S32.E10: Semi-Finals

[Quickbeam]

1 hour ago, Andiethewestie said:

I watched  Oxchitis Samba because I didn't see it on YouTube. I'm sorry that was really disappointing. Her voltas missed the bounce, her botofogo were messy, no crisp crosses, no Samba roll

Val did not give her the more difficult steps  no bachacata example, Val did it solo and that's good because she's just not very good technically. That song Samba is difficult to Samba because it's actually a Salsa rhythm. Boy they are really pushing her to win because any other year I doubt she should even make the semis. 

I really only know about dance what I’ve learned from DWTS and SYTYCD. But I love Samba rolls, they are fun to watch and even I said “hey! Where are my Samba rolls!”.

[Andiethewestie]

When Zendaya competed she was 16 and studying on set to graduate from high school that spring. Despite her studies she was in rehearsal for many hours and was drilled constantly by Val. The results showed her facility especially in Jive and Cha Cha at a very high level for someone so new to it. Even the Samba which was her redemption dance was much better with more complex comtent the first time than that mess Val produced last evening. By comparison Xo was legitimately beat by Charity on the Cha Cha, and she didn't even get a Jive to dance. So surprising no Jive because not only is that Val's personal favourite dance, it's the type of rhythmic style that's age appropriate as compared to say Rumba that should rightfully be avoided by teenagers dancing with much older pros.  

[Rightside]

16 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Yeah this was strange. Clearly the show was afraid of sending someone home, but who? Xochitl looked like she was about to cry when she thought she might be going. I have a suspicion it might have been her and it was actually Val the show didn't want to lose before the final.

 

Very strange!  What is next, all five win and get a mirror ball trophy?

[boyznkatz]

2 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

For all the griping about Charity, Ariana leaves me ice cold when she dances. I want her in the finale simply for Pasha's choreo. She looked like she was going to stab someone in the final seconds of the show.

I find it very interesting that Charity has the same performance quality and ability as Charli D'Amelio, but she's being nitpicked to death every week while Ariana gets a pass and Charli, y'know, WON the show in a walk. Whatever. I like her, I love Artem, and at this point I'd be happy if she won it.

They've been hitting her with the "she doesn't connect with the audience" BS that they usually reserve for black women on this show for weeks. When Derek tried with that trope yet AGAIN, Bruno told him off. I'm no expert at dancing, but Ariana, Charity, Jason and Xochitl all look like pros to me. 

[crowceilidh]

I love Jason, but I thought his posture in the Paso was seriously wonky.  I have disagreed with most of the narrative nitpicking at him, but there was way too little of it last night.

I think. in general, there is little to choose between Xochitl, Ariana and Charity.  I have to say, I am sick unto death at Ariana's story about herself.  That said she was extremely elegant in that waltz.

Alyson is a ridiculous choice, although I must say that she had moments of grace in her second dance that showed promise.  Like say if she did the show five times in a row with Pasha as her partner.

 

 

[babyhouseman]

I wish they had done the five finalists in previous seasons when I liked the fifth-place contestant.

 

 

[Andiethewestie]

5 minutes ago, babyhouseman said:

I wish they had done the five finalists in previous seasons when I liked the fifth-place contestant.

 

 

This. The results show did the voters dirty. 

[Spicysweet]

18 hours ago, angelamh66 said:

Count me among those who think it was Xochti who was going home and they wanted to keep Val for the finale. But then I think they had a show planned around 4 couples dancing and now it’s 5…. Makes me think it was the plan all along since this show has to be timed to the tee because it’s live.

Yeah, my clock was at 9:59 EST when they started saying who was safe. It would've taken longer than a minute to have said the sad goodbyes, so I knew something was up. 

2 hours ago, Rightside said:

Very strange!  What is next, all five win and get a mirror ball trophy?

You get a trophy! And you get a trophy! Merry Christmas 😂

[FilmTVGeek80]

3 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

They've been hitting her with the "she doesn't connect with the audience" BS that they usually reserve for black women on this show for weeks. When Derek tried with that trope yet AGAIN, Bruno told him off. I'm no expert at dancing, but Ariana, Charity, Jason and Xochitl all look like pros to me. 

It's not BS, and I don't believe they only reserve it for Black women. I think most of the recent Bachelorette contestants have been hit with that criticism, except Gabby because she (even though she wasn't my favorite) had personality for days. All of the recent Bachelorette contestants (again except Gabby) have been far too robotic and pageant-y. They've all been technically good, but lacked personality. I do agree with what was pointed out that Charli also lacked personality. Just like with Charity, I never really connected emotionally watching any of Charli's dances. I disagree though that they have the same dance level. Charity is good, but she's not that good. My major issue with Charli was she was basically a pro and it showed. I think that (and her massive IG presence) is one of the reasons, the judges let her lack of personality go.

[realdancemom]

I remember Charli getting lots of criticism about lack of personality on this forum and I know CAI mentioned it. Her mom got the same criticism. CAI also gave the same criticism to other bachelorettes except with Gabby. 

I will say that both Charli and Charity did improve when it comes to performance. Nobody could touch Charli when it comes to technique. That's to be expected with her dance training even if she never trained in ballroom.

Edited November 30, 2023 by realdancemom

[Andiethewestie]

49 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

It's not BS, and I don't believe they only reserve it for Black women.

Others have had this narrative towards black and white women. Unfortunately there seems to be a particular vitriol on some forums -not here but I have seen some really nasty posts about Charity, that she's not very nice, she's too competitive, mean to the others, and even more perjorative language to describe her. This kind of nonsense is where I see something else at work.

The simple fact is she's technically better than Xochiti and Alyson and possibly others in some dances but she gets the unrelatable narrative that sticks to her even after she had a really good night in terms of reaching out from her inner self, and braking down that pageant wall. The casual viewer has a better reason to vote for her than some others when she dances well. The ardent fans of others have made their choice before last evening.

[Andiethewestie]

One thing I noticed about Jason is his choice in wardrobe is not the sexy man shirtless bolero that had been the staple of a lot of male performers. . Last night he referred to himself as the Mike Myers Saturday Night Live character and I busted a gut. Daniella didn't get the reference- but  t'was perfect  

https://instagram.com/stories/jason_mraz/3246418016781378943?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA=

 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Andiethewestie

[bravofan27]

IMO, Daniella is an absolute gorgeous dancer. She's so tall, yet she is so limber, and I love the shapes she makes when she dances-- she really can curve her back and put her body in these cool postures. I think Jason has a huge crush on her-- when they are dancing together, he just stares at her in amazement. It's almost like he can't believe she is in front of him. 

Regarding black contestants being harshly judged, I have noticed that as well. Has a black female contestant ever won? I'm not even sure. I think the ballroom dancing culture commands a very traditional male leading a traditional submissive female. Charity dances very well, but her face is tense. I think people do best on this show who can act submissive (females) or dominant (men). 

Edited November 30, 2023 by bravofan27

[A.Ham]

So I am not an ardent voter of this show... I did not get into voting until I perceived Lele to be in danger and that was the night she was voted off. 

This past week I threw votes Jason's way because I the scoring wasn't going his way and then crossed my fingers that my voting wasn't going to turn out like Lele's and I would be the kiss of death for my favorites. I was very happy he was safe. 

And then I must be feeling really sensitive because seeing Xochitl's face about to burst into tears made me feel bad for her and made me wish I had thrown some votes her way...

I don't love a 5 person finale but I was glad Xochitl was spared. I am just curious who is actually getting the votes.

 

[lavenderblue]

I've enjoyed Charity, and I thought her dances last night were fantastic. But the main issue I've had with her on a technical level is that what I do agree with the judges on is that in some styles, she's danced slightly small -- styles that might call for more sharpness/attack/groundedness. This was most noticeable with the jazz on music video night, but it's something I sort of feel with the more intense dances, where even if the moves are correct, they're not creating the full effect they could. That said, I've had the opposite issue with Ariana, who I also like; some of her ballroom dances in previous weeks have seemed a bit aggressive or like the movements need a little more finish. Both have really grown dramatically, though, and I'm very happy neither fell victim to a shock elimination.

I felt like an alien after the tears and reactions to Xochi's waltz last night from the panel as a dance for all time because while a perfectly nice dance, it made zero emotional impression on me. It was...fine? 

Edited November 30, 2023 by lavenderblue

[FilmTVGeek80]

1 hour ago, Andiethewestie said:

Others have had this narrative towards black and white women. Unfortunately there seems to be a particular vitriol on some forums -not here but I have seen some really nasty posts about Charity, that she's not very nice, she's too competitive, mean to the others, and even more perjorative language to describe her. This kind of nonsense is where I see something else at work.

The simple fact is she's technically better than Xochiti and Alyson and possibly others in some dances but she gets the unrelatable narrative that sticks to her even after she had a really good night in terms of reaching out from her inner self, and braking down that pageant wall. The casual viewer has a better reason to vote for her than some others when she dances well. The ardent fans of others have made their choice before last evening.

I’m not on any other DWtS forums, so I don’t know what’s going on wherever else, but why does it have to be “something else at work?” I haven’t said it here, but yeah, what little personality from Charity I’ve seen, I haven’t been a huge fan of. Like a couple of weeks ago she was complaining about not getting 9s. She’s not the first person to complain about their scores but, to me, there was an air of her feeling like she was entitled to those scores and it rubbed me the wrong way. Again, I’m not on any other forums, but the harsh comments toward Charity are NOTHING compared to the comments directed at Harry (and I’m not throwing stones because I’ve leveled some harsh comments at him myself.) And he’s not black or a woman.
 

To be fair to Charity, I surprisingly liked her rumba. It was mostly surprising to me because rumba is my least favorite dance by far, but she did deliver a better performance. I wasn’t impressed by her quickstep and would have probably switched her scores - with a few less 10s. But that breakthrough came in the semi-finals. Of course, the unrelatable narrative stuck to her. She’s been that way all season. She’s technically better than Alyson. She might be technically better than Xochitl (though I prefer Xochitl on a dance and personality level) but that doesn’t matter as much if people don’t like her. Even casual viewers don’t only vote based on who’s technically the best dancer. 

 

1 hour ago, bravofan27 said:

IMO, Daniella is an absolute gorgeous dancer. She's so tall, yet she is so limber, and I love the shapes she makes when she dances-- she really can curve her back and put her body in these cool postures. I think Jason has a huge crush on her-- when they are dancing together, he just stares at her in amazement. It's almost like he can't believe she is in front of him. 

Regarding black contestants being harshly judged, I have noticed that as well. Has a black female contestant ever won? I'm not even sure. I think the ballroom dancing culture commands a very traditional male leading a traditional submissive female. Charity dances very well, but her face is tense. I think people do best on this show who can act submissive (females) or dominant (men). 

I’ve seen the complaints about how black female contestants are treated and I don’t see it myself. I don’t remember anyone being singled out and thinking something fishy was going on. As far as Black females winning. Amber Riley from Glee won. Others have come close. Zendaya is half African-American and was runner-up. Normani from Fifth Harmony was third. Mya, I think was runner-up. 
 

I also don’t agree about submissive women doing best. Amber was fierce. Ditto Rumer Willis, Normani, Meryl Davis, Nicole the Pussycat Doll who won, JoJo Siwa, etc. Jennifer Grey wasn’t submissive, either.

[Andiethewestie]

1 hour ago, A.Ham said:

And then I must be feeling really sensitive because seeing Xochitl's face about to burst into tears made me feel bad for her and made me wish I had thrown some votes her way...

This is the desired effect of putting someone in the  bottom and they don't go home. Alyson has been riding that wave for a number of weeks.

[Andiethewestie]

7 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

Again, I’m not on any other forums, but the harsh comments toward Charity are NOTHING compared to the comments directed at Harry (and I’m not throwing stones because

Harry said he had death threats. I don't recall anyone having that kind of stress. I can't imagine being so invested in a dance show  that they want to harm him, it's sick and twisted but you never know these days.  
 

However the assumptions and name calling of Charity is weird and hits different. It wasn't about her dancing anymore but about some notion that'd she should be expected to act a certain way whilst being on the show. 

[Meowwww]

I think Charity is a gorgeous dancer.  So fluid and graceful. People are hating on her?  Why?   She’s so beautiful.  I like them all, Alyson has a soft spot in my heart because she’s so grateful.  I’m hoping Jason or Charity win. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Meowwww
More

[Andiethewestie]

1 hour ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

I’m not on any other DWtS forums, so I don’t know what’s going on wherever else, but why does it have to be “something else at work?

Why? Because the nasty attack Charity as a person, not her dance ability.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Andiethewestie

[Andiethewestie]

I saw this and Jason's dedication of his VWaltz. He has a very lovely partnership with Dani and for me that is what makes team DJ special 

https://twitter.com/hernamesrachel/status/1730049363702145533/mediaViewer?

[FilmTVGeek80]

1 hour ago, Andiethewestie said:

This is the desired effect of putting someone in the  bottom and they don't go home. Alyson has been riding that wave for a number of weeks.

That’s not really true. Alyson has only been in the bottom “three” once in the last four weeks (and I think possibly only one other time before that.) Whereas Charity has been there three out of the last four weeks (one of the reasons I suspect she may not be getting as many votes as many assume.) So if anyone’s riding a sympathy wave, it’s Charity.

52 minutes ago, Andiethewestie said:

Why? Because the nasty attack Charity as a person, not her dance ability.

It’s kind of pointless to really argue about stuff from another forum, especially when I don’t know specifics. Like, I don’t think name calling is necessary and DEFINITELY not death threats, but complaining about stuff other than dance ability is fine (within reason.) Charity, going back to her time on TB, has basically made it her profession to sell people on her as a person. Everyone who comes on DWtS is being judged on more than just their dance ability. If people don’t want harsh personal judgments, they probably shouldn’t go on reality tv. 

[Door County Cherry]

Last night I speculated that they had decided to make the finale a 3 hour finale which is why no one went home. They need content. Today, the cable guide updated to reflect that it's now a 3 hour finale instead of the original 2 hour finale.  

An extra long finale isn't something the judges can decide because they don't want to kick someone off.  And it's not something producers can decide either.  That's something ABC programming decides in conjunction with the producers.  And based on things Alfonso said, it definitely did not happen mid-show.  

And I'm fine with that.  It does make the finale rather crowded but I am happy for the Top 5 to reach the end.  

They've done the "your scores and votes carry over" non-elms before--usually for the "most memorable year" theme or another tearjerker theme.  It's just that they haven't done this for the finale. 

[coffeebean]

On 11/28/2023 at 10:29 PM, Quickbeam said:

Maybe there was a tie? Or yes, a favorite of the judges was low. 

Judge's favorites are the better dancers. Nothing wrong with the best dancer getting to the finals.

[coffeebean]

20 hours ago, vibeology said:

I think five is a ridiculous number in the finale. Three is my ideal. I can live with four. With two it feels like there is too much filler in the episode.

 

 

Agree. Also agree that Alyson has no business in the finale. An improvement arc is wonderful but she is still not finale worthy when competing against better dancers.

[coffeebean]

18 hours ago, Andiethewestie said:

I hope the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy goes to someone who had actually  struggled to get the technique right.

Val has been phoning it in for weeks with a performer who doesn't ballroom dance and he didn't correct her. 
 

 

I'm not seeing the lack of technique in Xochitl's ballroom posture. I have never seen that back bendy thing with the invisible platter on the neck done as well as this young kid pulled it off. She was sublime in her posture. What am I missing? Seems to me, Val drilled her well.

[coffeebean]

18 hours ago, Lindsay Loo Hoo said:

This is my problem, I absolutely love Val but man he he has checked out of this show bad. they’re coasting bc with his fan base and the fact she’s bubbly and fun they were lock ins. Val is not correcting her and not even as strict as he used to be because he’s over this show and it shows. 

IDK about that. He looked like he was working hard in their Samba. I've never seen so much perspiration on any pro before. Didn't seem to bother Xochitl at all when she gave him a big bear hug.

[realdancemom]

When voting is involved, the best technical dancer doesn't always win. That's why Nigel stressed that SYTYCD is finding America's favorite dancer not best dancer. 

SYTYCD mostly has unknown contestants while DWTS has stars and some of them have big fan bases. Bobby Bones won and he definitely was not the best dancer. He didn't even have an appealing personality. I'm saying this because Alyson could win even though she's not on the same level as the others. Do I want her to win? No. At least, I can say she did improve a lot and I like her personality. It would also be Sasha's first win. I would have preferred if he won with Suni but I would have also preferred if Sharna won with James instead of Bobby. I'll just enjoy the free styles. 

Also Alyson does seem joyful when she dances. That's what I like about Xochitl. Or sometimes, people just want to see somebody give it their all like Barry did during his dance off. Jason was better technically but he was sick that day so he didn't perform as well as he usually does. Before the dance off, I thought Jason was going to win easily. 

[boyznkatz]

I'm okay with Alyson winning. She doesn't suck as much as Bobby Bones, and at least she doesn't have a crap attitude. Her waltz was pretty good, and it would be nice to see Sasha win. I don't think her winning would hurt the show's reputation. At least Harry is gone.

It should be a good show, but three hours is too long. I would prefer three or four finalists with little fillers.

[Andiethewestie]

4 hours ago, coffeebean said:

I'm not seeing the lack of technique in Xochitl's ballroom posture. I have never seen that back bendy thing with the invisible platter on the neck done as well as this young kid pulled it off. She was sublime in her posture. What am I missing? Seems to me, Val drilled her well.

Im talking about that terrible Samba mainly. Her footwork was clunky no precision and Val did the more advanced bachacata solo while she did some awkward body roll.  On the slow  Waltz her technique wasn't particularly strong on the rise and fall. This is the dance where you're supposed to see it and she wasn't really pushing off with the lead leg to create it. 

Im just HUGELY curious as to why they didn't give her the Jive. A perfectly age appropriate dance for the teenager 

[Andiethewestie]

12 hours ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

bottom “three” once in the last four weeks (and I think possibly only one other time before that.) Whereas Charity has been there three out of the last four weeks (one of the reasons I suspect she may not be getting as many votes as many assume.) So

If Alyson were in the bottom all the time there would be less of a reason to vote for her. By sporadically placing her there her fans get worried and they go hard the next week or two particularly on bad nights or Swifty night where she really sold her love of Taylor. This is what I meant about riding that wave. 

[Andiethewestie]

3 hours ago, realdancemom said:

Or sometimes, people just want to see somebody give it their all like Barry did during his dance off. Jason was better technically but he was sick that day so he didn't perform as well as he usually does. Before the dance off, I thought Jason was going to win easily. 

In retrospect this was the best possible outcome for Jason. He really rooted for Barry but before this dance off people were bitchin about how unfair it was to Barry. Subsequently Jason doesn't come out a villain like perhaps the show was aiming to do. If Jason won it may have backfired in sympathy votes for Barry. Luckily Jason was able to ward off extremely low scores, which kinda indicated he had support.
 

And yet Jason talked about throwing in the towel around that time because he was so exhausted but was happy to get to his VWaltz. I think his journey was fraught with obstacles that he had to overcome and for me doing that while getting tough choreo and being ill at the same time really made manifest his music of positivity in struggle and still looking up. Inspiring. Moreover he never got the aw shucks you're sick pass. It's the kind of contestant I like to vote for, not only because of his struggle but because of some of the most sublime dancing I've seen from someone with very little training.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Andiethewestie

[realdancemom]

22 minutes ago, Andiethewestie said:

Im talking about that terrible Samba mainly. Her footwork was clunky no precision and Val did the more advanced bachacata solo while she did some awkward body roll.  On the slow  Waltz her technique wasn't particularly strong on the rise and fall. This is the dance where you're supposed to see it and she wasn't really pushing off with the lead leg to create it. 

Im just HUGELY curious as to why they didn't give her the Jive. A perfectly age appropriate dance for the teenager 

 She had an ankle injury. It's probably not fully healed just like Ariana's back isn't healed. So maybe, she didn't get the jive because of that. She certainly has the personality to perform a jive.

I only watched her samba once. I didn't think it should have earned a 10. I said that in a previous post. Did she do an awkward body roll? I thought she was attempting a slowed down bachacata but didn't succeed. They were practicing them during rehearsals. It's also the reason why I don't think Val took it easy on her when it comes to choreography. That step is harder than a samba roll and she has the back flexibility to do samba rolls. Maybe, Val wanted something different.

[Andiethewestie]

 

1 minute ago, realdancemom said:

She had an ankle injury. It's probably not fully healed just like Ariana's back isn't healed.

Pasha had Ariana do a beautiful back bend. She probably had to take a lot of medication but she got there. 
 As for the teenager an ankle injury might explain poor technique. But at the same time she shouldn't be rewarded for bad dancing. 

[Andiethewestie]

A three hour finale is moronic. This isn't the Oscars. People will tune out.  

If the ratings were so good they should have went with a full on competition no filler one hour before Monday Night Football. It's a great lead into that show  ratings will be better.

For the finale Let the West Coast finally have a say in the vote and bring back the Tuesday results show and finale showcase.

What really bugs is the results come so quickly they never let the winner say anything. It feels so anti-climatic.
 

 

[Andiethewestie]

6 hours ago, coffeebean said:

Also agree that Alyson has no business in the finale. An improvement arc is wonderful but she is still not finale worthy when competing against better dancers.

Not finale worthy? I'd rather someone who gets appropriately scored go to the finale over someone who has been propped up by inflated scores just to stay in the competition. That is dishonest. Alyson obviously has a boat load of fans voting for her. The majority who bother to care enough to vote should have a big say in who is finale worthy imho. Alyson has played this reality show perfectly by rallying the vote and she knows better than anyone thats  50% of the score. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Andiethewestie

[Andiethewestie]

8 hours ago, coffeebean said:

On 11/28/2023 at 10:29 PM, Quickbeam said:

Maybe there was a tie? Or yes, a favorite of the judges was low. 

Judge's favorites are the better dancers. Nothing wrong with the best dancer getting to the finals.

Only if the judges appropriately score and not just score high because they like them. A better dancer who's injured shouldn't get an injury pass. If the dance can't be modified to warrant a higher score then don't give it. 

[boyznkatz]

9 minutes ago, Andiethewestie said:

Not finale worthy? I'd rather someone who gets appropriately scored go to the finale over someone who has been propped up by inflated scores just to stay in the competition. That is dishonest. Alyson obviously has a boat load of fans voting for her. The majority who bother to care enough to vote should have a big say in who is finale worthy imho.

She isn't really appropriately scored though. Bruno gave her awful jive a 9, when he gave Jason the same score for his much better dance. Alyson probably deserves 7s and 8s at this point. Bones deserved 6s and 7s. Harry deserved 5s.

Most of the bad dancers also tend to be popular, so they will never be scored properly.

[Andiethewestie]

Bruno giving Alison a 9 shows his bias but the end result was going to be that she would be lowest on the leader board. At then end She still was well 9 points behind the highest scorer which is a lot of ground to make up

Edited November 30, 2023 by Andiethewestie

[Andiethewestie]

I do think any of the top 5 have a chance to win. It will come down to the Freestyle. I hope Jason wins it with Dani but I won't be upset if Ariana and Pasha take it. Best pros by far, fresh exciting choreography from them both. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Andiethewestie

[boyznkatz]

I want Sasha to win, but I'm dreading his freestyle. How many handstands, cartwheels, and jumping jacks will he put in? Ugh.

[Andiethewestie]

Artem teased that the freestyle with Charity will be "in the air" I'm thinking they will do silks or something like that. Cool but it was done previously in season 15 Kelly Monaco did it -it was good but not great 

[coffeebean]

3 hours ago, Andiethewestie said:

Im talking about that terrible Samba mainly. Her footwork was clunky no precision and Val did the more advanced bachacata solo while she did some awkward body roll.  On the slow  Waltz her technique wasn't particularly strong on the rise and fall. This is the dance where you're supposed to see it and she wasn't really pushing off with the lead leg to create it. 

Im just HUGELY curious as to why they didn't give her the Jive. A perfectly age appropriate dance for the teenager 

OK. Thanks for the explanation.

[jennifer6973]

19 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

IMO, Daniella is an absolute gorgeous dancer. She's so tall, yet she is so limber, and I love the shapes she makes when she dances-- she really can curve her back and put her body in these cool postures. I think Jason has a huge crush on her-- when they are dancing together, he just stares at her in amazement. It's almost like he can't believe she is in front of him. 

Regarding black contestants being harshly judged, I have noticed that as well. Has a black female contestant ever won? I'm not even sure. I think the ballroom dancing culture commands a very traditional male leading a traditional submissive female. Charity dances very well, but her face is tense. I think people do best on this show who can act submissive (females) or dominant (men). 

Amber Riley season 17

[sd dude]

During one of the early skybox interviews, Gleb was in the background lifting up Riley's arm to apparently draw attention to what looked like a diamond tennis bracelet.  No real idea of the significance but that didn't stop me from instantly creating my own narrative - I wondered if his point was that she was wearing a gift she had received from Harry (which is something Harry would do, even if inappropriate), and Gleb was basically trying to embarrass her (which I'm sure is something Gleb would do, because he's Gleb and he's probably jealous because he would love to make her a notch on his own bedpost). 

Well, it's all my imagination, but it doesn't seem like an unrealistic story to me. 

What really concerns me is I'm hoping that the showmance is not a realmance and that Riley has enough common sense to not get involved with that reality famewhore (I mean Harry, not Gleb, although I hope she's cautious around him as well).  If she really is immature and foolish enough to give Harry the time of day, I hope big sis will give her a good talking to.  Maybe watching S1 of Too Hot to Handle will be informative as well, if they allow that to stream in the Arnold household.

[babyhouseman]

20 hours ago, A.Ham said:

And then I must be feeling really sensitive because seeing Xochitl's face about to burst into tears made me feel bad

 

19 hours ago, lavenderblue said:

I felt like an alien after the tears and reactions to Xochi's waltz last night from the panel as a dance for all time because while a perfectly nice dance, it made zero emotional impression on me. It was...fine?

Xochitl is a good dancer, but she's not doing much for me. Mark had a partner, she played the sister in the Hunger Games, who cried when she was eliminated. She was 15. 

[sd dude]

5 minutes ago, babyhouseman said:

Mark had a partner, she played the sister in the Hunger Games, who cried when she was eliminated. She was 15. 

And Val had a partner, she played the daughter of Christie Brinkley in real life, who cried so hard at elimination, she left snot all over his shirt.  Literally.  She was 21.  And she wasn't a very good dancer, so not sure what she expected.  To win?

[iMonrey]

14 hours ago, Door County Cherry said:

An extra long finale isn't something the judges can decide because they don't want to kick someone off.  And it's not something producers can decide either.  That's something ABC programming decides in conjunction with the producers.  And based on things Alfonso said, it definitely did not happen mid-show.  

Regardless of when it was decided to expand the finale to three hours, that in itself did not necessitate bringing all five remaining couples into the finale. They could have just thrown in another pro number or two. We've had three hour finales before. We haven't had five couples in the finale before. Something is up. There is only one reason not to eliminate anyone the week before the finale and that's because they (either the network, the show, or both) got spooked they might have a massive audience drop if they eliminated someone in particular.

Also, the fact that cable guides are only just now updating to reflect a three-hour finale proves conclusively this was a very recent decision.

[LennieBriscoe]

Jason was perfect and awesome in his Paso Doble. 🕺 👏👏👏

But Xochitl performed the most beautiful  and moving Waltz ever. 💃 👏👏👏 🤩

She should never, ever have been in the two bottom couples (regardless of the unique results). What is wrong with the voters?!** 🧐  🤷‍♀️  Xochitl has consistently been the most mesmerizing to watch (and Val 😉)!

**Such it is for any competition that allows for audience votes. I should be used to it by now (looking at you, "American Idol" and when Mario Lopez lost "DWTS"):

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by LennieBriscoe

[Andiethewestie]

Definitely something is up and it's unfortunate that we can't ever know who should have left week 10 

ETA: Krystyn Burtt said on Twitter that votes will carry over to week 11 

Edited December 1, 2023 by Andiethewestie