S19.E10: Week 8: Dynamic Duos

[CPP83]

 And poor Sadie never should have picked Golden Boy.  He never loses these kind of things.

 

 

 

I don't think she ever had a choice, Mark and Derek weren't going to go up against either of the old guys, it would have been a complete wash then, plus they love competing side by side.

 

If Alfonso had picked one or the other then it might have been more of a tossup.

[Princess Sparkle]

Why did Alfonso get to pick before Sadie? They were tied tonight. And poor Sadie never should have picked Golden Boy. He never loses these kind of things.

I think in the past, if there's been a tie, then the person with the overall higher point total over the whole season gets to pick first - in this case, Alphonso.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Princess Sparkle

[ChrisMcGraan]

LOVED Alfonso, Sadie, and Bethany's routines. I didn't start out as a Bethany fan at the start of the season but she's won me over some. I thought Janel's routine was beautiful but really didn't think she deserved a perfect score. Not surprised she won immunity though, seems a little planned out by the judges/producers. 

[smiley13]

Crap like this tonight is what makes me strongly dislike this show at times.  They totally gave Sadie a crappy deal.  First she was tied with Alfonso and they let him pick first.  Then she was tied with Golden Boy and they give it to him.  What does the poor girl have to do to get treated fairly??  Not to mention that Janel never should have had immunity because her dance was not worthy of the scores they handed her.

[Stitsch]

Witney confidently stating that Alfonso is clumsier than her before hitting herself in the face with her paddle is my favorite moment of this season.

 

Derek's Latin choreography is so repetitive. I saw the same move from him twice tonight -- first in their salsa, then in their cha cha cha. Also, congratulations on keeping Bethany's movements so limited that she barely moved a foot from where she started the routine, which created a dull and extremely controlled salsa. His inclusion of props is sometimes a testament to his creativity, but tonight it was glaringly obvious what the kitchen was there to accomplish. And CAI apologizing for giving them a 9 is too ironic for me to even comment on.

 

Woah, what? Sadie/Mark and Bethany/Derek tied? And Len had coincidentally picked Bethany/Derek? No way!

 

However, I'm not going to cry conspiracy over Janel/Val winning immunity. They by far had the strongest dance of the night.

 

Mark is doing wonderful choreography this season, but a sour personality looks good on no one. Also agreed with CAI -- the end of the dance was a bit strange compared to the rest of the routine.

So nice to see Cheryl and Tony dancing together. Also nice to see this side of Peta.

 

Finally, I'm starting to feel bad for Lea. CAI commenting that Bethany does exactly what Lea doesn't was unnecessary. Artem is dropping the ball with their choreography.

[Uke]

As soon as Sadie picked Bethany, I knew she wouldn't get the points. Len is just too predictable. They made a show of a "tie" but they knew Len was the tie breaker.

[smiley13]

I see nothing wrong with Mark's personality.  He has been totally right the weeks that he was upset about their scores.  The judges seem to have it in for Sadie.  She was just as good as their "perfect" Janel tonight.

[CPP83]

How many ways can I say "underwhelmed"...? Let me start counting.

 

Julianne needs a goddamn tranquillizer already, I just cannot even with her. She is too much and so annoying I want her muzzled.

 

What was the point of these "duos" anyway? They were all over the place, seriously "Adam and Eve"? "Batman and Robin"? "Lucy and Ricky"? Literally someone pulled these names out of their bum, I just cannot think a bit of this was intentionally thought out with any effort put in.

 

Terrible theme night, imho, they just keep getting worse. 

 

Finally, finally Michael went home.

[truthaboutluv]

Dude, I think Mark may burn down the place if he doesn't like his scores again. That was intense. Also, what was the point of BC Jean exactly? Like I get that she's Mark's girlfriend but get your girlfriend gigs on your own time dude. I mean the other people who used live singers, all used the artist of the song - the girl who sang for Alfonso and Witney's rumba, that was her song and Colbie who sang for Bethany and Derek's rumba, that was her song. BC Jean basically did a cover of an Alanis Morrisette song that the band was more than capable of doing. 

 

That said, I actually enjoyed Mark and Sadie's contemporary more than Val and Janel's so I definitely think the latter was overscored because I was fine with Mark and Sadie's score and didn't think they deserved a perfect 40 either. I have to say, I love when Mark does contemporary because he's always so intense and dramatic about it and I swear I could just see him imagining himself performing some SYTYCD number. It's hilarious.

 

But speaking of So You Think You Can Dance, I think it's largely because I watched that show for many seasons that I am rarely enamored by any of the contemporary dances on this show. And I get that these are untrained celebrity dancers versus trained dancers on SYTYCD but still, I've seen such powerful and amazing contemporary numbers there, I'm usually just left going "eh..." with the ones on DWTS. Still I did like Mark and Sadie's for what it was worth and I liked the interplay with the apple. And Janel and Val was good, just not wow but whatever, I find the judges often overscore contemporary dances. 

 

I agreed with the judges about Lea's dance. For me the problem was a combination of her being timid and too careful as usual and like Julianne stated, the choreography. There were a lot of awesome nuisances in the music that I thought Artem did not utilize and interpret very well in the dance. It was okay but forgettable and her going first was not a good thing. Michael was...well he was Michael. It wasn't a trainwreck but that's not saying much. Tommy was actually pretty good I thought, he just lacked the attack and fire of the dance but considering the man is 76,  I'm not sure he should be going for too much attack and fire, lest he hurt himself. 

 

Something about Bethany's dance didn't really work for me. I was not in love with the choreography that much, it felt a bit slow at times and sort of not in tune with the music but the biggest issue I had was with the dance space. I get that Derek went for the I Love Lucy staging with the living room but I think they should have placed it on the main dance floor rather than the little stage up top because with the counter and everything else, honestly, the whole thing felt a bit cramped and stifled. It was okay but didn't love it. Also, I was very nervous at points that Bethany was about to have a boob slip. I didn't realize how endowed that girl was before but those babies were jumping in that top. 

 

Alfonso and Witney...hmm. I liked the choreography, I liked the costumes, I thought Witney was fierce throughout the dance but to be honest I wasn't particularly wowed by Alfonso. I thought his feet was a little all over the place and his posture not that great. And it seemed like it took a good couple of seconds before any real Cha Cha started in the dance. 

Edited November 4, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[superdeluxe]

Knew Janel and Val would get immunity.  That was so obvious with their dynamic duo and doing a contemporary.  No one else had a chance.  It was set up from the beginning.

 

One, they used a Prince song?  And two, it was slowed down.  That song is faster than that.  I know the Batman soundtrack backwards and forward and "Trust" is one of my favorite songs on there.  They slowed it down.

Edited November 4, 2014 by superdeluxe

[smiley13]

Boo to Michael going home before terrible Tommy.  At least Michael is fun, Tommy is just creepy.

[kitcloudkicker]

What happens when "conspiracy" lines up with reality though - to me Val and Janel deserved their best of the night. Though it was interesting Val pointing out Janel's weakling status - it explains why so much of her dances seem noodly to me, she tends to not have the strength of movement. They did it for me tonight though - it was a strong routine.

 

Leah - had me wondering about her musicality, for a person with dance background she doesn't sell me on the fact that she feels the music. It might be the groundedness thing the judges mentioned. 

 

Sadie made me uncomfy when she started in on representing how Eve lead Adam astray - drifting too close to "women are the terrible temptresses that are the downfall of honorable men" territory. Their dance felt a little "contemporary by numbers" to me (maybe because I was already feeling ick). 

 

Alfonso - always great. Bethany - have been enjoying her arc. I will say with the two of them though that I'd really rather see real rehearsal moments than cheesy scripted packages. The best part of the rehearsal packages is getting a glimpse at how the partners relate, and cheesy acted packages are just blah. 

 

I'm going to call Leah as next weeks "shocking" elimination. She's getting lost in the pack, I think Tommy's going to outlast her. 

[spanana]

So I guess the secret to getting a great dance out of Janel is to just not make her dance ballroom.   Though I'd argue that Sadie was actually expected to dance more in her contemporary routine than Janel was in hers.  I'm not taking away from what was one of Janel's best numbers, but it was a whole lot of lifting.   I think I'm just over the never-ending contemporary and jazz routines on this show at this point.  But that was by far the least "noodley" Janel has looked all season.  Now if she can just translate that to an actual ballroom dance next week.

 

I still just want to give the mirrorball to Alfonso as it kind of feels like he's the only one slaying ballroom dances week to week.  I know that's not really true.  I know he did jazz in there as well, but he's just steadily killing the actual ballroom dances while some of the others only seem to shine when they get no-rules weeks.

Edited November 4, 2014 by spanana

[kelnic86]

Tom said that "not necessarily the bottom 2" again. Who wants to bet we'll finally have a "shocking" elimination next week? That is, unless the show doesn't pull any shenanigans. 

 

When oh when will Sadie get a perfect score? There were a couple of dances including tonight's where I thought she could've gotten one. Oh well. I still think she'll sail to the finale, but it's becoming quite apparent that she's getting lowballed in scores.

 

I continue to love Alfonso and Witney. Their dance didn't wow me, but I still thought they killed it. Their video package had me rolling.

[sinkwriter]

 

Witney confidently stating that Alfonso is clumsier than her before hitting herself in the face with her paddle is my favorite moment of this season.

 

Mine too. She's been really fun and funny this season. And she and Alfonso always look like they're having a great time. I enjoyed watching their dance (though I do think Alfonso was more subdued in some of his moves than he usually is).

 

I think everyone's tired this week. Even "perfect score" Val and Janel didn't really wow me as much as I think I was supposed to be wow'ed. Maybe it was the music. Something just didn't click for me to make the dance come together in entirety.

 

I root for Lea each week, but I agree with Bruno - the spark just wasn't there like it needed to be. It's Bonnie and Clyde! Don't they have a lot of passion for each other? I thought we should have seen more intimacy between them, more connection in some way, to demonstrate they're this fiery dangerous couple who rob banks together. I think the judges were right that the choreography just wasn't quite right.

[KerleyQ]

One, they used a Prince song?  And two, it was slowed down.  That song is faster than that.  I know the Batman soundtrack backwards and forward and "Trust" is one of my favorite songs on there.  They slowed it down.

 

 

I loved their dance, but, yeah, I spent the whole time waiting for that song to get up to speed.  

 

Did they announce on last week's episode that they were doing the immunity thing this week?  Or did it just come out in the episode descriptions at some point since then?  Because I'm developing a conspiracy theory.  Not that I mind it in this instant, because I'm all for shenanigans if that's what it took to get Michael booted.  

[sinkwriter]

 

When oh when will Sadie get a perfect score? There were a couple of dances including tonight's where I thought she could've gotten one.

 

I don't know... I've enjoyed other performances she's done, but something about this one didn't work for me. It had some cool moments but I thought she made some mistakes and there was something in the choreography that didn't work for me for the characters they were playing. I just thought some of the moves looked more "jungle" than "garden" if that makes any sense. I guess I think of Adam and Eve as these innocents who didn't know what they were doing. I didn't get that with Mark's choreography, as interesting as some of it was. I thought the 9's were fair.

[mtlchick]

I honestly didn't recognize Val without the facial fuzz.  

 

I have a strange warm and fuzzy feeling for Tommy and Peta.  I'm not sure why but it made Peta kind of endearing this season.

 

It just dawned on me that Alfonso is Batman and Will Smith's wife Jada is appearing on Gotham.  That can't be a coincidence, right?

Edited November 4, 2014 by mtlchick

[sinkwriter]

 

Boo to Michael going home before terrible Tommy.  At least Michael is fun, Tommy is just creepy.

 

For me, it's just the opposite. Tommy amuses me, I find him fun, while Michael seems annoying and creepy. And of the two of them, for what it's worth, I think Tommy has the smoother moves. Even tonight, though definitely one of his better dances, Michael was walking and clomping around more than actually dancing. 

 

I'm so relieved he's finally going home. At last, common sense has reigned!! 

 

I mean, seriously... by week 8 in any other season has anyone dancing at Michael's level still been in the competition? Ever? 

 

I honestly didn't recognize Val without the facial fuzz.

 

Oh my gosh, same here! I had to do a double and triple take to figure out what was sooooo different about him. I liked that Tom called him "baby faced"; that was cute (and true). 

Edited November 4, 2014 by sinkwriter

[truthaboutluv]

I honestly didn't recognize Val without the facial fuzz.

 

 

I was just coming in to comment on that. It didn't really work for me. It's amazing what some facial hair can do for a guy but yeah, Val definitely needs to keep the beard in my opinion.

 

In terms of the dance offs, both Alfonso and Tommy's win were a given but I have to say, with Bethany and Sadie, I kind of agreed with Bethany winning. Yes, she was tentative and careful, I'm guessing largely because she hasn't done a Cha Cha at all but I think particularly because of that, she was quite good. I don't imagine any of the pairings really learned four full dances.

 

I always believe when they have these dance-offs that the couples focus on their main dance and throw a hodge podge of stuff in for the dance off styles. And if they've done the dance before, they often just repeat most of the choreography which is exactly what Sadie and Mark did tonight. The dance was mostly a rehash of their Week 1 dance. However it was mostly just the shimmying parts and a few times Sadie seemed unsteady on her legs. Bethany's legs though was the big surprise for me, again because she hasn't done the dance style yet. They were steady, straight and well pointed.

 

Finally, I have to say that while Sadie shot ahead of Bethany at the start largely because of her personality and performance ability and her talent at just selling everything she was given, I think Bethany is starting to pull ahead at the end on technique. I saw a pretty impressive frame from Bethany in that Cha Cha, though not perfect, which is something I'm realizing has been lacking with Sadie. 

Edited November 4, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[sinkwriter]

And I second Bruno in saying that Witney is probably the best looking Robin ever in the history of comics. Wow, did she look fantastic. I wish I looked half that good.

[viajero]

When oh when will Sadie get a perfect score? There were a couple of dances including tonight's where I thought she could've gotten one. Oh well. I still think she'll sail to the finale, but it's becoming quite apparent that she's getting lowballed in scores.

 

 

I thought Sadie´s scores tonight were fine.  She got a 38 out of 40 for her first dance and really didn't deserve more than that.  I also don't think she out danced Bethany in the dance-off.  I thought that was pretty even and if I had to give the edge to either one, I'm OK with the breakdown of the public vote (52-48 for Bethany).

 

Overall, I thought the ranking of the judges votes tonight pretty much reflected what we saw.  The 4 top couples were clearly much better than the bottom 3, with Janel edging out the others as the best and Bethany slightly behind the leaders in 4th place.

 

The best thing about tonight was that we finally got rid of Michael.

 

That 52-48 vote for Bethany over Sadie does make me wonder if the fight to see who goes to the final with Alfonso just might be closer than many of us had thought it might be.

[Runningwild]

Here's hoping Tommy just pulls out next week due to 'injury'.  I don't want him hurt, but that dude barely moves.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Best dance of the night---- Cheryl and Tony's Argentine Tango!!!

Len, why no comment on all the "messing around" in Derek's dance? Are the judges judging Derek or Bethany, because I don't think she is anything special. Like Alphonso, but was a little disappointed tonight, no much hip movement from him in their cha cha.

Tonight felt so scripted especially mark and Derek's tie. Personally I preferred Sadie.

[Donny Ketchum]

 I wish it was Batman & Catwoman. It's not as iconic as Batman & Robin, but if Witney had dressed like Julie Newmar's Catwoman, I think they not only would have pulled it off (which I think they could do anyway), it could have been a subtle shout-out to Gotham, the show co-starring Jada Pinkett Smith, who's also a fan of Alfonso on DWTS and is Will Smith's wife.

Perhaps, but it's not unbelievable that Witney played Robin.  There actually was a female Robin in the DC Comics history.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Donny Ketchum

[vibeology]

I thought the dancing stepped up this week from last so I was very happy.

 

Alfonso and Witney were my favourites. For me, that dance was cute, sassy and full of content. I knew a Cha Cha wasn't going to get a high score up against Contemporary and Jazz numbers so I was just content to see Alfonso and Witney kill it. Plus it meant I got to see them jive again. They borrowed from their first jive quite a bit but I did not mind because that was an excellent dance.

 

Janel and Val were amazing. It wasn't, for me, a favourite but I can recognize how that was a winning number. I just hate Romeo and Juliet. I hate any love story based on it. (How you doing, WSS) Its not really a love story at all; two dumb hormonal kids get married so they can have sex and then a series of stupid choices and unfortunate events end up getting them and pretty much every one they know killed. Not romantic, and I don't think it was supposed to be. It's a story about the destructive power of passion. I knew that wouldn't be the focus of the dance so I wasn't going to love it but Janel probably gave her best performance so far with this number and Val choreographed something that worked for her.

 

Derek hid Bethany behind a kitchen counter. There was easily 30 seconds of that routine between the mucking about at the start and the dancing where the audience couldn't see her feet. That's bullshit in a dance competition.

 

Mark is a pissy little baby and I'd love for him to leave and never come back. The problem with last week's Paso had nothing to do with creativity or imagination. Sadie didn't dance it very well. Her balance was off, her arms were frantic and her legs were weak. Instead of being a professional, he stomped around while in the middle of the show last week. If I intentionally threw a piece of work equipment around, I'd get fired. I know reality TV isn't the same, but any softening I was having towards him has been destroyed. I'd rather see him leave than Tommy. Sadie did alright with the dance. She doesn't have the skill to really create the explosion of movement she needed when the music picked up. I don't think any untrained dancer would.

 

Can someone please explain why some random woman was singing the Alanis song instead of the band or Alanis?

 

Lea could be in trouble. That was not a great dance, she went early on and was totally smoked in the dance-off. I want to like her more than I do. She's giving off desperation vibes and its so off-putting.

 

Tommy and Michael were both better than I expected considering how much they had to prep but neither was good. Tommy is better than Michael at seeming like he's dancing. I'm glad Michael's gone and I do hope Tommy is next. I really like Tommy but he's clearly over his head at this point. 

[crowceilidh]

Val looks too much like Maks when he's clean shaven.  As I don't get to kiss him, I prefer him with face fur.  I had tears in my eyes at the end of their dance and I can't stand Janel.

 

Tommy won his team dance fair and square.  I wonder if their plan was actually to get rid of Michael?

 

Bethany's cha-cha was ten hundred times more interesting than Sadie's.  And Sadie's jungle dance was not deserving of perfect scores.

[kitcloudkicker]

Can someone please explain why some random woman was singing the Alanis song instead of the band or Alanis?

 

You're not gonna like this one - because she is Mark's girlfriend. 

[crowceilidh]

So so glad to see the end of Michael.  Loved Tom asking Emma to splain just how in the hell creepy Michael made her a better person.

 

Hated the opening.  The judges were crappy at it too.  The music didn't seem to suit it (What do I know -- I'm old).

[sinkwriter]

I wish some of the duos weren't so blatantly obvious. Val and Janel doing Romeo and Juliet? Of course they did. Mark and Sadie doing Adam and Eve from the Bible? *sigh* Of course they did. I just wish the showrunners had given these couples something more outside the box. 

[KR Vermont]

Whenever I'm not feeling a dance and think it's a bit crap, the judges rave about it. ha

I didn't particularly enjoy Val and Janel's dance, "sloppy" is what I was thinking except for a fabulous burst in the middle (but it's contemporary, so anything goes). I was surprised it got a 40, and likewise surprised that Witney and Alfonso's dance fell short of a perfect score despite high praise.

 

I really like Witney and Alfonso's pairing. She used to be chided for mugging to the camera as a troupe member, but maybe that works better or comes across differently when you're a pro dancing with your celeb partner. Even Peta isn't annoying me this season. I wonder if Tommy thinks "sh*t!" when he's declared safe for another week--dude appears to need some rest, but he maintains an even keel and keeps plugging away.

 

Sadie's modesty seems a bit selective or inconsistent, or something. Discomfort with Mark touching her bum during a lift, yet during the routine she had her legs around him with her lady bits not that far from his face...would think that would rate worse and not be ok. Wearing revealing dance costumes isn't ok, yet wearing short shorts during a filmed rehearsal is fine (of which the aforementioned lift was done right into the camera--lots of leg showing, which isn't unusual for this show, but when you have these parameters I tend to notice it more, if that makes sense). I just find it curious, not a slam at all.

[KerleyQ]

So so glad to see the end of Michael.  Loved Tom asking Emma to splain just how in the hell creepy Michael made her a better person.

 

That cracked me up.  He seemed so genuinely shocked she said that and his tone pretty much matched the "are you serious? How?" I threw at my TV at the same time. 

[spanana]

I really expect Lea to go home next week over Tommy.  I'd also be shocked if the final four aren't Alfonso, Sadie, Bethany and Janel, assuming we have a finals with four couples again.  What order they finish in I'm not entirely sure, though I still think Alfonso will win unless he does something to totally kill his momentum down the homestretch.  Especially since I think the younger females are probably sharing some of the same demos in terms of votes.

 

I'm also with the poster on the hatred of all things Romeo & Juliet, though I don't fault Janel/Val for that here since they didn't choose their duo.  It's just one of those things people get all weepy over and I just don't understand since it's a story about a couple of moronic children and I don't find it remotely romantic.  Yes, I have ice in my veins.

 

The only thing I always wonder with this immunity business though is if voters get confused.  It was one thing when they did it and we still had two shows a week.  But do Janel's fans realize they need to actually vote for her this week or will they mistakenly think she's safe and not bother?  I guess it didn't hurt Amber, but over the years I realized how few people actually listen to what they say on the show.  The way some people will automatically assume people are in the B2 even when the show clearly makes a point to say "not necessarily the B2".

[truthaboutluv]

Sadie's modesty seems a bit selective or inconsistent, or something. Discomfort with Mark touching her bum during a lift, yet during the routine she had her legs around him with her lady bits not that far from his face...would think that would rate worse and not be ok. 

 

 

Yeah saw that too. When she did that move of wrapping her legs practically around his neck, all I could think about was her grandmother and mother clutching their pearls over that one rumba move that if I remember correctly, only included Mark running his hand up her leg. However her having her crotch practically in his face gets a pass. Okay then. I don't give it much thought though as I imagine most of that was scripted anyway. It was rumba, the supposed dance of love so of course we had to see a storyline of the parents freaking out about some of the steps.

Edited November 4, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[missysays]

... I actually enjoyed Mark and Sadie's contemporary more than Val and Janel's so I definitely think the latter was overscored because I was fine with Mark and Sadie's score and didn't think they deserved a perfect 40 either. I have to say, I love when Mark does contemporary because he's always so intense and dramatic...

 

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Mark and Sadie's contemporary. I thought the concept was going to make for a cheesy dance but it was moody, dynamic and Sadie just performs with such energy and strength while at the same time not going overboard with her movements. And her facial performance is getting better and better. She never overdoes it but yet still manages to give you enough to draw you in. I'm so impressed by her journey this season. This was the dance that drew me in tonight.

 

Witney and Alfonso were sharp, tight, and economical in their movement. Really loved their cha-cha as a dance but the concept didn't really grab me.

 

BTW, I love Tommy - that is all.

Edited November 4, 2014 by missysays

[kelnic86]

 

I thought Sadie´s scores tonight were fine.  She got a 38 out of 40 for her first dance and really didn't deserve more than that.

Well, yeah. I'm honestly fine with her score. I'm just saying the judges could've easily given her straight 10s if they wanted to. I mean, seeing as how they've given out perfect scores for dances in the past that had some mistakes.

[katha]

Well, it was high time for Michael to go. But that immunity stuff is iffy and IMO they shouldn't do it. So perhaps someone who can't dance outstays better people. Big deal, that's how you structured your show, now deal with the consequences. Not that I'm necessarily saying that's what happened tonight,but I'm just not a fan of that set-up.

 

Janel and Val were lovely, but I wouldn't have given them a perfect score. At least not compared to three other dances I found better...Bethany, Sadie and Alfonso were superior IMO. Lea just can't get over her tentativeness and perhaps Artem isn't giving her ideal choreography? Tommy is sweet, but you kinda see that he's at his limits now.

 

Dance of the night was for me the Adam and Eve thing. I knew with Mark it would either be amazing or a disaster, relieved that it turned out to be the former. I love his work with Sadie this season. He could cut down on the complaining, but I don't particularly mind it.He was way worse in the Chelsea season and delivered some of my favourite work on the show ever there, so perhaps I've just grown immune to it LOL.

Edited November 4, 2014 by katha

[Guest]

I too was wondering why this singer we've never heard of was covering the Alanis song.  Mark's girlfriend?  Great.  Does she have any songs of her own or was she shoe-horned in, before she gets tossed into the pile of Mark's exes?  He likes the singers, huh?  Sabrina, Pia, Joanna Pacitti, this one...

[LotusFlower]

I wish some of the duos weren't so blatantly obvious. Val and Janel doing Romeo and Juliet? Of course they did. Mark and Sadie doing Adam and Eve from the Bible? *sigh* Of course they did. I just wish the showrunners had given these couples something more outside the box.

Excuse me, but Mark doesn't think Len likes to think "out of the box," and he (Mark) is not going to succumb to that. (Snort). I know you were referring to the concepts, and I agree with you, but Mark's defiant and insulting remarks about Len really bothered me. He's such a petulant and disresptful diva. In contrast, take Val. He didn't like one of Len's comments last week, and said so in a mildly written tweet, but always thanks the judges for their feedback. Class vs. ego.

Edited November 4, 2014 by LotusFlower

[sinkwriter]

 

Excuse me, but Mark doesn't think Len likes to think "out of the box," and he (Mark) is not going to succumb to that. (Snort). I know you were referring to the concepts, and I agree with you, but Mark's defiant and insulting remarks about Len really bothered me. He's such a petulant and disresptful diva. In contrast, take Val. He didn't like one of Len's comments last week, and said so in a mildly written tweet, but always thanks the judges for their feedback. Class vs. ego.

 

LOL. Yes, I know what you mean.

 

Frankly, I was waiting for Len to shred Mark to pieces during the judging (not the dance, but Mark for his attitude), but Len was much kinder than I expected. What he said was fair - he believes Mark is creative and talented, he likes that about him, but he's also going to be honest when he thinks something is lacking in the choreography or the performance itself, which is what he felt watching their dance last week. Len gets a lot of crap from the audience, it seems, but oftentimes I think his honesty is refreshing.

[Donny Ketchum]

Boo to Michael going home before terrible Tommy.  At least Michael is fun, Tommy is just creepy.

Are we watching the same show?  I've always thought it's been the other way around.  ALWAYS.

[Zuleikha]

I'm very surprised that Mark/Sadie didn't get a perfect score for Adam/Eve. I thought it was breathtaking and also showed Sadie's growth as a performer. I thought her facial expressions could have been dialed up more, but this was light years better than her other dances that called for non-smiley charm. I thought the choreography was gorgeous and one of the few DwtS contemporary that actually looked like a contemporary. I did think Sadie lost the performance a bit after she "bit" the apple, though, and unfortunately, the ending needs to finish really strong since that's the last moment people remember.

 

I was meh on the Romeo/Juliet dance. Janel had really bad feet. I hate to harp on that since I also have really bad feet, and I like to pretend it doesn't matter but... when people have bad feet, put them in shoes. Save bare feet for the people with perfect points. There was a lot good in the dance, but I could never give a perfect to sickle feet. (and seriously, Val, she was in a flowing dress, not even a nightgown. Put her in medieval-looking slippers or sandals) 

 

Alfonso/Witney disappointed me. They looked great, but I thought this was the most lackluster choreography she's done. I think they would have had more to work with as Batman/Catwoman. The actual dancing was good, though. 

 

Artem is not wowing me with his choreography. The set piece and costumes were great, but I didn't think he took advantage of the gift of Bonnie and Clyde and jazz. I wanted danger and sexy prowling and I just got an okay dance. 

 

Derek, OTOH, milked Ricky/Lucy for all that it was worth. Bethany, to her credit, rose to the occasion. I was very impressed with her commitment to the Lucy character. She's moved up my ranking. Alfonso is still my pick for most deserving winner, but I'd like to see Bethany as runner up. (Janel and Sadie should be 3 and 4 but I don't know in what order... they have different strengths and weaknesses)

 

 

[skittl3862]

Can someone explain the logic of the scoring to me? Val and Janel got a perfect score. Alfonso and Whitney got a 38, but got 3 from the challenge. So even though Val and Janel got a perfect score, Alfonso and Whitney are a point ahead of them going into next week because they got to compete for bonus points and Val and Janel didn't. How is that fair? The team who won immunity is almost punished for the privilege.

 

I'm being nitpicky because we're getting to the end and I'm annoyed the judges aren't calling them out on this.

 

Lea- For some reason, her dances just feel slow to me. Sometimes it's the choreography, but tonight, they were dancing side by side during both their routines tonight, and she was definitely slower than Artem. It was weird to see such a flowy jive. I can't see them going to the finals unless Sadie/Janel/Betheny trainwrecks next week. I like Artem. I hope he'll be back next season and can grow into the DWTS-style choreography. From what I've seen of SCD, they're still more traditional ballroom. His dances kind of stick out compared to Derek Hough's annual Emmy reel and the American production values.

 

Janel- I guess giving the pair contemporary made it easier but them having contemporary doesn't make others miss steps. Less of an issue this week, but I find her facial expressions are distracting. It reminds me of a cheerleader- just way over the top to match what is going on with the rest of her body. She doesn't need to play to the back of the house when the camera is zoomed in on her.

 

Betheny- Derek is an amazing choreographer and partner. She would not have gotten this far without him. She keeps doing this thing during a routine where for a beat and a half, she's standing there, not moving, hands out and waiting for Derek to lead her. At this point in the competition, it stands out.

 

Sadie- In all honesty, she hasn't made much of an impression on me. Her dances are cute. She's cute. I don't have any real issue with her, but I don't think I've ever been blown away by her either. That said, my father, who is a super conservative Christian said he's annoyed by her name-dropping Jesus ever week. This is the man who made us say grace aloud at restaurants growing up. If he finds it off-putting, I can't imagine how normal people feel.

 

Alfonso- He's defintiely the best dancer on the show. I wish they would give him a more serious ballroom dance next week, like Argentine Tango or Viennese Waltz or even foxtrot, to get him out of his silly/gimmicky/fun comfort zone. He's had nearly all Latin dances or non-ballroom dances. Get that man in a hold.

 

Tommy- If he's not gone next week, I will be shocked. I can't see them doing a "Surprise elimination" for one of the serious contenders when they have a 76-year-old with a bum leg who can't remember choreography coasting along on the stoner vote. He's sweet and fun, but now that Michael's gone, he needs to go.

 

To echo others' complaints, I really want the contemporary to be used a lot more sparingly next season. It used to be once a season on special weeks with hip-hop and the Charleston, and suddenly it's a weekly option. It does a disservice to most of the ballroom-trained pros, and the judges who don't seem to know how to score it objectively.

 

Prediction for Finals:

Alfonso is the best by far. Derek will be in the finals no matter what. I think next week's show will be the game changer for Janel and Sadie. I'm leaning towards Sadie for the viewers, but Janel has scored higher consistently. I think next week, Janel will get a middle-of-the-pack score and Sadie will be top of the leader board so the judges can transition to fawning over her.

Edited November 4, 2014 by skittl3862

[Serendi]

At the end, Tom or Erin said Janel and Val were at the top of the leaderboard with 43 points. So they did get the extra points. I do think, as someone else said, they could well lose by people being confused about the immunity; I kept listening for how it worked, but most probably didn't.

I like Tommy, but I was mostly voting for him to keep him on longer than Michael. Now that that's done, I wouldn't be surprised if his voting totals drop precipitously.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

In the history of the show, there has never, ever, ever, ever been a greater effort to NOT show the trunk of a contestant than when Sadie was lifted to Mark's shoulders and spun while she was performing a knee lift herself.  My goodness. The choreo was misguided.  Sadie's best attribute is her posing.  Contempo is allllll about poses and pauses.  He had the perfect chance to showcase her at her very best.  This dance was far more fluid than it needed to be.

 

Tommy's main issue isn't physical, it's mental.  He flat forgets his moves and is forever recovering from his mental lapses.  Time for him to call it a day.

 

Emma was quite lovely as Jane.

 

Bethany's dream sequence was well done and much fun.  The dance was pretty good, but she stumbled coming out of the first hold when she was bent backward (CAI caught it, too) and she was not very fluid throughout.  She was too stiff, too much of the time.  That dance did not even sniff a 10 for me.  The super loose/frumpy skirt did her no favors in this dance style, to be fair.

 

The dance off - Lea really did do a nice job, even if she got crushed by Alfonso.  Derek made a mistake in not forcing Sadie to do a Rumba.  Sadie had much more content and Bethany was understandably, a tad hesitant.  Tommy's smooth approach was better than Michael's clunky steps.  

 

It was ridiculous that TPTB rushed through so much tonight to waste all that time announcing the jeopardy couples and the extended exit interview.

 

I happen to like Erin Andrews very much.  However, when she poo poohs as to how she really isn't pretty or special, it drives me batty.  Her, "I'm wearing spanx."???  SHE needs spanx?!!!!!  Absurd, ridiculous, and sad.

 

 

[Donny Ketchum]

I like Tommy, but I was mostly voting for him to keep him on longer than Michael. Now that that's done, I wouldn't be surprised if his voting totals drop precipitously.

I wouldn't be surprised, either.  I wonder if that's why nearly everyone was voting for him?

[howmanywords]

 

Alfonso- He's defintiely the best dancer on the show. I wish they would give him a more serious ballroom dance next week, like Argentine Tango or Viennese Waltz or even foxtrot, to get him out of his silly/gimmicky/fun comfort zone. He's had nearly all Latin dances or non-ballroom dances. Get that man in a hold.

Next week I believe is the Viewers Choice show and fans had to choose either Foxtrot or Argentine Tango for Alfonso/Witney so he'll have one of those depending on what won the vote.

[anonymiss]

Don't blame Erin one bit for copping a rubdown of Val. :p I don't care an iota for Janel (in fact, she's kind of annoying with the bad acting in their packages) but I'd be glad if this was Val's victorious season--if it's not Alfonso and Witney's, that is!

 

I'm tired of seeing Sharna's sexy face/impression of "video ho" in those bumpers inspired by pop/hip-hop videos. She's gorgeous but actually looks silly or unconvincing doing it...like, even she's tired of it or embarrassed about it.

 

Mark's contemporaries all look the same to me, but he and Sadie deserved to win the dance off. Bethany was slow and stiff and so reminded me of another of Derek's overscored partners: Ricki Lake.

 

Ready for Lea to go after seeing how dead serious she was about choosing what she perceived to be "easy mode" to win the dance off. It's uncomfortable witnessing how desperate she is to win.

 

I too was wondering why this singer we've never heard of was covering the Alanis song.  Mark's girlfriend?  Great.  Does she have any songs of her own or was she shoe-horned in, before she gets tossed into the pile of Mark's exes?  He likes the singers, huh?  Sabrina, Pia, Joanna Pacitti, this one...

He likes them the same way Justin Timberlake started dating actresses when he needed their contacts. What industry does Mark want to break into? Music.

Edited November 4, 2014 by anonymiss

[Rrrhumba]

He likes them the same way Justin Timberlake started dating actresses when he needed their contacts. What industry does Mark want to break into? Music.

I'd probably believe that more if they were getting him gigs, not the other way around... I think it's just that the crowd Mark hangs around with are all musicians. His girlfriend back before he moved to the US was also a singer.

As for tonight's show, I felt fairly ambivalent watching Val and Janel's contemporary. Yes, some pretty lifts but Janel's feet! They alone should have excluded the 10s across the board. If you're going to go the lyrical route, at least make sure your partner can point their toes. Oddly enough, that's also what I noticed about Sadie's contemporary - Mark had lovely feet which really showed up Sadie in some sections. Luckily, his choreo meant that it wasn't as obvious. I'm really enjoying Mark's choreo this season.

That said, I'm really not loving Derek's AT ALL. I think he's being shown up nearly every week by Mark, Val and Witney. Maybe it's because the judges don't give him the same criticisms that Mark and Val get so he only stretches creatively when he's feeling inspired or maybe it's because he's gone deep into the season so many damn times that everything I'm seeing I've felt like I've seen before. Massive prop in the middle to dance around/hide behind? Yup, check! I'm also completely turned off by how so many dances have been about him. He's not the 2nd coming of Gene Kelly and just because he was in a flop of a movie with taiko drums doesn't mean I need to see them on DWTS. Eh, maybe it's familiarity breeding contempt.

I just bitched about Derek but I would have loved seeing Lea with him, Mark or Val. Artem just hasn't seemed to bring anything out of her. Her feet and legs were lovely but the choreo and connection just isn't there. She's forgettable and it's criminal as she probably has the best facility of all of the contestants, especially for dances like jazz.

I'm glad to see Michael go but I give Emma massive props for hauling around the floor for so long. I hope she doesn't get Tristaned just because she's patient and good-natured. She deserves a better partner next season.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Rrrhumba

[NextIteration]

Sadie's modesty seems a bit selective or inconsistent, or something. Discomfort with Mark touching her bum during a lift, yet during the routine she had her legs around him with her lady bits not that far from his face...would think that would rate worse and not be ok. Wearing revealing dance costumes isn't ok, yet wearing short shorts during a filmed rehearsal is fine (of which the aforementioned lift was done right into the camera--lots of leg showing, which isn't unusual for this show, but when you have these parameters I tend to notice it more, if that makes sense). I just find it curious, not a slam at all.

 

Not only wearing short shorts in practice, but having her black panties peek out.

 

So I see where Lea was called out for being too light on her feet, but her form was excellent in what Atem gave her (and the music was frustratingly slow)  so here comes the bus.

 

I counted, really I did, Janel's fifty some steps on the floor during her piece, that was one big lift and her feet looked awful, so why did she get a perfect score?  More bus shenanigans going the other way.

 

Mark's choreography had Sadie actually dancing, and it was a much more compelling piece - where was her perfect score?

 

Loved Alfonso and Whitney!

 

Why did Derek and Bethany not get dinged for a lift by CarrieAnn?

 

Tommy and Michael should have been long gone based on dance, but Michael definitely deserved to go before Tommy.  Michael is creepy, Tommy is charming, and Tommy can actually manage to move his hips.

 

It's very difficult to watch the judging shenanigans on this show, or any show for that matter.

Edited November 4, 2014 by NextIteration