S20.E02: Favorite Songs Night

[Wings]

I thought Noah's girl friend was adorable in her uniform!  

[MakeMeLaugh]

Patti surely has a guarantee that she will stay through a certain level.

I picked Foohair to go home this week. His fan base is probably not watching this show.

I don't think at this point Noah is preventing a serious challenger from progressing by staying--there are still several people who are mediocre. At least his partner is not literally carrying him around on the stage like Derek did. So I (and Mr MML, a vet from long long ago who salutes Noah) am good with watching him and his cute fiancee in the audience another few weeks.

I hope Charlotte takes a long look at Suzanne and what her future might be if she works hard and is very lucky. I can easily believe that Charlotte was bullied by the mean girls in her high school when she developed--she doesn't seem to have a quick smart mouth to retaliate with and take the bullies down. Unfortunately for this show, her shtick is only her gorgeous body and not her dancing aptitude. I don't expect her to be elegantly dressed and covered up to tone the bod down, because that leaves only her lack of dancing ability to be obvious.

Last week they loved Christhebachelor and all the buzz in Bachelorland was his love of dance and his fiancee better learn how to do the fancy stuff too or he will run away with his partner instead of her! This week, meh. Love it

Edited March 24, 2015 by MakeMeLaugh

[Apocalypso]

Poor Kim, stuck with that hairpiece that looked like a braided rug beret.

 

Enjoyable to see everyone improve.

[crowceilidh]

 

I get that Patti didn't do much dancing, but I agree with this. She has a natural groove, she can fill the space with her performance and she's one of the few contestants that can clearly count. She knows the beat, she knows her steps. She isn't doing many, but they're spot on.

I have to agree.  Anybody who has done this kind of dancing in their advancing years knows that stamina is the biggest issue.  She was all-out dancing for her age and body style for the majority of that very-short (like everyone else's) routine.  I thought she rocked it, although I was dubious about some of the lines the dress created.

 

I think Rumer is suffering from I-don't-realize-that-people-don't-like-it-when-I-talk-like-a-male syndrome.  I have that too. I think her posturing about being in front would be very acceptable if she was male - everyone would take it with good humour.  But people react differently when a woman says stuff like that.  I remember once, when I was a little younger than Rumer, doing a tandem lecture with my father and both my father and mother gave me hell for joking around about being drunk (it was a historical costume lecture and I was joking about the difficulties of untying all those clothes).  My dad had done the same kind of joking in his lecture.  Both of them said that it was different because I was female and people wouldn't take it the same way.  I was outraged at the time, but I've seen enough in this world now to think they were probably right.  I do think that Rumer is risking losing fans if she doesn't lighten it with some laughter and smiles (in a way that a man would not have to).

[anonymiss]

Expressing a negative opinion is not "cyber bullying," Julianne. That said, I was impressed with Charlotte's flexibility. She's never boring and I hope she keeps improving. I like that she stopped acting stupid and it was smart to play the sympathy card.

 

Bruno and the sexual innuendos ("You were erect!") are not remotely amusing. Just played out.

 

Mark and WIllow were my favorites of the night. He negated any age gap with that clever routine.

 

Suzanne is almost 70 and was energetic and charismatic. She's inspiring.

 

I'm happy Robert and Kym are doing well, though that routine bored me. Feels like I've seen it so many times already replete with the same outfits and set.

 

I enjoyed Peta and Michael. And I covet Peta's sparkly red gown and matching gloves--gorgeous!

 

Rumer may be the one to beat but I'm not rooting for her (yet). I've seen her act and she's atrocious. Her only claim to fame is being born, which always turns me off.

 

Speaking of nepotism, hope Riker and his precious poseur hair leave soon.

Edited March 24, 2015 by anonymiss

[Steph619]

I think everyone improved from last week or at least were less nervous this time around.

I liked Rumer, Nastia, Willow, and Robert, but I would have to say that the dance of the night belonged to Patti and Artem. It wasn't technically the best, but it was very entertaining to watch.

[truthaboutluv]

Bruno and the sexual innuendos ("You were erect!") are not remotely amusing. Just played out.

 

 

While Bruno can definitely grate, I actually think he was genuinely giving a criticism and Tom and company turned it into something dirty because it was one of those "too easy" moments. I may be giving Bruno too much credit but you can usually tell when he's being in his mind "cheeky" but he was demonstrating what he thought was the problem and seemed very serious in his comment. 

[Primetimer]

The celebs get to pick their favorite songs. (You might be surprised by Patti LaBelle's pick, but you won't be sad about it.)

Read the story

[kayma]

I think Rumer is suffering from I-don't-realize-that-people-don't-like-it-when-I-talk-like-a-male syndrome.  I have that too. I think her posturing about being in front would be very acceptable if she was male - everyone would take it with good humour.  But people react differently when a woman says stuff like that.

I actually really like that Rumer is trying to be so confident. She's putting in the work to back it up. Michael Sam was saying he visualizes himself in the finals. I like that a few seem to think they have a shot at winning or the finals. It makes it more interesting when the stars are actually trying to win.

[anonymiss]

While Bruno can definitely grate, I actually think he was genuinely giving a criticism and Tom and company turned it into something dirty because it was one of those "too easy" moments. I may be giving Bruno too much credit but you can usually tell when he's being in his mind "cheeky" but he was demonstrating what he thought was the problem and seemed very serious in his comment. 

Yeah that was my problem with it though: that it was too easy. He could have said his posture was improved, he was upright etc, but he couldn't resist. It wasn't clever; it was just tiresome to hear the requisite pause in the critique for the forced giggling. 

[spanana]

I like Rumer's confidence. I just think it's funny that a few times even Val has told her to dial it back because it may come off cocky. Visualizing yourself in the finals and winning is awesome. Telling people you have no competition is likely going to rub people the wrong way, male or female. Though I agree that there are double standards for what is allowed in terms of confidence for males and females.

I'm interested to see if Rumer is still happy go lucky and relaxed in live rehearsals this week when she's no longer at the top of the leaderboard. I think last week was easy because everybody was pretty much telling her she was going to win.

This is a weird cast because there are no trainewrecks and I like almost everyone. I wouldn't mind losing Charlotte but after that it may hurt.

I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying Riker. Allison is doing a decent job so far but I would love to see what someone with a real ballroom dance background could do for him.

[Wings]

Random thoughts:

 

I don't understand so many not liking Alison.  She was phenomenal on SYTYCD and I adore her husband Twitch.  What is not to like?  

 

I think Rumer got knocked down a peg this week. 

 

So Patti fills a room, eh?  Well this is a dance competition and she did not do much of that.  

 

I sure hope Robert outlasts Patti and Noah but I am not confident.  He has all of my votes from here on out.  I like the guy and he is fun to watch. He can also dance.  I expect to see him improve greatly from week to week.  

 

I think Chris will go next week and that is too bad.  I think Whitney failed him by not changing her plan when he could not grasp the counting.  There are other ways.  bum bum cha cha cha, bum bum cha cha cha.  Use words and voice infection to get him in the groove.  

 

Riker did well but he had one of the easier dances. 

 

Peta looked smashing! 

Edited March 24, 2015 by wings707

[Thadeeeyus]

I didn't know this about others doing choreography.  What about last season?  It doesn't surprise me because it is a different skill and not all dancers can be good at it.

 

They talked about this at the end of the Afterbuzz show last week.  I thought it was interesting that it was brought out in the open like that. 

[Wings]

They talked about this at the end of the Afterbuzz show last week.  I thought it was interesting that it was brought out in the open like that. 

 

 

I am not familiar with the Afterbuzz show.  I will go google it and pay attention.  Thanks. 

[saber5055]

I was surprised -- and glad -- Chris picked Pitbull to dance to instead of a country band. Like Big and Rich! Ha. Anyway, having him go first was a death knell, and getting the highest score from the toughest judge, Len? Something Chris has done has upset TPTB and they want him gone. Me, however, I am enjoying him on this show. I thought his routine was as good (or better) than some others. I enjoyed it and thought he showed a lot of amazingness for a person with no dance background other than doing the two-step in some local bar.

 

Rumer Willis ... the minute she came on my screen all I could think of was DANCE BACKGROUND. As the daughter of two major Hollywood actors, OF COURSE she's been taking dance since she was old enough to toddle across the room. So unfair.

 

Noah is HOT beyond words, but his dance was not a dance. And he was scored higher than Chris? Please.

 

Robert and Kym's "showmance" was stupid to bring up. They've never done that before for others who have been in the news, whether the showmance was true or not. But they are really cute together, if people of a "certain age" are still "cute." But yeah, Robert is cute. I just wish he had SHUT HIS MOUTH just ONCE during that dance. I enjoyed it but became obsessed with his fly catching which distracted me from seeing if he were really dancing or not.

 

Got a kick that Ed Sheeran's real recording was played with Ed Sheeran doing the singing, although it was edited to fit the short time span of the dance. But Maroon Five's "Sugar" was played/sung by the DWTS band (or some anonymous singers). Maybe because Adam Levine is starring on a show that plays opposite DWTS?

 

During her Olympics run, Nastia was always cold and showed no personality, just stone-faced professionalism, while Shawn Johnson was the darling sweetheart of the media. I'm not surprised Nastia struggles with changing her persona on this show.

 

LOVED the paintball costume and that dance, even if it was stolen or done before. I still liked it.

 

Rumer said on a GMA interview that she has "no competition" on this show and she's the front runner. That kind of talk combined with no doubt a solid background in dance lessons makes me root for Derek and Nastia.

 

I never thought I'd EVER root for Derek over Val. But there you go. 

[StatMom]

A bit sad that Redfoo was the one who left. Surprised for Suzanne, but I'm betting that it was Charlotte who was neck and neck with him for the bottom. Suzanne was a big improvement over last week too, and I hope she sticks around for a little while.

I was a little bummed too; it's fun to watch the contestants who are really having fun with it, and seem dedicated to working on getting better. See also, Chris Soules, who I never would have thought I would be rooting for, but he also seems to be unabashed about Being There for the Right Reasons. The one judge who said he needs to concentrate more on details in practice was probably correct, but he has me on his side for the moment.

 

Does anyone think that those jams were actually picked by the contestants themselves? At least they didn't really play up the "hey, I totally love this song!" bit with most of them. MAYBE they gave them a list of several songs to pick from, but that's about as much as I'll buy as far as that goes. And Patti may have picked her own independently.

 

Wardrobe note: Michael Sam should not wear a jacket or other piece of clothing that hangs down over his backside. You know, so you can move better.

[Wings]

 

Noah is HOT beyond words, but his dance was not a dance. And he was scored higher than Chris? Please.

 

I agree and we are going to see that every week.  He is likely to send better dancers home.  Ah well, that happens every season.  

 

 

I just wish he had SHUT HIS MOUTH just ONCE during that dance. I enjoyed it but became obsessed with his fly catching which distracted me from seeing if he were really dancing or not.

 

He is my favorite, I love the guy.  I agree about his mouth and facial expressions in general.  He is taking this seriously and will either pick up on that by watching or reading online feedback.  I think we will see him reel that in. 

 

 

 

Rumer said on a GMA interview that she has "no competition" on this show and she's the front runner. That kind of talk combined with no doubt a solid background in dance lessons makes me root for Derek and Nastia.

 

 

She claims she is a nerd.  Well it is the hot and current trend to be a nerd these days so that is just more self aggrandizing.   

[katha]

I thought not only was the dancing better this week (surprising for week two), but the judging was less screwy as well. Thought Nastia had lovely lines and form, but she is a bit closed off. Perhaps that's something that they can work on in the coming weeks. (I hope Henry gets a nice bonus for being a stand-in in rehearsals when Derek's unavailable). I thought Rumer was not quite as good as last week (though still very good), but that might have been more of an issue with the dance Val created? Agreed with Len (?) that there could have been more cha-cha, and it was very sharp. Their foxtrot last week was already pretty sharp as well. Riker did well, and doing something about the hair situation made him magically more likeable LOL.

 

Willow surprised me, she did well last week and I thought she was a bit underscored, should have been more 7s there. But it was a nice, but still somewhat tentative performance. This week was badass. Clearly she was helped by Mark's great choreography, but still. Really fierce for a 14 year old. And since she's a kid she'll probably learn in the fast tempo kids learn, and she's got Mark, who's an excellent teacher. I think she can really improve tons this season. Exciting!

 

Suzanne was enjoyable and improved, Redfoo was improved (not that it helped him anymore). Patti was awesome and yeah, probably a bit overscored, but I don't think outrageously so and I think it'll continue, might as well get used to it. And she does have a good time, so whatever. Chris was pretty bad. Going first made their scores for him probably even lower, but he was the worst of the lot. Charlotte improved a bit as well, I don't know if she was five points better than him. But she was better. And the perception that he hasn't progressed (like almost everyone else) also probably worked against him with the judges.

[truthaboutluv]

I don't understand so many not liking Alison.  She was phenomenal on SYTYCD and I adore her husband Twitch.  What is not to like?

 

 

Can't speak for anyone else but it's not about a personal dislike of Alison for me, just that I thought she did a poor job as a Pro last season which wasn't really entirely her fault, as ballroom is not her dance style. Sure she's done performances and learned stuff working with Derek but it is a big difference to pick up some technique working with a ballroom dancer versus having to teach it to someone else when it's not something she was trained in. On top of that every performance she did at 110% speed which only overwhelmed Jonathan who not surprisingly could not keep up. She seems to be doing okay this season but Riker clearly has more natural ability than Jonathan so we'll see how it goes. 

 

I rewatched some of the dances and few comments:

 

I noticed some comments that Julianne might have been throwing shade at Witney saying she would have preferred simpler choreography but watching that dance again, I actually think Julianne was incredibly tactful and what she should have said is that Witney failed Chris with that choreography. I get that they were dancing to a hip hop like song but there was no reason for Witney to put some of that stuff in she likely would have done well with Alfonso. Chris Soules it does not have to be said, is clearly no Alfonso. The man is not a dancer and rather than her just focusing on a clean and simple routine that included the basics, that he could have managed, she threw in a lot of unnecessary stuff that just further overwhelmed him and made the whole thing even sloppier. 

 

Michael danced okay and the choreography was good but he still seemed a bit hunched and uncomfortable throughout the dance to me and I think it's because of the very ill fitting suit. Something about his suit was bugging. Dude is clearly a big guy - not fat but just big with the huge chest, huge butt and the suit just looked a bit too tight and too short. The jacket especially was just awkward and I think it added to the hunched look.

[Serendi]

Bruno and the sexual innuendos ("You were erect!") are not remotely amusing. Just played out.

 

Although I find it very hard to believe, what with Bruno being the king of innuendo, he really seemed to me like he didn't mean it that way. If I'm wrong, well, sigh.

 

 

I don't understand so many not liking Alison.  She was phenomenal on SYTYCD and I adore her husband Twitch.  What is not to like?  

 

I think most people like Allison fine as a contemporary dancer. It's just that teaching ballroom when she barely knows anything about ballroom isn't working out well.

 

The thing about pros getting help with choreography - First, last season, Mandy Moore was on Afterbuzz just after social media had been abuzz that she helped someone (Artem? not sure) with his choreography. She said she helps *everyone*. It's clear that some need more help than others, but it's part of her job to help out. Of course, she doesn't know ballroom all that well either, but she knows cameras. 

 

Second, I think it was last week when they said something that implied not everyone choreographs themselves. Don't remember the exact quote, but it made it sound like they don't do it at *all*; I'd always thought the pros all did at least some of the choreography. I dunno.

 

Finally watched some of a Patti/Artem rehearsal on Youtube. She picks stuff up *fast*! She didn't seem to have much stamina, but she was sharp otherwise.

[Wings]

Thanks on clearing up the Alison question.  I didn't pay close attention last year beyond Maks and Meryl.  Am I understanding that Alison was a contestant at one point and Derek was her partner?  Or do we just know he has helped her with choreography?  

[actionboss]

At this point , any discussion about Rumer having had a lifetime of dance training is speculation. Ryker,on the other hand, is definitely trained in dance and also competed with his sister.

[sinkwriter]

 

I don't understand so many not liking Alison.  She was phenomenal on SYTYCD and I adore her husband Twitch.  What is not to like?

 

I haven't ever watched So You Think You Can Dance, I don't know her husband either, so for me the only exposure to Alison's choreography and personality have been on this show. Which is why I haven't loved her. I don't hate her or anything like that, I just think her ballroom choreography seems lacking and she seems like she's not taking into consideration the tone of the actual dance she's supposed to be choreographing. I felt like she did a huge disservice to her partner in last season. Like truthaboutluv says above: "On top of that every performance she did at 110% speed which only overwhelmed Jonathan who not surprisingly could not keep up." 

 

Even in last night's performance, though I enjoyed it very much, I felt like she threw in too many fast and/or hip-hop moves which can be distracting. It's a foxtrot. Show that your partner can actually do the elegant stuff and that the hook doesn't always have to be on contemporary moves. I thought Riker did a great job with the elegant moves; he didn't need it to be spiced up so much.

[DancingD]

During Charlotte's dance, I had to pause the program because I was laughing so hard at the dancing crabs.  

 

 

Had to go watch the crabs. They were pretty entertaining! I did like the Left Crab and Right Crab signs, had to explain those to my husband.

 

Nastia did well with pressing through back breaks, not at all with side presses. At least she got half of it, I've never seen good presses from a celeb.

Edited March 24, 2015 by DancingD

[sinkwriter]

I didn't really get into the dancing crabs because it was basically a rehash of Katy Perry's routine at the Super Bowl (complete with them dancing to one of Katy Perry's songs), and I didn't really dig Katy Perry's performance so to see it again in this form just made me eyeroll.

 

But I did get a kick out of finding out who was wearing the crab outfits. I think Tom said it was Henry and ... I forget who the other one was. But the mental picture of Henry dancing around as one of those giant red crabs did amuse me quite a bit. I was hoping he'd pull off the red mask and wave one of his claws at the crowd after Tom revealed that.  *GRIN*

[DancingD]

And I completely believe that Charlotte was bullied in high school. Girls have really stepped up their game on the bullying front, and internet anonymity makes it really easy and extra vicious.

[Mbeaker]

But I did get a kick out of finding out who was wearing the crab outfits. I think Tom said it was Henry and ... I forget who the other one was. But the mental picture of Henry dancing around as one of those giant red crabs did amuse me quite a bit. I was hoping he'd pull off the red mask and wave one of his claws at the crowd after Tom revealed that. *GRIN*

That was Sasha, and Jenna.

[truthaboutluv]

First, last season, Mandy Moore was on Afterbuzz just after social media had been abuzz that she helped someone (Artem? not sure) with his choreography.

 

 

The rumor was that she was helping someone with their freestyle for the finale which had some fans crying foul. The belief was that it was Val because Val did a contemporary freestyle with Janel which is Mandy's trained style. It's also interesting because Mandy was who Maks brought in when he did the contemporary freestyle with Erin many seasons before.

 

Second, I think it was last week when they said something that implied not everyone choreographs themselves. Don't remember the exact quote, but it made it sound like they don't do it at *all*; I'd always thought the pros all did at least some of the choreography. I dunno.

 

 

Actually that's what they cleared up. Some fans were taking a comment Louis Van Amstel made, to mean that the Pros don't choreograph for themselves at all and Anna cleared it up on Afterbuzz to say no, the Pros do come up with choreography but some, not all, do get help sometimes from other Pros. And she made it clear that that's nothing new and it's not some big conspiracy or hidden secret.

 

Am I understanding that Alison was a contestant at one point and Derek was her partner?  Or do we just know he has helped her with choreography?

 

 

Alison never competed on DWTS (that would be a ringer to end all ringers) - she had a professional relationship with Derek and did a couple of very memorable and amazing performances with him on the show. I'm guessing that's how she got in with the producers of the show. Some of their performances got nominated for an Emmy. So she has a friendship with Derek and Mark as well and has talked about going to them for advice on choreography last season. Because while she can easily pick up technique shown to her by them, because she is a dancer, it's harder for her having to teach someone that technique. So she seeks their advice sometimes on how to teach and choreograph for her celebrity. 

Edited March 24, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[sinkwriter]

 

And I completely believe that Charlotte was bullied in high school. Girls have really stepped up their game on the bullying front, and internet anonymity makes it really easy and extra vicious.

 

I believe that too. It amazes me how vicious people can be online now, and that there are so many who seem to get a thrill out of trolling for fun. I'm a little scared for my nephews and nieces and all those who have to grow up in this age of brutal social media.

 

However... I noticed that the show went on and on about Charlotte being bullied by all these vicious people, about her as a person or about her dancing, but they didn't show a balanced point of view about it, that maybe their choice to highlight her in the way that they did last week was in very poor taste. People talking about that have a right to be frustrated about it. They don't need to be vicious about it, but they have a right to say: that was not cool with me, ABC. That's not cool for my young daughters (or sons, for that matter) to see, it's not in good taste, and it just made her look bad. She is more than just her boobs but you failed to present that, and now you're trying to scold us for being frustrated with that? It's not all bullying. Don't pretend like some of us didn't have a good point to be considered.

 

That was Sasha, and Jenna.

 

Sasha and Jenna! Yes, thank you. I knew Henry wasn't right, but I couldn't think of the names anymore and already deleted the program from my DVR. 

Edited March 24, 2015 by sinkwriter

[DancingD]

I didn't know this about others doing choreography.  What about last season?  It doesn't surprise me because it is a different skill and not all dancers can be good at it.  

 

Henry is her boyfriend and a dancer?  

Just came out a couple of weeks ago that a number of the pros don't do their own choreography. 

 

Henry is in the troupe. Nastia had to go to Vegas for the weekend while Derek was in NY.  Henry went to Vegas to practice with her. Her boyfriend is a hockey/internet mogul type.

[majormama]

I was surprised at how low Chris's scores were. I mean, he wasn't good, but I didn't think he was that much worse than the other bottom people. A 5-point difference between him and the next lowest seems excessive. 

 

Is Robert's hair naturally that color? I don't watch Shark Tank, but I seem to remember a little more salt in promos, which I like in older men. It makes them look distinguished.

 

As a curvy girl who developed early, I can relate to Charlotte being bullied about her figure in school. I jumped at the opportunity to get out of my school for alternative education. But I'd still like to see more than just, "Boo hoo, big boobs," from her. 

 

I appreciated Sharna's choreography and the country elements that made Noah's physical limitations fit in with the dance. 

 

Redfoo got the steps down but needed more control. He seems like a lot of fun, I wouldn't have minded him staying a bit longer.

 

Miss Patti has performance up to here! Was she using the same side stage where Amy Purdy did the jive? She made about as much use of the space with less movement, but still brought down the house. 

 

I found Suzanne and Michael unmemorable.

 

Rumer, Riker, and Nastia clearly have the most natural ability and will probably all make the final 5 if not 4. I have my eye on Willow, though, as another strong contender. I thought she was underscored last week, the curse of going first, and liked her dance the best of last night's performances.

[CED9]

Does anyone think that those jams were actually picked by the contestants themselves? At least they didn't really play up the "hey, I totally love this song!" bit with most of them. MAYBE they gave them a list of several songs to pick from, but that's about as much as I'll buy as far as that goes. And Patti may have picked her own independently.

As I understand it, the pros and celebs get to submit a list of songs before the season starts, and they try to get as many cleared as possible.

Just came out a couple of weeks ago that a number of the pros don't do their own choreography.

I think you can tell who from the pros have choreography as their strength and who is better off just dancing.

Edited March 24, 2015 by CED9

[kayma]

the Pros do come up with choreography but some, not all, do get help, sometimes from other Pros. And she made it clear that that's nothing new and it's not some big conspiracy or hidden secret.

It's things like this that make me like the pros as a group even more. I thought they were almost all incredibly likeable before, but finding out that they help and support each other in rehearsals and with choreography makes them that much better. The live rehearsals have been incredibly interesting just to see how different the pros are than what's been played up in the packages, even in this episode.

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

 

I loved Rumer's costume (again) and I loved her fierceness and I thought that the costume and choreo suited her and the music.  I was pretty impressed.

Shades of that one scene in Striptease when her mom Demi pulls her shirt off with that fierce face and walks straight at the camera. I read before that Rumer does aerial workouts which reminds me of ballet/ Cirque workouts in the air. I'm sure that helps her form a bunch. 

 

So sad that Redfoo got booted so early. He looked clearly crushed. DWTS has always had an air of the cheesy entertainment and I thought he would be around longer. 

[spanana]

I don't care who is or isn't a ringer. I just care who I enjoy watching. I have no real loyalty to Rumer, Nastia or Riker at the moment and I enjoy them all well enough. Riker is more a surprise to me because I expected not to like him. My only beef is when the same pros get the skilled contestants season to season. So like after Val gets his inevitable trophy this season after the show bashes it over our heads for the millionth time that he's never won, I'd like to see him get someone where he would legitimately need to start from scratch. Probably won't happen but I can dream.

[Guest]

Robert and Kym's "showmance" was stupid to bring up. They've never done that before for others who have been in the news, whether the showmance was true or not. 

I can think of other showmance rumors the show has brought up or at least hinted at by making the dancer or star feign interest:  Derek/Shannon, Chelsie/Louie, Maks/Meryl, Derek/Maria, Maks/Erin, Val/Janel, Peta/James, Val/Kelly, Peta/Brandt, Julianne/Apolo...

 

Ryker,on the other hand, is definitely trained in dance and also competed with his sister.

Competed in what... surely not ballroom?  

[superdeluxe]

Rumer Willis ... the minute she came on my screen all I could think of was DANCE BACKGROUND. As the daughter of two major Hollywood actors, OF COURSE she's been taking dance since she was old enough to toddle across the room. So unfair.

 

Yet, no one is saying a thing.  She's totally getting a pass.  Now, if she was paired with someone else, I'm sure there would be tons of yelling and fits being thrown.

 

She seems to be getting a pass for those "no competition" comments, too.

[sinkwriter]

 

As the daughter of two major Hollywood actors, OF COURSE she's been taking dance since she was old enough to toddle across the room.

 

I don't know, I think that's a pretty big assumption to make. I wouldn't say "of course." Not every kid takes dance lessons just because their parents are in Hollywood. In fact, some star parents try to keep their kids away from that kind of world, if they can. Didn't Bruce and Demi live in Montana or some other midwestern state for quite a while because they wanted their kids to have a more normal upbringing?

[Mbeaker]

Here's what Louis had to say in this week's blog regarding the choreography issue.

Last week many people commented on my statement about some Pros doing their own choreographies and some who don’t. I have the balls to say who does and does not, but I won’t for the simple reason that it’s not my job to throw them under the bus. All I want to do is educate the audience on this matter, so you can question yourself if the pro choreographed it or not. Anna Trebunskaya mentioned, “it’s all about creating a good show”, with which I agree, BUT it’s not fair if the judges compliment a pro on a choreography that they didn’t create, while another pro DID do their own, without any compliment from the judges.

One of the reasons I even mentioned about the choreography is because you at home thought all these years that the pros do their own choreography. I think it’s only fair you know the facts, and are not mislead by wrong assumptions. The choreographers who create the choreography that receives the judges compliments should get the credit for their work especially when dances that appear on DWTS are eligible for award nomination.

[saber5055]

I can think of other showmance rumors the show has brought up or at least hinted at by making the dancer or star feign interest:

 

 

But did the producer/camera operator ask any of those people ON CAMERA about a romance and then shown that clip in the pre-dance package? Remind me if that ever happened, and with whom. All the prior showmances, real or fake, I heard about were via online posts, TMZ and other gossip sites, or pap video shown after the show when contestants are going out to party/celebrate, not filmed and shown by DWTS producers themselves.

[TeeMo]

I can think of other showmance rumors the show has brought up or at least hinted at by making the dancer or star feign interest:  Derek/Shannon, Chelsie/Louie, Maks/Meryl, Derek/Maria, Maks/Erin, Val/Janel, Peta/James, Val/Kelly, Peta/Brandt, Julianne/Apolo...

 

Competed in what... surely not ballroom?  

Actually, yes, in ballroom. It was brief, but he and his sister danced together and competed in 2006/2007.

 

http://www.dancesportinfo.net/Couple/Ryker_Lynch_and_Rydel_Lynch_46955/Details

 

They seemed to compete in Latin dances but I still found it laughable that he said something like "Foxtrot? What's that?" in his package last night as if he hasn't been around ballroom dancers his whole life even if he's never done a foxtrot himself. 

[TeeMo]

But did the producer/camera operator ask any of those people ON CAMERA about a romance and then shown that clip in the pre-dance package? Remind me if that ever happened, and with whom. All the prior showmances, real or fake, I heard about were via online posts, TMZ and other gossip sites, or pap video shown after the show when contestants are going out to party/celebrate, not filmed and shown by DWTS producers themselves.

The definitely did do that with Peta and James. When his band came into rehearsals they had them awkwardly ask them if they were dating. 

 

 

And Erin asked them about it in a post dance interview too (cut to the 46 second mark):

 

[CED9]

The definitely did do that with Peta and James. When his band came into rehearsals they had them awkwardly ask them if they were dating.

But they had really dated before he was on the show if I remember correctly.

[TeeMo]

Riker and his siblings also all competed with a dance troupe called "The Rage." There are a ton of videos of them dancing on Youtube. In this one, Riker is wearing purple pants. 

 

[Stitsch]

The vitriol Charlotte is receiving confuses me. What has she done that's so offensive? TPTB has ultimate say re: what happens in the celebrities' introductory videos, and IIRC, she never brought up her breasticle area unless it was prompted by someone else, i.e. Julianne and Erin. She likely didn't want to make waves by refusing TPTB's idea -- so what? Plus, are we all so cynical that we have to assume her admitting to getting bullied = a ploy for votes? And are we really getting on her case for being curious about what people are saying? I know this is DWTS, but on the flip side, maybe some viewers need to remember that this IS DWTS, a cheesy reality competition show that a young woman shouldn't be receiving so much venom over. Seriously, blaming the victim and accusing her of manufacturing drama is tired. Charlotte is inoffensive to me and IMO, her dance last night was fun to watch. BTW, cyber bullying doesn't have a definitive definition and even the smallest comment can hurt, so let's stop acting like Charlotte is blowing things out of proportion.

 

But I'd totally be game to talk about how hot Artem is instead.

[TeeMo]

But they had really dated before he was on the show if I remember correctly.

They had been out to dinner with friends. The whole thing was very unclear. They played it up in their 1st package that they had been on this date and then he didn't call her for weeks or something but in later interviews Peta and James both said that all of it was a bit overblown. I honestly have no idea what the real story was there only that they did talk about their possible romance throughout the length of the show. 

[limecoke]

Well, I don't give Rumor a pass on the "no competition" comments.  I thought it was arrogant and disrespectful to the other competitors and I would have felt exactly the same if a male celebrity had said it.  I feel confident she will be a finalist and probably win based on the popularity of her parents but I'm done with her.  

 

It is, but it was remade by Michael Bublé

Too bad Michael wasn't there to sing it because the band soloist sounded awful.  

 

I suppose I'm a hard-hearted old bag but I don't feel sorry for Charlotte about so-called cyber-bullying.  Now bullying in high school is a different thing but the comments about her introduction last week were justified.  She's probably not to blame for that but it was her in the film so if she hated doing it she should have refused.  

 

I remember Nastia's father competing for the Soviet Union back in the day.  He, nor any of the Soviet gymnasts, showed any emotion while competing.  Her dad has been her coach and I'm sure a lot of that mentality took root in her own competition mannerisms.  Gymnasts are generally extremely focused so I'd imagine the transition to showing emotion while dancing is difficult.  I do wonder why Derek agreed to compete considering his heavy schedule.  I'd be happy to see Nastia compete with Henry and it would save a lot of hassle.

Edited March 24, 2015 by limecoke

[Thadeeeyus]

Here's what Louis had to say in this week's blog regarding the choreography issue.

 

Louis said,

    ......One of the reasons I even mentioned about the choreography is because you at home thought all these years that the pros do their own choreography. I think it’s only fair you know the facts, and are not mislead by wrong assumptions. The choreographers who create the choreography that receives the judges compliments should get the credit for their work especially when dances that appear on DWTS are eligible for award nomination.

 

Oh I love it when the pros spill the beans. Thanks for bringing that over.  Here's hoping that any pro who has won an award actually did the choreo himself. 

Edited March 24, 2015 by Thadeeeyus

[sinkwriter]

 

BTW, cyber bullying doesn't have a definitive definition and even the smallest comment can hurt, so let's stop acting like Charlotte is blowing things out of proportion.

 

I don't think for a minute that she's blowing anything out of proportion. I haven't been online in Facebook or Twitter but it would not surprise me one bit to see that people have been extremely vicious about her. I don't think she's wrong to find that upsetting and I don't think it's a ploy.

 

I just think ABC went over the top in their presentation of her as being bullied in last night's episode, like we should all be so ashamed of ourselves for not liking her behavior in the first episode, all without taking responsibility for the position they put her in, in the first place, by presenting a simulation of her as completely naked with her breasts and other private areas pixelated out. It wasn't cute, ABC, and now you're seeing that your choices put her in the line of fire. That's on you, ABC, not us. We're allowed to find that kind of presentation ridiculous or offensive or just plain stupid.

 

She played a part in presenting herself that way as well, by going over the top with her behavior, bouncing around and staring at her own chest as if she'd never seen her own breasts before and didn't know how to move with them. I know it was probably meant to be a bit of silliness, but some people including myself found it tasteless and very unfortunately perpetuating stereotypes of women as objects to be ogled and joked about, along with the offensive perpetuation of "blonde and sexy = dumb" and so many other issues.

 

I think Kim Reed said it well in the recap/review:

 

 

Charlotte made the huge mistake of going on social media last week after her dance and was SHOCKED that people made negative comments, like, has she met the internet? Girl, don't read the comments. It's the first rule of being in the public eye in any capacity. So this leads in to her complaining that she can't help that she's blonde and pretty and it's not fair that people make fun of her. That...is not going to win many people over. I mean, she's right that people shouldn't assume that she's dumb or promiscuous just because of her looks, but then again, she was confused by her boobs last week, so.

Edited March 24, 2015 by sinkwriter

[sinkwriter]

 

TPTB has ultimate say re: what happens in the celebrities' introductory videos, and IIRC, she never brought up her breasticle area unless it was prompted by someone else, i.e. Julianne and Erin.

 

I don't think that's true. She brought it up plenty in her intro interview. She's the one who talked about it in the first place, saying she didn't want to be only known for her breasts. So she played a part in it.

 

Also, if she didn't want to be part of that skit, she could have said no. We saw an entire season of a 17-year-old (the Duck Dynasty girl) who had the guts to say, I'm not comfortable with this, it's against my family and their values, and I can't do some of these moves or dress in overly revealing clothes. We saw it in Candace Cameron as well. And in other women who did not want to wear revealing stuff. So there is precedent -- if Charlotte truly was uncomfortable with any of it, she could have said no and ABC would have found an alternative.

 

I think Charlotte was fine with it, thought it would be funny or cute or silly, and then was surprised and hurt when she found that some people didn't find it as funny as she thought it would be. I'm sorry that some people were vicious about it, they shouldn't do that, but ultimately she made a choice, ABC made a bad call in the first place to even use that skit, and as a result they put her in a bad light.

 

But she didn't take responsibility for a second of it in last night's episode. I never heard her say, you know, maybe I made a bad choice, or maybe we could have eased up on the presentation of me and the joke about my breasts, it fell short, oh well, sorry people didn't like it, live and learn, let's move on. Instead, the network didn't show a second of that tasteless intro from last week to show WHY people had been offended, and ABC, the judges, Charlotte, and even Tom presented it as if she was being ganged up on for absolutely no reason whatsoever and the bad horrible people on social media should be ashamed of themselves for cyber bullying. I just thought they made it worse.

 

And then I facepalmed when Charlotte announced loudly, "ABC [or 'the show'?] has crabs!" I'm getting the sense that Charlotte doesn't have the best of sense or sensor. She just keeps opening her mouth and saying stuff that makes me cringe. I'm sure she means well, but... yikes.

Edited March 24, 2015 by sinkwriter