PureDWTS Season 25, Week 4 – Power Rankings

Sometimes, I hate being right ☹ I was really starting to think that my “Derek as a shield for Nick” theory was just me being paranoid and trying to find an explanation for the judges being irrational (note: they’re just irrational) and constantly giving Derek a hard time, but it was a bit like watching a slow-motion car wreck as they announced the couples in jeopardy last night – it was like watching my theory unfold and realizing I was maybe not as crazy as I thought I might be.  I’ve gotten poo-poohed by some that insist that Derek “wasn’t that great” (suit yourself, but he was definitely better than Nick, and often cleaner than both T.O. and Drew – all of whom are still in the competition) or that it was “just a coincidence” that they both received the same score each week until last night (when TPTB already knew Derek was a goner) – but if you sit down and actually think about it, it is rather odd that the two of them managed to get the same score FOUR TIMES IN A ROW, especially given that Nick is arguably considered to be the worst dancer left this season.  And if Nick is struggling with votes & scores, remember – he only has to beat one person to stick around…and if that person has the same number of points that Nick does, but maybe doesn’t have as big a fanbase…Nick & Peta survive another week as half of quite possibly the most annoying gambit TPTB have thrust upon us in DWTS history: Chmerlachey ☹

And while we’re on the topic of Chmerlachey – anyone else think that their efforts to make the two married couples “happen” have really kind of blown up in their face? 😛 I got the impression that they were hoping to have viewers really glom onto the two pairs and send them through to the finals – but at this point, Vanessa & Maks seem like they’re just barely tolerating one another after last week’s drama, Nick seems completely checked out and ready to go home, and Peta just seems like she’s trying to avoid getting hit by any crossfire and is quietly trying to blend into the background. The only one who seems like they’re (sort of) having fun is Vanessa, and even her smile is starting to look a bit brittle. The PenaVega’s may have been low-key annoying – but at least both were decent dancers and seemed to be having fun. Chmerlachey X 2…is just a dumpster fire. On the flipside, I don’t think TPTB anticipated Frankie managing to both connect with viewers as well as he has while also turning out to be a pretty good dancer; and to a lesser degree, I don’t think they quite know what to do with Terrell, as he’s actually turning out to be rather interesting to watch and perhaps not as much of a lightning rod for controversy as TPTB might have hoped. Drew also seems to be turning into a halfway-decent dancer on top of being popular, and Sasha the ABC darling, bless her heart, is about as exciting as watching paint dry.  With next week being the midpoint of the season, I think we may start to see a narrative shift, depending on where the votes are falling.

Hated losing Derek, because I did genuinely enjoy him – he seemed like he was down-to-earth and grateful for the opportunity, and I did love the choreography that Sharna was giving him. Loved their dance last night – was a refreshing approach to a very touching story, having them dancing in such a celebratory manner, to an upbeat song.  The styling of the choreo reminded me a bit of the styling of Alfonso’s Carlton jazz; I thought the costumes were adorable.  And for once, I managed to avoid tears during most memorable year week…that is, until the camera panned to Derek’s daughter crying after his dance.  Then the damn dust in my house kicked up, and things got rough. I need to change my furnace filter… Read more..