PureDWTS Season 18, Week 4 – Power Rankings
Tonight’s episode of Sesame Street was brought to you by the phrases “these are the couples you chose!”, “keep it all in the family”, and “incestual”. 🙂 I know I can’t be the only one that thought they were trying to drive the point home just a bit too hard that the couples we saw last night were the ones that we voted for – defensive much? Had they actually given Meryl to Derek (as the voters had), it would have created an entire cascade of partner changes that I think would have created an entirely different outcome last night. But that’s neither here nor there – I guess I’m just sort of over the entire partner switch at this point. It’s over and done with, and it’s hard to dwell on what a turd the whole thing was when we’ve got Disney Week next week 🙂
I do feel the need to touch on the phrase “keep it all in the family!” though – on the surface, it seems innocuous enough, but I feel like it’s yet another barrier the Chmerkovskiy brothers (and Tony, to a lesser degree) put up between themselves and the other pros on the show. I know they seem to have a sort of “us against the world” mentality, but more often than not, they themselves are the ones creating that environment. “Keep it all in the family” says to me “I don’t trust the other pros. I refuse to associate with the other pros. I am better than the other pros. Don’t let the other pros near my partner…mine, mine, MINE!” It implies that the only family that matters is theirs – and the relationships with the other pros that they’ve cultivated over the years are worthless. The Chmerkovskiys are a family, but so is DWTS – when the cards are down, the pros do look out for each other. I guess the reason I’m bringing it up is because I was rather surprised to hear Meryl repeat it in her package – I think it was probably just out of politeness to Val & Maks, but in the spirit of the switch (which so many of the other pros embraced with open arms – including Tony), it just seemed almost like self-segregation.
I’m left feeling rather puzzled by the judges’ comments & scoring last night – there were certain couples that got raked across the coals that I didn’t think were that bad (Candace & Tony, Charlie & Peta), couples that got treated with kid gloves (and this is probably gonna get me in trouble, but Amy & Mark), and couples that just did not really register at all with the judges (Danica & Maks, Cody & Sharna). And apparently there was fallout backstage last night after the show – a source says that Peta was in tears and was being consoled by Charlie & Sharna, and Mark was allegedly overheard saying that he thinks he’s “as good as done” next week thanks to Tony (which I don’t agree with…at least not the reasoning). Tough day at the office for those two 🙁
On the upside, we got a pretty cute opening number (that was perhaps a little heavy on the “switch” theme, but whatever), and the Macy’s Stars of Dance segment returned triumphantly with a pretty cool flamenco-infused number by Derek, Artem, Sasha, Henry, Jon Platero, & the beast that is Kathryn McCormick. I smell some potential Emmy fodder, if the Stars of Dance segments in the coming weeks measure up to the one we saw last night! Julianne also returned as a judge, to both cheers and jeers – and WTF was up with her eyebrows??? Somebody get Anastasia Soare on the phone, because somebody is using the wrong color pencil on Miss Hough…
Bear 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 the original pro partner names in parentheses here, as they will be the ones potentially at-risk to be eliminated next week.
1.) Meryl & Val (Maks) – I may not be a Chmerkovskiy fan, but I can give props when they’re deserved – and Val deserved it, with the choreography he gave Meryl for her Argentine tango. It was phenomenal, and Meryl nailed it – it might have been a tad too sharp in certain spots, and I would caution Val not to fall into the same “kitchen sink” trap that Sharna & Peta have this season with jam-packing as many steps as possible into a routine, but beyond that, it was the dance of the night. Saw a lot of people saying that Meryl “is a shoo-in to win the MBT this season” after seeing this routine – but here’s the rub, guys: Val basically pwned his brother with that choreography last night, and Meryl goes right back to Maks (and his so far lukewarm choreo) next week, and she’s gonna remain with him the rest of the season. Had Meryl been paired with Val, I would agree that she absolutely would be a shoo-in for the MBT – but so far, I don’t think Maks has been able to truly utilize her talents with his choreography…and that may ultimately be what prevents him from winning this season. Will be interesting to see if he’s able to step up his game after being called out both directly (by Julianne) and indirectly (by his brother showing him up) on his choreography this week. And can we please get rid of the term “incestual”? It’s either “incestuous” (implying a sexual relationship between two close relatives) or “ancestral” (pertaining to one’s ancestors). Not both, Val. 😛
2.) Amy & Mark (Derek) – Ok, let me preface this: I think Mark did the best he could, given that he was given a partner with some special needs and certain limitations, and only a week to make a certain dance work given those limitations. I also think Amy did the best she could with a new partner and a dance that’s pretty dissimilar to any of the ones she’s done so far. That being said – I don’t feel like this was Amy’s strongest dance, and I feel like the judges kind of copped out on giving any truly valuable constructive criticism. It was kind of as if it was week 1 again, and they were afraid to critique her due to her obvious limitations. I actually disagree with whichever judge said that Mark did a good job of letting her move on her own – he did give her a lot of spots on her own, but then he seemed to immediately pull her back into hold, and it seemed as though her movement got really limited while in hold. The result felt a bit jarring – as if Amy was hitting a groove by herself, and then suddenly Mark was pulling her back to him and she lost a bit of balance and “flow”. Also seemed like a lot of (repetitive) arm work – maybe to minimize how much she was actually moving; but Amy is able to move, if you give her enough room – and I guess my big complaint is that she didn’t seem to get a whole lot of breathing room in this routine. It’s funny how Derek can keep Amy relatively close to him in a routine, but still give her a lot of breathing room; and Mark can let Amy move on her own, and yet not give her any breathing room. I guess it kind of reminded me of a mother watching over an infant that’s just learning to walk – they’re reluctant to truly let them move on their own, for fear that they might fall. I appreciate that Mark seemed to really watch out for Amy, though – shows he really cares.
3.) James & Cheryl (Peta) – I almost feel like TPTB were subliminally trying to reinforce the point that James is this season’s “dark horse” by giving him that song 🙂 And really, he is – he seemed to make the transition from Peta to Cheryl very smoothly, and handled a difficult dance to a less-than-ideal tango song as if it were no big deal. From a technical perspective, I think he may be getting to the point where he’s giving Charlie a run for his money – his frame has improved drastically, and aside from the too-flexed knee, butt sticking-out problem he had last night, he’s looking pretty damn good. I was glad he and Cheryl were able to infuse some heat in their routine – Deep Throat had said that their routine was technically good, but lacked passion or any sort of chemistry. I know people seem hung up on Cody having “tons of fangirls voting for him”, but I think James may actually have the edge in that he might have more of the mainstream DWTS voters supporting him – remember: it’s not the tween fangirls that have the biggest voting bloc in this competition; it’s the middle-aged housewives…and I think he’s starting to endear himself to them, while Cody…isn’t. 🙂
4.) Charlie & Peta (Sharna) – Just a hard day at the office for these two – I feel like they got caught in the middle of a “judges’ war” and may also have been a bit of a pawn in the “it’s Meryl’s turn to be at the top of the leaderboard” storyline. I guess I fall somewhere in between Team Len/Carrie Ann and Team Julianne/Bruno on this one: while it did have some extraneous stuff in it, I do ultimately feel like it captured the mood and enough of the steps to be considered a rumba. Peta definitely has a rumba “tic”, and it’s gratuitous displays of female flexibility – I always think back to Gilles’ rumba in season 15 and Len saying “the leg goes up, the leg goes down, it’s going up again, it’s going down again!”. I think she might have avoided being chastised so hard if she had replaced a lot of those leg extensions she was doing with some sliding doors or a fan – more basic rumba. As for Charlie – he handled what he was given well. I didn’t notice any major footwork or hip action issues (but I was trying to juggle the discussion post, Twitter, and taking notes at the same time), except one weird thing he did with his foot when doing a sort of lunging action. Will have to watch again – but really, I don’t think any of the blame lies with him…and I actually feel really bad for Peta, too, because she seemed really proud of their dance and was crushed when the judges kind of tore it to shreds. Deep Throat said that Peta & Charlie actually had the easiest switch week out of all of the couples – they got along well, worked together well, and had no major struggles; I think they probably had high hopes that their rumba would be a hit. The only thing that really bothered me about it? They looked like twin siblings doing it, with that weird, slicked-back hair that didn’t really suit either one of them well. Now that truly looked “incestual”. 😛
5.) Danica & Maks (Val) – Not sure where exactly I read it, but someone on Twitter (maybe) had a really good metaphor for Danica: this week, she played the role of the new girlfriend that, despite her best efforts, would never measure up to the perfect ex-wife (Meryl) in her boyfriend’s (Maks’) eyes. I guess I can’t really blame Julianne for feeling like Maks was “checked out” of his performance with Danica – I almost feel like both Chmerkovskiy brothers were far more concerned with how Meryl was doing this week, and Danica was an afterthought. This is one week were I really felt sorry for Danica – here she was, asking Maks questions about the technique and what exactly she should be doing (just as we had said she would, per Deep Throat) , and Maks basically went “Durrrr, doesn’t matter, just do it!” I have a VERY hard time believing that Maks was truly invested in this week when he was basically blowing off her requests for help. And then on top of that, the choreography of the dance itself was chock full o’ cop-outs and time-wasters – we had extraneous props (jukebox, 2 troupe dancers), time wasters (Danica running behind the jukebox while Maks just stands there), and an ill-conceived wardrobe change (the skirt removal – which served no real purpose except to waste time). Oh – and Danica didn’t wear heels, either. She did the best she could with what she was given, but unfortunately what she was given wasn’t really quality and was an insult to her skill level…at least Val can appreciate that she can handle tough choreography. As for Julianne’s comment about Maks just “biding his time to get back to Meryl” – while it could have been phrased better, I don’t disagree with it: Maks didn’t seem to care much about this routine, and seemed more concerned with what was going on with Meryl down in Florida than what was going on in LA with Danica. If I were Val, I’d be a bit miffed that big bro didn’t take better care of my partner while I was busy giving his partner a better routine than he ever could.
6.) Cody & Sharna (Witney) – If Cody working with Sharna taught me one thing, it’s that Cody Simpson doesn’t seem to do anything that Cody Simpson doesn’t want to – and that Witney may be doing her best to get him to dance properly, and he just doesn’t care. This is gonna seem like a pretty harsh critique of our blonde Aussie heartthrob, but I’m just feeling more and more like he’s a less-offensive Bieber – just does what he wants and nobody seems to be able to get him in check. I think Sharna tried her best to work on his frame, but I just think at this point that Cody doesn’t really care about it – I also think she may have suggested the singing portion in order to try to get him actually invested in the dance. And that’s the biggest problem I see with Cody: if he doesn’t feel like a dance is really “relevant” to him (translation: complements his existing dance skills and makes him look good), he doesn’t really care; and that becomes pretty damn obvious with the ballroom dances. I guess he handled this foxtrot okay – frame still looks wonky to me, and he didn’t seem to do any of the steps with any sort of conviction. And I have to wonder if his “fangirls” are really voting as hard as some think – judging from what traffic I saw on the partner switch hashtag, there weren’t really a TON of votes for him to match with anyone…he’s no Zendaya. I’d be ok with him going home next week…except that I’d miss Witney.
7.) Drew & Witney (Cheryl) – I really feel like Witney has gotten a bit of a bum rap, on account of Cody being, well, Cody, and giving the perception that she’s “too young” to really be effective as a pro. I think we saw what she’s really capable of with Drew – she brough out a fun side of him that I don’t think we’ve seen yet, and really seemed to help him up his showmanship. I actually really enjoyed their cha-cha – it was entertaining, he didn’t miss any steps, and I actually think his Latin technique improved a bit. I like Drew with Cheryl, but I LOVED him with Witney. I just worry that his time may be running out for the simple reason that he’s probably the weakest male dancer left – although if Cody continues to act kinda apathetic and Drew continues to improve, he may have a shot at overtaking him.
8.) NeNe & Derek (Tony) – Say what you will about the simplicity of this routine or how well NeNe did or didn’t handle it – it was PERFECT for her, and I actually think going the Afro-jazz route was pretty clever on Derek’s part. If there’s anyone that fancies themselves an African queen, it’s NeNe – so playing to that attitude was a pretty smart move; it was also smart to avoid traditional jazz, as NeNe probably can’t do pirouttes, piques, & plies with any degree of mastery. Plus, NeNe seemed to have a ton of fun with it – I don’t think she was terribly jazzed (no pun intended…ok, yeah it was 😛 ) to have Derek in the switch to begin with, but after she saw what he had created for her, she was a believer, and she committed to it like she does every dance she does. But like Drew, I just think she’s reaching the end of the line in terms of how competitive she can be with the likes of Meryl, Charlie, James, etc. I think she might survive Disney week (and I will just DIE if I see her do a foxtrot to “Cruella De Vil”), but beyond that? Kind of open season as far as Housewives go. I find it interesting that she and Amy are the only remaining contestants that have yet to do a ballroom dance – and I’m not sure it’s going to suit NeNe as well as it does Amy.
9.) Candace & Tony (Mark) – I give up. What was so damn bad about this quickstep that the judges decided to hose her with straight 7’s??? I actually thought she handled it better than that last two dances we’ve seen from her, and the problems were minimal – maybe one little snafu with the floor trick and some body contact issues. I actually have to give props to Tony for giving her a fun-yet-doable quickstep routine that suited her personality well. I guess at this point, TPTB have just decided that Candace is disposable – some to be speculating that her religious beliefs might be giving the viewers the perception that she’s “intolerant”, and therefore a bit of a toxic asset; I’m not sure I believe that, but then again, stranger things have happened (like Twitter votes being ignored). Or maybe they’ve decided that it’s time to lose another female, and they’d rather keep Danica than Candace. I just don’t even know, but I’m afraid that Candace’s number might be up next week 🙁
The “Rivalry Scorecard” for the week:
Charlie vs. Meryl – Meryl. She had the dance of the night, while Charlie kinda got hosed for something that wasn’t really his fault. Running total: Charlie 3, Meryl 2.
James vs. Cody – Gotta go with James again – he’s been killing every dance they throw at him these past few weeks, while Cody seems more concerned about his hair. 😉 Running total: James 3, Cody 1.
Danica vs. Candace – Neither one had a particularly stellar week, but I’ll give it to Danica for being slightly less hosed than Candace, who seems disposable at this point. Running total: Danica 3, Candace 1.
So how do you guys think the switch turned out? Good? Bad? So-so? Who do you think handled it well…and who do you think failed miserably?
You worded my issues with Amy & Mark SO PERFECTLY. It was SPOT ON w/ exactly how I felt w/ the dance as well. I was surprised she received any 9’s. I feel like the judges do handle her with kid gloves and she’s yet to receive any true criticism – aside from the fact of the feedback they gave her partner they haven’t really said much about how she can improve.
Will be very interested to see the dance she receives with Derek next week and hopefully see her evolve more. With the exception of last weeks dance, I feel like her other 3 have been similar to each other.
These are my rankings 🙂
1. James & Cheryl – absolutely loved it! He is suprising me every single week. I thought that their chemistry was amazing! Maybe I even like James better with Cheryl than with Peta? Maybe? 🙂 I would give them all 9’s, maybe even one 10! But Erin talking about DWTS babies? C’mon, is this a dancing competition or what?
2. Meryl & Val – I guess I’m the only one who wasn’t so blown away… The choreography was good, but it left me cold after their perfomance. I remember the AT from Kellie and Derek when I was literally jumping and holding my breath because it was so good. 🙂 It was a good perfomance, but not so great in my opinion. I would give her four 9’s. And Val and Meryl look so much better together than Meryl and Maks. If Maks doesn’t step up his game as a choreographer, they won’t win.
3. Amy & Mark – Wow, what a banging body this women has! Just wow! I don’t know why, but I didn’t love their perfomance as much as I usually do… Maybe because I think that Derek makes her shine more. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t really stood up for me. She is usually my favorite…. Maybe it was because of the song? Was that really appropriate salsa song? It seemed a little too slow for me. The choreography seemed a little boring, but I can’t really blame Mark… It must be hard to have 6 days to figure it out what a person is capable of and what not and also to teach her the steps. And I just love the fact that Derek was the loudest in the room, he is really so supportive. And I don’t understand Len, he never says what was wrong and then he always gives 8! Why? I mean, tell her what she has to do to improve. There is clearly something wrong it you gave her 8. It also happened last week – all were praising her, but then they didn’t give her not even one 10. And she deserved it! I think she was a little underscored last night too, I would give her three 9’s.
4. NeNe & Derek – Kudos to Derek for the choreography, it was so much fun to watch! However, I think that NeNe could give a little more. I don’t how to say it, I feel like she was holding back a little and that she could show more energy. And extend those arms please! This dance was perfect for her! Maybe it was because the music was off and she got nervous… She looked so much stronger in the rehearsals. However, this was by far her best perfomance. Great job, Derek! And he is hilarious, when they were talking to Erin, I thought that I’m going to fall of the chair, I was laughing so hard. 🙂 And NeNe was totally dissing Tony…I think I like that just a little too much. 😀
5. Drew & Witney – I thought that this pairing is going to be horrible, but it wasn’t, not at all. It looked like Drew was having the time of his life on that dancefloor. However, Julianne gave them 9… Really? And she gave Amy 8? I think that was a little overscored.
6. Danica & Maks – I think that it was cute, but too much fooling around and non-dancing for me. He did it with Meryl last week, he did it with Danica this week. Is he having problems with choreographing or what? I agree with Julianne (and all of the judges said the same – it should be more jive), but I think that she should have said it a little nicer. I agree with scores.
7.Charlie & Peta – first of all, that hairstyle was awful! And I have to agree, this wasn’t rumba. I agree with Len, it was more of a contemporary. I also didn’t see a lot of hip action and there was no chemistry to me. And yes, there was a lift, I saw it too. Carrie Ann is picky about lifts, so I can understand why she gave 7. I also couldn’t help but notice that when Len calls out Derek about certain dance, he always gives him and his partner 7… This time he gave 8. Not fair? I think that Charlie was overscored by Julianne and Bruno. I would give him all 8’s. I’m quite dissapointed, he is one of my favorites. Can’t wait to see him go back to Sharna.
8. Cody & Sharna – his frame has improved, but he still has a lot of work to do. I thought the choreography was so cute though.
9. Candace & Tony – quickstep isn’t my favorite dance and this one wasn’t anything special, but I certainly wouldn’t give them all 7’s. They were underscored.
And that Macy’s Stars Of Dance…I bow down to you, Derek! Another Emmy? 🙂
I wish Drew could keep Witney.
I might be in the minority here, but I liked Amy with Mark. I love her with Derek, but I still appreciated the way Mark showcased her talents. I’m excited to see what she will do with Derek next week.
I also didn’t like Candace’s performance. She looked like she was chasing after Tony in some parts. I don’t know – it just didn’t look co-ordinated? But again, I think I’m in the minority here.
I do agree with these rankings – Cody danced better than Drew, but I did like Drew better than Cody. C needs to learn to listen to the pro. Andi agree with Julianne, he needs to do something un-Cody next week.
I think Amy and Mark were going to have a lot of difficulty this week. She just needs so much time to get used to her body and how it moves, and Mark didn’t have that time. So I had a feeling it would be problematic.
The Fam dynamic is very interesting. Both C bros diss everyone, but they also diss each other. And Danica really got the short end of the stick there. I just want Paul Karmiryan instead of Maks and Tristian instead of Val. Is that too much to ask?
I feel really bad for Peta. I didn’t really like the dance, but I feel like the judges didn’t give her enough credit. She seems to have reconciled with Sharna, which is good.
James also surprised me. I think that he really is the Dark Horse. And that song worked better for a tango than I thought!
NeNe did well for what she could, but I feel like she will never get up to even Danica’s level. And poor Candace. She just got the short end of everything.
I now going to make a bold statement. I think the PRO that came off of the switch-up the best is Witney. I was looking back at some old threads, and we initially didn’t seem to really like Witney. But now, she has proven herself, even though she still has a lot of work to do. Her biggest problem is the balance between partner, pro, and friend with Cody. They are just too close in age. With Drew, she didn’t have to worry about him trying to put the moonwalk or the hair flip in the dance. And I think the dance looked better because of it! Witney might be another Chelsie right now, or maybe even a Julianne. But that will take time. Right now, I think that dance with Drew will be one of the things that saves Witney and allows her to be a pro next season. I also think that Cody will be eliminated before Drew, and she might even be in a trio with Drew and Cheryl.
So I have to warn you, these rankings are not what I expected them to be before the show:
1)James and Cheryl: My Favorite dance of the night bar none. It was so Cheryl and I have to give her props for that choreography to create such a great dance. I can’t wait for Drew’s!
2)Meryl and Val: So I loved it but I didn’t really expect nothing but perfection from her. By this point, she is the one to beat.
3)Cody and Sharna: You may be wondering why he is ranked so high given his scores but that was one hell of a dance. Sharna is a choreographer that can make anyone shine but she nailed this. Cody is a brat though. He has to rein that in a bit.
4) Charlie and Peta: Was it contemporary or a rumba? I think it was both to me and I LOVED it. Peta did great choreography. Charlie handled it well. What more can I ask for?
5)Candice and Tony: Can anyone say underscored? The Judges must hate her. It deserved four eights. Tony’s choreography was Tony’s choreography. Not flashy not great BUT she was having a blast out there so was Tony.
6)Danica and Maks: So, not going to say that Maks phoned this one in at all. It was fun and exciting. Not sure what Julianne was watching.
7)Amy and Mark: She was good but not her strongest dance. My gripe was that if Candice got 7s then she should have gotten all all 8s. Those nines were crazy. Just my opinion though.
8)Drew and Witney: He has shown he can do this week after week but I gotta say it again: Mr. Showmanship was great. Is he the strongest dancer? No but he is the most fun to watch. A Disney quickstep next week for him should be cool.
9)Nene and Derek: Yeah so this happened. It deserved four 7s in my opinion but if she doesn’t get a ballroom dance soon I am going to pull my hair out. Give this woman a foxtrot, quickstep, tango, anything in hold. I kinda want the Cruella de Ville dance too.
Oh Court you do such a good job always! I’m especially loving your Rivalry scorecard every week.
Ok, my rankings….
1. Val and Meryl – One word: HOT!!! Seriously, I just loved this dance. It was just full of power, intensity, and passion. I loved the choreography. The ending was the cherry on top. Stunning and a total wow moment. Maybe Val’s best choreo for a dance ever!
2. Nene and Derek – OMG, I knew Derek would bring the goods with her, but, wow! What clever clever choreography!! So fun, creative, entertaining, and show stopping. Derek is a master at his craft again! This was NeNe’s best dance. She really let it go. Tony has to be steaming.
3. Peta and Charlie – These two were breathtaking! The choreography was beautiful. I thought it was a Rumba despite what the judges said. I loved all of their tricks, curving, spinning, the costumes, the colors of the lights and stage, everything. But, Charlie, don’t slick back your hair again …not when your signature golden locks are so gorgeous! 😀
4. Cheryl and James – I was totally wowed by this dance. I loved the theatrics and the costumes (Cheryl was just gorgeous!). I loved the power, the passion, and the sexy!! James continues to just get better and better. Like Court last week, I’m starting to think he is a dark horse. And good job Cheryl too! I think she helped him more with his passion, his technicality, and they definitely had a chemistry.
5. Amy and Mark – She blows me away every week….and this time, leave it to her to wear Stiletto prosthetics. *dies* Very cool. There may not have been a connection and “magic” with she and Mark like what we see with she and Derek, but, I enjoyed them. It was a fun dance.
6. Cody and Sharna – Hmmm….he seemed a little disconnected and more into himself than Sharna, but, it was still a good dance. He reminded me of a smooth operator. As for Sharna…just gorgeous as always. I loved her smile.
7. Danica and Maks – These two came out with a fierceness. I loved her energy and sass! This dance had so much personality. Like Carrie Anne said, she is getting more confident every week. However, I also agree that they would stop and goof off too much. There was a lack of connection too. I agree with Julianne too. Maks seemed to just want the dance over with.
8. Drew and Witney – He’s Mr. Entertainment every week. Bruno hit on the nail with his comments. I thought his leg work was a little sluggish, but, for the most part I loved him again and his zest. He just makes me smile always. I love how he can get into character.
9. Candace and Tony – For her first ballroom dance (and what’s more, the Quickstep), she did fairly good. I was impressed with her energy and non-stoppable ‘go get em’ attitude again. Though like the judges, I thought her framing needed work. Her footwork was also messy through out (not sure those were the best shoes to wear with this being an issue?). However, she always has this way of being like a ray of light despite her issues. I do worry she is going home next week?
My Rankings..
1. Meryl & Val: I have to say I was so impressed with Val’s choreography because it really was stellar. While I do think that at times it was too “BAM! In your face!” I think Meryl looked amazing and Val did a great job in showcasing her dancing abilities. I loved the lift at the end as well. Kinda wish she would just stay with Val for the rest of the season…
2. James & Cheryl: Holy smokes this was hot hot hot. I loved Cheryl’s choreography as well and James just keeps impressing me more and more every week. His frame was so much better this time around and I can tell he is only going to keep getting better and better. I absolutely see him outlasting Cody and heck, maybe even snatching the MB from Charlie or Meryl.
3. Drew & Witney: I was so impressed with Witney this week. I definitely think she is the type of pro who would do better with the older men than with young guys like Cody. If I could I would keep her with Drew because she brought out so much out of him and I thought they sold that ChaCha very well. Kinda thought Julianne overscored him with a 9 but at least it made him happy so, I’m pleased with that.
4. Charlie & Peta: Was it a Rumba? I do not know. It sometimes looked like one… I think Charlie handled what he was given very well and I feel bad for Peta because she did get pretty much torn to shreda by the judges for her choreography which to her was great. Hopefully this doesn’t affect her when she gets back to James. I would have given this straight 8’s.
5. Amy & Mark: I missed this dance live (stupid Watch ABC app acting up) but I did catch the judges’ reviews and scores so then I thought “wow .. she must have nailed it” (specially after Bruno said that he “found nothing wrong”). Then I watched it… and I must say I did not get the praise from the judges. It just wasn’t as great as they made it out to be. I think Mark just didn’t know how to handle Amy as well as Derek. I enjoyed some parts of the dance and I did enjoy that Amy was having fun (the lift was nice) and that she looked absolutely gorgeous. I also think the judges are still a bit “starstruck” with Amy and seem to be unable to give her any actual criticism..
6. NeNe & Derek: I’ll start off by saying that Derek choreographed a great routine for NeNe and he really showed all her strengths. To me, the problem with it was a bit on NeNe’s part. Watching it back, I honestly think NeNe could have given this dance even MORE than she did. Her personality is big and I think this dance would have been even better if she had shown her personality to its full extent. I still think Derek did a better job with her this week than Tony has done these past weeks. Is it weird that I would actually like them to stay together if Amy weren’t in this season? 😛
7. Danica & Maks: It was an OK jive. I have never been a fan of Maks’ Jives and this is kinda why. A lot of messing about and unnecessary moments of nothing. I too kinda feel bad for her because I feel like she did get put to the side by the C-bros for being too focused on Meryl.
8. Cody & Sharna: Well the kid tried.. and so did Sharna but at the end of the day the improvement was minimal.. His frame was odd, the side by side was ok and it all just left me wanting more. I thought that by having a taller partner (and one with perhaps more experience) he would do better but he was still the same Cody from the first three weeks. As big as his fan base is, if he and his scores don’t get better I think he’s toast because as we have seen in the past, Twitter followers pretty much mean nothing.
9. Candace & Tony: Talk about harsh. 7s? Yeah I don’t think so. Deserved some 8’s at least. I like Candace and I think Tony did an actually good job with his choreography for her (I didn’t find it boring… shocker!). Not sure why the judges felt the need to low-ball her like that but I fear she might be one of the surprise eliminations in the upcoming weeks (next week maybe?)..
Well, just love that they acted like these were the voted pairings….ha
2 major music mishaps? Come on Ray Chew, get your act together. It’s important, music mishaps can potentially ruin the hard work done by the couples all week.
I thought Julianne did a good job. I like hearing constructive criticism not just praise. Yes, she was a little harsh on Maks, but not necessarily wrong. Just should have stopped at the bit about too much wasted time in the choreography and left it there.
Macys was awesome! Love Kathryn and the guys were great of course. Derek could have a good couple of numbers to submit for Emmys this year after the next few weeks.
As for the dances:
Poor Candace got hosed. She didn’t deserve that low of scores though I don’t think it was a stellar dance either. Glad she and Tony got along but his choreo doesn’t do any favors.
James & Cheryl were awesome. So-so tango song made good by great choreography and concept. He really is the dark horse, but I hope he has enough support to keep him in.
Drew & Witney were also awesome. And so unexpectedly so! I loved it, they really shined, and he really seemed to be enjoying Witney more than Cheryl, on the floor and in the video package. I’m sure he loves Cheryl too, it’s just what I noticed. Great job by her, I think if she keeps this up she will continue to be asked to be a pro and not a troupe member.
Danica & Maks…..already commented in the other posted article. She is a good performer but still didn’t stand out. Just TOO much messing around, not enough content. It didn’t look like he tried to do a stellar job for her. I know Maks fans might not want to hear it, but the man just isn’t a very talented choreographer. Not everyone can be, its just like not everyone is a gifted singer. It’s not meant to be the worst statement in the world, just is what it is.
Yes, maybe it wasn’t rumba enough but I liked Peta’s choreography and thought it was an interesting, beautiful dance. Carrie Ann’s score was too low. He is doing good with his performance level but still needs to step up the facial performance a little more.
I thought Mark did a good job with Amy. Loved their video package. Love her sassiness and her hips and core, really impressive. I’m glad she will be able to do more open work also. It’s really interesting to watch her on her pointed feet too. Looking forward to her back with Derek!
Cody was ok, I thought Sharna did a good job to make the dance cute and memorable, even when his frame, while improved, wasn’t great. I don’t think he’s going to be good in the dances in hold, but will shine in the ones more out of hold. The judges had good remarks, saying he needs to invest totally in the ballroom dances too. I want James to outlast Cody, but I hope to see a little more of what Witney can do as a pro first.
Nene & Derek were fun and I’m glad she got to let loose. Afro Jazz was the perfect way to go for Nene. I bet this will keep her in another week.
Tom was on point tonight. Tony jealous comment? Haha, if only we knew. His ‘doubting Thomas’ remark was also great.
Val and Meryl most requested….ha. But anyway, I’m glad he did her justice. It was a great dance, really enjoyed it. I have always thought Val to be the more gifted choreographer of the brothers but it was made abundantly clear tonight. And Meryl’s comment on the differences between them? I laughed too of how honest she was although she probably didn’t even realize it kind of made Maks look bad. Val is more of a ‘stickler for detail’ eh? Well, I always knew that but now we hear it straight from the mouth of a celeb taught by them both! If I were Val I would be a little annoyed at Maks’ not giving his all for Danica when Val did for Meryl. But he would never criticize his bro publicly anyway so we will never know. Back to Meryl, I do think Meryl’s stronger performance level is also beginning to separate her more from Charlie.
They are setting is up as Maks’ season to lose. I am not confident he can do the stellar work it takes to bring it home though. And momentum can change, it’s still early. The winner needs to come on strong at the end of the season, the beginning of the season frontrunner often doesn’t win. So are there enough Maks fans who want him to win so badly they will overpower the votes? We will see.
No clue who will go next week. Drew and Nene had stronger weeks than ever. Candace is a strong candidate to go home now, unfortunately. Or even Cody, how strong is his fanbase? Twitter isn’t everything. I wouldn’t be upset to see Danica go either.
I said before they danced that Candace was going to get screwed in this switch-up and she did, but not by Tony but by the Judges! I LOVED her Quickstep! LOVED IT! So I voted for Amy and her both last night. I agree that Candace seems to be cannon fodder and for that I’m sad because she’s nice and I prefer Mark to a Chmerkovskiy ANY day! They want to keep Danica because it keeps VAL around longer
Just something about Meryl that I can’t warm up to though. Charlie is much more personable. Val killed it with that AT choreo though, schooled his brother, that’s for sure! I agree, Maks phoned it in on the jive choreo with Danica but think Julianne could’ve worded it a bit better, perhaps?
Drew is the ONLY Celeb who improved his scores from the previous week. Witney did a great job with him. I thought Cody’s Foxtrot was passable but he needs to LISTEN to his Pro!!
I think Derek created a brilliant routine for NeNe given her capability. She’s not the best dancer and honestly, I’d rather see her leave before Candace!!
So overall, I agree with your rankings Courtney, you’re pretty spot-on, having ballroom training and all.
I’m probably in the minority here but I actually liked the idea of the switch up and I wouldn’t mind it being done again. I felt as if I saw more real reactions (as real as can be, given editing lol) from celebs and pros, and maybe more true colors were shown. E.g., Nene calling Tony out, Drew saying Witney was more patient than Cheryl, Maks’ creepy obsession with Meryl as a partner, etc.
1. Meryl and Val–Ok so Val is my favorite pro; I really took a liking to him when I saw him with Zendaya. I like his work best when he doesn’t rely on sex and little havana boy theatrics, and I loved this tango. I liked when Danica said “well Val explains things to me” because it seems like he tries to adjust to her analytic personality to make things work.
2. James and Cheryl: Ok this this was my favorite dance of the night. As for the guys, I would love to see him win. I do like him with Peta though, if she can get the same intensity we saw yesterday.
3. Drew and Witney: I think overscored in terms of technical ability but I reallllly liked seeing these two together, and I like Drew alot. I blame the way I initially saw Witney on the initial package where she started the meeting off asking if Cody was dating (unless it was edited to make her look/sound clueless). But when she was telling Cody about the rules of the tango for their 2nd or 3rd dance, I forget, I liked she was trying to abide by the rules.
4. Danica and Maks: I think the routine was insulting and it was absolutely inane to have her take off her skirt to show a bathing suit (??. I like how well she meshes with Val and am happy to see them back together next week. I agreed with Julianne’s comment, even if it was blunt and a tad unrefined. But, all of the main judges have said many things in the same vein over the past seasons, so eh. I am rooting for Maks this season– but each week, the obsession with Meryl is making it harder to root for him.
Also is it just me or does it seem like the packages don’t show a lot of struggle-ness that goes on in rehearsals? Like I know they showed Danica ‘crying’ in week 2 and some other stuff but perhaps they’re saving it for when it gets much harder, later in the season.
5. Candace and Tony: Unless Cody or Nene go, I feel she’s next :/ She’s just getting lost in all the buzz and that sucks because she really is enjoying her time there.
6. Amy and Mark: I found the performance emotionally lacking; it seemed like they were so busy making sure a leg mishap didn’t happen that it lost the fun in it. Dancing wise, I did find it to be on par with Derek’s routines in my honest opinion. But emotionally it was nothing like Amy/Derek and I can’t say that was Mark’s fault and it was great considering the time, and the pressure, and stuff. I liked how open she was in the package too.
7. Charlie and Peta: I was distracted by the hair, and it sometimes gets hard to watch Charlie in these ‘serious’ types of dances. But I think that’s more due to aesthetics and personality than anything else. I don’t know what a ‘proper’ rumba really is but when I was watching it I knew they were going to get rammed for the contemporary-ness of it, like Candance and Mark were for theirs.
8. Nene and Derek: Ok so I was not blown away by this dance at all. I still felt Nene was holding back– or maybe that was her limit, and if the latter is the case then fine. It was definitely better than her other dances but I would have loved to see a Nene/Derek ballroom dance. Also, call it the sociologist-obsessed-with-cultural-appropriation in me, but I’m not a fan of ‘tribal’ themes. Derek is awesome, though. Val and he are my top 2 male pros. Although if Henry comes back he’d be in my top as well 🙂
9. Cody and Sharna: eh. I don’t have much more to say about that. He doesn’t seem to take this as seriously as his young predecessors have (Zendaya, Kyle, etc). Like he’s just doing it just because. Oh well.
To my surprise I thoroughly enjoyed all of the dances last night. Some more than others but ultimately I thought they all did well with what little time they had to learn a new dance and build chemistry with their new pro. My husband is sick of me watching Peta and Charles’ rumba…..I’ve got that on replay. 🙂
Back to voting. I had to take time to thank everyone that is involved in keeping us informed on dwts news.
I was pleasantly surprised by some of the switch-ups.
1. Meryl & Val: Too bad this pairing was for this week only. Based on what I saw in their rehearsal package, I thought they had some fantastic chemistry. As for their Argentine Tango, I thought it was phenomenal choreography (potentially worthy of an Emmy), and Meryl looked fierce. This should have been all 10’s.
2. James & Cheryl: This was one of those pairings that I saw coming. Despite how annoyed I am by the popularity of “Dark Horse”, I’m really glad they used the original audio for their Tango. James really held his own the whole time, and he and Cheryl looked fantastic.
3. Amy & Mark: I’ve really warmed up to Amy this season. The way she moves is astonishing, and I think she has what it takes to win. I thought this Salsa was hot and spicy. Len and Julianne were a bit harsh with their scores, because that was worthy of all 9’s and maybe even 10’s.
4. NeNe & Derek: This was probably Karma’s way of biting NeNe in the butt after calling Derek a munchkin, but she owned this dance. Who knew Derek could bring out the best in NeNe. This Jazz number really showed her personality, and proves that maybe she could go a little bit further.
5. Drew & Witney: Another pairing that pleasantly surprised me. Drew really had a breakthrough this week with his Cha-Cha-Cha. I thought the whole routine was very entertaining and full of technique and performance. Witney should get partners like this more often, a little more mature.
6. Cody & Sharna: He is slowly making his way to the top. Although, when it comes to his ballroom, he tends to slouch with his posture, which unfortunately suffered in his Foxtrot. I thought him singing in the beginning was a bold move, and that worked. All he needs to work on is his posture.
7. Charlie & Peta: I was extremely disappointed in Charlie this week. Rumba doesn’t fit his personality, but everyone has to have that one bad dance. The whole thing was flat-out awkward. I think Bruno and Julianne were a bit too generous with their scores, and Carrie Ann was bit too harsh. I get that she likes to points out lifts, but it happens. Charlie needs to make a huge comeback next week, or he could possibly be shockingly eliminated. It’s a possibility.
8. Danica & Maks: While there was some Jive content, there really wasn’t enough. There was too much messing around with Jenna and Lindsay, and a lack of chemistry between them. I predict she will be in the bottom two next week.
9. Candace & Tony: I don’t know what’s been happening with Candace. She hasn’t seemed to regain the momentum she had Week 1. While their Quickstep was good (virtually no mistakes), I think we all know who to blame if she leaves next week.
The Macy’s Stars of Dance was fantastic and sexy all at the same time. Well done to Derek for choreographing.
Overall, it was great night of competition. I hope they do this every season from now on. Can’t wait for Disney Night next week.
I usually don’t have strong feelings about the people on the show, but I’m impressed with how much James seems to genuinely care, and he picked the most awesome song this season IMO — Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle.”
Meanwhile, Cody is a total d*ck. He’s pretty much the least appealing personality I’ve seen on this show. He just seems like a little jerk who won’t listen and doesn’t care about most of the dances. I agree with the Bieber lite thing.
I think it was such a mistake to switch Danica and Meryl to the other brother. It set the whole “us against them” vibe right down to the judging of the couples and pit the Chmerkvskiy’s against the judges etc. If it was actually about what fans wanted to see and what was best for the celeb, it should have been as actually voted. Meryl would have learned just as much from Derek, Candace would still be in the competition next week( cuz I think she is out ). Danica might still have had Maks or Tony but I think it would have been better for the celebs.
Not only is Candace not long for the DWTS world but I think she knows it as well. You could sort of see it on her face last night. I do hope that if next week is her last, she and Mark go out on a high note with a great performance.
Maks’ Jives are the pits. It’s like has a list that he goes down and checks off when he choreographs one:
1. A vague 50’s style to the costumes-CHECK!
2. The girl in a cutesie pie flirty outfit-CHECK!
3. Maks in high waist-ed nerd pants, bonus points for suspenders-CHECK!
4. Lots of messing about and camera love-CHECK!
5. An air of madcap forced gaiety-CHECK!
I do like his Quicksteps so lets hope he and Meryl have that next week.
I didn’t say anything when the reports were that Cheryl and James’ tango was technically good but no chemistry, because Cheryl knows how to turn it ON in performance, and I think James is so invested in the show he was always going to turn it on as well. So get that content nailed and wait til the red light is on to turn it on. I could see the technical issues (butt and some of the alignment below the shoulders) but I was super impressed at the content, amount of hold. Kicked the a@@ of Charlie White’s tango as far as challenging your partner and delivering content, and I like Charlie so far. I’m glad they got good scores. And Whitney/Drew just killed it. If you’re that age and game, but not going to every be mistaken for a pro, then go b*lls out and have a blast. Kind of like when Kim Johnson and Jerry Springer did samba, only Drew was technically a bit better than that. 🙂 Fantastic job by Whitney.
Hey Susan, I was such a fan of Misty May when she partnered with Maks that time. I thought she had good chemistry with him and a lot of musicality. It was grace and finesse that needed work, so nice growth arc set there. Then when she got her torn Achilles and had to drop out, Maks and Edyta did the planned Misty/Maks jive in tribute, and oy oy oy. Not exactly what Misty would have needed to kick her to the next level. High socks. High waisted pants. Forced cutsiness. After I saw that jive I didn’t feel as if Misty were going to go as far as I’d thought, even if she’d stayed healthy. The choreo and concepts were going to ruin it.
Honestly, I am sure this is because I really don’t wear make up, and in my almost 50 years, I’ve NEVER had anything done with my brows, but I didn’t see anything wrong with Julianne’s eyebrows. And I had no idea who Anastasia Soare is, so I had to go googling… And still don’t know anything about her other than she works with eyebrows……… Oh well.
I loved the opening dance, and I loved the Macy’s dance!
I thought Julianne did a good job, but I think if they want to get everything in, they should have started with a 4th judge later in the season, when there are less couples needing to dance, and each judge could have just a bit more time. I think that ended up part of the problem, the judges only have so much time scheduled into their critiques, and they need to factor in Tom and the crowd in the audience. Then divide it by 4, and there REALLY isn’t much time to say anything. She doesn’t seem to ever pre-think when she speaks, what’s in her head comes out, she’s always seemed to have a problem of saying something, and then thinking, “Oh, that didn’t sound like it should have” or “I should have worded that differently.”
I think they are starting to fall into tiers now, with Candace, Drew and NeNe falling into the bottom. Unfortunately, I do think Candace will be going home next week, and it’s a shame, because I don’t think she’s the worst dancer left. I loved how her and Tony bonded, and they both did work well, and I even think he may have “upped his game” a bit, but he still fell short. I loved NeNe’s dance, and liked her newfound relationship with Derek, and she DID do the best she’s ever done! And Drew! Witney was a revelation, and honestly, I think this switchup was the BEST thing that could happen for her! Without it, I don’t know if we’d see her next season as a teaching pro, because I HADN’T been all that thrilled with her teaching and choreography for Cody. Seeing her work with Drew certainly proved she has what it takes to be a pro again. Still young, but I am impressed!
I would put Cody, Amy and Danica into the middle of the pack. Danica shouldn’t be, because she DOES have what it takes to be in the top, but I still don’t think her pros have been giving her something. Content? Maybe more difficulty?? I don’t know, but there’s something HUGE that’s missing from her performances, but she definitely has the ability that neither Chmer-bro have tapped. Amy’s good, but I do think we will really see some of her limitations soon, and I’m not sure how much Derek will be able to compensate. I do think Mark has a newfound respect for both Amy and Derek. She because of what she has been able to accomplish, and he for how difficult a job it is to make it all seem so effortless. And Cody COULD have the potential, but he’s too young. Zendaya was the same age, but Cody SEEMS younger, because emotionally, he is….. Boys mature at least 2 years behind girls…. I’ve thought this when they had CodytheteenageboytheFirst, then again with Shawn’s first run, and with Zendaya, and REALLY again now…. No one under 20. He did make Sharna work a lot harder than she should have had to.
And the top tier, Charlie, Meryl and James. In my mind, I think James has a really good chance at winning….. He isn’t going against the “ice dancer so shouldn’t be on the show” mentality that both Meryl and Charlie have to fight against, and Cheryl and Peta have given him some great choreography, and not the “take your clothes off and shake the bonbons for a high score from 2 of the judges” that Peta HAS done in the past. If she keeps it up, he’ll definitely be in the final, and I could live with it, because she has done much better this season, and half of last season.
I agree with you that Candace could be the one leaving next week. The other fan bases are motivated this week. She just might be forgotten with all the drama of the week.
Couldn’t disagree with you more. Nene just stood around and really was not complicated choreography for her. Drew is more popular than you think, and Candace definitely deserved a 7. Watch it back, mistakes all over the place.
Well, Tim, you also think that Erin is responsible for the increase in ratings, so I’ll take everything you’re saying with a grain of salt. I suggest you stop stating your own opinions as facts and quit telling me to go “watch it back”.
I don’t think Candace will be eliminated next week, at least based on what I can see on Facebook she seems to be really, really popular (people seem to love Full House?) and now that she got the lowest scores people are rallying behind her big time and keep on about how she was robbed and how her legitimate switch up-partner should have been Derek. I bet her scores fueled people to vote even more for her.
Just my observations, who knows what the producers are up to.
Concerning yesterday’s show, I’m still kinda upset how they pretended that these were really the couples people voted for…
Derek’s Macy routine was stunning and his dance with NeNe high-energy and fun. I think the audience loved their dance as they booed the scores the judges gave.
Drew and Witney were also really entertaining, but maybe a bit overscored.
I think Charlie executed well what he was given but I don’t like his hair slicked back. I kinda like him more than Meryl. Meryl is very sweet, but I find Charlie somehow more approachable. I also have to say that I find the Meryl-Maks partnership kinda creepy (my friends also think so). Meryl is scored above everyone else right now, but I have no idea if she has it in the bag. Maybe people don’t want to vote for the ringer in the long run.
Of course Charlie also has that ringer label, but in comparison he’s more of an ”underdog” right now than she is.
James isn’t even a dark horse for me, he’s no ringer but I expected him to do really well and he has probably more fans than half of the celebs combined.
Cody tops James though when it comes to fanbase. I’ll be shocked when he doesn’t get very far, because online voting is so easy and I could totally see his fangirls voting like crazy for him.
I took all my online votes this morning and threw them to Candace when normally, I would’ve given them ALL to Amy/Derek. I also split my phone votes between Amy and Candace last night ( I have 4 cell phones–Don’t judge me, lol )and also some online votes from my MacBook 😉 with my 5 email addresses. So hopefully the Mark B fan base will be motivated to vote as well!!
Switch would’ve been fun if there hadn’t been all the lying, throwing out votes for what ppl really wanted to see. It did result in a few good dances to watch.
I don’t care abt Cody, hate his attitude, don’t get the appeal, don’t care. Witney however was great with Drew. Really enjoyed their dance. Normally not too interested in Candace but she danced well last night, was underscored and considering it was Tony, I was a little shocked.I don’t know or like NeNe very much but Derek can bring out something likable about anyone so I could forget my general impression of her for a few minutes. I really enjoyed her dance and thought too, her best so far.
Mark is kind of winning me over again after last night. Since Amy really has no connecton to the floor, leverage, flexed toes, I feel any liitle thing can throw her balance, even Mark being a little shorter than Derek. Amazed by what they did with just a week. I think scored were right. I LOVED James with Cheryl, he’s been growing on me a little. I think all the pushing of him on Peta detracts from the fact that he is a fair dancer and could get really good. I was so into Peta and Charlies dance that I kept thinking really? it wasn’t a rumba, there was a lift? I was sooo into the dance mesmerized, staging costumes everything, I was shocked, felt bad for them both and the slams from judges were not appropriate I think. After all if Maks can do a FT that isn’t really a FT and can fool away half the time at begining and end of dances, why so harsh with Peta and Charlie. Maybe the judges mistook Charlie for Derek!!
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I felt a little sorry for the dancer not a dancer Danica . Familia will throw anyone under the bus to get a Mirror all in the family. I hope harsh as it was, Julianne NEVER apologises for her remark cause after she said it I realised thats how I’ve been feeling about Maks all season. Yes, he has appeared to be a little less abrasive but he phoned it in with Danika and he’s been phoning it in with Meryl all season. He feels as though her being everybodys princess and almost damn perfect is enough to get him the win and he shouldn’t hae to do anything that creative or extraordinary. I think he could be wrong. I feel absolutely nothing about Meryl or her dances. I think she comes across as rather chilly, maybe it’s just what she is really like but I think if she were partnered with Derek or even Mark we would get to know a whole different Meryl.Technically her dance was good, but one 10 was enough IMO.
As Courtney? I think said b4, hit the nail on the head, IMO. The Cherm Bros and their minions seem all abt driving that wedge between themselves(self-perceived magnificents) and the other pros. Maybe it will work for them this time, who knows? TPTB seem determined and I think it’s been promised that either Maks or Val will take it this season. But I prefer the show without them. Then the other pros seem to get along, work together, celebs enjoy it more and its the DWTS family as it once was.
Brooke asked the question “How does it feel….” over and over and over and over and it got annyoing. Needed a better interviewer and they found the best in the business.
How bout you leave me and my opinion out of this and just talk about what you think, Tim? And your freedom of speech…on a privately-owned blog? HA.
Brooke also didn’t pester the couples with childish, gossipy questions like “Are you dating?” like Erin does. It’s tacky and I would say she’s far from the best in the business. Dude, are you seriously dating Erin or something? I’ve never seen someone so determined to “sell” her to us…
No but I have watched Erin for years on the Sideline and the quick on her feet skills she has interviewing are respectable. I feel like you guys on here give her a much harder time than she deserves, hence why I am fighting it.
Well, Tim, not everyone is going to share your opinion – and it’s not really your place to determine whether we’re giving her “a harder time than she deserves”. You’ve said your piece; move on.
Erin’s question was out of line. It’s no one’s business if James and Peta are dating besides James and Peta! And the baby talk? Seriously? If Erin wants a DWTS baby, let her go sleep with Maks and have one herself. I don’t want gossip. Ask them how they thought they did or how they thought it went with the new partner but no trying to ship romances between partners, especially if a celeb or pro is in a relationship with someone else.
I’m a big Erin fan (I was super excited when they announced she was getting this gig) but I’m definitely over the new “tabloidy” feel of the star-box interviews. I thought she was going to be able to bring more candid banter to the interviews because Brooke always seemed so scripted. Instead, she just asks annoying questions that even the cast seem sick of! She wouldn’t ask a football player about his dating life, so why bring that to DWTS?
I’m also a really big Mark/Candace fan and unfortunately, like many pointed out in the switch-up post, they got the raw end of this new gimmick. Maybe since they already had the Full House reunion, TPTB decided she was expendable? IMO, her quickstep with Tony in no way warranted scores 3 points below everyone else. I saw on twitter that some of the Rioters are throwing their votes to Candace this week, so fingers crossed we can pull her through to next week!
I loved how sweet Mark was with Amy this week! Was he the only Pro that reached out to the original Pro to get tips/tricks on working with his celeb? Also, Mark and Derek consider themselves brothers and never once pointed out that they were keeping Amy “in the family”. It’s a DWTS family!
I’ve got to give props where they’re due – and Meryl/Val were amazing tonight! But my favorite dance of the night, just because of the fun factor, was Drew and Witney!
Question for the Mods that is WAY off-topic. When it comes to the Trio week, do all the formerly paired pros tend to dance with a trio? So they will all be taken first?
This is in no particular order:
Candace and Tony – I know nothing about dance other than what I’ve picked up from the show over the years. I can understand the low scores because of the huge gap between them. Did Tony choreograph it that way to screw Mark? Other than that, I enjoyed the dance and hope that Candace isn’t the one to go home.
James and Cheryl – I really like James and enjoy watching him dance.
Cody and Sharna – just don’t care for him – guess it’s because I’m in the older age demo. Would be fine if he was the one to go home.
Amy and Mark – I loved Amy’s outfit – she can really move. I think she did a great job.
Meryl and Val – loved this performance. The best of the night and the best I’ve seen from Meryl. She and Val have a lot more chemistry to me than Meryl and Maks.
Danica and Maks – felt very sorry for Danica. She could have done much more. I didn’t see much of the “flicks and kicks” that Len is always talking about but maybe I just missed it. Too much wasting time which seems to be a Maks trademark. Julianne could have used more tact but I understand what she was saying.
NeNe and Derek – wasn’t my favorite performance but I did enjoy it. I liked their package together and NeNe calling him “boo-boo.”
Witney and Drew – they were fun together – enjoyed it.
Charlie and Peta – Charlie is one of my faves but that wasn’t his best dance. Peta could have choreographed more of the rumba moves that they were asking for. Charlie: please do not hide your curly golden locks anymore – no more of the slicked back look!
Erin – that was so awkward with the DWTS baby comment to Peta and James. Just leave it alone!
Really enjoyed the Macy’s Stars of Dance – that was great!
Before I read anything upstream, I’m going to rank. I don’t think I have done this before. So I hope I don’t bore you. My ranks are my perception of the dance. Trust me, I know nothing other than what I see and what I like and the stuff I learned over the years.
1. Val/Meryl Outstanding
2. Drew/Witney tie with Derek/NeNe for entertainment value alone. Sometimes it’s nice just to watch the dance and enjoy it just as it is presented–flaws and all. (in other words, I will be the next guest judge!)
3. James & Cheryl Lord has he improved.
4. Peta & Charlie 4th by default, but I did not like their dance, period!
5-9: Lumped them together because I don’t really care where they land. So this is alpha order by celeb…
Amy/Mark. Nice effort, but given a pass by the asst. muppet judges. That dance bored me. Amy needs “curves’ for these dances and costuming did her no favors with those pants.
Candace/Tony WTH…dark boring costumes for a dark and boring dance. So sad for Candace. However, am I the only who seems to feel Candace does not finish her “lines”. I want to see Mark do well this year for some strange reason. And yeah, he’s right…..Tony hosed him.
Cody/Sharna He cannot go home soon enough. He doesn’t actually dance, just seems to turn it in. Does not finish his lines and puts too much Cody into the dances. (yeah–stole that from the judges) If I wanted to hear him sing, I would turn on the tunes, thank you very much DWTS.
Danica’s lousy dance was Maks’ fault, because he doesn’t know how to JIVE he just goofs off, and always has. Stupid.
And thrill of all thrills, DISNEY week is up next. Meryl looks just like Jasmine from Aladdin, so I’m sure she and Val will be showing us ‘the world’.
Eyebrows? Good gosh Julianne, did you not check the mirror first? LOL at Tom’s comment about her dress. The pros are suggestively dressed most weeks, but he gets all goo-goo-eyed over her cleavage and bronzer? LMAO
The one thing Monday Night’s Fan Voted partners clarified, other than the fact Conrad is a liar was this: There are some pros who are actually choreographers, and the rest are just wannabes!
Thanks for listening!
I liked the switch i thought we could see how they were reacting to a new method of teaching
Is it me or peta has too much botox on her face with the hairstyle she did i keep noticing that
Cody is definitely annoying it sucked that witney is paired with him because i love her and i want to see more of her as a pro
Candace quickstep s was all over the place for me she deserved maybe one 8 i didnt enjoy it
I think drew can go far like bill last season i loved his chacha
I didnt like the rumba and i love charlie so thats suck and i found sharna reaction during the scoring and after during the interviews ott
And i think im the only one to think that but i dont really like amy i dont know why
im still voting for derek because i just love him and he is amazing
First, a real shout-out to the Macy’s Stars of Dance routine, especially Ms. McCormack! It’s not always the winners of a season of SYTYCD that go on to have the stellar dancing careers.
Second, loved how Witney worked with Drew. It will be interesting to see if they give her another shot as a pro before Jenna gets a season. (And I hope Lindsey gets another chance – she had the boxer and got him through five weeks, which my wife and I thought was a minor miracle.)
Third, the judge’s inconsistencies drive me crazy! Someone earlier this year did a “contemporary foxtrot” and got away with it, but Peta gets blasted for doing the same with Charlie’s rumba. And Len sometimes gives no criticism yet scores lower than the others. And I could go on and on…
Fourth, if Jame’s has any kind of fan base, he could be there at the end. IMO, by far the most improved.
Switch-up week The idea from TPTB is if they could effectively switch partners they could make the case that they didn’t need the seasoned pros and they could go with all newbie instructors to cut cost.
Switch-up voting They recieved a product placement fee from Twitter just like they use to have with AT&T Text. It is all about the $$$$.
Of course they screw it up and all the voting by the public was flushed and they made up the pairings in their little minds ignoring the fans JUST LIKE THEY ALWAYS DO
The only judging panel that will fairly judge Max consists of MAX, MAX & MAX. Julianne is to young, Len is to old and Carianne does know what she is talking about. I see a variation of that dance everytime Max has been on this show. About time someone called him out.
Overall, I thought it went better than I thought it would, but I don’t want to see it again.
Erin gives new meaning to insert foot in mouth. She’s so annoying. Bring back Brooke or let Tom do the show on his own. He’s a class act and it would make the show a lot better.
Danica/Tony – I’m not a fan of Tony at all, but I must say I enjoyed that dance. It kept moving and wasn’t his usual boring stuff. I think they were underscored. There should have been at least two 8’s.
James/Cheryl – When I heard James was going to be on the show, I didn’t give him much thought and figured he’d be gone early. He’s changing that opinion. He can dance. I think he’s going to go farther than a lot of people originally thought. I’d much rather watch him over Cody. He’s working at learning and improving each week, not how his hair looks or if he can get hip hop into the dance somehow.
Drew/Whitney – I liked their dance. I smile when Drew is on. He’s going to be like Bill Engvall last season.
Danica/Maks – I haven’t liked her from the start because she won’t admit to having a lot of dance experience. Are we supposed to believe that she’s learned to dance like that in a few short weeks? She won’t be getting any of my votes, I don’t care who she dances with.
Charlie/Peta – They did a good job, rumba or not. Could have done without Charlie having his hair slicked down though.
Amy/Mark – It was good and Mark did a good job given the time he had and not knowing what her limitations could be. I’m glad she’s going back to Derek.
Cody/Sharna – He doesn’t impress me. To me, he looks awkward. And I agree with Courtney, Cody doesn’t do anything that Cody doesn’t want to do. It’s all about how he looks and everyone is probably afraid to call him on it. Sharna tried, but I’m sure she didn’t get very far. I have to say thank you to Sharna for telling him he couldn’t wear those hideous hammer pants for the week. I wouldn’t be sad to see him gone next week.
NeNe/Derek – Not a fan of NeNe, but Derek did something that Tony has no hope of doing. He gave her good choreography, got her to relax and let go, and it showed.
Meryl/Val – About what I expected from Val. I do agree with others that his choreography for the dance was much better than anything Maks could have done. It will be interesting now to see if Maks ups his game and challenges her more than he has.
I don’t envy Whitney having to deal with the self-centered brat that Cody appears to be. She showed last night that she can do the choreography and does well when she has a partner that respects and listens to her. Having Cody leave early would be doing her a favor. She deserves much better.
Don’t care for guest judges, whether they’re dancers or not.
As for the bottom two, NeNe and Candace for no specific reason. Candace is probably going to be the one getting booted and it would be wrong as I feel she’s a better dancer than NeNe, but TPTB do seem to be heading that way. I wouldn’t mind it being Cody and Danica with Cody leaving. Danica won’t go, because like it was mentioned above, that would mean beady eyed Val leaving and they don’t want that.
And no, you don’t get to be both Ron AND Tim, Tim. Pick a name and stick with it.
On Mark challenging her in the Salsa, Amy said to Erin…”Oh gosh, I mean just that first being on my own a little bit more, ’cause he does give breathing room, so I’m realizing I’m not really being lead, I have to do it, you know, I mean, he’s leading me, but kinda softly guiding me, so it’s little bit different than with Derek, yeah, but it’s amazing I wanted to see what I could with it as well.” We know it’s because he’s protective of her, however, I agreed with Carrie Ann about Derek covering Amy. As great as their contemporary dance was last week, Derek basically did all the dancing. I think it would have received more scrutiny had it not been so emotionally powerful and heart-wrenching. So it may not have looked like a lot, but I thought, and apparently so did Amy, that this was the most “on her own” she has been on the dance floor, and I could tell she was elated over it.
As for Candace, I think she’s on her way out. And it’s not because of lack of support, but because the producers are pushing her out… that’s why she’s being underscored (those 7s were lower than Drew’s) and why she was paired with Tony. It’s being set up for a C brother win.
After the switch-up shenanigans, I no longer trust the producers or their “voting” methods.
Lee: re Lindsay/Witney/Jenna, I think that all three of these girls will be pros. But I think that Jenna will probably have another year in the troupe, especially because the other two have both spent two years in the troupe. I won’t be surprised if Lindsay gets promoted to a pro next season, I just don’t know who will replace her in the troupe (Brittany Cherry, anyone?). I think that they are starting to reshuffle the female pros, so we will see.
Tim/Ron split personality happening? LOL Courtney. You at least give one good laugh a day. Much appreciated.
Stray Observations from each couple in the order of the best to worst
Val and Meryl – I am a chmercovskiy fan… And I am a bigger Val fan and I am glad he gave good choreography. At this point, Val fits into the show better then Maks. I am kind of terrified for the week Maks gets Contemporary or Jazz. It’s not going to be pretty.
James and Cheryl – Mr. Guy Liner (James) was good. But he’s just very blah. His video pack might have been the most annoying of the night. (Candace was second)
NeNe and Derek – If you watch Real Housewives, we were given a formal introduction to Nay Nay in this dance. Nay Nay comes out from time to time but this spoke to Nay Nay as a human entity. That is all.
Charlie and Peta – They pulled a Louis Van Amstel and Lisa Rinna from several seasons back. I just felt bad for Peta. As usual, the judges overeacted. Those a*********
Cody and Sharna – AAHHHH I love Mother Australian Sharna. I actually liked Cody after this.
Witney and Drew – Ok, Witney annoyed the hell out of me on SYTYCD so I was like “ugh” witney. But she did really good with Drew. Ugh. I hated saying that.
Mark and Amy – IT belongs down here. It was boring. Week 1 and Week 2, yes freak out about her. Thats done. Shes an athlete. She deserves REAL CRITICISM.
Maks and Danica – I feel bad for Danica. The routine sucked AND there was unnecessary drama over her routine. Julieanne could have had alot more tact in speaking. They both (Maks and Julieanne) need to apologize to the poor girl.
Candace and Tony – She’s an awkward dancer. And it showed. Her shoulders need work. Oy vey
Megan, you’ll notice I edited your comment – there’s no need to taunt the “haters”. It’s childish and you need to learn to let those with differing opinions be without picking at them if you’re going to continue to post here.
It would be extremely difficult for any of the judges to constructively critique Amy. You heard Mark in the package, everything he and Derek knew about how dance happens was out the window for Amy. The judges could comment on her arms, her torso, even (as yesterday) her butt. But to talk in any meaningful way about what her feet/legs are either doing or not doing I don’t think is possible.
ERIN NEEDS TO GO. That’s my new mantra. Her behavior last night was embarrassing and pathetic. In addition to being inappropriate, she’s promoting the idea that the only thing “girls” are interested in is boys and babies. Makes me want to throw up. Even assuming she’s “the best in the business, she didn’t get there by these kinds of performances. As both a female and a professional she should be mortified to do the things she’s doing. The fact that she isn’t is why my new mantra is ERIN NEEDS TO GO.
I just had another thought. I think the switch-up tells the producers a bit about other stars that pros can get. It shows them that Witney can handle a Drew, or that Cheryl can work well with a James. It makes you wonder…
I thought Nene’s “dance” was awful. I don’t like that “jazz” is one of the dances they are using now because it pretty much lets them get up there and do anything they choose.
Amy was better last night with Mark. I do wonder if the judges will ever judge her like they do the others though? Yes, the woman has a disability, but judge her fairly. She knows what she signed up for. They have had no trouble in the past critiquing a star’s physical appearance, like if they are pigeon footed or something, and how the dance is affected by it.
Candace was vastly underscored. I am not sure why.
One thing this week did was make me appreciate how the pro/celeb pairing can affect my impression of the pro.
Witney was FAR more charming, likeable, and effective working with Drew.
So, yeah, Bieber-lite/Roshon 2.0 is the weak link in that pairing.
Perhaps the judges believe they are judging Amy fairly given that she dances with feet made of wood, having no sense of touch on the dance floor.That is hardly equivalent to being “pigeon-toed or something.” Perhaps her detractors could clue us in as to what type of real CRITICISM they would like to see.
James was #1 for me last night, followed by Charlie and Amy because I loved their spirit.
Even though TPTB made this episode weird, it was pretty good, dancing-wise.
1. Meryl & Val: Talk about some brotherly love, baby bro making sure his brother’s trophy is a all nice and polished (metapohically of course).
2. James & Cheryl: Despite them beating this dark horse to death with the song selection, James is still defying odds.
3. NeNe & Derek: Can Derek made a diamond in the rough shine or what?
4. Drew &Witney: Excellent showcasing of Wit’s talent as a pro, Drew still needs a few things to work on, but still he can make a nine out of a cha-cha on week 4: maybe a second dark horse is in our midst.
5. Charlie & Peta: I’m dumbfounded that Len could even find contemporary in that routine, maybe something in Charlie’s movement threw him off, but Candace’s Rumba was more contemporary.
6. Candace & Tony: Talk about throwing someone under the bus. If Candace wasn’t too good for the quickstep then her Jive deserved 5’s.
7. Danica & Maks: Be it that Maks half-assed this, Danica still managed to revel, in this turd of a jive. Maks… stop being Meryl-focused for one week and actually make your brother look good. When a brother strikes gold for the other try to be more self-concious. Heels Danica! Why didn’t you push the issue?!
8. Amy & Mark: Mark seemed too cautious this week. He didn’t need all of the minimalism. Amy has proven herself capable of complex choreography. She should move freely along the floor more often. If Mark proved something it’s that Amy is capable of taking on a solo bit.
9. Cody & Sharna: For me… I can’t even begin. Cody should’ve listened to Sharna.
To much hip-hop/new wave in this foxtrot, frame was lacsidasical, and I fell bad for Wit… she really got a stubborn partner.
Courtney, I always look forward to reading your power rankings each week. You’re so knowledgeable…always fair, and spot on. Most of what I know about dancing I’ve learned from reading your posts.
I just wanted to say thank you.
No Sherry, thank YOU 🙂
I gotta say I loved this week. Great opening dance. LOVED, LOVED the Macy’s dance. Enjoyed all the couples and the packages and all the dances. They all did a good job with so little time together. Enjoyed all the couples reactions towards their previous partners and fellow pros. Cracked up with NeNe and Derek! My only dislike was some of Erin’s comments and the judges; so on my re-watch I just fast forward!!
To say that Amy’s an athlete and she deserves real criticism is kind of naïve don’t you think? The thing is, the woman has no feet. Since this show has never judged dancers against each other only against how the dancer has grown why should it be any different for Amy?
I don’t think she has to be handled with kid gloves, but to think that she should be judged at the same level of anyone else is quite ridiculous -are you going to compare her to Meryl the ice dancer that has two feet? Maybe it’s easy to forget that Amy doesn’t because Derek makes her look pretty damn good. But it’s true. Whenever Derek has a ringer that person is Judged three times as harsh as anyone else. So the converse should be true for Amy. Measure her against her own accomplishments. So, in my opinion they’re judging Amy about right, and they’re way too light on Meryl. Especially considering the Choreo that Maks has been giving her.
True, rose. I’m beginning to think that those picking at Amy – who happen to be self professed maks fans – are scared. Or totally lacking in imagination, empathy and plain old wonder at how someone who can’t feel the floor is actually dancing.
But such comments say much more about them than they do Amy.
Just want to give props to Derek and that incredible Macys Stars of Dance. Kathryn is one of my favorites from SYTYCD, so I am loving that he spotlighted her. I wonder if she’ll be part of the Move Live on Tour dancers because she danced with Jules and Derek on Ellen when the tour was announced. But anyways, that dance was just stunning and I love when Derek dances Paso!
My favorite switches of the night were Drew/Witney, Nene/Derek, and James/Cheryl. I just think that Witney and Derek brought out new sides out of their partners that we haven’t seen before and these switch up partners are COMPLETE OPPOSITES of their regular partners and yet they brought out the best in them. The reason I chose James/Cheryl as a favorite was because this is the first dance that made me really look at James. I like that he’s really into this and he improves. I can totally see him in the finals.
I love Charlie, but I hope that Sharna can give him something that can give him a breakout from under Meryl. Charlie is just as good as Meryl, but I think he’s not getting his due from the judges. I hope this is storyboarding and Charlie will emerge dominant in the last weeks of the competition. I am rooting for Charlie and Sharna (if Derek and Amy get eliminated).
All in all, I did think switch up was fun to watch and if TPTB do it in the future, I’d prefer they not use twitter. It was just such a blatant manipulation by them. Looking forward to Disney week!
It’s been so long since I’ve posted I hope it’s okay to comment at this juncture.
I liked the switch-up just for the sake of adventure and I just think it’s a great experience for all involved if they choose to embrace it no matter the scores. Only for the one week though.
The only incredibly annoying thing for me is Julianne Hough’s ego. I never used to think much about her. I thought she was cute on the show many years ago and won a couple of times (as have others). But the way she was presented, as she was last time as a guest judge, was as the second coming, imo, and her OPINION was Gospel when it’s just an opinion. The fact that she seems to have bought into it is the part that I find amusing. I don’t mind constructive criticism at all about content but when you infer intent on the part of anyone, in this case Maks, when you don’t know and you weren’t there, please, get over yourself. I am not a Maks fan but for once, maybe it was the year off and maybe it won’t last but I thought he handled that exactly as I wanted him to years ago. He brushed it off and made fun of his age instead of acting insecure and lashing out. I don’t think for a second he deliberately didn’t give a crap about Danica (or his brother). Maks did the best he could with a new partner in less than a week with his choreography skills. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
The only snarky thing I could say Maks said in an interview afterwards about Julianne was one thing and that was that Maks had been doing this for thirty years and Julianne is too young to judge him to which Julianne replied that older isn’t necessarily wiser. IMO, I felt Julianne was full of herself for no good reason (she isn’t her brother) and she acted like an *ss with Mark and Maks. I’m not sure who she thinks she is or why and I really don’t care. So for Julianne to retort that older isn’t wiser…….thank you Miss Black Face, I’ll keep that in mind.
I even felt bad for Peta who I’ve never cared for. It looked like she was holding back tears with a really big smile. I don’t know enough about ballroom technique except that I think of hip action when I think Rumba which I didn’t really see but I don’t know and the dance looked pretty. And if Courtney says it’s a Rumba than it’s a Rumba. I think Peta’s was constructive criticism and she just seems too insecure and sensitive to take it for this particular field of work. But I thought it was a pretty dance regardless.
Can’t wait to see who wins. Right now I’m rooting for Amy and then Meryl. Karina’s personality and dancing are noticeably missed for me. Love having Sharna back.
@Susan, 45, I will join you in the mantra.
Julianne’s comment though was spot-on. Her delivery perhaps wasn’t the best but was right on target as was her comment to Mark last season. Remember, she was Mark’s professional partner once upon a time. 😉 Also Mark DID out dance Candace in their Jive two weeks ago. And he did the same thing with Christina Millian last season.
Maks makes ALL Kinds of snarky comments. Like tweeting that he didn’t trust anyone else BUT his brother with Meryl? Hmm, that’s funny considering Derek worked with her first. Or saying on air that DWTS was HIS show? Gee how soon the “La Familia” fans forget all the snark the C-bros throw out there…lol
Susan, I agree. ERIN NEEDS TO GO
I promise I didn’t forget all the prior snark from Maks (being “his” show and being rude to Len etc.) I just thought this time around regarding Julianne’s particular opinion that Maks handled it way better than his previous snark days in the sense I was waiting for a DEFCON 3 meltdown from him and he didn’t do it. And I just didn’t particularly think her opinion on intent was true, for me personally anyway. Val, I usually like, Maks not so much but that doesn’t mean, for me, that anyone is right or wrong 100% of the time.
And for the love of Pete, Erin Andrews level of obnoxious is astonishing, imo. I was a bit shocked to find out she was 35!
You’re opposite of me, Ashley. Give me Maks’ meltdowns over Val’s smug superiority and condescension any day. Maks may act like a hypocritical idiot at times, but it always feels honest. I don’t think the same can be said for Val.
I was at a conference Monday evening so just caught up late last night. A few observations:
1. Julianne would make a good permanent judge. Yes she is blunt and brutally honest but she also tells it like it is and is correct most of the time. The show needs that rather than judges pushing producer agenda.
2. Erin was HORRIBLE again and I hated her dress. I also noticed that she only interacted with Tom at the beginning and end of the show. Nothing in between. And when they are in the same camera shot, they don’t look at each other. In the past, both Tom and Brooke would have introduced Macys Stars of Dance. And I have seen Erin do sportscasts as well. Since she joined Fox Sports, she has been doing MLB post season games and it is clear she is just researching the bare minimum about the players to get by. Football is her passion not dancing and not other sports.
3. I did not like the packages. James’ had nothing to do with the dance and Charlie and Meryl did not even mention the fact that they were in Florida or learning 5 new skating routines for SOI last week as well.
4. In the opening number it was awkward that Meryl and Charlie came out together, especially since their outfits and looks clashed so much.
I feel like TPTB read our comments based on some of things we saw last night:)
Meryl and Val: By far the dance if the night. The only thing that would have made this better was Meryl dancing the AT with Charlie. Val braiding Meryl’s hair was bizarre yet hilarious and adorable at the same time.
NeNe and Derek: Bravo to Derek for yet another great dance. I guess we will never see NeNe wear heels. I still think it is her time to go. Whether that is true or not we shall find out,
Charlie and Peta: Hated the hair. The dance was fantastic but I’m no technical expert and I knew that wasn’t a rumba. I caught the lift as well. However, I think had Charlie actually had a traditional rumba, he would have been scored lower. He clearly did not like the scoring and it was cute the camera caught Meryl trying to walk over to him after he got his scores. She realized it quickly and walked away.
Cody and Sharna: I fast forwarded everything except the first few seconds of his dance where he was singing. That was the only time I’ve seen him happy on this show. I just don’t care anymore and want him out.
Drew and Witney: Not the greatest but I enjoyed it. However, I remember the disco props more than the dance itself so that’s not a good thing,
Danica and Maks: A lot of filler here and I agree with everyone else that his mind was on Meryl. I did not like Danica’s outfit and thought there was no reason to include the troupe.
James and Cheryl: Loved it and I do agree he is going far. I’m not a big Cheryl fan but I enjoyed her last night.
Amy and Mark: I respect Mark for talking to Derek and for doing his best to learn how to showcase Amy in a short amount of time. I think Amy enjoyed the challenge as well. They both seemed happy and that’s what counts. And can she move those hips! Wow! Good dance but not her best one.
Candace and Tony: I actually could picture them as a permanent pairing. She was underscored. It wasn’t a great dance but it was a good dance for someone who isn’t a professional dancer. I always give stars leeway with quick steps and jives as they seem so physically demanding, The dance was worthy of 8s at least. TPTB may want Candace gone but I can still recall her dance and costume vividly. I can’t say that for some of the others right now.
SO excited for Disney week! I hope we get Meryl dancing to A Whole New World! The animation sounds cool too–I wonder if we will get a Mickey Mouse cameo 🙂
Yes, I think Maks and Val are polar opposites in some ways. There are times when Val does come off as smug which I don’t care for and I don’t know if he means to and other times I don’t see it. Of course, I was wrong about Tony so it can all change down the line. But for now I’m a Val gal. Same for the Houghs, love Derek, but Julianne is milquetoast for me.
That’s exactly it with Amy, Rose. Are the judges supposed to critique her as if she doesn’t have prosthetics? For example, if she has a dance where she’s supposed to drive through her foot, are they supposed to say to her you don’t have real feet, but this dance requires you drive through them, so too bad.
IOW, DEDUCT for her prosthetics? I think Amy did a lot of dancing in the contemporary. She phrased the music beautifully. Her alignment is wonderful, her connection with her partner is wonderful. By that I mean how her body relates to him, not emotionally, but that’s nice, too. She’s got great extension and timing and rhythm and expresses it to the tips of her fingers. Her body is completely alive, no dead hands, high shoulders, throwaway arms. She’s very good. She’s miles better than Heather Mills, for example, who was missing “just” one leg.
It’s a weirdness by the show. They bring on someone who has prosthetic legs. So you go ahead and judge around the legs – as a physically fit athlete with a talent for dance. But then they also bring on geriatric people who can’t do anything about age-related infirmities, and pretty much judge how those infirmities affect their dancing. They can’t do anything about that, any more than Amy can do anything about prosthetics. Given how she’s danced, I think she’s scored fairly because she’s extremely talented and dances very well.
My .02 on Julianne. I was not her fan when she was a pro. I found her way too frantic, and it always showed up in rumba the most. She never let those rumbas breath and just slammed those transitions. I was surprised to enjoy her as a judge. If she were permanent on the panel though, she’d push the producers agenda like any other employee. At times the personalities of the regular judges get on my nerves, but they’re not really judging as they see it. More and more it’s clearly per at least guidelines if not instructions, so any judge we got is going to reflect the producer agenda. Julianne looked good on Monday night – liked the hair and even the eyebrows.
I think Maks sees the Houghs and Ballas as show dancers. I remember once him talking about the changes in the show, who won and not, and said something about the “Julianne wave.” And another time he claimed only he, Tony and Karina were genuine ballroom. It must have galled him to take criticism from Julianne. He spends too much time looking at where the criticism is coming from and not the criticism itself. It doesn’t matter who she is, if she’s right, and she was. He’s all over the map anyone. He once made some semi-nasty comments about Len needing to retire, then backed off them. And this season Len is the only judge who counts.
I would like to come to the defense of Peta. The rhumba she choreographed was not only a true rhumba but a truly professional level world class rhumba. That is probalbly why nobody recognises it as rhumba because no one has been able to perform one at such a high level on the show.. To understand it better,reference JLo describing a rhumba in Shall We Dance. Kind of funny but spot on, or just go to UTube and watch Karina and Slavik perform a rhumba back in her glory days. Heck, I even found a dance by Maks and Elena Greninko from thr Ohio star Ball that looks exactly like Peta’s version.
Rhumba should be dance of passion and lust, fire and ice. It should mainly consist of very slow controlled move interspesed with very quick staccato motion to give a dynamic quality to the dance. the dramatic play of the timing of the movement is very difficult to control which is why we never see a true professional rhumba. Only somebody with Charlies training could carry it off.
I think there are three reasons why it was judged poorly. First: It had no basic bronze level rhumba steps.It was too advanced for that . Len could not not recognize any steps so he got his knickers in a twist.
Secondly, Julianne was partially right in saying charlie’s weight was wrong . He may have been backweighted some ,but his biggest problem was being too much up on his toes, giving an impression of being weightless and looking too much like ballet.It was not grounded enough . This is why it does not deserve a ten and the only reason it is not one the best dances ever on the show. It’s also why Len tried to call it contemporary. He was wrong. If you want to see a contemporary masquerading as a rhumba, check out mark’s choreography for Candace in her rhumba. Carrie ann was at least right on that one.
Thirdly, TPTB are going to use any excuse to knock down the dancing twins that they can get to help quash the unfair ringer talk. It will give Charlie a nice redemtion arc storyline and create good water cooler discusion talks.
So take heart Peta. You choreographed a great rhumba,even if it is not being recognized. Oh, and by the way, about Charlie’s hair. There is a reason for that . That is the way the great International Latin studs used to do their hair. Slightly long, really greased down and with a little flip at the back of the neck . Freaked me out the first time I saw it at a big competition I was at eleven years ago .
But then I found out all of them did it that way. Heck, if you look back, you will even find Maks with one.
@sbrowne, I’m quite aware of what “real” ballroom is, and I think you’re underestimating the intelligence of our readers here. Whether the rumba Peta choreographed was “highly advanced” or not (I saw steps in there that I would NEVER see Riccardo Cocchi & Yulia Zagoruychenko doing in competition OR in a show dance, as they were definitely more contemporary) remains to be seen, but regardless, the judges on this show are not looking for “highly advanced professional-level” routines. They’re looking for something you might expect from someone who has never done ballroom before…and despite Charlie’s background with ice dancing, I still don’t think this was an 100% appropriate rumba from the show. We’ve long said that there is a HUGE difference between what you see on DWTS and what you see on a real ballroom competition floor – what works for one might not translate well to the other. And as for the hair – once again, it’s DWTS, not the international Latin dance championships. I see no need for him to slick it back so harshly – it was not a flattering look.
Well, I for one is done with stupidity of these judges especially Carrie
Anne.
Chelsea Hightower(who I hope comes back to DWTS)do not agree with the judges and said it was a proper rumba and denounces the inconsistencies in their judging. And I don’t know about the slicked back hair but I think it looked better with the dance. I adore Charlie’s mop top but he
looks too young when he dances with his partners.
Geez #67, I know you meant to defend Peta but you made her sound like a copycat by saying her routine looks exactly like one Maks and Elena did many years ago and that Maks used to wear his hair slicked back as other dancers did 11 years ago. And that it looks like Karina’s old routines. It makes it sound like she couldn’t come up with her own stuff so she copies dances to a T that can be looked up on youtube.
I appreciate that you think Peta is a world class choreographer and dancer above anyone else on DWTS even though she’s never won a world title. Unlike Karina and Elena who have an impressive number of first place championship wins around the globe. But to each their own.
Based on the last 2 weeks, does anyone think Charlie is being underscored & Meryl is being overscored because Meryl is not getting enough votes (compared to Charlie)? I feel like most people like Charlie/Sharna but are divided on Meryl/Maks because of Maks.
Meryl’s AT was amazing and she deserved the praise & high scores. But in comparison, I feel Charlie’s rumba was more of a rumba than Meryl’s foxtrot was a foxtrot, yet Charlie was given 7s & Meryl was given 10s.
I think Charlie is much more relatable. Also, Meryl is now firmly ensconced with the Chmerkovskiy family as she has worked with both. They seem to absorb their celebs into their own lives which is kind of weird. My point being that she has all that baggage now. Charlie is just himself while Meryl is busy promoting herself and the Chmerkovskiy brand. I think he is being underscored to have a journey or something.
This week Meryl and Charlie are doing 3 Stars on Ice Show, practicing new choreo for it, taping The View etc. How on earth will they have time for DWTS?
When they show that video pkg of Ne Ne “screaming” it reminds me of the Taylor Swift I knew you were trouble goat ed. parody video -very funny.
I do, Jane. I think it’s very possible that Charlie is getting a ton of votes, hence the underscoring. Meryl’s scoring this week was fine, IMO, but she was vastly overscored on her foxtrot that wasn’t – and that makes me wonder if perhaps she needs the scores more than he does.
Crazy thought of the day… I wonder of she is losing votes partly because of Maks…
@Ria #73 Meryl and Charlie learned the SOI numbers last week. So this week is just practicing what they know. I’ve been to SOI rehearsals and they are only a couple hours before the show, maybe a little longer for group numbers. Not all day. My guess is Meryl and Maks will practice at one of his schools this week.
I caught The View earlier and they were on for about 2 minutes.
I gotta say the switch-up ended up going better than I thought it would, but I still don’t want to see it back, lol. Great job with the rankings once again Courtney!
Meryl/Val (Maks)- Absolutely stunning. Loved it. I think this was the first dance that truly showcased what Meryl’s capable of. I have to give props to Val for the fantastic choreography. I only have a couple of very small issues with it: I think due to the speed and intricacy, some of the passion and steam was lost. Argentine Tango (in my opinion) should have moments of intense, fiery dancing, but also more quiet moments of haunting sensuality. This AT felt like a huge intense moment. It would’ve been even more stunning had Val choreographed at least a bit of room for the routine to “breathe” so the audience could take a second just to salivate in the beauty of it. Other than that? Magical. Val pretty much did pwn Maks in choreography. Maks needs to step up his game or Meryl won’t win. It’s just that simple.
Amy/Mark (Derek)- Y’know, it wasn’t my favorite of Amy’s by any means, but I still found myself enjoying it. Amy has fantastic rhythm, great hips, and really gets into the dance character well and sells it. Her precision is also pretty good. And man, girlfriend was looking stunning! I do think Mark really did the best he could considering the circumstances, but it did feel very careful. I think Amy could’ve handled more for sure. The thing that really bothers me is that the judges rarely (if ever) give Amy any constructive criticism. She hasn’t gotten a 10 for any one of her dances. Every other couple has gotten at least small points to work on. Amy’s being treated as a fragile, yet incredibly inspirational vase that will break if they dare give her something to work on, and that’s NOT the case. I bet Amy would love to hear something she can work on so she can get better, and it’d be really cool to see how she can fix something with the legs she has. I just feel she is way more deserving of actual critiques than just being treated with kid gloves.
James/Cheryl (Peta)- James continues to impress me and grow on me week after week. This tango was pretty darn good. His posture’s gotten a lot better, his movement is so much more relaxed and clean, the footwork was very good, and he and Cheryl actually brought some nice heat in this dance. James is quickly becoming my second favorite (right behind Amy) and I definitely think he’s a dark horse. Can’t wait to see what else he can do!
Charlie/Peta (Sharna)- I thought this dance was very beautiful, but I do think it could’ve used a bit more rumba content. Peta did do a very good job of utilizing his great lines though, it was so stunning. I also think they connected decently well for a new couple (even though the twin thing is soooooo creepy :P). I think Charlie needs to work more on his hips and put his weight down wrong in some spots, but this was still lovely to watch. I do feel bad for Peta as she really worked hard to help Charlie.
Danica/Maks (Val)- Well, I’m going to be pretty frank. While I found it fun and entertaining…there was a lot of content missing for me. An awful lot of fluff and time-wasting, not enough jive. The premise of it was great (the jukebox, the 50s feel, classic jive feeling), but there just needed to be way more dancing in there. I’m not gonna lie: I totally agreed with what Julianne said, but I don’t think she should’ve said it in such a blunt, harsh way. This whole stop and waste time thing with Maks’s choreography really wears thin on me, and I honestly think more effort should’ve been put into Danica’s routine. She did really well with what she was given (and also considering the huge mistake with the music), but I’m excited for her to get back to Val, as she is challenged and showcased better with him.
Cody/Sharna (Witney)- I liked this foxtrot a bit, but I also don’t remember most of it other than Cody’s singing (which was a nice touch). I do agree that he REALLY needs to stop “Codyfying” every dance he does. Every dance almost looks the same to me. One of my favorite things about dancing is that it can really bring different layers of people out. That hasn’t happened with Cody for me. It worked more in his cha cha and his jazz, but we need to see more sides of him if he’s going to succeed. I also think he seriously needs to work on the details of the dance. His posture still doesn’t look that good.
Drew/Witney (Cheryl)- I think Drew did a very good job. He was a great showman and was back to being fun and relaxed. I also give major props to Witney, she did such a good job with him. They ended up being a very fun couple and I actually wouldn’t have minded if they were paired together from the get go. But I can’t wait to see what he does with Cheryl next week with his newfound confidence. He still needs some polishing up too, but good improvement!
Nene/Derek (Tony)- Derek just knows how to make people shine like a precious diamond. NeNe was really enjoying herself, moved very naturally, and totally sold it. Was it very complicated? No, but it totally worked for her and sometimes simplicity is the best route to go. I really enjoyed it.
Candace/Tony (Mark)- Still NOT happy with how the judges scored Candace. I thought she was underscored by two or three points at least. I also think she was better than Cody and just as good if not better than Drew and NeNe as well. Tony choreographed a really nice routine and Candace handled it pretty darn well. She held some pretty nice posture overall even if there were a bit of issues, and she had some moments of great energy and footwork. I don’t even understand how the heck this got straight 7s. I really hope she doesn’t go home…but if she does, I’ll be angry with the judges. The manipulation just seriously insults and angers me at this point.
On the bright side, next week is Disney Week and I’m SO ridiculously excited for it! 🙂 I can’t wait! Best idea they may have had in seasons. I hope we see something from Mulan!
Yes, Jane, I believe Charlie is being underscored *and* he and Sharna are Len’s whipping post this season. It makes me wonder, and I really hope Charlie is killing it in viewer votes. He and Sharna are going to need them because Len is either following orders from TPTB to low-ball and find fault with Charlie or he’s infatuated with Meryl because she has the female body type he loves and wants to pimp her to the finals.
I think Meryl’s a sweetie; I love Charlie; and I just want to see them enjoy a fun, friendly competition without being saddled with a lot of baggage from Len, TPTB, and the C-bros. Guess that’s way too much to ask for.
Thanks Heather. I am flying to San Diego on May 9 to see them on the Stars on Ice Show. I can’t wait. I fell in love with this duo when I saw them on the Olympics and they are the main reasons(well mostly Charlie)I watch DWTS this season. I am enjoying all their dances.
I didn’t watch much of the show monday night, as i had to work, but when i saw the cast at the balcony, I didn’t even recognize Charlie. That’s how off his hair looked.
As for Erin, her questions and comments have been slightly inapropriate before, but monday night she hit an all new low.
As for Erin as host, I know this isn’t going to sound popular, ( and no, I didn’t vote for her during all stars season ) but I’m a little surprised that Melissa Rycroft wasn’t chosen to replace Brooke. Of course, there might have been backlast over that, but atleast she most likely wouldn’t have been saying the kind of things that Erin has said. Also, she has a better speaking voice, if nothing else.
I forgot to mention in my previous post. Although I liked the concept of the switch up for a week, I think they really should just have the celebrities draw names from a hat, if they ever decide to do this again. (yeah, I read something similar on a comment at puredwts.)
I am beginning to wonder how activate Cody’s fan base is with the show. For as many followers as he has on twitter, and based on what I’m assuming their age group is, they don’t seem to be coming out in force online as Zendaya’s fans did in the past or even how James’ fans are. I just wonder if maybe they aren’t into the show because Cody seems fairly blase about it. I think he might go sooner than I originally thought.
I’m also thinking that Candace might be getting a lot more votes than people think and Danica may not be, hence the low scores for Candace and high scores for Danica. Don’t get me wrong, Danica does deserve good scores because she’s very capable and can handle the technique but I think there are things she needs to work on and the judges just always seem to be light and airy with her. Candace (as everyone else said) was completely screwed this week though. I just think they’ve decided to focus their energies on Danica because they would rather have Val around than Mark.
I’ve been thinking the same thing about Cody myself, DLT – I know everyone assumes that his fangirls are blowing up the voting, but I am honestly not seeing the same “hoopla” for Cody that I was for Zendaya. Not even CLOSE. And the judges don’t seem really wild about him, either, so if he gets one so-so score, he could be out.
It’s great to have that switchup behind us, now I can come back to the board and hang out with my friends again. There was just so much controversy surrounding that switchup dance that it was making my teeny tiny little brain hurt.
I agree that Cody might be on his way out – probably not this week, but he could be the surprise elimination. I don’t think it will be Candace – a *lot* of people think the judges screwed her over, and I think she probably got enough votes to pull her through. I don’t know what the combined leader board is, or how close the numbers are (need PH’s post for that), but it seems to me that NeNe and Cody (possibly Drew also) might be in more trouble than Candace.
2 Thoughts – 1) Could the judges be making it up to Peta for the crapfest judging she got last week with that perfect score? 2) Also, could Maks f****** around in the beginning be an F you to the judges? lol