Dancing with the Stars Season 20, Week 8 – Who’s Dancing What…and When?
What’s the damn theme for this week?? America’s choice?? :::sigh:::
Vogue: According to our new Media post, the couples have a TRIO dance for next week too.
ETA: Vogue here again. I just did a run through of twitter accounts and instagrams. Below is some more dance info in red.
ETA2: Court hopping in 🙂 Filling in some of the blanks on the trio dances – we’re about 90% sure on Rumer’s trio pro, but we do know for sure that she was the only one who picked a pro/troupe member of the same sex.
ETA3: We’re fairly certain Riker’s trio dance is jazz, by POE.
ETA4: Based on Peta’s tweet and Rumer’s instagram, it looks like Rumer & Val have pulled yet another switcheroo and have decided to team up with Artem for their paso doble trio.
ETA5: Nastia says her trio dance is jive, and that Derek has been rehearsing with them.
ETA5: According to our new interview with Sharna, she and Noah have a Salsa trio. ~Vogue
ETA6: POE dictates that Chris, like Rumer, also has a paso doble trio…which (at least to me) kinda explains why Lindsay may have been picked. We also have our first song spoiler 🙂 Happy Friday! ~Court~
ETA7: Meant to do this last night after American Pharaoh made me a good bit of money in the Kentucky Derby – then felt sulky after Pacquiao lost to Mayweather 🙁 More songs added – I think Noah’s is actually kind of adorable & cool; interesting to note that BOTH of Rumer’s songs this week are from the Baz Luhrmann show that Rumer was in. Riker will likely get a perfect score, based on the combination of people in his trio, their area of expertise, and the song they got. Oh, and let me settle something once and for all: DEREK IS DANCING IN NASTIA’S TRIO TOMORROW NIGHT. Sasha’s doing most of the heavy-duty dancing, but Derek is in it, and it’s actually very “clever, different, & sexy”, per Deep Throat. Some of you have already beat the talking point of “will/should Derek dance in Nastia’s trio” TO DEATH, so I expect that this might shut some of you up once and for all. Find something else to discuss, you’re boring me to tears.
Rumer and Val – Rumba (“Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” by Doris Day) for America’s Choice; paso doble trio w/Peta Artem (Song: “Scott & Fran’s Paso Doble” from Strictly Ballroom)
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Chris and Witney – Contemporary (“Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith) for America’s Choice; paso doble trio w/Lindsay
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Noah and Sharna – Tango (“Geronimo” by Sheppard) for America’s Choice, salsa trio dance w/Emma (Song: “Mr. Put It Down” by Ricky Martin feat. Pitbull)
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Robert and Kym – Contemporary (“Champagne Kisses” by Jessie Ware) for America’s Choice; samba trio w/Jenna (Song: “Cinema Italiano” from Nine)
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Riker and Allison – V. Waltz (“What Now” by Rihanna) for America’s Choice; jazz trio w/Brittany (Song: “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” by Fergie)
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Nastia and Sasha (filling in for Derek) – Paso Doble (“Centuries” by Fall Out Boy) for America’s Choice; jive trio w/Derek (injury permitting) (To see Nastia, Derek, and sasha’s trio song, visit Pure Derek Hough.)
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See our new Media Post for more teasers and information for next week.
Witney and Chris are dancing Contempery to Sam Smiths Lay Me Down for Americas Choice
Noah and Sharna have Geronimo by Sheppard and a Tango
Riker and Allison are doing Viennese Waltz to What Now by Rihanna
I LOVE Nastia’s song, it’s perfect for a Paso! I wish she’d be dancing it with Derek though.
Obviously Sasha is in the trio dance with Team Houghkin. Mentioned it in after buzz interview. That is if Derek is good to go by Monday. I feel he will be.
Here is a link to Chris’ tweet about what he and Witney are dancing next week: https://twitter.com/souleschris/status/592746841378263041
Guys, I know you’re trying to help, but there is NO NEED TO POST THE SONGS IN THE COMMENTS. We’re working on getting it updated. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE.
Since we know the dances for America’s Choice I’m looking forward to hearing about the trio dances! I love the trio dances. Looking at the list though it’s crazy that we’re already down to 6 dances and will only have 4 after next week. I had almost gotten use to 4 couples in the finals.
*dancers, not dances
What’s the chances that America actually chose these songs and or dances??… Maybe I’m wrong tho.
I watched nastia’s dance again to see derek and he didn’t step on his left foot at all , it must be a very serious injury an I doubt he will dance the paso as for the trio I really cant see him dance on a chair again that wold turn off the audience but if any one can do it, it would be him.
I still haven’t got off the fact that I’m not gonna see willow dance next week and watch chris and robert instead, well it is what it is.
I am really looking forward to riker and rumer to do some slow dances for a change that would be interesting to see.
I was really looking for this season but it turned out to be a bit underwhelming so far unlike last season adding the fact that mark and probably Derek are out, it just didn’t help at all
I was looking forward to Rumor’s waltz as her chance to show the slow, controlled grace she seems capable of, but Val turned that into something sharp and staccato. If he could do that to a waltz, he could probably do that to anything… *sigh*
maybe Mark will dance with Nastia and Sasha in the trio dance, if Derek’s not ready next week
I’m so confused. Robert and Chris are gonna do the same song?
@#11 Kirami- I don’t think we really have any way to know exactly what Derek is capable of this upcoming week until it happens. True he avoided putting pressure on his left foot in the routine last night but that was exactly the right thing for him to do. That doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t handle pressure on it though. He is walking without crutches with only a slight hitch in his step and not in a boot but rather a wrap in his normal shoes and I’m assuming he got himself up those stairs last night so he is obviously putting pressure on it. However, bouncing around on it in the routine last night was not necessary and easily avoidable and it was smart of him to not do so. It’s what a well trained dancer should do. I don’t think it can be used to judge where he is physically though.
Everyone is saying that he is getting better by the day so it’s probably just going to be a process of seeing where he is each day in the studio and what he can handle.
True we won’t know until next week, but I think it highly unlikely that Derek will be dancing. Clearly from a PR point of view it makes sense to take it week by week for the drama: “Will he … or won’t he?” As loyal as he is to DWTS I don’t think he will jeopardize the entire rest of his career by dancing too soon. As we are just a week out from the injury, it is almost by definition too soon. Next week, two weeks out is also too soon. That left foot injury is very tricky. So at whatever point Derek feels like he could dance, tag on at least another week. For me, I’m hoping against hope that he will be able to participate in the freestyle (assuming Nastia gets there), but I doubt that as well. Derek would certainly not want Nastia to be hampered by cautiousness on his part; if you think about Amber’s freestyle, I can see Derek choreographing something utterly fabulous with a similar set up, Nastia and a bunch of guys.
Well he is at least dancing the trio next week. Nastia and Sasha confirmed that no matter what it will be the three of them. I guess for me it’s that I trust in Derek to make the best decision. You can’t always judge a dancer by the healing pattern of someone else with the same injury, especially one in the type of physical condition as Derek. I have full faith that he will not put his future at risk and will only come back full speed when he feels he is able. He would have to get medical clearance anyway, so if he does come back it will be with doctor approval.
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps for Rumer and Val. Probably a Tango. It’s been used as a Tango in the UK before, and I can’t see it suiting anything else as well. Interestingly though, it has a wit and a cheekiness to it that I’d love to see Val bring out of a Tango of all things. Probably not likely, is it?
MR.A – Val and Rumer have the rumba.
Or that. Yawn. I find myself not caring about Rumer and Val in any way. Besides celebrity guests, what are they bringing to the show?
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps just gave me the chills thinking about the week Hines almost broke Kym’s neck. *shivers*
The only other songs I know on this list are Geronimo and Centuries. And that’s all thanks to them being played ad nauseum at sporting events.
#Michelle — Agree to disagree. Regardless of what Nastia and Sasha said, things can, and often do, change — like Tom revealing it was during the live broadcast that TPTB changed when the double elimination would happen. While I’m certain that Nastia and Sasha were repeating what was true at that time, how can they/anyone be sure this week that Derek will get medical clearance next week? We’ll see what happens, and if he does dance, if there’s any way to email “crow” send it on and I’ll be happy to eat it! lol
A note regarding Rumer’s neck. I always watch carefully when Derek does that kind of “whip” action. His hand usually supports his partner’s neck and head, so his hand is above where the head and neck meet. Val’s hand was at or below that point, that’s why it happened. This is the person TPTB are banking on?
Suzy-What Sasha and Nastia said was that their trio will for certain be them and Derek and when asked about Derek’s injury stated that they work the choreography in whatever means they have to do it. When then asked if anyone else could step in they both again said, no it will be Derek, Sasha and Nastia. So I think either way that will be the trio. I’m not saying that Derek will be full out dancing, but he will be the third part of that trio.
Then I guess my question is whether Nastia will get penalized if there’s not a true DANCING trio.
Kym and Robert have Jenna for their trio and Witney and Chris have Lindsay
I kind of wish witney picked someone else besides lindsay. Would like to see something new since she had lindsay last season. I really like that rumer picked peta! Peta is a great dancer. Do you guys think Derek might dance in the trio with sasha and nastia? That would be wonderful as long as his injuries are ok enough for that.
@jennylynn – Per one of the interviews Vogue posted, Nastia, Derek, & Sasha are planning on dancing together for the trio. Whether Derek’s injury permits it or not remains to be seen. The only caveat to Rumer picking Peta (or really, any celeb picking a pro for their trio that’s the same sex as they are) is that it greatly increases the level of skill that the celeb has to match in order to not stick out like a sore thumb as the amateur. It’s worked in the past (Apolo & Karina’s jive trio w/Sasha in season 15) and it’s also not worked in the past (Roshon & Chelsie’s paso trio w/Sasha in season 14). All depends on if the celeb can rise to the challenge. As for Witney – I think she will probably always pick Lindsay as her trio partner, as long as her partner makes it to the trio round and Lindsay doesn’t get picked by someone else first. They’re BFF.
How do they pick Trio partners? Lowest to highest scorer? I’m just wondering if the pros kind of negotiate who they want if they have a specific idea for a concept or dance style dictates it or something.
Surprised Peta didn’t end up with Noah and Sharna just because of your same Lindsay/Witney reasoning, Courtney.
@Courtney- Thanks for clearing everything up! I’m sure that Derek will figure out a way to have an amazing trio regardless of how much he can use his feet 😀
I don’t mind Witney picking Lindsay as the work really well together
Mark and Sadie’s dance with Emma was one of my all-time-favorite trio dances ever. Perfect story and use of the extra person. He originally wanted a male pro, but it worked out to be one of the best dances of the season.
Love the trios! Hope Derek is healthy enough to dance.
@CM – I would have guessed that if she was still available, Sharna would have gladly picked Peta – but being that Rumer has a higher cumulative point total than Noah, Val probably snapped her up first.
I hope Derek can dance! That would be great. I oddly am intrigued by chris’s trio dance becuase they might be fun.
Oh, totally agree. I’m really glad they have Emma though. She would’ve been my choice for Noah if she was still in and Switch Up would’ve happened.
But henry discussed on an episode of afterbuzz last season that lower scoring couples pick first for the trios
@Grainne – One, things change every season – they very well might have this season. Two – I advise you take everything that comes out of Henry’s mouth with a grain of salt…because it’s highly likely he’s a skilled ventriloquist, and it’s actually coming out of his hindquarters.
Can I ask where you guys get the trio information from?
@Sunny – A source.
If Rumer is the only one who picked a pro/troupe member of the same sex, I suppose that Allison & Riker are dancing with Brittany? All the others girls are already with a couple
Yes, Caro – WE JUST POSTED THAT.
I was kind of hoping that Witney would pick Brittany for their trio because I remember when I went to the Dwts live tour in January, Brittany, Witney, and Alfonso did paso trio and I was thinking to myself, “I tcould see Wit & Brit in a trio dance on DWTS someday” But love lindsay and she and Witney work really great together so it doesn’t bother me! 🙂 I’m just wondering what style of dance they have for their trio dance.
I remember last year when Mark and Sadie had Emma for their trio dance. It ended up being a lovely routine. Not sure what dance style it was but it was waltzy. However rumba with two women – think we will see a lot of Val gyrating around two ladies! Perhaps that is the strategy.
I wonder who derek’s back up plan will be just in case his injury is still hurting him…I know technically sasha is his fill in but, if derek can’t do it I wonder if he will have mark do it…
@Judyl – As far as I know, Rumer’s INDIVIDUAL dance is rumba – don’t know what her trio dance is.
@Suzanne – I would assume Mark would step in. I can tell you who definitely WON’T be filling in…I’m sure you can guess. 😉
LMAo…I won’t even say the name! thanks for the info. 🙂
Surprising that Henry hasn’t been picked by any of the teams. As of last season, he was the top choice for trios. Strange. I do think that TPTB are more keen on showing the female dancers (maybe to attract new viewers — look we’ve got gorgeous ladies!)
@AR – “As of last season, Henry was the top choice for trios.” Ummm…ok.
Ok maybe I’m stupid but is Americas choice also the trio dance or is it a trio dance and Americas choice. I’m assuming it’s the ladder but I’m just double checking
@Judyl It was Foxtrot. First time they tried a ballroom trio, surprisingly not terrible considering how odd that concept is.
Does anyone else wish Whitney would choose someone else, she had Lindsay last year, and it was good but she could try someone else.
“…because it’s highly likely he’s a skilled ventriloquist, and it’s actually coming out of his hindquarters.” You crack me up, Courtney!!! hahaha.
Interesting how Val chose a female dancer for the trio since usually they try to make the celeb shine by NOT being compared to a pro… Hmm. I thought before I saw this post that he might choose Mark, but here we are.
@Megan – Two separate dances.
Mark, Sadie and Emma’s routine ended up being great because, A) Mark is a very good choreographer, and B) Emma is a pro who very generously will make sure she doesn’t overdance or outshine Sadie in any way.
Both true. I thought this was one of the cases where I might rather have Mark than Derek, and all those involved absolutely made it work, despite me kind of considering the very idea an abomination.
My guess is Val, being Val, was less concerned about Rumer and more interested in “Family” solidarity. You can’t trust anybody else, you know. So naturally he picks Big Bro’s disposable girlfriend (I presume they’re still dating? Don’t know, don’t care).
I have a feeling it will work out just fine in the end because I still think TPTB are working on their original plan to get Val his stupid trophy. So this could be the beginning of the build-up of Rumer as the comeback kid. Having her dance with Peta in the Trio will give CAI (or Bruno) the opportunity to use the utterly ridiculous line they like to pull out for their pimpees: “Rumer, you were soooooo good, I couldn’t tell who was the celeb and who was the pro”.. 🙄
I have a question, in the trio dances, will the dance genre (and the song) be chosen by the pros and celebs or assigned to them?
I honestly don’t think the rumba trio with another female is going to work. Even with rumer’s dance ability she will easily be dominated by Peta. Wrong move by Val but knowing the judges this won’t matter.
I am definitely looking forward to see what derek has in store after that Charleston.
@Nisha The Rumba is not the trio dance. I think you’re right, I’ve tried to make a trio Rumba work; it doesn’t, but the Rumba is their individual dance, their trio dance is something else, possibly Paso Doble just based on the usual choices for trio dances they haven’t done yet, but after last year a Foxtrot and an Argentine Tango ended up being 2 of the best trios I suppose anything goes.
Peta will no doubt get paid for working in the trio. I have to believe that is why Val chose her because if he wanted Rumer to stand out he would have opted for another male IMO. Notice how everyone else acted in the best interests of their partner.
I’m excited to see Houghkin’s Paso. Even with two lame feet Derek proved he cannot be stopped, and I love how that fire is spreading to Nastia. She’s quickly learning how to play the game and I enjoy her more and more each week.
I am very excited for trios! They’re my favorite dance of the season, and I think it’s great that we get to see all 3 of the troupe girls do a dance!
I agree that Witney will always pick Lindsay when given the opportunity. But she could eventually pick Jenna or Brittany – all 4 grew up together (#vibetribe). I’m very excited to see Allison do a dance with someone else from SYTYCD, but someone with dance experience. I think the combination of Allison and Jenna could someday be amazing!
I honestly don’t want Derek to dance this week. I know that it kills Derek not to dance, but I’m so concerned that dancing will cause greater injury and incapacitate him for longer. It would make sense for Mark to fill in, because he’s already in NY today for GMA, so staying over and helping out wouldn’t be too big of a deal. This way they have a backup plan. I think it’s always smart to have a back-up plan!
Not sure why people are still struggling to understand next week’s dances – there are TWO SEPARATE DANCES: the “America’s Choice” individual dance, which we voted on, and the trio dance. RUMER’S TRIO DANCE IS NOT A RUMBA. Her INDIVIDUAL dance is a rumba. I thought we made that pretty clear with the way we wrote it above, but clearly I stand corrected.
Other than the Samba trio with Robert and Kym, which we know about, I’m eagerly waiting to find out the dance styles for the other couples in the trio round.
I’m hoping for some Pasos. I think they work out well with three people.
Pasos are good. I’d like another Argentine Tango, that worked very well. I’d love for someone to have the balls to do an Argentine to Britney’s 3, but that would probably be vetoed so hard by the producers. And far be it for me to defend Val, but people have used pros of the same gender as the celeb before to great effect. Sadie, Mark and Emma would have to be the benchmark for that now, but Roshon and Chelsie and Apolo and Karina used male pros (both Sasha if I remember correctly) pretty well. Maybe it’ll work. The space I had reserved for Willow in the final needs someone to fill it now, and it may as well be Rumer I suppose.
Val obviously picked a female pro to challenge rumer, and if your going to learn and be compared to that pro, it’s better if your comfortable with them. Rumer said they picked peta because she’s comfortable with her, it’s hard to learn from someone if you aren’t comfortable around them. Val DID NOT pick peta because she is Maks’ ‘disposable girlfriend’ (how does making them dating for 7 months make her disposable?) val picked peta to help rumer learn and because she’s an amazing dancer!
Mr A. I’m pretty sure there’ll only be 3 couples in the final.
@Ananya Yes, it was meant to be Nastia, Willow and Riker, but now it’s Nastia, Riker and either Noah or Rumer.
I would love to be a fly on the wall when they pick trios!! I so wonder who what & why…
It’s interesting for Val to pick Peta. She is an amazing dancer to be sure but if he had gone with Tony, Henry or Artem he may have been safer & still Fam. Interesting.
I understand why Wit picks Lindsay. I get it. But shouldn’t it be about your celebrity rather than you personally? Then again she may not have had a choice because I think all the women are spoken for!!
Bummed not to see Keo in a trio but there are only two ladies left! Makes sense
@Carolyn Hovious – All of that is your opinion. Let’s be clear on that. You’re speaking as if you know the personal motivations of everyone involved in the transaction – YOU DO NOT.
I´m so excited to see all the troupe girls get some credit and not just dance behind everyone else. And i´m really pumped for Team Rallison´s trio with Brittany…. I wanna se them do an A.Tango to Heart made upon you…. How cool would that be?
I think and I may be totally wrong but looks like Nastia will be dancing her individual with Sasha coz she only talks about Derek being in the trio dance even in today’s KTLA news she mentioned Derek being in the trio. I guess doing a Passo and a Trio will definitely take a toll on Derek’s legs its better he does only the Trio tat too based on his condition
Since Noah is doing a tango, does anyone think by any chance he will try using again his prosthetic arm? I know he got really frustrated by it, but I feel like it could give them so much more potential, and expand what Noah can do dance-wise. But I don’t know, it is up to him. But excited to see the trios. Sadie, Mark, and Emma’s trio last season is one of my favorite dances of all time on dwts.
@derekluv – Nastia IS dancing her individual with Sasha – that’s why we have Sasha listed as her partner, and Derek listed being their trio member. In all honesty – can someone please explain to me what is so confusing about this post to some of you??? I’m serious – maybe it just needs to be reworded so that we don’t have to keep fielding questions.
@jennylynn – From what I understand, the prosthetic arm is kaput. Noah hated it and was never able to get to the point of being proficient with it – so they’re going it sans arm from here on out.
Allison? Brittany? Riker? Jazz? Sounds like a recipe for a perfect score.
Perhaps the first of the season? I can see it… 😛
@CC NY – It definitely has potential to be a great number as Allison’s forte is non-ballroom dances and Brittany is pretty strong in that area. I think a lot of it depends on the song and what the agenda of the show is that night. They’ve given Rumer lower scores two weeks in a row while Riker has been praised. Might be time for them to switch things up as I don’t think Rumer can survive another subpar week.
Riker, Allison, and Brittany are gonna be amazing! That has the potential to be a stellar performance!
I totally get your Post Courtney I should have been more clear what I was meaning to say is that I was hoping somehow Derek would be able to still do the Paso and with some of Sasha’s tweets where he said thank u to Derek for letting him be his stand in this week I tot may be Derek will be able to do both ( I know it unrealistic to think so, wishful thinking) but when I watched today’s interview of Nastia I was almost sure tat may not be happening and we may see him only in the TRIO. Your Post is crystal clear 🙂 I should have written it properly..
I love Emma doing a trio with Noah and Sharna, but wished that Riker and Allison had gone with a male pro. Keo maybe?
Brittany Cherry, she is choregrapher latin ballroom, contemporary, and jazz. Just like DWTS Season 17 week 9 Witney Carson.
I love Trio week. I’m happy to see the troupe do more dancing than 10 second commercial bumpers – although they’ve worked a lot this season.
My initial thought on the trios:
Jenna seems an odd choice for Robert & Kym. Kym is so long and lean, would be great paired with Peta.
Then Rumer & Val could dance with Lindsay, Jenna with Whitney & Chris.
Can’t wait to see Ryker, Alison & Brittany together – Jazz will be awesome – no real rules.
If and only if Derek can’t dance, could put Henry with Sasha & Nastia.
I love Paul & Alan, feel bad they weren’t chosen for a trio.
@Sarah P – A Nastia, Sasha, & Henry trio has about the same likelihood of happening as Kim Kardashian forsaking her celebrity and joining a convent. 🙂
Holy moly! I was hoping for Jazz for Rallison at some point…. this gives Allison and Brittany the creative idea since Riker can do so many things
Both Allison and Brittany is trained in Jazz.. Brittany is also trained in ballroom and Allison in contemporary and hip hop
If you feel like sharing, Courtney, I’ve been curious for weeks about what shenanigans Henry got himself into that has caused him to not be used for rehearsals! (If not, I completely understand. 🙂 )
LOL Courtney, I certainly can’t see Henry coming into that trio.
Although I have to say I kind of got a good laugh out of Derek putting him in the Charleston number with the troupe. While I can’t say for certain that it was Derek’s inner-smart ass coming out it was kind of hilarious to see him in the background snapping his fingers while Sasha takes center stage with “his Samba Queen”.
DWTS All access twitter made it seem like Val and Rumer have Artem for their Trio dance and it looks like a Paso. So now I’m confused. Are the couples allowed to change the trio Pro after the first pick?
I cant wait to see allison and riker.
I just watched after buzz tv and Shirley Ballas said Henry didn’t want to be any body’s Toy and he is better than that, man oh man you guys weren’t exaggerating at all about his ego and honestly I thought you are being tough on him but boy do I owe you an apology I am sorry.
No worries, Kirami 🙂 We’ve been called far worse things than “being too hard on Henry”. And just like all murmurings we hear backstage – they have a funny way of making their way out into the open eventually, if we’re patient enough.
Hi guys!!!
Just so you know that according to Lindsay Arnold’s Instagram, her, & Witney & Chris are doing the Paso Doble for their trio dance.
I’m still praying for a miracle and Derek wakes up and no discomfort what-so-ever no matter what movement he makes. Not taking anything away from Sasha because I certainly like him and he is a great fill-in; but I really want Derek dancing with Nastia in a Paso Doble. I’ve been waiting for this dance from them.
I am really looking forward to the trio dances. I also think Nastia’s Paso will be awesome, just have a feeling. I think Noah’s tango may be a challenge for him, but knowing Sharna she will make it work. Also, I think Riker’s jazz trio is likely to be cool. Just my hopes, of course…
This is totally random, but I just watched a couple of “afterbuzz” interviews from last Monday. I was surprised (but nicely surprised, I guess) that Val actually admitted that he has a tendency to be “too intense” and that sometimes his “energy can drag out the fun” (his words). I appreciate that he at least recognizes that. Whether he can change in this regard is another question. But I give him credit because I don’t think his brother Maks would admit something like that. BTW, if Val and Rumer are dancing with Peta, good for them. I like Peta.
Oh, I hate it when they have a male celebrity and a female celebrity doing a P.D. in the Trio Dances. It is not a good dance for a trio because the male is the dominate one. Just like S-16 all over again. I can see the outcome already. Well, Chris has one thing going for him already, the male is the dominate one in the dance and Witney will choreograph it with Lindsey and take advantage of it.
I have always thought that either 2 males have the Trio P.D. or 2 females would be better. How can a woman be expected to impress the judges when she is not the one dominates the dance? Oh, wait a minute….this is just an entertainment show. What was I thinking?? 🙂
Rumer posted a photo with Val and Artem saying they are doing the Paso for the trio but no mention of the song.
Looks like Derek is going to be a part of Nastia’s and Sasha’s Americas choice dance in some way as well as well as their trio dance by what Nastia has been posting on IG. If Derek keeps being part of dances that aren’t trios while Sasha is dancing with her, people are going to start throwing a fit. Whether or not that’s fair, I’m not sure. Maybe Nastia and/or Sasha want it that way?
@KC if they r doing the Paso then it may be the song from Strictly Ballroom. Rumer said their dances are inspired by that movie this week
Amanda, they asked on IG whether Derek should be in the number as Caesar, the response is overwhelmingly positive
Amanda, Derek is Nastia’s partner, Sasha is his “body double” as he so humorously put it(although I give him far more love and credit than that).
Technically Derek should be doing as much as he possibly can with Nastia. Plus Derek being part of it is no different than the troupe dancers playing roles in dances. He is still in charge of Nastia as the pro, he is still responsible for the choreography ect. As long as Derek is out on a day to day basis he is still the pro in Nastia’s partnership. He has every right to be involved as little or as much as he wants.
Plus it’s smart as hell. The reason Nastia’s dance got so much media coverage was Derek being incorporated. It was all over the media how despite injury he made his partner shine and was with her ect ect. It was good TV and Derek knows good TV, he’s the master at it. Plus, Derek has his own fans and a lot of them will turn it off if he’s not there. Sad but true. I actually love that they sent out the video asking fans if he should be in it and can use the whole “well it’s America’s choice and they chose Derek to be involved” angle. They don’t call the man a genius for nothing.
Yes I’m aware of that Ananya. Most of those people were either Derek/Nastia fans though. I guess it might put them at a disadvantage if Derek is still limping like he was today, he’ll have to choreography around his injuries. Karina Smirnoff said on the All Access show on Monday that she felt Nastia could have done a lot better if Derek didn’t have to choreography around is injuries. I’m guess it’ll be a bit of them same come next Monday because Nastia said in an interview that no matter what, Derek had to be a part of their trio dance.
I will be very surprised if Derek performs in the trio. For America’s Choice he can be part of the scene, as could any of the troupe. But for the trio there’s got to be 3 people dancing. I’m not a doctor — and I don’t even play one on tv — but I just can’t see it happening. I’m holding out hope for the freestyle, but even that might not happen. I know he’ll get advice from a slew of people and will make an intelligent, informed decision. As I said, I will be very surprised if that decision is to dance in the trio on Monday.
#55PH And that’s what you call a true professional. I’ll start whining now, “Why isn’t it Emma’s turn for the MBT?” 😉
I think I’m gonna wait for the final report from you guys on the individual dances and the trio dances. I have a wonderful headache tonight and all this back and forth has me seeing this dreadful, blurry image–OMG–Henry! HA HA
Oh, Suzy somewhere upstream. The minute Val whipped Rumer to that position and her neck popped, I thought, “Hmm, he should know better.” Thank God he didn’t dance with Jennifer Gray!
“people are going to start throwing fits”?? Who cares? They’re the same ones who do anyway and aren’t voting for Nastia regardless.
Michelle I disagree that is no different than being in the troupe, Derek was doing a bit more than the average troupe member in that Charleston. I do think he has every right to be in as much as he wants. Is it fair to Nastia? I’m sure she’s okay with it though. Also I don’t agree about the media coverage. Yes it’s probably bringing them in votes but Derek already said it’s about Nastia not him so I’m not sure he wants his injuries to overshadow her.
At first I was annoyed that Derek was in the dance, but when I thought about it I changed my mind, he has every right to be in the dance since technically he is still Nastia’s official partner and he is choreographing it. Plus, sasha still gets lots of moments to shine. And I don’t think he means any harm by it, like chasing fame or attention. I just think he’s passionate about what he does, period.
Suzy, Nastia said in an interview a few days ago that no matter what, Derek had to be a part of their trio dance. he’s just going to have to choreograph the dance around his injuries.
Amanda, why would her partner being with her as much he possibly can be unfair to Nastia? Derek is supposed to be with her, he’s her partner. As for the media coverage, any good media is good for Nastia. They care about votes.
Really, Amanda?? Doing far more than the average troupe member?? Go watch the Hunger Games dance again. Or Noah and Sharna’s dance (which I loved, but you’re awash in hyperbole).
By being in the dance he IS thinking about Nastia. She needs all the votes she can get. And that’s what he’s accomplishing, whether you like it or not. Getting votes is kinda the point, after all.
Idk Heidi I guess he wasn’t doing more then the average to troupe member now now that I rewatched it. Maybe it just felt that way to me because TPTB made a huge deal over his injuries? I’m not complaining because Derek having to choreograph around his injuries does put them at a disadvantage. I do think he has to be smart and do what’s better for Nastia if he really wants her to win though.
Derek nd Nastia missed out on a lot of media as they were travelling back to NYC and a lot of ppl dint get her personality so any media is good 4r tem & it’s coming out at the right time.Also,shows how gr8t they r working with all the difficulty & Derek being injured. Of course Derek shud be in the dance ny how he can that’s being fair to her not giving up on the partnership or leaving it up to just sasha & nastia to pull tru I think he is being very smart here and Derek being ter might hinder or holdbck Nastia now tat I don’t think is possible he knows how 2 make his partners shine he is the best at it.
Amanda, I know that Nastia said that. But if Derek can’t do any more than he did this week, that will not be a “proper” trio dance, and she will be penalized for it. That is not at all fair to Nastia, and Derek would not let that happen. On the other hand, it makes no sense for Derek to unadvisedly push himself at this point just to make sure Nastia doesn’t get penalized. It seems like they’ve just been focusing on the paso so far. They’re likely to turn to the trio tomorrow so maybe we’ll find out some more.
Michelle I didn’t say Derek being with Nastia as much as possible is unfair to her but the fact that he has to choreograph around his injuries is. She’s provably %100 okay with that though if he’s doing it I guess.
But I sort of feel like Derek might be putting some blame on himself so he thinks he has to push trough because have been others injured this season and still continued on when in reality his injuries are probably more severe. I don’t now what he’s feeling for sure but that’s just a guess
Nastia didn’t suffer this week with him choreographing around his injuries though. Derek would never do anything to put his partner at risk period so I just don’t see what all the hand wringing is about. He is allowing Sasha to cover the main dancing so it’s not like he’s out there hobbling around with Nastia doing flips around him. Nothing in her dancing performance suffered. As for the upcoming trio, Derek will not allow his limitations to interfere with the dance. He doesn’t play that way. He either is in or he’s not and if he says he is in then it will be in a way that is fair to Nastia.
Derek’s main strength as a pro is his choreography and vision. Yes, he is a remarkable dancer but it is his brain that is his biggest asset. If anything, him being forced to sit back and create could be what wins the MBT for Nastia. Look at what he created while crawling around on the floor and restricted to a rolling chair? That’s got to be scary for some of the other pros when you think about it. It was mentioned on Afterbuzz tonight that Derek being forced to slow down and having him resigned to teaching and creating is already bringing out the dancer and the performer in Nastia.
So while it sucks that Derek is down as her dance partner, having his eyes and mind working 100% just on her is going to be one heck of bonus for her.
Yes you are right about this helping him grow as a teacher/choreographer. I still sort of feel like Derek maybe be putting some blame on himself for getting injured and so he feels like he has to be out there on the dance floor as well. Maybe it was Nastia’s/Sasha’s idea for him to be a part of the dances? I’m sure they’ll be fine and hopefully Derek will able to dance a little by Monday 🙂
So now it seems Val has decided to change his trio concept and drop his originally chosen pro. Charming as ever Valentin! Luckily for him Peta seems to have taken it with good grace. I was looking forward to seeing a celebrity have a trio dance with a pro of the same gender as well..
M8 is right Peta is no longer in the trio. I heard on the live chat of Afterbuzz that it is Artem now as there is some picture but I can’t find it.
I saw the picture of Artem, Val and Rumer on Artem’s FB page too.
Okay I just read Dereks blog and what he had to say about him being in the dance – that it was more about him being positive/creative then him needing to be there 🙂 I think he may overestimate the popularity of himself though because I saw more people talking about him in the dance than Nastia.
Also, interesting that Derek said he will only be part of the trio if he’s fit enough to dance… if he’s not I wonder who takes his place?
Seems like there will be a lot of oasis – individual and trio – next Monday. Including Artem with Val and Rumer.
Having read Derek’s blog and badly sprained my own ankles a few times, I don’t see Derek being able to dance a true trio. I think it would be great if Mark danced with Nastia and Sasha.
Sorry meant pasos! Darn spellcheck!!
I think the only thing making him limp now is the toe…he seems to be walking fine with the other foot.
I’ll say this about Val. It’s not the switching that bothers me really, it’s the way it seems to keep happening. He gets a few days into training, and realise the interesting or challenging idea he had isn’t working, so he changes to something more expected. I lovedlovedloved the idea of a Disney villain Tango, especially with one of my favourite villains, but then they had to switch to Samba because Tango didn’t bring out the fun side. And that didn’t occur to you on day 1? In this case, I almost half suspect he was playing the internet, wanting everyone to be buzzing about it then switching to the easy road. For the record, on another topic, I’ve done Trio Paso before, you really can frame the woman. She always has a partner to dance with and the third guy can do what he has to do without stealing focus. Derek did it with Kellie and Tristan, that dance was about her, and like I say I’ve done one myself. Is it possible? Definitely. Am I confident in Val’s ability to do it right? Not really.
And I think he IS smart and doing what’s better for Nastia, Amanda. And I think I’ll trust him on that, since he’s the one with 5 MBT’s. Not sure why you assume he’s NOT. That says more about you than it does him.
Of course TPTB are going to make a huge deal over his injuries. IT IS A HUGE DEAL. A dancer breaking a toe in the middle of the competition, not to mention when starring on Broadway?? Yeah, kinda a huge deal.
@Mr. A – That’s kind of where I’m coming from too – Val gets 2-3 days into some idea, realizes its not going to work the way he wants it to, and then switches. And it’s becoming a pattern. I guess I look at someone like Derek, who gets handed a craptastic song or concept and is actually able to spin it into something really cool – while Val seems to just give up on something if it’s not working out perfectly by day 3. I guess I think of it this way: if Val is really as great a choreographer as so many people (himself included) seem to think he is, he should be a bit more adaptable – instead of just chucking an idea out the window if it doesn’t fit perfectly into his vision. I also wonder if comes up with some unconventional ideas (i.e. asking a female pro to be in their trio) just for the sake of them being unconventional and attention-grabbing – and then maybe realizes further down the line “Wait, this many not actually work.” I have to wonder if he lurks in places like Pure and sees us saying things like “Having your celeb perform side-by-side with a female pro is risky” and then it dawns on him “Crap, they’re right – I gotta get Rob on the phone, we gotta switch this sh*t up!” I can’t decide if all the switching is the result of not thinking things through initially, not being able to adapt and follow through eventually, or a combination of both.
Heidi…they got unintentional drama…
In this case I wonder if Val switched because Rumer didn’t look as good as thought next to or somehow clashed with Peta.
I’m kind of bummed in a way because I wanted them to keep Peta as I don’t really think it would have worked the way Val wanted it to hahaha…I’m terrible. If anything it would have made Nastia stand out more as she would have been the only person dancing with two males while everyone else had two females. Oh well. Other than Mark/Sadie/Emma last season I think overall using a same gender pro doesn’t normally work so Val was right to switch it but now I’m just waiting for the tongue bathing for Rumer and how she controlled these two guys (much like how they reacted to Melissa’s Paso trio in S15).
@DLT – Not all may be lost – I just keep thinking about that ridiculous paso trio Lea was forced to do with Artem & Henroid (and their ridiculous bear costumes – and I’m not talking about the kind of bear that sh*ts in the woods) last season. Did anyone else even notice Lea in that routine? I was too busy laughing at the two gentlemen flexing their oily pecs and taking their own attractiveness wayyyy too seriously. 🙂
Re: #34 – The lowest cumulative scorer no longer gets first pick of trio partner?
Well great, with Artem now in as the Paso partner, I know now more than ever that Val will beat us over the head with a giant intensity stick. I can only imagine that he’ll have Rumer being a femme fatale between two (in their minds) hot, semi-naked ubermacho men.
I’m bored as hell seeing Rumer in that manner, and I imagine so is she.
@wynn – We’re actually not sure how the trios got picked this time. Some of the picks seem counter-intuitive to the idea that the lowest-scoring couple got to pick first. But we don’t have any confirmation on the order of how the trios were picked.
AR: “Surprising that Henry hasn’t been picked by any of the teams.”
Yes and no. The male celebs likely wouldn’t look favorable next to a same sex pro while he’s only an option for one of the two ladies remaining who ultimately went for one of the other two Fam male options available. It’ll be interesting to see how/if any backstage antics have effected Henry’s relations amongst the pros but hard to gage from this scenario alone.
@Courtney That’s exactly what I thought on Val’s “unconventional” ideas, it’s something I do when I was 18 in my first year of performing arts college. Just throw out ideas, like “Can we do this, it would be cool if we could do this?” It’s an editing thing, I had a good network of smart, creative people telling me which ideas were worth pursuing and which weren’t, and I listened to them. Val’s ego might be getting in the way. And I also suspected much of it was to get people talking, I’ve been wondering since the red carpet shots of him in pyjamas last week how much he thinks he’s playing the media. And I had to compare him to Derek and Mark too. They can both take a stupid idea, whether it’s their own or the producers’, and make it work. I respect that a lot. The thing that I can’t respect at all is what Artem did last year with his and Lea’s trio. He had a very talented celebrity, but one who struggled to stand out at the best of times, and he did everything he could to render her invisible. I loved him on Strictly, but it was at that point that I started trying to arrange to have his US visa cancelled so he could come back, because he doesn’t seem to get the difference between the two shows.
Just wondering why no one here made a big deal about Alison switching songs midweek for Riker during spring break week. If Pros are supposed to use the songs they are given or the extra partners they have chosen shouldn’t that apply to all pros? Just curious.
Amanda, you’re trying so hard to be right that you’re not making sense. “I think he may overestimate the popularity of himself though because I saw more people talking about him in the dance than Nastia” is a very contradictory sentence. I think you meant to say that he UNDERestimates his popularity.
Either way, your attempts to make Derek’s inclusion in the dance out to be a failure in some way aren’t working, so why don’t you move on. I’m tired of hearing about it.
@jrgoldengirl – That was a one-time deal, and had a lot to do with the content of the song being inappropriate. By my count, this is the 3rd or 4th switch that Val has pulled this season – and for no other reason that I can see other than “it’s not working out the way I wanted it to”. Two very different instances – although at this point I’m kind of used to Val fans trying to use flimsy claims of “but so-and-so did it too!!!” in order to deflect attention away from the fact that Val is not known for being a very flexible or adaptable choreographer…and has to ask for switches in songs/dances/pros/whatever to cover it.
Here’s an idea: each pro gets (1) free pass per season that they can use to request a song change, a dance change, OR some other change to the attributes of a dance – but they can only change one aspect, and they can only do it once per season. Once they’ve used their one free pass, they’re locked into whatever gets thrown their way – no ifs, ands, or buts. I daresay we’d quickly see which pros can adapt and which pros are not as creative and flexible – and it would likely force the latter to up their game.
@Courtney I like your idea. Makes it more fair to all involved.
@jrgoldengirl Rallison’s package actually included Allison talking about why she wanted to switch the song, and as Courtney said it was because she didn’t think the content was appropriate for Riker. Nothing — NOTHING — is ever that straightforward with Val. Can’t figure out if Val is stubborn or just very limited, but if he can’t start seeing challenges as opportunities, he’s going to wind up dancing around with a hat on his privates again. I’m sure Maks will be available to join him.
Yes sorry Heidi I meant underestimate. That was a typo. I wasn’t trying to make a huge deal about it and after reading his blog it makes much more sense to me what he’s trying to do 🙂
Is it known if the pros knew what their trio dance style would be when they picked partners?
@Courtney: watching that video, it felt like that Allison was afraid that TPTB were trying to turn her Samba with Riker into a repeat of the hot mess we got from James & Peta.
That said, the one thing I’m wondering about the trios—and this is a slam at TPTB, not at any of the dancers—why is Nastia allowed to use both Derek and Sasha? I thought the idea of the trios was to incorporate a second pro with whom the celeb is *not* familiar.
Sam #140, in S15, Derek hurt his neck so Shawn danced with Mark for a week. The following week was trios, so Shawn and Derek danced with Mark. It’s the same exact scenario. I don’t find it to be much of a problem that Nastia is already familiar with Sasha, because I think the point of the trio is more the three dancers than the unfamiliar thing.
@Sam – I don’t know that Allison would have been thinking of something as specific as James & Peta’s samba when requesting a different song – “Work It” is pretty
dirtyadult (changing my choice of words there – there’s nothing “dirty” about sex, it’s just not something I think Riker’s fanbase needs to be hearing about extensively at their age), when you listen to the lyrics. I actually think it was a smart move on her part to request a different song, when you take into account the age range of Riker’s main fanbase.As for Nastia – don’t you think she’s had to deal with enough different pros this season? Derek, Henry, and now Sasha…and you still think she should have to throw YET ANOTHER pro into the equation? I daresay she’s already had a harder row to hoe than the other celebs…no need to complicate it further, for the sake of semantics.
EDIT: Adding in – the fact that all of the remaining couples have had to work with other pros in the team dance also kind of negates the idea that they have to work with a “new pro” in the trio…and now that I think about it, I don’t know that the idea of the trio is to “work with someone new” – I really think it’s more “let’s see how you do working with two pros at a time instead of just one”.
#Sam I wouldn’t get too worked up about it because I don’t think Derek will be dancing on Monday. Then Nastia will have one partner with whom she is somewhat familiar, and one with whom she has no familiarity at all.
The one previous situation I can think of is Mark being in Shawn’s samba trio in season 15 when she had won with him in season 8. She also danced with Mark during season 15 prior to the trio when Derek had to sit out. Don’t remember there being any issue at all. But Derek had only won 3 MBT’s at that point.
I fully expect Rumer’s Paso with Val and Artem to be very similar to the Paso she does in the Strictly Ballroom portion of the show she performs. I honestly think she might have gone this week if the double elimination wasn’t changed. I will be a very unhappy woman if both Robert and Noah leave next week.
@Miss J – The song she got for her rumba is also part of the Baz Luhrmann show she was in. Interesting.
#Courtney O. M. G. When I think about the reaction if a partner of Derek’s were in that situation, all I can see is utter devastation caused by the all-consuming wrath of the fam-fans.
Sm I only that wishes that people would just let Derek decide what he can and can not do? I guess I am just in the mind that if he thinks he can do his partner justice in the trio and he wants to do it and gets clearance to do it than that should be good enough. Derek knows his body, he knows what he can and can not handle and he also knows what needs to be done in order for his partner to shine. This is the same pro who got Amber a 59 point score while she was dancing on two tore knee tendons or got Maria to 4th place with two fractured ribs and broken bones in both feet. He is not new to the working around injuries game.
Derek is not going to do anything that will harm his partner or himself. He’s far too smart for that. If Derek feels he can do the trio then that is OK by me.
It’s OK by me too I just don’t think that’s going to happen. That’s all. I am totally prepared, and happy, to support whatever Derek decides.
Val MUST be looking at this site. I think some of you here commented about how Rumer have to dance really good if she picked Peta so audience won’t compare. How many times Val has been changing either their song or dance? And I thought Derek is the “golden boy” of DWTS. Some people need to look in the mirror 🙂
LOL, so TPTB’s pet has swapped Peta for Artem in the trio dance. That’s just delicious. Guess my “disposable girlfriend” description for Peta works on multiple levels.
I bet Rumer is “rue-ing” the day she got saddled with her buddy Janel’s former pro.
Now that Willow is gone there is only to women celebs left Nastia and Rumer I hope both stay next week its time for chris to go. I wish next week wasn’t a double elimination I would rather 4 in the finals than 3. I hope Noah makes the top 4. I predict chris and robert to be voted off next week.
@Cidra And Peta has been 100% classy & gracious about the situation. Not surprised though. Have never heard that woman say one bad thing about anyone and is always very supportive of ALL the pros. She will get nothing but support and appreciation from me.
It seem like people are just talking about one couple I want to find out more about allison and riker is there a video of them practicing their dances by themselves or with brittany I cant wait to see them do their trio.
Wow! I knew Alison switched songs but I never knew the original which I just looked up- forget Rykers fan base I don’t want to hear those lyrics either…ABC would really have aired that at 8pm?…Good on Alison for asking for a new song.
Sorry Courtney – I didn’t know of Henry’s antics when I made my trio suggestion.
Nastia just said they are doing a Jive trio
Although this is slightly irrelevant, the one thing I do hope that Riker & Allison don’t throw into their package is the whole “getting a 10” thing. I have a huge feeling that Riker will come saying “Now I got a 10 from Len, now a perfect score.” I felt that the 10 from Len was very staged/set up and I’m hoping that packages don’t push the judges to give a completely set up score. Just crossing fingers.
Looks like this weeks and last weeks scores and votes determine the double elimination (according to E news) with that many points on the table, the couples better perform their best or they could risk going home
@Ananya – Where? Sorry guys, just saying “so-and-so said this” isn’t good enough – need to be able to see it with my own eyes
# Ananya I heard that too on Access Hollywood interview and Derek was able to dance a little on the rehearsals yesterday I am super happy to hear that and may be Derek is actually doing better than we may think or he is rushing it coz they have a double elimination coming up and shot to Semi Finals I just hope he is not rushing it any ways it wud be awesome to see their Trio 🙂
On access Hollywood interview she said briefly about a move for their jive.
@Access Hollywood Courtney
Thinking about derek jivig on those injurys of his no matter if they r getting better just makes me shiver and be scared a little bit for him accidently kicking a foot to hard or waking his ankle out to hard since he is a powerful dancer ouch ouch ouch ouch
Nastia said that Derek showed her a move and exclaimed, “I can dance!” which I’m sure had a big dose of sarcasm. I also heard her mention the jive, and knowing that I feel more strongly than ever that he won’t be dancing. Kicking and flicking his ankle? Jumping up and landing his entire body weight on his left foot? Or his right foot for that matter? I just don’t see it happening. Note: I’m not saying that that’s what I think he should do, I’m saying what I think is likely to happen.
Suzy I didn’t get that read from Nastia at all. In fact when they asked “he’s going to sit again” she kind of smirked a bit when she said “hopefully he won’t be sitting”. I also didn’t detect any falseness when she talked about him being excited and saying “I can dance again” she said he’s actually been showing her some dance moves. Everyone has been saying that he is way ahead of schedule healing wise, including his doctors so I’m not so sure he’s as out of the game as much as you assume. Nastia seems to be very certain that Derek is doing this trio and there has been no hinting that anyone else is rehearsing with them.
I just don’t see why we should be thinking she is not being forthright and honest and that Derek was in fact excited to be getting back on his dancing feet. She didn’t show any hint that any sarcasm was involved and showed her own excitement in his improvement.
If Derek can’t participate in the dance then I just hope it will be Mark with Nastia and Sasha.
Nastia seems very certain Derek will be dancing, which makes me very happy! He knows what it takes so he must be feeling better. And she said he wouldn’t just be sitting again, which is even better! I don’t know why she wouldn’t be honest about how he was doing.
Sorry if this is the wrong thread to post this but is it only gonna be three couples in the finale this season?
From what I am seeing and reading Derek will be in the trio dance on Monday unless he sustains an additional injury. It seems he is already beginning to do some moves and we are not even to Friday yet. Knowing Derek’s work ethic, like Shirley said on AB, he will be there ready to dance unless something else happens to him before then.
U do no that nastia said “hopefully” dosent Mean yes nor no- derek said himself he could be feeling great today but the next not so great – he has a tear in his ankle and a broken toe, even if derek does wanna dance his docs would be on the fence about it – he only got cleared last week by them beucse he explained his idea to them and they aproved. I just don’t get why the producers would assign the jive to them noing fully well how dangerous it could be with dereks injurYs?
Maria had fractures in her feet with her jive and derek was limited then. Maria hardly moved – it makes me terrified if derek hurts himself more.
Michelle, I thought Nastia was expressing how cute Derek was for getting all excited about being able to dance again when what he probably did was take 2 steps. I am also reminded that TPTB would never reveal whether or not Derek will be dancing until the very last minute to squeeze every ounce of drama from the situation. They did the same thing back in season 15 when Mark eventually danced for Derek; we didn’t know until the night of the show — which is exactly what they did this past Monday. While I don’t think Nastia is not being forthright, I do think the producers probably told her the game plan, and the way she should present what’s going on. As we’re so often reminded, this show is very produced. I expect everyone to be very excited that Derek is getting better — as am I. To me that just doesn’t translate to him jiving on Monday.
We’ll have to agree to disagree Suzy. I’m just going by what Nastia and Sasha have said all week and that is “no matter what Derek will be in the trio” I just don’t see why not to take them at their word. Do I think he will be full out dancing a Jive full of kicks and flicks and at full Hough power? No. But do I think he will be dancing in some manner in that trio jive? Absolutely yes.
I’m also not going to assume anything about what Derek did or didn’t do in rehearsals. She stated he was able to do some dance moves, with no mention of how many or how little so I’m just going to take her for word that it was a happy moment.
I guess I also look at this from the viewpoint of being a ballerina my whole life. Dancers are trained to work through injury and are well adaptable in making things work around them. Dancers also heal differently and where a normal person wouldn’t even walk on a broken toe, a dancer will strap it down and toss on a pointe shoe and go to work. I fully trust in Derek to do right by his partner, the routine and himself. He knows his body and what he can or can not do and if he decides to do this jive, which all parties seem to say is happening then he will do it properly and with sound mind.
I just don’t see the reason to think negative and downplay any positives. If he ends up unable to do it then so be it but as of now they are stating otherwise so I’m just going to trust in that.
Michelle, All the way upthread at #22 I said agree to disagree.
When you say take them at their word, whether they say it or not, there is in parentheses after whatever they say: (injury permitting). Unless he’s gotten medical clearance in advance, no one knows for sure whether he’s dancing. If we did, then one of us would be an idiot. As it is, we just see things differently.
While you seem to have no trouble seeing Derek “dancing in some manner in that jive trio,” I can’t see that at all. IMO, if he’s not well enough to dance full out, he’s not well enough to dance, period. Plus, as I mentioned somewhere else, Nastia might well be penalized because she didn’t do what the other contestants did, which is dance with 2 pros going full out.
You seem to imply that I don’t think the moment where he was able to do some dance moves a happy moment. Of course I do. Again, to me that doesn’t say he’ll be dancing on Monday.
Finally, I don’t see myself thinking negatively or downplaying any positives, at all. Regardless of whether Derek dances or not, I fully expect that he will create two phenomenal dances and I can’t wait to see them. I never said anything even close to him not getting better — I’m thrilled that he’s getting better, and I want more than anything for these injuries to be nothing more than a blip. I also fully trust in Derek to do right by his partner, the routine and himself. I just don’t think that will include him dancing on Monday. I’m sorry you find that so objectionable.
I think what I found the most objectionable was where you stated, “He did one dance move and probably said I can dance in sarcasm” since Nastia didn’t imply any of that in the least bit.
I just think there is a lot of projecting on where Derek is health wise and what he should or should not be doing going around. I also disagree that if he can’t dance full out then he can’t dance period. Why does it have to be all or nothing? The art of dance allows for creating around circumstance and I think they will do just that. If you disagree then of course that’s your right. I just choose to trust what they have been saying in regards to the trio is all.
Hey how about those other 4 couples doing a trio dance!?!….lol
If it makes any difference, it was Derek I thought was being sarcastic about himself. That’s not to impugn any progress he’s made; it’s just a comment on what “I can dance!” means right at this moment. It’s a little funny, at least to me, considering what Derek saying “I can dance!” really means. It’s just me imagining Derek making a little joke. Again, sorry you find it so objectionable.
I’ll say again, nothing of what I’ve said is about what I think Derek should or shouldn’t do. It’s my guess about what will happen. As for it being all or nothing, I’ve no doubt that Derek could create phenomenal dances around any circumstances of any kind. I’m talking about meeting the requirements of the competition, and, per Derek, “giving Nastia the best chance of going all the way.” It is my opinion that for that to happen Nastia needs to be performing in a trio with two male dancers going full out.
Baz Luhrmann and Strictly Ballroom?? So Val DID get another ringer. There must be a law or something.
@Suzy, no matter what, Derek is going to showcase Nastia in the trio whether he dances in it or not. He is going to find some way to still make it a trio and showcase his partner at the same time. This is Derek we are talking about.
we should just wait and see guys, and just believe whatever updates are posted 🙂 literally ANYTHING can happen between now and monday, we should just be patient.
I have no idea how Derek is feeling at the moment, but I wish he would just sit down for another week! lol
I think maybe he should sit this one out, especially considering it’s a jive, a lot of jumping around on that injured ankle, and maybe let Mark step in and perform with Nastia and Sasha…
I usually really like val, but I found it to be so rude of him to dump peta. It’s really dumping however you put it. 🙁 even if peta is gracious about it I’m sure that it hurt her feelings at least a smidge or slightly made her feel un-appreciated. Plus I think it would be POSSIBLE to still make rumer look good next to peta, it would just require a lot of careful and hard work and great choreography/ideas.
Well, you hit the nail on the head there jennylynn. Making Rumer look good next to Peta would “require a lot of careful and hard work and great ghoreography/ideas” all qualities and skills which Val does NOT have on his resume. So taking the easy way out is, at this point, his only option, and that’s something he’s super good at.
Of course, regardless of what Val throws out there, I fully expect a massive tongue-bath from The Stooges. After all, it’s time to start the final act of TPTB’s script–building Rumer back up so she can be the early frontrunner who hit a rough patch and is now back on form and ready to win Val that glorious golden MBT. Wow, it’s so exciting; I can hardly wait! *gag*
I am excited to see Witney and Lindsay dance together again. I just love them and their friendship is wonderful to watch. I saw someone commented that it was selfish for Witney to pick Lindsay as it’s for her own benefit rather than whats best for her partner. Picking Lidsay WAS the right move and it will definitely benefit Chris! Those two girls work so well together, have a similar style and look similar…therefore Chris will be the main focus during the dance.
Courtney, I love your idea of each pro receiving 1 free pass per season! Hopefully TPTB see your comment. I think it’s very unfair that Val and Allison have had control over their music. Derek, Witney, Mark, Peta etc just take what they are given and make it work. That is the sign of a true proffessional in my opinion!
For the Mods: Sorry if you already answered this but has a pro ever dumped another pro after picking them for Trio? Val dumped her, plain and simple. Peta was extremely gracious in her tweets but fact is that he took her out and now she can’t dance with anyone. Why is it Val always gets to change? And honestly it’s horrible insult to Peta who IMO doesn’t deserve it. Somehow I see Val running dance with Peta and Rumer by Mandy Moore and she said “no way Peta’s in this next to Rumer.”
@Tina No doubt. 🙂
I like Courtney’s idea for the pros to be able to change just one dance/song throughout the season. That’s it. After that they need to just suck it up and move on. I can’t fathom for someone like Val to even think he deserve the MBT when all he does is keep changing stuff when it’s not working the way he wanted. And he does this because he knows he can get away with it either from TPTB or the judges. In a way he gets rewarded for things he doesn’t deserve.
I agree Liz, it is very insulting to Peta! She is so classy though and didn’t make a fuss. If Val had made up his mind and picked Artem in the first place, I’m sure Peta would have been snapped up by one of the other pros for their trio. Such a shame.
That’s the thing that sucks the most. If Peta hadn’t been originally picked I’m 100% sure Sharna would have taken her for Noah or even any of the other pros with female troupe members like Kym or Allison. Val probably looked at Mark last season and instinctively thought, I’ll get a better score with a female pro next to my female celeb. Then once he found out he had paso and got into the training room, he realised it wasn’t going to work out like that. He should have been forced to deal with it and make it work rather being given the option to switch her out. I know Peta tried to make out like it was partly her decision to let Val proceed with another pro in her tweet, but the fact that she then put that her feeling weren’t hurt basically implies that Val dropped her.
M8, You might be right that Sharna would have picked her pal Peta for the trio if she’d been available. However, for that reason I’m glad Peta wasn’t available wasn’t because I think Emma is the better choice. Peta’s a good dancer and seems like a nice person, but in my opinion Emma is a much more versatile dancer and utterly delightful in every way. I think Emma will be able to help Sharna showcase Noah better than Peta would.
All that said, I’m still disgusted with Val for picking her, then dumping her when she no longer fit his plans. That’s the height of selfishness and no way to treat a fellow professional; but I don’t expect anything other than rudeness from the C-bros, and I guess Peta’s gotten used to it to.
Chris apparently has Paso Doble. Lindsay has #pasodoble on her IG post
@Courtney: I see the logic re: Sasha and Derek. I’m still not quite sure I *like* the idea, but I get the logic.
Knew that Noah and Sharna had Salsa
Semi Final predictions
Nastia and Whoever. Quickstep and Salsa
Riker and Allison. Contemporary and Argentine Tango
Rumer and Val. Tango and Contemporary
Noah and Sharna. Waltz and Paso Doble
Robert and Kym. Jazz and Paso Doble
Chris and Witney. Tango and Jazz
I actually want a V Waltz from Nastia in the semis
I didn’t just make up that thought re: Henry — he’s no particular favorite of mine, but I do recall that he was somewhat in demand in the past. At least I remember that Henry was a popular choice for trios — maybe it was on Afterbuzz, but I definitely recall there being discussion about how Henry was someone a lot of people wanted (was it maybe when Mark and Sadie were hoping to get a male pro for their trio) I understand more since Shirley was pretty open about what happened with Henry on this week’s Afterbuzz.
Not all of us had that insider info, so, you know, it would have been nice avoid the virtual eye-roll.
Being dumped by the Chmerkovskiy brothers seems to have become the standard for Peta, but she’s the one who puts up with it and keeps coming back for more so I don’t feel sorry for her. I think putting up with Maks continuing to rile up the Maksyl shippers is much worse than Val changing his mind on a trio dance partner.
Riker and Allison are dancing Jazz to the song “A little party never killed nobody” by Fergie they just said on Periscope.
@Donna – Maks has stated in numerous interviews as far back as last October that he isn’t dating Meryl & never has & never would. Just a few weeks ago he stated in an interview that he is dating Peta & has for some time. Many people have reconciled after one ‘dumping’ the other & he hasn’t dumped her over & over gain as was suggested. Peta doesn’t need anyone to feel sorry for her – she is an amazing, beautiful, talented woman.l & I might add appears quite happy.
#197 I’m sorry Michelle but please show me where I said Maks is dating Meryl. I said I think putting up with Maks riling up the shippers is worse than Val changing his mind on a dance partner and Maks does continue to do that regularly, especially now that he needs those Sway ticket sales.
How more transparent can TPTB be when it comes to Val? No other Pro changes things like he does. Just imagine if all the Pros acted like him changing things all the time. The closer we get to the end of the show, the more I see their favoritism. If Derek dumped a chosen Pro for a trio dance and chose another Pro after 3 days of rehearsal, the internet would explode with comments from the shippers. I think Val was a little worried that Derek would choreograph a great routine with Sasha and that would make Nastia shine in a Jive dance; and that might be why he wanted Artem thinking it would be better than putting Rumer to the test of dancing with another female Pro. The only thing is, he will never out choreograph Derek. And, I’m sure Val will choose them to be in “black” for their Paso D.
I’m really looking forward to the Nastia/Sasha/Derek trio even more now after seeing the All Access rehearsal. Derek seems to be able to move a whole lot more than last week and just going by the little bit they showed, there is a whole lot of sexy between Derek and Nastia going on. We haven’t really seen that out of them before and it seems to really, really work for them.
I just wish the rehearsal packages showed the Derek and Nastia partnership that was happening on All Access. It would completely squash the “no connection” BS as well as the stuff about Nastia being too intense and no fun. Getting a chance to finally see them behind the scenes showed that they are just as bonded as all the other pairs.
I’ve just watched Derek, Nastia and Sasha in live rehearsal and they are hilarious! I mean, Nastia’s the cutes thing, how can anyone say she’s not connecting? She really giggles A LOT and I love it! Derek’s doing better than I expected and I think that spending so much time with Nastia really helped their chemistry. And Sasha’s great too, can’t imagine Henry instead of him now. So looking forward to their Jive/Paso and hope they’ll do another LONGER Live Access!
#198 You missed my point. Yes, publicly stating you have a girlfriend, who isn’t Meryl, is really leading those shippers on and should make Maksyl run right out & buy tickets. We’ll have to agree to disagree that he is regularly riling up the shippers. In fact, I think he has been doing quite the opposite lately.
Michelle and Donna–I think you’re both right! Maks wants to have his cake and eat it too. He has almost brutally distanced himself from any notion of a relationship with Meryl, yet he still promotes his projects with semi-romantic SM about her. The poor guy actually thinks that the shippers will be just as excited about an admitted showmance as they were about a fictitious romance. Yeah, like they’ll squee over a platonic dance partnership. That’ll fill the seats at Sway!
Riker, Brittany and Allison most likely to dance to A LITTLE PARTY NEVER KILLED NOBODY since it´s a song from the great gatsby
So are the trios all movie themed? Riker has Great Gatsby, Robert has Nine and it sounds like Rumer has Strictly Ballroom. Seems like enough to start making that connection.
#203 Thank you Maria, that was my point. Maks’s words and his actions are a direct contradiction. Yes he says he’s dating Peta (on a random TV interview seen in three small TV markets that 90% of the population isn’t even aware of) but he’s also using suggestively romantic overtones with Meryl to sell Sway. Maks knows he can have his cake and eat it too because both women are allowing him to. IMO the day Maks started dating Peta again is the day he and Meryl should have backed off from each other publicly knowing how insane the Maksyl shippers are, but they’ve continued to feed the beast. To me, that’s much worse than Val changing dance partners to give his celebrity the best chance of winning.
Now I am even more excited to see my favorite couple allison and riker do their trio the song that they are dancing to is perfect for jazz.
I’m trying not to be a hand-wringer, but I do worry about Derek being in the Jive trio. First, I just can’t imagine doing the Jive won’t set back the healing on Derek’s toe and ankle. He might say he’s going to keep it low-key, but the guy can’t do anything half-assed (just not in his DNA) Second, this just seems a tailor-made opportunity for The Stooges to give Team Nastia seriously low-balled scores and/or sly poisonous comments that influence the voting sheeple into believing their trio dance wasn’t up to snuff (lack of content, not enough trio-participation, blah-blah-blah).
Cidra — Remember that Derek needs to get medical clearance to dance. As this is probably related to abc’s liability insurance coverage, clearance is not given lightly. I may be the only one, but I am still not convinced that Derek will dance in the trio. He does not seem at all ready to dance; if he were going to dance on Monday he probably should be walking normally by now, which he isn’t. Since no one knows if he will be cleared to dance on Monday another male pro has probably learned this dance, for some reason my guess is Alan. In any event, TPTB will draw this out until the last minute, so we won’t really know if Derek is dancing until the show on Monday. Also, I don’t know how the contracts work, but if Derek dances on Monday and does not also dance in New York the rest of the week, he might be found to be in breach of that contract, which is not a good idea. I agree that it would be a perfect excuse for low scores and venom from the judges which Derek would not want to happen to Nastia. Anyway, this is a little of my thinking on the subject.
Suzy he is walking normally as was shown in the Live Access rehearsal yesterday. He was also doing some dance moves with Nastia. He was even balancing on one foot and bouncing on it while fooling around doing some tricks with the mirror. The only time he showed any pain really was when Nastia caught him in the “man bits” with her butt when she was grinding on him. Beyond that he seemed to be careful but involved and working without struggle.
He has stated he is not doing the paso but is doing the jive. It looks like Sasha is doing the hard full out jive kicks but Derek appears to be doing some jive steps and he is doing some slide lifts with her and swings her around. It doesn’t appear he will be sitting much at all going by what they were rehearsing. He also wasn’t sitting much at all while teaching and was walking around most of the time. There was even a part when he was walking around limping with a stick and said, “this is my cane and my teaching stick” and then laughed, stopped limping and strongly walked without it saying, “just kidding I’m walking.”
In my opinion, if the dance they perform on Monday looks as good put together as what little bit they showed them rehearsing, I don’t see a reason for the judges to give them any venom. Derek is not sitting and doing some chair dancing and not being active in the trio from what they showed. Yes he still needs to get medical clearance but they gave him clearance to dance in rehearsal so I can’t see him not getting it for the performance(I am assuming DWTS works like any other show where injured performers need to get cleared to even rehearse on their dime). Plus he was also photographed riding around the parking lot today on a Hovertrax which seems nuts to me but Derek seems to be a little nuts in general sometimes. But he’s got to be able to put full pressure on his feet at this point to be doing that. Sure there is a chance he might not be up to the dancing on Monday, but he really does appear to be far progressed into his healing.
As for NYSS, I am sure Derek is in contact with them and is not doing anything that affects that relationship.
Michelle — I don’t know why it bothers you so much that my guess is that Derek won’t be dancing on Monday.. I could go through point by point and refute your conclusions but you seem so emotionally invested in Derek dancing on Monday that I don’t think it would make any difference except to upset you further.
It seemes to me that Derek, Nasia and Sasha are really determined to dance together on Monday. Nastia said it last Monday even though Derek wasn’t able to dance at that point and since then, he’s doing much better. Sure, anything can happen but at this point I think he’s dancing on Monday
As for NYSS, I think that 3 shows a day full of quick tapping can’t be compared to dancing for 2 minutes on DWTS. Don’t know how his contract look like but hope they’ll allow him to dance in final 2 weeks of DWTS (if he’s able of course) even though he won’t dance in NYSS.
This is the final weekend of NYSS. Then they only have shows on May 6th and 7th. It’s over after that. In his blog Derek did say his doctor gave him clearance to dance a little. The jive song has fast and slow parts. Nastia is doing the fast parts with Sasha with all the kicks and flicks, and slower ones Derek. He seemed to be doing fine in rehearsals. At the very end the 3 even danced together.
I watch the Riccardo and Yulia Cinema Italiano Samba all the time.
I hope Kym, Robert and Jenna capture the sexy, cheeky fun of that song.
For the most part, really liking the song choices this week.
Thank you for the confirmation, Court!! I could tell Derek would be dancing in the trio based on their All Access rehearsal.
Suzy I’m only going to comment this last time, especially considering Courtney’s edit. I was not refuting because I was emotionally invested in Derek dancing. I was refuting based on what Derek was saying and doing. Period. He and Sasha and Nastia had said over and over that Derek was doing the trio and Derek was shown full out rehearsing the trio. That was my issue. Why keep the drama of “he probably won’t dance” up when he clearly stated he was dancing. I just didn’t get it.
When he is shown live walking fine, moving fine and rehearsing, I just didn’t see why you’d say “he’s not even walking normally” when he clearly was. That was what I didn’t get. That’s all. But as Courtney said, Derek is dancing and that’s that. Now there doesn’t have to be any more questions about it.
I LOVE Scott and Fran’s Paso Doble. Another Pitbull track hey SMH
Thank you, Courtney, for all the updates. Your comment about Rumer’s songs really got me curious, so I looked up Baz’s “For the Record” show. Turns out that Rumer played in it 3 times a week through fall of last year. She played Juliet, then later on played Fran, a character from Strictly Ballroom, whose Spanish family showed the leading man Paso Doble steps. Like many, I’ve wondered if her dance ability was natural, or she must have had some training. After reading what I found on the internet, I think it’s both. She is a ringer, isn’t she? And how convenient was it for her to be able to use 2 songs from a show she did as recent as 5-6 months ago?
Precisely. We are made to belive America chose that song? I think not somehow
Talk about blatant favoritism. I wonder if Rumer will mention it in her package
Thanks for the updates, Court! Not going to complain about Rumer’s ringer status since Riker is right up there with her, and his experience has also been actively buried. It is what it is. However, I’m so fed up with TPTB giving Val all kinds of help in his desperate bid for the validation he thinks he’ll feel if he lifts the gold MBT (pathetic).
The funny part of all this is, even with all the advantages Val’s been showered with, neither of Rumer’s dances will be half as good as what Derek comes up with for Nastia or what Sharna comes up with for Noah. Val is a hidebound, one-trick-pony choreographer. All the bolstering he gets from TPTB won’t change that.
If TPTB want to make something out of Val, instead of giving him a bushel of fish every season, they ought to give him a rod and reel in the off-season and tell him to go learn to fish.
Cindra, one of the comments I read on a DWTS article this week cracked me in regards to the same things you mentioned. It said something like, “They pump Val up to think he’s got it in the bag and he’s the next big choreographer and here comes Derek crawling on the floor with two injured feet basically saying, “Ok yeah, I don’t think so. Look what I can do while broken”.
Val has his moments of great choreography but most of the time he’s middle of the pack at best and couldn’t touch Derek unless he gave him a lobotomy.
Courtney — Congrats on your American Pharoah winnings. These are always the most exciting two weeks. Hope this year it continues beyond the Preakness. Hard to believe it’s been since Affirmed in 1978.
Apologies for my part in boring you to tears. I’m happy to have been mistaken.
It’s gonna be a good night for Rumer, maybe a couple of 40s and “is you comeback week” and ” this is your season” comments from the judges, I think those styles are right up her alley.
Don’t get me wrong Im excited to see them but two Baz Lurhmann songs in one night looks very obviously orchestrated. I kinda feel bad for Chris already, his paso will probably be compared to Rumer’s
Also looking forward to Nastia’s jive and Riker’s jazz.
I like most of the songs this week especially Nastia and Riker”s. I hope the dances this week can bring back the energy and the enthusiasm of Disney week. For me, the past two weeks are both underwhelmed. I think most of the pros and contestants must start to feel exhausted at this point. hope they can overcome the pressure.
Courtney, has DT said anything about Rumer’s two dances and how they’re coming along?
I saw rumer in the baz luhrmann show, but she was playing juliet. I wasn’t aware she played fran too. Either way, she’s very familiar with both of her songs already.
Lol it’s funny imagining Noah dancing to a pitbull song.
also forgot to say, it’s weird to imagine nastia, derek, and sasha having a sexy dance 😮 we haven’t seen sexy yet, but I’m sure it’ll be good 🙂 their rumba wasn’t really sexy, it was more romantic, and their samba was more saucy than sexy. I think now that they’ve all spent more time together nastia will be comfortable acting lovey dovey/sexy/romantic. Last night my sister and I lol, tried dancing zendaya and val’s tango, so we were trying to imitate the moves (we have never been trained in ballroom btw). And even though we are sisters we both kept giggling and saying we felt awkward being so close to each other dancing around. I can only imagine how weird it is dancing with a guy super close who is not your boyfriend, I would not be able to stop giggling.
Thanks for the update! Well, so lovely of TPTB to hand Rumer and Val a Strictly Ballroom theme, so they can play Scott and Fran! Adorable. She gets her Rumba that she was begging to get, and she gets to dance her Paso that she’s danced many times to the song from Strictly Ballroom! Shall we place bets on perfect scores, tongue bathing, and tail wagging?
Ugh. It’s not the ringer status that bothers me. I’m bothered by the fact she’s being handed a theme, two songs, and two dances just for her at this stage in the game. If you need that much propping up, do you really deserve to be there? If she gets a Tango and Contemporary after that… Sorry, give this girl a Quickstep! Make her earn it.
Everyone knows Nastia’s a gymnast. Many assumed Riker has had dance experience since he’s Hough related. Few know about Rumer, and that bothers me. It bothers me even more when Rumer’s sister goes on All Access and tries to shade Riker for his undisclosed experience.
I’m not that surprised that Rumer got songs from Strictly Ballroom (FTRBAZ)… I’m pretty sure that Riker will do an R5 song by season’s end (freestyle, maybe?).. and Nastia danced her Argentine Tango in week 4 to the song she used for her Olympics floor routine (Variations on Dark Eyes).
Does anyone know what song that Chris, Witney, &, lindsay will be dancing their paso doble trio too?
*to
Wait, so Rumer was in a dance show? And she made a comment about ‘not being an athlete?’ Maybe Nastia can comment about not having danced professionally before 😉
On the other hand, Rumer might get Quickstep in the final(?). It might be a disadvantages. I hate this style so much.
It’s interesting that none of the front runners (Rumer, Nastia, Riker) get contemporary yet. I am eager to know the dance styles they get next week.
Personally, I think Rumer’s voting is not as bad as they emphasized but might not be enough to enter the final. It’s hard to say.
@nobleze #219 and @nathanuk #220 the pros and celebs submit a list of songs that they want to dance to during the season to production, so obviously Rumer would select those songs, she knows them. It is just like Nastia selecting and dancing to the Dark Eyes piece that she won a GOLD MEDAL with or Redfoo and Miss Patti dancing to their own music…it happens every season and it is not going to stop. Song selection isn’t as big of a deal as how one executes a dance to it. If people are really bothered by her music choices just watch her dances on mute. At the end of the day just remember this is a highly produced “reality” television show and is not meant to be a “fair” competition.
Nastia didn’t dance to Dark Eyes. Rumer actually danced to those numbers. Then for her to cry about how she’s not an athlete, and her sister to go on Live Access and throw shades at Riker is annoying. I hope she openly says on the package that she already DANCED to these songs.
Love rikers trio song. Didn’t Allison have a song from gays by last season too?
@Vin Yeah, she and Jonathan did their Tango to Back to Black didn’t they?
I thought so ps I meant gatsby but this phone hates me. I could have lived without autocorrect.
#Ananya–did she really pull the athlete card? what a shame! Pathetic of her sister to throw shade Riker’s way–well I guess all of Bruce and Demi’s daughters need to find some way to make themselves relevant. All very disappointing to hear not that she was my favorite but I was enjoying her performances—-seems like maybe they are feeling somewhat threatened.
@meghan I don’t think is about the music selection, obviously the music is appropiate for the dances. The thing that bothers me (and probably others) is that they seem to get away with a lot, from getting exactly the music they ask for to switching dance styles, trio member, rejecting songs and even suggest they give their rejected song to an specific couple.
Other couples didnt even know the songs or artists America chosed for them. So are they the only couple get to submit songs for “americas chioce”? And then they get Fran’s paso for the trio anyways.
She is very good dancer, I’d like to see her want to step outside of the box.
How did America’s choice work? Was it open season for people to choose any song they wanted, because that sounds messy? I thought they chose from a shortlist, in which case it’s yet more TPTB pimpage, in that that song got anywhere near the list.
@Kim – On Monday, when Rumer was talking to Erin, she stated that she didn’t workout prior to the show. Then, for added impact, they showed her mom nodding and mouthing how that was true. Smh.
In Allison and Rikers live stream they referenced that it was the song that the viewers chose but where/when/how did the voting take place? It seems that all pro’s at some point or another have a hand in their music selection (ie. live performances by artist for the dance- maybe a coincidence? doubtful) just not necessarily during the same episodes.
@MissJ I did hear that–I remember immediately thinking “yeah right” nor you or your mom have those bodies and don’t work out. Demi has always had an amazing body but no way do I believe it’s without attention and care no matter what she says. Demi probably has one of the best trainers in Hollywood and I’m sure her children, especially Rumer, has reaped the benefits.
Mr A There was a choice between two (pre-selected) dance styles and a choice between 2 (pre-selected) songs for each.
Meghan #237, I do know how produced DWTS is. I think the mods of this site have educated me well on that. Like I said in my earlier comment, I got curious about Courtney’s additional info. And what I found out was never really discussed, either on the show or anywhere. Unlike Riker’s competition experience in his childhood, which was talked about here. I agree with Lotus #243. I, too, am bothered that Rumer and Val seem to get away with more changes/switches than other couples. Yes, Nastia got her song from her Gold Medal-worthy Olympic routine in 2008, but she DID NOT dance to it. Is it coincidence that Rumer got 2 songs from a show she recently did? One might argue that it is. But with all the leeway she and her pro have been getting, I don’t think so, even with America’s choice.
Nastia’s music, which was basically background music for her floor routine, was played for her “Most Important Year.” There was a stated reason for it to be her music.
Prior to the season the pro’s and celebs give the show music they would like to dance to. I would presume the music is something they like and want to dance to. Some of the songs they present get cleared and they dance to the song. This is the case for each couple. This isn’t new or surprising to me. Some weeks you get songs that you didn’t choose i.e. Bootylicous other weeks the songs you or your pro want are cleared.
If for example Derek submitted a song prior to the season for Nastia to dance to…and it cleared…and they danced to it…it’s the same thing.
I don’t really care about their dance experiences.
I guess the producers ask most of them to downplay their dance experiences. Not only Rumer and Riker, Nastia stated that she never had ballet lessons in her life at the beginning of the season. But if you google Nastia Liukin and ballet you will find a video in which her coach said they have two ballet lessons in a week for their training (Except you argue that gymnastic ballet is not ballet). I don’t think it’s a big deal though.
@nobleze Nastia is my favorite and I want her to win this season and vote for her every week, but it is important to note that yes she spent over 4 years with that track preparing what is today considered the best floor routine in olympic history, so she knows the music in and out and did have some dance moves in the routine. The song was just not “background” music, and was the center of what her routine was based off. Floor routines consist of 4 tumbling passes in connection with dance elements in between each pass.
Yes, Val and Rumer get a lot of switching on their part, but at the end of the day it is because production wants the show to be entertaining. Yes, I also agree with you, who knows if American really “chose” those songs…production can do whatever they want, we’ve seen it happen before with switch-up week and I’m sure previous “America’s Choice” weeks were really just “oh let’s let the celebs/production actually choose and we will pretend America chose.”
On DWTSGossip’s twitter account they have posted links to Rumor preforming to the songs that she has this week. I don’t think there is anything to worry about concerning her dance experience with these songs, there was only one 15 second part where she did anything that remotely resembled a paso and I say that with kindness…not very good choreo at all, mainly just Rumor walking around or being grinded on by two guys. It is an interesting couple of pieces.
The voting of America’s choice was through abc.com plus twitter. All the votes were published to twitter, so we can actually counted and predicted the results. It’s quite transparent.
The issue here is that Rumer posted an inspo with a video of strictly ballroom during the voting period and asked her fans to vote. I am not sure if it’s fair because I didn’t see other pros or contestants did something similar. I think some pros and contestants were even not aware there was a voting.
I see the Val fans have descended and decided to educate us all. *eye roll*
Just my guess on scores:
Riker and Allison’s V. Waltz: (9,9,9,9)
Riker and Allison’s trio: (10,9,10,10)
Rumor and Val’s trio: (9,9,9,9)
Rumor and Val’s rumba: (10,9,10,9)
Nastia, Sasha, and Derek’s trio: (10,10,10,10)
Nastia and sasha’s paso: (10,10,10,10)
Robert and Kym’s trio: (9,8,9,9)
Robert and Kym’s contemporary: (9,8,9,8)
Noah and Sharna’s trio: (9,9,9,9)
Noah and Sharna’s tango: (9,9,9,9)
Chris and Witney’s trio: (8,8,8,8)
Chris and Witney’s contemporary (9,8,8,9)
LOL, Court. It’s working…I feel so much smarter already 😉
Vin, you think TPTB are going to let The Stooges and Julianne give Team Nastia the first perfect score when it’s “Val’s Season”? What’s your rationale–that Nastia/Derek/Sasha will just be that good or that TPTB are still trying to encourage more voting for Rumer and less voting for Nastia?
I think Riker, Rumer, and Nastia all have potential for perfect scores. Riker’s is most likely for his trio but I don’t want to assume anything and then be disappointed as I already have high expectations for it. Just worried Allison might bomb the choreography…though the pictures posted so far look promising.
Rumer is getting a perfect score tonight one way or another. No way TPTB would like her go another week without being a top scorer. I could see the Rumba getting a 37/38 but I think she’s getting a 40 on the Paso. It will be a big comeback dance after slipping the last two weeks. Though, I have to admit, the judges’ comments were pretty tame towards her last week comparatively. When Len was talking to her I expected him to say “You know I think you should win” or “will win” but he stumbled a little and said “You know I think you are great dancer” — something to that affect. Almost as if they were giving her parting words. I am starting to really question her votes. I think she’ll make it through this week but wonder if she’ll be a surprise boot during the semis.
@Cidra: That specific dance just seems like it’s going to be awesome. I really wish I could explain it better but I just get a good feeling about that trio dance and for that paso. Might be the week that Nastia breaks away from the group a bit. I think the whole “This Val’s season/ValenRue” junk is hysterical to be honest. I really thought that Rumor was going to do well and I was right but I feel like she is going to end up in the finale but take 2nd or third place (sorta a toss up between her and Riker on that front). I sorta look at everything in terms of consistency and feel like Riker may have a slight edge there.
@Vin I agree with you. Did you watch their live stream? I have a really good feeling about their dances tonight
Sidenote, American Pharaoh was awesome out there….he was my original pick but then I saw Dortmund and was wowed by that horse too. In the end, I won 100 bucks so all’s well that’s ends well lol. I didn’t see the boxing match but from what I’ve heard It involved a lot of hugging so I’m glad I missed it.
@Tina: I wish I had caught the live stream…..haven’t seen any of them for the dances this week at all.
Basically the 3 frontrunners riker/nastia/and rumer have some dance experience not a big deal its not like they can do every dance they are assigned and nail it…this season I dont see any pimpage its whoever can entertain the crowd more will get the votes and win…I never voted for rumer and never will but at the beginning of the season she was on top but she has been slipping for weeks and if she keeps it up it will only be between riker and nastia…I personally like riker better out of the 3 but whoever win wouldnt bother me.
@#253 Meghan- FYI in case you were unaware, gymnasts do not actually train or even perform to the music used in their floor routine. It really is “background noise”. The program is not set to the music as it is in dance and there is no counting the movement to the beat as in dance. Nastia could have taken the floor in the Olympics that night, had an audio mess up where instead of Dark Eyes they played The Chicken Dance and she’d still have performed the exact same routine without breaking a sweat.
Mark Ballas put it best when he called the music used in a floor routine as “ear candy”. It has zero impact to the routine and they don’t use the music to train nor do they learn counts while training. Aly in S17 was one gymnast where this really showed. She could not count music to save her life and it was a huge struggle for her in terms of dance all season. Comparing Nastia dancing to Dark Eyes to Rumer dancing to two songs she actually “danced” to is not a fair comparison at all as Nastia didn’t actually perform to the song in the sense of training to it.
Also, Nastia needs to thank her lucky stars her pro was Derek for that Dark Eyes routine considering he’s one of the few choreographers on the show that can work around music not meant for the assigned dance style. Dark Eyes is in the wrong time signature for a Tango. Val complained that he couldn’t choreograph a proper jazz to a pop song, well Derek had to choreograph an A. Tango to a song in the time signature of a waltz. Derek even stated that the music was their biggest hurdle that week because it was completely wrong for the dance style. So even more so, Nastia having that song was not any actual benefit to her. It made complete sense that she’d dance to that song for Most Memorable Year but it didn’t give her an advantage by any means.
@vin – I knew American Pharaoh was a sure thing with how frisky he was acting in his stall before the race started. Kept trying to gnaw on the stableboy’s hair, was bouncing around, pulling on his reigns – dude was HUNGRY. ALWAYS bet on the horse that can’t sit still. 😉
@Courtney: I like that method. My method sorta is to choose the horse that looks like it has personality.
@Vin, thanks for the background on your numbers. I have a good feeling about Nastia’s dances tonight too and certainly think they could be worthy of perfect scores. I just have reservations about The Stooges giving her those scores (even if she’s earned them).
@Mark, can I borrow your rose-colored glasses? 🙂
Comparing riker and Nastia’ songs and the fact that they did or will dance to them to Rumer and her dancing to something she has danced to is what is known as a false equivalency. It’s just not the same thing no matter what kind of knots Val fans try to twist themselves into to make it so.
Honestly, Rumer is a big ole ringer just like the other 95% of Val’s partners. You all claim not to mind, but obviously you do – you wouldn’t be here otherwise. Nastia likely has less actual dance experience than her, but has been targeted by Val fans as the “ringer, no fair!!” since day one. THIS is what I object to – not the actual experience. The bs double standard yet again on display by Val fans and Rumers family.
You didn’t see pimpage mark? What do you call two packages for Rumer last week, one for Bruce and one for her injury? Not to mention the calling out of it being Val’s season on week one. Smells like pimpage to me!
This is Rumer’s week for an 80. I don’t like it, Val canNOT harness the natural talent she has and make that the focus of the dances, he seems to believe the show is about him this season too, and that Rumer is his “accessory.” It’s gonna happen though. I can see Riker’s trio and Nastia’s Paso being great great dances more deserving of perfect scores, but TPTB have really turned the pimpage up to 11 this week with the songs and all. After being last called safe at week, do they need it I wonder?
That used to be true, Toni, but it’s not so much anymore. The celebs clearly tell what their favorite songs are for some of the themes, but it’s been very obvious for quite a while now, based on what many pros (including Val) have said that they have no choice. They get stuck with music all the time. Val’s just the one who wusses out the most and can’t choreograph outside his box. I would live to see a rule about no changes – then we’ll see (confirm) who the real choreographers are on this show. I suspect we already know…
Sort of off topic, but is was reading about Maks promoting Sway earlier in the thread. Guess where else they are trying to sell sway tickets? Why outside of New York Spring Spectacular, of course. And the guys handing out the flyers were promoting it as “dancing with the Stars live”. He said something about DWTS and I looked at the flyer and it was for Sway. One of my friends got a tad irate (in fun) and the guy definitely showed he was Fam.
that’s hilarrious PH. typical of the fam to piggyback on Derek, while spiting him at the same time. They’re having to pass out flyers for a 1 city, 2 day show? NOt impressive. Why is DWTS trying to pimp Val again?
You know what the sad thing is: people probably were like “wow cool” and bought tickets without realizing it. I remember one time when I was a kid when they had people selling “Yankee tickets” outside of the Yankee store in the city and people were all over the guy and the tickets ended up being for not a game but for the statan island Yankees.
Ahhh I dont know if I should laugh or feel sorry for them thats how they are trying to sell? actually I will go with I feel sorry for them 🙁 Derek could promote Move2 live on Dancing with the stars last week in plain view where everyone could see it also when DWTS itself is going on tour that must be something. The Houghs makes Bold moves and these chmerkovskiy brothers tsk tsk tsk really sad 🙂
Really PH? What a deceiving advertisement. But then again if they advertise it as Sway people would probably say “who’s Sway”? So the only thing they can do is bringing the word DWTS outside the place where there’s a big sign of Derek Hough name and where Move Tour is completely sold out 😉
Tsk tsk tsk, DWM Fam. Not only is it pretty tacky to try and poach potential audience members outside of Spring Spectacular, but I’m pretty sure DWTS might have a legal bone to pick with anyone trying to use their name to make money. They went after Dancing Pros Live and Ballroom with a Twist for much smaller infractions…
I think the Sway tickets might not be selling as well as expected. While they do have a lot of DWTS pros in it, I think the market is saturated and it is expensive. They also did the same show twice already so it might also be that their fans figure they have already seen it.
Even funnier, they were out there after the show….promoting it to people who heard announcement before the show started to “see Move Live on Tour” in addition to large posters of Derek and Julianne all over the theater. There’s also an ad for it in the program. The place was Derek saturated.
Everybody that is injured talk it in their package and then after they finish dancing….and the week after I am use to it by now.
Surely DWTS wouldn’t go after Sway or they’d have done so at the same time they went after BWAT and Dance Pros Live. Not only is SWAY a one off show, but pros like Val and Tony are so heavily invested in Sway/DanceWithMe that if push came to shove they’d probably quit DWTS if they tried to take down Sway. As much as people on here may like it, DWTS wouldn’t risk losing two of their most influential/popular pros. That’s not including the response of other pros involved with the fam and Sway like Peta. While Sway only does one off shows they are safe from DWTS I reckon. If they ever decide to go on a tour, then that will be a different story.
I think over the course of the three shows Sway still has a little over 3,000 tickets available. It’s about a month away at this point so they do have a little more time to sell more tickets. They have some new cast members this go around so I do expect it to change some but as long as it stays in the NYC/NJ area it’s catering to the same population over and over again. I’m sure they’re banking on Valenrue winning so they can try and capitalize on that as well.
If they want to keep it going they really need new choreography each time and should think about going to different cities.
Judyl #280, you’re right. Check out Sway on Ticketmaster. Pretty comparable to the last time Maks was on Broadway in Karina’s tango show. Houses were about one-third filled.
@Vin I think Friday was the only day (I could be wrong) that they did livestreams this past week, and only Chris & Witney, and Nastia, Derek and Sasha had one. There are some videos of Nastia’s live stream online if you want to check it out.
Nastia’s is definitely worth checking out
Tacky indeed and a lot of nerve considering how much shade they’ve thrown Derek.
So the most influential and popular pros on DWTS can’t even sell tickets they have to do it under Derek and Julianne umbrella. DWM Fam needs the Houghs, y’all. Surprise?
Thiana did I say the most influencial/popular pros on DWTS? No, I said 2 of the most influencial/popular pros on DWTS. Don’t try and twist my words cheers.
Cool it, M8.
Everyone please do me a favor: if you find yourself getting riled up by something you see posted here, take a 10 minute walk, then come back and comment. Seems like a lot of knee-jerk reactions being had around here today.
I know I’m in the minority here & I know what I’m going to write is straying off topic on DWTS & dancing in general, but I hope you guys will bear with me, I just have to vent a little:
@ Meghan #253, I think saying Nastia’s floor routine is “considered the best floor routine in Olympic history” is subjective. For me personally, when I watch Nastia’s floor routine & then watch Jiang Yuyuan’s floor routine (who came in 4th), I keep thinking to myself, how did Jiang not win bronze over Nastia in floor finals in Beijing? Not only did Jiang have higher difficulty, I also think she had cleaner execution over Nastia, who had a seriously cowboyed double front, crossed ankles on her twisting form & always jumps out of her leaps (one of my pet peeves).
I’m not a fan of Nastia, but I like Derek & I think Nastia being paired up w/ him was a blessing in so many ways. Not only do I think Derek is a very talented choreographer who can choreograph just about anything (even when given crap and/or difficult music), I also think his personality has brought out a more positive side to Nastia’s personality. I think had Nastia been paired with Val or maybe even Mark she wouldn’t have come across as likeable (or maybe not at all) & probably would’ve been eliminated from the competition by now.
Those are expensive tickets too and there is no guaranteeing that those people seeing NYSS would stick around or would be able to see Sway unless they lived in the New York area. That’s the problem with doing a show in the same part of the U.S….,you get the same people
Also to finish my thoughts on my earlier post: having watched both Derek & Val’s livestreams, I find both pros’ teaching styles at complete ends of the spectrum. I find both of them to be perfectionists & setting high standards for themselves & their partners, but the way they go about achieving that is like night & day. I found that Derek works to keep a more light & positive environment while Val is all intense & keeps focusing on the negative.
I just think Derek has a different perspective on competition that I find has a more positive & healthier impact on his celeb partners. I don’t think it’s just a coincidence that almost all of Derek’s partners happen to have a good attitude about competition & don’t feel the need to throw shade at other couples or keep sulking (years later) when they’ve lost. I tend to believe that the celebs adopt some of the personality traits of their pros (negative and/or positive) so it doesn’t really surprise me (although it does disappoint me) when I hear that Rumer thinks she doesn’t have any competition or her sister throws shade at Riker. I think had Rumer been paired w/ Derek, none of this negativity would’ve been said or felt.
I think a lot of people, especially here, feel that way about the pros, that if Rumer had been paired with anyone but Val we’d probably like her, but with Val she’s part of the fam at what might be the worst possible time… I do think Derek is a great pro who brings the best out of his partners, but he’s not producing anything in her that’s not there. It’s very hard not to compare the partnerships between Shawn and Derek, Shawn and Mark and Aly and Mark with Nastia and Derek’s, but I don’t think that’s quite fair for a few reasons, with one important one being that Derek in both cases had an older girl out of her competitive career whereas in both cases Mark had the young girl just off of her Olympics win.
On the subject of shows/tours whatever. Why not each of them get behind each other’s? In the UK we have the “Strictly” tour in Jan till March then in the summer the Pros have their own tours/shows and the like. Eg Pasha and Anya have one, Anton du Beke and Erin Boag have one, Robin Windsor and Kristina Rihanoff have shows, Janette Manrara and Aljaž Skorjanec have been on a Cruise show, Natalie Lowe has her Fitsteps(like Zumba but actual Ballroom and Latin technique ) DVDs and classes and finally Vincent and Flavia have their Tony nominated show and guess what. They all support each other and try to attend the other shows and buy/promote the DVDs
Why do some people find it so hard to be supportive of others and why do things have to be so “feudy”? Well I don’t know
@NathanUK I know what you mean. I would love that. The thing is though, I know from experience that it only takes one person to create a really toxic and divided atmosphere.
Way to ignore all other points, Mark.
Er, you can’t just “quit” DWTS. They have contracts. And DWTS absolutely would send out “cease and desist” letters if they thought Sway was damaging their tour chances.
The Sway hockers are still out at Radio City huh? They were out there last time I was there as well and were not exactly being forthright with the fact that Derek was not affiliated by mentioning DWTS and Amy Purdy. At one point a woman loudly said, “Derek has nothing to do with that show! His show is called Move Live, see there’s the poster!” and pointed at the advertising. I cracked up.
@tina: I definately will. Probably will on wendesday after idol and catfish. Want to get them watched before this weekend (aka “entourage weekend”…..literally going to watch entourage all weekend……guess you can say I chose the right horse and finally bought the complete series 🙂 ).
Nathan UK (#297), I know you’re only trying to illustrate your point, but this constant comparing of DWTS and Strictly (with DWTS coming off the worse every time) is, in my opinion, verging on uncivil. It’s obvious like DWTS but infinitely prefer Strictly, which is totally fine. I love Strictly too, and lately I like it a lot better than DWTS. However, this is a blog called “PureDWTS”. So to me it seems that repeatedly holding up Strictly as an example of what DWTS should do is like visiting someone else’s home and spending most of the visit pointing out all the things you like better about your own.
Court, I’m sorry to disregard your suggestion up in #292, but I’ve been taking a walk around the block on this issue for several weeks now, and I’m walked out.
Agreed, Cidra. The site is PureDWTS.
I am so sorry Heidi i will try and turn it right down in the future. At least I know where i stand with you lot