Private Members Area – DWTS Season 22 Week 2 Discussion
It’s time for the Dancing with the Stars Season 22 week 2 and you know what that means. Time to enjoy some friendly, educated banter with the Pure DWTS Insiders. If you’re not a Pure DWTS Insider yet, you can do so here. If you are, then I look forward to the discussion in the comments.
What did you think of tonight’s elimination? I think that we all saw it coming. Although, I’m hearing some complaints that some other stars should have gone first. What do you think?
How about Alan stepping in for Mark. Pretty tough situation for the star I think.
I’m getting a bunch of people complaining about Len being too grumpy. What do you think of the return of Len? Are you glad he’s back? Is he the same/different? I do have to discount a lot of people’s comments about Len though, since they’ve called him every name imaginable: Glen, Ken, Lin, etc.
Of course, anything else you want to talk about…this is your space!
I thought nyle and peta were amazing again … They took my breath away
I think some of the celebs are getting way to serious and upset in this competition. Come on people it’s only week two. Glad Sasha put Kim back on track. I really enjoy her and she could be a real good dancer. Paige is very good but man she was all over Alan. Could this be the new rumored romance? Poor Mark he didn’t even get a hug until Erin reminded her. Glad Len gave kudos to Mark for the choreography. Very ambitious routine no wonder why he hurt his back.
Speaking of Len please retire; his heart has gone more sour! Liked Nyle but yes it was a little fast I blame the music and maybe some Mak’s influence. Nyle and Kim got all my votes.
Don’t care for the young NFL guys. Maybe it’s me but I see very little rhythm in them maybe they need a football in their hands. Poor Mischa can’t help but think she must be living in a fairy tale world if she thought this was going to be easy and why do TPTB put two solemn minded people together. Artem and Mischa equals disaster. Poor things somebody get them a shot and a beer! Oh well it will get better…… really miss Derek’s positive influence. Thanks mods for the private area!
The best parts of the evening were Wanyá and Paige!!! I truly think Lindsay will get a mirror ball before Sharna. I love Sasha so much as a pro! He and Kim are a pleasure to watch. I ended up voting for Paige, Kim and Nyles as Wanyá’s phone line was always busy. And that is a very good sign!
I thought the scoring was quite fair, which is new! Very pleased the judges held Ginger to 7’s.
Loved Paige. So happy that first thing Len did was compliment Mark on the choreo. Praying that Mark is ok.
Nyle needs longer pants.
For her sake, I hope Mischa goes home next week. Unfortunately, I don’t think Artem has it in him to make this any better for her. Sad. I wish she could have had a better experience.
Kim looked gorgeous with her hair like that. Too bad she had the mishap. She needs to chill out.
As for Len, I’ve said before I don’t know why he has to sound so disgusted when he’s critiquing.
If you’ve read his book you know that Len went into this because of his desire to promote ballroom dance. He was hired because of his experience as a ballroom competition judge when some of the pros were getting started. I think he is disgusted by the reality show aspects the fact that the rules are applied inconsistently if at all and that the dances have less and less content but he is expected to give them good scores. Unlike Bruno and CAI he probably feels the show is losing its credibility.From what I can gather Strictly is not quite as into the reality show stuff and has tougher standards.
#Narice If the show is so beneath him he shouldn’t do it. But to sit at that table and take out his frustrations or disappointments on the celebrities is uncalled for. He’s a little long in the tooth for tantrums. 🙂
I thought Wanya and Paige were great last night! I wouldn’t mind if those two ended up top two.
I really love Kim and Sasaha. Sad she had the little mistake, but I still enjoyed their dance and I’m really hoping they stick around for a while.
Von seems more carefree than Antonio, but I wasn’t impressed by either of them last night, or their pros. I think it would be great if someone like Kim could sneak in there and beat them. I also don’t like that it seems like Witney and Sharna are put on a pedestal, so I almost want those teams to go home to bring their pros back down a notch.
Anyways, I’m assuming Mischa goes home next week. That just is not a good partnership and she doesn’t look like she’s having any fun (and neither does he).
I agree with many things said but not all. I actually thought Len was nicer this week, bit kind of sickingly so. Last week he was just plain mean at times, this week he was just patronizing. As far as couples I liked Lindsey Ana Wanya. They were great with high energy and seemed like they were having fun. I also liked Peta and Nyle. She is doing a good job with him. He is amazing. I just loved Paige last night although I thought she didn’t give enough credit or respect to Paige. I get that Alan was excited to have his shot as he said, but I was glad he quickly.clarified but not at the cost of Mark hurting himself because at first the remark was harsh. Finally I continue to love Kim and Sasha. He is a great pro. I like Jodie but I think Keo expects his partners to act like professionals and doesn’t nurture them very well or communicate with them well. I am sorry if this offends anyone but I think Keo is more concerned with how HE dances and appears ad opposed to his partner. Wow I guess I had a lot of opinions this week. One final thing, I miss Derek. I think his drive to be his best made the others work harder to be at his level with the exception of Mark who has also always been good and continues to be good this season. Get well soon Mark.
My favorites last night, and thus far in the competition are Paige, Wanya, Nyle, Doug, and Kim.
Von and Antonio have been disappointing to me, particularly Antonio. I find him very arrogant without any substance. Also, I think Sharna’s lack of choreographic assistance is very apparent.
Jodie and Ginger are both fine, but for the most part for me, are forgettable.
I don’t really know what there is to say about Mischa…
I’m surprised that The Lift Police called out those blatant lifts! I was SURE CAI would’ve bypassed the first one in Antonio & Sharna’s routine. TonyTwinkleToes better not skip practice again. He needs every second..He’s not horrible but still needs to practice on the refined moves required in Ballroom dancing.
I don’t find Len grumpy at all. His critiques are a breath of fresh air and balances out the judging table.
Next to go will likely be Mischa and Artem. she’s just blah.
I agree with you, Lynne. Derek’s drive to be his best definitely made the other pros work harder
I too am wondering if Paige & Alan are the new couple but I don’t know. It just seems too perfect that there is a new romance, boom Mark gets hurt and her new man partners her. She and Alan really were smoking hot together though
Mark looked really sad. I have a feeling he is out for a while or maybe the whole season and he knows it. If he slipped a disc I really hope he takes time off and cares for himself. That isn’t something to play with
Side note: has Mark always worn that ring on his left ring finger. I saw it and I was like did he & BC already tie the knot??
Mischa and Artem were painful to watch. The dance and the rehearsal both. And then she walks off before Erin was done with her. Erin covered it well but you could tell that was NOT the plan.
Did anyone else notice Jodie’s costume? It was like the entire front was heavy and hard as a rock. What’s up with that? If she is supposed to shimmy and shake you can’t put her in an iron corset. Reminds me of Tony’s partner week one last season
Len is RESPONSIBLE for applying the rules unevenly, Narice. You don’t get to complain about it if you’re the one doing it.
How can Paige and Alan be the new couple? Courtney said it struck her as odd that these 2 are doing the do considering things they’ve said about one another. What has Paige ever said about Alan before yesterday?
Has anyone else seen what Paul posted on Instagram? He is discussing his post and talks a little about Sharna and thier break up. I’m trying to read between the lines but I don’t totally understand.
I just saw it, Herbie. You don’t understand because they think they’re being subtle and sly but instead are incomprehensible. Good thing Paul can fall back on dancing and choreography because verbal/written communication does not seem to be his forte.
Although it’s certainly premature, I was just thinking about what a bust the NFL’ers are right now – and if they continue on this path, what does it portend for Sharna and Witney’s DWTS future?
While I think Witney secured a spot for a while with her win and popularity from Alfonso, I also wonder if a bad showing this season will remove her from the “automatic spot” pro list. Same for Sharna – who has been handed some amazing celebs without a win, and unless she does a major turn-around this season – another “bust”.
Of course none of the blame can rest solely on either woman, but on circumstances and competition – but with a crowded female dance pen, will either of them be back-burnered next season to make room for fresh faces? If one or both of the footballers don’t step up, I could see it happening.
Fig – I couldn’t agree more. I didnt feel like Von improved at all. This probably makes no sense to those of you with dance experience, but from a non-dance perspective, his two dances seemed like the same entertainment value for each. Fun – but thats all. And I have to wonder about the comment one of the judges made to him regarding dancing “bigger”. They said he was a big guy and should have bigger movement – which I agree with in theory, but i wonder if this is where some of the size difference comes in to play. I noticed several times I thought he had to really work to get down to Witneys level. Like he has to bend further to reach down for her than a “normal” pairing would have to do. It should up in several places, and I just wonder if it is keeping from completing a step or extending his lines, because he has to be worried about not letting her slip or fall.
I thought Sharnas choreo was severely lacking, as well as Vals. I guess I didnt realize her bf was that heavily involved in her choreo before. I know Jenna seems to have helped Val a lot in the past with choreo – do the mods think his being in NY and Jenna being in LA is part of the reason Vals choreo is lacking?
And here I thought all of these “out-of-town” celebs were going to be a logistics challenge, when it seems it is making more of a choreo challenge – lol. Guess this will really show who has the talent there and who doesnt. Glad Mark got credit for his choreo – it was very strong. He seems to be one of the few keeping the standard high since Derek is no longer there.
Thanks mods for everything – looking forward to seeing Edyta in troupe, although I would be seriously intimidated if I was Hayley or Jenna. :)))
Fig, he misuses the most common and easy expressions and then compounds those errors with misspelled words. Eeek. He certainly thinks very highly of himself (can’t see why), that much was clear.
Yeah, Sharna is definitely not in to smart dudes…
What happens with Paige if Mark is sidelined for the season?
Suzy,
I could be wrong, but I think it would be like Derek with Nastia. Derek still did the choreography for the most part, but Sasha did the dancing. So, I’d think Mark would do the choreography and then Alan would dance.
@Suzy – Basically the same thing John said: they’d give Paige a new partner to perform & practice with, but Mark would still be responsible for choreography and creative direction.
I think you’re right, John. I recently-ish stumbled upon an interview from just after the first elimination of Season 10 where Mark was talking about how he was going to work around his knee injury had he and Shannen Doherty not been eliminated. The plan sounded a lot like what ended up happening with Derek last year, except for the fact that, since this was pre-troupe, Mark was going to bring his dad in to help out. He was also planning on doing the actual show-night dancing, but he wouldn’t have had to (and it might have been better for everyone if he didn’t).
Thanks everyone.
Would it necessarily be Alan, or would Mark/Paige get to pick a longer term partner? For those of you who know the troupe members, do you think there are better/worse picks? Do you think Alan was a (particularly) good partner for Paige?
Thanks again.
I think the most obvious choice to partner Paige would be Alan – he’s got seniority in the troupe, he stepped in at the last moment and seemed reasonably successful, and his absence in the troupe wouldn’t cause too many problems. I doubt Mark would let any of the super-newbs (Shannon, Kiril, or…the other guy whose name escapes me…Daniel? IDK) touch her, when Alan has more experience.
THAT BEING SAID…
…if I were Mark, I might try to throw my weight around a bit more and try to get someone better. The look on Mark’s face last night while Alan was standing there accepting all the kudos for Mark’s choreography spoke volumes to me, and I would not be surprised if Mark tried to get someone else for Paige. Maybe a former troupe member still lurking around L.A.? A former pro? Hell, even good ol’ dad?
EDIT: This is all assuming, of course, that Mark is out for the season – it’s very possible that he may be ok to dance next week, or is only out for one or two weeks. In those cases, I think he’d probably just bite the bullet and deal with Alan. FWIW, a source saw Mark after the show last night and said he seemed to be “happy” and “in a good mood”.
Thanks Courtney.
I read an interesting interview with Paige from (I think) “MMA Mania.” She said that she and Alan had to change a few things in the routine. For one, I think she was going to “lift” Mark, but couldn’t/wouldn’t with Alan. It’s impressive that the two of them were able to work things out (it sounds like without Mark) and get it all together so quickly and so well.
I am totally loving Paige. I had hoped to have a season to devote to voting for Mark once Derek left, and I feel like Paige is an outstanding match for him. From time to time I get a little Shawn Johnson vibe from her. Absolutely love watching her dance. So much talk of surprise eliminations and massive NFL player fanbases convinced me to begin phasing in power voting this early in the competition. I’m hoping to see her advance in the Power Rankings.
Got a few sorta-kinda spoilers…nothing terribly juicy, I’m afraid, but still interesting…
*I think I mentioned it in passing yesterday, but a source saw Mark after the show Monday night and said he seemed like he was “in a good mood” and not as bummed as he appeared on the show. Maybe he got some good news about his back…? He seemed pretty upbeat when he was snapchatting as he headed into his MRI yesterday.
*Apparently Peta was really confused and frustrated with the judges’ comments on about their rumba – particularly the comments about Nyle “not capturing the tone of the song” and something about Nyle’s arms being weird. I guess Peta and Nyle sit down and really dissect each piece of music – really looking at the lyrics and talking about how passionate/strong/etc. the dance needs to be to accommodate it – since Nyle doesn’t have the luxury of hearing the song himself. So it was really disappointing to her that Carrie Ann wrote that work off – and both Peta and the other pros were baffled about the comment about Nyle’s arms (which I’m confused about too, as I thought Nyle’s arms looked fantastic!). Maybe they’re starting to realize that sometimes, the judges’ comments have less to do with the quality of the dance, and more to do with “leveling the playing field” and minimizing perceived threats to their “chosen ones”…
Could just be me but I agree that the judges do have some outright or hinted instructions about certain pairs. We know it’s unprecedented for DWTS to have 3 current or former NFL players on in one season. And it’s not hard to guess that they expected a lot of publicity for them and hopefully a lot of voting activity. So they’d certainly want them to stick around for a while. I expect with the partners she’s been steadily getting, they would like to procure a 1st win for Sharna. And Ginger, the GMA princess dancing with the DWTS prince need to be around probably through the finals.
But look at the surprises Week 1 brought! Nyles and Peta blew people away! As did Wanya and Lindsay! But none of the football players and their partners exhibited much in the line of skill or charm. I loved Team Kutie in Week 2 but I don’t know how long they’ll last even with his looks, solid personality and Karina’s skills. And they aren’t a priority, I wouldn’t think. So I was taken aback at first over the judges complaints about Nyle and Peta and praise of Val’s choreography. But a second’s thoughts suggested reasons for it to me.
#30 making me wonder –
do the judges get any prelim info before show night? Like do they hear things like “Misha is sick and struggling”, “Maks is helping Peta”, and do you think they are privy to any inside info – like who TPTB want in the finale, who TPTB chose for vote purposes, etc?
I heard once that the judges are supposed to be kept apart from the pros/celebs all week – but I wonder if thats true, and also just because they aren’t together doesnt mean that info doesnt flow to them. Im just wondering, because it might help determine how much of the comments are based on prior info, or TPTB. And do we know of any examples where all 3 judges went against whatever pair appeared to be pimped? I know there are times 1 judge doesnt go along with the plan – but have the judges ever staged their own revolt? lol
And while I really wasn’t expecting Flutie to wow me, I agree that so far the NFL’ers have been entertaining – but not to the level that I (and prob TPTB) expected.
Cant wait for the power rankings – any idea on how the volume of voting is comparing to past seasons? Has the NFL produced the results TPTB were looking for?
Nyle and Peta blew me away too! I loved them and I think it’s sad for how the judges just wrote their dance off the way they did. I hope it backfires on them and they got more votes because of it.
Sarina, here is Courtney’s Power Rankings: https://www.puredwts.com/2016/03/29/puredwts-season-22-week-2-power-rankings/
I was a little frustrated about the comments made to Nyle, so I can certainly understand Peta’s frustration! On the one hand, they obviously know he is deaf, but on the other they don’t seem totally aware of exactly what that entails. (I remember some similar frustration with Amy as well). I am wondering if Nyle and Peta could get permission to do a dance with NO music? I would think it would be quite powerful! That might be an awesome concept for their freestyle if they make it to finals.
We should take the video of Nyle and Peta dancing and remove the sound to show what the experience would be like for Nyle. Would be quite interesting to see I think.
Vogue and Courtney, thanks for the Power Rankings.
John – excellent idea. Or maybe they should have another male Pro try to perform the same dance with Peta – without music. And see the results. See if a professional can stay on time and perform to pro level. Even then they would have an advantage, if they knew the song that was choreographed – because they could sing it in their heads. How about just have a dance choreographed without music completely. Just give them a style and a time limit. That would be truly interesting to see which pros could make a dance that still connected to the audience. I think that is what is so appealing about Nyle. Ive noticed I dont really pay attention the music with him. Which is a big statement coming from this non-dancer who watches purely for entertainment value. Its like I am drawn into his world, instead of him being drawn into the hearing world.
@Colleen – I think they likely want to get their money’s worth out of the two current football players, but oddly enough, they have had no issues actually ripping into them when their routines suck. For as much hype as we saw about Antonio in the preseason, the judges have been pretty tepid on him so far – with good reason. I think TPTB, much like us as viewers, had high hopes for Antonio in particular…and he has yet to really wow us. I think this very well could change the narrative of this season that TPTB originally had in mind – while I thought for sure they’d be pushing for a Sharna win, now I’m more convinced that they’re either going for an ABC family win/2nd MBT for Val, or perhaps shifting their attention to another female pro that is rapidly rising in both ability and popularity: Lindsay. Like the early seasons of Sharna, Lindsay’s proving herself to be a great choreographer, and unlike Sharna, she doesn’t bring any of baggage of The Fam with her, she’s a hard worker, she’s responsible & mature, and she’s shined both last season and this season. Lindsay is like the new Julianne/Kym. Sharna, on the other hand, actually seems to be backsliding a bit – maybe the ex-bf really did help her quite a bit with her choreo? And she has a bit of an unpleasant edge to her now, as well. Maybe TPTB are seeing on paper that maybe a Sharna win might not benefit them as much in the long run as a Lindsay one…
As for the judges’ opinions on Nyle this week – I’m not sure TPTB were prepared for how good Nyle was going to be, or how popular…and he may be the thing that’s currently bungling up the DWTS propaganda machine. He’s more likeable and talented than everyone except maybe Wanya (and I think they’re about neck-and-neck), which means he poses a threat to the two current NFL players they likely paid beaucoup bucks for, as well as their ABC family darling, Ginger. I think Wanya probably is throwing a wrench into their plans, too – so I fully expect a bullsh*tty, nitpicky critique of him in the coming week. I think they may have just seen Peta’s weakness for choreographing rumba, and latched onto that this week – they saw the opportunity to knock Nyle down a few pegs, and took it.
Leigh (#34) and John (#35), I think those are great ideas in trying to understand his perspective. Peta is doing a fab job with him already. I think they’re are going to be even better.
I have so many celebs I’m liking this season, it is hard for me to decide how to vote.
Great job mods!
With Wanya and Lindsay literally bringing the house down for 2 weeks straight, I do think the producers have shifted their focus. I think this may be Lindsay’s season.. and not Sharna’s.
Ginger seems sweet and punch, but I just can’t connect with her and her dancing. It could be because she is partnered with Val though.
@Sandy, I agree about Ginger. She seems nice, but she doesn’t ever stand out to me. Maybe it’s because others overshadow her, maybe it’s because she’s partnered with Val. I don’t know.
I would be happy if Lindsay got a little bit of the pimping, although I don’t even think she needs it. I’m happy to see her doing well. She is definitely schooling Witney and Sharna right now.
@Court, I think TPTB are willing to let The Stooges take bites out of their high-priced NFL stars right now because they’re confident the guys can ride along on the votes of their loyal fan bases (and who knows, a bit of criticism might stir up the faithful to vote even harder). If vote-support starts to dry up, then word could go out to The Stooges that Antonio/Von needs to have a “breakthrough dance”.
That said, I think it would be wonderful if TPTB decided to ditch their plans for making this “Sharna’s season” and instead choose to let Lindsay have a legitimate shot at the MBT. This pairing with Wanya is a ready-made opportunity for the producers to see if Lindsay could be the Julianne 2.0 they’ve been trying to create. I think she’s far closer than Witney ever was. Lindsay definitely fits the Julianne (and Kym) mold much better. She’s wholesome, but can be sexy in a classy way, and has a more sympathetic personality than Witney (who comes across as shallow and self-absorbed to me).
As for Sharna, I hope she finds a way to sort herself out because she seems to be heading down a similar path to the one Anna took after she and Evan imploded in the Season 10 finals.