Private Members Area – DWTS Season 20 Week 5 Discussion
Tonight was week 5 (Disney Week) of Dancing with the Stars Season 20. If you’re not a Pure DWTS Insider yet, you can do so here. If you are, then I look forward to the discussion in the comments.
Disney week. What did you think? Seems like there are a lot of mixed emotions about the week. Personally, I really like it. I’ve been watching DWTS for a long time and my kids have never really wanted to watch it. However, last time they did Disney week, my kids were asking to watch it. I can’t remember how they knew about it, but it was amazing how interested they were when it was Disney music.
Anyway, my personal story aside, let’s hear what you think. I’ll have to personally chime in later since I’m in Chicago working the day job and couldn’t watch it. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Have fun in Chicago, John! it’s one of my favorite cities in America!!
As for the show…with an exception to Carrie Ann docking Nastia and Derek for lip syncing, I loved the show. I thought it was well produced. The costumes were out of this world too.
Another magical night! The production value last night was pretty darn impressive. The make-up team really deserves an Emmy.
Production wise my favorite was probably Willow and Mark. Mark envisioned something that transformed the dance floor and I honestly forgot I was watching DWTS on a sound stage and not in a movie. I also thought the music fit perfectly with the theme of the performance.
That being said my favorite was probably Riker. Yes it was frantic and he didn’t have the best technique so I was fine with two 9s but I just love that music and it was so powerful. I also thought he was pretty funny as Jack Sparrow.
Pretty bummed for Robert as he looked so good in his livestream. He just started off on the wrong foot and it went downhill. Really worried for him next week. Nastia’s dance was cute but didn’t really do much for me. Thought Rumer was majorly overscored, there was hardly any Samba at all. Seems to happen whenever Daddy is there.
Hey John! I’m in Chicago so if you need any recommendations on restaurants or fun things to squeeze in while you’re here, happy to help! I’m a native and one of my favorite things it do is help others enjoy my city. π
I just wanted to comment on the production and costumes last night –
Suzanne & Tony – the restaurant set was cute, but otherwise pretty standard. Understood why they went in this direction, though.
Robert & Kym – I friggen LOVE Step in Time, and I thought he and the set looked great. I did not like Kym’s costume at all, which is strange because I just remarked the other day how she is always beautifully dressed, but her Mary Poppins was a miss for me
Patti & Artem – I thought the beginning with her dress was soooo lovely, but otherwise I thought they could have done a bit more to up the “Disney” mood of the night. But again I also understand why they’d go understated, too.
Chris & Witney – My whole house SQUEALED when we saw Pegasus (our favorite) – too bad it wasn’t the baby version, but still, yay! I thought their costumes were lovely, although I kind of wish that Witney looked more Megara than toga. Just a personal preference, but the white was pretty.
Willow & Mark – beautiful, haunting and they did a fantastic job of transforming the ballroom. She absolutely fit the part and I was astounded by Mark’s costume. I didn’t care for the look of the card soldiers, but maybe that’s how they look in the Tim Burton film? I can’t remember because I fell asleep when I watched it π
Noah & Sharna – I was not crazy about his Aladdin look, but holy shit did Sharna look AMAZING as Jasmine – the make-up was spectacular, the wig looked great, and the costume was as flattering of one as I’d ever seen on her.
Riker & Allison – as much as he was in-character and pulled it off, I didn’t love his Jack Sparrow outfit – it seemed a bit “Party City costume” and not of the same theatrical quality as the rest. But I LOVED Allison’s dress and the color, and the dresses worn by the other dancers. Plus the ship and effects in the background were super cool.
Rumer & Val – I thought she looked good and his costume was effective – maybe too much so, haha. I need to rewatch this one though because I was paying more attention to the lack of samba than the rest of the production.
Nastia & Derek – She looked awesome, and I really loved that hair color on her. They say that the best redheads are blondes armed with some dye (or a wig). I thought Derek’s costume was great but the burns – um, no. I realize that the character had them, but just no. He looked like he missed a few spots while shaving. The production was a bit underwhelming, but I realize that he may have gone that route either by design (like staging like a play) or due to limitations of being in NYC. Either way, I think my expectations of what he could do with the song played a part in my disappointment with the staging.
So I had to watch Rumer and Val’s routine because some were saying they saw a lack of samba content. I saw quite a lot and I think due to lighting, special effects (i.e., dark costumes, smoke, make up), as well as the staging, it might have been hard to detect. I had to watch the ABC version that was uploaded and detected the following from the 90 secomds routine (they keep that last pose for a few seconds)
0:10-0:14 It is hard to see behind the cauldron but carioca runs as Rumer picks up the two beakers…
0:23-0:25 Rolling of the Arm (she only does 1/2 of the movement and doesn’t complete the roll back out)
0:28-0:30 Samba Locks
0:30-0:32 Rock Step
0:40-0:43 Carioca Runs
0:43:0:45 Maypole
0:45-0:47 Samba Locks
0:47-0:48 Stationary Samba Walk
0:51-0:55 Promenade to a Counter Promenade run
1:07-1:11 Reverse Samba Roll in Shadow position
1:19-1:21 Batucada
I’m sure I missed some others but from what I listed above… There were several samba movements… I just think due to musical timing as well as staging, costumes, etc, the routine didn’t lend itself to be a traditional samba set to traditional samba no matter what steps/moves he included in it.
As for my other standouts, Ms. Patti and Noah were my sentimental favorites. Ms. Patti, she has such stage presence and way to go for persevering despite injury. Noah (and by extension Sharna) for their connection and emotion when they danced. I loved it.
I thought Rikers was jam full of steps… Maybe too much so that I wasn’t able to enjoy the fluid arm movements and staccato flamenco parts of the paso which I truly love. To be fair to Nastia, I didn’t know it was a jazz until about halfway through the dance because they both looked ready to do a ballroom dance and I was looking for a ballroom dance.
Way to go Chris for pushing through though it must be difficult to get out of his head. I agree with Julianne that he should go back to how he felt that first week. He was confident he knew the steps but it might be hard since they go from three weeks to just four days to learning a routine. Ms. Suzanne, I thought it weird that they released a video of Ms. Suzanne wanting to quit prior to her performance and then showed parts of that in her rehearsal package. Well, she was grateful during her exit speech and I’m glad she felt that she learned a lot.
John/Charlie… Hope you are having a good time in Chicago even though it is for work. I need to make my way back there soon… Anyways, thanks for starting the thread.
Sorry… I just proofread my post and I meant traditional samba set to traditional samba music. I sincerely hope that made sense. My apologies for the confusion.
Also with Riker… I meant jam packed full of steps. Last comment for awhile… I promised π
So here’s my little “pot-stirring bit of intel” for the day…
…Henry is apparently no longer going to be Nastia’s stand-in partner for the camera blockings – for the remainder of the season, it’s Sasha instead. Apparently tensions were rising between Henry & Derek – Derek felt like Henry was trying to take half the credit for all of Nastia’s routines, when in reality he was only dancing with her for about 2 hours each week, tops…and the bulk of that was camera blocking. He may have also tried to tweak some of Derek’s choreography, because apparently Nastia was getting conflicting info from Henry about certain steps, technique, etc. To quote DT: “Henry thought he was teaching Nastia, but it was really the other way around.” Derek just asked that Nastia’s packages be edited in such a way that it accurately reflected how much time Derek was spending with her vs. Henry. Instead, the producers just suggested that Sasha be Derek’s stand-in for camera blocking (and anything else) the rest of the season. Derek, being the classy individual that he is, is trying to play it off as Henry’s decision: “He was just too busy with the troupe and other projects”. But yeah – this is what happens when pros get a bit of an ego on them and try to take a little too much credit for things they shouldn’t be taking credit for.
On a side note, I heart Sasha π Very underrated pro…and very low-key. Not really the type to try and steal anyone’s thunder or take credit where it isn’t due.
Good for Derek in a few ways:
– having enough pride in his work that he doesn’t want any appearances that he’s not “doing enough” with his partner or that Henry was doing more than the reality
– doing what is probably best for Nastia. Even though I do think Henry is probably a good choreographer and has potential as a teacher (not positive on that) Derek knows that consistency is key when you are teaching, and anyone that disrupts that – even trying to be helpful – can only confuse the student
– not throwing shade Henry’s way, even if he deserves it. I appreciate a kind diplomat, and Derek is always that
– for giving Sasha a chance, because – Sasha. YAY!
Can’t say any of that really surprises me (including Henry trying to give Nastia critique). Hopefully Sasha will bring some lightness and no stress for Nastia.
I love Sasha too. I’m so glad he’s standing in for Derek now. And I don’t blame Derek a bit for changing and why.
Derek is very smart – and he has to recognize when Henry is doing more harm than good. Can’t say I’m at all surprised. Derek is going to make sure to do what is best for *Nastia*.
This is Henroid: He apparently sent Anna a tweet (publicly) thanking her for saying that he worked half the time with Nastia.
What an asshole. Hence the name….
His current mood is a lemur wearing a diaper while spinning on a stripper pole to “Leave Your Hat On” by Joe Cocker.
Today has gone completely off the rails. π
My response is pretty much the same as Fig’s. Good for Derek speaking up for himself. We always see Derek be calm and understanding about everything. It’s nice to see that he has a backbone when it’s necessary.
Random Question- I know I don’t like Henry because he seems to be acting more douchy these days, but I think there was brief mention of you guys not liking him for something. Just wondering if I missed that at some point? Or if you can’t share, that’s totally understandable as well. What you do share is more than enough for me!
Thank you mods for all that you do for us Private Member folk. I think I mention it all the time, but it is greatly appreciated and makes me enjoy watching DWTS even more.
@Kaitlyn – I supposed we could share what made us sour on Henry…I’m pretty sure that friendship has sailed, so there’s likely no harm in it now.
Vogue had done an interview with him about 2 years ago, when he was doing choreography for The Great Gatsby. He was still a lowly troupe member at the time, and I thought it was pretty awesome of her to set this up to both create a cool feature for Pure as well as get him some exposure. About 6 months later, she got a bizarre email from him asking if we could remove any and all posts/interviews about him, as he “just wanted to focus on DWTS”. Not only would this be really labor-intensive for us (there’s no really easy way to filter out any post where we mentioned him), but it was just plain weird – as if he wanted to erase any trace of himself on Pure. Vogue was super-accommodating, and politely explained that it would be really hard to filter out posts about him, and also just asked “Why?” He never really gave her a response, but he eventually gave up and let the issue drop. To me, it looked like he had gotten a bit too big for his britches – the following season was his first as pro (with Diana Nyad) and it was as if he was now “too good for Pure”, even though we gave him the time of day when he was just a troupe member that nobody really knew. It contrasted sharply with Sharna, who has been nothing but 100% gracious to us (even after she became a pro) and also Sasha, who has been very accommodating. We gave them exposure when they were troupe members; they didn’t cast us aside when they became pros. And maybe I’m just a bit overprotective of Vogue, but I think anyone that has the gall to pull something douchey like that on one of the kindest, most generous people I know is just that – a douche. And the fact that he did it behind closed doors? Stealth Douche. And that’s what he’s been to us ever since…until the last few weeks, with “camera blocking-gate” becoming an issue, when I dubbed him with the auspicious title of “Henroid”. Cause he’s a pain in the ass. π
I wonder if that’s around the time that Henry got more “into” the Fam. Might not be related at all, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it not only touched on his ego, but this warped sense of strict exclusivity that they seem to foster. Sharna is an exception to this, obviously.
Sometimes I wonder if Sharna is only “Fam” because of Peta because her personality, at least what she presents to the public, doesn’t seem to jive as much with their little club.
Thank you for clarifying “Henroid”. I was wondering where that came from.
That was pretty shitty!
@Fig – I almost think Sharna is only fam because she’s just so neutral that she doesn’t even see the clique-yness of the show – I think she’d accept an invite to Sway with the same zeal as she would to be a part of MOVE, if they offered it. I like to think she tends to rise above a lot of the conflict.
So totally weird. I did see him approach Nastia when she was sitting in a chair in the red room and kiss her on the cheek, so there appear to be no hard feelings. Or perhaps Henroid finally got the hint that Derek may let everything roll off his back, but he’s no pushover. And that he tends to get what he wants when he makes a point of something. As rare as that may be.
I wondered at the time they showed that package of Henry talking before Nastia’s dance if Derek was going to take kindly to that or if there would be some blow back. I guess now we know. π
I actually wondered if Henry had a little tiny crush on Nastia – but it’s hard to tell if he is even capable of liking anyone more than the reflection in the mirror.
I heart Sasha also. It’s funny because when he was in the troupe I never really paid any attention to him. His partnership with Nicole was pure gold.
I really became a fan, not only of his dancing skills, but of his people skills. I have never seen him do or say anything that would detract from the show or others on the show. I really also liked his participation in Derek & Bethany’s dance. The kiss was priceless.
Sasha seems to be happy to do whatever there is to do and doesn’t worry about taking credit. I couldn’t be happier about this change.
Crush on Nastia or Envy of Derek? It all comes to the same end, eh? π
He was “tweaking Derek’s choreo” — are you kidding me?? I didn’t know any of this stuff about Henry, but when he went on about the chemistry issue in Nastia’s package, and then SHRUGGED, that was it for me. I was disgusted. Derek has such great judgment about things and just took care of the problem without making it a problem.
On the other hand, I first fell in love with Sasha when he was a “trumpeter” in Shawn and Derek’s epic quickstep. There is a screenshot with Sasha in the background holding his horn up, and his expression, his whole being communicated great joy. I thought someone so committed to such a role
… sorry … had to be someone with great spirit. So happy he’ll be with Nastia — especially, as someone pointed out, for the team dance. He needs to get a celeb next season — start the next 20 seasons off right.
Haha, PH – either way, same thing. I’m not a shipper, I had just seen a few people’s comments on Twitter that suggested a tiny crush, but when I went to look back again I couldn’t see them so it made me wonder if there was any truth to it or not.
Sasha convinced me for good when he voluntarily and seemingly without issue to play doggie bellhop when Lisa V was on the show. What a sport.
I can’t be bothered to check, but I recall Henry having a girlfriend a little while back – some ballet dancer from back in Australia. But I don’t think he has her anymore, and it kind of makes me wonder if that’s why he’s so preoccupied with selfies…no gf to tell him he’s cute. lol
I think some of the current pros could stand to take a page out of Sasha & Emma’s book – zero ego about the two of them, and always looking out for their partners. Hell, Emma has had to humble herself MULTIPLE times on this show – first there was Bill, who she actually took all the way to the finale despite all the bitching and moaning fans about how much he sucked; then there was Billy Dee, who could barely move and had to withdraw in week 3; then there was Mikey, who couldn’t dance and seemed to have a crush on her; and then she had Redfoo, who was completely neurotic and got booted in week 1. I absolutely HATE when people try to pull the “it’s so-and-so’s turn to have a contender!” card, and I still don’t agree with it; but if there’s one current pro I think has paid her dues, it’s Emma. And poor Sasha – I daresay the only reason he hasn’t gotten another pro spot is simply because he’s too short. Need to start a petition to get a short lady on the show next season for him to partner – I nominate Rhea Perlman, Kristin Chenoweth, or one of the Olsen twins. π
Thanks for the intel on everything regarding Henry. He is definitely a slimeball. Hopefully the producers will see how he acted in this situation and consider that when making their decisions for who could become pro in the future. I’m all for the getting a short person for Sasha petition. He seems to do everything asked (going on tour, helping with anything, doing a lot of the troupe live streams) and with a smile on his face.
Not to go off topic but I wasn’t sure where else to post this…but does anyone else think it’s strange the anniversary special is supposed to happen next Tuesday (4/21) and we’ve only seen/heard of Kelly and Alfonso participating? I assume Melissa will be involved in someway and I guess it’s possible the celebs with pro partners that aren’t on the show anymore (Emmitt and JR for example) could be rehearsing without us knowing it. I would just think most of these celebs haven’t danced in a while and will want as much prep time as possible.
I did get the 4/21 date right didn’t I? Just seems strange to me. What do I know though? Maybe everyone will start rehearsing today.
@DLT – There’s been other names rumored: Kristyn says Meryl & Maks are involved, and apparently Sadie has been seen around McCadden this week (and she’s staying at Alfonso’s house for the week). I can’t imagine they wouldn’t have Melissa on – but I think they’re just doing a good job of concealing everyone that’s gonna be there.
I’m also not sold on the Apr. 21 date – everyone seems to be relying on one tweet from grouchy ass Nancy Lee Grahn, who just said she was going to be WATCHING Kelly on Apr. 21…I’m wondering if the special is going to be pre-taped, and the 21st is just the taping date. Granted, all sorts of info has been flying around this week and I’m admittedly not 100% caught up on it, but it just made me wonder.
I feel like if it actually was on 4/21 they would already be promoting the crap out of it. Seems fishy to me that it would be a week away and the show hasn’t officially announced anything. I feel like Tom would have at least said…btw, next week we have two shows. I’m going with Courtneys guess of maybe it being pre taped.
You’re probably right that they are just keeping everything very well concealed. I actually forgot to mention Maks and Meryl…they are a no brainer considering the shows hard-on for them and they dance together quite a bit.
I’ve always assumed the 4/21 date meant a tape date to be honest. I just think with it being the big anniversary special they’ll want to control it as much as possible. Assuming they’ll have past celebs coming back to dance they’ll want to make sure the performances are up to snuff and may want the ability to have a “do over” if needed. I thought I saw one of the judges mention something about a special airing in May also so I just assumed it was whatever they are taping next week.
I kind of slightly wonder what the rest of the pros think of the whole henry vs derek situation :p but I guess we might never know!
on a side and off topic note, is there a way to subscribe such that I get alerts on all new articles and comments? I don’t know why I only get email alerts on comments on some new articles!
anyway, a big thanks to all the mods here while I’m commenting since I’m mostly a silent reader π all your intel is greatly appreciated!
*goes back to lurking silently*
@Adel – Thanks, and glad you enjoy π I would venture a guess that, aside from a select few pros *cough*VAL*cough*ARTEM*cough* that are #TeamHenry and are likely to passive-aggressively tweet about it or make veiled allusions to it (but of course, are too chickenshit to ever address it directly), most of the pros are probably too classy to say anything about it – but I think they probably side with Derek, as they know who is REALLY doing all the work in that partnership. I’m just thankful that Sasha is definitely not the type to try and steal the spotlight – he will be exactly what Nastia needs: just a stand-in for Derek to help Nastia run through her routine a few times.
The bad thing about the Derek/Henry situation is that Henry will spread his version all over the universe and Derek won’t say a word.
Adel, with regards to subscribing – I don’t know if it’s at all possible for you, but I have never gotten a single alert on anything, even when I signed up for them – and it was yesterday that I saw that an email from Pure had gone into my spam folder. So I wonder if I’ve accidentally deleted or missed them all. So if you haven’t checked that, might not hurt.
I agree that there’s no way that the special show is broadcast on the 21st. We’d be inundated with promotional stuff if it was the case. If not, I’d think someone dropped the ball BIG TIME.
I just noticed a video on you tube with the following name:
Nastia Liukin and Derek Hough featuring Henry Byalikov – Week 3 – Samba
“Featuring Henry Byalikov”? Reminds me of “tweaking Derek’s choreography.” No self esteem issues here. Maybe this is old news to you guys, but I was a bit stunned to see it.
The INTEL and the comments here are blowing me away. It is very sad that Henry does not understand the good he would have received from a quasi-partnership with Derek. I loved Henry & Anna doing the duo dance with Kelly & Derek. Henry & Derek seemed (at that time) to be on the same page. Their training package seemed positive and fun.
What a shame Mr. Henroid did not understand how to leverage a productive and friendly relationship with Derek. Just think, should Derek ever really leave DWTS, his fans are ripe for the picking. Guess Henry didn’t think about that. Poor, sad Henroid, he really does blow!
Hope Sasha paid attention on what NOT to do when being asked to assist Derek and his partner. And I agree, plenty of short ladies out there to partner with Sasha. Love the Rhea Perlman and/or Chenoweth ideas.
Finally, hats off to Vogue and the diplomatic handling of Henry. So very disappointed in the whole situation.
@dancewithyou – My guess is that Henroid started down the wrong path around the same time he started aligning himself with the DWM crew. Prior to that, he seemed to be Derek’s protege – there was the trio samba with Maria, the duo dance with Kellie, and he’s been Derek’s stand-in several times before. Then something seemed to shift, and we saw him hanging out more and more with Maks, Val, Tony, Peta, etc. And then the selfies started, and now camera-blockinggate. Kind of makes one wonder who is really worth aligning oneself with on this show – allying with Derek and/or Mark seems to have perks, but what will aligning with the DWM crew get you? An invite to Sway?
Unrelated thought: I have discovered an amusing, likely unexpected (on Val’s part) side effect of the Janel showmance last season – judging from Twitter, some of Val’s fans seem to be splitting into factions: the hardcore Vajanel shippers seem to be anti-Rumer, and the hardcore Vally shippers seem to be both anti-Rumer and anti-Janel…it’s rather entertaining watching them all gnash their teeth at each other. π
I think it’s really sad that they seem like nice people and then get caught up in the crew of DWM. I wonder what that says about them as individuals and the DWM crew.
@Courtney – I have to admit, my secret guilty pleasure is watching the shippers meltdown and have shipper wars on twitter, specifically the Val factions as there are so many of them. I don’t have a horse in the race so I sit back and watch (though I did like Valdaya). The Vally shippers are pretty quiet for the most part since that ship has long since sailed but I’m sure they’ll get revved up with the reunion special. The Valenna shippers pop up whenever they see interaction with Val or Jenna but like Jenna (IMO) they’re pretty naive and clueless.
It’s really the Vajanel shippers that are the worst honestly and it’s mostly because Janel plays into it and all that drama went down with Val and Janel in the post season. She’s shaded Rumer quite a bit this season. Today she posted about her favorite costume was the Rumba outfit (the same one Rumer had on in their package Monday night) and how she’s excited to see DWTS again (I assume she’ll attend the reunion). The shippers are going crazy now of course. Janel is desperate for attention and very needy and she’s missing all the attention she got from DWTS. She’s a legit nut job but hey…it’s not my problem.
Heather, the DWM twitter page after Kellie’s win was very representative of the DWM crew.
Ugh, showmances and shippers. What I’d do to have all of it banished. It’s not even *that* fun to watch them implode anymore, as it mostly makes me sad. Okay it’s a little fun. π
A small but interesting bit of intel from DT: Chris is absolutely MISERABLE and cannot wait to get eliminated, but is too proud to withdraw. So yeah, that sick look we saw on his face Monday night? It was actual disappointment that he wasn’t done.
#38 Court: LOL
Broadway?
Sway?
Gawd, so damn hard to decide whom one should follow! Thanks for the chuckle!
and by-the-by Chris. If you are that damn miserable, find some kind of farm issue that needs your attention and MOOve on home. I think we now know why Witney has seemed so different. It’s not her, it’s him.
I do feel a little sympathy for Chris. Can’t be easy to go out there every week and try and perform in front of millions when you don’t feel confident in her skill or performance and then get judged on everything you did wrong. That being said, he knew what he was getting into it and he didn’t have to do it (unless it was part of the Bachelor deal). I didn’t see their livestream yesterday though so I just hope he isn’t being a dick again…once his attitude moves into jackass territory all sympathy will be gone.
It’s a shame when you think about how excited he was week 1. Hopefully he goes on Monday because everyone else still really wants to be there.
I hope he finally goes home this week. I would be really disappointed if got more votes than Robert this week and sends him home. Robert is loving the process and I would hate to see him go and have Chris stay and be miserable.
I saw that there have been a couple of last-minute changes… Ms. Patti with the type of dance and Riker with the choice of song. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out…
Thanks Courtney, Voguerista and Princess Heidi for keeping us informed of the backstage shenanigans that is DWTS.
Some intel about the team dances…
…apparently both are pretty cute, and DT says he/she isn’t sure who is going to win. Team YOLO is feeling the burn of Derek not being there, though – apparently yesterday’s rehearsal kinda got off-track and they had to use extra time to Skype with Derek in between his shows in NYC, and of course Val is furious and thinks it’s unfair that they got extra time. To which I say “What’s preventing you from rehearsing more, brah?” Team YOLO has a beach theme, and there’s a section where they’re tossing beach balls around that is perhaps a bit ill-advised…I guess they came up with the idea in Derek’s absence. Apparently there was a lot of confusion about where exactly the balls should be tossed, and at what time. Here’s hoping they got it sorted out. Team Trouble has a teacher/student theme, with Patti serving as the teacher π
Thanks Court – I’m looking forward to both dances, and I hope they all deliver. While I definitely have my favorites, I always enjoy what they put together when working as a team. I also WANT to like Val more than I do, so I’m constantly seeking opportunities for him not to be a schmuck in my eyes.
I’m looking forward to the team dances. I’ve liked some of the past team dances and trios/quartets with pros. I love seeing new dynamics and sometimes these have brought some fun creativity, which I value more than strictly competition style dancing usually.
Also, I’m on Figamentation’s team in that I struggle to like Val, which I’m aware is not fair to his partners, some of whom are lovely.
It figures Val would act like that. You’re right. What’s preventing him and his team from practicing some more? He’s so jealous as always.
He’s just angry that YOLO might have found a way to “neutralize” Derek not being in LA. His ace in the hole it was.
In that twitter exchange between Mark and a Derek fan that was ranting about Mark changing Derek’s concept, Mark said they had to change due to producer direction, not because they vetoed what Derek and come up with. I hate to even think it, but maybe it’s a handicapping so that it’s more even between the teams? Give Rumer more chance to come out ahead? Maybe it’s completely unrelated and just due to some kind of other issue, but I do wonder.
It begs the question, Fig. Any time producers get involved in the choreo (and I posted a short vid on PDH of Mandy heavily involved in their dance) one has to wonder if the fix is in.
Ugh, I’m not even going to speculate yet. Just not…because if that’s the case, and I’m not trying to be one of those dramatic, over-the-top “I’m going to stop watching” fans who complains…but if it is, I just don’t know how much of my time and energy I’ll be able to invest in DWTS. I know some of it’s produced, but I try to acknowledge that the performance and the dynamic between the partners is genuine – but if anything starts to mar how I feel about those two things, it’s just not the same show to me anymore.
I have felt from the beginning it was going to be Val’s year and he was going to get it no matter what had to be done. However I dislike him and the whole C Clan so much I thought maybe I was just being judgmental. Now I don’t think so and I believe the fix is in. Maybe he will even go off and pretend cry in a corner like Max did. Disgusting!
Yeah Val why don’t you practice some more and shut up.
Anybody see where my post went?
PH Do you think the situation regarding Mandy’s involvement would be different if Derek was in LA?
I tend to think yes, Suzy. I could be way off base, but I get the sense that Derek usually does the things Mandy does. He’s the one counting, he’s the one that works on the staging.
I also think he is one that is more likely to push back against anything he doesn’t like in a dance. He will let them go so far (like, convince him to take his shirt off), but he knows how to pick battles.
But like I said, I could be wrong.
Mark just tweeted about an early team rehearsal with Nastia and Derek. Don’t know if it’s wishful thinking on my part, but if there has been any unnecessary/detrimental coercion I’m hoping that Derek will “fix” it.
Coercion? Did I miss something?
first post – so looking forward to the show. Love the info here and cant wait to see how it plays out on air. Thanks much to all of you willing to share!
Courtney, Mark tweeted yesterday that the production made them change their original concept for the team dance.
Hmmmm. If it was the beach balls and the rafts, it’s probably good that they changed it – I guess it wasn’t working out well, anyway.
Derek’s TV Guide blog posted on the 17th, and here’s a quote from it:
“We came up with a concept before I had to come back to New York. I had envisioned it starting off with Noah beating on a drum and doing his thing, and then Robert would come in. It was all planned out, and then yesterday afternoon, Mark calls and says they changed the whole concept. They’re still working it out, so I don’t really know the specifics yet.”
Then later on that day or the next (so the 17th or 18th) a fan was tweeting at Mark telling him that he’s dumb to change Derek’s concept because he’s the best, etc. It was pretty insulting. Mark responded that HE didn’t change the concept, that the producers did and that if they have an issue with it then they should contact TPTB.
So if they were practicing with beach balls this weekend, then that’s what the producers changed it to, since Derek mentions drums and nothing about balls (and based on the timeline, too).
It might not be a big deal – but if it’s a bit stinky, I have to wonder why they’d change it.
Fig, I cringed at those tweets towards Mark, but found his response about producers very interesting. I think beach balls were the producers’ idea.
Mods can THEY (who would that be) just change something like that at the last second. Geeeeeeeeeeee
Who would be dumb enough to think Mark would change Derek’s concept.
Welcome Sarina!
Yeah, I just went back and saw that it was on the 17th. And to quote Mark:
“…and finally there are a team of producers that have to approve concepts/creative and this is the creative they wanted….call the head of DWTS production and state your case then. Or just don’t comment on things you have no idea about. good day”
Again it might be hand-wringing over absolutely nothing and it’ll be cute and fun. Or there was some kind of copyright/logistics issue. But if it’s a dud, or a routine with a lot of potential for error – then my bullshit-o-meter might go off.
Fig — that’s exactly why I was asking if Derek could “fix” anything he finds objectionable for one reason or another. No hand-wringing going on, just curious about the dynamics.
Suzy – I wasn’t referring to you hand-wringing. π It was more about me getting my panties in a bunch because of possible producer manipulation, rather than the actual outcome of the team dances. I don’t want to get all huffy over something that might turn out to be absolutely benign or irrelevant. I don’t actually care who wins the team dance – but I do care that it’s not because of outside involvement to skew the results.
Ok, now it’s all starting to make sense – no wonder they gave Team YOLO extra rehearsal time. It wasn’t because Derek was gone, it was because they were told they had to change the entire concept! And Val throwing his usual “No fair, NO FAIR!” tantrum was likely because he thought this new development would cripple Team Wipeout…and TPTB at least had the courtesy to give them some time to rework things.
If I was the Producers, I would seriously think of getting rid of Val. There are too many great (and HUMBLE) dancers out there (and many who are better than he is. Go see a Dancing Pros Live show to see what I mean) who would love a job on DWTS and they wouldn’t complain.
I agree with Vogue 100%
That does make sense, Court – and it also seems quite fair for the producers to accommodate Derek’s team, and also par for the course for Val to complain.
Vogue, I so agree with you. I really do wish I liked him more. I liked Maks – although his choreography blew for the most part – he made me laugh and entertained me – even if sometimes it was unintentional.
But Val has just never done much to make me want to root for him. I try not to hold that against Rumer, who is probably his most likable partner, but he makes it so damn difficult. Bring in some fresh blood that will be up to the task and grateful for the opportunity.
#73 – Yay for Vogue! I award you the prize for comment of the year!! π You Vogue… Have won a shiny new tacky Mirror Ball!! Congrats.
I can almost –ALMOST — feel for Val. He thought Derek was in NYC so he would have the season to himself; then not only is Derek in but he’s got a gold medal gymnast; since he hasn’t been able to get sufficient mileage out of any of his attempted showmances he needs to go this one without; he is more impressed with the parents of his partner than his partner; he was looking forward to facing off against a team without Derek’s input and don’t you know they figured out a way to do that anyway; then a seeming gift from above: the other team is told by production that they have to change their dance which should have sent them into deep disarray, but all that is wasted by additional rehearsal time. So much disappointment! To that I say welcome to the club. Now he knows how I feel when a Chmercocky is within eyeshot.
This it’s Val’s “turn to win” this season is pure BS though! How is that “fair” to Nastia, Riker, Willow, Robert and Noah all of whom are working hard, with talented pros and all might through skill and or viewers votes feel it’s their season to win!
Thanks Guys!! π
Adding: and if I had to choose between the two C Bros, Fig, I would pick Maks too for the same reasons.
Yeah, I might call bullshit even if it turns out beautifully. These folks aren’t what I would call trustworthy. You can’t fix the voting, but they’ve shown in the past that they are not above fixing it so a couple fails (see Ralph or Charlie).
I’m trying to think of what possible copyright issue there could be associated with a spring break concept centered around that song….
As for Derek fixing it – there just may not be enough time. Even though he might have more pull than the other pros. (Clearly he has some, after the whole Henry thing.)
Courtney — saw a photo of YOLO watching a video of their dance. Any Intel on how it looks?
PH I have no idea how it might be connected but there is the abc show “Wipeout”
I’m back from a long trip and have been following the site while away.
Thanks for all the intel and insights.
Are producers able to reject/modify concepts from a creative standpoint, and not just for legal reasons? If so, is this a recent trend?
It feels like we might be taking off on rumors a bit here. I guess that’s kind of the point, but some of this feels like it’s jumped the shark.
Mandi Moore has often assisted from a creative standpoint. So, that’s not new. Although, now that she’s in a producer role she might be assisting from a creative standpoint more than she used to. Personally, I’d be very surprised if the producers were really monkeying with the creative part without having a good reason though.
Does that show still exist? I had forgotten about it completely.
Season 7 wrapped up last fall.
#85 John, thanks for your response.
My question was more around the final decision / approval of the overall idea. Regarding the overall dance idea, Iβve always assumed that the professional dancer had creative control on it, but that producers could change it for non-creative reasons, such as legal, safety, etc. I havenβt read anything to support or counter this; itβs just been my speculation.
Markβs tweet (thanks Fig for posting it in #69) made me wonder β is my assumption correct, or can producers override concept based on personal preference, i.e. Concept A and B are both cleared from a non-creative perspective, but Producers just like B better ?
Just as I learned here that the song selection process has changed over the 10-year run of the show, I was wondering if the decision-making process for the concepts had changed as well.
Related note — I’d love it if DWTS could air more behind-the-scenes segments into the making of the show. For me, that would be fascinating to see.