PureDWTS Season 19, Week 5 – Power Rankings
And this is the week that the hammer drops and suddenly the judges are “over” some of the dance crushes they have had so far this season – particularly Julianne and her crush on Tommy. Hate to say it, but you only have yourselves to blame, guys – when you gush over the same people doing the same rudimentary stuff week after week, you can’t expect them to improve…and then it’s kinda lame to suddenly say “I’m bored, I want more.” But in the same token, you also don’t have to be over-the-top mean – and I think they got that way with a few of the couples tonight. They seemed to lose sight of the fact that these were NOT the regular pairings, which is a tough enough row to hoe, and on top of that, they were all doing these bizarre dance styles that none of them are extensively trained in. Was this REALLY the best week to drop that hammer, stooges?
So I guess the asshattery from Julianne, Carrie Ann, and Bruno made me thankful for Jessie J, who at least seemed to try and find the positive in everyone’s routines while still giving a useful critique – she is a judge on The Voice UK, after all, so I think she felt obligated to be constructive. Also quite impressed with her ability to not only sing live (!!!), but also do some dancing at the same time. As I said on Twitter – it’s so rare to find singers that actually sing live and don’t just lip sync, let along singers that sing live and dance as well. The only other singer I can think of off the the top of my head that also does both is Usher…so she’s in good company.
So I guess all this talk about the judges tonight brings me to pose this question to everyone: do we really need Len? Next week will be the 4th week out of 6 that Len hasn’t been at the judges’ table – and I’m not really noticing his absence. I’m almost wondering, what with his sorta-kinda farewell speech on the finale last season, if he originally was not gonna come back at all this season – and TPTB somehow guilted him into doing a few shows just to maintain some consistency.
But anyway – no elim tonight, but there is one next week, based on last week’s votes, this week’s scores and votes, and next week’s scores. As our longtime readers know, the more total points given out = the smaller the margins = the greater the likelihood of a “shocking” elimination. It really becomes a battle of the fanbases – who’s getting the votes vs. who isn’t. I don’t care if you’re at the bottom of the leaderboard – in a massive-points-dump-to-calculate-elimination scenario like this one, the playing field becomes a lot more level. To give you an idea of what crazy sh*t could happen – Sabrina was voted off the all-star season in a week where she was only 1/2 point away from a perfect score…but the elim was based on multiple weeks of scores and votes. Vote, vote, vote, kids – even if your favorite is in the lead.
1.) Alfonso & Cheryl (Witney) – Aaaaand we’re back to nitpicking Alfonso to death, I see – can’t let him get too confident now, can we PTB? Once again, he dances FLAWLESSLY – and in a style that’s totally different than anything we’ve seen from him so far. He nails the technique (those heel things he was doing at the beginning are insanely difficult – the bf actually got a hairline fracture attempting it during a showcase routine), he nails the drama (loved the dust – just that added drama every time he clapped his hands), and he nails the partnering…and all Carrie Ann and Bruno wanna talk about is the distance between his neck and his shoulder??? Seriously, you stooges – what’s the complaint gonna be next week? He’s moving his ears in a strange way when he’s dancing? His pupils are too dilated? He’s flaring his nostrils too much? Because this is getting ri-goddamn-diculous. I guess I see what they’re trying to do – trying to level the playing field, make it seem like Alfonso isn’t running away with this season (even though he really is), but there’s gonna reach a point when even the most dim viewers are gonna say “Ok, that’s just being petty.” And sorry, but 8’s for a dance that good are just ASSININE…especially when they specifically say Sadie missed a few steps in the beginning of her routine, and give her 9’s across the board. She earned her 9’s – but so did Alfonso. Oh well – at least he still gets THUNDEROUS applause after every dance he does. 😀
2.) Sadie & Derek (Mark) – FINALLY Sadie gets some good scores – she’s gotten shafted these past few weeks, so it was good to see her getting some solid 9’s. I actually agree with whichever judge said that her long limbs seemed to suit her well in the Charleston – plus she seemed to actually nail the bouncing action of the basic, which so many people struggle with. Also thought that Derek did a good job of taking a modern song and still making the choreography look like authentic Charleston. I think she, like Alfonso, is getting a bit shafted by the judges, albeit in different ways – Sadie gets good critiques, but scores that don’t match the gushing; Alfonso just gets nitpicked to death and underscored. Makes me wonder if both of them are running away with a ton of votes – on top of the fact that both are actually good dancers, as well.
3.) Lea & Val (Artem) – This was supposed to be a Broadway routine, correct? Cause I certainly saw quite a bit of jive. But anyway…when I heard from Deep Throat that Lea & Val had opted to do something that was “not related to Hairspray at all” for their routine, I thought “Ok, this has the potential to be interesting.” And on paper, it was – I just don’t know that the execution really came together 100% effectively. Seemed like there were 3 separate parts to the routine, and they just kinda got mushed together with some weak transitions – Lea handled them all well, of course, but I don’t know that the end result was particularly cohesive…or Broadway-y. I honestly thought the side-by-side work we saw from Alfonso & Witney in their jazz routine was far more “Broadway” than anything we saw in this routine. Oh well…it was still better than Mya’s ill-fated freestyle to the same song back in season 9. And I still like Lea J
4.) Bethany & Mark (Derek) – I do believe Bethany had a bit of a breakthrough this week – I think we finally got to see a more fun side of Bethany, and she shed some inhibitions out there on the floor with Mark. And she seemed to be really enjoying herself – not that she ever didn’t enjoy herself with Derek, I just think she was able to finally let some walls down with Mark and really embrace the fun. Mark actually gave her some really good choreography – thought the beginning & end were very clever, given the theme this week; he also didn’t hold back, and gave her some pretty complex stuff, which she handled well. She was maybe just a TAD slow on some parts, and could have been a bit sharper at times, but overall, I think she did a really credible job on this one J
5.) Janel & Artem (Val) – Well…so much for burlesque, I guess. Hopefully TPTB learned their lesson – you can’t really throw someone a dance style that’s really more of a vague genre and expect them to churn out a routine that fulfills all of the requirements of being “burlesque”. I can understand Deep Throat’s comparison of this routine to a “music video” – it was too heavy on the writhing and sauntering around and the “look at me, I’m such a seductress!” I guess I give Janel & Artem points for trying, since they likely weren’t given a whole lot of direction, but if I could pick one DWTS routine that I think could be a good precedent for burlesque – it would actually be Andy & Sharna’s rumba in season 16. It had a lot of the aspects of burlesque that Julianne mentioned: a bit of a cheeky, comedic storyline; a sensual female role; and a bit of male-female attraction-dynamic interaction. Wonder how different Janel’s routine would have turned out if she had been given a more old-timey song instead. I just think of all of all the Dita Von Teese burlesque I’ve seen – it’s all about the art of the tease, it’s playful, it’s not always overtly sexual. This routine had potential…it just didn’t really deliver.
6.) Antonio & Allison (Cheryl) – Oy. Well, I will say this: it was not as trainwrecky as I thought it would be, since after hearing the song and talking to Deep Throat, I was prepared for this to be one very, very hot mess. That’s not to say it wasn’t a mess – there were a TON of synchronization issues, plus Allison overdanced wayyyy too much and it just made Antonio look worse by comparison. Oh, and there was a ton of filler, too – a lift where Antonio just basically had to hold Allison up, and the bit with the rope (WTF?) at the end. Did Gilles pop by rehearsal and suggest that, guys? Because it made no freaking sense, other than to waste time and minimize the amount of time Antonio was actually dancing. But somehow – people actually seem to be voting for Antonio. Still see a lot of the cray-cray older ladies on Facebook gushing about how hot he is and how they loved him on General Hospital. So he may hang on awhile longer – or he could go home next week. I just don’t have a very good feel for him.
7.) Tommy & Emma (Peta) – Ok, we get it, PTB: Tommy smokes a lotta weed, and therefore you think it’s funny and clever to have him dance to songs that reference that activity (but heaven forbid you show him doing the “smoke weed” sign). It was kinda funny in week 1; slight “hehe” in week 2; and now, in week 4 – I’m shaking my head and going “Come ON…get a new schtick.” Especially since “Pass the Dutchie” is wayyyy too slow and even for a mambo – I struggled finding the mambo rhythm in it, and can’t blame Tommy for looking tired…the song makes me feel all tired and languid. And need I remind Julianne that TOMMY IS 76. He’s ALWAYS tired, and that’s on top of being a pothead for the majority of his life. If you wanted to see something different out of him – maybe tell the producers to ditch the weed songs, give him a ballroom dance (or paso doble, something more serious), and let him show you if he’s versatile or not. Of course he was gonna get complaints about being repetitive – they basically made him combine his cha-cha and his salsa and do it to a song that wasn’t right for the dance they wanted him to do. Are you sure you didn’t get a contact high while judging, Jules?
8.) Mike & Witney (Emma) – Does anyone HONESTLY still think that Mike is getting “pimped” at this point? And yes, I kept seeing this idiotic notion pop up in various social media mediums in the past week – people genuinely believing that Mike is getting propped up by TPTB so they can “keep the NASCAR viewers around”. Errr…if that’s the case…they’re really taking a gamble by absolutely HOSING the guy every week. I honestly didn’t think this disco was as bad as the judges were making it out to be – I actually thought it was one of his stronger dances, and Witney somehow managed to pull some focus and (sort-of) synchronicity out of him. Sure, it was still very, very kindergarten, but he seemed to keep up with it much better than some of the other dances he’s done. And he’s still managing to come across as fun and charming – while some better-dancing dudes (*cough*Antonio*cough*) aren’t. For that reason, I could see him surviving next week’s elim – still think he could wind up in jeopardy, but I don’t think his head is rolling…yet. If the judges have anything to do with it, he’ll be out soon, though.
9.) Jonathan & Peta (Allison) – I mentioned this on Twitter, but I actually feel just a little bit bad for Peta – this is the second time the partner switch has kinda chewed her up and spat her back out. I see what she was trying to do – have everyone be impressed with Jonathan & his ability to handle very high-energy and complex choreography; instead, I feel like he became totally overwhelmed by it, and the whole thing kind of fell apart. I’m also not sure that having him do any sorts of lifts (let alone SEVERAL lifts) was a very good idea – Deep Throat mentioned that he almost dropped Peta in dress rehearsal, and it was just painful to watch him really fumbling with lifting her tonight. And this song was just sooooo faaaaast…he was missing steps and leads left & right. Add all of that to his really weak samba last week – and I daresay Jonathan could be in a bit of deep dookie. His fanbase is kinda iffy right now – the last time he had a routine as weak as last week’s, he ended up in jeopardy; and I daresay last week’s was even weaker than his week 2 cha-cha. And unlike some of the other contestants who have multiple claims to fame – Jonathan really only has 1 movie from 10 years ago to back him up. Are there really THAT many Mean Girls fans tuning in & voting? So I’m picking him as my “shocking (but not really shocking, when you think about it)” elimination – could be someone more obvious (Mike, Tommy, even Antonio), but my gut says Jonathan’s time is up.
So what are your thoughts on tonight’s show? Do you think the judges were fair? Which switch pairings worked for you…and which didn’t?
I hated the show last night
I like honesty but the judges were just mean
Bruno laughed at mickael face they are people respect them
I cant stand carrie ann and julianne i had issue with len but i will take him anyday
I really liked bethany sadie and alfonso this week
I didnt think mickael deserved 5 at least 6
I saw that you posted on twitter that peta and witney were crying backstage i feel really bad for them
They are both amazing dancers and choregrapher
Loved your rating as always
1)Sadie and Derek: Like I said before, this is my fav dance of the entire season so far. Fun, not sure what the judges were saying about dancing ahead of the music at one point but I loved this one.
2)lea and Val: I really liked this one a lot. There is nothing she can’t do and I love that about her. Kudos to Val too for the reference to the Producers as well.
3)Alfonso and Cheryl: Underscored but so much fun too.
4)Bethany and Mark: So much fun but scored right in my opinion.
Now the ones that underwhelmed:
5)Antonio and Allison: So on second viewing, I still like this one and that’s odd given my inability to really “like” him as a dancer. Allison kinda did what she did to jonathan with his cha cha again but I’ll ignore that because it was a fun dance. Saying that, twice?!
6)Tommy and Emma: That song…..ugh. Other than that I feel as if the jusges were right in their score but kinda forgot what he brings to the ballroom: pure fun and unpredicatability. He needs to step it up again next week though.
7)Janel and Val: So this was just odd. The little sexpot decided to really go there with this one and Artem wholeheartedly obliged. I blame Artem and her for not making this routine as good as it could be. And the mere fact they showed her feeling up Artem again just made me laugh because I can just imagine what his girlfriend was thinking.
8)Jonathan and Peta: All the tools are there and he showed that he can dance in three occasions on this show (week one, movie week, and to an extent this week) but something still isn’t clicking I guess. Too bad too because he seems so nice.
9)Mike and Witney: He is fun and that screamed fun overall but I have to agree with the judges and their scores.
Glad to see I’m not the only one who thought the rope with antonio was just a filler for piper dancing! I also agree with your comments on michael, it’s becoming more and more clear every week that the judges want him out of there. I feel like if they keep hosing him then he has the potential to turn into another bill engvall, just not as good a dancer!
The judges really annoyed me last night and I thought they were just being really unfair. I agree with Emma’s comments in one of her post show interviews about them being really harsh to so many people.
Just excellent as always, Court.
Ok, my rankings:
1. TIE with Alfonso & Cheryl and Sadie & Derek:
Alfonso and Cheryl – Wow wow wow. Knowing Cheryl, I knew this Flamenco might be hot and that it WAS! So powerful and full of passion to the bitter end. LOVED THEM! Just HOT HOT HOT!!! My Dad was so excited about this dance, he had to call me right afterwards. These two should have been paired up from the get go. 10+++
Derek and Sadie – My goodness. These two set the floor on fire with their quick moves. Sadie moved those legs like not other. Such clever, creative choreography by Derek again. Perfect! LOVED and furthermore, this dance might go down as one of my all time favorites on this show. 10
And a close 2nd for me: Mark and Bethany – OMG I LOVED THEM! So clever, quirky, cool, and fun. They definitely had “swag”. She showed Derek she had some attack. I loved her hair too. Way fun dance! She just keeps blossoming!! 9+
3. Janel and Artem – This was a steamy dance and I loved some of the head and hair action with all of them, but, I just don’t connect to Janel in the least. 8
4. Jonathan and Peta – They came out like gang busters. Yes, maybe there was a few timing issues, but, I liked it. I loved his spirit and giving it full out. He had a lot of fun out there. 8
5. Antonio and Allison – For having everything stacked against them both this week and then some, I didn’t think he was that bad as the judges said. There were some bumps and timing issues, but, for the most part not that bad. He seemed more relaxed tonight too and had fun with it. 7
6. Lea and Val – Ok, I didn’t think this dance was as good as the judges went on about. Her legs didn’t move enough and she seemed to be standing too much like she didn’t know where she was at. I also thought her posture was off in places. The retirement home theme was just strange too. 7
7. Tommy and Emma – I just love love Tommy, but, this dance wasn’t as good as his others. He needed more hip action, but, at his age, that would be hard. Still, it was a fun and a charming Mambo. I hope he doesn’t leave. 6
8. Michael and Witney – Aww, I love Michael so much and his disco was entertaining and fun, but, it was stiff and had some slowness issues all through out. I’m worried on these two the most next week. 6
I felt horrible for Peta switch up week has chewed her up and spit her out both seasons and both seasons she was crying afterwards. I don’t think the judges realize their critiques matter to the pros and hurts their feeling besides that one lift mishap the mistakes were minor thought he deserved at least 7’s maybe an 8. And props to Peta not only doing those lifts but with a hurt back also.
If I had to have a week where I missed some of the dances, (due to Thanksgiving dinner here), this was the week to do it. I thought Alfonso and Sadie were terribly hosed. I thought the judges were straight up mean tonight. For me, this was the worst show of the past few seasons. I don’t think I’m liking the new guy at all. We miss you Conrad! So tired of the pretend Val/Janel showmance and Artem still totally creeps me out. I really hope he’s not a pro next year.
I don’t think Antonio is having much fun and wouldn’t mind seeing him gone next week, but I think it will be Johnathan or Michael.
Was does TPTB stand for? I guess it means the producers and those in the decision making capacities. My favorite dance of the night was Sadie and Derek’s Charleston!! Really sharp and entertaining. She’s been great every week. Bethany and Mark’s hip hop was also good and a bit underscored. Alfonso and cheryl awesome! They’re my favorite 3 this season. Jonathan’s dance was a chaotic mess. I know he’s a nice guy and all, but there comes a point in the season where the truth must be said.
Wow – the judges were HARSH last night.
Sadie & Derek were my favourites. She was made for the Charleston. I find Derek is often over-hyped on this site but I’ll admit he has an amazing ability to choreograph routines perfectly suited to his contestants.
Alfonso & Cheryl – Awesome pairing. They deserved better scores.
Lea & Val – it was okay – I prefer Val being sexy and powerful than trying to be comedic.
Artem & Janel – Wow – she was the only contestant in my opinion that could have pulled off Burlesque. They looked smoking hot together. Julianne needs to get over herself – yes, she was in Burlesque the movie but it doesnt make her an expert.
Why are TPTB allowing such big productions each week. What will be left for Freestyle?
AS for the rest – I would rather watch Michael & Tommy entertain with poor dancing, than watch Jonathon & Alison. She is an amazing dancer on SYTYCD – and her routines with Derek, but she is very poorly suited for this show. She needs to learn that dancing at your best, only works to make the contestant look worse. Dial it back. Hopefully they’ll be booted next.
I agree for the most part with these power rankings. I think the top 4 could be rearranged in any order but all those couples would still be top 4, and ditto to the bottom four. Definitely looks like it’s shaping up to be a female-star MBT this year.
The dance of the night for me was Alfonso and Cheryl. Nothing like a gorgeous Latin dance such as an Argentine Tango, or in this case, the flamenco. Gorgeous. He mesmerized me!! And he was completely underscored – what a shock! Not!
My 2nd choice was Sadie and Derek. She is a doll and her body type is PERFECT for the Charleston. Honorable mention goes to Bethany/ Mark. I also think that Antonio wasn’t as horrific as I thought he was going to be. Not perfect for sure and Allison out-danced him again but I enjoyed the dance.
As for everyone else – I was completely underwhelmed by the rest of the couples. No one stood out to me and it certainly wasn’t the best show of the season. As I said last week – burlesque did Janel no favors that’s for sure.
I cannot for the life of me understand why we need four judges, guest judges, and mean-spirited judges. Also – what’s with this switch up nonsense? Everyone seems to hate it! One of the reasons I think SYTYCD is a better show is because the judges aren’t mean-spirited but rather they try to give criticism in a positive way. I mean what the eff was Carrie Ann on? It’s really time for a new judging panel. And then Jessie give such a low score to Antonio – Is she for real? They were a few times last night where I was throwing pillows and Match Box cars at my TV!! I would’ve enjoyed the evening if it weren’t for the negativity of the judges!!! If the Tarin Wreckery keeps up, I’m going to have to join my husband in the other room for football!!
Rant over…
Sadie and Derek were it for me last night. While I love Mark and Sadie together, Derek and Sadie looked great together! I thought Sadie and Alfonso were jipped, each deserved a better score. The judges were just mean at some points. I’ve never been a fan of the judging but this season it is just awful.
Can anyone explain to me why Bethany got such low scores despite the judges not having any real negative comments? Not even one 9, seriously? I feel like Janel does the same overly sexual performance every week, same old same old, yet she got a higher score. Lea was not that amazing imo. Sadie was good I think she was the only one who deserved her score.
Honestly, there’s only 3 dances that didn’t bother me one way or another, this was a strange week. Judges were harsh and probably could have phrase their critics in a more positive light because they had new partners to get used to, but I do agree with what was said (even if they waited way too late to be honest at this point). We’ll see if they continue next week or go back to overscoring the weakest, I feel like they really want to get rid of Tommy, Michael and Jonathan the next 3 weeks to have ‘their’ top 6.
My ranking :
1.Alfonso. Definitely hosed in his scoring unsurprisingly. I really liked this more serious side of him and the dance was amazing but I still prefer his partnership with Witney. I love when the audience is so captivated, there’s not any noise in the ballroom. He’s still the one to beat and I hope we see him dancing a tango soon.
2.Sadie. I still don’t like this song for a Charleston, but I must admit I loved the end of the dance. Their happiness was contagious. Happy she’s on top of the leaderboard this week.
3.Bethany. I really liked it as well, and I wasn’t sure about the dance style. Mark delivered a clever choreography and he was the perfect partner for her this week.
4.Lea. I feel very on the fence with her performance. I liked the end, but overall it wasn’t amazing. It felt almost too slow. I was expecting more of a Broadway routine. Still, compared to others, it’s a good dance.
5.Jonathan. I don’t feel that he was that terrible with his dance. Except one lift where I was scared he might drop her, his energy totally got me and I feel sorry for Peta who’s once again totally hosed during switch-up week.
6.Janel. I wasn’t feeling it at all. Good beginning but after the first 30 seconds, I really didn’t like it. She danced well enough, but the choreography wasn’t burlesque appropriate, just a succession of lifts. Courtney, I had no recollection of Andy and Sharna’s rumba, but so true. It was actually much more burlesque than what Artem choreographed this week.
7.Antonio. Not as bad as expected. I found him more relaxed this week but still very stiff. Allison clearly needs to stop the over dancing.
8.Tommy. The song was terrible and I feel sorry for him. Emma did her best with what was given to her. If he sticks around, I hope we see him in a ballroom dance, perhaps a classic tango to redeem himself.
9.Michael. Witney had clever choreography and he had fun which is good, but still not enough steps for me.
Last night was a total downer, least enjoyable episode in recent memory. I loved the routines from Sadie/Derek and Alfonso/Cheryl but that’s it. I loved switch up week last year but after this season’s edition I’m not sure I’d want to see it again next year. I think I also preferred that it happened a week earlier last season.
Anyway, so my top tier was Sadie/Derek and Alfonso/Cheryl. I want to watch Sadie’s number over and over, and I loved seeing that side of Alfonso.
I’m kind of disappointed to say that Lea had my third favorite number because it was fine but I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I’d be. Concept was cute though.
Bethany/Mark are next for me, I liked the routine but happen to think they were scored fairly.
Then I have Jonathan/Peta, which again for as uncomfortable as this was to watch its a shame it sits so high on my list but that’s just how the night went. I thought the choreo was great and it had the potential to do everything Peta wanted it to but obviously the lifts were just too much to handle. I notice that Peta’s strategy (when she has more mobile partners) seems very high-risk, high-reward. I think she prefers to give them maybe more than they can handle and see if they can rise to the occasion over having them ace something that’s more on par with their ability level. Seemed to work for James for example, not so much here.
Janel/Artem and Antonio/Allison are tied here for me. I don’t like Janel and I wasn’t sold on the idea of burlesque as a style for this show and they didn’t convince me so that explains that. Antonio’s was fun at least, but the synchronization issues were glaring.
Mike/Witney were okay. It was silly which is what they seemed to be going for. I will say that after hearing Corky (I think it was him) on afterbuzz the other day and his discussion of how Witney’s choreo was starting to repeat I have to say I noticed it as well in this routine. Two moves in particular.
Tommy/Emma were the worst of the night, it was just boring. Although I do agree the song did them no favors.
Hoping for Mike/Emma to leave us next week although I dare that it’s Jonathan/Allison. Antonio is who I really want to leave but I think with his scores and fanbase he’s probably through to week 7 unfortunately.
I always love the show but this is the first time that I was completely bored with it. The songs were ho-hum and a lot of the dance styles were uninteresting to watch. Hope next week is better.
I was appalled at the comments from Julianne (mostly) but Carrie Anne also. It is one thing to give low (and deserved) scores. It is quite another to humiliate them with vicious comments.
These people were INVITED to participate in the show. Most have no dance experience at all, so one would NEVER think they would actually get very good. Being good is not the point, necessarily. They work their asses off and put their hearts into it and actually feel quite happy until they get these mean comments.
I find this despicable to be clear. Jullianne said it was “uncomfortable,” etc. How dare she. One can give the score that is appropriate and still treat this person with respect. They could say, “it was not your best and you are facing some stiff competition, etc.” They could also say it is week 5 and they have to specifically critique technique; however, the comments were again simply rude and disgusting.
Carrie Anne stupidly said, “it’s great when someone who can’t dance is funny.” Again, how dare she. He IS dancing for God’s sake. It is HIS dancing and he put in many, many hours of blood sweat and tears and this just makes me sick.
I actually feel like writing to the show somehow.
Do not invite someone to your stupid party and ask them to do something they have never done and then viciously humiliate them in front of the whole country.
Jullianne was the worst, but CA right behind her.
Last night was a snoozefest. I was really looking foward the switch up week and I was underwhelmed with most of the dances. And I don’t understand how the judges score some people.
However the best dances of the night to me were Derek and Sadie (really cute dance, totally deserved their scores), Alfonso and Cheryl (what more do the judges want?), Bethany and Mark (I agree, I finally saw that fun personality her fans and Derek keep talking about) and Lea and Val (that was… interesting, I like that they didn’t go for the predictable Hairspray routine).
Janel and Arthem were great but not impressive.
I can barely remember the other dances, which makes me sad because I really like some of these people.
Highlight of the night: Mark, Derek, Sadie and Beth being the dorks they are and Jessie J not being affraid of giving 6s and 5s.
My rankings
1. Tie–Alfonso and Sadie. Loved loved Loved Alfonso’s Flamenco. I think he rocked it. And Sadie Wow! Even though I am not a fan of Derek’s there is no denying he is a great choreographer and last night proved it. Great Charleston I think these two were my favorite dances of the night.
2. Lea. I thought the old folks home theme was cute. It could have been a little more peppy and not Lea’s best dance but overall pretty good.
3. Janel. Even though I was not a fan of burlesque style being on the show I thought she coped with it well. I hope they never put that style on it again. The dance was a little raunchy but not as bad I thought.
4. Bethany. She was pretty good in Mark’s quirky hip hop dance. Although it was fun to watch it was not my favorite dance of the night.
5. Tie–Jonathan and Tommy. Tommy is so much fun! Although fun does not cut it in week 5. I must admit though he tries to get the steps right and, for an old guy, he does pretty well. Jonathan was fun last night but he still has done nothing to “wow” me this season. I think having Peta was a good choice for him.
6. Antonio. Bollywood. What a nightmare. Overall I think he coped pretty well though. Alison didn’t really let him shine though. My favorite part of this dance was when he was hanging from the ceiling. Fun. He needs to step it up with Cheryl this week to stay in the game.
7. Michael. My least favorite dance of the night. It was a hot mess. Yes it was entertaining but it was not disco. Even though I am a NASCAR fan none of my votes are going to him. I didn’t like him in NASCAR and I don’t like him as a dancer. He needs to be gone this week. Unlike Tommy, I don’t think he tries.
Prediction for elimination: Michael, then if not him either Antonio, Jonathan or Tommy. The rest I believe are safe for now.
Oh and Tony’s audition. How could have forget.
@Meg, Bethany was really underscored, and Mark felt the same way too. I thought it would’ve gotten at least 1 9 if not 2. She danced way better than Janel did (way more content and clever choreo) and yet she still gets the low scores -_-
@ #7 – Alan TPTB stands for “the powers that be”, collectively all the producers and staff that are running the show, which you identified. (I had to that ask myself several seasons ago.)
@ #2 vin Did you want to commend Val for recognizing the troupe rather than the producers? I remember his shout-out to the troupe, but not to the producers.
I think the troupe has done a fantastic job this year, especially as they are being used as “filler” in more and more routines.
As for rankings, I think clearly Alfonso and Sadie are at the top, Bethany and Lea in the next tier, Janel and Antonio next. Jonathan heads the last three, followed by Tommy and Michael. (Except that I really enjoy Michael’s routines, because he looks like I would out there!)
I left my comments on the week 5 thread, but will post again.
I think that the most successful switch was Alfonso and Chery. Bethany and Mark and Sadie and Derek worked, but only because the 4 have spent time together outside of the dance studio. I think I still prefer Bethany and Sadie with their original partner.
I didn’t like how the producers shoved the “let’s make our original partners jealous” story lines with the Janel/Artem vs Lea/Val and Bethany/Mark vs Sadie/Derek partner switches. Although I did prefer the young and innocent fun aspect from the latter to the “showmance” aspect from the former. Of the 4 Ladies, I enjoyed Sadie, Bethany then Lea, and did not care for Janel’s.
Derek is usually the best at taking a song and a dance style that don’t really go together and making them seem as if they’re the most natural fit EVER! and unfortunately, as well as Sadie danced it, I don’t feel like he made the song fit into a charleston as well as other choreography in the past. He used nuances with the music, but I still feel like it wasn’t a good fit. I’d love to see that dance put to real charleston music.
As for the men, they all dance with a lot of heart and soul, and all obviously are working hard, and putting everything they have into it, but the only one of their dances I really enjoyed was Alfonso. It sort of feels like the further into the competition we get, the harder they are working, and the more their difficulties are showing. Especially Jonathan, who I think is stressing too hard about trying to do well. If he can relax more, and just “go with the flow” a bit, and trust his body to know what he’s supposed to do, instead of using his entire mind and body to try to remember, I think he could show some improvement.
And with the exception of Alfonso, I probably wouldn’t have scored anyone higher than an 8.
If the show ever wonders why they have trouble getting stars, they should look at last nights show.
Other than Sadie, Bethany and Alfonso’s dances, I thought the show was boring. Michael’s and Jonathan’s were painful to watch. I have nothing nice I can say about Janel’s, so I won’t say anything. The rest were just eh. The judges seemed really harsh which I think was wrong because it was switch up week. Save it for when everyone is with their original pro.
Michael should be the one leaving next week, if not, then Jonathan. Tommy and Antonio aren’t going to be around much longer, but I would love to see any of them stay and having a shocking Janel elimination. But that’s just a dream, at least for next week.
@Lee: I meant the movie/musical. The troupe was great but I have to commend Val for taking inspiration from a musical and using it in the dance. They should keep broadway around for next season and the remainder of this season.
There was so much to dislike about last night. Seriously this is supposed to be about ballroom dancing or at least it was when the show first started. Now they add all these other dances that have nothing to do with ballroom. So all the couples do the best they can with what they are handed and of course the judges don’t like the routines. And seriously the judging was horrible last night, I don’t like the guest judges, have never liked them because they don’t know crap about dancing. They are useless. And don’t get me started on Julianne, I get it that the show gave her a job because nothing else has panned out for her since she decided to be a singer, actress and whatever else she tried. I loved her when she was on the show as a pro, but I don’t like her as a judge, frankly I don’t like any of them.
I want to continue watching the show but it is getting more and more difficult. I don’t think the show will ever get back to its original roots but I loved it before all this other stuff was brought in.
I thought that Alfonso and Lea were the best last night and Alfonso was totally robbed in the points department.
@Lucy…that was adorable! Tony’s audition tape. What was he wearing? Loved his reaction to Tom’s surprise showing. That is the kind of stuff that makes watching a relative boring episode (such as last night) a little more fun.
I didn’t enjoy last night’s show. I thought it was boring and the judges were just bad. I liked Jessie J, but in terms of the rest of the judges, I thought they were harsh with their critiques especially towards Michael, Jonathan, and Tommy. No, they are not the best dancers and they had the worst dances of the night in my opinion, but I just felt like the judges could have given them constructive criticism instead of bashing them all of a sudden.
My favorite dances of the night were Alfonso and Cheryl’s Flamenco and Sadie and Derek’s Charleston. Alfonso and Cheryl were a great pairing and I loved how intense the dance was. It showed a different side to Alfonso and I think that they were underscored. I was expecting all 9’s, but not 8’s. Sadie and Derek did a fun number and I thought that the dance style suited Sadie very well.
I have to say this was one of the most boring shows that I have watched, starting with the opening number they all look the same. i really miss the old opening number that were so glamorous and different. I agree with Cindi (24) just a few show stoppers and the scoring was all over the place. I wish they would go back to 3 judges, too much time lost with comments. Julianne did not judge fairly as this was the switch up and these are not pro dancers. Yes it was week 5 but new things were given to them. Strange dances, strange music and a new partner. I liked Sadie/Derek and Alfonso/Cheryl and Mark/Bethany the best. I thought Michael and Jonathan were very hard to watch. I have lost so many of my friends that were watching the show now watching other shows, they are bored with DWTS.
The producers are forgetting there was a huge audience of older folks and now they do not like the new show….very little ballroom, no band and the judging is all over the place.
This partner switch-up thing is like Week One all over again, minus the 4 weeks of prep time. This year though, it really showed up in a bad way. Never been so bored, and tuned-out for a DWTS episode as I was with this one.
Alfonso is starting to give off the Fatone vibe: “I’ve got this.” Joey didn’t and Alfonso may not.
Sadie continues to enjoy each dance and perform in the manner to which she is trained for that dance. For the most part it’s working. Yet she and Alfonso are short-paddled on the scores, which leads me down that path of “they’re raking in the votes.”
I found Bethany’s costume distracting. I kept watching those high-waisted “Olivia Newton-John, Grease pants”, and found them quite annoying. She did seem more relaxed with Mark. Never considered that having the 5-time DWTS winner as a partner, might intimidate some celebs?
Regarding Peta: Sometimes I think she gets overwhelmed with her confidence to teach. This dance had so much potential. Could the pace have been managed in a better way and been more successful? I think so. IMO she was overdressed and it proved to be a problem. I kept waiting for Little Bo-Peeps’ sheep to make an appearance!
When Tony’s audition interview is the hi-lite of the evening, well Houston, we have a problem.
Maybe they need to add another “special event week” called All About Ballroom because I am certainly over the junk we saw last night.
Oh, and that Bollywood thing–what a hot mess!
What diappointed me most last night was judge Julianne and her rude way of commenting some of the contestants. CAI has annoyed me for years, nothing new when it comes to her…. But I honestly thought Julianne would bring more class to the judging and not be sucked into the bad sides of the show… Yesterday was not her best day in her new job, it was rather painful to watch… The contestants are GUESTS in a program – and should be treated with respect, I sooo agree with you #KarenT!
My favourite dances yesterday were Sadie and Derek’s Charleston and Mark and Bethany’s Hip hop. The dances were both very energetic and happy,and I think especially Bethany showed a new and funny side of herself. Great parings, and I love that Mark included S&D in his coreography. His coreography has been clever this season. He was great with Candace, too, and it seems to me that the good and happy Mark has come back and that his jealousy of Derek’s many sucesses now is history! Derek obviously enjoyed working with Sadie for a week! I just love the four of them:-) Both couples were underscored last night, but imo the judging in general was crazy last night:-(
I left most of my stuff regarding the couple’s performances on the week five thread but speaking about the show in general.
I really like the switch up, it has it’s downpoints like most new ideas but I really think it works and gives something different and interesting. What didn’t work for me was giving every couple a new dance style. I think that it’s still a good idea but should be done with the original couples. It was harsh on the stars and the professionals to do it this week of all weeks and contributed to the routines and bad judging. I have no problem with harsh scores but only when honestly warranted and certain routines simply didn’t warrant the scores given. The pros took it hard as well. Someone said that Peta and Witney were crying backstage, the all access stream showed Artem looking devastated on the sofa, and on twitter Mark was furious at being underscored AGAIN. Even lovely Emma couldn’t hide her annoyance on air, it was all drama with the pros revolting.
On a side point, Antonio’s routine wasn’t the best by any stretch, but one thing I think it proved was that if you go first in DWTS then you are 100% guaranteed to get hosed. Because it was the first score of the night, Jessie J didn’t have a clue what would be an adequate score for that level of performance and having probably watched SCD UK (notoriously tough with scores) gave a 6.
I think at this point the competition is still open. Five weeks gone and Lea, Beth, Sadie, Janel and Alfonso (twice) have all topped the leaderboard one week. They are the clear top five dancers, everyone else is a step below and should go in any order. Of course that won’t happen and someone from the top 5 will go in a shock elimination a couple of weeks down the line. I’m praying it’s Janel but I’m betting it’ll be Lea due to her low fanbase 🙁
The judges were nasty last night, during a week when so many of the pros and their celebs were vulnerable. I watch this show for its general positivity, growth, fun, and of course dance. When you have pros crying in the wings because of the harshness of the judges, I can’t see that as a good thing. I don’t mind switch-up week, but if this is how it will be in the future I don’t want it anymore.
Nevermind the overscoring and the underscoring, too – but these kind of jibes won’t do them any favors in recruiting celebrity talent.
Anyway, I thought Alfonso and Cheryl were fantastic, with difficult choreography. Sure his lines might be slightly skewed because of his height versus width, but hardly.
That was the highlight of the night for me. Sadie and Bethany were both good, and I really liked Mark’s choreography and how Sadie and Derek looked together. I don’t usually like tall girls dancing, but she does manage quite well.
Didn’t care much for the song choices for the most part, and I hope no sub-par dancer ever gets Bollywood again.
As I strongly suspected, the Janel and Artem routine did not resemble burlesque. It was a jazz routine with some sex appeal thrown in. She handles her moves well, but I was really underwhelmed by the choreography. She’s a friggen actress too – you’d think Artem would have capitalized on that for this routine.
I feel really bad for Jonathan. I can’t see him surviving, but boy that seemed like a difficult routine and he handled most of it okay. Wish he’d stick around longer than Antonio and Janel at least.
The Tony audition video was really funny. That shirt – egads. I can’t believe they hired him, haha.
Julie, I agree about the opening numbers. They feel so rushed and aren’t long enough. I really wish there were more pro numbers even if they have to extend the show to 2 1/2 to 3 hours on Monday nights.
I miss Macy’s star this season. I want to see more of the pros dancing. Carrie Ann giving 8 to Antonio and Alfonso? And Bruno’s 9 to Janel? Puhhleezeee…Speaking about the judges being rude, I do think they can be more sensitive about their comments. I remember when Michael Bolton was on many seasons ago. He was so embarrassed by the judges comments, especially Len and Bruno. Yes the man cannot dance but he had won multiple Grammys and American Music Awards in his glory days. For some of the stars they come to the show (Alfonso for example) to have fun and if they win, it’s a bonus. I don’t think any Stars want that kind of treatment. Do you think someone like Shania Twain wants to join the cast and be critized and humiliated like that? For some stars their glory day might have ended but they still have their dignity. Of course the judges are there to critized and wants to see improvement just like us viewers but please be more considerate. All judges, not just Julianne. So far all the guest judges did great.
I thought the reactions to the “jealousy” edits (referenced by @Lori #22) on social media were much more entertaining than the show itself. Also thought all four couples who got that edit played their parts really well, both in the packages and during the show. It will be interesting if the fans who were tweeting and retweeting about “jealousy” voted. As for the dancing, I liked Alfonso, Sadie, Lea and Bethany.
I completely agree with the initial post commentary and #26 – Nancy. I also thought last night was a mess – the selected dances were strange and the music was too. I felt terrible for Witney and Peta and Emma. No need for the judges to be so mean. Sadie was adorable and deserved her scores, but so too was Alfonso and I though he was underscored.
I agree with #16 – Sheila – don’t be mean to your “stars” – not only is that rude, but also may dissuade future stars from wanting to participate.
#19 – Lucy – Tony’s audition tape was the best part of the show!
I want to echo so many of the comments. Bad dance styles (put the ballroom back in the ballroom), strange music selections, the switch-up week and really obnoxious judging took all the fun out of this show! I could do without the jealous partners’ packaging too.
My rankings:
Lea and Alfonso at the top. I thought Lea and Val’s routine was very Broadway and loved the concept of the Retired Dancers Home. It was nicely choreographed and well-executed. A very fun number!!
Alfonso was wonderful in the flamenco and looked so good with Cheryl. But he got hosed again in the scores. I couldn’t agree more that it’s getting “ri-goddamn-diculous!”
Bethany, Sadie and Janel are at the next level. Derek did a great job choreographing a charleston to very odd music. (Moderators: any opinion about what is going on with the music this season? The house singers/musicians are never mentioned. The music can really help make or break a number.) I enjoyed the dancing itself, but can see what some say about Sadie being a bit off the beat. Could be those long legs of hers take longer to move around!!
Bethany is becoming more comfortable and appealing. The idea was cute and I liked the integration of ballroom into hip-hop, but the steps seemed repetitive to me and the execution was just okay.
Janel, on the other hand, danced the heck out of that burlesque. They were assigned burlesque and that’s what they did. Yes, it was a sexy dance. The judges’ criticism was annoying and when Julianne interrupted Bruno after she’d already said her peace, I wanted to head to LA and slap a bitch!! Really dislike the fauxmance/jealousy stuff, but despite all the distractions, Janel’s such a talented dancer. Sometimes that focus is lost.
Next are Jonathan and Antonio. Both improved IMO. I like the Bollywood style (more than other choices) and thought the choreography was good. But it seems Allison is the problem and should tone it down to make her partner look his best. Way overdanced on her part. I loved the ending though!!
Jonathan was most improved and Peta should get props for that. The beginning of his jitterbug was excellent. He got bogged down in too much choreography, but overall did a fantastic job keeping up with the energy of the dance and the music. He got the biggest hosing (more than Alfonso even).
At the bottom are Michael and Tommy. Michael was a bit improved, but his excuses are wearing me out. The disco theme was fun and I thought Witney did a good job. They did not deserve the scores and commentary.
Hard to find anything good to say about Tommy & Emma. Again, terrible music selection and everything was tired. Now even Tommy is not having any fun!
I hate the switch up concept – it’s the partnerships that I fall in love with and look forward to seeing them grow each week. I didn’t watch most of it last year and wish I had done the same this year. Feels like a week off from the real show.
A few more gripes, after a night that took away from what has been a great season so far:
– Why is lowballing Alfonso, even if he’s running away with the votes, benefitial to the show. They cast him. He’s awesome. Judge accordingly. It’s starting to really bother me.
– Why can’t Tommy get a nice, older gentleman Waltz or Foxtrot? He’s had ChaCha, Salsa, Mambo, all so similar in tone. I feel like he should get some standard ballrooms dances at which he might be able to excel – see his tango.
– The dance styles were for the most part awful. I’d like to see some great ballroom dancers choreograph some great ballroom routines, like Cheryl’s flamenco. Viennese Waltz, AT, Paso are my faves and they seem almost totally MIA and it’s heading into week 6.
Well, sheila, while I’ve been bitching about the judges for nearly 24 hours now, I think “despicable” is WAY over the top and frankly what was said last night doesn’t come close to some of the nasty shit that Len, CAI and Bruno have said in the past.
Dancewithyou – it only occurred to me last week that snagging the 5-time champ and Emmy winner has got to be as much a curse as it is a blessing. The pressure to live up to some of his past work has got to be overwhelming. You might not realize it at first, but when Patrica Kelly shows up in your rehearsal that’s got to make you stop and think for a moment.
But at the same time, you know he’ll go out of his way to make you look good. so…
Vogue, I wonder if adding the 4 judge has taken some of the time away from the dancing we love. I wish they would use 3 judges and more dancing.
I got a call from sister today telling me she is done with DWTS. I am the one that got her hooked on it. She said not liking the dances, the music, the costumes, she asked where did all the beautiful dancing go. I have lost all of my friends that I recruited to watching DWTS and voting to other shows. Makes me sad. I thought I was the only one not liking last night.
I thought Alfonso and Cheryl’s dance was great along with Sadie and Derek. He really choreod a great routine for her and I’ll eat crow here..but Derek made Sadie more likeable to me. And I really enjoyed their dance 😀 I REALLY loved seeing Derek be able to let loose down in Louisiana with Sadie and her family…skeet shooting, 4-wheeling…now THAT’S my kind of fun 🙂 Country girl at heart!
Bethany and Mark were 3rd–Mark did a killer job with the routine he put together for her. She could’ve been a little more sharp at times but did a great job!
Lea and Val in 4th–wasn’t too bad. Lea can dance, no doubt there.
Janel and Artem in 5th–too raunchy and not cheeky burlesque enough! I wish they’d STOP trying to make Janel happen. Makes me think she’s really not getting the votes!
Antonio and Allison–not as bad as I thought but once again Allison overdanced her partner.
Tommy and Emma–he’s cute but I prefer him with Peta
Michael and Witney–he’s just not getting it.
Jonathan and Peta–poor guy, I want him to do well but I just don’t think it’s gonna happen. Peta put far too many lifts in this routine if you ask me.
#41 PH
So true. Derek, regardless of his wins and his career outside of DWTS, does his very best to make all of his celebs be all they can be. I think she will make top 4, top3, and the final 2 will be Sadie & Alfonso. For me, last night’s dances really proved we have 4 contenders: Lea, Bethany, Sadie and Alfonso.
@dancewithyou, Totally agree.. I think that’ll be a great and deserving final 4.
I guess I am a fish out of water. I am glad the judges finally scored appropriately. Last week, they gave 10s to Alfonso for the “Carlton Jazz”, but a technical flamenco performed beautifully gets 8s??? Also, I think Michael needs to be the one to go next or possibly double elimination of him and either Tommy/Jonathan/Antonio. It’s time to clean house.
Who is deep throat? Sorry I’m new to this blog and I always enjoy the commentary but whenever deep throat is mentioned I get confused.
Love the generation gap here. 🙂
Deep Throat–i.e. a source that has deep background information on what is happening. No name is used, so as not to lose the contact source.
Thanks to the investigative reporting of 2 Washington DC columnists, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Deep Throat became a part of our language in the 70s and carries on today.
If you haven’t see the movie, or better yet read the book, “All the President’s Men” do one or the other. Historical entertainment.
I love history or maybe I’m just old. Now, what the heck did I do with my walker? 😉
LOL, dancewithyou! We’re not old; age is just a number. BTW, Your walker is right behind you…don’t trip over it when you turn around 😉 Maybe you should get a tether for it.
Now that I’ve bolstered dancewithyou’s spirits, I’ll just add that Court’s assessment of Switch-up Night was spot-on as usual. I was actually looking forward to it because I thought by giving the switched-up pairs non-traditional dance stylesm TPTB were going for a light-hearted, devil-may-care, feel-good evening. If so, some production muppet forgot to get that memo out to The Stooges or the panel found Len’s stash of grumpy pills and mistook them for Skittles. This was *not* the week to “get real” with the scores, and the acid-laced comments pretty much ruined the night for me. I was relieved when it was over and hope the celebs’ haven’t had their confidence shaken too badly.
Best performance of the night for me was Alfonso and Cheryl’s Flamenco. Loved seeing that side of Alfonso. I didn’t care for Cheryl in the rehearsal vid and bet Alfonso will be very happy to get back with Witney.
Favorite performance for me was Sadie and Derek’s Charleston.
HA HA Cidra. You were right!
I rewatched Alfonso’s dance and I do like it better than on first viewing.
Speaking of Deep Throat, I would love some intel on what the judges do and say during the rehearsals. When I was a novice watcher wearing my rose-colored tri-focals, I assumed the judges did not see the dances until the LIVE show. With the snarky/nasty comments last night one wonders how much is them, and how much gets scripted. There was a time when the judges comments seemed real and constructive. Then there was the obvious season when Len was reading straight from his (cough, cough producers/writers) notes.
My favorite was Beth/Mark – loved seeing this new side of Beth and I thought Mark did a wonderful job with the choreography (especially since Beth is not a trained performer or natural dancer like Alfonso). Best to me was Sadie/Derek. Was not a lover of Alfonso’s Flamenco thought it was more Tango than Flamenco.
@Carrie – That was about as flamenco as flamenco gets, but whatever.
Alfonso has the mirror ball in the bag anyway they are just playing games as usual with the scores as they do every season – IMO.
Yikes Thiana, I remember the Michael Bolton well. It is a memory that just sticks in my brain. That is the season, I think, that Chelsie could never recover from. Holy cow, I like her, but having Michael Bolton crawl out of the dog house kind of ended her time on the show. Chelsie was cute, funny, and lively on the show, but how do you recover from that? While last night was a train wreck for the show, it was easy to see TPTB were driving the train. I wonder who will rise from the ashes next week. Before the show I thought Michael, after the show it might be Jonathan. I like Allison and Emma so I hate that one of them will go, but I do think it will.
The other issue that bothered me was the “burlesque”. I don’t think it was very burlesque, it doesn’t involve the gyrations and practically having sex on a chair. Sheesh, I know I am old. It reminded me of a female “magic Mike”. Maybe it was more like the movie “Gypsy:, I don’t know, it’s just my opinion, but I just thought it was sleazy.
Nice writeup, as always. Thanks.
I didn’t like Janel’s Burlesque at all. It was too raunchy. I loved Sadie and Lea, although I do believe miss Lea is acting more than she feels. I adore Bethany and I agree, Mark was trying to his best for Derek, and they zinged him.
I didnt mind the judging, I prefer the snark to the drooling.
Top 4 Sadie , Alfonzo, Bethany and Lea.
Nothing the judges say is scripted. Len was reading from his notes because HE thought of a clever sentence or thing to say, wrote it down, and then read it. Believe me when I say that every funny line Len comes up with is his own – I don’t think TPTB would come up with anything as clever as he does.
And as has been said before, the judges don’t watch the dress rehearsal. It’s not impossible for them to see it because it airs on the studio’s in-house channel so anyone that tunes to the right channel could see it. I doubt the judges often spend their valuable relaxing/getting ready time watching the dances they’re about to see anyway.
Carrie, I don’t believe any contestant ever has it the bag on this show. Anything can and does happen.
Many people thought Zendaya had it in the bag. Seemed like a done deal. She was good and she was excessively pimped, but over the course of the show people just fell in love with Kellie’s charm and natural dance ability.
Last season everyone thought it would be a two way horse race between Meryl and Charlie until the relentless hosing of him resulted in his elimination before the finals.
Saying Alfonso has it in the bag implies that he doesn’t have to work or improve because his name is engraved on the Mirrorball. That does both him and Witney a big disservice.
Earlier someone wrote that she thought Alfonso was giving off an “I’ve got this in the bag” vibe, but that’s not something I’m picking up. To be fair, I never got that vibe from Joey Fatone either — I adored him, but the judges were rightly on his case about sticking his bum out, and I think he handled it well by working hard and having fun. However, back to Alfonso, I truly think that if he really thought he had it in the bag, he would have saved the Carleton dance for the freestyle. He knows enough about performing to know he has some charismatic and talented women to compete with and I think he’s doing his best. Sometimes I think his problem is that he’s overthinking things. I hope he can have more fun as the season goes on — that can make such a difference.
The I am confused about the judges. Often times when dress rehearsal footage is shown, yes the judges are sitting at their table. Are they their 100% of the time? I do not know.
Wasn’t it last season when they showed about a 45 second clip of Tom, Erin and the judges as though it was “paddle time” making comments on one of the dances etc? In the dress rehearsal clip, Tom’s comments were bleeped and they all seemed to be having a “jolly good time.”
Yep, I’m the one who made the comparison about Fatone and Alphonso. But it’s just my opinion. If Alphonso brings home TMBT, I would be thrilled. He is a hard worker. Hard work should be rewarded!
@Beth Rang – Exactly what I was thinking about both Alfonso AND Joey and I agree – I don’t think either of them is putting off an “I’ve got this in the bag” vibe. I always thought Joey actually came off as a tad desperate & insecure when he was on his original season, like he was afraid he was gonna get voted off at any time and that he really needed to win. And honestly, from conversations I had on Twitter last year w/Alfonso about him doing the show, I always got the impression that he really just wanted to do the show because he thought it would be a fun experience. I don’t get the impression that he is desperate to win, or that he thinks he’s gonna win, or he’s nervous about getting sent home – he almost has kind of a Hines Ward vibe: just really calm, taking each week as it comes. Now if there’s ANY contestant this season that I think puts off the “I’ve got this in the bag” vibe, it’s Janel – she just strikes me as a bit too comfortable doing whatever she wants…as if she knows she’s guaranteed to advance each week.
Wondered if the moderators knew if other couples were engaging their fans in dance challenges? Team Janelskiy is asking their fans to send in dance clips of themselves that they may incorporate into their routine. Is this a thing this week? Haven’t seen anyone else do it.
No, the judges are NEVER at dress rehearsal. Dress rehearsal is done with fake judges giving fake comments. It’s kind of funny because they usually use the same fake judges every week. I have no idea what footage you’re referring to, but if it was the real judges then it was not rehearsal footage.
Forgot to mention it, but everyone else is at dress rehearsal. Tom and Erin are there because they have to practice their lines and the run-through etc. And of course all the stars and pros dance their dances. It’s just the judges that are fake.
Thanks for clearing that up, Buttercup – love the insider perspective!
Carrie #52…I didn’t see any tango…pure flamenco.
Also, many thought Corbin had in in the bag. Many thought Zendaya had it in the bag. If I am Alfonso, I’d be looking over my shoulder because here comes Sadie. IMHO
@Lex: Agreed. Sadie is getting better and better each week. I am kinda in awe of how she took to the dancefloor so easily.
Guess I’m in the minority here, not a huge fan of Sadie.
Yep, there’s a YouTube vidoe of Does Tom Bergeron have a Potty Mouth from Season 18. It is during dress rehearsals. It’s really funny. I did a sneak-peek at work.
Yeah they definitely HAVE a dress rehearsal, but everyone is present except the judges. That particular clip shows Bruno and Len, but not during dress rehearsal – it’s from the actual show.
I remember there was (very briefly) a YouTube vid floating around in season 15 of a dress rehearsal with quite a bit of potty mouth from Tom, Gilles, & Kelly. Got taken down pretty quickly, though, because it was filmed illicitly by a friend of Mark’s that was visiting the set. If I recall, Brooke’s hair was in rollers and Peta was wearing sweats. Pretty sure Peta flipped the bird a couple times, too.
It seems to me and I could be wrong…lol, that the judges, specifically Len and Bruno wear ear pieces with possible lines. I don’t remember where the heck I read it or if it was all a dream, but I feel pretty sure that is what I heard. Maybe the mods remember, or they can call me crazy…lol.
LOL!! dancewithme…did you lose your dance partner?
(hint, hint-walker)
You’re probably thinking of Erin, who definitely has an earpiece. The hosts need it so they can get last-second instructions, corrections, etc – like I’m sure if the producers decide there’s no time for the last judge to speak, they tell it through the earpiece. That wouldn’t be a decision Tom suddenly makes on his own.
And the dress rehearsals can definitely get funny, since it never airs they feel free to swear, say whatever they want, etc.
@ #55 Lynne
Didn’t one of the judges give Bolton a 2 or 3(!) for that dance? I agree that was the beginning of the end for Chelsie on the show. Bolton averaged 14 points for his two nights of competition.
Later that season they brought Bolton back as a guest singer. My wife and I thought TPTB were trying to avert a big nasty mess of publicity by giving him a guest singer slot.
Oh I’ll never forget what poor Michael Bolton and to endure. That was a perfect example of a lack of maturity and life experience on the part of a pro who wasn’t ready. I gasped to see, whether you like his music or not, a very accomplished entertainer who had earned awards and respect being made a fool of by getting on all fours and howling like a dog! Chelsie didn’t know any better and that’s the point. I still cringe thinking of that episode.
@AshleyL, yes, Chelsie was young still when she partnered Michael Bolton, but she’d already had several seasons under her belt. She should have had enough show experience by then to realize it wasn’t a good idea, even if she didn’t have enough real life experience.
Yes, that was definitely bad judgement all the way around on her part.
I never saw her seasons, but in a way I feel bad for Chelsie because she never managed to make the finals, and if she did a couple of times, then maybe she’d still be a pro today. She was basically put out to pasture at age 23, which is odd.
I thought Chelsie had great seasons with Ty, Louie, and Roshon, and my favorite – Romeo. I do think her early exit with Helio in All-Stars was what doomed her, but I thought it was a shame.
And that’s the business of showbiz unfortunately. It doesn’t matter if I like a pro or not. You’re never owed anything in this business, a particular entertainment job could be over in a snap and to know that and plan for paving your own way in many other facets of the industry or outside of it I think is anyone’s best bet. Anyone who’s worked in that industry knows how unstable it is. Be strong in who you are and forward thinking enough to know what side roads to take to overcome bumps in the road and blaze your own path.
Chelsie is a good person, a beautiful young lady and has jobs and endorsements. I have no doubt she’ll have a deservedly wonderful life.
Romeo was my favorite with Chelsie also. I’ll never forget the ‘mechanical bam bams’ outtake. Hilarious!
On judges at dress rehearsal, mentioned earlier here, I remember Abby Lee Miller saying she was at the dress rehearsal, so attendance might be voluntary. I do not know just a guess.