RemoteControl88

Probably a good amount. To try to even things out most likely.

I thought she did a really good job last week. It was the most emotional/connected to a dance that I've seen from her all season. If she can tap into that for every performance I think that will help her stand out. In general though gymnast on DWTS seem to be media trained to be cute and likeable so it must be hard for her to break that habit and really let her personality out.

Standing ovation...this was the line of the night. I almost fell out of my chair. However, I don't buy that Sharna is being forced. If anything she's playing coy like it could happen down the road. And it feels like everyone and their momma knows its a showmance....except Bonner. Dude seems clueless. I am not really enjoying him at all. In interviews I find him dull and he has a blank emotionless stare when he's dancing. I hope this showmance that's being pushed doesn't end up costing us Rashad or David.

Random thoughts: All this talk of "chemistry" between Sharna and Bonner just shows how hard the TPTB are trying to sell it. I saw 100% more natural chemistry between Emma & Rashad. The jive part of Heather's dance was missing something for me. It felt like her she wasn't bending her knees enough..really getting into the kicks and flicks or something. It looked lightly placed? (not sure if this making sense but I guess I wanted more power in her jive). I cut her some slack because she was dancing with Alan but I was expecting a Zendaya level jive (one of my fav jives on the show). It was very good but it didn't change my life. Choreo was meh. Nancy did very well in her cha cha. TBH I was expecting worse. But she needs to get a handle on her emotions. Crying because you got compliments? What is she going to do if Artem or the judges give her a tough critique? Is she going to make it? Gleb is turning into a one trick sex pony. Didn't he play a cop when he was a pro with that other housewife with the poodle? Also after the dance when they were talking with Erin, it was weird to go from that overly sexualized foxtrot.....to getting a pink onesie for his pregnant wife. Simone has a rigidness to her dancing and movement that I think comes from gymnastics. She sometimes hits a line like she's sticking a landing. The steps are all there but the performance side is lacking. Also the part where they got on the floor in the middle of the routine felt random as did the head flip. I loved Rashad and Normani tonight. They both really were performing. I really enjoyed that. David was cute...but I liked his QS much better that tonight. Everyone else was meh for me. Edit: Normani had Beyonce level weave and it kept smacking Val in the face. She looked great but that's a lot of hair.

This is a strong final 4 so I'm excited for the freestyles. I am dying to know what the pro's have in mind. Someone always does a contemporary so I would guess it will be Jana and Gleb. I don't think they'll make top 3 though. For once the personalities of the celebs (Calvin, James or Laurie) don't fit with the usual emotional contemporary freestyle. That's part of the reason I'm looking forward to the finale because I truly can't guess what route each pro will take. Other than I know Calvin will have some crazy lifts.

YES!!! He was beside the judges table. You could see him clearly during Laurie and Val's dance. Edit: Also YES that was Carter Osterhouse I saw. Thanks guys. I won't be scouring the internet for 8 hours now and will be able to go to sleep. #teamwork

Non dancing related....but I saw SO many random people in the audience Monday night. I wonder if they are recruiting for future seasons. I of course saw DWTS alum (Alfonso, Helio, Rumer and Ginger). I also saw 1.Dog the Bounty Hunter (not kidding). 2. White haired guy with glasses, on the food network (don't know his name) but he always wears a suit jacket even when cooking. Maybe he's interested because Alfonso hosts a show on food network? 3. Long, dark haired carpenter that I think is on one of those home improvement channels. Ok, sorry....as I type this, I realize I don't any of these people's names. I'll try to find them or maybe pics.

I recall Derek getting emotional during his season with Bindi, Mark with Sadie, Maks with Meryl. I remember each of those times....they all felt genuine and heartfelt. I'm not going to examine myself too closely...but I guess I like it when the pro's cry. lol.

It's clear to me they aren't getting along/aren't on the same page. In the BTS footage when Marilu said she "felt pushed." There was really only I way for me to take that....that she was saying Derek pushed her (BTW I don't think he did...the choreo called for them to push away from each other...I think she just tripped). I just don't think he appreciates her saying that...making him look bad. There is tension between them for sure. This partnership reminds me of Val & Elizabeth Berkley. Now I don't think things got this bad between V & E. But I do think she was annoying...and wanted to put her 2 cents into the choreo and thought she knew what was best. I don't think D & M are having the exact same issues but there seems to be a similar dynamic going on.

If memory serves I believe the year Shawn beat Gilles was one of the closest wins in DWTS (at the time). I swear I remember hearing Tom say that. Gilles fans might have gotten lazy? Anyway she was the last gymnast to win DWTS and by such a narrow margin...so I don't think Laurie has this in the bag.

I couldn't tell from the video if they will do a regular individual dance...then the showstopper team up dance. I would think so. If both dances are supposed to be showstoppers it will be overkill I think.

That was all strategy on Sasha's part. That spin took up half the dance lol. But it wasn't even an elegant spin. It was so awkward.

Best performances of the night for me were James/Sharna and Laurie/Val. Both had the content and I just smiled through the both routines. I know I like it if I go back and watch a few times. Sharna and Val do such a good job of having the troupe there but keeping the focus on their partnership so they aren't overpowered by the troupe. The troupe enhanced their routines (made it feel bigger/larger) but my eyes were always on James and Laurie. They told a story, had excellent content, and acted it as well. I loved both. I generally love Val's quicksteps and this was right up there. Sharna killed her first jitterbug IMO. I'm 100% ok with Maureen leaving. The most stessful/exhausting part of her dances was the package that played beforehand. By the time we got through that drama I was already dragged down (enegry-wise) before she even performed. I would watch her dances with the anxiety and stress that we all knew was there. It stopped being fun to watch. However, Artem, Keo and Dennis had me cackling in their outfits. They looked gloriously ridiculous. I felt like the spirit of Mark Ballas was on the dance floor. Calvin did great. He's not as natural a performer as James and Laurie but he's finally get recognized for his good dancing. Terra's dance was nice/lovely. But I'm not buying the personality transplant DWTS producers are trying to feed us though. But they know that the demo of DWTS isn't really watching her reality show and will never know.... so they can get away with it. Jana did good. IMO there was no way she was going to top last week's dance, however, Gleb did them no favors with his exchange with Len. Len dressing him down after the dance was one thing. I think he should have let it rest. The additional comments with Erin probably wasn't endearing him to the general audience. And now I read in an article that backstage he said that Len should spend more time here (in the US) as opposed to Strictly Come Dancing in the UK. Now talking back to the judges can work for you, sometimes if they are truly being ridiculous, however he's veering off to the point of me wondering if he is going to piss someone off and not be asked back. Gleb hasn't been on the show long enough for him to be able to get away with doing that. Marilu - I'm not into this partnership. Something is missing. The dance was fine though. Even with the mistakes I would still give it 8's. She had good content and executed for the most part. On the performance side some of her facial expressions are a little wonky. It seemed like the performance lost steam as it went along too. Ryan - can't do sexy. Though he is a very handsome man. He see's himself as a goofy big kid (which I agree with). But I give Cheryl a standing ovation for all the hair whipping and sex appeal she tried to infuse in the dance though. Ryan is minimal drama, he works hard, listens to Cheryl. People like that and I think that is why he's still here. I'm not going to lie though...I'm happy they are still here too. Not because of Ryan, but because I just love that one of our veteran pros is still hanging in there. I want to go as far as possible because we probably won't see her on the show for a long time....if ever after this season. Team Dances - Team Past - very beautiful. Team Future - that music sucked. As did the camera angles. I don't think I would have ever liked what they did...just based on the music alone.

Is Pitbull the ONLY Latin artist they know at DWTS??????????????

This was the first time (maybe the only time) I actually got teary eyed during MMY. But it wasn't for anyone's dancing or backstory. lol. When Marilu was talking about being intimidated by Derek, when Laurie was getting her frustrations out on Val and when Ryan said winning his medal was the happiest day of his life. There was something really pure and honest in those moments that I connected to. The dancing for the night was another story. Overall the night felt weighed down by the heavy subject matter.... Maureen - her best dance. She does really well in standard ballroom. Great movement from her. Calvin - fun. footwork could be neater. I was scared for Lindsay in that overhead lift. He is so tall that lift looks terrifying from his height. Jana - nice & pretty dance. Same feeling I had for her foxtrot. She did seem more elegant and better at transitions and finishing her lines though. Ryan - a bit stiff and jerky. I think he and Amber are the 2 worst dancers left. Laurie - not her best...but still pretty darn good. Scores were about right though. I do disagree with CAI though...I thought Val was trying to get creative with the choreo given the song and the theme and breaking free. I've seen enough of his Paso's...I like that this one was different. Marilu - her best dance. Glad to know what it was about her that was off. I couldn't figure out what about this partnership that was not connecting...now we know. This reminds me that when a celeb requests a specific pro it doesn't always work (ex: Val and Elizabeth Berkeley). Amber - was a little bit better...but still has the same issues from day 1. I give up. She is terrified being out there and she is not confident when she dances. Period. end of story. James - very smooth. Best dance of the night. Terra - I missed her dance...but since it's contemporary...I might not have the strength to go back and watch. Glad this night is over. Looking forward to Latin night HOWEVER WHYYYYYYY is Pitbull there AGAIN. I need some authentic latin music for Latin night. I don't want to hear his greatest hits. And as a judge he's even worse. ughhhhh.

For some reason I don't think that was what Derek was referring to. He was shirtless in his own solo dance (I know being shirtless is not the same as stripping). But it seemed hypocritical of him to tweet that in light of his own number. I suspect we'll never really know what this was really all about though.

Laurie is the 4th gymnast on the show (Shawn, Aly and Nastia). I thought Aly lacked a sense of timing/rhythm in her dancing. Surprisingly she was not very graceful IMO. Nastia & Shawn were both technically great....just like Laurie, however Nastia lacked that performance ability. The ability to really sell the performance. Shawn was better at performing compared to Nastia...but Laurie is on a whole other level. The stage presence she has can't be taught. Val seems primarily concerned with teaching her ballroom technique and content. I love that. I think he doesn't necessarily want us to see a gymnast out there...he wants us to see her nailing ballroom technique. As for their jazz I agree that was a dance where he could have incorporated the gymnastics or packed in content. But in the context of a week where she had less time to prepare...Val had 2 options. He could have cracked the whip and made a very difficult & packed routine and made her learn it in a short amount of time...and in the process she would have been miserable. He opted to give her choreo she could handle and made her the focus of the routine. She has the charisma to pull it off. This week reminds me of the week Val had Meryl for switch up week. Meryl had just started touring with Stars on Ice and training for that weeks dance at the same time. Val pushed Meryl really hard that week and the results was an amazing Argentine Tango, however I don't think it was a fun week for her. Here Val made the best of the week he had with Laurie. I think Val has learned when to push and when not to push.

My favs of the night: James and Laurie. Both were showstoppers. They both performed the hell out of their routines. I will go and watch again several times. James was such a showman...and Laurie showed her sassy side. They were having so much fun performing I can't help but have fun watching. Calvin, Jana & Terra - all had really solid, clean routines. I'm not sure yet, but I think one of these 3 will be in the finals. All their dancing was great...I just wanted a little more on the performance side of things. Amber - her dancing was slightly better. She still dances small and her footwork was not sharp. The big improvement was in her showmanship. She looked the most invested in the routine I've seen her. I want Maks to push her even more though. Unless she completely looses her inhibitions (which I doubt she will) she won't make it to the end. Maureen - was somewhat slow and careful. Even so, that was her best dance I think. However that package negated some of that good dancing. I'm exhausted for Artem. Marilu - you can see the tension in her body when she dances. She seems stiff and unable to relax. I think I would enjoy her dances more if she performed them better. More expression in her face that matches the dance. Ryan & Vanilla Ice - based on dance quality...not the best in the competition...but for each of them...their best dance. They are improving. Babyface - the dance was too ambitious for his ability. Might have been a safer bet for them to try to hit 1 or two spotlights in the beginning of the dance...then light up the dance floor and just dance. Cool concept from Allison though....the beginning looked like a very unique and cool idea for a female pro number.

For me...he seemed upset/bummed out that the dance didn't go as it did in dress rehearsal. Probably not upset with Marilu directly but when he seemed to walk away after the dance I can see how/why she thought he was either upset with her...or just the way things went. Then again that could have just been editing. In this interview after the dance...he seemed upset/bummed out. Kind of distracted. Derek usually tries really hard to seem happy so the low energy was noticeable to me. In any case, not a big deal...it's actually refreshing to me to see some emotion from Derek.

Celeb men are often times critiqued on their feet (Ryan Lochte/Jacoby Jones come to mind). They were told to "fix" their feet and turn them out. So it certainly seems like something that can be corrected. Overall when I see Keo and other male pros dancing...he stands out to me because of his feet.

I thought that too. She is a troupe addition that I like. Great dancing from her. On the other hand a troupe member that I could do without...Dennis. With that blonde hair he stands out in a bad way. But the number he danced when he was in pink and Keo and Alan were in yellow...he was not good. He was just so sloppy with the steps. And his partner work seemed sloppy and not sharp. At one point I thought his partner was going to fall.

You speak the truth. Her choreography of actual ballroom/latin steps is non-existent. That alone makes me mad since this is a ballroom dancing show. But REALLY confuses me is that the actual choreography she puts together SUCKS. It's not like it's even decent contemporary (which is in her wheelhouse). Walking, posing, crotching, and hair flipping is just BAD choreography for ANY dancer. I don't watch SYTYCD but I am almost positive that she actually choreographs actual routines for that show. With a theme, and steps, and thought. If she REFUSES to even attempt to include ballroom/latin steps for the routine....for the love of God why not have the dancers actually dance???? Ok. Sorry. Rant over. Anyway, Val & Maks performance was not breaking new ground or anything....but compared to what Mandy put together...it was a breath of fresh air to see some actual dancing that fit with this show. And it was just fun to watch. More of that please.

He has duck feet (turned out) which looks weird to me in ballroom & latin dances. He might as well be pigeon toed.

The choreographed boob grab by Gleb was vomit inducing. Why are you trying to sex up a JIVE???

I made us all realize how much "noise" is used to fill up the 2 hours.