PureDWTS Season 20, Week 5 – Power Rankings
First off, an apology: these are late, but I do (sort of) have good reason: I needed time to cool off after last night’s show (more on that later) and I actually got caught up talking to Deep Throat and just got too tired to start these last night (as I usually do). Then after my truncated sleep schedule last night (no rest for the spoilers!), I just dragged all kinds of @$$ today and didn’t get around to finishing these until just now. So I apologize – hope this is all still relevant and you guys haven’t completely moved onto Spring Break week 😉
Overall, I enjoyed Disney night – this one felt a lot more well-prepared and planned out than the last, which felt a bit hastily thrown together. Sorry to see Suzanne go – I do feel like she was really trying and wanted to be there, and maybe just got caught having a weak moment in rehearsal. But if she didn’t go home this week, she certainly would either next week or during the double elim – just kinda stinks that she went out on a bit of a low note, forgetting almost half her routine. And it started out so promising, too! Hopefully she can do it again on the finale results show 🙂
1.) Riker & Allison – I put these two at the top because they just had a fantastic dance without any weirdness coming from the judges – they weren’t overpraised, they weren’t underpraised, and I felt like they managed to balance the obligations of their dance style with the obligations they had to be theatrical during Disney week. And for the first time this season – I felt like both of them were 100% in the zone and at the top of their game. The past few weeks, I either feel like Allison has been the weak link, or a certain dance wasn’t quite in Riker’s wheelhouse – that ended last night. Riker rose to the occasion with his Jack Sparrow impressions, no doubt – but I think what really impressed me was just how well he really shapes his body and manages to get the most out of every movement in the paso. I also appreciate how he’s able to really take his time and properly accent syncopated beats – so many amateurs seem to just rush through it or make it wishy-washy, but he STICKS IT. And boy does he need to, with Allison sticking every single last movement she does. So bravo to these two – they finally met in the middle and matched each other’s energy.
2/3.) TIE: Nastia & Derek and Rumer & Val – The double standard applied to these two couples is part of the reason why I didn’t even start writing the power rankings until today – I was just too irritated by what the judges said. My main gripe? Rumer lip syncs to her song, gets praised for it; Nastia & Derek do the same thing TO A SONG THAT BASICALLY REQUIRES LIP SYNCING and get docked for it. I don’t think anyone can claim with a straight face and a sound mind that this was a fair application of Carrie Ann’s sudden lip-sync policing (side note: is there any other inane aspect of dancing of which this twit can claim herself to be the police? The “too-bouncy hair” police? The “excessive pupil dilation” police?) Add to that the fact that Nastia & Derek were more or less coerced into performing to “Love is an Open Door” (see Rob’s interview HERE and Rumer & Val’s package HERE for proof), and I think this week was basically engineered to make Rumer the golden girl once again and paint Nastia as the inferior, rule-violating second banana. I’ll say this about Rumer’s dance: it was a good, theatrical piece. The theme and mood were entertaining. But I don’t think anyone can pretend that was a peerless example of how samba should look – there were samba steps, yes, but it they took liberties with the samba rhythm, and this was neither fluid nor did it move around the room like a samba. It was also choppy, with the samba steps it did have being frequently interrupted by filler and posing – a problem I’ve had with Val’s choreography for years now. Once again, I’m left with this to say: Rumer handled what she was given well – but yet again, what she was given was NOT a good example of the dance she was to be portraying. Not her fault – this one’s on Val. AGAIN. As is the impression that I (and many others, I’ve seen) am getting that Rumer is pretty one-note – she can do dark and edgy or sexy and edgy…and that’s it. If I didn’t think it would get vetoed by Prince Joffrey-er, VAL, I wish they would get saddled with the most ridiculous, un-edgy, un-sexy song for Spring Break week – something like “Who Let the Dogs Out” or “Boom Shack-a-Lack”, so that they have no choice but to be completely silly. I think Rumer would gladly embrace it – I think Val’s head might explode. Because he’s a SERIOUS competitor, guys. Don’t kid yourself, Val – had any other pro, male or female, tried to do perform that exact same routine, they would have gotten reamed by Len for “too much messin’ about” and “letting the theme get in the way of the dance”. As for Nastia & Derek – I don’t think the judges could have expected a better dance the turd of a song that NOBODY wanted – it was engaging, entertaining, and made good use of the music. The overall production value was strong – otherwise, I doubt they would have ended the show with it. Carrie Ann and her lip-sync policing can go get eaten by a lion – that was the most irrelevant, completely fabricated-on-the-fly excuse for docking those two a point that I have seen since she docked Corbin & Karina for a lift she wasn’t sure she saw back in season 17. She could have even said “that dance didn’t turn me on and make my lady parts tingle like Rumer’s dance did!” and I would have believed it more than the lip syncing excuse. You don’t get to pick and choose when you make up a rule, Carrie Ann – it either gets applied to everyone or no one. Go fall out of your chair a few times in order to get that through your head, k?
4.) Willow & Mark – I would say that I want to see some less over-the-top, more pared-down number from these two – but I have a hard time saying that this week because I actually loved this dance 🙂 Loved how trippy, disorienting, and haunting it was – it was very Alice-y. And it was still a proper foxtrot! For me it kind of harkened back to Mark’s Harry Potter-themed Viennese waltz with Chelsea in season 12 – just really, really cool and creative. And once again, Willow kept up nicely – I don’t see her struggling or getting lost with her timing, and I have to give her props for always remaining PRESENT in the dance. She never breaks character or allows her face to show if she doesn’t really know what’s going on – she keeps with it. Thought the judges bitching about the theme was a bit of a cheap shot on Disney night – if Disney can put a moratorium on the sale of specific Disney titles for years on end, then the judges should be able to put a moratorium on nit-picky comments about “the theme overshadowed the dance, blah blah blah” on a night WHEN THE COUPLES ARE BASICALLY ENCOURAGED TO PUT ON A HUGE PRODUCTION. Calm your tatas, Len.
5.) Noah & Sharna – First of all, I have to get this off my chest: hair department, for the love of god – DO NOT TEASE NOAH’S HAIR. Ever again. Even if it’s to make him look more like Aladdin. Noah, you’re a cutie, but that teased-up ‘do just looked silly. However, I actually found this dance adorable – and once again Noah pleasantly surprises me with what he’s able to do. Kinda glad that Sharna recognized off the bat that Noah will never be able to do rise & fall – so they decided to focus more on the swing and sway instead, and just staying on-time and putting on a good show. Kudos to both Noah & Sharna for being able to do a foxtrot without Noah having to wear the prosthetic arm he hates – I don’t think some appreciate how much harder it is to mark ballroom dances when you’re never truly in-hold; it’s much easier to lose your balance, or affect your partner’s balance, or get too far apart, etc. One thing I think Sharna will have to pay attention to in future dances: there is no graceful way for Noah to go up or down a flight of stairs – therefore, I recommend trying to avoid it altogether, because it got a tad distracting that they panned to Sharna every time Noah had to climb down the stairs during the dance. Maybe think of creative ways to do it – would love to see Noah “surf” down the stairs on a surfboard for their team dance next week 😎
6.) Patti & Artem – Unrelated to how they actually danced: anyone catch why exactly Patti & Artem disappeared so quickly after the opening number? The way they scooted outta there so fast made me think that they were dancing first – but then they were the 3rd ones up, and it didn’t look like they had any hugely complex costume changes to make – certainly nothing like Mark’s rabbit getup. Did Artem just need more time to practice with Patti? Or is Patti’s knee that bad that they had to give her plenty of sitting time before her dance? Just curious, because it seemed odd to me. This waltz was pleasant – just like all of Patti’s other dances – but for the 5th week in a row, it was extraordinarily simple, with her repeating a handful of moves verrrrry carefully and with a lot of guidance from Artem. I love Patti, but sorry – I just need to see much more than she’s giving us at this phase of the competition. Like Chris, I think she’s already peaked, and she’s either going to plateau or get worse from here on out. I’m going to be reeeealllly upset if she and/or Chris somehow manage to outlast Robert, who I feel has far more potential (and a much stronger work ethic) than either of them.
7.) Robert & Kym – I give up: what exactly did Robert do that made the judges turn him into this week’s whipping boy??? For as terrible as the judges acted like this quickstep was, I still found it far more entertaining (and far less painful to watch) than Suzanne forgetting half her routine and Chris cringing through his quickstep. And yes, both scored at least 3 points higher than this. Color me confused – sure, Robert lost timing, but I can’t say I really blame him…the beat of this song was all over the place! And even though he was off-time, he was still moving, and I still found myself entertained by him. He didn’t just stop in his tracks like Suzanne; he didn’t make an awkward face and half-ass a move like Chris. He KEPT GOING – and he stayed in character. And dammit, this routine was adorable – Kym was an adorable Mary Poppins and Robert was an adorable Bert. One thing I have to give Robert credit for is that he never phones it in – he always gives 110% week after week, even if he’s not entirely sure what he’s doing. And the judges seem to have loved him up to this point – so I guess it’s a bit of a head-scratcher for me that the hammer got dropped so quickly and so hard on him last night. I’m hoping that he’s got enough votes that this obscenely low score won’t put him in danger next week…
8.) Chris & Witney – The fact that this man looked physically ill upon being told that he was safe is reason enough for me for him to skedaddle next week. Chris’ heart just isn’t in it anymore, it seems – he’s clashing with Witney (not entirely his fault, but I was a little surprised at how jerky he came off during their rehearsal), he’s been struggling since week 2, he’s injured, and he doesn’t seem to be improving at all. It boggles my mind that he managed to score higher than Robert – he may have stayed on-time just SLIGHTLY better, but he certainly had a few fumbles himself and my god, it was painfully awkward to watch. Complete lack of musicality & showmanship – while Robert, on the other hand, still felt quite musical (and very entertaining!) to me, despite losing timing. Chris peaked in week 1 – and I’m having a really hard time with the fact that he’s managed to outlast someone as iconic as Suzanne, or a much better dancer like Michael (or even Redfoo). For the love of all things good in this world, Bachelor fans – please stop voting and let this poor guy just go back to the farm. You know sh*t has really deteriorated when they have to bring Alfonso back to liven things up…and distract from the fact that you’re so boring…
What are your Disney week thoughts? And how do you feel heading into Spring Break Week?
As always, you bring it, Court. I love these posts.
Ok, here are my rankings….
1-3. Three Way Tie:
Derek and Nastia- These two took me to the clouds. I was in a magical Disney heaven like when I was a little girl watcing “Cinderella”. The choreography was so creative….especially the “heart” arms (weren’t they pretty? I was having a serious aww moment). I loved their costumes and Derek’s white gloves. Their hand movements were so clever and cool. I couldn’t get enough.
Riker and Allison – Wow! I just loved this dance. They were totally into character and didn’t break once. They stepped it up even more and gave it their ALL! I loved the hero feel …and all the power and the intensity. They made me feel like I was watching the Pirates Of The Caribbean movie(s) all over again.
Mark and Willow – Once again, these two were amazing. I loved how they were so into their characters. I loved how theatrical it was and full of content. Mark has such a way with production and detail and he didn’t disappoint creating choreography again. Excellent and I loved their costumes as well.
4. Val and Rumer – First of all, I ended up loving their costumes and make-up. As for the dance, it was good, but, it wasn’t ‘greatness’ like the three above or like what the judges pimped and went on about. There wasn’t much Samba content as many have said and she kept going in and out of character too making it unconvincing.
5. Noah and Sharna – Awww, all I felt was pure joy and an adorableness watching these two. I loved their smiles and the magical feel. Their performance was straight from the heart.
6. Kym and Robert – Sadly, they stepped backwards last night. The timing was off through out and he needed more oomph in his footwork. I also didn’t like Kim’s dress which wasn’t something Mary Poppins would wear. Sexy is not always the way to go and this was one of those times.
7. Chris and Witney – I enjoyed this dance. Despite some stiffness, he pulled a Quickstep off better than I thought he would. I will say though that he looked so uncomfortable in his costume at times more than anything.
8. Patti and Artem – Every week she brings on her “Patti thing”, but, the routine was too simple (which is understandable with her age and injury) again, but, girl brought the class and elegance.
I don’t know what to say about Robert’s score, I honestly thought her should have had 4 7’s or at least matched Chris! Maybe they are pulling in votes?! I don’t know but I really really hope he and Kym stick around. If there is no elimination that could help him as it would give him the opportunity to make up the 3pts and they are on a very strong team.
+1 Court to what you said on Noah’s hair! I didn’t like it teased either. *weirdness
1. Derek and nastia- elegant- fun – full of life so much creativity.
2.mark and willow- fun – brilliant – choroegraphy was blazin amazing
3.allison and riker- full of passion and fabulous choreography
4.robert and kym- funnnnnnnnnnn
5. Noah and sharna- great but not memorable
6. Patsy and artem- ehh she’s not moving
7. Chris and witnney- ouch
8. 1 of the worst “dances” I have ever seen. It wasn’t a dance to me
Tidbits.
The judges can screw it
I love how u can tell the real choreographers from the fakes ahem (val)
Dwts producers r dips#$%@
The fans of a certain pro ( u no who I am talking about –val– ya’ll r just so brainless – I feel embarrassed for them all) bahahahahahahha I swear they have no eyes.
I thought it was “funny” that Val mentioned in their package that Len is old school and likes his Samba full of content, and that was what they were gonna give him.
Sorry if they are gonna penalize other couples for not capturing the spirit of the dance, then Val & Rumer should not have gotten those scores. This was as far off of a Samba as it could be.
I actually didn’t notice Rumer lip syncing the first time I watched her dance – I was a bit distracted and when I finally did give them my full attention I was giving the dance itself greater scrutiny. I didn’t like it in hers either. I do think she was overscored and Nastia was about right – hers was a very cute dance and I loved their arm movements, but it wasn’t a WOW dance for me.
I can’t imagine a single person picking up the phone for Chris anymore. Even his family must be like – dude, let’s put you out of your misery. For this reason I think Robert will be safe (plus they have the fauxmance in their pocket).
As I’ve said a few times already, my favorite was definitely Riker and Allison. Court you said it – there seemed to be a better balance between these two last night. What I loved most – besides Riker’s pretty good Jack Sparrow impersonsation – was that although it was certainly a paso, there were movements that were so unexpected and delightful that I think it’ll go down in my books as one of my favorites ever.
I also wanted to say that I loved the bumpers and the rapidly-changing Peta! Plus those harem costumes the troupe women wore were fantastic and between them and Sharna it helped me put down that extra cookie I was going to eat last night.
I do not understand the love for the judges that the producers have to keep them year after year. Carrie Ann acts if she’s perpetually drunk, and says ridiculous things in order to grab a headline. Crack is wack, carrie Ann.
Ok so I had to watch Riker and Allison and Rumer and Val’s dances about five or six times before I could draw a real opinion. Riker and Allison’s was so fast that I felt like I couldn’t keep up, and Rumer and Val’s was super campy and I liked that aspect of it. The samba of Rumer’s dance felt really copy and pasted.
Thanks for the post Courtney. Great as always. I loved last night’s show and thought it was much better than the last Disney Night. The costumes were amazing as were the special effects and the animation. It was cute to also see Erin fangirling so much over the characters. The only thing that can make this better for me next time is to have a famous singer or 2 actually come out and sing their Disney song.
I was sad to see Suzanne go. I would rather have seen Chris or Patti go first.
My thoughts on the dances:
Riker and Allison: AMAZING! And my goodness did he look like Jack Sparrow or what? Wow! Great song for a paso doble too.
Nastia and Derek: I still don’t like Nastia but it was a great dance and it was very cute how they kept in character.
Rumer and Val: I didn’t like this version of Poor Unfortunate Souls and thought it was maybe a bit too slow. Costumes were very well done though.
Noah and Sharna: Courtney thanks for mentioning about the stairs. I had noticed all the close ups on Sharna but couldn’t figure out why. Not a big deal but thought it was interesting she was wearing a skirt instead of the hammer pants Jasmine usually wears. They both looked really cute though and I enjoyed this number.
Robert and Kym: I agree about Kym’s dress being a bit much, it was a little distracting. Cute number with the sweeps though. I think they had a tough act to follow in Charlie and Sharna with their Mary Poppins routine last time. And I think Robert was definitely underscored.
Patti and Artem: Lovely waltz. Very safe but very magical too. I was surprised she didn’t withdraw due to her knee.
Mark and Willow: I remember their costumes more than I remember the specifics from their dance
Chris and Whitney: The only thing I remember about them was Alfonso
I forget where Court mentioned the top tier of dancers (Willow, Rumer, Nastia, Riker), the middle tier (Noah and Robert), and the bottom tier (Chris and Patti), but I think these divisions were magnified to a certain degree this week. Chris and Patti are both having so much trouble picking up the choreo, and I feel like the simplicity of it does put them below Robert who, despite his off-beat dancing, seemed to have more difficult choreography, at least to my eyes. Noah and Sharna did what they’ve been doing all season – the best they can in the circumstances, which, in my opinion, will start to fade at a point in comparison to the difficulties of the top tier.
I think Rumer was solely overscored for the purpose of assuring her a spot as a team captain. The dance was good, and I enjoyed very much that she wanted to play a villain, but I think Riker’s was much better. I loved the ferocity of the paso, and it was such a good song, too! Everything about it was great. I really connect with Willow because she is so close to my age, so I really enjoyed her dance as well.
I’m not sure about Nastia and Derek, though. I mean, it was good, and I agree that Carrie Ann’s point about lip syncing was BS, but I didn’t think it was as amazing as some of the other dances of the night. I loved the synchronicity, the effects, and the cartwheels, though.
I watched Afterbuzz before reading your post and still can not understand what they want Nastia to do more of. She already out dances everyone out there and still it is not enough. The judges and Afterbuzz always seem to have to bash her some how so she looks like the rest of the pack (esp ANNA(family)or Darvina-saw you roll your eyes when Derek’s name was brought up a few weeks back). I am getting tired of how people say Rumer is such a good dancer, she is a entertainer but still has not really grasped that the point to DWTS is to learn the different dance steps.
The judges need to consistent with how they judge the dances. I understand they are not on the same level but if they are in the same group they should be judged the same and if you can not be unbiased, they need to walk away. Everyone was worried about Jules being fair she is probably less biased than anyone. Len has not kept up with the show and it has passed him by. CA is just ridiculous probably the comic relief for the show. Bruno, I have gotten use to his mannerisms and at least he is consistent. CA needs to go when Len leaves and get new blood and ideas in there. Getting tired of her over the top demonstrations with no point to any of them and inconsistent docking of points or favoritism. Sorry for the length but I was like you and got very angry with the critiques the judges and Afterbuzz is spewing out. It was Disney night and most of what Derek and Nastia did was based on what the producers wanted.
I have a feeling Derek is holding back, and will open up the Nastia whoop ass bag and blow everyone’s head off with her capabilities, style and grace. The no connection between Derek & Nastia comment is getting old, but when you have such tremendous dances you have to find something wrong. I have enjoyed Derek’s choreo this season and really can’t wait to see what he cooks up next week.
I always look forward to this article every week. Totally agree with everything that was said. I just loved how in character Riker was all night and he did an excellent Jack Sparrow. Nastia and Derek were adorable and so on point for Disney. I think I would actually like Rumor better if the pimpage were not blatantly shoved in my face. I do get the feeling judges are encouraged to do this to keep Bruce and Demi in the audience which is a shame for her b/c some of the critiques seem do fake for her when she dances. Chris needs to go. He and Whitney do not seem to enjoy each other and I don’t see that improving with 2 dances. Love Robert and he just got off time in the beginning but I feel he will be back strong next time. I love Noah and feel his limitations are going to severely negatively impact him going forward. Mark is just killing it this season but needs to back off a little with the over the top productions IMO. Thanks again for the rankings.
Great rankings! On the subject of CAI’s judging, I recall her having an issue with Nicole Scherzinger’s facial expressions during her samba.
Nastia and Derek’s jazz was so fun and cute. While I think CAI is crazy for docking a point for lip-syncing, I do wish they would have committed to singing all the lyrics. Or maybe just for the beginning and end? I loved the performance regardless, and I assume it must be hard to execute some of the moves they did while also focusing on the lyrics of the song.
I thought Riker’s performance was great. Everything seemed to come together in this routine. His commitment to the character was fun to watch.
Mark and Willow’s dance had its entertaining moments, but I didn’t know what dance I was watching until I read what it was on this site. Although, it could be because I have zero knowledge about ballroom.
Court, you should never–ever–have to apologize for taking time to get your power rankings done. All of us are just so lucky (and grateful) to have you (and our other fabulous Mods) doing this at all!
These power rankings were perfection! You hit absolutely every nail that I’ve been hammering on. It was just one checkmark after another for me.
No need for me to give rankings because they are exactly the same (including the tie for Nastia and Rumer).
Riker’s Paso was hands down my favorite dance of the night, but I loved seeing Nastia so bubbly and full of fun.
I didn’t enjoy Rumer’s dance the first time I saw it because I was too focused on what it lacked. However the second time around, I was able to appreciate it for the performance. It was a really interesting theatrical routine.
Amen on Noah’s hair. It’s a damn good thing the man is handsome because that hairstyle was gawd-awful! He’s also a very good soldier because he didn’t throw a fit about it. I would have taken one look in the mirror and said “nope, I’m not leaving this chair until you fix this.”
While I’m not going to engage in a hand-wringing session, I will say I’m concerned for Robert (and I’ll be livid if he’s the next one out). I’m just going to hope his Shark Tank fans went into a voting frenzy, and that he and Kym have endeared themselves to enough of the general audience that they threw him some votes. He got mine.
Bachelor Boy needs to go back to slopping hogs or kissing girls and handing out roses. Dare I hope TPTB are ready for Chris to go? They didn’t do him any favors with that pre-dance package. A friend of mine who’s a casual DWTS viewer texted me, “yep, he’s a douche.” I hope that’s the prevailing opinion among the majority of casual fans.
Random thoughts: The costumes were gorgeous, the opening number was fantastic, and I loved the animation. Wish TPTB hadn’t felt the need to make the packages so drama-filled and weave additional drama into the teasers. That’s not what Disney night should be about, and I found those bits to be buzz-kills. Still all in all, it was a good show!
Thanks Court! Love this post every week!
I have to agree with everything! I don’t even know what to say about CA anymore. You should start awards for the lousiest excuses by a judge tu pimp Val’s partner. I’m sure lip sync will be in the top 3. Love that even Emma said that CA should not me allowed to even consider stuff like that. BTW she also though Ryker and Nastia should have ended higher than Rumer -I have to agree-
And I definitely agree about Robert. Didn’t realize until I read this that Suzanne got a higher score!! WHAT!!??! she literally forgot her dance after the wardrobe difficulty. At least Robert continued with a HUGE SMILE ON HIS FACE and finished the routine! I have faith that fans of the show usually like people who portray how much fun they are having, and how much effort they are putting in and vote. It would be devastating to see him go. I gave him most of my votes (and I would not be surprised if even Chris gave him some votes)… On that note I agree that he really looks like he does not want to be there at all. And I hope Whitney learns from this experience, because it was not totally his fault what happened in rehearsal. Regardless, they should be the ones to go home.. absolutely not Robert.
I wasn’t bothered by Nastia & Derek’s lip-syncing like CAI was (although I am so over this Frozen hype). I actually think it was smart of Derek to do so b/c I think it helped Nastia stay in character, since she’s not known for having a cute, bubbly personality.
Now that Disney Week is over, I really hope from now on Mark tones down the costuming (especially on his part; Willow always looks great) & OTT theatrical productions for his & Willow’s dances. I don’t think the general DWTS audience is gravitating towards those types of dances, which makes me worried b/c I think Willow could be the shocking elimination this season. I hope I’m wrong, though, b/c I really want to see her in the finals.
When TPTB did that whole “we saved the best three for last” bit towards the end of the show, it made me think that they are setting us up for a Rumer/Val vs. Riker/Allison vs. Nastia/Derek showdown @ the finals. I think Riker & Nastia can get there w/o the pimping but I feel that Rumer & Val are going to get super-pimped & TPTB will do anything to make sure they win the MBT. This season’s starting to remind me of S18 all over again…
Thank you, Courtney! Everything you wrote was how I felt about Monday’s show. I wanted to hit CAI with something on the head. What an idiotic thing to say about a dance. This ain’t Lip-sync Battle, CAI!
Like many, I want to see more dancing next week. I think I’ve had enough of big productions to last me till the semi-finals. I have to commend the show for awesome make-up, costumes and production for Disney night. It was way better the second time.
I think I didn’t realize that Robert had a lower score than Chris – that just ain’t right, but then there was a lot wrong with the judging last night. It does occur to me that perhaps they know there is no saving Chris and Robert is getting tons of votes. We can hope.
I like Mark and Willow’s dances…I just think all the productions together (from all couples) are making me tired. Perhaps it’s because it doesn’t feel special any more. It’s not surprising. The only thing “amazing” was the makeup job they did on Mark – those makeup folks better get an Emmy for that, it was that good. I think the issue is that it now reduces the freestyle to just another dance. How can you possibly top Mark’s dance last night in a freestyle?? In terms of production, anyway. Choreo was very good but not spectacular. Willow is darling – love that girl. Anyway, I remember the days when the freestyles were to be looked forward to – now they’re just another dance. How can they not be when you have couples doing Jazz and contemporary – and some way more than once, if you know what I mean? Good lord, does no one remember when Derek got yelled at for having a cow in the back ground of one dance? Of course, this was after Val had a wagon that Kelly got out of, and Melissa/Tony had a campfire, etc – so that’s the same at least.
You know it’s bad when what I find most amazing about Nastia’s Samba was that it was jam packed with actual Samba content, was well danced, and there was no special production or crazy costumes. THAT is now what’s refreshing and unique on this show. And that makes me a bit sad. It’s never been a show just about dancing, but it’s getting out of control. Hmmmm…..I just thought of a good mid week post….
Anyway, Riker was, IMO, the dance of the night, followed closely by Nastia, Willow, then Rumer, although I will never call it a Samba. Let’s call it contempoSamba. Similar to her contempoWaltz. I have a mad crush on Robert and I hope he’s not leaving. Miss Patti just makes me happy, happy, happy. What amazing energy that woman has. I want to go clubbing with her too.
LOL – it’s not a lip sync battle….but Derek and Julianne are staring in SpikeTV’s lip sync battle show coming soon.
To me, Nastia, Rumer and Riker were all great performances in different ways. I would pay to see their performances on Broadway.
The lip-syncing critique for Nastia was ridiculous. What does that have to do with dancing? I agree that Patty needs to step it up. She has a great presence on the dance floor, but her routines are very simple. IMO, the judges coddle her too much. I like Chris, but I think at this point the competition is just too overwhelming for him. I thought Noah and Sharna’s dance was lovely, but to be honest Sharna mainly danced around Noah. I understand and respect his limitations, and I thought he did well what he could do, but I hope to see more from him, maybe in another dance that’s suits him better. BTW, could somebody please tell me whether the couples have a say in what song/dance they have every week or is it the producers’ choice? Thanks in advance.
I am hardcore team robert and kym this season, and trust me we didn’t take him being in the bottom lightly, and really stepped up the voting this week to try and keep him around. The power rankings are great this week!
Courtney, you said everything I was thinking better than I ever could. Carrie Ann should watch replays of herself and see how horribly she comes across. She had to find something to complain about for Nastia’s dance so she picks on the lip syncing. She’s getting more ridiculous and out of control with each passing week.
Riker’s dance was the best of the night. Yes, he’s a ringer, but it was well done. I smiled through Robert’s dance. He was out of step but it was fun and he didn’t let it get to him. It would be extremely unfair if he goes before Chris or Patti.
I’m not disappointed Suzanne left, but I do think Chris and Patti should have gone first.
At this point, next week, the one leaving should be Chris or Patti but it’s a toss up for me on which one. Patti doesn’t dance. I know she’s hurt, but she didn’t dance week one either. Chris has checked out and Whitney doesn’t appear to care either. They both looked like they would have been happy to be eliminated and disappointed that they weren’t.
PH you have given me something to think about…
I remember when they announced the cast and I took one look at Robert and thought 1 week, 2 tops. I think TPTB also underestimated him, and more importantly, his relationship with Kym. I bet he pulling votes from some people that TPTB want to stay around longer…..
I know I was surprised and now I think they are adorable so much so that I vote for them!
I rewatched Riker and holy crap he slipped during that spin and they both looked ungraceful for a few counts. He actually looked like he lost his grip of her at the end and she kinda landed awkwardly.
I love the power ranking post. Thank you Courtney for your expertise. Loved Nastia and Derek so fun and precise; loved the lip sync, looked almost like the film. Loved Willow and Mark, Noah and Sharna, Robert and Kim, all three really committed, imaginative and it looks like they are happy to be on the show. For me I didn’t enjoy Ryker and Allison, I felt it was too hectic and choppy. Didn’t get Rumer and Val as far as a Samba and did they copy Nastia and Derek’s idea of lip-sync?? Oh but got praised for it, IDK….really getting tired of all the judges. The rest of the dances were ok because of the Disney production value but not impressive otherwise. Looking forward to the team dances next week, especially “Wipeout” song…oh the sixties!!!
@PH I said a similar thing in another post about music selection. Nowadays I actively notice when a song fits the dance style well, particularly during theme weeks, because it’s becoming a less and less frequent occurrence on the show. Anyone remember the Mo Money Mo Problems samba? I think the show has lost some of what originally attracted me, living somewhat vicariously through these celebs as they learn ways of dancing most of them knew next to nothing about. With all the added production, that simple concept can sometimes get lost.
Courtney, thanks for the Power Rankings! I know why they were a tad late; hope you slept well last night! I really did miss them and want you to know that so you know how much we all look forward to them! I agree with your rankings, except I would put Nastia ahead of Rumor. I can’t even talk about CAI at the moment! She’s really jumped the shark this time. I agree with everything else you said.
1) Riker-Allison -WOW! What a powerful performance…easily best of the night! Riker slayed the character and the paso doble! Should’ve been all 10s! I wonder why Julianne dint give him a 10?
2) Rumer-Val/ Nastia-Derek (TIE!)
Rumer -After Nene’s entertaining Cruella Foxtrot last season, I was hoping someone to play a Disney villain this season too ..and who can play it better than RUMER?
She owned Ursula and that dance! Loved it!
Nastia -Cutest performance of the night! I disagree with Carrie Ann …
Lip-syncing was perfect, so was the dance. Underscored.
3) Willow-Mark -I agree with Len, the concept somehow came in the way…and that dint looked quite Foxtrot-y to me. But very entertaining and sweet.
Mark looked so creepy as the rabbit!!!!
4) Noah-Sharna -Frankly speaking, i was kinda disappointed. After last week’s contemporary, i was expecting more from Sharna and Noah. And i was not satisfied with what i got! Maybe next week? 🙂
5) Patti-Artem -I love Miss Patti …she’s a joy to watch. Easy on the eyes …so simple yet so beautiful and elegant.
6) Robert-Kym/ Chris-Witney -Both of ’em were disasters!
Never apologize for being late in uploading your rankings or anything else. No reason to stress; we are not going anyplace and will be here when the articles post.
My favorite dance was the Paso with Riker and Allison. Yes it was a bit frantic but the music sort of dictated it. Riker kept up with it and embraced it. I did not really enjoy Derek and Nastia but it was most likely the song that I did not like. I find that sometimes the music dictates how much I will like the dance. One other thing, some of the band singers really butchered the songs. There was one (I forget which but it was during a dance near the beginning of the night) that I almost wished was done as an instrumental the singing was so off. It made me want the return of the Harold Wheeler singers and orchestra.
Looking forward to the Team Dances next week.
I saw the preview for the Hough Lip Sync Battle the other day PH. Derek in a blonde Sia wig. Julianne ferociously getting down. It looks awesome. I love that show by the way.
Good things come to those who wait. That’s how I feel about this week’s Power Rankings. Every single word was spot on.
I actually never noticed that Rumer lip synced during her dance until you mentioned it. I went back and re-watched it and sure enough she did.
What a steaming pile of cow dung that CAI complains about it in one couple and even deducts a point while in the chosen couple all is sunshine and rainbows.
And yeah, Noah’s head looked like a family of squirrels decided to temporarily camp out there. The guy is too cool to do that to.
Other than that, the costume and make-up people did an amazing job this week.
Just wanted to add how adorable Riker was as Jack Sparrow.
He had the foppish, drunk Keith Richards, flirty mannerisms down perfectly. He made me want to be Jack Sparrow for a day! Then to come out on the dancefloor and dance with such power and finesse was really wonderful.
I agree Susan2 – I loved Riker as Jack Sparrow. Your description of Riker is too funny! These two are now my favorites.
Off-topic:
Sandy, I wish I could take credit for the Keith Richards reference, but Johnny Depp based a lot of his characterization of Jack Sparrow on his good buddy Keith. So much so, that when the movie executives saw the first footage of Depp’s Sparrow they were so confused and freaked out that they wanted to fire him. Luckily, smarter heads prevailed.
If you love the Stones like I do, read Keith Richards` autobiography Life. He’s an incredibly intellegent man. He also talks of his friendship with Depp. It’s a wonderful book.
Here’s my thing: Val is making it really hard to enjoy Rumer. I actually liked Rumer’s package this week (outside of “You can give Frozen to Nastia”). I thought she was being a little goofy at the pool, and I so desperately want to see that side of her more. Val continually just makes things so harsh and edgy and I have no idea why?????? He can do sweet and he can do romantic. We’ve seen it before with some of his other partners. So why does Rumer have to be sexy, edgy and fierce all the time? She’s entirely one note at this point and it’s no one’s fault but Val’s in my opinion.
However – I actually would have appreciated the edgy this week HAD THEY DONE THE TANGO (or even Paso) LIKE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO. Because when the dance finished, I was honestly confused. Music production was working their magic on that song to TRY and give it some samba feel, but overall it failed horribly. You can try and doctor that up all you want, but it ain’t gonna sound like a samba song if you’re going to use the original. If they really wanted samba, then they should have gone with the Jonas Bros version. End of story.
Which also brings up another point: Why couldn’t they have reworked “Turning Tables” into a waltz, last week? The music peeps have done it before turning “Apologize” into a waltz for Corbin & Karina. End rant here.
My favorite dance of the night was by far Willow and Mark’s. I wish Mark had scaled his outfit back a little bit, but I’ll give him a pass because it was Disney night. I just loved every part of this foxtrot. It was so creatively put together. Though I will say, I’m kind of with Court: a simpler dance like their Cha-Cha would be nice to see again.
Riker’s paso was his best dance and the best dance Allison choreographed. But he almost fell when he started spinning Allison. I feel like I was the only one that caught that. Or rather, he lost his balance and it was obvious to me. And for some reason, I still can’t warm up to him. He dances really well though.
Nastia’s dance was so adorable and Derek definitely did the best he could with that dance. I don’t think there will ever be a dance I don’t like from these two. But I think her tango from last week is still her best dance at the moment.
And Noah’s foxtrot was by far my favorite dance of his. He’s improving. I’m really enjoying him now.
Chris’s quickstep was just gawdawful. He and Witney don’t seem to be friends in my book. Yeah, Witney needs to realize she’s not always going to get a partner that has some talent like Cody or Alfonso, but I don’t know that Chris has been 100% willing to listen to Witney. So yeah, dude definitely isn’t enjoying this anymore. Next week I hope he goes.
I just might do that! I know I am in awe of his beautiful wife Patti as well. And somehow they have managed to maintain a successful long-term marriage, which is rare in that industry. After fighting Bladder cancer (and having a new bladder reconstructed out of intestines), her story is such an inspiration too. Thanks!
Thank you so much Court, for your insightful and enjoyable Disney week rankings blog, with which I agree, and please, no apologies needed! I appreciate everything you mods do to provide us with such an interesting and enjoyable fan site. It makes the DWTS experience so much more fun! ((hugs))
#Tony I hope you don’t mind me responding. I saw that slip from Riker too as well as some other baubles. I enjoyed the dance so much I didn’t mind. I guess the judges didn’t either. What I don’t get is how they can deduct Nastia for lip syncing, underscore Robert with 6’s while Suzanne got 7’s, and then deduct points from Willow for non existent missed footing. To me they are so inconsistent.
The judges’ treatment of Val is insulting to him, in the sense that they praise him for doing things that almost any other pro would get criticized for. Is their reasoning that he just isn’t capable as a choreographer? That he cannot choreograph a true samba?
Add me to the “I love Riker and Jack Sparrow” club please. 🙂 He fully embraced that role.
I was actually thinking something similar, marintx. You could look at it as insulting, but it’s more likely shortsighted. They had in their heads that Rumer was going to be at the top of the leader board. The producers CLEARLY had a theme going for the end of the show – one of the cuts to commercial was “We saved the best for last!!” Then showed Rumer, Riker and Nastia. They made it all about “who was going to be at the top” – and that was preordained. No coincidence that this is also only the second time that Bruce Willis is in the audience. As a result of this theme, all three dances had to be above everyone else (and they should have been, except I would switch Rumer with Willow). It had less to do with actual dancing than the theme. Bruce, IMO, shifted it toward Rumer.
But what it does to Val is that he’s now Pavlov’s dog. He’s been rewarded all season for choreo that is more contemporary than the assigned style. He’s been rewarded for being all hard and edgy in his choreo. So, he will keep doing that because it works. Until it doesn’t. Then, like Maks before him, he will be angry and resentful that he’s suddenly getting this critique that he doesn’t understand. And really, it’s hard to blame him when you look at it like that – except that he’s NOT a dog, he’s a grown ass man and he should know how this show works by now. We saw this happen over and over with Maks when he was dancing with Hope and with Melissa. They pimped him to keep him around and then at the end, when they didn’t feel they needed him any more, they got real. And Maks got mad every time.
I agree with all of you about Riker. He was spot on as Jack Sparrow. It was so endearing.
Agree with Riker. He was not even in my radar when the show started but now he is firmly one of my favs. I have watched his paso on youtube several times now and I just really, really love it. He is Jack Sparrow. He just embraced that character totally. Just fabulous. That ending is right out of a romance novel and cracks me up every time. I hope to see him in the finals.
Many needed a cooling-off period. Between the judges/producers and some unfortunate music choices, Disney night went a bit off the rails. Of the top dancers, Riker/Allison were impressive and Nastia/Derek were wonderful (nothing wrong with that song , it felt like a modern Disney Classic and gave Nastia the opportunity to emote and connect).
Yet, it was Noah/Sharna and Patti/Artem that gave me goosebumps. So glad they’re dancing together on the same team next week.
Mark/Willow’s production was wonderful and she’s a delightful Alice. (He was a bit creepy!) Im with those who’d like to see a stripped-down dance from them. Reminiscent of Sadie’s “Up” waltz.
Trying to be positive about Robert/Kym. So he was off in the beginning, but I defy anyone other than Dick Van Dyke in his prime or cartoon penguins to keep up with that song! Upon rewatchi g, even Kym seems off. I’ll be so disappointed if he’s eliminated next.
And yes, Carrie Ann is whack!
Forgot to mention Rumer/Val. Fantastic campy fun (Val as an eel!) but someone should know better because it’s not a samba song and forcing samba movements does not make it a samba. Not sure who’s ultimately to blame, so I’ll just say I loved it and it was well-danced.
An on and off night it seemed. I will say that I thought the bumpers this week were great and I am excited to see the results show back to hopefully showcase more of the pros.
1. Riker/Allison – This was theatrical without loosing the integrity of the dance. He was fully committed, he stood out from the troupe and I was pretty shocked that they didn’t come in first.
2. Nastia/Derek – It legitimately looked like it could have come from a stage version of Frozen. The song doesn’t pack quite the intensity of some of the others, but it was an adorable performance and a perfect fit.
3. Willow/Mark – Rumer/Val – Both seemed to focus more on the theatrics. I actually really liked the piece that Mark choreographed and would probably give them the edge, but I would like to see them do something that is a bit more traditional next week. This was Disney night though, so i understand going that route. I probably have less issues with Val than many others seem to have, but I wholeheartedly agree that this should have been docked for Samba content. It looked less fluid and more jazzy. It was still a good performance, just not what I would expect from samba and not what I would expect to earn the highest scores.
4. Noah/Sharna – Patti/Artem – Both have limitations and they both relied a bit on their partners dancing around them. I have trouble though asking for more from them, because there are just things he will never be able to do without a knee and an arm and Patti is a 70 year-old woman with a bum knee. I feel like they are doing the best that they can and you cant really expect them to compete at the standard of the other four.
5. Robert/Kym – He lost his footing a lot, which was distracting, but it was a tough song and a fast dance. He still performed the heck out of it, even if he wasn’t in step and I hope he doesn’t go home, because they have been one of my favorites.
6. Chris/Witney – They just don’t seem like they are having too much fun at this point. He doesn’t have it and I feel like the competition is only going to get more frustrating for them.
I bet there are a boatload of new “I love Riker and Jack Sparrow” club members that have just boarded his fan boat. A showstopping and memorable performance like that quite possibly could have been the game changer in his quest for the finals. Just my opinion though.
VAL is to blame, Juliana. It’s all on him. Both Rumer and the producers wanted to go in a different direction.
Thanks for power rankings and thanks for being too busy with your source getting great scoop for us so that this was a few hours late, well worth the wait as other have said.
I agree with PH, a BIG factor in the story last night was that BRUCE was in the house. I’m guessing there are quite a few people involved in that show who are hoping they can pal up with him and get a movie role like happened with Matthew Perry a long long time ago. I really like Rumer and I think she’s doing well with what she’s being given. So it’s not like I think she needs to hear harsh criticism BUT even if she did I’d bet my house on it that CAI and JH wouldn’t give it to her.
Sandy, a few more dances like that and it’s definitely a game changer. Maybe only ONE more dance like that, actually.
Loved your rankings, Courtney. Almost lost my coffee over your description of Val and Carrie Ann’s stupid remarks. If your current job doesn’t work for you ( whatever that is) , you could be a comedy writer! I think next week will be more over the top routines as the theme lends itself to that. Troupe members in booty shorts for sure. Like others have said, some of the pimping is definitely to get Val the MB but it is also to keep the Willises tweeting about the show and in the audience. It is kind of a double thing imo. Agree with these rankings and really hope Robert stays still the end. tbh, I have never seen as much dry ice used in routines as it has been this season. Would love to see the show go back to basics sometime!
Thanks again Courtney for a thorough recap. No need to apologize! Life gets in the way sometimes…
My favorite dance of the night was Ryker. I haven’t loved him up until now and he has converted me. I am a HUGE fan of Johnny Depp and Captain Jack and I think Ryker was pretty much spot on with his impersonation. When he first came out by himself I could swear that it really was Johnny up there (sigh – I wish!). I thought the dance was a bit frantic sometimes but I was so impressed by the dance that I had to re-watch it over and over again and I’m going to re-watch again tonight!
The worst dance of the night was Chris. I really cannot believe that he is still in this competition! If it were up to me he’d go home Week One – not Redfoo. He wasn’t exactly Prince Charming when he went ballistic on Witney but then again didn’t Witney go crazy on him a few weeks back? I know two wrongs don’t make a right but a small part of me was happy he spoke up and pretty much told her – Hey I’m NOT a dancer… Lighten up. Anyway, I bet they both wish this agony would end…as do I!! Bonus – I adored his Hercules costume however! Gotta love a man who dances in sandals and a dress!! More bonus points – seeing my boy Alfonso. Miss him!!
As for everyone else (in no particular order):
Robert/ Kym: I know Robbie’s not going to win this competition and he isn’t perfect but I threw ALL my votes his way. I absolutely abhor the Quickstep and I hate watching it. Yes he was off timing but he made up for this by his total love of just being there and competing with Kym. His happiness makes me happy and I want him to stay and possibly make it to the finals. I cannot believe he was at the bottom of the leaderboard! He was certainly NOT the worst dancer! I do have a feeling that he will be safe however.
Patti/ Artem: Didn’t Miss Patti look extra beautiful? I adore her with the longer hair. What can you say about her? She’s charming and takes control of the floor but it is time for her to move on. If not next week, then the following week will be the end of the line for her. I also admire what she said about her injury being nothing compared with Noah’ injuries. Pure class.
Willow/ Mark: She is as cute as a button but goodness gracious I hope I never see Mark’s bunny in my nightmare. The man certainly goes ALL OUT doesn’t he? I got the heebie jeebies looking at that pink contact that was hanging out of his eye! I enjoyed the dance but once again I will look forward to just a simple dance from them with no overblown production. I realize it’s Disney week and overblown productions are expected.
Nastia/ Derek: She made a wonderful princess and I really think she enjoyed herself and she has a lovely smile. I hope to see more of that. Is it just me or does Derek look worn out, too thin, and tired looking? I always see the Radio City commercials with him in it on TV and I cannot for the life of me comprehend how he’s doing this insanity! I hope he doesn’t get sick. Anyway, I like their dance – I didn’t love it or hate it but I enjoyed it plenty.
Noah/ Sharna: All hail Queen Sharna!! Is she awesome with Noah or what? I do have to agree with others here about Noah’s hair. No. Just. No!! Their dance was enjoyable enough and I love that he’s NOT using a fake arm. I think he should stay the way he is without the prosthetic. I can see his dude going quite far…
Rumer/ Val: I have no idea if the whole “Nastia is better for Frozen” skit was staged or if those were her true feelings but I do agree with her. Nastia makes a better princess than Rumer. I just can’t picture Rumer dressed as a princess. I loved their performance and honestly I’m not a dance expert so I don’t know if there was enough Samba content but I really did enjoy the dance and who doesn’t want to be a Disney villain? Kudos to the make up department and I just love the way Val was trying to thank the make up people only to be cut off by Erin. That Erin character is all sorts of awkward!
In summary: Riker’s on top and Chris is in the basement!! Voted for:Robert H.
@PH Interesting about Rumer and producers wanting something different. And about Bruce being in the house.
And the “saved the best for last” was ridiculous. Wonder how Mark felt about that.
Finally found the video I was looking for – I think this show dance that Michael Malitowski & Joanna Leunis (Latin champs) did last year at the Kremlin kinda helps me articulate why I feel that you can’t just do steps from a certain style of dance to a song that those steps don’t exactly fit with and have the dance be considered a good representation of that style. The concept of this dance: Michael & Joanna tried to do all 5 Latin styles (cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, and jive) to the same song: “Toxic” by Yael Naim. It worked well for the rumba and decently well for the cha-cha, samba, and paso doble…but I feel like they failed miserably on the jive:
Just kinda drives the point home for me that Rumer’s samba, while a good theatrical piece, is not necessarily a good example of samba.
For me, the dance of the night was Riker and Allison’s. Maybe because I adore the Pirate movie but I LOVE how into character Riker was the subtle Jack Sparrow moves they added at the beginning and end of the dance but it was INCREDIBLE! and was the dance I watched on replay at least 3 times on Monday night.
I think it was silly with CA’s lip-sync comment because that song REQUIRES it.. Patti lip-synced during her dance as well as Rumor but of course, it’s Derek and Nastia that gets docked for it *eye-roll*
also, can I say how much I love Kym and Robert, even if he messed up his footwork at the beginning and was off-time, the joy this man has every time he dances, makes me love him. He reminds me of Bill E. in the sense that he may not be the best dancer but his love for the show makes me root for him and reminds me why I love this show so much!
@Courtney That was beyond odd. It seems like a situation where the concept sounded great, but failed in execution. It felt like it had a strange West Coast Swing vibe with the weird, floaty, constantly moving portions. Not a fan of that. I think it thoroughly gets your point across though. Pasting a dance style on top of a conflicting style of music rarely seems to work. Why not do a contemporary to death metal or bollywood to bluegrass? Dance styles developed to fit certain styles of music.
My rankings:
1)Nastia and Derek: Loved it.
2)Riker and Allison: Loved it.
3)Willow and Mark: Loved it.
4)Rumor and Val: Loved it.
5)Noah and Sharna: Liked it but not enough Disney magic in my opinion.
6)Robert and Kym: Liked it but he was underscored.
7)Patti and Artem: Love her and the fact that she is having a blast out there.
8)Chris and Witney: I think that Courtney said it best. Only am going to add that he is coming off a intense reality show before jumping into this one so that might be a factor too but the one that looks worse in my eyes is Witney right now because she seems to still be in Alfonso mode and when she said to Alfonso “He isn’t you” it was pretty evident that this might be an issue again if she gets another Chris next season (She is giving me all sorts of Aliona vibes right now and it scares me).
I hope people give Witney another chance. She is young and maybe hasn’t had enough partners yet on DWTS to get the hang of the differences from one season to the next but I think she will.
Don’t forget she did more to bring out good stuff with Drew Carey in one week than Cheryl did most of that season. And Michael Waltrip was terrible and she didn’t do badly with him either, the judges were overly harsh trying to get rid of him that week. So she hasn’t just worked with good dancers in her time and has done ok with worse ones. I would want to give some more seasons before saying she can’t handle anything but an Alfonso.
Chris is more of the problem to me than Witney. He can’t count or feel music easily and is overly intense and not enjoying anything. I think he’s more upset at not being good at this and everyone seeing that on tv (I don’t want to be seen as the worst! attitude) than really just wanting to get better to learn and dance and have fun on this journey. I’s not trying to say he’s a bad guy, I don’t think that at all, those are just the vibes I get from his video packages and facial expressions and such about how he might feel about what is happening to him on the show.
After watching Nastia and Derek’s Jazz quite a few times, I really want her to do a V. Waltz. I think it’ll be so gorgeous. She is amazingly graceful.
Nastia has all the grace and fluidity of the Russian gymnasts, without the stocky, muscular-type bodies of Shawn and Aly that Len seems to dislike. She’s built like a dancer who just never got around to dancing – if that makes sense.
I agree Fig, and usually Len falls all over himself for those dancer-types. So I thought he’d love Nastia. Unfortunately, this is “Val’s season” in pee-wee DWTS-land. So now he’s looking for anything he can pick at with Nastia. Of course, it doesn’t help that she’s dancing with Derek because the stodgy Stooge has a bee in his bonnet about Derek these days.
My attention also was snagged when Riker lost his balance. It was a shame since he had been so powerful throughout, but for me it really did interfere with his characterization and I don’t think he should have gotten 10’s. While I should know better than to even think about the concept of consistency in judging, I’m reminded of Bethany’s tango when she stepped on her dress and slid for a second. She was docked for that — I remember Leah Remini was filling in for Erin that night and made a point of emphasizing that Bethany didn’t trip, she stepped on her dress; she was docked all the same. While Riker was a phenomenal Jack Sparrow, his dance wasn’t perfect.
I agree that the explosion of production of the dances makes freestyles not as “special” as they used to be. Wasn’t it just in season 15 that teams were first allowed to use additional dancers in their freestyle? Here we are at season 20 and they’re all over the place. One thing that Derek manages very well is not allowing the “production” to overshadow the dancing. Mark is more 50-50. Val has never shown much sensibility about this. He allows production to overwhelm the dance, and for me that’s what happened with his ContempSamba. A ’10’ for production value makes sense, but not for the nonSamba.
Cidra, Len definitely holds Derek to a higher standard than anyone else, and he sees it as his way of “leveling the playing field” because it’s obvious that he really likes Derek, and I’m sure that Derek readies all of his partners well to prepare them for the nitpicking.
Now a small part of me doesn’t mind that he holds Derek to such a high standard, as it’s flattering to him and what he’s able to do and I think it pushes him towards excellence. Len’s there to ensure a “growth” arc, but I do hate when it accompanies over the top praise for other couples that doesn’t seem worthy. This handicapping of the pros is something they obviously feel is necessary.
Again, I’m never *as* concerned about consistent scoring – a point here or there matters, but not nearly as much as the judges mannerisms and messaging that goes along with it that I think has a much larger impact on the general audience and their impressions. The over-the-top fawning of Meryl, or the harsh criticisms of Charlie – even though he wasn’t scored *that* badly – that’s what I wish wasn’t happening.
FWIW, Deep Throat has said in the past that Len actually ADORES Derek. After the on-camera reaming he gave Shawn & Derek for their quickstep during all-stars, he actually caught up with Derek backstage and told him he loved it. It’s almost a “son he never had” kind of relationship…which makes me wonder if Len does get a bug put in his ear from some of the folks higher-up when he needs to “make an example” of Derek or needs to elevate another couple.
Len does have a son. But yeah, Len vs Derek is like whatever by now.
I’ve often thought that Len is overly hard on Derek not just because he expects so much more from him, but because he does love him so much that he’s afraid he’ll go too easy on him as a result.
Yeah, that and TPTB giving Len notes.
You have a real knack for completely missing the point or the analogy, Jennnifffer.
I’m with the group that says never apologize to us for being late with a post because you actually have a life. I check the site everyday, sometimes more (lol) and I am always excited about what you post. You keep this a safe place and actually make people behave like adults and frankly I think it teaches young people the art of communication and
Oh heck this computer is kind of quick sometimes. Sorry getting used to what it does. I wish I knew what to say about Carrie Ann. I think I will fall back on last season’s depiction and say I am praying for her, bless her little heart. Some of you will know what I mean. I do agree with whoever said that Julianne seems to be about the fairest judge…although I am sure there is a group of voters who would disagree.
I loved the production story behind Mark and Willow. I do agree that I miss the big productions of just the free style. It made that so special and helped in separating the dancers from the non-dancers as the season progressed. Now these productions are used in some cases to cover things the celeb can’t quite do. I have to say I do not think that is true of Mark. I think he has an incredible ability for creativity that is always yearning to get out. When he has a dancer like Willow who can play the characters, he just spits out that production on a level so far above most of the other pro’s. I wish they would allow him to do an opening dance or a special dance with the pro’s and just let him do it. I bet it would be incredible.
Now I have one other comment. First, let me say I have a son in the Navy who served back to back deployments so I cheer for Noah and am amazed at what he has accomplished and look forward to seeing him each week. Here is what frustrates me. He and Amy have completely different injuries and it is difficult to compare them. It is however easy to compare the treatment each of them has received from the judges. With Amy they said it more than once that they had to judge her in the same manner they judged every other dancer. Yet the judges have been clear they are judging Noah differently. Again this is not to be misconstrued as a slam or even critical of Noah. Think about how much Noah dislike his new arm and just couldn’t use it. He talked about all the feelings he had about the arm. Amy changed legs and used legs she had never used before and only had the week they needed them to adjust. Yet the judges mentioned over and over they couldn’t judge her any different than other celebs in that season. It is the inconsistency I hate.
Okay I am done. If I offended anyone it wasn’t my attention, it is just my opinion. Thanks again mods for all you do.
I agree with you, Lynne. But at the same time, I do think that Noah isn’t being overscored….yet. So far he’s gotten a 26, 27, 30, 32, 28. Going forward, it will be interesting to see what the judges do. At some point there’s going to be a dance that Sharna won’t be able to cover as well and still have the required content. So, what do they do?? Since they seem to be total cowards, I would wager he never gets below a 7 – and maybe he shouldn’t just for being amazing. I dunno. It’s quite the conundrum.
I have no problem with the judges whipping out higher scores with someone like Noah or Amy for what they DO rather than what they’re missing. It’s obvious the same thing applies to the older contestants as well. Noah will probably never get a higher score than his contemporary (unless they do jazz – did that happen yet?).
I also think that Noah’s routines are revealing to those naysayers who slammed Amy – that girl could friggen DANCE.
Amy was wonderfully quick to adapt to the new legs she tried out. It isn’t fair to compare her experiences to Noah’s, though. She wasn’t familiar with those particular prosthetics, but she was used to wearing some kind of legs every day. Noah has almost no experience with an arm, plus his amputation is much more extensive. I think he does deserve a little more slack for that.
The difference is that Amy had all of her joints and could use them (and Derek) for control. Noah can’t control his knee at all, nor his upper left side, so he has to rely strictly on his core strength to get into certain positions to “fake” the movement. Which, if you watch their live rehearsals, Sharna is constantly saying “use your core” to him over and over again because he tends to try to compensate by “falling” on his right leg and speeding up the movements.
The 2 rumba rehearsals they had this week were fascinating to watch because Sharna is flipping the choreography so he leads with his right arm and from the little bit from the routine they showed, he’s also traveling across the floor more. Which, by the way, kudos to Sharna for having him out there for better or for worse using a lot of the floor.
Oh, I think he’s getting lots of slack, AC. The question is, how is it going to impact the competition as we get into weeks 7 and 8 and so on? It should be interesting to watch, in any case. What if he takes out Willow, Riker, Nastia or Rumer?? I sense that the slack will lessen considerably – unless of course he’s okay cuz he’s not dancing with Derek. But what if he takes out Rumer?? Should get real interesting then…
Amy had all her joints?? The human foot ankle complex has a gazillion joints, not actually a gazillion but it is extremely complex and it’s complex for a reason. A huge part of gross motor movement comes from that. She had zero/none of those since both lower legs were amputated.
I truly doubt either Amy or Noah want people comparing their injuries and saying who has it worse. They both have missing 2 extremely important human limbs and they both are showing the world that in spite of that they can work their asses off and learn new things and put themselves out there and be amazing. And they each have/had pros who will think way outside the box to create routines to help them shine.
Very good points, Jess.
But then, people have always sort of diminished Amy’s disability…probably because she dances so damn well.