kayma
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Posts posted by kayma
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I think Bethany's jive showed her improvement. I don't think it was going to be amazing without the snafu but it's too bad she didn't get to do her best.
I liked Sadie's dance better the first time. I think it might be because everyone else has seemed to improve but Sadie still seems at the same level. She seems to be having a lot more fun tonight than the last few weeks.
It was obvious to me that Janel was in pain. Too bad they couldn't fix her skirt though. Comparing Janel's dance to Sadie's looked like a big difference in content to me.
I liked Alfonso but something's off for me with him tonight. Looking forward to his freestyle.
I like that Bethany seems to have embraced this experience. Her freestyle was good and her best dance, in my opinion. I'm finding her more likeable and am glad she had her best dance for her final one.
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Last season when Artem and Jenna were guests on AfterBuzz, they said that the main reason (in their opinion) that Mandy did the opening numbers was because of ego wrangling and refusing to put up with the pros crap.
I think this sentence is more interesting than the afterbuzz show this week.
I liked Mandy on the show. I thought she provided good insight and was a nice balance to the noncommittal comments from the others even if she didn't ultimately pick her favorites. At least she could compare and contrast the couples. As someone who watches without any knowledge of dance or technique, I like that she could actually give informed opinions on the dances. I like having Anna there because she can talk to the differences in technique, content, ability more than the others.
I really liked that Mandy said the frame in Bethany's dance was brilliant because it hid her constrained movements but also made the caveat that fixing the constrained motion takes years. It was a nice balance of they're hiding her problems (which Derek should try to do) and it's understandable that she's not perfect. I think she said something similar about Janel, too - that they are not dancers and nit picking them is easy so she tries to look at the dance as a whole. I also liked that she said one of the dances deserved tens since others had gotten tens. She seemed honest without being biased or overly critical.
Since Mandy is apparently big in contemporary, I would have liked her take on the contemporary dances through the season. They don't seem to do a comparison of the couples for the same dance to same dance but I'd like to know how one's salsa/samba/waltz/etc stacked up content and technique-wise to another's done in a different week. Of course, I'd like to have a little more comparison each week between the couples instead of talking about each one in isolation until they bring up some disgruntled fans.
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But yeah the judges bias as usual is continuing. I'm still not over last week where they had the nerve to dock points for lack of content only to say "who cares about lack of content" when the favored ones do the same. Not to mention ignoring obvious flubs.
I think it's less about judges' biases and more about they can't figure out how to score people - more ineptitude than bias. Are they scoring based on personal ability? Entertainment? Technique? Content? It seems like everyone's on a different scale so then you get 10s that weren't really perfect but compared to others should be scored higher.
I actually have agreed with the overall ranking of the dances the past few weeks, so I just don't try to make sense of the scores.
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I thought Janel's paso was the best dance of the night. I've been underwhelmed by the Argentine Tangos this season and was underwhelmed by theirs too. I liked it but didn't love it. I thought their scores were right compared to the rest. Even if the Argentine Tango wasn't what I hoped for, I do think they were the best of the night.
I've wanted Alfonso to win since the beginning but I'm almost hoping he doesn't make it past the next elimination just so he can rest. Of course, there's barely any more dancing after the next elimination so maybe he can hold on. I'm torn. I don't want him to really injure himself, and I don't want him to win on pity votes because he deserves to actually win based on the dancing.
Bethany's samba was cute. I thought it was an adorable dance - probably better for earlier in the competition when she wasn't as capable - but I agreed with Len about there being sticky parts. I couldn't figure out what bugged me about it until he said that. I actually thought the 36 was generous, which is odd because a few weeks ago it would have been one of the better dances. Their contemporary was good but didn't blow me away. I thought she had some very pretty lines and poses in it but I just didn't feel that wow. I think Bethany is still uneven in how she projects herself and emotion through the dance. I think she's gotten a lot better, and I like her a lot more now than I did in the beginning. But, she still seems to not fully understand her abilities. Of course, she's only 19.
I don't get the Sadie love. I thought the quickstep was slow and that shake thing she does in the beginning of most of her dances gives me awful second hand embarrassment. It makes her look so uncoordinated (even though I know from Shirley Ballas that she is extremely coordinated) and young. I can't remember what her second dance was. Oh, the guitar. That looked so awkward to me. I think she's lost that spark she had at the beginning. She just isn't comparing as favorably to the other two for me. I liked her costuming though. The top of the first dress was so pretty on her.
I thought the side by side comparison of Mark to Woody Allen was incredibly insulting for Mark. Even if they looked similar (which was just curly hair and glasses), do we really want to compare anyone to Woody Allen?
I have the same reaction to Tommy Chong and his dances as they showed Witney having in that one clip. I just love him. He wasn't the best dancer, but he really brought out what the show should be about. I'm glad they had such a good run.
I'd take a guess at the final standings, but I don't know how the three women are going to shake out. Based on dancing, I think I'd like Janel, Bethany, Sadie, but it could be in any order at this point. If Alfonso's there, he feels like a wild card to me now. I think he's got the support behind him even if he can't perform at 85%.
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And Laurel, well. I can't even get into it, honestly. The amount of blame and condescension and general assholery she throws around, while being wrong at every step, and the only person responsible for her current situation...it's astounding, really. Your heroine, ladies and gentlemen. Your leading lady. Your True Black Canary.
Yes. This so much. Every time she shows up on the screen, the show grinds to a halt for me. I honestly don't know if the problem is the character or the actress or the makeup/wardrobe. If they insist on making her some super secret vigilante, too, hopefully she'll get a spin off and be all trained and angry and sober somewhere else so I don't have to watch it.
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I'd be happy with an Alfonso, Janel, Bethany final 3. . . with Alfonso winning it, of course.
This is what I'd like to see, too. Janel/Bethany as 2nd and 3rd in either order. I'm actually surprised at the reaction to Janel last night. I thought she was right up there with Alfonso overall and much better than Sadie in her jive. I think Bethany and Janel are both on the upswing.
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I liked the episode. The only dance I didn't care for was Lea and Artem, but I thought their trio was good. I'm not surprised Lea is gone. She was always so forgettable to me.
I thought Janel/Val had the dance of the first half, and Alfonso/Witney had the best trio dance. I agree with the scoring order of the dances again even if I think the scoring was weirdly generous overall compared to a few episodes ago. I think it's still Alfonso's game, but Janel and Bethany are at the top, too. It's like something clicked for them a couple shows ago and they're both improving each week. I'm really enjoying that everyone seems to be evenly matched and doing well.
I really liked all the trio dances. Alfonso/Witney/Lindsay killed it. Bethany/Derek/Tony was really entertaining. If she'd had a little more attack, it could have easily been tied for the best of the night. Peta and Sharna looked amazing in their costumes. I usually hate the "tribal" dance but thought Janel/Val/Keo worked even if the face in the crotch moves need to disappear forever.
I'm glad Keo got a showcase dance to show what he can do. He got a raw deal with the athlete - I can't even remember her name. I hope he comes back next season and gets a decent partner.
I think that Carrie Ann's inane comment that she couldn't tell which was the pro is a testament to Mark's choreography and Emma's generosity as a dancer and comedic actress.I agree. I think it's absolutely a compliment to Emma. She did a great job dancing down to Sadie (nothing against Sadie but she's definitely not at Emma's level) and didn't stand out. Sadie was good in the foxtrot, and Mark did a great job of making it work. But I'd have to agree with the poster upthread who said it felt like a pity 40. Even with some of the other perfect scores this season that I thought were odd, I could get that in the moment the dances were something special. This one didn't feel like that for me even though it was done well, and I can look past Sadie's mistake at the end. It's like Sadie's lost that spark she had in the beginning. I think Sadie's best dance was the duck samba. She should have gotten the perfect score on that. I don't think she's lived up to that potential since and don't think she's been all that underscored compared to others. Her jive looked messy and uncontrolled to me. Usually, I'm wowed by the jives because I know how awful I'd look attempting it. Hers looked like she needed another week to work on it.
I think Mark is frustrated because he can't seem to find that balance between content and production that the judges seem to want. Val's getting the same kind of comments, too. It's like the judges want lots of content but then nitpick all the technique when the routine has lots of content. If they go light on the content, sometimes the judges don't care and sometimes they really mark down for it. It has to be really frustrating when there are no apparent guidelines. Of course, Mark should stop with the tantrums and complaining because that doesn't help anything.
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It seems to be a sad state of skating when the silver medalists in the mens' and womens' events both fell multiple times and made numerous mistakes but were more interesting than the majority of other skaters shown on tv. Even with the concussions and other injuries (I really wanted them to just go and sit down), Hanyu and Han(?) were both far more compelling than the Russian who won. He really got lucky they took themselves out. I hope Julia can hold on until the next Olympics. I think she could be the next big star.
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I also adored the Jones' brothers. What a contrast between that family and Persia's--Thomas and Julius wanted to buy Katrice her dress because they love her
These brothers and sisters were the best they've had on this show in a long time. Everyone was happy for the bride and wanted to make sure she was happy. There was no drama, and they all clearly care more about each other than being on tv. I wish they'd have more of these families on more often.
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Fast forward to show time - he was shirtless......way to respect your celebrities opinion Mark! Not saying her opinion is ALL that matters - but why bother asking if you don't really care?
I thought it was interesting that they specifically showed her mentioning two things she was uncomfortable with, and Mark not catering to either one (not that I think he had to in either case). I'm not sure what the point of that was. When juxtaposed with Mark's reaction to the scores last week, I wonder if it was a purposeful edit from the producers since he's been getting compliments on handling Sadie so well.
Mark seemed to have the bad edit package last night even though he gave them plenty to work with. I thought Janel's insisting that she could do 1 good pushup was cute, and Bethany seems to be having so much more fun.
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I agreed with the order of the scoring. I think Janel/Val had a lovely dance and deserved to be on top. It was my favorite of the night.
Alfonso/Witney were entertaining as always but I could barely take my eyes off Witney to see what Alfonso was doing. Their package was so cute. They are such a great partnership. I still think it's his to lose.
The scores have been so wildly inconsistent, I have no idea what should be a perfect score compared to 7s this season. I think Janel/Val were better tonight than in their West Side Story - Janel seemed much stronger in her movement to me - but I thought their Samba and Viennese Waltz showed much more technique even though the scores were so much lower. Relative to the rest of the dances, I think the score was right since everyone was scored higher this week.
I liked what Mark did with their dance but thought Sadie was off for most of it like she just wasn't connecting with it. At one point near the end, I thought Sadie almost fell over and had to catch herself when they were crouching on the ground. I thought their scores were somewhat to make up for last week, too.
Bethany/Derek was fun but there were a few odd transitions where Bethany stopped dancing to wait for what was next or something. I think their straight nines were appropriate relative to the rest of the scores.
I thought all the dance offs showed the celebs in the best possible light. I don't know how much the pros and celebs discuss things amongst themselves ahead of time, but I thought everyone came off the best they could. Tommy's rumba was so sweet and gave him/Peta a nice moment. I agree that the call between Bethany and Sadie was a coin flip.
Did Len (and everyone) take some happy pills before the show? I like the honesty - if something is wrong, call it out - but I like the honesty when it's constructive criticism instead of just grouchiness. They didn't really seem to critique this episode but at least it was a happier environment. The video packages were fun, and the celebrities and pros all seemed to be having a good time. No one had an awful dance. I thought it was enjoyable again after the past few weeks.
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You really think Derek cares about his undefeated streak in the team dances?
Yes, I do.Well, I don't know what to tell you other than you're wrong.
These pros have been competing most of their lives. It would be hard to believe that they don't care about winning now, especially when it's on national TV and likely plays some part in contract negotiations and future work. It doesn't mean they're holding their wins over everyone or that it makes them a better or worse person to want to win. These are highly competitive people, even if some hide it better than others.
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Mark gets upset about scores and Val was whining about the "washing windows" comment Len made during his critique of Alfonso.
I agree that Mark and Val end up coming off poorly, but I have to agree with them both. The scores and judging are so wildly all over the place, I can understand that Mark is getting upset; although, they are not the only ones that get wonky judging. I also agree that Len's comment was tasteless. He had his chance to speak after Janel and Val got their scores, and he crabby pants-ed all over what should have been a fun episode. It wasn't just insulting to Janel and Val but also to Alfonso. Alfonso's critique should be about him, not about Len's dislike of someone else's dance.
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I thought that was the best dance Bethany has done even if she did get overshadowed some by the production of it. She even showed some personality. Julianne suggesting they use Derek's dance on their tour just pointed out how much I'd like to see it with a dancer with more presence than Bethany. I didn't mind the scores being 95% about Derek and the production because it was Halloween night and should have been a really fun night.
And, then the rest of the scores happened. I don't think Michael is the best dancer by any means. I don't think he deserves to stay another week, but he's so earnest about learning to dance and wants to be there. Why do the judges have to try so hard to humiliate him?
I thought both Sadie and Janel were underscored and judged kind of harshly (or maybe it was Mark and Val who were judged so harshly). It's a theme week, so of course there's going to be a theme and production in the dance. I'm not sure why the judges have such specific critiques for them and Alfonso but then don't have any constructive criticism for Bethany. I don't have any dance experience but there were a couple moments in Bethany's dance that didn't look right to me. Point them out, too. I actually really like when the judges give constructive criticism but can't understand why they don't do it for everyone.
I thought the choreography and ideas from Mark, Val, and Derek were great. I liked all three. I thought both Val's and Mark's were incredibly entertaining. I'd watch them both again. I'd like to see what Mark would come up with for a big pro number where he's allowed to just go crazy.
I really like Alfonso. He and Witney are so fun and funny together and still manage to dance beautifully. I laughed through his entire intro package. I hope he wins. Since Bethany, Sadie, and Janel all still seem interchangeable, I'm thinking it's possible Alfonso can pull out the win.
Oh, and Lea danced. I can't remember what they did.
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I liked Bethany better last week with Mark, who brought out a little more of her personality in her performance. I thought this tango tonight with Derek was kind of heavy-footed and uninspired. And she slipped. But Derek is going to be scored highly, no matter what. It was revealing that Leah said to Derek, "YOU don't know what it's like to get a 5 or a 7," as if his partner's performance doesn't matter at all. Which it doesn't in many cases.
I agreed with the scores tonight if we're counting Michael/Tommy on a different ability rating, but Bethany's threw me. I thought the dance looked slow - like it was being done with an older celeb instead of one who should be able to keep up - and like Derek was basically moving her around. It looked good for what practice they had, but the lack of practice was her choice so it shouldn't be reflected in the scores. I didn't think it was better than Sadie's or Lea's or even Janel's; although, I think all four of them are basically tied any given week.
I wish the producers, Janel, and Val would drop the showmance stuff. It takes away from the actual hard work they're putting in and makes everyone seem kind of desperate. I don't think Janel can pull off the fun and flirty. Val had more chemistry and was more fun just talking with Leah after the dance than with Janel dancing.
I didn't mind Sadie's rehearsal package with Mark until Grandma showed up. They kind of implied Mark doesn't know what's appropriate for a dance with a 17 year old, which is weird since he seems to be more appropriate with her than her family is going on publicly about how modest she needs to be.
I just really like Witney and Alfonso. They light up the room when they dance. I hope Witney's over the scores from last week. The 5s were actually right if they'd been judging fairly all along. They only seem so wrong because the judges can't decide how honest they'll be one week to the next.
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Was Val's hitting on Leah more believable than the nonsense with Janel? Or is that just me?
Gotta love Tony.
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Lea on the other hand I do think has a bit of the "like me, like me" thing going on. Jenna was the guest on Afterbuzz and she said that Lea was really stressed out this past week. It was partly the switch up in general, but it sounded like she was stressed because Janel/Artem had this big sexy dance and she was dancing a broadway about old people and kind of maybe felt there was no way they were going to be able to outdo Janel/Artem. It sounded like the pros had to give Lea a lot of encouragement about how great she looked and how she was going to kill it and etc.
I liked the concept of Lea's dance a lot better than Janel's, mostly because the burlesque thing would be so hard to do well. If Lea had just had fun with it and owned the dance, I think it would have been more of a showstopper. If she is worried about competing with someone, it should be Alfonso and he hasn't done a sexy dance at all.
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I thought that was Bethany's best dance so far. I think the scores were right. It was better than what she's done before, in my opinion, but she just doesn't sell the dances like some of the others. It also seemed like she actually danced the whole time for once.
Sadie looked so gangly, and I don't agree that she had perfect lines. But, she sold that dance like she sells all her others. Didn't she also do a bunch of those moves in her dance last week, too, especially the one where she stands with her arms back and moves her hips back and forth? Her dance seemed very deja vu to me for some reason. Given the weird judging, I think her scores were too high. She should have had a couple 8s in there too. She wasn't, in my opinion, better than Lea or Alfonso. If Lea or Bethany could figure out how to sell it like Sadie, I'd like them both more.
I thought Alfonso sold it the best. I've seen flamenco before (by no means an expert), and there's no way he could get it right in a week. I thought he did a great job with a flamenco-ish dance. I'm still pulling for Alfonso to win.
The bollywood dance was awful. I thought it was easily the worst of the night. The choreography seemed like a parody, and Allison just doesn't know how to make the celeb look good.
I remember people having issues with last season’s pro opener to Jason Derulo’s “talk dirty”, but it really did not bother me, not the moves , not the costumes, not the song—I probably would have felt uncomfortable if the “lyrics” from 2 Chainz had been included (gosh, that feels like it was ages ago). This is to say that I don’t usually feel prudish about the numbers on this show, but tonight I did with the opening pro number.That shirtless body roll thing Val did - I enjoyed it. But, count me as prudish, too. I thought the whole dance was a bit much. Not as bad as the face to crotch, crotch to face lift in Janel's burlesque, though. That dance assignment was just a no win for her and Artem.
I liked Lea's dance more than her execution. It was cute and fun, but she just didn't seem to enjoy it. She never seems to fully lose herself in the dance. I thought it was weird the judges - Carrie Ann maybe - asked Val about the concept instead of focusing on Lea. I thought the concept was pretty self explanatory. Of course, maybe they forgot about Lea like I tend to right after she's done.
I felt bad for Peta and Witney. They both looked to be trying so hard to do right by their switch up celebs and their normal pros but got excoriated. It can't be an easy job, and I thought they did it as well as they could with what they were given. I agreed with most of what the judges said and thought Michael and Jonathan both took the criticisms well. Michael can go any time now though. He just oozes creep factor.
Why do all the male pros get the so jealous edit, but the female pros get the trying to do their best and helping each other out edit? It's a nice role reversal that the women got the better edits, but the men all came off so silly.
Val and Peta's dance was my favorite of the night. Not much competition from the celebs for favorite dance this week.
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Danielle's debut album was wildly uneven in quality, and her second single flopped.
I heard a Danielle song on the radio yesterday. Young in America or something like that. It was ok but nothing special. I'm kind of surprised her management doesn't seem to know how to package her.
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Think giving Janel Burlesque is a major gift a bit of a cop-out considering she just had Jazz. Give her Broadway next week producers, make the pimping complete.
I think Burlesque is anything but a gift. I can't imagine how they'll pull it off without it being cringe worthy.
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I really liked Janel's rumba. It was understated and lovely.
I always like Lea when she's dancing but then promptly forget she's even there. It was a beautiful package and dance, but I forgot all about it until I started reading here again. I don't know what that says about her or my enjoyment of her.
I want to like Bethany. She's cute and has built a business all her own as a teenager, but I get nothing from her. She just doesn't project any personality for me. Combined with Derek, they're just so bland. It probably doesn't help that it seemed like she only danced for 20 seconds total. This was the only score I really disagreed with. I didn't think there was enough dancing to even score it properly.
I don't mind Tommy. He can stick around longer than Jonathan and Michael. They are just painful to watch.
I think Jonathan's problem is Allison, unfortunately. It's too bad this is what his experience on the show is when he could have been better. I can't fault him for any annoyance he might show while watching others. It must really suck to know that you got the short end of the stick when it comes to the experience.
I loved the duck dance. It was fun and Mark and Sadie sold it. Loved how the other pros and contestants got in on the fun.
I'll miss Betsey for how everyone else reacted to her. She seemed to be at the center of the show with the pros and contestants loving having her around. The crush on Val was adorable.
Finally, loved the Carlton. Witney did a fantastic job with that choreography. They both shone and paid tribute to the Carlton without making it gimmicky. Loved how none of the pros could pull it off and how Witney was so taken aback by Alfonso's compliment on her Carlton technique. They deserved their 10s.
I'd like to see a final of Alfonso, Janel, and Sadie.
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I thought Alfonso's dance was really cute. They did they best they could with the music. I think Witney is really good as a pro and brings a lot out in her partners.
They seem to have a great rapport, and I think her comment about his "fat ass" showed that. He took no offense, I don't think -- she was frustrated, and he owned that. Like them both so much.I really liked that he just admitted it was true so he couldn't be mad. I hope he sticks around for a while if he doesn't win the whole thing.
I'm actually liking Janel now. I thought she was cute at the encore dance last week and seems to be loosening up and showing some personality. I don't get her Kevin Hart love (I don't even know who Kevin Hart is outside of this appearance) but thought it was sweet that she was fangirling him. I think her dance could have been closer to perfect if she'd had another day or two of rehearsal but am ok with the 10s. They really sold the dance even if it wasn't perfect. I liked how surprised Val seemed about the scores. He knows how they really did, but he'll take it.
I thought Sadie and Mark were adorable. She does seem awkward at times, but it was such a sweet dance. Mark is so good with her. I think their scores were about right. She has room for improvement in technique and showmanship but isn't out of the running. I also enjoyed seeing how the other pros tried to keep her spirits up last week when she was in the bottom. It feels like there's more camaraderie this season than last season among all the pros.
I keep forgetting Lea is on. I like her and Artem when they're dancing but completely forget about them after. Tony is great with Betsy and Tommy can stay longer. I actually like Julianne this week. She gave good criticism to most people and seemed fair about most of the scores. She seems to be a fan of the dancing and isn't as obnoxious as the other two.
Antonio skeeves me out. Michael, too. I'd like both to be gone ASAP.
This is only my second season of the show, so I don't know much about Derek. He just always seems so bland. I like a lot of the dances he choreographs, but he just seems to be void of personality. Because of that, I was glad he actually seemed to feel the pressure this week and laughed at his dancing video. I liked the concept of his dance more than the execution - love Singing in the Rain - and thought that it was kind of cold. There wasn't anything there - no charm, charisma, or fun. It might be because Bethany's not a performer, but it was missing something.
Finally, I'm buying whatever Val is selling. He's just so charming this season, and I'm loving it. If Alfonso doesn't win, I won't be upset at Val and Janel taking it.
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I'm really liking all the male pros and Whitney.. I thought the dance with Val, Karina, and Peta was fantastic. I can't believe they showed Val dropping Julianne in rehearsal and think it might have psyched them both out a little for the dance. I felt bad for both of them that the clip was shown and that they messed up in the dance. Julianne looked great in her costume, and I'm really warming up to her. I just wish she'd brush her hair. Mark was a really good sport about the audition video. His reaction was fun.
The Sia dance was disturbing to me. Not only was the girl's outfit a little too revealing considering the format, but I couldn't figure out the other dancer. At first, I thought it was a man in drag then realized it was a really unflattering costume and wig. I don't get what she was going for with that dance. Was she supposed to be mentally ill? The last part of it at the desk looked like a rubber room scene from old movies. Give me more fluffy dances like Mark and Whitney last week or more like Val/Karina/Peta this week. Even the Julianne dance was fun enough. I don't need stuff like that Sia thing ever again.
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Wait, what? Gibson? Really? Does that mean the producers have something better in mind for Amber and/or Sean?
S19.E13: Week 11: The Final Elimination
in Dancing With The Stars
I loved Janel's freestyle. I thought it was beautiful even though I usually hate contemporary. On the flip side, I was underwhelmed by Alfonso in both dances. Maybe I had too high of expectations, but it seemed manic to me. I think I've flipped to hoping Janel wins (I don't think she really has a chance), but I'll still be happy when Alfonso wins even if it's 85% because of nostalgia.
I liked Mark's dance. It was fun and happy, and he was amazing. The jump spin thing he did made me rewind to see it again. Oh, and Sadie was in it. I think Sadie has a lovely personality and plays well on TV. I would place her in 3rd, but won't mind if she comes in 2nd to either of the other two.