S18: Meryl Davis: Ice Princess

[Glaadrial]

Too bad if so, because ALM's obsession with Meryl's "horrendous" feet was the supposed reason for the 8. That being said, I also think bare feet fit the scene Meryl and Maks were portraying in the rumba, it may have also been an artistic choice.

 

Since it was one of Meryl's lower scoring dances, it will be interesting to see what would happen should she make it to the final and have the Rumba chosen as the redemption dance. I'm a bit fuzzy on whether the redemption dance can be re-coreographed to include more Rumba content if that was the primary fault.  If it can't then they might be in trouble. I think that Anna Trebunskaya commented that the only thing she would change about the dance to make more Rumba is put Meryl in heels, which should solve the sickled feet issue, or at least minimize it, so it wouldn't be so bad  a choice, maybe. 

 

As far as I could tell from the package, I think that the risk Maks was taking was not so much about the content (which he described as "Rumba at it's purest") but rather with the theme which was not the traditional "Dance of Love" approach. In any case, they'd have to get to the finals before it would become an issue and hopefully, the injured toe will have healed sufficiently for Meryl to dance in heels, should she need to.

[TeeM]

I am just hoping her redemption dance doesn't end up being Samba since her Jungle Book Samba was one of her weaker dances and the dance duo Samba was not as well received as the other sambas. I just don't care to see her do a THIRD Samba in 8 weeks. I sort of like the redemption dance in theory, but this season, I think I'd prefer to see a totally new dance in that spot for all the contestants. 

[fembotz]

Ugh, seriously. I'm so over the samba. Cha Cha is still her lowest scoring dance, so maybe they'll go with that? 

[Toonces464]

I believe Maks's redemption dance with both Erin and Kirstie was Samba.

[Glaadrial]

I am just hoping her redemption dance doesn't end up being Samba since her Jungle Book Samba was one of her weaker dances and the dance duo Samba was not as well received as the other sambas. I just don't care to see her do a THIRD Samba in 8 weeks. I sort of like the redemption dance in theory, but this season, I think I'd prefer to see a totally new dance in that spot for all the contestants. 

I don't see how they could redeem the Jungle Book Samba the theme and the music are just not sexy. I had another thought that since they did a switch up dance, I'd really love to see the contestants, especially Meryl, do the switch up dance with their regular partner.

[TeeM]

I like that idea, Glaadrial. I'd love to see her do an AT with Maks. Since it is likely that Charlie's redemption dance would be Rumba, maybe they will end up making all the finalists redo their switchup week dance as their redemption dance. 

[OriginalCyn]

Is that really her age or is this a guess? By the content of that site (which I haven't gone to in nearly 3 weeks despite the temptation), I would have guessed 12 or 13.

 

I don't know about the whackadoodle who writes that blog, but I can attest that a huge chunk of Virtue and Moir's rabid über-brigade is a bunch of middle-aged women.  The ones that are members at one of the largest figure skating discussion boards (which is *not* centered around any particular skater or team), and the trashing of Meryl by that particular pack of bitches is their recreational sport.  The best way to describe it would be to take the comments that bovine bloviator, Abby Lee Miller, made about Meryl (and Maks) during and after Monday's show and amp up the bias, hypocrisy, whiny wuz-robbing, and petty vindictiveness a few times over.  Derek's Dipshits seem tame by comparison.  

Edited May 12, 2014 by OriginalCyn

[Bitsy]

I had been getting a kick out of the blogger's DWTS recaps because some of it was funny, but she jumped the shark when she complained that Meryl's tango was all walking.  She giffed all of those really intricate tango steps and said, "Walk walk walk".   I always knew she knew nothing about dance, but that was when I realized she was so dumb it wasn't even worth the time to read. 

[MarySNJ]

 

Since it was one of Meryl's lower scoring dances, it will be interesting to see what would happen should she make it to the final and have the Rumba chosen as the redemption dance.

 

Can someone please explain how the redemption dance works? Is it the same dance, with the same music, or the same type of dance to different music? I personally have no interest in seeing the Jungle Book samba again with that theme and music... not that the dance was bad, but just there's not much to make that sexy. Also, I'll say that I don't want to see Meryl and Maks change their rumba. I think it was nearly perfect as it was and doesn't need to change.

 

I vote for the Cha Cha as Meryl's redemption dance if it has to be a dance already performed. That was Meryl's first and lowest scoring. I think it would be good to see the evolution.

 

I second the motion that Maks should choreograph a freestyle that has elements of Argentine Tango. That's a dance he is known for and didn't get to dance with Meryl because of the switch.

[Dots And Stripes]

Can someone please explain how the redemption dance works? Is it the same dance, with the same music, or the same type of dance to different music? I personally have no interest in seeing the Jungle Book samba again with that theme and music... not that the dance was bad, but just there's not much to make that sexy. Also, I'll say that I don't want to see Meryl and Maks change their rumba. I think it was nearly perfect as it was and doesn't need to change.

It depends on the season, beyond the freestyle, the show will tinker with the finale format. From memory, the redemption dance is usally the same style with new choreography and music. Not so surprisingly, when you take a style performed to WTF music the first time and perform and get a chance to redo it with authentic or more appropriate music and costumes then suddenly the star is 100x better. The styles picked are also vary. Sometimes it's a really low scoring dance, sometimes its a dance that sort of scored in the middle, sometimes I have no idea why the dance is being picked at all. Supposedly its the judges call, but I'm skeptical about that one.

 

I think S12 they did both a redemption dance and they reprised a dance, complete with the same costumes. choreography, and music. There's room for both, depending on what TPTB want to do.

 

What style I want to see Meryl do depends on their freestyle. If they go for an upbeat freestyle, then maybe go for rumba (although Len already said he wanted Charlie to do that) or AT (in which case maybe the redemption dance can morph into redo your switch up dance). If they go for a freestyle that is slower and designed to show off their chemistry, then I would love to see another swing complete with lifts and tricks. Salsa might not be a bad choice either because I didn't like the styling or the presence of the troupe.

[fembotz]

Amy Purdy said that the contestants have to learn four dances for next week. I assume at least one and possibly two will be danced on Tuesday? I can't think of what the fourth dance would be except maybe a reprise of one of their best dances?

[Joystickenvy]

Guys this is the Meryl topic, I know Maks is her partner so some talk of him is inevitable but I'm going to start moving these over to his topic if the comments aren't actually about Meryl.

This made me giggle, cuz I was just getting aggravated at myself for accidentally clicking the Maks thread when I meant to skip it. Now I feel a little better about my board navigation ability.

[Barbara Manatee]

This isn't quite up to the level of that wacky blogger, but I still giggled at this forum title on OhNoTheyDidn't (topped by a gif of Tessa and Scott celebrating.)

 

 

Which Olympic champion was defeated by Jesus, Oprah and a table on Dancing with the Stars?

 

Although, I bet even now the blogger is creating detailed blueprints showing how Charlie made more eye-contact with Amy's table than he did with Meryl during the entire Olympics.

[Glaadrial]

This isn't quite up to the level of that wacky blogger, but I still giggled at this forum title on OhNoTheyDidn't (topped by a gif of Tessa and Scott celebrating.)

 

Which Olympic champion was defeated by Jesus, Oprah and a table on Dancing with the Stars?

 

Not this one.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Glaadrial

[Barbara Manatee]

Not yet, anyway. She'd better watch out for that table, though.

[Bella]

Don't get me started on the conspiracy theorists during the Olympics. One of my Canadian friends was absolutely outraged - yet she couldn't tell you a single thing about figure skating, absolutely nothing, and freely admits that she's never watched ice dancing. But she knew, just knew! ... okay, I admire her loyalty.

[Joystickenvy]

Between Ice Dance and the ladies event, it was a fine Olympics for conspiracy theories for sure, but that's figure skating for you.

[Glaadrial]

So I went to what I think is the V&M Secret Baby site, because insomnia is a hard taskmistress and everyone but I is probably sleeping. I'm not quite sure if this belongs in the Meryl topic or the Amy topic, but since I'm scared to post anything about Amy, I'll quote it here since their post is mostly about Meryl even if it's negative.

Meryl Davis fans might protest that Derek is stealing Meryl Davis's lift entrance, but I have a suspicion this is Derek's lift. I suspect he's the one who taught the counter-motion entrance to Davis White while working with them on whatever his contribution might have been to their short dance. Derek is prolific, and no doubt not everything they tried made it into the short dance. Something they got from Derek might have made it into the free.

 

Amazing a 34 year old woman with no feet can get this counter-motion awesomeness in - what? A day. Didn't it take Davis White three years?

ETA: Sure it's a chore to wade through all the vitriol, but it's still a fascinating exercise to read about the DWTS content presented from the point of view of someone who follows Ice Dancing.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Glaadrial

[WhitneyWhit]

To say that person is unwell would be an understatement. I don't think they know much about anything and are just blinded by their hatred of Meryl and Charlie -- Meryl in particular, as they seem to have a special brand of deep seething hatred for her.

 

Meryl and Charlie have never done a lift like that, so I have no idea what this person is talking about. You're not allowed to lay on the ice in ice dance, they would receive a severe deduction and the lift wouldn't count  because it would be considered illegal. The only lift that I can even think would resemble that would be their swoop entrance lift from their Scheherazade FD, and even that's a bit of a stretch because really, they don't look anything a like.

 

As for taking three years; that person lives under the delusion that Meryl and Charlie can't do anything right, while everything just magically happens to Virtue and Moir. Few teams will just unleash a new lift on a moment's notice, they take their time because ice dance lifts, more so that pair's lifts. are extremely complex. Meryl and Charlie have had their lift for three years and never used it because they didn't feel it was ready, and they didn't have a program that fit the lift.

 

They blog is a trip, though. It's frightening how much this person hates Meryl, while at the same time, being kind of hilarious because I believe most of the comments are just the blogger talking to herself. For a while there they became convinced that Tessa is pregnant again, I don't know if they decided she wasn't or if they're waiting for another secret baby.

[Barbara Manatee]

She doesn't follow ice dancing as much as she hallucinates it. I fear her last synapse will finally let go when Virtue/Moir and Davis/White retire.

[katha]

Honestly, one of the reasons I'm enjoying Meryl doing so well on DWTS is because of the constant vitriol spewed against her in particular for years. It's always been "she looks strange!", "she's not fit to lick Tessa Virtue's feet!", "she moves awkwardly!", "all her positions are super ugly!", "she can't dance!", "she's the diva bitch from hell!" and/or "she has no personality whatsoever! she's all contrived PR!".

 

And to see the seething in some corners that she's being perceived as attractive and talented and likable by a wider audience now? Priceless. I know it's petty of me.

[Joystickenvy]

This show has given me a greater appreciation for Meryl as an athlete and an Ice Dancer. I never disliked Meryl, but the pair was all about Charlie and his flowing golden curls for me until DWTS.

Her quality of movement and musicality have really impressed me.

[fembotz]

Ugh, can we not link to that lunatic and give them hits? They're pretty much the worst and also literally delusional.

[Bitsy]

ETA: Sure it's a chore to wade through all the vitriol, but it's still a fascinating exercise to read about the DWTS content presented from the point of view of someone who follows Ice Dancing.

I thought it was funny at one point, but it really does get tedious to read someone expound at length, authoritatively using dance terminology as if she knows what she's talking about even though she doesn't.  (And that goes for ice dancing as well as regular dancing.)  She lost me completely when she looked at Meryl's tango steps and thought it was all "walking".

[Barbara Manatee]

 

The only lift that I can even think would resemble that would be their swoop entrance lift from their Scheherazade FD, and even that's a bit of a stretch because really, they don't look anything a like.

 

I do see a resemblance with the crossed arms pulling the woman up and around the man's back. I remember Derek saying last year that he'd learned a move from Meryl and Charlie and thought he might try on DWTS. If this is the one then I don't know that it's any sketchier from him to use it then it is for Meryl or Maks to adapt moves she danced with Charlie. I bet it causes a ruckus, though. Get the popcorn.

[mehtotheworld]

Meryl Davis fans might protest that Derek is stealing Meryl Davis's lift entrance, but I have a suspicion this is Derek's lift. I suspect he's the one who taught the counter-motion entrance to Davis White while working with them on whatever his contribution might have been to their short dance. Derek is prolific, and no doubt not everything they tried made it into the short dance. Something they got from Derek might have made it into the free.

Amazing a 34 year old woman with no feet can get this counter-motion awesomeness in - what? A day. Didn't it take Davis White three years?

Just wanted to echo the fact that the secret baby blogger is sadly unwell. Like, it's scary sometimes. I think she's comparing this to this, for anyone who wants to compare themselves. Totally different (and Meryl and Charlie are on skates!). Amy's is certainly impressive, but you can't compare the two. That blogger loves to act like she's an authority, but that kind of nonsense shows how ridiculous that blog is.

 

Honestly, one of the reasons I'm enjoying Meryl doing so well on DWTS is because of the constant vitriol spewed against her in particular for years. It's always been "she looks strange!", "she's not fit to lick Tessa Virtue's feet!", "she moves awkwardly!", "all her positions are super ugly!", "she can't dance!", "she's the diva bitch from hell!" and/or "she has no personality whatsoever! she's all contrived PR!".

 

And to see the seething in some corners that she's being perceived as attractive and talented and likable by a wider audience now? Priceless. I know it's petty of me.

If there's anything that got me to forget they missed out on Worlds in Japan, it's this! I really do love and appreciate how Meryl (and Charlie) have found a new, wider audience. It just boggles my mind how far they've come.

[Corazi]

If there's anything that got me to forget they missed out on Worlds in Japan, it's this! I really do love and appreciate how Meryl (and Charlie) have found a new, wider audience. It just boggles my mind how far they've come.

 

I think I'm part of that new audience. I'd never heard of Meryl or Charlie before they came on the show and they impressed me enough with their talent, personalities, and professionalism that I started looking up their routines online. I'll definitely start following them now, their routines are incredible and they make it look so easy. I'm sure I'm not the only one. 

 

One thing that I really find amazing about Meryl (and Charlie as well) is how she's so busy doing two different things that require a lot of physical activity and is excelling at both without really showing the strain. I have no idea how she's doing everything and not just curling into a ball due to the stress.

[Aunt Dahlia]

Totally agree about the blogger. She is really kinda scarey.

Nothing Derek did made it into the final short program according to Charlie and Meryl. The intention was never for him to choreograph because ice is so different but to help them understand the feeling of the foxtrot and how the woman is presented in it. Their ice programs were constantly worked on by their coach and you can even see a difference between U.S. Nationals and the Olympics. The Scheherazade lift looks and rotates nothing like the lift Derek is doing other than the partner is being lifted. 

[soapfaninnc]

Totally agree about the blogger. She is really kinda scarey.

 Their ice programs were constantly worked on by their coach and you can even see a difference between U.S. Nationals and the Olympics. The Scheherazade lift looks and rotates nothing like the lift Derek is doing other than the partner is being lifted. 

 

The blogger is whack. Seriously - she needs a life.

 

I just started watching Meryl and Charlie during the Olympics and looked up their coach because there was something familiar about her to me. Turned out she was the choreographer behind my favorite pairs team of all time - Grinkov and Gordeeva - so she is not only a great coach but a great choreographer - at least to my untrained eye. It cheesed me off during the Olympics that it was like Derek did their whole short program or something when that clearly wasn't the case. I haven't watched DWTS in years but I came back for Meryl and Charlie and did not want Meryl with Derek and he's annoyed me every since the Olympic tongue bath he got. So he helped them. Good. But it was made to sound like he did the whole thing and I see its more of the same on the show.

 

Meryl is just awesome and I love her and Maks together as dance partners. I'm looking forward to seeing their freestyle.

[kitcloudkicker]

I don't think the shows ever claimed anything about Derek and Meryl and Charlie - as far as even any prior connection between them. I've only seen fans bring it up on the Internet. And it was maybe brought up during their Olympics coverage. I looked up bits of the Virtue/Moir reality show and they had one of the choreographers from sytycd on as a consultant for a day - that's all I ever assumed that Derek was around for.

[Bitsy]

I think Marina Zoueva mostly brings in outside consultants just for the bragging rights.  Meryl and Charlie got a lot of mileage out of "Derek Hough choreographed their short program" just like Maia and Alex Shibutani got mileage out of getting help with their Michael Jackson routine from Michael Jackson's choreographer, or Meryl & Charlie got credit for having a Bollywood dancer help them with their Bollywood routine.

 

From everything I've heard, Derek consulted with them on presentation and minor details, nothing substantive.  And he had absolutely nothing to do with their long program, so anybody who is giving him credit for their lifts is way off base.

[Glaadrial]

From everything I've heard, Derek consulted with them on presentation and minor details, nothing substantive.  And he had absolutely nothing to do with their long program, so anybody who is giving him credit for their lifts is way off base.

Which is exactly what makes reading that blog so entertaining. The earnestness with which this blogger presents contradictory themes is very funny to me. The hierarchy of her hatred is fascinating and no one is immune to her wrath, not even the object of her affection--who, I think, is Scott. Having ventured further down the rabbit hole than the DWTS coverage, I unearthed some gems buried a bit deeper--gems like, side-by-side slow-motion GIFS of D/W that are supposed to showcase sloppy twizzle steps that actually showcase the opposite. Whether the irony is intentional or accidental makes it no less hilarious, to me. The anonymous affirmations in the comments were also very amusing.

 

Crazy Maks fans are able to forgive him much and will lay into Derek for doing the exact same thing; likewise will rabid Derek fans skewer Maks regardless of whether or not Derek is guilty of the same actions. There is a consistency to the madness that is not present in the Secret Baby blog which leads me to believe that it's for "entertainment purposes only." However, I do concede that I may be wrong in this assessment.

 

In any case, the SBB is no where near as good as the Wire pieces from earlier in the season. Too bad the writer lost his job shortly after offering the following nugget about Meryl's Foxtrot:

The number "39" was seared into Meryl's mind. And she despised every single bit of it, because it showed imperfection. She wanted a 40. 39s eventually get you killed in this game. She knew it. Everyone knows it.

 

She looked over at Maks, who was sleeping comfortably and was disappointed all over again. Anyone that could sleep that well after missing perfection wasn't someone she wanted to be partners with. She had seen that type of complacency doom her rivals before.

 

"Softer than Charlie," Meryl thought to herself. Her face sharpened into a pout. She wanted one more practice. He wanted sleep. She wanted a 40. He was genuinely pleased with a 39. She wanted to shove him awake and experience her irritation together. 

Coincidence?

[Flick]

As much as I loved the pieces in The Wire, I think the one from Bustle was my favorite.

Diary, is this what a love triangle feels like?

[soapfaninnc]

As much as I loved the pieces in The Wire, I think the one from Bustle was my favorite.

 

 

That's funny! I liked The Wire pieces too.

[Glaadrial]

Maks and Meryl were exquisite tonight.  Both dances were art in motion.   Meryl has actually matured as a dancer.    She came in as a ringer, but she improved in her expressive ways and really let loose as a sensual person.   I think Maks has been a good match for her -- the ice princess and the hot-headed Ukrainian.   I know there are those who don't like Maks much, but I've always liked watching his sexy self, flaws and all. 

For me, regardless of who takes home the Mirror Ball, Meryl Davis has already won DWTS. She will leave the show a better artist than how she arrived; and, let's face it, she arrived with a Gold Medal that proved her credentials as a seasoned artist. She has always been expressive on the ice. No detail--not a finger placement, not a facial expression--was too small to address. In Sochi (and at US Nationals before that) her work with Charlie was quite literally perfection. And yet, still, incredibly, she is better now. She has topped herself; I have no words to describe what she and Maks left on that dance floor on Finals night with both the AT and the Freestyle.

 

I've replied in the show thread about the rest of this quoted post, but I brought this here because it's a continuation of a theme we've been discussing in this thread.

[soapfaninnc]

I want Meryl to win. Period.

 

I've had food poisoning, I've never had a broken toe or the insane schedule Meryl has had for the past three months. Through it all she's smiling and sweet and tough. She brings it all and leaves it all. I loved the AT and the freestyle. Even Mr. Soap fan was impressed. I think he's got a crush on Meryl, LOL. We love her because we have a kid with dyslexia and because it's not a visible disability I think people don't understand what a fight it can be. Charlie is sunshine, puppies and rainbows and I think Meryl is too - just is a quiet calmer way. We cheered them through Sochi and followed them here. 

 

'Though she be but little, she is fierce!' sums up Meryl for me. 

 

If Prop boy and Amy win then I'll be disappointed but oh well. At least I got to watch Meryl and Maks dance this season and it was awesome.

[mbutterfly]

I wish someone would want to make a film about an ice skater and Meryl would play the role. I know she isn't an actress in the typical sense but she is so perfect in playing a role  on ice and on wood I think she could do it. 

[Ripley68]

Before DWTS, I thought Meryl had no emotion and acted above it all.  I also didn't think much about her looks beyond, "meh."  Since the first or second episode though, I love her personality!  She's funny and level headed.  I also think she is beautiful, especially when her hair is down. She's been able to show real emotion in her dances, but I wish she would show more of that on the ice.

[Flick]

She's been able to show real emotion in her dances, but I wish she would show more of that on the ice.

I think she absolutely does. It's a slightly different animal on ice because they do have to go even more exaggerated and hit then reset, but she absolutely does. I see people say this a lot and every time I think of Notre Dame de Paris from 2013 Worlds and just don't get it. The emoting she does on the show is completely different than anything she and Charlie would ever do on ice, but that's because it doesn't fit their style and because V/M has a corner on the romantic angst market.

[Barbara Manatee]

Oh yeah, Notre Dame de Paris was incredibly passionate. Meryl and Charlie don't get enough credit for how they've gotten so much more expressive the last several years, I guess because that would disrupt the lazy "artists vs technicians" soundbite the skating commentators love to repeat.

 

I stopped watching ice dancing during the hair-flinging, dying swan, over the top emoting days, and these two brought me back because they helped turn it into a sport again. I'm all for Meryl having fun rolling on the floor making sexytime faces on DWTS, but I do not want to see it on the ice.

[katha]

Interesting article in the Detroit Free Press about Meryl's time on the show: http://www.freep.com/article/20140522/COL38/305220141/meryl-davis-dancing-with-the-stars-dwts

 

Congratulations to Meryl for winning that tacky plastic ball! (-: I thought she was absolutely stunning this season on DWTS, the way she IMO showed herself in new ways in almost every dance and seemed to embrace going in all kinds of directions performance-wise. It was lovely to watch and I appreciate that I'll have these dances to watch in addition to the fantastic work D/W have been doing throughout the years. I admit I wanted them to go to Worlds and was not on board with this whole "we'll do the cheesy reality dance show instead" business (even though I understood why they did it). I'm a total convert now LOL. Fantastic decision! (-;

Edited May 22, 2014 by katha

[Barbara Manatee]

I'm still sorry Meryl and Charlie don't have that 3rd world title just for bragging rights, and because the audience at worlds would have given them the heroes' reception they deserved, unlike that rude Sochi crowd. DWTS was definitely the smarter business decision, though. A couple of their sponsors really loved the extra exposure, and so maybe the endorsements will keep coming in. Now I'm crossing my fingers that the new dancing fans will watch their skating specials in the fall.

[MarySNJ]

 

Now I'm crossing my fingers that the new dancing fans will watch their skating specials in the fall.

I read some comments in one of the skating forums that people in the skating community are hearing from DWTS fans who weren't familiar with ice dance and/or only vaguely familiar with Meryl and Charlie, who are now watching Meryl and Charlie's skating performances and starting to get interested in them and the sport. So, there's that. I don't know if it will last, but it's nice that Meryl and Charlie have been able to raise the profile of their sport by doing the show.

[crowceilidh]

I thought this was a super-interesting article with some fresh and authentic-seeming observations:

 

  http://www.freep.com/article/20140522/COL38/305220141/meryl-davis-dancing-with-the-stars-dwts

[bearcatfan]

 

I read some comments in one of the skating forums that people in the skating community are hearing from DWTS fans who weren't familiar with ice dance and/or only vaguely familiar with Meryl and Charlie, who are now watching Meryl and Charlie's skating performances and starting to get interested in them and the sport. So, there's that. I don't know if it will last, but it's nice that Meryl and Charlie have been able to raise the profile of their sport by doing the show.

Meryl and Charlie said that was one of the main reasons for doing the show, raising the profile of figure skating in general and ice dancing on particular. I'm glad that it's seemed to work, at least in the short term. Maybe a few of those will become real fans of skating.

[Aunt Dahlia]

Yeah, Meryl and Charlie helped their sport far more with this reality show than with a 3rd title. Interest in skating has been dying since the glory days of Nancy and Tonya when there were two competing tours and umpteen specials.The tickets sales are down and tours shortened for the last few years without a real world contender in female skaters.The biggest majority of fans are young girls that skate themselves and drag the whole family to watch. Honestly Meryl winning is the best thing she could do for her beloved sport. And in my opinion it was hilarious when giant Maks was led around by the nose by teeny little Meryl. In all the media interviews I saw it looked like she was coaching him on what to say.She couldn't turn him into media savvy Charlie but she certainly made him a better Maks.

[tarotx]

Maks took a year of acting and Meryl had very little to do with whatever was different for him this season but it was cute to watch them together because of their size and natural temperament difference. And young girls really connected with her and them. I wish she would have got to be a princess Disney week because that would have sent the little pre teen girls over the age! 

[katha]

Yeah, Meryl and Charlie helped their sport far more with this reality show than with a 3rd title. Interest in skating has been dying since the glory days of Nancy and Tonya when there were two competing tours and umpteen specials.The tickets sales are down and tours shortened for the last few years without a real world contender in female skaters.The biggest majority of fans are young girls that skate themselves and drag the whole family to watch. Honestly Meryl winning is the best thing she could do for her beloved sport. And in my opinion it was hilarious when giant Maks was led around by the nose by teeny little Meryl. In all the media interviews I saw it looked like she was coaching him on what to say.She couldn't turn him into media savvy Charlie but she certainly made him a better Maks.

See, the thing I loved about Meryl this season on DWTS is that I sort of think the opposite happened? Or perhaps both things happened at once and everyone focuses on what they find most amusing? I was always super bored by most D/W interviews because they often came across as so generic and careful to never say much of substance about anything. I understand why they did that and the ice dancing world is certainly one shark tank and it's not worth to jeopardize your career for saying something off the cuff. But it often wasn't very interesting IMO.

 

What I found funny on DWTS is that at a certain point in the first few weeks Maks seemed to notice that she would just go on endlessly with her fluffy "We're just excited/grateful/humbled to be here; we're just here to have fun; we're not competing against each other...etc." and never say anything about anything and started yanking her off-script. It was mostly just humorous teasing and goofing off, but it made the interviews more interesting than Charlie and Sharna (which IMO was one of their problems, they were "too media savvy" for this kind of show). Seeing Meryl react to the curveballs he was throwing her way and be so good in dealing with that, showing her sense of humour and spontaneity was one of the things I loved this season about her. I was afraid it was going to be over-rehearsed boring soundbites that would make her come across as cold and send her home early, no matter how good her dancing.

Edited May 25, 2014 by katha

[MarySNJ]

See, the thing I loved about Meryl this season on DWTS is that I sort of think the opposite happened? Or perhaps both things happened at once and everyone focuses on what they find most amusing? I was always super bored by most D/W interviews because they often came across as so generic and careful to never say much of substance about anything. I understand why they did that and the ice dancing world is certainly one shark tank and it's not worth to jeopardize your career for saying something off the cuff. But it often wasn't very interesting IMO.

What I found funny on DWTS is that at a certain point in the first few weeks Maks seemed to notice that she would just go on endlessly with her fluffy "We're just excited/grateful/humbled to be here; we're just here to have fun; we're not competing against each other...etc." and never say anything about anything and started yanking her off-script. It was mostly just humorous teasing and goofing off, but it made the interviews more interesting than Charlie and Sharna (which IMO was one of their problems, they were "too media savvy" for this kind of show). Seeing Meryl react to the curveballs he was throwing her way and be so good in dealing with that, showing her sense of humour and spontaneity was one of the things I loved this season about her. I was afraid it was going to be over-rehearsed boring soundbites that would make her come across as cold and send her home early, no matter how good her dancing.

I really enjoyed seeing Meryl's personality come through in the banter with Maks and Erin. I hope now that the Olympic pressure is off, she and Charlie can get beyond the rehearsed content-free platitudes of their competition era interviews. They have nothing to prove at this point and Meryl is always classy even when she lets herself go .

I did lament a bit on the Maks thread that most of the post-win publicity has been about him except where it comes to questions about whether Meryl is dating him or not. Maybe she doesn't care because she wanted to win more for him than for herself, but I'd like to think that all of this will have some payoff for Meryl (and Charlie) in ways that are relevant to her career. I do think it's raised the profile of ice dancing as a sport as well as Meryl's name recognition, but I think this new "unscripted" Meryl is endearing, funny and badass and I want to see more of this.

 

ETA: This from the Maks thread:

 

Barbara Manatee:  Perhaps Meryl and Charlie's manager has something to do with that. She might have wanted Meryl to step away before the Meryl/Maks story got too tabloidy. Their sponsors are really into the wholesome, all-American image.

It's interesting that i just read an article today in one of the skating forums about Meryl and Charlie's many endorsements, with Kellogg's, Puffs, etc. I think there's definitely something to this. I think both of them come off looking great from Dancing with the Stars, classy, charming but far more relatable than the pristine, scripted people that they have been in the Olympic news cycle. Probably a marketer's dream.

 

But I do think there's a fine line between what's acceptable as far as the sponsors are concerned. Even with Charlie's torrent of bleeped cuss words in his one rehearsal package and Meryl's PDAs with Maks, I don't they ever really crossed the line that would make either of them unsaleable. I think they just came across as exceptionally talented "normal" people.

 

I remember that Michael Phelps got into trouble for behavior unbecoming an Olympic champion, so I'm sure (or rather I hope) their manager is trying to be careful about what media they do now, especially Meryl. That being said, I'm not sure what to make of Meryl's appearance on the Wendy William's show. I know Maks has been on her show before and would know what to expect, but that was not a good opportunity for Meryl, not just because of the over-the-top question about whether she was having sex with Maks but WW's statement that Meryl shouldn't have even been on DWTS to begin with.

Edited May 26, 2014 by MarySNJ

[TeeM]

Continuing a conversation on the "stoic, unflappable Meryl" edit that started in the Maks thread:

 

I did find it interesting that with the exception of the very beginning when they mentioned that Meryl and Charlie were traveling for SOI and one little pop up icon in the finale that said "Meryl traveled 38,000 miles with SOI during the season," they hardly mentioned all the other work the two of them were doing. I remember in seasons past seeing the footage of the contestants and their pros traveling around and doing other things. They would even fill us in when some celebs did most of their practicing out of state closer to home (Kate Gosselin comes to mind and maybe Susan Lucci?) I particularly remember weeks were we saw Kellie Pickler doing three shows and then practicing in the spare time between them on the road. In those traveling weeks, the traveling was almost always a focus of the pre-dance package and the contestant was almost always asked about how all their other commitments affected their training after the dance. I thought for sure, we'd get at least one week where the packages for Charlie and Meryl showed highlights from the SOI show and the rehearsals crammed in between. From a lot of what Maks and Sharna and Charlie and Meryl themselves shared on social media during the traveling, it seems that they would have had some fun moments to include.

 

I wonder if they were saving that type of package for the finale and then Charlie didn't make it and they opted to focus on the Maks/Meryl chemistry angle instead?  Or if they felt that mentioning it would give two contestants with a perceived advantage over the other contestants too much of a sympathy push? Like maybe not mentioning it helped even the playing field a bit?

 

I know a lot of folks felt like the producers really pushed Maks and Meryl all season as who they wanted to win and while I do think they were a huge focus of the season, I always thought that not giving Meryl a very sympathetic pre-dance package showing just how much she was doing in addition to DWTS was a sign that they weren't necessarily pre-selected for the win. A casual fan tuning in to the show on the last night would not have had any idea that Meryl (and Charlie while he was still there) was learning her dances in between some other major commitments to the point where she was often flying in very late Sunday night or early Monday morning, missing out on camera blocking, etc.