Shades of Red

Yes. Can I chime in on the fathers dancing and say how much I despise that part of the show. It was cute a few years ago but now it's boring and smacks of desperation. The "bottle dance" was not funny and really gross at least in my books it was. Oh and have to say something about the ladies dancing "contemporary" especially the one who constantly used the HMV move. I don't remember her name, but thanks to the TWOP forums and the people posting there I had that phrase in my mind every time she did the move. I know there's more to contemporary dancing that the boring moves that keep showing up on my screen.

You're not alone in this. I thought they were faking the "we're so into girls/women" thing to make it through the auditions as they must know how homophobic Nigel is and how he wants "masculine" dancers. Nigel and his dirty old man comments needs to stop ASAP! How uncomfortable and rude especially given the age of most of these dancers. Speaking of age, I'd really like to see some more "mature" dancers instead of all the really young ones. I discovered this show late so missed the first few seasons, but I understand the dancers from the initial season or two were in an older age group - as in "over 21". Why show do you have Justin Bieber promoting dancers? If budget is an issue then why did you pay him to show up as I'm sure he doesn't work for cheap?! I won't vote, but if I did, I would find it easier to make a judgement on dance groups if I actually saw an entire routine instead of little snippets of one along with lots of filler.

With the exception of someone being hurt (Tristan), is this the first time that a celebrity hasn't danced with their pro (NeNe and Tony)? I thought the celeb always danced with their pro for the final results show? Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but that tells me Tony and NeNe really didn't get along especially after the partner switch. So disappointed the Meryl and Charlie dance was so short. TPTB shouldn't have been pimping this like there's no tomorrow knowing it was going to be so short.

... especially in a suit!

I really liked both of Meryl and Maks' performances. Well done to Maks for the choreography. After not being impressed by some of Peta's costumes I have to admit I did like her first one of the evening. Wasn't thrilled about the second one but it did fit into the dance. I think I didn't like it because it looked like her stockings were camouflage and seemed to not go with the rest of her outfit. Maybe it was my tv but I think a solid colour would have suited better.

... because she's Derek's partner? .... because "she's such an inspiration to so many"? ... or better yet, because we know TPTB pissed off Derek by bringing in that guest judge, so no one was allowed to critique him or Amy in the slightest. Pick whichever one seems to suit things the best. I shook my head and actually said "bullshit" when Carrie Anne said she was going to deduct for a foot being off the floor, but somehow she wouldn't deduct when Amy did the same thing. These celebrities have very thick skin because if it was me, at the very least I'd be shaking my head in disbelief with the unfairness of the judges' scoring system. Derek's Argentine Tango was okay, but had it been anyone else they would have gotten tinged for having the stool there. Isn't it also convenient that in this tango you are allowed to have lifts? Don't get me wrong, it was a lovely dance, but the double standard was very obvious to me and I didn't like it.

Let the speculation begin on who voted which way. My top pick for voting "no" is Sam himself. I think he figured out early on he was in way over his head, didn't want to change the way he presents himself and was getting a little sick and tired of being the "teen idol". I really like this young man and hope he goes far but in the style he wants to and not in a manufactured teen idol thing the show was trying to make him into. I think he looked relieved to be voted off. He really didn't look upset in the slightest. Not sure on the other person - it's a toss up between Jessica and Jena for me.

That made me laugh. I don't know if it's the power of suggestion from all the remarks I've read, but last night was the first time I really noticed how difficult she can be to understand and I couldn't make out many of the words she was singing. Still adore Sam. First the judges complain he's too perfect and then snark at him for being out of tune. Once again no consistency - make up your minds please. I thought he looked a lot more comfortable with his first song than he has for some time. On a shallow note, I think whoever dresses Jennifer finally got a good length on her skirt/dress. It was long enough that she wasn't tugging at it and she didn't have to grab it to plop down into the chair. It was just a few inches and was still short but not uncomfortably short. Jason Mraz as a mentor - good choice show. He had some wonderful suggestions and I thought was very helpful to the contestants.

You might be onto something here. I think unless the troupe gets into the numbers with the pros and their stars they have very little to do and have limited screen time. There might be something in their contracts that guarantees a certain amount of screen/dance time? As much as I adored seeing Ricky Martin on my screen, I think the time spent on the guest judges would be better served highlighting the troupe and showing off their dancing instead. I think the show has had an issue with handling the troupe since going to a one night vs a two night show.

Count me in with the group who was disappointed that Charlie didn't have any chest hair. On that note, did anyone else think the whole "should Tony be shirtless" thing was a set up and planned in advance? I don't know a lot about dancers' costumes, but I'm pretty sure that in figure skating or any other thing a man needs to have his shirt tucked in it's secured at the crotch so it doesn't ride up or come out of the pants. I'll have to rewatch, but when I saw it last night it looked to me as if the shirt he was wearing was just tucked in and not secured. It almost looked like a tear away shirt. That's was the deciding factor for me that it was all a ruse. If anyone noticed anything different or knows about the shirt tucking please correct me.

I usually don't care one way or the other about what Peta wears, but this time for me it was inappropriate and didn't qualify as a costume especially for the dance they were doing. For me it would have made a difference in my opinion if she would have had on a little skirt and the bra top and removed the garter. Still a skimpy outfit but in my opinion much more suited for the dance.

darbar - I don't agree with the "slut" comment, but agree with the hooker look. A bra, panties and garter belt are just unacceptable as a "costume" for a dance that isn't performed with that kind of outfit in mind. At the very least she could have put a fringe skirt on with it. I thought some of her previous outfits were a little out there but figured oh well, to each their own. This time around was too much ... or should I say too little and inappropriate? On a shallow note - how hot did Ricky Martin look?! That man is aging very well! So was that a slip of the tongue by Carrie Ann when she told Amy "when you win" and then realized what she said and then tried to qualify the remark? Way to let the cat out of the bag. So what happens now if Amy is told she can't continue? New game plan show? BTW - I wasn't impressed with the background package for Derek and Amy. If your relationship is in trouble due to scheduling issues, instead of taking something else on, shouldn't you be trying to save the relationship and not committing to more stuff? Was that her boyfriend in the audience? How much of a shit does he look like now? That must be great for their relationship? Another slip of the tongue possibly when Meryl said something about a personal relationship with Maks? I know there's been a lot of speculation about the two of them, but tonight was the first time I wondered if they really are a couple now?

It'll be interesting to see if Sam ever ventures back into the audience. I shouldn't have but I laughed when he said how scary it was almost being pulled into the audience. It wouldn't have been funny if it had actually happened but I have no doubt it freaked him out a bit. Whoever does Jennifer's wardrobe please hide all the shortie, short dresses/skirts as once again tonight she looked terrific in a decent length dress. So much classier than those short little things she's come out in. No idea why this was supposed to be a "shocking elimination"? Seriously? I agree that Harry's response was good when Ryan asked if the right choice had been made. It's been said before but bears repeating - at this stage of the competition if America has made a mistake than so has the show. I don't like the pimping of one contestant over another by the judges - never have and never will. I know it's not realistic, but contests should be a level playing field which it definitely isn't when you have judging biases. Grumpy cat really is relaxed isn't he? I also had no idea how small he really is.

Speaking of the showmance aspect of this show, did anyone notice how Val was very emphatic about Danica and him not being a couple by thanking her boyfriend for being so patient etc? I liked Meryl and Maks' tango but in all honesty preferred the Argentine Tango she did with Val. Meryl is really coming out of her shell and has become likeable to me, which I never thought would happen.

I am now officially old - none of those songs in the "country" portion of the show were actually sung "country". Yes they were originally song by country singers, but that's the only thing "country" about them. I actually laughed when Keith told Caleb he was looking forward to his country song. If that's what country sounds like, then I guess I can now listen to it as I've never been a fan. On a weird note - I noticed tonight how long and big Jennifer's hands are. Not sure why they stood out tonight, but they did. Someone else asked a while back who Jena was trying to sound like? Well tonight with some of her phrasing I thought she sounded a little bit like Cher. Maybe that's just me and having Cher on my mind as I just saw part of an interview with her on Graham Norton.

So many favourite interviewees listed and their interactions with the other guests. This is the beauty of this show. I think with very few exceptions there is always a segment/guest interaction that stands out or is guaranteed to make me laugh. I tape this every day off of BBC Canada and have to say so many of the stories the guests tell wouldn't make it onto North American television. They might pass here in Canada, but not in the U.S. So much would be edited out that it wouldn't be worth telling the stories in the first place. I have developed a totally inappropriate age crush on Jack Whitehall courtesy of his appearances on this show.

Overall not a bad night but I agree it was grossly over scored. Poor Tony. I think NeNe let him have it with no breathing room. You can't include something in an edit that hasn't been said. He looked like someone had sucker punched him when she walked out on him. I think she forgot she was on camera and that the footage could/would be used of her nastiness. She was just horrible to Tony and no amount of damage control from him will change my mind that she didn't mean what she said. I think she started to cry as it became evident the producers had no qualms about using the footage and showing her as the only person who turned nasty on their original partner. I read lots of comments before the partner change that said it would make the celebrity look really bad if they didn't want their original partner back or felt the partner switch suited them better. Well it looked like the show got that with NeNe. I didn't really have an opinion on her before this, just took her at face value, but this was inexcusable. I liked James and Peta's contemporary. I still don't think it should be on the show, but I liked what they did. It didn't deserve a 40 but we know the scoring is weird so I took it with a grain of salt. Can I say how impressed I was that James flew in the young lady, her mother and sister. I know it makes great publicity, but he could have milked it for more and he didn't. On a shallow note, his eyebrows are a little too groomed for me and that's the first thing I see when I look at him. On another shallow note I have to ask about Carrie-Ann's outfit. I'm not sure if it was an optical illusion, but she looked pregnant to me. Have I missed an announcement?

I know kids say and do a lot of stupid things, but, in this day and age I think they chose not to be aware or care about what they say/send out there. We live in a society that has made people who make sex tapes famous. People are famous for just being famous. I honestly believe many people who audition for this show hope to be "famous" and rich, singing just happens to open a door for that. We had a guy up in Canada who was on our version of the show who was in a band. He played the game and didn't want to win, but endeared himself to the audience enough to get pretty far in the competition. When he performed he was a show man even when some of the performances seem to be tongue in cheek. He played the game and now his band is reaping the rewards. Caleb could learn a lot from Jacob Hoggard. Nice to see Jennifer in a decent outfit again.

Fantastic and hysterical. Some times I can't breath I'm laughing so hard when she's a guest. I don't think you could have a show like this with an American home. The guests drink, swear and while they do "sell their upcoming projects" it's not the main focus of the time spent on this show. Not going to happen in North America. Someone like Miriam would have to be so careful with their anecdotes that the censors would be having heart attacks, or the show would be edited to make no sense. Could you imagine the scrambling that would go on when she talks about "offering to suck him off"? OMG! Just not going to happen. The candid and unexpected stories and interactions between the guests are a huge part of the appeal of the show for me. I also really like that he manages to get guests who don't usually do talk shows, or at least haven't appeared on some of the ones I've watched over the years.

Harry and Keith - hilarious! I agree that Jennifer did not look impressed sitting by herself. Ryan saved the day on that one didn't he and tried to make her feel better by filling those seats for her. She also didn't look impressed when all the talk was going on about hair extensions. Oh Caleb. I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and I actually like your performances even though the snottiness was coming through more and more. Last night was the icing on the cake. The look on his face last night when the judges were talking to him was just disrespectful and smug looking as if he knew better and they were fools. I forgot to grab the sentence to quote - but to the person who talked about Jessica and what Harry was saying - you said it in a different manner but I think the two of you were saying the same thing. She doesn't look natural and at ease when she walks around. This was said to a few of the singers - they look like it's too choreographed and they are thinking about their next move vs doing what comes naturally. Some people are just naturals when it comes to moving to the music - doesn't matter where they are or what kind of music playing/they can hear. Jessica is not one of those people. Sam looked a little more at ease tonight. I think David Cook gave him great advice - well he gave all the contestants great advice. I'll jump on the band wagon of getting poor Sam out of the circle of teenage girls though. He's probably afraid of the one he makes eye contact with jumping him in the middle of his performance. I'd be a little scared to make eye contact with any of them too.

I have yet to find anything that has replaced music that I think is better for it. The first show that comes to mind is "Life". The original soundtrack for that was amazing! I bought a lot of the CD's because I heard the songs/groups on the show. When the DVD's came out I was devastated to find out so much music had been replaced.