DWTS Season 18, Week 4 – Let’s Recap Tonight’s Show (Spoilers)
Heidi is otherwise occupied for the time being…so for now, you get me (Court). Who’s ready to see this partner switch?
Cute opening number…maybe a little repetitive on the whole “switch” theme. That song takes me back to sorority recruitment 2005. Damn, Julianne’s hair is SHORT.
Candace & Tony actually seem like a good match, personality-wise. I think that dance suited them both well, and she actually handled it better than the last two dances we’ve seen from her.
Kinda surprised at Candace’s score. Thought she was a little low-balled. Wonder if this is gonna be one of those nights with lots of over & underscoring…
Wow. James & Cheryl must’ve found some chemistry after all – cause that was hot, both technically & from a showmanship perspective. He really may be a “dark horse” (pun intended 😉 )
Unrelated: isn’t that Oksana’s bf that was standing up by Cheryl’s throne? Jonathan Platero?
Erin, your voice makes me want to punch babies. Please stop with this inane showmance talk.
Drew & Witney were actually really cute – I think having a younger partner brought out the more playful side of Drew.
Hmmmm…beginning to wonder if they’ve decided that Candace is expendable, the way they’re scoring everyone else…
Pretty cool Stars of Dance performance from Derek & Co. Kathryn McCormick is a beast – probably only one of two female contemporary dancers that could have kept up with the ballroom boys…the other being Allison Holker.
Hmmm…Danica & Maks were interacting exactly the way we said they would: Maks saying “just do it” and Danica asking super-detailed questions. It was cute, but it seemed like an awful lot of time-wasting…and WTF was up with the wedge sneakers???
Charlie & Peta were nice to watch – if not a bit incestuous-looking, with their twinnie-looking hair. Thought I saw a lift, though…will Carrie Ann call them out?
Really glad Amy is going back to Derek next week – Mark tried, but I think Derek just knows better how to utilize Amy’s skills. On the upside – her ass looked hot. I’m envious 🙂
Kinda left with mixed feelings about Cody & Sharna’s foxtrot – I think she did a good job of choreographing to his strengths, but his frame is still wonky and I feel like he doesn’t get very invested unless he can make the dance very “Cody”. Also, Cody & Sharna aren’t the first Aussies to dance together on DWTS – that would be Ingo & Kym on season 16. 🙂
Now that may not have been the most difficult jazz routine, but it was PERFECT for NeNe and I thought going the Afro-jazz route was pretty clever. Was nice to see her let loose completely!
Meryl nailed that. ‘Nuff said. 🙂
Was anyone else nervous for Julianne’s dress during that dance?!?!? Tom even just mentioned it!
I liked the opening number and the song. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with this switch.
So TPTB are sticking with the story that the viewers chose the new pairings. Right. Just like we have Danica with no dance experience.
@Cindy #3 – I thought exactly that.
Yeah, it’s laughable!
Oh dear. Tony and Candace only got 7’s. I thought thet were really sweet together and she was a class act.
WHOA…definitely did NOT expect 7s for Candace…what the hell?
So I just have to take a moment to comment on Charlie’s hair…reminds me of when he and Meryl did that Paso Doble CD.
For Tony, that was a good dance. I didn’t find boring like I usually do. And I thought Candace did a good job. I didn’t expect the 7’s either.
@Judy – RIGHT? I thought they meshed VERY well. I wonder what the reasoning for the score of 28 was. Maybe it wasn’t worth a 32 score, but I don’t think they deserved ALL 7s…
I haven’t liked the switch up for so many reasons….but my biggest concern was that doing it so early in the season would actually make the stars look like they had LOST a step or two – and that is what I think happened with Candace. She was so positive and clearly put in the work…but only a seasoned dancer could step into a new dance partnership and be totally comfortable….hate that for her!
Wow, as much as I don’t like Tony, those scores seem a little harsh.
Aunt Becky for next season!!!
Here we go again with the tabloid talk. Erin is honestly so unbearable. Doesn’t know when to stop.
Erin needs to just close her mouth. Asking James and Peta if they’re dating while he’s just finished dancing with Cheryl? Please bring back Brooke.
I was actually liking Erin until just now. “Come onnnnnnnn, I want a Dancing with the Stars baby”?! DISGUSTING!
James must not be pulling in the votes.
ERIN!!!!! Somebody stop her! Really…nobody wants to hear if James and Peta are dating!!!!
Thought Cheryl gave James some GREAT choreo and he handled it well!
So far my thoughts are:
I love when the celebs are a part of the opening number (and even the judges).
Candace and Tony: I liked their quickstep and the theme that they had but all 7’s? No. I would have given them 8’s.
James and Cheryl: Wow. I actually loved this. Is it weird to say I like this partnership with Cheryl more than Peta? and geeze Erin, can you be a little bit more forward with the James/Peta relationship, just stop.
TPTB seem to want to insist that the audience chose the couples…yeah, right.
James and Cheryl did really well – Candace and Tony were decent as well. While the quickstep wasn’t great, I think she could have gotten a couple of 8’s.
Erin … Just no..
Candace was lowballed. The dance was much better than seven’s IMO. James was very good once again.
I am not thrilled that Julianne is back at all.
OH-kay, Drew and Witney were FREAKING ADORABLE!!! I CANNOT DEAL
That was so entertaining! Drew makes me smile. And it’s nice to see Bill Engvall in the audience.
Wow. I’m more impressed with Witney as a pro with Drew than anything she’s done with Cody. I thought her choreography was good, and she didn’t overdance (as she sometimes does).
That was a fun and energetic opening dance.
Julianne’s short hair looks good on her.
I love Candace’s costume. You can’t go wrong with bedazzled plaid! I did notice her shoulders creeping up during the dance.
James and Cheryl were hot, hot, hot! I also liked how genuinely happy Peta looked at how well they did.
Surprisingly, Drew and Witney had cute chemistry. That dance will be one to re-watch over again. Really fun choreography and Drew looked like he was having a ball.
Drew and Witney were a total surprise…and I still have a grin on my face!
Maybe the lowball for Candace will get her fans voting. It has annoyed me enough to do that this week. I am not looking forward to the intensity of the c brothers. The show has been nice and light so far.
So far I’ve enjoyed the switched couples, more than I thought I was going to. I really thought they lowballed Candace though. Wonder if the producers want to focus their energies on Danica instead since I think she might be struggling with votes.
Drew and witney were adorable
Drew and Witney. What a surprise. She seemed more comfy with him than Cody. Loved their very entertaining dance. Like the score.
Gosh those producers..they must think most of America was born in a barn. It is such sheer hypocrisy and such a smack in the face to those of us who know the truth. Oh well, karma is a bitch as they say.
OMGICANNOTWAITTOSEETHISSTARSOFDANCE
I can’t be the only one who doesn’t care about Derek’s dance troupe. This shouldn’t be interrupting the show. If they wanted to showcase Derek they should have waited until the end.
Emmy #2. I’m calling it.
Wow. Derek is, as always, amazing.
No wonder NeNe and Derek are dancing last. I’m exhausted just watching that performance. Talk about a cardio workout.
Katherine you are one darn lucky chick. And thank you Derek for that pulsating manly goodness!
Then change the channel, Lizzie. With only 2 hours to get everything done, they have to put stuff in where they can.
Even after all this time, Derek’s quality of movement awes me. That’s why I love when he dances shirtless – you can practically hear his ribs crunching. I don’t think I breathed once in that whole performance. There are no words.
Danica is annoying. Questioning why her partner is making her do something? Last time I checked, Maks is the pro here, not her. Just do as you’re told, it’s very simple. No need to question him.
Did anyone notice that now Danica is wearing flats?
Drew and Witney – They’re actually so fun! I just adore Drew and he looked like he was having a blast!
Um, Derek with a shirt off? Yes please. This Macy’s Start of Dance was AMAZING. This is why Derek is an Emmy award choreographer. I also agree with him when he said it’s great to see pro dancer at their prime while dancing. I am amazed.
Oh and Lizzie #34 – I think it’s refreshing to have a break halfway through. It’s not the “Derek and his dance troupe”.. he took creative direction of Macy’s starts of dance because he missed it last season as did a lot of people. It’s refreshing to see pro dance numbers.
Danica and Maks – hmm. Maks’ is face is just I want to get back with Meryl, Juliane is right.
So Maks has large periods of no dancing with every partner? But she seemed to be having fun, yikes Just heard Julianne calling him out!!
OK, I agree with Julianne’s opinion on Maks, but I don’t know if she should have said that…just gives The Family a reason to hate the whole rest of the world more.
Make truly phoned this…it was weak
Okay Maks and Val made me what to hurl…so self-deprecating. I think it is how they are all trying to pull the wool over our eyes. Okay I’ll be quiet or turn the channel Courtney…lol.
I agree with Julianne – there were several sections of that dance that were a whole lot of nothing, in terms of dancing.
While I agree with Julianne about Maks, I don’t necessarily think she should have voiced that opinion. But credit to Maks for avoiding the question and not trashing Julianne. You know if that was Val in his position, he would have ripped into her.
Erin is much better than Brooke. The ratings are up because of her. She is more diverse with her questioning.
Looks like Maks is the target of Miss Hough’s rudeness this time. Wonder if that means Mark is safe or will she go after him to?
And I must have missed it, what kind of tour is Julianne having?
That Macy’s dance was SICK!!!!! Emmy #2 please!!!!
And gotta say….kinda agreed with Julianne about Maks! The thing is – it reminded me of something that I keep meaning to say….and that is…I’m not sure that I feel like talking about the PRO helps the Star get better. I totally understand when one of the judges says that there wasn’t enough content…particularly if that lack of content is a reflection of the Star not being able to master the dance basics…but so often the comments pointed at the Pro are regarding NOTHING that would help their partner get better…and that kind of bugs me! Am I alone on that?
@Tim #50
I don’t think ratings are up because of Erin lol.
When men heard Erin was going to be on. They tune in now. They dont get enough of her during sports they need to see more of her. Her interview skills are superb compared to Brooke’s
lol…if ratings are up “because of Erin”, then that missing plane must also be parked in my hindquarters.
OMG Courtney ^^! Literally tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.
Oh dear. Now Len is off on one.
Loving the switched couples so far! Loved the Macy’s Stars of Dance! But Erin is so awfully annoying, I never thought I’d miss Brooke, but I do. Julianne put her foot in her mouth again, imo, like she did with Mark, when she said Maks just phoned it in like he was just waiting to get back to dancing with Meryl. Wow, that comment surprised me. I didn’t think he phoned it in: I thought he looked like he was having fun and Danica also danced well. I’m actually not loving Julianne as a judge; she just seems full of herself, imo. I hope that isn’t too harsh a comment.
They take away Erin, they lose a good chunk of Male viewers.
I swear, Len is going through menopause.
Ok seriously, what gives? I love how Len seemed to blame Charlie for this choreography. I hope we don’t have another Shawn Johnson-type fiasco with Charlie.
Does anyone know what song was used for the group opening number tonight?
Ratings are up because of Erin Andrews? Doubt it.
Damn the judges are harsh on Charlie. I mean I realize they were going to be harsher on him because he’s an ice dancer but still.
Well, Carrie Ann might be going through menopause as well. Really, a 7? That’s just disrespectful.
Right, Tim – cause male viewers are such a big chunk of the viewing audience. I can tell you this much: if the dudes weren’t watching with Brooke, then they aren’t watching with Erin. I know exactly zero men that are tuning in just for Erin…except maybe you.
I think Julieanne should have worded that differently. That just started drama
Macy’s Stars of Dance is cool… I hope Derek brings variety every week.
While I hate TPTB’s manipulation of the switch-up, I love the fact that Mark got Amy. He’s the pro that is most willing to ask help from Derek on how to work with her.
I have to say, while I don’t agree with the 7, I did think that Charlie’s hip action wasn’t really there. I think Sharna may have worked on that more than Peta did.
Courtney…you made water come out of my nose…lol! Really, you should be more considerate…lol.
Oh Courtney, you make me laugh!
@Billie Pete – “Switch” by Will Smith
Meryl will get straight 10’s
I thought Julianne should have kept her opinion about Maks to herself. I don’t think the personal shots were necessary or constructive. I would have liked more content in the jive but I liked the focus on Danica and I thought it was a fun program.
I can’t believe Charlie got a 7! I thought it was well done and well-choreographed.
Derek’s troupe – wow! Impressive!
Wow, who peed on Julianne’s cheerios! Totally unnecessary. Not enjoying her visit this time. Hope she stays away for a long time. Maybe Ryan didn’t return her phone call. LOL Love, love Erin! So much better than the dumb questions by Brooke: So how do you feel…? What do you think…? What do you think about your score…? Yawn fest.
Meryl will get straight 10′s
I agree. I’m ready to roll my eyes.
Peta screwed charlie. That was not a rhumba!!!! Cant wait for him to go back to Sharna!!!
I didn’t think Amy and Mark were so great together chemistry wise, but she danced PERFECTLY. I’m so glad. And yep…I can honestly say Derek is definitely screaming the loudest in the ballroom.
Amy and Mark’s dance was kind of boring – there was no sex appeal and salsa is supposed to have sex appeal. I mean I realize they were probably trying to be careful but I didn’t feel any chemistry between them whatsoever.
Charlie and Peta – It was a good performance but again, as I’ve mentioned in a previous threat, I’m not a big fan of Peta’s rumbas. It’s too much lifting of her leg but I do feel bad for the comments toward Peta. The only reason CA gave them a 7 and not an 8 is because she reduced 1 point for the lift.
Amy and Mark – I honestly give props to Derek and Mark. They were so great, especially for Mark having to learn what Amy can and cannot do as well as how patient and hard-working Amy is for being patient with Mark while trying to figure it out as well. I loved her salsa. She’s definitely my favourite this season.
OMG Courtney you are in rare form. I am falling over laughing on both comments above.
I am glad that the judges mentioned how Derek had been holding Amy so close and that Mark let her have a little more space to move. Overall, it was a pretty good dance.
Bear with me guys – Pure is acting up. I keep getting booted out of the dash. If you’re waiting on a comment to get approved, hang in there.
Let’s hope Meryl doesn’t get straight 10’s. I don’t want to deal with Val’s ego being blown up more than it is or dealing with the comments he and his brother will make later.
Wouldn’t you think Erin would know by now how the show works? Really, Dating? I was waiting for her to ask Witney if she and Drew were dating.
I absolutely loved Drew tonight. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Cheryl and James, this boy is a contender for sure.
Poor Charlie. I hope his fans stay loyal this week.
Hated the shirtless dance number.
If Meryl gets all 10’s I think I might puke. Don’t get me wrong, I love Queen Meryl, but she appears to be this year’s “can’t-do-anything-wrong” contestant and those types always bug me since there’s no room for growth.
Nope, they’ll save Meryl’s first 30 for Maks.
I loved seeing Bill Engvill tonight!
Maks has a definite type of Jive that he choreographs. Usually 50’s type costumes, with a lot of messing about. Although I thought Danica performed it well, she could have handled more content.
I don’t mind Julianne calling out Maks on his choreography. If Len can call out Derek for various stuff then Maks shouldn’t be off limits either.
Can we clone Amy and populate the planet with her in order to create a better world? I loved the Salsa, and I appreciated Mark seeking Derek’s advice. That’s what I was hoping for.
That Salsa was boring. The judges need to quit freaking out about her every week. We get it. You know how to cry over people.
I swear, if Cody wins the mirrorball because of his fangirls, I will scream. Their screeches make my ears bleed.
bahahhahahaha – that package made me love Sharna even more. I actually liked Cody Simpson with Sharna…. amazing
I love that Sharna told Cody not to wear those pants to rehearsal again, lol.
@ Crystal, I agree. They’re annoying. He doesn’t impress me at all.
I didn’t think Sharna would tolerate as much from Cody as Witney does…
Is it just me or does Cody look like he could be Drew Carey’s love child with Princess Diana?
OMG I just realized how stupid the producers really are…they left Meryl and NeNe to the end…like we don’t know how it will come out. They really do live in lala land.
We are SO in for a shock boot next week.
James is history. I said it before the show started. His fans don’t come close to Cody’s and the demo on this show is so old that he doesn’t stand a chance against certain elder stars, even if his dancing is solid.
Yeah, James will go bye-bye next Monday. I can’t see anyone else exiting instead.
I really enjoyed Sharna and Cody’s dance…she did really help him pay attention to the things that help him with ballroom…totally cracked me up when she told him he couldn’t wear those pants again…HYSTERICAL! And her discipline showed in his dance…I thought.
I also thought the comments from the judges were the most constructive that they have given…(as in useful to helping him do better next week) – and I noticed that Witney was really listening to the critique as well.
And you could TOTALLY tell that Sharna wasn’t happy with the evaluations of Peta and Charlie…awwww…I love when she is a Mama Bear!
STRONGLY disagree, Dave – I think NeNe or Candace is gonna bite it before James does. And I think the Muppets upstairs actually like James, so they’re probably gonna do whatever they can to keep him. I don’t even worry about Cody’s fans – I don’t think they’re voting as hard as they want us to think.
Meryl and Val are going last? Yeah, they’re getting a perfect score.
What was the song that Peta and Charlie danced to?
WOW, Meryl and Val are last? Don’t know if we’re allowed to swear here, but what kind of f*ckery is that? Some serious BS happening here. TPTB doesn’t understand that Val is unlikeable.
Did the band screw up Nene and Derek’s dance as well? Man, sabotage much?
Tony take note, that’s how good choreography works and makes your partner look good. I’m not a fan of NeNe, but Derek made her look better than Tony has or ever could.
Oh Tony must be pissed. Your sources were so right!
Can someone please just tell me the name of the song that Peta and Charlie danced to before I go insane?
NeNe got all 8’s for that? WHAT THE FRONT DOOR IS GOING ON?!
@Crystal – Swearing’s fine, as long as you do it with the star in it. Just don’t tell John I decriminalized potty words for the night 😉 #sorrycharlie
As expected, Derek gave NeNe much more to do than Tony ever has – and the scores don’t really reflect how much better she was with Derek than Tony.
Now, we know why Tony was pissed. Derek made Nene look awesome.
@Courtney
First, LOL @ “the Muppets upstairs” – perfect. But why do you think they like James? Because of the high scores from the judges the last two weeks? That could simply be because he isn’t pulling in the votes, which wouldn’t be surprising at all.
So Nene got a better score then Charlie? And Meryl and VAL got the most votes? I thought it was Meryl and DEREK.
Totally setting her up to get 10’s…
Ok…um…Maks could NEEEEEEVER come up with that choreo that Val just did. Holy crap.
I don’t think it should get a 40, but if it doesn’t, I’ll be shocked.
Once again, Erin is crossing the line. Just shut up already.
OMG So what now Erin, this DWTS gig is part-time, since you’re a sports broadcaster.
Don’t let the door hit your broad-caster on the way out!
Is it wrong that I pumped my fist and hissed “yesss!” when Len said 9?
Tee hee.
I’m about to stick my finger down my throat. Words can’t describe how much I despise Val. This is some real crap right now. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank you Len!
NeNe’s face just now was PRICELESS. Total side eye to Meryl 😛
Oh come on! Just give Meryl the Mirrorball already. This competition is now hers to lose. Let’s face it – we know TPTB want her to win.
Be that as it may, Lizzie, I think we just witnessed why she might NOT win: Val just totally pwned his brother in the choreography department. That AT tango was light years ahead of anything Maks has created for her so far.
I *really* can’t take the lies TPTB are trying to get us to believe regarding who got what partners – and while it was cool to see what Derek did with NeNe, I am still upset we didn’t get to see what he would have created with Meryl.
And I don’t really think that A.tango was as amazing as they seemed to think – though Meryl handled it well.
For the first time ever I have more than one person I would like to see win. Right now it’s between Amy, Charlie, and James. Any of these three hoisting the trophy will make me happy.
I loved NeNe and Derek’s dance, it definitely brought out her strengths and it was her best dance thus far.
Am I the only one who thinks Val’s choreography is better than Maks’? I think Maks’ choreo will be her downfall because in comparison to Sharna or Derek (I’m assuming they’ll be in the top 3 — I don’t think Maks can compete for a great freestyle) Not saying that the freestyle is all that matters but it is an influence but I do believe if given that song, Maks could not have created what Val did tonight.
That AT was AMAZING and better than anything Maks has done. It’s the perfect example of how Meryl is not being pushed to her potential.
I knew Meryl and Val would kill the AT. I think the AT is the dance Val choreographs the best. And I dare to say that if Meryl had Val as her partner, she definitely would win the MBT. With Maks … mmmmmh … I’m not so sure, unless the producers decided to make Maks win.
Oh and I’m sorry for the double posts but I had to re-write my thoughts on the last 3 dances because the servers were having trouble connecting but…
did anyone else laugh when Tom said “the most voted for couple of tonight was Val and Meryl” (I’d beg to differ TPTB) but I guess it was an ego boost for the C brothers to keep it in the “fam” *rolls eyes*
Forgot to say – Val’s choreography for Meryl was *much* better than anything Maks has done for her…and probably will do for her.
It may seem like I’m spitting venom, and in a way I guess I am. I’m just upset about tonight and didn’t really like the switch-up, except for a select few. It’s mostly the Meryl and Val thing. I don’t like being manipulated. I just feel like TPTB don’t understand why the viewers wanted Meryl and Derek together. It’s not about the scores, it’s about the performance, the amazing piece of art that they could have created which would have stunned everyone. It’s about the entertainment and they missed out on a great opportunity.
Both Danica and Meryl said that Val pushesnthem harder, and Maks goes with the flow more. Maks can’t afford to “go with the flow” with Meryl. If he wants to win, he needs to push her to her potential like Val did tonight. She has the talent, Maks just hasn’t showcased it fully yet.
Are you sure they want Meryl to win? Will there be backlash against Meryl because she is so good? I hope not! But she won’t have much room to grow? There’s always a ringer every season but I hope they don’t edit her poorly because she is so nice.
I’m kinda thinking that they may want a boy to win this season and Charlie could possibly do it? He will have room to grow especially since he got a 7 tonight (thanks to Peta).
I personally think it was kind of tacky for Sharna to promote Charlie and Peta’s dance/scores when Erin was asking people to vote for Cody. Witney really impressed me; I thought her choreography really showcased Drew’s strength and his entertaining personality. I thought Nene was kind of underscored and Maks totally deserved that comment from Julianne. There was a lot of “frippery” as Len would say.
So Merly did a non-foxtrot, judges never mentioned it and she got 39. Charlie did a non-rumba, judges jumped all over it and he got a 33. It’s sooooo obvious they’re throwing him under the bus.
And what’s with all the kissy face between Merly and both of the Chmercocky. Barf bag alert. Why don’t they just give the Princess and her court jester the MBT now and end it.
That choreography had MAKS written all over it. As Val said in Zendaya’s season, he had never danced A.Tango. The choreography reminded me a bit of Erin’s, Kirstie’s, Mel B’s and Misty May-Treanor’s seasons. As well as some of the choreography he did with Karina Smirnoff in the Broadway production!
Please tell me you have screen cap of the look nene have meryl, I missed it
Okay, so I missed the entire show except Meryl and Val? I feel gyped. 🙂 Val makes me nauseous. But at least Meryl didn’t do any walking or “gazing”.
So, did they whitewash all of the packages like they did Meryl and Val’s??
Fantastic job by Julianne as judge! I agreed with pretty much everything she said! Also she looked incredible. Laughed so hard at her comment to James that maybe Peta could help him tuck his pelvis in. lol
No way Maks choreographed that Argentine tango, Andrea. He’s never choreographed anything with that much detail. That was all Val.
Heidi, they 100% whitewashed Danica and Maks’ package. But you could totally see hints of absolute annoyance from Tony in Nene and Derek’s package, which was golden!
Go back at look at all the ATs I just mentioned. This is the second/third time Val dances Tango. This dance had a little of each as well as some of the choreography that he danced with KS on Broadway.
They’re trying awfully hard to make Val happen, ain’t they?? Most voted couple? Yeah…not even if you didn’t count three quarters of the votes were they most voted. This be funny math.
But we did see why Maks fans were STOOPID to keep it in the family – Val just handed his brother his ass. 🙂 The comparison is going to be painful.
Drugs are bad, Andrea.
Is it still Disney week next week? I bet Meryl and Maks will get Beauty and the Beast.
Does anyone know the song Cheryl danced to tonight
So many wacky comments tonight. First that Erin is the reason why the ratings have gone up and second that Maks choreographed Val and Meryl’s routine. I’m pretty sure Meryl and Val were on the road this week for her ice skating tour, so when would Maks have had time to choreograph that? ha!
anyways, @Fryar (#146) it was Dark Horse by Katy Perry.
I was truly looking forward to the Nene/Derek dance but I hate to say this … I didn’t really enjoy it. I think it has mostly to do w/ the fact that Jazz can be interpretated in so many different ways? I thought she was “vogue’ing” more than dancing. I appreciate that Derek brought more out of her than we have seen, but I didn’t really enjoy it like I hoped I would.
Obviously, the judges saw something and know more about Jazz b/c they felt differently so I am glad she still received decent scores.
My favorite dances of the night were Cheryl/James and Meryl/Val – would have been a very interesting season if they had been paired together from the start. As much as I LOVE me some Meryl, I’m worried that she’s already hit her peek because the last 2 weeks scoring has been good to her and I am not sure Max has enough content to pull out of his bag of “tricks & choreography” to keep her at the top.
Play nice, Andrea. And I don’t need to “go back and look at those AT’s you mentioned” – I guaran-damn-tee that was Val’s choreography and not Maks’. If it looked similar, it’s because all Argentine tango starts to look similar after awhile – because there specific steps that make it Argentine tango. Just like any dance. Do you really expect me to believe that a guy who choreographed a pretty half-assed jive for his bro’s partner also choreographed one of the most complex tangos we’ve ever see on the show – via Skype, no less? Ooookay.
Does Peta and Damian count as an Aussie couple?
Best screen grab of NeNe’s stink face that I could get on short notice: http://instagram.com/p/mgyr84yC1G/
@Bruce – I was referring to celeb/pro couplings.
I’ll agree that Meryl and Val’s AT was good BUT I’m still ticked that TPTB gave into The Fam and Heidi is right, Val DID just hand Maks his ASS! ON A PLATTER! LOL
Candace and Tony did well and her QS was severely underscored, I hate to say that I think she’s gonna be gone next week :'( which is partly why I think they underscored her.
I LOVED James & Cheryl’s Tango!! LOVED IT!!
Drew and Witney did MUCH better than I thought they would but not better than Candace and Tony, I’d say they should’ve been scored the same!
Cody and Sharna did well too! Kid can sing but like the stooges said, he needs to work on his Hold and posture.
Danica and Maks, it was good but I kind of agree with what Julianne said…it’s like he phoned it in on the choreography because he knows he’ll be safe and back with Meryl next week..
Amy and Mark I thought did well! Loved the Orange costumes and liked Marks hair better this week! Orange is a great color on him. FOR ONCE he didn’t out dance his partner!! Thought it was underscored by Julianne. Agree with Courtney and Jules on her ass. wow!
Charlie and Peta, well, they were cute together..I don’t know if Rumba is Peta’s strong suit. But disagree with how it was scored by the Stooges. :/
NeNe and Derek! KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK! I KNEW Derek would make NeNe shine and that he did! For her skill set, and she’s the weakest dancer of the remaining celebs, this was by far her best dance! Derek choreographed a great jazz routine for her.
LOVED the Macy’s Stars of Dance performance! Loved seeing Henry Byalikov back in the ballroom. I hope they give him another shot as a Pro as I think he’s got a lot to show and would be a better ‘replacement’ for Derek than Val.
And I agree….lets just HAND Meryl and Maks the MirrorBall Trophy. Isn’t that what they promised Maks anyway to get him to return to the show?
@Courtney – thank you so much for the screen grab of Nene’s face. I saw a lot of talk about this on twitter but I missed it during the show! That look says it all!
Yaaaaaassssss, NeNe. I felt just like that. But then someone said something to her and she fixed her face and gave the camera a big cheesy smile. Hilarious. And she let us know all about Tony in this package. She and Derek were freaking hilarious.
“Is it still Disney week next week? I bet Meryl and Maks will get Beauty and the Beast.”
Or a pretty Ballroom dance from Aladin.
“Is it still Disney week next week? I bet Meryl and Maks will get Beauty and the Beast.”
Or a pretty Ballroom dance from Aladin. Wish we could keep her with Val. Much better match and he did her justice tonight.
Interesting place Val is in. Although where does Meryl go now. She is perfect on week 4. It was a great tango but I have already forgotten it because it was sort of boring. Danica got screwed by Maks and Maks got screwed by Val. Not really but sort of imo.
You know NeNe kind of burned Tony in that package…she said Derek brought more out of her…I’m paraphrasing…and then tried to say that maybe Tony will in the future or some such trash. All I have to say is I’ll be watching Watch What Happens Live when she goes on there after she is done on DWTS…lol.
Can someone plz tell me what the song was that Meryl and Mark danced to? Its driving me nuts! Ive heard it before, but I cant remember it.
@tasa – “Too Close” by Alex Clare
That choreography had MAKS written all over it. As Val said in Zendaya’s season, he had never danced A.Tango. The choreography reminded me a bit of Erin’s, Kirstie’s, Mel B’s and Misty May-Treanor’s seasons.
Must be quite a lasting impression since Misty never danced a Tango. Also, just because a Chmerkovskiy says something doesn’t make it true. I recall an interview with Val from a few years back in which he was not entirely unfamiliar with the AT.
Derek did what he could with Nene, it was appropriate for her ability, it looked good and was scored appropriately
Vals choreography is better than Maks by leaps and bounds and hes faster and sharper- Meryl is carrying the partnership with Maks ( watch last weeks dance) imho shes the one being jipped out of a good partner. Yup she should hae gotten Val or Derrick in the first place. If she wins it will be in spite of Maks.
Im pretty mad at Peta for that Rhumba but I’ll forgive her IF Charlie makes it through next week
Although Danica has shown some effort, Im not sure she has the fanbase to go very far or Candace for that matter. The judges seem to be phasing Candace out.
James is the most developed dancer week to week and I hope he goes to the final
Cody has 6M followers on twitter, needless to say he’ll be around for a while.
I loved drew tonight, real desire to be there and it showed in his dance, props to cheryl for choreographing something so dynamic
What a great night. Very entertaining. I ended up liking it much more than I thought I would. Would I want the switch up dance again? NO! lol
My top three faves: Val and Meryl, NeNe and Derek, Peta and Charlie!
And OMG the Macy’s Stars Of Dance performance was out of this world. I hope Derek wins an Emmy for it.
here’s what i think: if you are going to give 8’s and 9’s then you better give a critique and if all you do is praise it then where are the tens.
@Dylan
“here’s what i think: if you are going to give 8′s and 9′s then you better give a critique and if all you do is praise it then where are the tens”
EXACTLY!!!!!
Loved the opening number with everyone!
Candace deserved 8s! What’s up with that??? She did great!!
I am loving Cheryl’s tango! She’s amazing! James did great too!! She’s my fave female pro!
I am hating Charlie’s slicked hair with the flip.
Despite the dubiousness behind it, the switch was interesting to see the different teaching styles and experiences. Probably won’t be a popular opinion, but if they don’t clear house of longstanding pros, I’d like a season full of partner switches to keep it more about the celeb.
As for tonight, I’d be for keeping the James, Candace, Meryl and Drew repairings permanent. For all the ringers this season, James is the darkhorse of the season. Amy is freaking amazing and I hope to see Derek continue to uncover her. Charlie may ultimately lack the hip action for some Latin dances. Drew is this season’s Bill Engvall in a sense.
Opps forgot that Nene, while still not technically adept, noticeably stepped up her game (and I’m not a fan of Jazz, that song and sometimes her). The Macy’s dance was another display of ingenuity. Has Derek REALLY bulked up, was that an effect of the slowmo or was I just underappreciating his physique before?
I’d say you were underappreciating Derek’s physique Wynn. Which Longstanding Pros would you get rid of?
“Candace deserved 8s! What’s up with that??? She did great!!”
That’s the one I forgot! Say what you will about Tony, she seemed to really appreciate him and let her go in a way we haven’t seen even if the dance a bit chaotic and the footwork/frame a bit off at times. She also seemed to lag behind Tony, again slower with her feet than I would have anticipated. That said, she’s got a totally watchable quality out there.
The music tonight was awful, the band messed up more than once, Harold W was so much better. I loved James tonight, he’s getting better, Drew was quite good , Nene was good with Derek and I think she likes Derek 🙂 I loved Amy , she looked stunning but I do like her with Derek better. Danica and maks just no, awful I agree with the judges ,however to say so on national tv the way it was said isn’t good . Meryl looked like a pro , I thought it was good but I hated the music, and where is her journey or story ?however I didn’t look at val once tonight I just looked at meryl. That macys dance was amazing !!
Josie, I’d be all for hitting the reset switch, for various reasons. I understand the weaning they sort of seem to be doing however. And I think they like to pit and rile some fanbases against each other.
#50, 54 & 59 – Tim, are you by any chance related to or dating Erin?
otherwise,
interesting that only Drew & NeNe’s scores went up this week. Meryl stayed same, everyone else went down in score. I’ve thought Drew has been kind-of forgettable during this competition, but I loved him with Whitney tonight. Made me look at Whitney a little closer. James impresses me, but I want his hold to be a bit stronger. I do love that he always does something athletic that just plain surprises.
Julianne may have been a bit harsh by chastising Maks in front of the whole class, so to speak, but she wasn’t saying anything I wasn’t yelling at the tv. That’s my main complaint with Maks. Same choreography, different partner. I always feel like he’s dialing it in. You can tell he’s trying harder with Meryl, but he is limited. only my opinion, of course. Thank yous to the ladies of Pure, all the behind the scene info is why I keep checking in 6 times a day. Not to mention the laughs and snark. 😉
Who would have thought that at the end of the night Witney’s partner Drew would have the most improved score over last week? Good for both of them, even though Erin tried to creep it up at the end. Tom was funnier with his “Winners of the May – December championship” comment.
I hated all the tricks TPTB pulled this week and if I hear “the family” mentioned one more time I’ll barf, but I actually liked the concept of switching partners. Please show, if you do it again just pull names from a hat.
I wish Julianne had limited her comments to saying there wasn’t much jive content and Maks choreographed too many dead spots, but at least it distracted me from her awful dress and eyebrows.
I love Amy with Derek but I liked that Mark let her be freer. I also liked that Julianne actually went beyond the “you are so inspirational” talk we’ve been getting from the judges. I’ve had a tiny feeling that Derek has been a bit too protective and maybe he’ll get past that a bit.
Is all this talk about hooking up and making DWTS babies supposed to bring in the junior high demo? I felt like everyone got memos on how to be suggestive and push the showmances but Erin led the pack in annoying mentions of it. I don’t know if that is Erin’s idea or the shows, but they need to cut it out.
So there were two music screw ups tonight? Not at all fair to the couples. They need to clean that up right now.
Witney went up in my estimation tonight. She was fun in her rehearsal video and brought out a new side of Drew.
Val sure screwed over Maks and he didn’t even mean to. I felt bad for Peta. She didn’t know this was going to be the one week that comes up every season, when the judges actually require the dance styles to be followed. Tony really is a whiner.
Sharna bless you for making Cody pull up his pants. Maybe this week went a little way in telling him he has to embrace the show and the dance styles. He doesn’t get to “Codyize” every dance. It looks arrogant and spoiled. So typical for a 17-year old.
I wonder if they danced in the order of lowest to highest matchings (based on the show’s fake math).
Just because Cody has 6 million twitter followers doesn’t mean anything.
Snooki has a similar amount too and she only got 8th.
And I almost forgot, Meryl and Charlie were with the SOI tour on the other side of the country, learning all new skating group numbers, performing 3 shows, learning DWTS with new partners, and then flying back to LA Sunday night? Geez they need a Red Bull sponsorship. Insanity.
Wynn, I don’t know that getting rid of ALL the Pros at once is a good idea. I’d get rid of Tony for sure. Cheryl’s the next Pro who’s been on the longest but I’ve been liking her these last 2 seasons. PETA is hit or miss. Derek will most likely be gone after this season. I just don’t want it turning into a Chmerkovskiy show….blech
I enjoyed the swap more than I thought I would. I was blown away by Charlie’s ability an how he led Peta. I think he’s going to win it all. EDITED BY COURT: Yeah, implying that genitalia clouds judgement ain’t cool here. Leave other posters out of it. Carry on…I thought James was very pedestrian. The choreo was great, hats of to the stomper (Cheryl). Drew was great. Nene was a great surprise, that dnce and choreo really brought out the best in her. I think she’ll be leaving soon but that dance was her mark on DWTS. Candace was underscored and I wonder if her Jesus comments have the TPTB turned off. I didn’t care for them either but I try to judge her by her dancing and I think she’s been great. Meryl doesn’t do it for me. Erin is an improvement over Brooke but still not great. I think she’ll get better as she gains more experience on the show as co-host. I enjoyed Julianne as judge. I think she’s honest. Carrie Ann is still the one thing about DWTS I can’t stand.
why does the show get away with fudging the votes?
I really feel bad for Candace though. I hope to see Danica go before Candace. Having said that, I felt bad for Danica today. Julianne was absolutely right about Maks. Both brothers worried about Meryl and Danica was left out in the cold, horrible.
I wonder if some of what Erin is doing is passive aggressive. If I remember correctly there was always talk of her and Maks being a couple on their season. So maybe this is her attempt to show others how it feels. I don’t know. I’m really not into her as a host. I feel like she doesn’t know when enough is enough..and it’s not funny anymore.
That Macy’s dance was incredible. The beginning with the shirtless buff guys in that lighting was breathtaking. Derek is a beast.
Now that everyone talks about Maks and the lapses in choreo, it’s so obvious now! Glad it was pointed out.
Amy is an Olympian so love her competitiveness! She did great. But they put too much tanner on her face. Mark was gushing about Amy and Candace looked so sad in the background.
Hated Charlie’s hair. I have to watch the rumba again because I was distracted by the weird hair. It seems like everyone in the pit was appalled during judge’s comments. Charlie looked pissed but tried to smile. During the package, I liked Charlie being seductive and Peta getting a bit embarrassed when Charlie’s face touched her face.
Cody is not getting a good edit. And he is not helping with his cockiness. I hope he is the next to go even though I love Witney.
What the heck did they make Nene wear? That is not right. She looks like a huge ostrich. I hope it looks better during the dance.
Excuse me, but my vagina doesn’t blind me…enough said. That is just insensitive, sexist, and just wrong on so many levels.
I’m still trying to figure out how Meryl and Maks’s non-foxtrot wasn’t called out but they poked holes in Charlie & Peta rumba?
#agenda
Thanks goodness! Nene’s costume looked much better with the red lighting and the dancing. She did a great job too! It may be the first time that I didn’t even watch Derek!
A comment from the actual ballroom world: it isn’t any kind of secret to anybody that is familiar with our universe that Val is a far stronger dancer than Maks.
Also, AT has been one of Val’s strengths, historically, if you watch him at showcases.
Maks is a very strong and emotive dancer when he chooses to be and (depending on what flavors you prefer) is probably the strongest Pasodero in the current pro stable. But Jive has always been a particular weakness of his.
Most of what I took from tonight, aside from Val PWNING Maks and Derek actually making NeNe look fabulous as she is, was that nothing made any sense. Only maybe two celebs were scored the way they should have been. It doesn’t even make sense with this show, even as much as they manipulate things. I want to know what the hell is going on here.
If Erin wants a DWTS baby then she should just have a baby Chmerkovski.
In Rodeo, both the bull and the rider get a score. I’m tired of seeing the celeb do a great job and get a low score because of the choreography . Give them both a score!!!!
Alright NeNe! Maksim will finally win a MBT! This is his season!
I enjoyed the swap…enough where I could see it for a future season. Think about it. Stars get paired up with a pro for, say, two weeks prior to the season to learn the basics, dance weeks one and two, then change for weeks three and four, change again to a different pro/star for weeks five and six, maybe one more change through the quarter finals, then back to the original star/pro combo for semis and finals. It would eliminate the “Derek always gets the ringers” talk and could let viewers see the stars’ weaknesses and strengths.
Liked the Derek / Mark pow-wow.
Liked the conviviality in the sky box, but some of the pros hung around a bit too long congratulating their “former” partner.
Julianne had to go there at least once, simply because of Tom’s intro for her.
I think the switch up dance seemed like a small party. You know, start at my place, end at yours, invite a few friends in along the way. But the party suffered because most everyone seems to want to go “home” with their old partner.
Best side story of the night.. the Pros calling out the Muppets on the music miscues, not once, but twice.
Oh Harold, where art thou and your bedazzled singers and band mates?
I’m conflicted with this Switch week. It was fun but there was just so much Drama!
Everyone was cheating on their old partners and some people loved their new partner so their old partner got jealous or whatever. It was a little distracting so I couldn’t enjoy the dances as much. I felt so badly for the partner or pro that got the shaft.
By the time Meryl dance came around, I was tired of the old partner being involved with the new couple and watching who was happy or sad, who was getting dissed, etc.
I missed the old simple format of rehearsal, dance and scores. Preciously, there was only “drama” between Charlie and Meryl. Glad that Meryl included Charlie in her tweet with Maks and Val. He’s going to need the votes!
I enjoyed the nights dances. I thought Candance was underscored. I am a huge Derek fan and love everything that he does. So I really enjoyed his dances tonight. Esp. the one with NeNe. I’ve read a lot of negative comments from people who didn’t like the dance. It’s a little different, yes, but still a good dance. I hope the majority knows that.
I was pleasantly surprised by how good this AT was. Except for the beginning where Meryl lifted her knees on the “ochos” and I was “oh oh here we go again”, this AT was far better than the one he gave to Zendaya in season 16.
So either Val took extensive classes of tango since season 16, which is very likely, or he got help, from his brother or someone else.
I won’t have given them a 10 though, because of these ugly “ochos” at the beginning and because I didn’t feel the emotion of the dance.
But the performances of the night (with the celebrities), for me, were James & Cheryl and Nene & Derek. I had the same thought as Bruno, she looks like the queen of Sheba.
This Macy’s dance was unbelievable ! I was so jealous of Kathryn McCormick, I hope Derek will get a second Emmy for this dance !
Thanks for noting Allison Holker. Hope she comes back. Miss Brook more and more. I think the switching shows the teaching skills of the pros. Derek brings out the best in his students.
I think it is so funny that Maks probably had nightmares at the thought that Derek would get Meryl only to have his brother blow him out of the water with that choreography. When you have someone as talented as Meryl you need to step up your game, youd need to be memorable. Maks can’t do that, you look at them and admit she is the best but their dances aren’t memorable enough for a rewatch. No matter how much he complains ab Derek always getting ringers I would say ..”what would you have done with Shawn, Maks? can you imagine him doing that quickstep, bhangra or freestyle or any of their dances?
Also I keep reading posts ab how the other pros aren’t allowed to choreograph dances for the show like Derek. Say what you will ab TPTB but they have always let the pros express their creativity, the problem is that just a few of them want to spend the extra time to choreograph something outside rehearsals.
Jules was being honest saying what a lot of people think ab Maks’s choreography, sure she could have worded it better but then again who of the judges does that. All 3 have said much worse things.
Can’t say I enjoyed the switch thing as much as I thought I would but that’s prob bc of the whole twitter voting fiasco.
The Macey’s dance was the highlight of the show for me!
If I was seeing correctly, the choice of Amy’s prosthetic was interesting … high heel foot without the actual shoes. This appeared to make it easier for her to stand unsupported by Mark (at least, in comparison to last week’s swimming feet), but can’t allow for weight transfer between ball and heel. Such transfer is elemental in many dance styles. Did she make the same choice in Weeks 1 and 2?
Jules was, fortunately and unfortunately, raised/trained by Shirley Ballas (who once modestly responded that she had no weaknesses as a dancer) during the formative years for her personality and values. For many, truth is not going to be an adequate defense for the rude comments that she made last year to Mark or last night to Maks. Val’s AT with Meryl totally revealed the truth about Maks’ teaching/choreography abilities and work ethic. Jules didn’t need to pile on like she did.
#breck I agree with you on “Val’s AT with Meryl totally revealed the truth about Maks’ teaching/choreography abilities and work ethic. “.
For her sake I wish Jules would have expressed herself better but it is not her first time as judge and I have a feeling she’s knows how to handle haters.
2 items of interest I wanted to point out:
1. When I attempted to vote for James/Cheryl tonight via FB/ABC.COM, I finished the 9 allowed votes and got the confirmation that I had voted for James. However, when I logged back in and tried voting again, just to see if it counted my votes correctly, it gave me the message saying I voted for Diana Nyad & Henry Byalikov. WTF? They aren’t even on the show anymore. I hope the voting wasn’t messed up and my votes went elsewhere. I know the phone voting worked because Tom clearly said James’ name but did anyone else run into this type of issue when they voted online.
2. Anyone notice that ever since week 1, whenever James dances and gets his scores, Cody looks annoyed in the background. I get the show is trying this whole “pop singer hottie vs. pop singer hottie” story but of course, that’s just for show. But Cody looks legit annoyed/pissed whenever they show James either dancing or getting his scores. Maybe he is actually taking the entire thing a wee bit too seriously when it comes to the both of them competing. I’ve seen James clap a whole lot for Cody on numerous occasions.
Maybe I’m just seeing something that isn’t there though.
I thought the switch was not good, too much drama and some will have hard feelings behind it.
The only dances I enjoyed was Meryl,James,Candace and Drew, the rest could have done better. Charlie’s hair was just terrible, he looked like a girl,NeNe really threw Tony under the bus with her comments, the woman in my opinion is not professional, even her smirk against Meryl was uncalled for. NeNe is tall and she just looks awkward out their most of the time. I am not enjoying her attitude or dancing.
Val definitely out did himself with that dance, but Meryl makes it easy. I am starting to think she is the glue to her and Charlies success on ice.
Julianne the judge was wrong to say those things about Maks, she showed her biases. I am glad Maks took the high road and didn’t respond. He is trying to be a better person this season for sure.
I really enjoyed James & Cheryl’s dance. They were really into it and I really hope he sticks until semi finals.
Meryl & Val would have been a really better match than her with Maks. The dance was good but honestly, I wasn’t really into it. The ochos annoyed me too. Witney impressed me this week, she’s a good match for Drew, I enjoy this partnership better than the one she has with Cody.
On the other hand, Candace’s quickstep really wasn’t good for me. She was too slow on her feet. Disappointed as well with Cody, I don’t think he takes this show seriously but I suppose his fangirls will take him through to next week. I feel bad for Danica. She could have done much better with a better choreography. I agree with Julianne’s comment even if I didn’t expected so much honesty from her. But thank you for saying loudly what so many thought.
I was kind of expected something else for Nene but it was enjoyable. I could see she took pleasure dancing with Derek. I’m on the fence with Amy. It was really different than what she does usually with Derek, not sure I liked it, but I agree she looked amazing. For Charlie, I wasn’t really feeling it. It wasn’t horrible, but I agree it lacked hip actions.
#201, I went back to abc.com to check my votes and you’re right! I voted for Amy & Derek, no problem there but my two votes for James went to Diana. Are they trying to eliminate him?
They must have fixed it since you both voted because my votes for James went to James, but I voted only 1 hour ago (1 pm GMT + 2)
That was a very entertaining show last night. I’m glad for the pros and the contestants sake that it wasn’t an out of control train wreck.
My top three dances were Meryl and Val, Drew and Witney and Cheryl and James.
Val may be a clueless twerp but that AT was fantastic. I was worried that the control and passion would be lost because of the need for speed, but I was pleasantly surprised and to be honest with you rather awe struck watching him and Meryl dance.
Lets hope this was a wake up call for Maks to step it up in the choreography department. Meryl is a diamond, he needs to give her a platinum setting every single week.
I’ve been kind of meh on Witney since she joined the show but she really won me over with her Cha Cha for Drew. That was an example of a Pro crafting a dance that showcases her partner to perfection. I had a huge smile on my face during that whole dance. Congratulations kiddo!
As others have said before, James is now a contender. Dark horse indeed.
Derek’s Jazz for NeNe was so such infectious fun that I wanted to get up and start dancing in front of the TV with them. It reminded me a bit of the dance in that Eddie Murphy movie Coming To America.
I have to agree with the sentiment that Candace might be expendable to them. Maybe it was just the curse of going first but that routine deserved straight 8s and I’m beginning to wonder if they’ve decided to stick it out with Danica in the battle of the 90s stars and let Candace slowly slip away. I think they would rather have Val around than Mark for the long term.
Favorites of the night: James & Cheryl (holy smokes they were HOT), Drew & Witney (though I thought it was a tad overscored, it was still so much fun), Meryl & Val (holy smokes they were HOT. but I KINDA agree with Len that there was a bit too much staccato and at times it looked too harsh… but I still liked it).
Every other dance I felt “Meh..” about. I kinda wanted a bit more from NeNe tbh. She let out WAY more personality with Derek than Tony though… but I personally would have liked a bit more. Same goes for Amy, but I am guessing it’s because Mark just doesn’t know how to work with her like Derek does.
Oh and I have to say the Macys dance was HOT HOT HOT as well. Some awesome dancing with um… lots of muscles… 😛
In regards to Meryl and Val, I thought their AT was amazing. Val did a great job with the chore. Had the rules been that we could vote to keep some of the new partnerships (I’m glad we don’t have to vote), I would have liked to see Meryl stay with Val.
I might be alone in this, but Meryl is starting to annoy me just a bit. I think she is sweet person and all, but I think the C brothers have a way of rubbing off on their partners that gets me irritated. Stuff like “they’re great people on and off the show” just seems unnecessary to me. But maybe it’s just my hatred of the C brothers that clouds my judgment.
I’m of mixed thoughts it comes to Julianne’s comments toward Maks last nightn
How often has Len targeted Derek about his choreographic choices? At least once or twice a season. So Maks and any other pro shouldn’t be exempt from judges comments toward their dances.
However, I find Julianne to be a very disingenuous, non genuine person who comes on the show with a already formed agenda toward certain pros.
Last time Mark, this time Maks.
My problem isn’t with what she said to Maks or Mark, it’s how she said it. It seems a little too personal and vindictive.
Actually that’s my pet peeve with every single one of the judges on the show. Bruno with his derogatory personal appearance remarks about certain contestants, Carrie Ann with her picking on some contestants while letting others (mostly hot young men) get away with murder and Len with his attacks on Derek and to a lesser extent Karina.
Sorry to any Julianne fans out there, this is just my own opinion of her.
@Susan2 I completely agree with you. While I can agree to an extent w/ her sentiments, I think her delivery was horrible and it wasn’t the time/place for that. By doing that, she took away all the hard work Danica had put in this past week. I’m not the biggest Danica fan, but my feelings would have been hurt to hear she was being judged on something that had nothing to do w/ her actual dancing and instead w/ her pro partner.
Like to add: I thought the Macys stars of Dancing was simply incredible.
I’m in the minority here but I am not sure how I felt about the Amy/Mark dance. I think she’s an inspiration, but as far as dancing goes I know they have to really tone down the choreography so it gets to feel repetitive when we only see them using a small space of the dance floor. Obviously the judges know a lot more/see more b/c they were still happy w/ what she did. I look forward to seeing what Derek does w/ her next week though.
Andrea, Why do you think that Maks choreographed Forever Tango on Broadway? LOL I saw it twice in NYC. One of the other dancers in a press line that afternoon even said how impressed the other dancers were of Karina and her creativity. Now, I’m not saying she choreographed it, but that’s the impression the other dancer left with us fans outside the theater.
I just went back and watched the Nene/Derek dance. Was she supposed to have done anything with that long cape looking thing draped over the stairs or was that just staged to be there? I know they had issues w/ the music so wasn’t sure if they had to cut something out of their routine because of it.
I was skeptical of the whole switch – but was pleasantly surprised with most of the dances.
I thought Candace & Tony looked great together – it was a bit frantic but deserved at least 1 or 2 8s. I’m worried for her.
Witney with Drew absolutely blew me away. He looked like he was having so much fun – maybe Cheryl is too much of a taskmaster/buzzkill.
James & Cheryl looked good but her choreography is getting stale – it looked like every other one of her Tangos.
Peta with Charlie did nothing for me. Peta failed to make him look sexy with slicked hair. But DAMN she was smoking in that dress. And a rhumba is supposed to be smoother, sexier.
I love Maks – but I dont’t like any of his Jives. I would have loved for both Chmerkovskiys to do the Argentine Tango with each others partners. He even looked like he didn’t care in just a white T-shirt.
Val & Meryl – HOT!!
Derek & Nene – okay – this is the pairing I was hoping for but I was dissappointed. I don’t know if it was the music errors or that Derek really did look like a munchkin next to her.
What I really wanted to know was how I could use my votes for Artem!?! Those abs, that attitude – he just oozed sex appeal during that Stars of Dance with the Incredible, Amazing and Beautiful Katherine.
I forgot to mention Amy & Mark. I’m so happy that Mark and the judges acknowledged that Derek does a lot of holding her up and dancing around her while she twists. I thought she did a great job of dancing more on her own. and yes, her butt did look good.
Hopefully SarahP, Derek will use some of that information and let Amy move on her own in dances that allow it. She hasn’t danced anything like a Quickstep yet, so I guess we’ll see. Honestly, though, I wasn’t overly wowed with Mark’s Salsa routine.
Well this switch thing was interesting. I thought Candance and Danica were underscored, they were both very good. I am one of those people who could care less if Danica has dance experience, it is not like she has ever competed in some major dance competition, so it does not bother me at all. And really for some people to still be on that “well if she would only say that she danced before”.
James and Cheryl were smoking HOT!! That was a very good dance.
Meryl and Val were simply the best!!! They were both so good and that score was well deserved. I am glad that she was at the top with her scores from the past 2 weeks.
I liked Charlie but maybe that was not a pure Rumba but he is still so entertaining.
Derek & Nene – WTH was that, I thought it was just awful, awful.
Amy and Mark were just OK.
And finally, WTH was with Julianne, being such a smart ass to Maks, so she could not slam Mark so she picked Maks, well she picked the wrong guy. She was totally unprofessional and personally I don’t want to see her as a judge again. She can stick to dancing, singing, acting or whatever is on her plate this week.
Surprisingly, the most enjoyable dance for me was Drew and Witney because their whole package was just so much fun to watch. Witney did a great job with the choreo and drew sold it!
Peta didn’t do Charlie any favors with matching slicked back hairstyles. She looked too masculine and he looked like a pin head. He did a great job with what he was given and if I’m sure if Peta told him to do the hip action then he would’ve done it.
Meryl’s rehearsal was all about Maks and him being jealous. Annoying. I didn’t find her tango as steamy but she performed all the dance movements perfectly it seems.
I don’t really have anyone to hate this season. I like everyone but my faves are Charlie and Meryl. I assume the next final 4 will include James and Amy.
[…] with me as I try not to repeat too much of the stuff I said in the live discussion post last night – guess I should have held back a bit for my power rankings I went ahead and put […]
Witney impressed the crap out of me tonight. Now I’m really upset she has Cody as a partner, because he clearly hasn’t been told no enough in his life.
#201 – So you got the Diana/Henry vote too when you voted for James? How weird. If they were trying to eliminate him though, wouldn’t the votes go to someone who was actually IN the competition? Why the heck would they re-route his votes to an eliminated contestant? Maybe an easy way to just throw them out? (the votes I mean). I don’t know. Perhaps it is just an error with the site and the votes actually went to the right place.
Trouble is, we will never know because I haven’t seen or heard anyone else complain about it and if James does go, while it would be surprising, no one will really call foul because at this point, someone has to go every week and it isn’t like he super popular- especially to this show’s demo.
I don’t like Julianne Hough as a judge. It seems she has a vendetta against some of the other dancers and is just mean & snarky when giving a critique of their dancing.
I also don’t care for Erin…she’s quite masculine looking, acting & sounding.
Just wanted to put this screencap here for those who might not believe the voting thing. This is AFTER voting James/Cheryl and then logging out and logging back in to check. Once you log back in, the voting page automatically refreshes and tells you how you voted. And this is what mine shows…
http://imgur.com/p0Zv6UW
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/p0Zv6UW.jpg[/IMG]
Power Rankings are up: https://www.puredwts.com/2014/04/08/puredwts-season-18-week-4-power-rankings/
Macy’s segment was AMAZING! Seeing hot men shirtless is always a treat. But way beyond the hotness factor is how it really showed off the power and the beauty of each dancer’s movements. More dances like this please! Got to give a shout out to the amazing dancing of Karina Too! Now of the rest of the show!
I LOL at the “here’s your munchkin” comment from Derek. Unlike Courtney, I don’t think that Nene was upset to get Derek for a partner this week, especially if she watched this show before appearing on it. Flat out Fun! I think she just bought herself another week!
Charlie should not grease his hear back! IMO I like him, but I often think he is coming off as a bit of a dork. I say that with affection—because I think he is sure a cutie and it makes him very endearing!
James is doing really well, but I just don’t care. But, I’d like to see him outlast Cody (I do my own thing).
Felt badly for Danica, she is a good dancer; Maks really let her down with that time wasting/fooling around routine. Julianne was right, but I wish she had just said she was let down by the content of the routine.
Meryl is a wonderful technical dancer, but I’d enjoy her more if more of her personality showed when she danced. To me, her moves are just so fast and sharp that they don’t leave time for her to convey all that much expression in her dancing.
Drew and Whitney were really cute together and he had attitude in that dance. Like, Nene I think that bought him more time on the show if he can keep it up with Cheryl. And it elevated Whitney big time and made me like her much more than I did just seeing her work with Cody and dance in the troupe.
Candace was good with Tony. But, I think they are now scripting her exit.
I need to see Amy back with Derek! Mark did his best, but it just wasn’t the same.
I don’t think that Erin will last past this season of DWTS. The babies comment was just embarrassing for all concerned.
I agree Cori, that babies comment was out of line and she owes James and Peta an apology!
I’ve loved Whitney ever since SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, and I think Cheryl is the greatest. Really surprised when Whitney avoided shaking hands with Cheryl TWICE. Wouldn’t even look at Cheryl when Cheryl tried to congratulate Whitney for the terrific dance she did with Drew. I can’t believe NO ONE noticed the cold shoulder but me. What’s up?