Afterbuzz Show: DWTS

[Uke]

It was a rather dull episode this week.  Two things stuck out for me.

1. They are confused by Allison and Andy not having a connection or a chemistry. Besides being exhausted from travelling (I, too, hadn't realized Andy was still touring.), they could just not figure out what the problem is and the obvious didn't seem to occur to them.  Andy is eager to learn and doesn't understand why he's not getting better reviews. Meanwhile I'd guess Allison is frustrated because Andy is a complete beginner and maybe isn't learning as fast as Riker did.

 

2. Keo talking about teaching Chaka, he had to use visual cues for left and right because she would get confused.  In rehearsal he would use something on his wrist so she would know which way to turn but then not use the cues that she had come to depend on during her dances on the show.  It all sounded very confusing but I got the impression that maybe Chaka had directional dyslexia. Or maybe Keo is just confusing when he gives choreographic instruction.

 

Also, Keo talking about how he really is a prince. He thinks DWTS will air his story this season.

[spanana]

Chaka might not have been easy to teach, but I don't think Keo is a great teacher either.  One of the more experienced pros would have had an easier time getting through to her.

 

I know I've entered an alternate reality when I find myself agreeing with Suri and not the others.

Edited September 30, 2015 by spanana

[RemoteControl88]

He never is. Keo is one of the most disappointing and boring guests in my opinion. You would expect him to be insightful or have something relevant to say as a dancer AND a Pro but he's as useless as Suri for crying out loud. 

Agree.

"I was like....whoa.........damn..........get it girl."   Is NOT an actual critique of ballroom dancing.

[Uke]

Chaka might not have been easy to teach, but I don't think Keo is a great teacher either.  One of the more experienced pros would have had an easier time getting through to her.

 

I know I've entered an alternate reality when I find myself agreeing with Suri and not the others.

 

I think a more experienced pro would have worked and experimented and found a way for getting though to her.

[vibeology]

The way they danced around the Andy/Alison problem was hilarious. He doesn't look polished because she doesn't look polished. I love contemporary dancing Alison but she just doesn't have the depth of training in Latin and Ballroom to be a pro. And she's been fortunate to get good dancers so far. If she gets Gary in the switch up (please make this happen Twitter) her total lack of skills will be undeniable.

As for Keo when he was taking about the bracelet to help Chaka with left and right, what I couldn't figure out is why not use it on performance night. If Louis can talk Paula through her entire dance, why not slap a bracelet on her right wrist week after week to help her out?

[Avidviewer]

S21 - Week 4

 

 

 

[anony mouse]

Didn't Keo complain about Charlotte not knowing right from left either? I'm thinking the problem is him and not the students.

[smiley13]

Didn't Keo complain about Charlotte not knowing right from left either? I'm thinking the problem is him and not the students.

Somehow with Charlotte,  I believe she did not know right from left.

[just prin]

Keo only knows how to get right in front of everybody else and how never to be left out of camera view. ;)

[truthaboutluv]

Good show but two things:

 

You know at this point I just try to ignore Jake and his whole "it's not Dancing With The Ballroom Stars" crap but WTAF was he going on about with Alison bringing something new and fresh to the show? Like what - over-dancing and out-dancing her celebrity every time, making every dance at one frantic pace and finally, not actually teaching them the basics of ballroom? Again, Jake and company really need to get a clue and someone should educate them on the ratings right now and no, more of Alison's "fresh style" is not what the show needs. People watched the show to see celebrities learning to ballroom dance and I do feel like the majority of the viewers still invested, want to see that.

 

It's fine to put fresh spins on the ballroom styles but that works when the Pro actually know what the hell they're doing ballroom wise. See someone like Mark. Mark can throw crazy stuff in and experiment with stuff because guess what, he can actually teach his celebrities basic ballroom technique and then shake it up with something clever. Alison cannot and I have seen nothing new and fresh she's added to this show. I can't think of one dance Alison's choreographed that's just been inventive and amazing. So again, what the hell is Jake talking about?

 

And keeping along that vein, were they serious about Andy's scores being a bit too low? Dude DID NOT do a Cha Cha. Jake even admitted it at one point but then is like "well whatever..." And I don't care that 9's were flying around because in both Hayes and Nick's cases for example, they did a Contemporary and Jazz respectively. That is not the same as being assigned a Cha Cha with very specific requirements. For crying out loud, Paula's Cha Cha had more content than whatever that was Andy did. All I remember of that dance was Alison whipping herself around a lot as she often does, her doing a few recognizable Cha Cha steps and Andy just kind of bouncing around after her on the dance floor. 

Edited October 7, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[katha]

Yeah, I think Allison's choreo is totally unimaginative because she doesn't have the ballroom basics to make it interesting. She also only has one pace: Frantic. Riker made all of that look good, Andy can't. And tbh I would have been totally fine with Andy getting the same scores that Paula got, because yes, she actually had cha cha content. Andy didn't. Of course that's not Andy's fault. But the way the show keeps pushing Allison, has apparently forbidden the judges to say anything about her various issues and the way her various connections in the dance world are defending her even though it's clear she's not really fitting on DWTS...sigh.

[ocelot]

I don't think Allison can be blamed for the bad ratings. The way people watch TV is changing, in 10 years I doubt it will even be recognizable. Ratings will go down, there's nothing they can do about it, young people don't watch live TV and the older people who do are going to die (eventually).

 

I can't blame the panel for being honest about how they feel. They are not ballroom dancers. Ballroom dance exists in a different sphere from most professional dancers in America/LA. The show is trying to make up for that, with their recent hiring practices and bad attempts at anything outside the ballroom umbrella. I think a more appropriate complaint if we don't like those comments from afterbuzz hosts would be to get people who are ballroom dancers/care about ballroom dance. Not to force the contemporary dancers to care.

And keeping along that vein, were they serious about Andy's scores being a bit too low? Dude DID NOT do a Cha Cha. Jake even admitted it at one point but then is like "well whatever..." And I don't care that 9's were flying around because in both Hayes and Nick's cases for example, they did a Contemporary and Jazz respectively. That is not the same as being assigned a Cha Cha with very specific requirements. For crying out loud, Paula's Cha Cha had more content than whatever that was Andy did. All I remember of that dance was Alison whipping herself around a lot as she often does, her doing a few recognizable Cha Cha steps and Andy just kind of bouncing around after her on the dance floor. 

I mean this is the whole point though. There are 9s and 10s given CONSTANTLY to really bad contemporaries and jazzes that are often not even recognizable as the genre they are pretending to be. If they can do that, why can't they do the same to the cha chas? Is where Jake is coming from, as a contemporary dancer watching people do a terrible job to his genre and get nothing but rave reviews.

[truthaboutluv]

I don't think Allison can be blamed for the bad ratings. The way people watch TV is changing, in 10 years I doubt it will even be recognizable. Ratings will go down, there's nothing they can do about it, young people don't watch live TV and the older people who do are going to die (eventually).

 

 

I never suggested Alison was to blame for the show's ratings. My point was that Jake's whole "she's adding something fresh to the show" is bogus when you consider the ratings still are what they are. No, that's not on Alison but the suggestion that she's bringing something fresh and exciting is apparently clearly not translating to ratings since the ratings are still down. I don't blame any Pro for the show's ratings. I have said repeatedly that this show has been on 10 years. The fact that it is even still around and getting the ratings that it is, is pretty damn impressive. 

 

I can't blame the panel for being honest about how they feel. They are not ballroom dancers. Ballroom dance exists in a different sphere from most professional dancers in America/LA. The show is trying to make up for that, with their recent hiring practices and bad attempts at anything outside the ballroom umbrella. I think a more appropriate complaint if we don't like those comments from afterbuzz hosts would be to get people who are ballroom dancers/care about ballroom dance. Not to force the contemporary dancers to care.

 

 

I'm not trying to force them to care about anything and I am not asking anyone not to say what they want to say. But the point of the thread is we comment on these opinions. And my opinion on Jake's whole attitude with regards to the show being predominantly ballroom is he's full of shit. No, they don't have to care but again this show has been on for 10 years. You know what it is, you know what you're going to get and whether or not it ever had ballroom in the title, it was always billed and promoted as teaching celebrities ballroom dancing. Strictly Come Dancing, the mother show of this franchise, doesn't have ballroom in its title. So my point is, no, they don't have to care but I am entitled to get annoyed at Jake's attitude about a show that's been this way from the beginning. If he's not interested in ballroom and only care about contemporary and jazz, then go discuss a show that that's the focus. 

 

I mean this is the whole point though. There are 9s and 10s given CONSTANTLY to really bad contemporaries and jazzes that are often not even recognizable as the genre they are pretending to be. If they can do that, why can't they do the same to the cha chas? Is where Jake is coming from, as a contemporary dancer watching people do a terrible job to his genre and get nothing but rave reviews.

 

 

For the record, I would be more than happy to have contemporary and jazz be eliminated from the regular dance styles because the fact is none of the judges are fully able to judge the technical elements of those styles and again, I don't blame them because that's not what the show is and was. And I'm sorry, I'm not trying to offend the sensibilities of any contemporary/jazz purists but no, it's not the same when judging a Cha Cha that has strict and specific steps you have to do. And when those steps are never done by the celebrity, then you didn't do a Cha Cha. And Andy, did not do a Cha Cha. I'm not talking about Andy's technique of the Cha Cha steps and whether his legs were straight enough or his arms extended enough, etc. I'm saying I did not even see the steps attempted because they were not in the choreography. 

[ocelot]

 

But the point of the thread is we comment on these opinions. And my opinion on Jake's whole attitude with regards to the show being predominantly ballroom is he's full of shit. No, they don't have to care but again this show has been on for 10 years. You know what it is, you know what you're going to get and whether or not it ever had ballroom in the title, it was always billed and promoted as teaching celebrities ballroom dancing. Strictly Come Dancing, the mother show of this franchise, doesn't have ballroom in its title. So my point is, no, they don't have to care but I am entitled to get annoyed at Jake's attitude about a show that's been this way from the beginning.

 

I know the thread is titled Afterbuzz Show. I often see you guys complaining about what Jake and others say, so I was adding my opinion about why I think it's understandable. Strictly Come Dancing is from England, where ballroom dancing is far more popular than contemporary/jazz dancing so like the opposite of this country. It doesn't translate directly, imo. And yes you're entitled to get annoyed, I was just trying to add a different perspective.

 

 

For the record, I would be more than happy to have contemporary and jazz be eliminated from the regular dance styles because the fact is none of the judges are fully able to judge the technical elements of those styles and again, I don't blame them because that's not what the show is and was. And I'm sorry, I'm not trying to offend the sensibilities of any contemporary/jazz purists but no, it's not the same when judging a Cha Cha that has strict and specific steps you have to do. And when those steps are never done by the celebrity, then you didn't do a Cha Cha. And Andy, did not do a Cha Cha. I'm not talking about Andy's technique of the Cha Cha steps and whether his legs were straight enough or his arms extended enough, etc. I'm saying I did not even see the steps attempted because they were not in the choreography.

 

I would be very happy to not have them on the show either, trust me. Elated. And you don't have to be sorry for your opinion, but should maybe remember that that's what it is and not a fact. I can tell you that the contemporary and jazz done on this show is a literal disgrace, and I try not to be that openly negative because I enjoy the show for what it is, but I will put it out there when I see this kind of attitude. And I also find it like endlessly hilarious how dwts fans alway, like without fail, talk about ARM extensions in contemporary like that kills me. Probably because the judges like always mention it in their 'critiques' for no discernible reason.

[RemoteControl88]

The positive of Anna being eliminated is that I pray she comes back to discuss actual technique. I miss Len on the judging panel too...because honestly he would have called out Allison & Andy for that complete non cha cha. 

 

Suri & Jake are completely blinded by their friendship/love for Allison to actually address the issues in that routine. I appreciate Darvina who had no problem calling out Keo and is also critical of Mark when need be.  I wish Suri & Jake would do the same. 

[truthaboutluv]

The positive of Anna being eliminated is that I pray she comes back to discuss actual technique.

 

 

Suri said she spoke to Anna after her and Gary's elimination and Anna said she would be back in a few weeks.

[Uke]

Well that was a pretty useless episode of AfterBuzz for Memorable Year Week.  There was no critique of the dances - just Suri going nuts over Nick, Jake saying Allison is bringing something fresh and moving the show to a new direction (though Sasha did sneak in an ignored comment that Andy's wasn't really a cha cha). It was just a discussion of the stars' stories.  I do think the show kind of loses focus when Suri is the moderator. Looking forward to Anna returning to the panel. Agree with her or not, at least she gives critiques of the dances.

Edited October 9, 2015 by Uke

[Avidviewer]

Week 5

 

[RemoteControl88]

So happy to see Anna back. I agreed with her on several points:

 

-Maks wasn't overly harsh as a judge IMO. The real issue is that everyone has gone all season with these fluffy non-critiques. The most technical info this season has come from Bruno...sandwiched between a nonsensical one liner.......and Alfonso.  Maks was trying to keep it real but not in a mean way.

-She wasn't blinded by the showmance (or actual real romance) of Alek & Emma and called out that Rumba on lack of actual technique in the dance. 

-Was able to save face for Allison by making it clear that V. Waltz with Hayes was frantic BUT she blamed the music so no dig to Allison while addressing how sloppy that dance looked.

 

There was a weird energy in the room though. Like Suri had no energy as the moderator...it was strange. This does not mean that I am eager for super high energy Suri who laughs loudly and can't focus..but this was extreme in the opposite direction. *shrugs shoulders*

Edited October 14, 2015 by RemoteControl88

[vibeology]

I was glad to have Anna back, but with Suri and Darvina sandwiching her, I didn't love the show. Darvina is way too attached to her friends to be objective. "Maks was a negative judge," "Mark and Alexa were edited poorly," She never really has anything to say about the dancing so her being there week after week while we lose Jake and Kristen sucks.

 

Suri didn't really bug for a change. I think she gets so worried about the timing of the show that she stops talking and lets Darvina take over too much. 

 

I hope Anna comes back another week when Jake can be there. I feel like the dance talk is so good when they're both there.

[Glaadrial]

"Maks was a negative judge," "Mark and Alexa were edited poorly," She never really has anything to say about the dancing so her being there week after week while we lose Jake and Kristen sucks.

I stopped watching when Darvina just had to speak up about Maks' critique about Bindi. She paraphrased Maks as saying that from watching at home he couldn't tell if Bindi's enthusiasm is genuine or manufactured. Darvina thought this was so horrible, mean-spirited and nonconstructive; her self-indignation meter was dialed up to it's highest level. She seems to have missed the minor detail that Maks' comment was made in prelude to his saying something to the effect of: experiencing Bindi's enthusiasm up close leaves no doubt in his mind that it really is genuine and truly inspiring (or somesuch). It was actually a lovely compliment.

 

Now, I think that it's possible that his critique was running long or the show was short on time, or he maybe he was getting booed for his first sentence and since she was in studio, Darvina couldn't make out what Maks was trying to say, but to come down so harshly without even taking the time to re-watch the exchange about something that she's going to talk about as part of this chat show...to me that's the height of unprofessionalism. I can't believe that her comment went unchallenged. 

Edited October 14, 2015 by Glaadrial

[truthaboutluv]

I can't believe that her comment went unchallenged.

 

 

Suri did challenge her comment, rather vehemently I thought. Anna didn't say anything because she admitted early in the show that because she was doing live access during the show, she couldn't actually hear much of what the judges were saying. So I think she didn't really know what Darvina was referring to. But Suri did say that she got what Maks was trying to say - that while they believe Bindi is genuine, there are probably these viewers watching at home who might think she's fake and he was pretty much saying that seeing it up close, she is genuine. I will say, I do understand what Darvina was saying in terms of Maks having some comments that really didn't tell the celebrity or Pro how to fix the problem or even what the problem was. But in all I personally thought Maks did a good job as a guest judge. 

 

I actually enjoyed the show and while I see what some was saying about the strange energy, I just think that was due to only the three being there. But I really enjoyed having Anna back even if I didn't completely agree with her on everything. While I thought she was spot on about the technical issues with Alek's rumba, I don't agree that it was because he so focused on Emma's ass that he didn't pay attention to what she was teaching him. I just think rumba, as has been stated many times before, is a deceptively difficult dance and Alek is not a dancer by any means. Coupled with that, his lack of performance ability is starting to really become a factor. 

[Uke]

I enjoyed AfterBuzz this week somewhat more than prior weeks. It was nice to finally have a ballroom expert back on the show willing to state her opinions (unlike Sasha who goes along to get along).   I like Anna, even if I disagree with her - at least she'll give reasons for her opinions.

 

I did agree with Darvina that Mark and Alexa were edited poorly - or with a storyboarding purpose. Alexa's all happy that 7s are better than 6s! Yea haha! Mark (that ole meany) quietly, privately (as much as anything is private on that set) clues her in that she's 2nd to the bottom on the leaderboard and could go home.  Then in comes conquering hero Derek to save the day!, filling Alexa up with "I AMs" and voila! They get a perfect score.   I suppose that could be considered edited excellently for the story they wanted to tell.

 

Darvina was ridiculous about the whole Bindi thing. Suri tried repeatedly to shut Darv up.  I tried telling (my computer screen) Darv to shut up.  Darv was on a mission to defend Bindi and just wasn't going to let anyone else be heard.

 

It's absurd to me that both Anna and Darv are on a show to discuss DWTS and they apparently don't bother to actually watch the show in its entirely from DVR.  Darv is in the audience each week, usually sitting behind the judges. She can see the dances but I would assume she can't hear much - the ballroom is reportedly so noisy that even the couples often can't hear the judges.  Anna is up in the All-Access set, constantly being pulled in and pushed out by that idiot Dominic (who I just can't stand) while she tries to watch the dances on a monitor while making small talk w/Dominic.

 

Suri does seem to be getting better about managing time and keeping the conversation moving.

Edited October 14, 2015 by Uke

[luvthepros]

 

......... Darvina couldn't make out what Maks was trying to say, but to come down so harshly without even taking the time to re-watch the exchange about something that she's going to talk about as part of this chat show...to me that's the height of unprofessionalism. I can't believe that her comment went unchallenged. 

I was a bit disappointed in Anna for not watching a recording of the show, knowing she would be commenting on AfterBuzz. She admitted she missed what the judges had to say because she was doing the All Access interviews.

[AdorkableSars]

 

But I really enjoyed having Anna back even if I didn't completely agree with her on everything. While I thought she was spot on about the technical issues with Alek's rumba, I don't agree that it was because he so focused on Emma's ass that he didn't pay attention to what she was teaching him. I just think rumba, as has been stated many times before, is a deceptively difficult dance and Alek is not a dancer by any means. Coupled with that, his lack of performance ability is starting to really become a factor.

 

I loved listening to Anna. Especially listening to her talk about how she tried to teach Gary. And I loved hearing her talk about the dances. She is hilarious. But I thought she was very hard on Alek and Emma. I agree with the above. And I can't believe she actually thought Paula was underscored?

[SteveAC10]

 

For the record, I would be more than happy to have contemporary and jazz be eliminated from the regular dance styles because the fact is none of the judges are fully able to judge the technical elements of those styles and again, I don't blame them because that's not what the show is and was.

Frankly, Bruno and CAI are more qualified to judge Jazz than Ballroom.

 

 

Darvina is way too attached to her friends to be objective.

It's my biggest issue with this show - most of them are afraid to be really honest about what they saw and tap dance around what would be legitimate discussion points with the quality of performances, the judging and the editing because they're too concerned about offending their friends on the show - or are hoping they themselves get hired again for a future season.

[ocelot]

Frankly, Bruno and CAI are more qualified to judge Jazz than Ballroom.

 

I mean we could argue about 'more' but they are not in any way qualified to judge jazz.

[Avidviewer]

Heads up...make sure to catch AfterBuzz tomorrow. Shirley Ballas is a guest at 4pm PT/7pm ET.

[vibeology]

You know she's going to have a lot to say about Mark's scores.

[Avidviewer]

S21 Week 6

 

[kitcloudkicker]

Ha, Shirley calls bullshit on Carlos as well. Though she calls it "determination" and I call it "two-faced manipulative dickhead."

[truthaboutluv]

Ha, Shirley calls bullshit on Carlos as well. Though she calls it "determination" and I call it "two-faced manipulative dickhead."

 

Yeah when she started going down that road, I remembered all the comments made about him on the board. Honestly, Carlos doesn't bother me but to be fair, it's probably because I don't pay much attention to him beyond watching his dance. I honestly fast forward chunks of the show (seriously, I get a 2 hr show down to like 35 minutes) so I miss stuff in the packages sometimes, the interviews after the performances, etc. So I honestly am not really as annoyed by him as others but when Shirley said that, I did think of all the comments. 

 

This was a decent show and Suri really wasn't that missed so in my opinion, she could have just not bothered considering she got there when there were like two couples left to talk about. And it's not like she added much to the conversation. I thought Shirley was rather subdued and seemed more "whatever" this time about the producers and their manipulations, versus some of her other appearances. I also agreed with her response to Kristen that she didn't think it can be called at this point as a guarantee of Final 2 between Nick and Bindi. I mean it seems very likely based on judges' scores and popularity but sometimes we really don't know how much a celebrity's fans are voting. 

[Andie1]

Shirley really wasn't necessary this week, she added very little because there was hardly any ballroom dancing. We get that she is for Team Mark.

[Avidviewer]

S21 Week 7

 

Jake Dupree is back

Guest: Louis van Amstel

 

[dirtydi]

Wow Louis is not an Alek fan.  I liked him as a guest.

[truthaboutluv]

Okay show. I actually didn't think Louis spoke of technique as much as I expected him to. He seemed more interested in the narrative of how the show is manipulated and framed, etc. I thought it was very interesting how silent Jake and company was when Louis made it clear that he is very much in favor of returning to the purity of ballroom with the show. And the shade about Alison was unsurprising. I can only imagine how bothered Louis is by Alison's presence on the show as someone who's all about the purity of ballroom. 

 

That said, while the show has evolved in certain ways and goodness knows I cannot complain about Mandy Moore's horrible Pro choreography any more, I'm not sure what Louis was talking about with the music because dude, this show has always had inappropriate songs for certain dance styles. Again, I have watched this show from the first season and remember many dances where the song was completely random for the style and remember the Pros complaining and stressing in the packages about the song. That is definitely not new for the show. 

 

I respect Louis' opinion as a person who is a champion in ballroom and taught for years but I have to say I did not see what he saw with Carlos. The dance was decent enough in my opinion and the cape work was certainly impressive but honestly, I missed big chunks of the number because of all the smoke. There were points where I literally lost Carlos and Witney in the smoke. So I can't say I saw this perfect dance but hey, to each his own. 

 

Finally, I think it is interesting that Louis acknowledges the editing and packages with regard to Tamar and even mentions it again when talking about Alek but still didn't seem willing to give Alek a break about the package. And I swear after awhile I thought he was almost willing Alek to go home with his constant mentions of him being done. It makes me wonder about Louis' general opinion of Alek from being on the season and around him. Especially when you contrast all the great things he said about Hayes and then later made sure to be one more person stating how genuine Bindi is. 

 

Wow Louis is not an Alek fan.  I liked him as a guest.

 

 

Yup, that's the feeling I got.

Edited October 28, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[calipiano81]

The "I don't connect with so and so" statements that get made really bug me. Just point out what you don't like about the person or point out how you like someone else better. When one just says "I can't connect," the problem could actually just be YOU.

I didn't agree with Louis saying Alexa is like Tamar. I don't have anything against Tamar personally, but I haven't seen many criticism of Alexa's performance/acting ability in her dances and I think most would agree Alexa has a warm and sweet personality. The biggest complaints have been the whole married couple schtick (which I think the show has pushed on Alexa as her storyline this season) and that she is inconsistent with her technique and confidence. So while both Tamar and Alexa have been having rough rides, they have been dealing with different issues in their journeys.

[vibeology]

I'm sad because I really wanted to love Louis as a guest but he was just alright. I thought Alek was a dick this week too but if Tamar gets a "editing" pass on her comments, I would think Alek should get a little leeway. The way Louis talked about Alek as the train hero just felt off and disrespectful.

Also I hated how Louis fished for a compliment when he brought up his Emmy nomination. That's not cool.

I did like his call for more ballroom because it's gotten ridiculous at this point. Jake, for once, didn't fight back so I guess he respects Louis enough. Also, the Alison shade moment was awkward and funny. For once the Alison fan club didn't jump to her defence.

Suri's claim that she doesn't know the contestants and her opinions are only on the dancing was eyeroll inducing. She might not be friends with the stars but her relationships with the pros strongly influence her feelings.

Finally, no Diva Darv. Bless because I was getting sick of her and her biases becoming fixtures on the show. I'm sure she'll be back but a reprieve was welcome.

[Thadeeeyus]

I only watch this show when a ballroom expert is on, so I enjoyed Louis. 

I didn't agree with Louis saying Alexa is like Tamar. I don't have anything against Tamar personally, but I haven't seen many criticism of Alexa's performance/acting ability in her dances and I think most would agree Alexa has a warm and sweet personality....

 

I do agree with this.  I think he may have grouped Andy with them as well;.  Alexa does come off as sweet, so that edit is different, but personality-wise, I think these guys are all more serious and lacking the extroverted personality and bubbly effervescence of a Bindi, so that connecting with an audience will be harder for them.

 

I like that Louis defended Tamar in the face of the edit she's being given, saying she works harder than anyone he knows, and criticizing Julianne for her comment about lack of chemistry when the dance partners don't look at each other in the foxtrot. 

 

My favorite Louis comment, again regarding Tamar's dance.  :  "...sometimes as pros, the question is, why would i  do a traditional ballroom dance, if that's what we have to represent,  if the judges don't fault you, if you don't, and don't compliment you if you do?.....  and Val does that".   I just like it when the ballroom style is defended.

 

I find that i agree the most with Kristin on this show.  I wish she would give more of her own opinion. 

 

I also agree with their comments that Bindi needs to be given some constructive criticism. She's not perfect and she's older than Hayes, so her age shouldn't have anything to do with not wanting to criticize. 

Edited October 28, 2015 by Thadeeeyus

[OakGoblinFly]

I like that Louis defended Tamar in the face of the edit she's being given, saying she works harder than anyone he knows, and criticizing Julianne for her comment about lack of chemistry when the dance partners don't look at each other in the foxtrot. 

 

 

I do not think that "looking" at each other equates "chemistry" (and shame on Louis for even suggesting that is what Julianne meant. Chemistry in dance is about a connection, appearing to be at one with your partner, and for me, that was missing from the Foxtrot.  I thought that Val and Tamar had the most connection in the Charleston, a dance where they rarely "looked" at each other.

 

When Tamar dances, I can see her thinking about the next step (Nick does this a lot too).  It is okay to think about what comes next just don't LOOK like you're thinking about what comes next.  I hate to paraphrase Carrie Ann, however in this case I think it appropriate: "When you dance nervous, I'm nervous; when you look like you’re not having fun/enjoying yourself, I don’t enjoy yourself.”

 

I believe that Tamar works hard (her technique is very strong) and that she is indeed having fun; I just wish that translated to the actual performance – it’s the thing that is preventing me from loving her dance routines.

[Andie1]

 

I like that Louis defended Tamar in the face of the edit she's being given, saying she works harder than anyone he knows, and criticizing Julianne for her comment about lack of chemistry when the dance partners don't look at each other in the foxtrot.

 

I liked that too.  I also liked that he "gets it"  This dance was supposed to be creepy and Tamar danced like she was a little creeped out by her partner. Thus the not looking at him was not only proper Foxtrot, it worked with the stylized dancing they were going for.  I really liked the chemistry, it was oozing on that grapevine step sequence.  Loved the music, what a cool strict tempo for Foxtrot.  I thought the dance was great, at least a 9 worthy  

Edited October 28, 2015 by Andie1

[RemoteControl88]

I understand the comment about lack of chemistry is some of her prior dances...but I agreed with Kristyn and Jake that, that was the most connected I've seen Tamar & Val.  I felt the chemistry had really improved in that dance. But I guess whether you are feeling the chemistry or not is completely subjective to the viewer.  Chemistry or not I thought that dance deserved at least 9's based on execution & technique.

 

Also agreed with Louis about Julianne. I guess I was expecting her to offer more about actual technique in her critiques.  Without Len, the judging panel is really lacking in that regard.

 

Overall a good episode.  While I didn't agree with everything Louis said... it was nice to hear open talk about producer shenanigans. To avid fans of DWTS this isn't new information...but I don't think the average viewer understands how much TPTB have a hand in what is portrayed.

[Artymouse]

I really liked Louis' insights. He seems like a no-BS guy, not to mention incredibly knowledgeable about dance.

It was interesting to get his take on Tamar and Alek, the editing slant and his feelings aboutPaula.

I wish they would bring him on as a judge in CAI's place. I agree with him that we need someone to add a little ballroom gravitas in Len's absence; he would be the perfect person to do that.

[crowceilidh]

Since when is "a Southern Belle" so crass?  That's what I don't understand about this descriptor of Paula.  I expect a Southern Belle to be effortlessly ladylike and to throw shade graciously.  I don't expect her to be vulgar and tasteless.

[Artymouse]

Yeah, I'm from the South and I'd say Paula tilts way more to the redneck side than the Southern belle side.

But I gave Louis a pass on that since he's not from America, and since he's probably unfamiliar with the class (and classiness) nuances of the American South.

Being from Savannah doesn't automatically make a woman a Southern belle, but I figured Louis may not realize that.

[Danseur]

RemoteControl, I experienced the same lack of energy from Suri that you did. In fact for two straight weeks she was more subdued than usual. I mentioned it briefly to an online friend who knows her. She told me that Suri has been going through a hard time but didn't say specifically what it was.

I always listen to the show, but I don't enjoy it unless someone on the panel who knows what they're talking about is giving good technical critique of the dances. Otherwise it's just people talking. Louis seemed to be interested in focusing on his biases. When he wasn't talking about them his body language was. I agree that he spent more time talking about the show's manipulations, defending Tamar and making a case against Alek than he did in critiquing the actual dances the way someone like Anna, Tony Basil or Shirley Ballas does.

[AdorkableSars]

I guess I can skip this episode of Afterbuzz. Not really a big Louis fan at all, and it seems like he doesn't offer much dancing critique/commentary based on some of the comments here. Also as an Alek fan, I feel like it would just aggravate and upset me. 

[realdancemom]

I finally watched AB last night.  Yes, Louis criticized Alek every chance he could get.  One thing that I did agree with is that Julianne needs to offer more ballroom technique.  As others mentioned, that is what I miss about Len.  Len also tries to keep the dances pure so that they don't all end up being fusion dances.  Sometimes, I don't even know what the dance is supposed to be except when I read it on the screen.  Even then, I usually think there wasn't enough of that specific technique in the dances.

 

I also agree with Louis that Bindi needs some constructive criticism.  It can't just all be praises because then she can't improve.  I agree with him that she needs to work on her muscles which is what I wrote in my critique of her dance this week.  She needs to work on her core, her legs need to be crisper, and she needs to work on her extensions.  She is never going to have long lines because she doesn't have that body type.  But she can still extend more.  Shawn Johnson is a good example of a compact body type but had good extensions for her body.  Of course, I don't expect Bindi to be as good as Shawn with that since Shawn has it ingrained in her body with all her training.  But that is a criticism that would be helpful for Bindi.

[Thadeeeyus]

i just remembered a comment from last week.  Louis said that the person getting immunity would not be a surprise and would be expected.  I assume that points to Bindi. 

[truthaboutluv]

This week's show.