Dots And Stripes

I watched the west coast version (it's the one on the NBC Roku channel). I liked that it felt more like there was a storyline this episode. The fact that it centered on Shelley was another plus.

Congrats to Jamelia and Tristan on their engagement! Kidding! But that was one of the weirdest uses of a prop yet. I could maybe see if it were a song that expressly mentioned marriage, not just a generic love song. Kirsty and Peter are tied. I was happy to see Kirsty improve so much this week. I think she has all of the ingredients to be a good dancer, but her fear gets in the way. That dress was gorgeous. The judges kept harping on Peter's stops and accents during the rumba. I had noticed Jannette doing the same thing. To me it looked like a choreography choice for the music, but one that was strange for the rumba. Even I know that the rumba needs continuous movement. Poor Katie. With all of the choreography help on set now, I hope Anton finds a way to stop this pattern of Katie doing so well at ballroom and not in latin. I think she has the potential to do so much better with latin. I liked Kellie's dancing better this week than in previous weeks. I still don't feel like I get enough personality from her though.

I think you might be right about the duos, however, I don't think that changes my point that duos don't really have an advantage on this show. We have yet to have a duo really dominate any season. Adam's twins may do well, but even if they win I don't think it will change the game.

When would Blake have the opportunity to pair Emily and Chance in a duet? Next round everyone has their own song and it's artist's choice. I don't agree with that making that conclusion based on montages alone. Each coach still has to drastically cut into their team next round. It's very possible Blake's and Pharrell's montaged winners get cut before any voting happens.

I too like that Dean is there fore his niece and nephew. I think that's what makes his character work. He's out of touch with a lot of reality because of his show, but he's not a jerk. He genuinely loves his family. He also made a point about celebrity coming with responsibility. So he's not completely entitled. His heart is in the right place even if he's a bit misguided. The scene with Stewart at the party showed that there isn't a "good" brother and a "bad" brother. Stewart totally fell for the false flattery showing some ego. I can kind of see why he would be upset. He's disappointed that the compliments weren't genuine and as we've seen before he doesn't want to always be in his brothers shadow. I think both reactions are understandable and show that the character, while more in touch with reality than Dean, still has his shortcomings.

Did they kind of drop the father's story this week? He's not given a case, so he takes it upon himself to reshuffle offices. And? I feel like they probably filmed another scene that was cut. At least we found out that he was semi-retired before, which was new information for me.

I like the twins in theory and they seem like very likable people, but their singing drives me up a wall. I think song choice is playing into it, because there were moments I could appreciate their voices. I jdidn't like how their sound worked on this song. If they did well, maybe it would be a different story. I think the Swons are the only duo to make the finale and they were hugely helped by personality and fitting in so well with Team Blake that year. Braiden won with his little quip. I felt bad on that one. Lyndsey was better in that performance. Gwen self sabotaging there. Even she knows Braiden may not be ready. I was also mad at Gwen for sticking Chace with Sampson. It didn't fit his voice and it fit the girl's (can't remember her name) voice to a tee. IMO, he didn't have a real shot at that one. I was hoping to see more of him.

The forehead kiss was my favorite bit. I also had no idea what Gina was getting at. I thought it was hilarious.

Can someone please explain the hair (or lack there of) to me. Is this the bald head for a part or something?

Original Phil has been a jerk, even recently. I was happy he put out the fire but I was a little worried no one would believe him. He has very little credibility and for good reason. If I were one of the others, I probably would have thought original Phil started the fire so that he could be the hero that saved everyone. Original Phil's problem is that he always wants something better. That doesn't go away over night. It looks like he's going to try and use whatever is going on with Todd to his advantage. That will probably make him look like a jerk too.

i feel like they must have dropped some clues about Todd this episode. He was acting weird but I started to really notice after Melissa's conversation with Carol. The obvious answer, to me, is he's cheating on Melissa with one of the girls whose names I can never remember. Erica? The last two girls are both available. No one else was giving off nervous vibes as much as Todd was, but then again he started the fire and he'd be the one cheating on a significant other. I'm more leaning towards a man cave type scenario where he has supplies or amenities that he's keeping to himself. I could see some major guilt about that, especially since the canned food is expiring. (side note: why are these people not farming? I assume bees are gone, but Phil and Tandy both seem industrious enough to study up on agriculture enough to start a nice little farm. These people have enough time on their hands for it.)

I agree with your assessment of James. I'll add it was rumored Ola really wanted to be paired with Peter, probably the male with the highest expectations this series. I don't know enough about his background to really assess his ringer-ness. The weird part of James' non-dancer fixation this time is I don't think there are many true ringers. Peter, Helen, Jay, maybe Kellie (I saw a lot of high expectations for her, but I have no real idea about her background) isn't really a high volume of ringers. I don't feel like anyone in that group has so far looked unbeatable. Peter seems to be getting the biggest push, but he's handicapped by Jannette. (Which reminds me, I would love to hear a James rant on the US version having a star who participated in real ballroom competitions being paired with a pro who dd not. Talk about subverting the point of the show.) Jeremy definitely goes for it. Anita and Jamelia seem to have the same just go for it spirit. Both are better than Jeremy, but still lack the refinement of other celebrities. Certainly they're more fun to watch than Kirstie. She looks so uncomfortable all the time. Ainsley had a great week. I thought it was a real improvement over his tango. I'm still liking Georgia but that song this week was aweful. Thank goodness for live streams because some of my favorite moments this week were with Claudia. Specifically, Jay seemed so sweet and so sincere when he said he was happy to receive a 5 from Craig. I love sincerity. Also, Claudia's non-reaction to Peter's hug was great as was Kevin ripping open is vest in celebration while leaving his shirt underneath completely buttoned. I like Kevin but Kellie is boring me.

Maybe there's a better thread to discuss this, but Gwen I think had the worst record in face offs and had the most montaged artists. I wouldn't agree that a strong team is necessarily diverse. Blake killed it the season he brought Danielle and the Swons to finale. He was very countrified that season too. Back to this episode, yeah, Gwen is still losing when she fights for artists. I was kind of kidding about using the "I have a weak team as a pitch" thing, but I do think someone like Ivonne would benefit from being on a team with fewer artists with a lot of buzz. She's someone who needs time to grow. I'm not sure she can progress enough in a short time, but I think she'd get more time on Gwen's team.

Apparently Life & Style has Blake and Gwen on their cover and says a wedding is going to happen. Not surprisingly, Gossip Cop says it's not true. I'm with Gossip Cop on this one. For the record, I don't think there is anything going on with Blake and Gwen, but I find the rumors entertaining. I like their rapport this season. Then again, I like Blake's rapport with pretty much everyone.

I'll be the third to say the kids are really great. Especially Ethan. So far I think the show is pleasant enough. I enjoy it and it has promise, but I'm not 100% sold yet. I'll stick around for a while.

I kind of cut her some slack on this because I think distinguishing yourself from the other coaches can be a good strategy. I think Gwen can use more finesse, but Blake likes to point out the things they have in common and all of the things he can do in the country world that the others can't. It's valid to pick a coach because they seem the most enthusiastic and give you the best compliments, a sign they may keep you around a while, but I also think it's valid to pick a coach because they have an asset the others don't. Gwen's other problem is her team did terribly last time. Sure Pharrell's team did poorly his first season too, but I think artists would be more likely to take a chance on him because he is very good at building people up and his career has been on fire the last few years. I think Gwen's new pitch should be "I got Craig Wayne Boyd to cut his hair." Sure he went back to Team Blake, but I do think Gwen's makeover helped him a lot.

I kind of hated that Kellie got saddled with the Star Wars theme while Jeremy was given something elegant which could have been a show stopper in the right hands. The Lady and the Tramp theme was way over the top for me, but I think Kirstie seemed more comfortable hiding in the character, so I was ok with that one.

Doesn't Gwen have the overall weaker team though? Honestly I think she should start using that in her pitches. I do think you're right about Ivonne having her sights on Blake already. I enjoyed the banter between Gwen and Blake tonight. I feel like the show is going to take us on a "are they or aren't they" ride just for publicity, but as long as it's fun to watch, I'm ok with it.

I think the broader context matters too. He has said repeatedly that being a competing pro on the show is not a good fit for him. That's different from saying the show is bad or beneath him. It doesn't fit the fact that he says what he wants to say. The People article is actually an example of that too. He did a podcast where he explained a few things in more depth, but it's the outrageous quotes that get picked out along with a strong headline. Maks has said before he doesn't hate the show. He's said he hopes it continues for years because he likes that a dance show is on tv. Maks' candor is one of the things made the show tolerable for me. I would get bored watching people who give the same stock quotes all the time. It gets too predictable. Oh and I have a completely different view of Anna. I agree she takes a different view of the show then Maks does, but I think she is a very competitive person.

I checked this out on Roku, so I have no idea which coast I watched. I liked the energy and I think this would be a cool idea for other sitcoms. I liked Funches seemingly having more to do. Is it me or did the set change? Maybe they just got Burski and Shelly out of that booth. Justin and Candice make me very uncomfortable. I looked up both of their ages (29 and 22) because he just comes across as so much older. Maybe it's because she was a Disney kid? I wish they would abandon that romance.

Christina is back for season 10!!!!!! So are Blake, Adam, and Pharrell.

I think maybe developing the father character more could help some of the awkwardness. Right now, he seems strangely passive for the patriarch considering he's also a lawyer. Has he just mentally checked out of his career? Is he star struck by Dean? Does he feel the need to protect Dean here? I can't figure out if the father is just a crappy lawyer or if he has some other angle. He should be sharing Stewart's concerns. Weird that they're setting up Lucy with Chris. I don't think Tom Haverford will like this very much. I enjoyed Lucy (Is her name Clair here?) and I agree that her playing foil to Dean could be nice. I just felt she had way more chemistry with Stewart off the bat, but obviously the show won't go there.

I'm shocked Gwen filled her team before Pharrell. I figured some of her montaged singers were because she was the last one left, although it looks like it was down to Gwen and Pharrell and he was so much more selective. The coaches peaking for that last artist was so cute. They looked like little kids trying to stay up past their bed times.

It was such a great surprise having Will Farrell there. Now I'm sad though because he's dead and can't come back. Obviously he wasn't going to stay, but it stings. At first I was mad Phil was going to lie about the notes, but it started to make sense. If Carol left without him, he would be completely alone. He told some useless lies in the past. At least this one was understandable and didn't last long.

Thank you, Aliona, for cutting Jay's hair. I did chuckle that she said it was "for the waltz." Is he supposed to get a new hair cut each week to match the dance? She's won a pass for a few weeks on some of her weird choreography just for that make over. Still liking Georgia. Still rooting for Anton to make it to the end this time. Latin is definitely going to be Ainsley's strong suit. He still has strange posture, but he sells a dance. Natalie looked gorgeous. Mystified how Daniel is in the top half of the leader board when the first two weeks are combined. Can we please have Peter paired with Janette in latin and Joanne in ballroom? He has so much potential and I loved the styling this week, but I did not like that quickstep.