I Can Do That - General Discussion

[formerlyfreedom]

Discuss I Can Do That Here!

[Kromm]

Blue Man Group to be Featured on Premiere Season of NBC's I CAN DO THAT

 

Stars of 'I Can Do That' join KPRC live

[Actionmage]

I didn't expect to enjoy myself as much as I did!  My husband was surprised he enjoyed it at all.

 

We agreed that Nicole  and Alan not only did the best, but actually were beautiful and hot during said performance. (Not that it is hard when you look like Nicole and Alan, but still.) We thought that Joe and Ciara were better than Cheryl and Jeff. Ciara and Joe actually seemed to pull off their slight of hand and translocation bits  pretty seamlessly. Mr. A was disappointed with how much the Globetrotters had to " dumb down"  ( his words) Cheryl and Jeff's routine. While I agree that it was not as fast or amazing, I pointed out that the point of the show wasn't to  actively make the contestants look bad.  Plus the routine we saw wasn't so horrible for only a week's worth of work. They weren't looking to actually join the Globetrotters, so I cut them some slack. 

 

I am looking forward to next week's episode. The balance and dog act should be fun, as should the "tiny dancers". I am more interested in seeing Cheryl with the Jabbawockeez. I thought that Cheryl should have picked Alan. He was so psyched and really seemed to want to do it. Yes, he's tall, but that shouldn't matter for a show like this.

 

If Jeff is all " I can't do anything!" and Alan is all hyper wants-to-do-X, it will get tiring. I was glad that we don't seem locked into a rigid woman/man pairing for each set of new challenges. I would have liked to see Cheryl and Nicole try the Jabbawockeez, as it's not too far from either's comfort zone. I am not saying that Joe won't be good; I am ready to be happily surprised.  

 

I hope that Alan and Jeff work with Scoobie. If not, then a good portion of their week will be winning over their partners, as well as getting them to do the tricks. (With the way Scoobie's tail was wagging, I think Jeff was correct. I have Chihuahua mixes and they sound super fierce even when they are trying to be friendly.)

 

Dorf Does Dance looks to be goofy fun, just like the pint-sized Village People. No matter how things go, I think Nicole and Ciara will be great TV.

 

Looking forward to the next one!

[Actionmage]

The Ladies:

 

* Cheryl Burke-- I knew about her from Dancing With the Stars and have enjoyed her there.

*Nicole Scherzinger-- I knew she was a Pussycat Doll and went solo. I was happily surprised that she didn't seem overly diva-y and seems to have a good sense of humor.

* Ciara-- I knew she was a singer, but I haven't been a fan or follower of her music. I might dip into her hits if she stays as likable as she seems on this show. ( Plus she rocked that Queen of Hearts outfit. Go on, ma'am, go. on!)

 

The Gents:

*Joe Jonas-- He seems to have a nice singing voice and seems like a nice enough guy. 

*Alan Ritchson--  He seems cool and athletic. The show said he does stunts, as well as acts.  I enjoy him throwing himself into the challenges and enjoying himself.

* Jeff Dye-- I know nothing about him, but Mr. Dye seems okay. I just wish he'd quit with the " I can't do that!"-ness that is making me roll my eyes after one episode. I did chuckle at him laying down on the couch as Cheryl sprinted up to the Jabbawockeez, though.

 

Other than wishing for more on how one of the contestants will ultimately win, I was happy watching this set of folks.

[Kromm]

‘America’s Got Talent’ Ratings Hit Debut Low, ‘Extreme Weight Loss’ Returns Down, ‘I Can Do That’ Opens Solid

[Grade 19 Bureauc]

I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed the show. I felt old because I don't know who Jeff or Alan are, but that didn't deter from the enjoyment. With shows like this, so much is dependent on how committed the participants are.

 

I'm looking forward to the dog act the most, I don't know how they can possibly learn the strength/balance moves in a week.

 

I think I was a little put off by the little dancers, I think it seemed offensive to little people, but maybe I'm just oversensitive.

[saber5055]

I liked the basketball challenge the best. Sure, Cheryl and Jeff weren't Globetrotter perfect but even attempting to keep up with those guys when one can barely dribble a basketball more than two bounces was a major achievement. Plus, their act made me LOL, and I was smiling all the way through it. The Globetrotter guys also did a great job of covering both when they were close to losing it.

 

The magic act was smooth as silk, but both tricks were no-brainers that anyone could do and it wouldn't take a week. Although how cool to hang with Penn and Teller. Worth it! The flying act made me slightly uncomfortable to watch, they lost it a couple of times and there were no Globetrotters there to cover for them. Strike a pose, have the wire worker pull you around and *snap* you're done. Sure, there's vertigo involved. But so much depended on the guy taking off his shirt and looking hot. Hardly a challenge for a buff dude.

 

I hope the dance group teaches Cheryl to be a B girl. Looking forward to it. 

[Kromm]

Clearly some skillsets cross over better than others.

 

Cheryl can play it down all she likes, but clearly even if the type of dance she's a world-class expert in is totally different, she's still got a dancer's flexibility, core strength and coordination.  ANY act with body movement is going to favor her.

 

The muscley actor guy I've never heard of clearly has pure strength, so any act favoring that is a good one for him.  Hand balancing for example is one such thing--although I bet it goes from outright impossible to only super-difficult at best.

 

Nicole also is a fairly well trained dancer, although obviously not to Cheryl's level.  Ciara is too, although Nicole will have the advantage with anything that requires coordination with other dancers (Ciara probably matches her dancing to backup dancers in her stage show, but the PCD were ALL about synchronousity). I doubt the show will have any singing acts, but if they tried to pull a fast one and have Opera singing, for example, playing that as "unlike" the three pop music stars on the show, that'll be a total misfire/trick, since Nicole can sing Opera (or at least Operetta).

 

Be interesting to see what else they come up with.  

 

And as I expected, the show IS very deliberately after AGT... I mean they're even leveraging several former AGT acts being on this (2 so far, and that's just in 1 episode). 

[jhlipton]

I thought that the air dancing was by far the best, and Alan had to do his share of the work.  Just keeping from sliding on the water was tough.  

 

The basketball was second -- they both picked up some skills.

 

The magic act was the worst.  Very basic stuff.  So I would have rated them the same as the audience.

 

Next week's looks fun

 

I found it on the schedule -- Tuesday at 10 on NBC

Edited May 31, 2015 by jhlipton

[jhlipton]

Other than wishing for more on how one of the contestants will ultimately win, I was happy watching this set of folks.

 

Each week, each celebrity gets from 1 to 3 points based on how their "team" did.  The celeb with the most points "wins" (bragging rights only, I think -- I didn't hear mention of a prize).  So it's really kind of moot.

[portfino]

One thing I liked was that the celebrities either genuinely liked each other or were very good at faking it. So many of these competition reality shows turn into backbiting and rivalries. I would have ranked the celebs the same as the audience. And even though it's not a direct comparison, I don't think they should let Cheryl do dancing acts.

 

Jeff was new to me, but I can remember Alan as Aquaman on Smallville.

[saber5055]

I would have put the Scoobie balancing act first, that took some skills to do the strength/acrobatics without killing the little dog. And to get the dog to work with you instead of his owner.

 

Cheryl, enough complaining about the mask. I never did see you do any pop and lock or breakdancing. Disappointing, even though the routine was good. It just was no challenge for you.

 

The little short guys routine was poorly filmed so we all could see how it was done, taking the fun and mystery out of it. Didn't like it at all.

[portfino]

I think the Quiddlers act was poorly filmed because Ciara/Nicole weren't that good.

 

I'm assuming that Cheryl/Joe won because otherwise Alan might be developing a lead, not that I think anyone's watching for the competition aspect. I like Cheryl a lot but everything she said last night was total BS.

 

It will be interesting to see how well Alan does next week when he can't rely on strength/athleticism.

[Grade 19 Bureauc]

I still found the whole Quiddlers concept offensive.

 

I so would want to learn to double dutch. I'm looking forward to seeing that. Mostly, I'd want to do the acts that don't require high heels.

[Kromm]

Cheryl Burke dancing with a mask on still looked like Cherlyl Burke dancing. Can't say I was impressed.

[spanana]

The thing with Cheryl is, as somebody that has watched her for years, she isn't joking when she says she can only do ballroom.  I think most of the older guard of ballroom dancers just focused on training in the one style of dance and that was it.  I presume she took ballet as a child or something, but beyond that she really has only trained in ballroom.  The newer breed of ballroom dancers seem to try to crosstrain in everything over the years.  So part of why I tuned in to the 2nd episode was to see her attempt hip hop.  Though I agree she mostly looked like Cheryl dancing with a mask on and I didn't see much hip hop.

 

But I don't think what she was saying was BS entirely.  Does she have advantages over others in any sort of dance related task?  Of course.  Though Nicole and Ciara are no slouches in the dance department either.  She is fit and has rhythm and is used to picking up choreo.  But ballroom and hip hop are really at two different ends of the spectrum technique wise.  So trying to unteach your body things that have been beat into it over the course of 25 years in one week isn't that easy.  The two styles are really entirely different disciplines. 

 

Though I expected the guys with the dog to get the win.

[Actionmage]

From  Week2's ep.:

The little short guys routine was poorly filmed so we all could see how it was done, taking the fun and mystery out of it.

 

(italics mine)

I don't think there was really any mystery to the act.  People dress in black, have a mostly black background and perform.  I saw the routine and except for the break for Nicole and Ciara to do snippets of their own songs, thought it was well done for what type of act it is.

 

Week 3:

 

Alan/Joe: Blue Man Group-- It  was fun and they did well.  I am glad that Alan got the drumming stuff down.

Nicole/Jeff: Ben Blaque (crossbow shooting)-- That was wonderful and funny and just dangerous enough. Nicole in that dress doing the splits was cool, even if the dress was slit to accommodate her doing the splits. 

Ciara/Cheryl: The Dynamic Diplomats of Double Dutch-- It was fun and I enjoyed a Missy Elliott track that fit the occasion. I do think double dutch is a physically hard skill to master, so props to the ladies.  

 

I am glad that Nicole picked Joe for the next challenge she's facing. Joe seemed equally psyched for it.  Ciara picking The Jam Performance Team surprises me a little, but I don't know much about her.  If she doesn't have martial arts already in her bag of skills, I am still happy. I like that Ciara is looking at this as a way to not only do things she likes, but to do things she hasn't done before!  That is cool. Cheryl and Jeff are paired again; this could be good or it could potentially be the first time Ms. Burke doesn't come first.  ( As much as I enjoy the celebrity contestants being cool with each other, other than Alan, I'd like to see a bit more jockeying for difficult challenges.)

[Scott]

I was most interested in seeing that Avenue Q has evidently updated the lyrics to "Mixtape" with newer songs. 

[Maverick]

 Who's not cool with Alan?

[jhlipton]

"Avenue Q" looks way too easy -- it's not even standard ventriloquism -- the puppeteers move their mouths.  Even if they do a great job, I would expect them to be down-voted because the other acts are much harder. 

 

Alan and Joe did such a great job with BMG that I thought they would automatically win.  The "Double C's" did great on double dutch, but the slowed the rope for them.  I did not expect the scores that the audience handed out.

[Maverick]

Alan and Joe had flaws with the Blue Man Group.  I thought it was unlikely Alan caught all those marshmallows and it was edited out.  It was confirmed when Jeff responded to Alan ribbing about his missing the first mark by shouting "you missed marshmallows but I didn't say anything to you".   I'm surprised they left that comment in.  I'm also suspicious that the only shot Jeff and Nicole missed was the first, easiest one.  

[Taeolas]

They did show him missing at least one Marshmallow. I suspect there might have been more missed and not shown by way of cuts to the couch. Still it was a good showing and they seemed to get the act down pretty good. (Especially the Blue Man Attitude after the act; they have a certain 'alien' way of acting when in makeup, and the stars stayed in character throughout.

 

The bow and arrow challenges were good too, and the "Dueling Crossbows" act was probably about as far as the show's insurance would let them go. The Selfie shot and the Splits shot were both challenging enough to be impressive, and the act kept a good beat going.

 

I do agree that the Double Dutch challenge was probably one of the harder ones, and I wonder how many trips were hidden by cutaways. Still, what we DID see on camera was 100x more than I'd be able to do, especially after a weeks practice, so bravo for them. I'd probably have given them the win just based on the challenge alone. 

 

As for this coming week, it looks like a lot of wiffs to me. "Avenue Q" is just basic puppeteering, not ventriloquism, so that will probably be one of the simpler tasks. The Martial Arts team will probably get the win since that's probably the most visually impressive act of the three. And the Dance group, I think even the Stars were wondering WTF they were seeing with that act and trying to be as 'kind' as they could. Still, for the comedy factor, they'll probably get 2nd place.

[portfino]

 Who's not cool with Alan?

I'm assuming that poster mean Alan is the only one shown to be competitive about "getting" an act.

 

I am not a BMG fan, but really loved both Double Dutch, which has to be very difficult, and I thought Jeff/NIcole were the perfect mix of funny and sex for the archery act. Agreed that next week doesn't look so hot - I'm moderately excited for martial arts, but IMO the crowd was on the brink of laughing at the dance troupe.

[Kromm]

Alan and Joe had flaws with the Blue Man Group.  I thought it was unlikely Alan caught all those marshmallows and it was edited out.  It was confirmed when Jeff responded to Alan ribbing about his missing the first mark by shouting "you missed marshmallows but I didn't say anything to you".   I'm surprised they left that comment in.  I'm also suspicious that the only shot Jeff and Nicole missed was the first, easiest one.

That could be a device used to create tension. But if so, it wasn't setup properly (not the star's fault), because as Jeff said, people cheered anyway. They should have let out a big "awwwww" instead, then that been recouped by a danger shot later. Except of course they didn't actually take any real danger shots (lets face it, the show's lawyers and insurers never would have allowed it--they're already stretching what the insurance people will allow with stuff like that routine hanging from the spinning ring in Week 1.

Nicole in that dress doing the splits was cool, even if the dress was slit to accommodate her doing the splits.

Except she did it wearing SUPER high heels. That had to magnify the difficulty a bunch.

 

Ciara/Cheryl: The Dynamic Diplomats of Double Dutch-- It was fun and I enjoyed a Missy Elliott track that fit the occasion. I do think double dutch is a physically hard skill to master, so props to the ladies.

That's true.  But I AM getting annoyed at Cheryl once again getting a challenge that's based around flexibility and movement.  Maybe it's not dance this time (I wouldn't ever call Jump-rope that), but once again it's something a dancer will have a big advantage doing over a non-dancer (plus half that routine was dance anyway).

And... arguably Cheryl is getting that AGAIN next week the way it worked out. She'll of course be dragged down by Jeff, but that's little consolation for her once more being at least in the right wheelhouse, if not using the exact SAME wheel, as usual. It relies on following choreography, something she's expert at, even if it wasn't also borderline dancing. If she loses next week it would only BE because of Jeff, and because well... the act is pretty lame.

Edited June 11, 2015 by Kromm

[Kromm]

As for next week, I love Avenue Q, but given that they don't actually have to ventriloquize, it's really just a singing and acting task, with a tiny bit of puppetry (those aren't the most difficult puppets in the world to operate).

And for those who don't know... YES, you DO have to pay to sing Happy Birthday on TV.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=5413561

And it's quite a lot.  That probably cost the show $60K between the two of them singing it.

[portfino]

If the martial arts routine is even semi-competent, they'll win. Cheryl's dance skills won't save that hot mess. I agree that Cheryl has benefitted from the acts, but, in fairness to her, Alan has gotten mostly acts that meet his skill set except for BMG. They want the celebs to look good except for Jeff who is comic relief.

Edited June 11, 2015 by portfino

[Kromm]

If the martial arts routine is even semi-competent, they'll win. Cheryl's dance skills won't save that hot mess. I agree that Cheryl has benefitted from the acts, but, in fairness to her, Alan has gotten mostly acts that meet his skill set except for BMG. They want the celebs to look good except for Jeff who is comic relief.

I do think that Chery's "strength" has gotten played to FAR more than the others (she has one that applies to more of their novelty acts), but it figures that when Nicole got that with an act that includes singing, she's STILL going to lose because the rest of the act is so darn easy.  As for Alan, what exactly IS his "skill set"? Being huge and strong?  I guess they've catered to that too.  Jeff is impossible to cater to, other than acts that play up comedy a lot, so it's mainly Nichole and Ciara who have been hit and miss with getting good matches (both being competent dancers but not near Cheryl's level, and good singers, but having no other notable skills).  I'd have put Joe in that category too, except even when he doesn't "win" and get what he wants, he's always a prime pick to get something good, because both the other celeb and the show knows that a Jonas automatically gets votes just for showing up.

[theatremouse]

"Avenue Q" looks way too easy -- it's not even standard ventriloquism -- the puppeteers move their mouths.  Even if they do a great job, I would expect them to be down-voted because the other acts are much harder.

That style of puppetry is much harder than it looks. You're right, it's not ventriloquism, and that's not why it would be difficult. Yes, anyone can move the puppet's mouth and talk or sing at the same time, but it's takes a ton of practice to do it well. Lip synching the puppet's mouth to your own is not easy, and looks really crappy when done poorly, especially if you're standing next to someone doing it well. I expect them to be terrible. Of course, I also expect NBC to edit it in such a way that you can't really tell one way or the other.

[UncleChuck]

These acts are like the three-legged race at the company picnic--fun for the participants, entertaining for the spectators, and forgotten ten minutes after they are over.  The appeal of this show to me is NOT a competition but just six pleasant folks having a hell of a good time doing stuff that is entertaining to watch.  Period.

 

[Kromm]

I suppose at the very least it's succeeded in making me like Ciara--someone I was completely indifferent either way to before this.

 

Jeff Dye?  Not so much.  I don't wish him ill, but he's just kind of annoying.

 

Nicole, Joe and Cheryl I've all had a pretty consistent impression of from past projects, and they all seem to be the same people here, so I don't think my overall impressions have changed any (except perhaps thinking Cheryl is overplaying her advantages in movement based stunts and so not really trying that hard).

 

The big actor guy I had no idea who he was before this, and still don't.  He's just kind of a piece of furniture on this show.

[jhlipton]

The appeal of this show to me is NOT a competition but just six pleasant folks having a hell of a good time doing stuff that is entertaining to watch.  Period.

 

That's why I like it -- they're all nice to each other -- a pleasant surprise from all the nastiness and bickering you see on other shows.  

[DollEyes]

 

As for Alan, what exactly IS his "skill set" ? Being huge and strong?

 

  No, Alan can sing, too as he not only proved in last week's episode, he even auditioned on American Idol several years ago, to then-Judge Paula Abdul's delight.

 

  I like this show, too. Given all the drama on most competition-based "reality" shows, the lack of it here is a breath of fresh air.

Edited June 14, 2015 by DollEyes

[spanana]

I don't really get the complaints over the show catering to Cheryl's strengths.  They are kind of catering to everyone's strengths.   Nicole and Joe, the singers, got to have a singing routine tonight.  That Alan guy almost always has physical routines that take some sort of core strength, which he obviously has.  Nicole and Ciara both have dance experience and have used that here to some extent.  Jeff is really the only one out of his comfort zone most of the time.

 

Though I'm shocked that Cheryl/Jeff beat out Joe/Nicole for the win.

 

Now if Cheryl had gone after the ballroom challenge, that would be rather messed up.  I admit that much.  So I'm glad she shied away from it.  Though to be fair, Nicole already knows she has ballroom skills as well.  She's not a professional, but she knows she's damn good.

Edited June 17, 2015 by spanana

[Actionmage]

I personally was rooting for Alan/Ciara FTW tonight and am miffed that they were put last.  If Cheryl and Ciara's physicality was the prime factor in their win, then that also should have factored into Ciara and Allan's routine tonight.  Now, I will say, it felt like there was some rough editing, so that could be why the audience voted as they did. Yet, we in the TV audience can only go by what was shown to us. What I saw was fun and a decent routine.

 

I enjoyed Nicole and Joe's time on Ave. Q; I liked Nicole's line about everybody's life sucks "except Alan's." *g* Oh, and her hello to "Keenan"!  But two singers got to sing and they had to learn how to coordinate hands and mouths, which I will admit is not the simplest task, at least in this manner.

 

Pilobilus is neat, but just not my thing. It's part dance, part coordination and a bit of strength ( to get on the platform and to help hold fellow troupe members.)  As it has been pointed out though, Cheryl has associated skills in musicality, flexibility, and learning choreography in a week's time.  I guess we could call Jeff  the Silly Putty of the show because he seems to do fine, if not well, at the challenges.

Who's not cool with Alan?

 

I'm assuming that poster mean Alan is the only one shown to be competitive about "getting" an act.

 

Yes, that is exactly what I meant. Alan seems eager to throw himself at everything, which is kind of delightful. Only Joe seems to playfully trash talk Alan, which is fine. ITA about how pleasant it is to have a competition show where there is practically no drama; they save it for the performances/challenges. And the stupid interstitials "during" the week. (Hey, NBC? Maybe the pairs would be even better at their challenges if they didn't have to  have comedy bits to tape in addition to trying to learn new skills? Just a thought. ) But, to Alan: he seems like a neat guy who is nice, yet competitive. He is surprising as no one has really been aware of him outside of his two franchises, apparently. Hopefully, that is going to change due to the show.

 

As for next week?

 

Burn The Floor: At least Cheryl recused herself from this. *g* I am pretty excited to see how Jeff handles this. Cheryl didn't have to twist his arm too hard on this challenge, so maybe it will be better than the Globetrotters and (imo) Pilobilus, but it won't be cuter than he and Alan with Scooby.

 

Skating Aratas: That looks cool and a bit insane.  I  was hoping Joe would choose Cheryl simply for the height factor. As I was a teen who actually saw the movie Roller Boogie in theaters, I am very interested in how this goes.

 

Grounded Aerial:  This could be neat, but Alan has done something similar already in Week One. Cheryl acted like her fear of heights is a real one. If so, this may hamper the pair come performance night.  If the group can get Cheryl comfortable and trusting of the harness/wires, then she and Alan could potentially be Alan/Nicole 2. (Pro: It's not an easy act to pull off--Con: Alan did something similar and it's artistic/dance-y, so one of Cheryl's strong suits.)

 

While I would like Cheryl to fall out of first, she is now tied to Alan, so I have to hope she can pull off the challenge.

I was sad for Ciara when she and Alan got last place because Ciara has consistently placed last except for double dutch.

I liked that Jeff is working with Ciara, as that means he has worked with all the ladies and just needs to work with Joe to have worked with all the celebrities.

I hope Marlon's hand will get better by the end of the show's season.

[Kromm]

I don't really get the complaints over the show catering to Cheryl's strengths.  They are kind of catering to everyone's strengths.   

Oh no doubt.  But the issue is one of degree, not an absolute one.  They've done it constantly with Cheryl and only occasionally with the others.

[spanana]

Oh no doubt.  But the issue is one of degree, not an absolute one.  They've done it constantly with Cheryl and only occasionally with the others.

 

But you are going to say she has an advantage at almost any physical related task, which is most of them.   And I'm honestly not sure I really think Cheryl is in any better shape than either Ciara or Nicole S. at this point.  Cheryl is no longer dancing on the regular, so whatever her workout regime is at this point has nothing to do with her dancing and I think it's fairly safe to say that both Ciara and Nicole S. have some sort of regular workout regime as well.  The only thing Cheryl has done is deliberately not go after tasks where she knew she would be horrible...like the Avenue Q bit because she's tone deaf.

[portfino]

This question is kinda rude, but is Joe strong enough to do the Roller act? Even for a pared down version.

 

I don't mind Cheryl getting favorable acts. Everyone except Jeff does.

 

I thought that Alan/Ciara would have been a shoo-in but that martial arts act was really short. They must've messed up a few times and it wasn't show on TV. I'm surprised Ave. Q didn't win because I was pleasantly surprised by Joe/Nicole. They did some cool ad libbing in addition to the act. Pilobius is not for me. To be brutally honest though, I'm not sure the voting has been on the up and up all season. Not that I really care.

Edited June 17, 2015 by portfino

[spanana]

I think it's hard to say if the voting is on the up and up mostly because I don't think we the home audience are really seeing what the audience sees.  Like I think something went wrong in the martial arts routine, but we didn't get to see it.  Or last week with Blue Man Group, the cameras tried to cut away when whoever it was missed catching the marshmallows with his mouth.  So it's possible that the audience is mostly voting for whichever pairing makes the least obvious mistakes.  I know the show doesn't want to make the celebs look foolish, but I'd rather see what actually happened as opposed to the edited version.

 

Also the audience seems to not vote for any sort of routine that has a lot of stopping and standing around in between.  They want things with music that look more like a choreographed routine, whether dance or something like double dutch.  

 

Joe/Nicole only lost by 4 votes, but I was still surprised.  Though it made me wonder if there was a mishap we didn't see since what we saw was pretty good.

 

Besides, I don't know what would really be the point of not having the voting be on the up and up.  Do the winners get anything? It's not a serious competition show so it doesn't matter who wins.

[jhlipton]

Though I'm shocked that Cheryl/Jeff beat out Joe/Nicole for the win.

 

I still don't think that Avenue Q was as hard as any of the other routines.  They barely showed them practicing!  Based on what I saw, Id have put Alan/Nicole/Ram first, Cheryl/Jeff/ Platypus (heh!) and Joe/Nicole/Ave Q last.

 

But it's all fairly trivial -- just a fun, feel-good show.  (I want to know what it was that Marlon tried with Ram that made him hurt his hand so bad.

[Actionmage]

Not too surprisingly, I found this on Wikipedia :

 

Six star entertainers rival each other competing and showcasing their talents with some chosen classic and unique acts that need skills they will learn to implement practicing with the original acts. After a week of training, they re-perform their acts live, with the public voting on the best re-enacted act of the week. The audience's vote for the best act of the week corresponds to the amount of points the celebrity gains for that week with; 1st earning 3 points, 2nd earning 2 points, and 3rd earning 1 point. At the end of 6 weeks, the celebrity with the most points earns the title of "The Greatest Entertainer".

 

I was wondering if that was how the scoring went, as Ciara is so behind everyone.  It also made me sad because there will only be one more episode after the upcoming one.

 

I really enjoy this group of folks and hope they and/or the show can come back.

 

edited because Ciara is behind but not many "o" 's worth.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Actionmage

[Taeolas]

Next week should be intriguing, since Ciera?(or whoever was picked first) only has 2 days for practicing the samba/ballroom dancing due to other commitments. It'll be interesting to see how that's played up. I do wonder a bit if there was some behind the scenes shenanigans to make sure she was on the first act, since of the three, that one has the least training required to get to a 'safe' point for presenting.  

[jhlipton]

 I do wonder a bit if there was some behind the scenes shenanigans to make sure she was on the first act

 

Shenanigans?  Shenanigans, you say?  On a show of such world-wide, far-reaching import?  Why, it boggles me to even think such a thing!!!  LOL

[Actionmage]

That was one of the more fun episodes of the season!  Glad Nicole was okay and that Cheryl was able to handle her fear of heights.

 

I was highly surprised when the audience ranked the acts like I did. I hardly ever get the "right" outcome.

 

Jeff was definitely a trouper by working so hard the last week! I even made a note of "Aw, Jeff" while watching. He looked pretty good for a (presumably) non-dancer with a week of practice. I was glad they went Big Band/ Jive for Jeff, as it's an easier count to keep. Plus, Jeff really looked like he was having a blast and enjoying himself.  The hug that Ciara got was probably equal parts relief and genuine happiness.

 

Alan has worked with all the ladies, so I hope that they can upset the Cheryl juggernaut, slim-to-nonexistent as Alan's chance may be. I hope they flip the script and have Ciara be the Mad Scientist. I was disappointed that it was another "Mad Scientist makes a female lifeform to be with him, but when she has her own  opinions, he deactivates/destroys her." Gender-flipping won't make it better, but maybe they can just stop at deactivating? *sigh*  It is a very cool concept for an act, Tell-A-Vision; I just wish the vision they used wasn't so trite and cliche, or at least that cliche in particular.

 

Not surprised that Cheryl chose the Cowboy Cheerleaders, but I was surprised that it seemed that she was alone in the run to get locked-in. Maybe I missed a view?  Other than not dancing, dancing with pompoms, and/ or not having a kick line, I am not sure how the ladies are going to "tear up the rulebook" for that. Nicole won't do the splits? Is that the innovation? ;p 

 

Snoop had to feel pretty cool after the race to lock into that challenge. Everyone wanted to work with Snoop! I would almost pay cash to see Alan do the Carlton to his crappy rap, though. Jeff and Joe are going to do what, I think I missed the challenge.  Back-up dancers? Guys in suits behind Snoop? Co-rappers?  I think it will be awesome anyway.

 

Actually, this show has been low-key awesome and I've loved every episode, even if I got nit-picky in places. I'm going to miss this show after next week!

[portfino]

I suspect they rewarded Joe/Nicole for degree of difficulty. I'm not a rollerskating person but next time I'm in Vegas I might check out Skating Aratas. I noticed some strategically timed cutaways for Jeff/Ciara so that may have hurt them. I do agree that I'd rather just see the acts flaws and all. I'm not going to harshly judge Jeff Dye for missing some steps in a dance he had one week to learn.

 

I think Jeff/Joe will actually rap. I don't consider myself a huge rap fan, but I think it could be a lot of fun. I thought Tell-A-Vision would be cooler. I like the concept and maybe a different story would have helped. Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders? Eh, not my thing.

 

This has been great PR for the contestants. I had a moderately negative impression of Joe Jonas before this. And now I have a positive impression.

[sleepyjean]

Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time until "Circus of the Stars" made it back on network tv. Or is this "battle of the network stars" redux? I've only seen one episode, but was pleasantly surprised. Will definitely check it out next week, although I didn't really care about the scoring, so I turned it off after the performances. For me, the only negative is the host. Whichever Wayans he is, he is not so hot as this show's Nick Cannon. He's just...awkward. Not terribly amusing, doesn't seem to connect with the rest of the cast. And I was disproportionately annoyed by the fact that he kept mispronouncing Nicole's last name. The celebs are doing all sorts of difficult challenges. All Wayans has to do is say "Sherzinger" correctly, and apparently that's too strenuous.

[jhlipton]

That was one of the more fun episodes of the season!

Oh, yeah!!!

 

I was highly surprised when the audience ranked the acts like I did. I hardly ever get the "right" outcome.

Me neither, but week was kind of a gimme. All Joe and Nicole had to do was not kill themselves and they were guaranteed first. Ciara bumped herself to third -- she did great by herself, but didn't have a lot of good interaction with Jeff.

 

I hope they flip the script and have Ciara be the Mad Scientist. I was disappointed that it was another "Mad Scientist makes a female lifeform to be with him, but when she has her own  opinions, he deactivates/destroys her."

Yeah, that was pretty stale. Hopefully they do something a little fresher. I think Ciara is doomed to last place.

 

Not surprised that Cheryl chose the Cowboy Cheerleaders, but I was surprised that it seemed that she was alone in the run to get locked-in.

 

That's the way it looked to me, too.

 

Actually, this show has been low-key awesome and I've loved every episode, even if I got nit-picky in places. I'm going to miss this show after next week!

Me too!

[Actionmage]

Late, for tonight, but I loved the finale! It delivered what it promised, was fun and had a slightly surprising outcome that I am fine with. Who knew?!

 

I hope this is a new summer staple- as long as the no-drama and the likable celebs is non-negotiable.

 

More later;  I really enjoyed tonight and the whole run!

[portfino]

Tell-A-Vision comes sooo close to being entertaining, it's just missing something. I couldn't tell you what, but something. Nicole was a fair winner. She brought a lot of enthusiasm to risky and/or difficult acts - archery, roller skating, aerials, and martial arts. Even Ave. Q was difficult in its own way.

 

I hope this comes back next summer, but completely agree that likable celebs and no fighting are key.

[theatremouse]

Tell-A-Vision comes sooo close to being entertaining, it's just missing something. I couldn't tell you what, but something.

For me, it was this: I completely intellectually understand that the timing of doing that kind of act is very difficult, and therefore I should somehow be impressed by it. However, it's pretty much doing a difficult thing for difficulty's sake? And for me that's not good enough. For example, when you spin around midair or do flips, etc, that's difficult but also, if executed well, graceful or athletic and therefore interesting.

If I reach behind a flatscreen with a video of a beach ball playing on it, and "pull out" the beach ball from the screen, other than being a task of timing, what have I accomplished? What's interesting about watching someone pick up a beach ball? Nothing. It's just a gimmick. "Look that was in sync!"

At least with an aerial act, you're giving some illusion of something else, a person flying, or experiencing something different (such as the acts where they were in front of projections of water and seemed to be swimming, or playing with which way is down, etc). A person picking up a beach ball out of the screen is still just a person picking up a beach ball. And a quick change is still just a quick change (and the contestants' quick changes weren't quick enough to really be impressive. They had just a beat too much time in the transitions). So, it looks cool, maybe. It seems like it could be interesting, but they weren't really creating another world there. It was just, hey there's stuff on screen and now it's not on screen, it's real. But there was no reason for it. The story was weak.

[Kromm]

I was satisfied with that ending. Nicole's trio did a much harder routine, and the Cheerleader stuff was pretty tough (and well done) too. So she legitimately won both parts of the night.

Tell-A-Vision just bored the hell out of me too (like it did some other folks), and frankly the celebs didn't even do the syncing with the screen that well (the quick changes were the better part of the act from them). As for the Rapping duo? One of them was a singer who just sang, and the other was a person who talks fast for his career and talked fast. So... no stretch.

I'm sure if she actually gets to keep it, Nicole will stick that ugly ass trophy in a closet somewhere rather than on a mantle, but I think she probably gained some fans from this that she might have previously lost from having anything to do with The US X-Factor (the American audience having never seen her on the UK version, where she sucked less).

I think Ciara probably gained some mainstream fans too. Sure the audience never went her way and she was last place throughout, but that wasn't really her fault (they just gave her the wrong acts) and she came off as really likable. Joe Jonas never lacked for fans, but this show certainly didn't hurt him. He did look like he was legitimately having fun.

Jeff Dye I can still take or leave. Ditto for Cheryl. I still have no idea who Alan is or what he actually does, but I guess I might recognize him now if I ever saw him in something.