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Dance of the Day… Let’s compare Donny and Nicole!

It’s definitely getting more difficult in choosing my favorites! It’s been said over the seasons, that the quality of the dancing has been improving, as the seasons go on, and I am seeing that! What do you think? We’re almost done, and shortly, we’ll move on to compare other things, and then come back to this. I want everyone time to watch and vote for their favorites, so when we get through the 12 seasons, we’ll come back to finish. Meanwhile, if you’ve not watched and voted for your favorites, here’s what we’re doing…

We are watching our DWTS Champions on their first week’s dancing, and comparing our first impressions of them. So far, we’ve seen Kelly Monaco and Drew Lachey, Emmitt Smith and Apolo Anton Ohno, Helio Castroneves and Kristi Yamaguchi, and Brooke Burke and Shawn Johnson. Today, we will see Donny Osmond and Nicole Scherzinger, and then following, Jennifer Grey and Hines Ward.

When we’re done, I’ll move on for a time to allow people to vote in the above polls, and we can compare rumbas and foxtrots before coming back to here. We’ll take the 6 poll winners, and put them against each other, in 2 groups of 3, and we will watch their Week 5 dances. Then we’ll take the winner of each of those, and they’ll battle it out with their Freestyles! When I announce the winners, we’ll see some randomly selected dances that we’ve not reviewed yet. Does that make sense?

Anyway, onward we go! DONNY VS NICOLE!!!

Season 9 brought us Donny Osmond with his professional partner, Kym Johnson. Donny’s sister, Marie, was a contestant on Season 5, and she made it to 3rd place, and had the infamous doll dance. I had thought about using it on a day we were rewatching dances we didn’t want to relive, but instead, if you want to see it, just click the link. Donny had a show in Vegas with his sister, while he was also training and competing on DWTS.

DONNY AND KYM SEASON 9 WEEK 1, Foxtrot to All That Jazz.

Nicole Scherzinger came to us during a Season which brought us several competitors who all had the ability to win…. If they weren’t all competing against each other. However, her biggest competitor was herself, as she was the ultimate perfectionist. Tom has a great line, after the critiquing of Nicole and Derek, about parallel universes…. You’ll hear it when you watch. Bruno and Carrie Ann gave glowing critiques, while Len sat and picked it apart, showing the flaws…. I do think some critique is necessary, so that the celebrity can grow as a dancer, but couching it so that it doesn’t come across like they are a terrible dancer is important… But, Len obviously saw Nicole’s potential, and decided to make her work toward that.

NICOLE AND DEREK SEASON 10 WEEK 1, Viennese Waltz to Hold You In My Arms by Ray LaMontagne

So, which Week 1 dance did you like better? Donny or Nicole?

June 28, 2011 I Written By

Just a typical, ordinary DWTS fan..

Dance of the Day… Let’s compare Helio and Kristi!

Ah, Memories!!! One thing that I’ve noticed while watching older seasons of DWTS, is how much the JUDGES have changed! Or, NOT! They seem like the same people we see now on the judging panel, only….. Not as much! It’s like as the season passed, they’ve all become stronger versions of themselves, so that they can have the spotlight on them…. (Heidi’s Note: I’m still working on the series discussing the Judges and their “growth” or “devolution”, depending on your perspective, and Season 7 will be posted soon. Season 5 and Season 6 were posted during the last hiatus, if you want to catch up.)

We’ve been taking the time, and revisiting our twelve DWTS Champions on their first week of their Seasons. These were our first impressions that we had of them, and we’re comparing them, two at a time. Once we get through all 12 seasons, I’ve got a couple ideas rolling around inside my head. First, we saw Season 1’s Kelly Monaco and Season 2’s Drew Lachey, and you can see that post here. Next, we saw Season 3’s Emmitt Smith and Season 4’s Apolo Anton Ohno, and you can see that post here.

Onward we move and today we get to revisit our first impressions of Season 5’s Helio Castroneves, and Season 6’s Kristy Yamaguchi.

Helio’s professional partner for Season 5 was Julianne Hough, who had also won the previous season with Apolo Anton Ohno. He was the third athlete in a row to win DWTS, following Emmitt and Apolo. He’s the only race car driver that’s competed on DWTS, and had won the Indianapolis 500 twice at the time he competed. Since then, he’s added another Indy 500 win!

Kristy’s professional partner for Season 6 was Mark Ballas. She is an Olympic Gold Medalist in Women’s Figure Skating, and was one of those contestants where I was sure couldn’t be the age she said she was, she had to be younger. Yet, grow up she did, with a wonderful Professional Hockey player-husband, and the sweetest little kids….

HELIO CASTRONEVES AND JULIANNE HOUGH Season 5 Week 1. They danced a foxtrot to the TV Theme to Bewitched. This is the season where Samantha Harris took a few weeks off at the beginning of the season to bring her first daughter into the world, Drew Lachey took over guest host duties during her (way too brief) maternity leave.

KRISTI YAMAGUCHI AND MARK BALLAS Season 6 Week 1. I must apologize, because I’ve been misspelling her name, and I’m too lazy to go back and correct them all… Normally, misspelling names really bothers me. They danced a foxtrot, and the song isn’t in the info… (Heidi’s Note: Michael Buble’s “The More I See You” according to Wiki)

June 21, 2011 I Written By

Just a typical, ordinary DWTS fan..

DWTS Who Wore it Better? Part X – The Pre-Season 12 Edition!

So the official cast pictures were released on Thursday, and we could be like every other site and just post them for you to see…or we could have fun and do a new (long-awaited!) edition of Who Wore it Better? 🙂 Enjoy!

Battle of the hot pink, fringed cut-out Latin dress: Petra’s pre-season 12 photo shoot with Dmitry vs. Denise’s cha-cha with Maks in season 8

Courtney: It’s almost not fair to pit ANYONE against someone as gorgeous as Petra 🙂 And while I always thought Denise looked pretty awkward in every costume they put her in, Petra wears this one well – I think the color looks much more flattering on her that it does on Denise, and I love the loose, wavy hair and understated makeup.

Heidi: Well, Denise’s makeup is too over done when she’s wearing the dress – that was distracting to me. You can tell Petra is a model – she knows how to wear clothes. Conversely, Denise is an actress, NOT a model (or a dancer) and isn’t as comfortable in her skin in this sort of outfit. It shows.

The winner: Petra by a pose.

Battle of the white & black embroidered, ruffled “crotch doily” dress: Lacey’s pre-season 12 photo shoot with Mike vs. Lacey’s jive with Kyle in season 11

Heidi: You know this dress might be cute on someone else – but not many people. Julianne could probably wear it. But this is just not a flattering cut on Lacey and I don’t get why she insists on wearing it!! But forget about the dress…what the HELL is wrong with her damn hair!?!?! Good lord, you have hair and makeup people at your disposal and this is what you do? This is not “rebel”, this is…I hate to say trailer park is the first thing that came to mind!! Limp and lifeless. You look at pictures of Lacey with the very dark hair (which makes her eyes pop) and she looks gorgeous. I don’t get why a beautiful girl sabotages herself.

Courtney: *sigh* I have to wonder sometimes what the pros’ (or the costume department’s) motivations are for picking certain costumes for these shoots.  This is one of those times.  I always thought this costume was silly – I think someone mentioned the comically placed “crotch doilies” on it, and it just kinda reminded me of something a circus performer would wear.  As for the hair and makeup – oy.  If I hated Lacey’s bleach blonde hair last season, then I downright LOATHE this dark roots, light ends ‘do she’s rocking now.  Her makeup also seems a little drab in this photo shoot – I kinda liked the “pop” that the bright red lipstick gave her face when she wore this costume the first time.

The winner: Ain’t no winners here, move along.

 

Battle of the white-fringed, asymmetrical Latin dress: Kendra’s pre-season 12 photo shoot with Louis vs. Edyta’s cha-cha with Aiden in season 10

Courtney: It’s hard for anyone to hold a candle to Edyta in pretty much any costume, but Kendra gives her a good run for her money here! Both ladies look very pretty, but I think the white is a bit more striking against Edyta’s darker hair & skin.  I kinda wish they had given Kendra a more textured ‘do…maybe some loose waves or something to frame her face better than this straight hair.  And what’s with this pose they’ve got her doing? Does she have to pee? Or did she forget to put on undies before leaving the house this morning?

Heidi: That’s the Playboy pose. You can take the Bunny out of the mansion but you can’t take the….wait. You can take the Bunny out of Playboy but you can’t take the playboy out of the bunny. Happy Hour wuz gud. Anyway, Edyta wins on skin tone.

Courtney: I guess we should also point out that Julianne actually wore this dress recently for she & Derek’s exhibition performance in Hong Kong.  Special thanks to Lori for pointing it out 🙂

The winner: Edyta by a spray tan.

 

Battle of the black lace, off-the-shoulder asymmetrical hem tango dress: Wendy’s pre-season 12 photo shoot with Tony vs. Niecy’s Argentine tango with Louis in season 10

Courtney: Eh…this seemed like a bit of a cop-out on the part of the costume folks.  “Gee, we’ve got a curvy, outspoken black gal this season.  Let’s put her in a costume that another equally curvy, outspoken black gal wore 2 seasons ago!” Kinda seemed like they were typecasting a bit with this one.  I didn’t love the dress on Niecy, and I don’t love the dress on Wendy.  I think I would have rather seen her in something with a little more impact – they’ve got the other gals wearing hot pink and bright white, why not Wendy?  I guess if I had to chose, I would have to give this one to Niecy – her overall look seems a bit more put-together.

Heidi: I dunno, I think the cut of the dress works better on someone taller, like Wendy. Either way, I don’t like that cut high at the hip and then long in front.

The winner: A rough tie – Wendy wins for fit, Niecy wins for ensemble.  But neither is perfect.

Battle of the sparkly, silver-ruffled rumba dress: Karina’s pre-season 12 photo shoot with Ralph vs. Karina’s rumba with Aaron in season 9

Courtney: This dress came from the season where Karina seemed to be having a love affair with ruffles – almost every costume she wore seemed to have them! Some of you may also recall this dress as the one she was wearing when Aaron had his post-rumba meltdown in the confessional 🙂 Anywho…I guess it’s kind of a pretty dress.  Not necessarily my favorite rumba dress (there have been some gorgeous ones over the years), but it looks nice on her. Funny how it almost looks like it’s pale blue when she wore it in the rumba, and it clearly looks silvery-white here.  Gotta love the magic of photo shoot lighting. I gotta give this one to photo shoot Karina for the oh-so-dramatic poses 🙂

Heidi: I think this dress is very pretty – but she wore it for a Rumba?? Seems very strange for a Rumba dress – of course, it was a Rumba with Aaron, so that could explain it. 🙂

The winner: Photo shoot Karina…because the only drama comes from her pose, rather than her unstable partner 🙂

 

Battle of the hot pink-fringed Latin dress: Chelsea’s pre-season 12 photo shoot with Mark vs. Lacey’s Team Kristi cha-cha with Kyle in season 11

Heidi: Chelsea is darling. And too tall for Mark – I wish she was dancing with Derek. 🙂 I smell future showmance. And exploding Bristol/Mark shipper brains. 🙂 She looks great in this dress and is confident enough to wear it well. I predict top 3 with these two – either that or a shocking elimination. I still don’t like Lacey’s blonde hair, so I have to go with Chelsea.

Courtney: Ok, Chelsea may be the cutest thing EVER 🙂 Out of all the celeb ladies, I think she looks the best in the costume they chose for her.  Love the flirty pink color, the fringe, and her adorable blonde bob.  Just darling. Lacey looks alright – definitely not the worst costume she wore last season, but the hot pink with the bleach blonde hair just looks kinda…Barbie-ish.

The winner: Mark, no question. *drum riff* 🙂

 

Battle of the black tuxedo-inspired dress w/ruffled neckline: Kym’s pre-season 12 photo shoot with Hines vs. Kym’s freestyle with Donny in season 9

Courtney: At first blush, this may not even look like the same costume – but if you look at it a bit more closely, you’ll see that they just removed a lot of the tuxedo details, slapped on some ruffles, and turned it into a simple black Latin outfit.  I think she also wore it for the opening pro dance for the season 11 finale. I kinda like the simplicity of it now, without all the cheesy tuxedo stuff – although the bowtie in the back is a bit odd.  Whichever way you look at it, it makes her legs look miles long!

Heidi:I dunno, I have to go with the cheesy tuxedo version mainly because I don’t like the black ruffles at the neckline or the way it’s cut around her legs in the other version. Plus she’s really rockin’ out the hair in the tuxedo version – she makes the best, fierce dance faces ever, too – as we’ve mentioned before. 🙂 So, I have to go with the in action shot versus the posed one.

The winner: Cheesy tuxedo Kym, for all-around fierceness!

 

Battle of the white-fringed, sparkly-neckline Latin dress: Chelsie’s pre-season 12 photo shoot with Romeo vs. Chelsie’s cha-cha with Jake in season 10

Courtney: I actually really like this dress on Chelsie, even if I never did quite understand how it fit in with the “Risky Business” theme of she & Jake’s cha-cha.  And I dig the fiercer, more mature look she seems to be sporting this season – I like the straight hair better than the crimpy ‘do they gave her the first time around, and I’m glad they 86’ed the long black gloves.  Only one complaint: don’t she & Kendra kinda look like the Bobsy Twins? White, tiered-fringe Latin costumes with rhinestone trim & long, straight blonde hair.  Wish they had put one or the other in a colored costume, just to set them apart…both are gorgeous.

Heidi: For it to fit the Risky Business theme wouldn’t she also have to be wearing a man’s dress shirt?? Or am I remembering that movie wrong?? And doesn’t it always seem to come back to hair with us when we’re talking dresses?? 🙂 And yes, her dress is too close to Kendra’s – but I don’t think it’s wardrobe’s fault. There is video of Derek picking what he wants to wear and I see no reason to think that the celebs don’t go through the rack and pick what they want. The only thing is, I think they went with a color tone last season so they may have only brought clothes that went well together. Anyway, I’m with you on this one.

Courtney: You’re remembering the right movie – although Rebecca DeMornay never wore a men’s shirt in Risky Business.  She did, however, wear a pretty sexy black trenchcoat & matching fedora…kinda wish they had went with that to maintain the movie theme, but unfortunately I think the men’s-shirt-over-tightie-whities look is so iconic that no one would have remembered the trenchcoat/fedora ensemble. FAIL.

The winner: Photo shoot Chelsie, for not having Fake Jake as an accessory.

 

Battle of the beaded black-mesh Latin dress with the plunging neckline: Anna’s pre-season 12 photo shoot with Sugar Ray vs. Kym’s cha-cha with the Hoff in season 11

Courtney: I seriously think this might be my favorite Latin dress on the show, EVER.  Kym was a total bombshell in this getup – the long legs, the smokey eyes, the sexy bedhead hair, the great boobs – I wanted to be Kym in that outfit.  Minus the whole having to dance with the Hoff part, of course – that was painful to watch. Anna looks great in it, but as I always say, it’s hard to out-fox Kym & her awesome boobage.

Heidi:HEY!! I was gonna use “awesome boobage”. 🙂 I think we’ve been blogging together a long time. 🙂 Gotta agree with you. Not only awesome boobage, but better skin tone and hair for that particular dress.

Courtney: Indeed we have, dearie 🙂 “Awesome boobage” is also a memorable line from an episode of South Park where Kenny hallucinates about boobs.  But on a slightly off-topic note, I think (don’t quote me on this, because I haven’t done the research) this is the first time that a female pro has worn a costume for a pre-season shoot that was originally worn by another female pro.  For the promo shoots, the pros seem to just pick out costumes they themselves have worn in the past and really liked…or that a celeb has worn in the past.  Wonder how/why Anna ended up with Kym’s costume from last season…did she just not have any black costumes of her own to wear?

The winner:Kym’s awesome boobage.

 

Battle of the short purple Latin dress with black lace overlay: Cheryl’s pre-season 12 photo shoot with Chris vs. Cheryl’s “Toy Story” paso doble to Gipsy Kings with Tony in season 10

NOTE: We searched high and low for a decent quality photo of Cheryl in the Gipsy Kings performance – to no avail.  Screen-capping was equally unsuccessful. So while a side-by-side comparison is impossible, you can check the dress out in action on YouTube. And here’s a special shoutout to our reader Ryan, who pointed this one out to us when we were stumped on where we had seen this dress before 🙂

Heidi: I like it, it’s cute – I think Cheryl really likes the lace overlay deal though.

Courtney: It’s a cute dress – but I’m not wild about it.  Kinda seems similar to a lot of other dresses Cheryl has worn.  I do think it’s funny that Cheryl’s pose for this season’s promo photo is identical to last season’s.  I guess it’s become her signature pose,  now that she’s gotten extensions 🙂

The winner: Ummm…Cheryl.

 

And a special note on Kirstie’s dress…

As far as we (and our readers, who’s help we solicited) can tell, the dress Kirstie is wearing has never been worn before on the show – or was worn so long ago that no one can remember when.  If you think otherwise, and can provide the specific instance of when this dress was worn (i.e. “Cheryl wore this for her paso doble with Maurice in season 7”) or, better yet, a picture of when this dress was worn, we will post it in a future edition of “Who Wore it Better?” and give you credit 🙂 But until then, enjoy some commentary from Heidi & I…

Courtney: This dress looks comfortable.  Kinda like a nightgown.  I’d wear it!

Heidi: Definitely straight out of the boudoir – and that’s where I’d wear it too. 🙂

Alright, folks – thus ends another edition of “Who Wore it Better?”.  Hope you enjoyed Heidi & I’s warm-up round of snark before we resume the Cheesecake Awards 🙂 So who do you guys think will be this season’s fashion plate? And who will be this season’s fashion victim?

March 6, 2011 I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, baker, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble.

Dancing with the Stars – History of the Judges Scores, Part 2

Part 2 in my series about the Judges Scoring History covers season 6 of Dancing with the Stars; the season of Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas (read Part 1 here). Prior to re-watching the season, I remembered it as a season in which Kristi dominated. I don’t think, anymore, that that is necessarily the case. She is still probably the biggest ringer the show has ever cast, when looking at it from a fanbase AND experience point of view, but she didn’t dominate the show in like I remember. I also never got the feeling – like I did with Nicole – that the judges were purposely underscoring her in order to make it look more like a horse race. In fact, I have very few gripes with the judging in this season, period.

Here were the scores from Week 5, onward:

Season 6 Weekly Scores (Part I)

Celebrity Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8
Kristi 29 (Rumba) 30 (Jive) 26 (V. Waltz) 29 (Quickstep)
28 (Cha Cha) 26 (Samba)
Jason 27 (Rumba) 24 (Cha Cha) 29 (Quickstep) 29 (Tango)
26 (Paso Doble) 23 (Samba)
Christian 23 (Rumba) 27 (Foxtrot) 25 (V. Waltz) 28 (Tango)
21 (Samba) 29 (Mambo)
Marissa 24 (Samba) 26 (V. Waltz) 27 (Tango) 25 (Foxtrot)
25 (Rumba) 25 (Mambo)
Mario 27 (Samba) 28 (Rumba) 24 (Foxtrot) 27 (V. Waltz)
27 (Mambo) 26 (Jive)
Shannon 23 (Samba) 24 (Rumba) 27 (Tango)
24 (Rumba)
Marlee 22 (Samba) 21 (Mambo)
Priscilla 21 (Rumba)

Season 6 Weekly Scores (Part II)

Celebrity Week 9 Week 10 Week Finale
Kristi 29 (Tango) 30 (Cha Cha) 30 (Jive)
28 (Jive) 30 (Freestyle)
Jason 28 (Foxtrot) 24 (Cha Cha) 30 (Quickstep)
27 (Paso Doble) 27 (Freestyle)
Christian 27 (V.Waltz) 26 (Cha Cha)
29 (Samba) 26 (Freestyle)
Marissa 26 (Quickstep)
26 (Rumba)

– Week 5 – The judges essentially raved about Mario and Kristi, while all the rest got constructive criticism. I think the judges gave Marissa an accurate score, but were quite harsh on Priscilla and Shannon. Both of them, in addition to Christian, were underscored, particularly when compared to Marissa. Christian, frankly, was robbed. They gave the encore to Kristi, but I was shocked to realize that, IMO, the best dance of the night belonged to Edyta and Jason.

– Week 6 – Here we see, again, a bit of over-scoring – Christian had been in the bottom 2 the previous week, so this week he gets raves on a dance that clearly seemed rushed to me. Again, Mario and Kristi get raves, and Marissa gets handled with kid gloves. Marissa isn’t a “bad” dancer, per se, but she isn’t as good as Shannon or Pricilla. I often think that if you dance better than the judges expect, you get better scores than people who danced better – if those people are expected to dance better. Follow me? Anyway, Mario would have gotten a higher score if not for the lift police. I don’t disagree with the judges and Shannon’s hips (she has none, lucky beyotch), but the words exchanged with Bruno were quite harsh – the look of utter shock on Shannon’s face was hard to look at and that shock is a likely catalyst for what comes later…but more on that later.

– Week 7 – This is the week where everyone has one good dance and one not so good dance. And that pretty much sums it up. I would say there’s a trend between this season and Season 5, but it can likely be chalked up to the first week with two whole dances. The only scoring that impressed me as off (other than Marissa) was Jason. As much as I loved him, I thought he was slightly overscored in his quickstep. I just don’t get the love affair they have with Marissa. I mean, she’s not a “bad” dancer, but I don’t think she’s always worthy of the scores she gets. I think she might be getting the “personality” score.

– Week 8 – A week later than Season 5, we hear the old mantra of “that was good, but not quite good enough for heading into the semi-finals. Marissa got it, as did Jason on his second dance. Christian did not get the talk, he actually got raves and this was the week after he tore his tendon in his arm. He actually did very well, but I thought that he was not as good as Mario who was scored lower. Kristi got her usual raves although she and Mario both got some flack for their second dances. Kristi because her Samba was “awkward and out of control” – and I absolutely agreed with that assessment. WAY too much stuff in that dance. Mario’s feet were apparently bad or “rough” – but still, better than Christian. While I agreed with Jason’s critiques, there is no way he was 3 points behind Kristi in the second dance. As for Marissa, she is far below the other dancers in terms of quality.

– Week 9 – Marissa gets a break (a little) on the scores, much like the semi-final ease up in Season 5. She still gets a good bit of criticism (lack of body content in hold, missed leap on the run), including the “It’s not a semi-final dance” for the second one. But her quickstep was pretty good, so I can see the improvement in score. On the other hand, Kristi, Christian and Jason all get basically rave reviews with minor critiques thrown in. Kristi got the “too hectic” from Len on her Tango (agreed) and the “hair out of sync” from Carrie Ann on her Jive (agreed) – which was really Mark out dancing her a bit, like he has a tendency to do with all his partners on Jive. Christian was “occasionally flatfooted” on his Viennese Waltz. I take it back, Jason was not critiqued at all and in my notes I have the words “slightly over rated” for his Paso Doble. That’s okay, because I have “underscored” next to his Foxtrot. 🙂

This is a random note, but I noticed that Marissa got harder dances, while Kristi got dances that were perfect for her. The dances on this night were determined by “random draw” and I always wonder about those and if they are REALLY random. At the end of the night I also felt that Jason out danced Kristi, even though she beat him by two points.

– Week 10 – Jason and Christian are pretty much left in Kristi’s dust. She is the most consistent and technically superior of the three so that’s no big thing. Not much point in discussing the scoring, although I will say that Christian’s injury does catch up with him – I didn’t get the feeling there was underscoring going on to prop up Kristi. As for Jason – the Cha Cha was clearly not his dance, especially not in a “cha cha challenge” where they all dance to the same song one after the other. Not that Kristi needed propping. I predicted as soon as her name was announced that she would win. She’s *Kristi Yamaguchi* after all.

Season 6 Summary – On finale night, Christian is announced as 3rd place before there is anymore dancing. After that, both Kristi and Jason are given perfect 30’s – pretty safe, since Kristi is still 9 points ahead. I didn’t note whether I found Jason’s score to be valid or not, since it really didn’t matter at that point. No one is going to over come a 9 point lead against Kristi. That’s not to say the scores weren’t valid – they were. I had very few problems with how this season went down. No real surprises. No shocks. They did make a point, from time to time of saying that a dance wasn’t up to par for a given point in the season – which is how it should be.

Random Observations:

  • Christian and Jason’s bromance is the sweetest thing about this season.
  • Kristi wasn’t the phenom that I remember her to be. She’s very, VERY good, but I actually enjoyed Christian and Jason more, from an entertainment standpoint.
  • Week 8 this season was the first non-bottom 2 reveal.  I’m waiting to see what season they do away with it altogether and if it becomes obvious WHY they do it.
  • Len did his Master Class with the remaining couples in Week 9 – I had forgotten how hilarious he can be. This one ends with him in a limo with Kym. 🙂
  • Mark DIDN’T have polka dots in Kristi’s 1st Jive costume other than her hair bow – yes, you know this is remarkable if you’ve been paying attention. He did succumb to the polka dots for their jive in the semis.
  • Derek hurts his neck, then gets food poisoning, then has a meltdown with Shannon the confessional – who was saying he’s never been challenged?? 🙂 Anyway, the meltdown – they apologized over and over and over and both seemed to regret it. Somehow, that got lost in the discussions of the subject well after the fact.
  • This season had one of the great Pro Dances that seem to have faded away in the seasons since.
  • February 27, 2011 I Written By

    I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

    DWTS Season 12 Casting Rumors – The Typecasting of Season 12, Part I

    Whenever the time comes to start speculating about the next season’s cast, one useful “tool” we all seem to use is the patterns in typecasting over the seasons – we know there will likely be at least 1 athlete, perhaps a reality TV star, a singer or two, etc.  But when you REALLY take a good look at the casting “types” over the seasons, it becomes clear that each season has been a carefully-crafted combination of celebs to appeal almost every demographic…and I think we’ve cracked that code 🙂

    Prior to the cast announcements, I’ve done a typecasting analysis for both season 10 and season 11, and both casts have fulfilled almost every subtype (with some celebs fulfilling more than one “type”).  So why not take a look at the casting rumors for season 12 and see which might fit into the casting equation, shall we? 🙂

    The Olympian

    Previous examples: Kristi Yamaguchi, Shawn Johnson, Apolo Ohno, Natalie Coughlin, Misty May-Treanor, Maurice Greene, Louie Vito, Evan Lysacek

    Advantages: The winningest of the 12 types, their obvious advantage is their athleticism – you won’t see these guys struggling with strength or endurance moves.  In addition, the same tireless work ethic that helped them medal in the Olympics will likely carry them through the toils of the competition. They also seem to be adored by the masses, as many are seen as “hero” figures – which translates into a formidable voting fanbase.

    Disadvantages: For those specializing in sports that are less “artistic” (i.e. swimming, running, volleyball), it might be a bit hard to really get into the character of the dance and truly perform to the crowd.  Previously incurred injuries (or the fear of incurring an injury that might hinder their participation in subsequent competitions in their sport, a la Misty May-Treanor) may also slow them down & limit their mobility.

    Possible candidates this season: Since we didn’t get an Olympian last season, I can almost guarantee we’ll get one this season – and the most likely candidate seems to be Nastia Liukin, who has been a rumor for a few seasons now and has started following Mark on Twitter within the past few days.  Other possibilities: Greg Louganis, who seems to have been trying for several seasons now to get onto the show; and while it may be a long-shot, Johnny Weir fans are still campaigning for a “Team Weirnoff” partnership.

    The Athlete

    Previous examples: Chuck Liddell, Warren Sapp, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Helio Castroneves, Laila Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Ty Murray, Evander Holyfield, Jerry Rice, Clyde Drexler, Monica Seles, Jason Taylor, Lawrence Taylor, Chad Ochocinco, Kurt Warner, Rick Fox

    Advantages: As with the Olympians, their athleticism & work ethic make them well-suited to the competition.  An edge they might have over their Olympic counterparts: sports like football, auto racing, & mixed martial arts tend to have a larger, more mainstream following than some of the Olympic sports.

    Disadvantages: Again, a lack of “artistic” experience & previous injury (especially with the football players, who have really taken a beating over the years). Some of the more muscular athletes in hard-hitting sports may also have difficulty with the refined, precise moves of some of the dances.

    Possible candidates this season: This category has been oddly devoid of really “solid” possibilities this season, aside from the Brett Favre debacle – doubtful, but stranger things have happened on the show! Chris Jericho was also kicked around as a possibility again this season, and it looks like WWE Diva Maria Kanellis is still gunning for a spot on the show.

    The Model/Playmate/Beauty Queen

    Previous examples: Kelly Monaco, Rachel Hunter, Tia Carrere, Shanna Moakler, Paulina Porizkova, Shandi Finnessey, Josie Maran, Albert Reed, Shannon Elizabeth, Brooke Burke, Holly Madison, Kathy Ireland, Joanna Krupa, Pam Anderson

    Advantages: All the costumes seem to look fantastic on them (and they can get away with wearing the really skimpy ones) and so do their pro partners – easy to imagine a “showmance”, which always seems to grab votes.  Also seems to have cornered the votes of the small population of male viewers, for obvious reasons

    Disadvantages: Despite making a career out of looking great posing & strutting down the runway, many of them have proven to be rather awkward movers outside of that context, and some seem to have a hard time carrying around their taller than average stature.  They also run the risk of getting lost in the shuffle among attractive male competitors, who seem to draw in more votes from the predominantly-female viewing population.

    Possible candidates this season: A strong possibility seems to be Kendra Wilkinson, who would be following in the footsteps of her Girls Next Door co-star Holly Madison.  Rumored contestant Lee Meriwether is also a former Miss America.

    The Legend

    Previous examples: Cloris Leachman, Wayne Newton, Donny Osmond, Tatum O’Neal, Marie Osmond, Jane Seymour, Marlee Matlin, Susan Lucci, Florence Henderson

    Advantages: These individuals are extremely well-known & respected in the entertainment business, with many years of experience (and fans) under their belts, as well as an award or two. Also masters of the stage & screen – perhaps the best at emulating the emotions of the dances.

    Disadvantages: With many years of experience comes an older age than many of their competitors – which comes with an increased risk of injury & fatigue that could limit the difficulty of their routines.

    Possible candidates this season: We’ve got two ladies with quite a sterling reputation in show business – Faye Dunaway & Lee Meriwether. One was the original “Bonnie”  of Bonnie & Clyde; the other was the original Catwoman.  Who do you think we’ll get? 🙂

    The Soap Star

    Previous examples: Kelly Monaco, Cameron Mathison, Lisa Rinna, Susan Lucci, Aiden Turner

    Advantages: The demographic of soap opera viewers overlaps heavily with the demographic of viewers of DWTS, and most soap opera viewers have been watching those shows for years (I started watching General Hospital when I was 6!), so they often have a fierce loyalty to their favorite characters (and the actors/actresses who portray them).

    Disadvantages: This group likely has the most grueling schedule to contend with, as most soaps tape year-round, and some of them are taped in New York, forcing the stars (and sometimes their partners) to fly coast-to-coast several times a week to practice.  Many also have absolutely no background in any kind of sport, making them a real “project” for the pros to take on.

    Possible candidates this season: The lovely Lee Meriwether could do triple duty this season, by fulfilling this category by virtue of her role of Ruth Martin on All My Children. From the online voting for this season’s cast, it looks like Colleen Zenk & Crystal Chappell are also big favorites.

    The Comedian

    Previous examples: Penn Jillette, Jeff Ross, Adam Carolla, David Allen Grier, Ashley Hamilton, Niecy Nash, Margaret Cho

    Advantages: Let’s face it, they’re fun to watch, and they definitely inject some much- needed hilarity into the show. 

    Disadvantages: They often come across like they don’t take the competition seriously, instead favoring their usual schtick over actual dancing. Some of their on-show humor (Jeff Ross’ in particular) can also be rather polarizing – hilarious to some, offensive to others. And again – often no background in any sort of sport, let alone dancing.

    Possible candidates this season: None that we’ve heard of…but who would you like to see? I’m holding out for a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour to sign on – Ron White would be a hoot!

    So do you guys think I’m onto something with this season’s rumors? Tune in for my next installment, where I dissect just who we might get this season from the teen idol, host, actor, reality star, singer, & wild card categories!

    I Written By

    Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, baker, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble.

    DWTS Season 11, Week 7 – Blogs, Interviews, and More!

    How is everyone today? I hope all is well in your land and mind of dance for whatever form that is in. 😀

    First up for today is a new blog from Mark in his Journal at USA Today where he writes in being exhausted, their dance this week, and what’s coming up. Here’s a take from it.

    Everyone on the show is so tired and stressed. The mood backstage was pretty relaxed Tuesday night. That’s partly due to the exhaustion from the grueling schedule and partly due to the fact that everyone is doing very well recently and is at peace with their fate. If you do your best and score well, but still go home, you can sleep well knowing that you did your very best, left it all on the dance floor and have no regrets because it wasn’t meant to be.

    For this next week we have two dances, but I only know one of them as of right now. First up: the Argentine Tango. Bristol should do well with this step because she likes these kind of dances, which are aggressive, serious and sexy.

    Unlike this past week, our second dance is an individual, not with the group. But I don’t know what that one is yet, so I’ll have to tell you this weekend. Again, two dances equals twice as difficult. Just taking the time to learn two dance steps, let alone getting them ready for competition, requires a lot of time management. But we’ll pull through.

    On Thursday I get a nice treat. Bris and I are taping a segment of Ellen, which will air on Monday. We’re actually going to perform our Tango on her show, which we did very well with two Mondays ago. You know, the dance we got the Tuesday encore for. That should be fun, especially because I love Ellen DeGeneres. I’ve been on her show four times previously. Ellen’s one of my all-time favorite people. I’d love to dance with her on DWTS! Who do we have to talk to about making that happen?

    In case some of you missed Brandy’s blog posted on Tuesday, here is an excerpt from it where she writes on her challenges in dancing the Fox Trot and more. Be sure to read more at Access Hollywood.

    Maks and I continue to grow even stronger as a duo and this week’s learning of the fox trot is no exception. It’s a very iconic dance and I am truly inspired by our song choice for this dance.

    Our second dance has been a little more strenuous.

    As you may or may not know, this week I will be a part of “Dancing’s” historic 200th episode (Congrats “DWTS” and ABC) and they’re mixing things up a bit.

    We have a team dance and I’ve been chosen along with my fellow stars Jennifer and Kurt to be a part of TEAM APOLO.

    The dance is very eclectic and even includes a bit of hip-hop in it, so this part of the learning curve has been a little easier for me than weeks past. It’s very cool to be on the team with Jennifer and Kurt as our trailers are next to each other and we are very supportive of each other as the weeks go by.

    I must mention how excited I am to have been chosen by former “DWTS” winner Apolo to be a part of this TV-history making dance!

    He’s been a great leader and cheerleader and it’s good to get the chance to work with my fellow stars this week. With that said, Maks is still working to get the best of out of me from week to week and the aches and pains have now sort of dulled into something more manageable for me.

    Not that I still don’t find new muscles developing and aching, but I am getting more confident with the quick-learning of the choreography and the feeling that I absolutely have a chance of taking home the mirror-ball trophy! My focus on learning the techniques and then honing the moves so that I am graceful and flow well with Maks is finally beginning to pay off.

    I can feel the audience (both in the studio and at home) cheering me on and I always try to dance for the fans.

    Erin Andrews had some opinions on this week’s show. Here is a take from a new interview at Movie Line. I liked what she said on Kyle. There have been times I thought he would get lost between some of the couples this year. But, he hasn’t. Just when you think he might, there he and Lacey are making themselves known with a powerhouse and unforgettable performance. Be sure to read the link for more.

    Onto the dancing: What did you make of the group numbers? The judges scored both teams closely, but I thought Apolo Ohno’s team was far better.I think the way the groups were divided — and Len said this too — he thought the group that Cheryl, Rick, Mark, and Bristol were in would be the underdogs. Because the other group was a powerhouse — with Maks and Derek. But I thought honestly that both groups were really, really good. I know Evan was surprised with the second group’s beating out the first. The first group was a get-out-of-your-seat, jamming-out thing. And the second group? They were good technically, they had the strongest dancers of the whole competition, but — I’m so biased, I’m rooting for Maks non-stop. Last year in our group dance we lost, so I’m glad that Maks’s group was the winner this time around.

    Also: What was Kristi Yamaguchi thinking when she picked Bristol Palin first in her group? I was so confused. She needed Brandy on her team.You never know with Dancing with the Stars what’s going on behind the scenes. You don’t know if maybe she was told that’s what was happening. So it’s hard when you look at it and it’s like, “Huh. That’s weird.” But something may have happened behind the scenes where [producers] had said, “This is who we want you to pick. This is what we want you to do.” So I don’t know going into it if it was a preconceived bit there.

    I mean, I know Kristi was partnered with Mark Ballas when she won her season. Would that have affected things?That’s a good point. Maybe she knew he’s such a good choreographer.

    I was also confused when Kelly Osbourne and Gilles Marini judged performances and didn’t give 10s like the other former cast members. I mean, they were there to boost morale, not hand down real scores, right?Again, you don’t know what happened behind the scenes. When Kelly and Gilles’ group came up, someone else gave a ten, right? You don’t know the conversations that happen, like, “You can’t all just give out tens.” I don’t know if those scores were for real.

    Which of the individual dances did you love?I have to tell you, and obviously I’m always loving on Maks and saying what a great job he and Brandy do, and I will do that again, but I really love Kyle. I hope the voters are taking notice of Kyle, and I think he and Lacey are doing such a fabulous job. The choreography is always so dead on. The costumes are great. His little bit before the dance was hysterical, when he was trying to channel Maks with the painted-on abs and everything. That was so funny. Like I said, he’d have fit in with me and Evan on season ten. The cast is not silly this year! I thought Brandy and Maks did a wonderful job; she’s kind of got the inner — not diva, but — she’s got that inner sexuality; she’s a hot woman. You could tell she was focused and she really wanted to get back from where she was last week, from losing control. And I thought Rick and Cheryl did a great job too! That’s why I’m kind of surprised with the whole outcome.

    Oh, we’ll get to that. But quickly, a word about Kyle: I don’t think the judges give him enough credit for really “selling” some of the dances.I love him because he’s so entertaining. I really hope the voters see that. Kyle, I worried, would get lost in the mix with the two athletes, the two great dancers, and, like, “Oh, yeah, there’s that kid Kyle.” He’s hilarious and hysterical, and he’s a baby. He’s working so hard to compete with these adults.

    Now, Rick and Cheryl: Describe your feelings about their elimination.I’m shocked. I really am. I think again heading into this week you had thoughts about who would go home, and it wasn’t Rick and Cheryl for me at all. He’s been getting better every single week! I don’t know if it’s a situation where he just didn’t have the votes. It’s funny, when you talk to people that I did inside with the show, you say, “How did Audrina go home?” And it’s like, well, can Audrina [appeal to] middle America that doesn’t know The Hills? The demographic that watches this show knows Jennifer Grey from Dirty Dancing, they all love Maks and Derek, so they’ll cheer for them, and they all know Bristol Palin. I’m wondering if Rick fell into the same category with the two athletes. But it kind of surprises me because — I love Kurt and cheer for him, but when you put the two athletes together, everyone loves Rick because he’s this exotic, tall, good-looking guy. I was concerned that Kurt wouldn’t get as many votes. He’s a gorgeous guy, he played for the Lakers, but I guess America really appreciates that this is a little bit of a struggle for Kurt. He’s really trying to learn and get better. But it’s all still very confusing to me. I don’t get it. They didn’t deserve to go home this week.

    Here is fascinating interview with Extra with Jennifer, Derek, and her doctor (Dr. Robert Bray) on her spine and her thyroid. I love how her doctor explains what she’s been through and how he gave her his support to dance.

    Here is a snippet from a new interview with Maks in “In Touch” Magazine.

    “Growing up in the USSR, we didn’t have much,” Maks tells In Touch in an exclusive interview. One thing he did have was a gift for dance, although his talents weren’t always appreciated by others; like many teens, the young Maks was constantly picked on by cold-hearted classmates. “I encountered bullying when I came to the U.S. I was not popular at all,” he solemnly recalls. “There was the usual sexuality-related stuff, people calling me gay. When I’d say I danced, people would act like I was diseased. I was beaten up. It hurt and was very upsetting.” The reality star refused to give up his passion, with encouragement from his family. “I had an amazing support system. My parents told me that if you believe in what you do, you can prove people wrong with your success,” he says. Now, still a hot contender on the ABC dancing competition show’s eleventh season with partner Brandy, Maks is getting the last laugh.

    For never-before-seen personal photos and Maks’ advice on how to ‘rise above bullies’, check out the latest issue.

    Ok, that is all we have for you for now!! I leave you with DWTS ‘Quote of the Day’ from Season 8;

    Gilles on the semi-finals: “I looked pretty smooth on the outside, but the truth is, on the inside I died three times and fainted twice.”

    November 4, 2010 I Written By

    "Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

    SPOILERS!! DWTS Season 11, Week 6

    I meant to post this last night and for some reason I never hit the button. Here it is now. 🙂

    Another week another elimination and I already have lots of material for the Cheesecake Awards. Hint: Lacey, quit projecting your bleached brain onto other people. 🙂

    Okay, enough blather (aka white space) to block the result in the auto tweet. Our eliminated couple tonight was Rick and Cheryl. Yes, I was as surprised as Lacey, even though I don’t think Rick’s dancing has been good for a while. Of course, I also commented that with a 7 point spread no one is truly safe – that’s just not very many votes. I still think that Kyle was utterly forgettable and he will probably leave before Bristol does. But it appears that I wasn’t the only one scratching my head at the praise heaped on Rick last night. He’s lovely, he’s nice – but his dancing wasn’t all that. Still think Bristol should have gone, but I think she’s destined for the final four.

    Note to you Dial Idol and Learn to Dance watchers – Learn to Dance had Rick and Cheryl as number 1 (they were wrong last week too). Dial Idol had Rick and Cheryl at Number 4. I always call mine a guess based on the scores, but readers try to sell those sites as harbingers. Don’t do it or your favorite could go prematurely. VOTE for your favorite.

    Before you all start talking about Bristol, Kyle and Kurt’s massive fanbases, lets review the numbers – it didn’t take much to send Rick home. Remember, for Rick to leave the following happened:

    -Bristol got 11,000 more votes per 1 million votes cast than Rick, AND;
    -Kyle got 5,500 more votes per 1 million votes cast than Rick.

    That’s chump change, folks, compared to what the numbers have been in the past. Upset that Rick left instead of Bristol?? You can thank your judges who have continually overscored the hell out of her. Remember, the girl forgot steps and didn’t move her arms and got 3 8s and a 9 last night. Of course, Rick was overscored too, but how about we start giving people OTHER than Brandy and Jennifer scores they deserve. Bringing lesser dancers up to their level isn’t doing anyone any favors.

    November 3, 2010 I Written By

    I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

    DWTS Season 11, Week 7 – Some Backstage Media After The Show

    What an awesome show last night! I can’t say more good things about it. The couples and everyone interviewed seemed very happy in general too for how they performed. Here’s some video coverage backstage.

    Here is Brandy and Maks ecstatic as ever! I love Brandy’s reaction over what Maks says on her;

    Here is Jennifer and her family being interviewed (including Joel Grey)! I love what she says about being a “Warrior”. Her daugher is so adorable and looks just like her.;

    Here are a couple of fun recaps and after party coverage;

    Here’s a pic Maks tweeted at the after party.

    Lastly, check out Derek as well on the Red Carpet. The photographer caught his amazing energy in just the right form.

    Ok, that is all for now. More later and here’s to the Results Show tonight! 😉

    November 2, 2010 I Written By

    "Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

    DWTS11 Week 7 Power Rankings

    Phew! Ok, I’m very happy to admit that the 200th episode extravaganza was not nearly as big of a trainwreck as I was worried it would be (then again, anything is an improvement after rock week *shudder*) Overall I enjoyed tonight’s show, and didn’t think anyone really did terribly – although I think it will come down to who was memorable and who wasn’t.  If Audrina’s elimination was any sort of reminder, it’s that you can really blow it and still have a decent chance of coming back the following week…but if you’re boring, you’re in trouble.  As predicted, the guest judges were incredibly lovey-dovey with their scoring, and I was surprised to see the judges throw out every paddle lower than 7. But anyway…on with the rankings!

    1.) Jennifer & Derek – Was glad to see these two knock this tango out of the park after such a rough week last week, and I think this was one of the routines that was actually an improvement on the original – I actually thought to myself while watching the snippet of Drew’s routine “Wow, that would not get a 30 these days!” The scoring has definitely gotten tougher, but luckily these two rose to the occasion and managed to pound out a strong, clean, dramatic tango.  And for as run-down as Jennifer was looking in the rehearsals, I was also quite impressed with how well she was keeping up with Derek’s fast footwork in the Team Apolo cha-cha – she may have looked a little winded at a few moments, but she stayed in step! Speaking of Team Apolo – I’ve gotta say, they definitely were the team that was closer choreography-wise to true formation dancing, and they had the more interesting floor patterns and timing (loved the spins in sequential timing – was also a move they did in the Team Gaga cha-cha last season, which leads me to believe that Derek had a big role in choreographing this one).  Anywho, I think Jen fans will rally after her slipup last week, and these two are memorable enough to remain this week.

    2.) Brandy & Maks – These two were a very close 2nd to Jennifer & Derek, but I think the latter had the slight edge in having a comeback week.  This foxtrot was RIDICULOUSLY HOT…I haven’t felt that kind of heat between those two since their Viennese waltz the first week (which I also found RIDICULOUSLY hot ;-)) Brandy finally seems to be figuring out what to do with her arms, and seemed to really nail the rhythm and the sensuality of the foxtrot.  I actually didn’t see the mistake they allegedly made – I’ll have to go rewatch it and see what happened – but since I didn’t see it, it didn’t detract from the dance for me at all.  Good job in the team cha-cha, aside from a few moments of wonky arms.  I have only one complaint about Brandy this week (and it’s a real nitpickity one): when Brandy goes for the sexy/sensual face, she has a tendency to squint – and it makes me giggle a little, because it reminds me of the look I get on my face after about 3 glasses of champagne when I think I’m the hottest thing on the planet that no man can resist, when really, I’m just that tipsy girl at the bar who looks like she’s farsighted.  😛 Anywho, squinting aside, these two will be back for another round.

    3.) Rick & Cheryl – Here’s my take on Rick these days: he does the very best he can with what he’s got, and what he’s got is a whole lot of height and a whole lot of heart 😛 I think his biggest problem is that he compensates for his height by moving smaller, which seems to slow him down a bit – and that’s exactly what I think happened in this quickstep.  Watching Helio & Julianne’s version, the thing that stands out most to me is the speed of it…I didn’t get that sort of speed from Rick & Cheryl’s version.  Granted, Rick looked  like he was having the most fun of anyone out there tonight – biggest smile, all sorts of goofy faces, and just a really good energy – but I felt like he was reigning himself in a bit just due to his height difference with Cheryl.  And that may be something that he’s just going to have to deal with for the duration of his time on the show. *sigh* it’s times like these I wish they had brought back Anna D., who could have easily partnered Rick with her height.  But anyway – he did pretty well in the Team Kristi cha-cha for not having done cha-cha yet, although I still felt that same feeling of him “holding back” a bit due to his size.  All that aside, though, I think these two had one of the more memorable dances tonight (and definitely one of the most high-energy!), and Rick is starting to show a lot more personality, which is an issue I’ve had with him so far.  Nice to see him coming out of his shell – and I’m sure the female voting population agrees 😉

    4.) Kurt & Anna – Felt a little bit bad for these two, because I feel like they got stuck with the crappiest “iconic dance” to recreate – Emmitt’s iconically BAD tango.  But hey, there’s nowhere to go but up, right? 😉 And up they did go – this tango was leaps & bounds better than his paso last week (as well as Emmitt’s original version), and he was the proverbial “lovable drunk uncle at a wedding” in the Team Apolo cha-cha – he stayed on-time and they seemed to give him choreography that hid his weaknesses while capitalizing on his goofiness.  One more note on the tango (and this is another nitpickity thing I noticed tonight) – Kurt seems to struggle on simple moves like walks, where he has a tendency to kinda “mow over” Anna a bit; but he does great on dynamic moves like pivots and Viennese crosses, which come out really smooth.  It’s a bit of a head-scratcher for me.  Moving on…if there’s anything we learned about Kurt’s fanbase last week, it’s that it’s MASSIVE – they may not come out in huge numbers like they did last week to save him, but they’re there nonetheless, keeping  him around.  I think they’ll do it again this week.

    5.) Kyle & Lacey – Definitely the strongest pair in Team Kristi (wise move putting this charismatic kid towards the end of it), and I feel like this was actually a bit of an improvement in terms of energy-level upon Mel B.’s original.  However, this is the one routine of the night that felt for me more like pieces of the original glued together with some new steps.  Gave me a bit of a disjointed feeling.  Now while I think Kyle is actually improving week after week, I’m beginning to wonder if his impish charm is gonna help him beat out voting juggernauts like Kurt.  I worry that these two may be running out of juice, and they could possibly be going home this week.  I guess we’ll see…

    6.) Bristol & Mark – Just you watch…I put them in the bottom, they’ll last another week just to spite me. 😉 Now while I don’t think these two necessarily did terribly this week, I do think they became a non-event – not great, not bad, no real breakthroughs…they just faded into the woodwork this week with a lethargic take on Kelly’s Viennese waltz.  It definitely lacked the joy & whimsy of the original, and I did find it a bit telling that this was the only dance of the night that didn’t get a ten, either from a regular judge or a guest judge. As for the Team Kristi cha-cha – no big surprises.  Bristol seemed to get a bit lost, and moved when Mark made her move.  Not terrible – just a non-event.  The more I think about it, the more I think these two may just be forgotten this week.  And I don’t think there’s any arguing that she’s the weakest all-around dancer (in terms of both technique and performance quality) still left in the competition.  And if America is as annoyed with Mark’s “Bristallion!” moniker for her as I am- they may just say screw it and wave bye-bye to her this week.

    Alright masses – who had fun at the viewing party? And what did you guys conclude about this week? HOLLER! 😀

    November 1, 2010 I Written By

    Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, baker, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble.

    DWTS Season 11, Week 7 – Who’s Dancing What….and When?

    So, our theme of the week is, I guess, that we will bring back as many old competitors as possible for the 200th episode. On the face of it, that doesn’t sound so bad, does it?  And the very best part is that we apparently get an all pro dance to open the show on Monday night.  Julianne is in town – wonder if we get to see her too?  I realized last week that I missed her terribly from the show right now. I’m going to try very, very hard to not let the show annoy the hell out of me and just enjoy all it’s cheesiness. (Heh – Amen my sister at MSNBC)

    Anyway, the part that doesn’t sound so good is the “guest judges” – Gilles, Kelly, Emmett, Helio, Drew and Mel B.  I believe I read somewhere that Gilles is judging Brandy and Maks – and I think that is about the extent of my knowledge on the topic.  I’m actually living in a state of denial on this 4th judge thing. Potentially horrendous idea unless they’re all pushovers who save us from the likes of Carrie Ann and the occasionally cranky Len. I don’t think any of them, particularly Kelly, are in any position to judge.

    If that wasn’t enough crap thrown into one episode, we also have the re-vamped team dances. I always liked the team dances a good deal as I like seeing the everyone work together.  The Kristi and Apollo team captain thing – that’s largely a sham, since Apollo hasn’t been in LA all week, but on a book signing tour. That’s going to be all for show, I imagine, and probably a good deal of fun, since we get Derek, Maks, Apolo and Kurt all on one extremely YUMMY team. 🙂  Win or lose, they’ll be hot and testosterone-y. 🙂  Still not sure how the judging is going to work and there is a high potential for bad dancing or injury this week. If everything I’m seeing and hearing is correct, there could be as many as 2 pro dances – all pros involved. Normally I would love this, but I’m seeing a ton of tweets from very tired pro dancers – 2 pro dances, a team dance and an individual dance? Hope no one gets hurt.

    :::sigh::: Anyway. Guest judges, team dances with guest captains, returning celebs and pros…why do I feel exhausted already??  Both teams are doing Cha Cha Cha, with Kristi’s team using her and Mark’s freestyle as a theme (Workin’ Day and Night).  Apolo told his team today to “Bust a Move”, so…..  Here’s the individual dances for each of the teams (I’ll update if I hear/read more):

    Bristol and Mark – Viennese Waltz
    Song: Drew’s or Kelly’s??

    Kurt and Anna – Tango; Dancing 2nd
    Song: Emmett and Cheryl ?? (Thanks to Buttercup in the comments)

    Rick and Cheryl – Quickstep; Dancing 4th
    Song: Helio and Julianne ?

    Brandy and Maks – Foxtrot
    Song: Gilles and Cheryl’s Foxtrot – “Fever” by Michael Buble (Thanks to Carlos in the comments)

    Jennifer and Derek – ?? No one appears to know. Likely either Quickstep or Tango.
    Song: Drew’s or Kelly’s???

    Kyle and Lacey – ?Paso Doble?; Dancing 1st (thanks to Tiago and Tiffany in the comments for the heads up)
    Song: Mel B and Maks ?

    Team Dances – Team Kristi is dancing first.

    ETA: Julianne in da house – but no clue if she’ll do any dancing.

    Derek uses the phrase “stopped by” in reference to this picture:

    Dang, Bergeron tweets that Jules can’t be there tonight. And also a pic of the back of the audience area.

    Bergeron is a tweeting madman. 🙂

    I Written By

    I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)