Andie1

Yes! I also love her movement in Rumba this one is a big fave with Val a few seasons back https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=02PW6GNPv70

Yeah I totally disagree with anything that looked remotely dead or robotic, her movement was very strong. I think some people have a problem with Tamar and are using a perception that she's got dead eyes or whatever to reinforce their negative opinion of her. That's too bad, I rather enjoy good dancing, I really don't care about how her persona is perceived.

Yeah, I don't watch the show in it's entirety, I flip around until one or two that I like are on and then the show gets the bums rush in favor of better tv.

Dead eyes? That isn't how I experienced her dance at all. Nor is it any comment from the judges that I recall. I think her eyes are full of expression, if anything she may have tried to play it down and work at what the importance of remaining stoic in frame.

An Achilles Tendon injury is a season ending injury. A mini-stroke can be dealt with effectively enough so that a person can go back to work within a few days. My aunt had a few TMI's but was able to go back to work within a week. I think it's unfortunate to compare an injury to a condition. I am pretty certain that Ms Trainor would try to come back as quickly as possible. In fact, she did lobby to come back and the producers wouldn't have it. http://www.thewrap.com/misty-may-treanor-wants-back-dancing-stars-41821/

Sure but blank expression from the woman and a more arrogant expression from the male is what is required in Ballroom Tango. The idea that women displayed sensuality was removed when Tangos of South America were re-worked for the audiences of Paris and London in the 1920's. Women had to be proper, not the prostitutes of the barrios of Argentina, and with that came the modest face with no expression. She is doing Ballroom Tango correctly. Another dancer who excelled at Ballroom Tango was Kristi Yamaguchi. Expressionless but great technique. I think it's unfortunate that the note from the Cha Cha is dogging her on a dance that demands she be expressionless, until of course either the beginning or the ending where the character is developed and they are not dancing tango.

We can agree to disagree. I think Tamar has the best ballroom dance position of the competition, I don't always get Val's need for various forms of undress, but it is what it is.

To be honest, this doesn't make sense to me. When you dance Ballroom Tango you look over the shoulder of your partner, you're not supposed to look at him in the face, that would be a break in proper dance position. Other types of dances such as Argentine Tango encourages facial interaction, or even the cute Charleston they did last week had lots of room for partner facial interaction and they did it very successfully.

There was a lot of great Ballroom dancing from Anna and Jonathon. I always loved Angel.

No, Melissa got 2 scores a 21 for a rehearsal and a 25 for not dancing the Mambo. If we apply the draconian rule they slapped on Kim it would be no scores at all. Hell they could have not given that 25 to Melissa, just give it to the team instead, that would not have penalized the team, that would have put that Chuck Wicks guy in the semis, but poor Melissa needed the points to get to the semis so the producers made it happen for her. Moreover, Melissa might well have been in another state, she wasn't in the hospital or in the studio rooting the team on, she was incommunicado for that performance show.

Sure. But how does one excuse Melissa Rycroft? She was in LA and didn't dance. Lacey Schwimmer filled in for her and Melissa gets a 25. Didn't Jenna fill in for Kim? No score awarded. You know that's bull shit, even though she's not a favored contestant it's two sets of rules and it smells bad. It's interesting because Tony looked a little perplexed because he knows very well how his partner Melissa was treated and how the rules have changed for Kim. And to be honest, the way the show bent over backwards into a pretzel to keep Rycroft on the show was far more manipulative of the outcome than allowing a lower rung dancer a second chance. We know Kim won't last, but to be dumped instead of getting a try is why this show is dirty and getting to be unwatchable.

Oh yes, there's rules and then there's Hough rules.

But that can't be fair. Stars fly home all the time. For something to happen while she's on the road but still under contract to the show is the same as her being in LA and having to go to the hospital. She wasn't available for the performance, neither was Melissa Rycroft or Steveo, or others who sustained an injury and couldn't perform. You know as well as anyone that the tv crew goes with the star and the pro when they rehearse outside of LA. It's not snapchat. There's no confusion. I didn't want to watch Melissa Rycroft keep hiking up her ugly jeans, marking instead of full out dancing on a very dark set in season 8, but that's what we got There shouldn't be replacements, it has to be the person who started the show. I bet Master T wishes he wasn't a replacement for his son.

Tony posted an instagram of them rehearsing, not in the studio mind you but it was a bit more animated than just marking when Rycroft was allowed to stay. I think they have a case to put forward. There is something on tape in rehearsal. And it would be DWTS staff that shot the video, it would not have been a third party, they should at least get some credit for integrity of the product, it would need to be broadcast ready and the standard that is shot in all rehearsals. They gotta fly to Atlanta when the stars do too. And yet she didn't dance the night of the performance.

Given that the rules seem to bend for others, like Melissa Rycroft who wasn't in dress rehearsal, and got a 25 for not dancing the night of the performance, I say regardless of how obnoxious Kim is -(that's why they hired her) she should be afforded the chance to screw up and be voted off. She's gathering over 10 thousand signatures in less than 2 hours. DWTS has to at some point give the crappy dancers the second chance that they give the frontrunners. It's only fair.

IMHO the AT is probably more successful for Latin dancers on this show than the Ballroom Tango. They see an opportunity to be sexy, have interesting lifts and story telling not just march around the Ballroom as you do with traditional ballroom tango. However, there is a reason why they chose Latin to specialize in, instead of Ballroom. They do a sort of hybird AT that's far too sharp and staccato and borders on Paso doble in terms of severity of latin line. You can always spot the ballroom pro doing Argentine, because no real Argentine Specialist does that. It would be nice to see a real Argentine Tango show dance. It is a slower more intimate way of dancing that might feel like nothing is happening for the ballroom dancer, but it can be enormously entertaining and can take your breath away. One thing that's essential for Argentine Tango to be successful is connection with your partner. Without it, it's not Argentine Tango, it's just doing steps. If Tamar wants Argentine Tango to happen she'll need to dial into Val. We saw a little bit at the end of the Madmen routine, but it'll need to be sustained all the way through the routine for Argentine to be credible. As for ballroom Tango, I really miss the excellence of Anna Demidova and Charlotte Jorgenson, they could make people look good in Ballroom because they are ballroom specialists. Anna Trebunskya is a great ballroom pro but she gets partners that make it nearly impossible for her to demonstrate any sort of expertise. The other pros are pretty pedantic with the ballroom dances, they're way more into sexy, hip hop, and jazz. It's one thing to know the steps, it's another to finesse the steps, and normally if you have ballet as a foundation it helps ballroom dances come to life. I wish ballroom dances wouldn't be so "dreaded" they could actually compete with the latin dances if we had a better balance of Latin and Ballroom pros on the show. As for going there next week, sometimes it takes an emotional break through to also make a dance break through. Dance is very much an emotional journey, it's acting without words. We know the best actors draw from personal experiences, perhaps Tamar can do something similar , but only if the show and her partner allow her to be safe in the process.

This could be very powerful. Bindi will definitely talk about her father. Rumer Willis tapped into the bullying and it really helped to make her relatable, not the spoiled rich kid of famous parents. So domestic violence is not something often talked about, but hey Derek and Julianne won an emmy for dancing to that subject. If she does a theme about her child it will be nice, but safe. If she does the domestic violence theme it's a risk but I think the reward could be huge. It's something that will make headlines the day after as well as on the show.

But it doesn't have to be male dominant. I just think the show runners are setting Tamar up for failure everytime she questions dances and then does what Val wants anyway. Dances are anything but traditional on this show and why not take ideas in, the pros do it all the time, so It's pretty obvious why they are doing this. They are trying to even out the herd by giving Tamar a manufactured liability. I liked the Tango, but I thought Tamar's costume was too full in the skirt. I think if it were sleeker we would see a terrific dance line. As for female dominated Pasos, The Free Your Mind Paso Doble- Maks and Mel B was excellent and probably one of the most memorable Paso Dobles on the show not only because it was well danced, but because it turned Male domination inside out. It was now a Woman's dance, not just a man's dance. We had a run of women's Paso costumes being the long coat with the little boy shorts for a number of seasons after that.

Imma going to have to say yes of course she used her size. She used it all the way to the end of the season when Tom asked her after she won what she wanted to say, and it was words to the effect of " I didn't think I could do it, but no matter what size you are you can do whatever you want." She also said it didn't matter what colour you were, but we know that's not true, at least for the black female contestants who aren't heavy, or have some other "relatable" experience to the voting public.

I think they are being totally honest about their relationship. Tamar is almost 10 years older than Val, she won't be hanging out with him the way Rumer did, because they are at different stages in their lives. Rumer was unattached and was excited to be amongst working dancers, getting as much knowledge as she could from them as she launches on broadway. Tamar will go to dinner with her husband and family, her support system is different. I still see goofin' on instagram but not as intense simply because they stopped that rehearsal all-access stuff this season.

The odd thing about Amber was her dance skills were not sophisticated past what she already brought to the competition, they just kept going back to the well on most of her dances, and then the show gave her a huge ovation when she could hardly move. It was reverse discrimination. She was big and that was her hook to get other big girls black and white to know her shame and to vote for her. Her "attitude" was the head snaps and the shimmies in her dancing, and while entertaining she kept reminding the viewer of her sameness. Amber did bring a legion of intense fans from Glee and it is those numbers that tend to drive the competition. Tamar is tall and pretty and moves really well. She, like Mel B, or Brandi or Mya will have to work through the pettiness that others put on her because there's really not much to criticize.

Thanks for the shout out.. well Maks' messing up of the freestyle gave the judges the out, basically to agree with the voting for Helio. Helio won the thing a week prior when he did his Banana Man Quickstep, even though dance enthusiasts thought Mel B. bagged and tagged the competition even earlier especially with the Free Your Mind Paso.... But up until the free, the Mel B edit kept her dancing. When you had Helio who was camera friendly, and Marie Osmond a household name in the final three, you had to at least have another who had superior dance skills. The Mel B edit was one that said, holy crap you're a great dancer, here's another 10, even though the voters weren't backing her. I feel Tamar is getting the "attitude" label which is the "code" that has been handed to other good dancers like Brandy or Mya. Early on, Tamar is not necessarily getting the "ringer" edit, but she's been given the "attitude" edit. A little different than the cold gymnast ringer edit, but in the same ball park in that voters may like a dance, but hmmm that attitude.... Brandy's attitude was "desperate" when all she wanted to do was do well, and Mya was given the "attitude" edit when she disagreed with Dmitry in rehearsal. Tamar's ability has not really been given the scores it deserves because the "attitude" edit undermines it. For example week 1 the showrunners put that Quickstep second on the dance order which is suicide for voters to remember when it comes time to vote almost 2 hours later and almost a dozen dances later. That Quickstep looked like a week 5 dance. It should have been scored in the top of the night, and yet a dance so difficult to master was just okay? Really now. Imagine that same dance in that last 30 minutes of hour 2 when the producers are pushing for a magical ending that makes everyone want to vote? I agreed that the Cha Cha was a little ordinary (but it is week 2 and already Tamar is dancing on her own,) but the Charleston needed at least one other 9. IMHO For me, Tamar is the best dancer in the competition, but the scores aren't reflecting it. So that's not the Mel B edit. She's also not getting the media headlines that you would expect for a dancer to get top score in week 2. I hope she is doing better than Mel B did in the voting, but the media backs who gets the biggest buzz, and it's not Tamar at this point. Google DWTS news at any point, and it's heavy on the Bindi mundane minutia, or Gary being crazy or Kim's stroke. We know 2 out of the three won't make the finals. Tamar gets top score and she's an afterthought.

I think Tamar is a better dancer than Bindi, so I am hoping that Tamar will at least get the Mel B edit. The vast majority of voters are white, and they want to see a white kid win. Black girls just have to work harder.

Ballroom Tango is one of those dances that the judges can get really picky. But, given that her hold in the Quickstep was superior for a first night dance, she's going to have great posture. I think all she really needs to concentrate on is the footwork, the heel leads. Val, yes you have a wonderful body, but if the theme is Mad Men I want you to look like Jon Hamm on this one- Meaning shirt stays on with a 60's skinny tie (heh). Cool that Mad Men went from early 60's to 1970, I can't wait to see the wardrobe choices for Tamar, she's got great legs so a skirt with a sky high slit would be perfect. How about a glamour Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany's dress with high slit for movement. Lots of pearls, hair piled high, a cigarette holder! (So much smoking on Mad Men (heh)

We were watching PBS , I was tired of watching it this time. But we were flipping around the dial after 10 o'clock and DWTS was still on- we saw the Charleston and it was really good. I don't get the 8's. I don't care if it's week 2, you got a lady who can handle the choreo very well. I have no problem with the banter, the shirt off for Val is votes in his mind because his followers want him shirtless 24/7 - but it wasn't necessary. I think Val is thinking insurance in case Tamar rubs peeps the wrong way. But regardless it was great energy. This girls has great legs, I can't wait to see the fire in the Argentine Tango or the Paso, she's great. No, she doesn't fart rainbows like some of the other vomit inducing contestants, but she's just far more entertaining for me.