PureDWTS Season 24, Week 2 – Power Rankings
To begin, here is a list of things I’m totally over seeing/hearing about on DWTS this season:
1.) Explanations of how Heather doesn’t have an advantage due to being a professional dancer.
2.) Production/the judges trying to angle for a showmance between Bonner & Sharna.
3.) Len generally being cranky about anything that doesn’t fit a rigid set of standards, and scoring to “make a point” as a result.
4.) How tired Normani is/how jet-lagged she & Val are.
5.) Charo generally being unruly.
It’s only week 2, and already, all of the above items have been beaten like a dead horse. Time to find some new material, production.
Beyond all those low points, I’d rate last night about a 6/10 – not bad, per se, but still kinda bland in terms of what I’ve come to expect from DWTS. Front half of the show was a pretty big snooze, and they seem to load the back hour with the stronger performances. One pleasant surprise: Rupaul himself in the audience, out of drag, and rooting for Charo. I daresay he’s probably wayyyy too big a get for DWTS (and given my recent talk about demographics, probably not someone who would be extraordinarily popular with the main viewing audience), but one can dream 🙂
Part of me is a tad sad to see Chris go – no, he wasn’t a great dancer, but he wanted to be there, and I had no idea he had such a serious injury. Definitely explains a lot about why he disappeared from the public eye for awhile, and Witney sympathizing with him showed me a new, more mature side of her. At the very least, he went out on a high note, with a fun dance that he did decently well with. Maybe we can look forward to a more in-depth Night at the Roxbury-themed dance from him at the finale 😛
1.) David & Lindsay – Was this the strongest dance of the night, technically-speaking? HELL NO. But was it entertaining, highly-memorable, and done by a wholly-likeable couple? ABSOLUTELY. Smart closing the show with them, and honestly, kinda smart of Lindsay to get silly throw-away dances like this out of the way early in the season when there’s still cannon fodder to send home, and taking risks like this one is not quite so dangerous. No, there wasn’t a whole lot in the way of actual cha-cha, and the parts he did do were questionable-to-“ok, not terrible”, but he was having a ton of fun (which is actually in short supply with some couples this season), and just really went for it – he knew he was screwing up, and he just rolled with it. It actually kinda reminded me of a low-rent version of Lindsay’s “Motownphilly” cha-cha with Wanya, so I actually kinda enjoyed it, despite its many technical flaws 😛 However, I do find myself a tad concerned about his prowess in the Latin dances, moving forward – Lindsay won’t be able to get away with another dance like this, so I hope she’s got a game plan for getting his hips moving, cleaning up his feet, and working on his arm styling. But part of me wonders if David’s niche this season is going to be that of the lovable, goofy, iffy-dancer that is just so charming that you can’t help but toss a few votes this way…and that’s ok with me 🙂
2.) Rashad & Emma – I said this on Twitter, but I’ll say it again here for good measure: my god, Rashad is a beautiful man. Not just in physical pulchritude, but his attitude, the way he speaks – he is just…mmmmm. And it just makes his dancing that much more enjoyable to watch – I thought his Viennese waltz was lovely, and the added emotion from his backstory lent a deeper meaning to the dance itself. I’m glad Carrie Ann said something about how well he took care of Emma out on the floor – I find myself saying that a lot about male celebs, especially when they’re doing ballroom dances or rumba, where the man is meant to be more of a frame for the woman, rather than a focal point. He did a great job being there to catch her on all the dips and drops, which is harder than one might think; he also basically made the dance Lift Police-proof, because he didn’t lift Emma too high off the ground. I would caution him to avoid clipping his arm lines, though – saw a few haphazardly-flung arms, and be careful of his timing…there were a couple sections where he seemed to get a bit ahead of the beat. Overall, though, I still think he’s the men’s best bet for playing spoiler to an all-female finale – and he got all of my votes last night 🙂 Also, gotta say I kinda loved how he looked to Sasha after the dance like “Was that ok?” after dancing with his fiancee – love the mutual respect he & Sasha have for each other. I like bromances on this show 🙂
3.) Normani & Val – For as much as we were getting reminded of how jet-lagged these two were, color me shocked to say this: I actually thought this was the strongest dance of the night, from a technical perspective and just an overall presentation perspective. It seems like Val took heed of what the judges said last week, because this was actual, proper cha-cha from start to finish, and Normani was actually rocking it – she probably understood the crossover breaks better than any of the other celebs dancing cha-cha last night, and seemed at ease with the choreography. The girl does have a lot of natural skill, and a certain ease in performing the steps. And generally, she seems like a chill girl – doesn’t have the attitude we saw with Janel or Tamar, or Laurie’s shyness, or Elizabeth & Danica’s generally-anxious tendencies. But here’s the problem I’m having with her: aside from the fact that she’s in Fifth Harmony and she’s tired, I know next to nothing about Normani as a person. I have to put some of the blame on the producers, who only seem to want to hone in on the fact that she’s traveling and super-duper tired because of it; a smaller bit of the blame lies with Val, as he still seems to have a tendency to talk over his partners in critiques and talks with Erin. It’s coming up on week 3 – I want to hear more about Normani FROM Normani, and less about the jet lag and whatever blathering Val was doing about vampire venom & Chinese trade policies. I think once we start to see her, her dancing may reach an even higher level, because she’s going to seem more human to the audience – and if you don’t think that’s a big deal, you should go sit with Erika in her Lambo. Just sayin’…
4.) Simone & Sasha – I’m starting to think I’ve fallen victim to the pitfall of assuming that all gymnasts are automatically going to excel on this show, because so far, I’m feeling very…lukewarm about Simone, and it sucks. Granted, she seemed to fare better this week than she did last week, but I still don’t think she’s reached full potential yet – she’s getting MORE comfortable out on the floor, but she’s not 100% there yet. After listening to the obligatory “I’m young, so I’m not comfortable being sexy” spiel in her package, I had to kinda chuckle to myself, and wonder “Has there ever been a gymnast on DWTS that has actually been comfortable being sexy?” In order to help her channel that sexiness/sassiness, I think Sasha deliberately threw a lot of extra, non-cha-cha steps in this one – steps that I’m rather shocked that Len “My Hemorrhoids Are Flaring Up and It’s Making Me Uber-Cranky” Goodman didn’t call out, given the picky mood he was in last night. Is the fix already in? While she was better than last week, she still seemed a tad stiff to me, and perhaps a bit pose-y, like Laurie tended to be. I’m hoping she gets a fun dance (where she doesn’t have to be sexy) like jive soon, because I really think that’s where her strength is going to lie.
5.) Bonner & Sharna – Honing in on the shot of Bonner & Sharna holding hands at the end of their package??? REALLY, PRODUCTION?! They appear borderline desperate for this love connection to happen, and it’s pathetic. Especially since Bonner actually showed some impressive potential this week, and possibly won’t need to lean on the showmance to stick around this season. Because this week, he actually looked better than Nick, and his frame and extension were gorgeous. I could have done without some of the “watch us stop in our tracks and almost kiss” steps, but part of me wonders if Sharna is being pressured by production to do some of this stuff, given some interviews she’s done recently and this gem from the executive producers. I’ve seen some viewers casting some blame on Sharna, but I think she may be getting coerced into this to some degree. And it could also explain why Len seemed to be having a hard time articulating just exactly what his problem was with the dance – he kept making that sour puss face (that he usually makes when he’s having to go against his gut instinct – Len’s got tells, y’all) while he hemmed and hawed about the “romantic, lovey-dovey” parts of the routine, which seemed to be directed at Bonner…but really, it felt like something should have been directed at Sharna, or even the producers…which is why he was having a hard time verbalizing his real issues with the routine. There’s definitely some puppet strings being pulled here, y’all. But if nothing else, Sharna’s dress was the most gorgeous costume of the night 🙂
6.) Heather & Alan (Maks) – And the #HeatherNotAProDancer apology tour continues, courtesy of Julianne Hough *eye roll*. She’s basically said the exact same thing with regards to Heather for two weeks in a row now, so I hope she’s gotten it out of her system – it’s starting to look desperate and forced…kinda like the showmance angle with Bonner & Sharna. Methinks Ashley & Joe are busy lil bees these days, pulling the puppet strings from the EP box. Anywho – of course, there was the requisite drama with Maks’ injury. What was odd to me, though, was that Maks wasn’t sporting the usual angsty expression that injured pros usually have on their faces when watching their partner dance with someone else from the skybox – he may have been putting on a poker face, but the impression I got from his body language and his talk with Erin afterwards was that he didn’t seem too disappointed with being out for at least a few weeks. Can’t say I blame him, if he wants to get back to that adorable baby – I think Peta wishes she could. As for the dance itself – of course #HeatherNotAProfessionalDancer handled it well, although her feet were looking kinda floppy at the beginning, and I think she could have been picking her knees up more. As for #SoloGate – I have to agree with Len, for the simple reason that it was unnecessary and it didn’t belong in the dance. If the object of this is to prove that partner dancing is different than what Heather does and it’s more challenging, then MAKE HER DANCE WITH A PARTNER FOR THE ENTIRE DANCE TO PROVE IT. Don’t bring in two girls from the troupe to basically recreate “Single Ladies” – and I had to smirk when Len brought up her dancing for Beyonce. On top of that, it wasn’t jive – heard a couple people claiming that it didn’t fit jive timing, so that’s why Maks did it (bless your pure and spotless hearts), but he could have very easily switched over to single or double-step jive to make it fit, or at the very least had Heather and Alan doing side-by-side work. Sorry, but the hip-hop solo was NOT NECESSARY, and no amount of arguing will convince me otherwise. So what does this mean for Heather the rest of the season? I would assume Maks will still be doing all the choreographing (which means we will still see some of this bullsh*t in future dances), but Alan will be doing all the performing for at least a period of time…so I’m not sure much changes. Which could actually be kinda bad. Random fact: this is the first time that two former SYTYCD contestants have danced together on DWTS as a pro and a celeb.
7.) Nancy & Artem – I just love Nancy’s attitude – I love how positive and grateful she is after she talks to Erin, even if the dance didn’t go exactly how she planned. Kinda reminds me of Marla Maples, in that respect – just a very upbeat energy. Unless of course, it’s Artem giving her a compliment, and then she cries 😛 Everyone processes this show differently, but it just made me chuckle a bit to see Artem actually being really, really nice to his partner, and her crying because she wanted him to be tougher. The irony! This cha-cha was actually really nice – I have to commend Artem on actually sticking to legitimate choreo this season – I’m told this is closer to how he was on Strictly. Nancy actually looked really good – loved the shows of flexibility, and her legs looked great. Like Erika, she seems to get a tad wobbly on turns, but she at least seems to spot a bit better and get back in control quicker. But she had fun, it showed, and overall, she really just needs to get comfortable and let loose a bit more out on the floor. This was a definite improvement from last week, but she can still get even better – heck, I think she may actually end up being better than Lea, who has been Artem’s only other contender thus far. Thought this was a bit underscored, considering that Erika got the same score for doing a lot fewer steps and making a few more mistakes. Still trying to figure out why the judges are scoring the way are so far this season…it’s weird.
8.) Nick & Peta – Y’know, I’m finding myself really kinda puzzled as to what exactly Nick is doing to piss the judges off so badly. This is the second week in a row where I actually said to myself “Hey, Nick’s actually not half-bad!” only to have the judges basically tear his routine a new one. Nick actually seems to be trying, and he did seem to improve from last week – sure, his frame and footwork need some work, but I generally thought he kept up well with the timing, and did the best he could with the busy choreography Peta gave him. Which brings me to Peta…*sigh*. Prior to the start of the season, I found myself thinking “Damn, this seems awfully soon after having a baby for her to return to the show!”, but I shoved those thoughts aside and assured myself that she knew what she was doing, and would be able to balance a family and work without issues. Now I’m not so sure that’s she’s finding a balance – she looks utterly drained, and it seems like her choreography is suffering as a result…along with her relationship with her partner. As the judges were ripping into Nick for choreographic issues that were really more Peta’s fault, I just felt the disconnect between them – as if Nick was trying to be supportive of his partner, but wasn’t entirely in disagreement with what the judges were saying. All that aside, though, I actually thought they low-balled him score-wise, considering that he had far more content than Charo and didn’t miss nearly as many steps. So the question I have is this: is Nick simply getting too many votes? Are they low-balling him to level the playing field? Or is this all a plan in order to ensure the new mom has a season that ends earlier rather than later? Or do the judges just really not like the guy as a person? I’m not sure, but if they keep this up, he may be out sooner rather than later…
9.) Erika & Gleb – Erika REALLY needed to stand out this week, and I’m not sure she & Gleb rose to the challenge. Dancing 2nd is the running order spot of doom – you only put people there that aren’t a major draw, so I’m inclined to think she’s fading into the woodwork in viewers’ minds like she is mine. For what it’s worth, I think she’s a far better dancer than Lisa Vanderpump was, and is more at ease on the floor. But where I think she’s stumbling is that she’s not coming across as relatable – between the “It’s Expensive to Be Me” bit last week, and the Lambo onstage this week, she’s coming across as kind of a rich snob. Remember: DWTS is far more popular in rural areas, where income is typically lower, so this is kind of a bad problem to have. I also think her sense of humor is just not translating well on screen – Deep Throat has said that Erica is actually very funny in rehearsals, and has a very dry sense of humor. I think that can easily get misinterpreted as arrogance, if you don’t provide context. As for the actual dancing – her frame actually looked quite lovely, although she is still looking wobbly in turns, and it looks like she missed a few hand-passes with Gleb in the middle. And sorry Gleb, but you get a bit of a slap on the wrist as well, because I still see you falling into the same choreographic traps that you did with Jana last season – going for the “sexy” moves, throwing in a lot of flaily, dramatic tricks, and generally being kinda gimmicky. Gleb has a lot of potential as a pro – I think he does care about his partners, but man…his choreo needs work. And Erika has a lot of potential as a contestant, but I think we need to see her do something really normal or silly (maybe having a Silly String fight with Gleb in rehearsal? IDK) in order to for the viewers to relate to her. Because she’s extraordinarily forgettable at the moment…
10.) Charo & Keo – Remember how I said her schtick would wear thin before long? Well, it’s already thin, I think. I’m kinda gobsmacked that Charo was able to get a 25 for this mess – lotta forgotten choreography, and a lot of her standing in one spot stomping her feet and clapping. Yes, she’s probably the only celebrity we’ve had that has actual flamenco training, but this didn’t even seem like the hard flamenco stuff – just kind Charo…being Charo. She had good energy, and seemed to riff off Keo well enough, but I’m already over the out-of-control antics afterwards with the judges. And judging from some of the responses I’ve seen on Facebook, the older subsection of the viewing audience seems fed up with her – given that she was in jeopardy, I’d believe it. I think the jeopardy appearance may give her a tiny boost that may keep her in another week, but I’m not sure she has anything beyond that. I’d partially blame Keo, but I’m not even sure she’s someone that Keo can control – I get the feeling she’s kinda running the show in that partnership.
11.) Mr. T & Kym – Poor T – I just think the guy is not a natural dancer, and while he is trying, I just don’t know that he’s going to improve a whole lot more in the little time he likely has left. This was an improvement over last week, but really – this was VERY simple choreography. Kym was smart to stick to moves that were basically just T posing, because I don’t think he has a good enough feel for the rhythm of the music to really do complex syncopations or anything other than straight 8-counts. It worked, because he didn’t miss any steps this week like he did last week, but I’m not sure there are a whole lot of other dances left that Kym is going to be able to do this with – it worked for the paso because it’s just basically a 1-2, 1-2 marching rhythm, but he isn’t going to be able to get away with it in a ballroom dance. He also got kinda low-balled in score (I think he did more steps on-time than Charo, Charo just had more energy), so I’m not sure if he’s gonna have the juice to make it through next week. Which sucks, because I was hoping we’d get Kym a bit longer this season. Oh well – it’s been fun having both of them, but I don’t know that they’ve got very many dances left in them.
So what are you thoughts? What are you tired of hearing about, and what is sticking out at you as weird this season?
I mainly agree with your rankings Court…except I’d switch 1 & 2. Rashad handled his VW far better than David did with the Cha-cha.
And your “you should go sit with Erica in her Lambo, just saying” line? LMFAO!!!
I’m tired of Charo. Telling Bruno she couldn’t understand him was just blatant rudeness on her part. No, honey, it’s YOU we can’t understand.
Tired of being reminded that Heather is a ProDancer..and Julianne telling us how different her background is from that of Ballroom! A dancer is a dancer is a dancer! DUH!!
One thing about Normani–she has a grandmother with whom she lived in Texas. I watched the Premiere yesterday on Hulu prior to last night’s show where she mentioned Grandma..Ohh poor baby. You’re tired? Well, ya better hope your plane doesn’t get delayed at all because then YOU ARE OUT! But knowing TPTB, they’d probably send a private jet to pick Normani and their prized pony Val up wherever they were stranded. SMH.
Agree I’m tired of hearing how rich Erika is. Good for you honey. That’s not going to endear you to the audience as most of us will NEVER obtain that kind of wealth in our lifetime. I go to work every day to support my family not to buy myself a new Lambo or remodel my mansion. Find a new schtick!
Mr T is a good guy! I’m hoping he’ll stick around longer than Charo and Erika.
Your rankings are the exact same as mine so I’ll just add a few comments.
I originally would’ve had Rashad ahead of David, but the phone lines made me think otherwise. As a Cubs fan, I’ve been giving David my votes. Last night when I called, it took something like 30 calls to get 12 to go through. I think he’s doing really well with the votes.
Biggest surprises of the week were Normani and Val (mostly because it’s some of my favorite Val choreography in quite some time) and Nancy and Artem (thought they were the whole package…likable, good choreo, and on a good trajectory).
Disappointments were Heather and Maks/Alan and Simone and Sasha. That hip hop part of the routine killed the mood of the show for me at the time. It was hilarious to watch the logical somersaults judges not named Len had to go through to justify the routine. Simone and Sasha were more of a surprising disappointment. I would’ve loved to have seen what Simone would’ve done with a routine similar to Normani’s or even Nancy’s. I still think she has a lot of room to grow, but I wasn’t a fan of the routine.
While I think Mr. T is the next boot, I would much prefer Charo. Her act has most definitely worn thin. This season though I put none of the blame for my dislike of the couple on Keo. Usually, I’ve been pretty unhappy with his choreo and sometimes his teaching. But this season he seems to be good about rolling with the punches but also actually getting a routine accomplished (which is a bit of a feat considering Charo’s personality). I actually liked his choreo the first week. Not as sure this week just because it was so chaotic but not really his fault.
In response to your wondering “Has there ever been a gymnast on DWTS that has actually been comfortable being sexy?” the answer is no, and we have USA Gymnastics to thank for that. I wrote kind of a long rant about this in the comments on the post about Simone’s blog, but the basic upshot is that USA Gymnastics wants its women gymnasts to be cute little girls, regardless of their ages and interests. This is why we see gymnasts come on DWTS, shake their hips a bit, and then frantically check to see if they’re getting death glares from the powers that be in gymnastics because they’re not smiling, giggling, and talking about how much they love hair-braiding and slumber parties.
I completely agree with you about the confusing scores. It seemed like 7 was the designated score last night for anything from “Well, that had a few legitimate dance steps in there and you didn’t break your ankle…” to “That was pretty good!”
@KellyK. THANK YOU in. I f****** can’t stand CHaro at this point. Bruno’s English in 10 times better than hers, and I feel for Keo.
I also agree that, I think, Rashad should be in first. He’s probably very likeable, and is a better dancer.
Agree with Court and KellyK. I would switch 1&2, even tho they were close in my book.
Something about Rashad makes him different than the other NFL contestants. I can’t quite put it into words yet, but he just seems more humble, more relatable. I am really liking this pairing and am thrilled that Emma gets a chance to shine.
Charo needs to go home. And I wish it was before Mr. T, but I doubt it.
Still glad Chris went home, altho the injury info definitely made him more likable. And let’s hope Witney takes this new found perspective into her future seasons. She’s still young, but as a pro she needs to appreciate just how physically challenging this is for some people.
pose-y is definitely the word for Simone. Still like her, she still has a lot to offer, but I think this is going to be a problem in a lot of the slower dances.
I also believe that Simone was a little underscored, and that Heather & Normani were, for the most point, overscored. I can’t stand Heather’s attitude. Atleast, Normani is a little more likeable than her.
A reminder, guys: the rankings are not “who’s the better dancer”, it’s “who’s more likely to stay vs. who’s more likely to go home”. And in that respect, I think David bested Rashad – he went last, when most people are already tuning in to see who gets eliminated, and he had a dance that I think will stick out more in viewers’ minds. I absolutely agree that Rashad had the better dance – but I think David may have gotten more votes. I stand by putting David first and Rashad 2nd – although I think Rashad has a better shot of actually winning.
With Heather, this is nothing new. It is the old bait and switch. If you are a dancer or gymnast you don’t do the prescribed dance all the way through.But Len would judge accordingly, no jive no mark recalling Sabrina no cha cha no mark, she had to have some hip hop stuck in it….. If Heather doesn’t have a sustainable fanbase she’ll go bye bye like Sabrina, and Maks should have told her that. If he did and she still wants to do it, it’s on her. It seems that the judges who scored her high are afraid she doesn’t have the base. For what is is worth, the old playbook is getting dog eared. Can’t these pros just dance a Jive all the way through? After all it’s less than a minute.
Agreed that Nancy was underscored and that is a concern. Being the middle of the pack is just not where she needs to be. For her to become the dark horse she needs to be around 5th. I feel the producers are just letting her go because unlike the frontrunners she’s not high priority in terms of endorsements or gaining new fans.
@KellyK Oh Wow really? It is astonishing to see the rudeness toward Normani on here. I mean she has not said anything that would validate comments like that. She has not been rude or arrogant towards anyone. I get hating on Harmonizers because we can get annoying but to says you wish her to miss her plane. And belittling all the hard work she’s been putting in. Y’all are that bothered by her. I mean she was in freaking Asia what other storyline could she play out. A fake romance? Her extensive professional dancing abilities? I’m just baffled at the hate of her when she’s being a nice person. Is it because of Val? And who are TPTB? Y’all always bringing them up are they god I’m confused?
I’m going to put irritating fanbase to the side and say I did enjoy Normani’s dance quite a lot this week. It still didn’t look like a straight Cha-Cha in a few parts, but she danced it all very well.
I think Heather truly could be a Sabrina, though I felt Sabrina was more likeable (not that there is anything particularly bad about Heather, however).
I would have liked to see more in-hold in Rashad’s VW, but I enjoyed it and I think he’s likely to endear himself to the voting public well.
My favorite dances this week were Normani and Simone’s. Nice to see a lot of content in Normani’s routine which she rocked and I’m glad Sasha is starting to ease Simone into the sexy stuff now so it won’t be as difficult when she gets something like a Rumba later on. Heather, Rashad, and Nancy were good too.
Here’s how I think the votes are going this week based on taking the general temperature on Facebook and overall feel of the night:
1. Bonner (he got way more love over there than anyone else last night)
2. David (worth noting though that I think he was getting THE most last week)
3. Simone
4. Normani (may actually be getting more than Simone but not sure)
5. Rashad
6. Heather
7. Nick (I’m actually kind of surprised he’s getting that much love)
8. Erika
9. Nancy (I worry for her and I hope she goes later in the show next week)
10. Mr. T
11. Charo
The margin for Mr. T to cover to be safe will be pretty big, so I’m inclined to say he’s going home and I can see Charo and either Nancy or Erika in “jeopardy” with him.
Top: Normani/Val, Rashad/Emma, Heather/Maks, Simone/Sasha. Val put a lot of content in there and she really excels at performing and looking like she’s having a good time out there. I abhor when the crowd covers up the performers’ feet, though. Emma did Rashad solid with choreography and I think he had what Len wanted from Nick, which was the carriage of a strong leading man. Heather was more memorable this week and she did really well, while Simone has a bit of stiffness that she still needs to work out. She has a bit of a plastered smile.
Middle: David/Lindsay, Nancy/Artem, Bonner/Sharna – David is my favorite and Lindsay is exactly the pro that could take him far into this. It was fun for a dance in the first couple of weeks. Nancy did better in Latin than I thought she would do. Again, I think Artem is a good match for her considering her strengths. Bonner and Nick switched for me this week. He looked more at ease and I think the ballroom dances will likely suit him better.
Questions: Nick/Peta, Erika/Gleb – Nick looked okay out there, but the movement was not fluid. Also, this show needs to really stop shoehorning new songs into dances that the songs don’t fit into. Erika and Gleb at this point are going to be there own worst enemies. The dance could have easily avoided the “sexy, rich, glam” thing and they didn’t. Somebody needs to get it across to them that that is likely not going to work. It almost comes across as desperate. She maybe needs to ditch the “Jayne” and bring the “Girardi” for a couple episodes to let the audience get to know her.
Bottom: Mr T/Kim, Charo/Keo – Mr. T is probably the weakest dancer, but damn if Charo isn’t making the best possible case to send her packing. I thought her package was actually a glimpse into who she is and not just the crazy persona, but then she just lost all that goodwill in the post-dance interview. I would rather avoid her uncomfortableness and watch a slow Mr. T performance than the opposite.
IMHO whenever the excuse of excessive travel is in the mix, it is on the celebrity not the production. She signed the agreement to be at every show. Constant air travel is not good for anyone, but perhaps she should have agreed to another season if it impedes her performance.
An episode of DWTS is never complete until Court’s power rankings are up! Agree with the rankings, but I might switch Charo & Mr. T.
While Rashad handled his dance better than David, I think CAI’s comments secured David as #1 for this week. David & Lindsay just exude fun and happiness amidst all of the antics, and when CAI tried to bring their energy down I don’t think the viewers enjoyed that too much. Took me quite a while to get through while voting last night via phone.
At this point I am really hoping for a Rashad win, but I’ve got a feeling David is going to stick around for a long time. I had no clue who he was before this but I am loving him for two reasons: 1. You can tell he’s really trying. 2. More importantly, you can tell he’s trying to have fun with the whole process. There’s enough bickering about who’s got experience, who’s being over the top, blah blah blah. To have a pairing that is just fun and happy in the midst of all that is truly a blessing.
@Jazz How is complaining about Normani always bringing up her jet lag rude? I never said I wanted her to miss her plane. I said she better hope it doesn’t happen or otherwise she’d be DQ’d. Rules are rules after all. Kim Zolciak was told last year not to fly by her Dr’s due to blood clots. Because she couldn’t be in LA on Sunday(or maybe it was Monday) per the rule book, she was disqualified. Where did anyone belittle Normani’s hard work? What others are saying is that we don’t know ANYTHING about Normani except that she’s in Fifth Harmony and she’s tired. It’s not going to endear her to the general voting audience and is why she will not win, no matter how much you vote your ass off for her.
TPTB are The Powers That Be–aka the producers of this show. Who tend to manipulate the general voting audience to vote for a certain celeb. Like Meryl/Maks in S18, while throwing Charlie White under the bus…or Constantly pimping Rumor Willis/Val in S20…while dogging other contestants like they did with Nastia Liukin who was a MUCH better dancer than Rumer but one bad package edit which was replayed numerous times on the show made the voters not like her while abnormally praising Rumer for mediocre dancing to vanilla choreography. Us longtime viewers get tired of the manipulations. And eventually, it drives the better choreographer pros away, Like Derek Hough. I think he finally had enough when TPTB did it to Marilu last season, making Derek look bad in a package edit on the live TV show.
Also Jazz, Val has YET to have a partner who couldn’t actually dance save for his first season so no, he hasn’t ever been truly challenged to actually having to teach someone who has ZERO dance experience how to dance. Unlike Derek Hough, who took a girl with no legs to 2nd place in S18! Why not give Val someone like Erika or Charo? People would say Derek got all the ringers but that’s the furthest thing from the truth. Val’s gotten FAR more than Derek ever did.
Since I am holding firm at this point and not watching live, (following Court’s Twitter and live blog), here are my thoughts on the dances I did watch.
First off, I agree on “things I’m over already this season”.
I agree about David and Lindsay; no, he’s not the best dancer, but dang, he makes me smile the whole time from the package through the routine!
I’m loving the Rashad and Emma pairing. Unlike some NFL players with all the swag (I’m looking at you AB), he just comes across as relatable and humble. He’s definitely the surprise of the season!
Simone and Sasha had a good dance and in relation to some others, I felt they were a tad underscored. I do think Simone is quite shy; she reminds me a bit of Shawn and if Sasha can just get her to break loose, she could be great. I’d love to see her do a fun dance with a fun song.
Normani and Heather I’m putting together. Normani’s dance was better, but at the end of the day, with both of them I feel nothing! I just go “meh” and promptly forget it! Dance should make me feel something, be it happy, sad, disappointed, surprised, and with both of them, at the end of the day, I feel nothing. We’ve seen hundreds of jives and cha cha’s over the seasons and neither of these are anywhere near the top 20 or so IMO!
Jazz, sorry you aren’t hearing the over-the-top praise you seem to think Normani deserves, but most of us have been watching for years and while she’s good, as far as I’m concerned, she’s not all that! Every season there is someone (or more than one) who is traveling and or working while doing the show, so what? She knew her schedule when she signed up, I don’t give her special credit for it or think she deserves to win because of a hectic work life.
Well done, Court. My three faves continue to be Simone, Rashad, and Bonner. But, here’s how I rank the dances last night:
1. Simone and Sasha – Miss Heidi has been screaming for Sasha to go big with Choreo and that he did so tonight for sure! I love how he pushed her and it paid off. Just spectacular! WELL DONE!!
2. Rashad and Emma – These two just stole my heart. They were so romantic in every sway, step, and move. Touching and full of muscle and charisma. Just beautiful. He reminds me of why I always love football players on this show. Court said he is giving her Donald Driver vibes. He is me too.
3. Normani and Val – You’d think they’d be so tired after travelling to Japan, but, they brought it last night. I liked this dance much better than last week.
4. Heather and Alan – A great Jive full of lots of energy. I also loved the breakdown with the Girls to give the dance something even more and different. I agree with Carrie Ann. She was fierce out there. I just wish I didn’t always feel such a cold feeling with her. I get that same feeling with Normani and Erika.
5. Bonner and Sharna – Just breathtaking. I so want these two to make a Hallmark Movie together or maybe do a TV show like “When Calls The Heart”. I love how they whisk us off our feet every week. I don’t think I’ve wanted to ship a couple on this show as much as this one. lol As always, I love Sharna’s choreo too.
6. David and Lindsay – I agree with the judges how his footwork was a little off, but, oh how I loved all the energy, fun, and joy they had out there again. They make me smile every week.
7. Erika and Gleb – What I love about these two are their holds and poses. Their deep extensions and lines are always stunning. They are sensuous, strong, and beautiful. I love how Gleb shows off her personality in those ways. Beautiful costumes too. Now I’m looking for them to do something really emotional. I’d like to see a softening or a vulnerable side of her.
8. Nancy and Artem – She seemed hesitant in places and nervous. She also missed a few steps and had a messy turn, but, I loved them again and her big smile rules. I think she could really find her sweet spot on this show and go far if she let go of her insecurities. Come on, Nancy. You can do this!
9. Nick and Peta – I loved some of their beautiful extensions, but, there was a lot of stiffness and awkwardness going on too. It’s like he needed more time to make it all work. He too (like Nancy) has some insecurities and needs to just relax and have fun.
10. Charo and Keo – The Paso was definitely her dance since this is her personality….powerful, dramatic, and full of fire. I love how she soaks up everything and this whole show. I do think the choreo lacked for what it could have been and her leg work could have better.
11. Mr. T and Kym – It was a super production and the dance was so him. I loved his intensity and all the power. Sadly, I think he might be eliminated next as he’s not moving and dancing like he should be.
And Courtney. +1 to what you are tired of hearing. DITTO!
Last night was so much better than last week
Nancy and Artem set the pace of high energy last night week two did not feel like a snooze fest at all
I’m hoping Charo goes home next week every time she starts talking I’m like shut her up
I don’t like Erika either something about her turns me off
Mr T I give him a T for trying but it was Kym doing most of the work I see him going home soon
Everyone else had such amazing dances
I thought I read somewhat Len had been thinking about retiring and frankly after last night and other seasons I’ve watched he really should go
Also Maks didn’t seem like he was to upset at being out
I really hope that Nancy will dance near the end of the show next week. I really like her, and I like her and Artem together.
Before the season started, I figured that Simone would win. Now I’d bet on Rashad. He’s the complete package – great looks and personality, good dancer, and chemistry with Emma. I like the choreography that Emma has given him, as well. I’m so glad she got an opportunity outside of her typical typecasting this season, and that she’s making the most of it.
It seems to me that Charo, Mr. T and Erika will be the next three eliminations, and I hope it’s in that order. I’ve never been a fan of Charo, and I’m already tired of her antics on the show.
Maks’ expression and body language was that of an athlete who knows something is seriously wrong, but he won’t know how serious until he has a scan.
As a huge football fan (in the non-American version), you see that body language a lot when they tear a hamstring or a calf muscle. They know something went, and they know they’re out for a least three to four weeks, but until they get a scan, they won’t know if it’s completely torn and sending them out for months.
More disappointed because they know nothing can be done.
I honestly didn’t mind Simone’s routine. My stance all along has been that Sasha NEEDS to make her stand out. He’s got serious competition. But he has to be careful, if you’re going to throw in stuff that is not part of the assigned style (and this applies to Normani and Heather as well), it has to be AMAZING and cool and hot (and that somersault was pretty cool). You can’t just throw in random shit. Derek used to do that all the time – throw in stuff that wasn’t part of the assigned style – and he would get crucified, at times, by Len. As it should be – I don’t mind this as long as everyone is getting crucified evenly and the rules aren’t applied only to Derek (I digress). But he always had a very solid, well thought out REASON for doing it. It can be strategic. If Derek got the feeling that he wasn’t making an impact with his partner (see Shawn Johnson season 15), he would do something about it to bring her to the front. Which is when we got that quickstep that broke a few rules. But damn, Shawn was never forgotten again, was she? From that point on, he didn’t break any rules and followed the style yet turned out some of the best dances he’s ever done (and one of his several Emmy noms resulted too).
If you do a bit of time wasting or hip hop or whatever, there needs to be a solid reason behind it – and you can’t do it every freakin’ week. Val actually took criticism this week and did Cha Cha with no crap. Kudos. Now, next week, Sasha needs to make a bigger impact while still keeping to the style. Let’s see who can continue to make an impact, strategically.
Jazz, talk about YOUR opinion and no one elses or you won’t be posting here anymore. You don’t like what people say, you are free to go elsewhere.
My rankings are pretty much the same as yours just switch Heather and Nancy…..so I’m glad I’m not the only one that ranked David number one. I think everyone hit everything I was going to say but I will add this: I’m starting to wonder if normani wasn’t as much as a vote getter last week as they thought she would be and are trying to pull out all the stops there with the travel stuff just to make her more interesting. Side note, I kinda get the compliment thing Nancy struggles with….I’m kinda the same way. Case in point: in one of my English classes when I was going for my BA I got an A but not critique at all on the side of the end of the paper and it was weird to me and I actually felt really uncomfortable when the professor was heaping praise on it (he would tell the class who got the three highest grades becuase he was known for being a tough one gradewise. Think Len but teaching British literature).
My personal favorites, whether or not this happens or not, are Simone (sorry, I like my gymnasts most of the time, & she has personality; Rashad (my second choice, and glad Emma finally has something to work with), and Nancy (also a fan of figure skaters most of the time, has a better personality than expected, like her and Artem, and his choreo seems to be improving).
My top 5 are Rashad, Simone, David, Bonner and Nancy!
This season so far, i’m liking Len, atleast when it comes to Heather, and I thought she was a B**** last night. Can’t stand her anymore than Charo.
Sorry to be so nasty in some of my comments, but I can be any angry person sometimes, and despise someone/something with a passion.
Always appreciate your rankings, Courtney, and your insights on the dances and the couples. Haven’t really tuned in live. I catch the dances on YT. I’m not sure I can tolerate the BS in the show, from the judges and tptb.
Here’s my rankings for the dances that I did watch:
1. Tie between David/Lindsay and Rashad/Emma
2. Simone and Sasha
3. Nancy and Artem
4. Erika and Gleb
5. Heather and Alan
6. Mr T and Kym
Although I ranked Mr. T and Kym last, I enjoyed their dance a lot more than I did Heather and Alan’s, and Erika and Gleb’s. I’m not sure if Mr. T and Kym will have enough votes to counter their low score and make them stay over another couple.
It is good to see at least on this board there are those rooting for Nancy and Artem to go further. It’s never wrong to have good choreography with lots of ballroom elements and I thought Nancy was giving it, but perhaps not totally on top of it all the way through. I really like what Artem is doing with Nancy. Also, I really like what Rashad is doing, he’s learning technique, not always getting there but you can see the learning happening. And the guy can emote, that’s half the battle. David sure is entertaining but we did get 30 sec of old school hip hop instead of cha cha and bustamove was the highlight of the dance, not the cha cha. For me, that tells me they’d rather watch stunt casting than someone actually learning the dance. Maybe that’s mainly what the show is about. However, when I see the effort for actual ballroom and latin steps going into the entertainment that’s the most satisfying for me.
To follow Courtney’s order, here are my thoughts:
David/Lindsay: I enjoy them. He’s having so much fun, he makes me smile. Last weeks dance was better, but this one wasn’t bad. I think he’s getting the votes and will be around longer than expected.
Rashad/Emma: I think Rashad has a strong chance to make it to the finals. He’s a gentleman, he has a good attitude and he’s enjoying himself. Emma has a contender this year. If she can go as far as she did with someone like Bill Engvall, she should make it to the finals with Rashad.
Normani/Val: I’m so very, very tired of hearing about the jet lag, and I don’t see it going away. I see her traveling somewhere every week and them going on and on about how tired they are and how little practice time they get in. Normani chose to do this, she knew what the schedule would be like, so stop talking about it. And I agree with so many others, give Val Charo and have him show what he can do. He never gets the older women like Tony did, he’s always been handed the younger women. If he had someone like Charo, he would check out of the partnership after week one. If these two are as tired as they want us to believe, they won’t make it beyond halfway, and that wouldn’t bother me a bit. I can only imagine what Val would be like if they do miss a flight and don’t make it back on time. And he really needs to just keep his mouth closed. This isn’t about you no matter what your ego is telling you.
Simone/Sasha: I really like this pairing and I think they’ll be in the final three. I think each week Simone will loosen up a bit more and do really well. But she does need a dance like the jive so Sasha can show the fun side of her.
Bonner/Sharna: Another showmance being shoved front and center. Really, with this pairing, give it up. Bonner is doing fine without the unnecessary pimping. I agree that Sharna is probably being told to some degree to go along with it, and if that’s true, I wish she could just say no. Neither of them need it.
Heather/Maks/Alan: Julianne can give up the “ballroom dancing is so different” speech every week. We all know Heather is a professional, we all know she can dance. I’m agree with the group that believes she shouldn’t be on the show. This show is, or should be, non-dancers learning to dance, not a professional adding to her repertoire. I do believe Maks came back with the stipulation that he be given someone to make it worth it, someone that could win him another MBT. With him and his brother, it’s all about them, never their partner. It wouldn’t upset me at all if he couldn’t dance the rest of the season. I don’t wish harm on anyone, but I predict if he does dance, we’ll constantly be reminded that he’s dancing at a disadvantage and they will get overstored to compensate, no matter how often Julianne wants to say “we have to judge on the dance” like she did with Chris.
Nancy/Artem: I think Artem is really enjoying himself this season and Nancy is a delight to watch. She’s taking in every minute and enjoying it, but yes, she needs to stop crying when Artem gives her a compliment. She needs to stop being so hard on herself and relax.
Nick/Peta: Peta looks more tired than Normani/Val. I think she should have sat out this season and come back in the fall. Her son is adorable.
Erika/Gleb: I don’t care for Erika. She may be funny and approachable in rehearsals, but what I see is a spoiled, rich woman that is using this as a time filler for herself. I don’t want to constantly see the sexy dances like Gleb did with Jana. I think Erika can handle more, but her attitude on camera needs to change big time.
Charo/Keo: Poor Keo. I don’t think he can handle her and keep her under control. I am extremely over the way she acts towards the judges. I can understand Bruno, it’s you Charo, that cannot be understood. We do need subtitles for her. I don’t care for her at all and I would like to see her gone next week, although she’ll probably make it another week.
Mr. T/Kym: I was glad to hear Kym was coming back, but when her partner was announced I knew she wouldn’t be around long. His two dances have basically been tough guy throwing punches and not having much of the assigned dance in the routine. I can’t see him doing ballroom dances at all.
The bottom two Monday night will be Mr T and Charo and I really wouldn’t care which one left although I would prefer Charo, but believe it will be Mr. T.
My top three are Simone, Rashad and David.
Not really a problem, Rachel, as long as it’s focused on the show and not on other people on this site.
Well I did mention a few weeks back that Chris was an obvious early elimination, possibly first. And here we are. It’s sad that he couldn’t do more, it seems to me like the Chris from a few years back could’ve done better, but then I remember that “a few” years is actually “a lot” of years back. Time flies.
Speaking of time, I understand that Charo’s brand is to be a mess, but she is/was clearly a good dancer somewhere in there. Now imagine if she had done this show 13-15 years ago when it started. She has qualified for this show since the beginning, so a younger Charo could’ve surprised us, not by winning, but she could’ve gone far…or further than where she’s going to get this season.
Maks already got injured, he couldn’t even wait until a few weeks from now, he had to push the drama right away. They got a jive this week which should’ve been her dance for last week, like I mentioned a few days ago, this would’ve been a much better, exciting start for her on the show.
I think Normani did the best this week (of course we got the Japan speech), followed by Heather, Rashad, Simone. I liked Erika much, much more this week.
Weird order for this week’s show. They left Nancy very early again to prevent her from doing any damage to the rest of the favorites (although she’s not doing very well) and for some reason they left all the boring people for the end of the show (except Rashad). Don’t know what that’s about.
I *loved* that little flip Simone and Sasha did, I think for not being an entertainer, she did great and I liked his choreo a lot.
My very favorite dance of the night was Rashad and Emma’s.
There are no other dances I feel compelled to watch again but I did like them all well enough the first time watching. I think Nancy and Artem are good partners, I think Lindsay is doing great with Dave and the dance was certainly entertaining/memorable. Normani is a good entertainer. (Soon their travel will be over so we won’t have to keep hearing about it.)
My favorite underdog is Mr.T and I love Kym so they are getting some votes from me.
My rankings are different from many.
Nancy/Artem – best legs for female contestant, underscored, I think she’ll be a big votegetter with the main demographic
Health/Alan/Maks – solo criticism aside, she handled the jive and switching up her partner. Both reasons for vote for her.
Simone/Sasha – very popular contestant and obviously talented
Rashad/Emma – he danced a little “small” for me last night, but he is gorgeous!
Sharna/Bonner – people love a showmance, though I want a longer dance
Erika/Gleb – she has lines for days, hope they get to do a jive as was suggested
Normani/Val – why keep this terrible staging? I couldn’t even see them much less the dance as a whole. Agree she seems chill.
Nick/Peta – here I agree completely, he’s decent, but Peta’s seems unenthusiastic (who could blame her? that baby’s darling!)
David/Lindsay – I’m a lifelong Chicagoan and diehard Cub fan, but beyond the “fun” factor, this was not very good
Mr. T/Kyn – again agree, no musicality, stop stomping
Charo/Keo – please just stop. I do feel for Keo. She’s like a toddler throwing a tantrum! And it’s hard to look at her face.
FYI – if you’re a Harmonizer that’s only here to complain about people “hating” on Normani, you are not welcome and you will be deleted.
I’ve been a DWTS fan for years but never actually left a comment on this site.
My frontrunners this season are David, Rashad, Normani, and Simone.
While I do like Normani, I am also annoyed with the consistent travel talk. However, it appears she will only be traveling through week 4. According to their website April 8th is Fifth Harmony’s last event until the season is over. So if we do have to endure the jet lag talk, it should only be a few more weeks.
As i suspected, a theme less episode will be boring.. & yeah it was pretty boring & bland. Plus Len being really mean & grumpy all night didn’t help things either.. I feel like its time for Len to retire.. i feel like he doesn’t enjoy judging anymore. He was just painful to watch last night.
Well, here’s my personal ranking of everyone :
1. Heather, Alan
2. Normani, Val
3. Rashad, Emma
4. David, Lindsay
5. Nancy, Artem
6. Simone, Sasha
7. Erika, Gleb
8. Nick, Peta
9. Charo, Keo
10. Mr. T, Kym
11. Bonner, Sharna -These 2 seriously makes me want to puke.. their showmance is so cringeworthy..Yikes!
Ugh, I’m so not a fan of broody angst-filled songs for dances such as Viennese Waltz or Foxtrot. That said, I think most that were assigned them handled them well (not a fan of Gleb and Erika’s angle though). Again, largely agree with Courtney’s rankings, so here is my critique based on personal favorites of the night:
Rashad – I think he may wind up being the best technical dancer of any footballer ever on the show (with a compilation of the strengths and best traits of each). Sure there’s things Emma can tweak, but the fundamentals are there and he’s amazingly emotive, agile, and controlled yet natural in his movement. Emma was a vision and choreographed a beautiful dance. I am in love with how excited and appreciative she is of what she has to work with this season. I think Rashad gets that this is a novelty for her (has a partner of hers ever even gotten an 8 before?) and CAI was spot-on in her comments on his appeal and their partnership.
Nancy – Respectable dance and find myself really liking her and this partnership. Has anyone ever cried because their pro was complimenting them? As much as I share concerns of their understated nature being their eventual downfall, it could also be (along with their genuine joy) what sets them apart in such a flash-heavy season.
David – Sure the guy’s not the best dancer (what Cha Cha?), but he’s likable, fun, committed, has/clicks with a talented and vast fanbase. He’s going to go far.
Simone – I still feel as if a breakthrough needs to happen. But I like when they pair gymnasts with pros that can actually flip out with them on special occasion. 😉
Normani – I appreciate the Cha Cha content and her performance. Not a fan of raised staging save Argentine Tango and while it might have obscured some technical flaws, so it also impedes her covering of the floor that I think could be a major strength for of this powerful, athletic mover. Also, there is something in her leg lines in that, at times, lacks refinement and detracts. Her legs could’ve been tighter and straighter in places here but looking forward to her Samba.
Heather – Dancer’s gams that unsurprisingly looked great and sure in many places and, surprisingly, a bit wobbly in a few others. But still very meh on her and on the fence on her partnership with Maks. Saw zero connection or chemistry with Alan, which could be a pitfall to her longterm advancement.
Bonner – An improvement over last week. His upper body was okay, lower and in hold needs work.
Nick – Needs work, but I think he has decent potential and partnering.
Mr T – I quite like him and with Kym. He had some major moves in the ‘Bust A Move’ bumper (prob my single fave moment of the night) which unfortunately doesn’t seem to be transferring to his assigned performances. That said, given his persona and impactful dance style to the iconic song/movie that largely defined his career, I think he may actually survive elim next week.
Charo – She’s a bit of a frustrating dicotomy to me. I she could be a compelling lady with quite a backstory (as partly witnessed in what one can decifer in her one-on-ones with Keo who she seems to enjoy and relate to well) and she’s got some moves (i.e. those flamenco steps in her rehearsal package). But come live performance, the shock-jock schtick (and maybe some anxiety, psychosis or drugs?) unfortunately override everything else and she moves like an old lady, not that I could take my eyes off Keo’s spectacular lines and shaping in that Paso. I predict she’ll wear thin and head home come week 4.
Erika – Somewhat better than last week but I’m still befuddled by her and not in the good way. One-notedness and humility aside, is she doing this show as some alter ego? Cause I feel I’m getting a guarded version of her and not the vulnerable chick I sense underneath it all. Given this and Charo and T’s legendary status, I also happen to think she may be vulnerable to elim next week.
I’m still really surprised by David from the Cubs! David kind of Engvall-ed his way across the floor last night, but he did it with such conviction! (also surprised the lip sync police didn’t call him out like they did with Vanilla Ice)
Is it REALLY that tough to switch partners when you’re a professional dancer, Juliana? I think not.
1. Rashad- Wow, did they deliver. Hands down my favorite dance. Emma’s choreo was stunning. That ending was beautiful. His commitment, coupled with their connection and his room to grow (and if Emma can keep the choreo up) could win this thing for them. While some ppl want to push the Bonner/Sharna connection, this was far hotter in my opinion.
2. David- What David (and Rashad) have that some of the more technical dancers don’t, IMO, is that charisma factor. David committed 100% to that dance. He actually was better than I expected, and in a sea of cha cha cha, this is the one I’ll remember. I have a feeling he’s really connecting with the viewers, and I think him getting the last spot bodes well.
3. Simone- I wish they’d gotten a more “fun” song. She started a little rough, but she really got into it. That flip was genius on Sasha’s part, and the choreo was fun. I thought she was underscored, honestly, and I really have a good feeling about this pairing.
4. Heather- I liked this. She had a lot more personality, and I liked the hip hop part. I don’t mind when the pros break the rules a little sometimes, and I thought the song and her experience made that a moment Maks could use to help her stand out. Her dismissive attitude towards Len during the comments did make me mad, and even though I liked the hip hop Len was right to call it out.
Normani- Her dancing was a lot more impressive to me this week, she has so much energy and the high kicks were beautiful. She’s growing on me (and I didn’t know she was so young). I wish her fans would chill out so I could consider supporting her. I liked the choreo, but the staging was awkward.
Nancy- I am shocked how much I am loving Artem and Nancy together. They have such an awesome chemistry. I really enjoyed this but I’m concerned that they are fading into the woodwork. They need a big moment. I threw them some votes this week.
Erika- I like her, but once again I disliked their dance. I’m all about sexiness, but there is a way to do it that still has substance and is interesting. The cop theme was dumb, IMO. I’m really disappointed, because I think she’s a beautiful dancer, but Gleb is not utilizing her talent IMO. Overscored.
Bonner- Just no, I can’t with him and this storyline- it’s only week 2 and I’m contemplating forwarding through his dances. He was better than his latin, but that score was a gift. I connect the least to him- I feel nothing when he dances. I’d like to see the show move away from the romance and focus on his remarkable recovery.
Nick- If Bonner is a major disappointment right now, Nick is a pleasant surprise personality wise. My friends who have watched his million seasons of the Bachelor have some pretty negative things to say, but he’s coming across well here. I think this dance was a mix of bad, choppy choreo and a bad song. He’s trying and obviously committed, but that was really rough. I did think it was better than Charo.
Mr. T- He’s doing what he can and Kym is doing what she can. I think he can probably last one more week, but not much more. I do love his attitude and personality.
Charo- I think Keo choreographed this well, and she is one of the better older contestants we’ve had. Her attitude after scoring, though, is wearing on me and I don’t think I’m the only one. I don’t know how many viewers understand Spanish, but that was some serious cussing out she was doing.
Not surprised by Chris’ exit, but Witney did a better job than I expected with him.
It seems like Artem has gone into Strictly Come Dancing mode with his choreography, and I think it suits Nancy very well because she has a carriage and an elegance to her movement and doesn’t really need to have a lot of tricks and bells and whistles.
It’s pretty refreshing, especially since Artem did very well on Strictly and I think he’s sometimes struggled with the production value and the “show” aspects of DWTS.
I split my vote 50/50 last night I gave half to Rashad and the other half to Emma !!
My favorites are:
1. Simone- I loved the cha cha, but I got a little irritated with Sasha when he seemed impatient with Simone not wanting to emphasize the sexy aspects of the dance. Simone is what she is and if she is not comfortable with that aspect of the dance, Sasha should just accept that. I read Simone’s autobiography and she comes from a conservative background, and sometimes acting in that manner is just not easy, I can relate because I know several people that come from similar backgrounds. It is just week 2 and I am sure Simone will come to embrace the character of the dancing, and realize that she is just acting a part.
2. Normandi- Considering all the traveling, I thought she and Val were great. Normandi seems like a sweet girl, I would like to get to know more about her.
I thought the story about her grandma keeping a journal was really funny because a couple of years ago I had a student who told me that his grandmom writes all the dances and scores in a spiral notebook!
3. David- I loved David’s dance and I thought he did a great job, considering he is a true beginner and it is only week 2. I could not understand why the judges were so picky.
4- Nancy- I loved her dance, loved her dress and thought she looked so graceful and she seems grateful to be on the show. Of all the celebs,it was Nancy and Simone that I was most happy to see cast. I am a figure skating fan for many years, and I watched that night that she won the Olympic silver amidst all the controversy. I always felt that Nancy struggled after the Olympics being branded as cold and mean after a couple of comments that were blown way out of proportion. I hope DWTS is a good experience for Nancy and maybe she will make it to the finals!
Pretty much agree with prior comments.
I’m voting for Rashad & Emma for the win. LOVED their VW. He has it all, strong, receptive, vulnerable. I could dance with him & just know he will be there supporting me in the right way and at exactly the right time. Just love him with Emma. (Ok, I’m fluey & need a hug….)
Also so pleased to hear it’s hard to phone in for David & Lindsey. Good for them! Liked their choreo better wk 1, but so, so fun!
Am liking Nancy & Artem more each week. I don’t think “Olympian” when watching her, I think “mom”. She seems more like just a regular person having a special experience. She’s easy to relate to and Artem is also more vulnerable. Nice pairing.
Hoping Mr T & Kym stay another week or 2. He is trying and she is lovely. Have they mentioned he is donating his proceeds to St Jude’s Children’s Hospital?
About Normani’s staging, could it be because a full dance floor was too hard to find for a week in Japan? That’s a lot of space for a country where the average sized single apt is 200 -250 sq feet and you need to rent a street parking spot before buying a car. (tiny car spaces are the easiest to get)
@James – I like your method of voting!
Am I the only person that didn’t realize that it was Rashad’s voice speaking at the beginning of their VW? That makes their dance even more special to me.
Thanks Court! Here are my rankings based on my favorites to my least favorites
1. Rashad & Emma: I dont have much to say except that I LOVED IT. Rashad was a true leading man with the way he held Emma so delicately and I loved the choreography & staging. I hate that they waited this long to give Emma a partner like this
2. Normani & Val: I thought the cha cha suited her perfectly and she seemed to really let loose. I loved her sass and attitude. Good, no time wasting on Val’s part this week. Wasnt a huge fan of that costume though. Im with you on not wanting to hear how tired and jetlagged they are every episode.
3. Simone & Sasha: I absolutely loved the choreography and I thought Simone killed it. She did seem unsure at some points and went ahead on the music a bit but overall great performance. Sasha’s so suportive of all his partners with his instagram captions aw
4. Nancy & Artem: And these two continue to surprise me. I was so sure she was going to struggle with latin dances but wow that was pretty good. She did well for the most part. Her footwork needed to be a bit sharper but great effort. So happy for Artem too
5. David & Lindsay: This was a blast and I love how he is just having the time of his life. This was very entertaining even though his technique was not that great. I worry for his other Latin dances but I trust Linds though
6. Bonner & Sharna: I thought this was a pretty dance and I liked the slow steady pace of the choreo. Did not appreciate the overdramatic aspect of it though. Reminded me of Meryl & Maks choreo. His frame did look good. I love Sharna but I really cant deal with this showmance. She looked absolutely stunning in that costume and hair though.
7. Heather & Alan:I thoughT this was ok. I agree with Len that the breakdown was unnecessary. I thought the jive she did was ok. Her kicks and flicks could have been sharper. Loved her outfit though. Also is it only me that finds that she comes across a bit phony on camera?
8. Erika & Gleb: This was pretty forgettable. She did have some gorgeous lines here and there but the rise and fall in this foxtrot was non existent. Also over Gleb and his sexy/dramatic choreo. Sucks cause I used to be such a fan.
9. Mr T & Kym: Again, I marvel at Kym’s body. Mr t did well with what he was given. I dont think we can see much more but great effort.
10. Nick & Peta: This dance is a perfect example of my problem with Peta’s choreography. She always makes it faster that it needs to be. Most of her rumbas and waltzes and foxtrots tend to be like that. This was a gorgeous song and the dance needed to be more delicate. This choreo was too hard/fast for Nick and he was a mess trying to keep up with her. It was also pretty dramatic and too staccato in some places. I hope she simplefies her choreo next week. LOVED their costumes though.
11. Charo & Keo: Unlike last week, I didnt care for Charo this week. Too many forgotten steps and I couldnt see what she was doing with her body behind that huge dress. Also over her dramatic self.
I finally can explain what I think about charo in a way that makes sense to other people. She can dance but she is too focused on then “entertainer” aspect of it all.
Rashad is my favorite at the moment. A football player with zero dance experience that dances with strength and romance and grace was mesmerizing and beautiful! I want him to win!
David is fun and giving it all, but with less natural dance ability than Rashad. And I love Lindsay’s choreo.
Normani and Simone (both 20) and Heather (30 years old) are all young performers with lots of dance experience. I’m not as impressed with them as I am with David and Rashad. Val continues to be irritating. I will never vote for him.
Bonner, Nancy, Mr T and Nick are in the middle for me.
Definitely would like Erica or Charo to go home next.
I’m not sure I would consider Simone a performer, and only a rudimentary amount of dance experience next to Heather or even Normani.
In no particular order;
Nancy/Artem: I’ve found myself very connected to Nancy. I didn’t know what to expect with her but I like that she’s just a nice, normal, lovely, person. She also dances beautifully and I like Artem with her. His personality seems to be different or maybe it’s just me. I’m rooting for her to make it to top 5.
Erika/Gleb: Modern day LA Confidential vibe in this dance. She can move & has potential to do more. I wish she would show more of her normal self & less Erika Jayne alter ego. She’s really a nice, down-to-earth, cool, lady. I wish Gleb wasn’t going backwards with the 1-speed all sex & no substance. Surprise people with something meaningful now & then.
Normani/Val: Over-scored. I thought she was good but when I saw the scores my first impression
was that she isn’t getting the votes.
Simone/Sasha: And I thought she was fabulous & that she is getting more votes than Normani.
Charo/Keo: She’s still cracking me up. I wouldn’t even notice Keo if I had never seen the show before. And even then I kind of didn’t notice him because Charo sucks up all the oxygen in the room.
Nick/Peta: He seems to have serious natural talent that isn’t being harnessed.
Mr. T/Kym: Similar to last week’s theme. No surprise. He’s such a good, decent, human being. Not being a good dancer won’t change that.
Heather/who cares: Call me cynical but where’s the usual x-ray, DWTS Dr. bit they always show? Maks wouldn’t even say what the injury was when they were getting scores & was asked. What gives? As far as Heather’s dance…..she looked like a professional dancer. Heather with Alan is Heather with any other pro or group pro number. Why is she doing the show? She’s young, currently a working actress and already knows how to dance. So it’s not like she needs to make a comeback in the waning days of her old career or wants to learn to dance for her children’s wedding. Oh well.
Bonner/Sharna: Steamy. Better than last week, I thought. I’m hoping they’re around to at least top 5.
David/Lindsay: The MC Hammer improv dancing was good, the rest was kind of Bad Dad dancing. But he’s so sweet, funny & charming it didn’t bother me.
Rashad/Emma: The song seemed awfully fast for the dance but he’s so smooth and is still my #1!!!
My random thoughts:
Chris/Witney – Disappointed that someone who really did seem to want to be there and improve got kicked off. I liked seeing a different, more mature side of Witney, too. He wouldn’t have lasted long, but I would have much rather seen Charo/Keo go or Heather/Maks.
Nancy/Artem – Only week 2, but still stuck towards the beginning of the show again! I love this pairing and her endearing personality. Again, she genuinely seems to want to be there which I love to see. She is beautiful to watch, but unsure of herself so I would love to see her gain some confidence. I never really was crazy about Artem, but I really like him this season! Just goes to show that we see what TPTB want us to see with the editing and pairings.
Rashad/Emma – Another great pairing! I love both of their personalities and like everyone, I’m so glad Emma gets to shine this season. Finally!
Sasha/Simone – I thought they’d be my favorites, but I haven’t really been wowed yet. I think I was expecting more of a spark from them. That said, I do think they are another great pairing.
David/Lindsay – Not to sound like a broken record, but this really is a good pairing, but honestly, doesn’t Lindsay find a way to relate well to all of her partners? She just seems like a fun coach to have and although this wasn’t my favorite routine, it was fun and made me smile. I wouldn’t be disappointed if they make it to the finals. They would certainly entertain us with their freestyle!
Nick/Peta – I’m surprised that I actually find Nick likable! He seems goofy, but also invested in learning to dance. I think Peta should have sat this one out, though. She doesn’t seem fully into it this season and for good reason.
Bonner/Sharna – He has a lot of potential, but I think the producers only want to focus on their budding “romance.” I thought Sharna’s dress was exquisite and they gave a really solid performance.
Heather/Maks – So bored with Maks! Heather has no business being on the show (and tired of Julianne telling me otherwise) and I am left feeling nothing after her performances.
Normani/Val – A solid performance, but I wouldn’t mind if they left soon. I don’t feel anything from this pair.
Erika/Gleb – Much better than last week, but I don’t need to see Gleb’s chest anymore. Sorry.
Mr. T/Kym – I like Kym, but Mr. T. is not going to get far by posing. They will be gone soon.
Charo/Keo – Good riddance! They should have went this week instead of Chris/Witney.
I think Nastia was the only gymnast who didn’t have the “don’t know how to be sexy” problem. Granted, she was older when she did the show as compared to other gymnasts.
I don’t think Aly had a problem with being sexy either. Mark even said that her issues were opposite of what you’d expect from a gymnast…she had technical challenges and couldn’t count music, but she loved shimmying and moving her hips.
Just watched the show last night with my mom. I love watching with her because she never knows who is anyone so when she makes comments I get an idea of how the general (not super fans of the show) react.
I personally though Rashad, Simone and Normani where the best. David was super fun. He might not be the best technically but definitely is winning in terms of personality and routines that are fun.
I was impressed by Nacy and Artem. I really hope she keeps improving, and I love this new/nice side of Artem. Nick also keeps surprising me. He is not great but he is better than I expect.
My mom was really impressed with Simone, Rashad, Normani and Nick. I found it interesting that without knowing at all who Heather was or that she was a dancer my mom’s reaction was that Heather was just okay, better than Nancy but not Simone or Normani. This got me thinking that us fans of the show and many of us dancers as well see Heather and her dance experience and notice it more because we know more about the techniques and styles etc. But the normal viewer just wants to be wowed and Heather IMO(and from my mom’s comment) is failing to do that. And this is were pros come into play and are so important because creating eye-popping and memorable routines does not only depend on dance ability the concept and choreo play a huge part. And just as PH said in her comment pros need to make their stars stand out. And not just with steps and difficulty but with creative eye-popping concept and choreo.