out of place.
SKnapik, as much as I adore Charlie, I’m not going to vote for Meryl or like Maks because that’s what he would want me to do. Or because that’s what Meryl and Mak’s fans want me to do.
I think the show treated Charlie shabbily, and that the way they edited him and judged him did contribute to his untimely departure. I’m not going to reward those tactics by voting for someone else.
SKnapik, are you sure you finally got out every last thought in your head? Wouldn’t want to miss a drop of all that “wisdom”. Talk about a core dump 🙄 As for your repeated assertions that you’re “crushed Charlie isn’t in the finals”…the lady (or gentleman) dost protest too much, methinks.
Despite how much you wrote, SKnapik, I actually think you’re over simplifying why Charlie is no longer on the show. It seems you tie it entirely to Meryl when I don’t think that’s the case at all. Like he and Meryl are the only ones on the show and what one does seriously impacts the other. I don’t necessarily agree. I think that’s part of it, but not the majority. It’s not Charlie versus Meryl. This show is highly manipulated – what you see of each couple is 1.5 minutes of a 40 hour or more week. You see what they WANT you to see. And what goes into an elimination is a pretty complex formula that involves EVERYONE who is still on the show. I get that some of you love D/W…but this ain’t the Davis and White show, it’s DWTS and there are quite a few contestants. Of course, this is probably why people get so hateful with Amy and Candace…they dare to exist on the same show as Meryl.
Charlie was HOSED, while Meryl was handled with kid gloves. This is not a new thing, we’ve seen it happen many times. Too complex choreo for Charlie?? You have it backwards. For ringers of their standing BOTH of them should have been given hard choreo and when one wasn’t challenged enough (Meryl) that pro would have been hammered, at least by Len. When a dance doesn’t fit what was given to them – Meryl’s foxtrot and rumba – they should be hammered. But what happened was a minor comment. Derek has gotten *7’s* before on GREAT dances that were too outside of the lines for Len. Meryl got what? An 8 or a 9 depending on the dance.
YOU were riveted by Meryl – I was riveted by Charlie…on and off the ice.
So, you can compare and contrast the two all you want, but in the overall context of the show, Meryl has been pimped and protected and that same advantage was NOT given to Charlie. And you can make lots of excuses for some of Maks’ choices – but I again point to history. This isn’t his first time on the show.
Well said, AC!
Amen PH! Except for the one week where Dance Mom was on, there has not been a single episode where Meryl had not been fawned over. It has been an incredibly wacked judging season and the producers have shown their hand through the judges. I only wish that come Tuesday we get the people’s choice as a winner. Imo that might not be Meryl.
Jesus, I replied to the first post before I saw the second one. SKnapik, I’m going to keep my response REALLY simple so it doesn’t take you a half an hour to read it. You want to expound at THAT length again? GET YOUR OWN BLOG.
#5 AC: “I watched the On The Red Carpet with Meryl and Maks. It’s hard to believe, but he almost seems to be bragging that he doesn’t put any work in planning the choreography ahead of time, and only starts thinking about it when he gets to the studio. Is he serious, or is he saying that because he thinks it makes him seem like some kind of a bad-ass?”
IMO, he’s taking a shot across the bow of those who figure he can’t create a good FS on his own. IOW, he doesn’t have a team already roughing out ideas and planning on working through the night when the music selection is confirmed. Additionally, as he’s received several accolades from Bruno and on Monday, Kenny O, [KO praised his rumba from last week and Mondays dances- most effusively, the VW] So… just in case some would suggest he didn’t do the choreo, they’ll have to put that idea aside…
Last, the producers often put in footage from Tuesday- the hardest day as that is choreo day… Hence the flinging of the mic-pac which dropped off. [If you look at news stories at their training on the road in various cities, you can see them doing routines which are already set and Meryl already has down quite well] Thus, since the production folks aren’t presenting a balanced view, he’s getting it on the record.
Thus, the choreo, if it stinks, its on him… and if it’s great, it also is on him.
Additionally, if you listen to past interviews, he addresses three of the styles employed. His spontaneous method. Val’s spending Monday night in the studio working through w/ a pro in order to have a complete plan when his celebrity shows up on Tuesday, and the third method, which is to use outside choreographers who deliver the content to the pro/or collaborate w/ the pro. [I think Sharna does the last option, as her bf is a choreographer]
Maks addressed the topic with Danica and both Val and Maks wanted her to have a week with a different method. Maks also was clear that he wasn’t condemning any of the methods, just that different pros have different ways…which works for them.
Pretty interesting, actually.
SKnapik – I wonder if you are one of those D/W fans who are now thinking
that a lot of the people here at Pure is only defending Charlie and his treatment because we are just playing him as a martyr in order to portray
Meryl as evil(per your boards)and we don’t really like him.
Wrong on all counts. I have always been an ice dancer fan from way back when and when M/C won the Olympics I was an instant fan. I am also a DWTS watcher but did not even knew about this website. First time poster here and only because I went looking for a good M/C board and discovered to my dismay that most of the posters there were worshipping on the altar of St Meryl and almost had no time for Charlie. To them Meryl is perfection and the few so-called fans almost always critized Charlie – lack of emotion etc etc.
So I ended up on this board and I found more people who shared my admiration for Charlie and his dancing and his genuine personality.
You said you prefer Meryl’s dancing – that is fine. I prefer Charlie and
his harder choreographies and his willingness to learn them, his joy when
learns and when he dances. He gave me a lot of happiness watching him dance-same on ice. I tend to watch him instead of Meryl. I like Meryl too, don’t get me wrong. I think the two of them on ice is magic and
unbeatable.
Ahhh, PH… Nope. I know that it isn’t all about Meryl… However, I perceive a tone here which appears to somehow be casting shade on M/M… Even to the point elsewhere making hay out of the fact Charlie didn’t reference Maks when stating celebrity contestants he became friendly with. *Sigh*
I also don’t disagree Charlie was treated poorly. It’s clearly stated in my posts.
My point, is that it is a combination of factors. Had Charlie somehow been able to draw the crowd/viewer support in larger quantity, despite crap music/crap packages, etc, then he’d likely still be here.
The premise I sense from several vocal posters, is that instead, it’s a grand plot to help Meryl [but REALLY get Maks the MBT] driven by the producers. If so, why did M/M get stuck with Jungle Book? Ugh! Or a western toned VW?
Just really seems a stretch as it would have been better to have both M/C in the finals.
So, what is done is done. May all of the finalists do their best and the chips will fall as they will.
Excuses, excuses, excuses…by the way, the last time Maks did a freestyle, he was the one with the outside choreographer. Maks has yet to do a great freestyle. If he manages one this coming week, good for him. But he has SERIOUS competition from Mark and Derek. For it to be good, it has to stand up to what they do.
SKnapik, you’ve had your say. Move to a new topic.
I keep seeing people diss Sharna as a choreographer and it makes me NUTS (mostly on FB and comments to TVline, Yahoo, EW stories)!! Sharna is a TERRIFIC choreographer and has PLENTY of credit/experience outside of DWTS. The ONLY evidence I’ve seen that she has brought in outside choreographers this season is this past week when she was trying to add some jooking to one of the routines (since I don’t think we SAW any jooking Monday night I have to assume that idea was scrapped).
I believe you can trace the complexity of the choreography almost straight back to the Pros “process,” (altho, I will say I think Derek’s brain often works on a different level).
You make a good point, Ria. It’s as if us being pissed at how Charlie was treated is being taken as an insult to Meryl, when in fact Meryl is just an example of treatment that Charlie wasn’t getting. And should have been. Saying that Meryl isn’t that much better than Charlie isn’t an insult to MERYL, it’s a reflection of the judges agenda.
SKnapik is going in the OTHER direction – critiquing Charlie to boost Meryl. Like we need any more of that.
#Ria
I too am a MC/CM fan. Loved watching them in Sochi as I sat on the edge of the sofa.
Started watching DWTS expecting to like/support/vote for both. Which I did. Over the season, I simply believe that Meryl’s performances reached deeper. I FELT them more.
Not to say someone shouldn’t feel Charlie’s or anyone elses performance more.
The thing is, based on FB likes [and I’ve been following the whole season] Charlie simply wasn’t pulling in the same level of public attention. The question is why? After his first dance, the contemporary, I figured he was going to be on fire and difficult to catch up with. Including Meryl.
I simply cannot attribute his getting bumped this week exclusively to producer shenanigans. Did they do poorly by him. Seems clear they did. Which really stinks.
Why on earth can’t these people simply let a season evolve naturally? Could cut down on payroll without as many of those behind the scenes types!
Well, SKnapik, it isn’t up to you to try to change people’s minds with extremely long dissertations which do exactly the opposite. You don’t like the tone, you don’t have to stay. I’m getting pretty tired of Meryl fans traversing the internet trying to stamp out any talk they don’t approve of. Police your own damn community and try to get rid of the hate speech directed at Amy, instead of trying to discourage critical thinking and discussion. Make yourself USEFUL.
You don’t see that Meryl is pimped and fawned over – fine. I don’t agree. What are you going to do about that?
Sknapik, did you not get the “move along” memo?? You have had your say.
No, PH, doesn’t seem as the prevailing opinion of Charlie being poorly treated as insulting to Meryl… I do sense a slight agenda of undermining Meryl/Maks [ok…Maks, and by extension Meryl] Perhaps I’m misreading it. Perhaps, my opinion has been colored by other threads on this site.
If so, that’s a shame. If there is some accuracy, then I’m just putting it out there that I don’t think any of the remaining candidates should be judged/supported/voted for on anything other than how they perform on Monday.
Do the folks on this board support Charlies request to support Meryl, going forward?
“Do the folks on this board support Charlies request to support Meryl, going forward?”
Charlie was a total stud to use the meager 2 second goodbye the show allotted him to give Meryl a shout out. I continue to be utterly charmed by the love they have for one another. I’ll be happy for them both if she wins. I will watch them skate any chance I get.
But as far as voting Monday, nope. I’m done with that.
SKnapik, You ask: “Do the folks on this board support Charlies request to support Meryl, going forward?” My question to you is “why do you care?” It was a “request” not an “order”. Those of us who supported Charlie aren’t sheeple who see him as our King and will do whatever he asks us to do. We’re thinking people who are entitled to make up our own minds, and if I choose *not* to support Meryl that doesn’t make me a “traitor to Charlie” as you seem to be implying.
That implication pretty much makes a mockery out of your statement: “I don’t begrudge anyone supporting any finalist.”
PH, Oooooohhh! You’re being dared. 😉 That’s just too damn funny. Got your broom handy?
sheesh, some people just can’t take a hint 😉
What’s it to you, SKnapik, you the hall monitor?? You can be totally civil and still be a troll. You’re just a slightly more intelligent one. You are spamming the hell out of the comments in some sort of quest to become the new thought police, whose mission it is to make sure that everyone fall in line behind Meryl. Fail.
Did it ever occur to you that we just like other contestants BETTER than Meryl? And that over the YEARS of watching this show we just don’t think Maks is all that? As for an Agenda – do you really think we have the power to sway public opinion?? Um… thanks? But sorry, if we did, Meryl wouldn’t win this Tuesday and she almost certainly will. After all, while it rarely actually works, TPTB seem to have honed their pimping skillz.
Cidra, you’ve forgotten – I’m the mod that waits too long to clean up. 🙂 But it is tempting…
Sometimes I have a leeetle too much fun watching people tie themselves into knots….
OK, an Instagram vid and an RTd pic from Charlie and suddenly my day brightened. I seriously need an intervention for MYSELF!! yeesh
But, it was good to see him dancing with Sharna and Sasha (even if it WAS reverse cam) lol
I’m going to just ignore certain postings from here on out. My blood pressure needs a break.
PH, do you have a “ban hammer” like JacobTWoP? lol (very long story relating back to the AI thread at TWoP from Season 7 of American Idol.
LOL.
I’ll be busy negating all of Charlie’s votes. Muahahahahaha!
I doubt it will matter much since TPTB already have 3 out of 4 posts on faceboook pimping their Maks’ Benefit Trophy to get those shippers warmed up, especially with this latest “almost kiss”.
Question for you guys? What is going to happen once the show ends? Who is going to bring out Maks’ good side when Meryl’s back in Michigan? If he comes back next season as a Pro will it be a trio dance with Meryl all the time, just to keep him sane? If he comes back as a judge, is Meryl going to sit next to him to cuddle him to her bosom, immediately as the occasion warrants? While she is running fingers through his hair, will he be calmed enough to dish out constructive feedback to the next bright eyed celebrity? 😀
Yer grossin’ me out, Kate(1). 🙂
Gawd, Kate(1). If yer gonna talk like that, you need to be handin’ out the barf bags first!
Oh no. lolllllll
PH, (#123) I just got a vision of you as the cat toying with a hapless mouse. Sly expression and all! LOL
OMG, maybe I better lay off the tequila, I’m having visions now!
At the beginning of the season Maks said it was a pleasure not having to be part psychologist, part babysitter for his partner. Problem is, his “antics” have now put his partner in the position of being part psychologist, part babysitter for him.
Who did Maks ever have to be part psychologist, part babysitter for??
That was his comment, presumably about all of his previous partners. I think it was the first round in the former-partner bashing he’s engaged in this season.
That was his comment, presumably about all of his previous partners. I think it was the first round in the former-partner bashing he’s engaged in this season.
@ Susan – That’s as bad as his comment about having to drag partners around the floor! He has no self-awareness!
#132 Carlie, If I were most of his former partners , I think would have regretted telling him anything personal in their life. If you think about it, many of his partners have had emotional struggles, Kirstie, Brandy, Erin,Hope..we heard about them on DWTS. Is he mocking their struggles???I think he just cheapened anything they may have told him during the many hours they had together, that is very rude. The way Maksim has behaved, he is the one that obviously needs a babysitter and psychologist. The whole Meryl/hold my hand crap proves it.
People who have not watched DWTS from the start have no knowledge of
Maks’ usual behavior. I have pegged him as n arrogant jerk from the first and I have not changed my attitude.
D/W fans have pegged him as Meryl’s knight in shining armor though and even sid he would be prepared to fight a duel for he. I don’t know whether to laugh histerically or start hitting the bottle.
By the way CAI just fanned the flames of the M&M shippers by saying she believes there is something there while she was at Access Hollywood. Still pimping I guess.
PH
haha…when you type out what they’ve been visually torturing us with, it reads like some awful fan fiction (another twisted realm of shipperdom). 😀
Cidra
Oops…LOL should’ve warned you 😀
Ria
OMG! I’d watch it but I can’t stand any more of CAI and her BS this season. And it’s only Thursday.
It looks like Charlie and Sharna will have some sort of supersized routine with the other pros. Cody’s bringing his own dancers. Hopefully, everyone gets some decent amount of time. 🙂
Still bummed about them not showing Charlie and Sharna’s farewell piece. They got “Chacked” or as we can refer from now on…Chucked.
Yes, Kate(1), you need to start comments like that with “barf bag alert”.
Thanks for the word on more Charlie/Sharna goodness on Tuesday. While I’m glad they have what appears to be a decent number, I’d prefer it to be just the 2 of them. If a lot of other pros are involved, you know the camera will be flitting hither and yon to show the others and I want to see Charlie and Sharna!
So Cody’s bringing his own dancers, huh? Well Cody’s not a bad kid, and I’ve got nothing against him, but really that’s kind of giving the middle finger to the pro dancers on the show — what? they’re not good enough to dance with him? Yeah, right.
I agree. I would have preferred just the two of them, more so because this is going to be their last dance. 🙁 It gets too busy with all this supersizing at times.
Yeah, it is kind of weird to be bringing your own crew. It would feel like Cody was invited as some special musical guest. If I had to guess, he’ll probably be dancing to one of his own songs with Witney and his dancers. 🙂
We know Mark & Derek can choreograph excellent freestyles. Wonder if Maks will recruit baby bro? How about all-star season champ, Tony? (giggling) Since Maks is speaking to Karina again, perhaps he can take her ideas into consideration before Peta decides to ask her for help again?
In all seriousness- I think Amy & James will have the more entertaining freestyles.
Lex, I’m expecting something pretty good from Candace too. She’s been somewhat hit and miss due to her nerves and such, but if Mark finds just the right thing for her and she can relax a but, she’ll be pretty good I think.
James…I think if Peta has really been paying attention to his strengths and weaknesses, and doesn’t allow him too much control over what they do, they can do something good as well. He’s not a horrendous dancer by any stretch, but Peta is going to have to choreograph something good to stand up to Mark and Derek (the best choreographers) and Meryl being a great dancer.
But speaking of Meryl, she’s a great dancer – she should be – but Maks has had little success with the freestyles. I’m more curious than anything to see where he goes with it. He’s taken a ringer to the finale before and not done well – Mel B was a great dancer who killed several of her dances and the freestyle was boring (and coincidentally, she danced with a chair about half the routine). Laila was a good dancer and that freestyle was just bad. Erin we’ve already talked about at length. I went back and watched Laila and Mel B and it seemed that Maks picks things that don’t necessarily fit HIM as a dancer or his partner. It has to work for both of them. Maybe this is his chance to get it right.
I’m hoping that in addition to his dance, Charlie randomly pops up all night long the way he did a few weeks back, chilling in the background during all the scoring. TPTB tried to hide his light under a bushel, but the camera can’t resist his smile.
I rewatched Laila and Mel freestyles and those are styles that should have suited their partners. Laila and Mel asked for those songs. Problem is Maks cannot do those styles well or choreograph a good number. I think he is lucky Meryl is cross trained in multiple styles. I predict a pretty lift contemporary which will play the showmance. Meryl has helped Maks because she can perform the heck out of his routines. This win would be in spite of Maks and clearly to finally get Maks a win.
Oh yeah, Melissa. There will be lots and lots of walking (Cuz, dancing on a chair is BAD, but walking and air kissing is okey dokey), and lots of gazing, and lots of lifts – perhaps a real kiss. Anything to get the sheeple shippers to vote their little hearts out.
Yeah PH, while the shippers are fanning themselves and voting like mad, the rest of us will be gouging our eyes out with dirty plastic sporks.
OMG, PH, thanks for the real-kiss alert! I hadn’t even considered that gruesome possibility. 😯 I’ll definitely have my barf bag handy, although my current plan is to record Monday’s show and start watching halfway into the affair so I can make good use of the FF button on my remote. “Tape delay” will leave me plenty of time for voting before and after I start watching my recording. 😉
I’m actually more worried about a full-on lip-lock when M&M are announced as this season’s champs (God help poor Meryl; I’m sure the season can’t end too soon for her.)
I think while the M & M shippers are tripping over them selves trying to get votes in; all of us many Amy & Derek fans will be saying to ourselves:
OH MY GOSH! DEREK HAS DONE IT AGAIN WITH HIS LEGENDARY RE-DEFINED CHOREOGRAPHY!!! And Amy’s amazing dancing!!! 🙂 😀 B-)
Yeah, the M&M or James fans will win the twitter vote because (I hope) Derek fans won’t waste their time on such things. The funny thing is, I would bet that Amy’s freestyle will be the one they WANT to see again (judges and producers) but they won’t get to see it again. 🙂
Then again, I don’t want to jinx Derek – he could totally screw it up.
😀