S19.E04: Week 2: My Jam Monday

[CPP83]

Alison hasn't changed her attitude much since her SYTYCD days it appears, imho, and that isn't a good thing. What did she give Jonathan? What about that dance made her believe it would fit into the category of a Cha-Cha-Cha?

 

I'm starting to think that it's a shame she got Jonathan and that nice new girl who was saddled with the race car driver couldn't have gotten him instead. I bet they would have made a fine couple, and at least she'd be able to choreograph true ballroom dances for him.

 

From the outfit to the "dancing" Mark and Sadie's...effort just left me confused. A supposedly jazzy line dancing routine? I've never seen anything like it before and hope never to again. 

 

Some of the guys could stand to take a few hits off of Tommy's "mood stabilizer" to loosen up their hips.

[McManda]

I'm starting to think that it's a shame she got Jonathan and that nice new girl who was saddled with the race car driver couldn't have gotten him instead. I bet they would have made a fine couple, and at least she'd be able to choreograph true ballroom dances for him.

 

Emma's been around for the past 2? seasons. But for whatever reason, she always gets the older guys. She's like the female Tony.

Edited September 23, 2014 by McManda

[vibeology]

Emma's been around for the past 2? seasons. But for whatever reason, she always gets the older guys. She's like the female Tony.

 

I feel like we found out exactly why Emma gets the old guys tonight. She said herself that she's not comfortable with the skimpy and the sexy and I imagine the producers don't want to waste a potential young hottie on Emma if she won't be natural playing up the sex.

[mrsmit7]

Favorite dances of the night were Janel & Vals foxtrot and Alfonso & witneys samba.

i thought lea was a bit overscored...i like her a lot but i didnt think her jive was better than any of the 4 we saw last week, so 7s and maybe an 8 would of been my score

bethany is kinda stiff & i think derek is trying to work around it by not moving her around the floor much, and its becoming noticeable. maybe its the ankle injury, and she'll prob do alot better when that heals up.

sadies still adorable & thats gonna take her straight through to the finals, but i wonder about that height difference when they get into some of the ballroom routines

alot of the other routines were kinda meh to me except kudos to betsey & tommy i thought they both did great for their age better than some of the younger folks...im looking at u tavis

[sinkwriter]

I thought Lea was a lot of fun to watch tonight. Can't really say anything about technique because I have no idea, but she had terrific energy. One of my favorite performances of the night, along with Alfonso.

 

I don't usually pay much attention to the band, but boy was that the wrong (way too high) key for the singer who did Betsey's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"! Cyndi's got an unusual voice, so some of her songs have tough range and I can have compassion for that, but... wow, was that bad. Yikes.

[crowceilidh]

Tavis seemed really unlike himself, I agree.

 

Alison - haven't you ever watched the show?  That kind of attitude will get you nowhere.  And Artem's snark at Lea that SHE was the one who had to get the dance, read as a mistake to me too.  If Maks said something like that, the world would be blowing up in reaction.

 

I'm also rooting for the geezers. 

 

Julianne looked almost the worst I can ever remember seeing her look.  What is her problem.

 

I didn't really like the opening number.  Who choreo'd it?

 

Keo read as desperate in every bumper he was in.  He made Jenna look tame to my eyes.  He needs to tone it down.

[Sile]

Who was that watching Chong in the audience? I swear it was Ringo Starr, my dad says no way.

It looked like Lou Adler to me.  I don't know if he was ever involved with Cheech & Chong, but it wouldn't surprise me.  He's always been a pretty cool dude.

 

ETA:  Just looked him up.  I thought he might have produced some of their albums, but he directed Up in Smoke!

 

ETA:  Should have dug deeper.  Sure enough, he produced at least the first three C&C albums, a cursory search didn't reveal the producer for the Wedding Album.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Sile

[viajero]

I liked Janel's dance the best, followed by Lea's and Bethany's.  Alfonso and Sadie were fun to watch, but neither one was as good as last week.  Everyone else seems like fodder (though at least Chong is entertaining fodder).

[tearbender]

Bethany reminded me of Aly Raisman, and not in a good way. Bethany is adequate and cute but is not really bringing any performance quality to the dance floor.

 

There's something kind of cloying about Witney that keeps me from warming to her, though she is doing good work with Alfonso so far. I can see Mark's handprints on her choreography this week, and especially last week, though not in a bad way.

 

Janel and Val were much better this week. Good choreography from Val.

 

Unless you're Evan Lysacek, a rumba is going to be hard pressed to catch my attention for a male. A lot of the time the man just looks like a weird poser. I feel like Antonio was no different. He had the smolder, but the shapes and the movement was off.

 

Yup. I'm wracking my head trying to remember a rumba from a male celeb that's stood out for me, and Evan's is the only one that does. Sigh. I miss Anna.

 

Introducing Jazz is actually one of the few changes I've enjoyed from the post-All Stars "Fix it till it breaks some more!" mentality the producers have been throwing at the show. It's such a broad genre that it's essentially a freestyle gimme, especially nice for couples who don't have a prayer of making the finals.
 

[Dancingjaneway]

Fun fact: Lea and Alfonso both participated in a little show called Celebrity duets. I had totally forgotten that. By the way Toms comments to Len after Carrie Ann fell were hilarious. 

[LotusFlower]

I feel like we found out exactly why Emma gets the old guys tonight. She said herself that she's not comfortable with the skimpy and the sexy and I imagine the producers don't want to waste a potential young hottie on Emma if she won't be natural playing up the sex.

That was such a bizarre statement from Emma, cuz on the scale of skimpy and sexy outfits, she's right up there. Always.

[backformore]

What's the deal with Julianne's hair?  Seriously, I can't get past it to comment on the dances.

I wore my hair exactly the same way last week. Sick with the flu, I had a bath, towel dried my hair and Sat on the couch all day. Glanced in the mirror, yeah, that's exactly the same hairstyle.

[chocolatine]

I feel like we found out exactly why Emma gets the old guys tonight. She said herself that she's not comfortable with the skimpy and the sexy and I imagine the producers don't want to waste a potential young hottie on Emma if she won't be natural playing up the sex.

 

 

That was such a bizarre statement from Emma, cuz on the scale of skimpy and sexy outfits, she's right up there. Always.

 

 

I loved her dig about "some people" loving skimpy outfits, but not her. Speaking of which, "some people" did that upside down scissor move again, which I absolutely loathe.

 

 

What's the deal with Julianne's hair?  Seriously, I can't get past it to comment on the dances.

I wore my hair exactly the same way last week. Sick with the flu, I had a bath, towel dried my hair and Sat on the couch all day. Glanced in the mirror, yeah, that's exactly the same hairstyle.

 

 

@backformore, at least you washed your hair, which is more than can be said for Julianne. I will also assume that if you color your hair, your roots weren't three months overdue for a touch-up.

 

I think Allison is great at her day job - contemporary/jazz dancer - but teaching ballroom and choreographing around an inexperienced dancer is not her forte. At the very least, she could have run her "fresh" choreo by one of the troupe members as a sanity check, and she absolutely needs to keep her mouth shut when given constructive criticism by the judges.

[Toonces464]

I was glad to see him take the high road and actually realize and openly admit he needed to do a better job listening to his teacher/partner and to learn how to keep his personality in the dance but not let it overtake the actually ballroom technique necessary to make it look properly done. I did enjoy it though overall because he just seems so happy when he dances, it's infectious.

 

 

That's something so many of the celebrities don't get so I was glad to see him realize it as well. But then Erin, who herself was lectured by Len during her season about listening to her pro and should have focused on that, had to oddly turn the whole thing into a dig at her boyfriend watching at home. I like Erin well enough as co-host but she needs to stop making things about herself and she needs to stop taking shots at people. I know she thinks she's being funny but she's actually funniest when she's not trying to be. When she tries she comes across as bitchy. Even her remark tonight about Maks. Yes, the call me maybe reference was cute but for someone who she claims did so much for her and who she's so close to, it would be nice to hear her say something nice about him or praise him rather than always taking digs at him which make her look like a bitter ex. And she also needs to stop trying to use Val and Tony as her replacements for Maks because she doesn't have the same chemistry or rapport with them and it's just awkward and uncomfortable to watch.

[housecat]

Huh. Just bio'd Betsey Johnson and discovered she filed for bankruptcy last year. She also has a reality show with her daughter on E!, I believe.

 

Julianne looked like she just got up from an all niter. Her dress was stretched out and that hair was horrendous. Like, REALLY bad. She's so....entitled? bitchy, definitely. Ugh.

Edited September 23, 2014 by housecat

[ShaNaeNae]

It looked like Lou Adler to me.  I don't know if he was ever involved with Cheech & Chong, but it wouldn't surprise me.  He's always been a pretty cool dude.

 

ETA:  Just looked him up.  I thought he might have produced some of their albums, but he directed Up in Smoke!

 

ETA:  Should have dug deeper.  Sure enough, he produced at least the first three C&C albums, a cursory search didn't reveal the producer for the Wedding Album.

 

You are absolutely correct!  I actually had no idea what he looks like, but looked him up and yep, that's him.  Thanks so much Sile!

[anonymiss]

I want Alfonso to get sympathy votes, but it would have been more effective if he hadn't outright asked for them.

 

Ugh. Bethany, I can't stand what you and Derek symbolize: social media's nauseating dominance and Derek's right to it.

 

Cheryl & Antonio were actually fun to watch this week. Very convincing and natural, like Julianne noted. His acting experience helps with that I think. Cheryl looked sensational, too, in that enviable dress!

 

Peta is doing an impressive job with Tommy. She's really a versatile, fantastic choreographer.

 

I love how much Jonathan loves being on the show and hope he gets the time to reach his potential. He deserves better. Curious how he'd perform with Sharna or Peta.

 

What a fun number from Sadie & Mark! I like how Sadie is worried-looking/focused and quiet when she's not performing but then lights up and gives a ton of energy when it's time to perform. I can appreciate her genuine innocence/naivete in that she doesn't know that she needs to always be "on" and her every frown is going to be scrutinized and may cost her votes.

Edited September 23, 2014 by anonymiss

[Gardencrown]

 

I think Allison is great at her day job - contemporary/jazz dancer - but teaching ballroom and choreographing around an inexperienced dancer is not her forte. At the very least, she could have run her "fresh" choreo by one of the troupe members as a sanity check, and she absolutely needs to keep her mouth shut when given constructive criticism by the judges.

Oh, Allison...I love you, girl, and I honestly don't think that she was trying to be bitchy but was sooooo crushed and upset to have failed so hugely and publicly -- which of course is the risk that everyone takes on this show. She needs to put it behind her and make sure she's choreographing straight ballroom stuff...funny enough, but I'm finding Witney to be a pretty dang good choreographer.

 

I virtually guarantee that Allison and Jonathan will be in the bottom tonight -- manufactured or real -- because TPTB of this show have a tendency to "remind" a pro that they don't like backtalk (or at least that's my memory of previous bottom showings -- someone correct me if I'm wrong!). But ultimately it should (?) come down to Betsey or Michael, right? Right? Whoever said that he's no Bill Engvall is right on. Dude is actually actively creepy -- his song choice? Barf.

 

Janel, Bethany, and Sadie are all merging together as one in my mind right now. Alfonso is clear and away the best performer, and so far he's displaying a great attitude (though he could tone down the stress a bit).

[binky101]

Michael just seems to lack basic flexibility -- he may have had some hip action, since the judges kept mentioning it, but his legs were so stiff and didn't seem to move backward at all. Stomp, stomp, clunk, lurch. I adore Emma and feel bad that she has such a physically inflexible and emotionally creepy partner.

 

Bethany: Wow, Derek sure did limit the amount of dancing she had to do, a la his partnering with Amy Purdy last season. Minimal movement, limited dance floor coverage. Yes, her ankle was injured and I hope she gets it looked at ASAP (if ice is not doing much for the pain, she needs medical advice), but I didn't understand the overpraise for her moves.

 

Last night was all about the older contestants for me, Betsey Johnson especially as she seemed to be so happy and handled the more refined style with real grace. She's embracing the spirit of the show, and Tony's also shining as he shows off his nurturing side and wanting Betsey to feel good about herself. And how cute was Peta with her sly marijuana-leaf hair clip? I'd kind of like to see another side of Tommy as the weeks go on, but i guess if the producers feel that the "stoner" history sells, they'll keep encouraging it.

 

Is it wrong to wish Randy would just go with a more natural looking upper plate? The overlarge chicklet teeth he's wearing for the dances don't seem to be the same ones he wears in rehearsal, and while I know that everything "should" be bigger, brighter and bolder on television, the chompers are a bridge too far.

[Buggin]

I didn't get to see the live show last night so I just caught up on the dances on YouTube. Not surprised to see a lot of people fell off in week 2 since that usually happens with less rehearsal time. Wasn't blown away by anyone but Alfonso, Lea, and Janel were probably my favorites of the night. Betsey is darling and Tommy made me laugh again when he ripped his shirt off. I didn't see Allison's remarks, but I didn't like their dance and I cannot seem to warm to her. Like many others mentioned, she should be in the troupe this year, not a pro yet. Wish Jonathan had been partnered with Emma. Rob Wade, can we please not give Emma a clunky middle-aged man or a senior citizen next season? Like Tristan, she's got a great personality to work with these older celebs, but deserves a chance with a contender.

 

Sadie is adorable and I felt bad when she was trying not to cry at the end because I'm also super sensitive so I know how she felt. My husband and I both had the same thoughts as CAI - that Duck Dad probably wasn't thrilled with the dance moves. I thought she did great, though. Bethany is super forgettable to me, even partnered with Derek. I do think their fanbases will still get them to at least the semifinals, if not the finals. Antonio is also forgettable to me, as is Tavis (though what I wouldn't give to have the body to wear what Sharna does), and I think Latin will be Randy's weakness.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Buggin

[Fellaway]

I didn't really like the opening number.  Who choreo'd it?

 

I think I heard Tom say it was another Mandy Moore number.

 

Yup. I'm wracking my head trying to remember a rumba from a male celeb that's stood out for me, and Evan's is the only one that does. Sigh. I miss Anna.

 

Oh, boy, I do too!  I also loved J.R. Martinez' rumba.  It was danced well and very emotional.

 

My fave dance this week was Janel's, followed by Alfonso and Lea, though I agree that Lea was overscored.  Am not liking Bethany's personality.  "Took him four years to get up there, but I did it in 10 minutes..."  Oy.  What can I say, I admire modesty in a person, but that seems to be verboten in reality shows.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I do not understand why the judges can't stay in their seats while giving their critiques. What compels them to keep standing up? I am a little more okay with it when they're trying to demonstrate something but half the time they just stand up and yell. You can do that sitting down, dummies!

 

I also don't understand the distribution of the dance styles. Last week there were 6 cha chas, 4 jives, and 3 foxtrots which was already uneven (although I guess the producers think the foxtrot is slower and therefore less interesting so they don't want too many in one episode). This week there were 3 cha chas, 3 fox trots, 2 sambas, 1 salsa, 1 rumba, 1 jazz, and 1 jive.

 

Randy's cha cha was not nearly as impressive as last week's foxtrot. He is much better at slow and elegant than something faster and more energetic like this. I fear for when he has to do the jive. The way he danced tonight was more along the lines of what I expected from him. He can learn the choreography and execute the steps but he doesn't look great doing it. Something about Karina's yellow costume made her spray tan look even oranger than usual. Straight 7s? Ehhhh. I feel like 7 is the number the judges use when it wasn't Master P bad.

 

I agreed with Julianne that Janel's foxtrot wasn't very traditional (but that's on Val, not her). On a shallow note, she Janel and Val looked nice. Her costume was very elegant and he looked classy in his tuxedo.

 

Lea's jive was better than I thought it would be. After last week, I thought she would have problems with the faster/more high energy dances. She had some weird pancake jazz hands at one point, but for the most part she was lighter on her feet than I thought she would be. Heh, I cracked up at Lea saying, "We have to get this," and Artem's response that SHE had to get it because he already gets it. I've been in a similar situation when the person who said "WE" need to rehearse more was the one who needed all the practice.

 

Michael's samba had too much arsing around in the beginning and too much pelvic grinding from him. I know we're only in the second week, but he is one of the weakest dancers left so I'm ready for him to go. I don't want him skating by on his "funny" personality for another month.

 

Tavis sounded like he was about to have a temper tantrum during rehearsal when he said there were too many movements for him to remember. I don't know if Sharna ended up simplifying the routine, but it didn't look like an overly complicated cha cha to me. It looks to me like the problem is less the choreography and more that he isn't a great dancer. I have no sympathy for his tough schedule. He agreed to participate this season knowing that he had a book tour at the same time.

 

I felt for Alfonso because no matter how coordinated you are, there are times when you just don't click with a routine and it's really frustrating. There were certain dances I learned in my youth that for some reason I never connected with and I could not remember the choreography no matter how many times I rehearsed it. There are other times as a dancer when you just have an off day and it sucks if that occurs on a day when you get new choreography because it just goes in one ear and out the other. Even worse is when your brain remembers the choreography but your body refuses to cooperate. I have had times when I could recite the choreography because I knew it in my head, but when the music was on I just couldn't get my feet to keep up with my brain. All of these scenarios are really frustrating because you know it's something you're capable of and you just can't make it happen. Alfonso is a pro though. He pulled off that dance with his performance skills. If I hadn't seen the intro package, I never would have guessed that he was struggling in rehearsal. I didn't notice him getting stuck on Witney's costume either. Notice he didn't let that affect his performance (LOLO). I agree that the samba bounce was missing, but I didn't see Witney doing it either so I'm putting the blame on her. I will be interested to see him doing a slower more graceful dance like the Viennese waltz next week. One demerit for saying "vote for Witney and I." I loathe how common it is for people to use subject pronouns when they sould be using object pronouns.

 

I don't like Derek, but I give him a lot of credit this week. First, he immediately recognized that Bethany smiles whenever she is in pain during rehearsal. Secondly, I liked that he combined the foxtrot with the Fosse-esque choreography. I also liked how smoothly he transitioned getting that bass off the stage. What I loathed was the judges' lame comments. "Put this on your youtube channel." How does Julianne manage to make herself sound as old as Len and his "I don't blog" comment? I sympathize with injuries and I totally get that the performance adrenaline means you don't feel the pain until afterward.

 

Ha, it kind of cracks me up when the studio singers get all flat and off key like the guy did during "Sky Full of Stars" before the commercial break.

 

Betsey and Tony's pep talk about starting over fresh was good. It was sweet to hear her say she always wanted to be like Ginger Rogers, Cyd Charisse, and Mitzi Gaynor. Girls Just Want to Have Fun was the perfect song for her (even though I wasn't sure if that was a great foxtrot song), but there was way too much arsing around on the staircase at the beginning. I loved how supportive everyone was of her this week. I hated Len's backhanded compliment about how great she looked without "all that stuff." I really liked her dress. It was classy but still so fun and still so Betsey.

 

I thought Antonio did okay in his rumba but he also didn't have a whole lot to do. There was a lot of time when he was standing there while she danced around him. What little dancing he did looked better than last week. I liked the conversation he and Cheryl had during rehearsal about not stressing about a reality show. Glad they are keeping it all in perspective.

 

Tommy seems like he's enjoying the experience but his dancing is not great. I hated that the two troupe girls were waving those fans around during the entire salsa routine. It was really distracting. I didn't hate Jenna when she was on SYTYCD, but one just this episode of DWTS was enough to make me sick of her.

 

Jonathan's cha cha was better than I thought it would be. I thought he would be a little too spazzy in this style but he came across as pretty confident. I loved Allison on SYTYCD but I didn't love the choreography. Some of the partner tricks were a little awkward or didn't have great transitions. I liked the sharpness because a lot of the celebrity dancers end up looking awkward instead of sharp. As for Len's flim flam criticism, there were other routines tonight that I thought had less actual content than this one. The camerawork during this routine was terrible.

 

I HATE that this show now includes jazz as a dance style so I might be too biased to fairly judge this routine. I didn't like the song, I didn't like the routine, and I thought that Sadie looked a bit clunky. I'm not sure if that was the choreography not suiting her or if that was just her. I also hated the fake drama about her dad approving her costume. You're really trying to tell me that she would have worn any of those sparkly dresses for that country song routine? Just no.

 

Michael should be the one who is eliminated this week. I know it's only been two weeks but he's been terrible at both styles and I don't imagine he's going to get any better. I would be okay with Tavis going too because his dancing is not good. I couldn't believe that the judges praised him last week.

[Runningwild]

I'm stil holding out hope for Mikey. I would be okay with Tavis going home.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

How long until Mark has Sadie dressed in a duck costume? You know he has one at the ready.

After he had Bristol Palin dance in that gorilla suit, I wouldn't put anything past him. He has probably had the duck suits ready to go since he found out Sadie was his partner. Maybe they will do a routine to Disco Duck.

[howmanywords]

Oh, boy, I do too!  I also loved J.R. Martinez' rumba.  It was danced well and very emotional.

Oh my gosh YES. I still get choked up thinking about that. IIRC he and Karina were both in tears by the end of it.

 

I loved Lea last night even though I think she was overscored. I tend to think they overscored her because she isnt pulling in the votes but they put her at the beginning of the line-up again.

 

Alfonso danced better than most of them (I totally got what Julianne meant about the "Alfonso groove") but that song was all wrong for the samba.

[truthaboutluv]

Am not liking Bethany's personality.  "Took him four years to get up there, but I did it in 10 minutes..."  Oy.  What can I say, I admire modesty in a person, but that seems to be verboten in reality shows.

 

 

YMMV but I think she was just joking. Honestly, amidst the over the top giggling and squeeing when the judges like a dance, the ones trying to fake showmances (though I see Janel and Val toned that down real quick this week), people looking like they want to cry over one little criticism that wasn't that bad and people putting way too much pressure on themselves for what is a simple little dance show, I like Bethany's personality. Girl didn't even complain about her ankle injury, she politely listens to the judges' comments and moves on. Which incidentally may be why so far she's forgettable to some people because she's kind of just there - no fuss, no drama, dancing well enough but not the best out of everyone. 

 

I think I heard Tom say it was another Mandy Moore number.

 

 

Of course it was. As if I wasn't bothered enough that the show insists on having EVERY single opening Pro number done by Mandy who is not a ballroom choreographer, the Afterbuzz last week just annoyed me some more when they confirmed what I suspected. That is, Mandy basically has an idea in her head and knows what she wants the dance to look like but then has to use one or two of the Pros to convey to others what she's looking for and ultimately add the ballroom language because she doesn't know it. So basically the Pros are still more or less choreographing the number while I guess she says "I want a formation here, I want you guys down here, I want the girls along this way, etc.."

 

So it once again begs the question of why not make the Pros do the opening numbers like they used to do in the older seasons. Now admittedly, I do remember many of the Pros saying that's why they would be so exhausted by the season end between all the work with their celebrity and preparing stuff for Results Show but hell, isn't that why they have the useless troupe there.  Also, as couples get eliminated, use the Pro who was eliminated with their partner so it minimizes the workload. I'm just tired of the same damn opening Pro number every week as I really don't see much differences in the dances that Mandy is doing.  

 

The best opening Pro number from last season in my opinion was the one with Mark's song that she had nothing to do with. I believe it was Mark himself who choreographed it with help from Derek and Christopher Scott (I guess for the more hip hop lite/jazz parts of the number) and I can't be too sure but I think Val also helped too, with cleaning up some parts. 

 

Jonathan's cha cha was better than I thought it would be. I thought he would be a little too spazzy in this style but he came across as pretty confident.

 

 

The problem for me personally is that Alison made the dance too much about her. What little Jonathan did (and it was really little) he did okay but the problem was there wasn't enough to really judge him on because he was more or less just a pole for while she whipped and flipped herself all over the place. The dance was ALL about Alison in my opinion and that would be fine if this was an individual dance competition but it isn't and more importantly her job as the Pro is to make her celebrity look as good as possible. She did not do that, imo.

 

I am also kind of ready for Micheal Waltrip to leave. Sorry, in my opinion dude is not nearly as clever and funny as he thinks he is and he is beyond awful. With Lolo gone, I really do think he is the worse dancer left and he might have been worse than her to be honest. Tommy for all his humor is actually moving around and doing some recognizable steps and showing some rhythm, especially for his age.

 

Michael is just hopeless and I think Emma's choreography so far is reflecting that - that she really has no clue what to do here. And I'm tired of him bringing up Bill Engvall. One, Bill wasn't desperate in his humor like Michael comes across as and two, Bill's musicality was poor so he always seemed a bit out of time with Emma but he could move and wasn't entirely hopeless. I guess Tavis may go before Michael and he really did kind of suck so it wouldn't be a travesty by any means but given the choice, I'll take Michael leaving.

 

Speaking of which, "some people" did that upside down scissor move again, which I absolutely loathe.

 

 

Ah yes, a classic HMV move and we can all depend on our girl Peta to pull it out.

Edited September 23, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[kelnic86]

I don't find Michael to be funny, really. Maybe it's just his personality, but I feel like he's trying way too hard to get some lol's. I'm also tired of his oogling and hot women jokes. It's just very annoying to me. He didn't do that great tonight, so I'm expecting him to land in the bottom 2. Tavis did okay, but he's just kind of there. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up going home this week either.

[Shades of Red]

Heh, I cracked up at Lea saying, "We have to get this," and Artem's response that SHE had to get it because he already gets it. I've been in a similar situation when the person who said "WE" need to rehearse more was the one who needed all the practice.

 

I thought that was pretty funny.  I didn't think he was snarky or sarcastic as he was just stating a fact.

 

It irritates me too when someone blames scheduling on lack of practice/studio time.  Why agree to do the show and why make it an issue?  Pretty sure that Meryl and Charlie had busier schedules and more tiring schedules last year but if memory serves me correctly it was never used as an excuse if things weren't going well.

 

I find it a little odd that people think Sadie is "sensitive".  Seriously?  Doesn't this child come the world of "reality tv"?  If you're that "sensitive" get out of the public eye and definitely don't be going on a show that is a competition.  No sympathy here - it you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

 

Not sure if Derek's partner got any proper medical advice or not.  If she did and choose not to make a big deal of it, well good for her.  If she didn't, well then she's dumb and could be endangering her health. 

 

Michael needs to tone down the skeeviness (not sure that's a word, but I'll use it).  Just because the song has bikinis in it doesn't mean your partner needs to be in one.  Odd song choice to start with and it was obvious from the beginning why he chose it. 

[sinkwriter]

 

That was such a bizarre statement from Emma, cuz on the scale of skimpy and sexy outfits, she's right up there. Always.

 

I'm wondering if she said it to verbally push him off the topic, because he sounded like he was insisting a bit too hard that she HAS TO wear a bikini because it's called "Girls in Bikinis." Well, Michael, maybe she doesn't want to wear a bikini around you. Maybe that makes her uncomfortable. She shouldn't have to wear something completely skimpy just because it's your favorite song. 

 

Frankly, I think he had the least amount of improvement from one week to the next and I'd be okay with him being the next one out. Him or Tavis, but I give Tavis an edge over Michael because of Michael's skeevy behavior.

[sinkwriter]

 

Heh, I cracked up at Lea saying, "We have to get this," and Artem's response that SHE had to get it because he already gets it. I've been in a similar situation when the person who said "WE" need to rehearse more was the one who needed all the practice.

 

It's a good snarky comment (and I don't think he meant it maliciously or accusingly), but I think I preferred how Witney handled Alfonso's frustration over how Artem handled Lea's. Witney saw that Alfonso was frustrated, she heard him say, "I have to figure this out!!" and instead she said, "No, WE will figure it out. Talk to me about what you're struggling with, and we'll find a solution together." If I were Alfonso, I would have felt much less pressure after that comment. Or at least comforted that my dance partner was willing to support me through the tough spots. The way Artem talked to Lea may have been mildly funny, but it didn't make me think of them as a team working together to find solutions so that they can do great dances. Of course he's already "got it" -- he's the pro; he'd already have it whether he was working with Lea or someone else. It's his job to help HER get it. If she's not getting it, perhaps he needs to come up with more creative solutions to help her. I think Lea pulled it off and did a terrific job, but Artem didn't really endear himself to me on that response. I'll give him a pass for now because he does seem to genuinely care about and enjoy dancing with Lea.

Edited September 23, 2014 by sinkwriter

[MortysCleaningLady]

After he had Bristol Palin dance in that gorilla suit, I wouldn't put anything past him. He has probably had the duck suits ready to go since he found out Sadie was his partner. Maybe they will do a routine to Disco Duck.

 

I'd vote for them if they did that!

 

 

Edited to add - I think for content, Lea's jive and  Janel's foxtrot were probably the most appropriately content-filled dances.  That said, my favorite music for Tavis's and Alfonso's -- but how does one samba to Getting Jiggy?

 

The septuagenarians were pretty good -- they tried soo much harder and had far more content than Waltrip.  (Heck, they had more content than Antonio Sabato and Johnathon  from Mean Girls.)

Edited September 23, 2014 by MortysCleaningLady

[LadyMustang65]

Sinkwriter - I actually liked both comments a lot.  Witney impressed the heck out of me with the way she responded to Alfonso.  I honestly didn't think she had it in her.  That was great.  But I also thought Artem's response was appropriate under the circumstances.  I didn't get the impression at any time that he was unwilling to help her learn it.  I think he saw that she was starting to stress and was using humor to defuse her.  I like both of these couples, and so far my hope is for both of them along with Janel and Val to be the final three.

 

Electric Bugaloo - I had the same reaction to Sadie's dance and to the clearly staged-for-the-show video exchange with the dad.  No way were any of those dresses going to be considered for that number.  And I rolled my eyes hard when he didn't like the first one.  The back dip stopped short of her rear end, so there was nothing inappropriate about that dress unless you think showing back is risque.  It seemed kind of silly - even a one-piece bathing suit will often show a lot of back. 

[KLovestoShop]

I think that every season, the pros will take a weak dancer and intentionally make their dances shorter.  They know their partner can't really dance, so they choreograph their numbers to only showcase whatever strength they may have, and therefore it's a dance of maybe only two minutes long.

 

I know I'm not a teenager, far from it, but how does a young girl get so many YouTube viewers by just showing her wardrobe and decorating her bedroom?  And why do these teens even pay any attention to her?  Please, someone explain this to me.  But in the end, I don't think someone like Bethany belongs on this show.  She's an unknown to a VAST majority of those who watch.

[txbowler]

As one of Allison's biggest fans, I look forward to seeing her on the show every week.  Yep she over did it last night.  She is a Derek protege and learning.  Maybe she should have waited until she was better.  But when they have the contemporary weeks, she will wipe the floor with her contemporary chirography if she makes it that far.  

 

I guess maybe I am unique, because yes, I watch for the celebs, but I also watch for the pros and she is awesome.

[truthaboutluv]

I think that every season, the pros will take a weak dancer and intentionally make their dances shorter.  They know their partner can't really dance, so they choreograph their numbers to only showcase whatever strength they may have, and therefore it's a dance of maybe only two minutes long.

 

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty certain the length of the dances are determined by the producers of the show. It's not entirely up to the Pro. So if a dance is lasting only a minute or less, that's usually a Production thing, which is why they do camera blocking and rehearsals because they have to time everything to make sure it gets in under or exactly at 2 hours. All the dances were short in week one and most last night as well not because the Pros are making the dances shorter to hide their celebrity's flaws in my opinion, but because they added an unnecessarily full time fourth judge and so between judges' comments and Tom and Erin's interviews, they don't have much time.

 

As for the whole thing about Bethany, unpopular opinion perhaps but honestly, I say so what about how or why she's famous and if some deem that not enough to qualify her for being on the show. To each his own but is Bethany being famous because she gained a lot of tween/teen fans yes by making videos in her room really that worse than Sadie Robertson who is simply known because her family did some reality show? Or Rob Kardashian who competed some seasons ago and whose fame we can all say is largely tied to his sister's sex tape their mother expertly managed to turn into a million dollar success for them all? Or Bristol Palin whose sole claim to fame was being the daughter of Sarah Palin and getting knocked up at 17 and unmarried. Frankly in my opinion, pretty much all the reality stars can be considered questionable in their fame. Snooki...yeah what talent exactly did she have other than being a drunk hot mess on a hot mess of a reality show. 

 

Yes if you're not of the social media generation her "talent" may seem silly or questionable but I personally do think it's pretty impressive for a girl barely out of high school to build a brand for herself that gets her on billboards in Times Square. But more importantly, Bethany is one of twelve people in this competition. If some don't care for her, think she shouldn't be there then vote for others. So far Bethany has given no attitude, shown no diva tendencies, no whigning about her scores, etc. As Len often says, she just gets on with it. 

 

I guess maybe I am unique, because yes, I watch for the celebs, but I also watch for the pros and she is awesome.

 

 

I love watching the Pros too, which is why I love the Pro numbers and why I'm still so bitter at all the overusing of Mandy Moore. That being said, there's being amazing in the dance and there's basically throwing your celebrity on the wayside and I really think that dance last night was the equivalent of that. I like Alison, yes she's amazing but last night in my opinion, I didn't see the amazingness, I saw desperation. It was just way too manic and over the top and let me show how super fabulous and how I can hit this and that, etc. And great but it did diddly for  Jonathan.

Edited September 23, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Uke]

The best opening Pro number from last season in my opinion was the one with Mark's song that she had nothing to do with. I believe it was Mark himself who choreographed it with help from Derek and Christopher Scott (I guess for the more hip hop lite/jazz parts of the number) and I can't be too sure but I think Val also helped too, with cleaning up some parts. 

 

 

It was actually Misha Gabriel who choreographed with Mark on that opener.

You may be thinking of Christopher Scott because he choreographed a different dance to the same song for the Dizzy Feet Foundation's National Dance Day.

[tarotx]

Bethany is funny and adorable and a version of quiet a few girls who watch Youtube but brave enough to make videos and engage her commentators, her subscribers and followers.  Her Youtube videos are younger versions of things I watch on HGTV and Style type channels. She is on a different medium than a lot of older followers may know but she's trying to branch out. And the high profile internet companies are trying to branch out as well and Beth is adorable and personable and willing to allow her name and brand used to promote them and herself to a bigger market. So really no different than most of the other stars throughout DWTS' run. 

 

I think that every season, the pros will take a weak dancer and intentionally make their dances shorter.  They know their partner can't really dance, so they choreograph their numbers to only showcase whatever strength they may have, and therefore it's a dance of maybe only two minutes long.

 

I know I'm not a teenager, far from it, but how does a young girl get so many YouTube viewers by just showing her wardrobe and decorating her bedroom?  And why do these teens even pay any attention to her?  Please, someone explain this to me.  But in the end, I don't think someone like Bethany belongs on this show.  She's an unknown to a VAST majority of those who watch.

 

I would look forward to Allison if she didn't look so needy. She doesn't hold herself like she's confident and she looks like she knows she's being judged like she's back on season 2 of SYTYCD. Everybody on tv is judged so you might as well perform like you are sure and confident if you take the opportunity to be on tv. I want to tell her to just chill and relax. She keeps reminding me of a really good star. She needs to ask for help if Choreographing a Cha Cha for herself and an Amateur is over her head. 

 

As one of Allison's biggest fans, I look forward to seeing her on the show every week.  Yep she over did it last night.  She is a Derek protege and learning.  Maybe she should have waited until she was better.  But when they have the contemporary weeks, she will wipe the floor with her contemporary chirography if she makes it that far.  

 

I guess maybe I am unique, because yes, I watch for the celebs, but I also watch for the pros and she is awesome.

Edited September 23, 2014 by tarotx

[ShaNaeNae]

Is it wrong to wish Randy would just go with a more natural looking upper plate? The overlarge chicklet teeth he's wearing for the dances don't seem to be the same ones he wears in rehearsal, and while I know that everything "should" be bigger, brighter and bolder on television, the chompers are a bridge too far.

 

No, those were horrendous.  Just pure white, square blocks all in a row. It was like costume jewelry as teeth.

[BoogieBurns]

I know I'm not a teenager, far from it, but how does a young girl get so many YouTube viewers by just showing her wardrobe and decorating her bedroom?  And why do these teens even pay any attention to her?  Please, someone explain this to me.

 

I think she has an audience that sees her as an older sister who gives them advice. Seems like she is just giving them something positive to be a part of online. I had not heard of her either, but she does not look like a bad role model. 

 

Her dance tonight was forgettable. Most of the dances tonight were, honestly. 

 

Can we re-name the show topics the way we did it last season? The theme of the show was the title of the thread, so this one would be S19.E03: My Jam Monday (or whatever this one was called). This is easier to refer back to the episodes once we get into week 6 or whatever.

Edited September 23, 2014 by BoogieBurns

[truthaboutluv]

It was actually Misha Gabriel who choreographed with Mark on that opener.

You may be thinking of Christopher Scott because he choreographed a different dance to the same song for the Dizzy Feet Foundation's National Dance Day.

 

 

Thanks, I knew there was someone who was not a ballroom Pro. And I do remember Shirley, Mark's mom mentioning Derek helping smooth out some of the choreography when she was on the Afterbuzz that week. As for Christopher, no I don't know about that National Day Dance but I think he came to mind because he helped with the MSOD tribute to American Icons (or whatever it was called) number.

[ari333]

Oh, Dear God in Heaven help me - I HATE Julianne's hair. Is that an ombre? or IDK what the hell. And I say that as an, in general, Julianne fan.

Edited September 23, 2014 by ari333

[KLovestoShop]

truthaboutluv, I totally agree with you on all aspects of your post.  I've said on many previous seasons (although not on this board because I didn't know it existed until a few months ago) that I can't understand many of the choices of the so-called celebrities.  Bristol Palin and this Duck Dynasty girl are two of many I have questioned as to why they were chosen for this show.  And my comment was not meant to disparage Bethany on her YouTube business, but it's something I just don't get and I don't understand the popularity---and I do watch a lot of YouTube, but to me, her "business" just doesn't compute for me, but it obviously does for others.  It makes no difference that she a nice person or not, it's just for me another "I just don't get it" moment like a Bristol Palin, a Kardashian or the Duck Dynasty girl. 

[radishcake]

Can we re-name the show topics the way we did it last season? The theme of the show was the title of the thread, so this one would be S19.E03: My Jam Monday (or whatever this one was called). This is easier to refer back to the episodes once we get into week 6 or whatever.

Yep we can! I can never find them online after.  Anyone want to volunteer to PM me the name once the show airs? I"ll go ahead and change this one. :)

[Uke]

A little comment on each:

Randy - Aww, I was so impressed last week. This cha cha, not so much. I'm okay with the scores given the overall score inflation.

Janel - Much better this week but still looked a little frantic. 8s were about right. There was nothing worthy of a 9.  Val - Disappointed in the choreography. The foxtrot can be sooo entertaining and he's got a partner who can handle it.

Lea - Again, too frantic and a little too out of control. She seemed to be hanging on for dear life.  Her posture bugged me. 9s? no way! 7-7-8-8 would have been about right. I'm guessing the overscoring was more about soft vote totals than dance quality.

Michael - Uggg! Just Ugggg!

Tavis - didn't expect him to stress out like that. Make the time, do the work, don't complain to Sharna about making a simplified cha cha even more simpler. 7s are ok.

Alfonso - Julianne nailed it with her comment about his "groove".  It didn't really look like a samba to me because I think his style took over. Witney-super impressed how she took charge with Alfonso's stress-attack despite her own stress. 8s are ok

Bethany - not enough foxtrot but her transitions looked better. Other than the bass trick, the dancing wasn't very memorable. Noticed after the judging she had no problem running across the floor and up the stairs-adrenalin I guess.  Derek-got a gal I'm guessing isn't used to heels, with a bad ankle...ok so let's have her balance on a bass! Huh? Overscored. 7-7-8-8 or 7-8-8-8 would be about right.

Betsey - the performance of the night for me, not for the dancing, but for her absolute joy. 7s worked for me.

Antonio - he didn't do much and it looked to me like he lost his grip as Cheryl went twirling past him and suddenly she was just standing there. Overscored. 7s would be more correct.

Tommy - entertaining. Impressed he was able to swing his leg over Peta's crouching. Peta-you've impressed me again with your choreography and bringing the level to what Tommy can handle.

Jonathan - I put a lengthy comment in Allison's thread. Sir, I wish you had Emma and Michael had Allison. 6s - sorry.

Sadie - It was a fun little dance and she performed it. Video-I'm told the "daddy disapproves the dresses" was a gag from something on one of the DD episodes. I don't know but it was clearly done for laughs. CAI-the best way to destroy Sadie's confidence is to question whether her dad will approve. Her mom is in every rehearsal, there were no surprises for dad. Len-we know you don't like country music-get over it! Underscored. Since Lea + Janel got 9s, I'd say 9-9-9-9.

 

Comment about a duck outfit - I don't expect Mark will dress Sadie up in a duck costume. Sadie is cute and brimming with personality-I don't think he'd hide that. He put Bristol in a gorilla outfit in a desperate move to try to get some personality out of her and I think it worked for the time she was in the costume. While she was "hiding" in the gorilla outfit, her body movement was all kinds of cute. Unfortunately, they used a premade costume where BP couldn't watch + follow Mark and they said it was stifling hot. It would have worked better if wardrobe had actually made a custom costume for her. That said, I do think Mark will do a duck-themed dance and the Duck Tales tune would be a great choice.

 

 

 

 

 

[ari333]

Go Geezers! And I mean that sincerely.

 

Betsey has a glowing sort of free spirit that I find very cute and  endearing. Chong is just all that and quite hilarious and fun and full of life. Love him.

 

I still totally enjoy Alfonso's joy and his talent. Wow.

 

Leah did an awesome job on that jive, imo. She seemed happy and that's all part of it.

Edited September 23, 2014 by ari333

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

 

What's the deal with Julianne's hair?  Seriously, I can't get past it to comment on the dances.

You and me both. Looks like makeup needed to buy one of those tubes of highlight/dye with the little comb that older ladies use to touch up between salon trips before she went on the show - or maybe a few dozen tubes. 

 

Also, what's with the big mens' suits? It looks like Tavis is wearing something from an old Talking Heads video ('letting the days go by. . . . " ). 

 

Betsey's attitude made me smile last night - she's so dramatic and so crazy creative when she talks. I was glad she did much better. And Tommy Chong is really doing better than I thought! Whoda thunk it? 

[galax-arena]

To each his own but is Bethany being famous because she gained a lot of tween/teen fans yes by making videos in her room really that worse than Sadie Robertson who is simply known because her family did some reality show? Or Rob Kardashian who competed some seasons ago and whose fame we can all say is largely tied to his sister's sex tape their mother expertly managed to turn into a million dollar success for them all? Or Bristol Palin whose sole claim to fame was being the daughter of Sarah Palin and getting knocked up at 17 and unmarried.

Well, I think the people complaining about Bethany probably also complained about all of the other people you mentioned, so…

 

There weren’t a whole lot of people going, “Bristol Palin? Fuck yeah, there’s a legit celeb!”

 

Of course, we’re all fighting a losing battle because DWTS has never grabbed true A-listers anyway (aside from some athletes) and they seem more and more desperate to court the youth vote - stop trying to make “fetch” happen, TPTB - but that’s why people bitch and vent about it on message boards.

I know I'm not a teenager, far from it, but how does a young girl get so many YouTube viewers by just showing her wardrobe and decorating her bedroom?  And why do these teens even pay any attention to her?  Please, someone explain this to me.

If you’re confused about that, just wait until DWTS dips its toe into the world of Vine celebrities. 6-second videos: when watching a 23-minute show is too much effort.

[iMonrey]

Julianne's hair looked like a 6-year old styled it for her, like she was babysitting some little girls and they wanted to play with her hair.

 

This week was a study in contrast and really showed the difference between what the "stars" could do with one week of rehearsal versus three. Answer? Not much. At least that seems to have been the attitude of their pros because, with few exceptions, there was a marked lack of content in these dances while the pros did their best to dance around the stars and distract from their lack of overall moves. 

 

There was also some wonky scoring going on which seems like a concerted effort to counter some unexpected vote totals last week - I think with Leah, especially, they weren't expecting her to get so few votes so they really over-scored her this week. She and Antonio probably got lost in the shuffle having gone first last week. Some definite propping going on here, as well as the typical nit-picking of the front-runners just to make a pretense that one or two of these stars are head and shoulders above the rest in terms of ability.

 

Michael really needs to go, he's never going to get any better. But I suspect his personality will keep him around a couple more weeks. 

[ari333]

I feel like I'm in the twilight zone because I thought CAI looked kind of good... and sexy. I know, right? And Julianne, who is a gorgeous woman ... looked like pure crap. WTH?

 

I've seen Emma in some pretty skimp-a-rino outfits, so IDK where she was going with all that speech. I still feel like Engvall is writing Michael's commentary for him and the problem is that Waldrip just cannot pull off the funny, imo. It's going flat.

 

Janel, Bethany, and Sadie all blend together for me. Get off my yard.

 

I like Witney calling Alfonso, "Fonz." hee.

 

Hey, what's up with this? While Alfonso and Witney were dancing it seemed to me that the judges' table was empty in the background shot. Wha?  Then all of a sudden, the judges were all in their seats. Is it me? Maybe I'm cray.

 

Nit on the Fonz. "Vote for Witney and I" [/imma bitch]

Edited September 23, 2014 by ari333

[Uke]

Thanks, I knew there was someone who was not a ballroom Pro. And I do remember Shirley, Mark's mom mentioning Derek helping smooth out some of the choreography when she was on the Afterbuzz that week. As for Christopher, no I don't know about that National Day Dance but I think he came to mind because he helped with the MSOD tribute to American Icons (or whatever it was called) number.

Replied w/additional info in the Small Talk thread.