Uke

I agree. I was really surprised this got renewed. The ratings were good at first but were dropping with each episode. I suspect Fox didn't have anything to put in its place and this was relatively cheap to keep going rather than trying to get something else started, given the risks to production from varying covid infections, mandates, state rules, etc. I also agree about demystifying Elena. I don't understand the long game on that. BTW I'm Uke from the DWTS thread if anyone else has migrated from there to here. Happy New Years everyone!

Or endlessly begging their followers to VOOOTEEEE!!!! LOL! I've stopped following most of them just for that reason.

Week 2 here we go! 1-Nev + Jenna: That was a short dance! But he did a very good job. Why was Tyra's little chat about her smize? Jenna was a little OTT over the scores. Agree with the scores. 2-Skai + Alan: She seemed to do all the hand and foot moves that Alan taught her (except for the missed lift) but it had no feeling of a samba. (Derek, don't call her "honey". Was it Bruno + Tyra who called her "baby"? She's a full-on contestant deserving of respect and those terms are belittling.) Agree with the scores, not for the lift but for missing the feel of a samba. 3-Johnny + Britt: Britt, please drop the vocal fry. Was that a bad music playback or the in-house singers? His leg sweeps were like skating. I agree with whoever said that he hasn't found the floor yet. I feel like he's straining to get to his theatrical self and Britt's choreo isn't giving it to him..yet. I think the score was a point low. 4-Justina + Sasha: Pretty but all the moves seemed rushed. No hips. I think the score was a little high. 5-Monica + Val: That wasn't a high jump, it was clearly a lift. What was his point in adding that to the choreo? No obvious mistakes it just looked awkward. She hasn't settled into the fun of this yet. Agree with the scores. (What was that look by Sharna at the end? Some serious shade going on there?) 6-AJ + Cheryl: The dancing was good but the tricks, not so much (the hat, the little stepping at the end). Agree with the scores. I hope once we get a few eliminations that we'll get some pro dances. Would love to see Dani and Pasha do one of their competition or tour dances. There will have to be a few double eliminations or maybe one multiple elimination to right-size the number of contestants to the number of weeks. 7-Anne + Keo: A little stiff-looking but she looks like she's loving this. Nice choreo from Keo. I hope she'll get the votes to stay for a while. A little low on the scores. 8-Nelly + Daniella: Sorry, had to step away from the tv. What's on his feet? Sneakers? Where's his dancing shoes? Ok - Tyra just pointed it out. The shoes are ugly. 9-Chrishell+ Gleb: She was looking really good until that slide around his leg. All of a sudden CAI doesn't care about a lift? Nice choreo, and I usually don't care for his choreo. Score was a little low IMO. Oh the drama...will she or won't she dance. I'm glad she's ok. But DWTS, over the years, has some amazing medics keeping these stars and pros moving like they do. Kudos to the medics! 10-Charles + Emma: much improved from last week. I'll just leave it there. Emma's hilarious. Good scores for him. 11-Jesse + Sharna: Nice job. Kiss on the hand - choreographed or spontaneous? He has a tendency to kind of crouch seemingly to get down to her height. He needs to stop doing that. Also, tuck the butt. But I think he could go the distance. Agree with the scores. 12-Jeannie + Brandon: She looks very comfortable on the floor with Brandon. Didn't care for the song or choreo but she handled it well. Maybe a little low on the score. Suspect we'll be seeing more of Mama Mai. LOL! 13-Carole + Pasha: Much better than last week. She had a nice elegance. I think the score was a little low. 14-Vernon + Peta: Another one crouching. It really messes with the posture. These tall guys need to dance at their own height. The female pros know how to dance up to them. Also agree he needs to tuck his butt. Agree with the scores. 15-Kaitlyn + Artem: She needs to spot her spins. That was the only problem I saw. It sounds like she's probably had quite a bit of training. Agree with the scores including the first 8. No surprise who were the bottom 2 and no surprise they saved Carol. Agree with the choice.

Week 1: Well, what DWTS wants to show us first is Tyra? That's quite a red dress. Let's hope she changes clothes for the hosting (ok, she did). AJ + Cheryl: AJ had some issues spacing himself in relation to Cheryl and I think he lost his way for a moment near the end but otherwise good start. Fair scores. Chrishell + Gleb: Messy and seemed to be off balance for most of it. Gleb didn't seem to be helping her much. But she sure has the hairography down. Agree with the scores. Vernon & Peta: Posture Posture Posture! And his bum was sticking out. Yes, CAI, I saw the lift too. He has to allow Peta to dance up to his height. A little annoyed with a time burning embrace. Peta knows all the tricks. Scores were a point low IMO - docking for the lift on night 1? Looks like the pros are on notice! Anne + Keo: Her timing keeps going off but she looks like she's having a blast. Very good start for night 1. She's got a lot of fun attitude but she knows to express humility. Scores are ok though I wouldn't have minded 1 more point. Jeannie + Brandon: First thought was Bambi in heels and struggled with balance in the turns. But she pulled it together and that was a pretty advanced lift for week 1. Great start! Ok with the scores. Either someone great is coming up or they're holding down the scores for week 1. Jesse + Sharna: Quickstep seems quite challenging for week 1 but he did really good. No obvious foot problems, Great body contact. Maybe a little excited puppy syndrome with posture. Wow they're really holding down the scores. For level of difficulty and doing a very good job, I was expecting a 7. Skai + Alan: Not good starting with a fall down the stairs! It was good but kind of blah. Surprised to see the 7s. IMO maybe 2 points too high. It's 9pm and only 7 done so far. They'll have to step up the pace a bit. I really dislike Tyra's outfit. The hot pink top looks like a blazer tucked into bright red pants. Kinda ugly. Kaitlyn + Artem: Really good cha cha. Looked like she was in control. Artem had a few distraction moves and I tried to focus on Kaitlyn when he'd do it and couldn't figure out what he was covering. Agree with the scores. Nev + Jenna: Very nice foxtrot. Jenna still mugging for the camera, ugh! Frame was a little awkward and bum was sticking out but otherwise a really nice job. Scores are good. Are we to believe Len is awake at 2:10am in London watching the show live? Uh huh! Johnny + Britt: Timing was frequently off but great job. All 6s? Expected at least 2 7s. Ok, this is bugging me...we know there's no audience there. All the piped in applause, shout outs, etc. - it's all fake. Justina + Sasha: Fun, energetic, great job. This gal just lights up the ballroom. Agree with the scores. Charles + Emma: Oh dear! Very awkward, stiff, he didn't do much. Emma was so excited for 4s. Judges were kind. Monica + Val: The only thing I really noticed was her shoulders were too high. It seemed to take a while for her to relax into the dance but I'd write that off to first night jitters. I don't know what DH's 7 was for. And CAI would have given a 7 if not for the lifts? 6s were fine. Nelly + Daniella: I'd have expected that dancing to his own song, he'd be more relaxed. He seemed quite stiff and awkward. Agree with the scores. (What's she talking about "alot of hate in this room" with the piped in boos?) Seems like all the dances are ending with the same posed dip. Carole + Pasha: That seemed really short. It looked like Pasha was talking her through it. Too many issues to list. A 3 was a little harsh (considering Charles who barely moved). Well, kind of a blah night 1. I don't know if I'll stick with this...I haven't missed a show since season 5. Oh well, that's it for tonight. Uke

Hello All! I skipped most of last season and missed talking with all of you. I saw DWTS news on my IG feed this morning. I see Derek's back on the turf that made him famous (I guess the movie/Broadway star thing didn't work out, eh?). Reading comments above from those keeping closer track of events, it appears he'll be taking Len's seat, though I wonder if he'll be treated as "head judge" (my guess is it's in his contract demands) and how CAI (is she returning?) will take getting stepped over? Hmmm! I've seen a little of World of Dance and it appears Derek has become a master of reaction faces - it seems to be all he really does other than a few prepared remarks. How he'll do giving comments live on-the-spot...well, we'll see. I'd expect a lot of showboating with him going around the table to grab whatever celeb and demonstrating the moves (especially that twisty arm pretzel thing he loves to do!). He'd never be mistaken for a natural public speaker. But mercy! Derek and Bruno on the same judging table? JLo can keep Derek and Neyo in line but I doubt CAI will have any influence over Derek and Bruno. I've been a little lukewarm about watching this season but I'll probably tune in for at least the first couple of shows. Very disappointed that Tom and Erin got unceremoniously dumped. Can't stand Tyra but she could have been softed a bit if she were to co-host with Tom. But I supposed it's all Tyra or no Tyra. Most interested to see Pasha again and to see how Daniella teaches. I'll be happy seeing Sharna and Cheryl again. Sharna looks so much better with the blondish/pinkish hair than all that red. IMO the ones who endured the rigors of the pro/am competition circuit, Blackpool, and Burn The Floor are sooo much more talented and exciting to watch than the rest of them, including those SYTYCD grads. Just my personal preference, of course. Well, that's all for now. Look forward to reading your comments and opinions! Uke

I really didn't think they'd do it, but they did! Now cue all the "I'll never watch this show again" on SM. I do wish they would have given us the 2nd, 3rd, 4th placements.

After reading every post on all 4 pages, Wow! Quite a campaign going on here. First, about Juan Pablo. Yes, he's a very good dancer. Yes, he's learned very well from Cheryl. Yes, they appeared to have a very good partnership. But it seems to me there's been questions about his fan base from the very beginning, questions about whether he was he getting the votes. Were his scores a little too high as if the judges are trying to help keep him in the competition. I've seen many here mention they "forgot" him or his dance. There was nothing particularly striking to remember. No drama. Yeah, so he just wasn't getting the votes. I don't think it was all that shocking really. It happens most seasons. Someone is really good but they get "shockingly" eliminated when really they just didn't have fan support. CAI, she can cry me a river. She knows how this works. She over scores one, another suffers the consequences. She's gone on rants before. I think it's more face-saving than anything else. Now, about Bobby. I follow him on Instagram. I haven't seen any bashing of other competitors. So I went looking on twitter, scrolling back a week. Still didn't see any bashing of other competitors. By "bashing", is that being defined as mentioning "I don't have experience like they do"? IMO that's just stating a fact. IMO that's not having a chip on his shoulder either. On Instagram, IMO, he's been pretty humble, repeatedly thanking his fans for voting for him or "if you can", "if you have time" could you please vote again. Is he supposed to forfeit because he's not as talented as the others (ohh but he better not say so!)? Monday night was he supposed to volunteer in tribute to take the place of Juan Pablo's exit? Of course not! He's a competitor. His whole life has been a competition to bring himself out of desperate poverty. DWTS is just another competition. Competitors compete. Is he hellbent on winning? LOL! I don't think he's that deluded, though he will say he's off to rehearsals to "go get that mirrorball". He's amazed enough as it is that he made it to the finals. On his twitter I noticed he had RT'd/replied to a couple presumably nasty tweets, taking a fairly gentle tone. I say presumably because not only were the tweets deleted by the originator, the whole account was deleted. Sometimes people tweet out stuff not really understanding that there is someone on the other end reading what they sent, they get embarrassed and delete. On his IG, he showed a lengthy rant from someone who was campaigning with a petition for DWTS to dump Bobby and bring back Juan (not gonna happen!). Bobby just quietly said to not do that. That it doesn't bother him but it gets his fans upset. Anyway, I'm just not seeing this horrible person being described. Finally, about Sharna. Yes, she's definitely "complicit" in Bobby still being on the show-she's his coach. She shouldn't be expected to quit on him or forfeit either. Of course she'll defend him against trolling, nasty messages on social media, in interviews, etc. It's part of the job. Same as any other pro has done. But of course, Sharna knows Bobby, unlike most of us. And I think she'd be very proud in the unlikely instance of winning an MBT with Bobby. Who's the greater challenge? Bobby or someone who can dance better? And yes, of course her fans will try their best to get that MBT for her. I doubt she will get it this time but I don't begrudge her fans from trying. All JMO!

Week 8, Semi-Finals, and STILL 6 couples remain! I'm guessing there will be a double elimination tonight - at least I hope so! Hey! We've actually got to the semi-finals with no guest "judges". Excellent! Dedicated Dances: Bobby/Sharna: Oh I sooo don't like the cluster of audience/troupe around the raised stage usually to hide feet. He may not have missed any steps, I'm just not sure how many of those steps were salsa. Nice to mention those who are "really hurting" from the CA fires. (He's had this on his IG story a few times, so I wouldn't consider it a ploy for votes). Alexis/Alan: She's dedicating the dance to Alan? Really playing up the showmance, isn't she! She's a good dancer. I wish she (and Alan) didn't go this route. Besides, I thought this was all dedicated to her mother?? Looked like her feet come off the floor during that spin. That 10 was too high IMO due to the lift that CAI also saw and Len's lack of content critique. If Alan gets called back for next season, which I'd assume he will, he's going to get partners so TPTB can have another showmance. Who will take his career (on or off DWTS) seriously after this? Joe/Jenna: He didn't do much - or ANY - dancing. What was CAI impressed about. Can we now nickname him JungleJim Joe? At least Len admitted he didn't do much. 8-7-7 FOR WHAT!!!! So I guess he goes to the finals. And then these "judges" will look soooo heartbroken when a better dancer gets cut tonight. At least Bobby tries. Joe's whole schtick has been to not try and be accommodated for not trying. How cute! Juan/Cheryl: Beautiful! Straight on Argentine Tango. No messing around. No crowds on the floor. Classic! Yes, there was one out of sync moment and the body contact could have been a bit closer. But too many perfect scores are given for far-from-perfect dances. This one was well deserved! Evanna/Keo: That was beautifully and powerfully done. Glad that it was more uplifting than sorrowful. Good choreo from Keo. Awwww Keo just got me teary eyed. This is the farthest he's ever gotten. There's a real separation in the scores between the can-do's and the no-can-do's. I expect Milo will also get a perfect score. Milo/Witney: Another very good AT, though a little too dependent on lifts for my taste. Interesting scores. One point less than Alexis? I have to wonder how easily Milo is picking up these dances. I follow most of the pros on Instagram. Witney never shows him learning. All she posts with him are IG videos where they are goofing around, sitting around, teasing each other in rehearsals, but never anything of him learning the steps. I see Cheryl, Shauna at the studio late into the night teaching Juan or Bobby. Witney is off at concerts, meeting for her fashion line, hawking beauty products, etc. Curious. Judges' Choices Bobby/Sharna: Well...better than his first jive. What was he doing laying on the floor? Oh well. Bobby is Bobby. CAI has instant replay? That's new. 8s are his 10s! LOL! Alexis/Alan: Too many people on the floor and too many glaring lights. But I could still see some pretty glaring out-of-sync moments. She seemed to lose energy half way through and the sharpness in her kicks and flicks disappeared. This is an example of what I said earlier. A perfect score given for a far-from-perfect dance. My guess is they want her and her showmance in the finale and she needed some help from the scores that she didn't get from votes. Joe/Jenna: Whaddayaknow! That was actually a passable quickstep. You could drive a truck between them but much better and his frame was a little come-and-go, but by far his best dance. If that is all from a training session with CAI, then I really have to wonder about Jenna's teaching ability. Juan/Cheryl: Wow that was fun! Well done! Len makes an excellent point - both of Juan's dances were to proper music. Makes a difference. Evanna/Keo: That was very fast but she kept up the energy and sharpness throughout. I didn't see an error. Maybe there was but I didn't notice it. Milo/Witney: That struck me as a little weird. Nothing I could really put my finger on but something struck me wrong. Maybe I was too focused on him opening up his chest? I don't know. I don't see that as a 10 dance, so I disagree with Bruno. Wow! I understand their wanting Alexis in the finale if she's going on tour, but to sacrifice Juan is just wrong.

Well, tomorrow night is the last time for voting. Maybe they'll have a twitter "vote" after the freestyles next week, IF there are freestyles next week.

But there will be no voting on the final Monday night. The last vote will be Monday 11/12 after the semi-finals dances. Presumably the freestyles will be on the last night but only the judges will get to score them. Then they'll announce the winner and that will be that. Speaking of freestyles, I hope Keo is working with someone to develop some unique choreography. His choreography in the past has been somewhat dull and I'd like to see Evanna at least have a fighting chance. Then again, I haven't heard any of the pros mention freestyles yet. I believe the pros normally start working on them 2-3 weeks prior to the finale. I wonder if the production geniuses might skip the freestyles (which often involve a lot of stage production) and just have fusion dances instead.

That's interesting. But I'm sure they'll still find a way to override a bad viewer choice for winner. I doubt they would risk the whole "stature" (or being viewed as a joke) of the show for Joe and Bachelor Nation. They could also dust off the 2 and 3 paddles for next week.

Don't worry. The judges always make the choice from the 3 finalists. The viewers select the finalists and then on Tuesday, the final show, there's one more dance where the judges can adjust the scores to get the "winner" they want. Remember Bristol? She was knocking people out left and right with her Mom's fans and the Vote For The Worst group. They just adjust the scores on the last dance. If they like how the scores and votes played out, only then do they give everyone 10s. The show would "jump the shark" if it ever let Joe "win".

I noticed in the credits on the trailer that Natasha Bure is in the film. She's Candace Bure's daughter. So there's another connection, I guess for both Maks and Peta. On Natasha's IMDB, the film is show in "post-production" which is normal after filming is done. I had to laugh that the premise is Peta teaching someone to dance. Sooo original!

Country Week Ohhhh boy, the dreaded double elimination! Can they PLEASE stop saying YeeHaw! John/Emma: Emma does a good job coming up with cute routines that her partners can handle (Jenna! Heads up!). The only reason I don't mind all the extra dancers on the floor is that John is so tall, he's easy to spot in the crowd. This whole lead-up seems overly emotional. Is he feeling the danger of low scores last week? A desperation move? I don't know but I did enjoy the dance. Not sure what to make of the scores. Evanna/Keo: Ouch! 2nd to dance. They really really don't like her (or him?), now do they! She's got the light & shade and the fast & slow but too many stop & poses. It's supposed to flow, constantly move from one action to the next. This is Keo's fault. But definitely one of the better rumbas that I've seen on this show. Hold on CAI. She's not becoming a ballroom dancer by speed learning one dance a week. But I agree that Evanna is coming along wonderfully (though she was never as awkward as Kelly Osbourne starting out). Juan Pablo/Cheryl: Do you get the impression that most of the stars and pros (with a few exceptions) don't really like country music? I'm picking up some mockery going on. Wow this is fast and loads of steps. Not much Charleston and what looked like a flub at the end when sweeping his leg over Cheryl. I really didn't care for this and much of the problem I think was the song. Perfect score? I get the feeling they're trying to save him. No way was that a perfect "Charleston". Joe/Jenna: Let's see. Dark floor, lots of troupe with similar outfits, flashing lights straight at the cameras (our eyes), yep! All she forgot was fog on the floor. It wasn't bad for week 1 - stiff, awkward, heavy footed - except this is week 7. I do think the "over-confidence" in the package was all a producer-driven script. Milo/Witney: His posture, at least in hold, has definitely improved. A nice foxtrot. Did not like the interruption in the middle to gaze at the singer. The camera should be on the competing dancers at all times. They can gaze at the singer during pro dances. An awful lot of 10s tonight. DeMarcus/Lindsay: She's spinning and dancing like crazy while he mostly swayed in place. A little balance issue as he was dragging her across the floor. While dragging her in a circle, he actually tipped back on his heel - I've never seen anyone do that. They even showed it in replay during judging. It's a wonder no one mentioned it. Alexis/Alan: Oh please! He has feelings for her and gets all kissy. Didn't any of the male pros pull him aside after last week's show? Oh well. A passable samba. She just doesn't move her hips. CAI tried to explain her problem saying she dances too high. She doesn't dig down into the floor which has been a problem with all her dances. No way was that worth any 10s. Bobby/Sharna: What's with all the breakaways to gaze at the singer? His posture is a mess, his frame is a mess, at one point he was running across the floor in little baby steps. But boy! He sure is trying! He was so happy for 8s. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I just like this guy. Team Bobby: Some sync issues. Evanna blended right in with the lady pros. The men's choreo was simple enough that Bobby could keep up. Good job. That's a very high score. Sets a high bar for Team Joe. Team Joe: How many ways can they hide Joe? LOL! Even riding a bull while the others dance. But on the lineup at the table, they put him right up front! Go figure! But they kept every one moving and mixing it up so it was hard to follow anyone. Ohhhh Thank goodness Evanna is safe. I hope this gets her tons of votes tonight. I can think of 2 others I'd rather see go before John. Oh well.

Interesting. I had the opposite opinion of them on SYTYCD. Lindsay, to me, was the better technician while Witney was better at flirting and cheesing for the camera. It left me with the impression that Witney, being knockout gorgeous, got used to getting away with more and Lindsay, being beautiful but not on Witney's level of gorgeous had to work at it more. Now on DWTS we see that Lindsay having always had to work a little harder, seems to be better at coaching, at least to me, and Witney either does well or checks out. All just my opinion of course. I do agree completely about DeMarcus. Seeing him next to Rashad really showed the difference and Lindsay has been covering a lot. Yes, he's tremendously strong, and yes, she does love to fly, but he's not so great as a dancer.