S29.E10: Semi-Finals

[Guest]

Airs November 16, 2020

Quote

Celebrities repeat a dance style they struggled with earlier in the season; couples perform another style of dance as they try to make it into the semi-finals.

 

[displayname]

Justina NEEDS to win.

[LexieLily]

The saddest part of the elimination was Johnny and Britt quietly leaving the stage with barely an acknowledgement from Tyra until Derek credited him when Tyra was yelling at him to pick someone to save.

[MerBearHou]

Exactly who I predicted to go tonight, did.  

Excellent dancing tonight — my gosh. 

 

[PikaScrewChu]

My mom: "Is Nelly still in the competition?"

Me: "Yes Mom"

My mom: "That's good."

I found the people voting for Nelly everyone...

[DEL901]

Who the heck keeps voting for Nelly?   He seems like a grea5 guy but he hasn’t improved much at all.   Still terrible posture and no extension.  

I'll miss Johnny   

And whoever approved that horrible abomination that was Roxanne deserves to be fired   

 

[OnTime]

All wrong.  Nelly's  jive was not a 10.  Seriously?? He should not be in the finals.

Edited November 17, 2020 by OnTime

[truthaboutluv]

Predictable results. Told ya'll, I called it I think back in Week 3 or 4 - Nelly is likely getting the most viewer votes of all the contestants this season. I knew it was the end of the road for Johnny and Skai because the former has been in the bottom twice and Skai has been inconsistent throughout the season. I knew in a choice between her and Justina, there was no way the judges were going to pick her.

Damn, those 30s were really flying all over the place for that second round. Way to make the judges' points all but obsolete. Yes, I did see major improvement in Nelly's jive but 30 it was not. Personally I thought his Paso Doble was better. 

I don't care how much of a ringer he is and how some dislike him for it, I was with Derek and totally lost in that Jenna/Nev contemporary number. That was simply special. Say what you will about Jenna, but like Carrie Ann said, contemporary is that girl's THANG and she brings it. 

2 minutes ago, PikaScrewChu said:

My mom: "Is Nelly still in the competition?"

Me: "Yes Mom"

My mom: "That's good."

I found the people voting for Nelly everyone...

lol, your mom was probably one of the ones getting Hot in Herrre! in the clubs, back in the day.

[vibeology]

Nelly does not deserve a 30. He doesn't belong in the finale. I don't understand. Daniella is wonderful and I would like to see her again.

I'm thrilled Justina made it through. She makes me want to get up and dance. No one else this year has that quality. It's truly special.

If Alan had told Skai to push into the floor ten weeks ago, could we have been spared weak Bambi legs this whole time? She wasn't perfect, but was much improved this week. Imagine if she had more than a few hours to practice.

I'm sad Johnny is gone. I do think be and Britt basically did a freestyle here so we won't miss out on much next week. I don't know what else they could do.

[MerBearHou]

2 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

And whoever approved that horrible abomination that was Roxanne deserves to be fired  

OMG my ears.  Who in the world recorded that and someone said “yeah, that sounds good”??  Like a horror movie of “Roxanne” maybe...

[Callaphera]

I couldn't help laugh-snorting that the three safe finalists announced were two people with sexual abuse/assault scandals... and a former Bachelorette. Way to go, ABC. 

[TiredMe]

Here we go with Nelly Bobby Bonesing this competition. What a shame when he wins.

I adore Artem and would like to see him win but I would also like to see Justina win. doesn’t look good though with today’s votes. 

[Callaphera]

6 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

The saddest part of the elimination was Johnny and Britt quietly leaving the stage with barely an acknowledgement from Tyra until Derek credited him when Tyra was yelling at him to pick someone to save.

Tyra's voice never raised, she never pushed him to give an answer right now, and she was making noises of agreement with Derek at this point. I get that Tyra isn't popular with y'all but at no point did she yell for him to make a decision. If you're gonna give her shit, at least be accurate about it. 

[madpsych78]

Everyone really brought it tonight. But no way in hell was Nelly's jive a 30. Compared to the other second dances, I'd give it a 27. It wasn't bouncy and large enough for me. I agree that his Paso was better.

Johnny's jazz seemed like a contemporary to me.

Nelly clearly has a fan base, and I'm really surprised that Johnny does not to the same degree. Especially since they are both paired with the rookie pros this season. 

Say what you want about contemporary, I actually really loved Nev's dance. Even though Jenna has won before, I feel like if Nev does win, that she will have earned it more than she had with Adam Rippon. Even with Nev being semi-ringerish. That said, I'm really pulling for Justina to win and I was holding my breath that she was in the bottom 3. 

[Lilac2000]

I think that's the Moulin Rouge version of Roxanne. This was extra terrible though.

[McManda]

4 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

OMG my ears.  Who in the world recorded that and someone said “yeah, that sounds good”??  Like a horror movie of “Roxanne” maybe...

Was that not the version (or a cover of the version) from Mulan Rouge? 

[displayname]

8 minutes ago, vibeology said:

I'm thrilled Justina made it through. She makes me want to get up and dance. No one else this year has that quality. It's truly special.

Yes!!! She has such an uninhibited joy to her!

[MerBearHou]

3 minutes ago, McManda said:

Was that not the version (or a cover of the version) from Mulan Rouge? 

I don’t know — it was bizarro.

[truthaboutluv]

3 minutes ago, McManda said:

Was that not the version (or a cover of the version) from Mulan Rouge? 

Yes, it was. I guess without context of the film, it can sound kind of jarring to a listener at first. 

[Annber03]

Oof, yeah, this was going to be a tough one to narrow down. Everyone had their strong moments and everyone had fantastic dances tonight as well. But congrats to Johnny and Skai for making it as far as they did, they really worked hard and it showed. 

Skai looked beautiful in her outfits tonight. Especially that white dress. I loved Justina's red dress and Kaitlyn's dress for her second dance, too (and speaking of Kaitlyn, oh, man, the story about her friend. How awful). I really liked Kaitlyn and Nelly's pasos (and the song that played for Kaitlyn's was really cool, too), and Johnny and Britt's second dance was fun, especially the way they incorporated skating elements into it. But yeah. Good night all around for everyone, really. 

Will be very interesting to see how next week shakes out. 

 

[displayname]

5 minutes ago, McManda said:

Was that not the version (or a cover of the version) from Mulan Rouge? 

It was.

[Arkay]

I'm not a Johnny fan at all, but the way they got the hook at the end was pretty brutal. One second to absorb it and then rushed off the stage.

Nev and Jenna were absolutely superb. I  agree with the judges who felt they were so engaged in the performance that they were beyond judging.  I don't think Justina measures up in terms of pure talent, but I love her passion. I'd be happy with either one winning.

Kaitlyn is very good and I like Artem , but I'm just not a Kaitlyn fan. Nelly did well tonight, but didn't deserve to be in the finals. Did anyone catch what he mouthed out to Daniella when they were in the stands? It looked to me like he said, "we gotta win something," but I'm really not sure. 

[LadyMustang65]

So sad to see Johnny go.  He was one of the ones I tuned in for, and he did not disappoint.  I loved both of his dances tonight.  And it really sucked that he got rushed off at the end with barely an acknowledgement.  Thank you, Derek, for pointing out how well he has done and that he should be really proud of what he accomplished.

I'm afraid Nelly is going to win it all.  He clearly has a huge fan base.  He's not as bad as Bobby Bones, but he's also clearly the weakest dancer left and has been for a couple of weeks.  Kaitlyn's first dance was pretty, but it felt unemotional.  My husband put it that she has the steps down but not the character.  I did love her second dance, though.

At this point I'd most like to see Justina take it all.  Don't know why but I haven't really warmed up to Nev, and I don't get excited about him.  Definitely don't want to see Nelly take it.  I love Artem and think his choreography has been mostly really good this season, so while I'm not a Kaitlyn fan, I'd be happy if Artem won. 

[Morrigan]

Yes, that was brutal the way they handled the bottom three. I think they should have announced the one of the three with the best results from fans and judges - and then let the judges pick the one to save of the bottom two. Pointing out that Johnny got the least fan vote, after hes been in the bottom two twice -- just ouch.

And I thought Tyra was trying to talk to him to say goodbye or whatever and he couldn't handle it so he turned and walked away - I could be wrong - need to watch it again.

I know Nev/whatsername did a good contemporary, but I thought he looked shaky on his feet when he was carrying her and turning round and round at the same time. Small point I guess.

ETA: Sheesh I screwed that up -- it wouldn't work. I guess I wish they'd saved one of the three bottom couples instead of announcing who was worst - then the two who weren't saved could leave together and have a buddy to be in the bottom with.

Edited November 17, 2020 by Morrigan
Because I'm an idiot

[MerBearHou]

2 minutes ago, Morrigan said:

And I thought Tyra was trying to talk to him to say goodbye or whatever and he couldn't handle it so he turned and walked away - I could be wrong - need to watch it again

See, that’s what I thought happened as well.  Johnny was upset and just turned to get off the stage quickly.  But maybe that’s what they were told to do.  It just didn’t look that way to me.  Sorry to see both Skai and Johnny go, but at this point, it’s tough for any of them to be eliminated so close to the final.  I think Nelly is getting votes for most improved — Justina gets votes for her joy and Nev and Kaitlyn get votes for their experienced, amazing dancing IMO.

[PikaScrewChu]

29 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

 

lol, your mom was probably one of the ones getting Hot in Herrre! in the clubs, back in the day.

lolololololol... If I was Skai's age maybe. My mom won't take the senior citizen discount at the store. My sister and I had to program her loyalty cards for it. 

It was very hard to keep from laughing when she asked me if Nelly was still in there. 

She can't figure out how to vote. Don't worry. 

[Morrigan]

Maybe I'm being too hard on her, but I cringed when Kaitlyn said her friend who died so young would be so happy to see her get so close to the mirrorball. Not sure why - just seems a bit insensitive to turn it to her trivial reality show success?

[OnTime]

45 minutes ago, Callaphera said:

I couldn't help laugh-snorting that the three safe finalists announced were two people with sexual abuse/assault scandals... and a former Bachelorette. Way to go, ABC. 

I missed this one.  Who had sexual abuse/assult scandals?  Or should I even ask?

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, OnTime said:

I missed this one.  Who had sexual abuse/assult scandals?  Or should I even ask?

I know that Nev's wikipedia's page says he was expelled from college for punching someone...

[Morrigan]

Wasn't there some physical abuse between Johnny and his former Russian husband? But I thought Johnny was the victim?? (I don't remember very well - but there was a reality show about it) - is that right, Callaphera?

[nickp1991]

Johnny did AMAZING and Britt did phenomenal for her first season as a pro!

[Callaphera]

8 minutes ago, OnTime said:

I missed this one.  Who had sexual abuse/assult scandals?  Or should I even ask?

Nev and Nelly. 

MTV claims that they investigated the claims against Nev (the accuser says otherwise) and decided the matter was closed. Nelly reached a settlement in two (civil) cases in the U.K. and one (civil) case in Washington State. 

They're both on redemption tours on this show. 

 

2 minutes ago, Morrigan said:

Wasn't there some physical abuse between Johnny and his former Russian husband? But I thought Johnny was the victim?? (I don't remember very well - but there was a reality show about it) - is that right, Callaphera?

I don't know about anything with Johnny - I just know about the two listed above. 

[Morrigan]

Thanks - I didn't know about Nelly. Whoever would have thought he'd outlast Johnny Weir, who's such a beautiful figure skater. I haven't seen his jazz from tonight - but I have to confess I thought Johnny's salsa was awkward. But he did more salsa than Nelly did jive. If Nelly wins... oy.

ETA: I won't link but at "eonline" there's an article entitled: Johnny Weir Divorce Drama: Skater Opens Up About Domestic Violence and Nude Photos, Ex Victor Voronov Responds

Edited November 17, 2020 by Morrigan

[nickp1991]

I honestly think Nev has got this in the bag

[Morrigan]

I'd rather Nev win than Kaitlyn -- but Justina's my favorite. I guess she's a long-shot after being 4th (or 5th) place tonight because the judges' scores were pretty close, percentage wise.

[Emily-D]

Nelly’s winning this thing for me, those 10s confirmed it IMO. I thought going into tonight that Justina still had a chance of winning, but not now after finishing in the bottom three despite a perfect score in her contemporary. She was beaten on votes by Nelly, Nev and Kaitlyn. Nev and Kaitlyn are both getting lots of votes clearly, but enough to beat Nelly? I’m extremely doubtful.

Edited November 17, 2020 by Emily-D

[nickp1991]

This show is NOT called The Tyra Banks Show It is DWTS! Tyra Banks attempts to be the star not a host Tyra focuses more on showing off herself & her riduculous over the top outfits than focusing on the dancers

[lisette]

Whoever thought Tyra Banks was a good choice for host???? I can't stand her and her overly dramatic way of saying things. She about ruins the show for me. Get rid of her please....

[Callaphera]

6 minutes ago, Emily-D said:

Nelly’s winning this thing for me, those 10s confirmed it IMO.

It's practically in the rule book that the final dance of every competitor in the semi-finals gets a perfect score so long as they don't fall on their asses. And even then, they would probably play it off as part of the choreography so long as one arm gets flung artistically or a foot is properly flexed. I wouldn't read too much into the perfect score for that last round. 

There are a few times they deviated from that over the years (usually it was Len throwing out a 9 instead of a 10) but for the most part, they all get the same score in the last round so long as they can stay on their feet through the whole thing. 

[angelamh66]

I would have rather had Johnny than Nelly in the final, but I like Nelly well enough so it’s all good. I’m just glad they didn’t pick Skai over Justina. Skai seems like a sweet girl, but I just didn’t enjoy her dances. 

[Emily-D]

12 minutes ago, Callaphera said:

It's practically in the rule book that the final dance of every competitor in the semi-finals gets a perfect score so long as they don't fall on their asses. And even then, they would probably play it off as part of the choreography so long as one arm gets flung artistically or a foot is properly flexed. I wouldn't read too much into the perfect score for that last round. 

There are a few times they deviated from that over the years (usually it was Len throwing out a 9 instead of a 10) but for the most part, they all get the same score in the last round so long as they can stay on their feet through the whole thing. 

Bobby Bones didn’t get tens in the semi finals. He didn’t get tens until his freestyle which made it look even worse when he won. Giving Nelly tens now at least gives them some credibility when he wins it all, assuming they give him more tens next week.

[BuckeyeLou]

25 minutes ago, nickp1991 said:

This show is NOT called The Tyra Banks Show It is DWTS! Tyra Banks attempts to be the star not a host Tyra focuses more on showing off herself & her riduculous over the top outfits than focusing on the dancers

This!  The way she comes out SO Dramatic, and the crazy hat tonight & the outfit was showing so much cleavage, I thought she was going to pop out...her outfits are So unflattering.  And her Overly Dramatic way of speaking & silly questions to the dancers...ugh, she really is Not meant to be a Host. 

[Callaphera]

16 minutes ago, Emily-D said:

Bobby Bones didn’t get tens in the semi finals. He didn’t get tens until his freestyle which made it look even worse when he won. Giving Nelly tens now at least gives them some credibility when he wins it all, assuming they give him more tens next week.

I don't think the judges score actually counts for that much in the end was basically my point. Because at it's core, this show is a popularity contest, not a dance contest. Even if they had given Nelly 9s across the board instead of 10s, he's clearly pulling in the voting numbers from the public just like Bobby Bones did. In the end, it doesn't really matter if you learned the most technique and displayed it the best - it's who can get America voting for them. 

[MsJamieDornan]

1 hour ago, BuckeyeLou said:

This show is NOT called The Tyra Banks Show It is DWTS

Her talking hurts my head. At the end of the show tonight when she was rambling on and on and ignoring the eliminated couples, I was so frustrated I wanted to cry and throw my shoe at the tv. Enough, Enough. Enough.

[FilmTVGeek80]

You guys would probably think I was mental at how many times I screamed at the scree for Tyra to shut up. I try and fast forward her as much as possible, but I can't always and she's just insufferable. Even when she's joking around she just seems incredibly fake and like she wants the spotlight always on her. The way she speaks drives me up the wall. I know the elimination is supposed to be dramatic and Tom always did the pausing and the serious voice, but Tyra acts like people's lives are literally on the line. 

It's kind of funny because before the second round of dances I was complimenting the show on how they stopped handing out tens like they were candy and then everyone got tens. I was sure, because Nelly is definitely the weakest link left, that he wasn't getting 10s but I don't know if they just figured it would be too embarrassing for everyone to get 10s but not him, or - as others have speculated - they need to give him a perfect score at least once to justify his position in the finals and potentially winning it all.

I'm so pissed Justina ended up in the bottom three and Nelly had more votes. I would hope that she can rally next week and still win but that seems doubtful now. As much as I do think Nelly is worst than everyone left, I would actually rather him win it than Kaitlin. I feel the same way about her that I did the other Bachelorette last season. Technically a good dancer, but she makes me feel nothing. I know the Bachelor Nation can be insane voting-wise.

[Bridget]

3 hours ago, Arkay said:

I'm not a Johnny fan at all, but the way they got the hook at the end was pretty brutal. One second to absorb it and then rushed off the stage.

Nev and Jenna were absolutely superb. I  agree with the judges who felt they were so engaged in the performance that they were beyond judging.  I don't think Justina measures up in terms of pure talent, but I love her passion. I'd be happy with either one winning.

Kaitlyn is very good and I like Artem , but I'm just not a Kaitlyn fan. Nelly did well tonight, but didn't deserve to be in the finals. Did anyone catch what he mouthed out to Daniella when they were in the stands? It looked to me like he said, "we gotta win something," but I'm really not sure. 

As a high school teacher, my lip reading is pretty on point. 

Nelly asked Daniella, "What style dance was that?"

(I know, I know.)

[boyznkatz]

I thought Nelly’s jive was a lot more entertaining than those boring contemporaries. And I was glad they gave him a 30 because he was the only one that didn’t get an easy dance in the second half.

The finals should be good. I don’t care who wins.

[Sd601]

Oooh. The contemporary competitions! Justina’s a joy to watch. Her arms, her expressions, her lines. She’s beautiful. I love Sasha but not always his choreography...well, just that I like other’s choreo more. I wonder if people will be more incensed to vote for her after tonight. I probably will. I’d love for her to win.

That said, Nev is great. His posture seems a bit funky sometimes, but that contemporary was lovely. It wasn’t Jenna centered (my main complaint). I know there are some complaints that he and Kaitlyn are trained dancers, but they are not THAT good. And I’m the one who loves a ringer. Both are not ringers. 
 

Speaking of Kaitlyn, her contemporary was graceful as well, more thanks to Artem. He is just wonderful to watch. But it’s not a “pro” competition, and Kaitlyn’s face is often like Skai’s legs—frozen. I’d love artem to win, but Kaitlyn isn’t the one I’d vote for. 
 

I think it’s Justina or Nev. Sorry Nelly, I don’t think you’ll take it. You’re adorable and most improved, but not the winner of Dancing with the Stars...hopefully. 

 

[Emily-D]

3 hours ago, Callaphera said:

I don't think the judges score actually counts for that much in the end was basically my point. Because at it's core, this show is a popularity contest, not a dance contest. Even if they had given Nelly 9s across the board instead of 10s, he's clearly pulling in the voting numbers from the public just like Bobby Bones did. In the end, it doesn't really matter if you learned the most technique and displayed it the best - it's who can get America voting for them. 

The scores don't count for much, but at least it makes the judges and the show look more respectable when a couple that is getting 10s actually wins as opposed to say Bobby Bones. We all know it's a popularity contest, otherwise half the winners of this show over the years wouldn't have done so.

If Nelly was in danger of finishing in the bottom three, I'm certain his Jive would have been scored as appropriate. In the end, he's likely killing it so badly with votes the producers probably just thought forget it, we'll get on board with him winning now rather than look stupid next week.

At this point, he's guaranteed to finish above Justina next week, based on him definitely getting substantially more votes than her tonight. I think he's getting more than the other two as well, the only question is how many more. I suspect enough to get the win as long as his scores next week aren't terrible (finale scores never are).

Edited November 17, 2020 by Emily-D

[Emily-D]

Forgot to mention earlier, I'm so happy for Artem who has finally made a final and long overdue. I was worried Kaitlyn was going to blow it a few weeks ago but she pulled it together just in time.

I now have a decision to make for next week, After splitting votes between lots of couples early on (Jeannie, Justina, Nelly, Kaitlyn, Anne), I voted for Kaitlyn only in the last couple of weeks (really since Jeannie had to withdraw) in order to see Artem make the final, with the view of likely giving my votes to Justina in the finals because I liked her more than Kaitlyn. However, Justina being in the bottom three will probably see me reconsider as I don't want to waste my vote. I don't like Nev, to the point where I'd honestly rather see Nelly win than him as he creeps me out and his outright lies over his heavy dance experience turned me off. So I'll probably end up throwing them to Kaitlyn (or rather Artem) again in the finals.