S19.E01: Week 1: Performance & Judging

[tearbender]

Corbin got a whole lot of grief for being a ringer. Alfonso was dynamite but I fully expect him to lose to the Youtuber. Plus I think it's only a matter of time until Len starts to nitpick him to death.

[vibeology]

What in the world is she doing on this show? As if there aren't enough qualified ballroom dancers out there? I don't get it.

 

There were enough qualified ballroom dancers sitting in the audience! Lacey and Kim actually have ballroom dancing experience but sure, lets not use either of them. That makes total sense.

 

Janel didn't impress me - I hated her costume and I think there was too much "messing around" (as Len would say) before they got to the actual jive content and it just came across as too much. Too much with the movements, too much with the flirty flirting, too much with the smiling - just too much. I think this may be a case of her being just a little too excited and overconfident so my suggestion to Val is to work on her toning it down and choreograph a dance that's just clean and sticking to the basics. At least for these first two weeks so she doesn't turn people off. 

 

I'm not saying she would have been a superstar in a different outfit but I do think the Ariana Grande styling hurt her. Her range of movement in the ankles had to be impeded by those boots. For a jive, where kicks and flicks are key, I really think boots are a bad idea for someone with little ballroom experience. I doesn't make up for her personality, but I do think ballroom standards exist for a reason and the standard shoe is there to best feature the movement. Considering how bad some of this cast is in terms of dance skill and personality, I'm hoping she sticks around for a while at least. They've been in a bubble rehearsing for the past few weeks. Maybe seeing herself on TV will help her tone it down.

[Rancide]

I agree she probably isn't, I remember one of Alec's partners, she was a model I believe, frustrated the hell out of him on the show because she was rail thin and tall but had no stamina whatsoever because she didn't work out much, if at all.

 

I remember this.  Her name was Josie something or other.  I remember this because Alec delivered one of my favorite all-time lines of understated snark on this show:  "Josie is deceptively unfit."  Poor Alec.  I always thought his understated dry humor was misplaced on this show of over-the-top cheezeball antics.

 

I am not on board the Alfonso train.  He reminds me of Joey Fatone and Mario Lopez--obviously a lot of natural talent but never going to be able to stop hamming it up long enough to look like a dancer instead of looking like a hammy actor playing a dancer. 

 

WTF with Alison?  She was my favorite on SYTYCD, but she is not a ballroom dancer, nor does she look like one, at least not to my untrained eye.  It was distracting. 

[Gardencrown]

I have a weakness for Allison because of her time on SYTYCD, but I can see the critique that the show doesn't even use the ballroom dancers it has. I do think she overdanced Jonathan, but I think that was more a factor of inexperience than being hoggy...hopefully she will watch the dance on playback and tone it down next time. There is a fine line between dancing well enough to cover your partner's weaknesses and completely taking over the dance and overshadowing the partner.

 

Speaking of which I thought that Spats did a good job with Sadie.

 

The first night is so wearisome (I'm deceptively unfit for a viewer:) because about halfway through, I kinda stop caring. Lolo was very much giving off a Hope Solo vibe, though I'm not sure it was all-out bitchiness or huuuuge embarrassment. I loved Lea -- hope she has the stamina to continue and that we don't get the constant "She's over 50!!!" Jennifer Grey spiel. I also found Janel offputting, but I'm willing to give her another week. Alfonso was good, but I was awfully sick of dancing by the time he came on. Antonio was not great/not terrible, but he got pretty hosed for going first. He got sixes, and then they gave Lolo a couple of pity sixes. Not cool.

[shelley1234]

I thought Allison way outdanced Jonathan, but I hope it was because she felt she had something to prove as a non-ballroom dancer and not because she's an attention hog.

 

 

 

I've been a fan of Allison for a long time on SYTYCD and I don't think she has an attention hog bone in her body.  She's new, but thought she did really well and look forward to seeing how she does this season.  

[msburg]

I was happy that we had no contemporary dances for week one.  It always felt like a free pass for those who got it.  In fact, I'll be thrilled if we don't see contemporary or jazz before finale freestyles.

[jette]

There were many bitch faces indeed last night and at least one glaringly obvious "golf clap" after Alfonso danced, which disappointed me mightily. All of the others gathered onstage were cheering and clapping wildly except Lea. Sure thought she'd be mature enough to give credit due - of course it's possible she injured both wrists during her performance....

 

vibeology said:

There were enough qualified ballroom dancers sitting in the audience! Lacey and Kim actually have ballroom dancing experience but sure, lets not use either of them. That makes total sense.

Lacey and Kim may have chosen not to dance any longer - as Max did. Isn't Kim a judge in Australia? Lacey now has her live feed gig and Max was lobbying for Len's chair by the end of last season.

[truthaboutluv]

Well not that she was likely in any danger of going home this week but now she's probably definitely not in any danger. Apparently Taylor Swift tweeted a video of Bethany's dance (it was danced to Taylor's song) and mentioned how much she loved Bethany to her 49 million twitter followers. And Taylor Swift's stans are all about doing what she asks and supporting anything she likes.

 

Caught the rest of the show and a few things:

 

Julianne's boobage didn't bother me too much but I really, really hated her makeup, especially those nude lips. It practically washed her out and made her look almost sickly and with that hair - not a good look at all. 

 

Maybe I just never noticed in seasons past but there seemed to be a lot of last season's competitors in the ballroom last night. I saw Danica, Charlie, Meryl and Amy.

 

Not going to be as embarrassing as Julianne and Carrie Ann but holy crap, I was with them on how sexy Randy was in that dance. That was a very, very welcome surprise for me. I honestly barely paid attention to his opening package and was pretty much writing him off and then he pulled that off. Very interested to see what he can do in a Latin Dance. 

 

Tommy was the man...just hilarious. And Peta proved that old or young doesn't matter, she's still going to hit every single step so hard that she just looks downright aggressive in some of her movements. She looked gorgeous in her costume though - very Poison Ivy. 

 

On rewatch, I am even more bothered by Sadie getting those 9's. First of all it took like 30 seconds for her and Mark to start dancing together and half of the dance was her pretty much shimmying well. Again, she clearly has some natural rhythm and Julianne's right in that she has the right frame for creating some nice lines and stuff but that dance was in no way 9 worthy.

 

On the flip side, I think Janel was slightly underscored. I think she could have gotten a 30. Yes it was a little over the top, manic even but looking at it again, it wasn't that bad. Also, I noticed many comments about her boots being the problem but I don't think she was wearing boots. I really paid attention to her legs during the dance and I'm pretty sure she was wearing thigh high pantyhose with matching color heels. 

 

Lea was beautiful but the girlish giggling, as someone else pointed out, did get a tad bit annoying. 

Edited September 16, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Shades of Red]

I'm going to start with the things that skeeved me out last night starting with Michael Waltrip.  I didn't think he was cute or funny with his comments with his partner.   He came across as a dirty old man.  YMMV.

 

Bruno talking about Julianna "lactating".  Seriously, the censors who are usually quick on the button didn't mute that?  Disgusting and what kind of comment is that?  Speaking of disgusting, how about Carrie Anne not knowing Keo's name and calling him Ede (I think).  I didn't quite catch what name she called him by, but I know it wasn't his.

 

Which brings me to this Lolo person.  I have no idea who she is except what I've read.  Call me a little surprised and disbelieving that she is 32 and still a virgin.  Is she one of these revirginized people.  I know it's not impossible, but she's making this her excuse for not getting close to a guy.  As someone else on here said - why do a show that makes you have full body contact with someone you're not married to?  I also thought she was a poor sport and rude.  Poor Keo.

 

Too many judges, scores that were all over the place and definitely too high for the first show of the season, the crew being on camera - what is happening to this show?

 

On a positive note - Randy is a very sexy and sensual man.  He's tall and can move.  He looked like he was having fun.  I hope he sticks around for a very long time.

[RetailTherapy]

Ok, Julianne and her beige-ness was just plain useless.   She now matches her beige brother.  Even Redfoo was more interesting and no one had to be concerned about a random boob making a break for freedom. 

 

I was surprised at how awful Lolo was.  Had she reacted with sadness, it might have gotten her a little more sympathy.  But she was bitchy to the extreme, which made it worse. 

 

Was it me, or did Tony seem to be all kinds of disgusted when he picked up the pile of feather boas?  I do hope Betsy stays around for a little while.  She's delightfully freaky and the girl is all kinds of flexible.

 

This Sadie girl was overscored by about 4 points per judge.  Cute and harmless, but if she were any more herky-jerky, she'd dislocate something.  No way did that dance deserve those scores. 

 

Floved Tommy Chong.  That was absolutely epic.  So was Alphonso.  That was all kinds of awesome.

 

Lea was very good, as was this Jonathan person (no clue who he is).  I'm thinking Jonathan could end up being this season's James guy from last season.  Not well known, but a decent dancer and an overall nice guy.  I hope so.  Antonio wasn't horrible, but he was a victim of the first night-first dance score hosing.   Randy shocked me too.  My expectation was a clunker, but he was pretty darned great. 

 

Michael looked ridiculous in his yellow romper and the rest just kind of blended in to the background. 

[Arienne]

I am fairly new to this show. My mom made me watch it for awhile and it kind of grew on me. I thought last night was a pretty good opener.

 

Allison is my favorite dancer anywhere. I have noticed a few comments about her being basically a contemporary dancer, but girl got moves. 4 or 5 years ago I would give these statements some serious thought but Allison has grown since her time on SYTYCD and has turned herself into a very well rounded dancer. That being said,  GO ALLISON!

 

I giggled through a lot of the night. That Lolo performance was hysterical to me, I thought it was a joke and when I realized it wasn’t a joke I really kind of felt bad for her she is way out of her wheelhouse and has nothing to contribute to this competition. My favorite non dance dancer is Kenny Mane for a good belly laugh complete with tears look up his performance.

 

Bitchface seems to be key word last night. Who can make the best? Lolo of course won that round but that little duck girl was right behind her. I am pretty sure duck girl is going to go far just because she is 17, kind of cute when not in bitchface mode, family has hit TV show etc. etc. What I saw last night looked like a spoiled little brat and that doesn’t go far with me. And of course as always YMMV

[truthaboutluv]

Question - did they get rid of the band entirely in all their changes because I swear it seemed like all the dances were done to the original song. 

[Guest]

I love Julianne and Alison so I tuned in.  Julianne is in People Style Watch all the time looking amazing, so I don't know what was with that look last night.  Not good on any level.  

 

And she called Sadie Robertson Sadie RobINson.  Though these are all such nobodies, I don't know their names, either. 

 

I thought Betsey was better than they scored her and Leah was worse.  

 

 

[Gardencrown]

I forgot to mention of Julianne's boobage (which she is a beautiful girl, but that was by no means an attractive look) -- my fourteen year old son walked by, glanced at the TV and said, "That dress doesn't really have a top, does it?" So yeah. That.

[SiouxB]

I miss the announcer with the British accent introducing each couple before they dance; now they go straight from the rehearsal footage right into the dance.....I will miss his voice especially the way he said Cheryl Buuuuuuuuuurke.

[mtlchick]

 

Question - did they get rid of the band entirely in all their changes because I swear it seemed like all the dances were done to the original song.

 

That was a decision that came down last year in order to "improve" things.  I'm a bit surprised Tommy's chung was done live though.  That needed Snoop Dogg's...oomph. 

 

I didn't realize that they are back to two nights a week.

[spanana]

I didn't realize that they are back to two nights a week.

 

They aren't.  Just for a few weeks.  This week, next week (I think) and the finale.  Every other week it's just one night.   Also next week they get real competition in the form of Big Bang Theory, so I'm expecting ratings to take somewhat of a hit.

 

Also for who mentioned missing the announcer, I missed it too.  I know they are trying to freshen up the she show, but some of the things that have been done away with like the confessionals and now the announcer are not improvements.

[luvthepros]

.....I can't stand Janel's wardrobe.  Those boots were awful and totally distracted me from watching her dance.  ......

On another note, Alfonso kicked butt!!

You are the first one I've seen comment on Janel's costume. Wrong choice with the costume and the boots. Jive looks much better performed with fringe to show movement. Those boots were such a miss. She would have looked much better with regular Latin heels on her feet. She looked slow and sluggish. I was disappointed in her performance and I believe it has so much to do with the poor costuming choices.

 

As for Alsonso....he did not disappoint at all. I knew he still has it in him. His mucicality is off the charts, his muscle memory has not failed him and he is one hell of a performer. Go win this thing, Alfonso!!!

Edited September 16, 2014 by luvthepros

[Alapaki]

And, so TPTB are still going to try to sell another Val showmance? It's beyond cringe-worthy at this point.

It seemed like the dances were a bit more ambitious than usual, and the scoring a bit more realistic than usual for a premier episode. Especially given that it's an elimination week.

But, ultimately, this week once again showed that with an early-season large-field, it's very difficult for the Judges to directly affect the outcome. For example, the difference in raw scores between Alfonso and Betsey was 16 points (36 vs. 20). But, when adjusted to be "percentage of the total points awarded", they are only .043011 points apart.

For those interested, here are the "percentage of total points awarded" scores for the entire field:

Alfonso: .096774

Sadie: .091397

Lea: .086021

Bethany: .086021

Randy: .083333

Jonathan: .080645

Janel: .077956

Tavis: .077956

Tommy: .072580

Antonio: .067204

Michael: .067204

Lolo: .059139

Betsey: .053763

This elimination will come down to who has the bigger fan base and, probably more likely, who's pro has the bigger voting base. Tony's base might save Betsey over Lolo for that reason.

[Primetimer]

There's a new dancer from Bel Air, and it's not Will Smith. A new season launches with the same old glitter and production gaffes, and a new judge.

Read the story

[kayma]

I really like Keo but can't stand Lolo. I hope she goes, and Keo stays in another form. I apparently like the pros more than the celebrities, especially since I only recognize 4 of them. The young girls can all go in my opinion. I didn't think any were that good, and they all seemed to not fit in with the fun vibe of the others. I thought the focus on the Val showmance with his partner was because they don't really get along that well. She seems to be trying to oversell, and he seems uncomfortable. I also think it's sad that his partner doesn't know the difference between abs and pecs.

 

I'd like to see the pros dancing with other pros. I only watched last season of this show, so I don't know much about the pros. I was surprised when they said Val was a 14 time champion and Keo was an 8 time champion. I want to see some of that dancing.

 

Julianne's dress made me uncomfortable for her. I don't think she's all that great personality-wise, but she deserved a better look than that. I find it uncomfortable, too, that she's judging her own brother, even if it doesn't really mean much. Seems to take away what little impartiality or weight the judges had.

 

I want Alfonso to win. I loved him on the Fresh Prince and he seems to be genuinely kind and charming.

[kelnic86]

If Lolo doesn't go this week, I have a weird feeling Tavis might. No one is talking about him, which is not good.

[shelley1234]

You know how I KNOW I am old....I didn't know who HALF of these celebrities were.  

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

One thing I love about this show and keeps me coming back is the unpredictability, especially in the beginning. There were some really great dances, and some hot messes and this feeling like something was just a-kilter. 

 

 

Derek's partner Bethany had the B-face for every one of the performers that may be a threat to her.  I think that she had assumed it's in the bag because of who her partner is, and now she's not so sure.

One of my favorite things to do is look at the other dancers when somebody's dancing (or when they finish). Lo-lo(w) had permanent bitch face going on and Lea acted like she couldn't clap except with her index fingers (also sliding into bitchface territory)

 

I admit I felt really sorry for Betsey and her prop malfunction. I wanted to see her entire dance without her slipping around on a boa. and BTW she does that cartwheel and split after every one of her fashion shows. And she's a breast cancer survivor. 

 

My daughter and I busted out laughing when we realized that Peta's costume looked like a pot leaf - a little BOLD for DWTS but hey, she's with Tommy Chong! I was waiting for Snoop Dog/Lion to pop out of the trunk of that low-rider!

[Serendi]

 

Was it me, or did Tony seem to be all kinds of disgusted when he picked up the pile of feather boas?

 

From what he said (during the Erin interview? something like that), he'd very carefully made sure the boa was barely attached to the dress rack, and a stage hand came along after and put it on the hook so it wouldn't fall off. Ouch. And about par for the course for how the production went last night.

 

Meant to vote online, fell asleep. Oh well... I was hoping to shore up Betsey's numbers at least some. I doubt she'll go, she was fun and should be easily able to overcome the low score, but it would have been nice to help.

 

Keo was a beautiful dancer to watch. Seeing the real champions dance is so often a joy (especially dancing with other champions doing ballroom). 

 

 

ETA: I totally missed that Peta was dressed as a pot leaf. Classic!

Edited September 16, 2014 by Serendi

[judemorrigan]

I guess I'm going to be in a minority of one, but I'm afraid I was quite unimpressed with Keo's dancing. It was enough to get me to go look up his results. I found what I expected to find. Sure, it's a heck of a lot better of a resume than, say, SYTYCD-chick's, but it's not actually that impressive. He's not even close to being in Val's league, let alone Karina's.

Still, he seems like a perfectly nice guy and should be more than adequate for this site.

[Runningwild]

How about they are closed minded, homophobic frauds who grew their hair and beards to put quotes around their redneck swamp dwelling persona despite the fact they're really well educated multi millionaires with couture clad prom queen wives and more money in the bank than most of us could dream about? Check out pics from a few years ago. It's all a complete put on. The beards and camouflage are as much a costume as the sequins on DWTS.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/62464/large/23-robertson-brothers-without-beards-duck-dynasty-then-and-now-e1364400084151.jpg?1387594936

They aren't any more close-minded than anyone else. And they aren't homophobes. Or frauds. I just don't get why having long hair and beards means they can't be college graduates or entrepreneurs. They have their beliefs just like anyone else. And unlike some people they don't try and force their views onto others. They state their opinions and move on. Too bad more people can't be like them.

[radishcake]

Great first episode! I wanted to make a note to please watch it with the body snark. As I said elsewhere, there is plenty not to like about certain folks, no body snark needed.

Also this is DWTS not Duck Dynasty. Please take your comments about that show to their board.

So no one read this I guess. I'll reiterate: This is NOT a Duck Dynasty topic. If you can't comment without making snide remarks OR praising them: Don't. All continuation of this discussion will be met with timeouts and I will be deleting posts that do not comply.

DWTS is what we're here to discuss. If it's not part of the dancing, don't post it.

[MortysCleaningLady]

I'm going to start with the things that skeeved me out last night starting with Michael Waltrip.  I didn't think he was cute or funny with his comments with his partner.   He came across as a dirty old man.  YMMV.

 

On a positive note - Randy is a very sexy and sensual man.  He's tall and can move.  He looked like he was having fun.  I hope he sticks around for a very long time.

Someone I don't care for at my office ran into the water cooler chat on DWTS (pro-Alfonso; anti-Lolo overall) and mentioned that he watched cause he and his wife are friends with Michael Waltrip.  Seeing as he came across as a narcissistic, gross older guy, I had to share!

 

And yes, yes, yes on Randy -- cauliflower ears, false teeth, but man can he move.  Loved him.

 

Alfonso was my favorite though! 

Edited September 16, 2014 by MortysCleaningLady

[iMonrey]

 

Is she one of these revirginized people.  I know it's not impossible, but she's making this her excuse for not getting close to a guy.  As someone else on here said - why do a show that makes you have full body contact with someone you're not married to?

 

It's off-putting, to me, to use virginity or religion as an excuse to be uncomfortable with "sexy" dances. I'm fairly certain Sadie is a virgin too, and she's not even allowed to dance at her school, yet she didn't play this card and was perfectly comfortable and danced great. So when you play that card, it comes off more as "I can't do these sexy moves . . . unlike these other sluts who are perfectly comfortable doing their whore-ish moves."

 

I never heard of Janel Parrish before (nor most of the other "stars" this season) but she really seemed to be over-selling her "relationship" with Val during her interview with Erin. Slow down there, cookie, you've only known him 3 weeks. You're not a "thing" yet.

 

Why do they hate Tony so much? Why does Tony hate himself? Walk away, Tony. Walk away.

 

I think Tommy seemed fairly good only in comparison to the train wreck most people were expecting. There really wasn't a heck of a lot of content in that "dance." 

 

Same for Antonio. Cheryl danced around him like she does when she knows her partner can't dance. He's going to get lost in this crowd.

 

I thought Bethany was OK but it kills me you can just put videos of yourself on YouTube nowadays and be considered a "star."  On the other hand, Sadie is just cute as a button. Seriously. I just want to fold her in half and put her in my pocket. I've never seen Duck Dynasty so I have no pre-conceived notions about her, I just thought she was disarmingly adorable and unpretentious.

 

Artem? Welcome. 

[Guest]

Mota's one of the biggest stars they've got.  She makes around $40k a month off of her videos.  

[SledDog]

Just for the record, those who are calling Alfonso a "ringer" because he was "the Tap Dance Kid" on Broadway many moons ago, what does that make Lea? When Mikhail Baryshnikov says that you are an excellent dancer...but a little stocky that means something, and probably (if we're being totally honest) more than anything that Bruno or Carrie Ann have to say.

Was she "giggly"? Maybe, but put it down to nervous tension. I'm betting she'll reign it in as the weeks go by.

I miss the disembodied English voice during the show.

Edited September 16, 2014 by SledDog

[luvthepros]

Chong, Randy and Alfonso for the finals, please........

There are too many celebs who, by the finals, will be able to dance full out and really entertain us. Tommy Chong will be in over his head by then. He was not in the least bit entertaining to me although I see many folks praising him. A couple of hip swivels is all he is capable of. Tommy is not finals worthy. Sorry to Chong fans.

[Turquoise]

 I also think it's sad that his partner doesn't know the difference between abs and pecs.

Yes, this! But then after I got done fussing at the TV I had to remind myself that most young ladies her age also do not know the difference between labia and vagina. So, sadly, I guess it's not too much a stretch that they wouldn't understand abs and pecs, either.

[KerleyQ]

Also I forgot, when did Carrie Ann share some of her crazy juice with Julianne? Good grief she was a mess, imo, for most of the night. She kept saying so many inappropriate things to the guys and I kept thinking her boobs were going to escape that horrible dress they stuffed her in. She is still fairly young but she acts even younger than her age which, to me, just shouldn't be at this point. She should be able to be far more professional and less ditzy I guess is the word I'm thinking of.

 

When she kept going on to the guys like that, I was thinking "why do we need two Carrie Ann's?"  And, yeah, her boobs remaining in that dress was likely a miracle of double sided tape.

I hope Keo doesn't become the new Tristan--the cute newcomer who keeps getting saddled with partners destined for a quick exit. Lolo was the only dancer tonight I didn't enjoy. I actually think her decision to hold out for marriage before having sex is rather admirable, but really, if you're that uncomfortable with the sexy side of dancing, why do the show

 

I was thinking the same thing last night - Keo is handling things pretty well with Lolo, I hope that doesn't put the producers in the same mindset they've had with Tristan - "hey, he's good at handling the fragile personalities."  I don't want to see him get nothing but Lolo's or grandmas (when Tony isn't there to take them on). And, yeah, it's not like this is a new show, so if Lolo (or any other star) is THAT uncomfortable getting up close and personal with a member of the opposite sex (and Lord help us if she makes it to the rumba!), why agree to do this?  

 

 

Is Julianne saying, yeah I agree with Len, all the time so that he can leave the show and everyone will accept her as HIS replacement?

 

 

I was thinking she probably thinks that it give her credibility to say the same kind of things he says, since he's generally viewed as the most credible/serious of the original three.  And she couldn't just be subtle about it and echo the same kind of issues, she just had to hit everyone over the head with it by starting out with "I agree with Len" each time.

 

I expected to love Alfonso, and he didn't disappoint.  My other favorites were Randy (which I was not expecting at all), Lea, Jonathon, and Tommy. 

 

As much as I'd love to see Lolo gone, I think that we might get a "surprise" elimination in Antonio.  He was pretty blah, he went first, and I totally forgot he was there by the end of the show. That generally doesn't bode well. 

 

I was prepared to dislike the her, but Sadie was pretty decent and appeared to be having fun, so I'll give her a shot.  I do think she was wildly overscored, though.  I think they just felt like "she said she's never danced, but she could move, so...9!!"   If her lack of exposure to dance hadn't been made a thing in her intro package, I don't think those 9 paddles would have come out (especially when you compare her dance to Alfonso's dance later that got 9's across the board). 

Janel bothers me, and that outfit was awful.  It was like the costume director's mandate for her was "Frederick's of Hollywood Streetwalker."  Did she have some lifelong dream to wear a sparkly version of the Pretty Woman boots?  And she was generally just trying too hard, especially that whole "oh, every girl is going to be jealous, I'm rubbing Val's abs!"  I was glad to see that he looked uncomfortable with that, because I don't want to see him revert to the Kelly season, the one season I haven't liked him.  I think this is going to be one of those things where the pro spends all season swearing he adores his partner, but you can really tell that it's obligatory.

[ari333]

Why was Betsey Johnson wearing Cindi Lauper's window treatment? Good on her that she can do a cartwheel into the splits at 72. Wow.   I am amazed. Major props for getting out there, and her flexibility at that age is awesome.

[emma675]

 

The camera work seemed really wonky last night...much like last season's finale. I know that it takes a little while to get the flow going again - didn't one of the producers/directors leave? Someone really needs to concentrate on the cues.

This. Half the time I was thrown because there were crew running in and out of frame behind Tom or Erin and the other half I was frustrated because they would show the audience or the stars in the balcony clearly reacting to something on the dance floor but by the time they cut back to the floor, it was over. There was some really shoddy camera work going on last night.

[luvthepros]

Alfonso was okay, best first week ever? Not really,  and He's a total ringer. But no one is really complaining about that the way they did about Jennifer Grey or the pussy cat doll.

Alfonso is trained in tap. That dance genre has to be the most removed from Latin and Ballroom. Alfonso is gifted with musicality, excellent muscle memory, and performance skills. He hasn't danced in many years in the genre he is trained in. There is no reason to complain about a guy who is naturally gifted.

 

.....The elimination of the announcer telling us who was dancing and which dance they were attempting further cheapened everything.  Less and less class every year.

Oh my goodness. THAT is what was missing last night. I miss that voice. Why show? Why?

[sinkwriter]

I'm guessing that as a competitive athlete LoLo was just really frustrated with herself, knowing she could have done better and had done better in rehearsal. It's too bad she couldn't lighten up a little more about it -- her face looked a bit mad throughout the rest of the show as she watched how well others did. It makes her look like a poor sport, but I'd almost bet she's not; she just couldn't separate from her frustration with herself.

[sinkwriter]

I couldn't stand Julianne. I haven't watched this show since the beginning, so I had no major feelings one way or another about her becoming a judge. However... even though she did have some generally helpful things to point out, I was completely annoyed and distracted by her running commentary about how hot some of the men were. Even Tom finally pointed out, "You've hit on at least 3 of the men tonight!" It was way too much and so obnoxious. It's bad enough that Carrie Ann goes on and on and on about the sexiness of the guys, and then Bruno chimes in with his inappropriate comments that can range from hilarious to embarrassing; we don't need another judge fawning over the hot sexy guys, or in Julianne's case, any guy that had a pulse, sheesh!

Edited September 16, 2014 by sinkwriter

[ari333]

"I'm Chong, man." Holy shit I love this dude. I hope I'm the female version of him when I'm 76, if God willing I make it that long. Woot. He's funny and cheeky and the man can move.  He's 70 freakin 6! Loved Cheech's cameo. Can't stand Peta, but I'll take her if it means keeping Chong in the game. Brilliant song choice. Cheeky and not too fast.

 

Bruno, sit the eff down.

.

Julianne, Dear God! Fire your stylist, get some penetration, and stop hitting on the men.

Edited September 16, 2014 by ari333

[sinkwriter]

My favorites from last night:

 

Alfonso (I remember him all the way back from when he was on Silver Spoons with Rick Schroeder! Go, Alfonso!)

Randy (wow, didn't expect to like him at all, but he was terrific)

Lea (I used to like watching her in Caroline in the City, so it was cool to see her former costar Amy Pietz cheering her on)

Jonathan (at one point I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head, he was going for it so enthusiastically)

 

Surprising runner-up for sheer entertainment: Tommy Chong. I don't see him going the distance, but he was naturally funny and had some decent moves. Most of the time guys his age on the show are so stiff and don't seem to have any rhythm, but he moved pretty well and looked like he was having a blast. Fun to watch, so far. But I do think if he keeps joking about being a stoner every week, that could get old.

 

I can't remember being wow'ed by anyone else at the moment. 

I'd like to defend Betsey Johnson. Yeah, she had the major mishap with the boa, but beyond that she had way more rhythm and natural movement than LoLo Jones, yet she got scored lower than LoLo. I think she got robbed. If she goes home right off the bat, I call unfair. I'll also be a little bummed because she seems like a lot of fun and willing to go for it, and you can't argue with that insane flexibility of hers. At her age? That's fantastic.

[Palomar]

Same for Antonio. Cheryl danced around him like she does when she knows her partner can't dance. He's going to get lost in this crowd.

 

 

I know he wasn't great but he was definitely underscored with his 6's....which was less some of the token "novelty acts".  Going first is never easy of course but plenty of people got 7's who were not any better.  Hope he gets a second chance!

[Cee23]

What is this show coming to?? A youtube personality? Ugh

[gryphon]

This. Half the time I was thrown because there were crew running in and out of frame behind Tom or Erin and the other half I was frustrated because they would show the audience or the stars in the balcony clearly reacting to something on the dance floor but by the time they cut back to the floor, it was over. There was some really shoddy camera work going on last night.

 

What we are shown as the audience is what the director chooses to show us.  He chooses the camera shots for us to see at home.   There may have been a new director calling the shots to camera people who weren't used to him.....or he was calling them when they were supposed to be ready and they weren't---there are a lot of different things that could be going on.     Or maybe the TD (the one who pushes the buttons to switch the cameras) was hitting the wrong ones.  The director could be saying, "Ready 3.....Take 2!" (2 and 3 being the cameras) and that throws everyone off... The director and/or TD also could be new to live tv and not able to change cameras fast enough. I have a feeling they changed a lot of the crew this year. 

 

The camera work, I think, is only part of the problem.  It makes me sad that the production quality has seemed to go down through the years.

Edited September 16, 2014 by gryphon

[luvthepros]

I also think it's sad that his (Val) partner doesn't know the difference between abs and pecs.

I caught that too. Funny. No one else has mentioned that gafaw. Too funny.

[sinkwriter]

Thank you for saying that! She kept rubbing his pecs while calling them abs, and I just thought, WTF? Seriously?

[Melissa56789]

 

Is Julianne saying, yeah I agree with Len, all the time so that he can leave the show and everyone will accept her as HIS replacement?

 

****************************

 

I was thinking she probably thinks that it give her credibility to say the same kind of things he says, since he's generally viewed as the most credible/serious of the original three.  And she couldn't just be subtle about it and echo the same kind of issues, she just had to hit everyone over the head with it by starting out with "I agree with Len" each time.

 

My thoughts (FWIW) - is that Julianne and Len are the only judges with ball room credibility.

 

While Carrie Ann and Bruno have dance/choreography backgrounds - they do not have competitve ball room dance in their CVs.

[needschocolate]

Thank you for saying that! She kept rubbing his pecs while calling them abs, and I just thought, WTF? Seriously?

 

She could be right - if his belly button is in between his nipples.

 

I can't decide if it is weirder to rub a guy's abs on national tv or to rub his pecs on national tv? (Yeah, both are weird, but which is weirder)

[Alapaki]

Julianne may have been highlighting her agreement with Len to forestall any claims of favoritism since Derek is competing. I know that between her and Maks' prior turns at the judges' table this probably isn't a big deal. But if they're grooming her to (either de facto or de jure) replace Len, maybe she wanted to emphasize her "objectivity".