Dancing with the Stars Season 23, Week 3 – Who’s Dancing What…and When? And against who?
So, dance offs. Great potential for some rigging of who the producers would prefer goes home. Unless they actually let the celebs pick…but that seems unlikely, since Sharna already knows their dance style and they can’t dance against someone who already had that style. Right? One would think so. So, if Sharna/James have Cha Cha, they have to be dancing against someone who hasn’t had Cha Cha yet. The people who HAVE danced Cha Cha? Rick, V.Ice, Calvin and…Laurie. So James won’t be dancing against Laurie, which gives her an easy row to hoe. Unless Laurie gets Jana and Jana absolutely kills it, Laurie will get immunity as expected. I suppose Marilu could beat her…but a 16 year old gymnast against Marilu hardly seems like a fair fight. But Marilu has a secret weapon that Laurie doesn’t – Derek. Could be interesting.
But where are the points coming from? This past Monday? Or their score on this coming monday? Sounds like a potential clusterf*%k. 🙂
ETA: According to a new Extra interview at Facebook this morning, Babyface and Allison have a jive. ~Vogue
ETA2: Per Maks’ blog, the couples dance the same style and get scores. Highest score of the pair of couples is immune from elimination.
ETA3: Everyone thank Derek for all the info in his blog this week. And he says many of the same things we do here. Interesting how they are predictable pitting Laurie against Marilu.
ETA4: According to ET, Lindsay and Calvin have a Viennese waltz. They are dancing against Sasha and Terra who have the same style of dance as you know. Calvin and Lindsay will be dancing to ‘It’s a Woman’s World.’ ~Vogue
ETA5: James and Sharna’s song is “Big Trouble” by Outasight. Thanks to @MaddiRoseL for letting us know.
ETA6: According to a new radio interview, Maureen and Artem have a Salsa.
ETA7: According to the ABC Press Release, below are the faceoffs with the songs and dance styles. Sounds like a bit of a repeat of the last results show, with the exception of the performances.
Florida Georgia Line, CMA Award winners for Vocal Duo of the Year, will perform their number one hits “Cruise” and “H.O.L.Y.,” and Fitz and The Tantrums will perform “HandClap,” from their self-titled album. Viewers will also have a chance to see the couples’ dances from the previous night one more time. The show will be packed with never-before-seen footage, including extended training packages, exclusive interviews with the couples and judges, and a glimpse of what’s to come on week four of “Dancing with the Stars.”
ETA8: Here’s the running order per George Pennachio. Interesting. Kind of appears that the people we expect to win are dancing FIRST in the dance off. I’ll be curious to see if this holds up.
Babyface and Allison VERSUS Jana and Gleb – Jive
Babyface: 1-800-868-3402 (Song: “Great Gosh A’Mighty” by Little Richard)
Jana: 1-800-868-3406 (Song: “Too Many Fish in the Sea” by Bette Midler)
Babyface First, Jana Second
Rick and Emma VERSUS V.Ice and Witney – Paso Doble
Rick: 1-800-868-3410 (Song: “Tamacun” by Rodrigo Y Gabriela)
V.Ice: 1-800-868-3413 (Song: “Save Tonight” by Zayde Wølf)
Rick 3rd, V.Ice 4th
James and Sharna VERSUS Ryan and Cheryl- Cha Cha Cha
James: 1-800-868-3405 (Song: “Big Trouble” by Outasight)
Ryan: 1-800-868-3411 (Song: “If It Ain’t Love” by Jason Derulo)
James 5th, Ryan 6th
Calvin and Lindsay VERSUS Terra and Sasha –Viennese Waltz
Calvin 1-800-868-3403 (Song: “Woman’s World” by BJ The Chicago Kid)
Terra 1-800-868-3412 (Song: “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls)
Terra 7th, Calvin 8th
Maureen and Artem VERSUS Amber and Maks – Salsa
Maureen: 1-800-868-3409 (Song: “Tres Deseos” (“Three Wishes”) by Gloria Estefan)
Amber: 1-800-868-3401 (Song: “Booty” by Jennifer Lopez featuring Iggy Azalea)
Amber 9th, Maureen 10th
Laurie and Val VERSUS Marilu and Derek – Tango
Laurie 1-800-868-3407 (Song: “Into the Sunset” (Headhunterz Radio Edit) by Crystal Lake featuring Kifi)
Marilu 1-800-868-3408 (Song: “Battle Cry” by Imagine Dragons)
Laurie 11th, Marilu 12th
I’m thinking there might not be points at all. The couples who win will bet immunity and the ones that don’t will be on even ground with the voting. If this is the case we could be in for an upset on Tuesday.
So are there going to be 6 couples with immunity and 6 without? Well that should be interesting if they do it that way…
Why come up with this nonsense? I know it is a reality show, but must we always have an agenda? This is a really nice group of celebrities that are working hard and want to be there. So since America is not voting the way that TPTB want, we are going to come up with something like this to make the playing field reflect who TPTB want to win/be in the finals, etc. Nonsense. I know that I am just tuning in to watch the journey of these couples and see some creative dancing. Sad. SMH!
Why not do the show on Tuesday instead of a results show? The week after they can use the same formula as yesterday. Combine the scores and votes from week 3 and 4 since there is another results show on Oct. 4th. But we know how much TPTB thrive on drama and manipulation!
Why didn’t they just do one hour of dancing Monday and another Tuesday with no elimination? I’m not a fan of the dance off at all. And if they are going home to it they should have let the couples pick. I think the last time they did this they all picked fair (1vs.2 and so on.)
I don’t think they will risk that, Julia. It gives far too much power to a voting audience that has shown in the past that they don’t conform to what the producers need to happen on this show. They won’t give up that much control to risk someone like Jana going home while Rick Perry sticks around. This show is so over produced at times, they would never go this route.
Worth remembering that TPTB will know the exact voting figures so they’ll be well aware if someone like Rick is getting the voting juice to beat out a Jana or a Babyface based on last night’s vote. If they do actually throw it to the viewers, I think it’ll mean that they’ll be confident that a Rick or a Maureen won’t get the votes to beat out a stronger celeb based on last week’s votes. Either way expect them to be very careful over who they give immunity to. Saying that here are my pairing predictions based on manipulations and my opinion.
Laurie v Marilu – An easy way for them to push Val as the golden pro by having him beat Derek. Laurie Wins
Jana v James
Calvin v Babyface
Terra v Vanilla Ice – TPTB wouldn’t want Terra in trouble with votes. She would certainly beat him and the judges won’t look like they’ve manipulated it because Terra has been getting better scores than Ice lately.
Amber v Rick – I think Rick will get Amber rather than Maureen because it gives TPTB an easy route to keep Maks safe for another week. I think Amber’s not getting votes and they will not want him gone so early. I think if Amber loses her dance off she’ll go home so this will save her.
Maureen v Ryan – Amber would benefit at Maureen expense. If Ryan loses I think he has the votes to be safe but I’m not sure Maureen can beat out a Vanilla Ice or Babyface.
This would lead probably to Maureen v Rick in terms of elimination. I could see one but not both of them beating out an higher level star in votes although I could be underestimating both of them.
I despise dance off and immunity weeks, always have and always will. Too much manipulation! The rigged Janel immunity of S19 still annoys me to this day.
My thing is, laurie against Marilu would anger Derek fans and vote harder. Regardless of immunity or not, is Laurie really going to go anywhere? And if Marilu dances against her and loses, she’s not going anywhere either. Would rather see Laurie and Amber face off.
I’m not liking this dance off stuff at all! I so agree with everyone who said they should just do the show on Tuesday!
And I sure hope Laurie and Marilu don’t have to dance against each other! A young world class gymnast against a 64 year old? That wouldn’t make any sense at all imo!
I could understand it if they decide to have Laurie vs. Ryan (the Olympians), Marilu vs. Maureen (the ‘old’ nostalgia stars)…
I have no doubt TPTB will find a way to a manipulate this, but to what end? When they do this later in the season it can have a huge effect, but its week 2. Even if they push Laurie, its not like she needs the immunity- she’s not in danger. The only person right now I could see them trying to boost is Terra, maybe Ryan?
The point thing is throwing me off too. If its just a few points and only 6 couples in danger, I actually think that might help someone like Rick, not hurt them.
And Heidi, maybe I missed this on the site and if so I apologize, but did they say they have to compete against someone who hasn’t done the style? I’m just remembering when Nick and Bindi competed and they did Samba even though Nick had already done it.
PH: “Since Sharna already knows their dance style and they can’t dance against someone who already had that style. Right? One would think so.”
Maybe not one who produces this show. . If so though, we can then deduce from what Sharna said that (since Laurie and Hinch are the top 2 scorers and she has already Cha-Chaed) the 1v2, 3v4, etc cumulative scorers will not all be facing off against each other unless some get to repeat a dance style. Either way, something is already astench on the Planet of Mirrorballus.
As I understand it there will be 6 couples that can not be voted off and 6 that can be. I suspect everything else for the 6 losers will be as before. The dancers scored from 1 to 10. Then PH will have the info to do the number post. Elimination will still be based on dance score and popular vote. My question is how do they determine the winner of each dance. They only have time for 6 dances.
If I remember in an earlier season the men danced on 1 day and the woman on another. Not sure how elimination was done however.
Of course I could be wrong, guess I should just wait until PURE tells us exactly how it will be done.
Allison and Babyface have the jive according to a interview they did with Extra
Wanna bet on whether they’ll go with Calvin vs. Terra and make remarks about the pairs with the biggest height difference?
One more thought is that if the show is only an hour both pairs will be dancing at the same time which plays horrible on TV. Will they never learn?
Don’t get me wrong I’m only guessing the pairings, but those I’ve put just seem more suited to what TPTB would want to me. The only ones I’d put money on being correct are Amber v Rick and Maureen v Ryan. The rest are give or take, although I reckon Terra will be with someone she can beat without it looking fishy when the judges help her out.
Either way, whatever route they go with pairings, scores, points etc the only thing I’m sure of is that the whole thing will be a mess and they’ll be some angry fans come the end of Monday!
Anne, was this on the TV version of Extra? I viewed an interview on line but he never said anything about having a Jive next week.
Do we know how the dance off works. Both pairs dance at the same time or like they did in week 10 in season 21.
for voters who split their votes they will have to wait until all their dances are done so as not to waste votes.
@Chayse, agreed. No matter what situation Laurie is in, win or lose, she’s not going anywhere. The only thing i can think of is getting the weaker links out sooner? Like Maureen, Rick, Ryan, Amber?
Wait. Nevermind Anne. I just found it at FB. Thanks
I actually wouldn’t be surprised if they had Laurie lose because it’d make her fans less complacent and more likely for someone TPTB want out to be eliminated.
The voting is gonna be especially interesting this week because a lot of fans will probably be voting for someone they usually wouldn’t if the person they would normally send their votes to gets eliminated. For example, if Laurie wins her dance-off but Amber loses her’s a lot of the normally-vote-splitting C-Bros fans will vote only for Amber & Maks, possibly making a difference in her safety.
Guys I am confused. So we have one hour of this dance off monday night and one hour elimination on tuesday? This is a terrible idea!!! Sorry I scrolled back on posts to see if i could find the explanation but i cant find it.
Does it go back to the regular format the following week? Why is the show only an hr?
This is a stupid idea. But here’s a small idea. Maks, Derek & Cheryl are the designated ‘combatants’ this year as they “return to the ballroom” to add drama per the ABC promo hype. I don’t see those 3 going anywhere next week, but back to the ballroom one more time. Then I expect to see Ryan disappear the next week. Cheryl plays the role of the first sacrificial pro, so that Maks & Derek remain and can duke it out. (yawn)
Therefore, I anticipate these 3 pros will be paired against a team that has scored poorly, and does not seem to have a large fan base thus assuring ABC milking that drama for whatever it is worth.
Here’s a sad thing for me. I love Laurie the Olympian. I don’t like Laurie the DWTS celeb. She’s very off-putting (imo) in this particular format. The other US Gymnasts that have been on this show, have a certain maturity about them. She’s still too much of a kid, for me.
So I guess I AM voting this year. Especially next week. To be read of a V-bro would be well worth my time. Rhetorical question here: Has there ever been a point in time when Maks’ effort to sound intelligent, don’t turn it to ‘all abou me’ comments. Shut up Maks, just shut it up!
@Jeny, there are political debates next week at 9 PM EST, so DWTS has to be on air from 8-9PM EST, on Tuesday they have the hour results show like normal.
*two hour results show
No they didn’t say that, Chayse, but it’s what would make sense and what would have some semblance of fairness. Although I guess it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Laurie and Marilu face off doing a dance that Laurie HAS done and Marilu hasn’t. Gotta make sure Val wins so that they can keep trying to make him happen. That haven’t quite figured out that Val might win a dance…but Derek wins at LIFE.
Not necessarily, Julia. If the show goes back to a One night a week format after next week, they need to do an elimination the following Monday – which means that everyone will need votes.
Like I said, clusterfuck.
There’s another results show on Oct. 4th so it’ll probs just be the six unless Week 4 is a double elimination with one on Monday the 3rd and the other on Tuesday the 4th.
@Julia, they have another results show that week because there are political debates that week as well. After that it should go back to the Monday only format, read that in Kristyn Burtt’s blog today.
Per Maks’s blog, they are getting scores for next week’s dances and are dancing against someone with the same style.
You guys just refuse to give us time to update the blog, you have to rush over here and comment? Check the post again.
Man, getting tired of Kristyn as being labeled the fountain of all information when our track record is as good or better.
I agree Heidi. We had that info up on Tuesday: https://www.puredwts.com/2016/09/20/will-dancing-with-the-stars-air-at-the-same-time-as-the-2016-presidential-debates/
Please Julia!!
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE for Derek to foil TPTB’s manipulations and choreo something so amazing that the judges have no choice but to give them better scores than Val!!
In yo face, CBro!
Whoever thought up this ridiculous way of doing the show next week needs to be bitch-slapped.
Why do they always make things more difficult and confusing then it needs to be?
You have an hour to fill on Monday and an hour on Tuesday. Half the couples dance one night, the others the next night, with an elimination at the end of night two.
They’ve gone and done TWO things I dislike, immunity and dance-offs.
I can already see it next week: “Welcome to Dancing with the Stars: Clusterfuck Night! I’m Tom Bergeron” “And I’m Erin Andrews. This week… is gonna be a mess!”
I bet TPTB think they have it all planned out and I bet they think it will all go smoothly but come Monday night they’re gonna be running out of time for everyone and it’s gonna be chaos.
I can’t wait! (he said sarcastically)
Granted, I AM looking forward to seeing James doing the ChaCha.. If he can get his hips moving and knock this dance out of the park, then that’ll just solidify him (to me at least) as the biggest threat to Laurie this season.
Bless Babyface with the Jive.. he doesn’t strike me as a fast mover.
*keeps fingers crossed*, Heart.
I’m confused, do the couples each have a dance and then a dance off or just the dance off? Sorry if someone already explained it, I didn’t see it
So, they want to put Marilu in danger next week? I haven’t seen Laurie’s frame, but Marilu looks really good in hold. I was looking forward to the debate more, but now this mess has gotten me worried. I usually split votes the first few weeks and then exclusively vote for Derek and his partner. But not this week.
@Lacey, Derek explained in his blog that one couple to dance and the other couple will dance immediately after to the same style. They’ll both get scored, and the higher one gets immunity.
I’m so glad that Derek and Marilu have the tango.It’s gonna be a awesome dance.It’s super predicable that they pair them with Laurie though.I think it’s going to be close in the scoring but I think Derek is a better choregrapher than Val concerning the tango.
so it’s happening – the oldest celeb against the young Olympic gymnast. whyyyy?? doesn’t make sense to me!
I like that the 2 couples won’t dance at the same time, but then again it also means that there’ll still be 12 performances for the 1 hour show, so I don’t understand why the hell the producers had to come up with this ‘dance off’ and ‘immunity’ crap. they could have just had a ‘normal’ show since every single couple will perform as usual. so again: doesn’t make sense!
and I sure hope next week’s results show will give us cool pro dances! I loved the Derek-Cheryl-Maks trio and Derek kicking off that opening number was also pretty great!
Just read Derek’s blog, yes! I’m so glad that they have the Tango. Derek is King at Tango, Argentine Tango, and Paso so I’m excited for it. I think Laurie is good with the faster dances but I have a feeling she won’t be as good in hold.
Imagine that….TPTB pairing Marilu with Laurie. Hmm….wonder if Laurie isn’t getting the votes that they’d expected her to get? So they’re doing this to protect the precious.
I know Derek will KILL that Tango choreo…that and the Paso are usually my favorite dances Derek choreos.
Splitting votes is never a good idea. It’s what causes shocking eliminations.
This is very predictable, but I do wonder if the producers haven’t thought of the backlash if Laurie actually wins the dance off. I mean really – there’s a 48 year age difference between them. Marilu could win…and I think she likely could dance better, thanks to Derek. But really, they’ll only win if the producers want them to. Or maybe both women are easily safe so the producers don’t think it matters. Could be a mistake.
@Ananya, oh gotcha! Thanks, I thought they were gonna do the side by side thing they did a while ago.
I am just happy that the dance is a Tango and not a Latin dance, and that puts Laurie at a disadvantage having not done ballroom yet and not dancing in frame. And besides, you can’t beat the king at Tango choreography.
Derek’s blog is really interesting. Not surprising that they’re already starting this Derek v. Val thing early. I do like that Derek didn’t go there in his blog, but it seems obvious to me that is what is going on here. That said, Derek doesn’t really give in to acknowledging it as a rivalry, despite the C-bros’ comments….
I like how Derek seems a lot more candid this season — earlier on, he mentioned that the argument that he gets all ringers totally discounts the hard work he puts in, and then in this blog, he gets real about the redundancy of the results show, the milking of the Lochte protest, and not liking the “messing about” at the beginning of routines. I wonder if this candor will continue — but I do like it.
I’m glad that marilu is up against Laurie, she was hanging out in the shadows and didn’t get her fair portion of attention, so it’s gonna be nice to put her in notice
I wont be surprised if she won, she has a good frame and very nice lines, and Derek knows how to choreograph a good tango, and Laurie is yet to be seen in hold and there’s a height difference between her(5′ 0″) and Val(6′ 0″)( I know I know about Sasha and Terra it’s just a thought)
still I can see this as a tie with the couples with the height cumulative scores winning the immunity, that’s my guess so the producers wont be called biased from both parties.
I hope Derek and Marilu mention the 48 year age difference or keep mentioning Marilu’s actual age. Not to whine, but to acknowledge the ridiculousness of the comparisons.
But I’m sure Derek wouldn’t have it any other way, to be “fairly” judged against the favorite couple. He loves to be challenged.
I hope Val is sweating bullets at being challenged by Derek. Haha. I hope the manipulations backfire on tptb and Derek wins. If I say it often enough, it may happen!
I almost think TPTB. Would want Marilu to win. Laurie , with a loss, is not going anywhere. The general thinking is Laurie is a sure thing to win and it would be great tv if there was some competition.
Kinda confused as to why Laurie is going against Marilu. In my opinion, this matchup isn’t going to be a slam dunk for Laurie as some may think. I can definitely see Marilu and Derek pulling out the win.
Here’s who I would pair against each other if given the opportunity:
Laurie/Val vs. James/Sharna
Babyface/Allison vs. Calvin/Lindsay
Maureen/Artem vs. Rick/Emma
Amber/Maks vs. Ryan/Cheryl
Jana/Galeb vs. Marilu/Derek
Terra/Sasha vs. Vanilla Ice/Witney
I just find it so amusing that a 64 year old actress is facing of a 16 year old Olympic gold medalist gymnast. Can anyone honestly tell me this would’ve happened if the 64 year old was NOT paired with DEREK?
Kirami – I think Val and Derek are both 5’10”, so the height difference with Laurie is ‘only’ 10″…
It’s only a rivalry in Val’s mind and the minds of his fans (and I use “minds” loosely). Derek is quietly confident enough in his own abilities to not have to resort to petty and immature rivalries.
I’m positive that Derek will do everything possible to make Marilu shine Monday night. For her, not because he wants to beat Val.
I too have to wonder if pairing Marilu against Laurie will backfire on TPTB. It clearly makes more sense to pair her with James, Jana or even a fellow Olympian like Ryan. Sometimes the level of manipulation is just so hard to take.
Lindsay just confirmed she and Calvin will be going against Terra & Sasha, and their style is Viennese Waltz.
Oh wow. I was thinking they were going to pair Calvin with Amber or Babyface, but guess they’re doing shortest and tallest in that category.
Do TPTB want the couples to be evenly challenged or do they put their faves against non faves, so their faves have immunity?
I think it’s strange that they didn’t pair Laurie with James. But his frame is so good – maybe they thought it would make Laurie look bad? It almost seems like they were trying to help her, which begs the question of why the olympic gymnast needs help this early in the season? She needs a growth arc, right? Since she’s so young, she likely won’t have a compelling life story, and it will be boring if she has the top score every week.
Yea, I think this is set up to help Marilu actually
Like some have said, she has been drifting in background the last 2 weeks so
A) pair her up with not just the leaders, but the teenage leader, so they can stress how they cant believe Great this older women is compared to this fit teenager
B) give her a slow dance in hold,which she’s just done last week, versus Laurie who has yet to do hold or slow, and is likely to have a odd height discrepancy with val
C) give them tango which derek loves and excels at & val is indifferent to & mediocre at
I would actually be very surprised if Marilu & Derek didn’t win next week
Link, Bia. I”m not seeing it.
He was pretty candid during his season with Bindi as well, AR. I’ve taken it as a sign that he sees the flaws with the show, but also recognizes that the flaws don’t outweigh how much he loves teaching someone to dance.
Yeah, Val ain’t 6 foot. He’s maybe a half inch taller than Derek. MAYBE. Val’s clearly quite a bit shorter than Maks and I believe Maks is 6’2″.
Great sign for Marilu (and bad sign for Val) is that Derek LOVES the Tango song. 😀
Not shocking that Laurie and Marilu are up against each other but honestly I don’t think it’s going to matter. Like a lot of other people have said, I don’t think either of them is in any danger right now. Both are strong, enjoyable dancers so far with popular pros. I actually can see them giving the win to Marilu if only to create some sort of growth arc for Laurie.
I am looking forward to Marilu doing the Tango- I liked her in hold a lot and I love Derek’s Tangos.
Both Maks and Derek’s blogs were really enjoyable this week. I like how Derek is so honest when he feels like the dance didn’t live up to what he wanted it to be. Maks has, IMO, been refreshingly chill so far. Maybe its Peta and the baby, maybe its his partner, but I’m liking him more this season than I have in a while- hopefully that continues.
Oh the manipulation! Derek is smart to all these stunts. He will create something awesome for Marilu. He will enjoy the journey and try to make the dancing experience the best that he can for Marilu. Too bad that TPTB constantky need to have all this drama!
If the producers are pairing Laurie v Marilu ( youngest v. oldest) and Calvin v Terra (tallest v shortest) are they trying to pair up the opposites? If so I wonder what their rationale will be for the other pairings. In any case, I like both Laurie and Marilu, and I think they are both good dancers. I think Marilu can actually win the tango duel.
I also have a question. Out of the couples who don’t get immunity, will both their scores and votes count, or only the votes?
Will the judges wait until both couples have danced to (publicly) score both of them at the same time?
OMG I blame the election for this f***ed up schedule!!! And it’s just gonna get worse. ???
In some way, this reminds me a little of the Peta-James jive with Amy and Derek where they switched partners. At one point, Peta and Amy danced opposite each other, perfectly synchronized. I remember the judges made a comment about Amy more than keeping up with Peta in the dance. Perhaps this will give the 64 year old the opportunity to match and/or outdo the gymnast young ‘un, even if they dance sequentially rather than side by side. Glad to hear that Derek likes the song because I know he will create his best tango for Marilu. With all the manipulation in this show, I hope Derek is getting paid extremely well for putting up with this stuff!
I am still trying to figure out the narrative for the season, although I think that TPTB probably would like to keep their returning pros for awhile. It will be interesting to see how the other 4 pairings shake out.
For me, the tango is similar to the rhumba, it needs dancers with a little maturity. It will be interesting to see how Val choreographs for Laurie. I am definitely looking forward to seeing Derek and Marilu.
With regard to the Calvin/Lindsay v. Sasha/Terra, I think that this will be a challenge for both couples because of the height difference. Wasn’t Keo criticized for not dancing in hold enough with Kim Fields during a waltz last season?
Heart: “I would LOVE LOVE LOVE for Derek to foil TPTB’s manipulations…”
Hennergy could dance the best Tango in the history of the universe and they’d still hand it to Laurie if that’s their plan. I guarantee they already know the winners of each dance.
I too could see Hennergy taking a Tango over Valaur and being a situation where this boosts Hennergy a bit. Marilu has been good but not a standout of yet. A win over Laurie with an impactful dance (and song from the sound of Derek) could do just that. We’ll have a better idea of the overriding agenda once we see the judges’ comments and scoring.
P.s. Has it been said if the squaring off couples will be dancing to the same music?
AR: “Not surprising that they’re already starting this Derek v. Val…”
I’m surprised they waited two whole weeks! L But judging from certain promotion, interviews and articles, one might say that they started before the premier!
Audrey: “I like that the 2 couples won’t dance at the same time, but then again it also means that there’ll still be 12 performances for the 1 hour show, so I don’t understand why the hell the producers had to come up with this ‘dance off’ and ‘immunity’ crap. they could have just had a ‘normal’ show since every single couple will perform as usual. so again: doesn’t make sense!”
I think it will save time in terms of rehearsal packages, judging, interviewing, applause and taking/leaving the stage. But leave it to DWTS to cram 12 dances into one hour but take 2 hours to tell us if 6 couples are safe/not.
CCNY: “I can already see it next week: “Welcome to Dancing with the Stars: Clusterfuck Night! I’m Tom Bergeron” “And I’m Erin Andrews. This week… is gonna be a mess!”
Too funny!!! And probably a VERY apt lead in!
@wynn, Lindsay said the couples are dancing the same style but to different music.
Ok so this weird format is very very clear in its intent….tptb must think we are morons. hope Marilu and Derek make that plan fall flat on its face
Hit submit to early: I kinda hope Ryan gets hive so at least we get a Cheryl jive this season. Her jives are always a blast
I honestly don’t think that Laurie will win the dance-off with Marilu – Laurie has a very fun, bubbly personality, so the tango attitude and energy won’t feel natural to her (as the jive and cha cha did). Plus, Derek’s tangos are *always* amazing, both Argentine and regular, while Val – meh. Add that the tango requires some maturity and sensuality, that Laurie hasn’t been in hold yet, and that Marilu’s technique is likely to be *far* better than Laurie’s (just based on Marilu’s foxtrot and Laurie’s jive), and you have Marilu winning – unless there’s blatant manipulation, which I don’t *think* TPTB would do this early in the season. I could be wrong, but the manipulation tends to get worse as the season progresses, and they’re probably not worried about Laurie at this point (there are so many more dancers that are less popular and less well known), so as long as she has the highest scores of any of the losers, she’ll be fine. But what do I know…
Having Marilu opposite Laurie is a ridiculous matchup, however, the producers may be indicating that Marilu is getting a ton of votes, and Laurie, maybe not so much.
The producers may consider Marilu, Laurie’s greatest competition.
Like others have stated, I think Marilu could wipe the floor with this Tango, because no one, especially Val, can choreograph a Tango like Derek.
Thank you so much, Derek, for being so open and honest with us about your experience and your understanding of this show.
I think the rest of the pair-ups will be very telling…
James will probably win his pairing, whoever it is (assuming that he can move his hips) – of those who aren’t paired, he won’t be against Babyface (doing jive) or V. Ice or Rick (both have already done cha cha), so he’ll be going up against Ryan, Amber, Jana or Maureen – and I think Jana’s the only one who would have a shot at beating him.
Who Babyface is going to get is a bit less clear, since those who have already done jive are paired up already (or gone), so he could have anyone other than James.
I think they’ll pair Rick against someone they really want to have immunity and who otherwise might not be safe, since every indication is that Rick is technically the worst dancer (though he is improving, and I’m enjoying how much *he’s* enjoying the experience) – so my guess would be Amber, though Ryan or Maureen might be other choices. My guess, though, is that Ryan is getting the votes at the moment, given how critical the judges were (or just less positive in how they gave their critiques), so they might not want to protect him. I suppose Babyface might be another one TPTB might pick to go against Rick – I think they might want Babyface around, for who is showing up to support him (Erin even made a comment about it on Monday’s show).
I can’t really take a guess at the moment for the other pairings – I don’t know who TPTB are seeing as expendable (or as a threat to their storyline), so it’s hard to speculate without more info. But it can be fun. 🙂
Come on let’s go…Team Hennergy for the win!
I so agree Susan2 #57 and Katrina Seuss #68. Derek could careless about the score or immunity or rivals. He wants his partner to have the best experience. He gives his total attention to the choreography resulting in the best dance they can perform and that people remember. And guess what we fans do remember.
I’m hyped for the Laurie and Marilu face off but I think Laurie might do better since I see Marilu as more graceful dancer so in my mind I can’t see her attack the moves but I hope they both do good
*Attack the moves in the tango sorry
This dance off seems to be like the Bindi/Nick dance off in S21 – 2 couples dance the same dance style to the same song one after the other and then get scores.
I think Marilu vs. Laurie in a Tango is definitely done to make Laurie look less of a ringer. The dancestyle choice does Marilu a favor and if Marilu wins against Laurie (which is definitely a possibility in that particular style) Val and the media can go on and on again about how Marilu is the ringer this season with her dance and Broadway background…
Even though Derek choreographs amazing tangos, TPTB will give the judges the “agenda” and God only knows how the scores will be handed out. Guess I am trying to say, the better dancer might not get the highest score! Oh why can’t this show just be fun and enjoyable!!!
Would it be better for Marilu / Derek to dance AFTER Laurie / Val or before? I’m thinking that AFTER would be better. Break out those “9” paddles.
I assumed that right after the Week 2 eliminations, the contestants would choose who they’re competing against, with the highest (or lowest) scoring celeb choosing first. And then the assigned dance would be based on what each pair hasn’t yet danced to. But who knows how the pairings were chosen.
I hope that Jana and James will be paired against each other.
@Amanda
Derek said in his TV Guide blog that the producers chose the pairings. He assumes they picked Laurie/Marilu because they wanted the youngest against the oldest. They also paired the tallest (Calvin) against the smallest (Terra) contestant so they seem to be going for opposites…
I had to rewatch Val’s last 2 Tangos because I couldn’t even remember them, they were with Danica (they were eliminated after it) and Tamar (they faught about his macho concept). Derek has done 4 Tangos in his 3 latest seasons (with Bethany, Nastia, Bindi and Alexa) and I liked them all but the judges loved his Tango with Alexa in particular… I’m excited to see what he’ll come up with.
@Heri: Oh okay. Well, that’s pretty lame that the producers chose the pairings. They could’ve at least had the contestants randomly choose names out of a hat.
If I hope the rest of the pairings are fair in terms of skill level. At least they’re not doing that ridiculous “America as a 4th/5th judge” thing.
I watched Val’s tango with Zendaya and Derek’s tango with Jennifer Grey since they are the most similar age wise to their current partners. Both tangos were good but I think Derek and Jennifer’s was better. Hoping to see some good dancing in this pair off We shall see.
@Narice: I think Val did an Argentine Tango with Zendaya, not a Standard Tango
@Narice
Zendaya/Val and Jennifer/Derek both danced the Argentine Tango not the Tango. Val danced the Tango with Danica and Tamar. Derek danced the Tango with both Bindi (the AC/DC Tango in week 2) and with Alexa in his last season.
I’m thinking Ryan/Amber, James/Jana, Babyface/Vanilla, and Maureen/Rick.
I’m already ready to get this week over with, hopefully it proves to be better than expected.
I just realised that Derek danced both the Argentine Tango and the Tango with Jennifer Grey, the Tango was to “Shut up” by the Black Eyed Peas.
I loved Val’s Tango with Danica, I hope he choreographs something like that. 🙂
It’s not the fact that Marilu would be in danger of elimination because she wouldn’t be. It’s the fact that they can use this to prop Val and Laurie up in the viewers eyes making people think he is the best pro on the show. Like everyone says Derek always does good tangos, it’ll be telling if Marilu’s is better than Laurie’s and then we’ll see TPTB’s agenda for the golden couple come into play.
I have to believe that anyone with reasonable intelligence is just going to think that Val and anyone else who cries “well, Laurie got beat because Marilu is a ringer” is an idiot. And they would be an idiot.
Marilu’s two advantages in this dance don’t make her a ringer – they make her a 64 year old with life experience and Derek as a teacher. 🙂
Is it going to be possible for both couples to get the same score? And the same score by Len? Who would be awarded the immunity? Hmmmm.
Most of the time in these things, the immunity would go to the person with the highest cummulative score…which would be Laurie. So, that’s one way for them to have their cake and eat it too. Marilu ties someone 48 years younger than her, but Laurie still gets the immunity. They can rave about how wonderful (and how much a ringer) Marilu is, and still prop up Val and Laurie.
That might be their goal, M8 – probably is – but they can’t change perception and it’s pretty widely perceived that Derek is the best pro the show has ever had. They just need to try to bring Val up to his level. And good luck with that.
I think it’s a ploy to get people worked up about their favorites (and have to tune in) while getting rid of Ryan. I predict he will go up against James who has the Cha Cha Cha.
#M8. Hah. If they are trying to change the perception of the audience to view Val as better than Derek, then they sure shot themselves in the foot by putting him in that neon yellow suit and making him the center of attention during that wonderful “Clap Your Hands” routine. To me, it screamed — “He’s our star and we’re proud of the boy”. No, I don’t think they are trying to make the audience think that Val is better… If anything is going hinky along those lines, I would guess that they might just bend over backwards to prove they aren’t cutting Derek any breaks this season. But Derek will face that challenge with a smile.
#PH… I would hate for that to be decided on past cumulative scores… it would be better for them either to award immunity to both or to none in the case of a tie this time I think.
On Hinch’s Instagram story, it sounds like Sharna is listening to the song they’re dancing to.
Not sure what it is, but I thought one of the music sleuths on here might be able to figure it out.
We already tried that, CM…and we failed. 🙂
In the Marilu/Lauri match-up, I think Laurie has the edge. Even though they both have an advantage the other one doesn’t have (Laurie has youth and Marilu has Derek), for the tango youth wi for the tango, I have to give it to the youngster. I think she can handle much more difficult choreography, and he I think she can handle much more difficult choreography (which Val can deliver), But she has never done a ballroom dance… It’s either going to be Laurie in a landslide or really really close, but either way, Team Valaur comes out on top.
I just don’t get TPTB way of thinking when it comes to Val. If they think that Val is the best pro since apple pie… then they haven’t looked very hard for anything better. It’s almost like deep down inside they know… that’s ALL they’ve got! So let’s shine this rock up and make it look more valuable than it actually is.
@PH, I listened to it a couple more times after I posted, and I think it might be “Big Trouble” by Outasight. 🙂
They won’t do that though, Psychee. EVERY time in the history of the show where they’ve had this situation, they’ve used cumulative score.
“either a landslide or really, really close” – kinda covered all your bases there, didn’t ya ZeeZee.
Laurie isn’t really the question here. Can VAL deliver on the choreography. His record is spotty at best.
Princess Heidi, I am saying that Laurie definitely has the edge, and will probably win this pairing, but I think Marilu will come really close. Val’s choreography is a very traditional, which might score translate to an extra point or two from Len, but Derek is Derek, and his choreography for the 64-year-old may not be exciting or dynamic, but he’ll make sure his partner gets all the steps and that will be good for their scores.
You can’t deny that his “lack of inspiration” made their foxtrot boring.
And yes, I do think Val can deliver amazing choreography. He has finally been paired with an athlete who can handle the kind of choreography he’s really good at.
Although it wouldn’t surprise me, I don’t think they are pitting Laurie against Marilou in order to prop Val up. I’m with Psychee, Derek was clearly the focal point of that pro dance and they made it crystal clear who their star pro is IMO. I do think perhaps they are trying to show that Laurie is not the only ringer by putting her against another dancer, albeit one who is 48 years older. Although I think Laurie is running away with the votes, only basing this on what I see on SM, there may be some concern long-term that people may turn from Laurie since since she is considered by many in a league of her own.
I really think they are concerned about losing Maks early in the season, maybe even Cheryl. I’ll be very surprised if Amber doesn’t win immunity though 😉
#PH Yes, I know you are right about that, but for conversation sake, just in the off chance that someone who has power over these things might read these comments for a lark (wishful thinking), I would argue that in the past, they always had a need to determine a SINGLE winner of immunity who was also awarded extra points. So in those cases, it made sense to use the cumulative score as a tie-breaker.
But in this case, no extra points are going to be awarded, they are already going to have six folks awarded immunity — something that has never been done before — how can it matter if there are, instead, five or seven?
Anyway, those are my thoughts… perhaps not worth much, though.
@ZeeZee
Derek’s “lack of inspiration” wasn’t what made their Foxtrot boring but the fact that parts of the music are completely not suited for Foxtrot. He said in TV Guide that he had loads of creative ideas but couldn’t make them work with that music.
@ZeeZee i really hope you’re wright about Val pushing Laurie in terms of choreography, I always look up for great routine and great moves, because TBH I’m still bitter from season 18 and the level of choreo that came out from Meryl Davis, that woman was capable of more than just a chowmance and safe routines, sharna did a far better job with charlie.
#ZeeZee. You are thinking that it is possible for Laurie/Val to beat Marilu/Derek in a TANGO by a LANDSLIDE when Derek gets to use music that he loves? I think you might be setting yourself up for a disappointment there. This is a TANGO we are talking about. Some of the best tangos I have seen were danced by older women, and Marilu is an actress who has no problems at all doing “sexy” or whatever other emotion that Derek wants her to portray. They are going to pull out all the stops on this one, for the sheer pleasure of it, I think, and the judges are going to love it. That’s my prediction. It should be fun to see how it turns out on Monday!
For the heck of it, I’ve come up with some guesses for the matches.
Tallest versus Shortest (we know this one already)
Oldest female versus youngest female (ditto)
Driver versus Swimmer
Country music singer versus rap singer
music writer versus book writer (Maureen)
and…
sexpot versus puritan (lol)
LOL!! Ah, I love it when the delusional Val fans come to play…
Carry on, silly child. Thanks for the laughs.
Derek’s foxtrot being “boring” is highly subjective. And really, a “boring” Derek routine is still miles ahead of what Val can typically accomplish, so…
If they are worried about losing Amber earlier in this season, they’ll pair her with Rick. Or they could pair her with Maureen and have Amber win by the odd point so that it doesn’t look to blatant. Either way I’ll be shocked if Amber loses her dance off because I think if she does then she’ll go home and I can’t see TPTB letting Maks get eliminated in week 3.
Psychee22 – if you’re right about these pair ups, then I predict we’ll see Ryan, Maureen, Vanilla, Calvin, and Rick as the respective losers in their pairs. I’m not sure if Laurie or Marilu will win that match up – I think Marilu will do better, but who knows how manipulated the scores will be. It’s possible that Terra will be in danger instead of Calvin, but given how the judges have been scoring both of them, I’d say Calvin. Whoever loses from the Laurie/Marilu match up will be safe, as will Calvin (I think he’s definitely getting the votes), and I think Ryan will be safe too (even if they put him “in jeopardy” or leave him as one of the last two standing as they did this past time) – which means Maureen, Rick, or Vanilla would go home.
I think the Rick vs Amber match up is a good guess – it’s the one match up Amber would be pretty much guaranteed to win (though she might against Maureen or Vanilla as well – it would just be a lot less certain) – so it would be a good choice if TPTB are trying to protect Amber.
It’s going to be sad to lose anyone right now, because I think the celebs this season are all pretty likable – the only one who wasn’t is already gone. Of course, there are celebs I’m less interested/invested in than others – I have definite favorites – and I don’t really care for all of the *couples* – but that is really the pro’s fault in those.
Forgot to put this in my earlier post but just to add, I feel like if Amber is going to be saved then Maureen is who TPTB will sacrifice to keep her around. I don’t think they will care about who stays and who goes between Maureen and Rick so they’ll just let them fight it out in the votes while Amber is safe with immunity. Terra will probably beat Calvin as well. There’s no guarantee that she’ll have the votes to beat a Maureen or Rick whereas Calvin you’d imagine will with his football fanbase and ever present likeable personality.
Does anyone know the name of the song that Maks, Cheryl, and Derek danced to?
“Game Changers! Brotsjor by Olafur Arnalds
@zeezee..There’s a difference between opinion a fact. Deciding whether a dance is boring or exciting falls in the opinion category, and we’re all entitled to our own.
The first time I recall Derek being candid was towards the end with Nastia.
To change the subject, I would really like to see Laurie win it all. I really wish she were with Sasha or Gleb, though.
I’m still trying to figure out how all of this is going to take place in one hour! I’m dumbfounded by it!!!
@Carrie W according Marilu’s latest interview There is no judging comments, only scores so that would save a lot of time
Do we know when they will post all the songs and the dance style .
I see there is another PJ posting now, so I will be PJ #1. I have been traveling and not been able to see the full shows, but keeping up on Pure. I really do not like this “dance off” format. A lot of room for manipulation. I think Marilu/Derek can hold her own against Laurie/Val, just don’t know what the master plan is that TPTB have in mind. It will def be interesting to see the end results.
At this point, I’m a bit over with people complaining about Marilu/Derek vs. Laurie/Val. It doesn’t matter who wins, they are both extremely unlikely to go home, especially on week three. I’d turn more focus to people who are actually in serious danger of leaving, like Rick, Maureen, and Amber.
Julianne and Derek being on opposite sides of the judging table with all the manipulation and drama going on would prove to be an interesting conversation at their dinner table. She’s kinda stuck in the middle of being the puppet of the puppet master and devoted sister. Maybe the manipulations are all just a game that everyone is playing to get viewers worked up and voting/watching.
Maureen having salsa – I think she’s going to be in trouble. Given what she’s done so far, I don’t see her really getting the salsa vibe and just going for it. I’m predicting it might be a bit of a mess. Plus, I think all of the people she might be paired with (Rick, Ryan, Amber, Vanilla, and Jana) are either going to have better technique or be more able to really let loose and get into it than Maureen will – or both.
yikes. Maureen and the salsa. Unless she’s up against Rick, I can’t see her winning immunity.
I would bet they don’t talk about it at all, Sheri. Derek said he mentioned something about one of his partners…I think it was Bindi…and she used it against him when making comments. I don’t think he’ll make that mistake again. 🙂
Well, Alison, QUIT READING the site if you’re over it.
Well #117, if a boring foxtrot is one that has musicality, elegance, tempo and direction changes, lots of content and dancing in hold and ease of movement through challenging steps, then I guess Derek&Marilu’s foxtrot WAS boring.
So Jana is up against Babyface. I wonder if this means it was Gleb that Allison was shading on Twitter yesterday about stealing ideas! As for the other pairings, I think it’s fairly obvious that the loser of Amber v Maureen goes home and I think it’ll be Maureen. Even if she pulls off a better Salsa than Amber (which she shouldn’t) the judges will give Amber the edge in scores. Like I’ve said above no way will Maks be allowed to leave this early.
No offense, but did you women SERIOUSLY just call a 16yr old young lady a hoe? Really? Are you all mother’s? You should seriously be ashamed of yourself. Screenshot and sending this over to TPTB, one of which happens to be a producer and a good friend of mine. This site needs to be taken down. Such disgust and bias it’s sickening.
LOL!!! Um, you can’t be friends with a producer with your complete and utter lack of reading comprehension skills, dear. You might want to read it again and then google “row to hoe”. Jesus, the idiocy.
Here…let me help you. From the Grammarist:
This is the origin of the idiom tough row to hoe, which describes a large, challenging task. A literal tough row to hoe might be one that is long or that involves hoeing dirt with lots of rocks or roots. A figurative tough row to hoe is any large undertaking that is especially difficult. Road to hoe is a misspelling.
By all means. Screenshot away. That usually has us quaking in our boots (and no, I didn’t call myself footwear).
Oh that’s what she was referring to? HAHA. I was confused, cause I don’t remember anyone her using any derogatory terms to describe Laurie. Oh my god, the stupidity on the internet.
Sure misspelling, right. Correct it then so people will not get the wrong impression. Oh one last thing, my reading comprehension is just fine. It’s YOUR mistake in ‘writing’ the incorrect phrasing in this extremely biased blog post. Oh I’m not the only friend of a producer, check your list. Just know this has been reported. Much appreciated.
My shock at the stupidity on display rendered me temporarily at a loss for words…now I’m thinking of all kinds of shit to add.
I’ll try to make this my final thought: We don’t live in Donald Trump’s America just yet, sweetheart, where you can censor any blog, website or news outlet that you don’t agree with or like. *I* can delete anything I find to be objectionable from this site because I work here – that’s the way it goes. But you don’t get blogs removed just cuz you don’t like the content. Look up the First Amendment, while you’re looking up “row to hoe”.
It’s NOT A MISSPELLING!! OMG…you’re crazy.
Report away – I won’t be the only one laughing.
I know this really doesn’t apply to this column which is excellent so thank you mods for again getting us info so fast and accurately. And I think this is another one of Rob Wade’s screw ups but whatever. I just thought that after watching the show now twice and reading Maks’ blog I never thought I would prefer to have Maks on the show instead of Val assuming we have to have one C Brother. Maybe it’s Peta’s influence and baby but I’ll take him over Val. There. I said it. Stone me. Remind me next time I post about him I actually said these words because I can’t believe I did.
oh my god I don’t think anybody here hate Laurie, she’s a sweetheart, and if she won then good for her, what’s going on
I’m with ya, Liz. I vastly prefer Maks to Val as well. And I think I can say that regardless of what Maks says and does this season.
Yep, that will almost certainly come back to bite me now. 🙂
I will be bummed if they prop up Ryan at Hinch’s expense.
So of these pairings I think (and this is just me randomly guessing) that Jana, Laurie, Vanilla Ice, Amber, James and Calvin might win their respective face-offs.
I worry about Maureen with the Salsa but she does seem to be gaining a lot of self confidence which might bode well for her.. but then in terms of technique? idk. The Salsa seems right up Amber’s alley and I hope this is the dance where she really has a breakthrough.
Can’t wait to see Vanilla Ice and Rick doing a Paso Doble .. I’m already laughing for some reason 😛
Jeez that person is cuckoo for Coco Puffs. I think in all the years I’ve been reading this site, those comments are the most ridiculous and idiotic EVER!
Had a feeling the immunity nonsense was at least in part to protect Maks. Now, I’m wholly convinced. I don’t think Amber is getting the votes and that’s a big problem for the show. Like Maks said in his blog, she’s not as “danceable as we thought.” My question is, what did he mean by “we?”
@CC, I agree with all of your assessments, except after hearing Marilu’s tango song, I can see why Derek loves and he will come up with some magic. Laurie’s song is eh and she hasn’t danced in hold yet.
@Catherine- thanks so much for the laugh. I got to spend all day in court so I really appreciate you ridiculous outrage. I won’t touch you weird lack of understanding of “road to hoe” but I did get a kick out of you reporting a private internet blog to your producer friend. If you’ve got any lawyer friends, I suggest you run your “I’m gonna get an internet blog shut down because I’m unfamiliar with garden tools” crusade past them- let me know how it turns out. I’m also quite certain people have reported them before- but here they are.
On to the show- looking at this list it looks like Terra and Amber have the most to gain from this. They both have potential to win their matchup and I’m really wondering about their voting bases. Its also BS in my opinion that they each have a different song- that’s probably the most blatant manipulation in my opinion.
@Chayse, Am I going crazy or did I recall Tom saying they’re facing off against each other doing the same dance style to the same song? Once I saw the song list I thought “OK, this makes it very interesting”…
I don’t remember if Tom said that or if I assumed that because that’s how its been every other time. How is it really a match up if they have different songs with different style and different types of choreo? Such a mess
I agree that Amber will most likely win her dance off since Salsa seems to be right up her alley! I could see her stick around a few weeks more but about Maks not leaving early – is it really that unlikely for him to be eliminated fairly early? Hasn’t he left early before in other seasons (can’t quite remember)?
I think Derek is the only pro who can carry a celeb far into the competition all on his own.
The matchups look pretty even to me as far as matching dance ability goes, except for James and Ryan. Ryan has a clear disadvantage here.
OK, so I get the oldest vs the youngest woman, the tallest dancer vs the shortest, the driver vs the swimmer, and the country music vs R&B music, but I’m wondering how they are going to bill the other two match ups.
Oh… Big booty vs small booty could be one, lol, but would they say that? No, don’t think so…. And I have no guesses for the Rick vs V.Ice smackdown. I doubt we will hear them say “we paired them this way so we could determine in advance who would win” !
Changing the subject, Derek’s choice of music this time is reminiscent of his Alexa tango. Sort of apocalyptic. I would have preferred sexy, but he always does well with the drama bit if he fashions it in a way that Len can appreciate.
James is my favorite this season. It looks like he has the advantage over Ryan and I wonder if his slightly low balled score on the Paso was so the dance off up this week didn’t look overly lopsided. However, we don’t know if James can do the Latin movement. That was the problem for good dancers like Evan Lysacek, who could not win the title, in part because of those stiff hips imho. Also, Cheryl choreographs great Cha Cha”s especially for guys who aren’t natural Latin dancers, like Rob Kardashian and Jack Osbourne. Ryan is definitely a challenge but he is gaining in sympathy at least that is how he is being edited, so this will be an interesting match up.
I don’t know what I find more disappointing, that Maureen is paired up against Amber in a salsa……………or that there’s actually someone out there who has never heard of the phrase “row to hoe.” As in long row to hoe or tough row to hoe.
I suspect Maureen learning the salsa this week will be a tough row to hoe. I mean that. But I hope she enjoys it.
Just a weird question. Why did they bring Gleb back if not to maybe change horses from Val as a possible star going forward? Would love the mods opinion on this.
If “row to hoe” is confusing, I wonder what she would make of the term “hoedown” … ?
I wouldn’t be so sure the chose their own music. I don’t think he says that, but he says he likes the music.
Oh dear lord, Psychee!! LOL – nuthin’ good. Nuthin’ good at all.
Wow. I guess right.
The show wants Ryan out and they know what brings eyeballs to the show…a dance off between Derek vs Val.
whoever chose these pairs must want ryan gone…he’s the only one who has basically no chance of winning his matchup
As many have said, I agree The Laurie vs Marilu is definitely advantage Marilu. There are some dances that just suit the mature dancer and ballroom Tango is one of them. I think we’re in for a classic in the tradition of Psycho Tango since Derek will be pushed artistically to showcase his celebrity in a head to head match up with the front runner which can make this a horse race instead of a runaway train for Laurie .
Derek lives for these types of challenges. Laurie will no doubt be technically strong but dance is also about a moment that transcends technique. I think the only person who can beat Marilu is Marilu if she gets into her head or overly nervous. Otherwise I join the chorus of those calling this one for Marilu. I say this as one who likes James and Laurie as faves this season, but if Marilu can rise to consistent Jennifer Grey type dancing , she can emerge as a fave and really challenge for the title
Sorry, I meant ‘I guessed right’ about Ryan vs James.
@Psychee22 (123)
I.T.A. with you!! Marilou is 64 going on 24 and she will act and dance along with the “Master” of choreography & dance, Mr. Hough and they will bring a “masterpiece” Tango to the dance floor. They have a great connection with each other.
Since Derek likes the music, he will not “pull any punches” and will create an awesome Tango.
Oh dear, I hope no one reads my words wrong and think that I met he will not hold back any punches toward Laurie or Val. 🙂
I think Tommy Chong said it in his season. The tango is about life experience. He was certainly not a great dancer but if I recall that was his best dance. Why? Because of all his life experience that even Peta couldn’t back lead or teach him. He had that world weary way about him. Marilu is older. She’s been there, done that. Like Tommy she brings real life experience to the table. Between Derek’s awesome choreo and her acting skills/life experience, I can see her surpassing Laurie. We haven’t seen Laurie in hold. Can she do the steps? Likely yes. Will Val choreo better than Derek? When it snows in Florida. Laurie doesn’t have the life experience or acting skills Marilu has for this dance.
@Psychee22- Thanks for that belly laugh. ? What about “backhoe” or “hoecake”? Shut my mouth.
@Catherine Ward Miller. As a lawyer I can tell you that your complaint to “your friend the producer” probably gave the Legal Department a much needed laugh. “A tough roe to hoe” is one of the most common expressions in the English language and certainly in the business world. In addition, you may not like all the comments the mods make but let me set you straight. Never have these mods called out any celeb or poster using derogatory language. They may not have agreed or told someone they are banned or on notice as is their right. You are way off the mark here and while I know the mods do not like us to respond to their poster’s opinions, I’m willing to take that chance because you are just so off base as to be insane. Might I suggest going to Google. It might be of some help to you. These people work extremely hard and put in long hours to give us this information for free. They don’t call celebs “hoes” or any other degrading names. This is their house and if you don’t like it, like Derek said to the Ryan protestors “Get out.” Sorry mods, but I couldn’t let this slide after all the work you have done.
@Butterfly Whirl, I actually think Maureen’s salsa will be more entertaining to watch compared to Amber’s, possible due to a heavy assist from the troupe and Artem’s creativity compared to Amber’s just being overly sexualized and glamorized by, booty shakin (so much for Maks trying to show her in a different light). But, TPTB will probably have Amber win.
I don’t understand how this is fair at all by giving the couples different songs. A faceoff should use the same song not just styles. What if a judge just doesn’t simply like that song…gonna be hard to score higher.
LOL @Psychee22 #169…I hope Catherine Ward also screenshot Heidi’s definition of “tough roe to hoe”. No wonder the producers are always on Val’s side…because Catherine is a friend of one of the producers y’all, plus she’s not the only friend of the producers on the list!!…OMG!
I guess it’s a lesson for every one: read, then read again before you’re crazy mad and make a fool out of yourself.
I think this is all projection because none of us hate Laurie. Like I said, she looks like she’s having so much fun interacting with other pros and celebs. She’s there for the journey, I’m not sure about Val.
My predictions for TPTB manipulation:
Maureen vs. Amber – winner Amber
Calvin vs. Terra- winner Terra
Babyface vs. VanIce- winner VanIce
Laurie vs. Marilu- Laurie
James vs. Ryan- James
Immunity Winner: James.
Also, so happy they have HandClap performing on Tuesday night. Hopefully, they’ll have a fun performance by Witney, Lindsey, and Jenna.
wow…please ignore my previous post.
*Corrected
Rick vs. VanIce – winner VanIce
BabyFace vs. Jana – winner Jana
I think the combo Maureen/Amber in a Salsa dace-off puts Maureen at the clearest disadvantage.
Oh as I sat down and read through the latest batch of comments I was laughing so hard! I sure have a big row to hoe to get my mind back on what I was doing! It’s a tough nut to crack trying to figure out where our education system went wrong. I won’t beat around the bush by barking up the wrong tree. But I guess I’ll just let sleeping dogs lie. Otherwise, this idiom fun could go on forever!
I am wondering what will happen to the votes of the immune couples. Will people vote for one of the other 6 because their favorite is immune?
oh never mind. I just re read the comments and see that they will be doing an elimination the next Monday. This is so confusing.
They could have easily paired instead:
Laurie/Ryan – Olympians
Terra/Amber – smallest girl/tallest girl
Marilu/Maureen – nostalgic TV actresses
James/Calvin – sport guys
I think they are actually trying to show that Laurie isn’t the clear frontrunner she appears to be. People tend to forget about the clear frontrunners after a while because they assume that they are safe anyway. Laurie would have had it much easier had they paired her up against Ryan. Maureen/Amber Salsa looks like a clear ploy to safe Amber/Maks.
The show doesn’t want Ryan out. Yes it’s a mismatch and he’ll lose, but no way will he get eliminated. He’s got more than enough votes to beat Maureen and Rick. People haven’t forgotten about the premiere.
#M8. With the formidably reliable Texas and evangelical vote behind him, I think we have to consider that Rick might have far more votes than any of us would anticipate based on his dancing skills alone.
I see Amber & Maureen going before Rick & Lochte. And I’m leaning toward Amber going before Maureen because of the voting demo.
re Psychee and the booty size thing:
Maureen and Artem VERSUS Amber and Maks – Salsa
Maureen: Song: “Tres Deseos” (“Three Wishes”) by Gloria Estefan)
Amber: Song: “Booty” by Jennifer Lopez featuring Iggy Azalea)
I don’t know that they’ll actually mention it during the show but TPTB have obviously gone there. Not that it surprises me.
@Psychee @Narice I think it’s more something along the lines of classic/old-fashioned/conservative vs. modern. Maureen is known for a classic, old-fashioned show and will be dancing to an older, more tradicional Salsa song, compared to Amber who is more hip and will dance to a pop song that just happens to fit the Salsa.
@Bia
I think you’re right, Classic vs. Modern fits the Maureen/Amber matchup but how did they come up with the Rick/Vanilla Ice matchup? Are they doing the conservative female (Maureen) vs. hip female (Amber) and cconservative male (Rick) vs. hip male (Vanilla Ice)?
lmfao.
Really – I got nothing else. And hoedown – in a house full of boys, that joke is like standard daily comedy.
I’m gonna make a prediction, just call it a gut feel. I think whoever wins the immunity btwn Laurie and Marilu – will not win the MBT. And I think Marilu does have a huge advantage in Tango. Her lines, Derek, Laurie doesn’t seem to show passion, Derek, and did I mention Derek? Anyway – I am very interested in seeing if Laurie can show passion, seriousness, etc. Thats where I think she will struggle. So lets see what happens
EmnEm – you could be right. And I have to say that Maureen did seem to grow more between week one and week two – she upped her score, while Amber didn’t (not that scores always tell the truth….). It will be interesting to see which way it comes down.
nl – your post was great fun (as were all the others addressing the sad lack of reading ability or *something* that Catherine displayed). 🙂
I think a lot of the couples are better matched than I thought at first glance – though there’s plenty of room for producer manipulation.
If all’s fair, I think Marilu will win her match up. And of course, whoever loses this one will be safe.
Terra vs Calvin is a hard one to call for me – V. waltz ideally should have some sweeping motion around the floor to it (one of the reasons Amber’s fell so flat is that it didn’t have any), which I think would be tough for Terra. Her overall footwork though, is better than Calvin’s at this point. However, if TPTB are protecting her, then she wins, no matter what Calvin does. I don’t think Calvin will go home though, because I’d be shocked if he’s not pulling in the votes. The only times football players haven’t gotten to the top four or five is when they come across as not wanting to be there or have bad attitudes – neither of which applies to Calvin. So even if Calvin loses his match up, he’s going to be okay. If Terra loses, I don’t know – I might be worried for her.
I don’t want to even try to call Jana vs Babyface – Jana probably has better technique, but she’s injured, and I think Babyface has better musicality. I think (unless Jana’s injury gets in the way) they’ll both do well. I can’t even make a call based on the pros and how they choreograph, because I’m not familiar with either of their ability to create a jive. I also think there will be a good chance that whoever loses from this pairing will be safe in the votes.
I think the producers gave Rick probably the best shot he could have gotten at winning his match up – while Vanilla is a better dancer than Rick, he’s still not great, and I think Emma is a better teacher (and probably choreographer) than Witney. Also, it seems to me that both Rick and Vanilla move a bit awkwardly (unless Vanilla is doing hip hop – then clearly not), and I think the paso, with its strong lines and posture, will be a little more natural for Rick than Vanilla – hip hop is about as far away from paso as you can get. Plus, Rick has the better paso music. Vanilla will probably still win, but I don’t think this pairing will be hugely lopsided. If Rick loses, he’s probably safe in the votes (depending on who else is there and the score differential); Vanilla, I don’t know.
James, if he can move his hips, should win his match up – this is probably the one with the biggest gap between abilities. However, as Casanova mentioned earlier, Cheryl is really good at creating cha chas for guys without dance experience, so I don’t think Ryan will be a train wreck. Ryan probably will be safe (assuming he loses); James would definitely be safe if he lost (but he won’t lose).
Amber vs Maureen – I think Amber wins, but Maureen may be better than I’m predicting she will. I just don’t see her doing a really fun, sassy salsa. However, Amber has been very heavy in her dancing, which doesn’t fit salsa either. Whoever loses this one will probably be in trouble, and (at the moment, with no scores or knowing who else is in danger) would be my best guess for the person who goes home.
I just listened to Maureen’s song. Is it really in Spanish and as quick as lightning? Boy, they aren’t playing around. I get that Maks has a lot of loyal fans who are thrilled he’s back, just as I am for Derek, but if they’re trying to sacrifice Maureen to save him that’s just wrong since this is supposed to be about the celebrity. On the positive side, Artem is playing the game well this season so I hope he gives them the middle finger and comes up with a winner for Maureen. I really like him this season.
Rose, if Maks does have so many loyal fans, then he shouldn’t need so much help to stay safe in the 3rd week of competition. TPTB put Derek and Cheryl’s partners against the top 2 scoring celebs, while putting Maks’ partner against one of the weakest ones. I do think Amber has a lot of potential, we just haven’t seen it yet.
I wish the couples were picked live without any producer manipulations.
Man…now we’re talking about nuts and bushes…this is sure to get screencapped and reported to the producers on “the list”. :::whispers::: What is this list of which you speak?
Thanks for the laugh, Catherine Ward Miller! 🙄
I’m so glad I logged on here today, as it looks like it’ll be the last day this site will be up ;D
Thanks for all the great work ya’ll do here, love all of it !!
I DO totally believe that TPTB want to keep Maks around for a while longer. But the problem with Maks’ fans is, they seem to also vote for Val and Sharna. And I don’t think Amber is pulling in a lot of votes here.
What I find more interesting is, how early are they willing to lose Cheryl and Ryan Lochte? I don’t actually expect them to leave next even if they don’t have immunity. But will TPTB risk it? Or, do they know that team is safe yet because of votes? As for James and Sharna, even if he sucked, the “everyone should get a trophy” crowd is very, very convinced that she’s been robbed already a couple of times and they seem pretty determined that’s more important than MB2 for Val. They want it to be Sharna’s “turn” sooooooooo bad. And she does have a good partner in Hinch.
I don’t think we should rule Maureen out for her matchup. I can see her being able to really move her hips and feet for the salsa. She’s gotta shake the insecurity though and let loose. I’m looking forward to her salsa and would love to see her break out and surprise everybody.
My last post sounded bossy. Didn’t mean it that way ☺. I just have a feeling Maureen is going to surprise us and I hope she does.
LOL Linde! xx
@Sheri, with Artem and the troupe I think it may be more fun and a more entertaining production, but I doubt TPTB would give them a higher score than Maks and Amber. But, hey I sure as heck hope Maureen’s is much better. I actually think Artem is severely underused by the show. I rather see Artem go further than Maks.
But hey maybe Ray Chew and his band are reading this blog and “accidentally” miss their cue for Amber’s song….catch my drift here ?
And I know we are supposed to be rooting for the celebs, but I think TPTB are trying to push the pros to be more competitive with one another…I mean they really need to after some of the Choreo from last season.
I swear if Amber and Maks do the head over the shoulder …point at my butt and jiggle the fat …step in their dance…I may have to pack my bags and by the road…or hop over the pond to strictly permanently
I was wondering if bigger productions weren’t being allowed with it being a “dance off” and only being a one hour show.
Mostly because Sharna who never shies away from production value mentioned she and Hinch were doing a straight up cha cha with no theme/production etc.
I guess it depends on the individual then?
#CM The time restrictions might reduce set changes. Usually, they can change a set during commercials and packages, but I don’t think they are going to have time for packages on Monday. But in Sharna’s case, she might be paring things down on purpose to get a better score from Len. Just a guess, though.
Ummm.. I’m confused as to why people are debating over a comparison of Laurie vs Marilu being an unfair one? Aren’t they in it for the same competition? they ARE against each other each week when the name go up on the scoreboard.
While I do feel pissed off by TPTB’s manipulation, I think Marilu actually got an advantage in both getting a Tango and going against Laurie.
1. If Marilu wins: it will solidify her as a contender and break the image of being an ok-to-decent dancer.
2. If Marilu doesn’t win it: it has an assumption that Derek’s tango will still be better like always and will make Derek fans rally and vote for them even more. Like they underscored Bindi for their Grace Kelly Foxtrot and the audience were enraged.
In any case, I’m excited and more interested in Marilu’s journey arc, giving a rat’s ass to TPTB’s manipulations, and pretty sure she’s making it to week 8-9 easily!
Vogue, please allow another catherine here. That came from a leftfield but was so funny. I big LOL reading it. The more serious catherine was, the funnier it became!
@CM That thought crossed my mind as well after hearing what Sharna said on her Ig story. But, I think Sharna just has an AMAZING song and a great dance choreographed kind of like her cha cha with Nick, which had no troupe or props. I expect all 8s for James but with his busy schedule and TPTB manipulation …who knows
Well, Robbie, some of us might feel it’s a matter of principle when there’s an “immunity” involved. The producers/judges can have the full say in one half of the competition being at NO RISK at going home that week.
I didn’t actually block Catherine (yet) because I was waiting with much anticipation for what she would say next. 😉
Yeah, it was Thursday night. What can I say.
I’m anticipating it too heidi. So funny
LOL, PH, me too! I’m really looking forward to your pithy comments when you do block “La Catherine”.
I’ve read all of these posts, twice now. You’ve given me so much to think about, and to laugh about (in some cases). I guess I am just looking forward to a wonderful tango from Derek and Marilu.
Oh don’t block Catherine. We need to find out how her reporting us to her producer friend went! It’s a juicy cliffhanger!
?
Kind of random…but since Catherine has communication with a DWTS producer, can she please relay my message of using the American Horror Story theme song for Halloween Week.
hehe
I was looking at the Just Jared site and this struck me “The couple with the highest score will find themselves immune from elimination, but the other couple will be in jeopardy. At the end of the night, the six low scoring couples will rely on the viewers’ votes to help save them, and one of those couples will be eliminated on Tuesday night’s results show.”
So from that I take it each winning dance off team will have immunity and the voters will only need to vote for the ones in jeopardy? If that’s true, that’s a bit of a twist for the audience, and the pairings make more sense to me.
I just read that Maureen is injured too. Is it just me or does it seem like a lot of injuries so early this season? Makes me wonder if they are asking a bit too much too early.
@Casanova – Hmmm… Very interesting. Another great way for TPTB to push their agenda without being too obvious.
LOL Metrojj. I loved it too. Hilarious!
Yup Vogue, hilarious! I still get a chuckle thinking about it
Mon can’t get here soon enough.
Also, I thought I heard Rick sprained his ankle.
Laurie in the “Video Diary” talks about Marilu having more dance experience than her.
I feel like bringing back ”3 most popular pros” just remained a hype only as they failed to deliver anything extraordinary so far. Because their choreography were totally forgettable & boring.
Both of the dances Maks did with Amber were TERRIBLE to say the least. Derek did ‘okay’ with Marilu, but both the dances were not standout either.. & as a long-time fan of the show, i do not expect ‘okay work’ from Derek but the ‘best’ only.. but sorry to say, Derek failed to make Marilu standout in both the dances with his choreography. Also, both of Ryan’s dances choreographed by Cheryl were boring & bland.. & i feel like Ryan could have done much better with a current gen. pro like Sharna, Lindsay, Witney, Peta or Allison.
Whereas the so called not so popular or original pros like Sharna, Sasha, Val, Gleb & Allison made their celeb partners standout among the rest successfully! Kudos to them!
@Casanova, yep, it looks like we are only voting for the 6 who are in “jeopardy”. The rest won’t need votes since they’ll be immune.
Opinion, Marla – and really, setting the bar higher for Derek than it is for everyone else is just wrong. He IS better than the other pros, but no one knocks it out of the park every time. I find his foxtrot more beautiful every time I watch it.
Don’t agree about Gleb in week 2 or Val (his partner is a huge ringer – she doesn’t need Val), Sasha was given a gift by the judges but let’s face it – Terra stands out all on her own as well. Now, Sharna and Allison did a good job this week – but that’s no reflection on Derek or Cheryl – or Maks for that matter. Compare the actual partners they are dancing with, and try to objectively.
Oh wait – never mind.
Sounds like Laurie is getting some coaching on how to trash talk the competition. How disappointing. The brainwashing has begun. Marilu’s so called dance experience was what? 25 to 30 years before Laurie was even born?? Only a child would not realize her own advantages.
ETA: Okay, that will teach me to respond to someone without listening to the video for myself. Laurie NEVER SAYS the word DANCE. Be more careful ter – she is clearly talking LIFE experience and if you listen to the whole diary she’s talking about how she’s only 16 and she hasn’t done much – she’s home schooled and she does gymnastics – whereas Marilu has a lot of life experience and has done a lot of thimgs. And she’s right – that’s exactly what a lot of us here have been saying for why Marilu might win this challenge.
It’s always good to have an arc.
Yeah…and it might be wise to remember that people were saying the same thing about Derek and Shawn up through week 3.
@Marla: Maybe Derek, Maks, and Cheryl are confident they could get through week 1 and 2 and don’t want their pros to peak too early. They are seasoned pros and know how to play the game. I agree with your opinion that Maks’ dances were terrible, but Derek’s week 1 dance and Cheryl’s dances were pretty good for me thus far. It’s only week 2 also…long way to go IMO
*celebs to peak too early
PH – loved the way you ETAed and corrected yourself about Laurie’s statement after watching the video. (y)
@EmnEm I agree with your guess about the “holy trinity of pros” knowing how to pace their celebs. Being on top of the leader board in week one for Derek, especially, would only work against Marilu. Instead, in the first couple of weeks, he does a great deal of promoting with his stars, lots of appearances, lots of interviews, getting folks in the general TV audience to warm up to his celeb so that they will watch the show and want to vote for her on Monday nights. He has never left the PR for his celeb up to the show and their “packages”. And in the studio, he has to be careful to keep the learning fun and not overwhelm his celeb… there is a relationship there that has to be built, a new body with strengths and weaknesses that he has to learn through trial and error how to best showcase, and a core of general skills that he introduces — like the dreaded “shoulder problem” and frame. Knocking things out of the choreography ballpark in the early weeks is not as important as later on when there is a real risk of being eliminated. Creating a dance that the celeb can do perfectly that is entertaining for the audience and leaves them smiling afterward would be enough of a goal for him, I would think.
That’s how mature people behave, Robbie. That’s how we roll here – if we realize we’re wrong, we say so. If you’ve been a long time reader, this would not surprise you.
@Marla Young: respect your opinion. My two cents on the matter would be that it’s too early to tag and label anyone at this point. I think to work with people with no dance background is extremely difficult, and most of the creativity for initials weeks is spent on how to let their guards down and be able to perform only, and intricacy of choreography comes much later. First couple of dances for Derek with any non-dancing celeb have been just easing them up. I am sure there’s much more and greater to come.
And to be honest really, I’m very excited to see a Kellie-Zendaya upset in this season too either it be James-Laurie or Marilu-Laurie 😛
PH – yeah that’s why I said loved and not surprised. I came across this site not long before a year and fell in love with it. To the point that I actually went back and read through the reviews Courtney had written for previous seasons I had watched! 😛
Wish you all the best, and would love to be of any help if need be.
#224
Derek, Maks, and Cheryl are being recognized for what they have “ALREADY” achieved on DWTS, not merely this season. The fact of the matter is, they are the most popular(Mark included).
Respectfully, Derek set the bar for the pros on this show so whether he wins again or not, what he’s achieved on DWTS should be recognized as it is unmatched. 6MBTS & 2Emmys for his choreography as well as countless awards outside of the show. The entertainment industry recognizes his talents. IMHO, its about time DWTS is showing their appreciation and recognizing him as well.
Regarding the matchup this week, I’m not a big fan of this but matchup it could prove to be an interesting competition. Good luck to all the couples.
Thanks for all that you all do at this site. It is appreciated. Always a good read!! 🙂
Well, TPTB are getting what they want with everyone talking about the matchups. Wish it all didn’t start so early in the season. Hope the celebs are okay tomorrow and injuries are minor. Good luck to all and thanks mods for all your hard work.
Erin isn’t going to be hosting tomorrow either, and Tom says someone else will be co hosting with him on Tuesday who hasn’t been confirmed yet. My bet is on Leah Remini or Alfonso Ribeiro. Erin is taking it off to be with her boyfriend, Jarrett Stoll after his nephew died. My heart goes out to her and Jarrett, and it’s probably best that we don’t have a co host for the one hour show anyways because everything’s already so tightly squeezed to fit such a short time frame and adding a co host would’ve having to squeeze in more time for them and less time for the stars.
Jana is already injured and that in itself shows how important it is to pace your celeb right. Overwhelming them in the first weeks could mean they can’t continue with the competition, especially at an older age, where they can’t recover fast.
Looking forward to the show – but really looking forward to seeing who wins immunity. Then we can see if/how much manipulation there was to save a certain couple. I think its obvious certain pairings are pretty much irrelevant who wins (Laurie/Marilu and James/Ryan), and then others seem like whoever loses may very well be out the door, only because half the celebs are immune.
And If I had to bet – I would say the loser of Maureen/Amber is the one going home.
And thanks mods for getting us ready for the show tonight!
I don’t think this dance off will change who would have gone home. I don’t see Rick winning his dance off and so far he’s had the lowest scores. The only thing a dance off will do at this stage is reveal TPTB game plan and helping those they want to keep awhile.
Disagree with that Narice. Amber and Terra are two celebrities who immediately stand out to me as ones who would be in serious danger should they lose their dance offs as I see Rick beating both of them in votes. But I expect both of them to win, Amber especially has been given a helping hand with her dance style and song choice against a 60 year old. Would she have been given the same help had Maks not been her pro? I doubt it very much!
Derek’s all about the journey he takes his partner on, so he’s going to be big on improvement over time. Look at Bethany, when she started out I thought she was going to make to week 7-8 max but look at how good of a dancer she became and even made it to the finals. I see with same with Marilu. And besides, week 1 they had a weird stage to dance on, week 2 the music was not what Derek wanted, and now week 3 he finally gets a song that he loves so expect some amazing stuff for their dance tonight. After all, he is the tango king.
I feel like this face off challenge as annoying as it seems (to me at least) is to help save Terra and James. IMO, TPTB might give James and Sharna the immunity. I don’t think it would be wasted on Laurie and Val as Im sure they are safe from votes.
What if there is a tie in scores?
I don’t think James needs saving just yet. In fact, he could win the whole thing.
As I said earlier in the comments, in a tie, they would most likely do what they always do and give the win to the team with the highest cuumulative score. Laurie and James are #1 and #2 respectively, then there’s a four way tie for 3rd place.
I’m excited to see a compact dwts in one hour. Curious how they will do it. It’s been a long time or never, dwts in one hour
@metro, we had an hour show last season during the finals in the Spring. It’s just not common to see an hour show with 12 contestants.
@Heidi- Giving it to the highest cumulative score makes sense, but I assumed it would a Len tie breaker (like Beth/Sadie or Noah/Robert).
My guesses right now at the couples “in jeopardy”: Laurie, Calvin, Ryan, Rick, Babyface, Maureen/Amber
I think whoever loses the Maureen/Amber battle might be in the worst shape (depending on the score spread). If Terra loses hers I also think she could be in trouble. Of course Ryan and Rick…Just typing this out I’m realizing what a mess this is going to be.
An hour will be doable without the Erin fluff. There will probably be just video package, dance and right to scores on the floor with Tom.
Hope my faves do well! Looking forward to the show after the debates (west coast).
Tina, is it season 22? I skipped that one. This season 23 i tuned in every week and you can guess why. Hint DMC…hahah
@metro, yes. Actually not just season 22 but mainly any season in the spring they tend to have a 3 couple (1 hour finals) on Monday and a two hour finale on Tuesday night. The reason is because normally the Bachelor/Bachelorette airs from 9-11 PM on Monday night so they have to do a 1 hour, 3 couple finale in the spring.
In the fall like this season, normally there are 4 couples in the finale and a two hour competition show on Monday night instead.
So Jana is second (again) and Laurie is near the end (again) .. I mean I shouldn’t be surprised but I’m starting to think they won’t ever put Laurie anything lower than .. 5th maybe.
But anyways, I suppose running order doesn’t really matter much tonight because of the immunity. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are getting the real pimp spot tonight. Hehehe.
Here’s hoping they’re saving Marilu AFTER Laurie because she’s gonna slay her Tango way harder than Laurie. We shall see.
Happy DWTS Monday everyone 🙂
They’ve always done highest cumulative score and when that is a tie they go to Len.
But I suspect they will have the rules be whatever they need them to be depending on the agenda. 🙂
Marilu is going to go last.I’m hoping that she will have a great routine and shine .I’m wondering if they put her last because she have a better routine than her.
I think that if they wanted Laurie to win she would go last instead of first just for the fact that they can gush all over her.
I expect Marilu, James, Amber, Ice, and Jana to win the dance-offs. Not sure about Calvin vs Terra but I think whoever loses should still be safe tomorrow. At this point in the competition pre-DWTS fanbases are usually still enough to carry people like Calvin and Terra’s dance is supposedly going to be very emotional so I think she’ll pick up votes from that if she needs to, especially from people who’s favorites end up with immunity.
I see Maureen, Rick, or Ryan going home tomorrow (in that order of likelihood). But I certainly hope Maureen is safe because I’m enjoying her journey and dislike how much scrutiny women who aren’t teenagers on this show get for being emotional. I mean Heaven forbid a woman have feelings and express them, am I right? Ugh, it just makes me sad and annoyed.
Tina, thanks for the info. If my fav pros are there, 1h or 2hs i will still watch the episode