S19.E11: Week 9: America's Choice

[sinkwriter]

 

As much as I've always loved Alfonso, this is the first time I've seen him as sexy.

 

Seriously. I just rewatched their trio routine, and I got chills all over again. He looked fantastic and owned every bit of it. Like fishcakes said above, I'd always seen him as the cute kid or the geeky Carlton, so to see him rock this routine just made me see him in a new and sexy light. And made me cheer really hard. I thought it was the best of the night. Standing O, big time.

[JenLily]

Yes, LadyMustang, totally agree.  The similarities were in the music and the powdered hand-clapping but otherwise they were very different.  And there may not have been "enough" salsa content in Janel's dance but there definitely were salsa moves in there, so I don't think that the scores were at all off-base, especially considering the music they were given.

 

I'm actually a little surprised at all the Janel hate.  She's a good dancer.  She has more personality on the floor than either Bethany or Sadie and her movements are more correct and natural than the other two girls'.  That's not to say the other girls are bad because they're not (and Bethany especially has improved in leaps and bounds over the last two or three weeks).  But to say she doesn't deserve the scores she's been getting is unfair.  Yes, there was a slip-up in her first dance last night but it was Val's, not hers.  I actually thought she handled his mistake incredibly well.  Other stars have fallen apart when their pro makes a mistake but she carried on as if it didn't happen.  I agree that they shouldn't have been given 10s for it but we all know the judges have been on crack for some time now.  She might be annoying, you might hate the fauxmance, but watch her dance.  Objectively speaking, she is leaps and bounds better than Sadie is.

 

Speaking of Sadie, anyone that thinks that she was underscored for that jive wasn't really watching it.  Watch her legs, not her face.  They were all over the place, she could barely keep time with the rhythm and her kicks and flicks were terrible.  In this one instance, I actually don't think Mark was over-dancing to draw attention to himself.  I think he was over-empasizing his movements to try and give Sadie something to mimic because he could see that she wasn't moving her legs correctly.  That being said, I thought their trio foxtrot was lovely and I didn't even realize she'd made a mistake until she said something.  Tom Bergeron is the sweetest man alive to not only notice her being upset immediately, but to take the time to be kind and reassure her.  The man is stellar.

 

Alfonso was amazing last night.  When the opening bars of the music to their paso started, I was like, "Well, that's it, this is going to be a terrible paso."  But Witney did an incredible job choreographing to it and he did an incredible job dancing to it.  His power and strength in the paso were a nice juxtaposition to the fluidity and grace he exhibited in his foxtrot.  I've said it before but if he doesn't win, it'll be a travesty.  Their trio paso was my favorite dance of the night.

 

As I said earlier, Bethany's improved quite a lot over the last few weeks.  I think she's stronger and more graceful than she has been but I find her a little bit removed when she's on the floor.  Like she's dancing but not performing, if that makes sense.  It doesn't leave me as cold as Meryl often did in her season but it's a big reason why I prefer Janel to Bethany.  She's good though.  I'd be happy with an Alfonso, Janel, Bethany final 3. . . with Alfonso winning it, of course.  :)

 

Eh, honestly I'm not surprised Lea was kicked last night. She's an infinitely better dancer than Tommy but something about her personality was a little off-putting and I can completely see why people would rather see another week of Tommy's sweet and funny personality vs. another week of her neurosis.  Of course, Tommy should get the boot next week for sure.  If he lasts beyond any of the other stars, it'll be a real shame.

[lorikauai]

I don't get all the Janel hate either. Of course most weeks I DVR DWTS and fast forward through everything but the dances but in the dances I think she is doing very well. I liked both of her dances last night and I usually find her enjoyable to watch. Bethany is also doing very well. I feel like she puts a lot of personality into her dances. Sadie has improved probably the most and is getting to be pretty good, but at times I find her limbs a little distracting and awkward, but maybe it's more of a challenge for her because of her height? Tommy is charming and moves incredibly well for his age but it's his time to go next week. I still think Alfonso should/will win. 

[truthaboutluv]

I'm actually a little surprised at all the Janel hate.  She's a good dancer.  She has more personality on the floor than either Bethany or Sadie and her movements are more correct and natural than the other two girls'.  That's not to say the other girls are bad because they're not (and Bethany especially has improved in leaps and bounds over the last two or three weeks).  But to say she doesn't deserve the scores she's been getting is unfair.

 

 

Speaking for myself, I don't dislike Janel. I thought she came across a little desperate at the start of the season, with all the kissy, huggy, flirty crap with Val but I mostly just ignored that stuff and focused on her dancing. And I was honest last week about never really being impressed with any contemporary on DWTS so I wasn't falling all over myself for hers but I wasn't really that bothered by her perfect score. The issue I had with Janel's scoring last night is that I do think they were too high, especially for the Salsa.

 

I could maybe look past the slip in the Quickstep, especially as Val claims it was his error and be fine with the two 10's. But honestly, my biggest issue with Janel's Quickstep is that her hold and frame were driving me crazy for the first half of the dance. Yes, I'm no expert but something about that frame and hold just didn't look right to me. I did like the choreography and had no issues with the stuff in the audience because I think that's all part of creating a performance and I thought her footwork was pretty good. I just didn't think the dance was two 10's worthy.

 

That said, I could live with those scores but there was no excuse for the trio dance in my opinion. Honestly, I'm one of those who does think the dance was far too similar to Derek and Shawn's. Yes all the steps weren't exactly similar but like I said, the whole staging, mood and particularly concept of the dance was practically identical. I spoke to a friend today and the first thing she said was "Janel's trio looked a lot like Shawn's during All-Stars" and this is someone who loves Val and supports him hard every season, no matter his celebrity. But that said, that wasn't my main issue with the dance. My issue is that it wasn't a Salsa.

 

I saw barely any salsa content and not only do the judges overlook it, they do so to the tune of three 10's. Like I have always been one who maintains that the one consistency about the scoring on this show is its inconsistency but damn, to be giving 10's, so essentially saying it was perfect, to a dance that lacked the content of the assigned dance style is just ludicrous. And I had the same issues with Alfonso's salsa, in that I felt it was light on content and high on hip hop lite movements but even still,  I saw more salsa steps in Alfonso's salsa than what Janel did there last night. Yes, Janel looked good and she performed what Val gave her well and I felt like that's what the judges scored on more than the actual technique and content of the assigned dance. 

Edited November 11, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[sinkwriter]

 

I'm actually a little surprised at all the Janel hate.  She's a good dancer.  She has more personality on the floor than either Bethany or Sadie and her movements are more correct and natural than the other two girls'.

 

I don't hate her, but... for me, I think it's that her personality is not one I connect with very easily. So even if she has more "personality on the floor," if I don't like that personality, that affects how I feel about her dances. Sometimes I think she tries too hard to seem sexy or like she's got something going on with Val, and that annoys me and colors how I see her performances. Last night's trio was one of the first times I really enjoyed her dance and felt like it was more about the dance and the character than about her as a Pretty Little Liars personality or about some melodrama soap opera between her and Val behind the scenes.

 

On a side note, I think one of the reasons I connect with Bethany more is because my personality resonates more with who she is or seems to be. I'm a web designer, I spend a lot of time on the computer, when I was younger I felt (and hell, even now as an adult I sometimes feel) like I'm on the outside of things, a bit of an oddball, the shy girl who used to read a lot and only had a small number of core best friends and lived in her room with her music and books and only came out of her shell on occasion, around the people who made me feel comfortable and safe and give me the space to be me and still love me for it. I see some of that in Bethany (and sometimes in Lea and her confidence struggles, which was one of the reasons I rooted for her too). It's why I was so emotionally moved by Bethany's "I love who I am" rumba with Derek earlier in the season, and why I root for her and feel like she's finally coming into herself as a dancer and performer on the show. To see Bethany blossom and kick some ass - which I think she did in her trio last night - gives me a sense of excitement and cheer that I don't feel when I watch Janel.

[iMonrey]

I can't believe how mad I get at this stupid show, but at this point they need to drop the judges' scores altogether. They are arbitrary at best, and conspiratorial at worst. You can't give 10s to a performance with an obvious stumble then turn around and give someone else 8s and 9s because they hunched their shoulders or "looked hesitant." The judges are a joke. You could actually see them scrambling after Val and Janel finished because clearly they were prepared to give them straight tens and panicked after the mistake. Carrie Ann's comment that Janel kept her facial expression was dead wrong - Janel looked panic stricken right after that stumble. Don't they know there are cameras and we can go back and watch?

 

And I don't care how beloved and endearing Tommy Chong is. He did nothing but sit and gyrate his hips during that trio number but the judges just laughed at how "entertaining" it was and gave him straight 7s. They didn't give Cloris Leachman straight 7s for a comedy number that had no actual dancing. I think they gave her 4s. 

 

Then Julianne basically gives up the ghost by saying "Well, there wasn't a lot of salsa content in that but I guess I don't care because I'm in a good mood tonight." WTF? She just admitted, scoring is based on what kind of mood she's in! 

 

So, just drop the judging, make it based entirely on viewer votes. I'm sick to death of the scoring travesties, and it's probably what's killing the show. I can't be the only one.

 

 

[sinkwriter]

 

So, just drop the judging, make it based entirely on viewer votes.

 

I think we need the judges sometimes - if they weren't there, and everything was strictly by viewer votes, I'm afraid Michael would still be in the competition and maybe even win the damn thing.

[kayma]

I'd be happy with an Alfonso, Janel, Bethany final 3. . . with Alfonso winning it, of course.

This is what I'd like to see, too. Janel/Bethany as 2nd and 3rd in either order. I'm actually surprised at the reaction to Janel last night. I thought she was right up there with Alfonso overall and much better than Sadie in her jive. I think Bethany and Janel are both on the upswing.

[anonymiss]

I'm glad Len contradicted CAI's blathering critique of Alfonso's foxtrot.

 

Shaking my head at Julianne making self-references all night, reminding us she wore the leopard-print first and did a trio paso first. Also, did CAI call out Julianne and Derek for "having the same name?" I think CAI has been given her walking papers or suspects it so is lashing out at the Houghs with little jabs here and there like when she dismissed Derek's team choreo as more Derek team choreo we've all seen before, so she preferred the other's, etc.

 

Liked that Len used a technical term to critique Boring Bethany's Viennese waltz b/c it disarms the crowd and prevents the booing that I can't stand,

 

I'm here for Alfonso winning or anyone but Bethany & Derek.

Edited November 11, 2014 by anonymiss

[spanana]

Also I think you have to keep in mind that DWTS has never straight away been about the dancing.  It's about the dancing, but it's also about what celebs and personalities, or often dance pairings, win people over with their personalities/partnerships.  So unless you are a viewer that solely watches the dances, you (a universal you of course) are likely to be colored by the edited packages and the like.  People are likely to find people that they relate to and then will enjoy those people more on the dance floor and will be likely to cut their faves more slack.  Enjoyment of dance in general is just so subjective.  It's why I can go from rooting for Zendaya one season to Jack Osborne the next.   Do I think Jack Osborne was the best technical dancer his season?  Of course not.

 

I most definitely don't hate Janel as I don't know her.  I think on some level part of the issue with some people not connecting with her has been the show pushing the showmance from day one and really Janel/Val played their part in that too.  That never really does anybody any favors.  Along with that I'd say that it's Week 9/Week 10 and I still know nothing about Janel as a person.  I've got nothing really to grab onto about her and the only defining characteristic of her partnership with Val is the showmance angle.  Also as somebody else said, my personality type just gravitates more towards a Bethany type than a Janel type and it does in some ways color my enjoyment of each on the dance floor.   Hence where the subjective comes in.

 

I do think Janel, Sadie and Bethany are all pretty evenly matched and I do think Janel is a good dancer, though at times the judges far oversell her.  No CAI, there is nothing remotely Beyonce about her and please don't try to tell me that she's on par with Alfonso.  This entire season I've never seen Alfonso have a panic stricken moment whereas the rest all still get deer in headlights at times.  I also think Janel's gotten much better these last few weeks, but I still enjoy Alfonso and Bethany more.

Edited November 11, 2014 by spanana

[sinkwriter]

 

This entire season I've never seen Alfonso have a panic stricken moment

 

Well, maybe when he was hanging from that Batman getup, and they were holding him by his feet... LOL. But he treated it with great humor instead of deer-in-headlights (even if he felt it, we didn't really see it).

 

 

But how weird is it that Peta calls him Chong?

 

I was surprised by that, but I actually found it kind of endearing.

[ari333]

Component!

 

:)

[Julie23]

Janel started out the season pouting at every word the judges said and acting jealous of the other contestants when they got good scores. She is much better at the criticism (when she gets any that is) than she used to be, but I never warmed up to her, and the "showmance" and stripper moves haven't helped. Technically, yes, she is better than Lea, and Sadie, so she should be in final 3. Bethany, on the other hand, has been so sweet and we actually see her personality, which I like. Same for Alfonso and even Sadie, when her parents aren't telling her what to do. So, I don't hate Janel, I think she was over scored and I don't like the choreography choices.

[iMonrey]

 

Also, did CAI call out Julianne and Derek for "having the same name?"

 

No, Carrie Ann was ragging on Julianne for disagreeing with her, saying they had the same name (Carrie Ann, Julie Ann - get it? yeah neither did the audience).

 

Did anyone catch the fact that they put up a really old Tweet that said "Wow Randy Couture can really dance!" - WFT? He was eliminated in week 2. Those annoying Tweets are so freaking pointless it's obvious no one is paying attention to them.

[sinkwriter]

 

Also, did CAI call out Julianne and Derek for "having the same name?"

 

I thought Carrie Anne accidentally called her the wrong name. I don't remember what name she called her, but it wasn't Julianne, so I thought Carrie Anne was making a joke about it, how she doesn't know her name.

[Donny Ketchum]

FWIW, I think Sadie at this point is also scoring votes on more than just her family and the religion factor.  I also think people have mobilized behind her because she comes off sincere and like a real person.  People can relate to that.  

If Sadie could be hampered from winning in any way, voting-wise, it's from those voters with the mindset of my boyfriend.  I've watched this show with him at least since season seventeen (when Amber won), and he's watched it from a very early season.  And the whole time, he's admitted that while Sadie can dance, he still hates her just because of her family and is all-too-willing to weigh her down with their baggage just based on one little confessional she made early on -- her admission to hating her grandfather's comments that nearly got their show canceled, but her still being willing to stand behind him just because they were family.  So yeah, he was actually hoping she was the "shocking" boot last night, even though, due to my hanging out here, I had a feeling from the start that it'd be Lea.

 

I think it's a terrible, unfair, and horribly shallow reason for him to hate her, but there it is.  Make of that what you will.  But I think Sadie's a nice, genuine person, and I'd like to see her win if Alfonso doesn't.

As much as I've always loved Alfonso, this is the first time I've seen him as sexy. Maybe because to me he was the cute kid in the Pepsi commercal, the other cute kid on Silver Spoons, and then Carlton, the boy born to wear pleated khakis. But he was all kinds of hot in that Paso, and now I won't be able to watch Fresh Prince reruns without feeling like a creeper.

He was also on In the House after Fresh Prince, wasn't he?

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Best trio ever-- Donld Driver 's jive with PETA and Karina!!! Speaking of Karina, where was she last night, and Cheryl? At least Tony was there for us old school DWTS fans......

[sinkwriter]

 

Heck, I dislike Alfonso for no reason at all.  I don't wish him harm or anything but I wouldn't cry if he left next.

 

*gasping and clutching pearls*  Not Alfonso! You take that back!   ;)

[Donny Ketchum]

I think there are no horribly shallow reasons in reality tv viewing, but disliking Sadie for standing behind a bigot in her family doesn't sound shallow to me.  I've disliked contestants for much, much less.

It is if she clearly doesn't share the views.  I'd absolutely agree if she did.  But she's made it more than clear that she doesn't.  Therefore, I say again: SHALLOW.

[Andiethewestie]

Alfonso is fine, I just get a Joey Fatone vibe from him. He's just a little to eager to tell us he's going to have another kid, he's losing weight, etc. etc.... that's the old schitick that all the past male contestants have used. He's a good dancer, but he's squatty, his footwork a "bit dodgy" not entirely clean,  his turning arm raises in the Paso were a bit of a throw away instead of a deliberately intense attack. He's not the most elegant of dancers, but he's great at his own thing.  But all of this "pattern" is just as annoying to me as anything. We don't know Alfonso, we just know he gets upset when others score higher.  The face can't lie, both he and Witney get that indignant look on their mugs, whereas pretty much everyone else is shouting and clapping for their cast member who just danced. I'd like him more if he showed a little more sportsmanship.  

 

By contrast, The cool thing about Tommy is he's irreverent and he doesn't care, he brought a sophistication to the Argentine Tango, and he's had some great moments, but his age doesn't allow him to physically polish the line, so the humour was great and that's why he's loved. He brings Tommy every time to the dance, and everyone in the cast just love him because of it.     

Edited November 11, 2014 by Andiethewestie

[realdancemom]

My favorite trio was Alfonso, Witney, and Lindsay.  Witney did a great job choreographing to that song.  I do like the song but I automatically associate it to hip-hop and not the Paso. 

 

I'm with those that thought Janel and Val did great yesterday.  The quickstep is a technically difficult dance and Val didn't go easy on choreography.  It's not Janel's fault that Val's shoes got stuck together.  I thought she was dancing fierce in the salsa trio.  Girl knows how to shake her hips which is something Lea looked awkward doing.  I liked that Val stuck her front and center during the dancing portions.

 

Bethany keeps improving performance-wise.  Sadie's arms didn't look so gangly in the foxtrot.  I also thought that Tom was really sweet talking to her at the end.  I love her dimples and personality.  It's endearing to see her cry last night and after her rumba when she gets such good scores and praise.

 

I like Tommy and think he's really witty.  He was entertaining to watch earlier in the season but it is time for him to go. 

Edited November 11, 2014 by realdancemom

[Julie23]

I really didn't want to like Sadie, but she is adorable, and she really has improved in her dancing. However, I feel like her family is "using" their adorable 17 year-old daughter to prop up their show so they don't look like bigots. Just my take on it, I have no evidence other than my utter dislike of the duckies family.

[howmanywords]

I'm actually a little surprised at all the Janel hate.  She's a good dancer.  She has more personality on the floor than either Bethany or Sadie and her movements are more correct and natural than the other two girls'.  That's not to say the other girls are bad because they're not (and Bethany especially has improved in leaps and bounds over the last two or three weeks).  But to say she doesn't deserve the scores she's been getting is unfair.  Yes, there was a slip-up in her first dance last night but it was Val's, not hers. 

I dont hate Janel.  Hate is a strong word that I reserve for people who have hurt me or my family.  However I dislike her more than the others remaining and I REALLY cant stand Val.  The two of them combined annoy the crap out of me and yes I do think they are overrated, overscored and crammed down my throat. I thought they were overscored LAST week and this week. And what really ticked me off was the lack of content being pointed out and still being rewarded a 10.  when others get points taken off how is it right that they get a pass? Especially when Julianne says "no content but who cares"? Seriously? And even if the flub was on Val's end they are a pair, a team..in the past mistakes have always been something the couple usually get called out on.  I fully admit this showmance crap has played a huge part in me actively disliking them. It started week 1 when she told him she loved him and she started turning me off from when on Twitter week one she made one of her favorite tweets someone saying "WTF to the "Duck Dynasty" chick getting a 9" this coming off of Janel complaining about her scores week 1. 

[hqtextbook]

I also love janel and val! Like others said, janel has in my opinion consistently the best technique, hardest choreography, and best personality. And she seems incredibly sweet. And yes I agree you don't give a perfect 10 to a dance with a mistake no matter whose fault, but I just see it as making up for all the weeks she was underscored....she was getting 7's 2 weeks ago remember?

[Uke]

Thoughts on this week:

 

Alfonso-Foxtrot: Elegant, really stretched his lines, footwork a little funky here + there. Underscored. I would have given 9-10-10-10.

Alfonso-Trio: Well, here goes...I'm probably the only one but I just didn't care for this Paso-Hop? Hip-Doble? Certainly the music didn't help.  It was good as a performance piece but it just didn't feel Paso Doble-ish to me. Overscored. 9-9-9-10 would be fine.

 

Tommy-Viennese Waltz: A burst cyst behind the knee - isn't that what Ralph had? Apparently it's quite painful. Very simple but a nice job. An 8? whatever. Score was ok.

Tommy-Trio: No! Just No! When his weaknesses are aging, lack of energy and knee pain, why emphasis old and feeble? Massively overscored. 4s!

 

Lea-Samba:  If America picked this theme, they got it wrong, wrong, wrong.  Samba is supposed to be fun. There was no fun, no joyfulness in this dance. Overscored. 8-8-8-8 would have been right. 

Lea-Trio: She tried being powerful and she may have felt powerful but it just looked like an act and she didn't pull it off. Overscored. 8-8-8-9.  Additional comment in Lea's thread.

 

Bethany-Viennese Waltz:  Hmmm...from the waist up she looked elegant and her arms were pretty, from the waist down it was too hoppity-hoppity and just didn't look smooth or elegant and from the neck up, the poor thing looked terrified/stressed, though I understand she was trying to look sad. A 10-sec hug at the end? Way to burn up the time Derek.  Agreed with Julianne (?!?) that she seemed more connectable, but I still find her a bit too low-key. I guess 9s were ok. The way the judges were talking, I expected them to spring for some 10s-glad they resisted the urge.

Bethany-Trio: She was basically getting passed back and forth between Tony and Derek in a series of poses. There wasn't a whole lot of dancing going on.  I don't know what CAI meant about her being so in charge.  Not recognizable as an AT.  She's alot more flexible than I've noticed previously though. Overscored. 9s would have been generous. I'd probably throw a few 8s in there for lack of content. Noticed Erin's whole interview was with Tony + Derek, Bethany was just there for smiles I guess.

 

Sadie-Jive:  I get what Mark was going for - the judges haven't much liked their theme dances so he made this a straight, no-frills, competition dance. But man! That just seemed really fast and loaded (maybe overloaded?) with content. I didn't see any "flailing" with her arms but the kicks and flicks were only about average where I think the expectation for her is to nail it. Those long legs take more time to haul up, out, back and down than someone shorter and the music just didn't give her that time so she abbreviated the movement. On the other hand, she totally sold it and Mark wasn't hiding her at all or covering any weaknesses so for that I'll say she was underscored and should have gotten 9s. Erin's interview after the dance sounded like foreshadowing elimination. I suddenly thought, maybe it won't be Lea tonight.

Sadie-Trio:  This was some pretty amazing choreography. The switching back and forth between Sadie-Emma-Sadie-Emma, etc. Kudos to all three!  I would bet if Sadie hadn't mentioned a mistake, 98% of the viewers wouldn't have noticed it. You'd have to watch Emma to realize Sadie messed up and even then, she actually timed her improv correctly. She just looked like she was reaching out for Mark for a moment too long at the end. The difficulty being thrown at her - she keeps rising to the challenge. 10s deserved.

 

Janel-Quickstep: Oh boy. 17 seconds sitting at the beginning - tooo long. Val's shoes stuck together? Seriously? I think that was JH making joke. His feet weren't even close together to get "stuck".  Played it back in slo-mo - the stepping got out of sync and she ran into his knee. She was taking a series of wide steps and as she turned to face Val again, I think she threw in an extra short step. Good on Val for taking the blame though.  The kiss at the end and then drop her on the floor - eyeroll!  But let's just nevermind all this and give them 10s. Nope. Overscored. 9s would have been enough.

Janel-Trio: First, I do not think this was a copy of any of Derek's or Mark's previous dances. Second, that upside down face in her crotch was one of Derek's favorite over-used moves  (I still cringe from his dances w/Nicole) and thankfully someone told him to knock it off. Looks like Val's resurrected it. Val-knock it off! Third, this was a salsa? Didn't look like one. That said, I liked this as a performance piece but not as the assigned dance. 10s? No. (minimal salsa content). But judges again don't care. Janel and/or Val can do no wrong. 9s are enough for performance value.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Uke

[BoogieBurns]

We are down to the semi-finals and I have no strong feelings about any contestants outside of Alfonso. I didn't know any of those matching girls before the show began, and I can't say I know them now. Maybe Sadie has broken away from the trio-of-identical-young-female-barely-celebs, but I still don't feel a certain way about them. 

 

I blame this on having 4 judges. The contestants just aren't the focus. The pros are more famous than their celebs, and the judges take about 70% of the show. Also, going for the 25 and under demographic makes TPTB cast people I don't know. (I'm only 28!) 

[fishcakes]

Did anyone catch the fact that they put up a really old Tweet that said "Wow Randy Couture can really dance!" - WFT? He was eliminated in week 2. Those annoying Tweets are so freaking pointless it's obvious no one is paying attention to them.

 

The first time they showed viewer tweets a couple years ago, there was one that said something like, "breastfeeding and watching DWTS!" which struck me as a perfectly normal thing to do but an odd thing to tweet about and even odder for it to be selected to be shown on the show. If I were on the east coast and could live tweet during the show, I'd tweet a bunch of things like, "cutting my toenails #DWTS" just to see if I could get one on the air.

 

I thought Carrie Anne accidentally called her the wrong name. I don't remember what name she called her, but it wasn't Julianne, so I thought Carrie Anne was making a joke about it, how she doesn't know her name.

 

She called her Carrie Anne, I think. Sort of like when Cher was guest judging, held up her paddle and said, "Cher! I mean, seven."

 

Did she?  I didn't listen closely but I thought when she did address it, she kind of said something to the effect of, "I wouldn't have said the things he said but he's family and I stand behind him." 

 

I thought she was even stronger in her defense of him than that, basically blaming the media for accurately reporting the words that came out of his mouth. She definitely has not disavowed his views, at least not on the show. I've grown to like her as a contestant, but really I think the less she speaks about her family, the better. And as an aside, that commercial that runs at least three times during DWTS of that homeless looking old mushmouthed dude who wants to give poor kids lawn darts for Christmas and ends with him saying (I think), "pack your shoebox, Jack!" -- is that Grandpa Duck? I try not to know anything about the family, but since this commercial plays so often during the show, I assume there's some connection.

 

I'm also surprised at how many are not liking Janel. Of the three young ones, she seemed to me to be the best dancer of the three in the beginning, although I think Bethany has maybe surpassed her now because Bethany has blossomed quite a bit and Janel has stayed at about the same level. I still think she's quite good though. And as far as her personality goes, she seems like a really sweet person. The showmance is a big whatever to me; I don't find it convincing, but it doesn't bother me.

Edited November 11, 2014 by fishcakes

[truthaboutluv]

Also as somebody else said, my personality type just gravitates more towards a Bethany type than a Janel type and it does in some ways color my enjoyment of each on the dance floor.   Hence where the subjective comes in.

 

 

Basically this and completely agree about the show never being solely about the dancing. I've said it before that the show has never really been any deeper than a contestant with some decent talent, a Pro who can create some fun, showstopping numbers for said celebrity and most importantly, a dedicated voting base. That's really all it is about. Like you said, people gravitate to some contestants versus others for any number of reasons. It's why Bill Engvall made it to fourth place in his season, why Tommy Chong is still here, why Candace made it to third place last season, etc. And why the technically better dancer hasn't always won. I always think back to Tristan on Afterbuzz after the season Amber won and felt he summed it up perfectly why although Corbin may have been the technically better dancer, Amber still won and deservedly so. And I remembered watching that and thinking, "see, Tristan gets it."

 

And your comment about connecting to Bethany sums up the point of it being subjective and who people connect with even more because on the flipside, I feel like based on so many comments, some dislike and are against Bethany not for her dancing ability at all but simply because of her personality and thinking she's boring. It's funny reading some comments about Bethany because I feel like I see almost nothing about her technique, the quality of her dancing, etc. it's all pretty much, "she's boring, I'm not connecting with her, she's a yawnfest, etc." And hey, it's all valid.

 

And on the flipside of that are all the people who seem to connect with and are supporting Sadie because they like her personality, because they think she's so adorable. Like honestly, I do think purely technique wise, Bethany is the better dancer than Sadie. I don't think at this point in the competition, it's too close to call at all. I think Bethany's frame and hold in her Standard dances have been amazing, her Latin with the Tango, Paso and even the AT last night that I didn't love, was really good. I think she's the better dancer by far but I would not be the least bit surprised to see Sadie outlast her simply because people just like Sadie more and again, it's all valid. 

 

Did she?  I didn't listen closely but I thought when she did address it, she kind of said something to the effect of, "I wouldn't have said the things he said but he's family and I stand behind him."

 

 

I may need to rewatch to be sure, but I'm fairly certain what she said was that her grandad made some comments that made some people really mad but that he's her grandfather and family sticks together or something in that vein. In other words, I felt like she didn't make it clear whether she agreed with his comments or not but instead just stated that they support each other no matter what.

[Missy Vixen]

Prepare yourselves for Sadie to win or be in the top 2. If her family is shelling out for national ads during the broadcast, ABC's not biting the hand that feeds them.

[skittl3862]

The first time they showed viewer tweets a couple years ago, there was one that said something like, "breastfeeding and watching DWTS!" which struck me as a perfectly normal thing to do but an odd thing to tweet about and even odder for it to be selected to be shown on the show. If I were on the east coast and could live tweet during the show, I'd tweet a bunch of things like, "cutting my toenails #DWTS" just to see if I could get one on the air.

It probably won't get you on the air, but I tweeted about the chairs in Derek's number last night and the DWTS All Access account asked me to tune into their coverage.

 

 

 

But again, his work with her is getting dismissed with "oh more props and she's just a prop" even though again, Derek is one of the Pros who's used the troupe the least. The props consisted of a bass in Week 2, umbrellas for a Jazz to Singing in the Rain that was kind of necessary to the number and four guys playing a drum for her Paso Doble. The whole chair apocalypse thing last night was merely a backdrop to the performance.

I wasn't referring to literally props use, but treating her as a prop instead of a partner. The last traditional, straight-forward, minimal production routine he did was the Charleston...with Sadie. Even the Viennese Waltz this week had to have a backstory and plotline. Derek seems to come up with concepts and then tries to fit her and her abilities into his vision, instead of the other way around. Sure, the trio looked great conceptually, but she didn't dance great.

 

His routines have become less about the dances and more about the production on an almost weekly basis. And even though the producers are pushing for it in general, to me, it's a lot more obvious with him than most other longtime pros, like Cheryl or Tony or Karina, who still manage to include plenty of traditional routines. Even Mark is starting to look restrained in comparison. The knee-jerk defense to literally any criticism or disappointment levied his way doesn't help and is a total turn-off. As I said, Derek used to be my favorite pro. I just don't think Bethany's cute personality is enough to outweigh her consistently B+ performances to deserve a win this season, and this week's dances only drove that home for me.

Edited November 11, 2014 by skittl3862

[peachmangosteen]

It is if she clearly doesn't share the views.  I'd absolutely agree if she did.  But she's made it more than clear that she doesn't.  Therefore, I say again: SHALLOW.

 

Where did she make it clear she doesn't share her family's views? I'd love to see it because I have grown to like her in some ways, but it's really hard because her family is just so awful and, IMO, she pretty much said she agreed with them on the show itself.

Edited November 11, 2014 by peachmangosteen

[Woodrose]

It probably won't get you on the air, but I tweeted about the chairs in Derek's number last night and the DWTS All Access account asked me to tune into their coverage.

 

I'm still not understanding this.  ABC wants me to tune into their All Access coverage and watch interviews with Lacey instead of watching DWTS?  How does this make sense?

[kebarrera]

I like Janel and I like Val and I don't really se them faking a showmance for this show, I think they're just being silly but thats just me. I don't think they're being serious.

That's how I feel. I think they were just joking around in the beginning just for fun. But then everyone started taking them too seriously so they started backtracking. Especially once news broke that she broke up with her boyfriend (which was weeks before and not Val related). Ever since then, they've put a semi-freeze on social media and seem to sensor themselves in practice when the cameras are on them. I really don't think they expected to go the "showmance" route. Everything just got out of hand way too quickly. In interviews, they're actually pretty funny together. ABC just wants to show this supposed "showmance" for some reason.

Edited November 12, 2014 by kebarrera

[BoogieBurns]

ABC wants me to tune into their All Access coverage and watch interviews with Lacey instead of watching DWTS?  How does this make sense?

 

They want you to watch Lacey on your laptop while watching DWTS on your TV. The "second screen" phenomenon that networks have been pushing lately. They are basically asking you to clone yourself.

[MortysCleaningLady]

Week after week, I tune in for and remember Alfonso's dances.  Everyone else is filler. 

 

I think if Lea had a more popular pro (Tony, Val, Mark or Derek) she'd still be dancing.  Artem was great (and honestly, what a looker!) but too many viewers vote for the pro instead of the star (or in Bethany's case, alleged star). 

[Andiethewestie]

It is actually refreshing to finally be amongst some positive postings for Janel. Some decided to give up on them long ago due to some showmance,  I honestly didn't see it, I saw silly banter and just funny bumpers in which Betsey might have danced with Val for the 'switch up' but Janel was having none of it.  Really inocuous stuff. But,  when you have not one but two teenagers on the show, it's really difficult to do dances that convey a sexual a connection with your partner, so the next best thing that fans do is to tear down the competition. For me, for someone to be so profusively "sick" to their stomachs over a showmance, is a reach. This is only a show.  Show winners always create a connection with their pro partners, that's what people want to see when people dance together. For example, Derek and Nicole Scherzinger, or Jennifer Grey, or Kellie Pickler could exploit an area of sexuality with the Argentine Tango that he simply can't and didn't go to with Bethany.  The restrictions are even more profound  now for Mark, since he did have a young partner who was willing to explore partner connections back in season 8. So when there are two really good young people who are close in age, but are adults like Janel and Val on the show, it's a threat to those who can't go there, in terms of partner connection, and so others try to look for how contrived or off-putting the contestant is. I remember watching the Pickler freestyle, and my husband saying to me, well "Derek can be sexy with Kellie, Val can't be with Zendaya and that's gonna make a difference." For me, Janel has never been off putting, she may have had a guard up in early shows but ever since her West Side Story and the tears of joy at accomplishing something very important to her, she has been a favorite. Showmances are for the media fodder, but not for the dancing.

Edited November 12, 2014 by Andiethewestie

[kitcloudkicker]

I wish they would make the Lacey videos available to watch later - I've seen a few that fans have recorded and posted and I like her critiques - she gives good insights into why things get scored the way they do and points out technique issues to look out for that I appreciate. I'm not about to watch them while I'm watching the show though. And the cohost they've saddled her with is a real idiot. (Though he does have a cute New Zealand accent.) 

[Woodrose]

They want you to watch Lacey on your laptop while watching DWTS on your TV. The "second screen" phenomenon that networks have been pushing lately. They are basically asking you to clone yourself.

Thanks a lot for the reply.

 

Still seems supremely dumb to me.  Watch the Lacey interviews while the judges are speaking?  That's silly, no one can pay attention to two voices at once.  It might make sense if one channel was broadcasting a music concert while one has interviews, but as it is....just seems like a waste of money to bother with putting it up on the website for one hour only.

 

If the Lacey interviews were available for viewing right now, I'm a big enough fanatic that I'd probably do it.  As they are doing it, though, I would have to watch the interviews live while my DVR collects the actual show, then I could watch the show after the interviews. Not gonna happen.  I would have liked to see the interview with Amy Purdy and Meryl Davis, for example, but not in lieu of watching my favorite show on Monday nights.

 

IF anyone was watching the feed, I would expect to have seen some comments about it either here or in the comments at Annie Barrett's Fringe Fairy blog.  Not a word.  http://www.anniebarrett.com/blog/

 

ABC must know that no one is looking at the interviews in the fleeting time they are available on the website.  Hard to believe they are wasting all this money and equipment and time to produce something no one is watching.

Edited November 12, 2014 by Woodrose

[Andiethewestie]

For me, this is just a dance show, it's not about making the audience feel foolish, it's about having a little fun.  If some want to take that further, then that's their thing. Tommy is a guilty pleasure, I laughed out loud at that silly Chongair - it was terrible Samba, but I had fun, doesn't mean I take it seriously nor do I think it's being shoved down my throat. I'm not voting for it, but I did have a good laugh

[Donny Ketchum]

Did she? I didn't listen closely but I thought when she did address it, she kind of said something to the effect of, "I wouldn't have said the things he said but he's family and I stand behind him." Which I took to mean, "I feel the same because I was raised by this family in this church but I would never have voiced my feelings aloud, outside my family and maybe my church. Because feeling this way is a pretty un-PC way to feel and our jobs might depend on being liked, to some extent."

She has more than once expressed not agreeing with their views online. And yes, I believe her. Edited November 12, 2014 by OnceSane
violating DBAD

[Paron Xanthis]

I can't believe no one's dinged Tommy for what he said of his trio dance.  Did he seriously say that he was hard after dancing with two women?!

[COESpiral]

No, Erin asked him how he felt about dancing with Peta and Sharna and he responded, "It was very, very hard."  Double entendre.  If anything, ding Tom Bergeron for his comment afterwards about Tommy getting the "happy ending".  But I'm not gonna, because I love Tom.

 

Could the show not get the rights to use Dean Martin's version of "Ain't That A Kick In The Head" for Alfonso and Witney's foxtrot?  Because that's kind of the version I think of as being iconic.

Edited November 12, 2014 by COESpiral

[Andiethewestie]

To me the  pec rubbing is not showmance, it's more of a joke "hey girls check it out" she did something similar blindfolded in meeting Artem the first time.  Janel is a goofball, but as a sight gag it didn't work for some because she's too young and desirable (eyeroll).   Now if the same gag was done by  Betsey nobody would be shouting "showmance"  In fact, Betsey was cuddly with the guys, but that didn't bother anyone.  Nor did it seem to bother anyone when Lea said she loved Artem  a number of times.  It certainly doesn't bother anyone when Tommy does the double entendres and leers in  womanly places in his dances.  We saw it early with the Mambo and that didn't stop the fans from voting. The duckies declared Sadie chaste and off limits that's fine, but, somehow Janel who is almost 10 years older has to be the same. That's bs.  It's because Janel and Val are close in age and unattached that people think they should date regardless if there's a showmance or not. They dance beautifully together, that's the attraction and the worry from other fans, not all the video packages.   

Edited November 12, 2014 by Andiethewestie

[OakGoblinFly]

I think we need the judges sometimes - if they weren't there, and everything was strictly by viewer votes, I'm afraid Michael would still be in the competition and maybe even win the damn thing.

 

True, but I could live with that as it is based strictly on votes and we would know that going in.

[OakGoblinFly]

I wasn't referring to literally props use, but treating her as a prop instead of a partner. The last traditional, straight-forward, minimal production routine he did was the Charleston...with Sadie. Even the Viennese Waltz this week had to have a backstory and plotline. Derek seems to come up with concepts and then tries to fit her and her abilities into his vision, instead of the other way around. Sure, the trio looked great conceptually, but she didn't dance great.

 

His routines have become less about the dances and more about the production on an almost weekly basis. And even though the producers are pushing for it in general, to me, it's a lot more obvious with him than most other longtime pros, like Cheryl or Tony or Karina, who still manage to include plenty of traditional routines. Even Mark is starting to look restrained in comparison. The knee-jerk defense to literally any criticism or disappointment levied his way doesn't help and is a total turn-off. As I said, Derek used to be my favorite pro. I just don't think Bethany's cute personality is enough to outweigh her consistently B+ performances to deserve a win this season, and this week's dances only drove that home for me.

 

 

And how is this different than any other pro out there?  Mark had a full storyline for his trio dance with Sadie and Emma, Witney used one in her jazz routine, Val and Janel tell a story every week (including this week's quickstep).  Some dances lend themselves to storytelling, so why not create one if it helps the non-pro partner get into the mood/flavor of the dance?  Just because you frame the dance with a story does not necessarily mean it is devoid of content.  That waltz was lovely AND full of content.

 

Alfonso continues to be my favorite; I think he performs well, has great musicality, and I adore his attitude.  Bethany is second; I think she has shown tremendous growth, not only as a dancer but as a person - you can see her growing in confidence and letting the walls down as the show as progressed.  I do think she was a bit tentative during the tango and that might have been due to the addition of the second pro.  

 

Sadie would finish out my dream top three .... she's all kinds of adorable and I really appreciate her earnestness when learning the dances and wanting to make Mark proud.  She too has demonstrated tremendous growth this season.  The only reason I have her third is that I find I resonate a   little more with Bethany's personality/growth arc.  I was glad she got her perfect score for her foxtrot and thought it was incredibly sweet how Tom handled her tears at the end of the dance.  The jive was all kinds of wrong - I think that was function of being a tall, gangly teen - I did enjoy the performance aspect if not the actual dance so much.

 

Janel is a lovely dancer - she started strong and is still strong.  I haven't seen as much growth from her as I have from Sadie and Bethany.  I still feel that Janel dances "small."  

 

I would kill to have Lea's legs - Tommy is fun but he needs to go (as much for his health as for my eyes) though I do like the softer side of Peta we have seen this season.  She really is the sweetest person, so caring and generous with Tommy.

[fishcakes]

I thought Tom said, "happy landing," not "happy ending." I'm sure he knew where people's minds would go so it's almost as bad as saying, "happy ending," but with the airline theme there's enough plausible deniability there to get it past the censors.

[Andiethewestie]

Janel has really shown a lot of growth in her dance in hold.  It seems there wasn't "enough" in  hold previously, or enought content, Len decided it was only worth a 7 on the Viennese Waltz, but the Quickstep was just incredible and he rewarded them with his high score for the night 10 on the first round.  That dance was intricate full on content, Lots of light and shade and she just flew around that dance floor  the way a Quickstep should be danced.  As for dancing "small" I sure didn't see that.  The Salsa Trio dance is a testament to how she can hold the audience. She had two great professional dancers with her and yet it was Janel who was "Sasha Fierce" out there, front and centre, never the prop to the guys, but the focus. By contrast,  Lea had to be unfortunately the cape to two amazing Paso doble male dancers, so my eye would travel to Artem and Henry because of the style of dance it was.  Janel held my attention all the way through. It was a good thing that Val and Keo got to do a brief duet at the beginning, because for me, they were the props to Janel's incredible dance.  It makes me very hopeful for the Paso Doble and the Argentine Tango.  

Edited November 12, 2014 by Andiethewestie

[iMonrey]

The thing is, I've never seen Janel or Val engage the showmance theory. I honestly have never gotten that vibe.

 

I've seen them "engage" in the showmance this very episode - where they were reading viewer Tweets and commenting on how everyone wanted them to kiss, to which Val replied he would oblige. They may not actively pursue or pretend a showmance, but they do not discourage or deny it either. They're no fools, they know it's probably a big part of their appeal as a couple. Val has clearly been prompted to comment on it over and over and rather than shut it down he's deliberately obtuse about it. And to deliberately end the number with a big old smooch on the lips just perpetrates the showmance angle. They're adding fuel to the fire, not trying to put it out.

 

I think if Lea had a more popular pro (Tony, Val, Mark or Derek) she'd still be dancing.

 

Well she'd definitely still be there if she were with Derek, and that's not a slam against Derek or a suggestion that the show is rigged or anything like that. It's just a fact. Derek has an enormous fan base, and what's really becoming a problem with this show is that some of the pros are now bigger stars than the "stars," Derek in particular. I think it would help a lot of some of the more famous pros retired from the show and they had all new pros. That way the audience would go back to voting for the stars they like best instead of propelling certain pairs because certain pros have this massive, built-in fanbase.

[Andiethewestie]

They're adding fuel to the fire, not trying to put it out.

 

 

 

I wouldn't say they are adding fuel to the fire, rather they are giving the fans what they wanted. They were asking how does it start, in the audience or on stage .. everyone said audience.  How does it end? a majority wanted them to kiss. Afterall the song is about getting married. So they kissed,((shrug))) it doesn't seem to be a big deal, it didn't come out of left field, we were prepared for it. This is much different that when Helio and Julianne planted a very similar kiss in their QS back in 2007 when he won. In that instance nobody saw it coming but it really got tongues wagging when it did.  In that instance it was very much a case of adding fuel to something smoldering in the video packages.   

[radishcake]

Guys we're heading back into "showmance 2.0" (a billion.0) so please let's keep it to the episode and not a he tweeted/she kissed blah blah fishcakes.