DWTS 16, Week 9 – Power Rankings
Things I learned from tonight’s episode of DWTS:
1.) Don’t feel like wearing heels? No problem…as long as your name is Zendaya or Aly.
2.) Even wearing a played-out hipster fedora, Peanut is still the coolest person in the ballroom.
3.) You can apparently praise a couple that was blatantly OUT of sync for being IN sync…and not mean it ironically.
4.) You get a 30! And YOU get a 30! And you get a 30, too! Whoops…not you, Ingo.
5.) Even an exhausted Jacoby is ten times more fun to watch then an Aly operating at peak efficiency.
Yeah. I feel enlightened 😛 But not really, because I vacillate between thinking the judges’ agenda is blantantly clear and thinking “WTF was that?” So let’s get to it…
1.) Zendaya & Val – Color me NOT surprised that she got hip-hop, and color me even LESS surprised that she got a perfect 30 – she SHOULD have gotten a perfect 30, given that the girl has been dancing hip hop “since she was 8”. And then there’s that whole being employed on a show where she is dancer…but noooo, Zendaya doesn’t have an advantage! But anywho – she was great in the hip-hop, but I expected her to be great in the hip-hop; I actually think I saw Val getting a bit out-of-sync with her, which I imagine is the result of him being completely green in the hip-hop arena. I actually found the song choice a bit odd – really? Chris Brown? It worked, but it just felt…strange. And I just HATE those pants that look like they’re made from trash bags and are intentionally saggy in the crotch…looks like a diaper. As for the quickstep – I agree that it was definitely not perfect and there were clearly some issues…but I don’t know that I would have dropped the hammer like the judges did. Almost felt like they were being intentionally over-the-top, perhaps to whip those darling youngin’s that spend more time on Twitter & Instagram than they do on schoolwork into voting even harder (for those of you wondering what I’m talking about, just check out the comments section of the pic of Ingo & Kym posted on the DancingABC instagram yesterday…it’s a sh*tshow). I thought the intro with the cars took up too much time, and there were a couple instances where there were synchonization issues with feet. And again, with the wide-leg pants….WTF? Once again, I have to chalk this one up to choreographic issues – Val seemed to go more for speed than for technique, likely hoping to wow everyone with just how FAST they were going, but as a result, their frame kinda fell apart. I see no reason these two shouldn’t make the finale – and with the judges already plugging Zendaya’s upcoming album in her critique, I think the agenda as far as she’s concerned is pretty damn clear.
2.) Kellie & Derek – Glad to see that the red screen from Ricki’s Psycho tango got to make a reappearance 😛 Really liked the Argentine tango – it was refreshing, for once, to see the celeb dancing circles around the pro, rather than vice-versa…Kellie seemed to be doing a lot of the intricate footwork, and I think Derek was probably smart to utilize Kellie’s long legs and her ability to extend them. Lots of pretty leg lines. Thought the pose for a pseudo-kiss in the middle was a bit odd & awkward, and I wasn’t wild about the wig they put on Kellie, but overall, I enjoyed it. I actually really enjoyed their flamenco – as a side note, those stomping movements that Derek was doing are deceptively hard to do and require a lot of technique…otherwise, doing them wrong, repeatedly, can actually cause hairline fractures in the feet. Kellie seemed like she might have been a bit tired after their tango, because I got the impression that she was having to really soldier through the flamenco – but it was fun to watch, nonetheless, and was nice to see PROPER flamenco choreography 🙂 Loved the trick at the end, too. Again, I see no reason why they shouldn’t make the finale…and I’m already curious as to what Derek pulls out for these “supersized” freestyles. Did they really need to be “supersized” again, though?
3.) Aly & Mark – I just don’t get it. The judges turn the biggest blind eye, by far, to Aly’s mistakes – and I’m sorry, but even though she seems like a sweet girl, it’s week 9 and she’s still about as interesting to me as watching paint dry. I think the only week I was really on the Aly bandwagon was Stevie Wonder week, when she seemed to hit a stride, but I feel like both of her dances this week were just lukewarm. I can’t be the only one who thought her rumba felt more like a contemporary routine than a rumba – and the few rumba steps that were in it got kind of repetitive, and were pretty simple. I guess I didn’t HATE it, and it wasn’t BAD…but I just find myself going “Meh.” The chemistry was tepid, and the rumba content really wasn’t there for me. As for the Afro jazz – brave routine, but c’mon judges…BLATANT synchronization issues here. And you guys went so far as to PRAISE it??? Is the Ministry of Truth editing your commentary? (If you’re a tween and you didn’t get that literary reference, get off the damn interwebs and go check 1984 out of the library – like right meow.) I go back & forth between liking & disliking Mark’s Afro jazz choreography – yes, it definitely had Afro jazz steps and an overall Afro jazz feel, but like their contemporary routine earlier this season, it felt a little like “Afro jazz by numbers”: ok, now we’re going to stomp our feet! Then we’re going to swing our arms! Then we’re going to jump! Then we’re going to swing our arms again! Once again, I found myself thinking “What would a SYTYCD choreographer think of this?”And I think the answer would probably be something like “Well…that was cute.” I think with their scores, they should have no issues making it to the finale – but I think they may fade into the background next to Kellie, Zendaya, & Jacoby.
4.) Jacoby & Karina – I think pigs must be flying, because it actually looked like Jacoby cleaned up his footwork this week! I was very pleasantly surprised by his Argentine tango – if there was one dance that was really going to put those bad feet on display, it was this one. But he seemed to handle the intricate footwork really, really well, and had no problems with the lifts. And this goes without saying – but he carried off the tango “swagger” well, too. One of the best dances he’s done this season. Not gonna lie – the Lindy Hop was totally fun to watch, but it did feel a bit thrown together to me…like maybe Karina spent most of the week working on the Argentine tango (smart idea) and then lost track of time and had to scramble to put the Lindy together. Nonetheless, it was extremely entertaining, and Jacoby looked like he was having the time of his life…boy seems to like dances where he can kick his legs 🙂 I think these two deserve to be in the finale, and I’m hoping they’ll be there…but the fact that Jacoby has been in jeopardy the past two weeks has got me a little bit worried. I like to think he’s handily beating Ingo in votes…but have the GH fans rallied? I doubt we’ll see a real bottom 2 tomorrow, but if we did…I have to wonder if Jacoby would be part of it. I hope I’m wrong!
5.) Ingo & Kym – Anyone else notice that Kym’s costumes have gotten progressively skimpier as the season has worn on? Not that I’m complaining – everyone knows I respect the Awesome Boobage. 🙂 But I have to wonder if it’s an attempt to distract from how truly awkward Ingo is on the floor – I say it every week, but man, poor guy still seems just as awkward to me now as he did in week 1. Their samba was almost comically bad – Ingo seemed like he was really focusing hard, but was always about 1 beat too fast…and the hip shaking just was stiff & weird. I think their Charleston had the potential to be cute – but unfortunately, there were timing issues in this one as well, and it also seemed like they didn’t do a whole lot of the Charleston basic…seemed like a lot of running around and lifts, and just a couple basics. Then again, I have had the feeling for a few weeks now that Kym is just burnt out and ready to be done with this season, and maybe just doesn’t have the energy to try and conceal Ingo’s many dancing eccentricities with very clever choreography. Nothing against Kym – I just think the poor woman is exhausted and running on fumes. If it wasn’t obvious by the scoring, I think Ingo’s toast tomorrow – we don’t know for sure if he was in the bottom 2 last week, but I’d venture a guess that he probably was; he’s been there before. There’s still a part of me that’s a bit uneasy about the GH fans somehow rallying and keeping him around, and I think Jacoby is the most likely target if Ingo somehow manages to get the votes…but I hope he doesn’t, because he’d look woefully underqualified next to Kellie, Zendaya, Jacoby, & Aly.
So what are your thoughts on tonight’s show? And who do you think is headed to the finale? 🙂
I’m very happy with tonight’s results!! Since I’m “biased” of course I feel Zendaya and Val were amazing! Yeah their first dance was kinda sloppy but the hip hop was amazing! And the bitch fest from some Kellie fans about her having hip hop and it being an advantage! At this point it does not matter everyone is absolutely amazing! That being said Kellie and Derek should have had a perfect 60! I’m a Valdaya supporter but unlike some kellie/DEREK fans I can give credit where credit is do and Derek has choreographed some of the most memorable routines ever! And Kellie is amazing! But Val has also choreographed some super routines this season! I’m so proud and happy for him because I looked up to him since I was 9 and he is a big inspiration to me! And he killed that hip hop! It’s safe to say ingo is a goner tomorrow!? Thoughts!?
Tonight left me very confused. I could not believe Aly and Jacoby got perfect scores on their first dances. Zendaya’s hip hop was great, which I wouldn’t have expected any less. Jacoby’s Lindy Hop was a lot of fun, and there were no signs of touchdown moves, thankfully, but his package reminded me of why I can’t bring myself to vote for him, he beat my 49ers in the Super Bowl. I know it’s petty, but I’m okay with that.
I do believe it’s Ingo’s time to go. If they hand out the 30s next week like they did tonight the winner will be left up completely to the viewers. Will be a very close, interesting finale.
I love how Derek darkened his moustache for the Flemenco. Pretty hilarious. And with Kellie and Derek going first this week hopefully puts them last next week.
Excellent Court as always!! Ok, here is how the night went down for me….
Derek and Kellie –
1st dance: Best show opener of the season. These two reminded me of why I love DWTS so much! I loved the way they danced hard to the beats. I loved the music, the passion, and the drama to it all. Kellie’s leg extensions were nothing short of a-mazing. And omg, that split turning move at the end was the cherry on top!! 30
2nd dance: Once again, they killed it. I love the Flamenco and they didn’t disappoint. It felt straight from Zorro. The throw at the end was stunning. I also loved it when Derek picked Kellie up and carried her up the stairs. So passionate. Breathtaking. I love these two. 30
Total: 60
Karina and Jacoby –
1st dance: What a stunning Argentine Tango! So powerful, sexy, and passionate!! It was so cool seeing the judges finally praise Jacoby for what he deserved. Breathtaking. 30
2nd dance: Talk about on FIRE! I didn’t think Jacoby missed a step. He was full out furious until the end. And what a hoot he was afterwards before the scores were read. I was LOLing so hard. 30 and a Total entertainer indeed.
Total: 60
Aly and Mark –
1st dance: Wow, I wasn’t sure of what to expect with Aly doing a Rumba, but, it WORKED!! She was indeed “all woman” as Carrie Ann said. I loved how Aly was totally into the character with so much emotion and softness! I loved the backward move towards the end. She did that so naturally. She’s roped me in again. My only complaint was her flat shoes. It would have been prettier with heels. 29
2nd dance: Once again, I didn’t know if they could pull off an Afro Jazz. I was worried Mark would make it too goofy in some way, but, he didn’t. I loved it and the creativity! Well done and this is probably my fave Mark and Aly dance of the season. 30
Total: 59
Zendaya and Val
1st dance: EEEk! I didn’t like this race car driver quickstep at all. It was a mess all over. Her legs looked bad. They lost each other a few times. I didn’t like the costumes or the shoes either. They wasted time sitting in cars and going up the stairs too instead of dancing. 8, 8, 8 24
2nd dance: Like Bruno, this dance was so “cool”, it gave me chills!!!! So cool! Loved it!!! They are back in a big way. 30
Total: 54
Kym and Ingo –
1st dance: This was their best dance of the season in my opinion. He seemed more relaxed and just enjoying himself. One thing I’ve loved about this couple all season was their facial expressions and passion which was written all over this dance again. There may have been some slight slowness in a couple of turns, but, hey, for the most part.,Go Kym and Ingo!! They aren’t going out without a fight. 25
2nd dance: Awwww, what a delightful dance. They totally took us back to the 30’s. He was in character and full of fun. For whatever happens tomorrow night, he should be proud as he went out with a bang. 27
Total: 52
1.) Kellie & Derek – LOVED the A. Tango, Kellie’s lines in front on the screen were perfection. I’ve never actually seen a tradtional Flamenco before so I don’t know if it was technically good, but I did enjoy it.
2.) Jacoby & Karina – I got tired just watching that Lindy, that man is quick and yet he was still really presice. I wasn’t sure how he would do with the A. Tango, but it was great.
3.) Zendaya & Val – I think I would really like her if she had a different partner and wasn’t being shoved down our throats. Val really hurt her by going for speed over technique, however I have no doubt she’ll make the final. I refuse to acknowledge the Hip Hop.
4.) Ingo & Kym – suprisingly I want Ingo to make it over Aly. No he’s not the greatest dancer but he tries and is entertaining. The Charleston was ther better of the 2 dances but both entertained me.
5.) Aly & Mark – sorry but she bores me. The Rumba was devoid of hip action and the Afro Jazz had too much tribal/not enough Jazz for me. I think a different partner may have made a big diffrence.
I am on vacation all next week so I will miss both nights. I think it will be almost impossible to avoid finding out who wins before I get home and watch them on my pvr, so does anyone know where (in Canada) I can catch it on-line after the fact?
Jacoby & Karina – I was pleasantly surprised by his AT because of his sloppy footwork throughout the season, although I find that each week his technique is getting better. I also found it fun that it seemed like he was lifting Karina around like she was a feather (or a football). I loved his Lindy Hop! So much energy and entertainment! I agree with CA that he is definitely the best entertainer of the season (Andy too!).
Aly & Mark – I was nervous that she wouldn’t capture the character of the rumba but I was also surprised. It wasn’t my favorite dance but I think she’s getting better every week as well. I actually found their afro jazz entertaining but I’m coming from a place where I have no idea what an afro jazz is or how to even critique it but from an entertainment standpoint, I loved it and I thought she handled the intensity of the dance great but I don’t agree with CA when she said that it was totally en-sync because it wasn’t in parts.
Kellie & Derek – I just love her. I loved their AT and her lines are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I think her technique is flawless. I liked their 2nd dance as well. Not much to say about it because these two deserve to be in the finale.
Zendaya & Val – I thought their quickstep was intensely fast and props for her to climb up those stairs at the end, I think if it were me I’d be crawling up. BUT it kind of bothered me how she wasn’t wearing heels or was that just me? I mean.. I get it’s hard to dance in heels especially in a fast dance like that but still. I knew she was going to get a 30 with her hip hop without even watching it but all I can say is karma to Val for having to dance it because of the twitter drama him and Maks said towards Karina last season when she fell in her hip hop but I think he did a good job keeping up to Zendaya (wow the roles were reversed in this)
Ingo & Kim – in comparison to everyone else, he is just really stiff. I liked his 2nd dance because I felt like it suited him but I wasn’t WOW’d by it. Ingo seems like an awesome guy, judging by his 2nd package but I don’t think he is up to the standard the other 4 in order to make it to the finale BUT I believe he does belong in the top 5 (although I miss Andy).
Tonight I expected it to be Kellie & Zendaya at the top with Aly and Jacoby 3rd & 4th with Ingo in 5th, so I was surprised how the scores worked out and how the “underdogs” of the top 4 were actually tied for first. I’m nervous for tomorrow but I think Ingo will go home.
I honestly don’t even think that Jacoby is getting the lowest fan votes either, I think they just make it to create drama and so fourth but I’m hoping it’s Kellie & Jacoby for the final 2.
I was actually pretty impressed with some of the dancing tonight. Some… Not all.
Kellie & Derek:
Argentine Tango – Oh my gosh. I’m going to watch the crap out of this dance on YouTube. Because HOT DAYUM. Totally breath taking. Really, there’s not a lot that Derek can’t do anymore. Which is why he seriously needs to take off… forever. We’ve been saying it, and we have to keep saying it: He’s become too big and too good for this show.
Flamenco – I actually thought it should have been a 30. I guess I’m biased, but I really, really, really enjoyed this dance. I have no idea what the heck Flamenco is supposed to look like, but something tells me this was 1000x closer to real Flamenco than whatever it was Val gave us last season. I love this dance. It was my favorite number of the night.
Ingo & Kym:
Samba – I’m gonna back you up Court, and add to the whole skimpiness of Kym: I think she just LOVES her nude/gold colored outfits. I mean, seriously. She wears those colors a good 75-80% of the time. Anyway, yeah, this samba was pretty… odd. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good. I actually thought in the first half “Oh, my God! Ingo actually looks dec-oh wait, there’s the awkward.” It wasn’t the best, but I think it might have been his best Latin dance.
Charleston – I freaking love the Charleston. It’s my favorite dance even if I don’t know how to dance it. I wish they would have it on the show more!!! Anyway, I thought this was a tad over scored, but, like, by a point really. There were quite a few instances of missed steps, I thought. It was fun, but yeah, he’s toast tomorrow.
Aly & Mark:
Rumba – Way, way, way, way, way, way too over scored. I felt zero emotion from Aly, and zero hips. Like… seriously Judges? Oh well. It’s not the first time a 30 has been handed out when it’s not been deserved. I wanted to like her rumba, but I just didn’t in the end. Have I mentioned it was over scored?
Afro Jazz – Okay, I have NO idea what I watched, but I loved this dance. I guess that’s because I have no idea what the Afro Jazz is, but I really liked it. I actually would say it should have been a 30… But that’s just me. The funnest routine of the night, without a doubt.
Jacoby & Karina:
Argentine Tango – Oh, praise the LORD Jacoby pulled off that magnificent Tango!! I keep thinking, “Oh gosh, something’s gonna go wrong.” And then when nothing didn’t go wrong, I was thinking “Okay, now which judge is gonna crap all over Jacoby?” But they didn’t! Very happy for Jacoby tonight!!
Lindy Hop – Again, another super fun dance from Jacoby. Even if it was thrown together, I thought it was still pretty damn good for being thrown together. And they went for it too. No apprehensiveness from either of them due to the injury. I had a smile all throughout this dance.
Zendaya & Val:
Quickstep – Well, it finally happened. All that I’ve been reading about her pimpage and just pushing it away finally got to me. I actually don’t think the Judges brought the hammer down on her. Well, I think they did, but I thought it was justified. I seriously would classify this as Zendaya’s worst dance. I hated it. I hated the song, I hated the theme, and NOTHING about this dance looked right to me.
Hip Hop – Wow. I was expecting so much more. This seemed like a lukewarm Hip Hop to me. I was expecting Zendaya to really SELL her Hip Hop. You know, because, like, she’s been dancing it since she was 8. ::rolls eyes:: I really cannot express enough how much more I was expecting from her. But I knew the 30 was coming, so whatever…
I think we are the point in the season where they try to convince the viewers that this has been an AMAZING season…just look at how many 10s there are.
A few thoughts:
First, no way that Kellie and Derek should be scored lower than Aly and Mark. I found Aly and Mark’s rumba devoid of any emotional connection or hip action (heels would have helped), and really not much better than anything Ingo offered. The Afro-Jazz might be the dance that best suits Mark though — his tendency to overdance and outdance his celebrities is less obvious in Afro Jazz, and it suits his style of dancing anyway more than anyone else on the show. Aly was just ok, but it was better than the rumba.
That said, even though his feet still aren’t quite right and Kellie beats him on technique, Jacoby was my best performer of the night. He really brings an energy level to his dances that no one else really can match, and tonight his technique really came together nicely.
Zendaya and Val’s quickstep was a hot mess. I thought the 8s were actually appropriate. I thought the hip hop was good, and Zendaya was predictably good in it, but it didn’t have as much impact as it could have. I think that Val was probably not as comfortable as he usually is, so his performance level was a little lower and they lacked a real connection. I thought Val’s costume did not accentuate his movement well either — it just wasn’t on a par with the hip hop numbers that you see on SYTYCD.
Ingo and Kym. Yikes. The samba was terrible. Just awful. Even Kym looked out of sync on that one. And the Charleston was pretty frantic — again, the 9s were completely out of place, given that Kellie and Derek only outscored that by 1 point, and especially considering that Ingo’s Charleston basic was pretty sloppy.
Bottom line, despite the scoring shenanigans, Kellie had better be in the final.
I thought Indigo did a great job this week. He really enjoyed himself. I liked the vintage look to the beginning of the Charleston. He seemed a little out of synch in that number. I saw some good hip movement and bounce in the Samba. Great job!
The red silhouette background,sophisticated, sharp and crisp AT for Derek and Kellie was unbelievable. The split lift and snake move around is leg was great. I thought the nose/nose section was a little akward. D is a better looking version of her husband and I think K is so close to Derek and likes him so much, she is always trying to watch herself around him, not touch too much that I want her to really let her hair down and sizzle with him. Best AT of the season. I saw no “tensing” whatever in the Flamenco. I really enjoyed the artistry and difficulty of that number. I can’t believe I’m goign to say this but I would have preferred Derek wear the short jacket (without shirt) with those high pants, they look goofy with just suspenders enven though his body is phenomenal. It detracted a bit from the dance. I think they deserved 59 or 60 for the night.
Ally, for me has had low content dances all season but has worked on her performance. I thought their Afro Jazz number was really sensational, fun to watch and Mark rocked the choreography. The Rhumba was OK. For her, she did great. But knowing what they watch for and comment on, there was NO hip movement and the obligatory “open the door” move. it was also not perfectly flowing – was choppy. That was a 27 for sure. They should of gotten a 57 in my book.
Zendaya quick step. I thought the comments were over-the top but it wasnt’ her best number. The car deal was “frippery” and didn’t get called. The music was horrible and I can imagine with any other number, their quick step would have been amazing. I think 25 was too low but 26 or 27. Their Hip Hop was fun. Z did a great job and though Val did too. Anyone that does dance for a living on a TV show and had a Hip Hop dance teacher at 8 shouldn’t be doing that dance on a dance show for amateurs. I would have like her to have Afro Jazz.
Jacoby – felt so bad for Karina and her neck but as a professional you couldn’t tell. The AT showed a lot of sexy sizzle for me. I loved that. Karina is a sex pot and Jacoby kept up really well. Compared to Kellie and D though, it shouldn’t have been a 30. I loaved their Lindy Hop but the “excessive prop use – playing trumpet – both of them during the middle standing on the judges desk” should have cost them a point from Len or 2. He can’t have it both ways. Derek got docked for simply having a cow sitting on the stage and riding out in a tractor and neither prop was integrated into the dance but no dancing for fake trumpet playing without being docked wasn’t right. I can see it was the weaker number of the two but I am really seeing the sweet side of Jacoby that refuses to do the move that hurt Karina. He is a fun guy to watch even if the feet are messy. I think 28 and 27 – 55 for the night from me.
Good night of dancing.
Tonight, I felt that the judges were really generous with their scores. Those 30’s were being handed out like nothing.
I think that Kellie and Derek were the best of the night. If anything, they deserved a perfect 60. Their Argentine Tango was great and their Flamenco was so entertaining to watch. I think they definitely deserve a spot in the finale.
Zendaya and Val’s Quickstep was disappointing to me. It did look a bit messy and I think Val is to blame for that because it seems he chose to go for speed rather than technique. For their hip hop routine, I wish they would have danced to a different song. I thought that Zendaya was great, but I was kind of expecting more. Nonetheless, they also deserve a spot in the finale.
Aly and Mark – I don’t get it. Aly seems like such a nice girl and I was fan of hers in the Olympics, but dancing wise, she doesn’t captivate me. I don’t think their rumba deserved a perfect score because it reminded me more of a contemporary dance than a rumba. Not to mention, I thought it lacked hip action which is something I’m surprised Len didn’t call them out on seeing as he’s always hard on other people for not having enough hip action. Their Afro Jazz was nice to watch, but I don’t agree with Carrie Ann’s comment that they were in perfect sync. Overall, just like last week, there was a lot of overscoring going on and with that, I think they’ll be in the finale.
Don’t know who will be in the “bottom” two tomorrow, but I think that Ingo will most likely be going home.
Also, I have to agree with you Courtney. Did they really have to go for a “supersized” freestyle again? That made more sense to me in the All-Stars season than it does now.
Judges again were as inconsistent as ever. Throwing out tens that weren’t deserved one minute and nitpicking the next minute.
Zendaya & Val – Besides a few timing issues from Val, great hop hop. I did really enjoy it. But, will still say, it was completely unfair producers. The way you justify bringing celeb ‘dancers’ onto this show is by saying….”but they don’t dance ballroom” (Nicole S, Mya etc)… but then you allow a celeb to dance their specialty when no one else ever has. I really disliked the quickstep. Too much of the cars and it was very sloppy and I really dislike the choreography. Very disappointing actually because I usually enjoy Zendaya’s dances a lot despite the producers shenanigans when it comes to her.
Kellie & Derek – Yes, they are my favorites, but I think they truly did win this night with their dancing, they shouldn’t be in 3rd place with the scores. Both dances were well done and beautiful and had quality. It was cool to see a traditional flamenco! As generous as they were with everyone else, I just thought the nitpicking by the judges of their flamenco was annoying. I really dislike the way Carrie Ann speaks to Kellie some of the time…it’s like she’s talking to a child. What is with that?
Aly & Mark – ehh underwheming. Yes I agree, why are they allowed to go without heels? Ballroom = heels. Anyway, the rumba was a bit on the side of contemporary. I don’t always mind that but it just wasn’t that great. It was certainly not a 30. As picky as Len is about content, for a contemporary rumba that also has her not wearing heels, can’t believe he gave her a 10. Afro Jazz was just ok. I like the ones on SYTYCD better. I think it might have been cooler if we hadn’t seen the African themed Samba trio just last season. I am just a little tired of them not giving her any technical pointers and just praising her for the 10th time about her improved mature performance. We get it, she has improved there. But she hasn’t in other ways that don’t add up to her being top of the leader board so many times with so many 10s. There is just a big wow factor missing with her and just being impressed she’s come out of her shell is not enough reason to give 10s every time!
Jacoby & Karina – glad she’s ok. Enjoyed both dances but liked the Argentine Tango more than the Lindy Hop. Just wanted some more content in that dance. Do think he was slightly overscored. But if that helps him beat Ingo, than fine by me!
Ingo & Kym – nothing really to say. Didn’t enjoy either dance. Expected more from the Charleston with how much they talked it up. If he does;t go home tomorrow, it will be a big disappointment and upset.
Super sized freestyles again? I would rather they just let they couples focus on dancing together.
I loved Zendaya’s dad was giving the evil eye to Aly and Mark’s costume. Way to not be imaginative and just go for stereotypes and not do actual afro jazz.
Kellie had the only dance deserving a 30.
Disappointed in the hip hop. Very cheesy, bad sytycd hip hop routine. Nothing like Twitch and Comfort.
It seems like tptb really want Aly to make the top 2. The whole, she is always fourth edit. Sadly seems like Carrie Ann continues to lose credibility. She did not see, to get how tough flamenco is and sayin a clearly not in sync dance is in sync? She really does not seem to like Kellie. Maybe producers told her to mark her down. Who knows but Bruno is best judge at this point. At least consistent
Len is dull,of, it when he gets on Derek for messing about says nothing about the race car entrance. Way to use props, Val. Wait, thought he was better than that?
I also noticed Aly also not dancing in heels. Same with Zendaya. Chosen ones do not have to dance in heels?
I am both upset over Aly’s scores and bothered by the horrid afro jazz the show praised. It is not creative to fall back on stereotypes for tribal. It is like those ice dancers who did a similarly awful routine as tribal. They at least got called out for it.
Kellie should get the encore but expect Aly to yet again get an encore. Shudder at seeing that dance again tomorrow.
I know who I feel should be in the finals next week, who deserves to be, now I just have to wait and see if it happens.
What can I say about Kellie and Derek? Loved both dances, but I knew that she wouldn’t get the perfect 60. I didn’t see her tighten up in the flamenco, but then I’m not an expert. Both dances were done beautifully. Derek’s choreography was terrific. It will be a sad day when he is no longer on the show.
I enjoyed Aly and Mark’s rumba. The afro jazz was certainly different. I still don’t understand why it was an option, but they did it justice. Aly just isn’t exciting to me. She’s made progress since the start, yes, but I don’t look forward to her dances. To me, she just there, is one of the favorites, and will probably get to the finals.
Z and Val’s dance was fast like the quickstep should be, but I thought it was a mess. I didn’t care for the cars in the beginning. I was so glad to see that she wasn’t given her typical high score. Neither one of them liked it, but the scoring was fair. I, like others, would love to know why she hasn’t danced a rumba, and I’ve noticed in most of her dances she’s wearing flats instead of heels. Len hates flats, but has not said a word about it. Aly too, is either in flats or barefoot and not a word.
And then there was the hip hop. Another dance that shouldn’t have been an option, not to mention that it was given to the person who does it every day for a living. So wrong. The gushing from the judges made me roll my eyes more than once. What else did they expect? I didn’t care for it and not just because she did it. To me, though, they didn’t seem to get the crowd reaction at the end that other couples did. And getting the 30 wasn’t a surprise. Every couple, except Ingo, had received a 30, she couldn’t finish the night without it.
Jacoby and Karina’s first dance was good. I loved his lindy hop! So full of energy and so entertaining.
Ingo and Kim’s first dance was blah to me and I didn’t care for his charleston. There’s nothing more I have to say about him.
For me, the show was pretty predictable. The one surprise I did have tonight was that no one had the perfect 60. I thought there would be at least one maybe two.
So my picks for the bottom two? Ingo will be one half and the other half will be anyone except Z. Can’t have the princess in jeopardy. She hasn’t been all season, why start now? And no matter who he’s there with, Ingo will be leaving unless we have the shocking elimination that happens every season.
I agree a lot with you Courntey!
(in the same order as the post to save time)
Zendaya and Val:
Quickstep: I actually liked the theme that they were going for because I think if it had been performed better it would have actually looked pretty cool but this was definitely not Zendaya and Val’s best dance. You could see at times when Val would have to almost drag Zendaya into place or across the floor but I do think they were a bit underscored or Ingo was overscored because I don’t think they were at the same level as Ingo in my opinion.
Hip Hop: I enjoyed it and I thought she was a pretty cute baby!
Kellie and Derek:
AT: This was a really great dance and that is all there is to say about it (in a good way!)
Flamenco: I also really enjoyed this dance but I agree with whichever judge said that towards the middle and end of the dance Kellie looked to tense up a bit but overall it was really good.
Aly and Mark ( I would actually put them below Jacoby):
Rhumba: I think their Rhumba like their AT last week was over scored. I was comparing their dance to that of Kellie and Derek’s and they didn’t have the same fluidity that they had and I agree with one of the other posters that said that there didn’t seem to be a lot of hip action in their dance but i’m not an expert so what do I know?
Afro Jazz: I liked their costumes, the song and the choreography but at times I felt like they were out of sync and just doing the motions, still pretty good but I thought it was a tad over scored. Might Aly not be pulling in the votes?
Jacoby and Karina:
AT: for me this dance was really cool but I had a hard time knowing how to judge the dance because I’ve only seen a female celebrity contestant perform the Argentine Tango this season so I didn’t know what to look for in the guy part but his feet looked lots better.
Lindyhop: this dance like the Jive really suited Jacoby and it was very entertaining to watch but I do agree that some of the lifts seemed a little out of place in where they were located within the dance if that makes sense?
Ingo and Kim:
Samba: I really like Ingo but I agree with everyone else that it’s his time to go. His samba to me didn’t have too much content but I did like that in every dance that he does he puts 100% effort.
Charleston: I liked this dance in the beginning when it was black and white on the screen because the slower movements fit the black and white tv format but once they took that off it made them look really slow and awkward in places.
Bottom 2: I think it will be Ingo going home and Kellie and Zendaya in “jeopardy” because of the 3rd and 4th finishes to make it dramatic.
Now they aren’t even bothering to pretend they aren’t corporate tools, they are actually promoting Zendaya’s album during the dancing critiques? WTF?? Her quickstep was one of the most bizarre dance routines done by a contestant who can actually dance I’ve ever seen on the show. I blame Val for that mess.
Ridiculous overscoring for most of the dances. The only dance worthy of a 30 was Kellie’s first dance.
I was very pleased with Jacoby’s dances, expecially the tango. That was way better than I thought it could be. Very impressed with how he keeps improving. Given that Aly’s mediocre routine was given a 30 it was only fair at that point that he got one too, although neither was equal to Kellie’s.
I’ll be shocked if it’s not Ingo tomorrow, but I don’t think anyone is going to overcome the Zendaya promotion in the end. Bummed, because I’d rather see Jacoby or Kellie win it, but that doesn’t seem likely.
I agree I think the supersized freestyles are unnecessary this season. I’m very curious to see who/what is brought in. I don’t think these will be able to top Shawn’s supersized one last season.
I’m very much looking foward to the numbers post tomorrow. Any chance Zendaya could be sent home? The point spread between she and Ingo is 5. Feel free to correct me if that number is wrong. I just wonder if we’ll get a shock elimination tommorrow. Anyone but Ingo would be unexpected.
If Kellie and Derek don’t get the encore for their Argentine Tango tomorrow, I’m flipping tables. That dance was amazing. That split lift at the end — I was on my feet. I don’t know much about how the flamenco is supposed to look, but I liked what I saw tonight. I didn’t see what Carrie Ann and Bruno were talking about with Kellie tensing up. She deserved a 60 tonight.
I didn’t see Zendaya and Val’s quickstep, but I thought their hip-hop was pretty weak.
Aly was outrageously overscored. That rumba was nowhere near as good as Kellie’s Argentine Tango. No way. The less said about that Afro-Jazz, the better. What are they getting out of pushing her to the top 2 or maybe to the win? I don’t know. I just know that they want her there for some reason with the overscoring and the “always come in 4th place” edit.
I do wonder why Jacoby all of the sudden got 10’s and a perfect 30 tonight when to me his dancing has been the same it was in week 1.
Either he’s getting a lot of votes and will likely win next week so they needed to start giving him scores to “justify” his win next week so it didn’t appear out of nowhere. They did the same thing to Donald towards the end of season 14 and look where he ended up or he ISN’T getting the votes and they need him in the finals for ratings
Kind of a tough one tonight simply because the first dance of the night was actually 30 worthy and so much better than anything that followed it, that it seemed a sham to score anyone else the same. or even close. Other dances were great, but if I put them against Kellie & Derek’s Argentine Tango, they fall short.
anyway,
30 Kellie & Derek A.T. – so beautiful and relied on content rather than lift after flashy lift. bold. loved it.
29 kellie & Derek Flamenco – beautiful.
28 Jacoby & Karina A.T. his best dance, but there were times he was a bit off, and his pigeon toes continue to nag at me, especially in spats where the white of his shoes was like a spotlight on the problem.
28 Aly & Mark African Jazz. Aly did a great job at this, but the sync was totally off at parts. I thought they were going to get reamed for this one. Apparently, I was wrong.
30 Z & Val hip hop – I put this lower in the ratings because she SHOULD get a 30. It’s her job. She was the teacher here not the other way around.
27 Jacoby & Karina – Lindy Hop fun and full of energy, but I thought there were some clear mistakes (unlike Kelly’s Flamenco where the judges had a “feeling” that she was stiff)
25 Aly & Mark Rumba. No. Hip. Action. bad shoes. pretty arms, though.
24 Z & val quickstep. plah. the car thing lasted way too long. – side note here, but I was surprised how many times the camera caught Z looking like a sullen brat tonight then smile big for the camera, then when she thought she wasn’t being filmed, looking like a brat again.
then Ingo. nice guy.
I know this makes me out to be a big Kellie/Derek fan and a hater of Z/Val, but that is actually not the case. I don’t have a favorite this season, but have enjoyed good dancing by all. However, I am really tired of the Z pimping, am baffled by the forgiveness of Aly’s mistakes, and really baffled by the hiding of Kellie. Derek looked a little pissed about this in the end shot too. warranted. Also, I miss Andy.
extra side note – at the end of Ingo’s Charleston, with the pose of the HUGE champagne bottle with where it was being held – all I could think of in that moment was CHEESECAKE!!!! 🙂 !!!
Well this night went about how our mods said it would. That just bites frankly because the DWTS Powers That Be are taking the fun out of the show. The show used to be about the journey and how they did on the challenge of learning to dance…now well you all have already voiced.
Kelly and Derek: I loved both of their dances…I thought the footwork in the Flamenco was incredible. I can’t believe they actually got a 28. That was sad! So in essence they were only one point better than the best dance done by Ingo and Kim!
Karina and Jacoby: I thought they really brought it tonight. He looked so happy and he is a showman. I really wish it could be he and Kellie left standing at the end…however I know that is a pipe dream.
Zendaya and Val: I actually felt they and Mark and Aly were about on the same plane. First, just compare the surfer dude song from last season with the Flamenco by Kellie tonight. That tells the story. Derek, last season, spent 5 seconds top on a tractor and got called out for props…Zendaya and Val were in those cars A LONG TIME and their dance is wonderful….hello! Then there she was in pants and sneakers again. Don’t get me wrong, I get it in hip hop, but notice how there hasn’t been anything said about her legs lately…that’s cause she has been wearing pants or a long skirt, the last few dances. But, of course Val would never try to hide her bent knees now would he? (sarcasm intended) Finally, I expected more out of the hip hop…this is her profession…but I think it was Val that was out of sync with her.
Aly and Mark…I don’t know what to say. I think if she had started the season with the personality she is showing now…she would be farther along in her journey. Her Rumba was kind of blah! Her Afro Jazz routine…take a look at the Derek, Shawn, Mark trio…there is a lot similar in the two dances. It also seemed a little stereotypical to me, but that is just my opinion.
Ingo and Kim: I love Kim, she and Karina are my favorite female pro’s. I think Ingo is a nice person but really he needs to go. His musicality isn’t there, he lacks timing and just consistently and continually looks like he is struggling.
Let me be really clear, since I think I got trolled earlier this week. These are only my opinions. I like Zendaya as a young person, but she is being really hyped and I actually felt bad for her when the judges ragged on her about her first dance, while I really think they are just trying to rev up her fans to svote, she looked upset and I hate to see any kid go through that. I hate how they have used her during this season because she is still a kid.
After all that I think Ingo will go..and I think Zendaya will be in jeapordy and that it won’t be truly a bottom two so they can rev up their fans and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kellie there as well.
Finally I hope this is Derek’s last season…how long is he going to continue to beat his head against a wall? I hope his defying gravity dance is nominated for an Emmy and he goes out on top.
Just gotta agree with the Aly thing. It seems like she tries really hard to be quirky and funny, and have personality but she just…doesn’t. And I thought her rumba tonight was absolutely awful. She is just not graceful..I don’t know what the judges were smoking. I don’t really dislike her..I just feel nothing towards her..and don’t think her dancing is nearly as good as the judges praise her for.
Aly and Mark were totally out of sync during hat Afro-Jazz…overscored
I like Jacoby’s dancing, but he’s a giant and sometimes looks funny when dancing next to Karina…I think he spends too much time bent forward to be closer to her height.
Kellie looked like she ran out of gas in that Flamenco…she didn’t seem into it.
Zendaya’s hip-hop was awesome, even though I would have picked a better song.
Ingo…is the fish out of water compared to the other 4. He’s gone.
The last time I saw that many tens I was doing decimals in Math class. That was kind of over the top and diminished the accomplishment of getting a ten. I saw 3 ten(ish) routines tonight.
Kellie’s Tango (and even that had a few things they would have called in previous weeks but the lifts were so great it made up for it).
Aly and Mark’s Afro Jazz – Thought Aly looked pretty comfortable out there and if there was ever a dance she deserved a ten on this was it.
And Zendaya’s Hip Hop. Poor Val looked like he really had to work on that. Very smart choosing a slow song so Len wouldn’t get scared.
Aly’s Rumba score confuses me.
All Jacoby’s scores confused me. Especially the Lindy Hop… there was like a lot of pausing in between and blowing instruments. And I felt like Karina did a lot of the work for AT.
Ingo I didn’t care for the Charleston at all. He looked a bit tired. I thought his first dance was better.
Zendaya’s quickstep: That music was awful. And I can’t tell a good quickstep from a bad one because I just don’t like the dance in general but I didn’t like this one even more than I usually don’t like other quicksteps. (lol)
Kellie’s flamenco – Ran out of steam during the dance and got in her head a bit but most of it was good.
Thought Kellie’s AT was the only dance deserving of a 30. Loved the red screen, and Kellie’s lines were amazing. While I liked the Flamenco, I had to watch it twice to really appreciate it. I wasn’t all that crazy about it the first time watching it.
I don’t get the Aly lovefest. What really irks me is the lack of hip action in her rumba. Len gave Shawn crap last season for not having enough hip action in her titanic rumba, yet he completely overlooks it for Aly. Her movements just weren’t graceful enough for me if that makes sense. Mark and Aly were not synchronized in that Afro Jazz but Carrie Ann praises them for it?!? Aly has actually grown on me a lot in the past couple of weeks, but I feel like the judges are laying it on pretty thick when it comes to her.
I thought Zendaya’s quickstep was a bit hectic, but she was definitely underscored, IMO. Again, Val uses props but Len doesn’t call him out on the “frippery” like he does with Derek. Her hip hop routine was cute. As expected, she performed it really well. I went from loving her in week 1 to being really annoyed with the pimpage. I think I would have actually voted for her had I not been so annoyed.
I really like Jacoby. I was impressed with his AT. I wasn’t expecting him to do so well. I find him funny and hardworking. If I wasn’t voting for Kellie and Derek, I would probably be voting for him to win the MBT.
Definitely time for Ingo to go. That’s all I have to say about him.
Loved Kellie & Derek’s AT and I believe it should have been the only 30 the night. The Flamenco was great as well.
IMO aly was overscored with the rhumba – where was the hip action? and no heels? The tribal dance reminded me of last years Tribal Samba.
Jacoby was good – both dances were done well but definitely not as good as K&D AT.
Zen’s QS messy. The hip hop was good but that was excpected.
Ingo & Kym tried real hard.
I hope Ingo goes.
The semi-finals had everything from injuries to perfect 30s. Here are some of my thoughts on tonight.
Kellie & Derek: When it comes to Argentine Tango, Derek’s choreography is superb, but their Flamenco was entertaining from start to finish. I have a feeling they will be in the finals next week.
Argentine Tango: 10
Flamenco: 10
Ingo & Kym: I feel like the soap fans are the only reason Ingo is still dancing. His Samba was kinda awkward in places, and really hard to watch. As for his Charleston, it was entertaining but I think that it’s his time to go tomorrow.
Samba: 7
Charleston: 9
Aly & Mark: The Rumba is a difficult dance to perfect because it requires emotion, fluidity, vulnerability, and sensuality. Aly had all of that, and managed to dance to a song that would seem suitable for a Viennese Waltz or Contemporary. As for her Afro-Jazz routine, I was stunned and left speechless that a gymnast could do that crazy of a dance.
Rumba: 10
Afro Jazz: 10
Jacoby & Karina: After seeing what happened to Karina in rehearsals, I thought their performances were going to fall apart, but they proved me wrong. Jacoby brought the passion and heat to the Argentine Tango, and brought the fun and entertainment to the Lindy Hop. Finals for sure.
Argentine Tango: 10
Lindy Hop: 10
Zendaya & Val: I must admit, I’m disappointed by what I saw with their Quickstep. There was too much messing around with the cars and the running up the stairs. Their really should have been more content, and more synchronicity between them in hold. They really made up for their mess of a Quickstep with their Hip-Hop routine. Val did very well for someone who never danced Hip-Hop before. There was definitely a role reversal in this round. Zendaya is really going to need the votes if she wants to be in the finals next week.
Quickstep: 8
Hip-Hop: 10
After tonight’s grueling semi-finals, here is how I rank the remaining couples:
1. Kellie & Derek
2. Jacoby & Karina
3. Aly & Mark
4. Zendaya & Val
5. Ingo & Kym
I predict that Ingo & Kym are going home, and Zendaya & Val will join them in the bottom 2.
#20-Matt….why, IF he’s not getting the votes, would TPTB want him in the finale for ratings?
Only saw a few dances tonight.
Kellie and Derek – THAT ARGENTINE TANGO. It was by no means Derek’s flashiest AT, but something about it was so incredibly mesmerizing. And their flamenco was absolutely gorgeous. One of the things I admire most about Derek is that he makes any dance style that’s completely foreign to him look natural (ie, bhangra). Derek is my reason for living, but I did agree with the judges. I saw a flamenco show a month or two ago and Kellie did tense up a bit. In flamenco, it is similar to rumba because the body should be in constant motion. But it’s MUCH harder than it looks and Kellie did a wonderful job of it.
Jacoby + Karina’s AT: I loved how he got into it. I thought the judges would set his ass on fire for not moving enough, but that didn’t happen (which I’m ok with).
Zendaya + Val quickstep: ok, there’s no way around it, toys was BAD. NO callouts for frippery, and half the time Val is yanking her everywhere. Oh well. Deserved score.
Sort of saw Aly’s rumba and sort of Ingo’s samba, but they were inconsequential to me.
Didn’t see anything else because I was going out, but it hardly matters.
I LOVED Derek and Kellie’s Flamenco but I KneW it wouldn’t get a 30. I KNEW Zendaya’s hip hop would, but hey when you’ve been dancing that style for half your life…oh but Kellie took gymnastics as a kid(told to me by a Valdaya shipper on Instagram)…mmkay then.
Ingo needs to GO!
30-sheery, football is a huge ratings grabber, They had him last on the premiere and that was before votes so they couldn’t have known his vote totals. Notice how he’s only been last 1 other time and that wasn’t truly last because of team dances.
There have been plenty of times they wanted people in the finals that didn’t get lots of votes, like Chelsea Kane, but maybe they see stock in the football ratings.
I remember when Apolo got placed in faux B2 twice last season before his elimination and everyone was saying how it was impossible he was actually B2 and then leaves in 5th place. I’m not seeing the widespread love for Jacoby like I did with Hines or Donald. It’s pretty 50/50 of people that seem to like him or they think he’s not good/overscored, etc.
I’d just be disappointed to see him beat not 1, not 2, but 3 better dancers solely because he’s a football player with a built in fan base.
1) I liked Jacoby best this week, very energetic and entertaining. He just danced ballroom instead of making every dance into a touchdown dance, no leaps and no shoulder popping for once. I couldn’t really see his steps in the AT because of the dark lighting and his dark pants though.
2) Kellie was Kellie as usual. She has the best technique and lines this season, but I still find her performance quality lacking. It’s like she’s just an automaton for Derek’s wonderful choreography. I keep reading that Aly is boring, but personally I find Kellie boring.
3) Val didn’t do Zendaya any favors with the quickstep choreo. Too much of a hip-hop edge (like last weeks samba) and too fast, more like sprintstep than quickstep.
4) Aly did briefly lose sync in the afro jazz, but considering the entire dance was side-by-side and fast-paced and they were in sync the great majority of it, I thought she did a great job. What would a sytycd choreographer think? I would hope they’d recognize this is a beginner that has only been dancing 9 weeks. Her rumba was overscored. It was like they threw it together in one day by mashing their v-waltz and contemporary, so they could spend the rest of the week working on their afro jazz. Sidenote: Her afro jazz and salsa have been the 2 craziest dances this season, yet she still gets labeled boring?
Bottom 3 prediction: Ingo, Aly, Zendaya(for drama)
Possible surprise elimination: Aly. I think she’s real bottom 2. She’s not really anyone’s “favorite”, so I don’t think she’s getting many votes (especially this week everyone in Boston was watching the big hockey game instead). So TPTB have been overscoring her just to help her into final because she’s much better than Ingo.
Going home: Ingo hopefully
Question: what’s the biggest judge point difference that has been overcome where the lowest score was saved by fan vote?
Aly is still boring to me. Like Matt wonders about Jacoby, I wondering why Aly is being judged on her energy and constantly saying she deserves tens. Feels like they are pushing her or that gymnast fan base is big. That afro jazz lacking jazz elements. Derek brought in a Bhangra speciality and also respect the culture. Mark watched YouTube videos. I was shocked it was trite and full of stereotypes and little respect for the dance. You can do Afro jazz without going “tribal”.
My thoughts:
Kellie and Derek were amazing and should have had 2 perfect scores. The AT my favorite for technique and the Flamenco was the first dance that completely drew me in this season. Both striking. I watched both dances numerous times last night and will watch again during my lunch break.
Jacoby and Karina had an excellent night and were the only other couple deserving of the 10’s they got. But they were not better than Kellie and Derek – Jacoby just stepped up his game a lot tonight.
Aly and Mark had a good night but neither dance was a 10 and they were not in sync. I’m watching from a tv camera angle and it was one of those oops out loud moments, so was taken back a bit when the judges said perfectly in sync. And gymnastic mat routines seemed a bit heavy in the Afro Jazz.
Zendaya and Val should have a point taken off when she dances in sneakers or flats. Master P got slammed for not wearing proper dance shoes, but she wears flats and.or sneaks like once a week in her dances. First dance was a bit sloppy and I think the technique in this dance suffered so they could spend time on their hip hop routine. It was good, but no where near perfection – watch Twitch and Legacy for perfection. And I expect perfection from her since her story is that she is a hip hop dancer, not a ballroom dancer.
Ingo and Kym had a good night, but they are still quite a bit behind the others as far as timing and technique are concerned. But, I’m sure he has a strong fan base and is still a contender. Good job.
I liked Carrie Ann finally pointed out Kellie is impressive after only two months of dancing. Hopefully that AT gets the encore. Best dance by far last night and worth 30. It opened the night yet the one dance I remember best.
Just a note: If you want to come on to this site and lavish praise on Zendaya – feel free. But where you go wrong is praising Zendaya followed by calling everyone who disagrees with you all sorts of names. I’ll just delete you. I ain’t playing any more. You think that we don’t allow Zendaya fans? Not true. What we don’t allow is ugly little children to spam this site.
I’m assuming that we can rule out Z getting another encore, but with the way things can go on this show lately, it could still happen. TPTB will keep her in our faces every possible chance they get. Kellie deserves it for the AT. Hopefully she gets it. Like others, I commented on the shoes that Z and Aly have been wearing all season and the more I think about it, the more aggravated I get. So many times in the past the women celebs have been called out on not wearing heels and deducted for it, and this year, not a word.
And I think it’s wrong that Z has been in pants so much. As Lynne, #23 said, it’s so obvious what Val is doing. And if it was anyone other than her, they would have been called out for it.
Please Derek and Kellie, Encore, Encore!
#39. I agree with you about the pants situation. Hopefully everyone is wise enough now to see what they are doing!
LOVED Kellie and Derek and now I am glad they went first as I got to see both their dances before changing channels!
I too was put out by Zendaya not wearing heels; ditto for Aly who really distracted me with the dress, dance and flats? WTH? At least Zendaya was in a race uniform costume not a bespangled formal dress.
I will have to YouTube Jacoby’s and Zendaya’s second dances; meh, don’t care about Aly’s or Ingo’s.
Lisa in Canada; I just watch on YouTube whatever I miss this season (since for the first time, I switch channels after the first hour–so bored/put out with the manipulation going on); by the next day plenty of videos are up including with the leadin story and judges.
GO Kellie! I’ll be rewatching that AT many times! Also love, love Jacoby.
Random thoughts on the evening:
Loved Kellie’s AT. Didn’t notice her lose steam in the Flamenco. Maybe that was just because I was watching Derek the whole time.
What was with Allie’s shoes in the rumba? They just talked about her looking flat footed in her jive. The flat’s just drew my attention to her flat feet the whole time. I’ve like sytycd doing afro jazz, but the choreography felt to flail-y to me.
I have to say that I haven’t understood what the big deal about Jacoby. But after last night I get it. Hoping that if Kellie can’t pull out the win it’s at least him that does it.
I think Kellie and Derek AT was the only dance that deserved 10’s. Jacoby was a pleasant surprise with his AT but compared to Kellie? come on. Aly’s rhumba was just ok and Val and Zendaya def had an off night with the QS- applaud the difficulty of it- an 8? that was a bit low..same score as ingo..lets be serious. I found this quote from Today.com this morning…i couldn’t agree me. What is it with the propping from the judges with Aly? And why don’t her and Zendaya wear heels?
“And sure, it’s hard to argue about Aly Raisman finally getting a perfect score after she wowed the crowd with her precise and romantic rumba. However, the same couldn’t be said about the out-of-synch, tribal-style Afro jazz routine she performed later. It looked like a poor imitation of Shawn Johnson’s samba from last season, but somehow earned 3 points more than that one did with a 29.”
I liked this semi-final. Lots of good dancing.
Kellie and Derek-I think that was the best Argentine Tango ever on the show. Crisp and clean without sacrificing the passion. Her flicks were so fast and sharp! If only the judges had 15 paddles!
I liked the Flamenco very much. My only quibble was Kellie’s costume. While she looked wonderful in it and it looked like an authentic
flamenco dress, it clearly overwhelmed her small frame. I would have liked to have seen her feet and especially her expressive hands more.
Jacoby and Karina- I thought this couple was on fire tonight. That’s the best AT choreography she’s ever done. Jacoby was strong and male and smoldering.
The Lindy Hop was hoot. Great energy and exciting choreography. Loved the opening with those two up in band and Harold Wheeler yelling at them!
Karina is amazing. I know it’s not real but if I ever have a Freaky Friday moment I would definitely choose to switch with her. To be able to dance like that for even a day would be incredible.
Aly and Mark- First off, in her Rumba that’s the most beautiful she’s looked all season
cont…
I do wish she had worn traditional ballroom heels rather than the soft low shoes she did. She’s got short legs. She needed those taller heels to make her legs look longer especially in the Rumba. Thought she was overscored.
I didn’t hate the AfroJazz as much as I thought it I would. The costuming and stage props were over the top. She got out of sync several times, the most obvious being the spear twirling at the beginning.
Zendaya and Val- I think Val really let Zendaya down with that Quickstep. I really disliked it. From the costumes to the stupid cars
to the lack of content. It’s okay for the pro’s to make a sucky dance sometimes. They’re are human after all, not machines. It just sucked that it happened in the semi-finals.
The hip-hop was cute. Val did very well dancing it.
Zendaya was a awfully cute baby!
Ingo and Kim- Men celebrities have a very hard time learning the proper way to move in a Samba don’t they? That sort of slinky, rolling, bouncing motion that pro guys do so well. Thrusting your hips vigorously isn’t the same.
Charleston was fun but very basic.
some random thoughts on last nite:
Kellie-so glad the judges didn’t hold back the 10 paddles for the first dance of the nite 🙂 as soon as CAI mentioned “perfection” in her critique I had a feeling the 30 was coming. Loved the flamenco too, but poor Kellie really looked put on the spot by her critique about “tensing up”
Jacoby-definitely his best dancing of the competition, though a little overscored (AT definitely overscored compared to Kellie’s)-still hope he makes the finale.
Aly-was not impressed by her rumba-again, overscored if Kellie’s AT was setting the bar for what a perfect 30 should be. I actually enjoyed their Afro-Jazz-beforehand I was expecting it to look more like the “African Anteater Ritual” dance from Can’t Buy Me Love 😛
Zendaya-QS had “frippery” annnnnd I saw a lift. Hip-hop….eh sorta expected the 30. Whatevs.
Ingo-dancing definitely a level below the other 4-but had a good attitude for tonite, that they were just gonna have fun, pressure is off due to being the underdogs. That said, the Charleston was definitely overscored. And Peanut rocks-I hope that in the finale when Ingo comes back to dance, that he uses Peanut in his dance (like last season when Drew had his daughter dance with him) This is of course, assuming Ingo is going tonite…
…that said I looked at the numbers-is there a possibility Ingo could get the votes and that Zendaya could be the “shocking elimination”? This is the first time this season she hasn’t been really protected by her scores-and we dont know if she’s been getting the votes…
Wow, talk about being overscored….
I suspect Aly isn’t getting the votes so the producers are protecting her.
Ingo is probably the one to go but they are having him go out on a high note with his highest scores of the season.
Didn’t care for the strange dances. Note to producers: get back to basics.
I miss the All-Star season. I loved the risk they all (well mostly Derek) took as choreographers. I still remember & go back to watch his dances with Shawn, but I can’t really remember a single routine from this season that’s sticking out this season, aside from Sharna’s.
I know that this is anecdotal, but I’ve seen on other sites (not ABC) the pee-wee baseball mentality is coming out. The crazies are out in full force claiming Derek has won too much & always gets ringers. I have to bite my tongue not to correct their misguided thinking.
I can’t remember, but a part of me feels like Shawn’s first season was like the way this season is for Aly. I remember her having a likable personality in her packages, doing ok numbers, and really pulling out the win with her freestyle when most assumed Giles to be that seasons winner. I really wonder what kind of votes Aly is bringing in. Her overscoring right now reminds me a lot of Melissa’s last season in the last few weeks of the competition.
On another note about the freestyles this year, I’d be willing to put money down that if they make it, Zendaya and Val bring in either Bella Thorne or Roshon. Gotta pull as many of the tweens in as possible.
Was Kellie’s Argentine Tango wig the same one that Julianne wore with her tango with Adam back in season 6, or just similar?
As we were watching last night, my husband asked if one of the couples had a lift, as they were dancing. It was one of those accidental ones, but he was POSITIVE that Carrie Ann was going to comment about it. I told him it’s only a lift if she decides that it’s a lift. If she doesn’t, even a LIFT isn’t a lift.
And for Zendaya and Val’s quickstep, he saw the go carts, and he said, “OH! FRIPPERY!! They’re going to be marked down for that!” Our oldest daughter said no, he won’t, because only Derek isn’t allowed frippery, he can have things NOT BEING USED in the dance and can have points docked, but everyone else can use as much as they want…..
Of course, he also thinks that every word that Len says MUST be the TRUTH about a dance, because he’s the judge……
He tries, though….
I loved that he used the word Frippery!
Y’all r so wrong Zendaya has over 6.5 million fans around the world her fans are not going to let her down plus her trending on twitter has been going worldwide her fans are blowing up on twitter and Facebook for her in the finale so for all you people who think z is going to be in the bottom to. Wow u r so wrong
Gee, Guest – try English next time and then point me to who said she was going to be in the bottom two…
Leslie – I dunno, I don’t think Aly has what it takes to win, although I could be wrong. I really think they are protecting her from a surprise elimination at this point. While I think she has improved tremendously, I don’t think she really touches either Kellie or Zendaya. Or Jacoby for that matter.
Rocky = disingenuous, seriously. You don’t watch her show but just happened to pick that for a screen name? Riiiight.
Before Len hadn’t taken his meds and last night he took too much! WAAAY to many undeserved 10’s from him. Makes me doubt even his credentials.
Derek and Kelly have now performed 4 dances that deserved encores and 30’s. It might be true that Kellie tired a little toward the end of the flamenco but the dance content was as close to authentic as anyone gets on this show and choreography and quality so much better than any other pro can produce, tired or not she deserved a 30. The producers of this show should kiss his freakin gaucho boots, his a** and anything else he would put up with and thank their lucky stars he is even on this show. No-one comes close to his choreo and the entertainment value of his dances. Kellie IS NOT a pro dancer, judges!!!! even though Derek has utilized her talents and taught her so well she looks like one. And I agree with what someone earlier said about CAI talking to Kellie. Just STFU,Carrie Ann! Don’t know what her point is talking “down” to Kellie like that but you can be sure its not good.
And IMO, Aly and Ingo are about equivalent. No hips or believability in rumba(and those freakin shoes she and Zen are being allowed to wear)and the Afro Jazz?? so what?? the afro was the footwork and the jazz was the arm flailing? It was also a partial re-tread of SJ’s samba. Ingo-Mehhh. Jacoby-same problems as ealier in season with feet, posture, sloppiness but the AT was his best ballroom dance.
And Zend? The QS was a hot mess, and also partial re-tread of SJ’s QS and as bad as it was with frippery and sloppiness it didn’t get a “7” like Shawn’s. Imagine that???!!!Hip-hop, average and considering she’s “trained” in it since age 8, it deserved about”24″. Maybe she dumbed it down for Val because after all, she is the next Beyonce. Speaking of Val, if TPTB are thinking he will be kinda the replacement for Derek, anyone who watches this show is gonna be bored and disappointed with content of the dances. Choreo, so far, doesn’t appear to be one of his strengths.
Leslie- I think Shawn is a better dancer, even in Season 8. She’s more naturally musical and graceful and precise in her movements. mark’s choreography was also stronger as a whole in Season 8 than this season.
If Kellie can’t win, I’d actually rather any of the others (yes including Zendaya) win over Aly. They have both had more great and memorable dances than she has.
@Guest, trending on twitter isn’t necessarily the same as going and actually VOTING! They don’t count the tweets a person gets or how long they may trend for on twitter, they count the actual VOTES a person gets. And, as has been shown in past seasons, the number of twitter fans a celebrity has can sometimes be a detriment to staying on the show, because they sit and TWEET instead of VOTE!!
So going by past experience, and the NUMBER of Disney People they’ve had on the show in the past, Zen may not be getting the number of votes that you may think she’s getting.
They’ve had Monique Coleman (season 3), Billy Ray Cyrus (season 4), Sabrina Bryan (season 5, 15), Cody Linley (season 7), Kyle Massey (season 11), Chelsea Kane (season 12), Roshon Fegan (season 14)….NONE of them have been able to get their voting bloc to win them the trophy. Most were on before twitter, but did have many intensely devoted fans….. But as before with these Disney contestants, being intense fans and having a devoted fan base doesn’t always translate into actual votes.
I just made an interesting observation about the past 15 seasons’ winners; Unless I missed something somewhere, not once has any one of them been in the bottom 2. There were a few that were the last to be called safe, but never the bottom 2.
Raine- I don’t think they would say Val is a Derek type replacement. Maybe a Maks one? Derek and Val are nothing alike. I think Henry would be a more Derek-esque replacement.
I like some of Val’s choreography. It is different to what many of the other pros do, more like a couple of steps up from what Maks does. They have similar styles, which makes sense.
My opinion is that Val’s style only works well when he has a really talented celeb. If Val gets an average to low ability partner, the quality goes down because he can’t make a ‘competition-style’ dance for someone with less ability. Some of Kelly’s dances were good but many had excessive props/gimmicks or actually accentuated some of her problems (ie not spotting turns). He hasn’t mastered the covering up flaws part or making a really complete performance (technique, costumes, music, lighting, mood etc) out of the dances.
@Princess Heidi yes. Before dwts, I never watched Shake it up. Disney is for kids and I am not a kid. Once I saw Zendaya performed her Contemporary routine, I was a fan right from the start. Naturally, that led me to want to know more about her. Since week one, I’ve been on some sort of Zendaya high. She amazes me with her talent, drive and work ethic and I really hope she wins. It just sucks that her Quickstep wasn’t as great as I was expecting it to be. But, thank God her hip-hop was amazing! Val did a great job as well.
True Lori, but does anyone on here know how big Zendaya is right at this moment compared to the other Disney kids that have been on the show? I feel like she is BIG right now where I don’t know if some of the other ones were as popular as she is right at the moment they were on DWTS.
Anyone have any knowledge of this? Maybe if you have kids who follow Disney stars?
Well…I don’t have REAL knowledge of it, EP, but I do know that Chelsea Kane had an album come out right after DWTS and Mark was in her music video. But I don’t follow any of that stuff so I have no idea if their fanbases are similar in scope. Of course, she had the Jonas brothers on her side, so…
I was initially relieved and satisfied that the judges finally got it right with the 30 for Kellie & Derek’s absolutely gorgeous AT. When they docked points for the equally beautiful and thrilling Flamenco, I was perturbed, but still thought (silly me) that they were on the right track with justifiable high scores for this talented team that outshines any of the others. But when they started handing out undeserved 30s for dances by some of the other couples that were so poor in comparison, I was completely confused and doubted their eyesight and judgment. For me, Aly’s performances are as exciting as watching grass grow; Ingo can’t dance; Zendaya is still much too stiff in her ballroom dances, and Jacoby is loads of fun to watch but that’s about it. I agree with RaineMeyer #53’s comment about Derek.
I am sure this is a question for another post but I just saw ABC’s Fall schedule and they are making the DWTS results show part of the Monday show….the Tuesday show will go away.
Someone please explain how the voting is going to work on that format….
EPMusic- you hit the nail on the head regarding Val…he does better with celebs that allow him to do “professional” ballroom routines. Honestly- the final of Kellie, Zendaya, Jacoby, and Aly is cool with me. I honestly think it is going to come down to Zendaya and Jacoby- with Jacoby possibly being the upset if you will. I just don’t want Aly to win…to me, she is the weakest and if they talk about her “improvement” one more time i might scream. Do we have any insight into the final dances? i know the free style but are they learning another new one? repeat of an old one? Jacoby has what it takes to deliver a knock out freestyle. (and i am a kellie fan- i want that girl to drink a half bottle of Jack before next week and just let loose…)
Everyone dances but they have the elimination at the end I guess you could vote all week.
I knew once the rating hit below 2.0 something would happen. It didn’t get cancelled all together because its still over 2 on Mondays and its less expensive than a scripted show. The Biggest Loser was also reduced to an hour for the new fall season.
Networks need to understand. we can’t watch everything.
*sigh*
At the very beginning of the series, they didn’t have a results show. I don’t know how they did the eliminations then, I didn’t start watching until season 3, and they had the results show in place by then.
You could try to you tube some of season one shows, to see how they handled it then…..
Although my thought is that they will do similar to SYTYCD, which I don’t watch….. Whatever it is, they’ll probably screw it up! 🙂
I loved all the dances except for Ingo and Kym’s samba. He has to go this week.
Kellie and Derek shine above all the others period.
Does anybody else listen to DWTS Radio? Apparently Mark and Aly’s music was changed 30 minutes before the show. She apparently had a lot of rhythmic cues in the old song. It wasn’t my favorite dance but I give them props for having to do that.
I think we should judge the judges at the end of the season. Give them some critiques. You know SOMEBODY at DWTS reads this! We could have such fun with that!
Question! Why is it that every single thing ZENDAYA AND VAL do so “average” to other people! Her getting hip hop yeah it might not have been fair but she got what she wanted as did Kellie and Derek, Aly and Mark and Ingo and Kym! Yes she has been dancing it since 8 but she is not a professional hip hop dancer! She is an actress she just so happens to be on a show that does hip hop! And Val absolutely killed it with the choreography! He being a ballroom dancer he fit hip hop just as well as mark and Derek! I’m not being biased I’m just stating what I have seen! I understand some of people get offended by some of things he says but he is being a REAL person! I am supporting them but he has really proven himself this season and isn’t getting enough credit! And zendaya yeah she is being pimped but guess what she is rising to the occasion maybe the quickstep wasn’t great but the hip hop was! So was Kellie and Derek’s Flamenco and AT! I’m just saying they deserve some credit
I was really surprised to see so many get 30’s last night! Kellie and Derek have never disappointed me yet this season. That Argentine Tango was amazing, as well as the Flamenco. CAI continues to pick apart Kellie in some shape or form and claims it’s because she want her to “go all the way”. It seems more to me like she wants to make her seem like she isn’t as good as she truly is to the viewers. I’m tired of her and pray the judges get rotated out.
Also find it very odd Val had those race cars for props, and Len didn’t go on a tirade about that! I didn’t like that quickstep at all. I’m surprised Val took such a risk with the props and choreo at this stage of the game. I did enjoy the Hip Hop dance much better, but I didn’t appreciate the package of how it tried to portray Val as struggling to get the moves with Zen’s teacher. It was faker than false teeth IMO! To level the playing field she should have had to do a rumba. Unless, does Disney maybe prevent her in her contract from doing anything remotely sexy to tarnish the Disney image? That just came to mind.
Jacoby and Karina were great. Loved his Argentine Tango and the Lindy Hop. His mother is obviously a big part of his life and I can understand her segment in his personal package, but I’m getting tired of the camera always going to her for her reaction to Len’s comments after each dance.
I liked Aly and Mark’s rumba, but it didn’t captivate me like Kellie and Derek’s did. The Afro Jazz dance was dramatic and Way Different than anything I’ve seen done by a contestant in the past. Not my cup of tea as they say, and again surprised Len liked it since he seems like the biggest stickler for the traditional dances typically shunning the most creative choreo.
Ingo and Kym I thought did well, but really just don’t have any WOW factor about their routines and really seemed out of place in the semi-finals. No surprise if they are eliminated tonight.
People like what they like, Grant, and if you haven’t figured that out yet, you probably won’t. Jumping up and down and screaming about it won’t change anyone’s mind. Val killed it with the choreo? YOUR opinion. Not mine, for sure. Everyone got what they wanted? They sure did – but Zendaya got one that she’s been doing for EIGHT years – the others didn’t. These are simple concepts.
I absolutely loved Kellie/Derek’s Argentine Tango. Their silhouette behind that screen was breathtaking and their Flamenco was pretty darn hot too! Kudos to Derek as he takes a challenge to heart! He “always” tries to respect the true nuance of the dance. The way he flipped Kellie at the end of that dance was incredible. Also thought his choreography for the Argentine was FANTASTIC and Kellie nailed it. Her legs looked amazing. She rivaled Nicole in this dance and that’s saying a lot because Nicole for me performed this dance BEST of any celebrity!
It was a fun show last night overall but IMO the judges did all they could to ensure that Kellie & Derek were not in the lead at the end of the show! No WAY should there have been all those 30s or 10s issued. Kellie & Derek were the best of the night-IMO. Two very technical dances and they nailed both of them. Yet they got knit-picked. For most others it was like you improved a “whiddle”(little) bit=10-LOL
Happy Karina is ok and that Jacoby does know how to entertain.
Tonight should be interesting!!
My apologies to all if this info has been posted:
ABC has renewed “Dancing With The Stars” for a 17th season, the network announced Tuesday. But “DWTS” has been downsized: The new season will combine the traditional performance and results shows into one two-hour episode that will air weekly on Monday nights instead of the current “DWTS” format, which is a two-hour performance show on Monday and an hourlong results show on Tuesday.
“’Dancing with the Stars’” will now air from 8:00-10:00 p.m., on Mondays, integrating the performance show and results show into one night and making each episode action-packed event television,” a release from ABC read.
@chachachoo – I would think they will also be downsizing the number of couples as well. I remember with 12 to even 10 couples how the episodes seemed rushed with shorter dances to boot.
With less couples, there will be less pros which worries me because I could see Tristan possibly not asked back when I would rather see Tony gone. But because he is now a MBT no matter how bogus it may be, I’m sure he will be asked back, as well as Peta and Cheryl. I truly hope they have a place for Sharna again and that they give Henry his shot at being a pro. I’m thinking though that Henry may not get his chance now. TPTB just better keep Derek happy cause that man is a creative genius and he IMO is the heart and soul of the show. I would love to see him do a show that spotlights him with other dancers like the blind girl he danced with a few weeks back, and the dancer who lost her foot in the bombing. I think between his creativity, drive and endearing charm and personality he would the the perfect person to host a human interest show based around dance.
I can’t see them really needing the troupe anymore. The troupe exists to spare the pros from having to dance on both nights.
That’s a shame as two pros I really love came from the troupe, Tristan and Sharna.
Just the fact that less dancers will be employed makes me more sad than not being able to watch a results show anymore.
:::sigh::: Posted hours ago ChaCha
If they want to “age it down” it may be Tony, Maks and a few others that aren’t back, mirror ball or no. Plus, I have to believe that Derek might see this as a sign to hit the road – I think half the reason he stays is a platform for things like “Defying Gravity”. So, Tristan may be the new Tony.
@Grant I think Zendaya did everyone else a favor. Besides Marc/Derek/Karina, no one else has had experience with hip-hop routines and no one else was running for it either. Can you imagine Ingo/Kim attempting a hip-hop dance? Yeah…the image alone makes me cringe. Karina had a horrible experience with it in the past, so I highly doubt she would have requested it for herself/Jacoby. Derek could have asked for it but he might not have gotten it; same goes for Marc. Not every single one of Zen’s fans voted for Hip-Hop. I wanted to see her/Val perform Afro Jazz. The producers picked the dance choices and every team got what they wanted. Sounds fair enough to me. and I agree with you, Val killed that routine and I’m proud of him. Now, if you compare their routine to what has been showcased on SYTYCD, it isn’t as strong but still great. There is always room for improvement and growth. So far, I am very, very impressed with Val/Zen. Val has proven himself to be more than just sex on the dancefloor and Zendaya has shown everyone that age truly is just a number. If you have the passion, the talent, drive and are willing to put in the hard work. Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you love. She is a joy to watch and absolutely can’t wait to see what more she has in store for the future. I believe Carrie Ann was right when she called Zen baby Beyonce! She is well on her way to becoming a star.
[…] Courtney: Said Ingo was going home. Court had Jacoby in second to last place, but I’m not sure she thought he was at risk. I’ll let her say. […]
The thing about Kellie is, while she’s great technically, I just can’t get into her dances. She looks like she’s thinking too hard about the dance and not fully enjoying it, unlike some of the others. Is this just me, or does anyone else feel this way?
I don’t see Kellie as thinking too hard, but I do believe she is focused and with the amazing routines Derek choreographs, for a non-dancer she would have to be focused as not to forget something. Zendaya may appear more natural on the dance floor, but as a trained dancer already shouldn’t she be? Zendaya and Val I sense have a more formal student/teacher relationship due to her age I’m guessing than the other couples. Since I’ve been watching the show, the one thing the C brothers are known for are their sexual undertones in their packages. Because Val can’t act like he would with an adult partner, it makes the relationship seem fake to me, even though I know he is acting appropriately. Val really is being challenged this season and I wonder if that is part of the reason the judges have not gone after him that much this season. I’m sure TPTB don’t want to risk losing their only Chrmkovskiy at this point.
What I enjoy most about Zendaya’s routines is that she doesn’t just take steps. She performs. Every routine is a story and she brings each character to life. and as she said in one of her rehearsal packages, she’s an actress. There is only so much dance classes can teach you. You can have natural ability and fail to properly learn a specific dance. You can also learn the steps but then fail to bring it to life. While I do think Kellie executes her routines very well each week. At times, I do sense she lacks emotion and depth; just as Carrie Ann has said before. As for Aly, she tries but she doesn’t hold my interest for very long. I find her boring; personality wise and as a dancer. with Jacoby, he’s just so entertaining. He isn’t a perfect dancer but he delievers every time he performs. If it were to me, I would have preferred a final 3: zendaya, kellie and jacoby. In my opinion, they have performed the most entertaining dances of the entire season. and of course, you can guess who I would pick to win!
Per #84 Zendaya trained in acting and dancing and on a weekly show….exactly why she shouldn’t be in this competition and competing with people who haven’t done any of those things before. As you said, PH, a ringer is only a ringer if she dances with Derek Hough ! Disgustingly unfair.
They could and probably WILL have Maks back, blonde. I doubt they’re worried about Val. As for Val being challenged – only on that one aspect. He’s no more challenged – probably less challenged – than Derek was dancing with Jennifer Grey. All the pros are challenged in some way on this show – the differences are only noticeable in how they HANDLE those challenges. Derek and most of the women seem to take all challenges in stride a lot better than some of the other men, Val included, do.
It seems that this show will never be capable of having a level playing field. Even if all of the participants never had any outside training, someone would always have an advantage because they’re more flexible, younger, etc. Natural ability is something that can’t be taught, and I think that even if everyone’s not trained, someone will get upset about someone’s advantages.
I do agree, though, that hip hop should not have been an option for the dances, but we shouldn’t fault Zendaya for the producers’ choices.
I’m sure your right PH, but I for one have enjoyed this season minus Maks.Having less drama only helps to showcase the dancing IMO,and isn’t that what the show really should be about?
#RaineMayer The show is called Dancing with the Stars. I would expect to see celebrities who have had some kind of training and/or experience with the arts/entertainment industry. There have been actors, dancers, comedians, athletes, singers, tv personalities, etc who competed on dwts. Nicole S. was/is an experienced, paid pop star singer/dancer. She even went to school for dancing. Yet, she was invited and won her season. Anyone complain about that? Despite her expertise in dance, she still had to work hard at perfecting her routines. I wouldn’t say it was always easy for her. Zendaya is nowhere near as flexible as Kellie but she is still able to perform great routines. Her hip-hop experience did not help as she had to unlearn everything she was taught. Even Val admits to how hard it was for him to learn his hip-hop routine. Jacoby isn’t the best dancer but he’s fun and entertaining. Aly isn’t as graceful as Kellie/Zen but she’s strong and commits to every challenge. Every celeb had an advantage over the other and depending on their own natural skill set/talent and commitment to hard work. It determined how long they were able to stay on the show. I believe the stars who made it to the final deserve to be there. They are not equally talented but they have all worked hard to earn their spots in the finals. Don’t know about you but I’d rather see a celeb with some rhythm try his best to perform a routine versus watching a Sean Lowe stomp his way through a dance. painful! Lol
Yes, Rocky Blue, EVERYBODY complained about Nicole, including the pros! There were some very nasty comments made by the pros regarding Nicole and Derek.
Are you SERIOUS Rocky?? Did anyone complain about Nicole? Bwahahahahahahahaha….YES. Some of the other pros (including MAKS) were particularly bitter and ugly about it and Zendaya is a bigger ringer than her just by virtue of getting a dance IN HER STYLE on the show and of course scoring a 30 on it. Not to mention that Nicole’s season was pre-pimpage. Zendaya also has a much bigger fanbase than Nicole did at the time. EVERYTHING you just said about Zen is what was said about Nicole by her fans – and it was correct. But she (and Zendaya) still had an advantage due to their ability to learn choreo. Don’t try to make a distinction between Nicole and Zendaya – there isn’t one except age. Nicole went to school for SINGING and learned some dance (NOT ballroom) as well, which is typical in performing arts schools – just ask Derek and Mark. Zendaya, on the other hand, trained for 8 years in hip hop. She has an expertise in it – if you want to use it for Nicole, you have to use it for Zendaya. Same thing. Only Nicole never got any of her dance styles on the show.
Much of the griping about Zendaya (if you’ve been here long enough and paying attention) is related to the sheer HYPOCRISY of some of the pros (Louis, Maks, Val) and a great many fans of the show. All screamed and cried about Nicole, but no problem with Zendaya. Nicole, Brandy, Sabrina, Mel B…and others….they’re all ringers, the only real difference is level of natural talent and fanbase. And the fact that they only seriously get complained about if they dance with Derek.
Derek is brought up in this debate because he always gets the able-bodied dancers. He’s never been stuck with a Wynona or a Gladys (not to say they aren’t beautiful, but this competition is obviously harder for them than some others); he usually gets the objectively pretty, naturally talented dancers. It’s an every-season thing, not just a once-every-couple-seasons occurrence, which is why there’s annoyance.
If Zendaya wasn’t there to receive the “ringer” status and the hate that comes with it this season, I think Kellie would definitely be considered one. She’s young, flexible, has some obvious natural talent, and is likable to most viewers. If she was on a different season, she’d be the one complained about.
Every contestant has their own hurdles to overcome, and to say Zendaya doesn’t deserve to win seems a little unfair to me, because it implies (to me, at least) that she doesn’t work as hard as the others. I’d like to think they all deserve to win, if it was based off of how much time and energy is put into their performances each week.
But maybe I’m biased because I really like Zendaya.
Oh Zoey – we really expect our commenters to be over the silly “Derek gets all the great dancers” bullshit by now, since it’s so obviously not true and it’s been discussed here ad nauseum. Ricky and Jennifer were neither young (per your standards) nor able bodied – far from it in Jennifer’s case. Just because Jennifer was thin didn’t mean she had it easy – she had to have surgery after the show was over. She had pins in her neck and, according to Derek, a doctor in a lot of their rehearsals. Highly stressful situation for him. Really – this train of thought is beyond simplistic and narrow minded – it’s a way for people who are fans of other pros to explain away Derek’s success on this show. To rob him of credit for having TALENT to teach partners like Shannon, Jennie, Maria, Lil’ Kim, and Joanna. Petty, jealous, bullshit.
Zendaya IS a ringer – and even if she wasn’t on the show, Kellie would NOT be a ringer. How you define ringer is INCORRECT. Those are facts, whether Zen’s little fans like it or not. Why don’t you all just GROW UP and learn to deal with the fact that Derek did not get the ringer and Val DID get the ringer. It’s just stupid – especially considering that ringers aren’t that bad. Maks and Mark have had bunches. Tony’s had a few. Just because Kellie is young doesn’t mean she’s automatically going to be a talented dancer, nor flexible or anything else – these people are not auditioned to be on this show. Derek got lucky with her, but VAL got much luckier with Zendaya…and Mark? His THIRD Olympian!! I am so tired of this stupid assed bullshit about Derek when he’s far from the only guy to have been blessed on this show.
You think it’s unfair to Zendaya to say she doesn’t deserve to win (which I’ve seen NO ONE actually say, btw, that’s a figment of your imagination)?? Well how fucking fair do you think it is to Kellie that people say Derek shouldn’t win a fourth time? Not fair at all, of course, unless you’re an idiot. But then, as we’ve seen time and again on this site, there are lots of those out there. And life ain’t fair.
People only complain if Derek and even Mark get a “ringer”. (IMHO Mark has gotten the most talented ladies overall). Remember Val’s comment after Tony won All-Stars….”tonight there was justice.” I remember thinking, “Why? How?” Melissa was not better than Shawn. Tony’s choreography was no where near Derek’s. Did he just mean there was justice because SOMEONE ELSE WON? Did he mean Tony deserved it after all he’s been dealt? He also said he was fine with placing 3rd and was blessed to be in the finals “considering the amount of time I’ve been on the show.” So he thinks longevity = mirrorball trophy????
Pee wee ballroom, sheery. PeeWee ballroom.
Comments like that from Val (keeping in mind that I didn’t hear him say that) just prove that he’s an idiot. I mean really – Justice?? How was Tony “wronged”?? Shawn is the one who was wronged.
I’m pretty sure that Val meant nothing bad with his comment about his time on the show. At that point, it was only his third season, and he’d been voted off fairly early for the first two.
I never said I agree with the complaints about Derek’s partners; that’s just the rationale behind that argument. Personally, I don’t mind the ringers, because I wouldn’t want to watch a bunch of Seans or DLs all season.
The part about Zendaya not deserving to win comes from all of the comments on the internet (not just here) about her being a ringer and about how easily this all must come to her because of her dance background. (Which, to be honest, is what made me think she’d fail before seeing her on here, since I was never really impressed with her dancing on Shake It Up. You should’ve seen all of the people who ripped her and her costar apart for their dancing abilities – especially in the beginning.)
Zen-fan….errrr I mean Rocky Blue. Yes I am aware of what the show is called. I’ve watched every season so I am very aware that this season has had the MOST blatent promotion of an “employee” EVER seen on this show and yet there is an eerie dead silence about this employee being a ringer, someone who can apparently make up her own rules for performing in the dances like no-one has ever done before, decide she doesn’t want to do a particular dance and get away with it and have her books, albums and whatever else PROMOTED on the show by announcers,judges etc.,have “maximum frippery”included in her dances and lifts and never get points deducted and have her specialty, hip-hop added to the dances so she could do it and get a 30 even though it should have been a 24–very lacking for 8 yrs experience. No-one elses projects, books albums are promoted during the airing of the show.
If they want to treat everyone the same FINE, but this season is more ridiculous than last. Or have a season with people with NO experience and then one where everyone has experience but don’t put people like Sean, Ingo, Kellie up against a TRAINED,PROFESSIONAL actress and dancer.
And yes, the screaming,b****ing over ALL of Derek’s partners even those without an ounce of training in anything has always been deafening and sometimes piled on by other pros on the show. He’s even getting the usual accusations, nastiness(by guess who’s followrs) and claims of favoritism and he doesn’t have a “ringer”!! Val does. But silence this season about that??? People are so easily manipulated, used, jealous, blind to the obvious but so quick to hate on someone they don’t even know to the point of making up things so they can hate on them more. Sad….. just like this show has become. And what are they doing now, trying all this different stuff, changing times….when what they should start with is consistency and accuracy with real judging according to each dance’s requirements, zero manipulation and treating all the celebrities the same.
Justice? It is a dance competition. Shawn was robbed. It is wrong Shawn was the best, by far, and did everything right, improved from her original season, had the best freestyle and delivered some of the best dances ever on the show. She did all of the dances plus a Bhangra while Melissa ( like Zen) will miss out on rumba. Yet Shawn lost bc the show emphasized Melissa and Tony never win before and everyone is obsessed not letting Derek win bc he is good and punished for success.
But logic never works for them. Louis too. No problem with Mya but Nicole is not fair. Zendaya is okay though. Also that Afro jazz for Aly is worth a 30. Shirley is right. They are competitive and and the pros insecurities show,
Zendaya fans need ( both fans older and younger based on Instagram comments and tweets) need to remember what Kellie said, everyone likes their coffee different. Not everyone will love Zen and she is getting less ringer talk bc of her age. Nicole had it the worst that people lie and reinvent history. Nicole never danced in the PCD show, just the band which was completely separate from the group. Nicole was chosen for singing. Keep in mind Nicole passed on Wicked on Broadway and joining the Black Eyed Peas ( which then went with Fergie) for PCD. Anyway, even Kristin on afterbuzz did a whole blog on why ringer talk for Zendaya should stop. I disagreed with all of them.
One thing is true Kellie is more flexible. But Zendaya also has king limbs and she can perform.she is used to choreo, etc. no other celeb would have been able to improvise like Zendaya when missing a step in the salsa bc she can just fall back to hip hop moves.
Calling that a “rationale” is a huge misnomer. More like ill-rationale. LOL
All the same things were said about Nicole – how it must be easy for her. Well, Val is whining on twitter about how “it ain’t easy” – no shit, sherlock. Now yer in Derek’s shoes aren’t ya? Wonder if he’s smart enough to figure all that out on his own…
@Melissa It’s true that Zendaya has some hip hop moves to fall back on, but hip hop moves would hardly blend into all of the dances seamlessly. Could you imagine if she forgot a step in the foxtrot or viennese waltz and tried to cover it with hip hop?
I don’t take Val’s comments about it not being easy as him whining; I take it as him trying to dispel the belief that it’s less work because of her experience.
One thing that would help Val and Zen is to just own it. Admit. She has advantages but try to make it like they are having it much worse. If it is hard for her, imagine how much harder it is for Kellie, Jacoby, etc. some self awareness lacking in the C family.
Oh, I think Val doth protest a little too much. Don’t think it’s that tough on her. They are busy playing the sympathy card and trying to get everyone to not comment about her”because she’e so young” etc. etc. Yup, ratchet, admires the likes of Chris Brown,not like “Disney” of the past, believe!! The girl has no confidence problems, is no normal 16 yr old and going by her associations in the entertainment community, years of professional child training, her comments and re-actions, all this stuff about how people talking about her is so hard on her is hooey. While she is busy on twitter rallying her fans on twitter and they in turn, attack some of her competitor on personal and every other level, she is doing an interview with Glamour mag correspondent talking about how she doesn’t feel the need to use her last name because —all the greats, Prince, Madonna Cher, Beyonce and a few more I can’t remember–none of them used their last names !!!! YUP, just a shy shrinking violet……
Whatever one thinks about Derek, it is not fair to judge his partners differently than other contestants, they work as hard and should be rewarded for their hard work and dedication just like all other contestants.
And I think that pro dancers on the show really should refrain from commenting on other pro’s partners – it just sounds unprofessional.
He should have thought of that when Derek was the one with Nicole, zoey. Or better – his brother should have.
I wouldn’t call Shannon Elizabeth a naturally talented dancer. Also, @Irina Totally agree
@Irina A lot of people think Derek’s partners are often over-scored, which would mean that they’re treated *better* than the other contestants.
Again, I don’t agree with that sentiment. But that’s where some of the Derek resentment stems from.
I think TPTB made a mockery of the show by including HipHop on the list of dances to be chosen by fans. Zendaya seems to be sweet, talented, and intelligent. But she is 16 years old; some adult around her should have advised her to decline to do HipHop and instead do the dance Sean would have done. That would have been a great lesson to her and all her fans about behaving with honor and class. I find it ironic that Zendaya’s parents, for all of their helicoptering, did not take this opportunity to teach their daughter about integrity, which would have been much more valuable to her in the long run than the 30 that she got.
I’s impossible to judge Derek’s partners because Derek makes it hard to judge them. That Paso was all about smoke and mirrors and Derek and Tristan. All Kellie did was pose and wait to be moved from one place to the other. That’s what Len was criticizing. That flamenco was all about Derek too. How can you judge Kellie’s flamenco when she wasn’t wearing flamenco shoes? Derek was the only one wearing flamenco shoes.
Right, Jennifer – I’ll stack Derek’s choreo up against Maks’ ANY day. Interesting – you bank on Len’s comments, yet he gave a 7 to the Paso and a 10 to the Flamenco. Really can’t have it both ways, can ya?
FYI, according to people who actually know ballroom and about Flamenco, say that it is a man’s dance much like Paso is. I’ve heard many people say that Derek did real Flamenco…but we’ll just take your word for it, ‘k??
Zoey…if you don’t agree with it, why keep bringing it up? We KNOW all the crap that is said out there, still think it’s stupid and based in jealousy. You don’t need to keep explaining that to us as if it’s a logical and rational explanation – when it’s totally not. It’s the opposite of logical.
How are we supposed to judge Kellie when it was just Derek doing flamenco? I was talking about Kellie not Derek.
I was commenting on Len judging Derek instead of Kellie.
And I ask you, how do YOU know what Kellie was or wasn’t doing?? You referenced Len’s comments regarding the Paso – Len gave her a 10 in Flamenco. So, which is it??
And again – how do you know he was?? Are you in his head?? And I guess you loved him when he panned the Paso but claim he’s judging Derek during Flamenco??
Look, if you didn’t like the dances and don’t agree with the scores, just have the balls to say so without trying to use Len as a basis for you being right. Clearly, that’s faulty.
Well, JENNIFER, since paso/flamenco are “the man’s dances”, the woman shouldn’t be doing as much as the man – the women don’t get to do all the crazy footwork that the men do, and most of the time they’re doing work with their skirt, a fan, or castanets. Would you like Derek to just make some sh*t up for Kellie to do? It won’t be real flamenco, but maybe if you ask him nicely, he’ll do it just for you, Jennifer…since you aren’t satisfied on what he gave Kellie to dance. 😉
Flamenco shoes? Pssssh. They’re lucky they managed to get their hands on flamenco shoes for Derek on such short notice, since the Real McCoy is usually handmade in Argentina…just like authentic Argentine tango shoes. Now Ray Rose (the show’s shoe sponsor) makes a bunch of different styles that resemble Argentine tango shoes, but I have yet to see them make a convincing flamenco shoe – probably because there isn’t really a market for them. The heel is so thick & clunky that it would make it nary impossible to effectively do any of the other Latin dances in it, and flamenco isn’t nearly as popular Stateside as salsa, Argentine tango, merengue, etc. It’s not economical, and with the show already trimming fat by eliminating the results show next season, I doubt it’s in the budget to rush a pair of custom-made ladies’ flamenco shoes for Kellie when a pair of Ray Rose shoes they get for FREE will work just as well. I would almost put money on it that Derek either located those flamenco shoes himself, and/or paid for them on his own dime…he probably thought he could use them again, while I don’t see Kellie really being able to reuse a pair they bought for her.
And if we’re really splitting hairs about shoes – why wasn’t Zendaya wearing ballroom shoes for her quickstep? And why was Aly wearing character shoes for her rumba? I’m sure you were equally upset about those footwear choices, weren’t you Jennifer? Since you’re such a stickler for dance-appropriate shoes. 🙂
@Princess Heidi Sorry if I said anything that annoyed or offended you or anyone else.
Guess because there has been some complaining about the pushing of Zendaya tptb decided to push Aly a bit too? just to throw everybody off? Guess Jacoby and Kellie are on their own ! LOL well. there are a couple of days left.
About flamenco, I think Derek and Kellie captured the character of flamenco very well, which is surely what the show wanted and expected. Doubt they expected a truly authentic flamenco as it takes many yrs to become proficient and because they assigned music to it. Ballroom dancers are not trained in flamenco or contemporary as a rule. So I’m sure they expected Derek to set the general tone by pulling from 2 or 3 of the styles of flamenco, put in some of the moves and that’s what he did. There are nails in the boots because original is danced without music so they are used to set a rhythm and Derek probably decided to add that because it is one of the things that come to mind when people think of flamenco, tapping. The style of dress, hand clapping, castenets, fans are some things that people identify with all elements of it but aren’t always used in all dances. This show doesn’t require some contestants to do basic elements of many of the simpler dances so I think Derek probably gave them far more than they expected in a dance style he had to learn in just a couple of days. Audience loved it, went crazy so it certainly had the entertainment quality as well.
Zoey, don’t apologize, just start thinking about what you’re saying – thank you. We’ve been through much of this so many times it just gets tired.
@RaineMayer yes, I am a fan of Zendaya. 🙂 She has been the most entertaining to me since week one and I give Val props on his abilities to showcase her talents. How do you know it was Zendaya’s final decision not to dance the rumba? What I do recall is Val’s comment about how it would be tricky to dance the rumba considering the situation between him and Zendaya. Never did I hear either of them say they couldn’t or wouldn’t do it. In my opinion, I think Zen’s image as a Disney girl could be a reason why she may not perform a rumba at all. and if the producers are allowing the dance to be excluded, so be it. Perhaps there were conditions to be met prior to Zendaya agreeing to become a part of the show. You must have missed the moments when Tom announced the date for Sean’s TV wedding. Apart from Andy and Zendaya, maybe no one else has any upcoming projects to be marketed on the show. I see nothing wrong nor am I annoyed with any of the promotion that is done on dwts. I know I won’t be purchasing Zendaya’s new book. My tween years are long gone! Lol
@meggie @Princess Heidi I was serious about my question. I remember watching Nicole’s season and thinking that there would be no way anyone else could match her dance skills. She was unbelievable. I was unaware of any gossip or dislike towards her since I didn’t participate on any discussion blogs or pay attention to any of the media apart from what I saw each week on the show. Some fans complained about her, even some of the pros didn’t like her. and yet, she still won a trophy. That tells me the producers do as they please and don’t really care for what the fans/pros think. Every celebrity on the show has an advantage. I honestly don’t see the need to single out Zendaya when she cannot rely on gymastics, great flexibility/strength, comedy/charisma to charm the judges/audiences/fans. She is a tall, lanky 16yr old girl who has to be reminded constantly to fix her posture. Her 8 years of hip-hop are a hindrance not an advantage. It certainly didn’t teach her to be flexible, graceful,have correct or give her the abilities to do what Nicole S. did on her season. To this day, no one else has even come close.
At the end of the day, dwts is just an entertainment show. It was never fair to begin with and it will never be fair. Overweight contestants will have to compete against skinnier, more able-bodied celebs. Those with rhythm and musicality will be able to pick up choreo better than the ones who can’t even count music. Pros paired with celebs with dancing abilities will have the opportunity to create more exciting routines vs. the pros who get celebs like Master P. and Sean Lowe. Celebs with personality/charisma may advance further than the ones w/o it; despite their dance skills or lack thereof. Personally, I wish Andy, instead of Ingo, would have made it to the semi-finals. His dancing wasn’t always that good, but he was entertaining. No matter what happens tonight, if Zendaya wins or not, I enjoyed this season of dwts. I think some fans need to relax a bit.