Afterbuzz Show: DWTS

[truthaboutluv]

AfterbuzzTV is a radio show that covers a number of reality and scripted shows, including DWTS. I've noticed some posters have started referencing comments from the show each week in the episode thread so I thought I would start a topic for it. Link for this week's show below:

 

 

Well this week's show was definitely interesting. There were some things I agreed with and some things I really disagreed with. I usually like Shirley and I do love hearing her insights but I definitely thought she got way too Mama Bear at points there with regard to Mark. It actually got a little uncomfortable I thought, at one point with her and Anna where you could tell that Anna just gave up trying to make her point because Shirley kept talking over her. Also, it's interesting, because I've heard so much from other posters who I guess follow them all more closely outside the show, that Shirley is actually harder on Mark while she babies Derek.

 

Well I certainly didn't see that with that pretty bold shade she threw Derek's way. Thing is I agreed with her about Bethany's trio AT. I do think the dance was missing some of the flicks and leg interplay I love in the AT and more importantly, it was missing that slinky, sleazy (and I don't mean sleazy in a raunchy way) intimacy I love so much about that style. So I got what she was saying and Anna agreed but I thought Anna made a fair point to say maybe it was that Derek was choreographing to the song. Because the song didn't really lend itself to that slinky, slow, sexiness. Yes, I don't think that should be an excuse but for Shirley to basically go as far as insinuating different rules apply because Derek's blonde and blue eyed...the hell? 

 

And then I got more confused when that's followed by "oh we loved it, it was amazing, superb" about Janel's trio Salsa which they almost dismissively stated that "sure, it could have had more content." That whole part was very weird to me. Again, I totally agree about the flaws for Bethany's trio AT but Shirley can't be screaming about fairness and getting all hot under the collar while then thinking nothing about Janel's getting a near perfect score for a Salsa that I'm sorry, did not have a lot, if any salsa content. Bethany's dance at least had AT content. Like if I didn't know better, for all her "I love you Derek, you're still my boy", I wonder if she's feeling some resentment for how much he's won on the show while she clearly seems to believe Mark gets horribly picked on. And listening to her get so heated in the show, I'm now even more convinced Carrie Ann wasn't lying about her coming for her after the Halloween week drama. 

 

And speaking of that, I noticed that for all Shirley talked about with the preparation and all that, she said nothing about Sadie's actual technique in the dance. Yes, I said that week the 7's were low but honestly, I wouldn't have given them higher than 8's either because Sadie's technique was not great in my opinion. I do think Len was so bothered by all the staging and production he simply dismissed the number whereas I do think Julianne was the one who accurately critiqued the dance in saying that the content was there, but the problem was Sadie didn't perform it well. All that being said, I feel like Mark has been on this show a long time and so Shirley herself knows what it's about and to me, Len is who he is. All the Pros have stated and know that if you take big risks creatively, chances are Len won't like it. Len's given Derek 7 a bunch of times whenever he feels the dance wasn't to his liking and didn't have enough content. 

 

I did agree with the assessment about Lea's first dance. While I was a little on the fence by Shirley's almost puritanical take on things and boy she really went for it about the show's constant booty shaking/popping, etc. while they declare themselves a family show, I did agree with her about Lea's costume. I too thought the costume was way too skimpy and it wasn't even so much about her age. It was more that one, like Anna and Shirley said, all it did was highlight all the weaknesses of Lea's legs which was one of her biggest issues in her technique but also it just made some of the sexy moves look more desperate and slightly trashy, versus sexy. 

 

Interested to see what others thought about this week's show and the everyone's comments. 

Edited November 12, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Uke]

Kristyn really needs to get a better handle on time management. Either cut down on the panelists (Kristyn, Anna, Suri, Jake and this week Shirley) or go longer than an hour. I understand Shirley's a popular guest and they wanted her to talk, but this happens every week it seems.  By the time they got to the trios, Kristyn suddenly realized they were running out of time.

 

Yes, I nearly fell off my chair when Shirley said she wasn't sure what Bethany's trio dance was supposed to be and that it lacked content. I think it's the first time I've ever heard her criticize Derek, though she did soften it with lots of compliments. Had to laugh at the "different rules if you're blonde and blue-eyed" - she knows what's up and I'm sure Derek does too.

 

My jaw hit the floor when someone commented about Alfonso saying he hasn't really had dance training and Shirley let out a laugh. My guess is it was an involuntary reaction-too bad the camera wasn't on her.  But she smoothed it over with a compliment afterwards.  Shirley was definitely feeling a bit feisty on the show.  But I generally do like hearing her comments whether I agree with her or not. I don't want to re-review all the comments on all the dances but I did find the discussion of Lea interesting. 

 

I do like the discussion but they've just got too many people. I like how Anna will give her critique without regard to reactions she'll get in the comments. It was very noticeable when Jake was out for a while-he adds a necessary dimension to the dynamic imo. Suri kind of bends whichever way the wind blows and I wouldn't mind if she took a break. I understand Kristyn likes to give her opinions but she needs to focus more on moderating.  I also find it useless when they bring in troupe members (like Henry, Sasha) because they just looooove everything and won't critique.

Edited November 12, 2014 by Uke

[Serendi]

I like the troupe's behind-the-scenes stories, wouldn't want to lose that. Wish they'd schedule an hour and a half in the studio, but until they do, Kristyn's stuck, since another show is right behind them.

Shirley sure doesn't pull any punches!

[Thadeeeyus]

I enjoyed Corky's appearance a few weeks ago more than Shirley, but I still liked her being on the show.  She did seem to come in with an agenda to explain Mark's displeasure with recent scoring, going back to the Halloween dance, and I'm glad she did, because I had similar thoughts. But it unfortunately took away from the time to discuss last night's dances, especially the trios. 

 

I agree with Anna's comments almost all of the time and I like it when she comes just short of giving away backstage secrets.  Krysten is ok.  As far as I''m concerned, Suri can leave.  She seems to think the show is SYTYCD. 

[Andiethewestie]

Usually I like to hear what Shirley has to say, but I was very much put off by her comments about Lea. She is so transparent, and she's overbearing, not allowing Anna a word in edgewise. And I'm sorry the other 3 just arse kiss to the legend.  Who does she think she is? The world doesn't revolve around Mark Ballas. She is trying to balance out the fact that Mark has an ultra conservative 17 year old, who won't dress provocatively so she's the pure angel,  but to go after Lea with such daggars was horrible. Lea did not deserve the commentary. Lea is certainly not vulgar but Shirley made it sound like she was a cat in heat. Shirley then barked about women and men shaking their assets, tearing off their shirts... hello? Mark was and is  a willing participant, he just has the 'ducky don't do that' marching orders this year. Shirley was obviously mum about the very sexual dances Mark would have done in the past, for example, putting his hands on Kim Kardashian's ass and move his head in time with her butt shaking. And I don't recall her having any issue  or being indignant when Derek put Jennifer Grey in a short jive skirt?.   It's as if this year she decided to have amnesia and pander to Sadie's Christian followers. Give me a break.  The Hallowe'en episode was two weeks ago and still we have to hear about it?  Sadie didn't dance it well, that much was obvious regardless of the production values.  This week Mark made a mistake thinking he could do a full out plain jive with Sadie because it exposed those terrible spongy legs and weird positioning. Anna tried to talk about height, since people who are more compact and shorter legs, can get tighter on the turns and flicka kicks, but Shirley wouldn't hear tell of that being an excuse, Sadie can do it... my god, it wasn't until one of the Afterbuzz people sort of agreed with Anna that Shirley backed off.  Let it go Mom Ballas.  I did agree with her on Derek's Argentine Tango though, it was a production number that needed moments where the partners dance to each other, not full out dancing for the back balcony.

Edited November 13, 2014 by Andiethewestie

[RemoteControl88]

I think Jake was a bit more eloquent in describing Lea.  But overall message I agreed with.  The whole "cougar" storyline for Lea was overplayed and the producers would not let it go.  To go from her contemporary to this crazy cougar was just silly and it just ended up confusing the audience.  Like who is this woman?

 

Sadie's jive was okay but it wasn't exactly sharp and clean.  Shirley admitted that at the start of the critique but effectively shut Anna down when she was trying to talk more about Sadies actual technique in the jive.  As for the paso...I guess she feels that just based on production it deserved an 8 or 9?  Sigh....who the hell knows.  The judges are on crack half the time so if I were Mark I wouldn't live and die by what Len thinks.  IMO I would be more outraged by Sadie not getting a 40 for her Samba.  For me that was her best dance and her technique was spot on.

 

I get what Shirley/Anna is saying about Bethany's A. Tango.  It reminded me of the trio with Derek, Kelly and Tristan...I felt like poor Kelly was being tossed back and forth between the 2 boys.  Bethany was much better but there was a lot of back and forth...not enough with 1 pro maybe before being switched off?  But really I don't think a trio dance you can capture the intimacy she was looking for so I agree with Anna in that regard.  Plus the music wasn't intimate...it was powerful and that is what she captured.  I think the content was there...I recognized a lot of A. Tango moves but not the specific moves Shirley likes maybe?....i.e. the quick feet flicks perhaps.

 

By the time they got to Janel and Val they were almost out of time.  Prior to that they were hinting that the scores were all over the place and they wanted to get into that...but they never really did.  Not sure if they would have said more but ran out of time?

 

I still prefer Shirley and Corky as guests.  I like Anna as well b/c I really like hearing about the actual technique for each dance.  When Anna isn't there and the guest isn't from the Ballroom world the show tends to be super subjective as to personal preferences.  Which is fine...give your opinion but I like to hear actual technique commentary.  Because you know the judges on the show are too busy falling out of chairs to give real input sometimes...I got to get it from somewhere so I appreciate Afterbuzz in that regard.

Edited November 13, 2014 by RemoteControl88

[Linderhill]

thank you for opening this thread!  I found the AfterBuzz after show kind of late some I'm contemplating going back and listening to some of the early seasons.  I don't always agree with them but I appreciate the input that Anna gives on that side of things.  I do get a little frustrated when Kristyn and Suri yammer on about SYTYCD because I don't watch that show (tried to and just couldn't keep on) and DWTS isn't SYTYCD.  Its a completely different show with a different premise.  But then I get annoyed when other hosts/writers keep referencing other shows (I've never watched 24 or Breaking Bad and never will) (can't stand American Idol or the other "talent" shows) as if that is understood by everyone. Its very frustrating, I want to hear about things on this show or I'd listen to that podcast.  

 

I just listened/watched this last night and I couldn't believe how off the rails Shirley went about Mark and the "unfairness" of the judging.  I will admit that I'm not a Mark fan and definitely not a Sadie fan (her mush mouth speaking drives me crazy, enunciate child! you can do that with a southern accent!) but Shirley certainly had an agenda for appearing on the show.  I don't care how much production went into the number, if the celebrity isn't dancing well than they aren't going to be marked well , especially by Len.  Shirley devoted way too much time to defending Mark and all of his complaints and pushing his "passion,"his music.  Other appearances she's made she's been much better in her critiques but this time she just seemed to dwell on the injustice of how Mark was judged, especially in the Halloween number, and that Lea needed to wear a skirt.  

 

I did like Jake's view that Lea's performance changed after the switch up to be more sexy.  I hadn't really noticed until he brought it up.  It makes a lot of sense that Lea would feel the need to sex things up after seeing how Janel danced with Artem.  

 

Overall I enjoy the whole aftershow.  Its certainly better than the ones they do for Face Off (the host apparently went to the same high school as one of the more annoying contestants and couldn't seem to let go of that bias) or the one for Outlander (the host of that one can't let go of the fan-girling about the book and gushing over the Jamie character without considering the overall plot of the show).

 

eta: wow, that posting is way longer than I planned on!

Edited November 13, 2014 by Linderhill

[Uke]

thank you for opening this thread!  I found the AfterBuzz after show kind of late some I'm contemplating going back and listening to some of the early seasons.  I don't always agree with them but I appreciate the input that Anna gives on that side of things.  I do get a little frustrated when Kristyn and Suri yammer on about SYTYCD because I don't watch that show (tried to and just couldn't keep on) and DWTS isn't SYTYCD.  Its a completely different show with a different premise.  But then I get annoyed when other hosts/writers keep referencing other shows (I've never watched 24 or Breaking Bad and never will) (can't stand American Idol or the other "talent" shows) as if that is understood by everyone. Its very frustrating, I want to hear about things on this show or I'd listen to that podcast.  

 

I just listened/watched this last night and I couldn't believe how off the rails Shirley went about Mark and the "unfairness" of the judging.  I will admit that I'm not a Mark fan and definitely not a Sadie fan (her mush mouth speaking drives me crazy, enunciate child! you can do that with a southern accent!) but Shirley certainly had an agenda for appearing on the show.  I don't care how much production went into the number, if the celebrity isn't dancing well than they aren't going to be marked well , especially by Len.  Shirley devoted way too much time to defending Mark and all of his complaints and pushing his "passion,"his music.  Other appearances she's made she's been much better in her critiques but this time she just seemed to dwell on the injustice of how Mark was judged, especially in the Halloween number, and that Lea needed to wear a skirt.  

 

I did like Jake's view that Lea's performance changed after the switch up to be more sexy.  I hadn't really noticed until he brought it up.  It makes a lot of sense that Lea would feel the need to sex things up after seeing how Janel danced with Artem.  

 

Overall I enjoy the whole aftershow.  Its certainly better than the ones they do for Face Off (the host apparently went to the same high school as one of the more annoying contestants and couldn't seem to let go of that bias) or the one for Outlander (the host of that one can't let go of the fan-girling about the book and gushing over the Jamie character without considering the overall plot of the show).

 

eta: wow, that posting is way longer than I planned on!

 

I've seen many Shirley interviews as well as her prior appearances on AfterBuzz and I've never seen her angry/frustrated like that before, and certainly not in defense of Mark. I think what she was trying to express was that when Len doesn't like "production", he just dismisses the whole thing out of hand instead of ignoring the theme/costumes/makeup etc and focusing on the dancing - plus - sometimes he's in the mood to enjoy production and other times he has no patience for it.  If Len was somewhat consistent and stated he'll only accept straight-forward traditional dances, then the pros could decide whether to risk production or not. He seems to forget this is a tv show for entertainment, not a real competition.

 

I think Shirley's anger might have spilled out in her discussion about Lea. Jake had a nicer way of rephrasing it and I think he's right that the change in Lea might have been due to the switch.

[Andiethewestie]

Shirley could never be a judge with any credibility if her son was on, especially if poor Marky spent a lot of time on a production.

Edited November 14, 2014 by Andiethewestie

[vibeology]

I've been watching the afterbuzz show for a few years and in the past I've always enjoyed Shirley as a guest but this show was the worst one I've ever seen. She always made small pro-Mark/Derek/Julianne comments in the past and that's fine because most of the guests have connections with the cast and small biases would peek out from time to time, but this was horrible. Shirley demonstrated exactly why she wasn't hired as a judge in the first place. She's has no business talking about Mark and Sadie if she can't step back from "how much work Mark put in" to talk about the quality of movement. I never want to see her on the aftershow again and I certainly never want to see her as a judge. She was awful.

[truthaboutluv]

Yeah I was really, really surprised by her attitude. Like you said, I've watched her throughout the seasons on the show and have always found her very knowledgeable and honestly, pretty fair and pleasant about everyone. I remember last season, I think she was there after the semifinals or quarterfinals and she said flat out that she'd told Mark, after coming with him for his first rehearsal with Candace that she didn't see Candace making it past Week 4 because she noted how uncoordinated Candace was. This is why I was so surprised when Carrie Ann mentioned Shirley making comments to her after the Halloween episode because I thought that was a little surprising then...apparently not so much. I did like how Anna, almost snarkily went, "but back to the Jive" because yeah it's like that damn Paso was two weeks ago. Let it freaking go...

 

Honestly, the impression I get is that both Mark and Shirley and many of Sadie's fans believe Sadie is better than she actually is. Not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not but I actually don't think Sadie has been so underscored and that seems to be a mantra around online, which is why I know she's not going anywhere because people are probably voting like mad for her so they can "right the wrongs" from the judges. While I can concede the 7's for the Paso was a little low, like I noted above, I wouldn't have given it more than an 8 because her technique was not great. The jive, I was happy to see Shirley admit that the flicks and kicks weren't so great and even add that Sadie was slightly ahead of the music so her scores were fair.

 

I think her rumba was beautiful but it was more lyrical than technically perfect so I can understand why Julianne and Bruno gave it 8's but she also got a 9 and 10 for it. The Week 2 country jazz was not great in my opinion and the judges all loved their Samba. About the only week I'd say that I thought they were underscored, was for their Viennese Waltz (movie week) and I think it was more glaring since I felt both Janel and Bethany were way overscored with those perfect scores. That being said, I was confused for half of the VW and kept thinking it was a Foxtrot, which Anna mentioned that week on the Afterbuzz show. 

 

And I've been noticing a lot of outrage about Sadie's scores is also being channeled into hate at Bethany and accusations of her being overscored which might explain that shade Shirley threw Derek's way. When the thing is, again possibly unpopular, but I think Bethany has improved in her technique by miles and is the better dancer than Sadie. In my opinion, Sadie is cute and perky and from the beginning she came out selling everything Mark gave her and was the little performing star. And that's great but seems to me that her technique hit a wall along the way as well. While Bethany who started tentative and just doing enough to get by got more and more confident to where she's now both selling the performances and dancing it technically well. So for all that Derek gets accused of coasting or not doing enough, clearly at some point he was teaching Bethany because she didn't learn that technique on her own.

 

I also rolled my eyes at Shirley bringing up Sadie's having no dance experience like that should count for more against the Alfonso's and Janel's I guess. And frankly those excuses never work for me on any season because this is what the show is and always has been, which is why I've said it multiple times, it will never be completely fair. Yes, you can argue that what she's doing is so amazing because she has zero experience unlike others but well Tommy Chong is being asked to do the same dances at 76, that a bunch of teenagers and 20 something year olds are doing. 

[tarotx]

I get Shirley to a degree. All the other Contestants have dance experience. Even Beth. Though 6th and 7th grade cheer jazz hip hop isn't really going to give her any advantage or anything. And Tommy forgets most of everything but Peta can get him to move well when she's communicating with him. 

 

I think Sadie is doing great. I like her dances better than Janel and of course Tommy's though Peta has used his swag to her advantage. I think Mark is doing a good Job with Sadie and Derek with Beth. I personally think Janel could be better but I like Val (loved him with Zendaya and his Argentine Tango with Meryl was my fav dance last season) so I'm not sure what the problem I'm having with her. I see her potential but I'm not really enjoying her. And I am everybody else. Even Lea. Though I do agree that she has sexed it up since the switch up and I don't think she was 100% confident with it. She tried to make it a character but being herself at the same time life her tryhard or needy. I actually think she would have done better with Tony. I love Artem though...

 

What I don't get is Shirley's passion here? I get that she thinks Mark is being undeserved. I think she believes that Mark always delivers but isn't treated like he does.  He has interesting choreography and gets his partner to go all out but is treated like a second class choreographer?  I do kind of agree that Mark is treated like that but perhaps it's because everybody knows music is his real passion so they don't take him as passionate. I don't know but Shirley was overboard and I've never seen her like this ever. 

[katha]

I thought Shirley wasn't any worse than the various troupe dancers they have on who always insist that everything was lovely, everyone is getting along great and everybody danced super well! No, really! That's also bias, just a different kind of bias. This is where a stronger host would come in handy: Shirley was clearly angry and came in with an agenda. I know they all have much respect for her achievements etc., but don't let yourself get totally overwhelmed like that. Cut her off if she's going on too long, talking about irrelevant things etc. If you're not up to the task of doing that, you'll get overrun by forceful panelists like that. IMO Shirley was all right, bias and all, but she shouldn't have been given so much room. She presented her opinion, that's all, but because the others didn't really dare go against her it became one-sided. That's on them, more than on her.

 

But then, I also think Sadie is somewhat underscored. Or, more accurately, her marks are probably about right while others around her are getting overscored. The foxtrot is the first time she got the benefit of the doubt from the judges IMO. Is that some great drama? Nah, it's a wacky reality show. None of it has to make any sense. I know Shirley and Mark are too close to the situation and too wrapped up in it all, but I wish they would remember that. I also have a hunch that the way the judges have arguably been pretty strict on some of her dances...or at least the perception created that they are hard on her? That might majorly backfire...I have a suspicion that she taps into a voter base that would be all fired up about perceived slights and go to town with that persecution complex. Or none of that is true and I'm totally off-base, LOL.

[howmanywords]

Honestly, the impression I get is that both Mark and Shirley and many of Sadie's fans believe Sadie is better than she actually is. Not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not but I actually don't think Sadie has been so underscored and that seems to be a mantra around online, which is why I know she's not going anywhere because people are probably voting like mad for her so they can "right the wrongs" from the judges. While I can concede the 7's for the Paso was a little low, like I noted above, I wouldn't have given it more than an 8 because her technique was not great. The jive, I was happy to see Shirley admit that the flicks and kicks weren't so great and even add that Sadie was slightly ahead of the music so her scores were fair.

I like to frequent Twitter while DWTS is on and boy do I roll my eyes a lot.  I have teen daughters, I know how they are.  A term they love to throw around is "so and so is LITERALLY PERFECT". Not just perfect, "literally perfect". And while I can normally chuckle at it, hearing that term tossed around so often by the young people watching the show drive me nuts.  Sadie fans are very guilty of this, but Bethany's young fans too I see it with often (the ones who you can tell just how young they are).  No matter what they do, everything is perfect!  Every dance is literally perfect! I think all of the remaining contestants have their fans who CAN be objective but I wonder how many of the fans can't even realize when a mistake is made or poor technique.  While I do think sometimes the judges piled it on a little thick with Sadie I havent been of the line of thinking that she constantly underscored.  Maybe a week or two I felt that but not every single week. In fact I think the trio dance was overscored.  I mostly get annoyed when 9's are given despite flaws (which is there is nothing wrong with IMO ) and its still never enough. As for Shirley, well her bias has come though loud and clear this week.

Edited November 14, 2014 by howmanywords

[Uke]

I like to frequent Twitter while DWTS is on and boy do I roll my eyes a lot.  I have teen daughters, I know how they are.  A term they love to throw around is "so and so is LITERALLY PERFECT". Not just perfect, "literally perfect". And while I can normally chuckle at it, hearing that term tossed around so often by the young people watching the show drive me nuts.  Sadie fans are very guilty of this, but Bethany's young fans too I see it with often (the ones who you can tell just how young they are).  No matter what they do, everything is perfect!  Every dance is literally perfect! I think all of the remaining contestants have their fans who CAN be objective but I wonder how many of the fans can't even realize when a mistake is made or poor technique.  

 

I remember when I first discovered DWTS midway through season 5.  I'd never seen dancing like this and I was just dazzled. Everything was ooooooh and ahhhhhh. I had no idea what a cha cha was or a tango or rumba, etc.  But hey, I've seen Cinderella and Disney movies so I certainly knew what a "perfect" waltz was. Ha!

 

 I've rarely missed a show since. But it took a season or two for me to develop an eye for what's good and what's not-so-good (apart from extreme examples of bad) and over time I learned to notice the details of hands and feet and posture.  I think Sadie's, Bethany's, Zendaya's, etc. youth fans kind of have the same experience. They see their icon whirling and twirling across the floor and are dazzled with the "literally perfect" performance.  They've never watched ballroom or latin dances before and they really don't know what they're looking at. They've never watched DWTS before, probably never will again after their icon is no longer on the show.  They listen to the claptrap from the "judges", thinking they're all experts. The fans celebrate when their opinions are reinforced and go on blast when the judges don't praise their icons.  I'd imagine new adult viewers who are tuning in for some of the better known stars are much the same way, minus the endless tweeting and IG commenting.  Unless you've got some dance training, I doubt new viewers (youth or adult) have a clue about what's good or not-so-good.

 

What make my eyes roll is when exuberant or trash-talking fans urge pros to go over to SYTYCD and compete there.

[CED9]

I've never seen Shirley like that before. Makes me rethink my stance on her being unbiased enough to be a judge. Benefit of the doubt that it could've just been a bad day in general for her, maybe.

In terms of DWTS Afterbuzz in general, the person, currently employed by the show, who I find to be the most honest, but fair at critiquing is Sharna. She knows her stuff way more than I had given her credit for before I watched her on this. It makes me want her to get a real contender, because other than Charlie, she's been relegated to babysitter just as much as Emma. Give them both contenders next season, damn it.

[truthaboutluv]

This is where a stronger host would come in handy: Shirley was clearly angry and came in with an agenda. I know they all have much respect for her achievements etc., but don't let yourself get totally overwhelmed like that. Cut her off if she's going on too long, talking about irrelevant things etc. If you're not up to the task of doing that, you'll get overrun by forceful panelists like that.

 

 

I definitely agree about Kristen needing to have a firmer hand moderating the show, especially when it comes to controlling the time. And I definitely agree that the panel allowed themselves to be railroaded by Shirley and her agenda to call out the judges as huge massive bullies against poor Mark. Anna tried to get the focus back on Sadie's Jive but she was basically spoken over the entire time by Shirley. Like I said in my first post, that's what I was most uncomfortable with, is the interaction at points with Shirley and Anna. I thought she got unnaturally aggressive and defensive when Anna was trying to make her point about tall girls doing something like the Jive and then it was the same when Anna brought up the music Derek was given for the trio AT. 

 

I've rarely missed a show since. But it took a season or two for me to develop an eye for what's good and what's not-so-good (apart from extreme examples of bad) and over time I learned to notice the details of hands and feet and posture.

 

 

This is me. I've watched the show since the first season and while I'll never act like I'm some expert, seeing some of the styles enough times over the years and watching enough Pro numbers, especially in the earlier seasons, I feel like I have a good understanding of what to look for with each style (save for the random Jazz and Contemporary). Sure the judges may see it differently than I do sometimes and even the Pros but I can still feel like having seen these dance styles so much over the years, I have a good understanding of when something is off or wrong or amazing, etc. 

 

It's also why a long time ago, I forced myself to not look at the Pros during the performances. I never look at the Pro when the celebrities are performing and keep my eyes on the latter. My feeling is I don't need to see what Mark or Derek or Cheryl are doing because they're Pros, chances are they look good. And I feel it's exactly because of this I can say Sadie's hands (not her arms but her palms especially) were driving me crazy in the Foxtrot and why I disagreed with Henry during last week's show when he said Bethany's error in the salsa wasn't a big deal because I thought, I saw her struggle a little getting up from the floor so it was significant enough for me to notice. It's also why while Val owned up to the error in the Quickstep being his fault, all I saw on first watch was that Janel almost faceplanted for a second.

 

Of course all that being said, at the end of the day it's still all subjective like most art is. 

Edited November 14, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[skittl3862]

Shirley Ballas bends over backwards to defend her "boys"- so the fact that even she criticized Bethany's trio is very telling.

 

General Afterbuzz thoughts- Suri bugs me. Considering how often she mentions that she's a dancer, I don't think I've heard her given a single opinion that was based on actual technique. Everything is about how "connected" she feels, or their "journey" or that touchy-feely nonsense. It's a waste of airtime. I can get that kind of useless fangirling from Twitter and Tumblr if I wanted to hear it.

 

I love Anna. I miss her on DWTS, but this is a great use of her abilities off the floor. She would make a great guest judge on the show.

[truthaboutluv]

Shirley Ballas bends over backwards to defend her "boys"- so the fact that even she criticized Bethany's trio is very telling.

 

 

Yeah telling alright...like maybe she's so hot under the collar about Mark, even she's going on the "Derek is favored" bandwagon. I didn't disagree with Shirley not loving the AT because it wasn't my favorite by any means and definitely not my favorite that Derek has done over the seasons. And I actually agreed with her about wanting more of the flicks and the closed/intimate hold between Bethany and each of the guys. And again, the latter was essentially what Carrie Ann said, that she felt the intimacy and connection of the dance was lost a little. 

 

So all that I was totally fine and nodding along with. Where Shirley lost me was how defensive and aggressive she got when Anna brought up the music Derek was given. I don't think that was making an excuse but simply acknowledging that choreographing to the particular song may have factored in with the concept he created and the song truly was by no means, a traditional AT music. But more than that, while I get wanting more of certain aspects of the style, the dance was an AT. There was plenty of AT content in there. But Shirley just went off when Anna mentioned the music about "if you're asked to do an AT, do an AT.." Well he did.

 

And then to throw in that "the judges see a blonde hair and blue eyes."  Yeah no, she completely lost me at that point. I don't know any of these people personally but I'm sorry I don't care how much she says how much she loves him and how much of a pseudo-son he is to her, I side-eye that she would make that kind comment about him. 

 

I do have to agree with the sentiments about Suri. She really is just dead-weight on the show. It feels like she's only there to say "yeah I agree with you guys" or simply dismiss a celebrity/couple if she's just not "feeling" them. She rarely ever goes into specifics of why she may have liked or disliked something. And hell some shows, she comes across like she barely watched the show or any of the dances. Anna and Jake are definitely the ones who give specific comments about each dance.

Edited November 16, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[RemoteControl88]

 

I do have to agree with the sentiments about Suri. She really is just dead-weight on the show. It feels like she's only there so say "yeah I agree with you guys" or simply dismiss a celebrity/couple if she's just not "feeling" them. She rarely ever goes into specifics of why she may have liked or disliked something.

 

Totally agree about Suri.  I often wonder why is she there...what is she contributing to the show?  A few seasons ago it seemed like her purpose was to get inside scoop...mainly through her friendship with Tony.  The show seems to have moved away from that angle especially with the addition of Anna.  

[CED9]

 

General Afterbuzz thoughts- Suri bugs me. Considering how often she mentions that she's a dancer, I don't think I've heard her given a single opinion that was based on actual technique. Everything is about how "connected" she feels, or their "journey" or that touchy-feely nonsense. It's a waste of airtime. I can get that kind of useless fangirling from Twitter and Tumblr if I wanted to hear it.

I was never under the impression that Suri knows ballroom dancing. She seems to have been a (former?) gymnast that became a pro in more of the jazz/ballet/etc type of dance. But I agree with RemoteControl88 that her initial purpose was insider stuff because of her friendship with Tony.

In Suri's defense, I feel like Anna talks so much that they have to rush so Suri doesn't usually get to have a word edgewise beyond "ditto to what everyone else said." Also, I think Suri kind of represents the general DWTS viewer. Doesn't know much about technique, but watches from the standpoint of just wanting to be entertained.

[realdancemom]

I actually didn't mind Shirley's comments on Mark's and Sadie's paso.  She did warn that she was going to be in mama bear and not professional mode.  It sounds like she was more upset that Len dismissed the dance without giving any positive feedback which is true.  Maybe, Mark and she wouldn't have been so upset if his comment was more balanced and he didn't give a 7.  I'm wondering how they would have felt about an 8.

 

I thought she was too harsh when it came to Lea's samba.  All of them were.  I also didn't like the blonde hair/blue eye shade thrown at Derek.  I didn't like the AT trio either but I blame a lot of that on the music.

[truthaboutluv]

Link to this week's show. 

 

 

Well this was certainly far more pleasant that last week's (guess that's what happens when the guest isn't coming in with an agenda) and what do you know, they got through all the dances. Well looks like Suri might have read some comments on here because what do you know, she actually had legitimate thoughts and opinions this week. Although she still couldn't resist the "I'm just not connecting with her." But she at least did talk about Janel's feet and what about them bothered her. I did have to laugh when she mentioned just not connecting with Janel even if she can tell she's doing well because it reminded me of a post I made yesterday talking about that very thing. That this show is largely won on how the contestants connect with viewers and how that translates to viewer votes. And people tastes are so subjective that one person can be awesome to one viewer and totally annoying or boring to another. 

 

I have made my peace with the fact that I will not get the Sadie love. I like Sadie well enough and at the start of the competition, she was killing it for me but I just feel like her technique has stalled for the last few weeks and so I'm always baffled when I hear comments about her lines and was totally confused by Jake talking about how gorgeous her neck and frame was. I swear I re-watch all the dances after the episode airs to make sure I get a second look and I did not see a great frame and posture in that Quickstep from Sadie. She seemed slightly hunched at points and awkward at other parts. But hey, that's the beauty of opinions. 

 

Speaking of Jake, I did crack up at the faces he was making when Kristen was talking about how last season everyone knew it was going to be Meryl and how amazing she was. It makes me wish so badly that he had been available to comment on last season because those faces make me think he may not have been on the Maks and Meryl train. I will say I was vehemently disagreeing with him on that point about how the show is called "'Dancing With the Stars" and so it's not necessarily just about ballroom. Yeah I'm one of the old school fans who love the show being predominantly about ballroom and wants it to stay that way. I'm sorry, if I want to see all other dance styles, I'll watch So You Think You Can Dance. Whether or not the show title says ballroom in it, it was designed as a show about teaching celebrities how to ballroom dance. 
 

Mandy was actually great even though I've harped plenty on my feelings about her doing all the group numbers and my opinion has not changed. But that said I thought she gave some nice insights into the behind the scenes and the process of creating the numbers and while she wasn't particularly harsh to anyone, I thought she did make some constructive criticisms so it wasn't all "everyone was great and I love everyone." I especially loved when she mentioned that Alfonso's injury even hampered Witney's ability to dance as well because ballroom is such a partner style of dance. And I mentioned after the show on Monday that I was distracted by some of Witney's lines in the Argentine Tango because she didn't even look that great which seemed odd to me as she's the Pro. So hearing Mandy say that made so much sense to me. 

Edited November 20, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[PBGamer89]

Suri's talk of how she just doesn't connect with Janel for whatever reason when everyone else loved the dance makes me think she works for PureDWTS considering all that site does is bash Janel unrelentlessly for no reason other than to hate.

[dwtsgueststars]

Suri's talk of how she just doesn't connect with Janel for whatever reason when everyone else loved the dance makes me think she works for PureDWTS considering all that site does is bash Janel unrelentlessly for no reason other than to hate.

It's not that she works for purebs, she's aftraid of backlash. She switched to Janel because she got a lot of hate for saying she doesn't connect with Bethany. BLAH!

No wonder pro numbers sux this season... thank you Mand Moore.

Enjoyed this episode though.

[kitcloudkicker]

I don't know, I kind of get where Suri is coming from, and I liked Mandy Moore's comments on the Janel v Bethany connection that Suri brought up - how Derek trains his stars in a style that's very sharp and precise, and Val tends to go for passion and high difficulty, but maybe slightly less sharp. And thats something I feel like I've seen, Bethany's footwork has become very sharp, and Janel's legs sometimes feel to me a little more...I don't know, spongy almost? Not always fully extended? Which is not to say I don't like Janel's dances, or that Bethany is flawless (she can sometimes give a little more, and Lacey brought up in one of her critiques, she doesn't move her hips as much as she should) but it might break down into which style you prefer. Combined with which personality you like best, because as we all know, it's not just about the dance. If we're judging on that, I don't know if we've seen true vulnerability from Janel. She always seems a little "on" for me. Which I would say is a somewhat subjective call, because I'm sure some people are the reverse and still feel that way about Bethany.

 

That's why I honestly can't tell where they'll actually shake out in the votes, they have different strengths and both have weaknesses. My initial gut was that it would finish with Alfonso on top, Sadie in second, Janel/Bethany fighting for 3rd and 4th. (That reflects a view about how I feel like they're doing with the audience, not my ranking of dance ability, by the way.) But the fact that Alfonso is injured and Sadie seems to have lost some of her sparkle makes me wonder a bit if that's actually going to be the way it finishes.

[RemoteControl88]

The show was better this week and it ran smoother.  I still missed Anna though.  I was very curious to hear Anna's thoughts on Sadie's technique without Mama Ballas shutting her down. haha.

 

I wanted to hear more from Mandy about how sassy ballroom dancers are!  I wish she would try to put more ballroom in the opening numbers. For awhile they started to blend together for me. I just hope she continues to try to be creative and try different things.  Here's hoping.

 

Suri did actually have her own opinion this week, which was refreshing, however................I just can't seem to connect to her.

[truthaboutluv]

and I liked Mandy Moore's comments on the Janel v Bethany connection that Suri brought up - how Derek trains his stars in a style that's very sharp and precise, and Val tends to go for passion and high difficulty, but maybe slightly less sharp.

 

 

I actually cracked up when Mandy said this because I thought clearly she didn't get the memo that Derek never actually teaches his celebrities and instead just uses tricks and props and smoke and mirrors to make it look like they're dancing well. 

 

I wanted to hear more from Mandy about how sassy ballroom dancers are!  I wish she would try to put more ballroom in the opening numbers. For awhile they started to blend together for me. I just hope she continues to try to be creative and try different things.  Here's hoping.

 

 

It's just frustrating hearing her pretty much admit that she barely knows the ballroom terminology and has to describe the steps in random ways and they figure out what she means because it again just begs the question to me of why they didn't get a ballroom expert to do this. Hell what about Louis van Amstel who doesn't really compete on the show anymore or hell even if she bugged me a lot last week, Shirley.

 

And I wasn't surprised to hear her say this because they pretty much confirmed this on the Afterbuzz many shows ago. That often times the Pros fill in the language and specifics of the number because Mandy herself has no training in ballroom. And I like Mandy but I just don't understand using her to choreograph every single Pro number when she has no background in ballroom and it shows because the numbers all seem to blend into each other for me. 

Edited November 20, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[tearbender]

I have no doubt some of the Afterbuzz crew are affiliated with that DWTS hate site.

[kitcloudkicker]

I did like her breaking down some of the production/directoral decisions and considerations - what looks good in a dance vs what looks good on camera. That's a part of the show that I think is really interesting (and why I like that it's not a straight dance competition and more a total package competition - the entire process and presentation, camera angles and story, makes it more interesting for me.) But anyway I think that's probably why she's hired - she's good breaking that stuff down, and good at getting it from stage to screen. That said, I do wish she'd mix it up a bit and let some other people take a crack. Maybe even as a collaboration.

[RemoteControl88]

I have no doubt some of the Afterbuzz crew are affiliated with that DWTS hate site.

I doubt that.  Only b/c whenever Suri, Kristyn or Jake have even the slightest critique for Derek or his choreo they go after all of them hardcore.  I do think Suri's opinions changes with the colors of the wind and she is often worried about not pissing off any fan base.  I appreciate that for the most part Jake, Kristyn & Anna like what they like and will stand by their opinions.

 

But one thing that irks me is Kristyn will often say "many of the fans think xyz" and it seems her reference point is that 1 site. I have noticed though that recently she is acknowledging that the source is biased.

[truthaboutluv]

I have watched the show for three seasons now and have seen nothing that proves they're affiliated with PureDWTS. Yes Suri loves Derek but she's always owned that and despite her being a fan of his, she wasn't as in love with Amber like Jake was and totally backed a Corbin win and she was downright negative and dismissive of Bethany for at least the first four weeks of the show.

She has also raved for multiple seasons now about Val's choreography. Which speaking of, just as with Amber when Jake alone picked her to win over Corbin, he alone picked Kellie to win while Suri, Kristyn and Anna all had Zendaya for the win.

I think Kristyn works very hard at appearing neutral in my opinion, to the point that she can seem at times almost too positive about everyone. And I'm sorry, Anna has no bias towards anyone. Jake, like Suri, has been open about loving Derek's work but I think he gives very fair and constructive comments about all the couples.

Edited November 20, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Uke]

I have watched the show for three seasons now and have seen nothing that proves they're affiliated with PureDWTS.

 

 

Affiliated, no, but Kristyn does occasionally post in their comments on various blogs and since I'm pretty sure she's one of their "sources" for rumors, they try to quell any criticism by other commenters towards Kristyn and crew. I'd call it more of a friendly line of communication moreso than any official connection. (I'm not a member, btw, I just read some of their stuff).

[vibeology]

Does anyone know who Mandy is helping with the freestyle? I know she said she helps everyone, but who are the rumours about? Not that I think getting Mandy's help is a big plus; the opening numbers haven't been any great shakes and she's pretty hit or miss on SYTYCD too, but I'm curious about what fanbase is calling foul.

 

When they were talking opening numbers and Mandy brought up Jessie J, I honestly have no idea what that number looked like other than Jessie J was there. That was not memorable. I do remember BO$$ but this other number, nope. I really wish there was more ballroom in the opening numbers and less Mandy in general.

[radishcake]

Please watch the comments about that other site. They do their thing we do ours.

[CED9]

I actually cracked up when Mandy said this because I thought clearly she didn't get the memo that Derek never actually teaches his celebrities and instead just uses tricks and props and smoke and mirrors to make it look like they're dancing well.

It's just frustrating hearing her pretty much admit that she barely knows the ballroom terminology and has to describe the steps in random ways and they figure out what she means because it again just begs the question to me of why they didn't get a ballroom expert to do this. Hell what about Louis van Amstel who doesn't really compete on the show anymore or hell even if she bugged me a lot last week, Shirley.

And I wasn't surprised to hear her say this because they pretty much confirmed this on the Afterbuzz many shows ago. That often times the Pros fill in the language and specifics of the number because Mandy herself has no training in ballroom. And I like Mandy but I just don't understand using her to choreograph every single Pro number when she has no background in ballroom and it shows because the numbers all seem to blend into each other for me.

Last season when Artem and Jenna were guests on AfterBuzz, they said that the main reason (in their opinion) that Mandy did the opening numbers was because of ego wrangling and refusing to put up with the pros crap.

[truthaboutluv]

Does anyone know who Mandy is helping with the freestyle? I know she said she helps everyone, but who are the rumours about?

I think the rumor is that she's helping Val and some people were crying foul on that.

Last season when Artem and Jenna were guests on AfterBuzz, they said that the main reason (in their opinion) that Mandy did the opening numbers was because of ego wrangling and refusing to put up with the pros crap.

Yes, I have heard this repeatedly and I say what I always say everytime I read it, I cannot believe there isn't one ballroom trained choreographer than can get all these people to work together. Especially as has been noted, they were able to come up with many Pro numbers for the Results Show in seasons past when they had a Results Show. And most of these were done by the Pros competing on the show.

Edited November 20, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[kayma]

Last season when Artem and Jenna were guests on AfterBuzz, they said that the main reason (in their opinion) that Mandy did the opening numbers was because of ego wrangling and refusing to put up with the pros crap.

I think this sentence is more interesting than the afterbuzz show this week.

 

I liked Mandy on the show. I thought she provided good insight and was a nice balance to the noncommittal comments from the others even if she didn't ultimately pick her favorites. At least she could compare and contrast the couples. As someone who watches without any knowledge of dance or technique, I like that she could actually give informed opinions on the dances. I like having Anna there because she can talk to the differences in technique, content, ability more than the others.

 

I really liked that Mandy said the frame in Bethany's dance was brilliant because it hid her constrained movements but also made the caveat that fixing the constrained motion takes years. It was a nice balance of they're hiding her problems (which Derek should try to do) and it's understandable that she's not perfect. I think she said something similar about Janel, too - that they are not dancers and nit picking them is easy so she tries to look at the dance as a whole. I also liked that she said one of the dances deserved tens since others had gotten tens. She seemed honest without being biased or overly critical.

 

Since Mandy is apparently big in contemporary, I would have liked her take on the contemporary dances through the season. They don't seem to do a comparison of the couples for the same dance to same dance but I'd like to know how one's salsa/samba/waltz/etc stacked up content and technique-wise to another's done in a different week. Of course, I'd like to have a little more comparison each week between the couples instead of talking about each one in isolation until they bring up some disgruntled fans.

[kitcloudkicker]

I really liked that Mandy said the frame in Bethany's dance was brilliant because it hid her constrained movements but also made the caveat that fixing the constrained motion takes years. It was a nice balance of they're hiding her problems (which Derek should try to do) and it's understandable that she's not perfect. I think she said something similar about Janel, too - that they are not dancers and nit picking them is easy so she tries to look at the dance as a whole. I also liked that she said one of the dances deserved tens since others had gotten tens. She seemed honest without being biased or overly critical.

 

I've liked this about what I've seen from Lacey's critiques from the behind the scenes show too. She's able to point out things like, for example, "the footwork here is impressively precise for the level of difficulty in the dance, but her skirt is doing all the work on the hip movement, and she's really not moving them the way she should be," and points out things like awkward frames and why it looks awkward, which is interesting for me as a nondancer to hear. She also tends to break things down into, "Well on technique it'd be a 9 but the performance level is at a 10, so it's a tossup which the judge decides to score on." (Honestly, I can see how that'd be a hard decision, and quickly feel inconsistent.) 

 

I liked hearing Mandy's perspective on the contemporary too, because I feel like from the ballroom dancers there's this attitude that it's a bit of a "freebie" dance where you get away with whatever on technique. When no, to someone trained in it, there's a lot of it and it's not easy to get right. 

[RemoteControl88]

Does anyone know who Mandy is helping with the freestyle? 

 

I don't think anybody knows....yet.  But speaking of Mandy...did she choreograph Maks & Erin's freestyle?  I heard that somewhere but I can't remember if that is true.  Anybody know for sure?

[RemoteControl88]

I've liked this about what I've seen from Lacey's critiques from the behind the scenes show too. She's able to point out things like, for example, "the footwork here is impressively precise for the level of difficulty in the dance, but her skirt is doing all the work on the hip movement, and she's really not moving them the way she should be," and points out things like awkward frames and why it looks awkward, which is interesting for me as a nondancer to hear. She also tends to break things down into, "Well on technique it'd be a 9 but the performance level is at a 10, so it's a tossup which the judge decides to score on." (Honestly, I can see how that'd be a hard decision, and quickly feel inconsistent.) 

I've only seen Lacey critique 1 time.  It's too hard to watch live and all access.  But I liked her input as well, from what I've seen.  Technique is cut and dry...it's either good or bad.  I like looking at a dance objectively.  Factoring out - the pro, the costume, lighting etc.  Just breaking it down to the actual dance.  I tend to respect a person's opinion a bit more when they are at least objective about what they are seeing.  That's why I like Anna on the panel and Lacey is great as well.

[truthaboutluv]

I don't think anybody knows....yet.  But speaking of Mandy...did she choreograph Maks & Erin's freestyle?  I heard that somewhere but I can't remember if that is true.  Anybody know for sure?

 

 

Yeah she did. Erin I believe was the one who wanted to do some contemporary style freestyle and Maks brought in Mandy to help because obviously he didn't know what he was doing in that style. 

[kitcloudkicker]

I've only seen Lacey critique 1 time.  It's too hard to watch live and all access.  But I liked her input as well, from what I've seen.  Technique is cut and dry...it's either good or bad.  I like looking at a dance objectively.  Factoring out - the pro, the costume, lighting etc.  Just breaking it down to the actual dance.  I tend to respect a person's opinion a bit more when they are at least objective about what they are seeing.  That's why I like Anna on the panel and Lacey is great as well.

 

Yeah, I've only stumbled across it on youtube when fans screen record it and post it - but the access is spotty. It tends to be Derek fans with the occasional Val fans who are the most into it, unless I just haven't found the other ones. But here's a sample from Bethany's samba. (Her cohost is way annoying). 

 

[mmpat]

It's a shame that all of those All Access segments aren't posted somewhere.  I can't see them live because I have to record the show and watch it later.  I would rather hear Lacey's comments than the judges. 

[RemoteControl88]

100% agree about the co-host.  Lacey actually knows the pro's and has more of a connection to the show so I'd rather hear what she has to say.  Usually she has to give up her seat to let him talk though.  More Lacey....less whatshisface.  He's good for some random games though.

[RemoteControl88]

Back to the Afterbuzz show....did anyone see or know about the frame dance from the Move Live tour with Julianne & Derek?  I didn't know what dance Kristyn was referring to.

 

Also in re-reading my earlier comments...I have a lot of Anna love going on.  I must point out that the love wains when she get's off topic or starts to ramble.  One afterbuzz episode that brings tears to my eyes (from laughter) is when Victor Ortiz was on.  The entire show he was lost in space rambling on and on and on and on. I seriously wanted Kristyn to shut off his mic.

[classique]

Back to the Afterbuzz show....did anyone see or know about the frame dance from the Move Live tour with Julianne & Derek?

 

 

             It was a dance with Julianne and the male back-up dancers where they used frames.

[truthaboutluv]

Final episode of the season:

 

 

Decent show but honestly I was a little bored. I missed Jake. I'm glad for him that he's getting work and he's busy but sucks for me because I usually love his opinions. Anna almost seemed a little bored to me. She had some good comments (and her shade at the end of the show towards Maks about last season was hilarious) but honestly at times I felt it was like pulling teeth for Kirstyn to get something out of the three. Serge completely bores me and I feel like he has nothing really significant to add to the discussion. The only thing I did agree with him on was that none of the fusion dances were particularly great. I did think Janel and Val's was good and agreed with Anna about her technique but the music was so god-awful, it took me out of the number. 

 

I did find their comments about Bethany's freestyle to be interesting and it's probably because that's one of the only dances they spent the most time on. I sort of got what Anna was saying but shockingly agreed with Suri in that Derek did play to Bethany's strengths with the number, because all the dances she'd truly excelled at had been the powerful and dynamic dances like the Tango, Paso Doble, Argentine Tango and even the Hip Hop with Mark.

 

Also, the first time I watched the dance, I focused solely on Bethany because I like to only watch the celebrity since they are the ones being judged. But the other time I watched it, I paid more attention to the entire production and the movement and choreography of the troupe and found it to be really brilliant. It really was a visually gorgeous number. The other thing that stood out to me was Kristyn stating that while they were frustrated from wanting more from Bethany at the start of the season, that perhaps that was part of Derek's strategy.

 

And I actually had that same thought watching her final number because back in Week 2 or 3 of the season, even I made a comment that Derek seemed tired and maybe he wasn't as inspired and motivated by Bethany. But looking back on it, I think maybe it had to do with the fact that he knew he couldn't give her too much too soon because she was still so removed and closed off. And that was smart because better to do something clean and simple that she nails than throw a bunch of stuff and she's horrible at it. So I think he probably paced it throughout the season, giving her a little more every week, pushing her a little harder every week to it culminating in her standing up on her own, clad in full on black leather looking like a fierce warrior princess. 

 

It was interesting hearing how stressful things were for Janel and Val and I do feel bad for them because that sucks to get that far and on the final hurdle everything that could go wrong seemed to with her injury and the lack of practice time. So I do sympathize and applaud her pulling off both of those dances with that rib injury but I cannot lie and pretend that I still don't think the freestyle was predictable and uninteresting. I was surprised that Anna called out his possibly following Maks' strategy with Meryl last season and while I get what they were saying about them playing to their strength with the chemistry, there are other ways to play to chemistry that's not an overwrought contemporary. 

 

I knew it was too good to be true for me to agree with Suri because during the discussion of Sadie's 24-Hour fusion she comes with this bonehead "she just looked like a professional out there to me." Seriously...Sadie, looked like a professional. This right after Anna had just again stated how Sadie actually did not have great musicality and so for most of the season she was never really on time with the music and Sadie herself all but admitted this on GMA when she said Mark had to make up little songs so she could remember her timing better and know exactly when to do each step. But Suri says Sadie looked like a professional in her fusion dance. No words...Anna's "wtf" face when she said that was hilarious.

 

The most interesting part of the show was Anna revealing that Mark and Val were pissed about losing. I don't know how I feel about that. I understand that these people are all competitive, I get that they want to win and so I'm fine with being disappointed but being full on pissed makes it seem like they felt they were robbed or their loss was unfair and that's bullshit in my opinion.

 

Mark needed to take several seats this season as far as I'm concerned because in my opinion, on dance ability alone, Sadie should have been fourth. And while Janel was a worthy opponent to Alfonso, this isn't Val's first rodeo as they would say. He should know by now that this show is not just about dancing and is won largely on personality and enough people liking the celebrity and liking their journey.

Edited November 27, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[skittl3862]

Actually Anna said Mark and Derek were pissed, and then included Val in subsequent sentence. It was at minute 47.

 

Ugh Suri. We get it, Derek is "your boy". But I don't see a conspiracy with the producers colluding to remove him early because he's won more often. Of the final four, Bethany and Sadie were the lesser dancers and Bethany didn't have the fan base Sadie did. It made sense and nearly everyone knew it was a toss-up between those two girls ever since they announced the final four. Who does she think the producers picked over Bethany? It's not like Bethany was cut while Alfonso, Tommy and Michael made it to the finals. It wouldn't even have mattered- Alfonso was going to win whether Derek was in the final 3 or not.

 

Really glad Anna called Derek out for the freestyle being more about him than Bethany. I get that she's better at the pop-and-lock style, but the black leather military thing isn't her at all, it's Derek. It's a serious, serious stretch to suggest the military number has anything to do with overcoming bullying, like Kristin tried to twist it.

 

I didn't even know Cheryl was leaving for real until they mentioned it. I can't believe in the 3 hours, the finale couldn't have had even a passing mention of a 18-season veteran leaving.

[truthaboutluv]

Actually Anna said Mark and Derek were pissed, and then included Val in subsequent sentence. It was at minute 47.

 

 

Yes but I am pretty sure Derek's name was a slip and she meant Mark and Val because when she repeated the statement, she said Mark and Val, not Mark, Val and Derek were all pissed. On top of that, Derek doesn't make any sense because Anna was in studio on Tuesday for the big night finale. Derek got eliminated on Monday night, unless the claim is he was somehow still pissed about his elimination the night before.

 

And I definitely don't buy that because there was enough footage of Derek after his and Bethany's elimination that does not show him upset in any way, which is why most people were sure he had a feeling it was coming. Derek is not that good of an actor that if he was seething over his elimination, he would have hid it that well during all the press they did that night. On top of that, there were comments from Val's supporters that clearly showed how disappointed and upset they were, and some media people confirmed Mark's being upset after the finale. So I'm pretty sure she was talking about  Mark and Val. 

 

Ugh Suri. We get it, Derek is "your boy". But I don't see a conspiracy with the producers colluding to remove him early because he's won more often.

 

 

I don't think she suggested in any way that there was a conspiracy by the producers but that rather people didn't vote as much for Bethany as others partly because Derek has won so much. And considering the amount of anti-Derek sentiment I see online, that's not that crazy of an opinion. Like if I was going to be on DWTS, I think I would be torn between wanting Derek or Val as my partner. Val because he is an amazing choreographer but a bit too intense for my liking and Derek because he clearly knows how to win the show but at the same time I'd feel like who the hell would want to vote for the guy who's won 5 times. 

 

It's a serious, serious stretch to suggest the military number has anything to do with overcoming bullying, like Kristin tried to twist it.

 

 

I think she was going by how Derek himself described the concept and meaning behind the dance on Monday night. 

Edited November 27, 2014 by truthaboutluv