S29.E05: '80s Night

[MsJamieDornan]

1 minute ago, JeezumCrow said:

Justina was underscored, Skai overscored again, Monica GROSSLY overscored... and they’re extra harsh on Jesse. 

You're absolutely correct.  I have a very hard time watching Skai, she looks 13.

And Chrishell doesn't dance well but I have a soft spot for her after hearing her story about growing up poor. Very poor. And her realizing when she was young, that she might smell bad. 

I'm having a hard time liking Nev. He's kind of smarmy

[ClassicShowsFan]

I was surprised to find out that Jesse got eliminated because I was expecting either Monica or Chrishell to go.

Edited October 13, 2020 by ClassicShowsFan

[Fostersmom]

6 hours ago, PikaScrewChu said:

There's something extremely off with this season that I can't put my finger on.

Her name is Tyra. Who, besides being off, is apparently hated by wardrobe. They have managed to repeatedly put her in not only the ugliest things known to man, they have put her things that make her ass and hips look a mile wide. She's obviously gained weight from her modeling days, but she could look so much better in flattering clothes. 

Her trying to explain what happened again last week was just embarrassing. It was awkward and sad and did her no favors. 

 

Derek really needs to stop call ing all of the women honey in his sickly sweet little voice he uses for them and then turns on a dime to DUDE! when he talks to the men. Derek, have you not been paying attention to the world this past 2 years? Yes, Bruno tends to call Skai sweetheart, but she's pretty much a child and looks so young, even I get it with her. 

 

[OnTime]

9 hours ago, Morrigan said:

I remember signs when they had those elimination dances, where they vote off the couples, one by one, and award the winning couple with a bunch of points.  I don't remember them using signs to choose who goes home though, but I haven't watched this show as much as the British one - and I know they don't pick the losing couple with signs over there.

Oh, now I remember. The signs were for the elimination dances!!!

Thank you!

[MsJamieDornan]

43 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

Her trying to explain what happened again last week was just embarrassing. It was awkward and sad and did her no favors. 

It felt like she was lecturing us. I don't need to be yelled at by someone who looks like a bag lady.

[PikaScrewChu]

42 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

Her name is Tyra. Who, besides being off, is apparently hated by wardrobe. They have managed to repeatedly put her in not only the ugliest things known to man, they have put her things that make her ass and hips look a mile wide. She's obviously gained weight from her modeling days, but she could look so much better in flattering clothes. 

Her trying to explain what happened again last week was just embarrassing. It was awkward and sad and did her no favors. 

 

Derek really needs to stop call ing all of the women honey in his sickly sweet little voice he uses for them and then turns on a dime to DUDE! when he talks to the men. Derek, have you not been paying attention to the world this past 2 years? Yes, Bruno tends to call Skai sweetheart, but she's pretty much a child and looks so young, even I get it with her. 

 

I don't think it's just Tyra (I ignore her ramblings tbh). The "stars" just seem tired and/or ill prepared. Nev and Kaitlyn having previous dance experience is helping them but for a lot of them I'm wondering how much training and practicing they are actually able to get in.

I know ABC desperately needed programming but it might have been better to put this off until the winter/spring. I'm finding my guilty pleasures (AGT and Big Brother) a chore to watch this year rather than mindless entertainment. I'm a week away from adding DWTS to that list.

[mbluecpa]

1 hour ago, Fostersmom said:

Her trying to explain what happened again last week was just embarrassing. It was awkward and sad and did her no favors. 

 

Derek really needs to stop call ing all of the women honey in his sickly sweet little voice he uses for them and then turns on a dime to DUDE! when he talks to the men. Derek, have you not been paying attention to the world this past 2 years? Yes, Bruno tends to call Skai sweetheart, but she's pretty much a child and looks so young, even I get it with her. 

 

I get that they needed to address last week, but Tyra’s explanation was so preachy and all that was missing was “so you, at home, just shut up about it.”  That said, she seemed a bit more natural and less stilted/cue card reading this week.  A bit.  The pacing was notably better as well.

I’m enjoying Derek’s commentary but yeah, he can drop the “dude” and “honey.” 

Nelly’s dance was a pleasant surprise. He seemed to be having so much fun, and it had quite a bit of samba in it, to boot.

I’ve noticed this season that the studio lighting often isn’t camera-friendly. I think it was Johnny’s dance tonight, the first ~30 seconds had backlighting so bright, you could barely see them dance. 

[suebee1212]

What gets me this year is how much money they are saving on costumes and hair! All of the costumes are that flimsy, shiny fabric...no beautiful flowing gowns and then there are the men's outfits...they just hang on the guys! As for the wigs....oh, my. I felt so sorry for Alan...his hair looked like something you would buy at dollar tree! And what the heck was Val wearing on his head??? They should get rid of Tyra completely and use some of the money on costumes!!!

[vibeology]

8 minutes ago, suebee1212 said:

What gets me this year is how much money they are saving on costumes and hair! All of the costumes are that flimsy, shiny fabric...no beautiful flowing gowns and then there are the men's outfits...they just hang on the guys!

I'm guessing there are fewer fittings to limit contacts so the costumes are almost perfect instead of perfect. If it keeps the dancers and the wardrobe department safe, I'll live with it.

[mtlchick]

14 minutes ago, suebee1212 said:

All of the costumes are that flimsy, shiny fabric...no beautiful flowing gowns and then there are the men's outfits...they just hang on the guys! As for the wigs....oh, my. I felt so sorry for Alan...his hair looked like something you would buy at dollar tree!

"In these difficult times" I'm more happy that the costume department still have jobs to go and that they're safe.  

[ams1001]

I thought AJ should have danced to NKOTB. Just 'cuz boybands. 😛

12 hours ago, mtlchick said:

Bye Jesse!  You did...something.  Eventually I'll remember what it is.  

Jesse looked like he was expecting not to hear his name every time she announced someone safe.

12 hours ago, Packerbrewerbadger said:

The show use to start with a pro dance, now we get to watch Tyra walk in 🙄. And she talks too much about nothing.

Maybe it was my migraine (thank you, hurricane Delta remnants) but I found Tyra extra annoying tonight.

12 hours ago, Arkay said:

What does it mean when there are only three couples remaining and Tyra says, "now, in no particular order, the next couple to stay is..."? Two of the couples will be in the bottom, so there IS a particular order. One of these things is not like the others, right? Maybe it bugs me because Tyra annoys me so much.

It bugs me that she says "in no particular order" multiple times during her overdramatic safe announcements, too. Do they think our memories are that short?

12 hours ago, Arkay said:

I could never imagine Tom making the start of the show all about him the way Tyra does. Yes, she's a model but this isn't a modeling show. I am so over her opening runway stomp.

Can I 'heart' this several times?

11 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

but I'm fine with Tyra and I'm sure she'll grow in the role, too. I'm not going to keep comparing her to them.

She doesn't annoy me in comparison to Tom & Erin. She just annoys me all by herself. (She bugged me on AGT, too.)

9 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

Did Nev really claim he hasn’t danced in 20 years? Didn’t he study dance in college? I don’t think Dude is that old.

He's 36. Maybe he's rounding up.

 

[boyznkatz]

Of all the songs they could have chosen from, why did they use unmemorable songs, or songs they have used a thousand times (Living on a Prayer)? There are a lot of 80s songs that would have been good for the jive, or cha cha. I don't remember any jives, and there was one cha cha, which was wasted on Chrishell.

I was enjoying this season until yesterday. It was a total bore until the end. I usually hate contemporary, but Weir is the only one who can pull it off, and obviously Britt has experience choreographing it. I sure hope they don't make other people do it.

[funnygirl]

I think part of what feels "off" about the season is the lack of audience, in that there's a sort of energy in the room when there's an audience that the dancers/stars can feed and thrive off of when performing. Without it, we see more of the effort - extra effort at that - they have to put in to fill the room so-to-speak with energy. 

Nev is bullsh*tting that he hasn't danced in 20 years. I wouldn't be upset to see him go home soon as the first "shocking" good-dancer elimination. 

"Power of Love" wasn't a good song pick for jazz. IMO the tempo of that song would be better suited for a cha cha. I think that's what threw Skai's dance off. 

Edited October 13, 2020 by funnygirl

[boyznkatz]

2 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

Derek really needs to stop call ing all of the women honey in his sickly sweet little voice he uses for them and then turns on a dime to DUDE! when he talks to the men. Derek, have you not been paying attention to the world this past 2 years? Yes, Bruno tends to call Skai sweetheart, but she's pretty much a child and looks so young, even I get it with her. 

He bugs me. I get that people are annoyed by Tyra being an attention whore, but what about him? He obviously sputtered in his movie career, so he's back and needs attention. Please bring Len back. At least he wasn't annoying. 

I do like Bruno with the white hair. The guy ages well.

[Lovecat]

I had no idea that little baby Yaniv (sporting the same maniacal grin in that old footage as he did last night) was one of Jaques D'Amboise's dance pupils.  I remember seeing a documentary about Mr. D'Amboise and the program he started to promote dance for kids.  Mr. Wikipedia tells me it was called He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' and that it won an Academy Award in 1983.  I am old.  If Nev is 36, then he couldn't have been in the documentary, though, so thanks to whoever did the googling to find out his age 🙂 

[ClareWalks]

12 hours ago, PikaScrewChu said:

The cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World was horrendous.

DWTS has always been known for bad music choices for certain styles but yeesh. This felt like let's take all these iconic songs of the 80s and hope that they may work for ballroom dancing. If not, who cares. We all had fun, right?

When they said they'd be doing a tango to Tears For Fears I was 100% sure the song would be "Shout." I was shocked and disappointed by the actual choice.

[crowceilidh]

Val really looked like Maks in that mullet.  I consider it a harbinger of the complete death of this show that I seem to be the first person to say this.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I think I was looking more at the costumes than the dancing. Enough mullets for a Billy Ray Cyrus tribute. 

For you youngun's - people in the 80s didn't really dress that way, unless they were in a music video. But maybe that was the point. The costumes were over the top parodies. I actually found them (and the wigs) very distracting, and couldn't appreciate any of the dances. None of them felt genuine to their style, except of course "contemporary" which can be anything.

I'd say it was a toss-up between Jesse and Vernon WRT who was better/worse. Neither was going to win. But you know DWTS is always going to play favorites with their pro athletes.

As long as the show is dumping hosts can we lose Carrie Ann too? I'm at a loss to recall a single useful or constructive thing she has ever said. All she ever seems to do is babble incoherently. Derek's precise and simple tips are just making her look worse by comparison. Even Bruno's over the top histrionics are more comprehensible.

[scenicbyway]

2 hours ago, PikaScrewChu said:

I don't think it's just Tyra (I ignore her ramblings tbh). The "stars" just seem tired and/or ill prepared. Nev and Kaitlyn having previous dance experience is helping them but for a lot of them I'm wondering how much training and practicing they are actually able to get in.

I know ABC desperately needed programming but it might have been better to put this off until the winter/spring. I'm finding my guilty pleasures (AGT and Big Brother) a chore to watch this year rather than mindless entertainment. I'm a week away from adding DWTS to that list.

I've wondered if they've severely limited practice time?  Usually the "stars" are much better dancers by this point.  For the most part other than Kaitlyn and Dev they look like week one dancers. 

I can't figure out why Skai was scored so high because they whiffed some of their lifts.  Monica was overscored to keep her on the show one more week after last week's debacle.  It was clear to me they were intent on keeping her with the high scores and calling her safe first.

Johnny did great with the contemporary but everyone should do well with contemporary.  I still think he dances like he has skates on.

I wish they would bring Tom back, things seem off because they ARE off.  Tyra's fashion show with a side of dancing is not helping.  Is she really choosing her outfits or does the costume department hate her?

[TVbitch]

I find I can't "get into" the dances this season. The lighting is overly busy and way too much. They've got the floor lighting up and changing colors/patterns, all the strobes and moving lights on the sides, then the background screen swirling and showing videos. It creates a chaotic light haze that makes it hard for me to even clearly see the dance, let alone feel any intimacy with the people dancing.

Okay I was in college in the 80's and went out every single night. Young people were not dressed that moronically and the hair was not that bad! Those costumes and wigs were hideous. They even managed to ruin my weekly eye candy  ~Gleb. Don't judge, I am lonely over here! : )

Oh, and the band fucking murdered those songs. (as usual) 

[MsJamieDornan]

20 minutes ago, scenicbyway said:

I still think he dances like he has skates on.

Yes, he does. I thought he would be a much better dancer. He's not.

[PikaScrewChu]

32 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I find I can't "get into" the dances this season. The lighting is overly busy and way too much. They've got the floor lighting up and changing colors/patterns, all the strobes and moving lights on the sides, then the background screen swirling and showing videos. It creates a chaotic light haze that makes it hard for me to even clearly see the dance, let alone feel any intimacy with the people dancing.

I think that's yet another piece of why the season feels so off. I doubt the NHL/DWTS fanbases overlap too much but it feels like the spectacle the NHL did before each game during the Stanley Cup run to make up for the lack of a crowd. Vegas has one hell of a show before games in "normal" times. They amped it up for all the teams for the playoffs. For hockey it works. Dancing? Ehhhhhhh...

43 minutes ago, scenicbyway said:

I've wondered if they've severely limited practice time?  Usually the "stars" are much better dancers by this point.  For the most part other than Kaitlyn and Dev they look like week one dancers. 

That's what I've been wondering if they have limited contact and limited practice time. It isn't like they're in a bubble like the NHL and NBA were. Several of them looked like they had learned the dance 24 hours prior to the show and were hoping the pro would remember everything. If you have some dance training, fine. If you don't, ruh roo. Bruno and Derek are commenting on a lot of really basic things that are normally "fixed" by this time.

Tyra definitely does not help but I don't think the blame falls only on her shoulders. There are so many things that are wrong that I don't think Tom as the host could have saved this season. More bearable? Maybe. But this season is painful and we're only heading into Week 5.

[leighdear]

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

I find I can't "get into" the dances this season. The lighting is overly busy and way too much. They've got the floor lighting up and changing colors/patterns, all the strobes and moving lights on the sides, then the background screen swirling and showing videos. It creates a chaotic light haze that makes it hard for me to even clearly see the dance, let alone feel any intimacy with the people dancing.

Okay I was in college in the 80's and went out every single night. Young people were not dressed that moronically and the hair was not that bad! Those costumes and wigs were hideous. They even managed to ruin my weekly eye candy  ~Gleb. Don't judge, I am lonely over here! : )

Oh, and the band fucking murdered those songs. (as usual) 

Seriously.  Not EVERY.SINGLE.GUY had a mullet in the 80's.  Some had perms.  *LOL*  Daryl Hall & John Oates had the most perfect 80's hairstyles ever, throughout the entire decade.  I'm amazed nobody danced to any of their songs.  "You Make My Dreams" would have been fantastic.  

Skai barely dances, she just gets lifted up and whirled around.  It creeps me out how child-like she looks, just inappropriate to be dancing like that with a guy so much older. 

Hey, is Derek going to dance next week?  Does anybody know?

Kaitlyn was good, but that skirt tear-away to the Daisy Dukes happened way too late in the song.  Tiffany would have done it much earlier in her mall stage show.  

[boyznkatz]

Kaitlyn's dance didn't match her song. That song by Tiffany wasn't really suitable for a ballroom dance. Neither were most of those songs they used. AJ's should have been better, because "Open Arms" is really a waltz.

I agree they overdid the wigs and clothes. No one wore neon clothes that I remember. I guess Jeannie sort of looked like Madonna, but here dance sucked. She should have done a cha cha to Like a Virgin.

[luvbadtv]

1 hour ago, MsJamieDornan said:

Yes, he does. I thought he would be a much better dancer. He's not.

I think some guys just don't look right doing ballroom based on their body types.  Johnny is in this category for me and so is Nelly.  Johnny has thick legs and is short.  Nelly is also short and he looks short waisted, and his upper body looks short because of the muscle.

[ams1001]

18 minutes ago, leighdear said:

Skai barely dances, she just gets lifted up and whirled around.  It creeps me out how child-like she looks, just inappropriate to be dancing like that with a guy so much older. 

I just looked him up and realized he's only 26? 

I thought she should have been with Pasha or Sasha; I know they're both in their mid-30s, but Pasha looks a lot younger and they're both on the shorter side so they would have been better matched, height-wise. Alan really took advantage of her tiny stature with the lifts, though.

18 minutes ago, leighdear said:

Hey, is Derek going to dance next week?  Does anybody know?

I feel like I heard that rumor somewhere...🤔

[Josh371982]

15 hours ago, PikaScrewChu said:

The cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World was horrendous.

DWTS has always been known for bad music choices for certain styles but yeesh. This felt like let's take all these iconic songs of the 80s and hope that they may work for ballroom dancing. If not, who cares. We all had fun, right?

Not surprised they murdered that song. They usually murder the song when they preform a song i really like.

[MsJamieDornan]

Quote

Hey, is Derek going to dance next week?  Does anybody know?

No, it was Tyra reading the wrong cue cards.  Not her fault.

[leighdear]

37 minutes ago, boyznkatz said:

I agree they overdid the wigs and clothes. No one wore neon clothes that I remember. I guess Jeannie sort of looked like Madonna, but here dance sucked. She should have done a cha cha to Like a Virgin.

We wore neon, just not head-to-toe.  I had a neon pink shaker-knit sweater that I wore with skin tight Levi's 501's (button fly) and suede ankle boots.  I graduated high school in 82, so I was mid-20's before the decade ended.  Prime clubbing & shopping years, and we mixed the neon in, but didn't let it dominate.

I agree the focus was on exaggeration of the trends.  A little too much, as there was some good fashion back then, not all ridiculous.  

[ams1001]

5 minutes ago, leighdear said:

We wore neon, just not head-to-toe.  I had a neon pink shaker-knit sweater that I wore with skin tight Levi's 501's (button fly) and suede ankle boots.  I graduated high school in 82, so I was mid-20's before the decade ended.  Prime clubbing & shopping years, and we mixed the neon in, but didn't let it dominate.

I was in middle school in the late 80s; definitely had some neon, but it was more accessories or writing/decoration on a shirt or something. And one girl in my school was known for her 4-inch high bangs. My hair is too fine to ever have achieved that feat, no matter how much Aqua Net I inhaled. Not that I didn't try once in a while. 😉

But I would never expect the show to go subtle with the costuming.

[boyznkatz]

12 minutes ago, leighdear said:

We wore neon, just not head-to-toe.  I had a neon pink shaker-knit sweater that I wore with skin tight Levi's 501's (button fly) and suede ankle boots.  I graduated high school in 82, so I was mid-20's before the decade ended.  Prime clubbing & shopping years, and we mixed the neon in, but didn't let it dominate.

I agree the focus was on exaggeration of the trends.  A little too much, as there was some good fashion back then, not all ridiculous.  

I'm wondering why they were all wearing glasses? There was a time celebrities wore fake specs, but I don't think it was the eighties.

I'm surprised no one wore parachute pants or leggings (which seem to be back now, yuck).

[OnTime]

What is the big deal about Derek dancing on the show?  They are acting like we've never seen him dance before!

I'd almost rather see Bruno dance!

[ams1001]

7 minutes ago, OnTime said:

What is the big deal about Derek dancing on the show?  They are acting like we've never seen him dance before!

I'd almost rather see Bruno dance!

[boyznkatz]

16 minutes ago, OnTime said:

What is the big deal about Derek dancing on the show?  They are acting like we've never seen him dance before!

I'd almost rather see Bruno dance!

True, if he wants to dance, then let him partner a contestant. None of the other judges got to dance on the show with their girlfriend.

He is just as annoying as Tyra Banks.

[McManda]

4 hours ago, funnygirl said:

"Power of Love" wasn't a good song pick for jazz

No worries, on DWTS "jazz" is just short for "freestyle". 

[McManda]

4 hours ago, Lovecat said:

I had no idea that little baby Yaniv (sporting the same maniacal grin in that old footage as he did last night) was one of Jaques D'Amboise's dance pupils.  I remember seeing a documentary about Mr. D'Amboise and the program he started to promote dance for kids.  Mr. Wikipedia tells me it was called He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' and that it won an Academy Award in 1983

Jacques D'Amboise of the NYC Ballet, but most notably in my life as Ephraim from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers?!

I googled this because I only watch the dancers online so I didn't see any of the dancer's prepackage. But Nev has a Facebook post from 2018 with an upload of a note given to him by Mr. D'Amboise, which is also very cool. I'm not sure how much he learned under him, though.

[Lovecat]

41 minutes ago, McManda said:

Jacques D'Amboise of the NYC Ballet, but most notably in my life as Ephraim from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers?!

I googled this because I only watch the dancers online so I didn't see any of the dancer's prepackage. But Nev has a Facebook post from 2018 with an upload of a note given to him by Mr. D'Amboise, which is also very cool. I'm not sure how much he learned under him, though.

The very same!

[Arkay]

@ams1001 

...that Bruno clip....lol...I'm feeling a bit poked in the eye 

 

[ams1001]

2 hours ago, Arkay said:

@ams1001 

...that Bruno clip....lol...I'm feeling a bit poked in the eye 

There's a better one but I didn't find it in gif form. (Also I was at work, and...well...)

 

[Arkay]

28 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

There's a better one but I didn't find it in gif form. (Also I was at work, and...well...)

 

Well, now I've lost both eyes, plus the power of speech.

Never knew he danced backup in this video. 

[Chippings]

Quote

  9 HOURS AGO, LOVECAT SAID:

I had no idea that little baby Yaniv (sporting the same maniacal grin in that old footage as he did last night) was one of Jaques D'Amboise's dance pupils.  I remember seeing a documentary about Mr. D'Amboise and the program he started to promote dance for kids.  Mr. Wikipedia tells me it was called He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' and that it won an Academy Award in 1983

Jacques D'Amboise of the NYC Ballet, but most notably in my life as Ephraim from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers?!

I googled this because I only watch the dancers online so I didn't see any of the dancer's prepackage. But Nev has a Facebook post from 2018 with an upload of a note given to him by Mr. D'Amboise, which is also very cool. I'm not sure how much he learned under him, though.

All of this.  I've revered Jacques D'Amboise from 'Seven Brides' and beyond, and also very much for the work he did with young people, as presented in "He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'"  He is such a sunny person, and did so much to share what he loved and knew could be valuable to kids.

That said, I've watched 'way more "Catfish" than a person should admit to, and I truly have liked Nev.  He's met hundreds of people, many - or most - pretty pitiful and sad, and he seems really kind and empathetic with everybody.  I hope he goes quite a ways in this.  Mr. D'Amboise would be so pleased.  

[ams1001]

14 minutes ago, Arkay said:

Never knew he danced backup in this video. 

It's one of the few things I know about his career.

[Koalagirl]

22 hours ago, alihart41 said:

They had signs for the dance-offs, not this elimination format. Plus, it's easier for them to make/organize signs for dance-offs since they know what the pairings are in advance. They can't do it for eliminations since the judges don't know the bottom two in advance, and it would also take them forever to sift through a bunch of paddles when Tyra is rushing them to make a decision so she can talk about what an awesome time she had on '80s Night. We've already seen them mess up with their scores sometimes.

Peta apparently pulled her neck, so that's why she looked "mad."
 

ETA: Dropped word because grammar matters.

I rewatched and while Peta and Vernon were getting their critiques from the judges, Peta visibly winced and put her hand up to her neck for a quick moment. It happened so quickly I didn’t notice it when I watched the first time.

[FreddieAnnie]

Was it just me or did it look like Cheryl was making fun of Nelly when they showed her after he and Daniella finished their dance?  

[Emily-D]

12 hours ago, funnygirl said:

I think part of what feels "off" about the season is the lack of audience, in that there's a sort of energy in the room when there's an audience that the dancers/stars can feed and thrive off of when performing. Without it, we see more of the effort - extra effort at that - they have to put in to fill the room so-to-speak with energy. 

Nev is bullsh*tting that he hasn't danced in 20 years. I wouldn't be upset to see him go home soon as the first "shocking" good-dancer elimination. 

"Power of Love" wasn't a good song pick for jazz. IMO the tempo of that song would be better suited for a cha cha. I think that's what threw Skai's dance off. 

Same, although I think he's safe all the way to the finals. Nev is an idiot for doubling down on his dance experience denials. So you'll get a few messages from a few people online moaning about it, big deal! Kaitlyn probably gets them but it doesn't stop her from being honest when asked about it. It really puts me off him as a contestant knowing he's being purposefully deceitful in his attempts to garner votes and win. I've never had a problem with contestants with dance experience (I voted for Alfonso, Jordan Fisher among many others), but I do have a problem with contestants who have dance experience, but lie when asked straight up about it. Shame!

[realdancemom]

10 hours ago, Emily-D said:

Same, although I think he's safe all the way to the finals. Nev is an idiot for doubling down on his dance experience denials. So you'll get a few messages from a few people online moaning about it, big deal! Kaitlyn probably gets them but it doesn't stop her from being honest when asked about it. It really puts me off him as a contestant knowing he's being purposefully deceitful in his attempts to garner votes and win. I've never had a problem with contestants with dance experience (I voted for Alfonso, Jordan Fisher among many others), but I do have a problem with contestants who have dance experience, but lie when asked straight up about it. Shame!

I agree with this.  At least this week, Nev admitted that he had some dance training.  Probably because it's obvious that he had training.  However, he's not being completely honest since he made it sound like he hasn't danced since he was a kid.  Tyra didn't make it any better when she copied what he said that he hasn't danced in 20 years and he was a little kid in their interview.  However, she's just following his pre-package.  It's up to him to be honest about his college major. 

I also don't mind ringers since I just want to see good dancing.  Like you, I have voted for Alfonso, Jordan, and many other ringers.  I didn't even care if Heather Morris was on there even though she wasn't my favorite that season.  Nev will probably make the finals and he should since he is one of the better dancers.  I won't be rooting for him though.

[boyznkatz]

12 hours ago, Emily-D said:

Same, although I think he's safe all the way to the finals. Nev is an idiot for doubling down on his dance experience denials. So you'll get a few messages from a few people online moaning about it, big deal! Kaitlyn probably gets them but it doesn't stop her from being honest when asked about it. It really puts me off him as a contestant knowing he's being purposefully deceitful in his attempts to garner votes and win. I've never had a problem with contestants with dance experience (I voted for Alfonso, Jordan Fisher among many others), but I do have a problem with contestants who have dance experience, but lie when asked straight up about it. Shame!

Remember Katherine Jenkins, who claimed she only had a few ballet classes when she was a kid? I think that probably cost her the competition. Same goes for that Ryker guy who never admitted his dance experience.

I don't care if people have dance experience, either. I actually like them because they can dance. Why lie about something that can so easily be looked up?

Edited October 14, 2020 by boyznkatz

[realdancemom]

I like the songs that were picked but the band/singers massacred them.  Most of them were not the right beat for the style of dance either. 

Also, I agree with whoever said that they are overdoing it with the lights.  The last part of Kaitlyn's dance had pulsing lights that made it difficult to see the break dance portion.  During the first part of Johnny's dance, there were parts that I couldn't see as well.  That's a shame because the parts that I could see were beautiful.  The choreography was great and Britt shines in contemporary.  She didn't give easy choreography for Johnny either and while he wasn't as good as Britt in contemporary, he was excellent.

After saying the last two weeks that Nelly should be the next one to go, he surprised me.  I agree with the judges that the samba was his best dance which is odd since it's one of the more difficult ones.  He really relaxed and looked like he was having fun.  He was getting the samba steps too.  I haven't changed my mind on Chrishell.  She's still not very good.  She did look better than I thought she would but only because she had very little cha cha content and she was wearing pants instead of a short skirt.  Also, Gleb gave her really easy choreography.

Monica was overscored but Val also doesn't give her easy choreography.  It showed in the samba last week and the tango this week.  She was traveling a lot.  I think she would do better if she just looked like she was having fun.

Not relaxing is also the reason why Jesse never reached his potential.  I was o.k. that he left.  He would have been in the middle of the pack if it was a different season but on Monday, he and Chrishell were the worst ones that night.

I also agree with whoever said that not having an audience makes it not as exciting or energetic especially if the star loves to perform.  I was going to say the same thing when others mentioned the season seems off.  It's not the stars because I think this season actually has a lot of decent to good dancers.  Tom would have helped more than Tyra but I think it probably would still feel off just not as much.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Opening:

Justina's jazz:

Jesse's tango:

Chrishell's cha cha:

Jeannie's jazz:

Monica's tango:

AJ's waltz:

Skai's jazz:

Vernon's tango:

Kaitlyn's tango:

Nelly's samba:

Johnny's contemporary:

Nev's quickstep:

Elimination:

 

Edited October 14, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Usually I hate the openings, but the aerobics clips were kind of funny (and it helps that each couple was only on the screen very briefly).

Justina's jazz was so fun. If ever there was a week to bust out a jazz routine, this was it. I loved that Sasha gave her some classic 80s jazz choreography. She was having so much fun and she performed well.

Jesse's Miami Vice look cracked me up, as did Sharna's Dynasty look. Unfortunately the all white suit just drew even more attention to his somewhat clunky dancing. He seemed a lot more comfortable the first week or two so I don't know if he just isn't feeling the dance styles he's been assigned lately or what.

Chrishell continues to be too awkward for my taste, but I also hate that Gleb wastes so much of these routines on nothing. Where was the cha cha? Her attempt at the NKOTB dance showed her level of coordination (or lack thereof).

The thing I really enjoy about Jeannie is how she throws herself into these routines with total abandon. You can tell by watching her that she is fearless and willing to try anything. She totally trusts her partner and is ready to jump into whatever he throws at her. She had some really strong movement in this routine and she was so fun to watch. This is why I said in past weeks that I think she's very teachable and would be excellent at her routines if she had an extra 5-7 days to work on her routines (as opposed to some of the other contestants who wouldn't improve even if you gave them an extra month to work on their routines). Loved her Madonna costume. Like a Virgin Madonna is one of my favorite Madonnas!

I appreciate that Val choreographed a tango routine with some dramatic poses and hair whips but Monica is clearly in that middle ground where she has learned the routine and isn't tripping over her own feet but she isn't a great dancer or performer and she isn't showing any improvement.

It sucks that AJ got saddled with the waltz during 80s week because there aren't as many ways to make a waltz into a fun 80s routine. The prom idea wasn't bad though. AJ seemed relatively smooth during this routine so I went back and watched it a second time and only paid attention to his feet. He did a pretty decent job so maybe slow dances are more his speed.

All I could think about while watching Skai's jazz routine was that she wasn't born when this movie came out. I thought her acid washed jeans would highlight her Bambi legs, but Alan gave her so many lifts that I almost didn't notice awkward dancing which seemed a little better than usual. I really hate when the pros add a bunch of ballroom choreography to jazz routines. I know that this is ostensibly a ballroom competition, but THERE IS NO BALLROOM IN JAZZ. Being assigned jazz doesn't mean it's a free for all and you can throw whatever you want into a routine. It's an actual dance style. I know some of the other pros who were assigned jazz this week threw a tiny bit of ballroom into their routines but it was really egregious in this routine.

Wow, the tango is really not Vernon's strong suit. This is the level of dancing I expect from celebs on DWTS (translation: not great). And what was with that long time wasting intro? He didn't actually start dancing until 30 seconds into the routine. This must have been really taxing because instead of his charming smile, he looked like he was concentrating really hard. His footwork was so heavy and clunky. But his Bon Jovi costume was pretty awesome.

Kaitlyn's tango was okay. I can't believe she took ballet for so long and has such bad kicks.

Nelly really needs to go. The little intro at the beginning where he was dancing by himself was so bad. This week's samba was the best dance he's done so far. He looked like he was relaxed and having fun, but he's just been so bad all season that I am just waiting for him to be eliminated. His footwork is always so shuffly and clumsy. At least Daniella gave him a lot of samba choreography for this routine.

Britt is quickly becoming my least favorite pro. Johnny's contemporary was a huge disappointment, mostly due to the choreography. I hate when the female pros use a routine as an excuse to give themselves a million lifts. You are supposed to showcase your celeb partner. On top of that, contemporary was the perfect style to highlight Johnny's port de bras and lines and instead she chose to give herself the spotlight. And as a professional dancer, YOU SHOULD NOT BE MOUTHING THE WORDS TO A SONG, BRITT.

Nev was a little stompier than I thought he would be in the quickstep. He seemed awkward with the 80s moves too. Loved the pants though.

Between Jesse and Vernon, I was undecided. Jesse has been cruising at the same not great level for the past few weeks but Vernon was noticeably worse this week.

On 10/13/2020 at 6:02 AM, Fostersmom said:

Derek really needs to stop call ing all of the women honey in his sickly sweet little voice he uses for them and then turns on a dime to DUDE! when he talks to the men. Derek, have you not been paying attention to the world this past 2 years? 

ITA - it's patronizing to hear him refer to the females as "honey" in his "awww, aren't you a cute little girl" voice and then bro out with DUDE for the guys.

5 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

Remember Katherine Jenkins, who claimed she only had a few ballet classes when she was a kid? I think that probably cost her the competition. Same goes for that Ryker guy who never admitted his dance experience.

I don't care if people have dance experience, either. I actually like them because they can dance. Why lie about something that can so easily be looked up?

I don't care if the celebs have previous dance experience either but it really annoys me when they try to hide it or even straight up lie about it. Do these celebs not realize that we have this thing called the internet now where we can find things like old pictures/videos of you in your dance recital costumes, at ballroom competitions, etc.?