Thadeeeyus

Agree with these comments so much. Calvin danced the heck out of an awesome demanding routine and was definitely underscored. That may have been my favorite routine in many years. You could tell the judges were having a hard time finding words for his critique. It was as if they knew it was an excellent dance but hadn't been given the green light to give him the high scores, so they had to tone down the praise. I'm seeing Charlie White treatment here. MarciaMarciaMarcia needs to go. I was a fan for the first week but I've had more than enough of Maureen. I think Artem has as well.

I loved the abbreviated show! No Erin and no blabbering from the judges. It's my dream! James was so much better than Ryan in their cha cha. He moved across the floor very well and is light on his feet. How could Cheryl give Ryan so little to do? Is he incapable of doing any choreo? Without anything else to go on, I blame her for his lack of dancing. I actually enjoyed the Vanilla/Perry bro talk. I feel like Rick had more content in his dance, though it was simple. The lighting was so annoying in Vanilla's dance that I couldn't tell what they were doing. I would have given the edge to Terra over Calvin. Terra and Sasha did a beautiful waltz. Calvin has been my favorite but in this dance, I felt with his prominent height, and the lack of anything to disguise the flaws, he didn't look as good. By the same token, Terra's size makes it hard to see any flaws she might have with her feet or arms. Maureen was packaged beautifully and did a very nice simple salsa. She should be proud of herself. Laurie and Marilu were probably my least favorite pairs of the night. Again, the lighting was a distraction and I wasn't wowed by the choreo. Marilu seemed to have some issues with her line or something towards the end. Something just seemed off.

I was surprised that I actually enjoyed the first hour of the show. The extras were fun and it wasn't just a rehash of the dancing. Yeah. Before the season started, I was positive he was going to be my least favorite. Now I'm looking forward to seeing him. And Witney looks pretty happy. Missing Mark, though.

I loved Brock and his mom. Hope they're doing well.

My favorites this week were Calvin, Terra and Vanilla Ice. I like Laurie a lot, but seeing as she was my favorite at the Olympics, I also feel like I know too much about her and won't be surprised by how well she dances. Jenna bugs. Sorry, Jake.

I watched this again last night with someone seeing it for the first time and we both came away liking Calvin a lot. For me, it was about seeing an unknown (for me) having a positive attitude and giving an enjoyable performance. Sometimes my favorite competitors are those who I knew nothing about and for whom I had no expectations.

And when the camera did zoom in, it mostly shot her from the waist up. What was going on with that? Was she so bad that they needed to cover up?

I like the fact that Maureen looks her age and not plasticky like so many older contestants on this show.

Well, TLC has to film something, and the rigged angle just gives them more material.

Wait. So last night's new episode didn't even show the pageant? I agree, and I also liked her mom. This scripted nonsense is grating. It's so obvious the moms are given instructions on what to say and how to act. Even the kids seem to be reciting rehearsed lines.

I'm so happy for Mark, but I'll miss seeing him every week. And I had no idea Jersey Boys was closing. If I hadn't seen the show fairly recently in NY, I'd fly across the country to see him.

Laurie was my favorite Olympic gymnast, so that's good, but now I'm thinking Mark really did plan to sit out the season. Laurie is very open about her faith and Mark tends to get the religious ones. Considering height and all, they would have been a perfect match. Well, good luck to Laurie!

I like Marilu but don't like Derek. I like Cheryl but don't like Lochte. Couldn't care less about Maks. I love Mark. :( What to do..... ?

And no shots of the homes they live in. :( That was my favorite part of the show.

Wow, another unhealthy take-out meal. I hope these meals aren't an everyday occurrence, but are just a convenience when the TLC crew is around and they need to film the family sitting around the table, because they are a turn-off to me. I thought the poopy bridle veil was funny and seemed like a real moment. I think the twins are pretty good actors in the scenes that you know are pretty scripted. They come across well on camera.

I was too, but I also questioned someone of her size doing stairs. Seems it would be a lot of stress on the knees.

I've tried watching this season twice, again this week. I realize now that my dislike of all things Dance Mom means I cannot watch at all. I seriously cannot stand seeing Maddie on the screen. So long to a show I used to love.

I also caught a couple of Season 1 eps during yesterday's marathon. I think I like both seasons equally. I really enjoy this show and it made me want more. :)

Re the therapist, when my teens were seeing a counselor, the parents were brought in for the last few minutes of the session, providing the clients were willing. In this case, since what was filmed was staged/reinacted, I have no problem with Jeannette being there. It actually seems less invasive to me than showing a one-on-one with Jazz and the therapist. I'm sure Jazz had her private time off camera. Not enough Jack and Jacky in this episode :)

Aw, I Iove grandma and grandpa! They are a joy to watch. I live in an age-restricted community and at least half of the female residents look like grandma. I'm guessing the hair is a wig, but it's styled to high heaven. Interesting season opener. I'm curious if the more realistic and less positive vibe will continue. I feel for Jazz when the twins go off to college. I bet it's going to be hard being the only kiddo left at home. I hope we find out that things turned around and that she adjusted well during the second half of her freshman year. Hubby has never seen this show but we had a good discussion about the subject matter last night and I think he wants to catch some eps. It was actually a really good discussion and I thank the show for that.

Agree, but I've felt that Erin has been overshadowing Tom all season. It's like he's her sidekick now and it doesn't sit well with me. I feel like Mark has been going through the motions the past few seasons. The choreography has been good, but I can see him reading the signs. It's like you can read his face during the Week I judges comments when he realizes his partner isn't going to be pushed and he kind of gives up. He does the work but his heart doesn't seem to be in it. I think Mark needs to go off and do his own thing, follow his heart and live full-time in the music world.

My favorite part of the show was the game show skit with Von, Whitney and Lindsey. Throw Chelsie (whom I love) into the mix, and it makes you wonder about Utah's schools. Just kidding.... I really loved it. I wanted Paige to win because I love her dance routines and Nile's dance tonight was ....rough. I don't know if winning matters that much for a contestant who makes the finals but I do feel for Mark. I've loved his partnerships the past couple of years and I'd love for him to get another win.

Exactly! I used to dislike the freestyles for just that reason. Now the season-long use of props and background dancers are a big part of my overall dissatisfaction with this show. I don't think I've ever been excited by any freestyle. I always just wanted to see more ballroom dances or fusion, done really really well. My favorite dance last night was Paige's salsa. Terrific choreography danced really well. In spite of being turned off by Ginger this season, I think I could have liked her freestyle if she'd been able to dance it full out. I've mostly been a fan of Paige this season, but I, too, was disappointed in the choice of contemporary for her FS. It was done well, but I wanted more.

It wouldn't surprise me if this is a somewhat creative story because Paige didn't have anything else. At the same time, beautiful seemingly popular girls can be just as insecure or just as easily victims of mean girls as those who aren't. Many have issues that they keep hidden. As for Ginger, when I turned on the TV this morning, it was set to ABC from last night and the first thing I heard was a promotion for a profile of Ginger and her eating disorder days. THIS is what turned me off of her. She's everywhere, and it bugs me!

My opinion: That wasn't the plan. The plan all along was for Wanya to make finals ahead of Paige, but the screw-ups in the previous week's dance were so obvious that they had to mark him down somewhat. Even so, he wasn't marked down that much and one judge even gave him the same score as Paige. They could have easily given Paige all 10's like other pairs, but marked her down a bit in hopes that enough audience votes would come through for Wanya. I was shocked last night that Paige made finals. Yes! All season I've been thinking about Marlee who was one of my all-time favorite contestants. She was a beautiful dancer but halfway through the season, started to get comments indicating they were ready for her to go. No special treatment there. A very classy lady.