Grandma Moses

I miss the days when we had background stories instead of sob stories. Or that the "sob" stories weren't always about someone's death or addiction. Remember Abigail Klein, how she wanted to go to the prom even though it was held the same weekend as DCC auditions? She ended up doing both, though calling it an early night at the prom so she could brush up on football facts, and of course we all know she kicked azz at DCC auditions. She made sure she had a balanced life--that was the story. Ahh, the good ol' days! Speaking of rolling around on the floor during dances, is anyone else sick and tired of lyrical/contemporary? They're all doing the same damn moves which is so damned unmoving. @PicnicLife77 I agree re: Amber. I don't get her appeal either!

I am really disappointed that they cut Kylie. Not because I think she's ready, because she's not. But I think she can get there. She has a beautiful fresh look about her, a true natural beauty, and a great little figure. Just what the team desperately needs right now. Why couldn't they cut Megan or Jensen, neither of whom I could pick out in a crowd? Total blenders.

Her rookie year I predicted Lexie would be point and was the girl to watch. I don't know why she hasn't made point yet, but it has surprised me, her "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" status. I groaned when I saw Maddie featured in this episode. But I thought the message she shared with the girls about not making it the first try, and subsequent growth, was a strong one and an important message for them to hear. Kylie and Kelee are still my favorites this season so far. Can you imagine if Kylie had Lea's dancing strength? The girl would be unstoppable.

Cailey, oh my gosh, yes. My heart goes out to her. Class act. I hope she can gain some physical healing, maybe through a chiropractor or naturopath. She has so much going for her and I'd love to see her try out again. The shoulder to cry on is a new role for DCC MTT. Who is this person, Megan is her name? I adore the idea of the girls having someone compassionate to walk with them for a few minutes after getting cut. That's a great point regarding the mirrors in the rehearsal studio. Now that they're on the field, there's no need for Judy to say, "Ok, face the back," and realize half the girls don't know the routines. Regarding mental health, I've been meaning to comment on it this whole season. Especially with Kylie's visit with Kelli and Judy (that was last week, right?). I think anxiety has become a huge issue for these young women and I don't remember that being a thing at all to the girls back in 2005-2009. Maybe it's the CMT edit from those years, but I doubt it. I think this issue has become so much worse and I suspect the main reason is social media. So toxic. I'm a big Madeline S. fan, although I liked her better two years ago. She seemed more of an individual then, more herself. Now it's almost as if she wants it so bad, she has sacrificed some of that intelligent, independent mindset that complimented her drop dead gorgeousness. Now I get the feeling she's like, "Oh, the choreographer liked me!" and "Kelli and Judy know I really want this." Honey, they should want you. You're that good. ITA! And Prime Video was quick this past week. I'm just late to the game posting on this episode. So I'm mostly quoting others at this point! I noticed that too, not up to Kelli's usual standard of glamour. She looks a little less Dallas and a little more Fort Worth. Yes, bring on the makeovers, please! I want to see Lea's look match her dancing ability. She's growing on me each week.

Yeah, they all do. Who was it on this board that mentioned Caroline and said these ladies are starting to look like washed up housewives? LOL. Not only that, but these procedures make women all look the same. Can we please see what each of these women look like as individuals? It's taken me awhile to comment on this episode. Amazon doesn't upload the episodes until the following TUESDAY. I'm so glad they did a backstory on Kelee! I really like her. What a class act. She comes across as genuine rather than melodramatic, like some of these girls do with their sob stories. I was curious about Kelee before and wanting to know more; now I'm officially a fan. I love her look. Her dark skin is lovely! I like her figure, too. She's what the Commodores would have adoringly referred to as a Brick House ("lady's stacked, that's a fact, ain't holdin' nothing back"). Healthy and gorgeous!

If they do, TPTB had better be prepared to be open to a pro-life response. Plenty of people--CMT and Cowboys fans alike--are strongly opposed to killing unborn babies.

You know what I like about this season? They're actually showing the dances, almost in full. Such an improvement over those seasons where there all we got were over-edited 2 or 3 counts at a time, with those gosh awful "whoosh!" sound effects with a random kick or hair flip. Kylie is a cutie cutie! Fresh and adorable. She might need more punch in her dancing. But seriously, she could do Neutrogena commercials. I loved the interaction between Kleine and Natalie Woods Stanyer. They both have bubbly, funny personalities. Natalie seems generous and nurturing toward the girls she hosts. Oh my gosh, the look on Haley Anderson's face when the TCCs heading into the office were so excited to talk with Kelli and Judy. Haley's expression was like, "Uh huh..." Haley's whisper: "Kelli wants to see you in her office." AHHH! Ok, Ashlinn might be growing on me a bit. Her dancing in this episode was spot on. She's so much stronger than last year. Tori is really strong this year too. I wonder if the TCCs are going to be doing media training this season. I hope so. It's an important part of the job. Erin, oh dear. Struggle bus. I really liked Brittany Perry-Russell as a guest choreographer. I enjoyed her teaching style and was impressed with the feedback she gave to the girls and later about the girls during the meeting upstairs with Kelli and Judy. Christina's pretty. She has a soft, flowy look. Hope she can start getting the dances! Maybe it was the editing, but I didn't care for Marissa's facial expressions. She needs to soften that up. I like Kelee's look as well as her dancing. Strong and glamorous, very classic. I didn't disagree with any of those 4 cuts. Side note: Madisyn looks like a Nordic princess.

I get that, but then they didn't show much of the audition videos either. Whereas last year they seemed to show each girl's audition video, which was nice to see. This year, they skipped over much of that and it felt cheap and manufactured to me. A few people have mentioned Gina's weight. She's very lean but I think she looks good and strong. Armani looks to me like she has gained weight, and Jada too--although I think Jada was so lanky she can get away with it. You know who I'd like to learn more about? Kelee. She seems like a no-nonsense person, very down to earth. And from the short snippet they showed of her solo, a strong dancer as well. I'm not a huge Daphne fan, and in conversation she seems a little too polished and rehearsed, but I felt genuinely bad for her regarding her injury. I admit, it was really hard to watch! I kept thinking, any minute now, it'll be like Catherine O'Hara in Best in Show.

This new format really pisses me off. Instead of a whole episode on prelims, one on semi-finals, and one on finals, we get 5 minutes of each on episode 1. Part of the enjoyment of the show for me was the process: who gets past prelims, who makes it into training camp. I loved watching the girls at semifinals learn the routine on the spot and then have to perform it an hour later for the judges. It feels contrived and I feel robbed of the experience. What, they didn't have time to show prelims, semifinals, and finals, but they can do entire segments on Ashlinn's abusive high school boyfriend and "all the love" KayDianna has for herself? <eyeroll> I'll give KayDianna a pass, though, because I really like her look. Her eyes sparkle, her smile lights up the room, and I like the way she communicates on camera. I don't care for Ashlinn's look at all. Ok, Maddie has retired. Can we move on? SERIOUSLY. CMT could've done a quick flash clip of Maddie while Melissa asks Judy, "Now that Maddie has retired, who are you thinking of for point?" But no. More wasted time. Loved the 57-year-old twins. And the 64-year-old who could do the splits?! Brava. Even though the judge's showcase was a poor substitute for finals, I enjoyed seeing some of the girls' routines. The color of Ava's costume was gorgeous, and from what they showed, her solo looked breathtaking. Would've loved to see more of Dani's solo. She was my fave from S15. Claire is incredible. But we all know that. Loved Caroline's toe point and her overall technique. I really hope she gets point this year. Wished we could've seen more of Rebecca and Jordann's solos. And Lea's, so maybe we could see what all the fuss is about. Because I don't get her look. Speaking of looks, what's with the half up-half down Duggar hairdo? Is that really in style right now? I prefer Sweet Chandi over Sultry Chandi. I know the girl needed a little more pop to her. But if Sweet Chandi incorporated a bit of Sassy Chandi she'd be as big of a rock star as Jenna was. So good to see Madeline S. back in training camp! She looks beautiful as ever. Oh, and @HitItHarder..BAM--your handle made me laugh out loud. I love how we both have Kitty Carter usernames! Speaking of, I miss Kitty Carter. Where is she?

1. Abigail Klein 2. Jordan Coleman 3. Katy (Fink) Cherry 4. Natalie Woods 5. Jordyn Ketchum

Yep. "Tonight, on this week's episode of Maskerpiece Theatre..."

Caroline posted her full solo on Instagram. 😀 I would love to see more of these! She did a great job interpreting “Purple Rain,” and even from the rafters you can see her wonderful technique and toe point: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJrDspIljj_/?igshid=y26027e2vsq

Somehow I missed this post. (Just getting caught up after the holidays!). I agree with a lot of what's in here. I think Jada is the new Mia. Once Jada gets a little pop in her style, there'll be no stopping her. It struck me immediately when she went over to a distressed Alora-Rose, encouraging her to breathe, making sure she was ok, that Jada is group leader material. You've got a born leader when someone in training camp can get out of whatever they're feeling and go be an encouragement to someone else who's in need. I wish they'd shown more of her solo this week! From the 3 seconds they showed us, it looked elegant and fluid.

Wrong. The Cowboys organization has always supported the military.

Yay, me too! I missed Kitty Carter's hilarious commentary and hope we get to hear more.

It seems to me in past season interviews, TPTB didn't want the girls using the DCC brand as a platform for something else. Legacy Madeleine! I was wondering about her. Anyone know if she auditioned this year? I was hoping she'd come back. Same with NJ Brianna. Ugh, THIS. It's like all these girls just rolled out of bed in their nighties and bare feet and immediately fell into a lyrical solo routine.

What about her dancing? You don't like the pop? She's effervescent in the way she is and the way she dances. It's more than a look.

Huh? She stayed in state to save money, then got a scholarship and went to ASU. Out of state tuition for a school like that is prohibitive for many families; the scholarship she earned made the difference. ASU is one of the largest universities in the country and the biggest public university west of the Mississippi. Claire wanted a bigger audience to showcase her talent, and she got it. Good for her! I too wanted to see more of Dani. She's got a lot of pop to her and I adore her lithe little body frame. Oh, and I agree regarding the real songs vs. the dubbed music. Like with Kat, it was obvious just watching it: She's doing Beyonce's moves and alluding to her DCC pinky ring. I'm like, oh yeah, she danced to "All the Single Ladies." But for everyone else's solos, I have to either guess or check out their Instagram to see if they posted it there. I know it's a licensing issue, using the real music, but still, I wish. Claire was incredible. Love love love her. And I think it says a ton that she has so much respect from the vets. We're all in awe of her! Jada too--she's still my fave this season. Armani reminds me a little bit of DCC Robin from a few seasons back. Fun to watch, pretty smile, sweet, a good leader. It was tough watching Meredith's cut, and I don't even like Meredith. Several posters on here said the same thing. I mean, I think that's a content/editing maneuver, making sure Meredith's cut gained her some sympathy from viewers. Maybe that was Kelli's parting gift to her! Argh, I am not a fan of Chandi's "sultry" look and vibe this year. I liked the sweet Chandi much better, her hair blown out, polished look. I was so over Maddie a few seasons ago. And to top it off, this season I'm getting this mean girl feeling from her. Anyone else seeing that? I like Marissa. She reminds me of champagne. Bubbly. Light. Gets the job done.

Jada - Yes! Legs for days, and also she has a soft, elegant beauty about her. I agree she needs more punch in her dancing. If she got, say, Jenna's pop, she'd be unstoppable. So much potential. Maybe even a 50 yard line girl. Remember Mia? Her dancing at prelims was "average," according to Kelli, and Mia became point and a powerful one at that.

I'm guessing it's Kelly's body type. She looks to me to be a little bottom heavy compared to the ideal DCC figure. More specifically, it's the square longer torso and shorter legs combo. A pretty girl and good dancer, but it takes a certain body type to rock the uniform. Marissa probably made the team because she's fresh and cute and, oh that face! She's darling. The TikTok videos that I saw are not scandalous, they're just a little dorky. Then again, I'm a little dorky. The "mustard under my bed" song gave me a chuckle.

Abi is totally stunning. Thanks for posting this old school video. Season 4, right? Those were the days. And Kristen Gauthier! She was one of my faves. Anyone know how she's doing or what she's been up to since DCC?

Taylor P. - Loved her and loved that she wrote back and forth with her grandpa. Meredith - Dang her voice was annoying. Of course, her face was so frickin' gorgeous. But I could never find the mute button fast enough.

Rachel A. looks so different after having a nose job. She doesn't even look like herself.

I always laugh at the "girl last night" comment. In Ika's case, I think it was pretty spot on. And I like the Eastern European look! I just wish that Ika's makeover would've been more transformative. Especially when we see how polished she looks now. >> Wow! Good for her! She's a good writer, too. Eloquent. Body fat percentage is the most important figure in determining how fit a person is. Jay is absolutely correct in focusing on this. I admit, however, that the 10-12% they focused on for awhile seems too low for even an athletic young woman. I would've thought 12-15% would be ideal. And it seems they adjusted the "ideal" percentage from season to season.

And Yuko had a sense of humor, too! "My cat is an American." 😄 Absolutely adorable.