S20.E05: Disney Songs Night

[radishcake]

 An elimination occurs after the fifth week of performances. Featuring Disney songs!

 

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Welp, bye Chrissy Snow!

[truthaboutluv]

Like last week with Willow, I think Rumer was way overscored and it was worse with her as the judges have specific guidelines to judge the Samba versus Contemporary, which is what Willow danced last week. The dance was well choreographed and Rumer looked gorgeous but there was NO bounce in that Samba at all. It was all very staccato and a bit stiff, much like she's been for most of the competition. I would have given that all 9's.

I also thought Riker was slightly overscored but was more okay with this because I do think his technique was a lot better and it was maybe my favorite technical performance from him. That said, I thought, not surprising from him and Allison, it got a bit manic and frantic at points. It was interesting that Len mentioned him almost flying into the audience because there was a point where I thought either one of them would go flying off. But it was a strong performance and he brought the masculinity of the dance. Another one I would have given all 9's but maybe one 10 for performance factor. He also does a pretty awesome Jack Sparrow.

After hiding it for awhile, because some are so insufferable about it, it's official, I HATE Frozen. Seriously, I think it's completely overrated and hate most of the music. I've never seen a Disney movie that I have almost no favorite song from, until Frozen. Compared to The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, Aladdin, etc. where I loved so much of the music. So that said, I was already predisposed to not love Nastia and Derek's performance. I objectively could tell she did well with all the little touches and playfulness of the music but yeah, didn't love it. Although Carrie Ann's saying she got confused because there was lip syncing sometimes and then there wasn't other times is just ridiculous.

That said, wow producers, way to be subtle. They could not have made it any clearer that they're pushing for a Nastia/Rumer/Riker final 3. I mean that whole "saved the best for last" and they were all overscored in my opinion. You'd think these people would learn by now, that that shit never works. People vote for who they like, scores and technique be damned.

I loved the production of Mark and Willow's Foxtrot, but her technique was definitely lacking a bit. However as a performance on the whole it was really beautiful and fun. Poor Robert - I usually love Kym but I have to say, I think she failed Robert this week. That choreography was way too much and way too all over the place. And I also don't think they were allowed to break hold so many times. Sucks to fall that far in the scores after such great scores last week.

Well no surprise that Suzanne is leaving. Called it last week and well really, either her or Chris could have gone and it wouldn't have mattered in my opinion. As for Chris, Witney is really showing her age and inexperience. Yes, Chris is not Alfonso, but deal with it and figure out how to work with him and get the best out of him. Sharna is working with a man with one leg and one arm - quit the boo-hooing Witney and do what you're paid to do. Meanwhile, so is Alfonso just going to permanently hang around?

Edited April 14, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[gryphon]

I adored Ryker's choice of music for a paso....although I thought the dance was a little sloppy (maybe it was the costume?) and a tad over-scored--but I am in no way a professional dancer.  The rest were fine....I don't know what it is..nothing really stood out to me. Except that I may have Mark as Bunny nightmares tonight.  

 

I loved Keo in all his transitional dances. I hope he gets a great partner next season.  If there is a next season. 

 

My teeth always hurt on Disney night.  

Edited April 14, 2015 by gryphon

[Stitsch]

Riker's paso had none of the slow intensity I look forward to. That's why it's my favorite dance; it's like a slow building crescendo that eventually spills over, then tempers itself again. Allison's choreography is so consistently frantic that he nearly fell flat on his face this time around. I didn't enjoy it at all. And is it just me or is he slowly becoming as unbearable as Derek?

 

I mostly like Rumer and Val, but can they seriously just stay in the studio? Every week they're going to a pool or a skating rink or a cafe with outdoor seating. I suspect that next week TBTP will rent out a rocket and send them to the moon.

 

Witney checked out three weeks ago.

[McManda]

If I were on the show, I feel Suzanne's fears would be my own. I realize that these people are public figures and should be able to take criticism, but they're people with feelings, too. And to get knocked down every week by the judges has to get to you at some point. Especially if you're like Suzanne, who might not be great by has to go up against the Rumers and the Nastias each week. And I can't even say that Suzanne hasn't tried. She's had a pretty good attitude about learning, so it's not for lack of effort on her part. I cannot fault people on this show for feeling like they've hit a wall and they're just not any good at dancing.

 

Okay, off the woe-is-me train of thought.

 

Disney Week is a theme I like. Except I wish there was less animation. It didn't really work very well last time around, but we'll see how it goes this season.

Hello, sharp dressed Tony. I love you. I also love supportive Tony. It was nice to see Suzanne doing something not funny. And she looked like she was having fun with it (she was singing along), which made it better than her previous performances.

 

Robert is so joyful and I enjoy watching him dance because of that. But this wasn't his best dance, even though I really wanted it to be. He was off in the beginning and never really recovered after that. It was like he was half a beat before the music. I hope he doesn't let it get to him too much. "Chim-chim-cher-booo" from Carrie Anne was harsh.

 

Artem in tails is going to be a serious contender against sharp dressed Tony tonight.

 

*sigh* Another theme from Mark. I get that this is Disney week and themes are kind of a given, but I wish he'd go lighter on the themes. Or maybe ... just maybe ... let Willow dance a dance without the gimmick of a theme. At least he didn't make Willow dress like an animal?

I ... have to give Chris props for wearing that costume on national TV.

 

Donny Osmond? Are you back? Oh, wait, that's just Noah. Someone in makeup thought they could turn Noah into Aladdin by caking on the bronzer. Or is that spray tan? This was a great exhibition dance for Jasmine ... er... Sharna. I wish Noah would have done more in the beginning, because when he started to move I liked it. But I kind of feel like Sharna doesn't know how to fill the time with what Noah can do so she ends up with him not moving and it's starting to stand out. Also ... since when does a magic carpet have exhaust?

 

I have a very, very soft spot for Pirates of the Caribbean so it kind of irks me that Ryker got the song and the theme, but I kind of love that he kept the Jack Sparrow persona (mostly) throughout the night. He was actually pretty great at channeling Johnny Depp. I wish Allison's Elizabeth Swann dress looked more like something Elizabeth Swann actually wore, but ... nitpicking? Anyway, I'm annoyed that they padded their dance with the troupe. You wouldn't put in extra Belles, or extra Cinderellas, so why extra Elizabeths? The extra dancers were completely unnecessary. Other than that, I feel like you could tell that this was an Allison dance. If felt frantic and harsh and heavy and I think Ryker would have been better served with a better pro who could have taught him how to finesse that routine. But Pirates is a fan favorite so there's no way he'll be in danger next week, so ... good job Allison? I don't think it deserved 10s, but I did like that the 10 paddles were Mickey shaped.

 

Rumer's dance was much better than Ryker's, IMO, and I think that comes down to Val being a better teacher and knowing how to play the game. He did the theme better than Mark, Rumer had the intensity Ryker's dance had but without feeling on the verge of being out of control. And I really, really like that Rumer eschewed the tradition of picking a good guy in favor of being a villain.

 

Is there an ice bar in NYC? I went to the one in Vegas, Five Below. It was a lot of fun, but there wasn't enough room to dance anywhere in it? Anyway, if they make a live action Broadway version of Frozen, Derek would make a great choreographer considering he basically just took the movie and brought it to life. (For the record, typed it before Julianne said it.) I guess his goal tonight was to prove that ... excuse the pun ... Nastia wasn't an ice princess? Mission accomplished, I guess.

 

Bye Tony, I'll miss you and your sharp dressed style. I don't know I can say the same about Suzanne, even if I do kind of agree with her inevitable mental crisis.

[msburg]

So, Rumer's paso was too sharp. Nastia's whatever lip sync dance (I SO miss the disembodied announcer telling us!) was insipid. Riker's may have been my favorite(shockingly so). Lots of evidence of two very different levels of dancing.  Patti - Suzanne (bye!) - Chris - Noah - Rob vs. Nastia - Rumer - Riker. Any other final three would be a shame.

[Abra]

I have never resided on such a distant galaxy from the judges on this show as I did during Riker’s paso doble. That dance was absolute crap; the technique was…well, what technique? And dear god, would someone please tell Allison you don’t have to hit every single fucking move so hard you could actually break your own spine with the force of it? Where is Len’s “it had no light and shade!” tirade? The music and Riker's fannish glee about all things Jack Sparrow/PotC were the only good things about their segment. I just…

 

Rumer’s dance didn’t do it for me – I feel like she needs more control in her spins or she’ll totter+propel herself into the audience. I like that she didn't let herself get forced into the female = princess box, at least.

 

The bottom three was the perfect bottom three. Chris and Patti can go next...or Noah. I must have a heart of stone, because I like him fine but his routines do nothing for me.

[truthaboutluv]

So, Rumer's paso was too sharp.

 

 

Rumer danced the Samba.

 

Apparently, Emma criticized the hell out of that dance on that live access thing.

 

 

Ooh, she's going to get kicked out of The Fam.

Edited April 14, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[superdeluxe]

My teeth always hurt on Disney night.

 

That Frozen song made my teeth hurt.  They're still aching.  I thought Let it Go was bad.  I can't believe that was the song that Rob Wade guy wanted a couple to dance to so badly.

 

Anyway.  Rumer and Val were totally overscored for that non-samba.  The only recognizable thing about it was the samba roll.  I guess it's back to pimping and propping them.  Apparently, Emma criticized the hell out of that dance on that live access thing.

Edited April 14, 2015 by superdeluxe

[ChrisMcGraan]

Gotta love Disney night! So many incredible and creative productions. As far as theatrical piece I thought Mark did a really incredible job. I understand what the judges were saying about Willow's technique but Mark is just so damn creative. 

 

Didn't really feel Rumer's dance…didn't feel like a Samba at all and I actually think I saw her out of synch once or twice. Dance of the night Julianne? Nope sorry.  

[Rancide]

Who the fuck do I have to bribe around here to get rid of Chris?  I'm sure he's a nice guy, but he can't dance and has the stage presence of a shoe.

 

Wow, Riker really pulled that off.  I'm shocked.  By far my favorite dance of the night.  

 

It seems like Rumer and Val did a good job, too?  I couldn't tell because all I saw was samba choreography in a death match with not-samba music.  

 

Noah needs to keep his shirt off.  I've been too distracted by his chest to this point to realize he's sort of a buthisface.  Especially with that terrible hair tonight.

 

Lastly, as someone who has lost three close female relatives to breast cancer, a big FUCK YOU to Suzanne and her hormones.  I'll take my wrinkles, hot flashes, and saggy skin and stay alive, thank you very much.*

 

*Not intended as a judgment on women who do take hormones--I get that some women need them for medical reasons.  Just not interested in hearing about how normal female aging is something that needs "curing," even at the expense of possible early death.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Rancide

[Linderhill]

I couldn't look away from Riker's pigeon-toed feet.  It really bugged me no end.  Very distracting.  I also hated that they made so much of Chris' greek outfit.  I wasn't that much of a thing.

 

eta:  I do wish Mark would lay off the big theme dances and costumes.  I had no interest in the Hunger Games crowd dance last week and I couldn't help but feel he's shooting for that dance Emmy this time around.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Linderhill

[spanana]

Everytime I watch Riker/Allison I find myself wondering how well Riker would have done with a pro that knows ballroom and could help him fix his technique.  He has so much potential and I think he's one of the best performers this season, if not the best.  The one thing I'll give Allison is she's at least making Riker dance his ass off as opposed to just standing in one place while she gyrates around him.  I also thought Riker was cute with how excited he was to be Jack Sparrow and his staying in character.

 

It's a shame on Robert because his quickstep looked really good in his live rehearsal.  Unfortunately I'm not sure he's going to overcome that short of Patti dropping out.  I think Chris has a lot of fans for some unknown reason.

 

Meh to the rest.  Oh, but where are they going to send Rumer/Val next week?  It is mandated in their contracts that they go on weekly field trips?

 

Glad Chrissy Snow, the star of Three's Company got booted.  Yes, that is sarcasm.  I'd like Chris to be next, but I fear it's my poor Robert.

Edited April 14, 2015 by spanana

[tearbender]

Every time I watch Allison and Riker I find myself wishing he'd been paired with Peta. Peta also gets accused of going "too hard" in a lot of her movements, but at least she's you know, trained in ballroom and she can be creative. Allison is just a mess, and the extra dancers really weren't needed.

 

I'd like to see Willow play spoiler to the mandated Final 3.

 

I liked Nastia back in 2008 but she's just not enjoyable on this show. Even leaving aside the less than flattering rumors and reputation, she's not displaying any charisma IMO.

Edited April 14, 2015 by tearbender

[crossover]

Of the ones the show is pushing (Nastia, Rumer, Riker, Willow), Riker had my favorite routine.  I loved the intensity in the routine.  Willow had the best production.  I THINK Nastia's routine was jazz??  Not sure because it didn't even look like pop jazz.  Really didn't care for it but their connection was a lot better.  I would've liked Rumer's routine better if they had stayed on the dance floor.  It just took me in and out of the routine.

 

Not sure what happened to Robert.  He got off beat and wasn't able to recover.  Sharna (Noah) did great.  I know Noah didn't move much but if he had people would've been talking about not being smooth.  I think Artem is doing really well with Patti.  I thought it was lovely.  Chris is doing his best.  It's just not good enough.  I was surprised he wasn't the one voted off.

[Archery]

This was the first dance of Noah' s that I liked. The parts that he could do were nice, and my imagination filled in the rest. Like, he had nice extension, so I didn't notice that there was no touching of hands. Or his left leg was so loose and flexible, that it made the right leg seem to sway like a foxtrot should. He does the actual content well, and my mind fills in the rest.

I missed Miss Patti, and I'm kind of glad.

Allison and Riker' s Paso was so frantic. It was fierce, but I feel like every dance they've done has been this same intensity.

Love Willow and Mark. I love that he's willing to be absolutely BSC for her. I wish Bruno would drop the scripted OTT comments and stick to great advice like, Go to a ballet class and learn to finish your arm movements. He's insightful when he's not being ridiculous.

[HoodlumSheep]

Of the dances I saw tonight:

Rumer's was good, but not her best in my opinion. I liked the concept though. I think my family was more excited that we saw Bruce smiling and mouthing, "wow" than her actual dance.

Riker's was my favorite. He did awesome.

Nastia's...I can never tell what's considered jazz or not, so it's hard to judge. It wasn't her best either.

Mark's white rabbit will forever fuel my nightmares, I love the song they danced to though.

Team Sharkaroo continue to be adorable; I don't care if his timing was off.

I missed everyone else's.

They sure went all out for this Disney Night. It was bigger and even more festive. I liked the energy it seemed to bring to everything. It looked like everybody was having a good time.

Loved the Mickey "10" paddles, liked the costumed characters, the animated characters were popping out of everywhere.

It was just a lot of fun.

Why can't it be Disney Night, every week?

And of course they ended the show with "It's a small world,"

[truthaboutluv]

Why can't it be Disney Night, every week?

Gosh, I hope not. I love the music and characters of Disney as much as the next person (except Frozen), but I found much of tonight kind of dull and uninspired. The first time they did this was MUCH better.

[MsPH]

I loved Riker's Jack Sparrow act. Hilarious. The dance was a frantic mess though. In the beginning I thought this is gonna be good, nice intensity, and then it just got more and more frantic and no pose lasted more than millisecond and Allison was overdoing everything. Painful. I have no idea how they got such a high score.

 

Rumer and Val were better, but it wasn't worth 39.

 

Nastia and Derek made me yawn. Never seen that movie and that song is absolutely awful. What was their style even? Broadway?

 

Willow and Mark were probably my favourites this week. The choreography just flowed. The bunny costume was creepy as hell though.

 

I felt so bad for Robert. He nailed those steps in rehearsal. He's still a joy to watch though, even with the mistakes.

 

Chris looked ridiculous in that skirt and all the hopping around just made it worse. He also makes the stupidest face when he's trying to be happy. At least he did more dancing this week.

 

Noah did hardly any dancing again. And yeah, his frame was good because he doesn't have an elbow to drop. Sorry, but the judges always get so cheesy around him.

 

Miss Patti was graceful. Not very memorable however.

 

Not gonna miss Suzanne. She was getting on my nerves already and so was he. She didn't recover well at all after the dress blunder so all the ass-kissing was ridiculous.

[Andiethewestie]

Loved Rumer and Val  tonight what a great concept, from the get go the girl was commanding the stage doing Samba voltas on her own, and then the eel appeared out of the murky water, their dance was so much fun. Good choice to be the villian! Loved the botafogo section with the "character" of Ursala shimmy.  Well deserved score.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Andiethewestie

[sinkwriter]

 

Rumer's was good, but not her best in my opinion. I liked the concept though. I think my family was more excited that we saw Bruce smiling and mouthing, "wow" than her actual dance.

 

I loved the concept, and thought the overall dance was fun to watch. It was cool that Rumer wanted to be a villainess. I think she would have made a great Maleficent as well. I can't say whether or not her samba was in keeping with the technical aspects of the dance (other than the samba roll that I recognized) because I'm no dancer, but overall I thought it was entertaining and one of my favorites of the night.

 

I also liked Riker's performance. Yes, it was (as per usual with Allison's choreography) too frantic, but he kept up and hit his movements with strength and purpose and character, and I loved the music from the film scoring their performance. It was really fun to watch.

 

I disagree with the 10's on Nastia's performance. I thought it was great that she brought out a sunnier, funnier side and tried to be playful, but I felt like most of the performance was staged to be a Disney production number rather than a true highlighting of her skills. Most of the time we couldn't even see her face and whether or not she was even smiling or having fun because of the lighting putting them in shadow for effect. It made me feel separate from their performance. At least with Rumer and Riker's performances, I could see their faces and I could see them working it and giving it their all and having fun with it. With Nastia, it felt like the lighting did her a disservice and it became all about the show trying to put on a Disney production since it was the last dance of the night. I just couldn't get into it.

 

I thought Patti did a lovely job, but I got annoyed at the interruption of her performance by the Pinocchio animation. I was trying to focus on her, I thought she was doing a nice job, but then I kept getting distracted by Pinocchio and Geppetto popping up at the bottom of my screen, taking up half the stage. It annoyed me.

[superdeluxe]

Rumer's was good, but not her best in my opinion. I liked the concept though. I think my family was more excited that we saw Bruce smiling and mouthing, "wow" than her actual dance.

 

Oh, Bruce was there?  That explains the 10s.

[sinkwriter]

I thought Mark was hamming it up a little too much as the Rabbit (which can be fun but not if it overshadows his partner) -- but the overall performance was solid and interesting to watch. A little too much "added dancers" on the stage. I thought that detracted from Mark and Willow's performance. But in general I liked it, and she made a great Alice.

 

I think my family was more excited that we saw Bruce smiling and mouthing, "wow" than her actual dance.

I wonder if his family gave him a hard time for how he didn't hardly crack a smile last time he was in the audience, because he was definitely more into it tonight. It was nice to see him clapping and smiling and cheering Rumer on. And I thought, "You should be impressed, Bruce - she did a great job and looked fantastic!"

[ChicksDigScars]

I do wish Mark would lay off the big theme dances and costumes.  I had no interest in the Hunger Games crowd dance last week and I couldn't help but feel he's shooting for that dance Emmy this time around.

 

Was their dance good? I'm only asking because that rabbit head costume was so distracting and creepy that I couldn't look at anything else.  Seriously, Mark. STOP.

 

I think that Frozen has officially hit overkill status. As cute as it is, it's still EVERYWHERE two years later. I needed to watch The Lion King recently, to cleanse my pallet. So, Derek and Nastia were dead before they even started for me. 

[truthaboutluv]

I disagree with the 10's on Nastia's performance. I thought it was great that she brought out a sunnier, funnier side and tried to be playful, but I felt like most of the performance was staged to be a Disney production number rather than a true highlighting of her skills.

To be fair, they were assigned Jazz, to that god-awful song so it sort of did lend itself to a production number. I actually thought a lot of the small touches coinciding with the music was pretty good. I just again hate Frozen and thought that song sucked, so the performance was always going to be meh for me. That said I think Rumer was just as over scored as Nastia, more really since she got a higher score, with that flash over substance Samba.

Edited April 14, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[PBGamer89]

Jazz is a broad category but Nastia and Derek definitely did a Broadway Jazz, similar to something like he did with Bethany and what Janel and Val did last season.

 

The lip syncing comment to me just seemed like something Carrie Ann pulled out of nowhere to justify her not being in a tie with Rumer.

[spanana]

I'm not saying Rumer wasn't good so much as I just think it was her assigned time to be at the top of the leaderboard again.  She was at the top first week out and was named the winner before it even started, but every week since then she's been outscored by Nastia, Riker or Willow.  Not that scores really matter.  In a way it's better to be underscored than overscored as fans are more willing to go to bat for you when you are underscored.  I just think it was her time and they didn't want to piss off Bruce.  Ha ha.

 

But the show is fairly obvious in terms of wanting the final three performers as their final three and I actually find it rude as hell for the show to literally say that they are saving the best for last.  However I think Willow has a shot and beyond that I think Noah is going to be harder to get rid of than the show thinks.  So I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Noah in the finals.

 

Also as much as I think some routines have been overscored this season, at least we haven't had any perfect score dances yet.  One thing I hated about last season was how early and unnecessarily the show was throwing around perfect scores for things that weren't even close.

Edited April 14, 2015 by spanana

[majormama]

Lots of enjoyable performances tonight. I had to split my vote for the first time this season, which is unusual. Usually I start out voting for several and narrow it down to my favorite by this point. I liked Riker's Jack Sparrow a lot. I loved that Rumer wanted to be a villain. 

[DancingD]

Sorry, no technical comments to make. Disney night just entertains the heck out of me. I just kind of sit there and smile and love every bit of it. I'm a die-hard Disney geek.

 

Suzanne had breast cancer. She wrote two books about it. She's a champion of bio-identical hormones.

[vibeology]

I think Willow was underscored and Nastia way overscored. Willow should be the one in the "best for last" section. She did have the best score last week. Her dance tonight was more interesting and dynamic than Nastia's. Willow can play a character and there were moments in her number where I thought I'd like to see her turn at Alice in a movie; there was strength and vulnerability that really drew me in. Nastia did an Ana impression. She still hasn't put herself into any of her routines and while this one might have been silly and fun it was still completely detached from her own personality, just in a different way from previous weeks.

 

And just a point, if you really must use Friend Like Me for multiple bumpers, play the actual song. I don't want to see Genie and hear some crappy band singer to a Robin Williams impression.

[Ann Mack]

Not sure what is going on this season but so far to me it has been one of the weakest in quite some time. Also have the judges being gifting 10s to some of the contestant or is it more like gifting the pros this season? I actually enjoyed the concept Mark had and other than Riker I think Willow did the most actual dancing in relation to her assigned dance.

 

My favorites of the night were no shocker here Willow and Riker. I enjoyed Ms. Patti and Noah as well. For some reason for the first time tonight I noticed how stiff Rumer is and from previous seasons and other dances what she did didn't really resemble a Samba to me. Also, WTH was Derek and Natasia doing. The boring song and dance seemed endless. Was there any Jazz in that dance that's not rhetorical I really want to know was there? Simply put these 2 bore me whenever they hit the floor and tonight was no exception. I'm sure the show is trying to keep Derek and her around for as long as possible with it being the anniversary year. But honestly she's flipped and flipped and been spun around now I'm ready to see Natasia actually dance.

 

Overall not a bad night but I think my leader board for tonight would be more like this 1. Riker 2. Willow 3. Rumer and 4. Natasia (I just can't relate to her at all).

Edited April 14, 2015 by Ann Mack

[GracieK]

I wonder how much the backlash of Suzanne's ridiculous comments on being the star of Three's Company and using John Ritter's memory to gain sympathy came back to bite her in the ass.

[vibeology]

I wonder how much the backlash of Suzanne's ridiculous comments on being the star of Three's Company and using John Ritter's memory to gain sympathy came back to bite her in the ass.

 

I don't know if that's what did her in this week, but if she had made it to next week the whole "maybe I should just quit" would have cost her voters for sure. Her personality was not a good fit for this sort of show. Maybe she's great in real life, but here she came across as self centred, lazy, entitled and whiny. When you compare her to Patti who won't complain about her knee no matter how much Erin asks, Suzanne looks even worse. Not everyone is good at playing the reality TV game.

[crowceilidh]

I loathe nearly everything Disney and thus already find the incessant cross-promotion of DWTS and Disney pretty obnoxious.  Add uncharming mascot figures, animation that only works sometimes and the constant self-congratulatory gushing of everyone involved and I have to say that this is, for me, the worst episode of DWTS I have ever seen.  The dances did very little to lessen my despair.  Somehow other Disney nights have been slightly less repulsive than this one.  

[katha]

So, no surprise after going crazy with her contemporary scoring, Willow's scores have come back down to earth. It's the dance style, they always overdo it there. I thought her scores were fine, but Rumer, Nastia and Riker were overscored. Or perhaps I might see the argument for Riker, he really sold that stuff. But Rumer's samba wasn't very samba-y, though entertaining. And Nastia's jazz didn't do much for me. Though they performed it well. All 9s for Nastia and Rumer would have been enough IMO. Loved the whimsy of Willow's dance and how she's so totally committed in every performance, that was also lovely flowy choreography, though Mark's costume was indeed terrifying. Suitable for the theme and it was great in that context, but terrifying.

[Zuleikha]

I thought Rumer danced excellently and Val made a valiant effort with the choreography, but Poor Unfortunate Souls just isn't appropriate for samba either in terms of music or theme. I wish they'd been assigned Jazz this week or I don't know... maybe a neo-paso with Ursula in the aggressor role could have worked.

 

Derek's choreography for Nastia seemed light on the jazz to me (and kind of so-so overall), but it was a nice recreation of the movie scene. I was blown away by Nastia's warmth and facial expressions, though. Who knew she had that in her?

 

I don't know what's happened to Allison. I used to love her as a dancer! But she's attacking every single move with the same intensity and her facial expressions are out of control. She used to make every movement seem natural and effortless, and now it's nothing but work. 

 

I adored Mark/Willow's Alice. I don't know how it was as a foxtrot--I didn't recognize the foxtrot but I mostly recognize foxtrot by its jazzy music rather than its moves. As a work of theater, though, I thought it was the standout of the night. Unlike last week where I thought the production overshadowed Willow as a dancer, this time the production complimented her. She looked lovely, light, and mature (but in an age appropriate way). I haven't heard that music before (is it from Tim Burton's?), and now I want to choreograph an aerial routine to it.

[sinkwriter]

 

Jazz is a broad category but Nastia and Derek definitely did a Broadway Jazz, similar to something like he did with Bethany and what Janel and Val did last season.

 

Oh, I don't think they did a bad job with their dancing or anything like that. They looked good. I just thought the overall approach to filming them didn't do them any favors because the camera shots were so far away (in order for them to do all the fancy lighting and shadows and creating the Disney "moments"). I would have preferred a regular lighting and closer-up camera approach throughout so that I could see Nastia's face more and enjoy her having fun. Instead, it felt like the showrunners were trying to make something "grand" and they made it hard for me to connect to the overall performance. 

[spanana]

I thought Rumer danced excellently and Val made a valiant effort with the choreography, but Poor Unfortunate Souls just isn't appropriate for samba either in terms of music or theme. I wish they'd been assigned Jazz this week or I don't know... maybe a neo-paso with Ursula in the aggressor role could have worked.

 

I'm all for giving Val his due, but he chose the song (he was offered others) and he chose samba.  Their original dance style was tango and Val thought it was too limiting and so he changed it to samba.  This was confirmed on their livestream.

[GracieK]

I thought Nastia, Ryker, Willow, and Rumer were incredible.  Chris was meh.  I didn't think Robert was as tragically bad as the judges made it seem.  Noah amazes me with being so limited, and he is really graceful.  It makes me wonder how amazing he could be if he still had those missing limbs.  Patti just makes me smile, even though I find her to be a really stiff dancer.. as such a legendary singer I'm surprised she lacks a more graceful rhythm.  But I'm a Philly girl so she will always be tops in my book.. and she really looks like she's losing weight and looking good throughout this process.  I'm happy to see Suzanne go.  

[KLovestoShop]

I think Chris is a giant rectal oriface. The way he treated his partner was beyond mean. And I'm sorry, I thought it looked like he faked that knee injury. Seriously, he just looked like he was acting that he popped out the knee---and I had no sympathy. It's way beyond time for him to leave.

[GracieK]

It wasn't a knee injury it was a calf injury.. and he was wearing a compression sock on it... not that the sock is evidence that he did or didn't fake it, but I didn't think it seemed faked.  

 

To expound on Nastia, she's gotten a lot of criticism for being unemotional and stiff and tonight I thought she really showed a lot of fun side and emotion.  I have never even seen Frozen so I don't feel saturated by it.  I thought she was theatrical and really put on a great performance.

Edited April 14, 2015 by GracieK

[Padma]

I thought Rumer danced excellently and Val made a valiant effort with the choreography, but Poor Unfortunate Souls

I adored Mark/Willow's Alice. I don't know how it was as a foxtrot--I didn't recognize the foxtrot but I mostly recognize foxtrot by its jazzy music rather than its moves. As a work of theater, though, I thought it was the standout of the night. Unlike last week where I thought the production overshadowed Willow as a dancer, this time the production complimented her. She looked lovely, light, and mature (but in an age appropriate way). I haven't heard that music before (is it from Tim Burton's?), and now I want to choreograph an aerial routine to it.

Couldn't agree more! I loved Mark's choreography and choice of (creepy) Rabbit, Willow-as-Alice and the brilliant staging. It reminded me how my feelings about Mark have changed. It's been a couple of seasons now where I felt he was not "overdancing/overshadowing" his partners, but really choreographing with and for them. And I love his boldness and imagination. Bravo!

 

Negative? ... Alfonso, Whitney? Really? That was just pathetic. Like, you have a partner who is really struggling--is not a dancer, no dance background at all, so to "inspire" him you bring back the -great- partner you had last time. Oh, yes, in case we forgot (as IF)...you WON with THAT partner.

 

I'm sure Chris really enjoyed having Alfonso there to see how bad he was by comparison. Not terribly motivational if you ask me, but I guess it was good for -Witney's- ego. (Oh, and Alfonso there -again- for the performance? And on top of the stairs, behind them? Hamming it up lifting the barbell up and down while Chris tried to stay positive?

 

What's wrong with him? (And Witney)? How very, very rude!

 

Chris probably should be the next one leaving, but I may throw him some votes just because Alfonso and Witney (and The Glory Days) irked me so much.

[Zuleikha]

Their original dance style was tango and Val thought it was too limiting and so he changed it to samba.

Ok, take back my giving Val credit for the valiant effort with choreography. If tango didn't inspire him then that's that, but tango seems like a better fit for the mood and music than samba!

[spanana]

Ok, take back my giving Val credit for the valiant effort with choreography. If tango didn't inspire him then that's that, but tango seems like a better fit for the mood and music than samba!

If I remember correctly Val found tango too limiting because they would have had to remain in hold the whole time, so I guess they would have lost some of the big Disney production.  I'm not sure if they had the option to switch to jazz though or if DWTS would only let him change it to another ballroom dance.  Either that or he just didn't want to go to the contemporary/jazz well this early.

[Peanut Gallery]

I loathe nearly everything Disney and thus already find the incessant cross-promotion of DWTS and Disney pretty obnoxious.  Add uncharming mascot figures, animation that only works sometimes and the constant self-congratulatory gushing of everyone involved and I have to say that this is, for me, the worst episode of DWTS I have ever seen.  The dances did very little to lessen my despair.  Somehow other Disney nights have been slightly less repulsive than this one.

Word. I thought the whole night was a frenetic mess. Just way way too much going on. I hated this theme night last year and I hated it even more this year. Erin in particular seemed frazzled, and her interviews were uncomfortable to watch.

To Riker: I knew Jack Sparrow, and you are no Jack Sparrow. That dance was a disaster in my book. Did I just imagine it or did he not he nearly fall down at one point, when he went to toss Allison into that spinny move on the ground? And then they got a tongue bash from the judges? On the one hand I kind of wish he'd gotten a different partner (no idea why they asked Allison back, but this should definitely be her last season -- her background just isn't right for this show, evidently), but on the other hand he seems more and more Hough-ish all the time, to the point that I find myself not really caring about whether he got the best partner or not.

The hair and makeup department really did Noah no favors with that look tonight. He ended up looking like a man in the midst of a mid-life crisis, what with the overdone tanner and unnaturally colored hair, and usually I think he's quite cute. At the beginning of the dance he was absent from the screen fire so long, I was afraid there has been some kind of malfunction with him coming off the "magic carpet." I didn't count, but it felt like a reaaaally long time of just Sharna.

That song from Frozen is atrocious. Wow. And I thought Let It Go was bad... haven't seen the movie, don't intend to. Nastia getting Frozen for her move had to have been done with a sense of irony though. I still just can't warm up to her! Pun intended.

[janerazor]

Seriously, Allison is just a bad fit for this show. I thought she was just hopping and stomping throughout that paso. Riker was having a hell of a time with his frame (and, yes, I saw him almost take a total digger when he was spinning Allison), and Allison seems to have no idea how to...well, how to ballroom dance at all.

 

I get this was Disney week and all, but I would have rather seen much less theatrics tonight. It was all so over the top and distracting. 

 

I thought it was really unfortunate and beyond rude that Erin interrupted Val when he was trying to graciously thank the makeup department and she had to bring on Minnie Mouse (which was really pretty dumb and totally fell flat). 

 

I felt terrible for Robert. I fully admit I have an unnatural crush on Team Sharkaroo, and tonight was not good. He got a step behind right away and then just couldn't recover. I still find them both adorable.

Edited April 14, 2015 by janerazor

[Lonesome Rhodes]

One thing about Disney night is that the music is hard to mess with.  TPTB don't dare.  This automatically makes it a Top 2 ep each season.  The costuming tonight was super beautiful, as well.  Nice try with the animations, but they unfortunately served more to distract than to add.  Good on TPTB, though.

 

I really love what Robert brings to this show.  The choreo was top notch, too.  It's a farce that Suzanne and Patti were given better scores for posing.  It would be the shame of shames if he gets sent home.

 

I don't much care for her, but I'll give Whitney her due for getting a message.  They sure got Alfonso in while they could, eh?

 

Sharna is the most amazing woman.  I've never seen anyone who so well understood guys.  The spectrum of male-dom between Andy Dick and Noah is enormous and she knew just how to reach them both, deep in their cores.  Amazing and astounding.  I'm glad I was spared watching Noah limp down the stairs with his peg leg, yet I am angry that he is so dang limited.  He had even less movement than Patti.  I'd have given him a gentleman's 5.  I take no pleasure whatsoever in that.

 

Riker's quality of movement - especially in his mini-solo at the top, was quite something.  He has obviously had excellent training.  He also managed to make himself bigger, while maintaining wonderful fluidity.  This is one of my very favorite pasos, ever.  It isn't a Top 3 in execution, but in concept and theatricality, it was absolutely fantastic!  Most deserved 10s thus far.

 

Total props and admiration to Rumer for her utter and complete buy-in as a villainess!  I just couldn't appreciate an angry samba.  She is so going to be a finalist.  

 

It was really nice to see Nastia taking joy in her dance.  Her affect was completely different in receiving the jidges' comments.  She was real.  FINALLY!  Disney magic, indeed?  I'm happy for her.

 

I'd bet we saw the actual B3.  I hope it was.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Lonesome Rhodes

[skittl3862]

To be fair, they were assigned Jazz, to that god-awful song so it sort of did lend itself to a production number. I actually thought a lot of the small touches coinciding with the music was pretty good. I just again hate Frozen and thought that song sucked, so the performance was always going to be meh for me. That said I think Rumer was just as over scored as Nastia, more really since she got a higher score, with that flash over substance Samba.

I guess Val has finally learned from Derek what it takes to win.

I love Patti and Artem. I wish the show would hype a platonic showmance with those to instead of forcing Shark Tank down our throats.

 

I still dislike Riker, but I loved the Pirates routine. Mainly because it made me want to watch the movie.

 

Suzanne needed to go. She actually needed to go weeks ago, but this week, she didn't even try. She keeps playing the 68 card but Patti does just as much dancing as her at 70, with a smile.

 

I thought Derek and Nastia's performance was completely uninspired. I roll my eyes every time couples haul out the bench as is, but after that, he just restaged the entire routine from the movie, down to the robot and the heart.

 

Mark's routine with the fog and make-up and the chasing Alice reminded me a lot of his zombie routine with Sadie last season. Glad the judges weren't as whiny about "messing about" this time.

 

Noah looked odd. He didn't even look like himself. I kept not recognizing him, then thinking "One of the troop dancers is missing an arm!"

 

The Broadway version of Steppin' Time bothered me immensely. Mary Poppins is my favorite movie and they used the horrid stage bastardization. They might as well have people dancing to The Morning Report and Human Again.

[Zahdii]

I only watched DWTS this season because I wanted to see what Chris's personality was like when he wasn't on The Bachelor.  I've discovered he's still 100% personality-free.  He couldn't even snap at Witney with any spark, but she managed to cry anyway, so I guess they've filled their drama quotient for the week.

 

Anyway, I turned the channel after that because of Erin Andrews.  She's really a bad host.  Her voice is strident, she interrupts people, makes stupid jokes or tries too hard to force the contestants to say something they don't want to say.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Zahdii