RemoteControl88

I might be the only one but I'm not too shocked that Michael didn't have the fanatical fan support of the 3 previous winners. I think they were Emmitt Smith, Hines Ward & Donald Driver. I think they all had fairly long careers in the NFL so were well known and had a built in fan base. I remember during Hine's Ward's season it felt like he had the support of his entire home state (Steelers?) because they were waving those yellow towels ever episode. Not to mention all 3 were natural performers and looked like they were having fun while dancing. Michael did not truly look comfortable in any of his dances until his final dance either. I don't doubt that some football fans never got behind Michael simply because he's gay. But I think another piece to that puzzle was that IMO he was not always that enjoyable to watch compared to others.

I don't disagree with you at all. I think the cha cha was not that great b/c it really did look like a little girl dancing with Mark. The themes/concepts help us focus on whatever dance she is doing and not her age. Mark has been doing great so far with concept and content. He was teetering on the cliff edge when he was dressed up like claymation Jack Frost last week...however he reigned it in this week. I think this entire season he'll be using a lot of themes. I am holding my breath that he can go an entire season without jumping off the cliff into creativity overload/free fall.

Spanana - thanks that explains it. I didn't know they had an earlier rehearsal. I was watching their 2nd live stream was getting so annoyed. I was like, " Are we really just watching you guys eat your lunch?" I kept checking back waiting for them to dance and it didn't happen

Mark might be using up his "creative choreo" card this season. Willow's worse dance was week 1...her straight up cha cha with no frills was not her best. Since then we've had a paint ball Gotye Argentine Tango, a fire&ice Paso and now a Hunger Games Contemporary. I think Willow will struggle in any dance where there is no theme and she just has to dance as herself. I felt the same way last season. Mark's duck dynasty samba was soo good...but by the time we got to the "thriller" paso it just felt like over kill. Holding my breath that Mark can continue to reign it in.

My tears dried up as soon as I heard Toby Keith's voice. ugh!! I wanted to love it too. I just don't think a country song suits a contemporary dance. I think anyone would be hard pressed to find any country song that would fit with that performance...the combo of the two just didn't work for me.

Did you notice that during their live stream they only did a Q&A...no dancing. I thought that was weird...but maybe they knew during the week the dance wasn't going so well.

I actually gave up some emotion tonight...so well done DWTS. Thoughts Riker: Agree that Riker's frame was wonky throughout that dance IMO his worse dance so far. He was much smoother in the foxtrot. Still frentic choreo..but I blame the music and not Allison this time. Nastia was superb per usual. A bit of a lift-fest. Derek had her in the air more than she was on the ground lol. This probably was the best A. Tango on DWTS (rivaling Nicole S. IMO). But I get what Len is saying. In another season I would think that this "no chemistry" is storyline so Nastia will have an "arc" later in the season. But she really is kind of stone faced when she dances. Not sure what she can do to correct that since she's not a natural performer. -Rumer was beautiful in every definition of the word. I saw the slip too...she might have gotten straight 9's or even a 10 otherwise. I agree with CAI I really do feel actual emotion when she dances. -Willow was great. Mark can be hit or miss with his contemporary (bicycle feet anyone?). Tonight it was spot on. HOWEVER there is no way that Willow deserved to be in 1st place over Nastia if we are being honest. The order should be Nastia, Willow, Rumer, Robert, Riker IMO. (I think Robert was better than Riker and they shouldn't be tied). -Noah...I really loved his dance and his strength is astounding. But it's really hard to get emotional listening to a Toby Keith song. I REALLY wish it was a different song -I got NOTHING from Chris. His package was not doing anything for me. I think he grabbed a tissue at one point but there were no tears. I don't even remember his dance either. -Robert was the top male dancer tonight IMO. -Patti & Suzanne were adequate.

Yeah I was wondering why he was talking about the Rumba when they just did a samba? In my mind the song sounds like A. Tango music to a tee. There are plenty of dramatic pauses for effect or lifts. But then again I can't count music and have no idea if that is the problem. If anyone knows what the counts/beats are supposed to be for an A. Tango and can let me know if that song fits I'd love to enlightened. Agreed. This was the music for her floor routine at the Olympics.

Derek's blog for how the A. Tango is going is below. Interesting read. I thought the music (Variations on Dark Eyes) really fit the vibe for the A. Tango so I was surprised that he was saying it wasn't a perfect fit? Also not surprised that fatigue is setting in based on their schedule. I thought he was insane to try to do both...but pre-season he kept saying that he thrived on being super busy and juggling things. I was like, "Dude you are nuts." Seriously though I'm not super worried. I think this is one of Derek's favorite dance styles and I don't imagine him not creating something good..especially with Nastia's skill/flexibility. I can imagine this being a really cool routine w/ interesting lifts etc. http://www.tvguide.com/news/dancing-derek-hough-blog-week3/

insert smiley crying emoji.

Does the hair & make up department hate Mark? Because that was some serious sabotage. He looked down right cartoon-y in that outfit. Whoever up thread said he looked like he was straight out of a claymation X-mas special was 100% right. You would think he was dancing to something light and funny based on what he was wearing. It didn't fit the dance style, tone or music at all. Willow looked lovely though as "fire." I loved Nastia, Rumer & Riker tonight. Great performances and technique was great for all 3. When they perform I don't feel nervous...I can just sit back and enjoy the dance. I can appreciate the disco salsa from Rumer & Val. I think it helped to stand out from the rest of the salsa's which went for the sultry sexy vibe. Rumer's was more playful and I think that was the point. I think she nailed it. Riker killed it. I still think that Allison's choreo is 100 mph from start to finish for all her dances...however for salsa this totally works. The boy can dance. Nastia wasn't quite fierce in the face...but technique was. My immediate thought after watching their package was that neither come off that great. If that is their storyline for the season it will get old fast. Noah is so strong and I was very impressed with the lifts...however I was super nervous in a couple of the lifts where he seemed to need to take a step or gather his balance. I was holding my breath a few times. I was never overly impressed with Michael's dancing. Tonight he was stiff AND his performance face was so strained...I couldn't get into it. Robert wasn't as fluid as I wanted him to be for his Rumba...but his performance & connection was strong. Patti was out there being Patti (bye felicia) so that will continue for a few more weeks. Suzanne had recognizable samba steps so props to her for that. She was kind of slow but she moved across the floor so I was glad for that compared to Patti. However, Tony needs to not look like he's going to jump the judge's table and attack CAI....not a good look bro. Chris was better than last week I guess. Charlotte leaving...it was going to happen either this week or next so no real shocker there. I had always wanted Keo to stay on longer so I could see what he could do choreo wise. She had potential and flexibility but I just didn't love the choreo for any of her dances.

Well to be fair she's done a bit more than just taking some dance lessons as you say. She has some serious training in ballet. Below is an interview with her ballet coach and choreographer. Her mother was a rhythmic gymnast, however I'm not sure if officially coached Nastia. However, Nastia's gymnastic style looks similar to her mother's at times especially with the flexibility. Nastia stood out from other gymnasts like Shawn and Aly because I think she really included her ballet & flexibility into her gymnastics. Ok my Olympic nerd rant is over....lol. http://www.gymnastike.org/coverage/234086-WOGA/video/72100-Nastia-Liukins-Ballet-Coach-Choreographer#.VRBFVPnF-HS

From what I've heard her background includes aerial workouts and she learned a choreographed piece for show that she was in. Shes a singer so has some natural rhythm....I haven't heard about any kind of trained dance background for her. Riker also being a musician has natural rhythm....but I've heard conflicting info about whether he's taken some form of dance class/lessons in his past.

It's funny I really like watching the Olympics and I knew about Shawn/Nastia (Meryl & Charlie as well) before DWTS. I think you summed it up very well the history of Nastia and what she's known for in the gymnastic world. A debate of what level of a ringer she is could be splitting hairs. It's all relative to the season....unless you are comparing her against all other ringers in the history of the show...or all other gymnasts on the show...etc. For this season... compared to Riker & Rumer...I think Nastia has a clear advantage over both of them. And I don't think that is a bad thing at all. I think both Riker & Rumer bring musicality and performance value to their dances so it all balances out. Nastia can hit some gorgeous lines and create beautiful pictures with her flexibility....but Riker's routine was so high energy and fun to watch...while I connected with the emotions of Rumers dance. Having now seen Week 1 dances I'm excited for the season because I know Nastia, Rumer & Riker will each probably produce some memorable dances.

I was not feeling the re-mix to "New York, New York." For God's sake it's a classic...leave it alone!!! I thought it interrupted the flow of their foxtrot...the change in music. There was a definite ode to the rockettes because there was alot of kicking in that foxtrot. I'm still scratching my head as to why Derek threw in a lift in a foxtrot. He knew he'd get docked...why do that??? Why not save it for later? Not a biggie because Nastia ballet really shines through and she's not going anywhere anytime soon. Dance-wise she and Rumer were technically the best of the night. I really enjoyed Rumer's dance and connection with Val. It was a beautiful dance...can't wait to see more from her. I also loved the connection Noah had with Sharna. When he started to get emotional in the package...I started tearing up. I just came away feeling emotionally moved by Noah & Rumer tonight. Everyone else was good...but not great...except Charlotte. Her mistakes and missed choreography was glaring.

I just feel that in order to have a freshness to the show...or a different energy among the pros...it would have been nice to see what that looked like without Derek there. I went to the DWTS Live tour and it was very cool how throughout the show each pro had a one-on-one moment with the audience by themselves. I liked the dynamic of all the pro's in the show and felt like I got to know each of them a bit better by the end of it as well. My feeling that some pro's need to leave (or take a season break) to change the energy of the show is not exclusive to Derek. I might be the only one, but I don't mind the dynamic of the show now that Mak's is gone. People were tuning in to see what Maks was going to do...and it became less about his partners. I thought his choreo was starting to get stale (I'd seen it all before by this point). I feel the same about Derek. Last season felt like his partnership was all about Derek and less about Bethanny. The focus of the his partnerships tends to focus on him. I don't see that as something Derek is doing though...it's more the producers. They can't seem to help themselves. To be completely honest just based on his partner I think I can predict "the script" the producers will use to narrate Season 20 for Derek. It's like they pull out the same "story" and I'm watching some past season with Derek but just a new partner. As someone who was hoping the producers understood that the show needs to keep evolving....I'm frustrated that they keep going back to the same story line. But I'm not irrate over the situation...just bored. Choreo-wise I thought Derek's dances with Bethanny were getting stale. She did some great dances but I'm not rushing out to re-watch much of what he did last season. I think it will be a totally different story with Nastia just based on her ability. But we're stuck with Derek....probably for forever....no matter what he or the producers ever say.

I thought Riker was very laid back which works well since Allison is super hyper. I'm with Spanana...I like him and he moves well ....he seems like the anti - Cody so I don't mind him. I'm not sure if I'm inspired enough to actually vote for him though. I was mostly watching to see how Allison teaches. My guess is that in the off season she learned entire routines for each dance style. And will simply modify once she get's the music. It seems like they have the jive for the 1st week and she didn't want to give that away so she was showing his cha cha...or maybe the cha cha is their 2nd week dance? I don't know. The majority of their session was a twitter Q&A....I started to wonder if that was on purpose to avoid on camera teaching or revealing the routine.

Keo was the best part of that rehearsal. She is a bit whiny which is grating. I really like Keo so I'm going to be open minded. But I agree with you...their dynamic is a little off. She whines & complains...and he cracks jokes. Jive week 1 is just plain mean. Here's hoping for them getting past week 1....at least for Keo's sake.

http://www.gymnastike.org/coverage/234086-WOGA/video/72100-Nastia-Liukins-Ballet-Coach-Choreographer#.VPJ9jfnF9e9 Here's an interview with her former ballet teacher & choreographer. I came across this on another board. I'm used to the celebs on DWTS down playing their dance experience but when she says she's never had a dance lesson in her life on GMA...then I see this interview...I have to roll my eyes.

So far I'm loving the live rehearsals too. Very cool insight. I've seen Redfoo/Emma, Robert/Kym & Rumer/Val. I really like the dynamics of these partnerships so I'm excited. I watched Peta & Michael's today and I'm a bit "meh" on their partnership so far. I think I just prefer the teaching styles of Kym, Emma & Val more than Peta. Also it didn't feel like they ever forgot the camera was there. They seemed "on" the entire time. For Kym, Emma & Val after a certain point they truly got into teacher mode and the celebs got into "learning" mode. It's still early but maybe they'll grow on me. I can't wait to see more. I am MOST interested to see Allison TEACH BALLROOM ON A LIVE FEED!! That will be interesting.

Watching his live stream now...he's a big guy. Needs to tuck the butt under and got's some feet problems but he's having fun. Probably the hardest part will be beating that football posture out of him but he's got potential.

I agree. There will be something for everyone which means a great show.

Well I guess we could go back and forth and speculate whether Val should have done a jazz or contemporary routine with Janel. shrugs. He chose contemporary....I understand why he made that choice...hopefully it pans out. I'm going to wait until Monday and see how things go. I feel the same about Mark & Sadie. Not much more I can say about this topic since they haven't happened yet.

Given what everyone else is doing Janel will stand out doing a contemporary. My guess as to why they aren't doing jazz...it would be compared to Alfonso. People have not responded well to anything Janel has done that plays to her sex appeal. I wouldn't risk seeing how that goes over in my freestyle, cheeky or not. There are many options for what you can do for freestyle not just hip hop & contemporary...my point was that of the options for a freestyle what plays to Janel's strength IS contemporary. Season 17 Amber, Corbin & Jack each had routines that played to their strengths...just so happens that Amber's strength was hip hop/stepping, Corbin's was jazz & Jack's was ballroom. Amber had a huge fanbase and the most memorable freestyle that night and she won. Her routine stood out. The "mix of ballroom freestyle" has been done several times already. The last time I saw that was by Derek with Shawn and it wasn't that amazing IMO. It wasn't a showstopper..so I wouldn't re-tread on that for my freestyle either. What hardcore DWTS fans like in a freestyle might be different than what the casual viewer likes. We've seen every type of freestyle and could be bored with contemporary. But a 1st time viewer might feel that it stands out from the rest of the other dances. We'll see if it pays off or not.

To be fair I thought WTF when I heard Alfonso had to do a paso to "Turn down for what" and was pleasantly surprised. It's a gamble but this is Mark were talking about. I did try to listen to the theme song....and it can be grating after awhile so there is that. As long as the routine is about Sadie in some way it could be really cool. Mark has brought in 2 hip hop choreographers so it should be very unique. I just hope that this isn't some cooky idea Mark wants to try that has nothing to do with Sadie being on DWTS. Right now I don't see the connection....but it still seems like a cool idea for a dance. Derek's blog makes it seem like a dancing tribute or walk down memory lane type of experience. I envision something like Bethany's Rumba (dance with a message). It sounds like there will be a lot going on with other dancers and the message as well. Smart move to incorporate other stuff to make the performance more dynamic and about Bethany. I don't think she could pull off a fun upbeat dance like Sadie so it's smart not to compare. If Derek did a straight up contemporary with Bethany it would be compared to Janel and I think Janel is the better dancer in that style. Alfonso's freestyle is just what I expected with the tap dancing. This is right up his alley. I saw a lot of troupe in a rehearsal pick so just hope they don't take away from what Alfonso is doing. Also worried that he won't be able to go full out with his injury. Say what you will, but Val is smart to go with contemporary with Janel. To be clear I am not referring to a showmance either. They do have good dance chemistry on the floor. For me, Janel is versatile. They can evoke different types of emotions when they dance and that all translates to chemistry for me. I saw chemistry in their foxtrot, quickstep and paso doble for example and that was not "showmance." I don't want to see Val & Janel get out there and try to do a hip hop routine. Why? She'd be compared to Sadie and Alfonso. Why would they ignore one of their bests assets and go with a style that doesn't show it? Derek's blog was an interesting read and got me thinking about the evolution of the freestyle on DWTS. For many seasons it was all about fun upbeat numbers. Tony in the Allstar season was the first to do a slow lyrical freestyle and won. The next year Derek did a slow lyrical number with Kelly P. and won. Maks did the same with Meryl and won. I don't see it as copying so much as understanding why the audience likes these types of numbers. You can go big and bring in all this "stuff" and supersize your freestyle. But I think at the core the main voting audience likes it when you bring it back to just 2 people dancing on the floor. I think that is why people vote for these types of routines.