S32.E09: A Celebration of Taylor Swift

[chicagofan]

28 minutes ago, A.Ham said:

I caught him smelling his armpits twice during Xochitl’s interview with Julianne. Well, my mom was the one to first see it and she was cracking up. No sure if he was purposely camera hogging or what, but there he was. 

What always bugged me, and not just tonight, was that unless he was about to dance he would always position himself directly behind whoever was being interviewed. And then if they did a close up of Julianne and the couple being interviewed/scored he would bend down to make sure his mug was back in the shot. Because it's all about meeeeeee! (hiiiiiiim).

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Quote

The best pro dance to Love Story

 

[FilmTVGeek80]

Who broke into my house and screamed "Thank freaking God!" when Harry was finally booted off the show? Oh, wait that was me. I don't remember the last time a dancer made me cringe so much with just his dancing. Though to his credit, I will say that this was his best week. Not 8 or ranking higher than Alyson worthy, but still better. In fact, I was afraid that this could save him. With Carrie Ann (and Mandy) being insane giving him 8s, I worried that we'd reached the stage where the judges see the writing on the wall and start giving way too high scores to the worst dancer left. I was especially worried when Alyson was behind him. Even with Allison coming out ahead in the end, I wasn't sure it would be enough. People who have ranked far higher than him have still gone home. So glad I was wrong and he won't make it to the semi-finals.

 

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

{tinfoil hat/on} Maybe it's Alyson getting the votes, it's almost as if the judges are trying to get rid of her because they're worried she'll bump someone else like Ariana or Xochitl.

With Harry leaving, I'm starting to wonder this myself. This week's dance wasn't her best - and she was hurt by going first, but them putting her last like that seemed way too harsh. Before the season started, I assumed Alyson would make it far because of her combined BtVS and HIMYM base, but then she was pretty bad that first week and I wasn't sure how far she would go. Now, she's been steadily improving. Not only does she have her previous fanbases, but fans do love a good underdog story and to see someone without dance ability improve.

2 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Despite this being Alyson's weakest week since the first one, she's come a LONG way and even her weakest dances are a step up from her first couple of weeks. I blame Sasha's choreography and the slowed down tempo of You Belong With Me. I feel confident to now say that Alyson can do SO MUCH better than what she was given. And listen, I like that Alyson did that handstand, but Sasha did NOT have to have her hold it for as long as she did. We get it, she can now live up to your gymnastic standards, Sasha! I now expect a cartwheel in next week's dance! 

Yes! That handstand lasted way too long! It did make it seem like he was trying to cover up for a Harry-level celebrity when she has gone far past that level.

2 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Ariana is very technically good but there are some weeks I don't quite connect. She really is a beautiful dancer and she did lovely work with Pasha this week. I'm glad Pasha's gotten the chance to prove himself with Ariana.

Jason's comeback week! Hooray! I loved his dances this week. I'm very glad he's finding his rhythm again. I could really see him putting in the work on stage. He was really focused on making sure each move was correct.

Harry did marginally better, but 8s were a bit much. At least he got some ok'ish scores for his final week. I will say, he has really improved. Week 1 Harry, hell, even Week 6 Harry couldn't have moved the way he did tonight. I do think the Team Dance was his breakout dance. Ever since then, it seems like he at least improved in a couple of areas. I do think that, with him having ZERO musicality, he did what he absolutely could and I'll take any sort of improvement....along with his elimination, obviously.

Charity is very technically good but, yeah, there's really no performance when she dances, so there's no connection whatsoever. That's her issue and I think it's safe to say she's not going to get it. It's a shame, because she performs the dances very well and she's great to watch when zoomed out, but she seems so disconnected when she dances, it's as if she's not there. She's the one who I WANT to love but I feel like she has walls up. She had a couple of dances in the past where it felt like she was connecting, but then she goes back into Pageant Presence.

Pretty much 100% agree. I see that Ariana is technically good, but I've rarely been wowed by her.

I've watched Jason's AT a ridiculous amount of times already. I think it's my favorite AT since James Hinchcliffe's (speaking of handstands....) Jason doesn't do it for me attraction-wise, but at one point he looked at the camera and winked and I considered throwing my panties at my TV. Daniela has not been soft-balling him all season, but the amount of content she put in it was insane - and amazing. It's also one of those times the show gave me a new appreciation for a song that I wasn't that familiar with.

Good for Harry he went out on a high note. Even better for us, he went out.

I had a feeling Jason and Charity would be matched up in the relay and was certain they'd give it to Charity no matter what. I thought they were technically evenly matched, but it was obvious by the judges' comments that while they thought Charity did a good job, she didn't have that extra something that put her over the top. They still weren't connecting to her emotionally. I thought the judges might still give it to Charity, but I'm so glad Jason rightly won instead.

I think Charity has the same affliction that a lot of the Bachelorette contestants have, but her pageant face might be the worst yet. Honestly, I barely looked at her face during her AT and thought the dance, technically, was pretty good. But during the cha-cha relay, I looked at her face - and yeah, it was really dead. In a million years, I would never think that a The Bachelorette contestant could go out before the finals, but I'm starting to wonder about Charity. The first week she was in the fake bottom "three," I thought there was no way in hell she was in the actual bottom two, but with her now being in it three weeks in a row, something's up. I don't think she's getting the votes the producers thought she would. Either she was really in the bottom two at least one of these weeks, or she's still not getting enough votes and they're trying to scare her fans by putting her in "jeopardy." Still, it seems kind of cruel to put her in jeopardy this week, if she wasn't really in the bottom two. If her fans didn't rally enough after two weeks of scares, what would one more week accomplish? There's no reason they couldn't put Xochitl or Ariana in the fake bottom three.

Edited November 22, 2023 by FilmTVGeek80

[Annber03]

14 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

Jason doesn't do it for me attraction-wise, but at one point he looked at the camera and winked and I considered throwing my panties at my TV. 

HAHAHA, I get that. I totally get that. I may or may not have quietly been all, "Ooh..." when he did that. I never paid much attention to him looks-wise one way or another before, either, but on this show? Yeah. There's something about him when he's out there dancing like that. For sure. 

Quote

Daniela has not been soft-balling him all season, but the amount of content she put in it was insane - and amazing. It's also one of those times the show gave me a new appreciation for a song that I wasn't that familiar with.

The bits with their legs all entwined as they were were insane. If I tried that I' get tangled up in two seconds flat, but they made it look effortless. 

[Door County Cherry]

42 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

Jason doesn't do it for me attraction-wise, but at one point he looked at the camera and winked and I considered throwing my panties at my TV.

I loved the wink because, in such a serious dance, there was something a little bit 'breaking the rules' about it.  

And I think it goes right back to that thing that Charity lacks that Jason and Xoochitl have.  And even Alyson has a bit of this too. Performance and spontaneity.  They have the sense that they're love what they're doing.

Charity, while technically perfect and so much of what she does is beautiful, lacks that quality.  I always feel like she's having a good time before she has to dance and then grits her teeth to get through her dance. 

I sympathize with her as I bet she has had a lot of training to give pageant and being asked to get a ridiculous is a change.  

[Andiethewestie]

2 hours ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

Daniela has not been soft-balling him all season, but the amount of content she put in it was insane - and amazing. It's also one of those times the show gave me a new appreciation for a song that I wasn't that familiar with.

This AT, especially Jason’s part reminds me of how Leonardo Barrioneuavo moves He’s the AT expert and Daniella took Jason there. The content was so rich and it told a very sexy story. They started to the verse: 

I've been breakin' hearts a long time, and
Toyin' with them older guys
Just playthings for me to use
Something happened for the first time, in
The darkest little paradise
Shakin, pacin', I just need you

Given how fans of this show try to create crazy showmances it’s smart that Pasha was in the package helping out, because Daniella needed to create a sexy persona for easy goin Jason. If Jason is going to get further in this competition he had to embrace this AT because others like Xochiti can’t really go there with a partner that’s old enough to be her father. 

The walking around and Jason pointing and winking is pure ballroom competition showmanship and that was so smart for Daniella to choreograph a bit of charisma  for Jason to seize. 

[realdancemom]

Yay!! Jason is back and Harry is gone!! I was resigned to having him in the finals. 

What a come back for Jason. His AT deserved a perfect score. So much technical difficulty and I loved the wink. In the cha cha, he won with just his walk. After watching Harry's rusty hips, it was so nice to see Jason's hips move so effortlessly. 

Xochitl is so joyful when she dances. She makes me smile.

I did see improvement with Harry. He seems better with faster dances like quickstep and jive. Still glad he's gone.

Sorry Alyson. Even though you improved more than Harry, I would rather see the other four freestyles. They will have more content and Sasha gives you elementary school choreo. Latin is not your friend. You have a lot of fans though so if not you, I hope it's Charity since she still doesn't perform. Although she probably has a lot of Bachelor fans too. 

Edited November 22, 2023 by realdancemom

[Diana Berry]

12 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Clueless me — I did not know Pasha and Daniella are married!

I follow them on IG . They also recently had a baby.

[boyznkatz]

10 hours ago, Andiethewestie said:

Zendaya and Jordan Fisher are two that come to mind that were Disney and have strong careers. Jordan is now killing it on Broadway and I think he was an adopted child, but had strong support. Zendaya  of course has a very long career ahead of her and by any account the had the most successful acting  career of any contestant from DWTS 

I think Xochitl is going to go in the same direction as Zendaya and Jordan. I saw her Marvel movie and she was really good.

[realdancemom]

I first saw Pasha and Daniella in world of dance. That's why I knew they were married. 

[A.Ham]

9 hours ago, chicagofan said:

What always bugged me, and not just tonight, was that unless he was about to dance he would always position himself directly behind whoever was being interviewed. And then if they did a close up of Julianne and the couple being interviewed/scored he would bend down to make sure his mug was back in the shot. Because it's all about meeeeeee! (hiiiiiiim).

Ah, gotcha. I usually fast forward through anything that is not dancing (that makes it a 20-30 minute show) but last night I started watching earlier than usual so I could not fast forward as much... So, camera hog it is then.

31 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

I first saw Pasha and Daniella in world of dance. That's why I knew they were married. 

Me too. They were great but did not even win in their category, which I was not pleased with; particularly because the couple they lost to were less than impressive.

[boyznkatz]

I watch for the dancing, so a final with Ariana, Jason, Xochitl and Charity would be awesome. Alyson seems like a lovely person, but she isn't very good and Sasha's middle school choreography isn't doing her any favors. Why did she do a cringey handstand again? It didn't belong in a cha cha. Was that her idea or Sasha's? As much as I would love to see Sasha win, I don't think Alyson is going to do it for him.

[Andiethewestie]

The idea for the handstand came from Season 15 when Derek incorporated a slick handstand by gymnast Shawn Johnson. It was a whole different vibe miles better choreography and suited the contestant's outstanding athleticism in a way that this knock off by Sasha did not  

 

[Kristi800]

13 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I blame Sasha's choreography and the slowed down tempo of You Belong With Me. I feel confident to now say that Alyson can do SO MUCH better than what she was given.

Agreed and the handstand wasn't needed in there! 

[iMonrey]

3 hours ago, realdancemom said:

Sorry Alyson. Even though you improved more than Harry, I would rather see the other four freestyles. They will have more content and Sasha gives you elementary school choreo.

Yeah, now that Harry is gone I will be fine with Alyson going next. She really isn't in the same league as the rest of them that are left. I just didn't want to see her go before Harry. That said, the fact that she's made it this far suggests she's getting a lot of votes so it won't shock me if she does make it to the finals.

[lavenderblue]

Sasha's choreography reverted to its worst forms last night. I think her last couple ballroom dances before this were OK, but all his worst tendencies -- cutesiness, faffing about, gymnastics because he can, not because it fits the music or dance style -- were on display. I loved that CAI called him out on that during judging, that Alyson can handle more content. It was so bad that after the jive relay I was like ".....I think Rylee gave Harry better choreo" and he barely did anything. (Though Alyson was the correct winner, albeit not a good winner; that was a rough match-up in between two great ones with Ariana/Xochi and Jason/Charity.)

I am so thrilled with Jason's comeback. He's reminding me a lot of James Hinchcliffe -- the rare male celeb who's strong at the really hard parts of Latin, like the hip action and footwork. Too often on this show you can kind of get by with just having a decent sense of rhythm, but to pair that with the technical is *chef's kiss* and Daniella is very comfortable giving him crazy amounts of content. I was worried after last week, but I'm hoping that as one of the better-known celebs this season, he has a strong voting base that will get him to the finals at least. 

 

 

[FilmTVGeek80]

5 minutes ago, lavenderblue said:

Sasha's choreography reverted to its worst forms last night. I think her last couple ballroom dances before this were OK, but all his worst tendencies -- cutesiness, faffing about, gymnastics because he can, not because it fits the music or dance style -- were on display. I loved that CAI called him out on that during judging, that Alyson can handle more content. It was so bad that after the jive relay I was like ".....I think Rylee gave Harry better choreo" and he barely did anything. (Though Alyson was the correct winner, albeit not a good winner; that was a rough match-up in between two great ones with Ariana/Xochi and Jason/Charity.)

I am so thrilled with Jason's comeback. He's reminding me a lot of James Hinchcliffe -- the rare male celeb who's strong at the really hard parts of Latin, like the hip action and footwork. Too often on this show you can kind of get by with just having a decent sense of rhythm, but to pair that with the technical is *chef's kiss* and Daniella is very comfortable giving him crazy amounts of content. I was worried after last week, but I'm hoping that as one of the better-known celebs this season, he has a strong voting base that will get him to the finals at least. 

 

 

Yeah, Jason has reminded me of James all season.

[Andiethewestie]

As a Canadian I was so bummed I couldn't vote for James. He was incredible, could mold himself to almost any style. James was really strong in ballroom dances and could jive and jitterbug swing but he lacked rhythm in the hips due in part I think to that horrendous formula 1 accident where he hit the wall and his pelvis was impaled. His weaker dances were the Rumba
 and ChaCha. In that sense each contestant brings their own strengths to the table. Jason is one of the best male rhythmic contestants I've seen, but James shone on performance and ballroom.  I am happy to be able to vote on line for Jason he deserves all the flowers 🌺 

Edited November 22, 2023 by Andiethewestie
James Hichcliffe was not assigned Samba in his season

[Jal]

12 hours ago, Door County Cherry said:

I loved the wink because, in such a serious dance, there was something a little bit 'breaking the rules' about it.  

And I think it goes right back to that thing that Charity lacks that Jason and Xoochitl have.  And even Alyson has a bit of this too. Performance and spontaneity.  They have the sense that they're love what they're doing.

Charity, while technically perfect and so much of what she does is beautiful, lacks that quality.  I always feel like she's having a good time before she has to dance and then grits her teeth to get through her dance. 

I sympathize with her as I bet she has had a lot of training to give pageant and being asked to get a ridiculous is a change.  

I actually think Ariana is also good at showing off parts of her personality. She's a beautiful dancer. And I kind of like that she's often out-of-breath at the end of her dances.

As for Charity, she definitely needs to learn how to connect to the audience better, but that's a really hard thing to figure out if you don't even know where to start. She could've grown up that way and maybe it continued for her entire life. It's not always something that you can just figure out in a couple of weeks.

Edited November 22, 2023 by Jal

[Andiethewestie]

52 minutes ago, Jal said:

start. She could've grown up that way and maybe it continued for her entire life

I would suggest this is learned behaviour that's been drilled from a very young age. Any learned behaviour can be undone, she showed vulnerability in the contemporary. I also love the Foxtrot it was so clean and had the right vibe for Motown. However she's highly competitive. Pagents and cheerleading are very competitive endeavours. It could be very difficult to make a transition when it's worked for you in other environments. It seems the deeper she gets into the weeks the more this competition mode comes out. 

Edited November 22, 2023 by Andiethewestie

[Stiggs]

I think Ariana is a joy to watch - she’s definitely wow’d me, and she’s so consistent. Plus, I feel like she’s just truly enjoying and appreciating the whole experience. It’s just fun for me to watch. I wonder where she is in the voting ranks? I feel like she’s been as good as Xochitl - who is amazing. They’re my favorites. 

Love Jason, too - that was absolutely perfect. 
 

My sister is in the hospital and said Harry going home made her feel better. 🤣

I adore Alyson. She’s the least skilled dancer left, yet I’d rather watch her dance from tonight again than Charity’s. Also Charity, I love fringe pants, but don’t get into a Marge Simpson Chanel suit situation. 😂

I’m just kind of stunned that no matter how the rest shakes out I’ll enjoy it. I’d be good with Ariana, Xochitl, or Jason, but I’m just enjoying the dancing. And no mo’ tree. 🌳 

 

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, Stiggs said:

My sister is in the hospital and said Harry going home made her feel better. 🤣

Sending well wishes to your sister!

[Andiethewestie]

There are those who think that Jasom didn't have chemistry with Dani on the Argentine Tango. This upclose camera was posted and I wished I saw this perspective' we missed out on the smoulder!  
 

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMjoaEE7r/

Edited November 23, 2023 by Andiethewestie

[TVbitch]

When Jason has his full swagger going, he is the best dancer and you cannot take your eyes off him. He's had the only couple dances I have rewound and watched again. It could be argued that some of the ladies are more technically perfect or more consistent, and I do enjoy their dances, but they don't command my attention or get under my skin like Jason did with his dances this week. 

[DEL901]

7 hours ago, Andiethewestie said:

As a Canadian I was so bummed I couldn't vote for James. He was incredible, could mold himself to almost any style. James was really strong in ballroom dances and could jive and jitterbug swing but he lacked rhythm in the hips due in part I think to that horrendous formula 1 accident where he hit the wall and his pelvis was impaled. His weaker dances were the Rumba
 and ChaCha. In that sense each contestant brings their own strengths to the table. Jason is one of the best male rhythmic contestants I've seen, but James shone on performance and ballroom.  I am happy to be able to vote on line for Jason he deserves all the flowers 🌺 

You can vote for James.  Canadians can vote on ABC.com.  I voted for him and Alyson. 

[crowceilidh]

 

Quote

There are those who think that Jasom didn't have chemistry with Dani on the Argentine Tango. This upclose camera was posted and I wished I saw this perspective' we missed out on the smoulder! 

Wow.  Interesting how much better that perspective is. Also, I was thinking you could never accuse Dani of hogging the choreo in that dance.  He is really operating at a very high level.

[Andiethewestie]

1 hour ago, DEL901 said:

can vote for James.  Canadians can vote on ABC.com.  I voted for him and Alyson

Yes I voted for Jason this season as the show allowed Canada to vote. I couldn't vote for Canadian James Hinchcliffe in season 23. He might have won if the vote was allowed north of the 49th parallel that season

[marykat71702]

Yay, finally!!!

Were the dancers in the background(skybox) dressed weird a TS thing/reference?

Jason's dance tonight was incredible

I would like the final three to be Jason, Xochitl, and Ariana. Alyson has improved so much, but she's the weakest one left. Charity is just bleh for me, if she gets the boot before Alyson I wouldn't be upset 🤣

 

[Andiethewestie]

The dressing up was in reference to how Taylor Swift looked through her Eras. They were doing everything to attract the Swifties to the show.

I posted  pre -show that I would like Alyson to stay since she brings so much enthusiasm for dancing to the ballroom, and she did show improvement  on the ballroom dances. Latin isn't her best style, she hasn't been assigned much latin so combined with pedantic choreography she just doesn't present the excitement needed to score well. But people love and her journey and how dance has really changed her physically.

Unfortunstely for Charity, she is a competition dancer in a semi-finals where Jason dances with music in his soul and an increasingly strong technique and Xochiti dances with flreedom and a confidence that despite technical mishaps they don't weigh down her abandon. 
Ariana has showed some definite performance quality that move beyond being a competition dancer into a character performance that's believable.

Competition dancers hit all the marks perfectly, but they don't move us to root for them.  Should Charity show the vulnerability that she showed on her contemporary, then she would be a most deserving finalist, since she has the  technique. She now has to sell it without the pageant artifice.

Edited November 23, 2023 by Andiethewestie

[iMonrey]

17 hours ago, Andiethewestie said:

There are those who think that Jasom didn't have chemistry with Dani on the Argentine Tango. This upclose camera was posted and I wished I saw this perspective' we missed out on the smoulder!  

Hm. That dance wasn't quite as good on re-watch. There were just a couple of awkward movements at the very beginning. Don't get me wrong, it was still very good, but not necessarily four 10s good. It wasn't perfect.

[Andiethewestie]

I watched back the Relays particularly Pasha and Ariana vs Val and Xochiti   I prefer a VWaltz to flow one element to the next not have stops and starts to the dynamics of the music. To me the way Val choreographed it stopping and starting however dramatic is  a popular way to get around the timing of the piece. And yet  Pasha tried to stay as true as he could to the style to a song that's 6/8 time instead of  3/4 time. By doing so, Ariana appeared to float at times and that's what makes me happy.  . 

[Andiethewestie]

For the Cha Cha relay Jason came out guns blazing and his technique was not only great it had improved from his first week to the point where he wasn't the Geek in Pink as he calls himself but a real ballroom competitor. 
 

Cha Cha Charity also did so well on this dance! I found her equally up to the task. It's such a fun vibe that she is right in the pocket, and her smiles show a genuine love for this dance. But we've seen this just last week when  she defeated Xochiti in the dance off. 

 

One thing about performing on this show is you have to give the audience an element of surprise. I know the Cha Cha pants worked well for her, but I think she should have changed it up with a sexy fringed jump suit  . Jason brought the surprise comeback narrative however, and that's hard to beat.

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Andiethewestie

[Andiethewestie]

For the Jive Relay -Harry finally showed he could keep time but any steps related to jive we're very poorly executed. Even a side chassez was a struggle. Choreographically there was a lot of nothing filler and Reilly dancing to hide his lack of skill. But at least we saw a "try" in his movement that we had not seen up to this point.
 

Alyson completed a lot more jive content and she also kept time. But the step sequences were awkwardly executed and lacked fluidity. Also, choreographically it looked a lot like a beginner class instead of any DWTS flair.
 

Alyson definitely won that.  I hope her Jive shows a big improvement next time. She will do great on her Waltz but  I hope she really attacks the rhythmic dance to legitimately pass a better dancer instead of moving forward on popularity alone. Of course votes matter a lot, I get the premise but hell it would be awesome if dancing mattered more. 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Andiethewestie

[dizzyd]

Re Charity’s fringe pants, I suspect a last minute wardrobe malfunction story with her original costume and this was a backup.