PureDWTS Season 19, Week 6 – Power Rankings
I apologize for this being so ungodly late, but between all of the media and other posts we had going up earlier, a sh*tastic day at work, and some of you just generally driving me to drink, I decided that these rankings could wait a bit. Side note: if you wanna talk about the team dances next week, go here; if you so desire to vote for the dance styles and songs that the couples are dancing in week 7 (I think), this post has directions. I’m pretty partial to the idea of Tommy doing a Viennese waltz to “I’d Rather Go Blind”, but to each his own 😉
After two hours of Pitbull the peanut-butter eating, Spanglish-speaking naked mole rat judging, I still have no idea was “DALE!!!” means. Oh well – I guess when it all came down to it, he was a halfway decent judge; he saw right through the showmance front that Vajanel put up, and actually knew the names of a few salsa steps to compliment Alfonso on. Doesn’t mean I ever want to see him as a judge again, though 😉 But hey, Mr. Worldwide needed a plug for his gig hosting the American Music Awards, so I guess that’s why we got him this week…
…the judging seemed kinder this week, so I wonder if there was a huge backlash from some of the out-and-out cruelty we saw last week and the judges were told to ease up a bit. Still think Alfonso & Sadie (and now Bethany) are getting nitpicked, while Janel, Antonio, & Tommy are getting babied a bit; Lea and Mike are a toss-up each week. Will be interesting to see if the dynamic of the judging panel changes at all with Len back – wonder if we’ll start to see more complaints about “messin’ about”, and Julianne will suddenly become the “nice judge” now that Len the critic is back.
Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan – kinda stinks that he didn’t last longer, but if he had to get eliminated, at least he went out on a high note. His jazz was probably his (and Allison’s) best dance yet. Not sure Allison made a strong enough showing to warrant getting asked back as a pro again next season, but we shall see…
1.) Alfonso & Witney – Perhaps not the most “strictly salsa” salsa we’ve ever seen on the show, but I can’t blame Witney for sneaking in some hip-hop to play to Alfonso’s strengths. Thought he could have used a bit more hip action, but then I have to wonder if Witney tried to keep the steps a bit tight & boxy in order to baby his groin injury. Still a very enjoyable routine – there was some complex stuff in there, and Alfonso managed to stay on-time and in-step with Witney. He’s still the showman of this season, for sure – and with the way the crowd goes crazy after his dances, I think he’s gonna be around till the end. 🙂
2.) Bethany & Derek – For all the whining & complaining I saw about how “horrible” a tango song “Jealous” is, you would have thought we had told you that Bethany & Derek were dancing to a song by the Freecreditreport.com band. And what did I say? It would work – and it sho ’nuff did. I think this may have been Bethany’s strongest dance yet – very clean, very confident, and very focused. Like Carrie Ann, I too found myself thinking Bethany looked a little like Nicole Scherzinger out there – maybe it was the hair. Loved that she was able to conceal her one stumble so well and keep going; also loved the clever little accents in choreography that Derek put in to compliment the music. I think Bethany’s really peaking at the right time.
3.) Sadie & Mark – Another round of applause for Mark for managing to navigate successfully the seas of propriety according to the Robertson clan, while still choreographing a proper rumba that was lovely to watch 🙂 Reminded me a lot of Shawn’s rumba in season 8 – very PG, and more tender rather than sultry. I just can’t get over how LOOOOOONNNGGG Sadie’s legs look – could have used a bit more hip action, but considering that even the best rumbas we’ve seen on the show often lack any sort of mastery of hip action, I think she did alright. I was ready to be mad about her wearing flats, but then I saw that she was still putting her weight on the balls of her feet and was still doing the footwork as if she had heels on, so I wasn’t too upset. Hope she can loosen up a bit more to handle dances like Argentine tango, though – not sure you can really go the “sweet ‘n’ tender” route there.
4.) Lea & Artem – I just don’t quite know what to make of Lea anymore: she has these stellar days where I think she could give even Alfonso a run for his money; then she has days where she just kinda loses steam and regresses. Tonight was more of a regression, I’m afraid – it started out strong, but about 20 seconds in she seemed to lose a little bit of steam and the posture problems came out. Also seemed like she was taking steps that were far too big and it made her rush a little bit. She seemed like she was having fun, but got a little pooped by about the :45 mark. Wish Artem would a) put his shirt back on, and b) stop trying to push Alfonso as the one she has to beat/needs to outdo. Let Lea compete against her personal best; the minute you start trying to outdo another contestant, sh*t kinda goes south. Ask Gilles 😛
5.) Janel & Val – Here’s the problem with having both salsa & samba on a night like tonight: unless the pro REALLY takes pains to make sure a samba looks like a samba and a salsa looks like a salsa, they kinda end up looking about the same – and this was definitely more of a “samsa” or a “salba” than a true samba, so I can’t blame Pit for getting confused and thinking it was a salsa. The bounce was nearly absent – wayyyy too flat for a samba, and Janel did seem to be grabbing for Val whenever she could, as if she wasn’t 100% sure of what she should be doing. As for the shirt removal at the end – errr, what? Just seemed like kind of an afterthought, like “Oh, we’re almost done – better take my shirt off!” Just left feeling rather puzzled about the whole thing – not really a satisfying samba, and with much ado about showmancing in the package, I would have thought there would have been a whole lot more heat. I do think them landing in jeopardy was a bit of a warning, though – viewers may not be connecting to them as much as others.
6.) Tommy & Peta – If we’re being honest, this was probably the weakest dance of the night – Tommy seemed to forget at least 1/3 of his choreography, got off-time, and looked a tad lost the whole time. If Mike had done the same routine, he would have gotten 5’s for it – maybe even 4’s. But because Tommy is Tommy, and Julianne (sorta kinda) has a (small) crush on him (sometimes), they’re awfully kind and give him 7’s. Kinda want to slap Julianne – she was on his case last week about wanting more, and then he gives her this (which is NOT more), and she praises him excessively. I honestly thought he was much better last week, and this was a pretty low point. Still think he’s got a few more weeks left in him, but I’m beginning to think he’s reached his saturation point.
7.) Mike & Emma – Whether you’re a Mike fan or not, I think it’s safe to say that tonight was his best dance yet – still pretty remedial when you compare it to what everyone else (except maybe Tommy) is doing, but Mike handled it well and seemed to stay on-time and in the pocket. I really appreciate how clever Emma can get when it comes to choreographing an intricate dance for a less-skilled partner – this is the 2nd time we’ve seen her take a guy with 2 left feet and have him execute a respectable Argentine tango. Sure, she was doing the bulk of the work, still – but she made it BELIEVABLE. Everyone asks why Emma keeps getting “crappy partners”? Maybe it’s because she actually knows how to handle them. And to those asking “Who the hell is still voting for Mike???” – clearly you don’t know the demographics of this show very well. 😉
8.) Antonio & Cheryl – Even though I think Antonio did his best dance so far this week, I still feel like he’s fading into the woodwork. He seems to be relaxing a bit (though he’s still a pretty awkward mover, and has a tendency to really rush the tempo of a song), but personality-wise, I feel like we know NOTHING about him. We’ve seen shades of all of the other couples – Mike’s racing, Sadie with her family, Alfonso with his family, Tommy wandering around in the desert – but we don’t really know anything about Antonio. And I guess that’s where I have the biggest disconnect with him, and it makes me wonder if others are having the same problem. Now with all the celebs-with-questionable-fanbases pretty much gone with Jonathan, I have to wonder if people are really picking up the phone for him. My gut says “maybe not”, but I’m definitely not confident about it. Oh well – at least Cheryl seems happy. 🙂
So week 6 is a wrap – what did you guys think?
I just died with the “freecreditreport.com band” lmao. Hilarious.
Excellent again, Court! Mine are much like yours this time….
1. Alfonso and Witney – What a powerful and fun fun dance. I was sealed from the get go on this one. I’m with Bruno, I could have danced all night which said it all. Loved every jiggle and boom!
2. Bethany and Derek – Derek showed again that even with everything stacked against him (time, travelling, etc), he can always challenge himself and his partner and produce an amazing and breathtaking dance. I loved the sharpness and coolness of it all. The lighting and their costumes were so beautiful. It was a total moment.
3. Mark and Sadie – What a sweet sweet, stunning, and beautiful dance. It’s like she bloomed into a woman before our eyes. Yet, it had this young innocence about it too …. sensitive and emotional. Mark did such a good job of choreographing and bringing out who Sadie is while still keeping it a rumba. I have never respected Mark as much as I do this season. I was in awe.
4. Lea and Artem – This dance had the elements all there to be really great, but, she still had some posture issues that she is still not improving on. Also, I think she could have been stronger emotionally in places as it seems she’s always a little distracted. Her feet and legs could have been sharper too. Also, I find it kind of sad that they think Alfonso is their competition. ‘Everyone’ is their competition. They are not all that imo.
5. Val and Janel – Right off the bat, I was turned off of her boots. They were a distraction the whole time and I thought they weighed her feet down. Like Carrie Ann, I thought her balance was off. I commend Pitbull for being honest with his feelings too. I felt more fakeness than any passion and it’s really getting old. They are really screwing this all up by pushing the showmance card. She’s also trying so hard that it’s effecting everything which is the same thing Danica McKellar did last season with Val.
6. Tommy and Peta – I just loved them again. Who knew a disco song and a fox trot could work, but, it did. So full of class, fun, and charm. He had some great moves too. They just keep having fun.
7. Michael And Emma – These two were so beautiful, passionate, and elegant. There was improvement everywhere. I loved his posture and how relaxed and into it he was which was key. I think he believed he could be a dancer this week. He was feeling every move and emotion. So cool.
8. Cheryl and Antonio – I liked this dance. It was fun. It felt a little fakey in parts (Cheryl don’t let him push the sexy anymore. It doesn’t work), but, I still loved them and the way they moved to the music. Poor Cheryl though. I felt so sorry for her, but, good for her for powering through.
The costume for Janel, shoes and skirt, were discussed at length on AB and they did not like them either. I actually wanted to ask the mods about those boots she wore as she has worn that style alot. Apparently it is a thing the pros are wearing now but they make Janel’s legs look so short. I thought maybe they gave the ankles more support but just guessing. Great commentary as usual!!
Yes power rankings love reading them! Btw “dale” is a Cuban/miamian way of saying “let’s go”or “let’s do this”
I thought Pitbull was going to be a terrible guest judge but he wasn’t that bad.
My rankings:
Bethany & Derek: I think this was Bethany’s best dance so far (not counting the Jazz because it isn’t “ballroom” or “latin”). She looked so fierce and powerful. I wasn’t sure if what I saw was a slip or something intentional during the dance. She covered it up so, so well and if she brings some of that fire and fierceness for her Paso next week she’s gonna be awesome!
Alfonso & Witney: I did wish it had felt more Salsa-ish and more Latin BUT man this man is an entertainer. That was so full on and I just couldn’t take my eyes off of him. And God Witney is amazing. Every week I am just more and more in awe of her dancing. It really is just wonderful. A great dance to finish off the night.
Sadie & Mark: The dance was really nice and pretty but her flat shoes just bothered me. I just love Rumba with the female wearing some nice heels… Either way I think she handled this dance really well and at least she got it out of the way.
Janel & Val: Didn’t love it and didn’t hate it. It was just ok. To be honest, it just looked sloppy at times and it lacked that hotness of the Samba. I also was not a fan of her dress at all. Also, I agree with the whole Val taking off his shirt being very off putting. Ugh. I am actually getting tired of seeing his damn nipples.
Lea & Artem: I love, love, love Lea but man…. not a fan of this dance. Latin is definitely not her strength. Hopefully she makes a comeback with her Argentine Tango because I’d love to see her go all the way.
Tommy & Peta: He had A LOT of mistakes but he is so fun to watch. I not only loved the song but Peta choreographed a really sweet dance to it. I just can’t help but to root for Tommy.
Michael & Emma: VAST improvement and his best dance to date. Hopefully he gets some confidence now and keeps improvement. It wasn’t the kind of Arg. Tango I enjoy but it suited him rather well. That song was very weird too…
Antonio & Cheryl: Yeah he may be improving a little but I just do not connect. I forget about his dances by the end of the night and at this point I just enjoy seeing everyone else more than him and will not shed a tear if he is gone next week.
Here’s to some good dances next week! So stoked for the return of Halloween week. I have missed it!
I agree with your rankings, Courtney, although I was not a big fan of the tango song Derek and Bethany got. But it comes from being an Argentinian raised by pretty purist parents when it comes to tango, and in my country we tend to frown upon the way tango is perceived in other places. That’s why I prefer the Argentine tango on the show.
I think Bethany danced really well, and even more taking into account the special circumstances this week. Sadie and Alfonso were great as usual, and I love Tommy regardless of the quality of his dancing.
I saw a video of Derek dancing salsa with Leah ay Witney’s party and they had great chemistry. It makes me wonder what a partnership between them would have been like.
Sorry to see Jonathan leave, and I hope Allison gets another chance as a pro soon.
Witney for sure is creating some fantastic routines. But because she so effectively plays to Alfonso’s strengths, for me all his dances kind of have the same feel. The one exception is his Flamenco with Cheryl. I loved that dance and was so impressed by his performance because “Alfonso” was nowhere to be found. He transformed in that dance in a way he hasn’t in any other, imo.
If Derek danced with me, we would have plenty of chemistry too! 😛
There’s not a female out there Derek couldn’t make look good in a dance.
As for the rankings: The whole night seemed like a blur to me. Maybe I should not be online voting, calling, PDWTSing etc while the show is on, just give it some focused attention.
Alfonzi is 3rd in my book. That dance was odd to me, so odd, I can’t really descrive it.
1st and 2nd–toss up for the teenagers.
4th Leah by default
5th Cheryl just because (Notice I left her partner off)
6th 3-way tie for the worst dancers left.
If there is a double elim in our future, I hope it’s Monday night and Michael and Tommy can drive off in a smoking-hot NASCAR vehicle.
My favorite dances of the night were Alfonso and Sadie. I love his musicality and style, although I’d like to see how he’s going to do in the more traditional ballroom styles, and I loved the choreography of Sadie’s routine and thought she did well, in spite of the lack of hip action. When she got her ten from Pitbull and cried it made me smile.
I think Bethany was extremely fortunate to get tango this week, as the enormous amount of in-hold work allowed him to give her the confidence to lead and guide with the short amount of rehearsal time. I was distinctly reminded of his futuristic Paso with Joanna, even though this was a tango. Some similar moves or costumes or something. Maybe it’s just top of mind because I rewatched it recently.
I feel no heat from Janel and Val, and I was so glad Pitbull called them on it. Her boots were distracting, and although I think it was a difficult routine and she is a good enough dancer, I just don’t enjoy her.
Lea’s routine made me cringe a bit. Oh what I’d give to have her with Derek.
Cloris made me laugh hard in Tommy’s package, and although he messed up it was still more fun to watch than Antonio.
I do think Janel won’t make it past the semi-finals, but we’ll lose Antonio – maybe, unless they get the Cheryl-sympathy votes (I got choked up even when her voice was quivering) or Tommy. Michael had a strong dance – for him – but I wouldn’t mind if he left on a high note.
I loved Bethany & Derek’s tango because finally we saw a true Ballroom dance, as has been mentioned, with no gimmicks or added people with 7 hours practice time. She danced it beautifully.
I think Mark did a wonderful job with Sadie and the rhumba. Felt so bad for her feeling uncomfortable, but she did it. Way to go Sadie.
Alfonso was great as usual, but really want to see some ballroom from him. Witney is so impressing me with her choreography.
The rest were just okay – some made me feel very uncomfortable and hope that changes.
I agree with everything you said so I don’t need to add any comments 🙂
but.. is anyone else getting annoyed with Val & Janel’s now “pushed” showmance. I’m not sure if it’s the real deal and they do genuinely have feelings for each other or is Val trying to pull the Maksyl card (since that worked for him last season)? .. either way, I’m over it. I found it really funny how Pitbull called them out on their lack of chemistry though.. 😉
I agree with the top 3 and I still think they are the front runners of the season. Lea/Janel can go both places, and others can share the rest.
1. Alfonso. I loved seeing him dance as usual. I could see pain on his face though even if he kept smiling and I hope his injury’s not too serious :/
2. Bethany. Loved her intensity and the steps. I can only imagine what they would have come up with had they had more hours of rehearsal. It was that good. The slip up was handled very well by Beth.
3. Sadie. I loved how she kept giggling in rehearsal. I understand why there was no hip action, I think it probably was too suggestive for the family. Still a very good rumba and Mark is really creative with his choreography this season.
4. Janel. I don’t even know what to say. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing. For the first time, I felt like she wasn’t that confident in her steps. I also felt like the dance had no end, and that’s not a good thing at all. And what about Val taking his shirt off, seriously?! Even if I expect it in every dance, I’m still rolling my eyes.
5. Lea. I really like Lea, but this dance did nothing for me. I kept focusing on her hunched shoulders. She really needs to up her posture cause once Tommy/Michael/Antonio are gone, that could throw her under the bus. I agree Fig, if only she had gotten Derek, even during the switch, that would have made her improve a lot on her posture.
6. Antonio. I couldn’t remember what they danced till now. He had problems with the hip action, but that was expected. Not too bad, he kept up with the others.
7. Michael. I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t expecting much, but it’s his better dance so far. The slow cadence of the song was a bit weird but Emma made it worked so good for them.
8. Tommy. I love him, but it was bad. He seemed to have forgotten parts of the dance even if Peta was directing him. Also, the judges need to make up their mind instead of going back and forth between praising and shredding to pieces.
As for the showmance, since Pit called them on it, either they will stop because that’s not working and nobody believes it, actually it’s more bad distraction than good or they will keep going just because they will look dumb if they suddenly stop and prove it was fake. Still, it’s funny all that happened just after her breakup.
Thanks!!
Alfonso, it’s just so easy to watch that man dance, what musicality! And Whitney is doing a great job with him, she’s not wasting his strengths!
Bethany, her posture has improved so much, and agree she’s peaking at a very good time. Derek is such a good partner for her, she doesn’t have as much natural ability for dance as some others nor the training or performance background as others and he’s making her shine. I’m shocked, only not at all.
Sadie, she’s such a natural and Mark is doing an awesome job teaching her to dance while letting her young self shine through.
My next favorite partnership is Emma and Mike, I don’t love his dancing but I love how that girl never complains about her partners, how she embraces these clunky men and their journeys and works hard to teach them and create decent to memorable routines with them. I wasn’t worried about this AT because hers with BE is one of my favorites ever. (Admittedly my favorite list is quite long but still a very small fraction of every routine ever done on the show), I think they did a good job with this one.
I want to like Lea’s performances, she has so much potential and I thought Artem would have the experience to help her shine. I agree that for me she’s been up and down, but they still have a few weeks left.
Agree with your rankings Courtney. LOVED Bethany and Derek’s Tango. You wuz right!! Although I never heard the song before so I had no idea. I figure you of ballroom dance experience know of what you speak 😉 That man (Derek) is just. WOW!
Lea seemed to have an off week this week. I LOVE Lea as a person from her Back to the Future and Caroline in the City days. Makes me sad to see her struggle.
Also loved Alfonso and want SO BAD to see him get Will Smith for a Super Sized Freestyle.THAT would win him the MBT for SURE!!!!! They’d do the Jump on it routine somehow…and it would bring the house down! I know Will’s wife has her own show right now but I think they’d go to the DWTS finale to support their old friend Alfonso!!
Janelsky-SHMELSKY! I am SO over this pair. I think TPTB put em in fake-jeopardy because they aren’t pulling in the votes and it’s a ploy to get em to vote for Janel and Val because for whatever reason TPTB want Janel and Val to happen. LOVE that PitBull saw thru that fake Chemistry! Ugh was SO hoping they’d get voted off 🙁
I want to see Alfonso, Bethany, Lea and Sadie in the finals!!!!
To me, the top three are clearly Alfonso, Sadie and Bethany; or Alfonso, Bethany and Sadie. In my mind the two girls are that close. Love the way Witney designed the dance to mitigate Alfonso’s injury. Derek and Bethany pulled off a great dance after two arduous plane flights and very little practice. As for Sadie, it’s great to see her laughing, smiling, and hamming it up when she is in the background. The first several weeks she was just sort of a “wallflower” when not performing – now she is one of the group.
Those three are followed by Janel and Lea, or again vice-versa. After that the three guys remaining should be the next three to go in a perfect world, but I agree with those who think Michael may be getting a lot of votes that some did not see coming.
My wife and I are sorry to see Jonathan and Allison go. I hope this is not the end of the Allison “experiment”, the one to broaden the choreography on the show (or so it was said in various places at the beginning of the season.)
Maybe a radical suggestion, but how about TPTB bring her back on the troupe next year and have her do all the choreography that Mandy Moore got this year? (Nothing personal Mandy.) Not having a celebrity to work with would provide the time to do so, and maybe there could be some dual work between her and Derek also.
I was just very happy to have the pairs back together. Such a welcome after last weeks show which almost made me want to stop watching the rest of the season.
My top three for the week are definitely Alfonso, Sadie, and Bethany, in no particular order. Alfonso and Sadie are always my favorites and normally Lea would be included in that but I thought she was trying way too hard to be young and sexy. As CAI said she just needs to do what works for her as I think the young stars may cancel each other out. She needs to remember who the core audience is here. I’m actually a tad worried about her for next week to be honest.
I think Bethany is peaking at just the right time. She’s building on her Rumba with Derek and I think last week really helped loosen her up with Mark and I really really liked her performance this week. I wasn’t sure if she would make the finals but now I have a pretty strong feeling she will. I think it will be Alfonso, Sadie, and Bethany with the 4th spot up for grabs to be honest. I could easily see it being Lea, and Janel or even Tommy or Mike to be honest. I think Tommy is like a Bill E. type and I think Mike has A LOT of people voting for him. I’m just hoping Lea can stick it out. I’m praying for Janel to be the shocking elimination but I think she still has a few weeks left.
rotflmao! Courtney, you killed me with the Freecreditreport.com band comment. I choked on hot tea lmao!
Thanks for the post. I would rank them the same way too but perhaps switch 1 & 2 just because Bethany has shown a lot of growth imo and totally killed that pure tango and I’d give her an award for great recovery and Derek for keeping her up and on time. Alphonso is an absolute rockstar. Not sure if there is any dance that he cannot do.
For me, the best parts of the show were Cloris and Emma. I laughed out loud with the Cloris/Tommy package!! As for Emma – her dance around Michael was stunning…I am a big Emma fan! After Cloris and Emma, I thought Alfonso was amazing, Cheryl was heartbreaking, and Lea was disappointing. Alfonso is lucky to have Witney as his pro. Witney is a fabulous dancer, choreographer, and partner – only 20 years old!!! I think I was still in diapers at 20! Cheryl is a delight and I love her freckles (all the makeup covers them up…let the freckles shine!). I hope Cheryl doesn’t leave the show after this season, but after 10 years, I wouldn’t blame her for wanting to move on to something new. Lea’s hunched shoulder issue and what seemed to me her lack of enthusiasm for the dance was obvious to me and I have zero dance expertise. Artem needs to quit focusing on his chest and focus on Lea’s shoulders and getting her enthusiasm back to her “first love” – dance.
Oh and I’d swap Antonio and Tommy. I thought this was the loosest and most in the grove I’ve seen Antonio so for me, this was one of his better dances. Poor Tommy forgot a good part of his routine which made me worry for him when I watched it rather than get lost in it. That said, you gotta love the guy and it’s clear the cast loves him as well but he might be heading out soon 🙁
Although, not going to lie, as much as I love Emma and Michael (and Michael is way better now than he was weeks ago), I’d rather Michael left before Tommy as even though Tommy moves slowly, I feel like the man can actually dance and his movements aren’t actually awkward.
This is one of the most unpredictable seasons in my opinion but my rankings are pretty straight forward.
1)Bethany and Derek: Now that is how you succeed despite a real time crunch. She is really impressing me big time. She is peeking at a perfect time.
2)Alfonso and Witney: First, I hope his injury is better :). He nailed that one. Still my pick to win this whole thing but he better watch out for Bethany and Sadie.
3)Sadie and Mark: This seemed more of a contemporary dance to me but she is way more willing “to go there” than I expected. Candace last season was tentative in that respect.
4) Lea and Artem: As you said before, when she is at 100% she is perfect but some weeks not so much. At least we know it’s probably Artem’s fault though. I wanted to punch him when I was watching that video package. Also, I really wonder if they knew all along that Artem has been saying “We must be Alfonso” to her every week because if tptb knew, they really should have put a kaboosh to that. He is psyching her out.
5)Tommy and Peta: Was it perfect? Nope but it was a load of fun. He is great in hold. He had fun. Perfect song. All the stars aligned for him with that one for sure.
6) Janel and Val: They make me want to vomit. They are very determined to make their romance/showmance a thing. Whatever. That video package just killed this dance for me. She could have done 85 backflips and I still would have kept that video in mind. That was a fun dance but just getting tired of them. Sidenote, Val when you are angry and leave the room DON’T FORGET THE KEYS. Acting 101 bro. Stick to the script :).
7)Anonio and Cheryl: After everything, I am shocked Cheryl could function but that was a solid dance. He comforted her after the bad news too so he gets brownie points for that.
8)Michael and Emmma: This was his best dance but in terms of dancing, I gotta give Antonio the edge.
So Mama Spence is on vacay down in Marco Island, FL, and they DVR’d DWTS at the condo because they went out to eat Monday night. She must be watching it right now, because I just got a text that said “Artem’s voice reminds me of Kermit’s evil twin in Muppets Most Wanted.” I LOL’d…it’s actually a pretty apt comparison. 😛
What is up with all the cartoon character comparisons this week? Maybe we are all starting to see that DWTS has become a caricature of its former professional self?
Rob Wade–get back to basics with the occasional change of pace. And if you are reading along here….
I AM TIRED OF THE STRIPPER OPENING DANCES. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CHARM AND ELEGANCE OF AN OPENING WALTZ–OR THE FUN OF A 60s/70s MONTAGE? THAT SH*T YOU ARE FORCING ON US EVERY WEEK CAN BE SEEN AT ANY NIGHTCLUB, IN ANY MAJOR CITY AND/OR MOST VIDEOS THESE DAYS. OVER IT.
The only good thing about the opening dances these days means I have more time to prepare my dinner before watching the show, because I don’t bother with the opening segments anymore. TRASHY TRASHY TRASHY.
Always love the power rankings, but am I the only one who really liked the Freecreditreport.com band? lol
I am also tired of the strip club opening numbers. Please move on to something different.
Can’t wait for the team dances, hope both teams do well.
@Courtney: That’s a perfect comparison! Tell her that it made my day (unless of course she reads this).
I feel like the top 3 are pretty much locked and loaded, but that last spot for the finals is kind of up for grabs. I hope it’s Lea but this week was not good. She would be doing better with a much more seasoned pro. I could even see either Antonio or Michael make it that far.
I was going to predict Antonio to be eliminated, but then I remembered what Cheryl went through this past week. In a mini-surprise I’m going with Tommy. Like Betsey I could see people thinking “he’s gone as far as he could”.
Hahahah Constantine Frog – that’s amazing. As a Muppet fanatic, I love that comparison.
Now I need to go rewatch the Aaron Carter and Karina Muppet QT – my favorite Quickstep of all time!
PJ I love the FreeCreditReport.com guys. Makes me laugh every time. My face is the “renaissance faire” one.
Maybe I’m channeling Len a bit too much, but it is halfway through the season and so many performances lack content of the assigned dance. First, do the dance given to you. Then, I want connection, emotion and production value. Based on that, here are my rankings this week.
Bethany and Derek – Derek’s brilliance really showed here. Despite a non-traditional song and lack of rehearsal time, this tango totally worked. Bethany’s comfort and confidence are growing and allowing her to be the wonderful dancer she is.
Next is Janel and Val. These two are both too intense and uptight, but the content was fantastic and she executes the moves like a pro. On Afterbuzz, Anna commented on her costume being too big (the skirt) and detracting from her lines. I agree, but still a very solid showing.
Then I put Alfonso/Witney, Leah/Artem, Sadie/Mark and Jonathan/Allison in the middle of the pack. I love Alfonso and Witney big brother/little sister relationship and chemistry. Also love his hips, twists, and turns. No other celeb moves like him, but there was too much hip-hop and the song/schtick was annoying. Hope he’s feeling better because groin injuries take awhile to heal.
Lea and Artem are a great pair. She can and does alot of content plus she has such sense of the performance. Artem is great at choreographing a setting and a story for Lea to tell. Their dances are wonderful productions. Rewatch this salsa – I think they got hosed in the scores.
Sadie and Mark – another great pairing in a much different way. I agreed with Pitbull that this dance was simple but powerful and believable. Yet, it was “rumba-lite” – more hip movement and a bit smoother please.
Have to mention Jonathan & Allison here as this was the dance we’ve been waiting for. He finally showed what he can do and it was well-done, very fun and great entertainment.
Then there’s Antonio & Cheryl. He is a sweet, compassionate and happy guy and has improved so much. Just want so much more out of his dancing.
Michael & Emma – his heart is in the right place, but there’s so little dancing going on and very little technique or execution. It is week six! I love the AT, but this was not one and the music was wrong too.
Tommy & Peta – how can you not love his gentle and genuine spirit and the sweat lodge and Cloris footage got me laughing. Though we’ve seen he has a few moves, his looked like he was marking steps at rehearsal rather than performing.
Leah and Artem sort of feel to me as if they are falling victim to the Sharna/Charlie problem. Artem is all focused on beating Alfonzo and because of that I think Leah feels pressure. Remember those 2 or 3 week that was the focus of Sharna…so frustrated that Charlie was underscored. While he was underscored I think some of the frustration she felt may have caused a negative reaction to she and Charlie both with the judges and perhaps some of the fans. I hope that Artem will stop the high competitive statements and simply focus on helping Leah to do the best dance she can, which is great, perfectly fine intead of stressing her out.
I agreed with the mods and the rankings. I kind of feel sorry for the bottom three when Len comes into the picture. Oy, it could be an avalanche. Although I also think he could go after everyone to make his presence known. Whatever happens, I think it could be painful for many.
I do have to say I have great respect for Derek and Bethany, learning that routine while traveling and having so little practice time.
I feel the producers have done nothing to help viewers get to know Antonio.
They have focused primarily on his “sexy” past, and failed to reveal that he
is, in fact, a very devout man who values his family and friends deeply. Check out
Facebook letter where he reveals a serious tragedy that happened when he was
a young boy in Italy. He indicates he didn’t initially want to share it for Most Memorable
because he didn’t want to ask for sympathy votes. He is active in many charities
and does other good works. He is working very hard and admits that dancing is very
difficult for him, but he is thrilled to dance with Cheryl and do his best. There are many
of us out there who do vote for Antonio and Cheryl. Come on producers, let him be
who he truly is.
Thank you for the rankings and the laughs, Courtney! I always look forward to your posts. I agree 100% with your rankings. And Mama Spence’s contribution is very much appreciated, too! 😀
I like Lea, but for the past couple of weeks, I kind of forget about her and her performance. Lately, she comes across as boring to me, except for that package on Monday. Someone made the observation that her routines seem to have a “sameness” to them and I agree. I do hope her Argentine Tango next week will be memorable because I get the feeling that Tommy may stay longer than her.
I agree with some of the comments above that Lea focusing on beating Alfonso is not good for her. She needs to focus on her dance and making it the best dance of her life each and every week. Michael had a good AT this week but he is still way past his prime. He needs to go. Antonio is one of those who is not very memorable IMO. He just seems to be a little bland. Tommy is still fun but again, fun doesn’t cut it this late in the competition but of MW, Tommy and Antonio I prefer to see Tommy dance. At least he tries!
And in case I haven’t mentioned it before a big shout out to Heidi, Court and the rest of the Admins of this site for the great job they do to keep us well informed. Thank you.
While Val and Janel aren’t my favorite couple this season, I will make a point in their defense when it came to the samba routine. I’m honestly starting to think whoever is in charge of music selection for the pros has no idea what song goes with which style of dance, as Emma was definitely not the only pro getting hosed this week when it came to music. Regarding Val’s dance, I understand why he might have gotten confused with the samba/salsa thing! because even though production gives him the assignment to choreograph a SAMBA, they then proceed to give him a friggin SALSA song to dance to. Obviously I’d be confused too if I were Val, much less the judges, and especially Pitbull, who was probably raised on salsa music. And to continue my rant on bad song selection, Antonio’s song wasn’t salsa…if anything, it was reggaeton/dancehall, but salsa that was not. Note to production, don’t try and play your audience for fools by telling us they’re doing one dance and then giving them a song choice that indicates another style of dance. Okay…rant over,
I have to say my initial impression was the only dances worth watching again were sadie and mark–i could watch them all day–and then alfonso and whitney. THen after thinking it was super meh I can’t stop watching the dance with Janel and Val. Honestly–i don’t even see janel in that dance…she is all background—but wow, can val dance there—i don’t think i’ve even seen him dance like that before and I can’t stop watching him do his thing in that dance (but since i don’t even “see” janel–which is both good and bad–she was just good enough to keep up with val, but not to shine or distract. AFter those three i put bethany and Derek. THe rest don’t matter to me b/c they are bad to the point of distraction though I think Antonio had a better week.
Sorry, Gabriela – not buying the whole “Val got confused between samba & salsa” excuse. He’s a professional & he’s been doing this for YEARS – it’s his job to discern between the two dance styles, no matter how crappy the music might be. If he choreographed a samba that looks more like a salsa, that’s on HIM – not the people picking the music.