S21.E03: Hometown Glory (1)

[radishcake]

An elimination occurs during the second week of performances, which feature songs commemorating the celebrities' hometowns.

[McManda]

So sorry about the stread of conciousness post. I do think having to learn two dances so early into the competition hurt the majority of the celebs.

 

I love Nick, but I was underwhelmed. Not surprised that the minor messups would get into his head, though I think he handled things as well as anyone. I'd like to have seen his routine without all the problems. And I'm really interested to see how he does with a ballroom dance tomorrow night.

 

Paula, Hayes, and Chaka ... are all there. I'm not really interested in any of them, so I find myself having to make myself watch.

 

I thank the judges for telling it to Andy like it was (even though they didn't really back up those comments with their scores). It was a mess, but unfortunately that's not his fault. His performance is there, but unlike Riker, his technique is not and I don't know how of if Allison can deal with that. (Also, his jive seemed very pose-y while Allison over-danced around him.)

 

I guess it's not super surprising that Kim was better this week, what with having a standard dance and being able to rely much more on Tony. I don't think it was outstanding and I don't know that it'll be enough to save her (but that might be an underestimate of the fans of "reality" TV).

Also ... is salsa an overtly sexy dance? That is such a cop out. I would say salsa is flirty and spicy and fun, but I wouldn't label it as an "omg, take me now!" dance.

 

Jazz ... already? I was kind of hoping they'd have laid off the jazzes and contemporaries. But Alec looks like he's having fun, so he's got that going for him. His jazz wasn't anything overly special though. :/

 

I know it's been on YouTube for a week, but was Obama a greenscreened? Or JibJab'ed (aka: his head on some other body)?

 

"Mark" and "crazy idea" go together often. Learn to push back, Alexa, or he'll stick you in a leopard suit instead of just putting you in the makeup. Also ... her dance was frantic and overdone?, if that's the word I'm looking for. Maybe she's well matched for Mark. Or taking lessons from Allison. I think Julianne did "leopard latin dance" better. Double also, did she dance the salsa barefoot? And Mark wore Chucks? Heavy sigh. I will give Mark props about pushing Alexa to be her own dancer and not "wife" in the husband and wife battle TPTB are trying to push.

 

Oops. Nice job, Erin. Alexa is safe until tomorrow, at least. (Not that that's surprising, but still.)

 

Oh Victor, bless his heart. He tries and has such a great attitude and I love him for that. He definitely wins this season's award for most amiable contestant.

 

Tamar would win the night for me except for her random lost expressions midway through her dance. It was weird and it made me not connect to the dance as a whole. (Actually, what Carrie Ann said. She dances with Val and everything just dulls.) As far as the same score as Alexa, I liked Tamar's dance better, dull eyes and all.

 

I'm a big fan of Anna's dress. And ... did ... did Anna turn Gary Busey into a dancer? Not a great dancer, but I didn't feel creeped out by his rehersal footage or his dance or even his post dance interview. That's an amazing win, Anna.

 

I much prefer Carlos's dance to Alexa's (sorry, I know I'm supposd to separate the two, but if tptb are making it a competition ...). Carlos seems more centered and more focused. It's like he's here to compete and learn and try his best and I like that about him and that's where I think Alexa falls behind, even if she does have 2-time winner Mark as her partner.

 

Did I blink and miss rock week? (Except, maybe that's not a bad thing). Derek is good at what he does, though, I'll give him that. I don't know how Bindi would have done with a different partner, but I think she's doing really well. Also, yay Terri and Bob in the audience!

 

I think it's still pretty obvious that baring a giant surprise Nick, Bindi, Carlos, and Tamar (and maaaybe Alexa and maaaybe Alec (if he can win over the popular vote)) are going the distance.

 

Keo, I love to watch you dance. But three early outs in as many seasons? I hate to say it, but tt's not them ... it's you. A classy exit, though.

Edited September 22, 2015 by McManda

[mtlchick]

Can we call it the Keo Kurse now?  He cannot catch a damn break.  

 

Meanwhile, breaking out the 9 this early isn't a smart move, CAI.

[truthaboutluv]

Too many props and I think they actually hurt some of the celebrities. Also I agree with Tom that the producers may have thrown more than the celebrities could handle with the two dances this early in the competition. There was so much bad tonight. Also, Carrie Ann was over-scoring all over the place. Thankfully Julianne and Bruno seemed more sensible in their scores.

 

Nick/Sharna (Jive) – Messy was the right word for it. I didn’t agree that the sharp kicks and flicks were there. Nick’s kicks and flicks looked very limp to me and like he was barely lifting his leg. I agreed with Carrie Ann that the whole thing seemed to go wrong right from the start of the dance with the getting out of bed and all that. Honestly, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the choreography from Sharna either. I think tonight Nick showed why some might want to temper some of those huge expectations they have for him on this show.

 

Paula/Louis (Rumba) – Well she tried and I saw some recognizable rumba steps. So points for that. I of course now need brain bleach to scrub that ending leg move from my memory. But again, she tried and it looked like something resembling a rumba albeit not a good one.

 

Hayes/Emma (Foxtrot) – Frame was awful and his arms were just kind of flopping around. And I didn’t think it was very smooth or elegant. I honestly don’t get the Hayes love. The judges seem to like him but he just seems gawky and awkward in his movements and frankly, like a 15 year old boy. Also, great he loves his family so much but this is the second week we had so much focus on a family member of his. We’re not even seeing this with Bindi and you know Terri’s there all the time too.

 

Chaka/Keo (Foxtrot) – Guess it doesn’t matter now, but what the hell. Chaka did not seem able to remember the choreography at all. Are we sure Victor’s the only one with short term memory loss? She definitely seemed to have a positive attitude, if her full and beautiful smile was anything to go by. But boy oh boy, she could not remember her steps.

 

Andy/Allison (Jive) – This was even messier than Nick’s jive. Boy these jives made last week’s all look like 10’s. He went way off time and the whole thing sort of just fell apart. And I don’t know what he was doing with his legs towards the end. Those weren’t kicks and flicks. They were sort of just flying here, there and everywhere.

 

Kim/Tony (Quickstep) – Well she did a lot better than last week which I guess isn’t saying much considering how awful she was last week. But it was definitely better. Not great – she lost her frame a couple of times and it made for some awkwardness but it was okay. I notice the judges again don’t comment on couples breaking hold in the middle of the dance.  I thought that was against the rules of the Quickstep.

 

Alek/Lindsay (Jazz) – Kind of looked more like a contemporary but on this show, do they even bother with a difference? Also he was the definition of a forklift for Lindsay in that dance. She looked great but he sort of just stood around for most of it. But it was sweet.

 

Alexa/Mark (Salsa) – Not sure I liked the no-shoes. Also, I feel like she was almost trying TOO hard to prove that she could be sexy with Mark even if her husband is there. It felt like it got a little out of control at times and I also didn’t feel like I saw a lot of salsa. But it was fun and I’m definitely happy to see her acknowledging that she was too focused on Carlos last week while he had no problems focusing on Witney and their dance. And after watching their backstage footage, I call bullshit on the Afterbuzz panel saying Mark was not annoyed last week.  His comments there proves that he clearly was because he pin-pointed exactly what posters were saying. She was all about Carlos while he came out and gave it a 100%.

 

Victor/Karina (Jive) – I missed most of it so can’t comment.

 

Tamar/Val (Cha Cha) – Tamar is a very good dancer and not surprisingly she was gorgeous in this. I see what Julianne and Bruno were saying but it was without question one of the best dances of the night. And I’ll be honest I cracked up when she said she didn’t want to be thrusting when she’s thinking about her family. Seriously, I’ve been saying this for many seasons. Only on this show, people dedicate dances to their dead parent, child, etc. and they’re grinding and thrusting away.

 

Gary/Anna (Foxtrot) – Well he’s still crazy and I’m still uncomfortable and tense watching him because it’s a live show and I’m always nervous what he might say or do. That said, this didn’t entirely suck. I agreed with Julianne that there was a sweetness about it that was actually nice.

 

Carlos/Witney (Foxtrot) – This was really good. And I think that dance proves it’s official – he’s the better dancer between him and Alexa. Also, he and Witney have a WAY better connection than Alexa and Mark and it is very obvious and I believe that’s the thing that’s going to make them keep being better. I think Alexa might be the season’s shock boot.

 

Bindi/Derek (Tango) – Her frame was good but it got kind of hectic with the whole heavy metal/hardcore rock theme. I agree with Bruno that she lost the frame at times and I think it was specifically when they separated to do the whole rock chick thing. So not my favorite tango ever but it was good. Also, WTF was going on with the camera guy during their performance. There were two moments when I was looking at light fixtures instead of Bindi and Derek. It’s almost like they lost them. Isn’t that why they do camera blocking.

 

Sucks for Chaka and goodness knows I would have taken Gary leaving but let’s face it, she was really, really bad.

Edited September 22, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[Uke]

And here we go ...

 

Nick:
He seemed to run out of energy quickly.  There was nothing sharp in any of the moves. They should have just used the blanket and skipped the pajamas. Recovered well from the slip but not a great jive. 7s a bit generous. I'd have thought 6-7-7 or 6-6-7.  He's said by many to be the front runner and he's letting it get in his head with perhaps overly high expectations of himself.

 

Paula:
Tentative. No hips.  Did she forget her moves or just got caught up in the moment? LVA obviously talking her through it. But she is light on her feet and, like last week, smooth moving.  I laughed when Louis had to give her a tug to get moving again. Score was fair.

 

Hayes:
He's an awkward mover. The motorbike added nothing. The foxtrot is one of my fave 3 dances but I didn't like this choreography.  Judges sure seemed to like him though - he must be bringing alot of social media buzz.  CAI's 8??? I'd agree with 7-7-7.  Kind of sweet to see him tear-up over his Mom.

 

Chaka:
A long time to take that first dance step. She looked better in the little rehearsal clips. Again she seemed unsure what came next a few times.  Still not sure if she's under-rehearsed or inadequately trained. 15 was fair.

 

Andy:
Good job but I think Allison's frantic-ness might have thrown him off several times.  The choreo was just too much.  It irked me that the critique was aimed at Andy when I think the majority of the problems were because of Allison.  This is really pissing me off. Andy's got all the performance ability. I really wish he had a better teacher...who knows the dances!   7s were fair.

 

Kim:
Vast improvement over last week (which isn't saying much). Too much fussing at the beginning. Footwork messy. No body contact. Oh well.   The 7 was too high. The 6s were alright.

 

Alek:
Nice job again. Could have been a bit smoother but he's got an easy, relaxed way of moving.  The 8s might be a little high but since they gave Hayes an 8, Alek deserved a higher score.

 

Alexa:
Two or three little baubles but overall I think she killed it.  If they were going to pull out a 9, this should have been it.  I thought it was better than 24 by comparison to all the other dances so far.

 

Victor:
Was that supposed to be a jive? Off-time.  He didn't have many different moves.  Kicks and flicks looked more like a horse prancing.  Just a mess.  Score was very generous. 5-5-5 would have been generous.

 

Tamar:
I think I was put off by the rehearsal package. She shouldn't be trying to dictate the choreography.  It looked like she just didn't want to do the dance and didn't look like she was having fun. My eye kept going to the 3 troupers at the microphones. 8s too high. I would have gone with 7-7-7

 

Gary:
Aw right Gary!  Yea, ok, kinda lead-footed but he remembered all the moves and tried his best at elegance. (Soooo Chaka, Paula...what's your excuse? !)  Clearly he's having fun (Hi there Tamar).  18 was very fair. I actually liked this foxtrot far more than Hayes' foxtrot.

 

Carlos:
He seemed disconnected with Witney. (Did he really call Witney stupid in the package?)  It was a little too foxtrot-by-the-numbers for me.  Executed nicely but no feeling.  Scores were fair.

 

Bindi:
Heavy metal? Who knew. Was a little confused when they broke hold and she bounced over to the judges table - I thought the dance was over but the music kept going.   When Hayes got the 8, I told someone CAI will be giving Derek, I mean Bindi,  a 9.

 

I figured it would either be Chaka, Kim or Victor leaving tonight. Well, there's always tomorrow night.  (We'll get to see Victor's rumba. Oh boy!)

[Sister Havana]

How on earth was Kim NOT in the bottom 2? Does she really have that much of a fan base?

 

Sucks that Chaka went first, although I can't say it was a surprise. She was not good.

[crowceilidh]

Ff’d through Chaka Khan because that was just embarrassing.

 

So when people talk about what an awful ballroom dancer, Allison is, I usually just shrug.  She isn’t as refined or thorough as the others, but I don’t remember it striking me as egregious previously.  Tonight was fucking egregious.  I would have thought that jive was awkward if a celebrity was doing it like that.  Good lord.

 

Alek was amazingly good again – I am not one of the brigade that thinks "forklifting" (or being forklifted) is easy - try it, people, just try it at home.  Lindsey really knows what she’s doing with him.  I’m pegging him for the win, just to freak myself out by saying something so silly right up front.

 

Hate Tamar.  I love Val, so this pisses me off. That was not an all-8s-worthy dance.  I didn't think they looked good together.  I ffd through Judges (or I'd never be able to watch this show) but I gather she was called out for dancing energetically with the other girls but not with Val?  That's certainly what I saw.

[WhitneyWhit]

Everyone seemed off tonight.

 

If I never heard the words "social media" from anyone on this show again, it will be too soon. Am I supposed to be impressed that people on Twitter were talking about Hayes? Because I'm not. His foxtrot was horrible; bad frame, bad posture, out of control arms.

 

All three jives were a disaster.

 

Jazz, contemporary, it's all the same on this show and has no place. They were critiquing people on foot placement, bent knees, hunched backs, then there's jazz. What can they say about it? There's no rules, so it comes down to whether or not they liked it.

 

Bindi remains annoying and that was no tango. I miss the days when you weren't allowed to break hold in a tango.

 

Carlos is a much better dancer than Alexa. It was interesting to hear Mark talk to her about being too much on her husband's side and neglecting her own performance. She asked people to vote for him quite a bit last week.

 

Poor Victor.

 

As for Kim; I guess "Atlanta is where all my dreams came true" is the family-friendly version of "Atlanta is where I met a rich, married man and became his personal hoe".

Edited September 22, 2015 by WhitneyWhit

[smiley13]

So Golden Boy got the pimp spot and the first nine of the season.  What a shock!!  That was really not an appropriate song for an underage girl to perform to IMO.

[howmanywords]

Not that I think Keo actually deserves another chance at being a pro but if he does end up one next season I really, really hope he himself gets some help - in the teaching department.  Hes obviously as very good dancer but last year with Charlotte and watching the livestream it struck me how he simply isnt a good teacher.  I think someone with more patience and better skills could have done more with Chaka. If anything I thought her legend status would have got her past Kim and Gary.

 

I said 2 weeks ago that I predicted Nick would end up not living up to his hype.  I was a huge BSB fan and even as a fan I knew Nick wasnt as awesome as many were expecting, if anything he was the weaker dance of the guys and its showing.  Hes got the popularity on his side but as far as boybands IMO Carlos is looking like the better dancer. Dude was amazing these last 2 weeks.

[kayma]

I feel like there were three tiers of dances tonight - the good, the not awful, and the can't watch.

I thought Carlos, Tamar, Alexa, and Alek were the best tonight. Bindi seemed off time in the middle around the rock hand gesture. I'm not going to rewatch and the judges didn't comment, but it seemed off to me.

I thought that was an odd clip to show in the Bindi/Derek package of Derek looking at his phone while distractedly half-talking to Bindi. I also hope the references to losing her father stop soon. I'm a terrible person, but I don't like hearing so much about dead fathers on this silly show.

My favorite part of Andy and Allison's pairing is that my older siblings are nsmed Andy and Allison. It makes me smile when they say their names together on the show.

Other than that, I have the same criticism of Allison that I had with her and Riker. Andy's not improving just like Riker came in and finished at about the same level with very little improvement, in my opinion. I can see where the competent (and even Gary and Kim) improved over last week but with Andy there's no finesse or refinement. Just throw your leg there. Throw your arm here. I think he could be better than he is. If people on the show feel free to call out other pros and their teaching (Julianne even called out Tony this week to push Kim more), why doesn't anyone call out Allison, privately even. I don't need to see it, but I'd like to see the changes. It's easy to say Keo's a bad teacher when he gets the bad contestants each season but when the only true ringer on the show, coming in with all the fundamentals already, doesn't manage to improve at all over an entire season, why do they ignore it? I like Andy and am just disappointed that he's getting shorted. It was a cute concept and could have been a really cute dance.

I still think there's a group of 5 at the top who could all win it depending on how they dance any given night. I like that this season.

[SandyToes]

 

So when people talk about what an awful ballroom dancer, Allison is, I usually just shrug.  She isn’t as refined or thorough as the others, but I don’t remember it striking me as egregious previously.  Tonight was fucking egregious.  I would have thought that jive was awkward if a celebrity was doing it like that.  Good lord.

 

My thoughts exactly. I kept thinking, "What is this dance supposed to be?"  Just a rough night all around. Not sure how much I'll be watching this season. No one I can get excited about, and I really miss the old days, when everyone danced the same one or two dances, so the judging was a little more predictable. It bothers me when one team gets a super technical, rule-based dance (to my untrained sensibilities) and another gets one of the newer "no rules" dances. How do those compare?

[sinkwriter]

I honestly didn't even realize Nick slipped and fell until Tom and Erin mentioned it. The camera wasn't completely on him and I thought he was doing some sort of run-and-slide move. I didn't realize that was him falling until after the dance was over and he threw his shoes. (LOL at that, by the way. Poor Nick.)

[mrsmit7]

I thought the strain of two dances got showed on a lot of couples.

Overall I though Tamar & Val's cha cha was the best of a kinda lukewarm night. It was Sassy & fun choreo and I think she has technique and Stage presence. I do agree with the energy dropping in the middle

Nick needs to step it up...that jive was not acceptable if he wants to win. He's surely capable

Bindi & derek were decent but I think the song got the best of them...and I was a Lil confused by that 9

I think Carlos & Alexa would be the #1 front runner if they merged. I think Alexa has great technique but no stage presence and Carlos has great showmanship but not as good technique as alexa.

Allison put way too much nonsense in that jive. ANDYS actual jive steps were fairly decent....he should of done more of them

[sinkwriter]

I love Chaka and I was hoping to get to see her improve, but... 1) she seems to keep forgetting the steps far more than anyone else, and 2) she seems too focused on trying to look pretty. Lot of obsession with her hair. I mean, I get it, because I think she has gorgeous hair, but I think it distracted her from focusing on the dancing rather than on how she's looking. Last week and this week I kept seeing her fluffing it and fussing with it, constantly. I think she should have pulled her hair back and gotten down to business.

Edited September 22, 2015 by sinkwriter

[Fliz]

Terrible camera work tonight. Way too much ceiling, floor, and the lower halves of Val and Tamar.

Is Allison pregnant? Her face and middle are fuller, but the rest of her is still very thin.

[McManda]

I think tonight is summed up by saying that 2 dances at this point are just too much for the celebs. Let them settle into learning, into the show, and get a little more knowledge under their belts so they can keep up before making them do double duty. I think that hurt a lot of people Nick, for sure, maybe Tamar, Alexa (could use more refinement).

 

But I agree that I didn't realize Nick fell until it was mentioned. I thought it was intentional.

[RemoteControl88]

Now that the brilliant producers have gifted us with 2 dances in 1 week.....can we never try this idea again?  PLEASE!  

 

So many of these dances could have been better if this is all the only dance they had to focus on this week. Oh well.

 

As a theme "Hometown Glory" was ok I guess.  As a long time viewer I am more interested in Tue. night with the pros, to be honest. Overall I'll be re-watching Carlos, Tamar and Bindi. Alexa was good but it felt like typical Mark....overkill on the costume and standard booty shaking salsa choreo.

 

Hayes love for his Mom is very sweet. Reminds me that he's only 15. Didn't love the concept or choreo for his foxtrot though.  Andy & Nick were just messy.  Alek dance was nice but I wish he was assigned a regular dance. I just don't want to see jazz in week 2. (or at all on this show).

[TeeMo]

Terrible camera work tonight. Way too much ceiling, floor, and the lower halves of Val and Tamar.

Is Allison pregnant? Her face and middle are fuller, but the rest of her is still very thin.

The camera work was atrocious and totally distracting. Last week had some bad moments as well but tonight was worse. It is something I've noticed pretty consistently since Rob Wade took over - show nights in general feel like two hours of chaos. 

[PTVjones]

This is a legit question, is it me or was Erin super awkward tonight? Like, either with her side bantery type comments or with her questions she just seemed really odd/off putting. 

[Saylii]

Two dances are way too damn much at this point. Everyone was forgetting moves and half the stars seemed over it. It's not going to make a good finale if you have Bindi projecting, the PenaVega's getting on with their bad ole married selves, and Alex acting like a normal human being stuck in a freak show. Tamar and Nick may not even make it at this rate.

The producers really need to sit down for the spring and come up with a reasonable training program. Sign your stars two months in advance with five weeks to train for the premiere again. Don't do the crappy two dances a week until the Team Dance at final 6. Demote Keo to the troupe. Fire Allison. Then I might think about coming back.

I love this show and I seriously do not know if I can make it the rest of the season. This isn't magical. This isn't fun. It's frustrating to watch the stars clearly suffering because the production has gotten in the way of learning how to dance.

Newsflash Rob Wade: it does not please me to watch Nick visibly upset with himself because he fell or Chaka Khan standing on stage looking like a lost dog who can't get bearings back home. The reactions may help you hit some mythical trending social media numbers when all the haters cackle in glee about the train wreck they are watching, but normal people who spend money with your advertisers and truly love your show hate the new "GOTCHA DANCING BAD!!!" format.

This is a legit question, is it me or was Erin super awkward tonight? Like, either with her side bantery type comments or with her questions she just seemed really odd/off putting.

I wonder how much time they've given Tom and Erin to prepare this year. Both hosts seem way off their game, but Tom can improv a lot better then Erin can. To me it sounds like the questions are being fed through Erin's ear ten seconds before she asks them. She's also made references to her "girls" backstage on every show now (even the half ass clip show last week), which makes me think she's spending the breaks in show gabbing it up and not paying attention. Edited September 22, 2015 by Saylii

[sinkwriter]

When Paula was making people drinks backstage, Tom cracked me up softly calling up to the balcony, "Save some for me..."

[just prin]

Two dances are way too damn much at this point. Everyone was forgetting moves and half the stars seemed over it. It's not going to make a good finale if you have Bindi projecting, the PenaVega's getting on with their bad ole married selves, and Alex acting like a normal human being stuck in a freak show. Tamar and Nick may not even make it at this rate.

The producers really need to sit down for the spring and come up with a reasonable training program. Sign your stars two months in advance with five weeks to train for the premiere again. Don't do the crappy two dances a week until the Team Dance at final 6. Demote Keo to the troupe. Fire Allison. Then I might think about coming back.

I love this show and I seriously do not know if I can make it the rest of the season. This isn't magical. This isn't fun. It's frustrating to watch the stars clearly suffering because the production has gotten in the way of learning how to dance.

Newsflash Rob Wade: it does not please me to watch Nick visibly upset with himself because he fell or Chaka Khan standing on stage looking like a lost dog who can't get bearings back home. The reactions may help you hit some mythical trending social media numbers when all the haters cackle in glee about the train wreck they are watching, but normal people who spend money with your advertisers and truly love your show hate the new "GOTCHA DANCING BAD!!!" format.

I wonder how much time they've given Tom and Erin to prepare this year. Both hosts seem way off their game, but Tom can improv a lot better then Erin can. To me it sounds like the questions are being fed through Erin's ear ten seconds before she asks them. She's also made references to her "girls" backstage on every show now (even the half ass clip show last week), which makes me think she's spending the breaks in show gabbing it up and not paying attention.

Please send that to TPTB! Perfectly said. And absolutely needed! Will only add: Bring back Conrad Greene (was that his name)? Or bring in someone new. THIS IS NOT WORKING!

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Well, after I put on my trusty rose colored glasses:

 

Way to play the game Lindsay. If you get a relatively free form dance......play to Alek's strengths all day, everyday (in this case, strength). He made a very graceful looking forklift. I thought he was maybe a point or two overscored, but he's definitely proven that he's in the pack of 5 (maybe 6) who could and should make it to the end.

 

Even w/ Nick's stumble there should be no planet where he shares a score w/ Paula Deen. But Paula was improved so she had to move up from a 5 to at least a 6 and Nick struggled relative to last week's 8 so he needed to be scored 7s at best. There's not a lot of wiggle room in between lol...

 

Hayes totally over exaggerates his arm lines to the point where he loses balance/stability for his transitions. I must say though, he's presented himself like a young southern gentleman and I think that more than his massive tween social media following will prevent him from making an earlier than expected exit (I say he finishes in 7th place w/ a one week margin of error in either direction).

 

They downshifted from beating us over the head about their married-ness, so Carlos and Alexa got a much less manic/desperate edit. Points for that. It seemed a bit early for Mark Ballas to break out the signature anthropomorphic animal dance though.

 

Bindi and a few AC/DC lyrics caused eyebrows to raise slightly in the Purgatory household. But I loved her admission about loving heavy metal and Derek's reaction to said admission. They definitely got the combo Golden Boy/Pimp spot 2 or 3 point bump.....and a 9 this early given the overall quality of all the dances tonight was a bit much.

 

By the end of this run, Anna may truly qualify for Sainthood. Her ability to shepherd Gary from week to week and dance to dance is making an icky situation more bearable. Also, there is no way in hell they were honestly the other team in the bottom two. Absolute no chance. Kim Z should go tomorrow night, "improvement" or not. Sadly, I think it'll be Victor leaving tomorrow despite his joy and enthusiasm for trying something a million miles away from his comfort zone and aptitude.

 

In 3 seasons as a pro, Keo has lasted a grand total of 4 weeks. That is...not good.

Edited September 22, 2015 by PhD-Purgatory15

[PBGamer89]

a few thoughts:

 

- Nick/Sharna: Jive isn’t an easy dance, and he seemed very in his head about it. There was good moments within it, but he got off time and then the slip. I still think he’s getting votes so I don’t think he’s a goner anytime soon, but he needs to show consistency because that inconsistency is part of what did in his brother in season 9. 

 

- Andy/Allison: The energy was good and the performance ability was good, but the timing wasn’t up to that par. I think the judges would give lower scores based on their comments. I still say his dances thus far have been a little on the forgettable side. He needs a breakthrough to avoid being a “shocker”. 

 

- Alek/Lindsay: His confidence is good, but Jazz is tricky because it’s so undefined it can lend itself to basically being anything. It was mostly a lift fest with Alek just being Lindsay support which might have been smartly choreographed to hide his lack of natural dance ability. However, he has Quickstep tomorrow and I’m not sure how that’ll go yet. He’s still kind of a wildcard. 

 

- Alexa/Mark: So glad first of all they didn’t have them dancing back to back with Carlos and that they separated their packages too. It gives us a chance to know their partnership together and know them as celebs. I think she was fully committed to this. I would’ve preferred a more traditional Salsa but I really enjoyed how this was choreographed. It showed her feisty side and that she’s game for what Mark will give her. I’m excited to watch her each week. 

 

- Victor/Karina: He gives it his all, but he’s just not a dancer. I don’t think too much of that was on time and in sync together. It was a fun performance, but I’m not sure it’ll save him from getting cut tomorrow. We shall see. It would be a shame to have Karina come back and go so soon, but sometimes it’s just how it goes.

 

-Tamar/Val:  She has long limbs so I wasn’t sure how she would handle a Latin routine. It was a strong dance and I loved her performance ability. I’m glad she can handle what Val gives her. I think she’s coming across well and not too off putting. Her good dancing will allow her to stay awhile to grow on the viewers. I’m excited for her Charleston tomorrow. I hope we see a silly, fun side to her.

-Carlos/Witney: A strong dance as well. Another one that could be on the forgettable side after a night of 13 dances. His hands are a bit on the feminine side the way he shapes them, but he has ability and should stick around. Maybe he knocks out Nick if Nick doesn’t rebound and Carlos improves. If not, I can see them splitting the “Boy band” vote and Nick has more fans and more stat power. 

 

-Bindi/Derek:  I don’t know guys, I have a gut feeling she might win. She’s been the most consistent of everyone I feel. She has such a likeable, infectious personality that it’s impossible to hate her. I know some might find it annoying or fake, but I think she has the most momentum and buzz out of everyone.

Edited September 22, 2015 by PBGamer89

[sinkwriter]

One thing that I loved this evening: when Andy was asked about the reasons behind his dancing issues tonight, he answered succinctly and amusingly with "Dance is HARD." LOL. 

[katha]

Well, this wasn't quite the trainwreck I thought it would be! Even Kim improved somewhat! Sorry to see Chaka go, but it was always a possibility with the bad dance last week and IMO this week kinda reinforced the things we've discussed about Keo again. Three super early exits like that in a row. Ouch.

 

There was still too much talk about marrieds!!!, but thankfully they separated packages and scoring. So points for that, show. And it was good that Mark immediately addressed the elephant in the room there, that Alexa needs to focus more on her own dancing and journey. It's better to get issues like that cleared up right at the beginning before they start to fester and grow into bigger problems. And to be fair to the PenaVegas, I'm sure the producers prodded them like crazy last week and they probably didn't realize how it might come across. Last week I thought that apart from their dancing they were one annoying blob. This week I liked both of them well enough. Coincidence? I think not.

 

Nick needs to not get too focused on outward expectations. It was clear from the start that he wouldn't be as good a dancer as Carlos, but would have more nostalgia factor etc. If he lets the pressure get to him too much and becomes strained, the audience will pick up on that. If Nick keeps on struggling, Carlos is a contender (if the producers don't overplay the marrieds! stuff and create backlash). It's still Bindi's to lose on evidence so far, though: She's got that perky, harmless persona the demo likes in their female celebs, she's a good dancer, Derek (love him or hate him) knows what he's doing.

 

On to the actual dancing LOL: I think they don't call out Allison on her teaching deficits because the producers have forbidden them to do that. Allison will be a pro, come hell or high water, and the judges just have to get with the program and keep quiet about her various issues. And yeah, most of the things they criticized Andy for were actually Allison's fault.  Hayes was okay, but overscored again. Alek did nice lifts and not much else in that jazz, but that's how it often works for male celebs so I guess I can't complain too much. Tamar was good. Carlos was good, he has showmanship that covers up his technical issues and that will serve him well.

 

Alexa was much improved performance-wise in particular, last week she was a bit "deer in headlights", this was much more focused. Cool choreo as well and I thought it was an amount of wacky hijinks by Mark that suited the dance and actually drew attention to his partner. I love Mark and all, but she shouldn't be encouraging the crazy too much LOL. Judging by Mark's social media, she'll be dancing the Pikachu quickstep in no time otherwise and she'll only have herself to blame. She looks like someone who could make places 3 to 5, she doesn't have the sort of persona the audience goes for in a female celeb IMO. But she's capable, she seems game for Mark's ideas, she comes without the massive restrictions he usually deals with, I'm excited to see what they'll come up with together.

 

Bindi seemed a tad overscored. That wasn't better than Carlos and Alexa IMO. A 24 would have been enough. But oh well, it's not a big deal.

[anonymiss]

Yay! Tamar did that and Toni Braxton in the house! I wonder what scores Tamar would've gotten if she were Bindi?

 

Time to be resigned to the fact that Bindi's scores will be inflated all season.

 

Mark really loves that zombie/Alice in Wonderland set but it's too soon to be recycling it.

 

I like that Alek is adorkable with his sounds and has some personality--more than most of his type. I wondered though if Lindsay was taking liberties with mostly lifts because of Noah/Sharna's success with that.

[ocelot]

Jazz, contemporary, it's all the same on this show and has no place. They were critiquing people on foot placement, bent knees, hunched backs, then there's jazz. What can they say about it? There's no rules, so it comes down to whether or not they liked it.

Wait are you seriously saying there is not technique to jazz. Please read this, this is just the beginning..... https://twitter.com/ChristinaRicucc/status/644261963246137344

 

I will really never understand this attitude some fans of this show have that the only type of dance that has technique is ballroom. It's actually backward, quite frankly. It's not done correctly on dwts and it's not a fair representation, which is why I wish they would just leave it out. Because of these kinds of comments. I mean you really, seriously think every single thing you listed, bent knees foot placement hunched back, are not critiqued in jazz dancing as well? When critiqued by people qualified to do so?

 

Please watch the first dance in this video and tell me again that jazz doesn't have rules? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y1CIPtRxYo

Edited September 22, 2015 by ocelot

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Beyond question, the story of this ep was the majority use of source (original) music!  Happily, Sinatra's Chicago wasn't butchered, either.

 

Ameriker so got it right!  I cahn't believe it, darling (in my best Bruno).

 

I'm not so sure Gary was in the B2.  I can totally see TPTB priming the voting pump by putting him in jeopardy in order to save him.

 

The biggest shock for me was how much I identified with Gary Busey tonight.  His football story was as Americana as it gets.  That was real, y'all.  The song choice and choreo were perfect for him.  Anna deserves a boatload of credit.  He can go home, now.  

Edited September 22, 2015 by Lonesome Rhodes

[cooksdelight]

Alex acting like a normal human being stuck in a freak show.

That pretty much sums it up for me as well.

[anony mouse]

Wait are you seriously saying there is not technique to jazz. Please read this, this is just the beginning..... https://twitter.com/ChristinaRicucc/status/644261963246137344

I will really never understand this attitude some fans of this show have that the only type of dance that has technique is ballroom. It's actually backward, quite frankly. It's not done correctly on dwts and it's not a fair representation, which is why I wish they would just leave it out. Because of these kinds of comments. I mean you really, seriously think every single thing you listed, bent knees foot placement hunched back, are not critiqued in jazz dancing as well? When critiqued by people qualified to do so?

Please watch the first dance in this video and tell me again that jazz doesn't have rules? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y1CIPtRxYo

Can't speak for OP, but my interpretation of her post was that the SHOW has no rules for either genre - and that's why they are generally a big mess.

[ocelot]

Can't speak for OP, but my interpretation of her post was that the SHOW has no rules for either genre - and that's why they are generally a big mess.

Honestly if that is the case then I have nothing to do but apologize for severely misunderstanding....... so if so original poster I'm really sorry!

Edited September 22, 2015 by ocelot

[Stitsch]

How sweet that Derek, er, Bindi, got the first 9 of the season.

 

Alek? Alec? Alex? Whatever it is -- nice guy, but he literally did nothing during that dance. Not sure what warranted the fanfare from the judges. 

 

I'm on team Tamar. I might not like her personality all too much, but her dancing is outstanding. Much better than Nick, IMO.

[Buggin]

Too early for 9s. That was good but not a 9 dance. I hate the inflated scores so early but there's not much choice when a mediocre dance scores 7s and 8s.

I'm still bitter about Artem not getting a celeb this season so that may be clouding my view of Keo but I just think he's not a good pro and I'm not surprised he's out first. I think another pro would've done more for Chaka. She probably wouldn't have lasted long regardless but she may have made it through a couple more weeks.

[OakGoblinFly]

Oy, what a mess.  I think most of it, as others have pointed out, is the stress of having to learn two dances in a week this early in the season.

 

The highlights of the night for me were:

• Tom softly asking Paula to 'save some for me'
• Derek's face when BInidi admitted she liked metal music and then proceed to 'head bang' and 'hair whip'
• Tamar's make-up and costume (she looke gorgeous)
• Anna's adorable dress
• Jenna's new hair style
• Alek's vocalizations

 

I thought the actually dance ranged from merely okay to downright awful.

 

I saw Nick slip (I too would have thrown my shoes - I've danced in ballroom shows and they can be very slick) and I think that really impacted his routine. He never got his timing back after that.  I'm glad that one of the judges pointed out that Nick tends to get in his head; he does (or appears to).  I think once he stops over-thinking the process he'll relax and his dancing will improve.

 

Paula clearly forgot a good part of her choreography as did Chaka.  Gary was tolerable and remembered quite a bit of his routine.

 

There's something about Tamar's dancing that leaves me cold; I can see she has decent technique and good performance value but there's something that's not making me really enjoy her routines.  I think it is her lack of connection with Val.

 

I was so busy watching the horror of Allison' jive (and yellow is not your friend Allison) that I barely noticed Andy. Maybe that was the plan.  Allison, when she is in her own element, is a gorgeous dancer - last night proved once and for all that ballroom is not her element.  She was frantic, her timing was off, and that choreography was awful.  I feel bad for Andy as I think he has potential and could really learn with a different pro.  Sadly, because she got so far with Riker (and that do to Riker's natural chrisma and ability) that we'll never be rid of Allison and Jenna will never be promoted to full time pro.

 

Alexa was much improved.  I'm not sure what I think about the barefoot salsa but I understand Mark's motivation for having her dance without shoes.

 

Bindi was adorable and I liked the intensity she brought to her dance.

 

That somberro joke went on waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long.

 

And finally, what was with Erin's suit?  I thought the white suit was sharp looking except for the length.  What is it with the current trend of having bottoms that stop at the ankle while wearing sky high heels?  If you want to wear sky high heels with pants that stop at your ankles, then please have the pantstaper to your ankle and not flare out.

[alexa]

So Golden Boy got the pimp spot and the first nine of the season.  What a shock!!  That was really not an appropriate song for an underage girl to perform to IMO.

That song has been listened to by many young people since it came out way back when.... I don't think at this point it matters who listens to it/performs to it.  Anyone that grew up hearing a lot of ACDC heard that song quite a bit.  And it sounds like her parents really liked that kind of music, so she grew up with it.

[mbutterfly]

This is a legit question, is it me or was Erin super awkward tonight? Like, either with her side bantery type comments or with her questions she just seemed really odd/off putting. 

I noticed that too. Even physically she looked off balance and as if she weren't really focused upon the couple she was interviewing. 

[boyznkatz]

What was the purpose of the schtick with Hayes and his mother? Isn't she staying in LA with him? They made it look like he hadn't seen her in months. And I had to LOL when they compared him to the legendary Tom Cruise. What is he famous for again?

[humbleopinion]

Thinkinging that the chaotic mess we are seeing with this season's production quality slipping is just the tip of the iceberg of what's going on behind the scenes.

Too bad because DWTS' loyal and rabid fans deserve better.

 

Erin stop badgering Alek into giving you the glib, shallow, show biz comments you and the producers want.

5 weeks ago, Alek was on a buddy vacation and didn't in his wildest dreams he would be dancing on live TV amongst the other fantastical events that is his life now.

Happy that he is not melting under the intense spotlight of instant fame.

[Primetimer]

The couples dedicate a routine to the celebrities' home towns, and one couple gets to actually visit their home, like, permanently after the first elimination.

Read the story

[truthaboutluv]

Yay! Tamar did that and Toni Braxton in the house! I wonder what scores Tamar would've gotten if she were Bindi?

Time to be resigned to the fact that Bindi's scores will be inflated all season.

 

 

Blame Carrie Ann. If she hadn't thrown her random 9 in, Bindi would have tied with Tamar and everyone else who got a 24 last night. Bruno and Julianne both gave Bindi 8's, the same score as Tamar. 

[StatMom]

This theme was totally pointless. Except for maybe "Chicago," and Chaka having to explain how/why it related to her hometown.

[WhitneyWhit]

Honestly if that is the case then I have nothing to do but apologize for severely misunderstanding....... so if so original poster I'm really sorry!

Yeah, that's what I was saying. I was in no way insulting the genre, sorry if it came off that way,it's just that on this show, it seems out of place, mainly because I don't think judges know what they're supposed to be judging.

Edited September 22, 2015 by WhitneyWhit

[St. Claire]

This theme was totally pointless. Except for maybe "Chicago," and Chaka having to explain how/why it related to her hometown.

 

The high point of the episode for me was Chaka replying "Because it's *called* Chicago!" in response to the question about what the song choice had to do with her hometown. She tempered the eye roll, but her voice was fully underscored with "duh."

 

I was interested to hear Tamar's song choice when I found out she was from Severn (I live in central MD) and was slightly disappointed that she chose a song that many people in her county would associate with a year that their baseball team lost the World Series to Pittsburgh (although she was a toddler when that happened; my husband still associates that song with the Pirates and therefore hates it).

[Neerbeena]

 

-Bindi/Derek:  I don’t know guys, I have a gut feeling she might win. She’s been the most consistent of everyone I feel. She has such a likeable, infectious personality that it’s impossible to hate her. I know some might find it annoying or fake, but I think she has the most momentum and buzz out of everyone.

 

Of course she is going to win; it's been a while that Derek and his entitled ass have been deprived of the trophy.  This time he's got a partner with the dancing ability and winning personality so it's a shoo-in.  Unlike every other pro, Derek has never gotten a partner that didn't have the potential to win - even Amy Purdy had it despite the disability.  They will never give him someone who can barely move - like a Chaka Khan or a Wynonna Judd.  No doubt he's a great choreographer but he's no miracle worker.  But I see the judges have already started over-scoring him - no way did that dance deserve a nine.

 

I find Tamar and Val the most compelling to watch.  I think she's an elegant dancer and have enjoyed both her dances so far.  I also like Carlos and Alexa and Alex the hero is adorable.  I'm a big BB fan so I hope Nick gets over his jitters.

[fishcakes]

A couple of years ago, Tom said that they needed to stop having two seasons a year because they can't get a quality cast and, boy, was he ever right. In another year they're going to have to change the name of the show to Dancing With Some Randos Who Have Their Own Twitter Accounts. Like, sure, high school kid who has a lot of Vine views, tell me more about how your mom made mashed potatoes. It's so interesting. But as much as I hate how they're filling up the show with nobodies, I have to admit I loved Kim (I think that's her name? The football wife.) when Erin was doing her typically gross, "Hello! Check out how hot you are!" and Kim looked genuinely put out by that and gave a long, "ooookay ..." and quickly changed the subject.

 

The show needs to stop trying to make Keo happen. Especially when Sasha is right there.

[ari333]

Since Paula has lost weight her legs look slim and great, so I'll give her that.  Obligatory shot of her hugging an employee. Check.

Chaka has a beautiful smile and gorgeous face. I wish her dancing was better.

This is shallow so I'm going to hell, but Erin... is she super bowlegged or is that a thing ....with the huge gap between her thighs?  Gees,

I love Kym. Nice to see her.

I cannot stand Allison and I do not even know why. Maybe it's the overdancing, but there is something else.

I didn't need to see Emma wrap her legs around Hays. That seems to be her go-to move. She did it with Engvall and others. Stop it. Make it stop. 

Keo may indeed need some pointers on teaching for this show, but in fairness, I cant recall when he had a partner who had a shot in hell or who was not older or overweight. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it does hinder dancing and moving in some ways. I enjoy the older dance-testants and I like to see them do well.

I just love Karina. There. That is all.

Edited September 22, 2015 by ari333

[radishcake]

Can we confine the "show is rigged for Derek" talk to his thread please? And keep it down to a dull roar over there too. ;)

[Boofish]

At this point I would be happy to see Tamar, Nick, Carlos and Bindi perform the same dance every week with the audience voting for the favorite. At the end the person with the most votes win

 

This show will never be able to satisfy the masses. Either someone is a ringer or shoe-in and it's not fair or someone is a complete train wreck and it's not fair. If anything the women are the ones who get stuck with the partners who have the least amount of potential.

 

You can give Toni as many of someone else's partners as you want but his dances are dull and the only thing that lights up a room when he walks in is his teeth.