cc818

Yes! Thanks for mentioning; after seeing your comment I went back and listened to week 3 and also enjoyed it. There was a lot more detail about each dance (vs previous hosts who would just say "that was so hot!", or "that was so amazing!" over and over), and I liked the fact that they brought in stuff from the media, like the blog post that Cheryl wrote. That's kind of a fun detail that I wouldn't have known otherwise. Also, they weren't afraid to offer actual criticism (I'm thinking of their comments about Cheryl just dancing around Ryan and hoping people would be distracted by his abs and not notice he wasn't moving). Definitely an improvement on last season.

Not sure if this is the thread where someone commented about Derek being upset with Marilu. He posted a blog yesterday where he says he wasn't upset with Marilu....but then goes on to say that he was upset that the dance wasn't as good as rehearsal? I like Derek, but I didn't really follow the logic. Curious to know what others thought. http://www.tvguide.com/news/dancing-with-the-stars-derek-hough-blog-week4-marilu-henner/

I used to listen religiously when Anna was on, but it's hard to get into it now. I started listening to the new panel, and while they seemed okay, it was more fan commentary than any real dancing expertise. Anna was probably unique because she was a ballroom expert and also wasn't afraid to criticize the dances, so maybe it's unrealistic to expect anyone else to fill her shoes. Having said that though, I just find I'm not interested enough to listen with the current format.

YES. I don't even watch the female pro numbers because every single one looks exactly the same. It's such a shame and a waste of talent to have these amazing dancers up there just walking around and looking sexy (or "croctching". ha!). My husband commented that it looked like a cheerleading routine, not a dance that belongs on a ballroom show. The contrast is especially noticeable when you see Jenna dancing beautifully in the very next dance--they are SO talented. Please get a choreographer who can actually use their talent. I agree with the others that the judges commentary during the dances was really fun to hear. And I liked hearing Juliannes commentary about why each person won. I nearly lost my mind when CAI started talking about the lifts though--does she critique anything else? Did anyone else notice Juliannes comment about "this is not a Salsa. And Maks always says he's such a fan of pure ballroom" with an eye roll--I'm guessing there's no love lost between these two either (has that been discussed? I know Maks/Val and Derek has but not sure about Julianne).

YES. I was just about to say the exact same thing. I couldn't take any part of the episode seriously after watching the girls advocate for the release of someone who literally kidnapped and tortured them in an underground bunker FOR TWO MONTHS. I never watch this show for it's realistic take on highschool, relationships, fashion (ha!), etc, but this was so far beyond unrealistic that it just wasn't enjoyable. Surely the writers could have come up with something--ANYTHING else, and it would have been an improvement.

First time commenter here: could someone explain what the issue was during Riker and Allison's freestyle that was referenced in the most recent AfterBuzz show? They said it had something to do with the platform not locking, but I couldn't make out what exactly happened. Suri or Kristin kept shouting "Pro!" and it just drowned out whoever was actually explaining it.