Dancing with the Stars Season 20, Week NINE – Let’s Discuss Tonight’s Show!! (Spoilers)
Oy veh, Judges Choice. I think this should be interesting. Also interesting is that only Nastia got two ballroom dances. Handicapping Derek once again – or trying to. I have faith he has come up with great dances – I just want him to do something else already. He’s so above the petty manipulations of this show.
No clue as of this moment who will go home tomorrow night – not overly concerned about it either. I’m still thinking it would be fun to see Riker win – Val gets beaten by a pro with no real Ballroom pedigree?? Be sure to watch the DWM Twitter account. If you thought they were vile after Kellie beat Zendaya, I have a feeling they would reach new lows. 😀
Anyway…T-minus 15 minutes until a judge proclaims that Rumer should win because she’s just all that…
Great opening number!! Loved it.
Should I be timing this package of Rumer’s?? It seems to be going on forever. Feel for her on the bullying though.
Lots of Chmerkovskiy staples. Much walking in the beginning. Much staring in the middle. I feel like the rest of it was pretty good but I wasn’t overly impressed. It was ‘aight.
My favorite thing about Rumer is that she’s well spoken enough and confident enough that she doesn’t leave Val much time to talk. 😀 Oh sure, gotta interview Demi – anything that might help. Don’t know if it actually WILL help though…
Beautiful dance by Noah and Sharna – loved how she creatively mimicked his way of going up the stairs. Very nice touch. And an example of actual creative walking.
And Noah will be going to the finale. He may even win. :::sniff::: Can’t be upset by that. 🙂
Michael Vartan, you hottie. 🙂
Wow. Really good contemporary from Riker and Allison. That’s why Allison is on this show and I pity the pro going against her in that genre. Except Derek. 🙂 And wow, Bruno just said he should make the finale. Perhaps he’s in the lead in recent weeks?
Rydell is like a Brittany Spears double. Well deserved perfect score for Riker. Well done, dude.
Oh Geez, Nancy Lee Grahn – quit whining, Val ain’t been voted off yet. :::rolls eyes:::
Only three dances done and we’re nearly at the top of the hour. Who’s gonna get shortchanged on TV time??
Answer: Nastia, apparently. We’ll see. Very fast, very hard quickstep. I dug it. I thought I saw one funky little spot. But maybe I’m watching too hard. 🙂
Yes, Julianne, you have been really hard on her. Nice of you to admit it. Now if we could just get them to admit to pimping….
Okay, two updates – the second dance of the night didn’t get going until about 8:20. The last dance of the night from package to cut away lasted less than 8 minutes. So, Rumer may have gotten the lower score, but she’s certainly hogging the camera time.
Second update. This bloggers opinion is that Rumer was the weakest dance of round 1 and Riker was the strongest dance of Round 1.
Rumer and Val’s Ballet Contemporary Fusion – suffered from overhype. It was a really good dance, but it wasn’t the spectacular spectacular that I was expecting. I mean…really good, but… :::shrug:::
Aaannndddd…Rumer once again gets the lion’s share of the TV Time. Come on, DWTS. This is ridiculous. Nastia gets 14 minutes to Rumer’s 30??
Holeeeee CRAP! Well, done CAI and Sharna and Noah!! Excellent dance. Noah just might win this thing. I did hear Tom say, “How are we going to top this next week?” Good question. But damn – that was excellent.
20 minutes left and still two dances to go. Who still thinks going last in the Semi-final is a good thing, eh??
Oh dear. I think Jules kinda blew that AT for Riker. Too many props, too messy. That’s a shame. If that gets a 30, Nastia should be guaranteed one as well. From the glowing comments…wonder if he’s killing it in votes or if all the judges are just going to do this for each other.
Nastia and Len. :::sob::: Man, heartbreaking to hear Len talk so frankly about not being able to dance anymore. :::sob:::
Breathe Heidi Breathe keep calm. Think of fluffy things like puppies and 50 shades hand…oh damn it I have been infected
Agreed, Princess Heidi – I pray that this is Derek’s last season – he’s too good for this show and all the manipulations.
I’m probably in the minority but I really like both Quickstep and VW so I’m looking forward to their dances tonight.
Here’s to a great semi-final!
Love reading your posts PH, let the games begin….
Love your posts and love reading what others have to think during the show. Here’s hoping Team Rallison makes it to the finale.
I second that Aly.
Rumer is not all that and I’m tired of hearing it all of the time. Of everyone left, I’m hoping she goes home tomorrow.
Alright now I see why people wanted that song.
So Allison and Rikers contemporary will come before Rumer and Val’s? Concerning?
I just can’t watch them at all. Lots of fiddling about and wasting time. Plus Val is so rough with her I find.
…and Len doesn’t mention the “messing around” in Rumer’s dance. It was good, a little jerky for me.
Totally loved the opening number!!, Looks like Rumer is getting the pimp spot for the finale, since she went first tonight ..
Her package did seem really long and I wasn’t impressed with that dance. If it gets a 40, something will be thrown at my tv.
Val and Rumer “earned it” with that dance and by that I mean the Mirror Ball Trophy! Excellent Viennese Waltz and it was just enough of a nod to 50 shades without being raunchy.
Not sure how I felt about that as a Viennese Waltz… Definitely think there was a lot of Val’s fluff to get through the dance.
Are all of the contestants going to have someone in the back after their dances as well? Or just because it’s Demi?
They got Demi up in the sky box…..
WTF Demi waiting in the Red room to get scores. No favoritism here. I can’t ever remember anything like this before.
Ok tell me Rumer’s not being overly pimped.
And the pimping has begun tonight..
I guess riker and allison not last.
So it looks like they need Rumer’s Mom to get votes? It just turns me off so much. Seriously, I hope voters see this for what it is.
im torn on rumor and Val’s waltz to be honest. The video package was good though and having Demi back there to interview was awesome…..the thing is I kinda couldn’t keep my eyes off of her and forgot about rumor altogether. Definately agreed with the 9s though.
Liked the song not sure why all the buzz about it beyond Val stealing it. Probably would have been fine if Allison or Sharna got it.
With that said why can’t they just do a flowing graceful VW why does every single one of their dances have to be fierce, semi dark and giving the feel that their fighting…done holding out hope we will ever see that!
The opening pro number was a blast! Mark bowled an actual strike!
To be honest I barely watched Val and Rumer’s VW. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Oh how I wish Rumer had been paired with any other pro than Val.
TPTB did it again tonight. Hoe much more can the pimp this couple….so sickening. Watch them destsroy Nastia again with their knit-picking and creating a negative package for her. I think Derek knows what going on, he’s on to this show.
Wow Demi Moore in the house tonight. There’s clearly no favoritism at all.
The comment Tom made at the start of the show, that all four of the competitors have been the top couple for at least one week (with votes and scores combined), was really interesting to me. Noah must be absolutely cleaning up on votes to be beating the others. It looks like all of them do have a real chance at winning.
He didn’t say Noah was winning every week. He said they’ve all won at least won week.
Did anyone catch Bruno throwing nastia under the bus when praising rumer’s dance? He said something like if you’re just doing the movements, you’re just doing gymnastics.
Why are people complaining about Demi being with her daughter?
It seem like the packages is going to be longer than usual to fill in the time.
Running order hardly matters at this stage of the game.
Why was Demi Moore up in the skybox getting interviewed after Rumer/Val’s
VW?! So this means that Riker/Noah/Nastia’s mums
will also be invited to pimp their child after they dance?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Noah won most memorable week. However, I don’t think he is winning each week. I thought Rumor and Val were okay but I really wish Rumor was not with Val. She seems so sweet and kind and Val makes me dislike there partnership.
Alright all, just by watching Noah package I think he captures America’s heart more than whatever tptb doing with Demi or Bruce. There’s no comparison!
You know it is a good package when William Shatner makes u cry. I hope I can make it through without losing it altogether.
I get so torn when it comes to Noah and Sharna because I absolutely adore Noah, his story, and his journey on the show, but he obviously can’t perform on the levels of the other celebrities. That being said, I’ve loved watching him and watching him grow this season.
Beautiful dance by Noah. He’s such an inspiration, he’s had an incredible journey on the show and deserves a spot in the finals.
And @Jane, I heard Bruno say the same thing.
Sorry, you are all right! I meant each couple has won at least one week. I wasn’t clear — thanks for helping me out!
YAYYYY NOAH!!!! So happy for him and Jamie!!
keo and kym……I want to see more of that please. Sorta missed some of the footwork on that one though becuase of the tom Brady thing that popped up on the bottom. Noah and sharna’s video package literally was perfection. Probably the best video package they ever had given someone in a long time. It had me in tears. william shatner looks good for his age too. You go Captain Kirk! Anyways Noah and sharna’s dance was amazing. I honestly couldn’t find anything to knitpick but im beyond happy the judges loved it too. the proposal on live TV………you go Noah!!!!! That is how you shut down a ballroom my friends that’s how you steal the show.
Sharna just proved again what an amazing choreographer she is. Those steps up the stairs, so clever.
help I’m the west coast!!!! Did Noah just propose?
I totally had a feeling Noah was going to do that! When they were getting their scores and Sharna started moving out of the way, I was like something’s up. Aw, congrats to them!
I think Noah just stole the show! Nothing can top that! And Tom Bergeron is awesome in the moment as usual!
Congratulations Noah and Jamie! So happy for both of you. I had tears in my eyes during his package, tears watching that dance, and lost it with the proposal.
well Noah is in the finales after that proposal
Yes, Jill!!
I’m running back and forth from my L.R. to my B.R. trying to share this awesome moment of Noah asked Jamie to marry him. OMG…how special to get to see him to this. He has found true love. So happy for them both. She fell in love with his heart, and he fell in love with her heart. There be together forever!!!! Yay!!!
Yep, Noah stole the show. No matter if he stays or goes tomorrow, he got the jackpot!
Agreed the package & dance were adorable. The proposal was amazing.
Sorry for my over reaction earlier, it seems they are having guests for each of the semi-finalists.
I am so glad I have lots of tissues in the house.
Thanks Haley! I”m watching Mark and Willow on AA and they were going NUTS! so happy for them!
Oh my god, Noah and Jamie were are about the sweetest thing ever right now. Noah will be surely going to the Finale, no doubt about that, best thing ever. I couldn’t be happier for those two right now, I’m just crossing my fingers on Nastia and Riker now.
I thought they were doing their argentine tango first.
I think Noah may have just bumped Rumer (or Riker) out of the Finale!
I may or may not have teared up at the proposal. But that isn’t why I think he’ll be safe tomorrow… he actually danced SO well! That was such a great Viennese Waltz. I am in awe.
So no mention of how Riker used to ballroom dance when he was little?… Okay… (insert “Kermit the Frog sipping on tea” image here)
Yes, I heard Bruno loud and clear throwing Nastia under the bus, but I am not shocked. It’s been going on all season. This just may be my last season, and I hope it’s Derek’s. He deserves more than this season has failed to recognize. Please, God, take Derek above this petty show and give him wings to fly high in a better place than here next fall.
Noah is going to get all the votes after that proposal. He’s definitely going to the finals.
I see a 40 coming up for Riker…good to see Allison’s strength in contemporary…and really liked something that was not frenetic from them!
I have been waiting for that dance since Allison was named a pro and I am not disappointed. Great number by Allison and great execution by Riker!
Wow ! Noah way to go!
I loved Rumers package and seeing Demi, she is still so beautiful! And so proud!
I even like the Val dance, it was a much better nod to 50 shades than I thought.
Riker was so good too!
What a fantastic dance by Riker. WOW. I’m kinda speechless…
I know I (and others) complain about how they haven’t disclosed his dance experience but at this point I really don’t care. I just want this guy to win.
That’s how you choreo a contemporary. Allison KILLED it, and so did Riker.
And in honor of prom season, Erin Andrews has decided to wear her prom dress tonight.
I have sent all of my votes Noah’s way, even though he is with Sharna.
All of this praise for Rumer and Riker is very annoying. For someone who is as poor a choreographer as Allison is to have gotten this far is just wrong. Is that the sister of Riker’s that he danced competitively with?
That was really sweet. But i guess outta admiration people will now vote for Noah more and one deserving couple will be going home. 🙁 The final 3 strictly should be -Nastia, Rumer, Riker (The best dancers only)!
I got to give it Allison! The choreo is amazing. It’s too bad if Riker doesn’t go to the finale. I want to see Allison FS.
DANG now I am really mad that riker and allison have contemporary now instead of doing it for their freestyle…..allison great choreography…and a 40 is well deserved.
I certainly hope Nastia has more to her package than that. That was so short, you could turn your head and miss it. Everyone else had long packages, she deserves the same, so I’m hoping that’s what we’ll see after the commercials.
Hmmm could it be that producers figured out that they had one pissed off Emmy winning blond on their hands. That was a total ret-con for Nastia.
Definitely well deserved score for Riker, he killed that dance.
My one small gripe is with Allison – I feel like anytime she’s doing a dance she wants to be seen as “vulnerable” she oversells it to the 9th degree with her facial expressions.
I agree with Julianne, Riker did look like a pro dancing along side Allison.
That lynch family seems to just be full of fun and I love it. Riker was beyond awesome. I really hope he makes the finale becuase I feel like he has improved the most out of the celebs left.
Riker really showed that he could dance tonight. i’ve enjoyed a lot of his dances but this was the first that made me truly realize it. I always imagined he’d be top 3, but he could totally win.
Wow. Loved Riker and Allison’s dance. If he doesn’t make the final I will stop watching. I think he deserves to be there.
Riker and Allison killed it! That dance was so good and so technical. Riker handled it really well!
Awesome quickstep from Sasha and Nastia. Loved that!
I think having judges as mentors makes them more biased towards the couple they mentored, like Bruno’s 10 and comments for Rumer’s first dance. She nailed the acting & performing he said, duh! She’s an actress & performer, she SHOULD be good at that! It was a nice dance, for once I thought the dramatic performance matched the dance, but I thought four 9s would have been fair.
Jules admits they have been hard on Nastia all season long. hmm?
Nastia’s dance was a lot of fun. To me, that should be worth a 40. Sasha is a good match for her, but Derek is missed.
I thought nastia and sasha dance were good.
I loved Nastia and Sasha too. That was full of content and Nastia nailed it!!
Such an amazing Quickstep by Nastia and Sasha. That cartwheel was .. WOW! I loved every second of it. 😀 And a very well deserved 40!
PS: Make Sasha a pro next season or I will be pissed.
#SashaForProOrWeRiot
Took me half the dance to realize it was Sasha dancing and not Derek. Wow lol.
All the stars are bringing it tonight. It’s gonna be tough voting tonight
What an incredible opportunity for Sasha. Couldn’t happen to a better guy. That dance was pure joy imo.
Awesome awesome quickstep. Awesome, awesome, awesome. That’s all I can say, really. Awesome.
Now, Val pops up on the screen, hyping the tour and I change the channel.
Sasha and Nastia killed it! Another amazing choreo by Derek. Well deserved 40.
Are Len and CAI hai no a lovers quarrel? What is it tonight with the two of them? I think they need to go to separate corners!
I like how Derek choreographed the QS to Nastia & Sasha’s strengths; there were signature Sasha moves in there that Derek couldn’t do. It’s a good move, because you just see the couple without making a comparison to the previous pairing. It’s hard to get a perfect score on QS , but this was well deserved.
Sorry…. Fat fingers…. *having
The best of the first round for me were riker and allison, rumer and val, nastia and sasha and sharna and noah.
Loved the QS it was fast & furious. Sasha is a great partner.
On another note, wonder how Anna liked Evan being on Nastia’s package.lol
I’m back ..LOL…getting my exercise tonight 🙂 Nastia is a force to reckon with and she could dance with anyone and do what she just did; but Sasha was thanked by her mother as well as Derek, and that had to make Sasha feel important. Nastia you blew DWTS Ballroom dancing clear out of the ballpark into the next state of perfection. I always knew your real you and never doubted that you are without a doubt the “TOTAL PACKAGE.” Good Luck tomorrow night.
Now on with the show. I’m so anxious to see you & the “genius” Derek dance again!!!!!!
I think that was my favorite quick step ever!! So much fun with so much energy! I can’t wait to see Nastia waltz!
See Henry, that could have been u. So glad it is not. Sasha was the perfect cure for Henriods.
Of the two VW dances we have seen, I must say Noah’s was better hands down.
As soon as the song “shut up and dance” started I thought about alfonso and fusion dance.
Based on the scores so far, Rumer’s got a lot to beat. Riker & Nastia are a full 2 points ahead, at this point is pretty vital, and Noah, who just stole about the entire night with his sweet proposal, although he’s 2 points behind Rumer.
maybe it’s just me but shouldn’t they say about the extra numbers for Tuesday and not cut off time from the Regular Show? Seriously they’re going to be rushed for time again
“Shut Up and Dance” is such an overused song, between last season, allison/riker and now this. It’s a good song but just too much of it.
I wish I could see DWTS Live. I saw ‘Dancing Pros Live’ which was enjoyable but they didn’t have that same in-syncess as these pros
Sameee, Jacob!! Miss them so much. But on another note, I’m so freaking excited after I just saw that dance from the tour cast. Can’t wait!!!
Nastia’s quickstep was awesome. Loved it. The dwts tour dance was fun. Not gonna lie, Melissa rycroft and her good luck thing cracks me up. The costumes were really cool too. The video explaining the judges choice thing was definately necessary becuase the amount of questions people had on Facebook alone was crazy. Anyways I sorta can’t stop laughing at rumor as the Swan princess because it reminds me of black swan and Val just looks like nothing ballet related at all.
I won’t be watching Rumer’s dance. So over her and Val and their pimping but now Bruno is added in and that’s too much. I’ve lost all interest in them.
I dont like to be mean but that dance almost made me go to sleep and the song didnt help.
I am with u Cindy. My mute button is my best friend. Just waiting for the score, so I can continue watching.
I do not like Rumer’s make-up at all. Her eyebrows remind me of the episode of Seinfeld where they drew in Uncle Leo’s and people kept thinking he was angry.
Did the judges watch what I just watched? That was pretty disappointing for me.
Unfortunate concept Bruno gave them. Ballerinas are a breed unto themselves and Rumer just looked silly to me. Sorry that routine did not work imo.
Well I spoke too soon before lol. Val looks very ballet and a little like something out of Anna Karenina. The dance was interesting and makes me really wonder what goes on in the mind of Bruno but overall it was definately memorable. Definately wasn’t too black Swan-ish so that’s good. Anyways, it was just weird enough for me to go “what the hell” while simultaneously going “definately says a lot on what rumor can do so yay”.
Rumer’s dance is beautiful but not very memorable. I guess all of the couples will get 30!
Well, Rumer and Val’s dance wasn’t anything to write home about but watch they get extremely pimped.
Maybe it’s just me but I would consider that more as a freestyle than contemporary… But whatever of course they get away with it.
I literally lovedddd that Swan Lake dane. Wowww! They haven’t been one of my top couples this season but that was definitely one of my favorite dances in the last few weeks
There goes Erin again with the checking of the phone number for Rumer and Val…
I thought it would be better to be honest. I’ve seen far more graceful ballet routines
I’m surprised with how time conscience the producers try to be that they don’t cut out some bumpers to add time back into the show. Selfishly, I’d rather less bumper than to see anyone at the end of the show be super rushed & cut off from critiques/feedback/praise.
Rumers dance was too pimped up for what it was. I found it really boring honestly. And Len really threw it all out there with the pimping for them
I daresay, unless someone has a misstep we will see perfect scores for all the judges choices.
Again 10 minutes devoted to the Royal Couple.
That Bruno dance was so funny. Kuddos to Rumer for pulling it off
Eh, strange concept but Rumer has her parents and media coverage pushing her. Guessing Val will keep the aerial work for freestyle. Love to see Derek bring in Misty Copeland to work with Nastia to show Val. jK. Think all judges will give 30 this round.
Rumer must not be getting the votes if Erin has to AGAIN tell everyone to check their # and dial carefully. That is wrong on so many levels!!! Extreme gushing from all the judges for a dance I feel I have seen several times this season from her – nothing to get excited about.
I am SO SICK of the pimping of Rumer n Val. I also thought that the Proposal from Noah to his girlfriend was MAJOR PIMPAGE as well..c’mon now…the Bachelor got eliminated. IMHO, that scene wasn’t necessary and seems like a ploy to get Noah votes!
Nastia’s Quickstep was PHENOMENAL…Riker and Allison’s Contemporary was god but wow, nothing like giving them a dance that’s in Allison’s wheelhouse to choreo to ensure them a place for the finals. And Noah’s was just ok….I just think he doesn’t need to be in the finals. He had a good run, but I think it needs to come to an end.
Rumer and Val’s contempoballet fusion? It was ALL ballet…no Contemporary at all, that I saw…they just want her in the finals SO BAD!!! It literally makes me sick!
Ok. Rumer’s Samba was my favorite… up until now. Wow. That was a beautiful Swan Lake dance. Way to go Rumer (and Val). That was probably their best dance ever. IF they make it to the Finals, it’s gonna be hard to top that so idk what they would do.
I’d also like to know the backstory why they had everyone go back to the backstage red room with Erin to receive scores instead of the standard up the stairs for the first half of the show ….
I was bored with Rumer and Val’s contemporary fusion. It feels and looks like an overdone freestyle that needs to standout badly. How can you cry with that dance? It lacks the passion and emotion.
WTF there is 30 minutes left with 3 couples. So Rumer just got like a full 25+ minutes while the other three get maybe 10 minutes at most? This is BS. Sorry for all the cursing!
KellyK- I didn’t get that impression at all with Noah. It seemed to me that it was a spontaneous thing he decided to do and not alert anyone else about ahead of time. JMHO though….
I think that they are all getting perfect scores for the judges’ choice…so as it stands, I think that the first 4 dances were judged appropriately. This almost seems like the finals stretched over 2 weeks. As a Val fan, I get frustrated seeing him start strong and then start to implode. I think that Shirley Ballas stated it really well in Afterbuzz a couple of weeks ago when she said that Val becomes his own worst enemy by getting into his head too much. At the risk of this post being deleted, I get really sad seeing all the snide remarks. I think that one can be objective and fair without being mean.
Noah and sharna could not have gotten a better judge becuase she gave them a great concept. Could I have lived without the bull horns on the heads of the other guys….absolutely…..but other than that I loved it. his best dance yet 🙂 .
With that dance, Noah should have just guaranteed himself a place in the finals. Carrie Ann actually, and surprising to me, did a good job with them.
Well KellyK if that was pimpage by Noah then bring it on. I rather have REAL romance than fake any day!
I agree with you, PH. Tonight has been spectacular. How will it be topped next week? I’m sure it is able to be topped though… 😉
Only 20 minutes left, with 2 couples commercials and a recap. Nastia & Riker are getting screwed.
Oh my, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Rumer & Val get eliminated tomorrow. I’m a bit iffy on Riker & Allison, but I’m hoping with the scores, (and hopefully another perfect) they can overcome it, and hopefully Nastia will make it as well. Noah’s literally took the whole night with the proposal, but tonight basically earned him an automatic spot.
No, I took it as a plot to get him to the finals–like oooh how sweet! Gotta vote for him…I applaud his service to our country but he’s not the dancer that the other 3 are, it was like..Oh we gotta vote for him. Nastia is mean & Derek has won too many times…which I get SICK of hearing from C-bro fans. I’d rather see Noah in the finals over Rumer but we ALL know that TPTB HAVE to have Val in the finals. :/ because it’ HIS season afterall 🙁
Actually, all the moves in that Quickstep Derek COULD do if he wasn’t injured.
can i just say Derek is looking mighty fine tonight haha
Judging by the scoring tonight, I’m just gonna guess that it is gonna be very tight tomorrow as to who goes home.
Honestly, I’m putting my money on Rumer going home. Her scores aren’t all that far from Noah’s and going first (even though dance order isn’t all that important anymore) might have put her at a disadvantage considering how many great dances after hers are to come.
I kinda wish they would have the elimination tonight 😛
I’m still feeling blown away by Allison’s contemporary. She was floating around like a feather and I was so busy being in awe of her that I didn’t notice Riker as much. But I think he should be in the finals with Nastia. Not crazy about rumor or Noah. Proposals shouldn’t earn votes. Noah’s a great guy but unfortunately not on the level of the others.
I’d rather have real romance too Jill….but really? A proposal on National TV??? During the semi-finals? Maybe THIS marriage will work out for Noah..it’ll be his 3rd :/
Damn riker just owned that dance. Plus he got to dance with Julianne too and kept up with both pros.
I already loved riker and allison and I love them even more now I am going to vote my you know what off for them.
Rumor got tons of screen time and high scores for just ok dances and she did not have to follow Noah. The show is pushing hard to get Rumer to the finals. We get they want Demi and Bruce In the ballroom.
The only thing that I didn’t like about Riker’s 2nd dance was the staging. It was hard to see the footwork…it all blended in with the black. Sometimes it was hard to actually see Riker, but otherwise a good dance as well.
I loved, loved Noah’s proposal! It was even better than when she surprised him earlier this season. It was such a sweet, honest moment after all of the showmance crap that this show puts out there. As much as I do not care for Sharna, I am pulling for Noah to take it all.
Some of these dance challenges are such a waste. If they’re all going to get perfect 30s why bother giving scores? I mean, the dances are great, but seriously all perfect scores? It really invalidates the dances when they all get the same score imo.
Honestly, I thought Julianne did a little too much dancing. It was good, but I mean this is judges choice, not a trio round. But having said that, I still enjoyed the dance!
Riker and Allison KILLED IT! Happy to see Julianne back on the floor. I can only imagine the hate she’ll get just like Derek did for “putting himself” Nastia and Sasha’s dance.
So what if it’s his 3rd marriage? Do you know what the divorce rate is for people in the armed forces? Not to mention he went through a major depression after losing his limbs!
I was kind of meh about that Argentine Tango. It just seemed too dark. I could barely see Riker. I liked hearing Fur Elise, though.
of the judges choice rounds I like the valves and I loved noise but I don’t think Rikers deserves a perfect score. I think the judges or just scoring each other that way. Nastya will probably get screwed on time. I hope that Derek can dance this routine. She’ll probably get 30 out of principle. They should stop with the fillers and the bumpers and the extra performance is on Monday nights because they always cut it short on time not fair to anyone.
Aww Len!!! Making me all teary eyed! 🙁
This is the sweetest thing ever and the dance hasn’t even started.
“I want Derek to be me.. or better”
That. Got. Me.
Sorry for the incorrect spelling of Nastia in last comment. I dictated to my phone and didn’t check first
*val and Rumer not valves
*Noahs not noise
One word for Nastia’s dance. Beautiful. I enjoyed the show tonight a lot. The standings for me right now are Nastia, Noah, Ryker, Rumer.
Rumer’s dance was great for her: dramatic and dark. Seems to be what she does best. But that was Bruno’s choreo, no? Val got the props…
She did great, but she was also lucky to get such a great, super powerful, legendary piece of music that carried the dance. It looked like an argentine tango with balletic elements to me. A lot of flowy arms, a lot of “smoke and mirrors”. It worked, I’m sure a lot of people will be very impressed by that, but to me it’s yet another dark, dramatic, intense number out of so many she’s done… I’d like to see her play different characters bc I believe she can do it. Maybe if she had gotten a different pro…
I have absolutely nothing against her, she’s a very good dancer and performer, seems like a nice person, eveerybody on the show seems to love her, but the constant favoritism the show shows her and Val’s obsession with winning, (along with his fanbase and the “fam”) make me not enjoy her dancing and their partnership as much as I could…
She’s very good, but has never exceeded my expectations, unlike Riker, Nastia and Noah.
Like Tom said, every single one of them has been at the top at some point. Although he didn’t say how many times each of them has been at the top… But voting is crucial!
The pro dances tonight are so good! Love them!
The 50 Shades dance was a bit uncomfortable for me, but looked nice, but, for me not the best.
Noah was amazing! He is a contender! Great dance!
I love Riker and want him in the final. I thought the contemporary was the best one I’ve seen done with a star. So full of content and difficulty. Riker nailed it and Allison did a great job!
Then I see the QS….WOW! So good! Nastia looks happy…maybe that’s Sasha and his Russian roots she’s connecting with….no, I don’t have a clue. I just think she’s happier with Sasha.
On to round two!
The ballet was interesting. Not my favorite but I liked that it was about Rumor and not Val. Bruno has been all over the place this season with his comments – some inappropriate. – but he seemed to work well with Rumor.
The paso with Noah….amazing!!!! Loved the way the troupe worked with Noah! CAI did a spectacular job!
That was a beautiful AT! Riker is killing it tonight! I think Allison is really the next wave of this show and that Julianne acknowledged this with that AT! Loved that it was confined and clean and a bit calmer than usual. So good! It isn’t called ballroom dancing with the stars, and I like that other dancing styles are being introduced and that Allison is doing it with such a talented dancer.
A sweet VW, but I didn’t really think it was 10 worthy. It was more emotional but not a lot of movement….I think that was Derek’s limits. Very sweet.
Once the 10’s started flying, no way any judges dance would be anything but a 10, so deserved or not. They all had to be 10’s.
I don’t have a clue who will advance! I want Riker in the final, but they were all so good, that I’d be happy with any of them. Such a good night of dance! They all did so well and deserve to go into the final. Tomorrow will be fun!
THAT was a gorgeous VW from Nastia & Derek and how special that Len finished the dance with her. IF Nastia doesn’t make the finals…then there’s something wrong with this show and I’ll be DONE watching it. That was just BEAUTIFUL!!!
BRAVO NASTIA & DEREK!! AND Len too!!
I can’t. This is too much for my heart to take. What a tribute to Len. I’m at a loss of words. I’ll take some of that Kleenex, Erin Andrews.
That Viennese Waltz was perfection. Pure… perfection.
I’m still crying.
I am pretty sure julianne not going to get any blacklash since derek is doing the same thing by having len dance with them.
Absolutely stunning. That is all I have to say about Nastia and Derek’s VW. Absolutely stunning.
Nastia and Derek are literally perfection together. I can’t even begin to say how good they look together when they dance and seeing just the two of them again after two weeks of not was amazing. Len has some moves! Not a dry eye in the house in that ballroom. If this is indeed Len’s last season, he really made it count with this dance. I love how Len was like “that was a little bit just walking around really”. Honestly I feel like it’s between rumor and Noah in regards to who is going to get eliminated next. I wod have said riker but he delivered big time tonight and I’m in awe of him right now.
That was a beautiful dance. Derek and Len got me!
Derek, Len, Nastia best dance ever. I was crying and rarely cry over any of these dances. And perfect dance for Derek’s first comeback dance. Winners! Riker and Allison second.
Val and Rumer looked a bit stunned at the end of the night. As if they realized they have actually, maybe, perhaps, maybe,have not got this in the bag. If the winner is the celeb who has grown the most, it won’t be her. In the end, perhaps pimping will not work. Interesting night.
Wow all of them were so good tonight. It felt like it was the finals. I loved the Judges Choice Dance. It helped them all go to another level. Just excellent.
That was such a great way to cap off 10 years on DWTS for Len. He’s basically admitted in the UK that he won’t be coming back to DWTS next season in his current capacity and that was a reminder of how much DWTS appreciates him despite all the crap that is thrown his way in the form of boos etc. He’s a legend and deserves all the appreciation that he gets.
Noah’s locked his spot in the final, in fact he’s the only one I’m 100% sure will make it. I’m 95% sure on Nastia. It’s surely going to come down as to whether Rumer gets the votes needed to beat Riker. I think it was a 2 point difference between them. People on here have been wondering for a while now whether Rumer really does have the voting power to beat the others, well we’re going to find out tomorrow because beating any of the other three after how they all performed will be an achievement. I worry about Riker, I hope going after Noah didn’t hurt him voting wise. No matter how good that contemporary routine was it’s not every day you have to follow a marriage proposal.
west coast here. So afraid to read the comments, because if Nastia gets ‘ralph’d’ (or Charlie’d) at the expense of Val’s MBT arc, I’m going to hurl. I’m a Patriots fan and it has already been a pretty sucky day…
Even though Riker had two great dances I actually worry he didn’t stand out enough tonight. I think going after Noah’s proposal was tough and then Julianne kind of overshadowed the AT to me. Still thought he did incredible though.
Of the four I think Rumer or Riker are most in trouble for being eliminated honestly. As someone else said, we’ll see just how many votes Rumer can pull in.
No “ralph-ing” Sueb and not Charlie’d at all. Not at all.
I have never thought tonight will be so sentimental. Len just made me cry. Who I want to be in the finale are still the same: Nastia, Riker, Noah. And all the hype about Rumer and Val dance being “incredible”? They are kinda mediocre compared to other couples.
Also to add, it’s great to see all the judges doing what they do best especially Carrie Ann and Bruno. I sometimes forget how they got on the show as judges in the first place. Tonight was a great example as to why, because they are bloody good at what they do. Pardon my English.
Noah proposing! Len dancing! Dudes wearing horns on their heads! Natalie Portman – oh wait- no Natalie but Swan Lake! I just can’t deal!! What a fantastic night! My eyes got misty sooo many times! IMHO I think Riker’s going home tomorrow and NOAH will win next week. But I’m always wrong!! We’ll see…
The patriots cheated by deflating their football and the producers will probably do the same thing by giving val and rumer the mirrorball.
Ok I broke down and watched the dances while watching all access. Len, Nastia, Noah all brought tears to my eyes. And man can Sasha dance. I can’t wait to go back and watch some of the dances again. To see Julianne dance is amazing.
I really think Noah will make final 3 knocking out Rumer. She’s still kind of boring. There may be an outside chance of Riker ??? going though if his fans aren’t as motivated to vote because they feel safe. I’d be truly shocked if Nastia went home.
WOW, the VW showcasing an emotionally impactful Nastia and Derek’s gorgeous partnering, was stunning. I’ve missed his dancing so very much, and his forced recuperation has allowed a beautiful bonding with Nastia that took my breath away in their VW. And then the silky smooth transition of Nastia to Len who showed in a couples of seconds his own smoothness & fluidity, made me cry. What a beautiful dance by all three. Nastia’s QS with Sasha was fantastic, fun and flirty, and I loved it. In my perfect world: WINNERS!!! (agree with #161 Suz!) I think it’ll be Riker second and Rumor third, with Noah going home tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
My wife and I enjoyed this show more than any other this season. And basically, even though their was some pushing of some versus others in the amount of time devoted to the couples by the producers, the scoring makes it pretty even and more in the public’s hands. The 30’s for all four of the judges’ dances just tightens it up even more. And there were memorable moments from all the couples.
I have read through comment #162 and didn’t see it mentioned – does anyone know who the other two support ballerinas were on Rumer and Val’s dance besides Lindsay and Jenna? They were the two at the back.
All in all a very enjoyable show.
I love the patriots..so I hope Rumer can hold out this week. I think it will be a tough one for them. It was a spectacular night.
I think this was a strong night for Nastia, Riker & Noah. Nastia dancing with Len, Riker’s Contemporary, Noah’s Paso & proposal. Both of Rumer’s dances fell through the woodwork for me in my opinion. I think she’s going to be in danger tomorrow (at least I’m hoping)…
And another thought – I bet if Nastia and Derek win, they will have an extra trophy made for Sasha – he was great tonight on the QS, and he’s got to be feeling a lot of extra pressure to not let then down.
Wow this was a great episode. In my opinion Val and Rumer were the most consistent and memorable of the night. Noah and Sharna took their dancing to a new level and it was great. I was rolling my eyes when I found out they had to work with Carrie Ann, but she actually did a GREAT job. Nastia was beautiful and I loved her moment with Len! Riker was good but I didn’t love any of his numbers. Allison’s contemporary was a SYTYCD piece and not really a DWTS piece. The AT was AWESOME with Julieanne, but then when it was just Allison and Riker it fell apart.
I think with everything that happened tonight Riker will be the one we lose tomorrow night and the final will be Rumer, Noah, and Nastia.
Gee, jacob, except for the fact that Len is over 70 and Julianne…isn’t.
I have to say overall that it was a pretty night ~ What an amazing Semi-finals
The last dance with Nastia&Derek featuring just really moved me. It brought out the best in Nastia & it was beautiful! Len not able to dance anymore & Derek just coming back was really touching. It was so gorgeous.
Good Luck to the contestants! Let me get to voting so my favorite team Houghkin makes the finals!
i feel like rumer is the least good at this point. she seems like a lovely person and i enjoyed her tango-like rumba last week but i wasn’t crazy about her dances this week. the swan lake thing was just bizarre. i wonder if nastia or riker is going to get kicked off. i’d rather see riker make it, but everyone’s good.
One of the things I think that made Nastia/Derek/Len’s dance so emotional was not only the storyline about Len but also how the story also fit Derek and Nastia. Julianne was right in that at the beginning where she turned into his arms and they began to dance it did seem like a little private moment of the two of them coming back together again, but more connected to one another than ever before. It was breathtaking. Then towards the end where she just curled into neck, rested in his arms and they spun. Stunning.
And Len coming in and Nastia just gracefully turning in is arms. It was precious and endearing and powerful in it’s simplicity. I honestly loved this dance.
My thoughts on the night:
I liked that nastia got the chance to express that shes not a terrible person lol, although I doubt anyone at home thought that, I’ve gotten used to dramatic packages and don’t assume anyone is terrible just bcuz theyre tired, cranky, portrayed a certain way, etc..
I know they were rivals on the team, but does anyone think shawn will come see nastia in the final?I dont know what their rrelationship is like now that theyre both retired.
lol PH I noticed the creative way sharna choreographed to mimic noahs walk! Ingenious of her. The proposal was crazy! !!!! It created such an amazing energy level tonight, and seeing willow again tore at my heart strings, she so deserved to go farther than she did.
I LOVED alilisons routine, I feel like hands down shes the best contemp choreographer on the show (with derek being the best choreographer at everything else). It was amazing, and omg the bumper with alan and emma was AHMAZING!
Rikers AT was hands down my FAVORITE, rumers dance looked extremely difficult and they did great. The paso was perfect for noah, and sasha is such a wondrful dancer im loving seeing him taking the opportunity to shine!!! And dereks and nastias dance was beautiful, it was so tender.
semifinals is actually always my favorite night of the whole season. I watch the show partly to just see the dancing on semifinals, for ome weird reason I enjoy it even more than finals I dunno why.
no matter who goes home tmoro im gonna be sad 🙁
At the close of the show, Val and Rumer had a look on their faces, and I think they are really worried about being eliminated tomorrow night. I really like Nastia, but tonight I gave Rumer all of my votes, the first time I did not split votes all season. I really want to see Rumer and Val in the finals.
Show is over and this is my take….First I want to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the show tonight.
Noah has been making my eyes water all season; but tonight, Nastia & Derek dancing with that awesome connection I always saw all season was magnified in their V. Waltz; and, Len showed his emotions more than ever working with Nastia & Derek, and then wanting to end the dance with Nastia. How special was that? The one who (mostly) said she lacked character/emotion in the dances, has been seeing her lately as the perfect example of a great dancer and performer. That Quickstep with Sasha was one of the best Quicksteps I have ever seen on this show since Season 7 when I started watching. Nastia nailed both dances and to me she has been the most versatile dancer since Shawn Johnson.
Noah is in a league of his own, even though he is limited in his movements, he is loved and respected by many. Carrie Anne did a great job with his Paso.
And, as always, Sharna did an amazing job.
Riker is a great dancer, you could tell he has danced before coming on the show, but be on this show is new to everyone. He has good timing and footwork, connects well with Allison (who is a strong dancer) as the season progressed; but his legs still bother because there is times when they should be more straight.
Rumer is an actor and she is used to performing, and you could tell she had some kind of dance training (her mother is an actor/dancer) need I say more. I just don’t think Val has pushed into all the variety of dance moves or stayed strictly with the exact dance moves required for each dance. Their Cha Cha seems to be just that; and tonight same with their Contemporary; but most of the season has consisted mainly of confined area like intense, long flowing moves, some twirls which all seemed more in line with Contemporary. I think Rumer is physically able to handle so much more, but Val’s choreography is always limited. This gives her an appearance (like many have said) of being a one-note. If they make it to MBT it will be a result of the producers pushing them in our face, her icon actor parents, Val pushing the “hotness” button to attract young fans, and remembering Val’s boohooing about never winning. It won’t be like other pros winning by working hard and presenting a verstile season with their celeb all season.
Power rankings are up: https://www.puredwts.com/2015/05/11/puredwts-season-20-week-8-power-rankings-2/
The older gentleman looking at a portrait of his younger self, the young man dancing & embodying
his memories, an injured dancer’s comeback & tribute to his mentor, the emotional journey of a young woman, and the hopes of all three to do justice to the music, the movement and their shared story of ‘one last dance’…this number was profound on so many levels, and also bittersweet because it was likely a farewell to one Len Goodman. Derek, Nastia & Len, thank you for that VW and a beautiful dance I’ll always remember.
Riker and Allison were incredible! I literally couldn’t move! She’s an amazing choreographer. I read an article that theorized they were not doing well with the viewers. They were in the bottom two last week. Sucks that it’s a popularity contest. The show kind of makes me severely dislike Rumor. If u love her so much just give her the dang mirror ball already! I feel like they’re sho ing her in my face the whole time. Totally a Riker fan from day one but I was blown away by that contemporary piece!
We divided our votes tonight equally between Nastia, Rumer and Rider, so same as we did last week. I think that it’s anybody’s game despite the conspiracy theories. They all delivered top notch performances, and it might have been the best semi-finals that I’ve seen. I will say that Nastia had a most fantastic night tonight. Her QS with Sacha was PHENOMENAL!, and the VW was so beautiful, that I had tears in my eyes from the get-go.
By numbers, this reminds me a lot of season 14’s semifinal. Nobody lost more than 4 points last night, which means that off the top of my head if my numbers are right there’s about 1.6% between Noah in last and Riker/Nastia in first. Bearing in mind that season 14’s semi final was one of 4 or 5 times in the history of the show that the top of the leaderboard went home, (Maria Menounos, which I am totally and completely…. not really over) this could be a really tight elimination. I feel like I might know who’s going home, but all I really know is who probably isn’t.
Another Pats fan here. Lemme just say two thingz.
1. It’s nice to see honest judging, rather than one as illogical as the Wells report.
2. If you’re a Pats fan, you might have recognized the music for Noah’s paso. I know I did.
I recognised it from Kellie, Derek and Tristan’s trio Paso from season 16. I decided to just watch the dances this week, and I found myself going to Noah and Sharna’s Paso first. Kudos to Carrie Ann for coming out of herself to give Noah and Sharna what they needed while creating something as OTT and vaguely ridiculous as her personality. Wow, that went unexpectedly shady halfway through. Still, I loved it. The one problem is that I really, really, really didn’t need the horns on the troupe members. I don’t know quite how to put this, but I almost felt cheated out of the symbolism of the Paso. Carrie-Ann mentioned in the package that they were meant to be bulls, and it was fairly obvious, so the horns were just a cheap prop that detracted from the dance. Noah and Sharna did a fantastic job on it though, so did Carrie-Ann for the most part.
:::rolls eyes::: We don’t know who was in the bottom two last week, Trisha.
It was a night of wonderful dances but the agendas and mean comments are wearing me out. Noah, Rumer and Nastia all wowed and moved with their dancing and their hearts. And Riker has dazzled me many times. This semifinals feels unfair to eliminate anyone. They could have skipped the scores for the judges’ choice though Len’s story touched me and many viewers I imagine. I think Noah’s in the finals and have a bad feeling that Rumer’s out. If so, that was a beautiful “swan song.”
Nastia’s Viennese Waltz was so beautiful. I can’t stop replaying it. The meaning behind it with Len’s story made it that much more special. I loved seeing Derek out there again. The emotion and movement quality that both Nastia and Derek brought to the dance was wonderful to watch.
Noah’s paso doble blew me away. I loved the concept and execution. It was one of the first times I’ve seen him so invested in the emotion of the dance. It was great to see.
@Maina my understanding is that for the judge’s choice, it was each judge’s artistic concept (plus costumes, lighting etc.), but the pro still choreographed the dance.At least that’s what the judges’ comments seemed to indicate. I LOVED Rumer and Val’s swan lake number. The most memorable number of the night for me! To me, Bruno is an artist for coming up with that. I thought Riker’s contempo was awesome; the AT was very good, but not super creative. Nastia’s dances were very well executed; the VW with LEN was very emotionally moving but not very creative as a concept IMO, I really hope to see Nastia, Riker and Rumer in the finals.
@beth hope – Not quite correct – some of the judges actually gave choreography. Len & Julianne did not, due to time constraints, but both Carrie & Bruno did…and Bruno actually choreographed quite a bit of Rumer & Val’s, as neither of them have extensive ballet training.
Have you noticed that there are posts for Noah, Riker and Rumer on instagram and facebook, but nothing for Nastia?! If that doesn’t make the obvious even more obvious…
Thanks for clarifying @Courtney. I don’t think that was clear from watching the show.
O.k., Nastia being eliminated sucked completely. Yeah, and I understand all that crap about the “best dancer” not necessarily making it to the end. I’ve been dividing my votes equally, and that’s over next week, I can pick one from my faves.