S23: Derek Hough

[Andiethewestie]

A big part of me is thinking, this is trumped up drama for Monday's show.  

[radishcake]

Guys let's watch it with calling people crazy and the "some people" etc... It's not fun to read and it's inflammatory and mean. So post about the show and your opinions and leave your opinions about other posters out of it.

[kitcloudkicker]

Well then... Derek seems to be down with injuries to (both?) feet? https://instagram.com/p/1uy7DENoqg/?taken-by=derekhough

 

A bunch of his old partners were in the studio yesterday with rumors they were working on a group dance for the anniversary show. It must have gone very wrong. 

Edited April 21, 2015 by kitcloudkicker

[Buggin]

That doesn't look good. I feared it was just a matter of time before an injury did him in this season between everything he's doing. I thought it might be his back or something, though. I hope he's okay. I'm guessing the Radio City show producers won't be happy this happened on DWTS time.

Wonder if Henry or Sasha will fill in for him with Nastia this week.

[truthaboutluv]

Yeah I saw this and it does not look good. Those things are bandaged up pretty heavily and he doesn't sound very happy in his comment. I'm wondering if he'll even be able to continue period, much less just miss one week. 

[Saylii]

Whatever happened, both Derek and Mark have pulled their Instagrams of the ER visit. It looked the the left leg might have had a calf or ankle injury, but the right foot looked like the toes were bandaged up pretty good. It didn't look like he had a hard break though.

[truthaboutluv]

Yeah I noticed Derek no longer has the picture up, didn't know Mark took his down too - which is kind of silly to me because hello, people have already seen it. I'm guessing maybe the producers made them to drag this out as some story and what will happen with Derek and Nastia come next Monday. But again, people have already seen it and taking the pictures down while not saying anything is just frustrating to Derek and Nastia's fans. 

[Mbeaker]

The picture is still up on Maria Menounos' IG page. This seemingly happened while they were rehearsing late last night for the group dance being filmed today for the anniversary special. In the caption, Maria says she knew it was bad when she heard Derek let out a scream.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Mbeaker

[truthaboutluv]

Yeah I saw that and this is E! News' full report on the situation:

So how severe is Derek’s injury? A source exclusively tells us he broke his toe and severely sprained his ankle, with possible ligament damage. Our source adds that an MRI is schedule for today to see just how serious the injury to his ankle is.

 

Derek was rehearsing a special routine for the upcoming anniversary special with former partner Maria Menounos when he suffered the injury. And Maria tells E! News exclusively that Derek hurt his foot after he smashed it on a piece of equipment, and when he went to grab ice to put on it, he fell down the stairs, rolling his ankle. Fortunately, Maria was right behind him and helped Derek out before Mark took him to the hospital. Maria reposted Mark’s E.R. photo on Instagram, adding, “ugh Mark when I heard him scream I knew we were in trouble! #fingerscrossed #getbetterfast.”

 

Just before Derek’s injury, Maria almost suffered one as well, hitting her head against the dancefloor. Fortunately, she was fine, and posted a video of the scary moment on Instagram. “@menough is back….within minutes @derekhough already injuring me! Lol,” she wrote, adding the hashtags “#prayingforderek” and “#hopewecanstilldance.”

 

[majormama]

I am a terrible person, because I chuckled at the description of how he was injured. You just don't expect a talented, graceful dancer to be clumsy like that. I sincerely hope he heals quickly and well. Does he have an understudy for the NY show, or are those in danger of being cancelled?

Edited April 21, 2015 by majormama

[Barbara Manatee]

The NY show has announced Derek's understudy will be performing tomorrow. I think they're waiting for more tests to decide what happens after that.

[truthaboutluv]

There is an understudy and don't worry, I had a chuckle too because the whole thing just sounds so random. First he smashes one foot on equipment, then when trying to get ice he falls down and hurts the other foot. I mean WTH - all I could think is that's all due to his exhaustion. 

[Uke]

All I know is while watching the pre-dance video package before his + Nastia's dance last night, Derek looked positively manic. I understand it was a fast song and he needed her to keep pace, but he just looked like he was close to bouncing off the walls, in such a rush.  Could be that he's in such an exhausted state that he's rushing everything as a kind of mind-over-matter artificial way to keep himself pumped up. (not sure if I'm explaining that well)  Unfortunately that's where accidents so easily happen.

[SunFun]

Derek Hough Injured, Spends 'Long Night' In ER! Will He Return to 'DWTS'?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/derek-hough-injured-spends-long-night-in-er-will-he-return-to-dwts/ar-AAbs2Fj?ocid=U142DHP

 

 

I hate it for the guy. Messes up his great opportunity w/ Radio City Music Hall. I hate it for me, too. Love to watch him dance.

[anony mouse]

I'm really not surprised - he always seems to be throwing himself into something, which has caused injuries before on the show. With how much he's trying to do at once, it really seemed like a matter of time. The way he was jerking Nastia around in the rehearsal footage, I was bracing myself for her getting injured - Derek has a bad record of his partners getting injured.

[kitcloudkicker]

Oof, I bet he feels real mad at himself. All those careful ice baths and cryotherapy, and then to take himself out in the dumbest and klutziest way possible. Though I'd have to guess exhaustion played into it. 

[pally]

Broken toe on right foot and sprained left ankle.  His ability to dance will depend on how bad that sprain is and which toe is broken.

 

https://gma.yahoo.com/dancing-stars-pro-derek-hough-broke-toe-sprained-201508391--abc-news-celebrities.html

Edited April 22, 2015 by pally

[mtlchick]

Oh man.  I do hope he recovers but at the same time I was thinking "You could have sat out this season and you didn't."  

 

I do hope Natsia can rebound and will at least have a partner that will be focused on her more. 

[humbleopinion]

Guessing he will sit out a few weeks and be back for the finale.

 

Dancers know their bodies, pain tolerance level so it is his call to make.

Hopefully, he will not further damage his money makers by coming back too soon.

[RemoteControlFreak]

Yeah I saw that and this is E! News' full report on the situation:

So how severe is Derek’s injury? A source exclusively tells us he broke his toe and severely sprained his ankle, with possible ligament damage. Our source adds that an MRI is schedule for today to see just how serious the injury to his ankle is. ... ...

 

The source that ET cited doesn't know what it's talking about.

 

A sprain is, by definition, damage to ligaments.  So if he has a sprain, he definitely has ligament damage. It's not "possible." It's definite.

Edited April 23, 2015 by remotecontrolfreak

[pally]

The severe ankle sprain will be far more limiting than the broken toe.  The toe is limited by pain.  The damage to the ligaments in the ankle affect his ability to balance, turn, change direction, twirl, basically every dance move he can make.  He keeps dancing on it not only does he risk further much more limiting injury to himself but he also risks injuring Nastia.

[Kromm]

He needs to pull out of DWTS for the season.  Heal up as much as possible, and when able... do whatever shows are left for the people who PAID to see him (in other words the NY shows--don't know how much longer those go on though).

[OakGoblinFly]

He needs to pull out of DWTS for the season.  Heal up as much as possible, and when able... do whatever shows are left for the people who PAID to see him (in other words the NY shows--don't know how much longer those go on though).

  

 

It runs through May 7 ...

[treeofdreams]

Derek's interview about his injuries:

 

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/dancings-derek-hough-injuries-incredibly-frustrating-200800182.html

[TeeMo]

I wonder what his respective contracts with the NY Radio City show and DWTS look like. I've been thinking that it would be a bit of a PR nightmare if he returned to one but not the other, though I tend to think if is only able to do one, the Radio City Show seems the more likely choice since it involves lots of money in ticket sales. I can imagine that it puts the group backing the Radio City show in a tough spot if they slide his understudy in for the rest of the run and then he shows back up on DWTS. I have no idea whether one gig is more taxing than the other so that would obviously be a factor as well. Maybe he could wait until the Radio City show closes in early May and try to come back for the last couple of weeks of DWTS. 

 

He has his own Move On Tour coming up this summer and if I were him, I'd probably take as much rest and rehab time as I could now rather than rushing back too fast and risking a more serious injury that could derail that tour. 

[luvthepros]

Here are some "What ifs?".....What if Derek does come back to DWTS for the last couple of weeks and he and Nastia win the MBT. Should this be considered another win for Derek? This win for Derek would certainly have an asterisk next to his name.

[Buggin]

As far as I can tell, Derek is still choreographing Nastia's dance, so I would think it would still be considered a win for him. If Sasha ends up filling in for the rest of the season, though, he should at least get a mini-version of the MBT to take home. ;) 

[truthaboutluv]

Here are some "What ifs?".....What if Derek does come back to DWTS for the last couple of weeks and he and Nastia win the MBT. Should this be considered another win for Derek? This win for Derek would certainly have an asterisk next to his name.

I think for some people, every one of Derek's wins have an asterisk next to it. Doesn't change the facts or the outcomes.

[Kromm]

Here are some "What ifs?".....What if Derek does come back to DWTS for the last couple of weeks and he and Nastia win the MBT. Should this be considered another win for Derek? This win for Derek would certainly have an asterisk next to his name.

 

I think for some people, every one of Derek's wins have an asterisk next to it. Doesn't change the facts or the outcomes.

 

I think the important thing is that this never has been, and never will be, regarded as a legitimate sporting event or competitive endeavor with records that hold any water or credibility.  Derek is the face of the show because the show latched onto the fact that he was a good looking young guy, very marketable to audiences, and to at least be fair, he had the wherewithal and enough talent to grab onto that and take full advantage.  The records and stats are all nonsense though. There's been too much subjectivity.  Too much dependent on casting, fan feelings, song clearance for their music, strictness or permissiveness in allowed moves and scoring for them, studio clapbot response and how it affects judging, the mere fact that as Derek became more and more marketable pleasing HIM became just as important to the show as pleasing the celeb partner... and dozens of other factors. 

 

So an asterik in the win column?  Would it really matter of change anything?

[katha]

Yes, this show is heavily scripted and manipulated. Always has been. And that's not a knock on Derek at all, that's not a knock on any of the pros. They have a good gig with the show, both money and exposure is probably better than anywhere else for dancers. Of course they take the opportunity and try to deal with the BS as best as they can. Being a reality show doesn't mean that everything is pre-scripted, of course the show reacts to voting and to what draws good ratings and attention for them. And the "judging" has to have some relation to what is shown on the dance floor, because otherwise it would be too obvious. But there's lots of wiggle room to "arrange" things anyway.

 

For example, I don't think they throw out votes, I've never believed that theory (I do think season 16 was a legitimate technical screw-up and the "solution" they came up with was terrible). But of course they can steer audience response. By the judging, by judges' comments, by dance order, by the packages they edit together, bonus points, immunity dances. Sometimes it doesn't work, of course. Same with the complaints that some pros have been around forever while others get cut. Or that some get good partners while others don't. Well, obviously that's how it works. They always want Val and Derek to stay in the competition for a long time, so these two always get contenders. The female pros don't have established fanbases like that, so things are more evenhanded there. Tony doesn't draw such attention, but he's a good company man and knows how to handle "older lady" contestants. Mark has a knack for dealing with nervous, conservative, beginner and/or young contestants, so he always gets them. And since his "mad scientist" stuff often draws attention and gets headlines, more often than not his celebs have some dance potential despite their limitations as well. Pros like Dmitry, Damian...they were pleasant, but not memorable enough, so they got cut.

 

But you see how none of the pros or celebs are really "safe" from their storyboarding anyway. For example, I think this season they are going in pretty hard on Derek for (perhaps?) overextending himself, both the packages and the judging haven't always been a bed of roses IMO. Val last season was super irritated with the showmance talk while arguably at the same time participating in said showmance. I think part of that strangeness is that the producers encourage these things and then let the pros take the brunt of the criticism for it. Same with strongly encouraging Mark to do full production, then the judges start complaining about too much production. Or not criticising Riker for his sloppiness or not criticising Allison for arguably not teaching him enough: They want to keep her as a pro and Riker is entertaining, so everything gets a pass (they'll go in on one of the ballroom dances probably, since that's where Allison seems to be the weakest, so as not to make the soft-peddling otherwise too obvious).

Edited April 26, 2015 by katha

[Glaadrial]

Wow! I had to double-check that I was in the right season. How is Derek's thread on Page 2? I don't normally post in this thread because I'm not a fan and I prefer not to make negative comments in the threads of those who are not my favorites. Anyway...

 

From his TV Guide blog:

To be completely honest, I feel like in a way, we sort of got eliminated last week with that package. Like I said last week, when I saw that, I was like, "Oh wow, that was a complete left field," especially when you know it's so not reality. That was a terrible representation journey of our week. And to see that, it was like, "I see what's going on here." I'm not blaming the show or anyone for our elimination -- we've all had bad packages -- but I've been around here a long time! I know how everything works. I wasn't angry or upset, just disappointed, like I said last week. But, you know, I'm not in control here. All I could do was come up with good dances.

I'm somewhat confused by his read of the situation. Nastia got the redemption edit at just the right time to push her into the finals. Maybe he's not used to the harsh edits that Max and to a lesser extent Val have had to endure (seriously, even Max went a little off on how intense Little Bro returned Meryl with injuries after the switch-off week). To me, who is obviously not as close to the situation, it looked like the harshish package/redemption arc was meant to boost her numbers in the crucial SF week.

 

I hope we can assume that Noah was the third place contestant, and if that was the case then the ploy should have worked except that the judges didn't leave enough room in their scores for her to make up the 1.5% difference between the bottom two, so the plan went horribly wrong. I think that if the judges gave Noah a tongue bath and then showered him with 8s across the board (because this is the SFs after all), then the result could have been different.

 

If it was one of the other two couples in the bottom two instead of Noah, then manipulating the scores becomes a more tricky exercise because either of them scoring lower than Noah would have been too blatant to be believable based on how each performed on the night. Maybe what they showed as the bottom two, really were the bottom two, in which case maybe they thought that the two point deficit would be enough to keep Nastia in (I had to scratch my head at Jullianne matching Len in giving a 9 for what Val/Rumer did with the VW and then basically saying that what Noah did immediately after doing the same dance merited the same score).

 

In any case, I hope that Derek was being sincere in his blog and not just doing a PR shtick when he explained how he prepared Nastia for what he saw as their inevitable elimination based on how the show was edited (I'd think that leaving out his talking head commentary--assuming he recorded some--was a pretty good indicator of what was to come). It would explain why Nastia was able to be gracious and poised in her interview immediately after the result. Still, I saw her lose the Gold in a tie-breaker at the '08 Olymipics in her signature event, This elimination likely pale's in comparison, but I'm sure the "head's up" helped some. I do wish that TPTB had chosen to show us some of the footage that Derek describes of her nurturing behavior and their heart-to-heart interactions because those kinds of scenes could have gone a long way to helping the audience recognize subtleties in their partnership that could have allowed her to appear less aloof.

 

Also from the blog:

Out of all my partners, Nastia has always been the most affectionate toward me. I'm not even exaggerating. She's an amazing friend -- and nurse! She was always asking me if I needed ice. She was constantly giving me water. She played nurse on top of juggling two partners. It's those moments, that tenderness and heart -- there was so more beauty to show, but they went for the cheap shot.

 

This is high praise, indeed.

[kitcloudkicker]

In any case, I hope that Derek was being sincere in his blog and not just doing a PR shtick when he explained how he prepared Nastia for what he saw as their inevitable elimination based on how the show was edited (I'd think that leaving out his talking head commentary--assuming he recorded some--was a pretty good indicator of what was to come). It would explain why Nastia was able to be gracious and poised in her interview immediately after the result. Still, I saw her lose the Gold in a tie-breaker at the '08 Olymipics in her signature event, This elimination likely pale's in comparison, but I'm sure the "head's up" helped some. 

 

He's said this in all the seasons I've paid attention to, which has been the last two. He prepped Amy for "a feeling that it was going to be Maks and Meryl," and he prepped Bethany for a fourth place finish as well. I believe both of them confirmed it. I don't have a hard time believing that he's got a good sense for how the show is edited, both because he's been on for so long, and because he's got an interest and aptitude towards directing - you start to get a sense of story structure. 

 

I do wish that TPTB had chosen to show us some of the footage that Derek describes of her nurturing behavior and their heart-to-heart interactions because those kinds of scenes could have gone a long way to helping the audience recognize subtleties in their partnership that could have allowed her to appear less aloof.

 

 

If you feel like scrounging it up, Sasha's instagram has some fun bits from rehearsals, and live streams of their rehearsals are floating around that show they seem to have had a pretty easy, nice friendship. It's a bummer they didn't ever show it in the edited versions, and that it didn't come across to most people. Maybe I'm in a minority of weirdos, because reality TV shows never give me this, but I find fun, goofy moments of people getting along so much more interesting than "drama" which usually amounts to tired people sniping at each other a bit. (Zzzzzzzzz.)

[shok]

Oh geez, what a whiny excuse-making baby he is. Nastia's package was no better nor no worse than most everybody else's has been at some point during the season.  Does he think he's such a special snowflake that he should get nothing but the unending praise and favour that he usually gets? You could tell he had raised hell about it because they sure bent over backwards to blather on about how sweet and wonderful Nastia was in the following show(s). So glad he and she made it no further. I think a goodly portion of the audience is getting sick of Derek and all the favouritism he gets.

[kitcloudkicker]

I know a lot of you are upset we're not in the final, but fourth place is great! Nothing to sneeze at, especially after everything that happened this season. I knew we were going home Monday night. I could tell watching the show, the packages, the way they pieced everything together. It's a feeling, the energy of the room. It was an amazing show, probably one of the best we've ever had with all the judges' dances, and my intuition kicked in. We had a very special week and dance with Len. That last dance was just otherworldly and it just felt like a last dance for us. I told Nastia yesterday, "I think we think we're going home today, babe." I told her to be proud of herself. This season was an absolute of a juggernaut to take on between our schedules and me getting injured. And she was really proud of us and most importantly herself. The beginning of the season for her was about top scores, things like that. I told her it wasn't about the score, but the memories and the moments, and she got it. I think that last dance was a perfect example of that.

 

 

I'm not surprised he's in the final at all. I wanted to vote for Noah! There was this moment in the paso when he looked up intensely and closed his fist, and I was just like, "That was amazing!"

 

 

I think that's the thing that can get lost in eliminations because the prevailing sentiment is disappointment and sadness at not winning. But I think anyone who's been on the show will say that, after some time and distance, when they look back, they're proud of what they did on the show. I mean, just look at the 10th anniversary special. You can't look back without anything but pride. It's like, "Wow, we did this."

 

 

 

This doesn't seem like whininess at all. But it doesn't matter. Val said it on Afterbuzz. If people have made up their minds about a pro, they're just going to write off anything positive as "PR Media Training." Fans will see it as sincere, anti-fans will see it as insincere. I just keep this guy handy to express my reality show emotions:

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[anony mouse]

I'm no Derek fan, but I agree - when I saw the packages Nastia got, I knew she was on her way out. That wasn't a redemption edit. The triumph/overcome your challenges edits seem pretty evenly distributed between Noah and Rumer. The editing for Nastia was never building for a comeback. They simply threw her a bone at the end of a season where they tried very hard to portray her as a robot.

Edited May 14, 2015 by starving artist

[katha]

Yeah, they don't usually do it to Derek and his partners, but the edits that Nastia got and the judges' comments at a certain point just became piling on and ramming a certain narrative into the brains of the general audience: Nastia Liukin, cold fish. That undermined her dance performances, but they also let the implication creep in that she is somehow deficient as a human being IMO. It went on all season and at a certain point they decided that she wouldn't get a redemption arc. When Derek got injured and had "reduced value" for the show? When she refused to give the producers the drama in the packages they wanted?

[Uke]

From his TV Guide blog:

I'm somewhat confused by his read of the situation. Nastia got the redemption edit at just the right time to push her into the finals. Maybe he's not used to the harsh edits that Max and to a lesser extent Val have had to endure (seriously, even Max went a little off on how intense Little Bro returned Meryl with injuries after the switch-off week). To me, who is obviously not as close to the situation, it looked like the harshish package/redemption arc was meant to boost her numbers in the crucial SF week.

 

I hope we can assume that Noah was the third place contestant, and if that was the case then the ploy should have worked except that the judges didn't leave enough room in their scores for her to make up the 1.5% difference between the bottom two, so the plan went horribly wrong. I think that if the judges gave Noah a tongue bath and then showered him with 8s across the board (because this is the SFs after all), then the result could have been different.

 

If it was one of the other two couples in the bottom two instead of Noah, then manipulating the scores becomes a more tricky exercise because either of them scoring lower than Noah would have been too blatant to be believable based on how each performed on the night. Maybe what they showed as the bottom two, really were the bottom two, in which case maybe they thought that the two point deficit would be enough to keep Nastia in (I had to scratch my head at Jullianne matching Len in giving a 9 for what Val/Rumer did with the VW and then basically saying that what Noah did immediately after doing the same dance merited the same score).

 

In any case, I hope that Derek was being sincere in his blog and not just doing a PR shtick when he explained how he prepared Nastia for what he saw as their inevitable elimination based on how the show was edited (I'd think that leaving out his talking head commentary--assuming he recorded some--was a pretty good indicator of what was to come). It would explain why Nastia was able to be gracious and poised in her interview immediately after the result. Still, I saw her lose the Gold in a tie-breaker at the '08 Olymipics in her signature event, This elimination likely pale's in comparison, but I'm sure the "head's up" helped some. I do wish that TPTB had chosen to show us some of the footage that Derek describes of her nurturing behavior and their heart-to-heart interactions because those kinds of scenes could have gone a long way to helping the audience recognize subtleties in their partnership that could have allowed her to appear less aloof.

 

Also from the blog:

This is high praise, indeed.

 

I think he was looking for an excuse that didn't put any blame on himself.  And he's not used to harsh edits, at least not for the last several seasons.  I agree Nastia got the redemption edit at just the right time, it just wasn't enough to save her.  According to Tom's tweet, the difference between the bottom two was not 1.5%. He said it was 1.15% to be exact.  I think the bottom just fell out of her support. Maybe the dance with Len gave the impression she was a lock for the finals.

 

A number of pros have said they get a sense or a vibe that tonight's the night they go home and they try to prepare their star.  I don't think they're told by production but there must be some kind of change in interactions that they clue in on.  An exception was with Willow. Normally Mark knows when he's going but the scores and dance-off maybe threw him off? None of the pros are enough actors that they could keep the secret but I've sometimes wondered if producers purposely give off signals so the pro will prepare their star so the show isn't confronted with the star's broken heart and tears

 

What struck me in his blog was "Out of all my partners, Nastia has always been the most affectionate toward me. I'm not even exaggerating."  Now maybe all his partners have been wonderfully affectionate towards him and Nastia was the mostest affectionate of them all. (ok, not believing my own words.) But the statement just struck me as incredibly sad.   A continuing thread with Derek, all just my opinion/observation, is that he rarely seems to have any real connection to his partners and "chemistry" is mostly freeze-frame poses.  After the seasons end, his partners seem friendly on red carpets or at events but, other than Maria, the relationship seems to end. How sad.

[superdeluxe]

I'm somewhat confused by his read of the situation. Nastia got the redemption edit at just the right time to push her into the finals.

 

But that wasn't enough.  The previous week's package had already killed them.  There was no coming back from that.  That's what he's saying and it's true.  All season they portrayed Nastia as being cold and not connecting.  They ramped up with that these last few weeks.  She never got a redemption arc.  Monday was not a redemption arc.  That was just throwing her a bone.

[2LeftFeet]

I think he was looking for an excuse that didn't put any blame on himself.  And he's not used to harsh edits, at least not for the last several seasons.  I agree Nastia got the redemption edit at just the right time, it just wasn't enough to save her.  According to Tom's tweet, the difference between the bottom two was not 1.5%. He said it was 1.15% to be exact.  I think the bottom just fell out of her support. Maybe the dance with Len gave the impression she was a lock for the finals.

 

A number of pros have said they get a sense or a vibe that tonight's the night they go home and they try to prepare their star.  I don't think they're told by production but there must be some kind of change in interactions that they clue in on.  An exception was with Willow. Normally Mark knows when he's going but the scores and dance-off maybe threw him off? None of the pros are enough actors that they could keep the secret but I've sometimes wondered if producers purposely give off signals so the pro will prepare their star so the show isn't confronted with the star's broken heart and tears

 

What struck me in his blog was "Out of all my partners, Nastia has always been the most affectionate toward me. I'm not even exaggerating."  Now maybe all his partners have been wonderfully affectionate towards him and Nastia was the mostest affectionate of them all. (ok, not believing my own words.) But the statement just struck me as incredibly sad.   A continuing thread with Derek, all just my opinion/observation, is that he rarely seems to have any real connection to his partners and "chemistry" is mostly freeze-frame poses.  After the seasons end, his partners seem friendly on red carpets or at events but, other than Maria, the relationship seems to end. How sad.

BBM: I'm no Derek fan, although I think him talented, along with everyone else on the show (in varying degrees....Allison w/ her lack of ballroom at the bottom of the pile) That said, somewhere, I read/heard Derek saying in an interview, echoing Maks, Val, and perhaps others, how difficult it is to have a season end. Derek went on to say at some point he made an effort to NOT get so emotionally involved as it was just too difficult. These are my words summarizing what I heard him say. By 'emotionally involved' I don't mean romance or showmance or fauxmance. Just that close connection, which both of Maks  and Val seem to have a talent for. I understand Derek's decision, but think it unfortunate as his performances, to me, reflect this distance. Also in the packages, while he's often affable and jokes around, it seems very superficial. All of which combine to make me not enjoy him as much as some of the others.

 

I suspect, in some cases, it marks the difference between the Hough and Chmerkovskiy 'mafias' as Val put it. As a member of the latter, it's the 'real, raw' aspect that makes the difference for me. I do think it rather sad, that Derek doesn't seem to stay close to his former partners. Perhaps, though, he rather prefers it that way. IDK, but I get the impression in many ways, he's a bit of a loner.

[just prin]

The show didn't have to do a damn thing "extra" to tab Nastia as "cold" and "not connecting" to this gal. She appeared thusly from the first appearance on the dance floor to standing beside Tom and continued to do so in every live appearance. If you are naturally a non-smiley, not-friendly, extra-quiet person, DO NOT ACT THAT WAY ON DWTS!!! Put on your dancin' feet. Put on your actin' face. You've got the best example standing beside you in Tom--learn somethin', fer god's sake! (In fairness, of course, she's not the only DWTS "competitor" to have suffered from this problem).

ETA: Doesn't mean she and her excellent teacher should be missing from the finals in favor of a patriot who, had he had any class, would have thanked his partner, and ceded to people who could do at least three dance steps, weeks ago.

Edited May 14, 2015 by just prin

[anony mouse]

The show didn't have to do a damn thing "extra" to tab Nastia as "cold" and "not connecting" to this gal. She appeared thusly from the first appearance on the dance floor to standing beside Tom and continued to do so in every live appearance. If you are naturally a non-smiley, not-friendly, extra-quiet person, DO NOT ACT THAT WAY ON DWTS!!! Put on your dancin' feet. Put on your actin' face. You've got the best example standing beside you in Tom--learn somethin', fer god's sake! (In fairness, of course, she's not the only DWTS "competitor" to have suffered from this problem).

ETA: Doesn't mean she and her excellent teacher should be missing from the finals in favor of a patriot who, had he had any class, would have thanked his partner, and ceded to better dancers weeks ago!

If you watched the live feeds, she was often smiling and having a good time. The show packages never showed that, not once. There was a definite narrative they were pushing with Nastia and there was no way for her to counteract that.

[Uke]

BBM: I'm no Derek fan, although I think him talented, along with everyone else on the show (in varying degrees....Allison w/ her lack of ballroom at the bottom of the pile) That said, somewhere, I read/heard Derek saying in an interview, echoing Maks, Val, and perhaps others, how difficult it is to have a season end. Derek went on to say at some point he made an effort to NOT get so emotionally involved as it was just too difficult. These are my words summarizing what I heard him say. By 'emotionally involved' I don't mean romance or showmance or fauxmance. Just that close connection, which both of Maks  and Val seem to have a talent for. I understand Derek's decision, but think it unfortunate as his performances, to me, reflect this distance. Also in the packages, while he's often affable and jokes around, it seems very superficial. All of which combine to make me not enjoy him as much as some of the others.

 

I suspect, in some cases, it marks the difference between the Hough and Chmerkovskiy 'mafias' as Val put it. As a member of the latter, it's the 'real, raw' aspect that makes the difference for me. I do think it rather sad, that Derek doesn't seem to stay close to his former partners. Perhaps, though, he rather prefers it that way. IDK, but I get the impression in many ways, he's a bit of a loner.

 

That's interesting and it kind of ties into other past stories about how Derek kind of keeps to himself in the rehearsal studio and doesn't chum around much with the others except when the producers want to film something.  Some may have written it off to arrogance but maybe it's because he just prefers to be a bit of a loner. Interesting.

[truthaboutluv]

Darvina, who has appeared on Afterbuzz this season, and is very close to Mark and knew him, Julianne and Derek when they were growing up, said in her very first appearance, that she was never that close to Derek because he is a bit removed and slightly walls up. And honestly, as I've noted before, the same reason I liked Bethany last season and had no issues with Nastia this season and have no issues with Derek, is that as someone who is an introvert and slightly anti-social, I have no problems with people who are a bit reserved or slightly introverted. Frankly I'll take that any day over fake and over the top personalities. 

 

I will also add that just because Derek does not talk about his former partners incessantly or detail when or how much they keep in touch, does not mean he has zero contact with any of them. And even if they don't become best friends or stay in each other's life after, it does not necessarily negate the experience they had together on the show. A friend of mine read Derek's book (I don't care for autobiographies myself) and said there was a section where almost all of his former partners wrote absolutely glowing things about him. Nicole Scherzinger who many thought they couldn't stand each other particularly with her whole "I'm such a tortured artist" schtick, took up almost an entire page in the book with her comment about him.

 

I do know for a fact he has stayed in touch with Shawn, because she talks a lot about being very close with both him and Mark and some have mentioned Maria. Bethany very recently at some media appearance of hers said she talks to Derek very often because some were wondering why she wasn't tweeting out support for him and Nastia during the season. Also, the common ground most of his former partners said in their comments in his book, was about the confidence and self belief he gave them throughout the season that they took with them even after the season ended. And I think that's a pretty beautiful thing.

 

I hate to do this comparison nonsense because I am honestly physically and literally exhausted by this Hough vs. Chmerkovskiy crap but since others brought Val and Maks up as a measuring stick, is Val really very close to anyone but Zendaya? I don't get the impression he's stayed particularly close to Danica, Elizabeth, Elizabetta. He and Sherri seem to be very friendly when they're in the same town but this doesn't seem to be an in each other's life sort of thing. He and Kelly were all up in each other until their whatever ended and if you believe the social media gossip, he and Janel damn near hate each other's guts now.

 

My point is again that just because people aren't seeing public evidence of friendships doesn't mean that people wash their hands clean of each other and that can be used as some measurement of one's nature and who they are in their private life. I know we now live in this era of "if it's not on social media it doesn't exist" but people manage to have friendships every day that aren't public knowledge or for public consumption. 

Edited May 14, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[katha]

To stay with the dreaded West Side Story comparison: Both Maks and Val have admitted that they tend to get too invested in a season and that this can backfire on them. Val with his "I suck out the fun for the celeb every season" just a few weeks ago. The other side can be that things get a bit too remote and distant, which might make a partnership less compelling. Perhaps that's a danger when you're more reserved like Derek seems to be. It's a fine line: The experience in the show bubble appears to me like a mixture of summer camp and Stockholm Syndrome. If you don't get along, it becomes hell. If you do get along, you bond fast. The celebs don't know that, the pros have to negotiate how to approach it. I don't think there's one perfect solution, or one right way to do it.

 

Perhaps the producers keep this in mind when doing assignments as well? I know we all complain that many of the pros get a certain type again and again, I'm sure this plays a role. Since I pay most attention there, I see it with Mark: He gets the "babysitter" assignments, not only the young ones, but often the ones where there might be concerns that for whatever reason the contestant could be overwhelmed or nervous or in general might need extra help in navigating the show experience. Same with Tony and the older ladies. So why pros have a certain general "style" of partnership also depends on the partners they get assigned.

[Avidviewer]

 

I hate to do this comparison nonsense because I am honestly physically and literally exhausted by this Hough vs. Chmerkovskiy crap but since others brought Val and Maks up as a measuring stick, is Val really very close to anyone but Zendaya? I don't get the impression he's stayed particularly close to Danica, Elizabeth, Elizabetta. He and Sherri seem to be very friendly when they're in the same town but this doesn't seem to be an in each other's life sort of thing. He and Kelly were all up in each other until their whatever ended and if you believe the social media gossip, he and Janel damn near hate each other's guts now.

 

My point is again that just because people aren't seeing public evidence of friendships doesn't mean that people wash their hands clean of each other and that can be used as some measurement of one's nature and who they are in their private life. I know we now live in this era of "if it's not on social media it doesn't exist" but people manage to have friendships every day that aren't public knowledge or for public consumption. 

Val is close to most of his partners. Because he's working more in the off season (and less time in NY/NJ), you don't see him  physically spending time with Sheri. When Sheri's personal business was in the news, Val did reach out to her. She thanked him for his continual support.  He is not really close to Elizabeth but he stayed in contact with her and her husband. Kelly has never be very active on sm, but she does meet up with Val from time to time.

 

Ironically, Maks is not as highly visible or active on social media. He has stayed in contact with this former partners but not in the way that Val does.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Avidviewer

[OakGoblinFly]

The show didn't have to do a damn thing "extra" to tab Nastia as "cold" and "not connecting" to this gal. She appeared thusly from the first appearance on the dance floor to standing beside Tom and continued to do so in every live appearance. If you are naturally a non-smiley, not-friendly, extra-quiet person, DO NOT ACT THAT WAY ON DWTS!!! Put on your dancin' feet. Put on your actin' face. You've got the best example standing beside you in Tom--learn somethin', fer god's sake! (In fairness, of course, she's not the only DWTS "competitor" to have suffered from this problem).

ETA: Doesn't mean she and her excellent teacher should be missing from the finals in favor of a patriot who, had he had any class, would have thanked his partner, and ceded to people who could do at least three dance steps, weeks ago.

 

 

Then Nastia would have been called out for being "fake" - personally I'd much rather see a reserved, stoic reaction than a fake one.  And for what it's worth, I didn't ever  perceive Nastia as cold and devoid of connection.  I thought she and Derek had a nice, friendly vibe in their routines - the only "miss" was the Rhumba and that connection is hard for most contestants to get in week two. 

[truthaboutluv]

Congratulations to Derek. He and Julianne were nominated, along with Tassandra Chavez for an Emmy for Best Choreography for the Elastic Heart piece. 

[Uke]

Congratulations to Derek. He and Julianne were nominated, along with Tassandra Chavez for an Emmy for Best Choreography for the Elastic Heart piece. 

 

Any idea how this got submitted? Nominations had to be in by May 4. Elastic Heart was supposedly a live performance on May 19 but even if it was pre-recorded, it would have to be shown on tv for a tv award nomination. As of May 4, Sasha was still having to sub for Derek since Derek was unable to dance. I'm totally confused here.

[tarotx]

The criteria period was June 1st 2014-May 31st 2015 rather the episode aired yet or not. Obviously Derek&Co were working on the dance for a while so they submitted it. Voting didn't begin until after the dance aired.

Any idea how this got submitted? Nominations had to be in by May 4. Elastic Heart was supposedly a live performance on May 19 but even if it was pre-recorded, it would have to be shown on tv for a tv award nomination. As of May 4, Sasha was still having to sub for Derek since Derek was unable to dance. I'm totally confused here.

[Uke]

The criteria period was June 1st 2014-May 31st 2015 rather the episode aired yet or not. Obviously Derek&Co were working on the dance for a while so they submitted it. Voting didn't begin until after the dance aired.

They still would have had to submit something by May 4 (rule 3b "in preparation but not completed").

Rule 1a: "All entries, whether the program has already aired or will air between May 4 and May 31, MUST be entered by May 4."

 

It's just interesting to me that they got it in which then opens up the possibility that other finale dances could be submitted in the future.  One of the gripes I hear a lot is that the dances in the final 2 or 3 weeks aren't eligible, yet that is when the remaining stars often have enough training under their belt that they can pull off truly fine performances.

Edited July 17, 2015 by Uke