S19.E07: Week 5: The Switch-Up

[RetailTherapy]

I honestly believe that most of the pros choreograph to the level of their "star".  They are all, for the most part, very good at putting together these routines.  We the viewers notice when we see something amazing and we notice when we see season after season of weekly handjive or shirtless dancing.  It's all based on how good or how awful the "star" is as a potential dancer. Cheryl will have a lot of room for creativity with Alfonso because he's very good.  Same with Lea and Val. 

[spanana]

Also in defense of the Kellie/Derek flamenco and Kellie not doing much of the actual dancing, they also danced it in the semi-finals, so at that point in the show Kellie was dancing 2 routines a week.  So she also didn't have the time to devote to learning it that she would have if it were earlier in the competition.  The same might be true of Kelly/Val. I have zero clue as I could never stand watching them.

 

That said, I don't really think anybody is expecting Alfonso to master real flamenco in a week.  As long as he and Cheryl fake it well enough it will be fine.  Though I don't know how I feel about the fact that some people got dance styles that involve actual technique and fairly high levels of difficulty while others got vague genres of dance where anything goes. 

[crowceilidh]

I seem to remember that Cheryl spent a summer in South America studying ??Argentine Tango?? at some point while I was desultorily following off-season gossip (or was it Karina?).  Anyhoo - I wonder what kind of experience she has with flamenco.

[truthaboutluv]

Cheryl would be wise to use a Flamenco expert to help her with the choreography. Derek did and he was pretty open about it. I mean if it's not a style they're used to, why not.

[luvthepros]

I would imagine Flamenco is not a dance one can learn in a week but I believe Alfonso is just the guy to do a great job of "faking it". All I'm hoping for is, as others have said, Cheryl calls in an expert to help with the choroegraphy and to teach Alfonso some technique. In addition to my wishes is that Alfonso wears proper Flamenco shoes.

[Princess Sparkle]

I feel like based on these pairings, if Antonio isn't toast this week, he will be next week.  He got the short end of the stick pro-wise, and he got one of the harder dances if you're not that great a dancer - Peta and Giles' bollywood wasn't terrible in the all-star season, but Giles is a much better dancer than Antonio is.  

 

Whereas Tommy I think will continue to do pretty well - I would've loved to see Emma with someone younger, but I feel like she's pretty good at doing campier routines, which will serve Tommy well.

 

Witney might even be able to help out Michael too.  I mean, he's still a bad dancer, and the height difference will be insane, but he's probably pretty good at getting into a cheesier dance, which is what disco usually ends up being on this show.

[Zuleikha]

As I remember that dance, she did very little that could be considered flamenco and a lot of posing and walking around while Derek did all the parts that actually looked like flamenco.

 

I rewatched. She had a lot of basic flamenco in her choreography. Traditional flamenco dance is divided into sections that match the music... there's marking sections that are introductory, la letra (which matches the verse), the call to start the escobilla section, and the escobilla (the fast, rhythmic footwork section). Derek did the escobilla work by himself, but Kellie did moves that belong with marking and la letra. However, she wasn't very good from a flamenco technique perspective. Pretty much everything she did was off, especially her hands and arms. OTOH, she looked graceful and confident in what she was doing, which I think is what she needed to do. Flamenco is an impossible assignment, so all I can ask of anyone is that they commit to faking it respectfully.

 

I continue to be amazed by what Derek pulled off for his part, though. I only studied flamenco for a year, so I'm not as comfortable evaluating male technique as I am female technique, but I've certainly watched many male flamenco dancers. Derek was obviously not going to pass as a flamenco specialist or expert, but he looked good and and like he was actually dancing flamenco in what he did. 

I would expect Cheryl to fake her part better than Kellie did because Cheryl will have learned floreos and a similar posture for paso doble. Cheryl's also a professional dancer, so presumably can pick things up a bit faster. What I'm hoping to see of in Cheryl/Alfonso's is: better music, more incorporation of characteristic flamenco spins (simply because I love them and expect that Cheryl can do them), more footwork in general for the partner sections, good flamenco attitude and passion from Cheryl and Alfonso, and Alfonso killing an escobilla section. I hope Cheryl takes her inspiration from sevillanas

[Andiethewestie]

I think Burlesque is anything but a gift. I can't imagine how they'll pull it off without it being cringe worthy.

 

Well Season 10 Nicole Scherzinger did a Cha Cha with a PussyCat dolls burlesque movement with a chair for about 20 seconds on her own to Prince's Kiss before Derek started. They ended with Derek turning her over his knee and slapping her ass.  Wasn't cringeworthy, even though it was more about dancing sexy to Prince than Cha Cha.  

Edited October 11, 2014 by Andiethewestie

[luvthepros]

...........What I'm hoping to see of in Cheryl/Alfonso's is: better music, more incorporation of characteristic flamenco spins (simply because I love them and expect that Cheryl can do them), more footwork in general for the partner sections, good flamenco attitude and passion from Cheryl and Alfonso, and Alfonso killing an escobilla section. I hope Cheryl takes her inspiration from sevillanas

I hope you will be commenting on Alfonso and Cheryl's Flamenco and I look forward to what you have to say about it. You may just be the only person on this forum who has taken Flamenco instruction.

[BoogieBurns]

Is someone for sure eliminated tonight? Because they will be telling the celeb if they are in jeopardy while they are with a different pro. How did it go last year?

[spanana]

Is someone for sure eliminated tonight? Because they will be telling the celeb if they are in jeopardy while they are with a different pro. How did it go last year?

 

They don't even bother.  There was just no elimination and I think they all knew that last season.

[Dancingjaneway]

So if they don't do an elimination this week does it mean that next week they have a double elimination? I have never watched the switch up week so I have no clue what to expect. 

[Lisa4106]

I know they combine last week's scores and votes and this week's scores and votes to do an elimination next week.

Last year they did a double elimination really early and this year they didn't, so that may change how many get eliminated next week. IDK if they have made an official announcement.

[spanana]

So if they don't do an elimination this week does it mean that next week they have a double elimination? I have never watched the switch up week so I have no clue what to expect. 

 

Last season it was only a single elimination the week after.  I think they had a double elimination later in the season, but I have no idea how they plan to do it this season.

[BoogieBurns]

If no one is getting eliminated, then I hope we don't go through the drama of "You're safe! You're safe! (repeat 10 times)"

[spanana]

I will root for any pairing tonight that doesn't play the "I'm so jealous to watch X dance with my partner" game that has been going on with some couples all week, either in terms of the live show or social media.  You have been apart less than a week.  You get your partners back tomorrow.  Most of you were in the same rehearsal space as your partners all week long.  Shut up and dance.

 

Can we just give Alfonso the trophy and skip the rest?  Seriously.  The fact that he's being given the same score as people that are doing far less just bothers me.  

Edited October 14, 2014 by spanana

[truthaboutluv]

Well I think Jesse J just proved that the celeb judges aren't influenced by the other judges and told how to score the couples. Or if they are, she clearly didn't get the memo with Antonio.

Edited October 14, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Stella MD]

Well, that just guaranteed that Michael is here for another week. Way to pile on, judges.

[Katydid]

I'm certainly not a Michael fan, but I didn't think this was the week to be critical of him being too goofy. It's was disco, for heaven's sake! Yes, it was awful and he's creepy, but it's not a serious style to begin with.

I generally find Jonathan adorkable, but how could he not know how off he was tonight? I agree with the comment that it was uncomfortable to watch.

[kitcloudkicker]

Who would have guessed that assigning everyone weird dances would result in a bunch of...weird dances.

[howmanywords]

Can we just give Alfonso the trophy and skip the rest?  Seriously.  The fact that he's being given the same score as people that are doing far less just bothers me.  

It bothered me a couple of weeks ago but they did give him 10's last week so its not as if its something they are doing it every week. Tonight though the judges are NUTS.  Its not just Alfonso too though..they're just really bitchy and harsh tonight. I mean they're even busting out the 5 paddles! Crazy. 

[Stitsch]

If you're going to call out Artem for not choreographing a perfect Burlesque, call out Derek for not choreographing a perfect Charleston. Seriously. 

 

Also: Less Keo, more Sasha. 

[spanana]

It bothered me a couple of weeks ago but they did give him 10's last week so its not as if its something they are doing it every week. Tonight though the judges are NUTS.  Its not just Alfonso too though..they're just really bitchy and harsh tonight. I mean they're even busting out the 5 paddles! Crazy. 

 

I know.  I'm not really that upset, but at the moment to me Alfonso is head and shoulders above his competition.  I didn't need them to give him 10s's, but straight 9's would have been fair.  The fact that Janel got one point less for a relatively messy burlesque with unpointed toes and unstretched legs doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.  Bethany to me for that matter and her 8's.  But it probably is good in terms of votes for him if he's seen as an underdog.

 

Is Val the Broadway choreographer now?  Though shut up with all the jealousy crap already.    Also sorry Val, I don't want the troupe dancers in every number distracting from the actual celebs.  It might help you disguise your celebs and their weaknesses, but I'd rather let the celeb live or die based on their own dancing.

 

I miss Len.

Edited October 14, 2014 by spanana

[McManda]

I don't understand their inherent dislike of Jonathan. He was leaps and bounds better with Peta than with Allison. I feel bad for him because he's trying so hard but the judges seem to be judging him like he's Alfonso or something.

 

Loved Alfonso per usual. They're really getting nitpicky though, and that might come back to bite him.

 

This was the first week I felt bad for Janel, just because it looks like this was the first week where she wasn't comfortable being the sexpot. I still think she's being fed the easy dances though (not that burlesque is easy) just that they've been giving her the dances that "fit" her and not the standard ballroom dances. Also, Artem has a fantastic body.

 

Bethany's hip-hop bored me. I actually fast-forwarded through it.

[Dancingjaneway]

The scoring tonight was horrible and so many degrees of wrong. Janels burlesque number wasn't even dancing and yet she got the same score basically as Alfonso?? I enjoyed Jessie J and was so shocked when she gave Antonio a 6. I think Bethany did so much better with Mark. I knew that she would do better with him because he will bring out the fun side of her. Also Mark made it all about her whereas Derek makes it all about him. I think it's also the best she has done. If Julianne repeats Carrie Ann one more time I am going to scream. She is just so useless and we really don't need another Carrie Ann. Burlesque needs to never be done again on this show because it's' never going to be done in the proper manner. Micahel and Whitney made me reach for the brain bleach. I thought Jonathan would be better with Peta but he was still a mess. I, like Jessie J was scared shitless watching Jonathans dance. Seeing Tonys audition video was priceless and the best part of the show. Tom's quips tonight were perfection and really helped the show from becoming a huge bummer. Tommys tell it like it is attitude and responses are perfection. I knew Sadie would do well with that dance but I didn't care for Dereks choreo on this one. I also wasn't a fan of the song that they danced to. Off topic Ming Na Wen is looking FINE!  Pitbull equals me hugging my toilet bowl. Lea and Val did a really good job and the choreo was great. I really dislike the other dancers though. Once again they aren't needed. If they do another switch up night(which I am sure they will) they need to stick to ballroom. Tonight as a whole didn't work for me. 

[CPP83]

So Sadie gets an undeservedly high score with Derek, but of course...honestly, they just can't seem to help themselves when it comes to him, he could blow sparklely dust out of his ass and Carrie Ann would probably fall out of her chair and have a seizure.

 

I really thought Alfonso did such a great job especially considering the dance he was given, he pulled it off. It wasn't perfect but I did feel as if the judges didn't give him enough credit, not in the slightest considering they threw 9s at Sadie like she was getting the "A for effort" treatment. At least he was still at the top of the leader-board.

 

I think Artem got a bit lift crazy, the same way Peta did with Jonathan, they just didn't have the trust bases necessary, imo, to either flip or be flipped and I think that's where a lot went wrong in the routines.

[truthaboutluv]

I guess the judges got word about viewers' reaction to their overscoring, because holy wow, not one 9 tonight so far except for Bruno's horny 9 for Janel's so called Burlesque number (although my reception acted up during Alfonso's scores so I'm not sure if he got a 9). And I kind of have to say I think most of their scoring and comments have been on point. I am especially agreeing with Julianne tonight. 

 

I thought she was totally on point about Janel's Burlesque. That dance was nothing but a bunch of lifts, which by the way weren't all executed cleanly and raunch. And putting aside the fact that it wasn't really Burlesque, I'm ready for something more from Janel than that pouty sexiness. As Carrie Ann noted "she gives good sex" as in good sexy faces, poses and steps but I need to see more now. Her foxtrot in Week 2 was beautiful but even that got a little manic at some points. I want to see something just slow, elegant and beautiful from her. 

 

I missed Antonio but from the little I saw during the judges' comments, it didn't look like he could keep up with Alison and even without seeing it,  I'm baffled that Carrie Ann gave him the same score as she gave Alfonso. Speaking of Alfonso, I liked his Flamenco but I see what the judges were talking about with his frame. That said, I wonder if the problem was his technique or more just his natural body shape. In other words because he's short and kind of stocky, I wonder if the lines just didn't look right even while technically he was doing them well. It was still a gorgeous dance. Cheryl was weirding me out though with some of her behavior and comments during their rehearsal. 

 

Oh Jonathan, sweet, sweet Jonathan. The judges' comments were EXACTLY what I was thinking throughout his dance so I couldn't knock them for what they said because it was on point. I was terrified for Peta at many points during that dance. That said while I understand her strategy with the choreography, I'm a little mad at her.  I get that she wanted so much to get his scores up and I think she figured if she gave him a crazy difficult routine that he nailed it would work. The problem though it was too much for him. Lifts are tricky when the male is the celebrity because a lot of it is on the guy to position and lift just right and Jonathan was just not equipped to handle all those lifts Peta threw in there. And there were so many badly timed arm passes, lifts, turns, etc. Yikes...

 

Well, well...Bethany showed some personality and girl's got herself some swag. That was actually really good but more importantly this is the first time I didn't feel like Bethany's dance was shorter than everyone else's. It actually seemed pretty long and you could tell she threw her all in that number because her hair and makeup looked all smudged after she was done. Girl actually sweat. I really liked the performance and thought Mark did a good job with the choreography. But speaking of Mark, dude needs to quit with the whinging about scores. Think it in private, fine, but publicly whinging about how the judges just don't want to give him high scores is a little sad. Especially when both times he's done it, his celebrity, both of whom are teenagers were pretty much telling him it's not a big deal. 

 

So as I was writing this Sadie and Lea both danced.  I really loved Sadie's number. I liked Jesse J's comment (I actually liked a lot of her comments tonight and thought she did an awesome job) that it was very clean. That was my thought too. The choreography wasn't out of this world but it was fun, fast and very clean and the few lifts were gorgeous and well executed. Only issue I have with Sadie and it was very noticeable tonight -  girl spreads her legs very far apart to where they just look awkward and ungainly. I know she has those long limbs and she is in many ways still an awkward teenager so she can't really help it but it was a little distracting at times. 

 

I don't care about Michael...like at all. I just don't, so whatever.  As for Tommy, what in the blue hell was that song for a mambo. Honestly I think that more than anything was what really hurt him with the dance. That was an awful song choice for that dance, much as I love me some Pass The  Dutchie. But that's for grooving in a reggae club, not doing the mambo.

 

And once again, I forgot Lea and she closed out the show. Okay then. It was okay I guess. Didn't exactly wow me. 

 

Tonight though the judges are NUTS.

 

 

Ha, Derek pretty much said exactly that when he and Sadie got their scores and he said he was surprised they were so high because the judges have been crazy tonight.

 

Can we just give Alfonso the trophy and skip the rest?

 

 

This is definitely a season where I believe this will most definitely come down to the freestyle but if I had to call a win right now, I actually think Sadie is going to take it. 

Edited October 14, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Runningwild]

Michael really doesn't seem to have any rhythm.

Alfonso is still the one to beat. He was fantastic.

I would be okay if any of the bottom 4 (Michael, Tommy, Jonathan, Antonio) left.

[viajero]

Tonight though the judges are NUTS.  Its not just Alfonso too though..they're just really bitchy and harsh tonight. I mean they're even busting out the 5 paddles! Crazy.

 

I was actually pretty OK with the judges tonight. It’s time to weed out those who have been skating by based on their fan bases.

Of course, Alfonso is clearly better than everyone else, but they can’t give him 10s every week.  So my only mild complaint is that I thought Lea was scored a touch high.  That was a bit of a mess and deserved nothing higher than the 8’s Bethany got.  I understand the complaints about the “authenticity” of Janel’s Burlesque and Sadie’s Charleston, but I really enjoyed both of those dances. It's true that Jessie J’s 6 may have been a bit harsh on Antonio, but I really don’t think he deserved more than the 28 total points he got, so I can't really complain about that.

 

Bethany was the most pleasant surprise of the evening.  I expected a real disaster with her trying to do hip-hop and it was actually not bad at all.

 

I still get a kick out of Sadie and Bethany’s little YouTube vlogs and am glad they are giving them some airtime.

 

I don't understand their inherent dislike of Jonathan. He was leaps and bounds better with Peta than with Allison.

 

I don't really agree.  I thought his dance tonight was really off. It makes me wonder if the problem is Jonathan himself and not so much the pro he’s dancing with.

[cherub]

I thought Julianne was fairly hypocritical calling out Janel's raunchiness since Julianne herself danced pretty naked a couple of weeks ago. I do agree with her, but still.

[truthaboutluv]

Well in fairness she stated that she had nothing against raunch. Her issue wasn't that she was scandalized by the raunch but that the dance was not really a Burlesque. 

[Packerbrewerbadger]

I used to love this show and now barely recognize it!! I don't think SYTYCD gets very high ratings, so why are they copying it? I want ballroom, I hate Bollywood, Burlesque ( are you kidding me), contempory , etc...... The partner switch up is stupid, I don't think it's fair to the pros. Are we never going to see another waltz? I think a beautiful waltz is far more sexy than a raunchy Burlesque!

I thought Alphonso and Cheryl's dance was by far the best of the night, so underscored! Of course Derek got the highest scores ! Why did PETA put all those lifts in when he had so much trouble with them?

Oh yeah, I hate lifts until the freestyle ( except in the Argentine Tango and Vienese Waltz).

[Buggin]

I miss Len, too. I thought he was only going to be gone a couple weeks but it sounds like he might be gone next week, too?

 

I'll be glad to see Alfonso back with Witney. She's grown tremendously on me while I'm a bit tired of Cheryl.

 

Allison is just way too distracting when she outdances her partners.

 

This wasn't a great dance for Jonathan but I really wish he'd gotten a different pro (Emma would've been my first choice) because I think he'd be doing so much better. I think tonight was off because he hasn't really been able to build up to the level of choreography that Peta gave him.

 

Antonio, snooze. Michael, still creepy. Tommy still makes me laugh "I look tired because I'm old." Lea did look hesitant to me. I thought Sadie did well but am finding Janel and Bethany both forgettable.

[spanana]

My problem with Janel's burlesque had nothing to do with raunch or authenticity.  I didn't think it was any raunchier than a number of other routines we've seen over the years.  I thought she started off well in the part with Sharna and Lindsay.  My issue with Janel is that she doesn't finish any of her moves, nor point or stretch her feet at all.  If you just watch her legs when she dances, they are so weak.  She also completely missed some sort of spin move towards the end that Artem had to save.   There is no strength to her movement, at least in the lower half of her body.

 

I do feel for her in the sense that she had no choice but to play the sex kitten role this week and so it's not entirely her fault it's getting old.  But in terms of the actual routine I think Artem went a little too lift happy and Janel doesn't really have any experience with that.   Even when Val can do lifts in routines, he's not huge on lifts.   So as a result everything with Artem was a bit sloppy.  I was fine with her scores, but of course none of the judges actually called her out on her weak ass legs.

 

But I thought everyone was pretty off tonight minus Alfonso, so it certainly wasn't just Janel.  I liked Sadie's well enough, but she looked awkward at times.  Bethany at least loosened up some.   I still think Alfonso and Sadie will be the last two standing.

Edited October 14, 2014 by spanana

[MarkHB]

Does burlesque actually have rules by which it can be judged?  Particularly within the constraints of primetime network television?

 

Speaking of which....

I also have some feelings about seeing a signs of the mainstreaming of a niche, DIY movement, but that's not really related to DwtS.

Believe it or not, a young woman has managed to ride the job description of "amateur burlesque dancer" (along with some activism that had nothing to do with our schools) to a spot on our School Board.

 

What did Emma have on under that skirt-thing?  A thong, or at least a thong over very-tight tights?  Considering that a few weeks ago she was talking about not wearing a lot of bikinis on the show, she was definitely showing off a plethora of curves tonight.

 

Did they show Sharna's audition video as well?  My station came out of the break slightly late and Tony's video was already in progress as he was ridiculing his shirt.

[Dancingjaneway]

Tonights show reminded me of why I stopped watching this show seasons ago. It's no longer about stars learning how to ballroom dance and the Hough pimping is too much to take. I have a feeling I'm not going to like the final 3 and will be recording the finale and fast forwarding through a lot of it. 

[WhitneyWhit]

I think it's best that Len wasn't there tonight, he would have had a heart attack.

 

This just may be the worst episode of this show I've ever seen. The dancing, for the most part, was terrible and everyone was so mean. Why did they choose tonight, of all nights, to address so many people's shortcomings. Yeah, Michael goofs off, he's done it in every dance, but why bring it up when he's dancing Disco? It's not the Waltz or the Tango, it's not mean to be sophisticated. By the way, tonight was the first night he actually creeped me out. When he said, in regards to Witney, "All my friends are going to be looking at you and thinking" he was totally going somewhere else with that, but thankfully thought better of it.

 

I found Janel to be the complete opposite of sexy.

 

Bethanny actually showed a smidgen of personality tonight, too bad it wasn't enough for me to remember anything she did.

 

Tommy actually annoyed me tonight. Although I'm not sure if it was him being annoying, or just because I felt so bad for Emma.

 

I'm really hoping they will stop with these stupid stunt dances. I don't want to see Hip-Hop, Broadway, Bollywood or whatever else they can come up with. The judges don't know how to judge it and the pros don't know how to properly choreograph and so we end up with a mess. Please go back to ballroom.

[WhitneyWhit]

Sorry

Edited October 14, 2014 by WhitneyWhit

[McManda]

I don't really agree.  I thought his dance tonight was really off. It makes me wonder if the problem is Jonathan himself and not so much the pro he’s dancing with.

 

It's not that I thought he was technically better than any other week, but this week he seemed like he was more comfortable with the dance and I think that translated into a better performance. I think that if he had a different partner (ie: one that knew how to teach and choreograph ballroom) he would have had a much better shot to at least fake it better. Instead he's left with Allison, who might be able to fake ballroom herself but doesn't have the knowledge to choreograph a convincing routine or teach him how to make it through a dance. Peta does, so his dance just looked better than anything he's done with Allison even if it was still technically lacking.

[RemoteControl88]

 

 

Bethany's hip-hop bored me. I actually fast-forwarded through it.

That was not hip-hop.  That was a cha-cha with some hip hop moves in it.  It was just a weird night all around for me.  The judges were smoking crack for sure.  What could have bee a fun night turned into such a debbie downer night.  Oh & Jessie J was useless as a judge.

[RetailTherapy]

Wow. With the glaring exception of Alfonso, that just wasn't very good.

Poor Antonio petered out about 15 seconds into the routine. Bethany did the best she's ever done, which was just ok. And count me in as someone terrified for the safety of Peta. Thought for sure she was going to be dumped on her head. At what point did "burlesque" become a dance style? All that it lacked was a stripper pole and a stack of singles. But in all fairness, Artem was looking finer than fine.

No matter how much fairy dust they all seem to think comes blowing out of Derek's ass, it cannot conceal that thing they kept mistakenly calling a Charleston. I like Sadie, but her arms and legs looked like Mrs. incredible being stretched. They looked abnormal. But no matter. By sheer presence of Derek, she could have hung out in the skybox the entire time and still gotten the same score.

Alfonso was robbed. And to some extent, so was Lea. Tommy wasn't hosed so much by the dance as by the music. He's not the worst dancer and does have a few moves. Too bad he didn't get a proper mambo tune.

Edited October 14, 2014 by RetailTherapy

[Dancingjaneway]

I feel like I am losing my mind because never would I have though that Mark was the better partner and choreographer when it came down to him and Derek. I wish that Mark and Bethany were partners not only because I think she shined tonight with Mark but because I actually think they have better dance chemistry. 

[Uke]

My thoughts:

 

Antonio - that was rough and a lot of repeated choreo and lack of synchronicity while Allison went wild. He completely lost the spin on the ending move.  8?  Way overscored. 6-6-6-7 would be about right.

 

Bethany - seemed to forget a few moves but more animated this week. I thought she said she had prior training/competition experience in hip hop/jazz?  It was a bit soft for my taste but the choreo was clearly toned down for her. Scores are about right.

 

Jonathan? - Was that really Jonathan? Good for him!  A bunch of shakey/awkward lifts made me gasp a few times but he moved. A little too ambitious for him. Sad to say, the scores were fair.

 

Alfonso - I don't even know what to look for in a flamenco but it looked pretty good.  I expected a little more fluidity in the transitions-he lumbered a bit-but I enjoyed it.  Scores were good.

 

Janel -  too much bump & grind for my taste. Agreed w/JH that it was missing the tease.  Looked more like a men's club performance  than a burlesque. Sorry Mom? She didn't seem the least bit sorry or embarrassed. 8s were extremely generous, the 9 was absurd.

 

Michael -  the lifts looked surprisingly solid but he's just got no rhythm. He seemed off beat most of the time.  The 5s were fair.

 

Tommy - I enjoyed this but he's just not progressing.  I think maybe he's hit his limit. 5? too low IMO. 6s would have been right.

 

Sadie - Timing seemed a little bit off a few times but great job and loads of personality. 9s were fair.

 

Lea - Cute concept but too frantic. Seems like I keep saying this about Lea-too frantic. A little overscored. 8s would have been about right.

 

So now we've got Michael with 8.11% of the total scores (2 weeks), Jonathan with 8.65%, Tommy with 9.19%,  and Antonio with 10.27%. I'm not so sure Michael will be out next week. I'm kind of thinking it might be either Jonathan or Tommy but I've still no feel for Antonio's popularity.

[Zuleikha]

I totally called that Janel would be doing Burlesque Jazz rather than actual Burlesque. I don't watch judge comments, so it sounds like she got criticized for that? Did they really expect or want her to do an actual partner striptease with Artem? That seems rather unreasonable. Burlesque is completely open-ended in terms of dance technique, so if they wanted Artem and Janel to use a specific type of technique, they needed to communicate clear criteria to Artem. Otherwise, what he did is as burlesque as any non-striptease could be (and again... I can't be alone in thinking that Janel/Artem should not have been forced to do a striptease on a generally family-friendly show!)

 

Cheryl did what I feared from her rehearsal photos and choreographed more of a paso, less of a flamenco. Derek/Kellie remains the most recognizable flamenco. Cheryl's floreos also seemed really bad to me (although I've only watched once and mostly looked at Alfonso, so I may re-evaluate on a rewatch). I did like her music, and she had choreographed nice partner spins. The part at the end also had more recognizable flamenco steps in it it. She did give Alfonso the escobilla solo that I wanted, but it was at the wrong place (should have been the end... according to everything I was taught, it's just not right to open up a flamenco with an escobilla section). It was also a lot more basic than I would have liked. From what I caught on viewing 1, it was just fast heel taps over and over with no other part of the foot used... that's a classroom drill more than it's an actual step sequence (literally). I thought Alfonso did a nice job with what he was given and given the practical limitations. His attitude was nice; I missed whatever posture problems he apparently had; he seemed very clean and intentional in his movements (which was one of my problems as a student! I couldn't always keep up with the class choreography and would get sloppy). Definitely not a 10 dance to me, but I would have given him 9s on the typical DwtS scale.

[stonehaven]

Loved and voted for Alfonso and Leah..both have such joy in  their dances that I can't help but love them...the Burlesque one was sex and raunch...it had no real movement...Mom kept asking me "Why aren't they doing the waltz or ballroom?" True enough...

I would love to judge Tommy on his dancing but I  can't..I was laughing too hard at the song choice..I read somewhere that "Dutchie" is slang for a joint...and to me that was just too damn funny...

[Dancingjaneway]

If they have a Halloween theme week this year do you think Julianne will dress in blackface again?  Speaking of theme weeks is next week Latin week? I'm thinking it is because they showed Pitbull. 

[kelnic86]

Well, I didn't enjoy tonight's episode at all. There were times when I felt the judges were being overly critical and harsh for no reason at all. And why now, on a week when everyone was dancing non-ballroom styles and with different partners? I just didn't feel this was the time to start being super critical of everyone. They should've waited next week when everyone was back with their original partners and doing ballroom again.

 

I can't believe I'm typing this, but I thought Michael was underscored. He should've gotten some 6's, at least. I felt the judges were being too hard on him. I mean, everyone knows he's not the best dancer there, but I didn't think his dance was that bad. I liked that it was fun. I don't understand why they chose this week of all weeks to tell him that he needs to be serious. He was dancing a disco for crying out loud. It's supposed to be fun and cheesy. I thought he played that part up nicely. It wasn't amazing or anything, but I felt kinda bad for him when Carrie Ann basically told him that he can't dance.

 

Poor Johnathan. I just feel bad for him at this point. There were alot of times in that dance where I felt concerned for Peta's welfare in some of those lifts. I really don't understand why Peta gave him such a hard routine, considering he hasn't shown that he's capable of dancing in that level yet. I think she should've kept it simple. But I don't think it would've made a difference anyway. The judges seem to have it in for the guy.

 

I knew at some point the judges were going to turn on Tommy. They've been loving him so far, but I knew it wasn't going to last. I just didn't think it would be this soon. That mambo was not his best, but I can't help but like the guy. Although, I do fear for him if he last long enough in the competition to when they have to do two dances. I don't think his memory problems can handle that.

Edited October 14, 2014 by kelnic86

[sinkwriter]

 

I don't understand their inherent dislike of Jonathan. He was leaps and bounds better with Peta than with Allison. I feel bad for him because he's trying so hard but the judges seem to be judging him like he's Alfonso or something.

 

I feel bad for him too. I feel like Allison makes their dances all about her instead of focusing on teaching him and giving him something to do. In contrast, Peta went almost the complete opposite tonight and gave him TOO much to do, with too many flips and throws. If she had just kept it a little simpler, focused on the dance instead of on the tricks, I think Jonathan would have been solid and energetic and fun like he was the first week. I think Peta went overboard and that hurt Jonathan's chances. I also think the judges are really harsh on him. Even if he screws up sometimes, at least he can feel the beat and has some rhythm, which is much more than I can say about Michael or Antonio. Their dances were messy and lacking in coordination, rhythm and substance. By this point, the two of them should be GONE. I still can't believe Betsey had to leave before those 2 clunky dancers. It's really annoying.

 

If Jonathan goes before Michael, I'm going to be pissed off (and sad for Jonathan).

[truthaboutluv]

I read somewhere that "Dutchie" is slang for a joint

 

 

It is. The minute I heard it, and for Tommy, I thought "but of course..." 

 

I forgot to mention that the one moment that Carrie Ann almost annoyed me but luckily she didn't finish her ridiculous statement, was when she almost started saying she had never seen a female with that much swag on the show when critiquing Bethany's dance. As soon as she started going there, I immediately went "um..." but luckily she caught herself because if they want a female celebrity who had swag on that show, I'd say Amber Riley tops that. Her jazz with Derek (yes the one that often gets dismissed as a "hand dance"), that girl outdanced and outperformed Derek. Which I mean, it's not like I expect a blonde, white Mormon from Utah to have much swag but still.

Edited October 14, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[sinkwriter]

 

I can't believe I'm typing this, but I thought Michael was underscored. He should've gotten some 6's, at least. I felt the judges were being too hard on him. I mean, everyone knows he's not the best dancer there, but I didn't think his dance was that bad.

 

If Michael deserved a 6, then Jonathan deserved 7's. I was with Jonathan when he started laughing and Erin was all, Why are you laughing, and he said, "I guess I'm really good at getting 6's!" Seriously, it's ridiculous. If he's scored the same or worse than Antonio and Michael who have NO rhythm whatsoever, what more can he do? He's trying really hard, he just has a shitty teacher (Allison) and one who went way too far with the choreography (Peta).