PureDWTS Season 20, Week 8 – Power Rankings
Not a whole lot to lead-in with – apologize that these didn’t come last night (I try to have the power rankings up before going to bed on Mondays with a results show the following day), but I had a cake to make and my icing gun broke and I kinda lost all my will to live…momentarily 🙂 Then I slept and I was ok. Definite judges’ agenda last night, and it seemed to be “make sure Rumer makes it to week 9 AT ALL COSTS, and kinda try to shield Nastia & Riker while you’re at it – the rest are expendable”. Len has completely lost all credibility for me at this point – just seems like he’s following the directions being fed to him by TPTB each week, even if it means contradicting himself. Random epiphany I had while watching Robert’s samba trio: how cool would it be to have a pro samba to George Michael’s “Freedom ’90” with the pros playing female & male models? 😉
Also, a point of clarification on Nastia’s “meltdown” in their package: per Deep Throat, that occurred at the end of an 8-hour rehearsal, and Nastia was already planning on heading home – so yeah, she didn’t “walk out of rehearsal in anger”, as some are trying to spin it. Also interesting to note: sometimes the staff filming the rehearsals are encouraged to ask kinda inflammatory questions in order to amp up the drama when the pros and celebs are feeling tired, anxious, stressed, etc – so the frustration you saw from Nastia was more than likely her getting irritated by a needling cameraman, rather than with Derek. Felt that this required clarification, since some of Derek’s detractors seem to be having a field day on Twitter over Nastia’s “outburst”. Hehe – I’ll show you a REAL outburst. Just goes to show that the narrative of the show has gotten so out-of-control that you can’t trust the rehearsal packages anymore.
1/2/3.) TIE: Nastia & Sasha (Derek), Rumer & Val, and Riker & Allison – The major point I gleaned from the judging & scoring last night was that the judges wanted to ensure that these 3 couples survived tonight’s elim – beyond that, I don’t think they really cared who go eliminated. That being said – even though they were all relatively close in scores, I don’t necessarily think they’re getting an equal number of votes. The fact that Rumer got a perfect score for a rumba that felt more like a tango and a oddly tame paso doble makes me wonder if she NEEDS the help – as I’ve mentioned in previous weeks, I’m just not sure if she’s getting a ton of votes from people who are fans of her parents, and with Val fans splintering into factions (the Vajanel fans have NO LOVE for Rumer, from what I’ve seen), I’m dubious about how many of Val’s fans are actually voting for her. She danced well last night – but once again, I’m left going “Val, WTF?” as the pendulum now seems to be swinging more in favor of very safe, almost sedate choreography from him. Noticeably lacking in her rumba was any sort of movement where we’d see significant hip action, and it all had a staccato feel that felt more appropriate for a tango – rumba definitely has more of a fluidity than what we saw. As for her paso trio – I actually thought they could have ramped up the intensity quite a bit more, as some of the movement felt a bit soft to me; I actually thought Nastia did better both in terms of body shaping and intensity in her paso than Rumer did in hers. Also worth noting: how many times has it been, now, that the judges have conveniently run out of time when it’s been time to critique Rumer, and have had to resort to a “You did great!” without actually giving a real critique? Food for thought. Moving right along to Riker – I don’t think I’ve ever been as completely lost & confused by a judges’ critique as I was by Len’s critique of Riker’s Viennese waltz. It seemed like Len was taking out his dislike of “messing about” on Allison, who actually choreographed quite a proper Viennese waltz, when he SHOULD have been directing that ire at another pro who has taken all sorts of liberties with what defines each of the dances in previous weeks. Granted, Riker’s Viennese wasn’t perfect – and I think Mama Spence hit the nail on the head when she remarked after the dance that Riker “seemed emotionally immature – he was smiling most of the time!” I just think he’s so young and naive that when Allison told him to channel “angst from a breakup”, he wasn’t left with much of a frame of reference. But yeah – Len’s critique both confused and pissed me off. The “narrative” of this season has taken over completely, and Len is just making a caricature of himself at this point. As for their trio – the energy was great and he nailed the choreography, but there was just something lacking for me. Maybe some of the choreography got a little repetitive, maybe I wish they had used the space a bit more – but I think they could have absolutely KILLED it, and they just came up slightly short of doing so. Now as for Nastia – paso doble was cool and definitely had cool moments (loved the flip Sasha did over Nastia’s shoulder), but I wonder if the song kinda made it hard for them to create an ideal paso doble. Parts seemed a tad slow. I LOVED their trio, though, and thought to myself “THAT’S how you handle a song with a lot of tempo changes and an injured pro – WITHOUT copping out and asking for a different song. With the way it was set up and how clever the transitions were, it would not surprise me if this one was submitting along with their Charleston in D’s Emmy package – it was just the kind of set-up that seems to scream “Emmy bait!!!”
4.) Noah & Sharna – Kind of a mixed bag for Noah last night – one ho-hum dance (his tango) and one pretty awesome dance (his salsa trio). I think the problem with his tango was that he just got too focused on doing it right – and consequently, he went a bit blank in the face, and the dance came off a bit “blocky”, as Carrie Ann said. Granted, he’s only able to do so much pivoting with any degree of smoothness with his leg, so I guess I can’t complain too much. I guess my one problem with it was that he didn’t look like he was having fun. As for his salsa trio – it was my 2nd favorite trio of the night, after Nastia’s 🙂 I don’t think I’ve ever seen Noah look like he was having as much fun as he was with Sharna & Emma dancing around him – and Sharna, hats off to YOU, lovely, because that arm-wrapping sequence was some genius-level sh*t 😎 I actually thought the salsa was a tad underscored, relative to Robert’s off-time samba trio and Chris’ Clydesdale paso doble. But I think he probably has the votes to survive this week’s double elim – but next week will be a different story.
5.) Chris & Witney – I think I realized whilst watching Chris dance last night, just how apt my Clydesdale comparison is. You see, Clydesdales are work horses – they’re big and clunky, and they aren’t known for being particularly graceful or fast, but they can do simple stuff (albeit kinda slowly), and generally let the show ponies and racehorses do the complicated, showy stuff. That’s exactly the impression I got watching both his contemporary and paso doble trio – Chris, once again, stayed relatively stationary, doing either simple movements or just lifting his partner, while Witney and/or Lindsay danced around him. In his paso doble in particular, it felt like he was doing “paso doble by numbers” – you could practically see him counting, then doing some simple move; counting again, doing the same move in another direction; counting once more, then spinning the girls. Lather, rinse, repeat. I’ve already said it multiple times, but I guess I’ll do it once more with feeling: Chris has plateaued on this show. He isn’t going to get any better (and he’s probably going to get worse), and he doesn’t appear to be having a very good time – so please, for the love of god, LET HIM GO HOME. A Clydesdale belongs on the farm, doing farm things – or making me bawl my eyes out in Superbowl commercials. Not on the dancefloor.
6.) Robert & Kym – I’m left feeling kinda bad for Robert once more, because where Chris kinda gets a free pass from the judges despite never really improving, Robert DOES improve, but never gets the credit he deserves from the judges. I actually thought he & Kym’s contemporary was quite a bit better than Chris & Witney’s – it was for sure more organic and had better flow – yet he still gets a point less than Chris, along with a begrudging “Eh, you improved a little” pat on the head from the judges. I just DO NOT GET the hard-on the judges seem to have for Chris, although I do credit Carrie Ann for pointing out a bad dance when she saw one. But anyway – I think Robert may have gotten a tad screwed when they handed him samba as his trio dance, because I think Clydesdale was able to do his 8-counts of kindergarten choreography more easily to a paso doble than Robert was with this samba. It started out kinda nice – he was on-time, he was engaging both Kym & Jenna, and he looked like he was having fun. Then something happened about midway through the dance, he got off-time, and the dance never fully recovered. While I agree that on-time and boring usually trumps off-time but entertaining, in this case, I preferred Robert’s not-quite-on-time-but-at-least-he-sold-it-well samba to Chris’ “I’m a constipated Clydesdale, please send me home so I can poop in peace” paso doble. Regardless, I think both are on the chopping block tonight, unfortunately.
So let’s hear your thoughts on last night’s show. Who’s headed home tonight?
I think its time for chris and Robert to go.They are good dancers but they should not be in the finale.Im thinking Rumer may be in trouble tonight, i don’t think she’s getting the votes we think she’s getting, that would explain a lot.
I also don’t think Rumer is doing well in the votes. The comments that have been made, like the one by Len last night about paying extra attention to the voting numbers just make it obvious to me. I think Robert and Chris will go home tonight.
After reading the comments and watching some of the interviews from last night’s show, I think we may see another shocking elimination tonight. I think this season finale will be very similar to Max and Meryl’s season. I think we will see Rumer, Noah and Chris in the finale. This gives Rumer and Val a sure win. In Max’s season he was up against Amy and Derek and Candace and Mark. No way were they going to pass Max and Meryl.
Another point I would like to make is Willow and Mark were eliminate last week because there was no drama in their partnership. It was calm, entertaining and good dancing. I don’t think it was the fact that they weren’t getting the votes as much as they were beating out Rumer and Val. So the producers decided it was time for them to go.
For me this show is beginning to lose it’s credibility 🙁 Too bad!
@LeAnn Chris & Noah in the finale with Rumer? That would make EVERYONE riot. Love Noah but he should go next week, and Chris should’ve been gone ages ago.
Thanks so much and excellent again, Court!!! Mine are almost the same.
My rankings:
1. Nastia, Derek/Sasha
2. Riker and Allison
3. Rumer and Val
4. Noah and Sharna
5. Chris and Witney
6. Robert and Kym
Here are some more thoughts….
America’s Choice:
Riker and Allison – They were just hot. They were swayng. So classy, elegant, and so passionate. I thought their technique was just perfect too. Stunning!
Sasha, Nastia and Derek – They were full of power and creativity. I loved the production, the colors, and the passion. Derek played Caeser just right sealing the production and theme even further. Just beautiful!!
Rumer and Val – I really liked this dance, but, it didn’t feel like a Rumba. It felt more like a tango. I thought some of her turns seemed a little nervous like too.
Chris and Witney – He just keeps improving. He’s become a dancer right before our eyes. Just romantic and beautiful. I agree with Julianne…he is the most improved. In the beginning, I never thought he’d make it this far.
Robert and Kym – He seemed more relaxed and not as wooden. I agree with Julianne. He stepped it up tonight with this dance. From all of their dances, this was my favorite.
Sharna and Noah – There was some difficulty in technique, but, it was still dashing, elegant, and full of charm. I always love their leg extensions. I loved their white costumes too.
Trio Round:
Derek, Nastia, Sasha – OMG, this dance was just mind blowing. It was so creative for how they danced between two rooms. It was a true MASTERPIECE. #EMMY WINNER
Riker, Allison, Brittney – These three were ON FIRE! Just when I didn’t think they could top themselves, they did. Amazing footwork too. LOVED!
Rumer, Val, and Artem – This was powerful and passionate. I agree with Bruno…it suits them to go the “classic” route. I like the Latin dances for them too. Really good.
Sharna, Noah, Emma – I love them!! He was in character and having a ball. What clever choreo by Sharna and Emma. Loved everything visually. Much better than their first dance.
Chris, Witney, and Lindsay – He might have been off a few times, but, he has found his sweet spot on this show. I don’t care what the judges said, I loved them.
Robert, Jenna, and Kym – It was fun and full of style, but, he got lost through out the dance. Now he stepped backwards.
As someone who has been a fervent Val supporter, I’m a little confused with him this season. Actually tonight was super confusing considering how boring both of Rumers dances were. For
How he’s playing this, he’s acting as if Rumer is (dancing wise) is his weakest partner and I don’t think he’s playing into her personality strengths (I’d take Rumer ANYDAY before bitchy face Janel). I don’t get it and I really don’t think he deserves the MBT after half of this. This feels like a Maks and Meryl season when it comes to choreography. As far as performance…. Poor Unfortunate Souls was actually their best dance and I felt the campyness played into her strengths. With the exception of their first foxtrot, Everything else keeps falling flat.
so I’m probably going to get judged for this statement but the last two weeks have been my favorite two dances Derek has ever done on the show. Ok, maybe that’s an overstatement since he has a lot to chose from but I’ve been legitimately impressed with what Derek has done creatively since his injury. These are the types of dances that Rumer should be doing…. But I’m glad it’s going to Nastia considering I’ve always liked her
If I could correct Allison, I want slower dances and less random hip hop choreography. I know she’s trying to bring something new but it’s getting super repetitive
I don’t think both Chris AND Noah in the finale is within the realm of possibility. I think it’s possible that Noah could oust Rumer next week, if they don’t completely pad her scores again, but Chris is getting lowballed enough at this point in relation to the other celebs that I don’t see him surviving this elimination. I will be shocked if the Clydesdale is able to outlast this one.
And I disagree about TPTB somehow eliminating Willow & Mark “because they were a threat to Rumer & Val”, LeannC. That’s venturing a bit too far into tinfoil hat territory for me. I just think Willow was likely pulling from the same fanbase that Riker is, and Riker just got more of those votes. Willow did fade into the woodwork a bit during the last few weeks she was on, so I don’t think it’s unusual that maybe some people just forgot to throw votes her way. Doubt there was any sort of conspiracy at work there.
Im far from being an actual dancer, but i didnt like Rumer’s rumba. To me it lacked hip action and the sensuality you see when you look at the rumbas, so to me, wow, very overscored. At this point im pretty sure we will see Rumer in the finals and strong possibility that she will win this whole thing. Not happy with that. Im sure she’s a great girl, but she’s not the best dancer this season.
I absolutely adore Riker. He has all my votes. I understood why he didnt get a perfect score in his first dance, but i really hoped he would get a perfect score in his trio. That dance was AMAZING. But at this point, im not even gonna be suprised when they are gonna put him in jeopardy tonight. But seriously hoping that Chris would go home. And then maybe Noah or Robert. Who knows whats gonna happen.
I think Chris and Noah need to go, And I’m very pissed at the judges for giving Rumer a perfect score. I know their trying to shield her but if America wants her gone. Then they have reason. She simply cannot keep up to Rallison and Derek/Nastia/Sasha. Val’s large ego is taking control and making the dances more about him instead of the star!
Also the Jive Trio was great! I usually dislike that pair or now threesome! But this blew me away!
And Rallison + Miss Cherry was amazing! It was hot, intense and crazy good! When i found out they got Jazz I knew a beast was going to be unleashed and Allison went nuts. She’s a fantastic Jazz dancer and she pulled out all the stops. <3
(Who else read Vajenel as Vagenal Oops xD)
Last night was very entertaining, and it is very clear who could make it into next weeks semi-finals. A lot of America’s choices were spot on, and some were a tad off. Some of the judges had some interesting comments, and I felt different about some of the scores too.
1. Rumer & Val: Every week, I say that I love these two, and I want them to win. This week was no exception. Both of their dances brought back what the original concept of DWTS was, actually dancing without all the gimmicks and fillers. Rumba was very traditional and sexy without the couple getting getting overly sexual (no one will be able to top this one); Paso Doble with Artem was on point from start to finish; I really enjoyed all the elements of the dance that really made Rumer stand out. I have no doubt they will make it to the semi-finals.
2. Riker & Allison: Call me crazy, but I think Riker’s first dance should have gotten a 40. All Len really called them out for was not having enough in hold. Their Jazz with Brittany was fun to watch, and I just can’t help but smile whenever I watch them dance.
3. Nastia & Sasha (Derek): I really did not care for both of their dances last night. Their Paso Doble I felt was a bit ripped off from the “Centuries” music video, and it did not seem as together as I thought it would. Their trio Jive was not a trio at all, and I thought it was way overscored. All Nastia did was dance back and forth between Derek and Sasha, and not in sync with both of them. And after seeing how she acted during rehearsals, I would not be surprised if she went home.
4. Noah & Sharna: Such a nice night for them. Their Tango did look a bit stiff at times, but it was still great to watch. Their Salsa with Emma was even more fun, but it felt more like a lift fest and not enough salsa.
5. Chris & Witney: They were a mix of good and bad last night. I really enjoyed their Contemporary, full of content and loads of emotion. Paso Doble with Lindsay was not as great. It looked like Witney and Lindsay were the dominant ones in this dance, so a huge miss there.
6. Robert & Kym: Their Contemporary was very pretty and sweet, and we finally saw a kiss from them. I thought should have gotten another 9. Their Samba with Jenna really showed that they may have run out of steam. It was going really well until the last 40 seconds where it looked like he was off time completely.
Going into tonight’s elimination, I think Robert will be one of the ones to go (even though it will be hard to see him leave because he has been the heart of the show from Day 1). As for who will join him, I have no idea.
Yeah I agree, I am thinking at least 2 of the top 3 dancer couples will be in the finale. I don’t think they want a letdown of a finale.
Loved Nastia’s trio and Riker’s trio. Everything else just ranged from so-so to good but not wonderful to me. The judges are getting worse and worse in their agendas like I’ve said before.
I do think Val is stressed over wanting the win. I won’t be THAT negative and say he wants it only for him, Rumer seems like a great person and he would love it for her too. He just needs to take it one week at a time and remember what it was like to choreograph a great AT for Meryl (where he just focused on that dance for that one week, not worrying about the whole season) and go from there. I think he’s over-thinking it all and coming up with mediocre as a result, whether it’s mediocre with a fun concept or mediocre simple basic. And now, he might just stick with ‘safe and similar to their week 1 foxtrot in feel and choreo’ to win it. Just like Maks played the showmance card in the choreo all the way to the win. To me Meryl was hardly ever challenged except by Val that season. The connection was there and that is all anyone looked at, not the fact that her technique never improved or her dances were not that great or intricate or creative.
It’s sad because Rumer is one of Val’s most likeable partners and he isn’t helping her like I hoped he would, like he mentioned was his fear. The producers and the judges are helping her more. Let’s see if they can help her to the finale first, let alone a win.
I don’t think we’ll see a Rumer, Chris & Noah Finale…if THAT happened, I’d be D-O-N-E watching this show. I like to think that TPTB WANT Derek in the finals because of his HUGE fan base…that brings views to them. Riker is good, Nastia is good and so is Rumer…I just feel bad that she’s been saddled with Val..I think Val is starting to take the easy way out as did his brother one year ago. Overly praised for simple BORING choreography!
Here’s my rankings:
1)Nastia/Derek/Sasha–the Paso was great..it could’ve been better imho but I kind of agree with Court that the song was not right for a Paso. Their Jive Trio was the best Trio I’ve seen and a Jules said is a metaphor for their entire season :/
2)Riker and Allison–the Viennese Waltz was nice..could’ve had more in hold but well done. That Jazz? I agree that she’s too jerky in her movements. Brittany gave a much smoother performance in that trio, no doubt
3)Rumer/Val–their not-a-rumba was danced well but lacked hip action and a few rumba moves…the Paso was Ok–awkward transistions between Val and Artem and Val & Artem dancing together..Rumer just stood there?? weird.
4)Noah and Sharna–he’s amazing but not as amazing as Amy Purdy but then she had both arms and below the knee amputations, which makes a BIG difference 😉
5)Robert and Kym–LOVED that contemp routine–their trio was unremarkable
6)Chris and Witney–I just don’t care for him AT ALL. Yes, he’s improved but I think he’s ready to give it up.
Dear voters, let the Clydesdale go home or go find a beer cart to pull. Thanks!
And Val, Derek made a dance that had Nastia being shot through a door from one partner to another. Watch and learn oh oily haired one.
So for me the song choices were so odd last night…..
Rumer´s rumba and that song… perhaps, perhaps, perhaps is more of a A. Tango song.
And the paso doble song choices for the trios? Again Rumer´s song reminded me to much of an A. Tango song..
And Nastia´s dance to Centuries… i had already coreographed an Paso Doble in my head to the song and it was so far from the one they actually did.
As for the trio´s my top 3 were
1. Rallison and Britt with Jazz to A little party never killed nobody
2. Houghkin and Sasha/Derek with Jive (don´t remember the song)
3. Shway and Emma with salsa and a song from pitbull
Honestly I think it has been so predictable as far as the top of the leader board taking turns between Nastia Rumer and Riker Next week must be Rikers turn. If Robert and Chris don’t go home I know it’s fixed and all about ratingS because how can they possibly get that many votes to make up for being more than 10 pts down
My rankings:
1. Derek/ Sasha/ Nastia–love them and the concepts from the last few weeks. I don’t know why the judges give her such a hard time though? The fact that they are pulling in the votes? Or maybe they have to give the teams something to work on, so the last few weeks they can show ‘improvement’? Kind of like the judges lukewarm response to Kellie until the last couple of weeks (the old “I don’t FEEL you when you dance” from Carrie?) I thoroughly loved the trio, and I tend to agree a little bit about their Paso–there seemed a couple of times that the moves where slow/deliberate.
2. Riker / Allison –you can definitely see the Hough genes here. I really enjoy watching Riker and really hope that they are in the finals with Nastia. The waltz–I wish it was a bit slower and lyrical. Still enjoyed it, but felt it was rushed and choppy in places.
3. Rumer / Val –I’ve never disliked Val, in fact, I usually love his dances, but feel like he’s being ‘predictable’ on some of these dances with Rumer almost deflating… Bring it up a notch! Rumer can handle it! And judges please stop force feeding that these two are the best couple! They COULD be, but in my opinion aren’t!
4. Robert / Kym –I love that he’s just enjoying the journey and that is what it is about. I hope he survives. (But not at the expense of the top three)
5. Noah / Sharna –I think he’s good, and fun to watch, and I believe Sharna has done beautiful things with her choreo to show Noah’s strengths and hide his limitations, but I wouldn’t say he’s top 4 for me.
6. Chris / Whitney — I love Whitney. She’s young and innovative, and I do see Chris’ improvement, but I just don’t connect with them as I do the others. It’s frustrating to see the judges fawning over them and nit picking others to death (cough, cough, Nastia…)
The Rumer pimpage put a damper on the night for me. As for tonight I’m going to say Chris and Robert are eliminated but wouldn’t be too surprised if maybe Noah goes instead. I honestly have no clue what to think anymore about voting.
I agree with Courtney that Riker’s Jazz was very good and I liked it but I didn’t like it AS MUCH as I hoped I would. Still thought it deserved a 40 comparatively though.
Really thought the tides may have turned after the last two weeks but seems they are back to the same narrative with Rumer and Val. They are going to push them right into the finals if it’s the last thing they do. How convenient only three couples make it this season also. Hoping for a surprise elimination in the semis but not sure I’m that lucky.
My favorite last nightis Riker’s jazz . I attended jazz course for a year. His technique is just awesome and I love the energy and the intensity. This dance makes me want to dance again. His V.Waltz is good, but the emotion is not right, haha. I laughed at the end of this routine. His facial expression is kind of funny.
Nastia’s jive is so cute. Love it. Derek is such a smart choreographer. I do feel a little something missing in her paso maybe the intensity is not strong enough.
Rumer’s first dance is beautiful and elegant. I don’t know what is proper rumba, but this dance is good. The trio is not that memorable though. I feel I watched Artem and Val more than her in their trio.
Among the other routines, I love Chris’s contemporary. Witney is fabulous.
The top 3 should be Riker, Nastia,and Rumer.
Hate those packages.
As for voting, I think Rumer is doing fine in middle age group. My aunts love her, haha. It’s not like she will be eliminated immediately but probably not enough to win.
I would love it if Riker and Rumer were the ones to go tonight. It would make the show much more enjoyable to me. But with the inflated scores they were both given, I don’t see it happening. Allison is annoying and seems to only dance at one speed and Riker shouldn’t even be there.
I love Noah, Sharna and Emma’s trio Salso. The lifts were pretty cool and the choreography was awesome. I can say that was my first favorite dance of the night. Totally underscored.
1. Rumer/Val – I admittedly like more of the traditional dances, so i appreciated that the choreo this week reminded me of the earlier days of DWTS. I agree that the first dance seemed more like a tango, but I think that may have been a result of the music more so than the dancing. The dances may not have been anything mind-blowing conceptually, but i thought they were well executed.
2. Nastia/Derek – Riker/Allison – Both of their trio dances were really great. I especially liked Riker’s jazz and thought that Allison’s choreo was fresh and exciting. Nastia did terrific as well and i was impressed when i realized there was actually a doorway there. For there first dances, i didnt love them as much. Riker did well, but that was a crazy fast waltz and i wish Allison would just slow down the choreo a bit. For Nastia’s paso, i thought it was good, but felt like she was doing steps at multiple points rather than flowing through the choreo.
3. Noah/Sharna – I was pleasantly surprised by how much he moved during both dances. The trio was more fun and actually reminded me a lot of the triple dance Witney and Lindsey did on their season of SYTYCD. Good on them for pulling it off.
4. Chris/Witney – He did well with his first, but Witney is dancing a bit around him. I thought the performance overall was fine for the trio, but the camera work was way off, so you missed a lot of his dancing. Either way, he’s not really dancing to the standard of a finale.
5. Robert/Kym – I like him a lot and thought his contemp had him doing more movement than Chris’s. But his trio fell apart and was awkward in a lot of spots.
the only male dancer in this competition showing such versatility such as the incredible jive in week 1, tap dancing last week, unmatched timing to the beat and a double pirouette in his jazz routine is Riker and yet the one judge that champions pure dance technique (Len Goodman), gives him 9s with basically no critique, just because! Mr. Goodman has lost some credibility for being so mistaken not once but twice! Then, to give “10” to the Rumba that wasn’t, gives credence to those yelling “rigged” and wanting to throw their dance shoes at their tv screens. Rumer’s Rumba was a mix of week 1 foxtrot and tango just like you so precisely described.No Rumba role of the hips, just struts & poses…that was uninspired and lazy too say the least. Yet, that was good enough for the purest of the pure , judge Goodman to whip out “the ten from Len”. I still love DWTS but stuff like this leaves me frustrated instead of entertained.
Rumer and Val were fricking AMAZING!!! Loved them so much. I felt so bad for Robert but it really is his time to go.
Judging was definitely off this 8th week. i thought some dances are great while other are average. Here’s my ranking (only explaining my top 3):
1. Nastia, Derek and Sasha – the Paso was great but they did not slayed it. Minor problems here and there. Scores are fair in my opinion. The trio jive was amazing. It was really fun. Derek did make lemonade out of lemons again. It’s a challenge for Derek to choreograph a jive with different tempos. In addition, he wants to dance more in the routine. I agree with Julianne saying that that dance embodied Nastia’s journey in DWTS juggling between NY and LA as well as partners.
2. Riker and Allison – I liked this V Waltz. I thought the song required Allison to choreograph a faster routine. I agree with Len with the lack of hold. Their dance reminded me of Bethany and Derek’s V Waltz which I thought was fast as well. Their trio jazz was amazing. Those synch turns were fabulous. There are touches of hip hop as well. Its cool and I want to join the party.
3. Rumer and Val – Totally overscored in both dances. The rumba lacks content and hip action. It is a good dance but it is not a rumba. Those people saying that their dances look like the original DWTS format are blind. That dance feels and looks more contemporary than rumba. Nastia’s rumba is way better. Their trio paso was meh. I liked Artem because he overshadowed Rumer. I thought she barely danced in their paso.
4. Noah and Sharna
5. Chris and Witney
6. Robert and Chris
I think its Robert and Chris who will go home. I think one can be safe but not both. If that happens it think it will be Rumer. Because of those scores, i think she is not getting the votes.
I said this on the other post for last night, but I’ll say it again: I really like Rumer. I think she’s been the most likable partner (for me) that Val’s had since Zendaya (and even then, I only liked Zen & Val for the first half of that season). But I honestly wouldn’t be upset in seeing her and Val get axed on “Val’s season.” I agree with Kelly K: I feel bad she got saddled with Val because the praise isn’t for her, but for Val instead. Her paso, while good, made me think back to her jive last week in that it just seemed so SAFE. But I guess that was the theme for Rumer & Val this week: keep it simple and “traditional” so they can get the scores TPTB want them to get. And it’s that kind of manipulation that really makes it hard for me to vote for Rumer.
I’m not a fan of Riker, but that jazz was pretty spectacular, I thought. And I still have no idea what a true jazz dance is supposed to look like, but I think Allison probably choreographed a dance that is closer to what “true” jazz is. Now, I’m probably wrong because I’m just an amateur’s amateur. So that dance probably could have been the furthest thing from a jazz and I wouldn’t have known. Haha. His VW was wild and hectic to me and definitely was not worthy of a near perfect score.
Nastia’s paso seemed to lack something for me, and I blame the song. I think I voted for them to do a different song and dance, so I wasn’t happy they got “Centuries” honestly. They had a cool concept though. But then the came out with that jive and oh my God, wow. Mr. Hough, your genius is showing again. So clever and so awesome but still a JIVE. Not only was that the best dance of the night, but I’m gonna say that was the best dance of the season so far.
I really like Noah for what he’s doing, but I didn’t really like either of his dances last night. The tango seemed really clunky (though I can’t really fault him for that…) and I didn’t like that song for a tango. The salsa, to me, was a bit mediocre. I love how creative Sharna got with some of the choreography, but again his leg just makes things clunky and heavy for me. And I feel bad saying that because again, that’s no fault of his own. 🙁
I hate Chris. I’m not gonna say “I don’t like him” because that’s not really what I feel about him. I just really hate his dancing and did anyone else feel like he got pimped a bit in that contemporary dance? Like, why are the judges suddenly giving him tongue baths? To make him feel a little better about his elimination tonight? I really doubt he makes it through to next week, but if he does so help me God I will be furious. His contemporary was just as Court said: standing around and lifting Witney. And agree about him counting all the way through his paso. He’s just a bad dancer. So whoever is voting for him, please stop.
I feel bad for Robert, as well. He’s so charming and I think he’s better improved than Chris. I loved his contemporary. No it wasn’t perfect, but gosh, I loved what Kym put together for the two of them. And yeah, the samba was pretty bad, but he was really living in the moment that i really could not help but send him a majority of my votes.
Last night convinced me that the judges desk is an opiate den. When there not half cocked, they can barely come up with an actual critique. Also most of the dances left me scratching my head.
1. Riker & Allison: Pleasent V. waltz; Killer jazz
2. Nastia & Derek(Sasha); This Paso was awkward between Derek having more intensity than Sasha and Nastia and Nastia’s subdued attitude and the theme; this jive was so chill but had a nice element of seperate styles that proved Nastia’s adaptability
3. Rumer & Val; Val needs to stop the epiphany crap because he didn’t choreograph a proper rumba; Also maybe it was the intensity in Riker’s dance that undermined this dance, but it was really here just place Rumer here so we can show off your abs more Artem.
4. Robert & Kym + Noah & Sharna; Better contemporary of the night, but maybe it was the kiss or Kym’s sudden change of pace for Robert’s contemporary vs Ingo’s contemporary (the latter being lift heavy/over dramatic posing) this was just so dang cute You will throw up; his trio was just a hot mess hallway through, I had to rewind and see if Jenna landed right after the cartwheel. Noah is that wildcard that took everyone by storm this season, I actually liked his tango, and before the judge’s even spoke I realized it wasn’t going to get the score it deserved, sure he has limitations, but it’s how they go outside the box as a couple; this trio was the best example of how a trio should look, fun and innovative.
5. Chris & Witney; I couldn’t remember much about his individual round; this trio wasn’t good or bad, but a more seasoned pro would’ve told Chris to act like he is holding a quarter in his butt lol.
Hopefully Chris will lumber off to Iowa tonight and I think Robert will too. Robert has performace problems where he gets too excited and looses focus and timing. I love him and Kym together, but they can continue their relationship off the dance floor now.
Say what you want about Noah’s limitations, but he has great timing and musicality. I hope he makes it to the top 4. He is amazing to watch even though he’s not dancing the way it’s done when you have all your limbs.
My ranking:
1. Nastia/Pasha (Derek) & Riker/Allison-
Nastia’s paso was very good, but the song was a letdown. They could have done done much better with a different song. Their jazz trio was a blast! Derek’s vision is unmatched.
Rker’s Viennese waltz was great but very rough. If only they had more time to polish it, it could have been much better that what we saw. Allison is getting better in her choreography at fast pace but her technique needs refinement. Their jazz trio just beat all of their previous dances. Allison was in her element. Riker was obviously more at ease in this style. I’m not supposed to talk much about Allison but I saw some comments saying she’s very jerky in this dance. Hello, people! It’s modern jazz!It’s high energy, syncopated, and yes, jerky. Brittany is a beautiful dancer, no question. But Allison is a jazz/contemporary dancer. She knows what she’s doing.
3. Rumer/Val
Rumer is a natural dancer. Both of her dances this week, however, were underwhelming.
4. Chris/Witney- I mentioned this on the other thread. For some reason, I found myself enjoying his contemporary dance more than Robert’s.
5. Noah/Sharna
6. Robert/Kym
If Robert’s gone tonight, I’ll ramp up the vote machine for SashHoughKin. But I’ll be very pissed if Robert leaves before Chris or Noah. He’s a hot mess on the dance floor often, but he recovers, and we need at least one other celeb that seems to actually enjoy this process moving forward.
Kelly K, I agree, if the finale is Rumer, Chris and Noah, I will no longer watch the show and I know others that feel the same way. Rumer isn’t all that, Val’s choreography is dull, it’s the same thing week after week. I was shocked to see Rumer in a red dress for her first dance, but the black was there for her second. I hope she’s not getting the votes they were hoping she would get or that she needs to get. I’m tired of hearing this is Val’s season. It was bad enough when it happened with Maks, I was hoping to never go through that again. I would love to see her go tonight.
Chris over stayed his welcome weeks ago. That Willow is gone and he is still there is wrong. He clomps around when he moves, or he stands in place and gets danced around. GO HOME. This is worse than when Bristol was around.
I love Robert and his enthusiasm, but I would be shocked if he makes it through tonight. I think Noah beats him.
So I’m hoping for Chris and Rumer to go, but it will probably be Chris and Robert. Just please, one has to be Chris.
I just want to say after the judges scoring and the packages last night, I’m almost glad that Willow went out before the shit hit the fan.
Let’s first start with the packages:
-Nastia and Derek get a VERY bad edit, WITHOUT the benefit of showing them working it out or whatever like Noah and Sharna. Just “I’m done for the day” and cut. Lordy.
-Riker and Allison, while they didn’t have a negative package, they did mention his dancing experience as it relates to the jazz. It wasn’t a bad thing at all – except when you consider:
-Rumer and Val dance to songs shes performed to with zero mention of why she got those particular choices – as if they can’t dare even hint she’s ever done a lick of dancing. Hell, I’m a HUGE Baz fan and I had no idea that she’d done those shows to those songs, so I’m pretty sure that 99% of the viewer audience didn’t either. Then he gets the “Maks/Meryl” edit – and I don’t want to insinuate that he was faking it, because I think Shirley Ballas alluded to Val genuinely feeling that way – but lordy, when you compare the packages to the other couples it just screams favortism
Now the scores-
-Rumer and Val were so overscored. I would have given both of those routines 8’s and 9’s max. That “rumba” especially – while I do appreciate it was a tough song to rumba to, they should have given her the AT for it. It had less hip action than any high-scoring rumba I think I’ve ever seen on the show.But no, she’ll get AT in the semi or finals week when they can kill it. That paso was an enormous let down, too. I thought Nastia’s was much better, even for its slight flaws.
-I think Nastia and Derek were scored fairly, but in relation to Rumer’s Paso she should have gotten a few tens. Also, while I do think their trio did deserve a perfect score, a part of me wishes that Derek hadn’t danced in it. I do get why he was there – he’s her partner, wants the voting public to know this, etc., so it’s a smart move and he did the absolute best he could with all of that. But a part of me thinks that routine – while amazing – could have been even better with a healthy dancer on the Derek side – even if it’s more sedate or whatever. I was just cringing with worry watching him, and it took away a little bit of the enjoyment out of the routine for me. But again, it deserved its scores and it was wonderfully innovative. Also, GO SASHA!
-Riker and Allison’s VW was very good, but not amazing. I think slightly overscored (but again, not in relation to Rumer). The boyfriend loved it though. I thought they KILLED that jazz. That was so much fun to watch. His weird hands wrist thing actually worked with this dance (kinda!). Again, scored appropriately except in relation to Rumer (sensing a theme here).
-Noah and Sharna – Sharna looked amazing in their tango, and their salsa was wonderfully innovative. I think they deserve to be in the semis.
-Robert and Kym – I honestly couldn’t watch their contemporary with full attention because I knew the kiss was coming and it just ruined the rest for me. My boyfriend (without ANY prompting from me) said he thinks that Robert has something “off” about him and his energy (I swear, I said nothing!) and he can’t enjoy his routines. That samba was just a mess for me.
-Chris and Witney – wow. Stomp, stomp stomp. A couple of cool lifts in the contemporary didn’t change the fact that he did very little dancing. That paso though really showed how bad his technique is. Yikes.
I’m going against the grain as well and saying I liked Rumer and Val’s dances tonight. Their rumba was overscored big time though and if they were going to give her 40 for her paso they should have given Riker 40 for his jazz. I guess it’s because I still appreciate traditional dancing like the old days with good music, no props and troupe etc, I agreed completely with Julianne’s comments. She got 80 points and the pimp slot, no way she’s going home. If Rumer goes home tonight I’ll run through my street naked.
I didn’t care much for Nastia’s paso but her trio was probably one of Derek’s best ever numbers with a celeb IMO. You look back at iconic Derek dances like his 50s paso with Nicole and his Freestyle with Kellie, for me that trio was up there with them. If that had been performed by 3 fully fit professional dancers that would be up for an emmy IMO, and it might still be now. Derek and Julianne should grab one of their male backup dancers and perform that number on MOVE Live. It would go down a storm.
I didn’t care for Riker’s Viennese Waltz just like I didn’t care for his quickstep last week. I think it’s the speed that I struggle with, and I still think his frame isn’t right. I feel like he’s very feminine and dances like a female almost. Combined with Allison pounding her way through every move it just looks weird. His Jazz was ridiculously good. I can’t imagine how difficult that choreography would have been to master in such a short space of time and he nailed it. Honestly it was brilliant and deserved a 40.
Chris just has to go, sorry but I’m just sick to death of him and Witney dancing around him. I reckon if he had gone the week Patti left, Patti would have gone the week after and Willow would still be here. His paso was awful, I’ve never been a fan of paso’s danced to modern songs where hip hop gets incorporated into it. I was probably one of the only people who didn’t like Alfonso’s trio last season and I saw similarities song wise and choreographically in this one. The difference being that Chris is terrible which ruined the whole thing for the girls.
Robert’s time is up, he’s finally got his girl, they’ve kissed and everyone basically knows they are in a relationship. Storyline over, time to go home. It’s been a good run from someone who I wasn’t sure could make it this far but sorry it’s time up for me.
I hardly remember much about Noah’s routines, maybe because he was first up but he just got lost in the shuffle and drama of the night for me. I don’t know if he’s in danger or not but if he does survive this week then all bets are off for next week. At this point no one is automatically assured of a final spot. It’ll all come down to the scoring margins next week. If all of the top 3 get through tonight and one of them slips up slightly scores wise next week, they are in trouble.
The final simply has to have at least two of the top three scorers in it. I could accept one of the bottom 3 making it but if 2 make it then I probably won’t watch it either, it’ll ruin the whole thing competition wise.
The things I enjoyed most about last nite:
1 Nastia’s dances
2 Tom’s comment after Nastia’s trio “and that is the best broken toe dancing you
will ever see.”
3 Sasha’s comments regarding the different roles/costumes he has had and just
being glad to be dancing.
I haven’t watched the trios yet. But this are my thoughts for the first round:
How can anyone claim that Chris danced? We have seen many dances where the pro dances around the star but IMO this was the worst ever. The beginning on the floor he was literally not moving. And when he stood up it was no better. Nice lifts is the only thing I can say. Ohhh and Whitney is a great dancer…
I really like Ryker more and more every week. I agree with what many people have said that Allison’s choreo and execution sometimes do not work in his advantage. I felt this routine was rushed from beginning to end. But cant blame him, I think he did a great job. Loved his arms and how committed he was.
I think Nastia’s paso was good but not my favorite dance of hers. I kind of wanted to see more Paso. But it still was great and underscored when compared to the scores of other couples.
I love Robert, but agree that it is his time to go. Before the show started I thought he would be out in the first couple of weeks so he has impressed me.
Rumer’s dance I liked. I think she executed it beautifully. Not a fan of the choreography because, although it had content, it did not feel like a Rumba at all. Still I think is one of the best times she has danced.
Noah I just admire the fact that he is there. But I can’t really compare him to anyone else. It is very difficult.
Exited fot trios.. hope I get a chance to see them soon 🙂
Nico #26 Last night convinced me that the judges desk is an opiate den. When there not half cocked, they can barely come up with an actual critique.
Love it! And couldn’t agree more. After listening to them blather through the first set of dances, I was so disgusted, I hit the mute as soon as each Trio dance ended.
As usual, I have no quibbles with Court’s well-reasoned power rankings.
So I’ll just add that my favorite dances of the night were:
* Nastia/Derek/Sasha’s Jive Trio
* Noah/Sharna/Emma’s Salsa Trio
* Riker/Allison’s VWaltz
* Nastia/Sasha’s Paso
I want The Clydesdale to go home in the worst possible way (he should have been gone weeks ago). If I get my wish, I’ll be delighted. Robert will probably also get the boot since TPTB have been working to bury him for several weeks now.
The good news is that last night was full of wonderful dances by all the couples. Yes, even Chris was projecting emotion and character and musicality. The bad news is that the judging stunk and I wish there was only a single elimination tonight. The other elimination will be brutal. I’m having a hard time ranking the couples because some America’s Choice couples stood out for me while others’ trios were better. So in order of performance:
Noah/Sharna – definitely my dark horse couple for the finals. The white tango was a bit lacking (could they have done one straight-line traditional tango pass?) though gorgeous and elegant. The trio with Emma was more impressive and fun. I smiled the whole time and loved every second. This is the couple I’ve rooted for since day one!
Chris/Witney – could the choreography be simpler (tho the lift section was very nice) and Chris has moved beyond just trying to remember the steps, but Witney and then Witney and Lindsay mostly danced around him. Giving him 9’s and scoring his contemporary over Robert/Kym is annoying. He should be gone tonight!
Riker/Allison – I think their Viennese Waltz began well, but it became frantic (about the time they left the stage). Just nothing new or more and not particularly memorable. The trio however was fantastic and while I think we can all agree that Riker is a ringer with both natural ability and dance experience, it was almost as good as Corbin/Karina/Witney’s Bob Fosse-esque trio (a big favorite of mine). He was awesome and really carried the dance alongside the two pros!
Robert/Kym – their contemporary could be my favorite America’s Choice dance of the night (and I’m not a shipper). Really a step up for these two IMO and underscored on its own and in comparison to others. Unfortunately their trio fell flat – I liked the theme, but the samba is difficult and there was not much chemistry.
Nastia/Derek/Sasha – the paso felt disjointed to me, though the dance passes were great and Sasha gets high praise from me. But here again their trio blew me away. I thought the song and choreography was perfect for their theme and situation. Nastia’s dancing was sharp and her interpretation sassy. Couldn’t care less about the package. She is a cool lady who handled the BS.
Rumer/Val – my initial reaction was that this was the only couple to ring the bell on both dances. I realize there are valid criticisms of each, but someone called them boring. I couldn’t disagree more. Their rumba was beautiful and sexy without being too much. I recognize the the constant, fluid motion of a rumba was missing (got better in the second half) and there was little hip motion, but I felt the love! And the paso trio was classic and beautiful. Rumer is appreciative, gracious and genuine. Another cool lady!
I’m thinking a lot of great dances to come!
Ryan, you want to see a fantastic rumba that actually looked like a rumba with a ton of content, then you should be looking at Nastia/Derek’s rumba.
Also not sure where you got the idea that a Trio couldn’t be exactly like what Derek/Nastia/Sasha did. Sounds like personal preference as opposed to some hard and fast rule. That’s fine, but don’t try to make it sound otherwise.
Gee, Sunny, I’m sure Derek would be devastated to know that he choreographed a Paso far different from one you did.
Oh wait, devastated is probably the wrong word. Maybe thrilled is more appropriate.
I actually really liked Nastia & “Dasha’s” Paso, it was my favorite dance of the night & the most memorable. I loved the whole gladiator theme; I thought the execution was really good; and seeing Derek in his Caesar costume gave me a good chuckle because he’s usually pretty conservative with his costuming.
After reading Courtney’s explanation of the Nastia edit situation, it really pisses me off about TPTB’s manipulation over video packages. The way the staff are encouraged to ask certain questions in order to get a (negative) reaction out of the celebs reminds me a lot of paparazzi & I have no respect for those types of people.
I also found it interesting that Riker’s dance experience was shown in his package. The conspiracy theorist in me makes me wonder if this was done purposely by TPTB to show that of the 3 – Rumer/Nastia/Riker – Rumer is the only one w/o dance experience & therefore, deserves to win over the other 2.
Oh, and I hope Chris goes home tonight.
“It didn’t look like what I would have done. It’s wrong.” Is the gist of that comment by @Sunny on Nastia’s Paso. Does that sound sociopathic to anyone else? Paso Doble is probably both my favourite and strongest dance the show does, and I’ve choreographed a lot, but I can only ever bow to what Derek does with them.
Comparing Chris to a Clydesdale is a disservice to draft horses. Clydesdales are FAR more graceful than he is. LOL (Lifelong horsewoman here) 😉
For those new posting on the site, …snottiness and telling others how to feel, etc. is not welcome and neither are trolls. If your comments don’t get approved, you know why.
I was going to apologise for my last comment anyway. Sociopathic was the wrong word to use.
Love Val but hate the dances this season. My opinion for what it is worth is that he has dumbed down his choreography so Rumer gets it.
Love Robert and Kim because he loves what he is doing.
Not Chris who as many have said doesn’t look happy.
Two to go home – Chris and Rumer
I keep seeing it mentioned everywhere and I just don’t get why Nastia’s package was any different from the dozens and dozens of packages we have seen in the past where the Celeb or even the pro show some frustrations?? This is not new so what if it happened what makes her any different and not allowed to get frustrated? We even saw, seemingly sweetest guy in the world Noah, get frustrated this year in his exchange with Sharna. It happens–rightly so–at times. Even more unbelievable is that ppl would think this reflects badly on Derek. What now he is in control of how others behave? So what he doesn’t have a partner that may be as personable or warm and fuzzy as some of his past partners-that’s not his issue. He’s putting out amazing performances which is what he has control of. Of course TPTB manipulated it to make it worse than it really was-it’s a primetime reality show on ABC. IMO no package will every sway the team I’m voting for.
I have an awful season that Rumer and Val will win this season. The only consolation that I have is if Val wins, I hope he follows his brother Mak’s lead and leave the show. A show with no C Bro would be heaven for me. Would really like Derek and Nastia for the win, but my hopes are low for that. My rankings from last night is:
1) Nastia/Derek – Even under stress Nastia delivers like the Olympian that she is. Derek’s choreo rocks, as usual.
2) Riker/Allison – Feel Allison needs to slow down her choreo a bit, but overall liked their dances. Felt Riker was robbed on scoring.
3) Rumor/Val – dance was okay both times. I felt it was rather boring, Rumer is capable of more. I wish that Rumer had been paired with Artem this season.
4) Noah/Sharna – Sharna is really impressing me with her choreo this season. Noah is doing good for what he can do. Really inspirational.
5) Robert/Kim – Let’s just face it. Robert has no musicality and out of time consistently in his dances. Feel like this is his night to go.
6) Chris/Witney – The Bachelor fans really are wanting to keep this guy in the competition but I hope he goes tonight. IMHO, he should have gone weeks ago. He is looking like a big joke.
Prediction: If sanity prevails, Chris and Robert are leaving tonight.
Before I give my rankings I gotta say this: Praise Jesus the results show is back.
1)Nastia and Sasha/Derek: That trio dance and the paso were amazing. I’m going to go as far as to say this: best technical dancer out of all the gymanists the show has had on.
2)Riker and Allison: I’m mixed on the first one for some reason but the jazz was Amazing.
3)Rumor and Val: Liked the rumba a lot and the boys stole the paso from right underneath her lol.
4)Noah and Sharna: Loved the first dance but the trio was just meh.
5)Chris and Witney: LOVED the first dance but that paso….yikers.
6)Robert and Kym: Enjoyed watching him all season but the time has come. That second dance…..yikes.
I’m not a dancer. No training. but enjoy the show. When Ralph Maccio was on the show the judges were always commenting on his spatula hands. That didn’t bother me, but Riker’s hands are distracting!! Are these serious hand placement/shape?
The Spatula hands…lol yeah I remember that-have heard it with other celebs too. Rikers don’t seem to look like what I remember the previous celebs were being called out on. His hand finishes seems purposeful.
Just curious….what was everyone’s take on what Riker said last night in his package when he talked about why they picked that particular pro for their trio? It kind of bothered me what he said….something about how they picked her because they knew she could dance at the level they’d been dancing at since they first came onto the show. What level is that? Does he think that he and Allison dance better than the other pros?? I’m not sure exactly how to take that comment. And I don’t know why I am so stuck on that comment but the more I think about it the more it bugs me.
I have no complaints about who went home tonight. I think what bothers me is the ugly manipulation by the producers/camerapersons in regards to Nastia as shown in her package. I would think the production folks would want to provide a safe place for the celebrities, most of whom have exposed themselves to potentially embarrassing situations and perhaps even injury. Yet the producer chose, instead, to “mug” Nastia after she put in an exceptionally long day of hard work, and after weeks of following a grueling schedule without complaint. We saw through their assault, and felt she handled it much better than I would have. She looked like a cornered animal trying to find a way out. Despicable.
And we thought things might improve when Rob took over. I guess not.
Yeah April, I caught that comment too.
What I think he meant was that Brittany’s been cross trained in Contemporary which might have helped out in their Jazz.
Even then, it doesn’t make a lick of sense. Jazz on this show has been a catch-all dance where basically anything goes. My cats could dance a Jazz number rather well by that criteria.
Riker should know that Brittany could dance at the level him and Allison needed, considering he competed against Brittany (and lost) in numerous dancesport competitions. Yep I went there 🙂
I was very unhappy to see a return to the cocky, unlikeable Riker of weeks 1 and 2. I hated his Jazz, but that may have been because I was a bit annoyed at his attitude in the package.
Riker totally meant energy-wise. It’s pretty clear Allison/Riker have a certain energy to them: youthful, high energy. That’s what he was talking about.
@Dom- I don’t think we can actually know what Riker meant unless he actually says that. I was a little thrown off by the comment, though I don’t hold it against him because perhaps it was taken out of context or he did mean something else, but I don’t think we actually say that he meant something without really knowing.
I remember in one of their live streams, Riker was asked about who he wants for switch up week, and he said anyone because “they are all amazing.” When Allison pressed him about he said he really can’t pick. You are taking 20 seconds of him talking and trying to decipher his intentions. Judging by how so many viewers and contestants have complained about the packages, I thought we’d all learned our lesson on how they’re made. I guess we all see what we want to see because when I watched the package that’s not what I felt he was saying at all.