Dancing with the Stars Season 23, Week 5 – LIVE BLOG!!
Site rules in are effect – don’t hit refresh every 2 minutes, make sure you’re not posting one-liners, etc. Thank you. ๐
So…it’s week 5. ย Who they gonna get real with, real quick?? I’m predicting Maureen and Amber…and they’ll continue to hose Marilu. We’ll see. I can’t believe they WANT to get rid of their one shot at a Choreography Emmy…but perhaps they consider last week a job well done. “You can go now.”
THAT is why I watch DWTS, people. The full orchestra, the beautiful ballroom dance. I’m misty. I’m sad that this is a throwback to the “old” DWTS.
Ah, Maureen. You go girl.
Oh boy….a foxtrot that looks like a waltz. The music is not helpful. Pretty dance, but the passes were a bit stiff it seemed like. I predict she’ll be over scored. I really like her, but I’m not sure why they rave quite as much as they do.
Okay, I can live with 8s. That seems about right. Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind depending on how the rest of the evening is scored.
I wonder if the lip sync police will come out on this one. Stupid, CAI.
Jerry Rice!! ย I want Dance Center now. Anyway, that was a good dance, but to be fair, I don’t like it when a Jazz (?) goes up against traditional ballroom this week either.
I say that…but I think they’re still hosing him a bit on scores.
Is Jana dressed just like she has been since the season started or is that my imagination?
That baby is just gorgeous. So sweet.
Oo..awkward lift. Okay…confession. I’m kinda over the contemporary. They all look kinda the same at this point when done by someone other than Allison or Derek. ย Gorgeous baby though. Pretty dance but…eh.
Pitbull next week as performer and guest judge. ๐
Decent score for Jana. I would say too high, but…
This pro dance is pretty good…a step in the right direction anyway. Lindsay’s hair is confusing me tremendously. ๐
Ryan’s mom wanted him to swim so he would stay out of trouble? The jokes just write themselves. ๐ He’s a cute guy, that Ryan.
Oh another over wrought contemporary….I spoke to soon. Cool backward move from Cheryl and she’s going a different route than usual. ย This is why Cheryl is ten times the choreographer than Val or Maks – she choreographs something very simple looking yet still compelling. She choreographs for her partner.
Hmmm….8s are good. I found his dance more interesting than Jana’s. I can live with that.
You GO, Laurie. Tell him. ย Val, you could NOT be a jerk to a 16 year old. ย She’s not an adult yet, dude.
All right, this is pretty cool…but I think they’re lucky Len isn’t there. That’s some messing’ about. Something a bit weird with the Paso part…like she’s over turning or something. She’s not front enough. I feel I’m not making sense. Good dance, though. Not perfect…which has never stopped the judges before…
CAI is channeling me. This frightens me. That said…while I think it was inappropriate for the paso, it was the most creative thing Val has done in ages. And yes, she did fall out of the turn. I think that’s what I was seeing.
Oh Val shut up and quit making Most Memorable Year all about you. Jesus. This is Laurie’s journey.
Marilu up next…let’s have that breakthrough, please. Ahhh….this is exactly what I was thinking Marilu’s problem is. She’s a huge Derek fangirl and she doesn’t want to disappoint him.
Wow…that felt VERY different than anything she’s done before. That was beautiful…and the first package I cried through. Just gorgeous. I think their talk helped and I think perhaps Derek has her figured out.
CAI is so right…she seemed like a different person. Goooood score. I’m happy with that one.
Okay what did I miss? Why was Amber upset. I didn’t see anything Maks did that was out of line.
She’s having problems with this dance, she’s not committing to it and she’s dancing too soft/small. Very curious.
There was a lot of content? Really? Okay. I do agree she’s only giving 80 percent, but I thought it was the entire time including when she was alone. ย I also dig the costume. Makes me hungry for candy tho. ๐
Hmmmm….compared to the rest of the 8’s tonight, I’m not sure. Harder dance than what Jana and Ryan had, but I dunno.
My reaction mirrors Sharna’s regarding James’ injury. ย God.
James is so freakin’ good…but the whole elevated part of that dance I didn’t see as a tango. If I could give advice to pros, I would tell them to stop using the stairs. It breaks the dance up too much. Beautifully danced, no matter.
(He could win this season…) And the language from the Pros tell me that he just might be winning..
Hehehehe….we have us a competition. ๐
Terra’s package had me crying like Marilu’s did – I feel them on the loss of a parent.
As for the dance…I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’m going to have to watch it again. The staging with the gate was incredibly heavy handed. Plus, she’s so small that she can’t really finish the lines. ย I’m just not sure I cared for the choreography. But as long as she liked it, why not.
I think I would have given a mix of 8s and 9s, but I won’t begrudge Terra all 9s.
So, are we having an elimination? I think the show only has a minute left.
Nope. You can’t fool us, Tom. ๐
is there a elimination tonight?
I hope they don’t continue to hose Marilu. Send Amber packing or Maureen. Amber was just NOT that good. Maks is phoning it in. artem at least seems as if he’s trying with Mo.
Ahhh I really hope they don’t continue to hose Marilu. They should take note from last week that they should not mess with Derek fans. We will keep striking back and getting even. Here’s hoping it’s a good show tonight and everyone gets scored fairly. Too much to ask for? ๐
I agree Heidi. They’d be foolish to get rid of Marilu. Please no manipulation TPTB!
Question: is that Julianne dancing with Derek in the opening number?
That opening number was gorgeous! What a way to start the show!
Tissues please that opening was gorgeous. That song always makes me cry but coupled with that dance? UGHHH but it’s all good.
That was beautiful. It brought me to tears.
Well I got my self sick somehow today at the Columbus Day parade (you guys might have seen me on tv actually….I was right accross from
Joe and Maria and had a fordham hat on (maroon hat with an f on it) and a black hoodie that said Iona on it) so Anyways go me lol. Didn’t see the opening number so that stinks. Maureen’s video was an eye opener. In a weird way it made me like her even more. Also, peter Brady looks healthier after breaking up with Adrienne curry so good for him…on the show Thehvhad he always looked so stressed out and tired.
Omg what a stunning opening number. So gorgeous. I will be youtubing that over and over.
Maureen and Artem did a really sweet dance! ๐ And her story was a great one.
YES!!! THAT opener is what I love about DWTS….like it used to be! Please, powers that be, do more of this, please. What an exquisite, classy, beautiful number with the elegant guys in tails, and the stunning ladies in flowing gowns. What a treat! And also a major treat to watch the fluid, gorgeous partnering of Derek and Lindsey. Even if the rest of the night falls apart, I’m a happy camper after this opening.
Artem….thank you! This was perfect for her from start to finish. Wasn’t expecting that at all….talk about memorable! I’d easily give that an 8. Side note, love Julianne but her hair tonight is kinda like what my sister did when she dressed up as pebbles from the flintstones. Maureen has the X factor like nobody else this season. Artem’s best season yet.
Loved, loved the opening number. And I like Mo’s performance. She looked so happy.
C Bros making their partners cry. I can already tell this is going to be infuriating to watch. Laurie is A CHILD, VAL. This is the second week we’ve been given indication that he’s been too hard on her. I don’t understand why they feel that teaching has to involve being an asshole. And this is coming from someone who used to actively defend the C Bros.
So why is it so hard for people to believe Val yelled at Bindi during switch up week? I’m sure Laurie is USED to tough coaches, so for her to cry like that.
That was a beautiful dance by Maureen and Artem. I agree with PHeidi. I hope they are building her up and then she gets eliminated next time their is an elimination.
And, I was not happy to see those short clips of the C bros. making their partners cry. This is not looking good for me.
Calvin goes second after going first last week….I think he’s destroying everyone in votes
I love Calvin….like this guy is just beyond happy and always fun to watch. I know I’ve said it before but he reminds me of emitt smith and Donald driver in that regard. This week was no different. From the glittery blue costumes to the choreogrpahy it was just everything I wanted and more. I’d give that a 9. Also Jerry rice doesn’t age and his energy is still there. It’s scary yet I want to know his secret. Like seriously, spill the beans Jerry write a book or something.
Straight 8s? That deserved at least one or two nines! To be perfectly fair, Calvin is getting screwed with the running order, but he keeps improving. Getting hosed two weeks in a row by the scores is telling me that he’s probably getting the votes, TPTB would want to keep around their three biggest competitors for the mirrorball (Laurie, James, Calvin) so they wouldn’t lowball him so much if they didn’t think he was safe.
Calvin is just super-charming. He exudes joy. Not a great dance but a very good and entertaining one. Hope he makes it to the finals.
Correction: sorry “I hope they aren’t building Maureen up ….
Oh, I also loved the opening number!
Calvin was great and Lindsay did a good job with the choreography! They are awesome even with his being so tall.
I really enjoy Calvin more and more each week. He really deserved at least one 9.
Jana this week is your best yet. Honestly no complaints whatsoever. Brava! Gleb, two great weeks in a row….let’s keep that ball rolling! I’d give that a 9 easily.
Jana and Gleb – beautiful. I’m so happy they got a good score. I hope they make it to the finals.
My favorite opening this season hands down. So beautiful and classic.
Maureen is lovely and this is by far Artem’s best season choreo wise- really impressed with him. Right now the score seems fair, but I’ll have to reassess at the end of the night.
Calvin is slowing replacing James as my favorite. Man is he good. Right now, though, I think he is being screwed- both in running order and in score. I have no idea why but its pissing me off. I love the dance and the sentiment behind it.
That was Jana’s best dance, and its the first time I’ve actually felt something for Jana. I’m kind of over these emotional contemporaries, though. It was good, but the choreo didn’t wow me and it looked like about 90% of the other contempory dances I’ve seen on this show. The emotional factor might be enough to keep her around, though.
That pro tour number was good. The video for Ryan was just a rollar coaster. This dance was good. His best yet I think but I hated the run to the stairs and the last lift. The rest I really liked. I’d give that an 8.
Hmm…yeah. The contemporary routines tonight are not impressing me. They need Allison this week, lol. Ryan’s dance for example didn’t really look that contemporary to me.
Another great dance by Jana & Gleb. I think she just had her breakthrough. Loved her memorable story.
Ryan looked good tonight.
Calvin is such a cutie. They got him first with Jaleel and then with Jerry! This wasn’t my favorite dance of his and Lindsey’s, but it was still entertaining as always!
I really loved Jana’s dance. The EMOTION and her adorable baby! I’m such a sap for this stuff.
Ryan’s was pretty good but not spectacular.
I loved the staging on Laurie’s dance and disagree with CAI on that point, but I do think (like Bruno) that Laurie’s movements got sloppy. It felt rushed through.
Nothing too surprising about Laurie’s journey to the Olympics but dang is that girl tough. Now Val, buddy step back. You are putting all this pressure on a 16 year old and when she cracks it looked like you were more indifferent than admitting you get too intense sometimes. Anyways, this dance was intense and I she to say this but: great job Val. First dance from you guys that actually is up to the level that she can really do. Footwork wasn’t messy but wasn’t clean either if that makes sense. I’d give that an 8. Judges dropping the hammer on them in a sense this week…..a week after a perfect score. This show never ceases to amaze me.
Well I see the judges have angered many people with Laurie’s scores. The comments under the Facebook post alone….wow. Kinda affraid to look at twitter.
My FAVORITE DANCE FROM MARILU THUS FAR. I feel like she really let go and got outside her head this time. And boy did I love that song. And the choreo. It was flawless. FLAWLESS. THIS is the Marilu I have wanted to see. If she doesn’t get 10s I’m calling BS.
Marilu is just what I think everyone wants to be when they get older: smart, strong, and not scared of anything in general. This dance was gorgeous in every sense of the word. I’d give that a 10 but the judges did exactly what I would have done if I was there with those hugs.
This might get me questioned here, but I haven’t liked Derek in the past but season 21 and this season, he’s really growing on me. He’s the only person on the show who consistently choreographs a good vienesse waltz. That was awesome.
Wait, did anybody notice how they haven’t mentioned an elimination this week like they usually do at the top of the show? Makes me think nobody will get eliminated this week. We shall see!
Wonderful dance from Marilu & Derek!! The breakthrough has occurred! Great scores too! I was shocked to hear Marilu say she’s afraid of Derek…I guess she’s afraid of disappointing him but whatever Derek changed this past week WORKED!!! Bravo!
Laurie messed up but still gets a 9. Marilu was absolutely gorgeous. For me, it was the best dance of the night so far.
Thank god, finally Marilu has her breakthrough. I was beginning to get nervous that it wouldn’t happen. I agree that I’m over the contemporaries, both Jana and Maureen’s personal stories were beautiful though.
Amber and maks literally are a conundrum to me. This is one of those great on paper and she can dance. Seriously, she can dance and I love her but maks needs to give her something really good becuase this week wasn’t really fun and it was a samba. Second half was better than the first. I’d give that dance a 7
This wasn’t Laurie’s best so far; she did better in past weeks.
I absolutely loved Marilu in this Vennese Waltz! Derek did his magic again! She also had her breakthrough this week. I’m so enjoying my favorite Pro Dancer!!!
Much better job tonight for Amber, she enjoyed this dance so much more.
Confession: I liked Ryan’s contemporary better than Jana’s. It was different, it felt more personal and more vulnerable. I’ve liked the Ryan we’ve seen on the show and man am I glad Cheryl came back and partnered him.
Regardless of whether or not I liked Val’s choreo, I always thought Laurie nailed her part. I didn’t feel that this week. I thought the choreo was fine but this just wasn’t her best dance. I didn’t think she was a point lower than Jana, though.
Marilu made me cry. Derek’s VW are always killer but everything came together this week. My favorite of the night so far.
Amber was so overscored it wasn’t even funny. That was not a good dance and nowhere near Calvin, Ryan, or Maureen. Also, is she not dancing in heels until Sunday? That seems like a problem will say this, though- I LOVE Amber’s outfits every week. If Maks is designing them, then serious props.
Amber is really beautiful. Never really knew what she does, sing? dance?
act? But stunning she is. Dance seemed tentative. It’s odd because she looks so va-va-va voom, I just expected her to go out there and sell it. But she actually seems to be a bit timid.
I love the theme this week: the stories are always emotional to listen to. I think the scores are fair with the exception of Calvin. He should not be tied at the bottom with Ryan and Amber. His dance was on par with Laurie (who had a mistake) and Jana. I do agree with Julianne; he and Lindsay are great together.
Bravo to Marilu and Derek!! She broke through her fears!!! And was able to connect with Derek, finally. So happy for her. What a really beautiful dance; gorgeous, sensuous choreography and flowing lines. She danced so beautifully. It brought me to tears. I would’ve loved to see a 10 for the emotionality but 3 nines were great.
YES, Marilu!!!! That’s the way, uh huh-uh huh. I like it, uh huh-uh huh.
James + tango = amazing. Like holy geez that was just so wow. Sharna….you are amazing. James, (not sure if this will be deleted but only way I can explain it) you are the toughest person I think I have seen in this show since Amy and yet you still have a sense of humor while others would have been like “no car sorry” but he somehow managed to bounce back like nothing. You Sir are a badass. I’d give that a 10
I don’t think Amber came alive til halfway through that dance. You know, Maks wasn’t a giant asshole like the preview tried to make him out to be. I’m pleasantly surprised to see this more chill Maks trend continue this season. Could his engagement and pending fatherhood have mellowed him (meanwhile Val seems to be deadset on making me like him less and less). Anyway, I think 8’s were fair for Amber.
I still can barely see the footwork mistake that James made last week. Also hearing the details of James’ crash just makes me appreciate his abilities even more. The man is practically superhuman coming through an injury like that and performing physically at such a level less than 2 years later. MY BOO WITH TWO TENS. THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SEE.
Okay James and Sharna were incredible! Wow I had no idea how extensive his injury was and to see him now. And he’s just darn likable too, great attitude and fun to watch.
And terra had me in tears. I was young when my grandfathers died (5 and 16) and it was like my whole world fell apart. I’d give that dance a 9 as well.
Hit submit too early: never thought I’d say it but she is killing this conpetitin dance by dance ๐
Hmmm…wasn’t particularly fond of any of the Contemporary numbers this week, though I did think everyone’s story was amazing.
Best dance of the night goes to James and Sharna of course! He has such amazing frame and every time he gets out there, he just kills it!!! He’s the whole package to me. I do hope he does just as well in his Latin numbers, especially since Latin Night is next week. Marilu and Derek are second. I thought that her waltz was absolutely beautiful.
Waiting patiently for your excellent rankings, Courtney. ๐
Great night of personal stories from our stars.
James’ story really moved me and his injury was shocking. Amazing that he pulled through it! And to be dancing like he is is awesome! He isn’t going anywhere.
Terra had me in tears telling her story. I loved her and Sasha’s dance and she is an amazing little person and her father would be so proud if he were in the show audience; but I have a feeling that he saw her. She earned those 9s.
I dunno, I go back and forth. If Calvin is REALLY killing it in votes, it does the producers no favors to try to get rid of him. It just doesn’t. If he is as popular as James, why would they try to get rid of Calvin and not James?? They get nothing from James winning more than Calvin – both women have never won before and both are going on tour. There is no up side to getting rid of Calvin but keeping James around.
If their goal is for Laurie to win, they would also be underscoring James, unless he’s NOT getting the votes. And I think he is. It’s kinda nonsensical that James would score well and Calvin wouldn’t. And from the way that the judges were talking tonight, James is on track to take this win away from Laurie.
@PH I don’t think TPTB want him gone, but I have a feeling he is doing really well in the votes. Perhaps even better than James. Now that we are nearing the middle of the competition, I’m Sally starting to question the amount of people voting for Laurie. Could she have gotten lost based on how well Calvin and James have been doing? Especially with Val not showing her cute and bubbly side? I’m not too concerned about Calvin, he’s not going fhome for the next two weeks at the very least, but I still threw all my votes aside from one to him.
@ #5 Cari – (I don’t think I saw anyone else answer this) Lindsay was Derek’s partner for the opening number – my wife and I had to play it back in slow motion to see. All night we kept confusing Emma and Lindsay (like again in the tour number)because their blond hair was almost in the same style!
Once again Calvin and Lindsay got hosed, 26 would have been better vs. the other scores. I hope they are getting the votes.
Great to see Marilu and Derek getting a more realistic score.
So happy to hear that James killed his Tango. Since I was a fan of Hinch! I knew him all too well before the show. And me, and every other person seeing him pick this up just like that, is unreal. Hinch you can do this. America is loving you!!!!!!
Calvin and Maureen seem to be getting shafted in terms of the order they’re dancing.
I would’ve given Calvin at least one 9.
It seems like either Maureen or Amber are leaving next week.
I’m sure Laurie will bounce back to the top of the leaderboard with Latin week coming up.
This season is once again giving me PTSD to the past 2 seasons of Lindsay’s partnerships (Alek & Wanya) where no matter how much she kills it in the choreography department and brings out the max in her partners each and every week – the judges do everything in their power to lowball them in comparison to the other couples.
I truly don’t feel that Calvin is killing it in the votes. I hate to say that, but any extra votes that Calvin could possibly be getting I think Hinch has been scooping them up (rightfully so and deserved) each and every week. My fear that if the judges continue on this road, they’re going to shorten this journey and have Calvin’s spot taken up by someone who maybe wouldn’t have lasted as long if not for the extra point padding the judges give them continuously through the competition.
Oh Jana….I teared up over her story and the dance. So moving!
And I loved Ryan’s too. It was also moving with a touch of humor when Ryan’s Mom said she wanted him to take up swimming so he would stay out of trouble.
I loved the opening number tooo!!!!! I felt like a little kid meeting a disney princess. ? Everyrhing the music to the choreography and the costumes made me swoon. ?
I would like to see Jana’s hair up sometime.
Lol pitbull as a judge is so terrible.
I feel like derek is such a beautiful soul he adapts himself to bring out thw best in his partner. And he did thqt with marilum thats why hes so great. So hopefully everyone shuts up about him only getting ringers. He could literally make anyone a dancer.
Tom looked like he was gonna cry announcing the mans death ???
It really bothered me that val kind of threw it back on laurie being like she holds everything in too much. He didnt even apologize!!! Why could he just not say I am sorry that I get too intense and aggressive sometimes I will try to he more sensitive. I mean I feel like Val is so focused on winning and having a good dancer like Laurie that he is losing the process of it which is it being a transformative journey not just a dorky trophy.
Facebook is a cesspool, Vin, and not indicative of much other than the vile personalities who dwell there.
Don’t stay up for the Power Rankings, kids. Court does them on Tuesdays when there is no results show. DBTN moves to Thursday or Friday, depending on my schedule.
What I was trying to say, Alison, is there is no reason for the judges to purposely underscore him – votes or no votes. If he’s killing it in votes, it’s even LESS likely they would underscore him. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, unless there’s more to the story than we’re aware of.
Jeny, Derek has in the last few years really adapted to his partners. I think it took him longer to figure it out this season – and I think it’s due to exactly what Marilu said: She’s afraid of disappointing him. And he’s right – that’s his fault for not connecting with her more, sooner. But he likely didn’t know how to handle partnering someone who is a fan.
And Val…good lord, he really believes it’s all about him. Even Tom was asking for the violin for him. Val will never understand that he’s not the sun, moon and stars and that it’s HIS responsibility to take care of and teach Laurie and not act like an ass just because she holds it in and doesn’t show that it hurts her. It’s like blaming the victim.
And this is the difference between Derek and Val – Val deflects it on to Laurie and Derek owns his part of their problem. Val doesn’t change anything he does, teaching wise, while Derek finds a way to adapt HIS methods to Marilu. Hopefully, Derek can keep it on track. I just wish I could count on Val to do right by Laurie.
Well, I’m really happy that Marilu had her breakthrough – what a gorgeous dance! I was also impressed with both Maureen’s and Ryan’s growth since the first week. James of course was amazing. However, *why* do they continue to lowball Calvin??? He and Lindsay are not getting enough credit for some really great dances.
Kudos to Cheryl for pushing through her being sick and doing a great job with Ryan. LOVED her first contemporary…and that back bend.
Agreed that the opening was fantastic. I was under the impression they were inviting the orchestra for the whole show ? but alas I was misinformed.
Val mentioned that he wanted to teach Laurie what the real world is like. It’s a dance show. let her enjoy it. (Dare I say that I feel Val and Maks really know how to emotionally and paychologicay manipulate their celebs to get the reaction and storyline they want/need for the package/week…even if it does benefit th celeb at the end…I just think it’s kinda messed up??)
Is it just me or is Derek kinda walkin on eggshells with Marilu..in all access her friend mentioned how some peole have a tought time on DWTS whenthey are usually on control in their real lives like Marilu.. Her name escapes me Liza gibbons?? I kinda agree, I think Marilu has a slight power struggle with Derek, plus fangirling too much…but glad she has a breakthrough and her dance was quite elegant!
Hope Ryan and Cheryl get an Argentine tango next week! And excited for the opening number…hopefully without Pitbull!
#Ananya (#15) Val yelled at Bindi during Switch-up week? How / When did this information surface? Anyone?
(Changing subject) Saw Amy Schumer in Amber’s package…. it could be fun to have her partnered with Val, don’t you think? Especially since he seems to have the habit of taking the fun out of training…
LOVED watching the Marilu transformation… Boy, she needed that cry for weeks! So happy she had the opportunity to get it as it allowed him to assume the role he is best at — stellar nurturer. Not an easy role to assume when a lady twice your age comes to you full of laughter and acts like she has life by the balls and nothing can faze her…. Damn… I’m thrilled that he has gotten under her public persona and now can be her friend instead of some kind of scary idol…
Yes, those C Bros know how to throw shade on to their partners. Classic Waltz, loved it. DWTS Believe it or not…I still watch the pro waltz from like season 3 or 4 to a Bjork song. Love it. Right down to the feathery ballgowns. Thank you Jerry Rice, Calvin, Hench and Marilu for making Monday Memorable.
I find, from what i’m seeing anyway, that i’m actually liking maks this season. I never thought i’d say this, but i’m kind of glad he’s back. He’s stI’ll hit or miss on the choreo, but it seems that he’s relaxed a little.
@Psychee22
To quote Laurie from the package: “When I don’t get a step you need to calm down and take a couple of minutes to teach it to me, don’t get mad and start yelling at me” Seems like that’s exactly the same thing that happened when he was teaching Bindi. She had trouble getting a step, did it wrong a couple of times, he got mad and she apologized to him for not getting it saying that it’s her fault. That’s what Courtney’s source said and Val and his fans got super mad at her for apparently telling such horrible lies…
@PH I wonder if Calvin is the Donald Driver of Season 23. Donald rarely got the love of the judges, and didn’t get a perfect score until his Freestyle. Yet he killed it with the fan vote. Adding Jerry Rice tonight I think was to maintain the love and the NFL vote. Canadians are completely shut out of the vote for James, so he needs to score well to build a base. He got another ballroom dance that he can do well on. Next week might be a change in fortunes.
So happy for marilu. Derek really is a master. From 7 to 9, now that’s talent y’all.
Val making laurie cried-hate that!That was not tears of joy, that was tears of hatred. Spoilt the mood of their paso dance.
Best episode this season. Gonna watch it again
Actually enjoyed last night’s show. Was so happy to see Marilu and her breakthrough. Enjoyed watching her, Jana, and Hinch’s dances last night. If Marilu keeps up this momentum and dances like she did last night, she could very well make the final. I don’t know if calvin can make the final anymore. So far it seems like James and Laurie, and the other two spots are up in the air.
I really like Calvin, but I don’t think it’s wise to assume about his NFL fan base. He played for the Detroit Lions, and with apologies to those who root for them, they aren’t comparable to SteelerNation or Cheeseheads, or Cowboys fans, etc. I would argue that the only football player who came on to the show with a smaller football fanbase was Michael Sam. And I’m not sure if he’s picking up casual votes the way Terra and James seem to be just by looking around the internet.
That could all change by the time the season is over, obviously.
Ryan and Cheryl โ Contemporary โ
I really liked what Cheryl did here- in awe of what she did. Muchos props. ๐
Laurie and Val โ Paso Doble
I know I’m probably gonna get slated on here but I think that for once, Val really did well with the choreography. I thought it lacked paso doble but I thought it would score more, as i thought it was better than some more hyped dances of hers. But this is just so she can have a comeback.
My score: 8.5
Marilu and Derek โ Viennese Waltz
This dance made me tear up- I thought it was both her breakthrough and best of the night. I was expecting a Bruno 10
My Score: 9.5
Amber and Maks โ Samba (song: โWoman Upโ by Meghan Trainor)
This dance was mediocre- she is way stiffer than I expected but her techique has improved. I was expecting her to get 7s.
My Score: 6.5
James and Sharna โ Tango
I enjoyed the dance but I thought it was just slightly overmarked- I think it should have been all 9s. But he killed it and props to him for coping with his injury
Terra and Sasha โ Contemporary
I love her- I admire her for her perseverance and skill but I thought it should have gotten: 9,8,9
That opening with the orchestra, the lighting, the costumes and the pros sweeping so beautifully across the floor made my heart sing. You could tell how much the pros loved it too, they were all beaming. Please more pro dances like that. The Mandy Moore bump and grinds have become so stale, repetitive and lacking in any sort of charm, beauty and heart.
Hinch really is quite a special person. It takes real perception, courage and the heart of a lion to take the most horrific thing that has ever happened to him and make it the best thing that ever happened to him. I loved the close contact between him and Sharna in hold. Note also how, when James is struggling with a step, instead of getting frustrated with him, Sharna tells him to relax and just let his story propel the dance.
Compare that to Val who isn’t sensitive enough to realize that he’s not dancing with a robot, but with a sensitive teenager who has trouble articulating her hurt and fears.
None of the contemporaries did anything for me last night.
Calvin and Lindsay continue to be charming, fun and delightful.
I loved the opening number! It made me wish for the days of old.
I’m not surprised at Val blaming Laurie and what a week for him to victim blame when Amber came against it last week and Jana did this week. He once again shot himself in the foot. It is usually later in the season when he pulls his, “I seem to take away the fun for my partner” routine he always does but he may have to break it out earlier this season.
Once again James and Sharna had my favorite dance.
All in all it seemed like almost everyone stepped up their game. I’m not sure Amber has much game to step up and that may be why she is in melt down mode. I really just have no idea who will go home next week.
Side note: I hate Pitbull and really don’t understand why they keep bringing him back. Surely there is someone else that could be on Latin night other than him.
He could be the Donald Driver, Casanova, but I don’t think he’s going to pull a win out of this one. Donald wasn’t getting the scores, but he also didn’t have real serious competition in William and Katherine. Both of the latter were shoved down the audience’s throat and the audience really wasn’t that into it, as loud as they got for William at times. Calvin, on the other hand, IS getting stiff competition from several contestants – Laurie, James…and maybe Terra. That will make the judges scores much harder to overcome.
Did anybody noticed Lauries Mom serious and crying after their dance? It didn’t seem like she was happy to see what her daughter was going through with Val. Val is a total Fking ass. This girl should’ve been with Derek. Derek knows how to push someone to their limits without making them cry and he will make sure they are enjoying the process.
No slating from me, Sophie. I was just thinking about Val’s choreography and wondering…for all the talk that Maks and Val do about doing what they want and not listening to judges etc. I have to wonder if they (the judges) are reinforcing bad (or boring or less exciting) choreography from both men. I mean, last night Val actually impressed me a bit for that creative “all about Laurie” opening part of the dance – very unusual for him. Sure, it was not appropriate for a Paso – but so what? Some of Derek’s best work goes against what the judges want for certain dances. So, he gets a tiny bit creative and he gets marked down – if he were Derek, he would say “so what, I’m doing what works with the music” – but he’s NOT Derek and he wants to WIN. So they effectively remove any benefit to being creative for someone like him by marking him down. The judges rave over dances that are just…blah…to serve their agenda which reinforces the “blah” to someone who wants to win. Know what I mean? Neither Maks nor Val seem to grok the fact that it’s a reality show (like Derek does) and that there’s often an agenda to the scoring as well – so they can’t over come it and do what they might otherwise.
All that being said – if Val *hadn’t* gotten marked down when everyone else who does stuff like that does, then that would also have been a different kind of problem. But that’s what happens when the judges motives aren’t entirely pure all the time. Long time viewers get whiplash and start talking about favoritism.
Exactly PH. Val gets rewarded with high scores and blathering praise for simple and boring choreography, then gets critiqued for interesting choreography. The judges are rewarding mediocrity over creativity. It’s nuts.
And while Val, to me, is like nails on a chalkboard, his paso routine for Laurie was intriguing and in the case of the solo opening, really unique and watchable.
So we’ll see if he goes back to safe and bland next week or keeps putting out interesting choreography.
Exactly what they are trying to do with Calvin…Make him seem forgettable and from a few of these posts it seems like im right…They keep underscoring them and viewers will give up on him and eventually agree with the judges when he is better than most of the people on the show…He deserves more than they are treating him…Continously praising him only to give him the same score 3-4 weeks in a row…I was for James and Calvin before but now I have to solely focus on Calvin because Now they are slightly overscoring James and Calvin is still getting the same scores…..I hope the viewers arent falling for this,If Maureen stays over Calvin I will be one of those viewers who will never watch again ๐
I dont care for any other contestants other than Calvin and James but I felt the best dances last night were Calvin,Jana and Marilu and I thought Laurie’s Paso was too Jerky and hated the Exorcist like dancing scene in the beginning and I thought James dance was too bouncy and his frame was bent and footwork was not the best tonight although his facial expressions were on it!!! I usually like him more though…I felt Laurie got the right score but James deserved all 9’s the same score Calvin deserved ๐
Ya gotta wonder though if Calvin is getting the votes so he doesn’t need inflated scores from the Judges in order to stay. That said, I’m just not that big of a fan of Terra. While I think Sasha is giving her choreo that is appropriate for what she is able to do, She’s still not able to finish the lines like PH said during the live show. And I also think it’s as good as she’s gonna get. I could care less about Jana. I was underwhelmed by a 3 Contemporary routines last night and I think that they’re all starting to look the same nowadays.
Here’s how I hope the eliminations will go–9. Amber, 8.Ryan,7. Maureen, 6. Terra, 5. Jana
My final 4 are 4. Calvin, 3.Marilu, 2. Laurie and 1. James for the win!!
I don’t think Laurie’s got this in the bag. Val isn’t dooing Laurie any favors. James improves weekly as has Marilu. I think Marilu will continue to improve by leaps and bounds now that Derek knows how to get through to her.
#80 MP-Laurie’s Mom cries after every dance since the first one.
I really hope we don’t have any more contemporary or jazz routines this season. They bore me to tears. MMY is not my favorite and last weeks Cirque theme was a disappointment for me. Hopefully Latin night will be more exciting (in spite of Pitbull.)
Power rankings are up: https://www.puredwts.com/2016/10/11/puredwts-season-23-week-5-power-rankings/
Calvin and Lindsay were great, and as usual, they were underscored. I don’t see how the judges could possibly think that Ryan and Amber both performed as well as he did.
I thought Ryan did a lot better than he has been doing. Cheryl gave him a lot more steps to do this week, so she must also think he’s improving. I thought he still looked a little awkward, but he is making good progress.
I was really happy to see the progress Marilu and Derek made, both in their partnership and in their dancing. She danced much better last night than she has all season, but more importantly, she and Derek seem to be figuring out how to handle her mental block. I really like how he handled her telling him that she’s worried about disappointing him. I don’t really think it’s his fault (her concern probably more comes from his track record and how much she likes him than anything he’s actually said to her), but he understands that this is a partnership and he is her teacher, so he needs to take responsibility for the problems they’re having and work toward a solution. Perhaps he could teach Val how to handle issues where your partner is upset…
Which brings me to my rant. Laurie’s package broke my heart. It was bad enough that he made her cry, but then he sat there and told everyone how he actually did a good thing because he was trying to get her to open up. No, that’s not how you get someone to open up. Shouting at a 16 year-old girl until she cries is not commendable. You can encourage her to engage with her emotions without being hurtful. It also drives me up the wall that he said (like he does every season): “It’s not directed at her.” Um, yes it is. When you are shouting at a person for doing the steps wrong, you are directing your frustration at them. There’s really no two ways about that. The icing on the cake was when he asked: “Are you okay?” after they got their scores. Buddy, she’s an elite athlete. She can handle getting scores that are less than perfect. Where was this concern when she was crying because you berated her? Okay, sorry, rant over…
On another Chmerkovskiy note, Maks should get an award for worst pep talk ever. I don’t think he realized that he was making it worse as he kept talking, not better. I feel like Amber is probably going home soon. She’s making a little progress, but not as much as everyone else was making.
#Geri (71). Thanks for explaining that to me, Geri. Most appreciated.
My favorite dance of the night and so far to date was Derek and Marilu’s Viennese waltz. It was so masterful and brilliant and beautiful. Oh my goodness. So loved it. I will be sad if she’s not in the final, because she dances better than most every one else and that’s what it should boil down to essentially. I understand there are components that come in to play, but now that she is comfortable with Derek and he has it figured out how to choreograph her brilliant mind, then what should stop these two. It makes me excited to watch their progression from now on. Hoping for a win or at least final 2. I do love James and Laurie too, and think those 3 are/ or should be the final 3.
KellyK, I’m with you. I don’t think a Laurie win is in the bag, either, and I think Marilu will surprise everyone if TPTB don’t manipulate scores for their agenda. I thought she and Derek looked incredibly beautiful and elegant last night. It will be really tough on Derek to make the finals and rehearse for Hairspray, but he is a master at prep work! It wouldn’t surprise me if the final 4 are: 4. Calvin, 3. Laurie, 2. Marilu, 1. James. If they manipulate Marilu out of there early, I am throwing my votes to Calvin. Lindsey is doing a great job coaching him and improving every week. They would be my preference over James and Sharna, partly because I still haven’t forgotten Sharna’s “I am the only one who still hasn’t won a MirrorBall” comment a few seasons ago. I just think Calvin has a bit more charisma than James, too. It seems, though, that TPTB want James or Laurie to win.
I think some of you best get used to the idea right now that James and Laurie are going to finish #1 and #2 – we just don’t know in which order. Beyond 1 and 2, it’s anyone’s guess right now.
And it’s this that makes me so much more angry about Canadians not being able to vote this season of all seasons. TPTB knew this would happen and I can’t believe that they are being allowed to get away with it so easily. Honestly I hope fans of the show start barraging the media in an attempt to get them to start putting more stories and publicity up about this because it’s an absolute joke!
They’re not technically “getting away” with anything. It’s an American show on an American Network and the rules have always said that the voting is open to US residents. It’s just that they’ve finally closed the loopholes. I’m not happy about it, since Derek has a fairly large international following compared to other pros. But they’re hardly doing anything nefarious. It’s why I’ve told Derek fans for YEARS to make many accounts – I figured it was only a matter of time before they removed the ability to clear cookies and vote using the same accounts again. And THAT affects Derek fans probably more than anyone….although I don’t know that Derek fans truly power vote any more. Not the long time fans – how many MBTs does one need, and all that.
PH, I’m happy with James and Laurie winning #1 and #2, because I think they’ll have earned that right. I can’t help but root and hope for Marilu to be in top 3 though. And I can vote my butt off to try and help my cause. ?
Go for it, Girl. ๐ I would love to see Marilu up there as well, and if she continues to improve on what she did this past Monday, she will certainly deserve it. Listening to Emma talk about her, and knowing her history, she certainly a very interesting person, in addition to a beautiful dancer.
Just wanna say I cant stop watching the opening number. So beautiful ??????
Appreciate your insights and feedback Heidi, but I never ” get used” to pre_ determined outcomes. The best dancers should take the top spots…period. Evaluate technical as well as performance value and choreography. Given that criteria, and fair transparent scoring, Laurie and Val ain’t better than Marilu and Derek OR Sharna and James. Make each couple do the same dances, too.
Too bad it’s NEVER worked that way, Joanne. Or at least not in years.
Either TPTB need to stop screwing Calvin over, or Calvin needs to do something fast before he loses his spot in the finals to Marilu or Terra or anyone. There hasn’t been anything that Calvin and Lindsay have been doing wrong, they’re just getting underscored, and being screwed by running positions. If he goes in the first hour again next week, I’d say he lost his position in the finale.
You can’t forget that sometimes they don’t get good spots because they are getting screwed…and sometimes they don’t get good spots because they aren’t getting the votes…and sometimes it’s about production.