Dancing with the Stars Season 20, Week FIVE – Let’s Discuss Tonight’s Show!! (Spoilers)
Theme of the week: Disney. Thanks to watching some media I’ve had that damn “Step in Time” in my head all day. Couldn’t shake it when Charlie was dancing to it, it’s no better now. Grrrr…..
So, Teams are picked tonight for Team Dances next week, I understand. The current cumulative scores are:
Nastia – 134
Rumer – 132
Riker – 131
Willow – 128
Something to keep in mind while watching is how the scoring will impact the cumulative and how that will, in turn, impact the team captains. If it all goes to hell, they can always switch from cumulative score to the top 2 scorers of the night. They seem to change it to fit their needs.
Great opening number!! Loved it! All of it. They even managed to squeeze Derek in.
Okay, so Robert is safe and Suzanne is in jeopardy. Suzanne is getting the “I’m quitting” edit – don’t know if it means anything.
Well, Suzanne was doing really well up until the dress malfunction. Bummer. Don’t know if her scores would have gone higher or not though.
Man, shady camera work on Kym and Robert. Geez. Producers will stop at nothing,
Oh boy, Robert was off time the whole time. I have a feeling we might see how strong his fanbase is soon.
More results….Chris and Witney in Jeopardy. Willow is safe, Patti is in jeopardy. By my count that’s already three couples in Jeopardy.
Wonder if Patti is bowing out. She has such a great spirit. Not much dancing, but such wonderful energy.
While I loved the dance, I forgot what style it was supposed to be. Mark’s production was fun, but the dance really god lost in all that. I think this was one step too far. There wasn’t a lot of fluidity. This one could have gone either way.
Chris, eh. That’s gotta hurt. Think Witney is still getting used to not having Alfonso.
Nastia, Rumer, Riker and Noah all safe. Not hard to figure out with four already in jeopardy.
Sharna did a great job with that dance. Obviously, he didn’t do as much as others, but impressive. And good on Sharna for the talking to she gave Noah.
And Sharna does look like a Disney Princess. 🙂
So, they tease the rest of the show saying they saved the best for last and showed Riker, Rumer and Nastia. Wonder who they’re going to have go last and then have the judges proclaim them the “best dance of the night”?? Rumer or Nastia?? Bets?
Holy cow – that was a good dance from Riker! And he is SO INTO being Captain Jack, ya gotta love it. 🙂
Hmmm….I think I would have given Riker another 10. It wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty damn good.
Oh boy, Rumer and Val are getting a really good edit. Or bad one, depending on your POV. But it sure doesn’t reflect what really happened.
WTF?? There was no Samba in that until the Samba roll. Best dance of the night? The fix is in for sure.
Wayyyyyy overscored.
Way to go Erin so she cuts off Val before he can get too pompous.
Deep throat was right – that was right out of a Disney Movie!!
OMG. Carrie Ann is going to dock them for poor lip syncing?? The fix is certainly all the way in. Rumer gets a 10 for a non-Samba. Nastia gets a 9 10 for poor lip syncing?? How the hell does anyone believe that Derek is favored on this show?? The two best dances of the night get seccond place and the non-samba that wasn’t even that well done gets first place?? Not at all rigged. Nope.
But Nastia is still in first place with cumulative score. 🙂 Of course, that probably means they’ll use the top scores of tonight and Rumer will be team 1. Sometimes I wonder why I continue to watch this extremely manipulated, over produced show.
Patti safe.
Suzanne eliminated.
That opening was so much fun! I instantly became a 5 year old when Mickey Mouse walked out.
Loved the opening number! So much fun and energy.
So glad Robert is safe!
They’ll obviously want Val as a team captain (gotta keep pimping the family) so am prepared for Rumer to be massively overscored (and Derek underscored) tonight.
Can I just say that I liked it a LOT more when they DIDN’T have these “let’s interrupt the show to reveal results awkwardly” moments?
I enjoyed the opening number although thought it was a little animation overload.
Did anyone else notice Artem & Patti exit stage left with the Disney characters before the first 2 safe/jeopardy couples were even announced? Things that make you go hmmm..
Suzanne looks so freaked out by this experience. Lots of compliments by the judges. Wonder if she is going home.
Well then……..suzzanne is a showman through and through bounced back like a champ. Loved that they used the Peggy lee version and not the other one (I forgot who was the singer on it but let’s just say that it was way more big bandy). My fav dance from her so far but tony and jazz was a perfect pairing. Never thought I would say that lol. Score was definately good for them though.
Again with the reveal your fate crap. I loved the opening. Very cool and love the guys outfits! The girls look fantastic but the guys this week were just amazing.
I feel bad for Suzanne. She is not my fave person to watch dance but I don’t like when the contestants feel like they don’t belong. She does better each week, sure she’s not the best but it really doesn’t matter. Good on Tony for making her feel better.
Looks like a crap ton of injuries this week!
Suzanne was doing such a good job right up until she forgot what was next. I was like she is killing it. I feel like she always has some little whoopsie in the middle of her dances. Also, her dress is freaking amazing!
I think the score were a little high in my opinion. 6’s would have been fair I think.
Robert and kym….I am completely in love with this pairing. Roberts description of the quickstep as manic fury was pretty spot on. Kym flew in!! Couldn’t keep my eyes off of her during this dance but Robert did good too. Not my fav dance from them but I really really felt the fun in the dance and I’m gonna throw him some votes tonight for sure just based on pure fun. Len said it best when he said it was full of dazzle. The score was what I expected though.
Suzanne looked really good until the heel catch. Did anyone catch Tony during CAI critique? He very pointedly looked anywhere in the ballroom except at her. He never looked at her once. I know she’s a babbling brook of idiocy, but I just felt that was a bit rude of Tony.
I think Robert should have gotten sevens.
I love Kim and Robert’s package!!!!!! They just jumped into the chalk drawing. My fave digital add in so far. Poor Robert, I think the extras threw him off because when Kim got ahold of him he seemed more comfortable and not as many mistakes. 6’s are just uncalled for. I know Suzanne messed up and she deserved sixes but I feel like Robert had a lot more content and I feel like 7’s would have been fair for their dance. I also feel like Robert attempted a little more to right his situation. That man knows how to perform!
Nooo I love Robert and Kym, I think 6s were unfair. Come on, he executed it very well other than his time mess up. I really do hope his fans have got him, because he is really such a sweet person to watch.
I loved the opening dance, but right now my favorite part of Disney week so far is Ryker! I LOVE him as Captain Jack Sparrow! He’s cracking me up every time the camera’s on him!
I adore Robert and Kym. He was out of step a lot but it was still fun and entertaining. I hope his fan base votes hard this week. I’m throwing some votes his way.
Didn’t care for Suzannes dance. It just seemed she was either being carried around by Tony or she was twirling. Not much of a jazz to me.
Was Suzanne overscored or was Robert underscored? My opinion is the former. Either Suzanne is going home tonight or she’s not getting the votes – 1/2 of her routine was messed up, I was prepared to see the 5 paddles. I know I’m in the minority, but I enjoyed her routine last week which was very praised and she received all 7’s so theres no way it was on the same page as tonights.
Feel bad for both Robert & Kym – their routine was adorable and although off step, did not deserve those scores in the slightest.
I’m so excited to watch Nastia and Rumer’s performances! Esp. Rumer’s Ursula makeup is making me crazy!!! Can’t wait!
Agreed with you completely Jenn. I think the big production was just too much him. He looks so upset.
Mark’s costumes this season . . . either he is just plain insane, or he is really, really game for anything the producers pitch at him.
Mark looks so freaking cool!!! Did they saw Chris and Whitney were in jeopardy too? So far it’s Suzanne and Patti.
@Jenn, Yes Chris and Witney are in jeopardy.
I’m not shocked that patti and chris are in jeopardy but I gotta admit chris seemed to anticipate it. I’m just going to forget marks killer Easter bunny costume for the moment becuase it slightly creeped me out. Patti and the waltz go together like peanut butter and jelly….just naturally works. Loved how the animation was projected on the floor and then the Pinocchio on the desk added to the Disney Magic. This pairing is another one that I love becuase artem seems to have softened personality from last season for sure and she just is so much fun.
Miss Patty and Artem are the best team ever. I hope they stay longer so we can witness her grace another week. Ya Patty, Noah has one leg and her bum knee is nothing. That is grace right there.
I’ve not been a fan of the routines for Ms. Patti but this dance was so good. She and Artem pulled out a smooth and graceful routine. This is by far the most content she’s been given and she did amazing! 7’s I agree with but the 6? Really Len! I would have been okay with an 8. This routine compared to the stuff we’ve seen the last few weeks was so much better
Loved the opening number. Kinda feel bad for Suzanne; I wonder if the judge’s best dance comments despite the mistake mean anything?
I’m so disappointed with Roberts dance, I really like him and want him to do well.
Riker’s hair is his best yet. 😉 Love me some Jack Sparrow!
Nice long bumper. 🙂
LOL at Mark’s costume! Kinda surprised how Rumer went all out!
Patti’s dance was BEAUTIFUL. Now my favorite Patti dance. Poo on the scores.
Patti is a Being of light, no doubt about it. I got so choked up during their rehearsal footage, right on through their Waltz.
Minnie dancing was adorable! Mark and willow are just so much fun together but the whole production in this dance blew me away. I tend to like large productions though. This has to be my fav mark dance ever. The rabbit face still screams Easter bunny to me more than white rabbit though….sorry mark lol. My only critique would be that there was no red queen.
Willow and Mark were great. Mark is using his imagination every week and it’s paying off. I would love to see them win.
I like Willow, but that was just too much. Im sure Len will make a comment about it.
I love the guys bumper with Minnie Mouse!
Okay I LOVE Willow mad Marks package! Ahahahaha….Mark has a bunny tail! Mark is so amazingly fantastic. Willow killed that dance. Anything less than 9’s would be shocking! Mark is cracking me up right now!
Wasn’t impressed by Willow and Mark. And didn’t it seem like that dance seem longer than the other couples? It went on forever.
I love the guys bumper with Minnie Mouse!
Okay I LOVE Willow mad Marks package! Ahahahaha….Mark has a bunny tail! Mark is so amazingly fantastic. Willow killed that dance. Anything less than 9’s would be shocking! Mark is cracking me up right now!
Loved the Alice and Rabbit Foxtrot. It had both tension and elegance.
I wonder if Mark is the rabbit that’s been nibbling on my spring flowers? Bad bunny!
I enjoyed Mark and Willows performance. Mark is a real hoot. Love his creative imagination.
Ok, some might say that Hercules is Chris’ Achilles’ tendon! 😀
And really, Mark must have loved the rabbit fur spats!
I feel so bad for Witney. She seemed really upset after Chris snapped at her, but I’m glad they put it behind them for the dance. This dance wasn’t great by any means, but it definitely wasn’t his worst.
And I absolutely love seeing Alfonso there to support Witney!
Chris and witney have one disfunctional relationship lol. Bringing in Alfonso was a good move becuase he has everything that chris lacks. The injury looked painful like really bad. His face said it all. Overall the dance left me going “that’s it?” I wish it had more Umph to it. Definately his best dance though. Alfonso was a fun touch to add to the skybox lol that man is pure entertainment.
The ladies bumper was awesome!
I didn’t hate Chris’s performance. He did better this week. He definetly had more footwork. He wasn’t as flat footed as he normally is. I hate the face he makes when dancing! Dude needs to smile or something. 7’s would have been fair. Len’s 6 was a little low IMO. He didn’t miss any steps that I saw. He kept up with Whitney yeah it wasn’t perfect but he’s a farmer that’s neverdanced. I’m related to farmers and trust me they wouldn’t do as good as he is. Also, please don’t mind my spelling/typing…I’m pretty sure my iPad is possessed!
This was the first Noah and sharna dance that I didn’t love and that sorta kills me. saying that I liked it though. The carpet was a great touch. This is going to sound bad but I couldn’t help but think that there wasn’t enough Disney Magic in it though. Probably just me though.
I love Mark and his creativity, but what the heck was up with the demented looking rabbit costume? I don’t acknowledge any Alice in Wonderland other than the cute, sweet one from when I was growing up and that crazed rabbit was just wrong. Willow looked great though.
The scoring tonight seems a little wacky to me. The scored Robert worse than Suzanne and she did not do all of her dance. Patti’s waltz was nice. I hate that she is hurt because she seems to have such a nice attitude about the show.
Chris and Noah were both good.
Noah just amazes me every week. I love their costumes they look fantastic. Yeah I don’t really think that was a foxtrot but it’s disney week. He performed the choreography Sharna gave him beautifully! He did what she asked of hm and he did it flawless. I feel like they get low scores each week. I would like to see some 8’s. He is working his butt off and so is Sharna.
I LOVE Mark’s creativity. Willow is doing well, but I felt one 9 would’ve been sufficient. Something just felt off, not sure what.
On Chris, I said to my roommate, “Well, he definitely did a quickstep. It wasn’t the prettiest, but he got the steps.”
Sharna makes a really good Jasmine, IMO. I agree with the judges about content, and though most of the dancing I do know is really only from this show, I don’t know if I would’ve been able recognize that as a foxtrot.
So far I have only really enjoyed Willow’s dance. I personally thought it wasn’t as gimmicky and as production packed as I thought it was gonna be. Only gimmics I saw were the cards and well… Mark… Hahaha. I loved the dance but yes, Willow needs to work on her fluidity through her arms. It’ll come with time I’m sure.
As of now, Season 18 Disney Night seems a bit better. I fully expect to LOVE Nastia and Derek though. Can’t wait!
The Disney dances of Season 18 were better, but I think this Disney NIght as a whole was better (overall production, etc.), IMO.
Peta and the lobsters was cute. Riker loves this dance a lot……maybe enjoying himself too much? But then again I dressed up like Ted from bill and teds excellent adventure with my cousin for Halloween and pretty much did the same exact thing lol it was most excellent. This dance was amazing. Simply put: allisons best dance on the show ever and their best dance so far. All tens in my book.
Holy shit, Riker. Blimey.
Riker, holy s**t. :O That was amazing.
Man, that might have taken the number one spot on my favorite dance list of Season 20. LOVED IT!!!! Great choreo from Allison!
Riker deserved those 10s. That was pretty awesome.
Riker is comedy gold. So funny and so darn good too. Love how Allison has met her energy match in him.
I loved Riker’s routine! I feel like he held his own with the troupe members. He was very strong but still occasionally I felt he did still have lady like arms but I only saw that a few times. He looked like he almost threw Allison in that spin but otherwise it was right on! I completely enjoyed the entire routine. Scores were fair maybe only one 10 but even two is ok with me.
Holy crap that Allison/Riker dance was amazing! It should have been a perfect score. Hands down my favorite dance of the season. Maybe it’s my POTC love, but omg that was fantastic!
Brava, Allison, for that paso doble. Yes, Riker’s a ringer, but that was impressive.
I haven’t seen Riker’s dance yet, but I’m so proud of them for their score!!! Also, if you didn’t know, Riker is obsessed with The Pirates of the Caribbean, so I think he is absolutely LOVING this! haha(:
I personally though the scores were fair.
Could the scoring for team captains be influence the dance order tonight.
That may not have been a perfect paso, but goddamn I loved the unusual touches and ferocity. My whole house just went WOW.
Nastia looks wonderful with that hair color.
Mark with a high-pitched voice might have been the most I’ve ever laughed in a package, ever.
Got in late so I’ve only been able to see from Chris to Riker.
This is the first dance from Riker and Allison that I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY loved. I thought it deserved all 10’s but I don’t know about all the technical stuff. I loved this dance. All 10’s again
Okay. I love Riker.. the dude stepped it up from last week for sure. But I guess I’m the only one who thinks that dance was WAY too hectic O_O. I just felt like it was too much power and not enough refinement. When he spun around Allison on the floor it looked like she almost flew away..
Perhaps I need to watch it again and appreciate it more.. will do that later. But I don’t know.. I am not sure I liked it as much as the judges did.
I didn’t see Robert’s dance. All 6’s oh no!!!
Something isn’t clicking with me with Rumer and Val’s dance.
Wow, that dance was awesome! Riker made me laugh sooo hard. He’s so into the character that it will last for a week LOL….
Rumor and Val were awesome. Loved that dance.
I did not care for Riker’s dance. It just seemed frantic to me.
And Rumer’s was creepy. I am not sure what the judges are thinking with those inflated scores.
I wanted to like Rumor and Val but that dance was not a samba! Geez, how was it the best dance of the night!!
Tonight is the first time I’ve really enjoyed Riker though, he was great!
I enjoyed Val and Rumer, but Riker/Allison was better. I think Val has been taking some advice from Mark because he’s been getting a lot more creative and somewhat silly (in a good way) this season. Val’s growing as a choreographer.
Guess they want Nastia and Rumer as team captains
@Vin: If there was a problem with that dance, it’s that I think there wasn’t enough actual dancing in it. It looks like he had trouble actually getting off that carpet (it looks like he couldn’t just “hop off” of it).
I absolutely loved Rumor and Val’s dance. I feel like they deserved their scores! That dance had a lot of steps in it. She owned that sea witch costume and hats off to Val on allowing himself to get into that type of character. I don’t think that’s something he’s used to doing. Very very cool. My fave routine of the night!
I don’t call that growing as a choreographer. A good costume does not a dance make – and that barely had any Samba content.
So, Rumer and Val dance a samba with barely any samba, however many seconds of filler and non-dancing at the start, and it’s called the best dance of the night and given a 39?? And what a slap in the face to Riker and Allison after a fantastic Paso that actually did have content. I was kind of hoping the fix wasn’t in after the last few weeks – how silly of me.
I guess I need to go back and watch Rumor and Val’s dance again. IMO no way better than Riker and Allison.
Rumer was okay but was it a samba? I didn’t enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed Riker.
How in the world was that song a Samba?? Lol. Oh Val..
I gotta say though, and once again I am in the minority I think… I actually liked it! Haha. Probably the first dance Rumer and Val do that I actually enjoyed. I think I saw enough Samba steps in there considering the fact that song was terrible and way too slow for a Samba. At least Val got a little bit creative. I thought it was gonna be a trainwreck but it turned out to be kinda fun-ish.
I would have probably given it just one 10 though. Definitely not three 10’s.
I agree with you Melissa. I just didn’t enjoy Rumer and Val’s dance. I think Riker and Allison were much better than R&V.
@Heidi, I didn’t mean just the costuming, but going more all out in the whole production. Val’s usually a little more traditional in the sense he keeps the sets simple. I just got a very-Mark feel from the whole production, I guess maybe I meant he’s growing as a production-ist
Both Riker and Rumer I have had to watch a second time because they were both so big and crazy.
I think Allison was pushed all over the place…. I don’t know what was off about her because she was crazy with her limbs.
And Rumer’s was so campy, it was like watching the Rocky Horror Picture show under water.
Nastia and Derek are pretty hysterical becuase she loves this dance and adding Elsa was cute for the video. This dance was amazing! They really saved the three best dances for last for sure. But Derek and nastia were phenomenal!
How cute was that!!!
I loved the quirky cute stuff in Nastia and Rumors dance! So freaking cute! I also love Derek as a prince! It was very well executed. I love those Mickey eared paddles’
Nastia’s dance was really cute and fun, but I didn’t really like the lip-syncing.
Rumer’s dance wasn’t the train-wreck that I was waiting for, but she’s such a good dancer I wish they’d have done it differently.
Riker’s by far was my favorite of the night.
I loved loved LOVED Riker’s dance. He does a pretty darn good Jack Sparrow too. I haven’t really been feeling him for some reason, but he impressed me tonight.
Ok, I get that the character required being intense, though at least she did look like she was having more fun this dance than any of the others. Feels overscored to me, it was just missing something.
LOL at Tom’s Eeyore.
I’m glad to see a good amount of Peta.
Such a cute dance from Nastia and Derek! Though I agree with CAI, the lip-not-synching bothered me too.
I wish Frozen would just go away. I may be the only person around who has not seen it and does not ever want to see it. That tends to be my reaction when something is over hyped like this movie has been.
Wasn’t a fan of that song. That was too sugary sweet. Then again, I’ve never seen Frozen and I don’t plan on it. That was the song that Rob Wade guy really really wanted someone dance to? Why?
Anyway. The dancing was nice. The song wasn’t.
Nastia and Derek’s dance was so cute I may just barf. Hahaha. In a good way of course.
I will say though that I was kinda wanting a little bit more. But whatever, I loved it anyways. Definitely not worse than Rumer’s, even though I kinda liked hers just a tad more.
Seeing all the dances, my favorite was probably Willow’s just for many different reasons. I also stand by what I said… Season 18 Disney Week was WAYYYY better.
PATTI PATTI PATTI PATTI!!!!!
they pimped val last season and that didnt win it for him..what makes them think he will win this season.
I’m sorry but I’m glad it was Suzanne.
I love having Emma on the live access, she’s so honest. In a show where there’s so much manipulation and “cliques”, honesty is refreshing. She said that the samba roll was the best part of Rumer’s routine and everything else wasn’t executed properly technically. She also said that Riker was the best of the night, and that he should be at the top with Nastia, and Rumer should have received lower scores than both of them. I haven’t watched the dances yet because I’m outside of the US, but I’ve been watching the live stream and Emma mentioned that Carrie Ann knocked a point off of Nastia’s routine because she didnt like the lip syncing?! That’s ridiculous and totally biased, she shouldn’t be allowed to mention that, her job is to judge the dance, not the singing! Emma said that as well.
Sad to see Robert at the bottom, hope people vote for them…
I have to think that Suzanne’s revisionist history with Three’s Company and John Ritter last week ticked off some voters. I saw quite a bit of negative backlash from people old enough to remember how it really was.
I was wondering if Rumors song was a bit slow for samba. Definetly the three best dances at the end of the night. Riker’s is top for me, then Willow, then Rumor, then Nastia. I feel like she finally didn’t have that weird gymnast face thing going this week maybe due to the lip syncing? I am okay with Suzanne going home this week. Is Val wearing creepy contacts too?
Noo. Nastia and Derek were almost pure perfection. 9 for poor lip syncing? What more do the judges do they want to see? The not-samba gets an almost perfect score while the actual Paso and Jazz get docked 2 points, one mostly for an unknown reason and another for meh ish lip syncing. TPTB are pulling it too hard, and sooner or later it might be doing an injustice to Rumer, because she may lose votes. Shame, because Rumer’s actually kind of likable.
I couldn’t agree more with you on this one Heidi. Emma said the exact same words—they can’t dock them for lip synching. This is one of the best dances ever done on DWTS, in my opinion. This was a breakthrough night for Nastia in the emotional connection department.
I try not to let the judging upset me but tonight I am extremely frustrated.
Carrie Ann has officially jumped off the deep end in my book. Lip synching?!? Really?? And you paid no attention to how beautifully and gracefully Nastia spun and all of her awesome, fluid footwork?! Dang.
Three-quarters of the people on this blog were right.
#93 – and it only took 5 weeks! 😉
One thing about “Hakuna Matata”—weren’t they going to give that to Cody and Witney last year, but they couldn’t clear it? What changed since then?
For me, the last three dances were the dances of the night … Rumor and Val and Nastia and Derek were great, But Riker and Allison…..my favorite dance of the night! Riker was awesome as Jack Sparrow! So good! Wish they were the top couple tonight. All the other couples, for me, were just “meh”. The opener and the bumpers (I felt so “in the know” when I said that!) were fab! And Eyeore and Tom! This was my favorite show of the season!
Your last 2 paragraphs–right sooo right.. when Derek leaves this show I am done—halfway there already–I mute a lot of it or leave the room altogether–if someone from the show doesn’t editorialize about how MISS INABA can score Nastia poorly for lip syncing but give Rumer a 10 for another non-dance I swear I’m gonna spam TL’s all week ! Only this stupid bunch could take the fun outta Disneyy night with their usual craptastic games. We all know from the edits the interviews the pimping and the obvious overlooking of certain things lacking in the dances the constant showing of Rumors parents and the fact Val gets all the choreographic help he wants, choices he wants and pampering from the producers. Just like last yyear anyone knew with a brain that it was going to Alfonso NO MATTER WHAT the fix is obvious to most.
I wish Nastia and Derek got a different song for jazz. I fast forward through that song every time I watch frozen… lol
Can’t say I’m disappointed about Suzanne, but I wouldn’t have been that disappointed about Chris, either. I really hope people vote for Robert, I don’t want to see him or Kym go next week. 🙁
Favorite dance was Riker’s, followed by Nastia and Willow.
What crap… getting docked for lip syncing when Rumor and Val did the same thing AND lacked Samba content. This show is so rigged it is sad. Pull your head out of Val’s butt please it isn’t a good look.
Wow, I thought for sure Chris was history tonight. I was sad to see Suzanne go. At the same time, I think she was relieved.
My three fave dances in this order: Nastia and Derek, Riker & Allison, and Mark & Willow.
I want Robert and Kym to stay, so If you get the chance please throw a few votes their way if it doesn’t impact your normal voting too much! Kym needs to stay on the show too lol
I love Disney, so you can imagine how I excited I was for tonight!!! It made me so happy!
Nastia and Derek’s dance was SO cute. i am glad people are seeing this side of her. I love Frozen and this dance made me feel sooooo happy! Lol. I really hope people stop talking about this so called “RBF” or no chemistry with Derek! I never really saw it but for all you doubters, here you go! Nastia is gold.
Am I the only that thinks Riker’s dance was hectic and frantic again? I can understand people saying they loved it probably because it was so intense and Riker looked good, but it was still too hectic for me. I am really just not liking Allison. Riker was okay, but the dance was a little too all over the place for me. If you look past the intensity, you can see the flaws. The lines and frames were not really there, and Allison was doing something weird with her head in hold…
There was barely any content in Rumer’s dance, but I loved the concept.
Mark as a rabbit was a little much, but Willow’s dance was cute.
Noah and Sharna are so sweet! She is gorgeous!
If Robert wasn’t messing up so much, his dance would have been really great.
I love Witney, but you can clearly tell she is not happy with where they stand right now. I mean, look at her reaction when she found out they were in jeopardy. I just wish she would relax a little. Like we’ve all said before, Chris is no Alfonso.
The others, I didn’t really care much for.
You’re right, Maina. I don’t even know what CAI was saying. I should’ve muted her just like previous weeks. To me tonight Riker is definitely better than Rumer. You can even see it from the audience response. I think TPTB building up their agenda (again) for Val starting tonight and then on, as predicted by many.
No offense DWTSFan but since you have been predicting Suzanne was going home for like 3 weeks now, it really isn’t anythig special that you were right. Half of the people knew it could very well be Suzanne leaving.
I would have preferred Chris going home but I guess Suzanne is probably relieved to be out. Seems like she was just “done” emotionally.
This Disney week was a bit of a let down. My expectations were just very high, I think. Oh well..
My favorites were Willow, Rumer, Nastia and Noah in that order. Didn’t care for Riker’s dance (too frantic for my taste) and the rest of the dances just made me go “meh.”
Yet another Derek VS Val face-off for the Team Dances… Maybe Val will finally get his victory (doubt it unless the fix is THAT in). My wish for the teams are Nastia, Willow, Noah and Chris and then Rumer, Riker, Patti and Robert.
IMO, Riker was better than both Rumer and Nastia …to me Riker’s dance was the best of the night!
Chris was so badly overscored tonight IMO. How he got a better score with his quickstep than Robert I’ll never know, maybe the judges thought he was going home. Wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see him survive next week as well after that. Batchelor Nation have defo been taking tips off of NASCAR nation. If Chris and Suzanne were not necessarily the bottom 2 then someone else is in trouble, probably Patti. As PH has put in her commentary, time to put Robert’s fanbase to the test after tonight.
@M8: I was OK with Chris getting a higher score than Robert; Chris, while limited by his injury, certainly seemed more in time with his music than Robert did with his.
For me the dance of the night was Riker’s Paso, I enjoyed it a lot, looked like he lost balance when he was spinning Allison on the floor (I think) but everything else looked so cool. The thing that impress me the most about Riker is his versatility, something I didn’t expected from him at all.
I think the score was fair but I bet if they danced last their score would have been higher.
Second best, Nastia. That was so much fun!
And my third: Mark and Willow. Mark is a creative genious, and I really liked their foxtrot.
And that’s it for me, the other dances didn’t impress me at all, I think the judges were tough on Robert this week, Rumer’s samba(?) didn’t look like a samba. If they danced the same choreo any other week the judges would have complaint about the content or the hip action or x. Felt like more of the same, I just wanna see her do a fun salsa in a bright pink dress or something.
I have a feeling that the latin feel and fun character of salsa and samba are harder for her, that’s why they did that disco samba. Maybe Val wanted to get the samba out of the way and this song was the perfetct excuse to not do a real samba. I don’t know just wondering why she is stuck in the “dark powerful” stage persona.
I can’t help but believe the potential to put Demi and Bruce in the audience is what is fueling the pimping. Goodness tonight was blatant favoritism.
I’m with you RaineMayer. I’m out when Derek leaves(??). It gets harder and harder to enjoy the show when there’s constant agenda by TPTB. Two of my co-worker who used to watch the show said it “it’s just same old stuff.”
Well I see the pimping of Rumer/Val starts tonight and keeps going. Love how the judges endless gush on Rumer and give her the top score of the night whenever Daddy is in the audience. Thing is she isn’t a bad dancer at all but that was NOT a samba. Best performance of the night? Julianne is still at Coachella obviously.
On the other hand I freaking loved Riker’s Paso. For me it was more about the impact and power of the dance though as I do agree it was a little frantic and it’s almost like they were trying to dance it TOO intensely. He got a little sloppy so I was fine with the score.
Can I get some reassurance that Robert can overcome the 24 with his fan base please. The quick step should probably be the hardest for him.
I loved Riker & Allison, Willow & Mark, and Nastia & Derek as always. I think maybe it would be a little nice for the judges to acknowledge the fact that Nastia & Derek had 3 days to rehearse and still got 2nd on the leaderboard.
I do like Rumer, her personality anyway, but not a fan at all with Val in the equation.
About the team dances though, there were some comments in other articles about Chris being in Nastia & Derek’s team but I’ve got to say, Derek does a good job covering it up, i.e. Michael last season. I think that’s something that really separates Derek from Val and even some other pros.
Wasn’t my perfect dream come true tonight. 😐
Yeah Riker and Allison’s technique wasn’t great, but holy crap I loved her interpretation of the dance – I know that music SO freaking well (the White Sox used it in their opening ceremonies, which I’ve seen a hundred times easy) and she created moves there that were so unusual but delightful to me. Yeah, not perfect – but I’ll watch it a bajillion times, I bet.
Also she looked *stunning* in that dress and color. I think she looks so much better and healthier than last season.
Not gonna lie I was worried parti would get eliminated but boy am I glad she wasn’t. As for suzzanne, she got better over time but I think that any other season she would have lasted a little longer. Tony and her were a fun pairong though so I’m glad she did the show and I hope abc gives her a sitcom or something. She is too talented to be limited to selling that poncho thing in those commercials.
Hit submit too quickly but just wanted to add that I really hope that Robert is safe next week becuase he reallyreally riding a high before this week and I think he could go farther than I previously thought.
Renee, that is exactly what the producers want. In Rumer they have A list lineage, to the extent that the Willises are that. So they give the celeb,they are most excited to have, to Val and then pimp the crap out of them. If I didn’t really like some of the other partnerships and really want to see their dances, I would have stopped watching weeks ago. After the stupid lip syncing comment and double standard shown, I am completely convinced Val will win. Tptb want the Willis family in the audience til the finale and they want Val to get the mb. Any other ending will be a complete upset now. Depressing imo but inevitable imo.
Rachel I’ll through half my votes to Robert. I don’t want to see him go either. Bad night and he’ll bounce back!
Sam Fair enough but for me Chris and Witney’s quickstep was not great and didn’t deserve the score it got. Robert did a much harder quickstep imo and while was off time nailed the performance element. I thought they were both of a similar level but no way was Chris 3 points higher than Robert. Add that to Alfonso appearing all over the shop and it makes me think TPTB might want Chris to stick around a couple of weeks longer. It’s annoying because for me they have firmly hit the ceiling and to be honest both look like they don’t want to be there anymore. As a partnership I think it’s probably the worst match of the season with Charlotte and Keo for me. Like if Robert goes next week over him it’ll be so frustrating.
I’m sad for Suzanne but I felt like they had also hit a ceiling. Melissa what you said about her dance and tribute to John Ritter last week may have been accurate.
I found the whole night pretty meh.
Loved Derek/Nastia and Ryker/Alison, and Patti was lovely as always. That’s about it. the show dragged for me, the first time this season.
Chris needs to go home next week!
i the more the fans think a fix is in the less likely they will vote for val and rumer…the producers might want to take a psychology class..in that case.
think not the..sorry
Seriously, I feel like I could kill the next person that complains about lip syncing. Docking a point for lip syncing?? And giving a non-samba a near perfect score where Rumer was ALSO lip syncing.
I feel like I’m in fucking crazy land. DANCING. THE SHOW IS ABOUT DANCING.
DWTSFan, I’m going to block you for being a troll. You’ve predicted Suzanne every week – you got no credit here.
While CAI might have her own agenda for not liking the lip syncing, I didn’t either – I thought it was an otherwise very cute dance, but that part really took me out of the performance – maybe because they appeared to be out of sync with the words? I’ll watch it again, but that was my initial impression and why I thought that it was fairly scored.
Um, again people, this is not twitter. I need more than one liners, please.
Fig, people were right about what?
Are we talking about DWTSFan the idiot here?? Don’t waste your time because he/she is now on troll watch.
Well, apparently Megan, you can thank the all powerful, all knowing Rumer and Val for Derek getting that song. SNORT.
As if. Even their edit was a big fat lie.
Witney and Chris gave up like two or three weeks ago. He looks so frustrated and has to do another week, just let the poor guy leave.
Just watched some of the dances.
Patti just makes me smile. Love her! She makes me love Artem.
Robert’s dance was a pretty tough dance. Kym and he are so cute together.
Mark’s creativity is off the charts. Very memorable. I enjoyed the dance and thought it was beautiful. I liked their dance much better than Rumor and Val’s. I’ll admit I’m biased though.
I’m probably biased but I didn’t like it. I hope Robert catch him in fan votes.
Still think Riker and Allison’s was the best of the night.
I should add, why I thought Nastia and Derek were fairly scored, BUT Rumer and Val were overscored – she danced it well, but that was the least samba-y samba I’ve ever seen. Still, not the disaster I was expecting.
Whether you liked the dance or not was beside the point, Fig. The point is that lip syncing (or not) when stacked against a dance that had little samba content AND lip syncing shouldn’t be worth a full point. The bias is just over the top. That non-samba got a full three points MORE than Derek and Nastia samba that was loaded with actual samba content.
That non-samba was also ranked above a content loaded Paso by Riker that should have been at least tied for best dance of the night.
I am so thoroughly disgusted by this show tonight that I don’t know if I can keep blogging about it.
When Carrie Ann will get quit or get fired ? She’s getting so much on my nerves, arghhh !
I meant to say I didn’t like Chris and Witney’s quik step and I hope Robert can catch him in fan votes.
To me, I would’ve given Nastia either a 39 or 40 but they judges really wanted Rumer on top. I love them together, and as entertaining as their routine was it was hard to get into as a Samba.
Carrie Ann’s comment just felt to me as grasping for straws to bring her down from being in a tie with Rumer.
Wish I could reassure you, Dee2, but I’m not at all sure it’s possible.
Going off what was said in the post about Rumor getting a higher score than Nastia and Riker…I was watching all access with the guy (I forget his name) and Emma and Emma had said that she felt that Riker and Nastia should have gotten higher scores than Rumor and that Carrie ann should not have brought up the whole lipsync issue, which I agree with 100%
Sorry, not to draw more attention to it….but in defense of the lip-synching, I think that song would have been weird WITHOUT it. (Unless they eliminated all speaking parts of the song–which would take away a bit of the magic I think.) And, as an unashamed Frozen fanatic 🙂 I could easily predict when they would use it.
And while I’m here….loved Riker and Allison!! What’s the theme next week? Any chance they will give this girl a contemporary??
Princess Heidi I’ll be nervous next week. The reason I hate it so much is because Robert seems to really love the whole dance process and with Chris it’s like pulling teeth. I don’t have anything against Chris. He’s a nice guy, but it’s painful to watch.
I sure don’t want Robert to leave, Dee2 – I have a mad crush on him, actually. 🙂
Yeah PH – sorry about the one-liner referencing a person that patted themselves on the back about the elimination and directed their comment towards you. But it’s dropped!
I agree that Rumer was overscored for sure. But as I’ve said a few times before, I try not to get TOO wrapped up in nitpicking a point here or there – what I think carries more weight (at this point in the season) is the comments, and their fellating of Rumer and Val was more egregious than the one point over Nastia, in my opinion.
During Rumer’s dance I was waiting for it to turn into a samba, and that didn’t happen till the samba rolls. Riker and Nastia were by FAR the best of the night, and were underscored. If Derek choreographed that samba, Len would’ve teared it apart.
So the Team Captains for next week is Nastia and Rumer?
My guess is that the first pick will be Riker, then Willow, then Robert, then Noah, then Chris and Patti (could be interchanged). Will be interesting how things pan out. I wonder if they’re going to play the “Derek has never lost a team challenge” card. Haha.
I’m actually happy they haven’t given out the 40 yet. It gives that sense of standard int he competition.
Yeah, the scores were all over the place. Despite the big production, at least Willow danced a Foxtrot. What was Rumer’s dance supposed to be anyways?
Someone commented on twitter that if Derek had choreographed that Samba that Len would’ve ripped his balls off and fed them to him. I would have to agree.
And that’s why this show pisses me off. I don’t care about 1 point. I care about the double standard, the hypocrisy – the blatant manipulation. Disgusting.
The pimping and over scoring were so in your face tonight. Although I have to say I find it somewhat hilarious that the excuses the judges are giving for docking down Derek and Nastia are getting hilarious. Now they get docked a point for “uneven lip syncing”? Does that really make your chosen pair look all the great when they end up on top of the leader board because of their main competition weren’t entirely perfect on their mouthing skills? I mean really, how worthy are your pimp babies when that’s all you can come up with to knock down their competition despite the fact that said competition had a pro performing 13 shows on Broadway that week and three days of rehearsal with barely any sleep.
With Derek’s schedule this week the fact that the judges had to invent idiotic reasons to dock him enough points to not top the leader board makes their pimped one look even less special if you ask me.
I will say without the comparison I don’t have much of a problem with Riker or Nastia’s scores. They were both great but to me not totally above nitpicking
BUT…
Since this is a competition the comparisons are necessary. It’s hard because you can’t judge everyone on the same scale, but I think it’s pretty obvious that Rumer, Riker, and Nastia are all the best dancers on the show and should be judged on a similar if not identical scale. On such scale, Rumer’s samba isn’t even close to 1 point better than Riker and Nastia’s dances, which were jam-packed with content. Rumer’s dance looked void of samba for most of the dance. I remember the specific samba steps from her dance because they were so few.
Also, last week Len docked Nastia for not having enough AT character even though it was most memorable year week. Where was that criticism for Rumer? She was certainly in character as Ursula, but that did not feel like the partying samba dancer. I wouldn’t have deducted for that, but if Len is going to do it for one couple, he needs to be consistent. I would’ve been fine seeing 4 9’s or maybe even an 8 or two, but the lip synching comment is an insult to the audience’s intelligence. And I better hear either an apology from CAI for that BS logic or a deduction for every other couple who does it because I’ve definitely seen it done before.
That, Michelle, and the fact that Val rejected that song in favor of another dance that looks the same as all their other dances.
Okay I am trying hard to not be mad but looks like I will turn into a monster this season and start yelling at DWTS all the time now thats Two weeks in a row that they have done this to Derek and Nastia.
my Fav of the night Derek and Nastia. Ricker and allison willow and mark I cud not enjoy Rumers dance for some reason 🙁 having Demi and Bruce means give them the leader board and CAI is a Cow sorry
I should clarify that I mean 4 9’s with maybe an 8 or 2 for Rumer given Nastia and Riker’s scores. I realize the way I wrote it makes it seem like that’s what I think Nastia should’ve gotten.
I LOVED Riker and Allison’s paso and thought it deserved a higher score. His pirate impersonation was so good I was laughing. I love his enthusiasm! Derek and Nastia were so classy and I enjoyed their dance. I don’t get what was wrong with the lip syncing. It looked fine to me. Rumer seems nice and she is really trying hard–it would be cool if Tristan had been her partner. I am also glad that Kym is back this season. She is so classy. I miss Karina too. Sharna is such a good choreographer and an excellent dancer. Suzanne and Patti are not the best dancers but they are improving and are classy ladies. I am sure when they signed up they didn’t expect to win, so they should enjoy the journey and improve as much as they can for themselves. Dancing should be fun!
LOL – rewatching All Access and Derek is freakin’ hilarious. I think the schedule is getting to him. He said he got attacked but he didn’t want to talk about it….”but, he was a boy and he was wooden. Just sayin’.”
Ohh PH sometimes I ask muself the same thing. But then I see dances like ryker ans nastia and I know why. Plus we need you to watch so we can have all these fun conversations online. Lol 🙂
The fix is totally in… Can CA rewind the show, watch Rumer and notice that she was lip singing in some parts and others not!!?!?!
Extremelly happily surpriced with Allison’s choreography!! Big smile on my face. 🙂
Sorry for the double post. I’m on my phone and service sucks :S
So, for the last three seasons with val we’ve had DanicaNotADancer, ShowmanceNotAShowmance and now a series of dances that aren’t really truly their style, so SambaNotASamba, TangoNotATango, etc.
If nothing else Val shakes things up.
I get why the fans of the other pros don’t like Derek (cause he gets the show and manages to make his partners shine) but why don’t the judges support him? Are TPTB so nervous that he may not come back they need to make sure he’s seen as not the top pro?
lip syncing and bad foot work. Does carrie ann even know what she is talking about? lol she is a terrible judge even mark called her out on her foot work comment. He agreeded that with bruno and julieanne about the arm comments but not with carrie ann’s foot work comment. Don’t get me started on taking off points due to lip syncing like is she for real .
Derek’s sleep deprivation is making for the best All Access interviews this season. For some reason I found it hilarious when he stared into the camera and said, “Witney peed her pants!” The look on his face cracked me up. He also seems to get distracted often by his white hands and arms. I also love how Nastia just seems completely immune to any random oddness he tosses out, like, “yeah honey your arms are white. Let’s go take a nap now.”
Val is not a choregrapher – he can’t choreograph to save his career. Alfosno isn’t getting any job offers the way he keeps hanging around the dwts set – just like maks hahahahahahahahahahahaahhaahaahaha
Mark is a creative man. He is kinda saying f@ck all the haters – I love it
Derek is a talented beast with a beautiful heart. Agree with jules. Carrie ann is a dip@#$*.
Allison and riker r amazing
Really hope to see nastia -riker and willow on the same team.
Oh and rumirs dance was not a dance it was a piece of crap so over scored
I really hope nastia choses willow over riker . Willow can dance and mark and derek are great choreographers . Then that would leave val with allison whom isn’t as good as mark .
They are perfectly matched, Michelle. And yeah, the “Witney peed her pants” thing was hilarious, as was his comment about not farting in front of “his women” and that women “defecate potpourri” and Nastia throws out “and glitter”. It was killing me.
I know my dream of having Nastia, Riker, Willow, and Robert in the same team won’t come true. But a girl can dream right?
Er, you may not like Allison, Gaby, but she and Derek together get Emmy nominations. More than one.
Probably not, Ananya, but stranger things have happened thanks to the wack picking by C-bros.
My guess is that they will decide to make Rumer Team 1 since she had the high score tonight (even though they often go with the highest cumulative score) and she will pick dancers first. Which plays into Derek’s hands because he picks music first. Of course, if Val had any brain at all he would be wise to this by now.
sorry about my comment i don’t know much about the dance world or emmy nominations . I just keep hearing she’s the best contemporary choreographer but sucks at ballroom. I was going by other people opinions.
Trying to catch up as it’s around 9 here. Loved seeing Alfonso and Sadie tonight. It’s so cute that she stays with him when she comes to town. I hope we get to see them both dance this season.
Has anyone watched his show on the Food Network?
Ok I rewatched all the dances…
As it turns out, I did not fully appreciate Riker’s Paso the first time. I watched it another two times and I take back what I said… it was pretty awesome. Hahaha. Still, a few parts were a bit manic but it’s not like he got a perfect score so it’s OK. I’m adding Riker to the list of my favorite performances of tonight. Once again I have to give props to Allison for choreographing that dance. She’s doing such a good job this season.
I also rewatched Rumer’s dance and yes.. I can see now that it didn’t have that much Samba content. It felt more like a Freestyle with two or three Samba steps in there. So yeah, overscored. I still really liked it though. My favorite dance she has done so far. But I liked it as “a dance” not as “a Samba”.
Oh and I forgot to mention.. CarrieAnn Inaba is a dimwit. That is all 🙂
Just taking a look at social media a lot of people are voting for Robert and Kym to stick it to Chris because of his package tonight! I think there is a glimmer of hope that he gets enough support to stick around
I love how Derek beat CAI at her own game. When she said something was bothering her he immediately points to his sideburns. No one takes her seriously lol. Really, she just pulled that critique out of her ass because Nastia was outstanding. All season she’s bashed for lack of personality. She gives it to them in spades and suddenly her lip synching skills are lacking.
How are Nastia and Derek going to manage a team dance since they have to travel to NY for the week, or is Nastia on spring break?
Don’t they usually only rehearse twice for a group dance. Once tonight then again over the weekend? Sasha can stand in for Derek while he’s performing in NYC over the weekend, and Nastia is already out in LA over the weekends anyway so she’d partner with Sasha for that rehearsal. So I figure they’d hammer out the choreography tonight and then Derek gets a quickie refresh Monday morning and during dress rehearsal.
I’m not buying Rumer’s whole “let’s give Frozen to Nastia & Derek, they’d be perfect for it” act. I don’t know why, but to me, it came off as an insult towards Derek & Nastia (as well as totally disingenuous). Like she sees them as her biggest rivalry in the competition so she wants them to have the crappiest movie. All I can say is, never underestimate Derek Hough’s choreography skills. The man can turn lemons into lemonade.
I am just fuming with this blatant pimping of Val and Rumer. I really liked her Ursula costume & make-up and looked forward to their Samba but even I could see that there was not much content other than the Samba rolls. And then to be praised – that this was the dance of the night? Please!
Is there an address or somewhere we can bombard Rob Wade with complaints about the manipulation of this show. It just really pisses me off – just give Val the ball now.
I loved Riker tonight – he was so funny as Jack Sparrow. He did a really good job with the Paso.
Am I the only one who liked the lip syncing in Derek and Nastia’s dance? I thought it was really cute. Loved Nastia’s gown, she looked beautiful and Derek the perfect prince. It was nice to see them having fun – I really enjoyed their routine.
Willow did a good job and I thought Patti was elegant. I felt bad for Robert – he started off on the wrong foot, but hopefully he’ll be safe next week.
Idk why people are saying there was no Samba in that samba. Rumer and Val are not my favorite either but I’ve taken ballroom dancing classes before. there was plenty of content in the dance…
The fact that TPTB left in Rumer/Val recommending their cast-offs for Nastia/Derek SAYS IT ALL. That is purely political. There is no other content to it. It presents Rumer/Val as arbiters of their own fate with an imperious “Let them eat cake” attitude from Rumer, especially. That is all that clip says. It’s positioning, period. Maybe Rumer could have been different with a different pro, but as it is, she doesn’t charm me.
I agree that Riker’s performance was powerful, but almost throwing himself of balance was blaring (for me at least) and I don’t think he should have gotten 10’s for that reason. He’s performing at such a level that it shouldn’t be overlooked.
As for the “lip-syncing,” I didn’t even see it as that, from any of them who were mouthing the words. For me it was an assist to add the dimension of the words of the song since it was so integral to the dance. In any event, she should have gone with the sideburns.
Having watched that paso doble once again on Youtube, i can say Riker was UNDER SCORED and no way Rumer’s samba was better than that power packed paso doble.
Suzy…to bad for the tbtb that internet exists and we know better than to believe everything this is fed to us on this show…I think both val and rumer are disingenuous…give it to nastia…yea.. rumer you make it obvious your threatened by nastia..
Did anyone else catch that? Rumer said in her package “10s have been getting thrown out on the scoreboard, so I hope we are really hoping that our samba this week can get up there” . So does that mean she thinks the 10s that other couples got were not deserved? Pffff, I see she has maintained her cocky attitude.
“…,so we are really hoping that our samba this week can get us up there” Sorry, I should check before I press submit. *blush*
that seems to be a pretry standard theme on dwts each season…contestants see the 10s come out and go ‘oh snap, I hope we can get them’. it didn’t seem like a slight to other Couples to me
Mark this season reminds me A LOT of mark with Chelsea Kane. He said something back then about it not really being about the MBtrophy but about the artistry—painting a beautiful picture on the wooden planks of the floor. LOVED their dance tonight, and Willow is doing great keeping up with mark’s energy and creativity. Top 4 or 5 easy, if her fans hold up their end voting.
I really liked Rumer’s dance as well, and boy can that girl move–in water and on the dance floor. Agree that val is not the strongest choreographer of the bunch (especially if sandwich him between Hough and Ballas) , but if she’s not final 2 I will be shocked.
I can’t seem to warm up to Nastia, which is a shame because i adore Derek. She is pretty much flawless with the steps, but I feel she is…disconnected? I really think it’s that hardened gymnast competitor thing. Those girls have to be TOUGH. I felt this same way with Aly Raisman. Shawn started out the same but there was no containing that ball of sunshine that bubbles out of her. I keep watching to see if derek can crack her, and I hope that he does.
Riker I also really enjoy and he did awesome tonight.
Can someone back Me up on this that Derek’s team never sends someone home? I Think I’m right in that but can’t remember for sure if that is the case robert would be safe, But man does he need our roads we can’t lose him and Kym this early. He had so much content in the dance it’s such a shame
@Dallas – Not always. Pam was on Derek’s team and got sent home during team dance week in season 10.
Grrr, Thx Courtney, was so hoping I was right! I think Robert and Kym have a big enough dam base ro do this, I pray im right
@Dallas- I think the “usually someone on the losing team goes home” theory is less relevant now that we have an elimination based on previous weeks performance. No matter how team dances go, the person going home is already determined. I think how team dances go could either help or hurt someone for the following week though.
If you call one samba roll plenty, Amanda. The rest of it was jerky…moves that could have been any dance.
The only time I saw Robert out of sync was only in the first 10 seconds or so into the dance. After that when the troupe got out of the way, it seems ok to me. I had the same reaction as Kym when I saw 6s across the board.
The problem with Rumer and Val’s Samba, at least to me is that I could see the beginnings of several recognizable Samba steps but either they looked anemic or half-baked. Like instead of a giving us a finished painting, we got two or three paint strokes on a stark white canvas. It just wasn’t fully realized.
Rumer’s legs were too far apart as well and I noticed a too light feel to her movements. Like a ballet dancer instead of a Latin dancer.
I’m stumped that they got 10’s. Just dumbfounded really.
I’m interested to read Courtney’s rankings to see what she thought of the technical aspects of their Samba/NotSamba.
Rumer did look stunning and acted Ursula very well. I hope the exposure she gets from the show helps her career. She has real presence on camera.
Probably the thing I loved most about Nastia and Derek’s Jazz was that at times I thought I was watching an actual animated couple in a big Disney song production. That’s the genius of it.
The other couples did very well with their characters, and I enjoyed watching them, but Derek and Nastia transported me INTO the movie, if that makes sense.
And Nastia matched Derek’s performance in every way. I thought she was simply amazing.
CAI is ridiculous. Does she realize how ridiculous she comes across on TV?
I’ve just rewatched the whole show and I stil think that Val/Rumer’s dance was NOT a samba. And as somebody else said earlier I more frustrated about the comments than about the points. It’s not fair that Rumer got the “best of the night” comments when Nastia got the “uneven lip-synching”. I agree that if Derek had choreographed that “samba” he’d have got the “you’re taking the mickey out of us judges”, “I was expecting more than blah blah blah” “Why did you do that lift at the end?! or my favourite one: “I’m a judge and I have to be honest”.
There’s no way Val/Rumer’s dance was better in any way than Nastia/Derek’s or Riker/Allison’s but I think they are scared of Derek not being back next season and they need Val to take his place at any cost. Don’t get me wrong I like Val as a dancer but it’s hilarious to think that they believe he can be “the next Derek”. There’s only one Derek and comments like last night’s are the ones that make me regret he decided to do this season since he’s clearly surpassed the level of the show.
Heidi, there were Promenade Runs, Corta Jaca, Bota fogos, Samba rolls, samba bounce and a few other very common leg movements. It wasn’t all perfect and it looked like Val was overpowering her at times. But credit where credit is due, that was a pretty high level samba. And whether or not you like her, she is a good dancer and pimping aside, has a very good shot a winning.
Amanda, I think Susan2 stated it perfectly. There were beginnings of some samba moves, but they weren’t executed. I’m not sure what Val was going for. Clearly, Rumer is a refined dancer as Len made sure to inbed inthe mind of the audience, but notice how he steered clear of any discussion regarding their samba as a dance. He knew he couldn’t go there, or he would have to discuss the content.
Rose1, I do agree a little bit that the steps weren’t fully executed. It felt like she wasn’t fully taught all the steps and then Val came and sort of overpowered her a bit to hide her weakness. At one point when the troupe came in at the end, they all did a leg movement, I forget what it’s called, and Rumer sort of faked doing it while she stood there. However I still think it was the best dance of the night. You can’t really argue that there wasn’t enough content though, as I have seen a LOT of other people say.
Next week on Dancing with the Stars….watch as Derek is criticized for having an eyebrow hair out of place!! Louis Van Amstel then comments on how Derek can’t choreograph his eyebrow hairs as well as he can.
Louis, go eat a Snickers.
Princess H #194, you crack me up! That’s a good one. (wiping tears)
Louis was counting lifts..does he know that it’s legal in a Jazz, but not samba? seriously this just reminds me again of freaking inconsistency of CAI.
I’m not sure how many of the commenters on this thread have a ballroom background or competitive experience, but Rumer and Val’s routine had more than enough samba comment. Most of it was in the bronze and silver syllabus, with a few nods to the gold syllabus.
Derek and Nastia’s routine was certainly cute, but didn’t wow me as did some of the others. They played it a little too straight–as in, too close to the movie choreography.
Riker’s routine was a showstopper, but again, was also pretty frantic and Allison’s shoulders are killlllling me.
Noah and Sharna, for me, were perfection.
@indi – Longtime amateur ballroom dancer here. With regards to samba CONTENT – while I agree that Rumer had samba steps – the overall execution was not consistent with samba. One of the defining characteristics of samba is that it moves around the room, and the steps are such that it allows this fluid movement from step-to-step as well as around the dance floor. Because the choreography was so choppy – we’re gonna do a bota fogo, and then STOP! POSE! Do something theatrical! Ok, maybe now we’ll do a samba roll aaaaaand STOP AGAIN TO PULL A FACE!!! – I don’t feel as though it fit the bill of a what a samba should be. There was too much stop-and-go (a problem I’ve had with Val’s choreography for YEARS) and filler thrown in that it didn’t end up with the characteristic rhythm or flow of a samba. They also took a few liberties with the rhythm that prevented it from feeling like a true samba – I noticed they had to adjust the timing of a few steps to accomodate some tempo changes in the music. When you compare this samba to a standard one (like the one Nastia did two weeks ago) and compare the flow, rhythm, and movement of it – it wasn’t a samba. Was it a great theatrical number? Sure. But I don’t think we can all pretend it would pass muster as a great example of samba. Had another pro done the exact same routine – Derek, Mark, Sharna, Karina, etc. – I don’t think they would have gotten the warm reception and OTT praise that Val did last night. I think Len would have reamed just about anyone else for “messin’ about” or “letting the theme get in the way of the dance”. So the fact that this got praised like it did? Makes me really question the consistency with which the couples are getting judged this season.
Well said Courtney. I wish I had a “Hooray! You get a cupcake!” emoji.
I’m feeling old-fashioned (maybe just old?), but last night’s Production vs. Poignant Disney night was a bit off for me. Both Noah/Sharna and Patti/Artem gave me goosebumps, despite whatever content or execution issues. The judges are so all over the place about such concerns, so I have to go with my heart.
That said, I think Nastia and Derek were the only couple that had everything last night. Sweet and spectacular!
Rumer/Val and Riker/Allison were all fantastic. The villains are fun, too. And I feel terrible for Robert/Kym. Even Chris – he was much better – into the character and more musical IMO. When show business types like Suzanne are struggling with learning the dances, Chris (and Witney) should give himself a break!
It seemed as though Derek knew that Carrie Ann is going to talk shit out of her mouth the minute she started talking. It cracked me up when she said that something bothered her, and without even thinking about it, Derek suggested the most ridiculous thing he could: his fake sideburns. But apparently, Carrie Ann thought of a more ridiculous crap of her own.
I adore this mans’ ability to shake off of him all these petty stuff and continue doing his own thing.
Funny Amanda, I’ve had several ballroom trained dancers tell me it wasn’t a samba as it have very little content and what content there was, was sloppy and unfinished.
She is a good dancer. Never said she wasn’t. My problem is with her lack of content in all her dances and the obvious pimping. Of course she has a shot at winning – the judges and tptb are making sure of that.
Since Louis and his blog was mentioned earlier, I saw a link to it and looked at it. Did anyone else catch that Louis didn’t actually write is own blog?
Derek’s interruption about the sideburns cracked me up. You can see he’s totally onto the game the judges are playing by this point.
Am I the only one hoping his jet lag/sleep deprivation will override his “polite filter” and as soon as Len or Carrie Anne bust out their “it was a fantastic dance but…” shtick he just finally lets loose that eye roll he’s been holding in and says something like, “what we do this time? Blink too much?”
I have to give him props for just letting it roll off his back because by this point my sarcastic mouth would have said something.
#Ira — You are so right!!!!!!!!! Our Derek has become a bit of a stealth fighter while always always always reserving his energy to accomplish what’s important, what means something. Such a master of this he is. (Couldn’t resist just a touch of Yoda.) A master, really, of a skill without which he would not be able to create the magnificent life he’s living. He is a model of the lesson. And such an agile mind to come up with “sideburns,” smiling straight through it all. Now THAT, all by itself, deserved a 10.
@Lori I did see that all of Louis’s blogs are attributed to Josh (I forget his last name), but does that mean that Louis didn’t write it or that someone else just posted it for him?
Also, his best choreo/dance content list was just stupid. He himself said that ballroom and latin dances aren’t supposed to have lifts, but Nastia and Derek’s dance was a jazz. A really egregious error IMO.
I would also like to point out that just because the judges don’t mention a lift in their critique, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t take it into account in their scoring. With the scores Robert and Chris got, it’s certainly possible. Not saying Louis is wrong but just something to think about. I started to notice this when in weeks 1 and 2 of various seasons lifts would happen all over the place and never get called out, but then I looked at the scores and realized that the judges MAY be taking it into account, but we’ll never know. I don’t like it, but it’s a possibility.
I would love if for every dance the judges had to write in the moment what they were taking points off for and then we could see it, sort of like deductions other sports have. It would provide a lot more transparency. I realize this is a pipe dream that will likely never happen because then manipulation would be more difficult, but a girl can dream.
I loved that opening number especially the overhead camera shot of all the couples dancing with those gorgeous women’s ballroom dresses twirling and swaying, and the men in their tails. OMG, it was so pretty! I was so happy to see such a joyous and beautiful opener. The interspersed Disney characters were so cute. It was such a welcome relief from all the bumping and grinding openers and bumpers we are usually subjected to. Thank you Rob Wade! As for the couples, I loved Nastia/Riker/Willow/Robert the most. Nastia & Derek’s dance was stunning beautiful and terribly underscored, yet again, imo. It’s crazy how CAI cannot find anything wrong (because there WAS nothing wrong) except their lip-synching, when Rumor was also doing it, uncriticized. CAI, please take your biases and go work somewhere else. I loved the loopy, tired Derek during All Access and Nastia just taking him and his hysterical comments in stride: I totally love this partnership and hope the judges finally get their act together and support them with appropriate marks (10s). I am again disheartened by TPTB Val/Rumer pimping and attempted manipulation of the viewers. I find it insulting and it makes me mad so I don’t vote for them. I love Robert & Kym and despite his fumbled footwork in the beginning, he did as fantastic a dance as he was able to do, and I was smiling throughout; I just love his energy and the fauxmance with the always delightful Kym. I loved RIker’s character; the dance was a tad frenetic but he was energetic and exciting to watch. Willow did a pretty good job, but it was all too much of a production number to me and Mark, bless his heart, looked too much like a creepy Easter Bunny. Chris & Whitney are not a happy couple and he needs to go; they make me feel uncomfortable to watch. Patti as always was a shiny light. Noah always tries his best. Suzanne looked a little relieved to go: not sad about it as I was a bit put off by her last week’s revisionist history of her relationship with John Ritter. Looking forward to the Team dances.
well said Michelle. If i were in Derek’s position I would have been charged for contempt by now or maybe worse.
and I don’t get the problem with lip synching. I mean Nastia obviously loves Frozen. When I dance to songs i like, I sing along too. and i thought the lip synching added to the effect of the dance and made it a better representation of the movie scene.
Which is why I said Louis would say he could choreograph eyebrows better, Ananya. I normally don’t tweet the pros but I couldn’t help but point out he was criticizing someone for breaking a rule that isn’t actually a rule.
One only has to compare the dance quality of Nastia’s samba to Rumer’s “samba” to see where my issues lie with Rumer’s dance. And she got a 39 for that?? Disgraceful. Nastia’s samba was far and away the better dance and got three points lower.
But I guess if you’re desperate to make someone (Val) happen, this is what you do. But you know what? I wouldn’t have had NEARLY the issue with the judging for that dance if the judging for Nastia’s Jazz hadn’t been so asinine from one particular person. It’s a lot easier to take OTT pimpage when you don’t tear down another couple for something MINOR.
Ira, I wish I had a tenth of Derek’s patience with the bullshit.
Late to the recap party. But yep, this pretty much sums it up for me.
Sometimes I wonder why I continue to watch this extremely manipulated, over produced show.
Huge Robert/Kym fan here. So tell me true, Suzanne stands around while Tony does WhateverTheHell it was that he was doing and she gets 7s for absolutely zero effort, IMO.
Robert on the other hand, is dramatically out of step from the opening, but does reign it back in as best he can, and gets all 6s for the effort? Throwing up glitter on the judges. Sorry for the graphic. And as noted above, I guess we will see how big his fan base is next Monday.
Apparently Rumer is drinking the Kool-Aid and will give us a dark persona from here on out. I absolutely hated that dance. And I guess when her lips move that is not lip synching?
To be quite frank, I am growing tired of ALL of these production dances. Isn’t that what we use to call a FREESTYLE?
Planet Mirrorballus is getting tooclose to the sun for me. I am expecting its destruction sooner than later, these days.
I would have to agree with you, dancewithyou, on the productions. It makes the freestyles seem so less impressive nowadays. I think back only as far as Jennifer and Derek – her only prop was a watermelon. There was no OTT production and it was a great, fun, appropriate dance.
Now we are getting these huge productions in week 5 – and earlier in the case of some couples. I kinda wish we would go back to just dancing.
PH, Tom mentioned a double elimination at some point. Any info on that?
My personal guess for the double elim in when they bring the results show back into the mix. Maybe on the Monday show they’ll eliminate someone as normal based on the previous weeks votes/scores and then on their first results show the next night they’ll eliminate somebody else based on Monday nights judges scores? I could be totally off base, but I would guess that they need to do something like that if they’re going to get on a results show schedule.
I agree completely with the big productions getting out of hand. Not only does it take away from impacts of the freestyles like PH said, but it is really starting to overshadow the dancing. While I love Mark, I think last night was just a little too over the top even for Disney week and distracted from what the dance actually was. Halfway through I forgot what dance they were doing and found myself saying, “is it a waltz? A foxtrot? Oh well, whatever.”
Honestly, one of the things I am loving about Derek this season is with the time constraints and being out of LA he’s focusing on the dance more than production and it’s killer. And besides week one, he’s not used the troupe as filler. It’s like old school DWTS when they perform.
Heidi, you and I both. When I heard Carrie Ann’s idiotic criticism, I was ready to bite her head off! But when I re-watched it and noticed Derek’s reaction, I couldn’t stop laughing.
This smart, immensely talented, gorgeous big-hearted man is willing to fly across country twice a week to be a part of a show that he loves unconditionally, despite the pettiness of ____ (fill in the blanks)… And all this while doing up to 13 shows per week??!!
I just think it will be wiser and more effective, as fans of his and his work, to just sit back and enjoy this awesomeness named Derek Hough.
Cause, let’s face it! This man is not going anywhere but up, despite all the narrow-minded and jealous nay-sayers around!
Ok… maybe once in a while we’ll curse at the stupidity and throw nuts at the TV, while drinking cold beer 😉
I LOVE the way rumer dances. I think she dances so beautiful, even just snippets of her dancing in rehearsal impress me. But I didn’t like their samba. I likewise felt I didn’t see enough content until the samba roll after that it was fine. Same thing with their salsa. I think Val wastes too much time choreographing the start of the dance without any satisfactory content. I felt nastia and derek’s dance was very sweet. Not deserving of a perfect score I felt, but definitely underscored, there were no errors, no lack of content, etc. Sharna looked beautiful as Jasmine as always. I hope Chris goes next week instead of Robert, Robert I think still has a lot of potential. Loved riker’s paso but it definitely looked like Allison was going to go flying at one point. Lol.
I am finally caught up, as I needed to watch them again. I have to say that last night was the weirdest thing I’ve seen on the show.
Suzanne was good until the mishap. My MIL came over yesterday as said she’s over Suzanne after her unprofessional remarks about her contract and has now moved over to team Robert.
Robert started off bad, but turned it around at he gets 6’s? That dance was hard!
Chris is done. The end.
I did not find one thing appealing about Rumer’s dance AT ALL. Too dark and weird. I don’t think there is anything underhanded about passing on Frozen. She doesn’t like the movie – so what. I’d pass too. Suited Derek and Nastia’s better.
Loved Willow’s production, but I can’t recall the dancing.
Patti was meh…
Noah was cute and he did great with what he has, not outstanding, but nothing terrible either.
Allison needs to take it down a notch. Sensory overload and too intense. Loved the concept but I was hard to take in and enjoy.
Nastia’s dance was classic Disneey and WTF with the lip sync remark! Rumer lip synced, Susanne was mouthing the words. Sharna was lip syncing. Holy crap, was it just too good?
What a let down.
Rumer’s footwork and precision was absolutely INSANE. Yeah, the production of it all might have gotten in the way, as it did for most of the “top 4” couples on Disney Night.
What is so wrong with Rumer & Val taking the top of the leaderboard last night with a wildly creative routine? Did Derek HAVE to have the highest score of the night again? No. This competition is about growth and dedication; it’s a JOURNEY. Rumer showed the most passion and focus out of all competitors last night; heck, she was even SINGING the entire song! I was very impressed at how Julianne bluntly proclaimed it as the ‘best of the night’.
And, in regards to the “pimping” of Val; let’s just put it out there, because it’s the truth:
Derek has 5 Mirrorballs (deservedly, too; not doubting his abilities!). The Chmerkovskiy Bros., between both of them, have 1 Mirrorball. So maybe it’s time we let other equally-great pros & their star partners to have the spotlight on this show as well.
Hey guys, power rankings are up: https://www.puredwts.com/2015/04/14/puredwts-season-20-week-5-power-rankings/
Gonna go ahead and unsticky this post from the front page, as it’s getting a tad long…
Oh look, another person who doesn’t understand what pimping is and believes that everyone should get a trophy just like in pee wee baseball. Whoopee.
It’s a competition. Val and Maks can’t close the deal without showmances, ringers and massive pimping by the producers. Derek can do it with none of the above. For example, with Brooke Burke and Kellie Pickler, just to name two. He can win with a ringer too, unlike Val, who has had multiple ringers in a row and still can’t win.
This is not Derek’s fault – it’s Val’s problem. And SoapView, this show is about different things to different people. You are new here – you lecture us again and you won’t be posting here long.
#Soapview. Other equally great pro’s do not need a path cleared for them. If they are really equally great, they will win on their own.
Wow. Simple and accurate, Suzy.
No doubt Carrie Ann and Len will vote for Ryker and Rumor for the team dance….They chose them to win it all so Derek and Mark will not win the team dance this year. The producers should be ashamed of themselves letting the judges critique the way they do. So unfair. Willow and Ryker make mistakes and get 9’s and tens but Nastia dances perfectly and gets 9’s. If you don’t want to be fair to people like Nastia then don’t put her on the show. I don’t remember anyone criticizing Alfonzo who has been professionally dancing since the age of 4.
Vicki/Janet/Sue, pick one name please.
I think Val feels entitled to win because of what he did with his competitive career (Wasn’t he still competing in dancesport championships a few years ago? 2012 I believe) he probably thought he would be winning every season when he got on DWTS.
That’s one of the reasons I’m not a fan of the C-bros, their partners look stressed and guilty when they don’t win. They always “want to win for Val” (or Maks)
And the fact that he hasn’t win this Entertainment show is probably unbearable for him. But in DWTS a celeb win if people vote, if people like their dancing, and their story and their pro.
A pro does’t win just because is his turn or “his season” or because “Derek has won 5 times”. And so far the majority of voters hasn’t liked Val and his partners enough, even with all the shenanigans.
Rewatching Nastia’s Jazz reminds me at how crappy “Love is an Open Door” was sung. Especially, that female singer. Her ultra breathy voice when singing and too squeaky voice during the talking part drove me INSANE. And I thought “Take Me To Church” in week one was already atrocious. Sorry ranting a little here.
Nastia did make a convincing Anna though, she suits the hair really well.
Riker finally impressed me, his routine was captivating from start to finish. Allison’s choreography is once again looking quite frantic, but I love how they blend together really well. Rumer was nice, still no variation from her (she needs to do a lot to convince me that she can do something soft since I thought her Waltz was also soooooo edgy), but nice nevertheless. The song was wickedly fun, too, though it’s still no “Kiss the Girl”, “Under the Sea” or especially “Part of Your World”. Still not a Samba, nope.
Not impressed by anyone else, not even Willow. So so sad that Robert didn’t kick ass, but his scores were surely whack. I agree with everything about his score compared to those of Chris, Patti and Suzanne. I’d be real pissed if he go home before Patti and Chris, heck, if anything he’s my top 2 with Nastia for me.
Overall a nice night though, agree that it was much better than the previous year’s effort. Maybe because there’s no Donny this time around LOL.
@Lotus – I think Val & Dasha retired midway through 2011 – and then his first season was the fall of that year, and Dasha was part of the troupe. Funny thing is, though, that she ended up returning to professional competition with a new partner (Slavik Kryklyvyy, Karina’s old partner, and now Stefano Di Filippo) – and she has been CLEANING UP in pro Latin. We’re talking one of the top 10 couples IN THE WORLD right now. And to my knowledge, Val & Dasha only competed in amateur Latin – don’t think that they ever went pro. But anywho – if Val does treat DWTS like a “real ballroom competition” (and sometimes, I think he does), and he consequently feels entitled to a win because of it…then perhaps this is why he has yet to actually win an MBT. To quote Riker’s fans when they want to shut down any discussion about the fact that Riker has competed in Latin before: “DWTS IS NOT A REAL DANCE COMPETITION!!!” It doesn’t excuse Riker’s previous experience, but it is true – it has never been, nor will it ever be, a true ballroom competition. It necessitates different choreography, a different atmosphere, and a different attitude. So trying to win DWTS by treating it like a real ballroom competition is kinda like trying to win a soccer match by playing with American football rules…it just doesn’t work.
Saw this discussion in latest comments; so would Val have won his Blackpool Finals title with Dasha as his partner (before they retired)?
@SoapView – I don’t think anyone stands a chance of winning pro Latin at Blackpool as long as Ricardo Cocchi & Yulia Zagoruychenko and Michael Malitowski & Joanna Leunis are competing – those two couples have got the Latin championship on lock. The pro Latin championship is an absolute bloodbath there – we’re talking at least 300 couples in the initial heats, and they whittle it down to 6 in the final. Val & Dasha actually did make the finals of the amateur Latin championship the year they retired – which is a real accomplishment – but it’s absolutely insane how much harder the pro competition is than amateur. It’s also kinda hard to compare Val & Dasha to Stefano & Dasha – I can’t state with confidence that, had Val decided to keep competing, he & Dasha would be one of the top pro couples in the world, because each partnership is kind of it’s own set of circumstances. Some partnerships are really, really synergistic and they really work well together; others butt heads a bit more and maybe don’t pan out quite as well as a result. I think a lot of Stefano & Dasha’s success is probably due to Stefano competing (and doing reeeeeally well) as an amateur for so long – he & Ricardo competed against each other quite a lot, and I think that probably prepared him well for pro competition against him. Dasha’s no slouch, but I think Stefano’s the one driving that bus. There’s also politics involved in success in ballroom competitions – what asses your kissing, how hard you’re kissing them, who you’re sleeping with, etc. And allegedly, Dasha’s dating Slavik…so who knows what kind of pull he has. So many variables to take into account…so long story short: I don’t know that Val & Dasha could have become one of the top pro Latin couples, had they continued to compete together.
Thank you, @Courtney.
According to his bios on ABC/imdb, he did win Blackpool at some point, not sure with who, though. (as a youth?)
At 15 years old, he became the very first, and last American competitor to win the IDSF World Championship. In addition, he also won Asian-Pacific Open, U.S. Open, & the German Open (where he & Maks were the only American couples competing, and won). It’s also said he has an accumulative 14+ U.S. Championships over the course of his pro ballroom career.
It’s kinda funny, but also kinda sad, that all of our pros’ prior, more superior, accomplishments & accolades become “buried”, of sorts, and we just solely known them for DWTS.
@Courtney thanks for sharing some ballroom knowledge. Made me wanna go look at Blackpool videos on youtube, the pro Standard dances are absolutely beautiful too.
@SoapView – it might have been youth or under21. As for the American thing, I’ll just say this: in the international competitive ballroom world, it’s a helluva lot easier to be a competitor who claims American citizenship but has an Eastern European or Italian-sounding last name, than it is to be an American competitor with a very American-sounding last name like Smith, Johnson, Thomas, etc. STRONG anti-American bias, and STRONG belief that by virtue of being Russian or Italian, a competitor is automatically superior. It’s prevalent to the point where I’ve actually known some competitors to adopt a more Russian-sounding last name whilst competing, just to get a leg up.
Derek won a World Under 21 Latin Championship – but he competed for Poland for much of his career. He also won Blackpool, British Open (twice), International Open to the World (twice) and US Open (twice). I think hard core fans are aware of what their favorite pros have accomplished. I even had one Derek fan tell me in one of the videos where Derek won (World?) that they saw Val took 9th – far more observant than I am, clearly. Interestingly, when Derek and Aneta Piowtrowska broke up personally and professionally, he moved on from her and did even better. Derek had quite a few different partners (which seems to be unusual) and seemed to strive to do better each time a partnership ended. I think it varies depending on the person whether a partnership ending has any kind of negative impact.
Derek moved on to West End at a much younger age (I believe) than Val was when he moved to DWTS. Mark moved on as well. I *think* Derek moved on to Footloose and other theater at 19. Hard to believe everything these guys have all accomplished at such a young age. Makes me feel like a real slacker. 🙂
I lost track of my point….it was that you shouldn’t assume that people “Only” know them from DWTS. I would also disagree that the ballroom stuff is “superior” – that is entirely subjective. It takes a much different skill set to win DWTS than it does your average ballroom competition. It’s like saying ballet is superior to contemporary. It’s snobbery, really.
Editing yet again to add that you can see videos of Derek competing in various competitions from back in the day – I would imagine there are videos of Val, Maks and the rest as well.
@soapview it’s funny how that happens.
I remember in one of Emma’s livestreams from earlier in the season, and She was asked who she likes to dance with most…she said Val because he was the best Latin dancer on the show and she went on to rave about his technique.
With everything involved in this show,its easy to almost forget how superbly trained & skilled in ballroom some of these pros are…derek, mark, louis, don’t even get me started on karina
Yes, @PrincessHeidi, there are actually a lot of videos of most of the men in that range, especially the ones that are known for their Latin experience. (Val, Derek, Mark) Surprised to find so many on YT… I do imagine that all of them have competed against each other at some point, but I do know specifically Val and Mark have always playfully teased each other about going against each other in many different comps. One of my favorite things about their friendship, lol. And it’s SUPER crazy to think the 3 of them were winning world championships by age 15 or so.
@eliza, I remember Emma saying that too. I believe it, because he’s always pointed out his preference for Latin ballroom over most other styles. It is easy to forget, and kind of mind-blowing to watch some of their pro competitions on video!
@Courtney–The surname thing is pretty funny… I imagine a lot of Russians/Italians did immigrate for competitions as well. Read that Chmerkovskiy’s moved here when Maks was 14, Val was only 7 (!), for competitions, and Maks & his father opened up a studio in NYC right after they moved.
(Continued from prior comment)
I didn’t necessarily mean ballroom comps were more superior to DWTS; they obviously require different choreo and different work ethic.
I meant to say that the average viewer of DWTS might not know, for example, that Derek was doing theatre in his teenage years in addition to worldly ballroom, or, that Val has 14 world championship titles, etc, etc. It’s very interesting to read into their deep careers prior to the show.
Yeah, and Mark and Julianne complained that they could never beat Derek in ballroom competitions – when they were in the same category. Val likely had the same problem.
As for number of titles – well, of course you have more when you competed far longer (by years) than other pros on the show. Context is important there, and people tend to leave that out. I see people tout that for Val all the time and I’m like, so? It’s kinda like saying Derek won way more MBTs than Julianne. Well, yeah. But Julianne was only on the show for five seasons. With two MBTs in that time, she has the best won-loss ratio of all the pros. But that’s easy to do when you didn’t stick around after three losses, where Derek did. There’s two sides to that story.
You can look at statistics all kinds of ways, and misuse them easily. When context is applied, things look a bit different.
ETA: Heh. Check out the video I’m getting ready to post. Emma has a new favorite dance partner.
Re competition days, a couple years ago before Mark and Val become best buds, Val apparently bragged about beating Mark in competition days and i remember Mark saying “yeah, we competed against each other many times and he beat me once, you do the math”.
PH – which brings to mind my favorite Mark Twain quote – There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. 😉
Judging by Val’s comments and behavior on DWTS, I’m with Mark on this one. Kinda similar to Derek getting 5 MBTs but when Maks got the ONE with Meryl (on showmance and pimpage) it was the best one EVER. The best couple EVER. Uh huh.
EXACTLY, Lurker. 🙂
@jess(the old lady one)–Val & Mark are great friends, and bragging from any of them is most likely playful. I’ve always liked their friendship and teasing about their early comp days,
@PrincessHeidi–I don’t think people consider Meryl & Maks win “the BEST ever!!” because some of Derek’s wins have been considered equally as memorable. Yes, Meryl & Maks were a phenomenal pairing, technically and emotionally, but I personally don’t like to label a certain couple ‘the best’ over the course of the series. Nicole Scherzinger & Jennifer Grey were fantastic, VERY buzzy victories for Derek; personally my 2 favorite partners of his! Regarding the Maksyl “showmance & pimple”, that was ALL diehard fans. The 2 of them tried their best to stray from the romance rumors, as the media persisted on them. They were very dedicated to their work that season, and I loved watching them grow in their routines over the weeks as well.
I don’t think anyone said they weren’t great friends, SoapView – you do realize that most of us here are just as knowledgeable about the show and the pros as you are, right?? Because you’re starting to sound like perhaps you’re trying to educate us. Trying to teach us the error of our ways.
And you are WAY off base claiming they tried to get away from romance rumors. On the contrary they played on it every chance they got even after the show was over. It was probably a month or two after the show was over before Maks finally said he wasn’t going to date Meryl. Meryl said it quicker than that, but she played it up all during the show. There are dozens of videos on this site alone which show them playing coy with interviewers. It’s trick Maks has used for years and year to make up for lackluster choreography.
Again, don’t try to sell us on the Chmercocky party line. We’ve been watching this show for YEARS.