TeeM

truth, I am also waiting for the break he kept talking about. Wasn't he all emotional at the end of All Stars because of that promised break? Take the break! LOL I am no Derek fan but I do agree with a lot of what you said. Derek figured out the game early on and he plays it well. I can't fault him for that. I also agree that his choreography is pretty amazing. But I do think the producers sometimes help his game play quite a bit, not so much with ringers, etc, but with group dance points, dance order, judges ignoring his occasional rule breaking and rehearsal package edits. That is what annoys me. Also, looks like we'll be watching the Golden Boy play Prince Charming this week.

I agree about Val and Maks being very different. I think even Maks has admitted that Val is much, much more intense about the work getting to show night, staying up late to choreograph and stressing out over every move. I think Maks seems to have the sense that everything will work out and doesn't get so hung up on the work during the week. I remember in that little clip they showed on the season with Zendaya where Maks was helping Val stretch and Val said something about how Maks was 2 hours late for practice. Val said their dad would be angry if he knew because their dad always stresses hard work. And Maks said "End result." I think Val puts emphasis on the work, Maks puts emphasis on the result. Totally different approaches.

Uncle Owdy, Thank you so much for expressing my feelings about the dances Derek choreographs for his partners. You expressed my feelings much more eloquently than I have ever been able to. I agree 100% with your assessment, particularly when thinking about Kellie's season. In many of their dances (the Paso specifically comes to mind) I felt that he was dancing while she was posing dramatically behind his movements and it infuriated me because she was super talented and I wanted to see her dance, not see him dance around her. I think his strategy is incredibly successful and smart, particularly in seasons when he has partners who are not natural dance talents (like Amber and Ricki Lake) but it is very frustrating when he has someone who can do so much more. It will be interesting if Mark really gets Amy moving around the dance floor this week in Derek hasn't done yet.