S21.E06: Most Memorable Year

[Tara Ariano]

An elimination occurs after the fourth week of performances.

[Wings]

Bye Paula! 

[crowceilidh]

Sounds like Alfonso is hosting tonight as Tom has had to go home for his dad's illness.  According to that other site.

[ari333]

Oh man, most memorable year is almost always a sad tearfest. My least favorite theme.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

I hate this theme because the judges will be crying and not critic the actual dance! All the sob stories will get a pass! Just once I'd like the judges to say " I'm sorry for your loss but that dance was a disaster !!!"

[ari333]

Ok I'll go 'head on and say it. I hate memorable year theme week. I think I'll DVR it and watch it with the FF.

[Wings]

Ok I'll go 'head on and say it. I hate memorable year theme week. I think I'll DVR it and watch it with the FF.

 

 

I hate it, too. Dead people should stay off of TV, they had their run.  I always let this roll for 30 minutes before I watch so I can FF.  

 

I would love to see some happy, upbeat dances for memorable good years.  

[ari333]

I'm hoping for upbeat stories and dances, but will not hold my breath. I watch this show for a fun, fluffly  light pleasure, not to cry my eyes out about dead people and tradgedies.

[luvthepros]

http://www.people.com/article/tom-bergeron-alfonso-ribeiro-dwts-host?xid=socialflow_twitter_peoplemag

[BW Manilowe]

http://www.people.com/article/tom-bergeron-alfonso-ribeiro-dwts-host?xid=socialflow_twitter_peoplemag

We've been discussing this in the Bergeron & Andrews thread since last night after Tom's announcement.

[ocelot]

Can anyone tell me if there's two dances this week (two nights) or one? I feel like one, but I saw on Witney's instagram something about her memorable year as well as Carlos's (both 2012) so I thought maybe they're doing two, one for each, like they did the hometown episode?

I mean because I can't imagine they'd want to do it for the pros when probably for three of them it's the year they got their big break and they don't seem to want to acknowledge sytycd on the show.

[spanana]

They are all doing one dance this week that represents the celebs, but the official DWTS instagram has been posting the pros most memorable years too.  So I'm a little confused on what they plan to do with that.  I don't think the couples package segments are long enough to cover both the celeb and pros.  The only thing I can think of is they did little taped things with the pros talking about their own memorable years that will be played as filler.

[RemoteControl88]

CAI crying under any circumstance annoys me. Coming from her it feels so contrived. I suspect she will "cry" at least 3 times tonight.

[Missy Vixen]

CAI crying under any circumstance annoys me. Coming from her it feels so contrived. I suspect she will "cry" at least 3 times tonight.

So, so, SO SICK of CAI and her waterworks. And yes, it is contrived. I wonder how many nose hairs she loses per episode.

[smiley13]

I am not a fan of Most Memorable Year at all.  Yes, CA will find something to cry about.  Whatever Hayes comes up with will seem trivial beside everyone else because the child is 14/15 ( I have seem him stated as both).  Sure Bindi is young, but nothing brings on the tears like a deceased parent.

[ShowsILoveToHate]

I have to give Bindi a free pass on this one.  Almost everyone in first world countries around the world knew who her father was and that he died in an accident, AND that he included his children in everything that he did, so it'd be impossible for Bindi to choose any other year than the year her father died. 

 

But from what I've seen from her, she's not a melodramatic person, so I know it'll be sad (*I* was sad when Steve Irwin died!!) but we can't really expect Bindi to decide to choose any different year that's as memorable as that, although if she did want to choose a different year that was also memorable for her, then I'd be happy to see that too.

 

Bindi just seems to be such an authentic person, not just an act for the cameras.  She's always had that same very bubbly personality.  :)

[RemoteControl88]

I have to give Bindi a free pass on this one.  Almost everyone in first world countries around the world knew who her father was and that he died in an accident, AND that he included his children in everything that he did, so it'd be impossible for Bindi to choose any other year than the year her father died. 

 

My guess is Bindi's story will be more inspirational rather than straight sorrow.  For the reasons you said. She is such a positive person. And to be clear I don't fault the celebs for choosing to tell whatever story they want to. 

 

I get irritated with the the show/TPTB and how they choose to edit/produce the show. They effectively stomp out any feel of authenticity with CAI fake crying through the whole show and this just over produced feel they throw at the whole show. 

[Wings]

My father died when I was 11.  I have never felt a need to exploit that.  Shit happens, parents die.  

[ocelot]

My father died when I was 11.  I have never felt a need to exploit that.  Shit happens, parents die.  

It's the 'most memorable year' week they have to exploit something in their life, I'm fine with her exploiting you know... what probably WAS the most formative year in her 17 years of living.........

I really like Bindi so even though I'm 95 percent sure I'm not going to like Derek's choreography, 100 percent sure I'm not going to like the 'best dance ever choreographed in the history of dance' comments that are certainly coming from judges and fans of the show, I'm happy for Bindi she gets to have this experience for herself and her family and I'm excited to see how it turns out. Like someone else said upthread, I was sad when Steve Irwin died too hahaha. She may annoy some people (not me) but she seems to me a genuine, sweet young woman.

[BubblingKettle]

Tamar: not a tear.

 

I have always found her adoration for her husband to be a bit suspect. She's like those people on Facebook that constantly post their boasts about their marriage....  I'm married to the best man in the world....my husband bought me a huge piece of jewelry because he loves me so much blah blah blah my man my man my man...

 

Sure, she might love him a lot, but I think the years of defending him to her family (re: him being irresponsible with money, cheating rumors, etc.) led her to go into overdrive. 

 

On a lighter note, I loved Anna T's costume tonight with the flouncy pink skirt and matching heels. She's such a good partner for Gary Busey -- I've always gotten the impression that she puts up with zero guff.

[BW Manilowe]

I laughed when Bruno was talking about being in Elton John's I'm Still Standing video & how he became an international sex symbol afterwards.

[Ann Mack]

I don't watch the show live but I do review a blog that discusses each dance. Seeing a lot of 9's tonight. I'm sure they are handing those out so little to NO huff can be had if they give Bindi a 10 or 10's tonight. I know this is reality TV and it pisses me off the way they manipulate the outcomes for certain celebrities. 

 

I remember when they had Amy Purdy on and her story was on a loop each week the show came on. I remember Tom and the Official DWTS Twitter page both indicating to get your handkerchiefs out for Amy's most memorable year but not any other contestant, just like they are doing this time for Bindi. It just really pissed me off they tried to make Amy's then and Bindi's now Most Memorable Year more heartfelt than any other celebrity and on that I called and will continue to call bullshit.

 

Now I might be wrong and Bindi might just end up with 9's like everyone else but I do believe they are laying the ground work in case she does get slips some 10's. Since I'm not watching right now if she does they may be deserved but I will hold that opinion if she does until I see the dance.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Ann Mack

[Mreid]

LOL I knew Nick was gonna dance to this song at some point this season

[ocelot]

I am loathe to admit this but I thought Emma's choreography in that contemporary was actually good. Like not great or anything, but good and I am THOROUGHLY impressed and I thought Hayes did about half as good as Riker did in his contemporary, which is a huge compliment and not something I ever wanted to say about Hayes Grier.

[Mreid]

I really enjoy watching Carlos dance. I feel the judges are too hard on him that was amazing!

[Ladyrain]

I cannot stand Paula on so many levels - however - that old girl has some gorgeous legs!  Who knew??? I am so jealous.

[mtlchick]

As soon as I saw Derek in his outfit I said "So...how many 10s are coming tonight?"  But I'm a sap and it's still a hard thing for her to process.  

 

In another sappy moment, I don't care that Nick busted out a BSB song that early, I cheesed up like a mofo.  

[kitcloudkicker]

Look, it's the 98O-Sync Boys!!! https://instagram.com/p/8ekSk6D0TY/

[truthaboutluv]

Wow, some of the posters on here are good…you guys called Alison’s pregnancy back in Week 1. It’s interesting to see how this will work because Alison’s already showing which I think is why she announced it. Eh, who are we kidding, Andy will be gone soon. Although with that in jeopardy scare to Carlos tonight, maybe not.

 

Alexa/Mark (Foxtrot) – It was cute and very sweet. She had an obvious stumble towards the end but it wasn’t that bad. The problem was the frame for me and I’m glad Bruno mentioned it. I felt like Alexa was almost floppy in her upper body. The ballroom frame is supposed to be stiff and almost awkward and I never saw that with Alexa.

 

Gary/Anna (Jazz) – Well that happened. All I could think throughout was why Gary looked like Herman Munster.

 

Tamar/Val (Rumba) – Good performance. The connection was definitely a lot better and I do think she was genuinely vulnerable tonight. I think Tamar needed that package because I think she may have been at the risk of turning some viewers off with all the previous “argument” packages, even though I personally liked her just fine.

 

Hayes/Emma (Contemporary) – He did good. I wasn’t as overwhelmed as the judges and feel like the 27 was a little high, but to be fair, I think that was partly the choreography. I was a bit bored with the whole thing but Hayes did really well with what he was given and I give him a lot of props for pulling off that lift so effortlessly considering he's a pretty scrawny looking 15 year old. I’m just rarely ever truly wowed by a contemporary on this show.

 

Alek/Lindsay (Paso Doble) – He did well, especially with everything he had going on emotionally. I saw some impressive movement but Bruno was right that it wasn’t as strong and powerful as it should have been. My biggest criticism was the lack of expression and emotion on his face but I think that might have been because of everything going on.  I don’t think his full focus was on the show this week and that’s understandable.

 

Nick/Sharna (Jazz) – I was underwhelmed. Clearly the judges didn’t agree and believe me I wanted to love it because Backstreet For Life over here but yeah, it just felt very repetitive. Sharna was certainly selling it though in that costume and it was nice to see A.J.

 

Carlos/Witney (Waltz) – Guess Witney’s taking a page out of Derek’s Contempo/Waltz book. Just like Bindi and Derek’s Waltz, this was a beautiful performance but I would have liked to see more in-hold moments. Of course the in-hold moments showed that his frame was not that great so I guess I can understand Witney’s strategy. It was sweet finding out that he and Alexa met at bible study.

 

Paula/Louis (Cha Cha) – I swear I’m starting to feel like a broken record with regards to her but it’s the same every week. The fact is Louis is a really good teacher so all her dances will have good content and she executes the content pretty well I think and she does her best to sell the performance. But she’s in her 60’s and it’s never going to be fiery and powerful. It’s always a little careful and slow so it just is what it is. Was Julianne drunk?

 

Andy/Alison (Cha Cha) – Um, he didn’t really do much. Alison as usual was moving full speed (I guess pregnancy is not going to slow her down) but I felt like Andy really didn’t do much Cha Cha. The side by side was actually good but that was not really Cha Cha.

 

Bindi/Derek (Contemporary) – Okay, for the last few weeks I always feel like Bindi’s dances are shorter than anyone else’s. That said, it was very beautiful and I really liked all the touches that fit with the lyrics perfectly. Totally saw that 10 coming but I’m used to high scores for contemporaries on this show.

 

Bye Paula!

 

Nah, I'm starting to get the feeling that she'll be this season's celebrity that outstays their welcome. 

Edited October 6, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[Ripley68]

I haven't watched at all this year.  Tonight, I stopped in for the last 15 minutes.  I have NEVER cried, or even came close, to crying watching this show.  Man, Bindi's dance had me chocked up. She is an amazing girl. Very upbeat and seemingly genuine. Derrick did a great job on the choreography.  Her face during the dance did a fantastic job in conveying how she actually would have felt if he was her dad.  You could see the concern on Bindi's moms face after the dance.  She was so worried for her daughter and not really caring about camera's and stuff.  Love it. She has done an amazing job raising that girl.

[Uke]

I've never liked this theme night. To me it's the worst - a competition of who has the saddest story. Happy stories just don't cut it.  It reduces major events in people lives to "sob stories".  It all just rubs me the wrong way.
Well, here goes...

 

Alexa:
Beautiful job but a little slipup. I always like Mark's foxtrots and I liked the beginning with the umbrellas but they could have put it down a few beats sooner. First to dance usually gets underscored, plus she didn't have a very compelling story (her big showbiz break).  21 seems a little harsh. 7-8-8 would have been better.  Alexa seems to have difficulty understanding that this is a competition and last week Alfonso was trying to remind her that she's competing against her husband.  It jolted me that she had such a defensive reaction.  This has nothing to do with her marriage but she didn't seem to understand that. 

 

Gary:
Clunky but Gary does Gary.  Bruno's "precision"? What is he expecting? No CAI, he's not going to improve like the others.  The fact that Gary, with all he's been through, is out there giving it his all and being entertaining, that's what we're going to get. People will vote for more of just that, only that, or not.  Scores were fair. Wouldn't have minded another 6.   BTW his speech to Erin, while I couldn't possibly remember it enough to repeat it, if you paid close attention, it actually did make sense.

 

Tamar:
A little overdramatic, CAI?  Technically it was beautiful, though still a bit hard for my taste. But I was paying particular attention to her face and eyes.  She still has a tendency to glare at Val when the choreography calls for her to look him in the eye. The rest of the time she seems to look over or past him. Not believing any chemistry here.  Scores were good, I guess.

 

Hayes:
Nice job!  He was a full partner in that dance.  I expected a bunch of lifts and wasn't sure if he could handle it but he did and he danced.  A well-deserved score! Good going Hayes!  Wonder how he's doing with votes.

 

Alek:
Oh my gosh, it's been one thing after another for Alek.  He seemed like he was bottling up alot of anger in the dance and he was determined not to let it out. This dance seemed almost mechanical. I don't know what to say - he just got back from where 10 classmates were murdered. There's no critiquing that.  Scores were fair.

 

Nick:
This looked like a dance that Nick would do nightly at his BSB concerts and it was up to Sharna to learn the choreography.  All that was missing was a headset or microphone in their hands.  As a concert dance, I liked it. As a jazz dance, I didn't like it.  Overscored. I'd say 8-8-8 would be generous.

 

Carlos:
Beautiful but a couple stumbles and I think he missed a hold.  He's not the most graceful mover but Bruno was right about his dancing with conviction. A lot of open work but at least there was some dancing in hold.  CAI's emotional 9 was too high. 8-8-8 would have been right.

 

Paula:
I think she got into the "groove" and forgot what she was supposed to be doing. Not quite sure what happened at the end there, but I think Louis somehow saved it - it's a wonder he didn't throw his back out - he was momentarily holding her full weight while bending forward.  Score was fair.

 

Andy:
Did Andy do a single cha cha step?  I might have blinked and missed it. Just alot of overdancing by Allison. I have no idea what CAI was saying but the dance looked more liked how Andy would perform that song at a concert (if he had a human spinning top on stage with him).  What were those scores for?  Massively overscored. Should have been 6-6-6 at best. They didn't do the dance assigned as far as I could tell. And it pains me to say that because it's really not Andy's fault.

 

Bindi:
Beautifully danced and she performed it well and I'll just leave it there.
I was expecting they would give her more than 1 10.

 

A little sad to see Gary go. I would have preferred a few others go ahead of him. Kudos to Anna!

Edited October 6, 2015 by Uke

[crowceilidh]

I thought parts of Paula's dance were very good even if careful.  I also thought that costume was the absolute bomb on her.  Really good choice.  Still, she's crass, stupidly needy and doesn't remember Louis' careful and slow choreo for her.

 

I was for the most part unmoved by the whole schlomozz.  

 

Alfonso was reasonably awkward.

 

Bindi seemed to be genuinely crying and then fake crying.  I found that bizarre. Much as I am inclined to discount the Golden One, that was some great choreo and some slick moves.  I loathed that version of the song.

[Mreid]

I almost had a heart attack I would have been so upset if Carlos went home this early. Bye Gary.  Though I wish Paula left before Gary. Im surprised Paula went further than Gary and Chaka.  Bindi and Dereks dance was perfect. Im glad Bruno gave them a 10 definitely well deserved. I was fighting the tears for Bindi. Derek is seriously the man, he can make anyone a great dancer

[PTVjones]

Well that was the first time I've cried in a Most Memorable Year episode, and I cried twice. Tamar and Bindi. Both were very genuine and ended on a positive note. 

 

I agree with the post that said that the judges are overly hard on Carlos. Count me in as someone who believes his performance, and choreography was better than Hayes and Nick. 

 

Dream Switch Up:

Bindi - Val

Mark - Paula

Louis - Alexa

Tamar - Derek 

Carlos - Emma

Andy - Whitney 

Nick - Allison (would have loved to see him with Anna!) 

Hayes - Lindsay 

Alek - Sharna

[crowceilidh]

I'm sorry to see Anna go and very very grateful to be seeing Gary go.

[spanana]

I really can't fault Bindi for that one.  If she has to pick a most memorable year of course it's going to be that one, especially since half the world knew who her father was and mourned for him.  I'd also be lying if I didn't say I wasn't crying through the package.

 

Beyond that though I really am at a loss as to who to root for.  I think Tamar is probably one of the most capable dancers here and it was nice to see a vulnerable side to her tonight, but I still think she has zero connection with Val.  It almost feels like she looks straight through Val when she dances with him.  So it's hard to get worked up over a partnership that has a limited connection with each other, especially in a rumba.

 

I like Alek, but that did lack power.  Though I feel like I can't really critique him fairly this week, or not without feeling like an ass.

 

Carlos and Alexa have both kind of lost me.  Though Alexa more so than Carlos.  It annoys me that Alexa comes across like she's playing for Carlos and not herself.  I feel like Carlos wants to win...and I feel like Alexa wants Carlos to win.

 

I was never a BSB girl so I've never gotten the Nick thing.  Oddly I may have liked Hayes the best tonight.  He did better than I expected him to do.

 

I'm probably forgetting people.  Best part of the night was Allison/Twitch baby, though I was pretty sure she was pregnant.  There has been a ton of speculation on the internet over the past few days so I guess she saw it and probably figured it was better to come clean.

Edited October 6, 2015 by spanana

[ocelot]

Nope literally hated the choreo in Bindi's contemporary (like even worse than usual--- the hopping part?! and I'm so tired of all the arm dancing, I understand we can't dance with our legs and feet because we aren't trained but I'm done with it), but her facial expressions and acting/emoting were amazing, she is very talented in my opinion!

[smiley13]

Bindi was just ugh for me.  The tears of the judges could be seen coming a mile away.  Nothing like giving her the pimp spot.

 

I loved both Carlos and Alexa's dances.  And Alek blew me away.

 

I am so glad Gary is gone!!  Now can he take Allison and Sharna with him?

[RemoteControl88]

Alexa & Mark - (foxtrot) - They might have got a better score if they went later in the night. It wasn't that bad and the mistake wasn't that obvious (until they replayed it). She still seems more invested in her husband's success on the show though...*shrugs shoulders*

 

Gary & Anna - (jazz) He forgot alot of it. His time was up anyway so again *shrugs shoulders*

 

Tamar & Val (rumba) good routine. That outfit was my fav of the night. She did a much better job of showing emotion on her face and connecting with Val and being vulnerable. She just needs to keep doing that in the slower dances. Her performance quality in the upbeat numbers is really good. Great content.

 

Hayes & Emma (contemporary) He did a nice job. I didn't love the actual choreography though. But he partnered really well.

 

Alek & Lindsay (paso) - He seemed disconnected mentally (obviously with everything going on). Not his best dance but he executed it well.

 

Nick & Sharna (jazz) - I was underwhelmed as some of you have said up thread. I thought he would actually blow me away in the upbeat/fast numbers...but my fav dance from him so far was his waltz last week.

 

Carlos & Witney (waltz) -  It was a really beautiful dance (even though it was heavy on the contemporary feel). His scores must mean he isn't getting the votes?? It was one of the stronger dances of the night I thought.

 

Paula & Louis (cha cha) - meh

 

Andy & Allison (cha cha) - she totally danced around him and threw in a bunch of non-cha cha side by side moves. 

 

Bindi & Derek - (contemporary) she was really vulnerable tonight and it made her easier to connect with for me. The bubbly personality I think prevents people from really seeing her. Beautiful dance. She did a really good job. I liked the choreography but didn't love it. Mainly because my fav contemporary from Derek was with Kellie Pickler (freestyle) so I recognize it's not really fair to Bindi to compare.

[SophiaPehawkins]

My favorite part was Gary telling Alfonso to shut up. Speaking for all of us, at least me.

As soon as I saw everybody getting straight 9s, I knew Bindi was in for at least one 10. I was a fan of Tamar and Val's rumba, Hayes and Emma's contemporary and Nick and Sharna's "jazz."

[Andie1]

Watched a couple of performances,  Bindi and Derek get the prize for the most overwrought silly choreography of the competition.  Yeah, that was a 10 for bedwetters.  

Saw Allison and her partner.  Doesn't she teach him anything? 

Saw Paula and Louis .  Too bad she can't focus because there's actual cha cha content there.

Saw Tamar and Val but on ytube.  Finally some actual dancing worth the scores.  

 

That's all I got.

[shoregirl]

Carlos and Alexa have both kind of lost me. Though Alexa more so than Carlos. It annoys me that Alexa comes across like she's playing for Carlos and not herself. I feel like Carlos wants to win...and I feel like Alexa wants Carlos to win.

I completely agree with this. It's starting to annoy me a lot. When she was so defensive about Alfonso's comment last week I was like of course your marriage is the most important thing but you signed up for a competition . If she wanted to just cheer for him she could have just been in the audience. I think she's a nice dancer too and I probably like her dancing better than her husband.

I think a married couple competing could be enjoyable if they had fun with it and were competitive about it in, but these two are sucking the fun out of it.

Edited October 6, 2015 by shoregirl

[Victura]

Mark cleans up nicely! Wish we could see more of this Mark. Despite Alexa's slip up, thought that was really a charming dance.

Oddly didn't mind Gary that much...probably would've had Paula leave before him, but don't mind him leaving now either.

Alek did those paso doble walking on the knees thing (what are those called?) that we rarely see the contestants do which takes great strength. He, Nick, and Hayes all had solid dances.

I liked the concept and emotion of Carlos's dance but it felt too jerky and rushed for a waltz, particularly to "Amazing Grace."

Eager to see Andy with another partner next week. Thought he handled the most memorable year concept well - sad story but turned it into a positive thing.

To be honest, the stories that I like the most for this theme are the ones about triumph and breaking through instead of the sob stories. They're not the ones that garner the most attention, but something like Nastia's last season about having worked literally her whole life towards a goal along with her family and achieving it deserves to be celebrated with dance. I'd really much rather see that than Crying with the Stars.

[just prin]

Observations en route:

Again with the different/cute choreo, Louis! Mandy, be gone!

A lot of seemingly nice folks among the cast!

Love Emma and the kid tonight! And I never thought I'd love him (altho she has always been one of my favs). Also thought I saw her hand him a kleenix after Bindi's dance.

Thought Alfonso did a nice job.

Enjoy the Backstreet Boy. (And I've barely even heard of the BBs.)

Pretty much enjoyed the whole shebang!

 

Forgot to add: Was overjoyed to see that Allison will be out next season. Perhaps that will mean Anna's return--with a non-Busey partner!

Edited October 6, 2015 by just prin

[Andie1]

My favorite part was Gary telling Alfonso to shut up. Speaking for all of us, at least me.

As soon as I saw everybody getting straight 9s, I knew Bindi was in for at least one 10. I was a fan of Tamar and Val's rumba, Hayes and Emma's contemporary and Nick and Sharna's "jazz."

I gotta agree, Alfonso was an arse as suspected he would be. Geez this show has really gone down hill but without Tom it's a disaster.  Gonna go look at Nick and Sharna because I didn't catch them tonight.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Totally agree with all the posts who couldn't find the cha cha in Allison's choreography .

[McManda]

I don't even care that Nick's jazz was lite on the jazz. I'm kind of in love. But mostly I hope that dance serves to make Nick comfortable. I think that was his biggest strength this week - he was dancing to one of his songs, doing moves he knew, in a way he's done for the past 20 years. I hope that continues through the next weeks.

[kitcloudkicker]

Favorite for me, hands down was Bindi. She really throws herself into every movement, and that's the it factor for me. It all feels completely genuine. That move towards the end where Derek picks her up off the floor and spins her around -- so floaty! It can't be easy to make it look that effortless, especially for someone untrained. Oh, and it emotionally broke me as well. 

 

I'll cop to it and admit I like this theme week. But then I sometimes watch dog rescue videos on youtube set to overly dramatic music just to have a good cry, so I am a sap. (Shut up, YOU'RE crying.) But I liked seeing Nick get more emotional this week - not it a, hurray, great to see him cry kind of way, but he's been a bit reserved and it felt like a few walls came down. And Hayes is sweeter than I thought he would be pre-season, though if I'm comparing contemporaries, his was good, but didn't feel as effortless as Bindi's, to my untrained eye. 

 

I find it interesting when Tamar gets called out for lack of connection, and people act like they're being mean to her for no reason, and then Val goes and agrees with the critique. Ha. I still like her, and liked their dance this week, but it didn't super stand out. 

 

I don't have much to say about Alek except for uuuugh, what a hard week. They did admirably, considering, and I do really like him. 

 

I noticed Carlos's arms a lot in the waltz, it didn't seem like he extended them all the way, or really finish his movements. I agree he's middling for me, which is a dangerous place to be. And Alexa's got to be in trouble this week, with those scores. 

 

Also, a baby tWitch is going to be the most adorable thing ever. 

[PBGamer89]

It felt weird without Tom, just confirming to met that he's the heart of this show and without, it loses that aspect.

 

Tamar finally showed a vulnerable and emotional side and I think she needed that to endear herself to voters.

 

Alexa's dance is a perfect example of a dance that would've scored higher if danced later. I didn't think the mistake was that noticable until they showed it like 10 more times. It's not her fault they didn't get a Ballroom dance until this week. I hope she's safe because she's one of the better dancers left and it'd be a shame if a night like this with inflated scores will be her undoing. I do think she took Alfonso's comment the wrong way.

 

Bindi was breathtaking. Had me from start to finish. Those that are saying it was laid on too thick and made a huge deal, need we remember how big of a deal they made the Carlton? Danced last on this same theme, teased the whole show, showered with 10's? I bet those same people loved the Carlton but will criticize about this tribute about her dad being so OTT.

 

Congrats to Allison, knew she was preggo, she's so tiny that any weight gain is noticeable, especially in those tiny outfits. Never a huge fan of her on this show so the aspect of her missing out on next season, doesn't bother me much.

Edited October 6, 2015 by PBGamer89

[MerBearHou]

Glad Gary's gone and I absolutely hated him telling Alfonso to shut up. Thought that was an awful moment. It's about Alfonso doing his job for ABC on very short notice and needing to keep to an allotted time, not Gary freaking Busey rambling again.

Paula needs to go next. Her pre and post dance commentary really annoys me.

I'm not usually a fan of the emotional story night but tonight was better than in the past, I felt.

Didn't realize that Alexa's sister is the daughter on the Good Wife -- was so surprised by that tonight. They're both lovely.

I like Alexa and Carlos as a couple -- they're a great example of a team.

Thought Julianne was funny when she sort of growled/shrieked her "9s".

Edited October 6, 2015 by MerBearHou