Dots And Stripes

Odd episode.So Mike is heading to Tuscon, where no one lives anymore. I wonder if he'll find his way to Malibu. Or maybe Jason has no intention of becoming a full time cast member. What the heck, editors? Those scenes from the next episode included major spoilers. Not cool.

Vulture included Better Off Ted on their list of best sitcoms on Netflix. They also recently shouted out the show as part of a piece on The Grinder. It's nice to see this show being remembered.

Did an Australian paper say Tristan and his very pregnant wife (congrats!) moved to Australia? Could just be temporary for the first few months after the child is born, but I do think he might like the Australian version better. If he dislikes tv producers then he might still dislike it and Todd can be a jerk, but it's a lot more low key than the US or the UK. Maybe Tristan just doesn't like tv dance shows. I do think the Australian version most fits his vibe. The producers may like power couples, but they apparently rejected Trent's attempt to strong arm his wife onto the show. While I don't think Elena doing the Russian tour necessarily dooms her, it also doesn't do anything to dispel my thinking that the tabloids were hoping to needle the Jordans more than anything. I don't think Elena is a good fit for Striclty. Who knows if the producers agree with me or not.

I can't even remember all of those plot lines. IMO, none of the plots on this show are particularly memorable. For me, I've seen Shelley and Brett as having more to do in most episodes than Leslie and Burski. Yes, Leslie and Burski ended with a relationship, but that relationship was mostly invented this episode. They've been secretly dating and we've never seen it. Very convenient. Burski had a few episodes where he barely spoke. I almost wondered if he would survive the season he was being used so little. I don't think he was given much to do, which was fine to me because I never thought he added much. Bursi was mostly just a creeper with a throw away line every once in a while. That's just my take. I respect that you may have seen it differently. Not many thoughts on Candace and Justin getting engaged? I still get the brother sister vibe from them. No romantic chemistry whatsoever. Also, that diamond was changed from a tongue ring to an engagement ring very quickly. Ick. This episode was a lot of fun. I think the live audiences have warmed up over the season. I agree with everyone who says the live aspect is what makes the show worth watching. The plots are mostly forgettable or bad, but the cast sort of saves it with their energy.

It's funny to see some people didn't like this episode as much. This might have been my favorite since the pilot. I loved Dean's dramatic walk away while Stuart stood tried to figure out what he was doing. The Sanderson lawyers played really well off each other in court (even though they wouldn't need 5 attorneys for what Stuart said was a relatively minor case) and the scene where the parents explain Andre was gone showed just as much chemistry. Everything the entire episode just felt like it clicked.

Now the British press is trying to poach US pros according to this.. I don't see any of the female pros named going to Strictly. They're all doing well enough here and I don't think any of them would prefer to live in London, even Emma. I don't think Masha would go without Aric (and he'd be the better steal anyway. Too bad guys aren't needed right now.) I'd throw Ash-leigh Hunter out there as the female Australian pro I think would make the smoothest transition. She impressed me last season with her athlete partner. I'm still not sold on Elena. Even putting aside my distaste for Gleb, I haven't been impressed with her as a dancer. There are a few videos of her dancing with her partner on the Australina version if anyone is interested. I'll be interested in seeing if she is part of the tour at all. Apparently Trent's wife was in the tour last year. I would think if producers are really interested in her, they would test her out a little on tour.

Possible spoiler based on casting news from tvline: * Boris Kodjoe (The Last Man on Earth) is set to join Code Black in the recurring role of Dr. Will Campbell, a suave but arrogant surgeon who ends up competing with Raza Jaffrey’s Dr. Hudson. He will first appear on the Feb. 3 episode (which would seem to foretell the fate of his Last Man character, who was last seen flatlining in the fall finale).

I don't think Kristina will be back next season, although I think if she really wants to be back and they want her back, the timing could be worked out. If she's due around July she could be ready to dance by the launch show. She may not have any interest in that though. I won't particularly miss her on the show. I know tabloids like to create drama, but I don't quite buy her version of events on a number of things either. She's never come across as the warmest figure on screen and all of the messy stories just don't help anything. Who knows what the truth is though, so if this is the end of her on Strictly best of luck to her on her future endeavors.

Thanks for the info. I'm skeptical about any source that says Elena was a huge success on the US version of the show. She did a pro dance maybe at some point? The article looks like it's just another excuse to pile on Ola. It's also kind of funny that Gleb and his wife would be about recreating the Jordans, with no mention of the other two real life couples currently in the cast.

Congrats to Carson! He got married. http://www.people.com/article/carson-daly-siri-pinter-married

My aversions to Karen and Janette are different. I don't particularly like watching Karen dance. I find her more awkard than the other female pros. The idea that she apparently thought she was so much better than Ola just hurts her further in my estimation. Janette is amazing when she goes full in pro dances, but I don't think she's very good at capturing the individual styles with her partners, particularly standard ballroom. I like Aljaz and depending on the week I like Kevin. If Jo is close with Giovanni, wouldn't she have had split loyalties in the finale? I also wonder if Aliona's rumored unpopularity among the cast (and feud with Brendan) contributed to some of the reactions. Anyway, I don't agree that having pros who are close outside of the show is a problem. I tend to think fans exaggerate those sorts of things. Like the Hough/Ballases versus the the fam. They all seem fine with each other and I think it's the fans who blow every little slight out of proportion. I also don't think it's realistic to have 15-16 pros who are all going to be equally close. There will always be cliques. If any pros are engaging in bad behavior that's one thing, but I don't think the Clifton clan needs to be split up because they're close.

I see there has been a lot of pro talk in the finale page. It looks like Ola and Aliona are gone for certain and maybe Kirstina. With Kristina, I would think it would have more to do with her being tabloid fodder and less to do with her partner assignments or any disappointment in that respect. I'm kind of sad to see some of the longtime pros go. Aliona was at times guilty of weird choreography, but I haven't been impressed with many of the newer pros who seem to rely more on tricks. I also don't see Trent returning with his wife. Striclty doesn't have a strong track record of bringing back pros who have sat out a series. On top of that, the next series will start almost 2 years after Trent's only series. That's a long time for the public to forget about a pro. I like the idea of Anton coming back. As much as Brendan can be petulant, it wouldn't feel right without him either.

Jay seems like a sweetheart, so I'm happy for him. It is a little weird to see Aliona become the first pro to win twice. She is a lovely dancer though and some of the recent additions (Jannette, Karen) have made me appreciate her more. Getting Jay to cut his hair was a stroke of genius as far as I'm concerned. I also really enjoyed this partnership and I think there is a genuine friendship there. The finale was a little weird in that Kellie seemed to be crowned by the judges, yet it looks like the public voted her third. Kevin worked his butt off these last two weeks, but I guess I wasn't the only one who couldn't quite warm to Kellie. I still wish Giovanni had picked something else for the freestyle.

I'm a little surprised at Aliona and Geovanni's choices for showdances. I think Jay and Georgia could have outdone Kellie in fast, fun dances. Kevin choreographed a fun number, and one that relied less on side by side work than I would expect from him, but Kellie kind of looked like she was being thrown around at times. I think Kevin did the best of the pros. I wish Anton would have gone full old school glamour for his number.

Maks and Peta are on the cover of People Magazine.

1 Jordan Smith Mary Did You Know (The Voice Performance) 2 Emily Ann Roberts Burning House (The Voice Performance) 4 Jordan Smith Climb Every Mountain (The Voice Performance) 5 Jordan Smith & Adam Levine God Only Knows (The Voice Performance) 6 Emily Ann Roberts & Blake Shelton Islands In the Stream (The Voice Performance) 10 Jordan Smith Somebody To Love (The Voice Performance) 11 Barrett Baber Die a Happy Man (The Voice Performance) 13 Jeffery Austin Stay (The Voice Performance) 17 Emily Ann Roberts Blue Christmas (The Voice Performance) 20 Jordan Smith Hallelujah (The Voice Performance) 25 Jeffery Austin & Gwen Stefani Leather and Lace (The Voice Performance) 28 Barrett Baber & Blake Shelton Rhinestone Cowboy (The Voice Performance) 31 Barrett Baber Silent Night (The Voice Performance) 32 Jeffery Austin O Holy Night (The Voice Performance) We have a race on our hands here. I didn't quite listen to hear if itunes season long totals count. That probably means Jordan has it in the bag.

Confession: I'm throwing a vote or two to Barrett tonight. Basically it's Team Blake vs. Team Adam tonight and I have to vote Team Blake. I know, I'm what's wrong with America, but I'm not even sorry. I'm still shocked they opened the night with Jordan singing his big solo number. He is no Audra McDonald though. It was nice of Jordan to sing down to Adam's level int he duet. The first 75% of that number were a snore until Jordan started singing on his own. Jeffery still remained one note. He did better this week than last week, but I remain bored. I think he needed a coach to force him to change it up once or twice. Even though I'm throwing Barrett a vote, I don't like him. His duet with Blake was fun though. I like Emily Ann even if she's not the best country singer this show has had. Again, Blake kept the duet fun. The stylist went overboard for her last look.

Jordan was first up tonight! I never would have guessed that would happen. Also, the show is actually having each artist perform one time per round which is shocking. They tend to let the fodder perform all three songs before the front runner performs a second time. This is progress!

Anita's foxtrot scored the same from the judges and Len also thought it lacked content. IMO, Anita didn't have a good routine to pick for that round. Really though, she was one of the weaker dances left. It would have been hard for her to avoid the dance off. Kellie, Jay, and Georgia were the three best dancers left. The dance off at this stage will favor someone like Katie who is inconsistent but can get one routine to look beautiful.

No way would Gail have been able to handle using Gordon's corpse. That was icky. I love seeing Gail reluctantly step up. Someone has to take some responsibility there.

Anita and Katie were the weakest dancers left. It was the right bottom 2. I think Anita was a relatively weak dancer who made up for it by selling the heck out of her performances. Given the choice between Anita and Katie (or really Gleb and Anton), I'm thrilled to see Katie and Anton moving forward.

I feel like we've seen a Gleb showdance several times this season. I have no desire to see another one. It is Anita's time, but I'm worried it won't happen. I felt so bad for Georgia. She got sick at the wrong time. I also think the AT would have suited her more. It sounds like the doctor saying no getting thrown around is what necessitated the change. The good news is I think her VW gives her a good shot at staying should she end up in the dance off. I liked Jay's Charleston but not as much as the judges did. He looked a little awkward. He didn't quite have the looseness needed. Man they really laid into Katie tonight. The good news is the 4 doesn't really make much of a difference when things are ranked. Let's see how much good will there is for Anton out there.

Not my Pharrell! I think comes across as such a sweetheart.

The app lets you have up to 10 votes per artist. You could in theory give 10 votes to everyone and just cancel yourself out. Interestingly, I think giving 10 votes to all but one artist would have the same effect as voting against that one artist. It's super easy to play around with votes on the app too. Before the season started, I thought eliminating phone votes would give itunes more power. It seems to have had the opposite effect. The app is much quicker and easier. Also, itunes voting was close last night. There isn't going to be a huge difference in the sales figures for the song at #5 and the song at #10.

I feel like if Zach did something upbeat and flirty he would have made it a tougher match up. He was never going to outsing Jeffery, although maybe he was just hoping the country vote would pull him through. He's got a bright future anyway and Blake is really good at helping his artists (or at least sending them in the right directions). He's such a sweetheart. I liked all of the three in the save so I was fine with any result. This was the first time Jeffery hasn't bored me in weeks. He earned his spot. I would have liked to see Madi advance to hear more life advice from Pharrell next week. America, I will never understand what you see in Barrett. Does he have like a million relatives voting for him? At least Adam is down to 1 artist. That 1 is probably going to win, but for tonight I can enjoy his momentary defeat. (nothing against Amy or Shelby)