calipiano81

I was pleasantly surprised by Trevor and Emma's samba! I thought he would be stiff and awkward, although he wasn't for his rumba, so maybe I should have known better. I completely disagree with Len saying Trevor had no bounce, especially when they immediately put up a clip (while Len was still talking) showing Trevor actually doing samba bounce.

Loved the beautiful jazz content and technique in Charli and Mark's Simpsons dance. That was pure dance from start to finish and I love that Mark is making full use of her experience and talent. Also, I found Charli's performance very charming!

I thought Cheryl Ladd and Jesse were underscored for their rumbas. Their dances had a good amount of proper content and had decent hip action.

Thought Charli and Mark's rumba was gorgeous and loved the storytelling. I've seen a lot of comments saying that Charli "didn't show emotion," had a "dead/blank face," and "didn't connect with Mark." THAT WAS HER CHARACTER. Mark was someone she had to kill. So she played it very cold until near the end where you saw her anguished face (during the leg trick) and then the smirk before she handed him the poisoned drink. I do find Charli expressive when she dances (I really enjoyed the sassiness of her cha cha and her animated face during her quickstep), she just maybe needs to make her expressions bigger so that more of the TV audience can feel what she's feeling.

No hate, but Mark had Bristol Palin TWICE, Kim Kardashian, Melissa Joan Hart, Shannen Doherty (eliminated first in S10), and Candace Cameron Bure. I certainly would not consider them among the best dancers of their seasons. And Mark did partner Paula Deen for one week during switch-up week in S21.

I just wanted to drop some support for Charli and Mark. I love good dancing and Mark's always been my favorite pro...so Charli and Mark are the ideal pairing for me! Mark gave Charli a very intricate quickstep, and while not perfect, I thought Charli rose to the challenge. I also enjoy her performance quality and facial expressions (another reason why she's a good match with Mark, lol). As a person, I think she comes across as a lovely young lady. I don't need someone to be the life of the party for me to appreciate his/her hard work.

Fellow Mark fan, so I'm with you. I still enjoy DWTS but my investment definitely changed since Mark Ballas' departure. It made me so happy to see him on the dance floor again and, for me, Charli and Mark's cha cha did not disappoint! I think they are a great match. Not every pro can maximize a ringer.

I liked Amanda/Alan's first week tango more than this week's. Amanda seemed to be overdoing it a little with the facial expressions. I didn't get to see the rehearsal package before their contemporary, but I could immediately tell by the dance that it was about Amanda's husband, so good storytelling on their part.

I actually preferred Iman/Daniella's tango to their jazz. Iman is great at getting into character (he and Daniella brought some heat!) and his posture and tango movement across the floor was much improved. It usually bugs me when less proficient male celebrity dancers overtake more talented female contestants, but Iman/Daniella might be the one time I wouldn't mind.

JoJo and Jenna have a great partnership. I think their movement together is beautiful and they've done a great job all season working out the lead and follow in their dances. However, for me, I still find it more aesthetically satisfying to see masculine attributes combine with feminine attributes in ballroom dancing. Even though JoJo generally takes the traditional "male" role, she doesn't possess the masculine quality I prefer to have present.

Suni has come so far in her performing. She looks relaxed and comfortable out there now. Foxtrot, I thought, was a little loose in the upper body. Liked Suni's emoting in their contemporary and Sasha did a good job incorporating her gymnastic skills.

I liked the song and content of Melora's rumba a lot and her hip action seemed to get more pronounced as the dance went on. However, to me, she seemed like she was concentrating more than expressing. Her contemporary was pleasant, but nothing noteworthy for me.

In general, I find Cody's dancing a bit awkward (though I think last week he was quite good) and tonight was more of the same. I've said this before, but he doesn't really bring his legs together, so he kinda looks like he's in a constant squat and his footwork is shaky sometimes because of that.

I agree. After 30 seasons of witnessing the DWTS demographic's voting tendencies, I also predict that Jimmie and Iman will be final 2. Although, I would give the edge to Jimmie to win as he is technically the better dancer and the demographic most likely has more country music fans than basketball fans. I think Amanda might get third, as she came out of the gate strong. Good first impressions can often generate enough support that can last until the finale. Finally, I predict either JoJo or Olivia will get the fourth spot, as the show and the judges seem to really like them and will want to get at least one of them into the finals. The one wild card, I think, is Cody. His dancing has been fine, but hasn't had any standout performances. However, he obviously has enough passionate fans that have kept him out of the bottom.

For me, I think the awkwardness comes from him not closing/bringing his legs together. He's almost in a constant squat in all of his dances, especially when in hold.

Have they been talking about it? I thought her partnership with Val has been more of a narrative.

I felt like Amanda needed to straighten her legs more when she wasn't doing intricate legwork - which was odd to me since she normally has great extensions. Her posture was also a little too hunched IMO - maybe because in heels she is taller than Alan? I did like the dance overall and the choreography.

Well, as far as I have seen, no reports or evidence have surfaced yet. So until they do, we can't say that she does.

What a great episode! The show has had a Halloween-themed night very year, but I don't remember one having so many across the board great dances as tonight's Horror Night. For as long as the show has been on the air, I have often found it frustrating when skilled, higher performing female celebrity dancers get eliminated ahead of less talented, but charming male celebrities. Therefore, I feel a bit like a hypocrite in that I look forward to watching Iman/Daniella each week and am actually pleased when they are called safe. Iman's expressiveness and commitment to performance have been a pleasant surprise. And his big, sweeping movements make him look majestic at times. I also look forward to Olivia/Val each week. For someone who has no dance background, Olivia's confidence and refinement in her dancing have been impressive to me. Val's been doing a wonderful job teaching and choreographing for her. I know it was Kenya's time to go, but I am still sad she had to leave. I think she has a lot of natural dancing talent, but she didn't quite command all of her dances and IMO Brandon's choreography prior to these past two weeks had been a little safe. Her rumba last week was spot-on and probably one of the best rumbas in the past few seasons.

I usually comment on the ladies, but the guys had my favorite routines tonight. Jimmie and the Miz have been growing on me each week. I thought they were both great on Britney night and Disney Heroes night as well. Jimmie had the best jazz IMO and had the most actual jazz content. The Miz was great as Scar and he danced that AT well. Iman is not the most technical dancer, but what makes him appealing is how he commits to every performance and character. Having said that, while his AT lifts were cool, I wish Daniella gave him more actual dancing because I'm sure he could have handled it.

I said earlier that Melora was my biggest surprise, but I want to add Olivia to that as well. For someone who doesn't have a dance/performing background, she looked so sharp and polished. Credit to Val for that and for his lovely choreography on that tango.

I thought this was a great episode! Everyone left is a decent dancer. The Britney theme was refreshing and it seems like all of the couples were really invested. Surprise of the night for me was Melora! I did not see that sass coming! She pitched it just right for a Britney cha cha, better than Amanda, who I thought was too smiley. Melora also had solid technique, much more grounded than I was expecting for someone with a ballet background. Shoutout to Jenna, Emma, and Witney for some cool tricks in their dances.

I am fine with her. I hated that they dumped Tom, but Tyra does a satisfactory job of hosting and moving the show along. For me, she doesn't draw attention away because I am not that focused on her. As far as the wardrobe changes, I see it the same as when female hosts change dresses at the big award shows. DWTS is not on that scale obviously, but I understand Tyra wanting to have fun with it.

I don't look particularly look forward to rumbas done by male celebrities, especially early on in the season. They inevitably consist of a lot of posing or walking around while the female pros dance circles around them. Having said that, I appreciate that Jimmie executed some actual rumba content in his dance. Kenya did not necessarily knock it out of the park tonight, but for me, I think she and Amanda are the most natural dancers in the competition. As I mentioned last week, I love her fluidity and groundedness. And I really like her and Brandon together. JoJo obviously has great skill and performance ability, but I am glad Derek commented on her need to control her energy. I've actually found her a little wild and s******, and it's made even more obvious by Jenna dancing the same choreo right next to her.

At this point, I don't care too much who the celebrities are and whether or not I know who they are. I just hope to see some good dancing. Also, for me, the "Stars" of DWTS are the pros. They are the ones who come back season after season and who do the most work, so I am naturally more invested in them. I actually tend to see it more as a competition amongst the PROS with who they get paired up with and whether their celebrity can have them contend for the mirrorball, LOL!