[S24.E09: Week 9: Semi-Finals]

8 minutes ago, tessaforever said:

One thing I really like is Sasha and Emma's relationship. There's just enough PDA that you don't forget they're engaged, but not so much as to be annoying or aggravating. You could tell he was super excited for Emma to be in the finale. So sweet. 

You mean you don't want to see them in 50 People magazine articles a day talking about all their first dates since the baby was born? LOL

[S24.E09: Week 9: Semi-Finals]

9 minutes ago, Venee said:

These are people who when the casts were announced considering their backgound , people like myself felt they had the potential to produce some great dance routines  so we tuned in. Drew Lachey, Mario Lopez, Mel B, Kristi Yamaguchi, Sabrina Bryant, Melissa Rycroft, Evan , Nicole, Mya, Jennifer Grey, Zendaya, Corbin, Meryl, Charlie, Alfonso, Ryker, Laurie, Mary Lou Henner, and Normani, Heather, and Simone this season..  I'm sure I'm leaving out  others (I missed a season here or there)

I wouldn't consider half those people to be "excellent dancers" but whatever floats your boat.

[S24.E09: Week 9: Semi-Finals]

7 minutes ago, Venee said:

You asked why people watched if that's the concept. I told you the "concept" is not the reality. They cast excellent dancers (have season after season) that is why people like myself tend to watch, otherwise we would not.

I'm not sure what "excellent dancers" you've been watching season after season? The only ones I can think of are Nicole, Alfonso, Meryl and Heather --- all people who have professional training and one professional dancer.

[S24.E09: Week 9: Semi-Finals]

21 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

Rashad will be a weak winner when you stack him against other winners IMO. 

How is he any "weaker" than Brooke Burke, Melissa Rycroft or Amber Riley? Or, who I think was the biggest travesty of all as the winner, Nyle DiMarco?

21 minutes ago, sinycalone said:

How long will the tour last?  If Rashad is sincere about wanting to get back in the NFL (and I'm sure he is)....spending more time dancing is not going to help his chances.  He now needs to show teams that he's ready to play football once again.

I wasn't talking about the celebrity going on tour, I was talking about the pros. They've used Val to front a very weak tour lineup since they resumed doing the tours (other than the first one, where they also had Mark and Kym, if I remember right). I just don't feel a pro lineup of Sharna, Emma, Lindsay, Keo, Artem and Gleb is going to sell that many tickets, so whatever little push they can get from having MIRRORBALL WINNER Emma or Lindsay is worth it to them.

16 minutes ago, Venee said:

It's not a show about taking people who don't know how to dance and teaching them. If it was ,they wouldn't cast people who know how to dance.  It matters not what Julianne (whom I heard parrot that line) says, It's  what the show actually does. The tag line is  "Vote for your favorite"  If the show really was about people who don't know how to dance I wouldn't watch.

Yes that is the concept of the show and has been since the day it went on the air. It matters not what you want to turn throwaway lines of passing dialogue into, that is the concept of the show.

[S24.E09: Week 9: Semi-Finals]

I think Rashad will end up winning because of the tour. The pro lineup is extremely weak and they need whatever little push they get from having the mirrorball winner on it. Val's not on it and appears to be taking next season off so there's nothing in it for the show if he wins. David winning would be too far out there even for how manipulated the show has become. Other dark horses have made the finals but none have actually won.

This season should really serve as a huge wake up call to the manipulators and story creators on staff.....but I someone get the feeling it won't mean squat.

3 minutes ago, Venee said:

    I checked out when Heather was booted. With her went the hopes of seeing some fantastic dances going head to head. 

I'm confused by statements like this. If you want to see fantastic dances going head to head then why not watching ballroom dancing competitions rather than a reality show about taking people who don't know how to dance and teaching them?

[S24.E09: Week 9: Semi-Finals]

40 minutes ago, sinycalone said:

Cubs and Red Sox -- two of the strongest fan bases in all of baseball are behind David.  And I don't mind....he's been fun to watch, worked hard, and stayed humble.

Yankee fans, Cardinals fans, Dodgers fans.......I think David has all baseball fans behind him.

[General Gabbery: DWTS]

18 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

Maks epically screwing up Mel's freestyle

Again, I don't know why people blame Maks for Mel's freestyle when Mel herself has said she was too busy to rehearse so she just chose to wing it that night. I'm the first one to criticize Maks but in this case I really think it's undeserved.

[General Gabbery: DWTS]

36 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

I knew that she was in Sway.  I thought you were trying to say that she got the job at DWTS because of Maks and Val.  Same thing with Alan.  Sorry, I misunderstood your post.

Oh no, sorry if I wasn't clear. I meant the ones who get the job on DWTS and then think attaching themselves to Maks and Val will open more doors for them.

[General Gabbery: DWTS]

3 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

Jenna knew other people at DWTS before she started.  She's known Witney and Lindsay since they were little girls.   She also knows Mandy Moore from SYTYCD.  Then Mandy started using her in other non-DWTS projects before she became a member of the troupe. 

Alan was also on SYTYCD but I don't know if he knew Maks and Val before that.

I'm talking about the ones who have attached themselves to Maks and Val and their fam and think being part of that group will open doors for them. I know Jenna grew up with Lindsay and Witney but she's also worked her way into the fam. See her participation in the fam project "Sway" and also last summer when she was following Val around on tour.

[General Gabbery: DWTS]

6 hours ago, crossover said:

Alan appears to have the relationship with Maks, Val and Mandy. 

I don't know that Alan necessarily has a relationship with Maks and Val other than he's the latest troupe member that have hitched their wagon to Maks and Val hoping it would help them move up the ladder. See Peta, Henry and Jenna.

 

5 hours ago, crossover said:

But, contemporary started happening before Mandy.  I remember some of the DWTS pros stating that Mandy Moore had helped with the choreography.  And she wasn't with DWTS.  MAYBE the DWTS pros helped Mandy get her job?

Mandy helped choreograph Maks and Erin's freestyle in Season 10, the first contemporary done on the show. A couple of seasons ago when Maks hosted All Access, Erin went up to talk with him and she commented on how "we were the first to use Mandy Moore and now she's got a job on the show."

[General Gabbery: DWTS]

14 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

And some of them have started thinking they're more important than they are in my opinion. Looking at you Alan. I remember watching an interview with him where he came very close to suggesting that essentially they do more than the Pros, because they have to do the bumpers, learn the choreography for whatever couple's dance they're in and be ready to step in if a Pro is injured.

And that's all well and good but all I was thinking is that I wonder if Alan realizes this show was a huge success long before the troupe was ever a thing and it'd be fine without them. The Pros seemed to manage just fine before and frankly sometimes, the use of the troupe in a couple's dance amounts to them standing around being human props. So spare me with that crap. 

Oh I so agree with this. I think they also started getting big heads when a group of Twitter people realized the pros might ignore them but the troupe members were so desperate for a fan base they would spend hours responding to their tweets. Some even followed them. Then those people started pushing for them to be pros and the rest is history.

[General Gabbery: DWTS]

1 hour ago, crossover said:

The "Sabrina" season changed a lot.  The judges try to keep the dance-experienced celeb around as long as they can because it makes for a better show.  But if the voters don't support that celeb, the scoring difference has to be huge for that celeb to win.  I would think more than 5?

I still think the show really started to change for the worse Season 12, when they brought in the troupe. One of the greatest things about the earlier seasons was seeing the pros dance and we got less and less of that with the troupe around. Now they force feed them down our throats trying to find the next big "star" and no one they've brought in qualifies. 

I also think a big part of that is that the original pros were all ballroom champions and now they tend towards former SYTYCD and BtF cast members, neither of which appeal to me.

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

3 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Also, all the proof I need that Henry is an egotistical douche is that picture my friend sent me from of his Memorial Day Instagram post, which was a shot of him in some speedo, with an American flag draped over him, with his caption thanking the brave men and women for their sacrifice that allowed him to follow his dreams. Like what dream was that - to take a douchy half naked picture with a flag draped over him?

Remember his whole 50 Shades of Gray photo shoot he was posting on Instagram? LOL

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

11 hours ago, Selkie75 said:

While I agree that TPTB definitely highlight the male pros (which is downright horrible when it comes to female pros like Emma and Lindsay), Val's "stardom" has always felt very forced to me.

I so agree with this and I think that's because he really didn't have to prove himself. He was spotlighted and featured as a star the minute he arrived on the show because he was the successor to Maks where other new pros had to earn their way up the ladder.

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

1 hour ago, luvthepros said:

Scratching my head about this. Mr. T. is notorious as the most obstinate and horrid dancer ever to appear on this show. I can only assume your statement is merely hyperbole.

I think you're confusing Mr. T with Master P.

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

9 minutes ago, Venee said:

Looking at Social Media Simone and Normani have similar numbers when you combine Instagram and Twitter fandom. It's possible they will split the vote further making room for a Rashad win. It also doesn't help Normani that Val won last season.

Anyone who's watched DWTS for any length of time knows social media fans mean nothing. If they did, Zendaya and Bethany Mota would have cleaned up.

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

2 hours ago, vdw84 said:

Some seasoned pros that are not even on the show anymore says she is best technical dancer and performer in the competition and is the one to beat.

Some seasoned pros that are not even on the show anymore say Rashad is the one to beat. Some say it's Simone. Any seasoned pro who's no longer on the show is entitled to their opinion.

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

6 hours ago, crossover said:

Enjoyment of dance is subjective.  But your tone sounds like you are upset because you feel the judges are too lenient with Normani.  Once you get something like this in your head/heart, it can cloud your enjoyment/judgement.   I really can't see why else you would prefer Rashad, David and Simone dance performances over Normani?

Well, it's really not for you to make determinations as to why people prefer someone other than your favorite. Many of us prefer Rashad, David and Simone to Normani. Personally I'd rather watch Mr. T come back and dance than Normani. But I don't owe you an explanation for why I feel that way nor do I need you telling me why I feel that way.

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

49 minutes ago, TeeMo said:

I think lifts are just not Val's strong suit. I remember he did that dead lift with Janel and I thought they were both going to topple to the ground. His lifts always look a little shaky to me. Tony was the king of the lifts.

Oh how I miss Tony.

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

56 minutes ago, McManda said:

I think most of the troupe is rather colorless and would rather not have them promoted, outside of maybe Alan.

What I would like to see, if the show what's to shake things up, is a break from the status quo. Give Artem the sexy 20 something ringer. Give Val the grandma with health issues. Get rid of Gleb, or at least give him someone where he can't trim everything into something raunchy.

I will never understand why they brought Gleb back. He failed the first time they had him on when they appeared to be bringing him in to replace Maks as the "sexy Russian" and it was just strange that they brought him back instead of trying someone new, especially the same season Maks was returning. I'd be happy to never see Gleb (or Keo) as a pro again.

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

3 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

I wonder if the eliminated Pros just didn't want to or if this is indicative of the show trying to push the troupe as their next Pros because if so, based on what I saw last night, I'd suggest they go find themselves some better ones or at least ones that seem to have something resembling a personality. 

This is what I've been saying about this current group of pros compared to the original group. I think that's why they push Val so much --- he's probably most like the original group and of course there's his tie to Maks. No one in the current group is compelling to me or someone I'd go out of my way to see. In fact, there are several I actively dislike.

I think about it this way --- five years ago I could see a casual viewer or someone who hadn't watched in awhile tuning into the finale to see a showdown between Karina, Maks and Cheryl. How many casual/former viewers would tune in for a Lindsay/Sasha/Emma finale?

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

2 hours ago, majormama said:

This may sound strange since the songs are so completely different, but something about the staging of Simone's trio with the lasers and triangles, and even some of the choreography reminded me very strongly of Alfonso/Witney/Lindsay's paso trio to Turn Down for What, one of my top ten favorite dances. Alfonso did it better.

It doesn't sound strange at all, I thought the same exact thing.

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

7 minutes ago, gohawks said:

Henry failed because rat-face put an end to that because actually had chemistry with Henry.

I have no idea who rat-face is but Henry is right up there as one of my least favorite people to ever dance on this show. So glad he was kicked to the curb.

Don't look now but Erin is gushing on Twitter about Val pushing for Alan to be a pro. Girlfriend loves her some Chmerkovskiys and male troupe dancers.

On the subject of Erin, there are only five contestants left and only half of them got interviews with her tonight? I don't ever remember a season where anyone except the last couple of the night didn't go up to the sky box or back to the red room to talk to her unless the show was pressed for time when they still had a lot of people. It makes me wonder if this may be her last season and they're phasing her out. I think she's the best co-host they've had, but she's been really awful this whole season --- lame jokes that aren't funny, stumbling over her words, inappropriate comments (MILF?) and just generally awkward and uncomfortable around everyone except Maks and Val. I don't know if she's distracted by her wedding to the drug dealer or if she's just trying way too hard but she's really been painful to watch this season. And she needs to find a new style squad --- her outfit, hair and makeup choices have been really suspect this season.

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

4 minutes ago, LotusFlower said:

Re: Val's comment about Alan being "the future of the show," why are he and Maks trying to make Alan happen? (Maks said similar things).  I would think it pisses off the producers when they declare Alan a pro next season.  

Because last time they tried this, with Henry, it failed miserably? LOL I think it's because Alan is the latest member of the troupe to cling to the fam. Alan's been hanging around with Val on the last two tours and I saw him in Val's Instagram story this weekend  at the house with the guys watching boxing.

[S24.E08: Week 8: Trio Night]

8 minutes ago, spanana said:

I'd also be shocked if Val left.  He might give numerous speeches but I feel fairly confident he will back come the fall.

Unfortunately I agree, and I think Maks will be too despite his babbling at the MS Gala this weekend about maybe doing other things. But saying they might not come back gets them attention, and then gets them more when they inevitably do come back.