PureDWTS Season 24, Week 6 – Power Rankings
Anyone else missing Derek & Mark (and their choreography) something fierce right about now??? Because my god – if last night wasn’t an exercise in choreographic futility for some of our pros, then I don’t know what the hell it was. On top of that, the judges seemed eerily kind to just about everyone (except Nick, which we’ll get into later), which left me with this unpleasant sense of foreboding for most of the show – like I was waiting for something bad to happen, but I wasn’t sure what. Basically, the same feeling I had while watching the first 20 minutes of last season’s Game of Thrones finale – but thankfully, when it all played out, I felt less like Margaery & more like Cersei, because something that Heidi & I had be predicting would happen eventually, happened: Heather got outsted in a “shocking” (but not really, if you actually think about it) elimination. We had been saying she was the most likely candidate for the token “shock” elim this season, but I don’t think we were anticipating it happening this early on – I myself had her making it to at least week 7, I think. But when you take into account the turd of a routine her pro foist upon her last week, and the fact that most of the general viewing audience couldn’t really get past her basically being a professional dancer herself, she followed the basic formula for getting “Sabrina’d”: the minute a skilled dancer dips below a certain score threshold, they get sent home because they Just. Aren’t. Getting. The. Votes. If you want to see a breakdown of just how few votes Heather was getting (or rather, just how much better than Heather everyone else was doing), go reread Heidi’s Dancing By the Numbers. I wish I could say I was disappointed by a good dancer getting sent home before some less-skilled ones, but I made no secret of it that I never really found myself enjoying Heather’s performances – and it was a combination of lack of connection to the audience on her part, and just plain subpar choreography from Maks on the other. Add in the fact that Maks managed to find TWO ways to proverbially spit in Alan’s face last night, and I’m left saying “Toodles, Heather & Maks – don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!” Not gonna lie, though: part of me would love to see Alan as a pro next season, and have Maks left out in the cold – karma could be such a perfect bitch 😎
Which brings me to a few notes on demographics. I think I warned everyone a month ago that Chris, Erika, Heather, & Normani were the four most likely to struggle with fanbase issues this season – three of them are now gone. You Harmonizers still feeling so confident about Normani’s voting fanbase? I saw quite a few folks wringing hands after it was announced that everyone on the girls’ team was in jeopardy, and many of them seemed convinced that Nancy was the one headed home. You guys do realize that she aligns almost perfectly with the main viewing demographic of the show, right? A middle-aged Olympian with an inspiring backstory? Please help me understand why you thought a C-list-at-best, 30-something professional dancer from a 2-years-defunct teen tv show that was being given highly mediocre choreo by her partner was somehow going to outlast that Olympian, who so far has thrived and been given solid routines by her partner? It’s important to remember that sometimes, this show is about everything EXCEPT the dancing – in this case, the fact that Heather was already a great dancer didn’t matter to a lot of folks. If anything, it seemed to turn them off. They seemed to prefer Nancy’s journey to Heather’s already-professional polish. I also think Nancy has come off far more relatable and down-to-earth than Heather ever did on the show – and trust me when I say that can make a bigger difference than a few points, sometimes.
As for the rest of the show – Nick was an ok guest judge; seemed excited to be there and tried to give insightful critiques, but I think he came across a tad disingenuous at times. He also seemed like a bit of a yes-man, and had been fed a list of instructions on what to say and to whom (“Make sure you mention that Normani could win this whole thing! And don’t go easy on Nick V.!”) But I was pleased to see he gave Rashad a “10” when the other judges were whipping out 9’s – seemed to make up for Carrie Ann’s uncalled-for “7” last week. Opener seemed bland, like it was an afterthought – “Crap, what are we gonna do for the opener this week??? IDK, just…line everyone up or something…” Can’t say I missed Julianne too much – guess the Move Beyond tour didn’t leave any time for the “Ballroom is soooo different than what Heather does!” apology tour this week…and now Heather’s gone. Wuh wuh wuhhhhh.
1.) Simone & Sasha – I might have audibly groaned while watching this samba, because man – they seemed to really screw these two over with the song. The samba beat felt pretty…flaccid. Hard to keep a hold on, and I don’t know that Simone ever really got into the pocket and felt the beat entirely. I also wasn’t a fan of the boots they had her wearing, which seemed to keep her feet from really connecting to the floor and turning with ease – seemed like she was bouncing too much through her upper body instead of her core, too. Sasha did the best he could with the choreo, and there was a lot of content, but I don’t think the song did either of them any favors. I was fully expecting the judges to go in for the kill with their critiques and scores, so you can imagine my surprise when they were relatively kind and generous with her – as much as I like Simone, that was NOT a 35-worthy samba, and that should have been my first indicator that they were up to something last night. They seemed to be trying to preserve the ladies, and knock out 2-3 of the guys – which makes me think the guys are faring better in the voting than the gals, which is NOT what TPTB want; however, I think they’re trying to shape a final 3 of Simone-Rashad-Normani at this point…whether they’re successful remains to be seen. But I think as of right now, Simone is probably faring the best of the female contestants, and given that they seem to be giving the ladies a bit of a boost, she seems to be in a good position to continue.
2.) Rashad & Emma – Was a great comeback week for Shad – even though I didn’t think his tango was a whole lot better than his foxtrot (which I still maintain was not NEARLY as bad as the judges made it sound). Kinda makes me think they’re starting to get down to business and think about who they want in the final three, as I mentioned above – because Shad was the only guy last night that didn’t get ragged by the judges either in score or critique. Part of me wonders if they really were hoping for a Simone-Heather-Normani finale, but after determining that Heather was a goner, they had to switch strategy. Anywho – nice, clean, on-time tango from Shad, with a ton of content to please Len; gotta hand it to Emma, who basically does the exact opposite of Val and gives Len exactly what he wants. Loved the bit at the beginning with the troupe guys – he blends in well, because his movement quality is so polished. Not a whole lot else to add, because I was pleased with his score and how he was treated – I just hope the judges don’t decide to have another “make an example of Shad” week like last week.
3.) David & Lindsay – Right now, I would say that David is probably the biggest threat to a Simone-Rashad-Normani finale – and that’s scaring the bejeesus out of TPTB, because I think he’s posing the biggest threat to Normani. And that’s probably why Grandpa got the bad edit this week – he’s too popular, and they need to knock him down a few pegs. Which is why they kinda went in hard on this Argentine tango as well – like Shad’s foxtrot, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the judges were making it sound: he stayed on-time, he did the steps, and did reasonably well with the lifts. Sure, he wobbled slightly – but he didn’t drop Lindsay, so I don’t really see a point in scolding him for “almost dropping Lindsay”. If we’re going to start penalizing contestants for things they ALMOST do, we’ve got big problems. Then Carrie Ann chimes in with another cop-out, “crap, I need to make some sort of complaint to validate this score” critique, claiming that David “isn’t himself”. Since when did this twit become the arbiter of everyone “being themselves” and “connecting with the dance”? Half the time I don’t think she’s even self-aware enough to realize where she is. But I was proud of David for basically deflecting the comment gracefully, and probably using his response to his advantage – the giggling you heard from Carrie Ann as a result was less “OMG he’s so funny & cute!” and likely more “Oh sh*t, that backfired majorly!” Really hoping Lindsay sits him down and makes him see the writing on the wall where the judges are concerned – because I don’t want their bullsh*t snuffing out his light. He’s a joy to watch 🙂
4.) Normani & Val – I just have to laugh anymore when a Harmonzier slithers in here and starts throwing a tantrum about how “Normani got the high score and did the best, she should be at the top of your list!” To which I say “Who are you really trying to convince of that – me or yourselves?” Because I honestly don’t believe for a moment that she’s getting the most votes this season, or even enough to ensure her safety week-to-week without a lot of assistance from the judges & PTB. Two points off from a perfect score for a dance that wasn’t even a salsa??? Riiiiiight. At best, that was a jazz with some extra arm-wrapping steps – I can’t even recall seeing a whole lot in the way of basic steps. Oh, and there was another high-kick, guys!!!! 😛 And the fact that Val chose to lock horns with Len about choreography during the critique? That felt about like Steph Curry trying to school Michael Jordan on passing & lay-up technique. Len has been around since before the syllabus was even created, Val – it’s probably best not to arrogantly try to cram it up his ass as an excuse for why you yourself are incapable of choreographing an actual salsa as opposed to a freestyle jazz. And it just further illustrates that both Chmerkovskiys have a problem with diarrhea of the mouth – they simply can’t hold it in, and have to retaliate…usually to the detriment of their partner. Shut up, take your lumps, and then go pout about it off-camera, ya stooge. In other news, I legit didn’t know that the words to “When I Grow Up” are “I wanna have groupies” and not “I wanna have boobies” until last night. I think my interpretation makes more sense, though 😉
5.) Nancy & Artem – I really love when Nancy & I are on the same page 🙂 LOVED that she said basically the same thing that I did about “Free Your Mind” – that it’s been totally overused on this show, and people usually (unfavorably) compare any new dances done to it to Mel B’s paso in season 5 (which, like many dances from the early seasons, doesn’t really stand the test of time, but viewers still seem to wax nostalgic about it). So I can totally understand Nancy’s frustration – they were kinda setting her up for potential failure. But while I wasn’t wild about Artem’s choice to use that cage at the beginning, I understand why he did it – likely to just set them apart from any previous routines. For the first half of the routine, Nancy seemed to get a bit stuck in her own head, and didn’t seem at ease – but once she hit the section of dancing side-by-side with the troupe guys and working that skirt, it was game-on and she was in the zone. Loved the synchronization. If I could give her one bit of advice, it’d be “breathe!” – seemed like she plastered on the same tight-lipped glare the whole time, and it seemed to keep her looking stiff and outta breath. Not her best dance, but certainly not her worst – but I worry now that TPTB have decided that Normani & Simone are their two picks for the finale, so we might start to see Nancy get picked at a bit more. I’m hoping that the main voting demographic sticks behind her, though, and neutralizes any potential threats.
6.) Nick & Peta – Well, if last night’s sudden about-face from the judges was any indicator, they may have overscored Nick last week and put themselves in a bit of a pickle. So they were right back to dragging him and nitpicking a dance that wasn’t all that bad – sure, it was cheesy, but it was also fun, and Nick managed to stay on-time the entire time and looked to be making a conscious effort to move big and actually move his legs. Once again, I felt as though he was underscored – I go back to my rule of “only whip out 7’s if there’s major issues with staying on time”, and I did not notice any points where he was off-time. It just gets annoying at times like these, when the judges are basically trying to gaslight the viewers into doubting their own opinions – saw quite a few folks on Twitter saying things to the extent of “Hmmmm, I didn’t think Nick was that bad…but I don’t know a whole lot about dance, so I guess maybe the judges are right!” And it’s irritating because really – Nick has actually been pretty fun to watch this season. I love his self-deprecating sense of humor, and the fact that he’s not afraid to call out scheisty behavior and the fact that all of the women are ringers, while none of the men have any dance experience whatsoever. Not a whole lot else to add, other than that I think they were angling for a Nick & Bonner bottom 2 next week…and part of me wonders if there’s a surprise double-elim looming, so they can maybe kill 2 birds with one stone…
7.) Bonner & Sharna – The fact that they seemed unusually kind to Bonner for a dance that was ok-at-best makes me think that he’s probably next on the chopping block, votes-wise. Lotta contemporary-esque time wasting at the beginning of that rumba – I would normally chastise a pro for this, but with regards to Sharna, I think she just sees the writing on the wall as far as Bonner’s concerned: he’s not a dancer, he’s probably not going to get any better with the time he has left, and it’s probably not worth it to force him to crash and burn doing heavy-duty content at this point. Probably better to get scolded for not enough rumba content than risk humiliating Bonner by including steps he just cannot do. Not a whole lot in the way of hip action, but I will say that Bonner at least looked somewhat confident doing the moves he was given – I believed the storyline of the dance. Not much else to say, other than I think his journey on the show has just run its course.
Thoughts on the team dance:
Team Girl Group may have gotten a point higher, but my god – I think even Stevie Wonder could agree that Team Boy Band actually won that round. Neither team will go down in the annals of DWTS history as the best or most technically-proficient team dance we’ve ever seen, but at the very least, I think Team Boy Band may be remembered as one of the most fun/joyous. It took me back to the Rocky Horror team dance in season 19 – by no means the most technically-perfect dance, but one where everyone involved seemed to be having a great time, which made it more enjoyable for me as a viewer to watch. I had heard from Deep Throat that the guys on Team Boy Band were “the most enthusiastic group of celebs I’ve ever seen about the team dance” – I think you could tell from the package, but those guys were THRILLED with their songs and concept, and were already choreographing themselves about a half hour into the first rehearsal; in fact, the entire chair section was basically the four guys just tossing out ideas, and the female pros letting them run with it. The rest of the choreography fit their respective skill sets well, and the female pros wisely adopted a “no male celeb left behind” philosophy that made sure the guys could all actually do the routine and do it in sync and with polish. Was it super difficult or impressive? No, but as we’ve said time and again about the team dance – you’re better off doing simple choreography that can be done cleanly than complicated choreography that looks messy. And when in doubt – sell the showmanship above all else. Which is where Team Girl Group fell woefully short, in addition to their pros laying quite possibly the most gigantic egg ever with the choreography. Seriously, probably the most stacked group of celebs, skill-wise, ever to comprise a team for the team dance – Derek and Mark would have had a heyday with them, and possibly choreographed something Emmy-worthy, with all talent in one spot. But instead, we were punished with witnessing the greatest waste of time AND talent in the history of DWTS, and sorry not sorry, that choreography REEKED of Chmerkovskiy. I saw a lot of questions on Twitter to the tune of “Why did Artem & Sasha not speak up and veto that crappy choreography???” and my answer is this: after witnessing Val’s self-important argument about choreography with Len after he & Normani’s salsa last night, and Maks’ self-important soap-boxing after Heather’s craptastic jazz last week, do you really think those two would be talked down so easily from their self-appointed pedestals? Also saw ridiculous complaints about how “sexist” the team dances were – umm, duh, you’ll kinda have that when you pit guys against girls; but the funny thing to me was all the complaints about the guys “being rewarded for taking off their shirts, while the women actually danced”. I nearly choked on my Unicorn Frappuccino with that one, since the women spent 1/3 of their dance brushing their hair, admiring each other’s nails, and generally gratifying every sexist stereotype about what girls do at sleepovers (minus the topless pillow fights that frat boys seem to think we have). But to that point – the women seemed to spend a shocking amount of time in that routine not doing a whole lot of dancing, which further drives the point home for me that the choreography was a Chmerkovskiy endeavor: they LOVE wasting time not doing actual dance steps. The rest of the routine seemed to be wasted doing steps that were far below the skill level of any of the ladies, and weren’t particularly in-sync or well-coordinated, either. I can’t even recall much in the way of specific moments, because it was all so…unmemorable. And then the lights conveniently going out towards the end? A suspicious part of me wonders if the Muppets in the control room realized what a turd the routine was, and cut the lights to conceal a particularly craptastic moment in the dance and hopefully illicit some sympathy votes. Hell, I’d do it, if I was in that position – that dance needed all the help it could get. There were no winners in that dance – I’d give Nancy an honorable mention for showing she can hang with the younger girls, though, even if the choreography wasn’t sufficient enough to really highlight it; but nobody really seemed like they were having a good time during that dance, which made it a drag to watch (in addition to the mediocre choreography). I’m giving MVP of the guys team to Rashad, for just hitting every step and really living the dance – and doing some sinful things to a chair. Honorable mention to David for embracing his dad bod and still having a ball performing the dance 🙂
So what are your thoughts on the team dances? Heather’s elimination? What’s coming in the remaining weeks?
1) Rashad and Emma: Great scores (although I would’ve been fine with all 10s). Great dance. And of course, he was on the boy band team which was universes better than the girls. Yeah safe to say, I think Rashad is going strong and in no danger this week.
2) Simone and Sasha: I still don’t get what universe Nick thinks this is an 8 considering that he gave Bonner an 8 too. Sorry no. Still, I think Simone is here to stay too. Heidi’s post showed they might be giving her less screentime, but I still think she’s getting votes.
3) Normani and Val: Way too much hip hop and way too generous of a score. Once again, the C-bros choreography leaves me baffled.
4) Nancy and Artem: I saw some people worried about Nancy last night. Maybe I’m being overly confident, but I’m not. I think the only reason she was in jeopardy was because they wanted to put the whole girls team in jeopardy, and of Simone, Normani, and Nancy, Nancy was the one they thought would make people sweat the most with Heather in the bottom two. I think her score has insulated herself from the bottom 3 so she’s safe this week.
5) David and Lindsay: The judges seem to really want David gone or something. I definitely don’t think he had the best dance, but three 7s seems a bit harsh. I still think he’s way safe. I think he’s raking in the votes, so there’s no way any of the other low scorers are catching him.
6) Bonner and Sharna: I mulled over these bottom two for a while, but in the end I put Bonner ahead. He has 2 more judges’ points which was a total gift on the judges’ part, and his appeal coincides nicely with DWTS’s main demo. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him go, but I just thought he had a slight bit more in his favor than Nick.
7) Nick and Peta: The judges have really done their part to take a guy from a show I don’t watch and who I had heard was an a-hole and make me like him. He’s been a lot easier to watch than I had anticipated, and on top of that, it’s hard not to root for a guy who gets hosed by the judges like he so often seems to. I think the judges were determined that one of David, Bonner, or Nick or more realistically Bonner or Nick would go home. I think it’s kind of a toss-up between Nick and Bonner. I wouldn’t be surprised to see either go.
As for team dances I think it was obvious the boys were more entertaining. And honestly, the shirts off had nothing do with it. Imagining the same dance with shirts on, I still think I prefer it majorly over the girls. They were feeling that routine, and it just radiated through the whole number. I have to say the thing that turned me off the most about the girls’ dance was the chair part because that seemed to be all about their partners. It reeked of the self-absorption the C-Bros have and frustrated me.
First off, I only watched Simone, Nancy, David and Rashad live last night; the rest I left the room (or changed the channel for). Oh and I watched the team dances, should have stayed with The Voice!
I remarked to,Courtney on Twitter how much I missed Mark and Derek last night. Overall, the choreography was sub-par, IMO. I also felt that TPTB really tipped their hands last night; they so want Normani, Simone and Rashad in the finals (I think Heather was probably up there at one time too, but they so miscalculated her popularity and longevity).
I agree with your rankings, I’m still not sure about how many votes Normani is actually getting. The harmonizers are a noisy (and obnoxious, rude and whiny too) group, but I’m not certain about voting. I’d love for her to be a shocking elimination #2, but unfortunately I don’t see that happening. (Side note: if she does one more high kick, I’m going to be tempted to kick my tv!) I will be shocked if anyone other than Normani gets immunity next week (and if she doesn’t, I’ll bet she’ll,win her dance-off).
I am SO OVER the team dances. Ever since they went free style, they have been on a downhill trajectory for me. Personally, I didn’t care for either of them as I found them so predictable. I’d probably give it to the guys just because the girls were so typical C Bros choreography; pose, walk, pose again.
Absolutely miss the creative choreography of Mark and Derek all these seasons. The C-bros can’t come close to them no matter how hard they and the producers try to make them. So glad I was able to witness dancing at its very best when they were on the show. IMO people watched all these 9 years just to see the genius of Mark and Derek.
I agree with your rankings. I figured Heather would be a shocking elimination but not until after Bonner and Nick were already ousted. Maks has only himself to blame. Basically due to his craptastic Jazz routine from last week.
I’m not convinced Normani is warming up to the general audience. Not like David has or Rashad. So, she’ll get to the finale thanks to the meddling from TPTB not truly because she earned it imho and DEFINITELY not because Val deserves it with his subpar same-from-week-to-week choreo.
PLEASE let the final 3 be Rashad, Nancy and Simone!!!
I agree with Courtney’s rankings except I would put Nancy ahead of Normani. I want to see a Rashad/Sasha/Nancy or David finals. I don’t want to deal with Val and his under par choreography in another finals. He doesn’t deserve it. I’m sorry, Normani can dance, but she has him for a partner and he hasn’t done the work to earn the finals.
Boy band dance was so much better than the girls. The girls just looked sloppy. I was surprised that their scores weren’t higher since one was going home.
Immunity dance next week. Ugh. Please, please, please, anyone but Normani.
I’d put Normani below Nancy and possibly David. Yes, the judges propped her up with that ridiculous score, but I just don’t think she’s getting many votes. They tried to give David a bad package, but I think he neutralized it by responding the way he did to CAI’s comments after the dance. He is just SO likable.
I actually wondered last night if someone with the show read your Manipulation Mayhem post, since Simone actually talked to Erin last night and Normani did not.
I think the next three to go will be Bonner, Nick and Normani, probably in that order.
I always love these rankings. As far as Heather’s elimination goes, I was surprised but not surprised. I thought Bonner was this week’s goner for sure, and I was very surprised that the men were all announced as safe. I think people are way more surprised than they should be about Heather’s elimination and I wish I could shout from the rooftops about exactly why she was eliminated, because people just don’t seem to get it.
I agree with all of your thoughts on Normani. I actually got called racist by a Harmonizer on Twitter because I tweeted that Len shouldn’t just hand her the win like the other judges are doing because she doesn’t deserve it. Of course, this tweet led to lots of backlash because they’re a very sensitive bunch, one of which, as I mentioned, called me racist because apparently since she can do no wrong, race HAD to be the reason I agreed with Len. I might add that many of my tweets are about Rashad and how badly I would like for him and Emma to win the competition, but I digress.
My rankings would look almost exactly like yours. What a lot of people who watch the show and root for certain celebs on the show seem to forget is this: this is not just a dancing competition. It’s a ballroom dancing competition. And I fall into the school of thought that just because you dance non-ballroom moves well does not mean you should be a shoo-in for the Mirrorball. The celeb must show a mastery (sort of) of ballroom dancing, which of course is tough to do if the ballroom choreography is lackluster, or isn’t there at all. I’m just grumpy and a traditionalist like Len is though, I guess.
I think that Nancy has plenty of support and isn’t in danger until at least the semi-finals for sure. I do hope, however, that people saw her in jeopardy last night and continue to rally around her. I am a fan of hers (and surprisingly, Artem’s) during this season. They are one of my favorite pairings, so I hope they do well.
Wow Courtney can you write! Bravo! This made me laugh. I like to laugh, it’s good medicine and keeps things in perspective. That “opener” was out of gas and the rest of the show (with the exception of the boy bands gr. number) was the same. Yawn.
Based on enjoyment:
1.Rashad/Emma- Not a fan of an upbeat song like this for Tango, but he sold it well. I loved the part in the beginning, and in general I thought he nailed this dance. Every week I become more and more convinced he’s gonna win this thing.
2.David/Lindsay- Shaky lift aside, that was David’s best dance IMO. I loved this so much, he was clean, the choreo was good, and I really feel he was underscored. The continuous underscoring, parred with that package, makes me think he is straight up killing it in voting. Wrigley, the Cubs, MLB are all doing what they can to promote him, and the Cubs fans I know are actually pushed to vote harder because of the scoring (I know this is anecdotal). I also agree that he is connecting to the average voter in a big way.
3.Nancy/Artem- Again, I truly think Artem is the best male choreographer this season. I do think the cage went on too long, but the last third was awesome. Nancy has been consistently excellent this season, and I liked seeing another side of her. She does sometimes have some weird facial expressions, but overall I thought she was underscored a little.
4.Nick/Peta- And we are back to underscoring Nick. This wasn’t incredible, but it was fun to watch. I was impressed how well Nick stayed on time and how well he handled the jive. The whole thing made me smile and its annoying how much the judges seem to want to bring him down. That was better than four sevens.
5.Simone/Sasha- I love them, but I wasn’t a fan of the dance. I don’t think it was their fault, the music was awful for a samba. Simone danced as well as she could and Sasha actually tried to choreo an actual samba. I’m over the “make Simone sexy” thing, too.
6.Normani/Val- As much as I loved their Paso last week (it was my favorite) that’s how much I hated this dance. I have no idea how this got 10s. I thought it was one of the weakest of the nights, I saw very little actual Salsa, and what I saw I wasn’t impressed by. For all Val’s talk about being a purist, several times this season he hasn’t really done the assigned dance. I’m glad Len is holding him to the fire on that.
7. Bonner/Sharna- There is no world where that was better than Nick and David IMO. I swear he didn’t even move at all for about 2/3rds of that dance. How was this an 8 for anyone? He was also noticeably off time for so much of the guy’s group dance. I just cringe watching him.
Overall I thought the dancing was just ok this week. Heather’s dance was the only dance I truly loved, and it was probably Maks’ best choreo in a while for me. I didn’t love either team dance, but I liked the guys better than the girls.
Two thoughts- 1. I was really sad for Heather last night. I’ve made my feelings on professional dancers clear (she shouldn’t have been cast) but I don’t blame Heather for taking the opportunity given to her. She was clearly holding back tears, and I think it’s hard when you get eliminated as a “good” dancer because you realize the fans didn’t connect with you- which sucks on a personal level. 2- TPTB are really concerned the guys are going to continue to knock out the girls. As a wrote on the live thread, I am very interested to see who gets immunity next week and how the dance-offs are judged.
1)rashad and Emma: I said it last night but am happy to reiterate that this is my fav dance of the season so far. Perfect example of song doesn’t quite fit the style but damn let’s make it work! They killed it. 2)Simone and Sasha: this was a great dance for them. Only thing I wish it had was a trick. Like a backflip or something because that’s the kid ignoring song that needs a strong ending and while what Sasha ended it with was good a cool trick would have been good too. Then again probably for the better since Len would have flipped out probably. 3)Nancy and artem: it wasn’t her best dance but damn is she just going for it every single week (unlike a contestant I will talk about later that really annoyed me and one that just is trying so hard that she isn’t speaking up). I love this pairing. Truth be told, mr t and kym are my fav paring this season overall but these two are a very very close second. What can I say I like celebs that make me happy. The cage was a cool touch too. Artem is just having a blast this season. 4)normani and Val: ok so before I mentioned the one that doesn’t speak up. That’s normani. At some point she had to have thought “this kick again?!” Or “maybe more salsa so I can get a better score from Len?” But I’m guessing she didn’t voice it since that routine screamed Val. Basically that dance can be summed up in one sentence: Val was given the style and didn’t give enough of the content yet again this season. I’m getting sick of that. What she did she did well though and I feel like I say this every week. Speaking of Val, he needs to speak less. 5)David and Lindsay: the first of the dances that made me go “good not great. Kinda forgettable”. Love his energy and dedication though. 6)nick and peta: ok so this guy gives his all but this dance was very meh. He makes me laugh with his sense of humor though and he definately isn’t the jerk he looked like on the bachelor so there’s that. 7) Bonner and sharna: he was good last week and memorable. This week was memorable-ish but outside of the video he didn’t seem too connected this week. It seem so like he has good weeks and weeks like he just looks like he is not going for it a second much as he could.
Didn’t like either of the group dances whatsoever.I didn’t understand why all the girls were fangirling over the boys I mean they were ok. The GG dance was really dull and boring I was waiting for a wow moment but nothing. I only liked the lift were Mani jumped in Val’s arm. Was the chair thing their solos because Nancy literally just bend her back.
1) Normani not my favorite dance of hers but I don’t understand people complain there was no salsa how is she gonna do any salsa movements if the song is straight pop and hip hop. I’m a salsa dancer myself and there’s no salsa moves that would make sense with that song.It reminded me of Meryl’s salsa with Derek. Loved the solo though.
2) Simone it was okay not her best she messed up a lot and i don’t know why I get the feeling she hasn’t really enjoyed the show. Her smile seems fake. But I still like her she’s my second pick to win but I don’t think she will. Those boots were horrible for the dance
3) Rashad it was bit boring don’t really like tangos it didn’t look like a tango at all and he was stomping his feet a lot.
4) Oh I forgot about Heather. It was alright but she’s a professional dancer but she has no charisma or personality when dancing. I’m first place in the dwts fantasy game now she’s eliminated I chose her as my elimination prediction.I knew she was leaving. She’s colder than frozen. I’m happy now the fam will all vote for Val and Normani.
5) Nancy don’t get the praise for her she looked really worried throughout the dance.Im definitely not one of those harmos who thought nancy would be leaving i understand how the show works and Normani will definitely outlast her there won’t be any more shock eliminations.
The other 3 boys were same old same old. They will get votes because they are white all American boys. But Bonner is go home next week than nick than Nancy and final four David Normani Simone Rashad with Rashad and Normani the last ones standing.
As for the team dances, they both were better than most But team girls needed to have more fun and team boys needed to hone it in more.
The only two I enjoyed was Nancy and David
I miss Derek and Mark hoping they come back and the C bros get booted out a few seasons or forever
My next choices for eliminating
Nick
Bonner
Normani
I wouldn’t mind a surprise double elimination would get things along quicker
Court, great rankings again and I am so missing Mark and Derek for sure!!!
Ok, my rankings…
1. Rashad and Emma – Right from the start, I loved his attack mode and mean facial expressions right. I loved his foot work and lines. He’s smooth, classy, and powerful all in one. And Emma…she was stunning.
2. Sasha and Simone – What a great start to the show. I thought Sasha’s choreo could not have been better. I also loved their smiles. Though I think her boots held her back a little.
3. David and Lindsay – First of all, I was so impressed with Lindsay’s choreo again. I loved the tricks too…especially that backward jump around his legs. She’s fearless. I was floored. Sadly, he was a little stiff , but, I loved them and how humble they are. I also loved all the spectacular lifts.
4. Normani and Val – If this was a touring performance, I would say they nailed it. They were strong out there. However, like Len, I was wishing for more Salsa which is what they were suppose to do. It’s sad as I’m sure she had the ability to do the Salsa too. What is Val thinking?
5. Bonner and Sharna – I loved this dance. I just watched it again on You Tube. I loved the choreo, the emotion, the elegance, and the romance. Though, Bonner, if you read this…don’t stop believing or let anything get into your head. You are great out there and you can do this.
6. Nancy and Artem – There were timing and wobbly issues, she felt uncomfortable, and it needed more power in spots, but, I enjoyed this dance and seeing her in a power role.
7. Nick and Peta – I think these two are going home. I didn’t like this dance at all. His footwork was awful. His shoes made it that much worse. Peta looked so pretty in pink though.
I’m actually “part” of a Big Brother/RPDR fandom and so the demographic for them is around 18-27 (for people I follow) and a lot of them watch DWTS for Normani and Heather and let me tell you how many times I rolled my eyes last night after Heather’s elimination
They kept saying “HEATHER IS THE BEST DANCER HOW CAN BONNER STAY LONGER THAN HER AFTER GETTING A PERFECT SCORE” or “I GUESS NORMANI WON’T BE DANCING AGAINST THE BEST DANCER IN THE FINALS”
so I tried to explain that DWTS is a show has behind the scenes politics, that it’s 50% voting and 50% judges score where middle America, conservatives probably find Bonner appealing and many people are turned off about a professional dancer on the show (who is also boring to watch in comparison to others) and then I found a comment saying “I guess I should have voted, I didn’t know it matted?”
so anyways, I just stayed off twitter afterwards because I was getting a headache after reading the aftermath of Heather’s elimination which isn’t that shocking.
—
Side note: Do you think the pros understand the politics with TPTB like you explain week to week (and in this post)?
and I also feel like Artem and Sasha had no say in choreo because they’ve been stepping it up this season and the girls routine was basically walking around, considering how much potential they all had. The guys had a couple “weaker dancers” on their team but they all were entertaining but the women, who are all amazing dancers just fell flat.
Jazz, WTF? Meryl never danced with Derek. Meryl danced with VAL during switch up week. As for the song – everyone has to deal with that issue once in a while and others have handled it far better. Tough crap.
You have absolutely no credibility when it comes to anyone else so I won’t even bother.
@Tori – It is incredibly dismaying to me that some have such a cavalier attitude throwing out accusations of sexism or racism, to things that are neither sexist nor racist. Not only can accusations like that be damaging, but claims like that also undermine true instances of sexism and racism – and THAT is the real concern. Heather didn’t get the votes, therefore Heather got sent home – those are the rules, and have nothing to do with her sex. Normani’s partner refused to adhere to the rules for the dance they were assigned, therefore Len had no choice but to dock them – he did not have enough salsa content by which to judge Normani’s true proficiency. That isn’t racist – Len’s docking of points for lack of content is pretty well-known, and isn’t exclusive to a certain race or sex of contestant.
But hey, I guess it should be expected from the emotionally immature set that is the Harmonizers…
Most succinct and on point review EVER on all fronts. I need to start clocking how much of this show I don’t watch this season. Anything with a C bro. Anything with a Bachelor franchisee. Professional dancers who deny, deny, deny. So that doesn’t leave me with much this year. In looking at those TEAM dances, I was proud of the guys. They took it, they ran with it and the female pros were all in too. May not be the best Team.Dance.Ever but so much fun. Right up there with Derek’s, Call me Maybe and What does the Fox say and Do the Hustle.
Yeah–we are in desperate need of Mark and Derek.
TPTB need to wise the hell up!
@Jazz- with all respect, not having a “salsa” song is not an excuse for not doing a salsa. If the pros all went “well, I don’t think the song matches so I’m just going to do whatever I feel like” then we’d have weeks of freestyles. The great choreographers are distinguished by their ability to choreo to a crappy song. Simone and Sasha also got a crappy song, and they still did a samba. Not doing the required dance is just lazy IMO.
Thanks mods for all the hard work!!! Had a few tough days at work this site was a salvation!
@chayse…and is in no way worthy of 10’s.
I’ve only seen a a handful of the dances so far, but did follow on IG and was in disbelief at the trolling on Artem’s and Nancy’s pages by some of Heather’s fans. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything quite like it, and I think it speaks very poorly of the direction in which the show is going. Try as they might, they aren’t increasing the younger demo anyway so why drag the show down into the dirt like they are doing?
Love your rankings post, Courtney! To be honest, I only watched four dances: Simone’s, Nancy’s, David’s, and Rashad’s, as they are my favorites this season. Agreed with everything you said about these four. I also hated Simone’s boots. Wished she had worn something like Nancy’s. She looked flat-footed. But kudos to Sasha for putting in as much Samba moves as he could. Didn’t like their song. Same goes for David’s. Was scratching my head because the song did not feel very AT. As for Nancy, wow! How she worked that skirt! And Rashad. I wouldn’t be able to tell him apart from the pros in the beginning section if it weren’t for his glittery coat. he was that good. I really hope these four end up as the top four.
PLEASE, PLEASE TELL ME DEREK & MARK WILL BE BACK FOR SEASON 25!
Artem did a Salsa for Patty LaBelle to 50 cent’s In Da Club that had actual salsa steps in it. Granted it was slower because Patty was a senior citizen, but it was a rap song with salsa steps and partner work in it, so it can be done if you’re creative and/or so inclined to do the actual dance assigned.
I cannot, for the life of me, understand why Val is CONSTANTLY mouthing off to Len? What does he expect Len to say? We all know what a purist he is (thank goodness). I know it’s just a silly show but he thinks it’s acceptable to speak to his elders that way? I totally like what you said Courtney about Steph Curry and Michael Jordan. Perfect! I’m totally sick of hearing from Val and I really wish he would take a season or two off. Doesn’t this guy want to do something different with his life? I guess he really doesn’t have anything going on. I like Normani – she seems sweet – but I just can’t take anymore of her partner. Heck – bring back Heather/Maks and toss out ValMani instead!
Speaking of Heather – I really enjoyed her rumba and I think it was her best routine on the show. I kind of feel bad for her because I get a sense that she didn’t have a great time on the show and she had to deal with two partners and crappy choreo. I also like what #9 Chayse said above. It’s got to stink personally knowing that the audience just isn’t connecting to you. I hope in the future, however, there are no more professional dancers…
Anyway – my rankings are:
1.) Rashad – please, please I hope he wins!
2.) Simone – the song was horrendous and those shoes were clunky. She and Sasha did the best they could.
3.) Nancy – she really got into “the zone” towards to end of the song and I wish the first half was just as powerful. Maybe I’m overreacting but I am worried about Nancy and I gave the majority of my votes to her last night.
4.) David – I didn’t think this routine was all that bad. And I loved the way David answered that halfwit Carrie Ann. I wish she – along with Val – would go away for a season or two or three…
5.) Normani – see my notes above!
6.) Nick – it was fun, fun, fun but I think his days are numbered. And OMG did Peta look pretty in pink. I love seeing her perform lately…
7.) Bonner – I have nothing against him but he’s not going much further. He is trying and I admire that but one can only go so far…
The girls dance was underwhelming and the boys dance, while not incredible, was a lot of fun!
Can’t wait for the fresh hell that awaits us next week with the dance off. Actually, I’m lying – I can wait!
Have a nice week everyone!
Each week I look out for these Power Rankings like CAI does a wayward tootsie, so thank you to Courtney for your unique and insightful perspectives that always so well articulate many of the thoughts I too share about the show (particularly this week). Here’s my take on this week, again in descending order of those my most liked over the season:
Rashad – Loved his opening and, some persisting footwork tuning needs aside, I appreciate his progressive improvement in Ballroom (and am annoyed it has gone unmentioned by the judges through the weeks). Gotta say, given the unusual landscape and unknowns of this season, I could see a truly shocking elim at some point with a scenario of Rashad falling victim this week, so I hope people that like him don’t take anything for granted and vote for him.
Nancy – I think that icky edit really shook and displeased her and leant to the problems with her Paso correctly noted by Len (though she improve through the dance and keep up with ambitious choreo from Artem). Maybe that boot change she noted played in a bit too. For whatever reason(s), she seemed an unusual mix of disconnected, unenthused and pissed the whole night. The gusto and enjoyment she’s had in the first 5 weeks was missing last night, so I hope they rebound and return it.
David – I actually thought this was his best dance even if I watched those ill-advised lifts with the same through-my-fingers trepidation as I do the scenes when witless teenagers investigate the mysterious chainsaw sounds emanating from a pitch dark basement in a horror flick. Totally agree with Courtney on how David classily rebutted certain pigeonholing agendas.
Nick – Okay, so the guy needs some work (which, as we saw this week, is not necessarily a bad thing on this show), but he’s hardly hopeless nor painful to watch. While I don’t ultimately want or expect he to outlast some of the following on this list, I’ve thusly enjoyed watching him and Peta more than some below.
Simone – Something still has yet to fully click here even though I increasingly like their routines by the week and this was no exception. That said, the song was less-than-ideal and what an awkward and machinated package. And they need to approach sexy differently. For example, in season 19, whenever Mark deemed a dance style such as Rumba or AT as “sexy,” Sadie would clam up. Yet she had no such hangups and killed it in Cha Cha and Samba when she was being sexy without being told she was so. Sexy is not unintentional or deliberate, it just is. And it doesn’t look the same in every person.
Normani – What we don’t know after 6 weeks: If Normani can dance Foxtrot, Rumba or Salsa.
What we do know after 6 weeks: Normani is not getting the votes. #ProPartnerFail
Bonner – This kind of reminded me of his first week with Sharna mostly dancing around him even I agree with Courtney on selling the storyline think he tries on technique but has likely plateaued. Combine the latter with him having the weakest dance (comments and scores) and I see him as the most likely to exit next week.
Since my last post was so dang lengthy, here’s my short takeaway list on the team dances:
1. I adored the genuine camaraderie, fun, initiative, investment and commitment of RNB&D (and that they gave themselves an actual name) from tired, after show, late night rehearsal – live show performance and beyond;
2. The female pros did more with what they had to work with (smart staging);
3. To a select some girlband fans, a content filled dance apparently consists of dancing an actual 30 seconds of a 2.5 minute routine;
4. There’s a double standard on the double standard;
5. SOS to anyone with the sirname Ballas or Hough;
6. I want to come back as Rashad’s dining set in my next life.
Courtney I think you called it regarding the direction the season is going, Last night to me was definitely the night where TPTB showed their hand regarding who they want in the final. I thought while Rashad dance great and fully deserved his ten, Simone and Normani were both overscored, and David and Nancy both got unflattering packages. It’s becoming clear now that Heather was a bust that they are gunning for that Normani, Rashad, Simone finale and last night was the first clear step towards them trying to dilute David’s vote by editing him to look like a jerk. It’s also the second week in a row a similar package has happened to Nancy with the spy cam being in effect, not to mention giving her a fairly sharp drop in scores.. Those two are seen as the threats for sure.
The high point for me was the start of Rashad’s dance, and not knowing which one of the “Tops” he was because he blended right in with the troupe guys.
The low point was Maks insulting Alan. It was mean-spirited when Alan got doused with water on stage and I didn’t see the humor in it, or why the real “scrub” wasn’t getting splashed.
I’ve been lurking around this site for a while and I just had to finally leave a comment and say how much I appreciate this site. I need to give up commenting on youtube because the stans there are so terrible, and it’s great to come here and get a breath of sensible fresh air. I wish I could copy and paste the whole section of this article about the team dance and make every Normani and Heather fan read it, especially the ones that are leaving hate on David, Nick, Bonner and Rashad’s videos.
I think in theory “Girl Groups vs Boy Bands” would have been a good concept but it just didn’t play out.
I agree with #26 Wynn about the female pros and staging! I’m not usually a fan of bringing in a crowd to be part of the dance but based on the theme, it definitely worked and made it more “realistic” of a boyband.
Anyways, I really really miss Derek and Mark in these team dances. They always come up with amazing concepts and choreo that work the strengths of ALL their group members
Sorry for the double post but I agree #28Nukegrrrl. I thought it wasn’t by coincidence it was Alan that got water thrown in his face. I wonder if it was TPTB that want’t that or Maks? Either way, I didn’t really find it that funny either considering he danced more weeks with Heather than Maks did (and could probably choreograph better)
Love your weekly analysis of the show, Courtney! Did anyone else notice Nick, as guest judge, when speaking his feedback would begin by looking off camera, before looking towards the dancers, as if he was reading a teleprompter?
I’m trying to like this season, but it’s just not connecting yet. Too formulaic in the cast selection, underwhelming choreography, and heavy TPTB politics…
@Jazz
Just because the song doesn’t fit the dance style isn’t an excuse to not have content from the assigned style in the dance. Lindsay last night showed with David how you can do a dance style that does not fit the song and make it work. When I saw that they had a *NSYNC song and AT I was like how is Lindsay going to pull this off and she did. Val could have done it too but he was just being lazy and trying to skate by like he’s seemed to have done since his win with Rumer. Which is sad because he’s choreographed great stuff in the past.
Rashad has for me, the trifecta of a DWTS champion, natural dance ability and musicality, likability and strong work ethic, and finally, good chemistry and respect for his partner.
I really liked the traditional Motown opening of their Tango followed by the sharp footwork in hold. Jeez, how wonderful it would be to see Emma with a well earned Mirrorball.
I preferred Team Boy Band simply because it didn’t seem like they were just doing steps, they were a cohesive unit dancing together in a fun and uplifting dance.
I loved Nancy and Artem’s Paso. The synchronization was amazing.
I’d be damn happy with Rashad, Nancy and David as top three. The fourth spot is a tie between Simone&Sasha and Nick& Peta. Believe me, no one is more shocked than me that I might prefer a Bachelor over S&S, but I really like his commitment, work ethic and respect for the dances he’s learning.
1. I agree with your rankings, Courtney.
2. I was sure Nancy was safe; but didn’t expect Heather to go before the two lowest scoring guys. But, it’s all about the votes and how the judges & TPTB work things. I see it so clearly now. And, I think the lady Pro’s are showing up the guys this season. Sasha & Artem are the only ones doing good choreography and putting in everything required for the dance.
3. I didn’t enjoyed Maks’ attitude toward Alan. He didn’t show him a lot of gratitude for dancing 4 out 6 dances with Heather for him. I so hope they give Alan a chance as Pro on the cast in the fall season. I loved the Tango, and if I remember correctly, he choreographed it.
4. The dances that stood out for me were: Nancy & Artem; Simone & Sasha; Rashad & Emma; David & Lindsay.
5. Who I think will be final three: Simone, Normani, Rashad.
Can someone explain to me why the producers love Val? or support him so much? or push him to go further in the competition?
I would switch out Rashad and Simone and and also Nick and Bonner. I thought Rashad’s dance was more entertaining and really difficult for a guy to do. I got the judge’s comments about being a bit overexcited at times. It played with his timing, but that was a dance I’d rewatch. Simone did great as well and I hope the packages aren’t getting to her. She’s going to go the distance IMO. I thought Nick was drowned out in that dance by the colorful costumes the girls wore and the choreography was rather flat which didn’t help. With such a happy song I’d think they could have made the dance come alive. I thought the rumba Sharna put together was smarter and made Bonner look perhaps better than he was. I was actually surprised that I enjoyed that one. The boy team dance was also entertaining and well done.
I apologize if this is off topic but I’m very impressed with troupe dancer Britt Stewart! I thought she danced beautifully in the bumpers this week! and no, I’m not her agent, I’m a 59 year old woman living in New Mexico.
I thought this show was called “Dancing with the Stars”? Why are some of you so against the stars simply because of their partners? Isn’t that quite unfair?
Oh Jazz, some days I legitimately question if you’re just trolling all of us. Some of the BEST dances that have come out of DWTS have been ones where the music and the dance style didn’t match up. That’s what makes a great choreographer/pro. Just look at Joanna & Derek’s futuristic paso. Hell, we were all scratching our heads when Calvin & Lindsay got Hotel California for an Argentine Tango last season and look how that turned out. If a pro chooses to blatantly ignore the dance style, they’re going to get docked.
Wow Carlos, aren’t you quite arrogant, presuming to tell everyone how to think & feel?
Oh blah blah blah…youguysaresomean..blah, blah, blah. :::rolls eyes::: I suggest you start singing a different tune, Carlos, find something more substantive to say. Otherwise, we’ll just think you’re a troll.
I absolutely LOVED the team dance from the “Boy Band” male celebs!! That was so much fun to watch! The ladies, on the other hand, really wasted their considerable talents with that bit of prancing around the stage. But when you have 2 C-Bros doing the choreo, I guess that’s to be expected.
Sooooo missing the talents & personalities of Derek & Mark ~
Thanks for the post! Great as always!
I though the boy bands/girl group theme was a fail and it resulted in many dances not matching the style and looking awkward. And I also miss team dances with ballroom dance styles. Some of the best team dances where done then.
About Heather, as you point out the only shock about this was that it happened maybe one week before we expected but to me it was quite obvious that she was not connecting with the audience. That plus the sub par choreo she was given last week was a recipe for failure. Honestly the Rumba was the first time in 5 dances that I though “oh this girl can dance!”. It was the first good choreo Maks has given her, but it was too late. I’m not sad she left. Oh and I think Alan did a good job with her especially the tango. Maks was awful mentioning him and trowing the shade. I honestly believe the jazz was the biggest reason she was eliminated and that was all Maks.
Ont he night I loved Rashad, Simone, Nick and to an extent Normani. I actually tough Nick was doing very good, his kicks impressed be, they were sharper that what I expected and he didn’t lost timing. Judges were crazy!
I think that both Simone and Nancy have to get out of their heads more and let go. Specially Nancy needs to make sure she enjoys it no matter what happens. They are doing very good now that I believe if they manage to let go they can be awesome.
Rashad I just love. 🙂
Normani, as always is a great dancer. But definitely not enough salsa. And to the comments that the song was not salsa, unfortunately in this show the majorities of salsas are NOT done to real salsa music, still some pros manage to make it work. I’m definitely not a fan of using pop music to salsa, but it is definitely not an excuse. (And although I’m no pro, I am a dancer and from Puerto Rico, that I know something about salsa and I refuse to use the music as an excuse).
The rest were ok. Love David’s personality and Lidseys choreo. Just hope the judges stopped nitpicking him. I also LOVE Sharna and Bonner is nice but I guess they might be leaving next.
@Diane #40
I was also really WOWED by Britt Stewart on Monday! What a stunner!
Am I the only one wondering why Nirmani Kordei is still in the show? This girl has no personality, no character, fake smile on face. Val doesn’t even care about own choreography. Tragedy. Not enough salsa in their last dance, they are both egoist, their partnership is off. Harmonizers are annoying. Blind fandom. Even producers are pushing Val and Nirmani with all this tv promo daily.
This season really sucks. I miss Derek, Mark, great choreography.
In shock Heather is out and some of the contestants are still in.
The winner for me this season is Rashad. Lovely guy with a great personality. what a character he is. About a time Emma wins. Simone should win over Nirmani, not the biggest fandom. This is a talent show not who has the biggest fandom outside the dwts.
Hope this show is not rigged.
I hope Peta and Nick will be eliminated next week. Glad to see Maks eliminated. Thanks Carrie Ann. It would be nice to have Mark, Derick, Karina, Cheryl, and a few real great dancers return to give dwts a boost for more season. Maks and Peta think they own dwts. Get Mark ballas with his greatness back and a few others. The show is not that great this season.
I really appreciate this site and the work that goes into it.
1. Rashad and Emma- I liked the juxtaposition of as Bruno said “classic Motown with classic Tango”.That said I wish they had had real tango music. Rashad’s technique and footwork have improved alot and this dance showcased that well. Len didnt call out any “suspect footwork” like he did for the foxtrot. I re-watched the foxtrot and CAI was the main negative review Len said it had wonderful flow, Julianne said it was “timeless” and Bruno said he captured that “sumptuous Disney feel. Emma’s doing a great job choreographing and they have an awesome connection. I can’t wait to see their next dance. Also, when you call Rasahd Shad I get this picture in my head of a cartoon (sort of Dr. Suess ish) fish dancing on his tail fins with Emma. There is a fish called shad that is common where I live.
2. Simone and Sasha- I liked the choreography for this dance and I think she did great job with her execution except for a few issues most of which I attribute to the music and those boots. They got a crappy song for the samba. Music for samba should have more upbeat rhythm preferably with groovy percussion. I think its hard to get the bounce and feeling of the dance with the music they were given. The boots look like they were too big for her and made foot placement difficult. In stead of talking about being sexy they should focus on feeling the dance. Simone and Sasha make a great team. It is still difficult for her to show emotion in her dance but she’s definitely improved. I hope she continue to open up more as the season continues. From what I’ve read here she’s doing well in the voting.
3. Nancy and Artem- This dance was not as good as her others. She gave it a good try. I agree the synchronized part with the skirt was excellent and I loved that jump she did. She really needs to work on keeping her shoulders down when she’s moving her arms up. She has a great frame in hold but when she reaches up she loses her shaping. Her partnership with Artem is great and his choreography has been excellent and her scores have improved steadily until this week. From what I read here she is doing well in the voting which is why I put her 3rd. Maybe thats just wishful thinking.
4.David and Lindsay- David is definitely a fan favorite. He is a decent dancer and Lindsay has done a great job choreographing to help him shine. I’m not a baseball fan so I wasn’t predisposed to like him but I enjoy watching him. He has this charisma and infectious joy thats really fun. I thought this dance was pretty good and the judges underscored him. That lift was pushing the limits of his ability and the dance might have been better without it. I thought his response to CAI was great. It seems to me that celebrities are always told that they have to look more serious/ sultry for the AT, T and Paso. Some celebrities can do that others like David and Nancy just end up looking pissed off.
5. Normani and Val- This ranking may be wishful thinking and maybe in reality she ends up in 3rd or 4th place. It seems like every one of her dances has been more like a video for a song than a ballroom dance. I have a hard time identifying what dance she is doing unless I have the list of “Who’s dancing what” close at hand. Apparently Normani isnt required to have actual ballroom dancing to get really high scores. Maybe Val is auditioning to choreograph her next video. Val’s choreography is lackluster and boring and he talks way too much. I would love to have seen Normani with Mark or Derek.
6. Nick and Peta- The judges were kind of harsh, Nick is an ok dancer and he has improved. The song they had was slow for a jive. It looked like they were dancing in slow motion almost. I think the tempo made it harder to make the movements sharp and precise. I didn’t think I would like him but I do.
7. Bonner and Sharna- Bonner is not a great dancer but at times his movement has a graceful quality about it. He moves in and out of this gracefulness (kind of more out than in) when he dances. I think he could be a pretty good dancer with a lot more practice and I wonder how much of his stiffness is a result of his injuries. I like watching him. IMO he suffered from being over-hyped at the beginning of the season and the romance with Sharna stuff.
The team dances were meh. I liked the boys more than the girls. Not crazy about Nick as a judge.
Totally agree with the power rankings. Although I do wonder how both Nancy and Normani are doing with the votes.
Nancy fits the main demo of the show so well and she seems to gain in popularity too, just judging by comments here and on social media (however, that might also be me projecting). I didn’t really pay that much attention to her in the beginning, but she’s talented, she’s so genuine and her struggles seem so relatable that she’s really grown on me (to me, personality-wise, she’s basically everything that Heather was not). Hope she makes it to the finals and I don’t think her chances are bad, especially if Artem keeps up the good choreography work.
Team Girl Group’s dance was a bit lackluster. A group of four talented women can do a lot more complicated choreography than that. Team Boy Group’s dance was very entertaining and while I could have done without the Magic Mike portion of it, I thought the dance in general showcased a group of male celebrities without any dance background really well. I can’t quite understand why some people get upset about the chair section, as Courtney mentioned, since the guys haven’t had any overly sexy dances yet, except maybe David’s jazz. And it’s not as if the girls had so much intricate dancing to do while they were giggling and brushing their hair for the duration of a whole song. Wonder how this dance would have looked with Artem, Sasha, Derek and Mark as choreographers…
Also agree that “When I grow up, I wanna have boobies” makes more sense than the groupies. I very much prefer mine to a bunch of noisy and overly emotional teens or adults following me around. Way more practical!
@Nina Evenstar #51
Totally agree about Val and Nirmani. Val is going to be next 5H choreographer. I can see them even used him as a love partner for Nirmani in their new music video. The problem that I have with them is that both of them have no personality and they look and sound very mean and rude, cocky attitude. “Are you looking at me, are you talking to me, I’m the best, who do you think you are?” Her face expression when she saw Len gave them 8 tell us everything. This girl is already holding trophy. She believes in herself so much. Every week we are seeing same dance routine, hard to recognize what are they dancing. Judges were always too harsh on Heather Morris just because she was a dancer before, a pro one, and on other hand always very nice towards Normani who is also a pro dancer.
Reading how they think Nick Carter is better judge than Julianne Hough.
Top 3: Rashad, Simone and Nancy. Winner Rashad.
I was, definitely, one of those people who was guilt Monday night of falling for the producers manipulation of thinking that Nancy was going home-I admit-I AM GUILTY AS CHARGED!! And I read Heidi’s numbers post from top to bottom!! I, too, agreed that Heather could be a surprise elimination but didn’t think it’d be this soon in the competition ? They knew exactly what they were doing when they called all 4 girls in jeopardy-right away you think of the underdog dancewise, which was Nancy, at least that’s how I looked at it. I, completely, forgot to look at it votes wise. Anyhoo, thank god Heather went home!! And Maks should be ashamed of himself for his behavior at his elimination-although I am not surprised in the least bit. Poor Alan deserves a lot more respect than that.
Can’t comment on the team dances-totally spaced out on that portion of the show-was too anxious waiting for elimination that I didn’t pay attention to the team dances to be honest ?
Honestly, for me, lowest on the totem pole Monday night, FOR SOOO MANY REASONS, was Val and Normani. I was just Sooo totally turned off by that salsa, that wasn’t a salsa, that I, really, wish they would go home next! I’m so sick of hearing his mouth…..just go home already!!
Sadly, I think Bonner and Sharna might be going home next week? On his part, I think that rumba showed little dancing, although he led Sharna well. I just think his time on the show has waned….
That, actually, was not my favorite Argentine tango Lindsay has choreographed. I think it had more lifts and tricks than it did more actual steps and leg passes but David handled it well enough. Soooo not crazy with the way the producers keep portraying them in their packages-like they’re, purposely, trying to keep them low on the leaderboard ??????
Loved seeing Nancy in that fierce character even if she didn’t look as comfortable with it as we might have thought lol. Wasn’t that crazy about the routine with the troupe guys though-maybe could’ve done without them. Love seeing her real ness in her packages but this week kinda showed Artem’s tough side a little-hope that doesn’t turn people off thinking they were bickering….?
Loved Nick and Peta’s dance!!! It was goofy and fun and light-hearted and just what we needed last night in the middle of the other dances! He, actually, handled that jive well-it was a slowed down routine-maybe a bit watered down? But it had jive content and he didn’t mess up once. Damn they just love to criticize that guy though….
I don’t think it was Simone and Sasha’s best dance. I really didn’t see much of that samba bounce that characterizes the dance but I do agree that their song sucked frankly lol. I love their relationship but I agree too that maybe talking about acting sexy is the wrong way to go with Simone. LOL
For me, the best dance was Rashad and Emma-that was a very good traditional tango-great frame, he showed good leadership-maybe a little stompy at times lol but, to me, they still remain the couple to beat!!
FYI guys I been Derek and Mark since day one this season started!!!! Sooo not the same….?☹️
#Jazz: “white all American boys”? What exactly do you mean by that? Do you even realize how you sound honey? ?
Finally got to watch the show tonight – stupid real life getting in the was of my Sparkly Dancing Show. So just a few quick comments on each dance.
Simone & Sasha – those boots did her no favours, it looked like they were hampering her.
Rashad & Emma – not his best but still a really good dance. If he doesn’t get picked up by an NHL, he should head north to the CFL, with our bigger field he could really do some damage to other teams. And we’d welcome him with open arms.
David & Lindsay – I thought he did really well. Carrie-Ann is cray. He’s just so much fun to watch.
Normani & Val – awesome freestyle, too bad it was supposed to be a salsa. And Val either learn to keep your mouth shut or go away, go far, far, far away.
Nancy & Artem – They got all my votes again this week, she just seems so real. Nothing seems forced or played up for the camera, and she is making me love Artem.
Nick & Peta – did Nick scratch the judges cars or something? Cause that was just harsh, the dance was much better than they made it sound. Only issue I had was those shoes made his feet look huge, the distracted me so much I had to watch the dance a second time to actually see the dancing.
Bonner & Sharna – not bad, but not great. You can definitely see where his injury is hampering him, a lot of his movements seem tight.
Boy Band – not great but pure fun. Love that the guys did some of the choreo themselves.
Girl Group – ugh, way to reinforce about a dozen stereotypes about women.
Oh almost forgot – add me to this list of people missing Mark and Derek. And their amazing choreo.
Also based on the look an Alan’s face I wonder if he didn’t know there was water in the glass as they usually use confetti. To me he looked shocked and pissed.
“Unicorn Frappacino” ?
I changed the channel during Nick and Peta’s jive and I have to confess…I haven’t sat through one full performance of Bonner and Sharna’s except their week 1 cha cha, which I loved.
I’m ready for Bonner to go, but I don’t think he’ll be next knowing the voting demo and the trump era we are in.
Enjoyed your analysis more than usual this week, courtesy the ‘shocking’ elimination. I did feel a little bad for Heather though, it has to feel like a punch when a dancer doesn’t fare well on a dance show. What did you think of her Rumba, Court?
I really liked Heather’s performance this week. It might be a little too jagged, but still Heather had some nice extensions and hip-action. Meanwhile I didnt like the concept AT ALL. It felt like a cheap ridicule to Alan who stepped in when this pair stumbled only to be spit at, specially at the end.
Rashad and Simone were the victims of bad music I felt, because this week both these performances seemed a little bit repetitive if not boring. Simone still occasionally has problems with emoting, she starts dancing with a full smile to the songs that require sexiness. This might become another reason for judges to pick on Simone in coming weeks.
Is anybody still with me and yet not over with those gorgeous, sharp, artistique Lindsay-legs? She absolutely is becoming the Derek of the ladies. A memorable one from these two!
Still liking Nick and would like to see him a few more weeks, still trying to invest in Bonner but not finding anything to like.
Normani sold the performance BIG TIME. But what bugged me a little was actually her dance moves that she inherently had. The performance screamed of what a stage performer (singer) does. Besides lack of Salsa, they could have easily done it without even involving Val.
And now for my favorite, Nancy. I do fear that she’s falling into the Marilu territory of self-doubt as this was a visibly nervous week for her. And I do feel that there’s not much coming back from this. Her paso lacked solid shaping I felt and she got wobbly at times. The cage portion ws a standout though!
“not much coming back from this”?? WTF?
Put down the crack pipe, please.
Despite what the judges say, I actually don’t think Nancy is suffering from self-doubt and getting in her head. Her frustrations shown in the packages have been from not picking up the choreography as fast as she would like and expecting herself to look as good as the pro dancers. Nancy is used to performing under pressure and like Artem said, she is able to pull it together by showtime.
IMO, Nancy’s issues with the paso stemmed from her feeling uncomfortable with the new boots and her portraying a character that is new for her.