S25: Maksim Chmerkovskiy

[MarySNJ]

 

Believe it or not, I was actually excited to have Maks back this season. What's turned me off is the overpimping and the overscoring and the showmance. I think Maks is extremely talented and doesn't get nearly enough credit for what he does on the dance floor. He has the biggest ringer in the show's history and I think he could have easily won this season on talent. Instead we've gotten them overpimped, overscored, overpraised and manipulated. We've had Charlie thrown under the bus. And we've had Maks feeding the showmance with some of his comments and social media posts and his behavior. Yes he's a touchy feely kind of guy but the best way to play down a showmance is not to feed into it by draping yourself all over your partner to the extent Maks does it. And Meryl as well - she may not feed it on social media or in interviews the way Maks does, but a big part of what seems to be fueling the showmance is the way she behaves with him after the dances and in their interviews. And what's funny is that's exactly why I don't think anything is going on between them. Since Karina, Maks seems to keep his relationships fairly low key unless they're strictly for publicity (hello Kate Upton).

I don't think it's Maks' fault if the Producers are manipulating something in his favor. That being said, I don't think the producers are manipulating things in his favor. From the very start of the season from comments of judges and eliminated pros, it seemed that the producers were pushing for Amy and Derek to win. Obviously, YMMV on this. Ultimately, I understand that any kind of perceived manipulation can have the opposite effect with the fan base. 

 

Maks is good TV for whatever reason. His behavior seems to have mellowed from what I understand of his behavior in past seasons, whether due to his break from the show, his partnership with Meryl, just general self-reflection and getting older - or probably, a combination of all three, have made him a fun addition to the show, for me at least.

 

As for the "showmance", time will tell if that's all it is. Certainly I'm not the only full grown adult who sees the chemistry between Maks and Meryl, and the way they behave when not on the dance floor, and wonders if it's something more than just dance/show chemistry. I don't see a problem with Maks and Meryl leaving it open to interpretation, because shippers will ship regardless (although the kids on Tumblr who are writing RP fanfiction about them and naming Meryl and Maks' future children are hard to take...).

 

In any case, I think Meryl and Maks have been great partners and have created and performed the best dances this season overall. That is the reason I think they should win, regardless of other factors.

[Dots And Stripes]

From what I can tell, the pros do not control the pre-dance packages. That goes for Maks and for Sharna, who I've seen criticized for failing to give Charlie more of a story line. Of course producers can't show things that the pros don't put out there, but over the course of 30-40 hours of rehearsal footage, the pros can hardly determine what 1-2 minutes will make air. 

 

Meryl and Maks have great chemistry, IMO. Chemistry is very subjective, but the partnerships talk up their chemistry. What I love about Meryl and Maks is that they play off each other and really interact. Maks will needle her, Meryl will imitate him. They're really bouncing off the other one rather than just answer questions or telling us how well they get along. They can demonstrate their great friendship with stories like the one about how Meryl got her and Charlie on an earlier flight because Meryl had been spending too much time with Maks to allow them to be delayed several hours. It's more than just the standard talking point about how they get along so well. 

 

I've really enjoyed their dances. Choreography is subjective and they're never going to please everyone. I think Maks has done a great job of both giving Meryl difficult content and developing characters for the dance. I think he's done a good job of using the themes as a starting point without letting that interfere with the dance itself.

 

The proof that Maks is doing a good job this season for me comes from the fact that Meryl is in the finals and Charlie isn't. Pre-season, I saw a lot of predictions Charlie would win based on his personality. Maks has done a great job of bringing Meryl out of her shell and letting DWTS fans see who Meryl is. Meryl has a lot of talent, but so does Charlie.

 

No DWTS couple will ever be universally loved, but from what I've seen Meryl and Maks have become fairly popular. It's not just shippers who are responding to them.

[LadyMustang65]

What's turned me off is the overpimping and the overscoring and the showmance. I think Maks is extremely talented and doesn't get nearly enough credit for what he does on the dance floor. He has the biggest ringer in the show's history and I think he could have easily won this season on talent. Instead we've gotten them overpimped, overscored, overpraised and manipulated. We've had Charlie thrown under the bus. And we've had Maks feeding the showmance with some of his comments and social media posts and his behavior.

 

 

I disagree that they have been overpimped and overscored or that, if they win, it won't be because of talent.  That to me is just a really insulting thing to say about both of them.  Maks has done some really terrific choreography with Meryl.  It's generally content-filled and with a high degree of difficulty, but he did a much better job of tailoring it to Meryl than Sharna did with Charlie - he doesn't go so overboard trying to throw in everything but the kitchen sink that Meryl looks bad dancing it.  She's been doing a terrific job.  And I really don't see how you can claim she's been overscored when for several weeks she was being scored the same as Nene or Candace.  Two weeks ago she was at the bottom of the leaderboard behind James and Candace.  I just don't see how that qualifies as overscoring.  She wasn't even the first to get a 10.  So honestly, I don't see it.  As for Maks feeding the showmance, I don't follow him on Facebook or Twitter and I don't watch the red carpet interviews or Afterbuzz, so aside from people on message boards saying it's happening, I would have had no idea.  And I'm guessing most of America is the same way.  So it doesn't bother me.  All I know/see is what's presented on the show each week, and I just don't see anything to make me think Maks is pushing a "showmance" of any kind.  Could he come flat out and say they're just friends?  Sure he could.  And the 'shippers would just insist he's doing it to protect Meryl and go on 'shipping any way.  As I said, the guy can't win no matter what he does. 

 

But it's posts like this one that just really aggravate me because, although it may not have been your intent, the underlying message seems to me to be that if Maks and Meryl win, it won't be deserved because they didn't win on merit.  Maks didn't choreograph great routines, Meryl didn't dance them beautifully, and neither one is a worthy winner.  If they win it will be because the producers manipulated everyone into thinking they were great by overscoring and overpraising them and overpimping them, and Maks manipulated all the romantics in the audience into voting for them because of their "true love." But they won't win because Maks is capable of choreographing a great routine that plays to Meryl's strength and is a good enough teacher .to get Meryl to dance well.  If they win, it will be because the fix was in from the beginning. 

 

It will be interesting to see what happens on Tuesday.  According to Las Vegas, Len, Carrie Anne and Drew Carey, Amy is going to win.  And I am sure that if she does, it won't be because she was overscored, overpraised or overpimped.  It will be because Derek is a genius who knows how to choreograph to his partner's strengths and because Amy is such an inspiration.  But if Meryl wins, it will be because of producer manipulation and a fake showmance that I don't even see.  As I said before, I feel bad for the guy because no matter what happens, he absolutely cannot truly win.  And as sad as that is for him, it's even sadder for Meryl, who's been working her butt off on a schedule that would kill a lesser human being, and she'll get no credit for that from some people. 

Edited May 18, 2014 by LadyMustang65

[Flick]

As for the shippers...I don't see what a big deal it is at all.  Obviously, some viewers enjoy it.  Big deal.  What's wrong with letting them have their fun?

Letting them have their fun means that people would have to give up a topic where they can prove how much smarter than they are than those silly little people who are happy to suspend disbelief for a few hours a week.

[Bitsy]

ITA with everything LadyMustang.

 

If they win it will be because the producers manipulated everyone into thinking they were great by overscoring and overpraising them and overpimping them,

If this were true, everybody who got good the best scores and remarks from the judges would always win, and that's not the case.  And the people who the judges criticized and marked low would always be eliminated, and that's DEFINITELY not the case.  I don't think the viewing audience is so stupid that a few nice remarks from the judges and they all pick up the phone and vote their fingers off.  If people are voting for Meryl, it's because they have connected to her dancing.

 

I think it's ridiculous that there's so much anticipatory controversy over Meryl's win when even the people who hate her admit that she's the best dancer on the show and call her a ringer.  She is a ringer - Maks said so himself. This is going to be the least surprising outcome of DWTS in the history of ever.  And yet we're supposed to chalk it up to "manipulation".

[bearcatfan]

I don't know if Meryl was underscored as much as Nene and others were over scored. Actually, Candace was underscored for a long time, and once Nene left, they started over scoring her.

[Toonces464]

But it's posts like this one that just really aggravate me because, although it may not have been your intent, the underlying message seems to me to be that if Maks and Meryl win, it won't be deserved because they didn't win on merit.  Maks didn't choreograph great routines, Meryl didn't dance them beautifully, and neither one is a worthy winner.  If they win it will be because the producers manipulated everyone into thinking they were great by overscoring and overpraising them and overpimping them, and Maks manipulated all the romantics in the audience into voting for them because of their "true love." But they won't win because Maks is capable of choreographing a great routine that plays to Meryl's strength and is a good enough teacher .to get Meryl to dance well.  If they win, it will be because the fix was in from the beginning.

 

 

Sorry if it aggravates you but that's how I feel. I don't think Maks choreographed great routines - I think he choreographed simple routines that he knew Meryl could do cleanly and make look good without challenging her level of talent and ability the way Val did. And I don't think he was able to get Meryl to dance well - she already danced well coming into this because she's an ice dancer (and no I am not getting into a debate about floor vs. ice). I think if they won Meryl would be a worthy winner - or as worthy as a ringer could be winning this show. I don't think Maks would be a worthy winner with how he's handled this season.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Toonces464

[Bitsy]

I don't know if Meryl was underscored as much as Nene and others were over scored.

I would agree with that.  A 9 shouldn't be a bad score, and a 10 should really be reserved for something outstanding (and "special" as Len put it).  But on a scale where 9's and 10's are being given to Nene, Candace and James, one can't argue that Meryl getting 9's and 10's is "overscoring".

[Barbara Manatee]

And as sad as that is for him, it's even sadder for Meryl, who's been working her butt off on a schedule that would kill a lesser human being, and she'll get no credit for that from some people.

 

So what? I'm sure she didn't give a flying flutz about anonymous people on message boards shouting that Davis and White didn't deserve the gold medal, and she'll rightly care even less over any mirror ball outrage. It isn't any different for Amy, Candace, and James, either. Whoever wins, half the internet will grumble that it isn't deserved.

[Woodrose]

In any case, I think Meryl and Maks have been great partners and have created and performed the best dances this season overall. That is the reason I think they should win, regardless of other factors.

 

 

I hear what you're saying and it may well happen that way.  If so, I'll be happy for the M/M fans and also a bit relieved that Derek did not win a 6th trophy. I agree with people who say that would be bad for the show.

 

But....voting for Meryl feels like voting for the overdog.  Kind of a deflating result, for the reigning Olympic ice dancer to win a reality show dance competition. And yes, I had similar feelings when Nicole and Kristi won the trophy.  I appreciated their hard work and entertaining dances, but their victories weren't very powerful feel-good moments.

 

And then, there is Amy.  She's a better dancer on prosthetic feet than the last Olympic snowboarder on the show, Louie Vito. She's got far better rhythm and posture and hip action than he ever did.  Her quickstep joined Charlie's foxtrot as the best dances of the night for me last week.

 

An Amy win would be a huge feel-good moment, and would garner a lot of media attention. It would be a positive spotlight on the possibilities of life with prosthetic limbs, an important message given how many disabled vets we have in the U.S. 

 

I'm sitting here wishing Amy was dancing with Maks.  They are the two I want to see win the trophy this time. No offense intended to Meryl, who is a lovely person and a very hard worker.

 

I hope they all dance their best on Monday, and I'll be very interested to see the results.

[MarySNJ]

 

An Amy win would be a huge feel-good moment, and would garner a lot of media attention. It would be a positive spotlight on the possibilities of life with prosthetic limbs, an important message given how many disabled vets we have in the U.S.

Amy is inspiring - absolutely. But it wouldn't feel good to me if she won just because of her story when there are others who have worked just as hard with their own challenges during the season and have consistently danced better.  All that says is the best dancer doesn't win on a show that's about dancing. YMMV, of course. If people are inspired by Amy's example, they will vote for her. I'm voting for Meryl and Maks because they earned it by being amazing together.

Edited May 19, 2014 by MarySNJ

[Aunt Dahlia]

I love skating and only watch this show when there is a skater on. Usually I only watch the dance that the skater does, not the whole show. I love Meryl and Charlie both and really wish they were both in the finals. This time I am watching the whole show not just clips. To me I am not invested in any of the pro's because I have hardly seen them. I honestly don't know what to say about Amy because it is impossible for me to judge what she could do against what she is doing. i don't really care about people's journeys and I don't really care who wins. 

Anyway I cracked up at Meryl and Maks saying he is helping her become more assertive in regard to the plane. The first thing I thought was good, now go work on Charlie. After all Charlie was the one they told that the plane was delayed for 4 hours and he just accepted it and relayed the message to Meryl. No one in my family needs any lessons in saying that is totally unacceptable, now go find me a different flight.  

[Woodrose]

But it wouldn't feel good to me if she won just because of her story when there are others who have worked just as hard with their own challenges during the season and have consistently danced better.

 

 

If Amy wins, it won't be just because of her story.  It will be her great dancing combined with her inspirational story.  

 

If it were all about consistently dancing 'better', no one but Meryl and Charlie would have bothered to show up to even start the competition, since truly, no one could hope to match their skills.  And Charlie would still be there for the finals.

 

Maybe Amy hasn't danced as well as Meryl and Charlie, but I'd put her in third, maybe tied with James.

 

As you say, ymmv.  But if Amy wins, I'll credit her dancing skill as well as the fact she's an inspirational figure.

 

If M/M win, I'll say they won with lots of hard work and great dances.  I won't be unhappy with either outcome.

[smiley13]

I am not a Maks fan, but will be okay if he wins with Meryl.  I think he is pompous and foul tempered, but if he wins, then perhaps he won't return and we can get a pro in there who is pleasant and fun to watch.  

 

At this point, I say let anyone but Golden Boy win it.

[Dots And Stripes]

If Amy wins, it won't be just because of her story.  It will be her great dancing combined with her inspirational story.  

 

If it were all about consistently dancing 'better', no one but Meryl and Charlie would have bothered to show up to even start the competition, since truly, no one could hope to match their skills.  And Charlie would still be there for the finals.

 

Maybe Amy hasn't danced as well as Meryl and Charlie, but I'd put her in third, maybe tied with James.

 

As you say, ymmv.  But if Amy wins, I'll credit her dancing skill as well as the fact she's an inspirational figure.

 

If M/M win, I'll say they won with lots of hard work and great dances.  I won't be unhappy with either outcome.

IMO, no one could touch Amy on the inspirational front. I don't mean to be flippant about that either, I have enormous respect for her.

 

I think people vote based on all sorts of different criteria and that's always been part of the show. Some seasons its the best dancer, sometimes it's the best personality, sometimes its the most improved, sometimes its the most inspirational. People all measure those things in different ways.

 

To bring this back to Maks, I think it would have been a mistake for Maks to simply package Meryl as the best dancer and leave it at that. The judges certainly don't reward difficulty and I think the average viewer, myself included, is unable to truly judge difficulty. I think Sharna tried to go that route with Charlie and ended up with routines with errors that prevented them from being truly wow moments.

 

I think Maks worked to highlight Meryl's strengths and their strengths as a team. Meryl proved that she wasn't just a great technician but she was also a performer. Maks designed routines that didn't just ask Meryl to execute steps, they required her to emote and connect with him. We saw Maks work on their connection for the rumba and other dances. In the process, I think Meryl and Maks have made a solid case for why they should win based on their dances and on their overall entertainment value. Every couple makes their own case. It's up to the viewers to agree or disagree. 

 

Win or lose, I know I'll enjoy rewatching their performances in the future.

[TeeM]

I think Maks worked to highlight Meryl's strengths and their strengths as a team. Meryl proved that she wasn't just a great technician but she was also a performer. Maks designed routines that didn't just ask Meryl to execute steps, they required her to emote and connect with him. We saw Maks work on their connection for the rumba and other dances. In the process, I think Meryl and Maks have made a solid case for why they should win based on their dances and on their overall entertainment value. Every couple makes their own case. It's up to the viewers to agree or disagree. 

 

Win or lose, I know I'll enjoy rewatching their performances in the future.

I think this is a great point. I think Mel B is the only other partner Maks has had with as much technical skill as Meryl but as good as she was and as fun as their dances were, I felt like she never nailed the feeling all the way through with the dance styles. She always had a little bit of silly cheekiness happening, even in the serious or intense dances. That was definitely her personality and it worked for her overall but Meryl has nailed the feeling of the dances every week which really surprised me. Going into this season, I expected her to be a great dancer but not necessarily a great performer. As much as I like Kristi Yamaguchi and liked her dancing, I didn't always buy into the performances with her and I sort of expected that from Meryl. 

 

I know a lot of folks have said they would have preferred to see Meryl with Val and I definitely see where that is coming from and think it could have been amazing in a lot of ways. But I really do think the partnership/chemistry/whatever of Maks and Meryl is a huge part of what made their dances compelling for me and I am not sure if she would have had that with Val. In the switchup week or the week after, Artem was on Afterbuzz and said that while he understood why everyone loved the Argentine Tango Meryl did with Val, he loved the Foxtrot from the week before so much more because the feeling was so much more intense. He said that being in the ballroom for both he felt like Meryl really connected with that Foxtrot in a way she didn't with the AT. Of course, it's entirely possible that Meryl and Val might have developed that same kind of chemistry if they had more than one week together, but who knows? (And though this is a post about Maks/Meryl chemistry, please know that I am by no means a shipper. I honestly don't care if they every see each other again after Tuesday night, I just like their chemistry on the dance floor.) 

[Kromm]

IMO, no one could touch Amy on the inspirational front. I don't mean to be flippant about that either, I have enormous respect for her.

 

The problem for me is that inspiration storylines kind of belong on The Oprah Winfrey Show, or whatever has taken the crown for doing that now that she's off the air (maybe the entire OWN channel?)  Once you accept it into a show like this one, as fake as this show is and always has been, it eventually holds the mirror up too closely to the show over their core purpose.  We kind of know on some level that it's not really a show about finding the best dancer, but an illusion has to be maintained (even when most of us know that's happening).  

 

And where does the show go next from a contestant with two artificial limbs?  I'm not sure I even WANT to know, actually.

 

Back to Maks and Meryl. I suppose the way the show has always used ringers and pseudo-ringers has invited the same kind of challenge to the show's core.  The flipside though is that it doesn't really require/feed into escalation.  Sure an Ice Dancer is both an athlete and someone at least in the neighborhood of dance, so two ringers in one, but it's not like anyone expects the show to top that next year with someone even closer. 

[radishcake]

@Kromm hop over to Amy's topic, I just posted something there that I want to say about your comment re: keep the inspiration on the Oprah channel but I don't want to out it here. :D

[Glaadrial]

And though this is a post about Maks/Meryl chemistry, please know that I am by no means a shipper. I honestly don't care if they every see each other again after Tuesday night, I just like their chemistry on the dance floor.

I agree re: the shipping front, that it could end on Tuesday night for all I care. I do hope, however, that can find/create opportunities to work together in the future. They both seem open to the idea, but I'm sure it all depends on what Meryl and Charlie decide about continuing as a skating partnership in whatever form that takes. From a Glamour article:

Glamour: This question comes from (a reader). She wants to know if you’d ever consider working on a dance project together once this season is over?

Maks:

Hell yeah!

Meryl: Yeah!

Maks: I will definitely not skate on ice! Let’s just put it this way, if we were partners on Skating With Celebrities, you and I would have been a disaster. I would need a helmet and that trapeze contraption.

Zendaya is involved in a the Sway project with Val/Maks/Tony, along with other unnamed "special guests." Maybe talk of a future project is not just an end of the season "let's keep in touch" kind of thing. 

[TeeM]

Well now I want to see Skating with Celebrities with Maks in a helmet and a harness. 

[LadyMustang65]

Sorry if it aggravates you

 

Somehow I doubt that. <lol>

 

 

So what? I'm sure she didn't give a flying flutz about anonymous people on message boards shouting that Davis and White didn't deserve the gold medal, and she'll rightly care even less over any mirror ball outrage.

 

While I don't think it gave her any lasting pain, she would be quite the cold fish if, after all their hard work and dedication, it didn't bother her at all that some people said she and Charlie didn't deserve the gold.  It's human nature, after all, and the fact that she has learned over the years to let these things roll off her back doesn't mean that she is impervious to any hurt because of them. 

 

But if Amy wins, I'll credit her dancing skill as well as the fact she's an inspirational figure.

 

To be honest, I am expecting that Amy will win.  So many have said they feel as though Maks was "promised" the win this season and it has been manipulated to give it to him.  That's the way I feel about Amy.  She is not the first differently-abled person to compete on the show.  Heather Mills had one prosthetic leg.  She did (I thought anyway) a decent job of dancing and lasted til about the middle of the pack.  But she was always judged the way the others were judged.  No extra points or tongue baths about how inspirational she was.  Marlee Matlin was deaf, so she had what I would think was the hardest time of it.  No extra points or tongue baths about how inspirational she was.  Then we get Amy, who imho is the queen of not being asked to do enough.  (Not at all her fault, btw.)   And she's been consistently judged on a different metric (also not her fault).  Is it just coincidence that Amy is paired with Derek while Heather and Marlee were not?  I don't know, but I do have to ask myself that question every week. 

 

We've gotten glimpses of what she's capable of, but Derek has rarely asked her to really dance.  He's been following his recent pattern of posing, lifting, carrying, smoke, sitting, etc.  Amy, because of her prosthetics and her snowboarding, has incredible core strength.  So did Kellie Pickler and to a lesser extent, Maria M.  With all of them, I felt that Derek relied much too heavily on that.  They all were capable of creating beautiful shapes with their bodies and holding those shapes in lifts, so he went to that well every time he could.  To the point that for me I'm bored by most of his dances.  They all look the same to me, and they don't look like dancing.  Yes, I know it is, but it's not what I watch DWTS for.  I watch for actual ballroom dancing.  I have SYTYCD for all the lifty, posey, artsy-fartsy type dance.  I am really annoyed that this season we've seen only one paso, one AT, one Viennese waltz (I think), but we've seen way too much contemporary and jazz for my taste.  That's not why I watch DWTS. 

 

Anyway, I would love to see M/M win, and I would even be happy if Candace were to pull out a win.  James would be a disappointing winner for me because I just don't think he dances that well, and I don't find him as a personality to be particularly compelling.  An Amy win would be expected, and I would credit it to her being inspirational as well as to the potential she showed for being a good dancer but not her overall body of work.  I will always wonder what she could have been capable of with a different partner. 

Edited May 19, 2014 by LadyMustang65

[Barbara Manatee]

No, not a cold fish, just a professional who has competed more than long enough to realize that you can't please everyone.

[Bitsy]

Maybe talk of a future project is not just an end of the season "let's keep in touch" kind of thing.

Meryl and Charlie are supposed to star in four ABC skating specials in the fall.  Somebody emailed the producer and said they should somehow involve ballroom dancing in one of the shows and he emailed back, "We're ahead of you on that one."  It will probably be like those figure skating/gymnastics specials where the dancers do their thing on a dais and the skaters skate around them.  Most likely no Maks in a helmet and harness though.

[MarySNJ]

Zendaya is involved in a the Sway project with Val/Maks/Tony, along with other unnamed "special guests." Maybe talk of a future project is not just an end of the season "let's keep in touch" kind of thing.

 

Some Meryl fans were speculating, or maybe hoping is a better word, that Meryl won't be involved in Sway as one of the special guests (I'd pay good money to see that), but it can't be. She and Charlie will be touring in Japan the same week in July. I would love to see some kind of dance/skate special with Meryl/Maks, Charlie/Sharna, and why not Evan/Anna, Kristie/Mark for old time sake. I guess they the figure skating specials and DWTS on competing networks, but I'm sure something could be worked out. Maybe Maks won't return to DWTS after this season anyway.

Edited May 19, 2014 by MarySNJ

[Dots And Stripes]

Some Meryl fans were speculating, or maybe hoping is a better word, that Meryl won't be involved in Sway as one of the special guests (I'd pay good money to see that), but it can't be. She and Charlie will be touring in Japan the same week in July. I would love to see some kind of dance/skate special with Meryl/Maks, Charlie/Sharna, and why not Evan/Anna, Kristie/Mark for old time sake. I guess they the figure skating specials and DWTS on competing networks, but I'm sure something could be worked out. Maybe Maks won't return to DWTS after this season anyway.

The skating specials are on ABC. They were announced not long after the DWTS cast was named that Meryl and Charlie would  be part of 4 ABC skating specials. I'm not sure if they are skating specials featuring Meryl and Charlie or Meryl and Charlie specials. I figured when I saw the announcement that Maks and/or Sharna would be involved in some way if the partnerships did well. I would love to see a new MnM dance during one of the specials. I didn't want to mention it because I'm sure it will fuel conspiracy theories.

[MarySNJ]

The skating specials are on ABC. They were announced not long after the DWTS cast was named that Meryl and Charlie would be part of 4 ABC skating specials. I'm not sure if they are skating specials featuring Meryl and Charlie or Meryl and Charlie specials. I figured when I saw the announcement that Maks and/or Sharna would be involved in some way if the partnerships did well. I would love to see a new MnM dance during one of the specials. I didn't want to mention it because I'm sure it will fuel conspiracy theories.

Even better! Apparently something may be in the works? I'll be watching for sure.

[Dots And Stripes]

Here's to my favorite pro, and now my favorite partnership, winning season 18!

[katha]

I'm happy for Maks and I enjoyed watching his work with Meryl this season, it was great to see how inspired he was. For all his ridiculousness, I think Bruno was on point when he said that Maks' choreo this season seemed like a "concept album". Everything fit together, dances referenced, remixed and built on each other. Appreciated how he pulled off these little storylines in all of the dances, IMO without getting heavy-handed about it. Particularly loved that outfits and narrative for AT and Freestyle mirrored and contrasted the tango and the rumba. So beautifully done. The way he incorporated new elements into his choreography without abandoning his style and priorities when it comes to dance was very impressive. And look! Everybody said he couldn't do contemporary. Everybody said he would screw up the Freestyle. Nothing of the sort happened. Awesome. Well deserved win.

Edited May 22, 2014 by katha

[TeeM]

miamigal already posted a link in the Media thread to a TV Guide interview with Maks that came out today. I thought it was worth bringing it over here to Maks' thread as well: 

 

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Dancing-Maksim-Chmerkovskiy-Meryl-Davis-1082236.aspx

 

I appreciate his honestly in admitting his own mistakes in seasons past and also how he described what made this season different.

 

In related news, if you search for Maks and Meryl on Twitter today, you get a delightful string of contradictory gossip stories: "Insider says there's no romance there" "Maks couldn't stop kissing Meryl at celebratory dinner" "Ex-fiancee says Maks and Meryl are great actors" "Brother says Maks loves Meryl more than any other woman" "Mark Ballas says Maks and Meryl aren't dating!" "Insider says Maks was 'very touchy feely' with Meryl in NYC last night." 

 

It cracks me up. 

[crowceilidh]

I loved that article.  Clearly Maks has changed a great deal and I like his new self.  And just as clearly, Meryl is not the cause of the change, she is merely one shining facet of it.  I think he totally deserved the win this season and I'm happy for him.

[MarySNJ]

miamigal already posted a link in the Media thread to a TV Guide interview with Maks that came out today. I thought it was worth bringing it over here to Maks' thread as well:

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Dancing-Maksim-Chmerkovskiy-Meryl-Davis-1082236.aspx

I appreciate his honestly in admitting his own mistakes in seasons past and also how he described what made this season different.

In related news, if you search for Maks and Meryl on Twitter today, you get a delightful string of contradictory gossip stories: "Insider says there's no romance there" "Maks couldn't stop kissing Meryl at celebratory dinner" "Ex-fiancee says Maks and Meryl are great actors" "Brother says Maks loves Meryl more than any other woman" "Mark Ballas says Maks and Meryl aren't dating!" "Insider says Maks was 'very touchy feely' with Meryl in NYC last night."

It cracks me up.

I've thoroughly enjoyed this season of DWTS and Maks is my favorite pro. His partnership with Meryl was brilliant and precious and sexy. I have to say I feel a little bad for Meryl though since the media is making their win mostly about him- except where the question of romance is concerned. Maks has a great publicist, and maybe Meryl doesn't care so much because she wanted the win for him and has a fricking OGM, but it would nice if the media treated them as a team instead of it being about Maks comeback.

Having said that, I really appreciated the TV Guide interview. Maks makes the point that he feels uncomfortable about the focus on him instead of her, as well as his candor about his mistakes in the past.

On the romance rumors front, seems to generate clicks. A couple weeks ago I Googled Meryl and Maks and found several dozen breathless headlines about dating rumors, denials of dating rumors, people asking other contestants and Tom what they thought, etc. There was even something up about it on the Teheran Times of all things. Nothing much has changed it seems.

[Toonces464]

Maks has a great publicist

 

 

Thank you for giving me my biggest laugh of the year. ;)

Edited May 24, 2014 by Toonces464

[MarySNJ]

Thank you for giving me my biggest laugh of the year. ;)

Maks is person if the week at ABC News. Enough said. I like Maks but really? This week has been a bonanza of publicity for Maks. I think his publicist is doing her job.

[Toonces464]

Maks is person if the week at ABC News. Enough said. I like Maks but really? This week has been a bonanza of publicity for Maks. I think his publicist is doing her job.

 

You are obviously not familiar with his publicist, Lizzie Grubman. 

[MarySNJ]

You are obviously not familiar with his publicist, Lizzie Grubman.

I am. I think she's keeping her client in the news which is her job. Apparently you disagree.

You are obviously not familiar with his publicist, Lizzie Grubman.

I am. I think she's keeping her client in the news which is her job. Apparently you disagree.

[radishcake]

Hey guys hug it out. Don't make me separate you! <3

[Toonces464]

I am. I think she's keeping her client in the news which is her job. Apparently you disagree.

 

 

Maks is in the news because there's interest in him right now for finally winning. They're seeking him out. I'm not saying he's not deserving of some publicity right now. I'm saying it has nothing to do with his publicist doing her job. Unless you count the story about Peta still being hung up on him as good publicity.

[mehtotheworld]

So what's the deal with his publicist then? I'm not familiar so these comments make no sense to me.

[Toonces464]

So what's the deal with his publicist then? I'm not familiar so these comments make no sense to me.

 

Well, there's her jail stint for intentionally running a crowd of people over with her SUV because she was asked to move her car out of a fire lane at a club in the Hamptons.

 

There was the night Maks and Cheryl were caught by photographers making out at a club in Vegas and she tried to pass it off as Maks whispering in a fan's ear.

 

There's her tweets about Maks's TV appearances - only he rarely ends up being on whatever it is she's tweeted about. 

 

The list just goes on and on.

 

She's basically the National Enquirer of PR. Val finally appears to have wised up and dumped her. I wish Maks would do the same.

[Bella]

Yes, without getting into the pros and cons of Maks, Lizzie Grubman has her own story, or stories. She's not someone I would choose to be associated with, as there are excellent publicists out there who aren't toxic like she is. "Toxic" is the nicest thing I've ever called her, btw. I agree that Maks should dump her and find someone less reptilian and more mammalian to represent him.

[mehtotheworld]

Whoa, uhhh, yeah. That sounds pretty bad. Do they go way back or something?

[Toonces464]

Whoa, uhhh, yeah. That sounds pretty bad. Do they go way back or something?

 

She started repping Maks shortly after his season with Erin and then became his manager as well as his publicist. I believe he hooked up with her through his former friend the porn king. Before that, Teddy and Nicole's mother was handling his career.

 

For everything I hate about the way Maks conducts himself lately, I think he's extremely talented, handsome and charismatic. He should be much further along in his career than he is. Lizzie and her lousy representation holds him back. She's pretty much seen as a joke in the industry and hasn't done much for him other than get him into the tabloids. She certainly hasn't gotten him any meaningful work or publicity. 

 

There's a reason all her other clients dump her after a few months. Bella is right - she's toxic.

[katha]

Yikes, that sounds bad about the publicist. Hopefully he does wisen up and get different representation.

 

On a more positive note: The tidbits about the acting lessons he took in the TV Guide interview really showed in his work this season IMO. Not only in the performances themselves, but also in the way the dances were constructed. He had moments of that in dances in earlier seasons, but this time it became a leitmotif of sorts. Even in the first cha cha there was already this "figure skater enters the ballroom" theme, complete with paying hommage to Meryl's SD dress, "stealing" her from Charlie and ending with the figure skating curtsy. The swing was Mickey and Minnie and playing on their height difference. The foxtrot was pure romanticism and really emphasizing the lyrics of the song, "giving your all" to/for another person. The swing/jive...sorry, samba music was not really ideal (like quite a bit of the music choices for all couples were iffy this season, even more than usual...), but I thought the "village girl is annoyed with lazy Mowgli, but then joins him at the end of their dance" story was kind of cute anyway. Salsa was all "Girls and boys face off at the disco in 1988" LOL. The Elvis theme for the jive was given, but I loved the costumes there, they seemed period appropriate. "Heartbreak in the barn" VW built and built, the movements and choreography really adding to the sense that these two people had already hurt each other but were falling back/reminiscing at least for the length of the dance.

 

But the way the tango and AT and the rumba and freestyle were interlinked was just stunning IMO. Not only in the costumes (particularly Meryl's), but in the dance moves and themes. He used the "no hold breaks in the tango" rule to create this sense of very fierce togetherness, like two assassins getting together to plan their next hit. Then OTOH in the AT Meryl is this seasoned "dame of questionable reputation" dazzling her latest conquest. She moves and conducts herself as if she's done all this a thousand times before. And he's both attracted to her, but also matter-of-fact and closed off since he knows this is essentially a business transaction. Then they separate at the end and she goes back to her lamp looking for her next mark.

 

Then you had the dysfunction in the rumba. The moves get aggressive, pushing each other away, then back to desperately clinging to each other. And at the end of the dance it's not only the Tennessee Williams reference, but all the choreography has made it clear that this is a cycle they have repeated countless times and will repeat some more in the future. Whereas in the freestyle there's also a certain amount of desperation, but it's about two people supporting each other, lifting each other up.

 

I don't know, I think when you watch all the dances in sequence it's just very striking. Not only the dance acting they did, but how the emotional arc is integrated into the choreography, how movements mean specific things. He can be very proud of himself for his work this season IMO.

[MarySNJ]

She started repping Maks shortly after his season with Erin and then became his manager as well as his publicist. I believe he hooked up with her through his former friend the porn king. Before that, Teddy and Nicole's mother was handling his career.

For everything I hate about the way Maks conducts himself lately, I think he's extremely talented, handsome and charismatic. He should be much further along in his career than he is. Lizzie and her lousy representation holds him back. She's pretty much seen as a joke in the industry and hasn't done much for him other than get him into the tabloids. She certainly hasn't gotten him any meaningful work or publicity.

There's a reason all her other clients dump her after a few months. Bella is right - she's toxic.

Okay, I didn't know any of this about Lizzie Grubman and I honestly appreciate the insight. I'm just struck by Maks' high profile at the moment as compared with Meryl who was technically the winner and seems in his shadow except where it comes to questions about whether they are or aren't romantically involved.

Maybe Meryl doesn't care because she got what she wanted out of the DWTS experience, but I would personally like to see more balance in the publicity... None of which is Maks' fault since he gives Meryl the credit for their victory when he's asked.

I think you may be right that Maks makes his own headlines because of his talent, charisma and good looks. If his publicist is not really helping him much, I wonder why he doesn't find someone else?

Edited May 25, 2014 by MarySNJ

[Toonces464]

Okay, I didn't know any of this about Lizzie Grubman and I honestly appreciate the insight. I'm just struck by Maks' high profile at the moment as compared with Meryl who was technically the winner and seems in his shadow except where it comes to questions about whether they are or aren't romantically involved.

 

 

My response to your comment about his publicist being my laugh of the year was never in regards to Maks. It was regarding Lizzie. I think Maks's high profile right now is because this is his first win. Such a big deal has been made for years about him never winning. That's what I mean when I said it has nothing to do with Lizzie, but rather is because these places are coming to him. Why doesn't he find someone else? People have been asking that question for years. :)

[Barbara Manatee]

 

I'm just struck by Maks' high profile at the moment as compared with Meryl who was technically the winner and seems in his shadow except where it comes to questions about whether they are or aren't romantically involved.

Perhaps Meryl and Charlie's manager has something to do with that. She might have wanted Meryl to step away before the Meryl/Maks story got too tabloidy. Their sponsors are really into the wholesome, all-American image.

[MarySNJ]

 

Perhaps Meryl and Charlie's manager has something to do with that. She might have wanted Meryl to step away before the Meryl/Maks story got too tabloidy. Their sponsors are really into the wholesome, all-American image.

Moving this to the Meryl thread.

[TeeM]

I agree with everything you said, katha, and I think that is what Bruno was getting at with his "concept album" comment. Even their last dance (the fusion) ended with the same little figure skating bow that their first dance cha cha did, almost like nice little bookends on the season. The costuming also seemed connected throughout the season. And as much as a lot of people hated the almost kiss move in nearly every dance, I thought that was likely a conscious decision to pull that thread throughout the season. 

[crowceilidh]

I've seen many celebrity partners "change" Maks, but I am actually astonished by the real change that seems to have happened.  I suspect the acting lessons were therapeutic for him.  He seems to be genuinely reflected in his face now, vulnerable and really masculine, rather than closed off and pseudo macho. As I've said somewhere before (this thread?), Meryl allowed that change to shine, but I have zero belief that she caused it in any way.

[Toonces464]

I've seen many celebrity partners "change" Maks, but I am actually astonished by the real change that seems to have happened.  I suspect the acting lessons were therapeutic for him.  He seems to be genuinely reflected in his face now, vulnerable and really masculine, rather than closed off and pseudo macho. As I've said somewhere before (this thread?), Meryl allowed that change to shine, but I have zero belief that she caused it in any way.

 

 

I think claiming the change is because of her is a disservice to Maks. I'm not convinced he's changed, but if he has, I would think it's got a lot more to do with taking the past year off from the show and changes he made to and for himself long before he knew who Meryl Davis was. And, like you said, considering how many partners we've seen "change" him in the past, what's so special about another one doing it? We've seen it before and we've also seen what happens after those partnerships are done.

 

Show me Maks dancing with a crappy partner and still keeping his cool rather than acting like a 2 year old and I might believe he's changed. Until then, I think Maks wanted this win bad and knew exactly what he needed to do, and what role he needed to play, to get it.