S29.E09: Icons Night

[Guest]

Airs November 9, 2020

Quote

Honouring their favourite musical icons, seven celebrity and pro-dancer couples dance to the famous artists' songs and face elimination.

 

[LexieLily]

Was it just me that heard Tyra completely butcher the word cumulative when she was explaining the rules for the dance-off and how Nev ended up with immunity? And here we are again with Nev talking about a parent enjoying dance and taking him to dances and him/the show pretending that is why he has his love for dance and is such a good dancer. What a surprise it was his ultimate dream to be in a Broadway show, that is what he studied dance for five years for.

Three cheers for everyone last week that predicted this would be Kaitlyn's redemption week (though not completely because she didn't get the two cha-cha points versus Justina) and that Carrie-Ann would be leading the charge. I didn't predict the perfect score and I didn't see much difference between how she performed this week's dance and how she performed her previous dances. Her perfect score was almost immediately displaced by Johnny and Britt's perfect score. Johnny and Britt also weren't perfect but they were so much more enjoyable than Kaitlyn. (P.S: when Kaitlyn/Artem went up to hug CAI in excitement for their 30 I wanted to jump through the screen and push them away and tell them to back up and stay six feet away!)

I finally figured out what bothers me the most about Skai. I know, logically, that she is eighteen, but she's so short that each week it looks like she is playing dress-up pretending to be a grownup and not actually being one. Though she did make sure to say "thank you" out loud to each judge by name in her post-dance critique so maybe someone that isn't her mother got to her to try and make things right. 

Did Tyra take up so much money in the budget with all her costume changes that the pros/celebs are no longer allowed to change clothes between the first dance and the dance-off? 

"If there is a split decision the third judge gets the deciding vote." No duh, Tyra, that is how a judging panel of three people works!

Edited November 10, 2020 by LexieLily

[Annber03]

Aw, damn! I wasn't expecting it to come down to those two! But we did say that the decisions would get tougher as the season goes on, so... Still, shame to see AJ go. 

Johnny did have a fantastic night tonight, though, so I'm very happy he is staying. I loved his first dance-his Amy Winehouse getup was so cute :D! Kaitlyn and Nev were particularly strong, too. And I liked Skai's dance to "If"-I agree that little floor spin she did was really cool. 

Getting down to the wire now. 

[CraftyHazel]

For some reason, my ABC went black for the whole show, so I haven’t got a clue what happened.  Who got sent home?

[Callaphera]

Dear Dancing with the Stars band,

No. Just... please no. Stop. 

Thanks,
the entire fucking audience

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Booooooo!  So wanted a final of AJ and Justina!!!!  They entertain me, the others meh. 
 

Saw Val in stands and thought that must of been him on violin during toxic. ( remembering back to he and Rumour Wiilis but they never credited him so...?

[DEL901]

Thank goodness Johnny was saved 

For the dance off, I wish the first 2 couples had been split up differently because Kaitlyn and Justina were both better than Nelly and Sakai.  

[mtlchick]

Well, my only reason to watch is gone. Sucks for AJ, but tonight’s dance was not great. I’m surprised he got 8s.

[edie3]

Skai reminds me of those pageant girls, like Honey Boo Boo. A little girl all dolled up. Kinda creeps me out. 

[CraftyHazel]

Ah, well...if AJ is done, I am, too.  Especially since Jeannie is also out.  See y’all next season.

[DietCokeJunkie]

Aw, I’ll miss AJ. 

And WHY was Gleb there? Trying to save his reputation after his wife is divorcing him for cheating? 

Edited November 10, 2020 by DietCokeJunkie
No, autocorrect, his name is really GLEB.

[MerBearHou]

15 minutes ago, CraftyHazel said:

For some reason, my ABC went black for the whole show, so I haven’t got a clue what happened.  Who got sent home?

Mine did too!!  Only the last 5 minutes or so.  Ugh!

I felt like Cheryl seemed so “over it” tonight from what they showed of their rehearsals.  It was a weird vibe from her.  

I’m glad Nelly is still in.

Surprised to see Gleb upstairs.  Definitely for image control.

AJ was so lost in his first dance.  

I could watch Kaitlyn and Nev dance all night.  They both mesmerize me.  Kaitlyn’s first dance was gorgeous, including the cool colors and shadowing on them.

I really love Derek as a judge.  So articulate, positive, constructive in his critiques.  

And yep, Tyra mangled “cumulative”, results NOW right after this, Nev’s immunity.  I literally said “WHAT??” Out loud to no one but myself.  She has the oddest way of speaking and dramatizing every single damn thing.  Loathe her as a host.  She has not grown on me one bit.

Edited November 10, 2020 by MerBearHou

[ams1001]

7 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

And I liked Skai's dance to "If"-I agree that little floor spin she did was really cool. 

I didn't expect Paso to be my favorite dance of hers, but here we are.

7 minutes ago, Callaphera said:

Dear Dancing with the Stars band,

No. Just... please no. Stop. 

Thanks,
the entire fucking audience

Yeah...did Tyra say something about them having fantastic voices or something to that effect? Was she listening to the same thing we were?

[TiredMe]

Well that ending was interesting. I really like Nelly but I’m starting to worry we gotta Bobby Bones situation brewing. Am I still bitter? Just a bit! Lol

i thought the Artem Kaitlyn dance was smoking. WhoooWheeee but then again I find most everything Artem does smoking. 

I was really entertained though by shirtless nelly in the dance off. He made me giggle. but I still think the bottom two should have been him and Skai no question. 

[vibeology]

Nelly is here and AJ is gone? Fuck!!!!!! That!!!!!!! At one point during the dance-off, Daniella was dancing up a storm and Nelly was clapping. AJ had a shit night so I'm glad Johnny didn't go home but it never should have come to that.

[Litnit]

I can't handle Nev with his smarmy self promotion which even on a show designed for self promotion is too much. Oh, I just realized I want to be on Broadway.

Artem is hot af.

[PikaScrewChu]

I'm not surprised. As much as I enjoy Cheryl and her choreography, she seemed checked out the past few weeks. I don't think this was another Ian Ziering situation, but Cheryl wasn't fully there. AJ was making the same mistakes over and over again. I noticed he never quite figured out when to get back into hold in the dances. You'd see him attempt too early or too late. Howie D next time around? 

Kaitlyn's cha cha was technically on point but so boring. Justina's win was justified there. 

The costuming for Justina's rhumba was terrible. It exposed all of her mistakes, even though I appreciated it more than the "stop, pose, stop, pose" rhumbas we tend to get on this show.

Justina for the win!

[Emily-D]

I like Nelly, I really do, hell I voted for him numerous weeks earlier in the season. But I’m starting to get a little worried he could Bobby Bones this season. I’m now struggling for next week because really, I’d be happy for Skai to go, but at the same time if Nelly gets to the final, all bets are off with his fanbase.

Delighted for Artem! Finally after weeks of waiting Kaitlyn comes to the party. I’ve already committed to giving them my votes next week because I want him to make his first final and I can justify it now with Kaitlyn’s score. After years of getting screwed around by this show, he deserves it and it would hurt seeing him eliminated so close to the end.

[alihart41]

AJ picked the wrong time to eff up a routine. I'm sad he never got to do a paso -- I think that could've actually been a real breakout dance for him.

So Johnny is the first person to survive two bottom twos this season, and he had a perfect score this time. The votes clearly aren't there for him. 

Nev is fine, but he's just sort of there for me now. There's nothing exciting about his routines anymore.

[ams1001]

8 minutes ago, PikaScrewChu said:

I'm not surprised. As much as I enjoy Cheryl and her choreography, she seemed checked out the past few weeks. I don't think this was another Ian Ziering situation, but Cheryl wasn't fully there.

Starting before or after hitting her head? Hope it's not related to that.

[scenicbyway]

I think Cheryl must be really injured and has been powering through it since she bonked her head and hurt her shoulder. She has seemed over it and also relieved.  I also wondered if she misses Tom and is not a fan of the new dynamic.

Johnny has finally found his feet just in time!

Any other season though, all of these dancers would’ve been eliminated well before now.  They are all pretty average. I was stunned some got 10’s.

I truly don’t understand Tyras wardrobe choices.  We know she was a super model, we know she’s hosted before. Why is she constantly in costume? I did love that Carrie Ann did not play along with the dress up tonight and just wore something she’d wear anyway.

[MerBearHou]

Help out this viewer whose TV blacked out for the last 5 minutes - who else was with AJ in the bottom 2?

[Jax7917]

Just now, MerBearHou said:

Help out this viewer whose TV blacked out for the last 5 minutes - who else was with AJ in the bottom 2?

Johnny and Brit 

[MerBearHou]

1 minute ago, Jaclyn88 said:

Johnny and Brit 

Oh wow, thank you.  After Johnny’s Amy Winehouse backstory and his strong first dance, I’m not surprised he was saved.

[PikaScrewChu]

6 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Starting before or after hitting her head? Hope it's not related to that.

I would have to re-watch to pinpoint it. It was painfully obvious with the "not-rhumba" last week she was phoning it in.

AJ was pretty inelastic as a dancer though. There were a few dances where he had this look of terror on his face, like he had been given the dance two hours prior. Whether that was just due to lack of ability or time to practice, difficult to say. Even though he was the superior dancer to Nelly, he had this fear on his face which made it hard to watch him specifically. Nelly will improv somewhat appropriately if he forgets a step in the upbeat dances and pretend nothing happened. You could see it on AJ's face every time he made a mistake. 

[funnygirl]

Unpopular opinion: I rather have Nelly in the finals than Nev. I find Nelly far more sincere and you can see him making an effort and progressing every week, and I find that more entertaining than a professionally trained ringer *cough* I mean dancer who gives off douche vibes. 

Sad to see AJ go. Cheryl's always been one of my favorite pros. 

Justina should've had multiple 10s by now. I would've picked a different Madonna song for her Rumba, and I don't always love Sasha's choreography, but the actor/performer in Justina really embodies the "character" of her dances and she's a joy to watch. 

Edited November 10, 2020 by funnygirl

[nickp1991]

 I'm glad Johnny & Britt got saved

[nickp1991]

tyra banks look like a Nicki Minaj wannabe

[magpye29]

I've tried to vote for Johnny multiple times, and it won't let me. (By phone)

[Emily-D]

33 minutes ago, funnygirl said:

Unpopular opinion: I rather have Nelly in the finals than Nev. I find Nelly far more sincere and you can see him making an effort and progressing every week, and I find that more entertaining than a professionally trained ringer *cough* I mean dancer who gives off douche vibes. 

Sad to see AJ go. Cheryl's always been one of my favorite pros. 

Justina should've had multiple 10s by now. I would've picked a different Madonna song for her Rumba, and I don't always love Sasha's choreography, but the actor/performer in Justina really embodies the "character" of her dances and she's a joy to watch. 

Yeah, I don’t think Sasha choreography helps her. It’s not the first time I’ve had question marks over it either. Like tonight I just felt the dance itself was slow and boring. Justina as usual played the character really well, but ultimately there is only so much she can do with what she’s being given.

[Quickbeam]

I really didn’t think Justina’s costume worked well for the rumba. I think a different style would have given her more flow.

[Bliss]

I'm so meh about this season now that Jeannie is out. When I saw the bottom 2, they weren't the 2 I would have picked and now I don't care anymore who goes and who stays.

I'm also so sad about Alex Trebek passing that even watching dancing doesn't make me smile... and Tyra doesn't help matters. She's not the right person for that role.

Tom B would have handled tonight so much better and I KNOW he would have said something that would have knocked me out of my funk.

[Annber03]

11 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

I really didn’t think Justina’s costume worked well for the rumba. I think a different style would have given her more flow.

I was thinking the same thing, yeah. The outfit was cool on its own, she definitely looked great, but I agree, I wouldn't have worn something like that for that dance, either. Especially not with that song choice. 

[LexieLily]

3 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I was thinking the same thing, yeah. The outfit was cool on its own, she definitely looked great, but I agree, I wouldn't have worn something like that for that dance, either. Especially not with that song choice. 

I kept wondering why she was dressed as Bad Girl Sandy from Grease.

[madpsych78]

Justina was underscored. She should have gotten all 9s for her dance. I also don't think Kaitlyn's dance merited a 30. Maybe all 9s or mostly 9s and a 10. 

Nelly has more fans than I expected, especially since Daniella is also a new pro and doesn't have much of her own base. In all fairness though, they are all pretty close to one another in terms of dancing skill. 

Now that Cheryl is eliminated, with the exception of Alan, and Jenna (ish), all of the remaining pros have never won the mirror ball trophy before. I think this needs to be Sasha or Artem's year. 

[boyznkatz]

Sorry to see AJ go, but Johnny is a better dancer.

I can totally see Nelly winning. He must have a huge fanbase. And he looks way better shirtless than Nev lol.

[Morrigan]

Regarding Gleb being there - has any other booted pro been there besides Emma? I thought they had elaborate "bubbles" they have to live in. Hope he's following all the rules, not exactly Gleb's forte.

Poor Johnny and the lack of fan votes. I want to blame Britt but... well, I won't go there. Could just be that he's too far out from his skating renown and the popularity of that sport has plummeted, since his and Lysacek's day, and even before that.

[Morrigan]

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Starting before or after hitting her head? Hope it's not related to that.

I noticed in one of their practice videos, before the accident, that she wasn't the Cheryl I remembered. I thought she seemed fed up with him ?? She has that new book out about being an abused child. I wonder if this is a difficult time in her life, and AJ's needy or something, and she's just not up for it (though she always puts in the work). He doesn't seem douchey or difficult - but being around an anxious person in a situation like this can be exhausting, I bet. (but then, we don't see everything behind the scenes - maybe it's more than his anxiety)

Edited November 10, 2020 by Morrigan
Left out the answer to the question!

[LexieLily]

12 minutes ago, Morrigan said:

Regarding Gleb being there - has any other booted pro been there besides Emma? I thought they had elaborate "bubbles" they have to live in. Hope he's following all the rules, not exactly Gleb's forte.

Val was there tonight and for half a second I could have sworn I saw Keo. Don't think I've ever seen Pasha, though. Sharna was there last week or maybe the week before?

[Morrigan]

Thanks LexieLily. Then it makes sense Gleb would be there. They need all the audience they can get with the sorta dead atmosphere, without the crowd. Maybe the show asks those who can manage it to show up.

[MsJamieDornan]

I'm a little shocked at the problems that AJ seemed to be having all season. I'm a big boy band fan and although I dont think they are ringers,  one thing they do have going for them is remembering choreography pretty easily. Also, they are good at covering mistakes and can keep on going. They aren't always the best dancers but usually the best entertainers. And they are definitely hard workers. So, I'm not sure what the heck went wrong with AJ.

[MsTree]

Derek, Halloween was over a week ago. Save the eyeliner for Adam Lambert.

[Koalagirl]

1 hour ago, MsTree said:

Derek, Halloween was over a week ago. Save the eyeliner for Adam Lambert.

He and Bruno were both dressed up for Icon night. David Bowie was his icon, thus the guyliner. 

[displayname]

I really want Justina to win lol

[boyznkatz]

They have a strange definition of “icon.” I would think Elvis Presley or Mick Jagger. Brittany Spears? LMAO

[ams1001]

3 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

He and Bruno were both dressed up for Icon night. David Bowie was his icon, thus the guyliner. 

Thanks; I couldn't figure out what they were going for.

[PikaScrewChu]

6 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

I'm a little shocked at the problems that AJ seemed to be having all season. I'm a big boy band fan and although I dont think they are ringers,  one thing they do have going for them is remembering choreography pretty easily. Also, they are good at covering mistakes and can keep on going. They aren't always the best dancers but usually the best entertainers. And they are definitely hard workers. So, I'm not sure what the heck went wrong with AJ.

If you practice enough it becomes muscle memory. That's where boy band members have the ability. I don't think BSB (or any pop act really) has changed up their dance routines in years. Maybe Gaga but I haven't been to one of her concerts in a long time. 

I truly don't think any of them are getting the practice needed this season. It's never been confirmed what the COVID protocols are but studio time has to be really limited. TPTB would have been further off waiting until the winter, although I know all the networks were desperate to fill up airtime until other primetime shows came back.

[OnTime]

11 hours ago, PikaScrewChu said:

The costuming for Justina's rhumba was terrible. It exposed all of her mistakes, even though I appreciated it more than the "stop, pose, stop, pose" rhumbas we tend to get on this show.

Justina for the win!

Gosh, who dressed her in leather pants for a rumba???

Justina for the win! That is right!!!

6 hours ago, MsTree said:

Derek, Halloween was over a week ago. Save the eyeliner for Adam Lambert.

I kept thinking why is he wearing eyeliner. Didn't they say he was dressed as George Michael?

[leocadia]

20 minutes ago, OnTime said:

I kept thinking why is he wearing eyeliner. Didn't they say he was dressed as George Michael?

Bruno was George Michael, Derek was supposed to be emulating David Bowie. (as @Koalagirl already mentioned --sorry!)

Edited November 10, 2020 by leocadia

[Fliz]

11 hours ago, PikaScrewChu said:

The costuming for Justina's rhumba was terrible. It exposed all of her mistakes, even though I appreciated it more than the "stop, pose, stop, pose" rhumbas we tend to get on this show.

Agreed - the usual half of a bedsheet they usually put the women in covers up some of the hip action (of lack thereof).