S30.E10: Semifinals

[LexieLily]

I said it before tonight that Melora would be safe even if she ended up in the bottom two because Len loved her; I didn't count on her being the auto-elimination. The Monk fan in me is sad :( Amanda's tribute dance to her late husband was lovely but the judges shouldn't have saved her based on that (and I feel like a heel for saying it). Suni was improving, having more fun with the whole experience, and you could see it when she danced. Her first-round foxtrot was so cute. Their second dance was Suni's best dance and great on it's own merits for what it was but they were screwed over by the contemporary/Sara Bareilles' combination. There's a significant crossover between DWTS fans and SYTYCD fans (me personally, I started watching DWTS when Lacey/Chelsie/Dmitry were picked to be pros)  - and Kayla/Kupono's Addiction dance to that music is SYTYCD's most well-known dance. It went viral and it won Mia Michaels an Emmy. No matter what Suni and Sasha did they were not going to live up to that standard. 

Both eliminations tonight pissed me off. 

Cody should've been auto-eliminated the second week when he/Cheryl got Covid (her stone-faced, barely-listening reaction to his story about searching for self acceptance? Maybe there's something to it that Cody and Cheryl just don't like each other all that much.) and Amanda is just there for me. I wouldn't mind JoJo winning but can't stomach the idea of Jenna winning her first mirrorball. (I don't count the mini-season with the athletes.) Iman's freestyle is going to be spectacular based on tonight's dance and their Halloween dance so there's that to look forward to, at least. 

Does that Imagine Dragons song Melora danced to have any other words but "thunder, feel the thunder" and "lightening and the thunder"?

Edited November 16, 2021 by LexieLily

[scenicbyway]

6 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Cody should've been auto-eliminated the second week when he/Cheryl got Covid (her stone-faced, barely-listening reaction to his story about searching for self acceptance? Maybe there's something to it that Cody and Cheryl just don't like each other all that much.) 

THIS^
 

They had the chance to eliminate Cody over Covid (I can’t help but wonder if that’s part of the reason Cheryl dislikes him). And the extra Len vote was made to kick off the clearly worst dancer which for weeks has been Cody. I wouldn’t be surprised if they use it to put him at third or fourth place. We know Amanda is the least popular going into the final but I could see a situation where Jojo comes in third leaving it between Iman and Cody. Cody was at the bottom and beat Amanda who was ranked 2nd.

[babyhouseman]

I was rooting for Suni. I didn't have much hope before, and after lifts, dead grandpa, dead husband, and Peleton Cody groupies, I really had no hope. I'm not minimizing the family losses; they have my sympathy. It's not the first time DWTS has used sad stories to advance couples.

It was a very competitive group. I don't know  who's going to take it. If Iman wins, it would be his pro's first win. The other pros have won(if you count Jenna's sports season win). 

[scarlettudor]

1 hour ago, scenicbyway said:

We’ll the group dance was prerecorded because there’s no way Tyra got changed that quickly.

What amazed me was the couples in one outfit at the begining, then a totally different outfit for the dance.  This is 'live' so they must have shown pre-recorded outfits.  Strange.  Tyra's blue outfit was the best I've seen other than the mirror outfit early on.

 

[kitcloudkicker]

If Iman doesn’t win it’s because he’s too cool for this show. If Cody wins it proves no one who actually watches this show actually votes, and if you have a rabid fan base coming in you can stand around onstage and still win.

I’ve already mentioned what drives me nuts about Cody still being in but the overlying thing is — he’s supposed to have this big flamboyant personality, and I know he has SOME because I’ve taken his classes and found them fun — but we haven’t even seen ANY of it on the show. He’s been presented as this piece of cardboard that huffs and puffs while Cheryl half-assedly dances around him and where is the fun guy that’s supposed to be there?? Is he just super nervous? Do he and Cheryl hate each other?? Why does no one coach him on performance the way they did with Suni? I could forgive some of the weaker dancing if he was giving more dynamic performance energy but we’re getting neither from him. It’s going to be so unsatisfying if/when he wins.

It sucks to lose Suni the moment she seemed like she was finding her groove and actually having fun. (Also, I’m sad she said she didn’t have anyone to talk to about her sudden fame. I’m going to need the other former gymnast gold medalists to start a group chat with Suni asap.)

I won’t miss Melora. She was getting on my nerves, her personality getting a little to close to her Jan character.

[LexieLily]

6 minutes ago, scenicbyway said:

THIS^
They had the chance to eliminate Cody over Covid (I can’t help but wonder if that’s part of the reason Cheryl dislikes him). And the extra Len vote was made to kick off the clearly worst dancer which for weeks has been Cody. I wouldn’t be surprised if they use it to put him at third or fourth place. We know Amanda is the least popular going into the final but I could see a situation where Jojo comes in third leaving it between Iman and Cody. Cody was at the bottom and beat Amanda who was ranked 2nd.

Do we think Cheryl is okay, physically? For a few weeks after she/Cody returned to the ballroom you could tell she was still feeling the effects of Covid.

[Bliss]

Not surprised at the final 4, although I was sincerely hoping for Suni to beat out Cody. She absolutely shone tonight!

Cheryl seemed to be in finer form tonight, so good on her (I never watch Cody)... I just hope the rabid voting for Cody doesn't deem him the finale winner. Que sera, sera.

Someone mentioned last week that Jenna is looking very thin and I agree. I saw her dance 'live' a few times back when she was a newbie to DWTS, and she used to be a much larger woman - never overweight, just with more flesh on her bones. Tonight, her face looks so gaunt, her teeth seem to have grown. (Too bad we can't throw her and me in a machine and mix us up - I'm more than happy to give her a few pounds!) I'm impressed with her choreography with JoJo and am always a bit surprised that they are as good as they are... their chemistry is excellent. However, NO, Derek, that wasn't the best contemporary ever.

I was keen on Melora at the beginning; however, she seemed to become almost desperate the last few weeks - and that contemporary was boring as f. (Just my crappy opinion.) Artem used to be one of my faves!

Iman and Daniella are my pick for most improved, most exciting to watch, and I'll be crossing everything next week that they blow Codykins into the wind like dandelion fluff. On a personal note, I'm also rooting for Amanda - her dedication to Nick made me cry.

This has been one of the best seasons, talent-wise. If only Tom Bergeron were still hosting... but even Tyra can't dim my love of dancing. (Thanks to the inventor of the mute button!)

[LadyMustang65]

I am so disgusted by tonight's ending.  Who tf is voting for Cody?  He's not a good dancer, and he has no personality.  He's at the bottom of the leaderboard practically every single week.  Why is he still there?  Aargghh!  Is this season going to be Bobby Bones all over again?  Gross!

Suni is a beautiful dancer, she's got a great partnership with Sasha, she's adorable and sweet.  She was my favorite, and I never dreamed she wouldn't make it to the end.  She earned a spot, and I hate the judges for voting for Amanda.  Amanda dances well, but she's the same very week.  Judges basically even said so.  She was consistent.  But she hasn't really grown much since the beginning, but apparently you can't vote off someone who talks about their dead husband, I guess.  Ugh.  

I figured the show wouldn't allow an all-female finale, so I thought Melora would go, and they would keep Iman, who has been getting better and better.  

I am just so disappointed.  I like JoJo and Jenna.  They have a great partnership.  But I have misgivings there because JoJo is a professional dancer.  It's like if they'd let Jenna come on as a contestant after her season on So You Think You Can Dance.  So I have mixed feelings there on whether I want to see them win or not.  I like Iman and Daniella - I think I may actually want to see them win since it won't be Suni and Sasha.  Don't particularly like or dislike Amanda as a person but she doesn't inspire as a dancer, despite the fact that she dances well.  Cody is a waste of space.  

I really need to stop doing this to myself.  I should just wait and watch the show on Hulu on Tuesday and fast forward through everything but the actual dances.  And learn to stop getting invested in certain couples because far more often than not, I end up disappointed and disgusted like tonight. <sigh>

[boyznkatz]

I’m okay with the final four. Would’ve preferred Suni over Cody, but oh well.

At least Melora is gone. She was annoying AF.

[LadyMustang65]

55 minutes ago, White Dog said:

Amanda is such a painfully boring dancer. The only dance I liked  of hers was the Foxtrot in tribute to her husband. This blubbering mess was just a downer tonight. She and Cody are my least favourites.  I hope Imans fan base brings it He and Daniella are fire

So much this! Yes, she's been "consistent," but she hasn't grown as a dancer, and I rarely feel anything watching her.  It's very by-the-numbers, never exciting or special. Unlike Suni who just brought the emotion the last few weeks.  She'd finally broken out, and the judges dumped her for Amanda.  I had figured she would make the final, but I thought Suni would as well, and I blame the judges for that.  She had 2 beautiful dances tonight and was in a tie for 3rd and just a few points ahead of the excreable Cody?  The judges have consistently underscored Suni, and it's been really pissing me off.  Anyway, I figured Cody would be gone because he's so clearly the worst dancer left.  But I figured the final four would be Iman, JoJo, Suni and Amanda.

[madpsych78]

We need to get locked and loaded and vote our asses off for Iman next week to make sure that he can beat Cody and win the mirror ball. I think he's the best shot because he's never been in the bottom 2 or 3 as well, and he has shown improvement AND he was not a dancer prior to this show. He is what DWTS is all about. Not to mention Daniella's first win.

[Bliss]

14 minutes ago, madpsych78 said:

We need to get locked and loaded and vote our asses off for Iman next week to make sure that he can beat Cody and win the mirror ball. I think he's the best shot because he's never been in the bottom 2 or 3 as well, and he has shown improvement AND he was not a dancer prior to this show. He is what DWTS is all about. Not to mention Daniella's first win.

100% agree. Also love the cat!

[White Dog]

I was disappointed to see Suni go over Amanda. Growth vs some sort of loyalty to a man a really fine actor  who passed from Covid. I get it, lots of people are feeling that this year - And really Amanda shined when she danced in tribute to him in happy times as a married couple week 2 but since then she’s been awol and now I just think the show has no shame on milking this tragedy for votes. . This has got to be difficult for her but it’s unfortunate that an Olympian who finally found her mojo has that ripped away. I guess the judges would look like ogres if they let Amanda go after her dead husband dance. It just seems way too manipulative. 

Edited November 16, 2021 by White Dog

[FilmTVGeek80]

1 hour ago, LexieLily said:

Amanda's tribute dance to her late husband was lovely but the judges shouldn't have saved her based on that (and I feel like a heel for saying it).

 

1 hour ago, LadyMustang65 said:

But she hasn't really grown much since the beginning, but apparently you can't vote off someone who talks about their dead husband, I guess.  Ugh.  

 

33 minutes ago, White Dog said:

This has got to be difficult for her but it’s unfortunate that an Olympian who finally found her mojo has that ripped away. I guess the judges would look like ogres if they let Amanda go after her dead husband dance. It just seems way too manipulative. 

I'm not saying the emotion of Amanda's dance didn't weigh on the judges' minds, but I'm not sure these judges care about looking like ogres. They booted James VanDerBeek days after his wife miscarried and he danced a very emotional dance. And they booted him for someone who'd already been in the bottom two twice before that night. I think it's probably close to the most livid I've been watching this show.

[LexieLily]

16 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

I'm not saying the emotion of Amanda's dance didn't weigh on the judges' minds, but I'm not sure these judges care about looking like ogres. They booted James VanDerBeek days after his wife miscarried and he danced a very emotional dance. And they booted him for someone who'd already been in the bottom two twice before that night. I think it's probably close to the most livid I've been watching this show.

Let us all be thankful that it happened when Tom was host. Could you imagine what Tyra would have done or said to the poor man after the dance, or after the hubaloo of the elimination/Ally offering up her spot?

Edited November 16, 2021 by LexieLily

[Josh371982]

2 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

And history has been made, JoJo and Jenna are the first same-sex couple to make the finals on DWTS and only the second same-sex couple to make the finals on any version (a male couple on the Italian version had the distinction of being the FIRST same-sex couple to make the finals on any version a few years ago). Congratulations to them!

Now she needs to lose the production fav that she is. Cody couldn't chose a same sex partner but she sure could! 

[FilmTVGeek80]

1 minute ago, Josh371982 said:

Now she needs to lose the production fav that she is. Cody couldn't chose a same sex partner but she sure could! 

Yes, she's, according to you a "production pet." Cody didn't ask for a same sex partner. And despite how rabid his fanbase is, I think two men would have been a tougher sell to the base of viewers.

[Quickbeam]

What I love is that Daniella has taken a significant disadvantage (a super tall partner) and has turned it into a win. Iman is really game but she is very clever as to how she has choreographed the last few weeks.

Edited November 16, 2021 by Quickbeam
Autocorrect fail

[calipiano81]

In general, I find Cody's dancing a bit awkward (though I think last week he was quite good) and tonight was more of the same. I've said this before, but he doesn't really bring his legs together, so he kinda looks like he's in a constant squat and his footwork is shaky sometimes because of that.

[Josh371982]

10 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

What I love is that Daniella has taken a significant disadvantage (a super tall partner) and has turned it into a win. Iman is really game but she is very clever as to how she has choreographed the last few weeks.

Id love to see Iman/Daniella take it all next week. !!

[calipiano81]

I liked the song and content of Melora's rumba a lot and her hip action seemed to get more pronounced as the dance went on. However, to me, she seemed like she was concentrating more than expressing. 

Her contemporary was pleasant, but nothing noteworthy for me.

[White Dog]

37 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

 

 

I'm not saying the emotion of Amanda's dance didn't weigh on the judges' minds, but I'm not sure these judges care about looking like ogres. They booted James VanDerBeek days after his wife miscarried and he danced a very emotional dance. And they booted him for someone who'd already been in the bottom two twice before that night. I think it's probably close to the most livid I've been watching this show.

The Vanderbeek boot was incredibly callous. I think the show does whatever it wants to get the desired result. At least until the finale. They were going to get Amanda into that finale by any means necessary including hyping the scores and the waterworks.
 

Alternatively they were going to boot Vanderbeek by the same Machiavellian principle. 

[calipiano81]

Suni has come so far in her performing. She looks relaxed and comfortable out there now. Foxtrot, I thought, was a little loose in the upper body. Liked Suni's emoting in their contemporary and Sasha did a good job incorporating her gymnastic skills.

[White Dog]

For me it looked like Melora and Artem were spent. Artem is a wonderful ballroom dancer but I don’t see his contemporary choreo as particularly interesting. 

[calipiano81]

JoJo and Jenna have a great partnership. I think their movement together is beautiful and they've done  a great job all season working out the lead and follow in their dances.

However, for me, I still find it more aesthetically satisfying to see masculine attributes combine with feminine attributes in ballroom dancing. Even though JoJo generally takes the traditional "male" role, she doesn't possess the masculine quality I prefer to have present.

Edited November 16, 2021 by calipiano81

[White Dog]

23 minutes ago, Josh371982 said:

Id love to see Iman/Daniella take it all next week. !!

Count me in. I’ve been waiting for this kind of excitement for a finalist that feels like the DWTS of the early years. 

[White Dog]

2 minutes ago, calipiano81 said:

JoJo and Jenna have a great partnership. I think their movement together is beautiful and they've done  a great job all season working out the lead and follow in their dances.

However, for me, I still find it more aesthetically satisfying to see masculine attributes combine with feminine attributes in ballroom dancing. 

I have to agree. When my husband and I visited Argentina we went to a Tango show where males danced together but for us it was a masculine pairing of Argentine Gauchos - both danced as partners that didn’t have assigned gender roles.  I felt like this pairing of JoJo and Jenna it was very much JoJo assuming the male role of lifts and framing.  The males dancing that we saw shared the lifts and the frame so it was very different from traditional ballroom. 

[calipiano81]

I actually preferred Iman/Daniella's tango to their jazz. Iman is great at getting into character (he and Daniella brought some heat!) and his posture and tango movement across the floor was much improved.

It usually bugs me when less proficient male celebrity dancers overtake more talented female contestants, but Iman/Daniella might be the one time I wouldn't mind.

Edited November 16, 2021 by calipiano81

[calipiano81]

I liked Amanda/Alan's first week tango more than this week's. Amanda seemed to be overdoing it a little with the facial expressions.

I didn't get to see the rehearsal package before their contemporary, but I could immediately tell by the dance that it was about Amanda's husband, so good storytelling on their part.

[Zuleikha]

Iman continues to do so well. Daniella gets and deserves all the praise for her choreography, but Iman's stability and musicality deserve a lot of praise, too. Strength alone doesn't produce lifts like they're doing.

I've said in the past that one of the reasons I love lifts so much is that they are a very pure form of partnership. To get them to look right, both partners have to do their part. That final lift asked for so much from him as the base, and he delivered.

But JoJo is also on fire. Part of me wishes she'd worn a suit for the Argentine Tango since she danced the lead part consistently, but the mirroring effect was beautiful. If they had to stick with matchy-matchy, at least Jenna incorporated it into the choreography to great effect. I also love how much JoJo is lifting Jenna. 

Both Iman and JoJo are bringing it performance wise, too. They've both shown depth and versatility. I really hope they're the final two, and I don't care which of them walks away with the mirror ball. I have a small preference for Iman and Daniella because Daniella's never won and Iman has no performance background (as far as I know), but I will be very happy for Jenna and JoJo. 

It will be very weird if it's Cody/Cheryl or Amanda/Alan, though. They're not bad, but they just don't sparkle the way that Iman/Daniella and Jenna/JoJo do.

[Lady Calypso]

I definitely am sad, but not surprised, by the eliminations. I predicted it would be Melora in an auto elimination and Suni following shortly after. I just knew neither Iman or Cody would land in the bottom so it was just a matter of which out of JoJo/Amanda would be in the bottom two, and I guess it was Amanda's turn. 

Although Iman has improved GREATLY over the season, so I am not mad at all that he's in the finals, and I would not hate for him to win. What Derek and Daniella did with Iman for the redemption dance worked really well for him. He improved so much in that dance. Thank goodness someone finally told Iman to own his height and let Daniella essentially match him, instead of him feeling like he has to match her. It made his tango 10x better than the first one, and you can truly see how far he's come since the early weeks. Him winning would not be a bad thing, because he's the embodiment of the show, someone who started off with zero experience and wasn't good, and has improved greatly over the season. He's had his bad dances at the start, but he's had some really strong ones, AND he has looked like he's been enjoying himself more and more. 

Suni this week was amazing. She looked so confident and so into the first dance, and I did enjoy her contemporary (unfortunately for her, she was going right before JoJo and Amanda's contemporaries). I'm sad she's not in the finals. I think she would have had a killer freestyle, and she's also improved so much. She started out looking scared and terrified and even though she was hitting the moves, it was almost lackluster. But she's blossomed into someone more confident and it was so nice to see. 

Melora...I think got a bit screwed over with the contemporary. I like Thunder as a song, but it was NEVER a contemporary song, especially not when the tempo was so fast. And especially her being the first contemporary and seeing the others, it was predictable that they gave her the worst contemporary song, didn't even attempt to slow it down, and basically said "here's your auto elimination."  It is a shame, as I also wanted to see Melora in the finals, BUT she did do a great job this season.

Cody...showed up, I guess. I'm sorry, he seems like a nice guy and I'm not exactly mad at him. I'm mad at Cheryl, because I do think Cody has that potential but Cheryl has not been doing a good job with him. His posture is still bad, he's still hunched over, and his flat feet haven't improved. And, to top it all off, I don't see him having fun with it this season. Maybe part of it is the heavy critiques and he's been reading them and getting him dejected. But, unfortunately, he just has had the worst season and, unfortunately, if he wins, it'll be near the Bobby Bones level of winning. Which, by the way, shouldn't be the comparison because Cody is a much better sport and a slightly better dancer than Bobby ever was. Bobby had the WORST attitude, disrespected his pro time and time again, and was making blatant mistakes all the way to the end. So I will always fight against the Bobby Bones comparison for that reason. I still don't want him to win, BUT he wouldn't be Bobby Bones level of infuriating. 

JoJo did a great job with what she was given, for sure. I do wish Jenna gave her less lifts in both dances, and I think Jenna also needed to let JoJo take the forefront in the contemporary, but JoJo did a great job with both dances. However, with how this audience is, I totally expect her to get second or third. 

Amanda did a good job this week. Her redemption was actually not as good as her first dance. But I will say her contemporary was very beautiful. Alan did a good job at conveying her story. First time I felt connected to Amanda in her dance.

[legaleagle53]

8 hours ago, Josh371982 said:

Now she needs to lose the production fav that she is. Cody couldn't choose a same sex partner but she sure could! 

Actually, he could have. He said that the only reason he didn't ask for one is that he didn't know it was an option, so it never occurred to him to ask for one.

P.S. There IS a male couple competing on this year's Strictly Come Dancing, and they've been crushing the competition so far. They're considered heavy favorites for the finals and possibly even to win. And yes, they really ARE just that good!

Edited November 16, 2021 by legaleagle53

[Josh371982]

14 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

Actually, he could have. He said that the only reason he didn't ask for one is that he didn't know it was an option, so it never occurred to him to ask for one. 

P.S. There IS a male couple competing on this year's Strictly Come Dancing, and they've been crushing the competition so far. They're considered heavy favorites for the finals and possibly even to win. And yes, they really ARE just that good!

Oh ok. That makes sense. Didn't know he could've asked. 

Edited November 17, 2021 by Josh371982

[mbluecpa]

I came into this season liking Melora - and still do - but yeah, she got a bit grating the last few weeks. I figured she’d be one of the two eliminated last night, and after the judges’ commentary on her second dance (~”you’ve done great this season”) knew it was coming. I was hoping Cody would be the second elimination but knew that was unlikely. 

Iman’s and JoJo’s freestyles ought to be really memorable.

And again with Carrie Ann and the lifts. Amanda’s second foot coming up was pretty obvious so I’ve got to believe the other three judges saw it too but just ignored it.

I haven’t voted in a few seasons but will be finding a way to do so from the west coast.

[ProfCrash]

31 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

Actually, he could have. He said that the only reason he didn't ask for one is that he didn't know it was an option, so it never occurred to him to ask for one.

P.S. There IS a male couple competing on this year's Strictly Come Dancing, and they've been crushing the competition so far. They're considered heavy favorites for the finals and possibly even to win. And yes, they really ARE just that good!

I am going off memory but the interview I read said he did not think he could ask for a male partner, other Gay men had been on the show and danced with women. It sounded like Production offered JoJo the choice of dancing with a woman or a man and JoJo choose to dance with a woman. Production did not ask Cody if he wanted to dance with a man or a woman.

If that is the case, JoJo was offered the opportunity but Cody was not then it strikes me as shady. Cody has been out as gay since college. Production knew he was gay. If they were going to offer JoJo the option of choosing the sex of her partner, they should have offered it to Cody as well.

The past history of the show matching gay men with women would not make anyone think that they would be allowed to dance with another man. I can understand why Cody didn't ask. Essentially, the show some how thought that it was mildly risky to have two women dance together but even more risky to have two same sex couples. Or was it that Production thought the audience would be more acceptance of a female team but not a male team. Either way, it is not a good look.

Once the show allowed/offered one LGBTQ person a choice in the sex of their partner they should have offered it to all contestants.

[TVbitch]

Suni's "Gravity" copped a few moves from Kayla's iconic performance from SYTYCD, but it was not as good and did not have the emotional heft, so that was a weird choice by Sasha. 

I think Jojo and Amanda are great dancers, but I'm all in for Iman. He is the epitome of what the show is (supposed to be) about. 

10 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

JoJo and Jenna are the first same-sex couple to make the finals on DWTS and only the second same-sex couple to make the finals on any version (a male couple on the Italian version had the distinction of being the FIRST same-sex couple to make the finals on any version a few years ago). 

Don't forget about drag queen Courtney Act coming in second with her male partner in DWTS Australia 2019. That was one of my most favorite seasons of any DWTS ever. Perhaps it doesn't count as a same sex couple, but he came out of drag for at least one performance. 

[TVMovieBuff]

Just me weighing in. I wanted a Jojo/Iman/Suni finale, and I got 2 out of 3.. It's really true, anyone can win. I just hope the anyone isn't Cody. If so, Iman & Jojo can join the firm of Marini, Hinchcliffe, Manheim & VanDerBeek. 

I still want Iman to win but Jojo's 2 dances were breathtaking. Iman's were too. 

I don't know what the judges were raving about with Melora. I thought her both dances were stiff and I didn't see all this hip action they were praising. It was a lukewarm Contemporary. 

Obligatory insult to Tyra: I hope Tyra's next dinner date sneaks out the bathroom window at the restaurant. The same night the paparazzi are there. 

11 hours ago, LexieLily said:

Does that Imagine Dragons song Melora danced to have any other words but "thunder, feel the thunder" and "lightening and the thunder"?

Yes it does, but we are only hearing the highlights for the 1.5 minute of dancing. 

I am a big Imagine Dragons fan.

[Rightside]

I'm over JoJo and no real interest in Cody or Amanda. I will miss Suni.

Iman is the one to watch!! I just love it that he is what this show is supposed to be about!

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by Rightside

[JenLily]

1 hour ago, mbluecpa said:

And again with Carrie Ann and the lifts. Amanda’s second foot coming up was pretty obvious so I’ve got to believe the other three judges saw it too but just ignored it.

I remember reading somewhere a long, long time ago that it's not that the other judges don't see the lifts, it's that it was agreed upon that while lifts had to be acknowledged and counted against the pair, being dinged three points was a little much so one judge would take the hit on their score and it's Carrie Ann. Whether she appointed herself the lift police or production assigned it to her, I don't know. But their logic made sense to me.

I'm delighted that Iman and Jojo made it to the finals. I can't wait to see what they do for their freestyles and I won't be upset if either of them take the win. My preference would be Iman, just because he embodies what this show is (supposed to be) about but Jojo and Jenna have been so good this season that I'd be happy with that, too.

I'm super disappointed that Suni was eliminated. Her growth from week 1 to now was so apparent whereas Amanda had a horizontal line from there to here. She's fine but I can't say that there was any upward trajectory at all. Even Jojo improved from the beginning to now; her control in the Argentine tango really showed that she listened to the judges' critiques about her frenetic energy in past dances and worked on it. I know Suni wouldn't have won but I think she should've advanced against Amanda for sure.

I'm not bummed about Melora being kicked. Strictly looking at this week's dances, hers weren't particularly strong. Although they certainly were stronger than Cody's, which leads me to. . .

Well, there's not much I can say about Cody that hasn't been said already. He should've been eliminated weeks ago. In this season with so many good dancers, he's been the worst of the bunch for ages now. I don't even know that I blame Cheryl for this. Potential does not always lead to actualization and maybe this really is the best he can do. I also can't really blame her for her lack of enthusiasm. She has to know that if she wins this season it won't be because they were the best. I mean, Sharna may have a mirror ball but it was with Bobby; Cheryl won't be able to escape the knowledge that the same caveat will be applied to her win (if they get it) for this season.

[boyznkatz]

I don't believe for a minute that TPTB wanted Cody to dance with a man. Sure he could have technically asked, but them not asking him when they asked Jojo clearly indicates that they didn't think their conservative audience would accept that. He would have been far more exciting with a man. Why didn't they give him Gleb? I think he said that he would like to have a male partner.

As for Suni, she was incredibly boring on the show. She danced well, but didn't show her personality at all. She actually has an incredible story. She was the first person of Hmong descent to win a gold medal in gymnastics. Her father was paralyzed in an accident. I don't know if she chose not to talk about those things, or the show wanted another narrative, but we never got to know her.

Others like BAG had interesting stories as well. He does tons of work for charity, and he was in an accident a few years ago and has memory problems. People might be more sympathetic to his crappy dancing if they knew, but then again, he probably shouldn't have been on the show. He seems like a good guy, though.

At least JoJo and Iman were exciting this season. I really hope they are the final two.

[iMonrey]

This gimmick they've started with letting the judges "save" a couple is utter bullshit. If Melora and Artem were actual bottom two, I want to know who the other actual bottom two were. Could it have been Amanda and Alan? Did Suni get screwed over simply because she didn't have a dead husband or a dead grandpa to cry over?

These "contemporary" dances are bullshit too. It's just a freestyle with no rules, a lot of lifts and tricks and acrobatics and emoting. Throw in a sob story about a recently dead loved one and bam, you've got yourself a perfect score made in the shade.

Of course, this show has never been strictly about dance ability, but if it were then Cody and Iman should have gone home. Yes, Iman has improved by leaps and bounds, but his Tango was just OK and that spin at the end was awkward as hell. The "Jazz" number just seemed like Contemporary to me, it was a lot of lifts and tricks which of course are easy for him to do. 

And Cody, well, he's just not that good. The Salsa just looked mostly awkward and the Argentine Tango was Cheryl's typical dancing around her partner while he stood there and posed. No wonder it's her favorite dance.

I wonder why the order switched between Cody and Cheryl and Melora and Artem in the second dance.

Artem doesn't really look good shirtless. There's something about his muscle definition that's sort of asymmetrical.

Derek says it's common to see two men dancing Argentine Tango? Where?

Tyra's second dress looked like something Faye Dunaway wore in Mommie Dearest.

 

[kitcloudkicker]

11 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Derek says it's common to see two men dancing Argentine Tango? Where?

In Argentina, since about 1870, when the dance was created

https://qz.com/757223/the-history-of-the-tango-is-actually-kind-of-gay/

[White Dog]

14 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Good god, he held her up with one hand. Dude is CRAZY strong. damn. 

Yes he is. I think he’d have a career on the pro/am Cabaret ballroom circuit with Daniella. Their timing coordination and finesse is just EVERYTHING. 

[boyznkatz]

I wonder if Iman is going on the tour? They used to try hard every week to get rid of him, but now they are giving him 9s and 10s. I might see it if he is on it!

[White Dog]

33 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

 

.

 

Derek says it's common to see two men dancing Argentine Tango? Where?

 

 

We went to a few dance shows in Argentina and some of the numbers were men dancing together. 

[Lovecat]

 

10 hours ago, Zuleikha said:

But JoJo is also on fire. Part of me wishes she'd worn a suit for the Argentine Tango since she danced the lead part consistently, but the mirroring effect was beautiful. If they had to stick with matchy-matchy, at least Jenna incorporated it into the choreography to great effect. I also love how much JoJo is lifting Jenna. 

I found myself thinking about how interesting it has been to watch JoJo take on the "traditional" male role of leading and lifting much of the season.  I know there was a lot of speculation early on as to how the partnership was going to work.  I'm no JoJo fan, but I've got to give her some credit for truly embodying the old saw of doing "everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in heels"...including the leading and lifting!  Also not a big Jenna fan, but she's done a great job choreographing, too.  Their dances are always interesting to watch.

3 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I think Jojo and Amanda are great dancers, but I'm all in for Iman. He is the epitome of what the show is (supposed to be) about. 

I'm Team Iman at this point.  Before DWTS I wouldn't have been able to pick the guy out of a crowd, but his partnership with Daniela has been awesome.  Is he the best dancer left?  No, let's be real, he's not.  But Daniela has done an amazing job working to his natural strengths--grace, power, musicality, STRENGTH--and there's no denying dude's worked hard to make it this far.  I hate most sports, but I love it when big tough sports guys excel on DWTS!  Got to give a shoutout to Daniela's core strength, too, because...great googly moogly.

[LexieLily]

Did Derek mentor anyone last night besides Iman/Daniella? Do we know when that happened specifically? Because Derek just said he has Covid.

[kitcloudkicker]

2 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Did Derek mentor anyone last night besides Iman/Daniella? Do we know when that happened specifically? Because Derek just said he has Covid.

No, and he would have interacted with them last Tuesday. Wednesday morning at the latest because he had a show Wednesday night.

[cali1981]

I know that many here didn't like Melora but in my opinion, thew woman was a damn good dancer, certainly much better than Iman whom Daniella did a brilliant job with.  After Melora's first dance when the judges gave her high praise and then low balled her scores I knew that she was toast.  The suspicious corner of my mind had a notion that, perhaps, this was somewhat, er, predetermined shall we say to make sure that she wasn't a finalist, possibly because the other contestants were more popular and/or had large fan bases.  While Iman has certainly improved, the notion that he could have a second career as a dancer is something that I can't fathom. Sure, he's probably the strongest celeb that the show has ever seen and can do infinite lifts but he still looks stiff and a bit awkward at times to me.  The Judges have seemed to be hell bent on him making the finals. And don't think for a minute that their comments have no influence on the voting.  It happens all of the time on SYTYCD (perhaps now the late and lamented?) where some critiques seemed designed to insure an outcome.  I would much rather have seen Suni, whose improvement has been substantial, thanks to her own competitive nature and Sasha's great work, in the finals. At the very least she should have made it instead of Cody who never did quite rediscover his pro dancer form. I was blown away by JoJo and Jenna last night. Because JoJo is bigger and more athletic than Jenna, her dancing as the traditional "male" partner worked.  I give Jenna high marks for going all in on the show's first attempt at "pioneering". She has been fantastic.  Was their freestyle, as Derek proclaimed, the best in the show's history?  To quote Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction: "That's a bold statement".  As I recall Derek's freestyle with Kelly Pickler and Max's with Meryl Davis weren't too shabby.  Nevertheless, it was stunning, as was Amanda's with Alan.  I have no idea as to who will win next week but it wouldn't shock me if Iman won. 

Carrie Ann can take her idiotic "foot off the ground" point deduction and shove it.  It's beyond getting old.  Funny, how none of the other judges care about this.  It reminds me of the old saying: "When ten men tell you that you're drunk, you better lie down".

Lastly, when you watch and listen to Tyra Banks, week after week on the show, you realize how desperately it needs to bring Tom Bergeron back.  We're not talking better, but light years better and more professional.  Of course it won't happen since Banks is now listed as producer.  Despite her presence, it has really been an excellent rebound from last year's mess.

[treeofdreams]

It was good to see that Jojo's childish bow did not appear in the last few episodes.  Especially after last night's sexy dance in the barely-there costume.  The Toddlers with Tiaras vibe has greatly lessened.

Jojo was in the bottom two early on.  I wonder if she has won over enough voters with her dancing to actually win the competition.  If not, Iman might very well take the whole thing.