Toonces464

Yes and I miss it so much. I loved watching the sky box and red room and all the interactions. Four weeks is about how long you'd be out with a Grade 1 strain Maks, so I'm not sure what Dr. Magic Fingers really did for you. I guess all those top athletes who have been hearing about these treatment from some mysterious source can stop trying to book flights to Ohio and go back to using their own doctors. Even if Maks could have returned this week, no way would he have done so with Heather having jazz. It's not ballroom and can anyone remember him ever doing anything that wasn't ballroom other than Erin's contemporary freestyle? Also there was no way he was going to let his celebrity look like more of a pro than he is. His ego is too big. Thus why he choreographed a lot of running around and "characters" rather than letting her (or Alan for that matter) have a hand in choreographing an actual jazz routine. And why I have no idea what on earth he was trying to say when Erin asked him about the judges comments. All along I've thought David will make the semi-finals but now I'm not so sure. I think he has huge support from the Cubs fans and baseball fans in general but we've seen this before --- the celeb who can't dance well but is so endearing, such as Bill Engvall and Ty Murray. They usually go a week or two before the semi-finals and I think David will end up going after Nick, Bonner and Heather, leaving a final four of Rashad, Simone, Normani and Nancy. As soon as she said that I thought now she's on Maks list. He'll put on a happy face for the camera while privately hating on her and having no use for her when the season is over. Which is really no different than most of his other partners.

I'm no fan of Pure, but I think they started noticing it because at least two or three contestants each week are not getting an interview with Erin, but rather are staying at the judges table with Tom. This is something I've noticed as well that's only been happening since last season. At first I chalked it up to lack of time but enough contestants are gone now that it shouldn't be a problem.

That people are talking about a contestant doing a pro dance with the troupe rather than dancing with her partner during the finale shows the difference between Heather, a PROFESSIONAL DANCER, and any other contestant with dance experience who's been on. And yes, I felt the same way about Meryl and Charlie and them dancing together at the finale.

I think they also put her on the get Maks back after he refused to travel with Normani. They needed a "sure thing" to get him back in order to play out the Chmerkovskiy fam storyline they wanted and it wasn't until after Maks accepted that they all realized this wasn't sitting well with the audience and, when added to Heather's personality and lack of connecting with the audience, she likely wasn't going to win.

I think you'll find very few people who have watched the show longer than just the last couple seasons who are okay with a professional dancer being cast as a contestant.

There is a huge difference between having dance experience and being a professional dancer. I don't know why people keep making excuses for Heather by saying others have had dance experience or she's not trained in ballroom to justify her being on the show. She danced backup for Beyonce and got paid for it. She's a professional dancer. She should not be on the show as a contestant. The end.

I think it all started to change during Season 12 when they brought in the troupe.

Thank you. As for the rest of your post.....word. I could have written it myself.

Maks' middle name is self promotion. Where has this been confirmed? I haven't seen anything confirming that he was actively involved in either last week.

Actually that's what I was getting at. I find it strange that a doctor who's treating a patient for what's been described as a serious leg injury would ask that patient to fly across the country to speak at a conference. But I have more of an issue with Maks agreeing to do it when he had just spent a week in Ohio. His partner is supposed to be his priority this season, not shilling for Dr. Seeds. It also makes me question if this appearance was pre-planned or not, because if it was, what was Maks doing scheduling something like this at a time he should have been teaching his partner. If it wasn't, then again I question his priorities and his dedication that he chose to blow off more time at rehearsals to do this.

I think Maks' passion depends on whether or not he clicks with his partner AND whether or not he thinks he can win with them. He just used to hide it better when he didn't.

If Maks doesn't return this season, or even if he does after weeks of Alan dancing with Heather, he has a ready made excuse for why he couldn't win with a professional dancer as his partner. Which I personally think became his plan one he realized Heather wasn't going to win. I'm not saying he's not hurt. I'm just not at all sure this injury is what he's making it out to be, especially after seeing him fly across the country to speak at a medical convention last week.

The only successful work Maks has gotten since he originally left the show after All Stars were the Forever Tango job that Karina got him and the tour last summer with Val. Even the little things he's done like General Hospital, directing Zendaya's music video and filling in for Tamar on her talk show have come from Val's former partners and connections. I know Meryl had gotten him a couple of jobs in the ice dancing community and he blew one off and showed up for the other looking like a homeless bum so I don't think that will be happening anymore. At this point I think Maks has finally accepted that he needs DWTS because without it, his options for remaining relevant in Hollywood are very limited.

ITA but it's not just this season. His "I'm Having A Baby" drama totally overshadowed Amber last season and the season before, when he wasn't even on, it was all about him basically being a second pro to Nyle. I also don't think it was just the paycheck. Maks has an insatiable need for tabloid publicity and being on the show keeps him relevant enough for that level of coverage. I also believe that's a big part of the reason he went back to Peta, but that's another story for another post. Back in the old days, Maks used to always say the best thing about being part of the show was the relationships he formed with his partners that lasted long after the show was over. But the only one who seems to still have any kind of relationship with him is Erin. Even Meryl Davis has quit following him on social media. It's quite a difference from pros like Mark, Karina, Tony, Kym and even Val who genuinely build lasting relationships on the show.

Now that she's gotten a ring from her druggie boyfriend, I think Erin is trying to jump right into having kids. She does like to make things all about her, so after the cervical cancer thing I can see her "bonding" to Nancy's situation. I'm sorry if that sounds callous but it's one of the things that drives me absolutely batty about her. Speaking of Erin, is it me or is she particularly awful this season? It usually takes her a week or two with the new contestants to feel comfortable but we're on week 4 and she's been excruciating to watch with attempts at humor that fall flat and just some really awkward things coming out of her mouth. I generally like her as the co-host but this season has been painful to watch her.

Yes to both of you regarding his lack of involvement since his injury. I remember the days when Maks was totally dedicated to his partner - more so when he liked them but even when he didn't care for them as much, he wasn't off giving pep talks to other teams! Although I admit, I would have paid money to see him give Kate Gosselin a pep talk. LOL I also think he did a huge disservice to Amber last season. She wasn't a great dancer, but he knew she wasn't going to win and he checked out on her pretty early. If you watched All Access last season, he spent more time in the backstage area with Erin and the producers than he did in the sky box with his partner. I wasn't a huge fan of Amber, but I'd feel bad for her when the other couples were up there practicing their routines and she was just standing at the railing alone while he was back there having a gay old time with his former partner. If Maks had choreographed it, it would have included his partner pushing him and/or him pretending to fall down. LOL

I know this won't be popular but I'm not buying Maks' declaration that Alan should be a pro came from the goodness of his heart. Maks doesn't do anything for anyone not named Val Chmerkovskiy without some ulterior motive or there being something in it for him. Maybe he thinks bringing in a new male pro keeps pros like Derek and Mark away, thus making it easier for him to stand out. Because contrary to popular opinion, I think Maks is here to stay. We've already seen he can't get any other meaningful work (at least not without an assist from Karina or Val) which pretty much makes him dependent on DWTS to keep his name in the tabloids, which seems to have become his main career path. You know what else I miss from the old days? When each couple had their own fan base that pulled for them as long as they were in the competition. I am so sick and tired of this fam mentality of "Well, I'm a Val fan so that means I have to like and root for Maks and Peta and Sharna because they're fam." Sure there was crossover before -- Maks' fans liked Tony and vice versa, Mark's fans liked Derek and vice versa -- but it didn't overtake the fan bases. Personally, I wish Peta and Sharna would worry more about their own partners and less about giving Maks health updates to the press. Let Heather and Maks worry about updating everyone about Maks. And I can really do without Maks giving pep talks to Normani or Nick every week. Let their own partners do that. If I was Heather, I'd be pissed that his full attention isn't on me and that he's pumping up the people I'm competing against. Like I said, not a popular opinion but I'm just getting so tired of the direction this show has gone.

I liked him very much with Erin. Since their season he's been all downhill for me.

That was what made his win even more annoying --- he was being trained by two pros and then you look at people like Amy and Noah and how far they went with just one pro teaching them. It was so unfair.

I thought I was the only one who didn't care for Nyle's dancing and wondered why no one ever called him out on all the stomping and his horrible posture.

It's definitely changed from earlier seasons of the show once they started bringing in people from SYTYCD to be pros (Lacey, Chelsie, Dmitry).

The same way he gave Erin a 7 for her Samba because Maks took his shirt off (something Len now seems to love). It's Len being Len.

There's a difference in having some training in something and having it be something you studied for your whole life and have made into your career. For the record, I was not happy with Meryl and Charlie being on the show, especially right after the Olympics. Derek helped choreograph one of their routines for Pete's sake! True but they'd still have better writing basic skills than a scientist.

A fiction author may not know how to write poetry, but they know proper grammar, spelling and punctuation and they know how to construct a sentence. A sitcom actor may not know how to perform for live stage, but they know how to emote and memorize dialogue. So I'm sorry but I don't buy all this Heather isn't trained in ballroom stuff. She's a dancer so she has a huge advantage. But I think the producers' ploy of making her look sympathetic and out of her element with some nudging by the judges is working. Personally I wouldn't vote for her whether she was dancing with Maks, Alan or Yogi Bear. She's a professional dancer and doesn't belong on this show. They needed Maks upstairs so Erin could interview him about the injury (though he really didn't say much). They handled it the same way when Alan filled in for Mark with Paige.

I would honestly stop watching if Leah Remini were ever hired permanently. I find her annoying, obnoxious and she makes everything about herself. I would rather see Brooke Burke, who I couldn't stand, back before they ever put Leah near the ballroom again. She's always visibly comfortable right off the bat with the athletes, Maks and Val. The others it takes her a few weeks to get going with.