S21.E09: Halloween Week

[Lonesome Rhodes]

The most memorable moment, by far, was Sasha bringing Leah to her knees in fear.  I always crave real moments in this fakest of fake ballroom.  That, my friends, was REAL.  And yes, she certainly deserves props for at least keeping enough wits about her to not cuss up a storm!  Yet, she let a very loud "DAMN" later and it was entirely unprovoked.  Never change, Leah.

 

If Tamar was legitimately in jeopardy this week, she is in big trubble next week.  She should not be, but the winds are a blowin' dat way, it seems.

 

The other thing I totally focused on was the lack of genuine togetherness on the winning team.  They performed brilliantly.  Maybe the best ever.  But, after the perfect scores, Emma made a move to try to get group hugs going and not one of them made the slightest move to make it happen.  Tamar was the other bookend of that line and she was having no part of any such group affirmation.  The body language of everyone across that line, excepting Emma, was all about staying in place.  It was sad, actually.  

 

The couples dances were as boring and meh as any I've seen at this stage of any season.  Not s single stand-out.  The only real passion I had was Bindi getting massively overscored.  Again.

[OakGoblinFly]

Ugh, what an uninspired night of dancing; I really dislike theme nights as I thing the pros get too wrapped up in presenting a theme and the quality of the dancing suffers.

 

Thank goodness for Derek and Bindi’s Argentine Tango; that was the only dance I liked (Derek really does choreograph some amazing <everybody drink> Argentine Tangos).

 

Other than Derek and Bindi’s dance, the highlight of the night was Leah Remini’s reaction to Sasha’s evil clown (and I don’t blame her because clowns creep me out).

 

What was with the fog?  I know it was Halloween Night and the production team was going for ‘atmosphere’ but that was ridiculous.  Do they not have practice runs?  Did they not consider how much the fog would obscure the cameras?  Did they not think that fog plus mood lighting equals inability to see anything?

 

I thought both team dances were terrible; I think the only reason that “This Is Halloween” won the points is because they had the better song (really, “Ghostbusters” is a terrible, terrible song choice).    I did appreciate that the “Ghostbusters” team incorporated ballroom into their dance and I liked the costumes of team “This is Halloween” – otherwise I thought both dances were dull, predicable, and poor executed.

 

Show, unless you have Amy Lee in studio never, ever, ever perform anything ever recorded by Evanescence live.  If my ears could bleed they would have from the aural assault committed by that woman who destroyed (and not in a good way) “Bring Me to Life.”  That being said, I thought the song choice was horrible for an Argentine Tango and Sharna did a terrible disservice to Nick with her lackluster choreography.

 

Alek looked very handsome in his costume and I liked Lidnsey’s use of the hover/glide board.  The dance itself was an improvement over last week but not as good as Alek has been in the past.  I don’t know if he’s over the competition or if he’s just peaked; either way his dance was merely okay.

 

I despised everything about Edward Scissorhands inspired Paso Doble; Mark let the concept get in the way of the dance it showed; that was all style, no substance.  The judges really seem to dislike Alexa; I don’t get it.

Carlos, please just go away.  I did not like your attitude and I thought your dance was awful.  I don’t know what the judges saw (perhaps they didn’t see because of the over use of the fog) but I saw rounded shoulders, jerky arm movements, and poor dance quality).

 

Tamar, why o why can’t you perform when in hold?  When you’re on your own you’re pretty darn terrific.  I thought that the beginning of your dance was delightful and you performed it well (even your face got in on the act) and then you partnered with Val and everything fell apart.  Sigh, I guess you’re just one of those individuals who, no matter how beautifully/well you dance on your own, will never be a good partner dancer.

 

I did not like Andy and Allison’s Paso Doble; for once I thought Allison came up with some decent ballroom choreography, Andy failed in execution.

 

Bye Haynes, you are a delightful young man and I enjoyed watching your growth.

Edited October 27, 2015 by OakGoblinFly

[Andie1]

 

Tamar, why o why can’t you perform when in hold?  When you’re on your own you’re pretty darn terrific.  I thought that the beginning of your dance was delightful and you performed it well (even your face got in on the act) and then you partnered with Val and everything fell apart.  Sigh, I guess you’re just one of those individuals who, no matter how beautifully/well you dance on your own, will never be a good partner dancer.

 

 

Totally and utterly disagree!  That Foxtrot had everything -including proper hold and head movement.  She's dancing with someone who's "Strange" I thought it was a fantastic characterization.  As for Bindi, that was ugly.  Her characterization had nothing to do with Argentine Tango.  Even if it was a halloween theme they had to put ugly teeth  on her because the only thing she can be is Bindi farting rainbows, which has  absolutely nothing to do with her connection to her partner.  And yes, Tamar can dance out of hold.  Bindi can't.at least the very few actual ballroom or latin dances she's done, her partner doesn't let her dance alone.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Andie1

[OakGoblinFly]

I keep thinking about Tamar and Val's performance, and Tamar's performance in the team dance tonight, and just trying to figure out why I still don't fully connect with her. It's not her overconfidence (while it's hard for me to do myself, I appreciate that she's secure in herself and not afraid to say, you know what, I know this isn't exactly cool, but I do think I'm the best dancer remaining). 

 

However...

 

I finally think I figured out why she doesn't resonate with me personally. I don't think she's a good actor-performer. 

 

She's a terrific dancer. She's got all the moves down, she kicks butt on that. I don't dispute it one bit. But when it comes to performance, I think she just can't seem to full-out let go and just have fun and be silly or super dramatic or super strange. She can't seem to let down her hair and let go of that part of her that seems to feel like she needs to present herself as this badass attitude woman who won't be vulnerable in front of you, damn it.

 

I saw it tonight in her dance with Val - she had great dance moves but her face wouldn't go there with the strangeness of the song and the sultry creepy almost-threesome/foursome bit with Val and the other dancers. Her face was a bit immovable, and she didn't seem to be able to be crazy-strange enough. Val had it in spades, from the eye make-up to the way he attacked the moves with his body and his face, but Tamar just... didn't go there. It was like she was trying to be "proper" or something and it just didn't suit the wonderful strangeness of their dance. So for me, yeah, that lacked some connection, and that may be what the judges felt.

 

And it carried through to her dance with the team. Everyone else went to a wacky, crazy, silly place, where they were loose and bendy and just full out bizarre, which was what the dance and the tone of the music seemed to call for. But Tamar -- while having all the right moves -- was reserved and well-postured and just didn't let her face and her overall attitude go to the silly zany places that everyone else did. I don't know if that's something she feels not comfortable with, or maybe she thinks she's going there and feels it inside but it's not carrying through on her actual face?

 

It may be a little like Alek tonight in his package where he was so certain that he was awesome in his Elvis dance until Artem sat down with him and said, "Did you really think you did it all perfectly?" And they watched Alek on the video screen so he could see where he wasn't hitting it or getting the right tone in his moves or his face.

 

With Tamar, she gets the moves, no problem, but I think she doesn't throw her entire being into the performance of it. It's like there's this tiny wall that she's unable to let down in order for us to see her be something other than the super-strong, confident woman that she is. Some dances require more than that. They need her to be vulnerable or silly or soft. When I watched her in the team dance, she was the only one I felt who didn't fully tap into that strange wonderful wackiness that is Nightmare Before Christmas. Especially on her solo section with Val. She had all the moves, she didn't get out of sync like some of the dancers on the Ghostbusters team, but I felt like everyone else on the Nightmare team got wacky and she didn't get there. Her face didn't get there. 

 

And that does detract, especially in her dances with Val. It does affect the overall reaction to the performance. Mine, at least. I want Tamar to find a way to let go. Then I think she could be unstoppable.

 

 

I agree -- from the neck down Tamar is pretty great - from the neck up, not so much - Though last night was not a good night for her at all; I noticed a few missed handholds during the foxtrot and at least once where she was off beat; she was also a bit out of synch for a few beats during the team dance.

[Andie1]

I think there is  a lot of horseshit feeding the narrative to get Tamar out.  Unfortunately, Tamar is much better than anyone wants to give her credit for. There were not missed hand holds or out of synch areas, that's what I'm talking about.  Biased judges want you to believe that crap.  If Bindi wins, and it seems the judges want her to, then the season is nothing but a pile of dung mascarading as a dance show.  Bindi is way over scored every week.  I would take anyone in the top 4 over her. 

Edited October 27, 2015 by Andie1

[majormama]

I have very little to say about tonight. The dead weight is gone (surprisingly), so there were no train wrecks to hate on, but there also wasn't anything fantastic. All the stars who impressed me early on have stagnated, or even dropped, which makes me sad. I had higher hopes for this season.

[boyznkatz]

Yeah, anyone who didn't see the same thing happen to Nastia last season wasn't paying attention. Or willfully ignored it because she didn't happen to be their favorite. (Funny how that happens.) 

 

I find this show more enjoyable when you let go of any ideas that it's a real competition, and start to watch it as if you were a producer trying to put together story arcs. 

 

It's pretty funny how everyone keeps complaining about poor Nastia's bad treatment on the show. I watch gymnastics and she doesn't come off as nice during competitions. Funny how dwts never showed that side of her. The worst they could do to her was make her look boring. They will never make Golden Boy's partner look bad, that's for sure. They make Tamar look a lot worse, and her personality in a lot of ways is similar to Nastia's.  

I think there is  a lot of horseshit feeding the narrative to get Tamar out.  Unfortunately, Tamar is much better than anyone wants to give her credit for. There were not missed hand holds or out of synch areas, that's what I'm talking about.  Biased judges want you to believe that crap.  If Bindi wins, and it seems the judges want her to, then the season is nothing but a pile of dung mascarading as a dance show.  Bindi is way over scored every week.  I would take anyone in the top 4 over her. 

 

Well they need to get her out of the way to clear the way for their chosen ones Alek and Bindi to get in the finals. I don't they are nearly as popular as TBTP let on, or they wouldn't be propped and pimped every week. Nick must be getting a lot of votes to keep getting hosed week after week. 

[kitcloudkicker]

It's pretty funny how everyone keeps complaining about poor Nastia's bad treatment on the show. I watch gymnastics and she doesn't come off as nice during competitions. Funny how dwts never showed that side of her. The worst they could do to her was make her look boring. They will never make Golden Boy's partner look bad, that's for sure. They make Tamar look a lot worse, and her personality in a lot of ways is similar to Nastia's.  

 

*Sigh* 

 

Again, "I'm not into "who had it worst" games, only meant to say that it happens, it's not surprising, and I'm bored of being shocked about it when it does."

 

I don't want to derail this with Nastia talk but yes, I think it's just as bullshit to decide she's a bitch because she has a rather intense gameface during ATHLETIC COMPETITIONS as it is to decide Tamar is a bitch because her sense of humor is to "backtalk" Val during rehearsals. (Women! They should smile all the time!)

 

(As an aside, that's not an invitation to convince me that either of them are actually a bitch. They might both be! I don't really care! Probably they are complex beings who act terribly some of the time, kindly some of the time, sometimes give grumpface and sigh at the old lady taking too long in the grocery checkout ahead of them, but sometimes split the last cupcake with a friend, because that is how humans are! Not one thing!)  

 

I agree also that their personalities are similar in many ways, especially in that they both seem rather internally focused and a bit guarded. I am that way as well, and so I know that it doesn't always translate outward in a way that wins personality contests, which is what this is. 

[boyznkatz]

For the record, I don't think Nastia is a bitch. Like you said, she's competitive and that's OK. I just think TPTB conveniently avoided that because they didn't want Derek to get kicked out early. If she was with Tony, I think they would have let her say anything they want (and too bad she couldn't be herself).

 

Yeah, God forbid a woman isn't all rainbows and sunshine all the time. 

[kayma]

This show is just not fun.

They made me not like Bindi. That Argentine Tango was probably the best of the night but all the gushing and perfect scores was too much. That was definitely nowhere near Nastia's or Meryl/Val's and neither of those were considered perfect. The judges have no trouble harping on Alek's and Tamar's faces but nothing about the weird faces Bindi was making. I think Bindi is a great person and love her personality, but my goodness the show is annoying when it comes to her.

And the weirdness during team judging where CAI blamed every woman except Bindi for being out of sync then praised Bindi for taking responsibilty. It was a team dance and wasn't the only point in which someone was out of sync. Why the need to specifically blame everyone else?

I liked Tamar's package, but the judging and cutting her off mid-sentence during her interview (in which she was actually staying pretty positive until that point) was just mean. I thought it was a lovely dance with a little mistake at one point, but certainly nothing to warrant that beatdown during judging.

Not that it matters now, but Hayes' judging was way harsher (more truthful) than Andy's who is basically at the same level. I mean: your top was weird, your bottom was weird, you didn't do any Spanish lines, and it didn't feel paso-y but we loved it vs you did heel leads so I guess that's something. What?

I assume next week, they'll attack Alexa again for her every other week schedule. Tamar will be edited as angry and disconnected. Andy and Bindi will be perfect. Nick will be forgotten. Alexa will go home when it really should be Andy as far as dancing goes.

The games are too much for me. I see enough of people being treated unfairly, beat down, or propped up in real life. I don't need it in my entertainment.

I followed Meryl and Charlie here. I returned the next season for Val, then stayed because I love all the pros and Tom. I'll just have to look them up on social media and youtube once in a while instead.

I hope the rest of you enjoy the rest of the season.

[tarotx]

I think Nastia and Charlie White got the high scores but the judges talked their performances down.And the producers showed clips that did nothing to promote them. Showing none of the fun while milking any "drama" talk. I knew they would not make finales because of the way the judges talked about and the clips showed them. Imo Tamar is getting more the "fans not voting" so lets talk about mistakes that aren't there. But then they are showing the drama clips. I don't even know. I threw her some votes this week but I'm worried about Nick so I gave him most of my votes. 

[Wyndsong]

Hayes' elimination reinforced why I don't like having children on the show. While he did better at keeping it together than poor Willow did on her season, he was still heartbroken. What does that have to do to the self-esteem of someone that age? You're a good dancer but America didn't like you enough. I watch this show for the cheesy fun, not to watch children get their souls crushed. It really takes a lot of the fun out of it.

[peachmangosteen]

If Bindi wins, and it seems the judges want her to, then the season is nothing but a pile of dung mascarading as a dance show. 

 

The show in general has pretty much always been 'a pile of dung masquerading as a dance show.' It gets worse each year though for sure. Which is why I've stopped listening to the judges all together. I stopped watching for a few seasons because I got so tired of the judges, but then I decided to come back and just ignore them since the show is still imo quite fun and entertaining. You just have to ignore everything but the dances!

 

The judges have no trouble harping on Alek's and Tamar's faces but nothing about the weird faces Bindi was making.

 

This. I actually do like Bindi a lot and I thought last night's AT was her best dance yet, but her faces are consistently horrendous. Just because she's happy and smiley doesn't mean she's a good performer.

Edited October 27, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[Andie1]

 

I got so tired of the judges, but then I decided to come back and just ignore them since the show is still imo quite fun and entertaining. You just have to ignore everything but the dances!

 

I'm sorry but this show is shit without good dancing.  I  watched Fareid Zakarya's  CNN documentary on Iraq, it was more entertaining.  I turned over to Rickey.org to get a few of the dances I wanted to watch, but I can't stomach a whole show of this shit anymore  

[AdorkableSars]

 

Show, unless you have Amy Lee in studio never, ever, ever perform anything ever recorded by Evanescence live.  If my ears could bleed they would have from the aural assault committed by that woman who destroyed (and not in a good way) “Bring Me to Life.”

 

I was never more grateful than I was during that song for the existence of wine. Whoever "sang" that needs to not sing it ever again. 

 

 

Carlos danced I guess? I couldn't really see it so I'm not sure how the judges scored it. It felt high to me, especially compared to Alexa who I thought had the superior Paso. Being able to see is a pretty important part of TV so I'm now sure how the show gets that one wrong.

 

The fog/smoke/whatever during that song was ridiculous. And if it was that bad in the studio, i wonder how the judges could even see it. Carlos was overscored yet again, I felt. 

 

 

 

They made me not like Bindi. That Argentine Tango was probably the best of the night but all the gushing and perfect scores was too much. That was definitely nowhere near Nastia's or Meryl/Val's and neither of those were considered perfect. The judges have no trouble harping on Alek's and Tamar's faces but nothing about the weird faces Bindi was making. I think Bindi is a great person and love her personality, but my goodness the show is annoying when it comes to her.

And the weirdness during team judging where CAI blamed every woman except Bindi for being out of sync then praised Bindi for taking responsibilty. It was a team dance and wasn't the only point in which someone was out of sync. Why the need to specifically blame everyone else?

 

I agree with this. I want to adore Bindi. Heck, I DO adore Bindi. But the blatant favoritism from the judges and flattering producer edits are annoying me. The show is annoying when it comes to her. There are weeks where I've wanted to give her a vote or two, but I just can't do it. Thanks show...

 

 

Alek looked very handsome in his costume and I liked Lidnsey’s use of the hover/glide board.  The dance itself was an improvement over last week but not as good as Alek has been in the past.  I don’t know if he’s over the competition or if he’s just peaked; either way his dance was merely okay.

 

I agree his facial expressions were much better this week. I wonder if the emotional turmoil he's been through the past few weeks is getting to him (the mass shooting at his college and his best friend getting stabbed). It seems like since then, he's not been as strong as he was in the first few weeks of the competition. I don't think he's over it though. The douchey edit he got this week showed that. (He thought he was perfect last week...it's the judges fault he got such bad scores...really Alek? I adore you, but there is a problem when the 15 and 17 year olds are acting more mature than you.) I loved that Lindsay wasn't having any of that crap though. And that she doesn't seem to be letting up on him. Talking to Artem (who also wasn't having it) seemed to help too. And he didn't look mad at the judges scores this week (which weren't much better than last week). So hopefully he'll adjust his attitude, and keep working hard. Lindsay deserves it!

 

 

Well they need to get her out of the way to clear the way for their chosen ones Alek and Bindi to get in the finals.

 

Bindi, yes. But I really don't think Alek is a chosen one. The aformentioned douchey edit this week tells me that. And the low scores the judges keep throwing his way. 

 

 

Leah is such a great sport!  Her reaction to Sasha scaring her was so incredibly funny, and she took the good-natured ribbing afterward so well.  Ok, I don't mind Erin Andrews, but I could get used to Leah continuing in this role.

 

Leah was so fun and funny last night. Can she please stay? I'm sure Erin would love to have the rest of the season off, right? RIGHT?

 

Team Nightmare for sure outdanced Team Who You Gonna Call. But I loved both team dances. I thought Team Nightmare's was so creepy and cool, and well executed. That was some fun choreography. Team Who You Gonna Call had a fun dance, but for sure had some synchronicity issues (Julianne's 10 was puzzling)., which is weird because they seemed to be a more cohesive team unit.

 

Sad to see Hayes go last night. Thought he had improved so much, and seems like a sweet kid. Hopefully being on this show will open some doors for him beyond Vine! 

[OakGoblinFly]

I stopped watching this show live years ago as I find the pre-dance packages too manipulative and the judges' comments inane; therefore I am certainly not influenced by the judges’ comments or production hijinks.  I watch for Tom and the dancing.

Last night, as is the case with many of Tamar’s dances, she was quite good during her solo work; I thought she managed to capture the look/feel of a woman finding herself trapped in a weird carnival.  The dance fell apart when she and Val were in frame; her lower half was gorgeous (as always) and other than one wobble on a turn her leg/footwork was on pretty much on point.  There were a few times when she was supposed to reach out to Val (notably after turning out of frame and then back into frame) and she was either too close or too far and you could see it take a second stretch to reestablish the handhold/frame (this is Val’s fault as well).  It wasn’t especially egregious but it was enough that it deterred from the overall quality of the dance (that and the return of the dead eyes). 

 

I think Tamar has the same issue that Nick does, and to a lesser extent, Alexa; they all over-think the routine and anticipate the next step rather than just breathing into the routine; the only time I think Tamar ever fully let go was the Charleston routine (which is my favorite from her).

 

As I said previously, I think there was a whole lot of bad dancing last night.  Nearly all side-by-side work was out of synch and quite a few routines were off-beat.  Now, whether that was because the dancers were tired or because the on-set production and music was such a mess that all the cues they rehearsed to were  jumbled I can’t say.

I wish the show would (if not for an entire season) at least for a few weeks return to ‘basic’ dance; no production, no troupe, no theme, no jazz/contemporary/Broadway/whatever; just simple basic ballroom dance.  I wouldn’t mind it if the added Lindy Hop, Disco, Swing, and other social partner dances – just limit the production to bare minimum (the dancers, the floor, and a spotlilght).

The show in general has pretty much always been 'a pile of dung masquerading as a dance show.' It gets worse each year though for sure. Which is why I've stopped listening to the judges all together. I stopped watching for a few seasons because I got so tired of the judges, but then I decided to come back and just ignore them since the show is still imo quite fun and entertaining. You just have to ignore everything but the dances!

 

 

Which is why I find the best way to "watch" this show is to start viewing about 45 - 60 minutes after start time; fast foward through pre-dance packages and judges' comments ..... much more enjoyable that way.  =)

[peachmangosteen]

Which is why I find the best way to "watch" this show is to start viewing about 45 - 60 minutes after start time; fast foward through pre-dance packages and judges' comments ..... much more enjoyable that way.  =)

 

Yes, that is exactly what I do. I tivo it and then start it at 9 and just fast forward everything but the packages (because I like most of the contestants/pros) and dances.

[spanana]

Hayes' elimination reinforced why I don't like having children on the show. While he did better at keeping it together than poor Willow did on her season, he was still heartbroken. What does that have to do to the self-esteem of someone that age? You're a good dancer but America didn't like you enough. I watch this show for the cheesy fun, not to watch children get their souls crushed. It really takes a lot of the fun out of it.

 

How is that any different than Alexa bawling her eyes out when in jeopardy or when in danger of going home?  I've seen plenty of teary adults on this show lose it when eliminated.  Hayes will be just fine.  He's already being super gracious and thankful on social media, so good on him.  If Hayes want to be in showbiz, then rejection is all a part of that.

Edited October 27, 2015 by spanana

[Andie1]

Be honest here.  Nastia got bad edits, but so did Nicole Scherzinger,  "I'm an artist" and she got really harsh judging, and the scores still came out high.  But Tamar is a whole other ball game.  Not only is she getting some of the worst edits of the show,  she's getting lousy scores. There's no way she was as rough as Nick, even if you hated that Foxtrot, it was executed clean.   And yet, where Nicole and Nastia were in first place at THIS point in the season, Tamar is 4th and dropping.  She's not a 4th place dancer. With this bunch she's the only one that really moves like a dancer.   Nastia was respected for her ability to dance with the scores..  Tamar continues to be disrespected, why on earth would anyone fault a person for wanting to be good and expressing that desire?  This suppression of a woman's thoughts about their accomplishments feels more like something tolerated in Iraq but not America.    This is why this show is becoming a poor excuse for entertainment.   

Edited October 27, 2015 by Andie1

[Artymouse]

I thought all the fog and smoke was just ridiculous. How could the judges tell what the footwork looked like? I think Bruno even said something about that.

As I said in a previous post, Alek really lost points with me for his crappy attitude and general pissiness. I've been a big Alek fan since the first week. And I'm not a fan of Carlos' personality (as seen in DWTS edits; I know nothing about him otherwise), but it's really saying something that I found him more gracious and likeable than Alek in the pre-dance packages.

And is it just me, or did Alexa, in her Edward Scissorhands costume and wig, look like Jennifer Aniston did in the high-school flashbacks of Rachel in "Friends"? 

[TeeMo]

I have been underwhelmed with Tamar for most of the season in spite of her good dancing but I loved her routine last night and thought it was her best performance other than the Charleston. I thought her connection with Val was worlds better than it has been and her dead eyes were far less noticeable. I have no idea what dance the judges were watching. I was totally puzzled by their comments. It was incredibly nit picky and frankly just BS.

I don't care one way or the other about the edits or producer manipulation because I am in the camp of thinking that it is on the contestant to not provide material to be manipulated but the judging for her is just ridiculous.

I agree that it is completely different from Nastia or even Charlie who were both given decent scores along with their odd edits. Tamar is getting the lousy edit and low balled scores.

And for all the judges' talk of Alek and Tamar's facial expression issues, not one of them commented on Bindi's crazed grimace last night. When was the last time they gave her any constructive criticism rather than just screaming about what a ray of rainbow sunshine she is?

[Primetimer]

The sets and costumes are extra-scary this week for Halloween, and Kim's not just talking about Bindi's terrible wig!

Read the story

[LadyMustang65]

Halloween week is always a lot of fun.  I really enjoyed the opening number with the way they incorporated the stars as well as the pros.  Nice way to start off.  Julianne is looking very lovely tonight as well.  I really like her hair that way.  And always nice to see Leah again.  She makes a good substitute for Erin.  Her reaction to being scared by Sasha was classic.  She's a good sport. 

 

Nick/Sharna - I like Nick, and I like the song (they've used it before on the show but I can't remember who), but it didn't really seem like an Argentine Tango to me.   It seemed too loose.  You usually see strong lines and sharp movements in the AT, but this didn't have any of that.  His posture was a bit slumped, and it just didn't have the crispness.  Scores were fair for this, I think.

 

Hayes/Emma - That was a very interesting rendition of that song.  I liked it.  And I liked the dance.  Hayes did a pretty nice job with it overall.  Again, scores seemed fair.

 

Alexa/Mark - OMG.  Mark is Edward Scissorhands.  He must have been in 7th heaven with all that makeup.  <lol>  But that was a very nice dance.  I thought Alexa looked good, and I liked Mark's choreo, and Mark was channeling Edward for all he was worth.  Good scores for her, although I think they could have been a little higher.

 

Tamar/Val - I really liked this dance.  I thought Tamar looked very good and seemed to connect well with Val - I disagree vehemently with Julianne on that one.  I liked Val's choreography.   This was well done, I thought.  All 8s are too low, though.  No way were Hayes and Andy better than she was, and she was certainly much better than Nick.  I don't know why the judges seem to be trying to torpedo her chances.  To listen to the judges, you'd think that dance was a hot mess, and it wasn't.  I went back and re-watched it just to see if I could spot all the 'disconnects' and misses they were talking about, and I just didn't see them, even looking for them.  I thought it was really good.  I don't know what's going on, but it certainly seems like ABC wants her gone.  She gets the edit where they just had to include her saying (clearly reluctantly and at least partially joking) that she thought she was the best dancer.  Then we get Julianne telling her the best dancers don't always win and that you need more, as she proceeds to tell Tamar all the imaginary things wrong about that dance.  Then scores on a par with Nick, who did have problems.  Even the ABC website is in on it.  They have clips of all the dances, and the captions for all of them are raving about fangtastic this, nails that, awesome whatever.  Except Tamar - the caption to her video is Tamar Braxton's disconnected foxtrot.  Ugh.  She is getting hosed, and I don't know why.  Not happy with them at all.

 

Andy/Allison - Those contacts Andy is wearing are really freaky.  <lol>  All things considered, it  wasn't a bad effort.  I enjoyed it.  He could have had stronger lines and been a bit more something- not sure what - but I liked it.  I thought the scores were a bit too high.  He wasn't better than Tamar who only got a 24.  Much as I like him and think he's really trying, he would be my next pick to leave, although he hasn't hit the bottom yet so he must be doing well with votes.

 

Bindi/Derek - That was really good.  That's all I've got to say about it.  It was really good.  I'm not sure it was perfect, but I'm not going to quibble with the perfect score either. 

 

Alek/Lindsay - I thought he did a pretty good job with the waltz.  I'm glad that Artem spent some time working with him, as it seems to have helped.  He really was living in the state of denial if he thought there wasn't anything more he could have done.  Glad to see he took that training to heart and did a nice job with the waltz. 

 

Carlos/Witney - I love the paso, and it's hard for the celebs to get it right.  This was great music for the dance, and I liked Witney's choreography for the dance.  But there was WAY too much smoke.  Half the time I could barely see the dancers.  But what I could see looked nice.  It was a bit sloppy in a couple of places, but overall I thought it was pretty good.  The judges seemed to like it a bit better than I did, though.

 

Team Nightmare - I absolutely loved this dance.  Great music, great concept, great execution.  I thought everyone did a great job.  This may be one of my favorite team dances ever.  I am one of those who usually doesn't like the synchronization in Derek's team dances, but I think that's because his usually have this kind of 'military' feel to it.   Not sure that's the right way to describe it, but they seem more about cold precision rather than simply being in sync. 

 

Team Who-You-Gonna-Call  - This was a fun routine, but it wasn't quite as good as the other team.  There were several noticeable mistakes from several of the couples.  I can't believe the judges actually scored it a clear win for Team Nightmare.  Good for them.  So it broke the pattern of Derek always winning the team dance, but it also broke the pattern of the dancer who leaves being from the losing team (although I could be misremembering that).

 

Hayes was probably the right choice to go.  He's one of the weaker dancers left, but he seems like a nice kid, and I enjoyed that he really tried with everything he did.  I have a feeling that ABC is pushing for Tamar to be the next one to go.  <sigh>  So I gave her most of my votes.

[TeeMo]

I was sort of bummed with the elimination last night. I hated the idea of Hayes (I've tried and failed several times to explain to my mom how and why he is a "star") but I ended up liking him quite a lot.

He approached the show with a poise and maturity that plenty of adult contestants over the years have lacked. He seemed to be giving it his all every week, he was respectful of his partner and always grateful to the troupe for help they provided during the week. Even when he expressed frustration like we saw in his package last night, the frustration was not that the judges gave him all 8s but that HE didn't do enough to warrant a higher score. Contrast that with Alek who was suggesting Lindsey choreograph him throwing deuces at the judges during their dance for his perceived slight.

All in all, I would have preferred to see Hayes dance another week over Alek or even Carlos and maybe Andy.

[Brownie]

According to the interview below, Nick said he had choice of music but passed over the Ghostbusters song. I'm glad he did. I just loved that team dance, watched it at least 10 times already.

 

If it isn't for Nick, I would probably throw my votes at Tamar or Alexa (feel sorry for them and I do think they are good dancers).

 

Kinda suprised about Hayes' departure given his big social following.  During the TRL era, teenagers voted like crazy.  Opposing fans were ready to jump at each other's throat (BSB and N'Sync rivarly comes to mind). Perhaps, social media and music stardom are not quite the same thing. I'm from NC and had no clue who he was until this show (actually still not quite sure what he is famous for). He seemed like a nice kid though.

 

Edited October 27, 2015 by Brownie

[realdancemom]

I agree with a lot of the comments.  Team Nightmare was outstanding and I'm glad the judges were willing to give a perfect score even though it went first.  I was afraid that they would give 9's just in case they thought the other team was better.  I definitely noticed that it was Alek that was off not Bindi or Alexa.  I'm guessing that Sharna and Allison choreographed Team Nightmare since it was more a jazz piece and not a ballroom one.  I agree that Hayes stood out to me in a good way. 

 

The judges want Bindi to win.  I don't think her dance deserved a perfect score at all.  I felt the same last week.  I also agree with those that say Tamar and Alexa are better than Bindi but they keep getting underscored.  They're also getting the weird edits.

 

Leah and others were good sports when Sasha tried to scare them.  However, somebody needed to tell him not to scare Allison.  You don't scare a pregnant woman so that she falls forward like Leah did.

Edited October 27, 2015 by realdancemom

[truthaboutluv]

I watch this show for the cheesy fun, not to watch children get their souls crushed. It really takes a lot of the fun out of it.

 

 

YMMV but I feel the same as I did last season with Willow - these kids are in show business, a rather cuthroat and not very kind industry. I don't think losing on DWTS will destroy their souls and ruin them emotionally. And frankly Hayes looked fine to me and in no way as emotional as Willow was.

 

A little disappointed sure but I definitely did not see soul crushing sadness. And he was fine enough to do his goofy dancing while the Pros and celebrities cheered him on as the credits rolled. And speaking of Willow, last I've seen her she looks gorgeous and happily getting ready to promote the final Hunger Games film and other films in production. Yeah she's doing fine. 

 

The judges have no trouble harping on Alek's and Tamar's faces but nothing about the weird faces Bindi was making.

 

 

YMMV but that might be because "weird" though they may have been, that was her selling the character and what she thought the character should be. The problem with Alek and Tamar isn't that they make weird faces while trying to sell their characters, is that they make no faces - they're dead in the face. So it's like their bodies are doing the dance but their face gives no emotion. Again, whether you think Bindi's faces are weird or not, you can't really say she's not selling the emotion and character.

 

Look at her Cha Cha with Val last week - it was supposed to be light, cutesy, cheeky and fun and that's what she was selling the entire dance on her face. Yeah she likely looked weird last night because she had to sell sinister which is like Bindi trying to convince someone she's an an angry, angsty teen. Never going to happen but she tried. 

 

Kinda suprised about Hayes' departure given his big social following.

 

 

We have seen repeatedly on this show that that means nothing because the show still uses traditional phone voting, online at ABC.com and Facebook. The kind of fans Hayes has, likely tweens and pre-teens, these kids are on Snapchat, Vine (where Hayes gained his "fame"), twitter, Instagram, etc. Ask them to trend something and that they can do all day but they are simply not going to dial and vote or even go on ABC.com and even Facebook that much. And so these kids will always get eliminated. 

Edited October 27, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[tarotx]

The issue with the social media fanbases is the fans start feeling ignored (we made you famous) and don't vote as much. Then they trend stuff on twitter because their fav gets eliminated. They are good for early social media promotional though so I think we will continue to see them in the cast. And Hayes was never the real famous one of his crew. He probably will benefited from the show. 

Edited October 27, 2015 by tarotx

[sinkwriter]

 

I despised everything about Edward Scissorhands inspired Paso Doble; Mark let the concept get in the way of the dance it showed; that was all style, no substance.

 

I didn't love it either. I wanted to; I'm a big fan of Scissorhands-era Johnny Depp and that movie makes me cry. So I was really interested to see what Mark would do for this number. But I felt like it didn't fit in with the Edward Scissorhands from my own head - it felt frantic and violent and too fast, which is not who Edward Scissorhands is AT ALL. He is gentle and sweet and kind of weirdly magical and his relationship with Kim (Winona Ryder) always seemed innocent and sweet and tentative. So that paso was not the right dance for an Edward Scissorhands-inspired story. When I think Edward, I think of him carving up the ice sculpture and creating snow for her to dance in. It's ethereal.

 

So... as much as I wanted to like their dance (and what they did, they did do well), I just wasn't feeling it because I felt it wasn't in the spirit of the characters or the story that Mark said they were trying to tell (that he can't touch her because of his hands). It didn't work for me.

 

Same with Alek's number. Although for that one -- though I felt he did a good job with it -- I didn't understand what they were doing. Was there a stated story for their routine? It seemed everyone else had characters and a story going on that they were performing. But with Alek's I felt like they spent most of the package showing him being pissy about his previous week's scores and then settling down and learning from Artem. They didn't really talk about what Alek and Lindsay were portraying, so I felt like "I don't get it, I'm not feeling this dance," watching them perform.

[ari333]

I'm so shallow, but I effing HATE that "ee-ow" thing that Tamar does. HATE.

[howmanywords]

And as expected the very young, loud fan base of Hayes is doing exactly what all the other fan bases of the ones with big social media followings have done - proclaim the show is fixed because the so called most popular 'star' was sent home and they start petitions to bring said so back.Its laughable but also a good sign these kids never watched DWTS or understands how it works.

I haven't seen one thing that makes Alek a chosen one, not one. His package this week made him look kind of douchy and his scores sure don't even make him look like a favorite.

[blackwing]

I really enjoyed Tamar's dance.  It's obvious the judges hate her, and I think despite the fact that I think she should finish #1 or #2, she is probably going home next week.

 

At this point, the show has made me truly dislike Bindi.  Add the fact that she is paired with Golden Boy, who I loathe, and that makes me solidly on the Anyone But Bindi train.  I would rather have had Gary Busey win than Bindi.

[Mreid]

i feel the opposite way about Bindi, I loved her dance last night with Derek it was perfect and I love her positive attitude.  Tamar was great with her dance as well but that woman really needs to look up the word humility in a dictionary and work at demonstrating that quality because she has None! Her attitude sucks I was hoping she went home last night she can dance but I just dont like her.  I also got annoyed that they kept bringing up the fact that Derek never lost a team dance it was like they were determined to have him lose this year. I also am really enjoying Carlos and Andy lately they have really stepped up their game. Nick has been a disappointment for me, he just looks too silly when he dances and he thinks he can dance better than he really can. I hope Bindi, Carlos and Andy are my top 3 favorites.

[boyznkatz]

Their bizarre Bindi pimping may just backfire on them and cause Nick to win. His graciousness about Carrie Anne hosing him repeatedly will probably earn him some votes. Bindi is good, but the show is seemingly turning people off her. If the want her to win, they need to shut up and just let everyone dance.

[Brownie]

We have seen repeatedly on this show that that means nothing because the show still uses traditional phone voting, online at ABC.com and Facebook. The kind of fans Hayes has, likely tweens and pre-teens, these kids are on Snapchat, Vine (where Hayes gained his "fame"), twitter, Instagram, etc. Ask them to trend something and that they can do all day but they are simply not going to dial and vote or even go on ABC.com and even Facebook that much. And so these kids will always get eliminated. 

 

 

The issue with the social media fanbases is the fans start feeling ignored (we made you famous) and don't vote as much. Then they trend stuff on twitter because their fav gets eliminated. They are good for early social media promotional though so I think we will continue to see them in the cast. And Hayes was never the real famous one of his crew. He probably will benefited from the show. 

 

 

Then perhaps they are not really hard core fans, following him & others for the sake of being part of the "in" crowd?

[ari333]

What tamar just said about the producers in her twitter just proves dwts manipulation has gone too far this season...everyone was complaining about nastia's treatment last season, how they deceived tamar was like 100x worse...pathetic

 

Since I don't have Twitter (or THE twitter as my bf calls it) I am confused. What was said? Anyway, Tamar looked really steamed when that dude scared Leah and Tamar's speech was interrupted.

 

I am tired of Mandy Moore.

[boyznkatz]

Ari:

She said the producers told her to say she was the best dancer, even though she didn't want to. WOW. Just wow.

[ari333]

Ari:

She said the producers told her to say she was the best dancer, even though she didn't want to. WOW. Just wow.

 

Thank you ! Interesting. Im not buying it. And even on the small chance that someone did ask her to say it... she didn't have to say it. Are we to believe  that everyone else was asked to say it and no one else did? or that no one else was edited in as saying it? I am still confused. And I don't like Tamar. so there's that.

Also, I don't like Allison, but scaring pregnant ladies is not a great idea imo.

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

 

As for NIghtmare, maybe it was the table, the chair and some of the dancing around the table but I instantly thought of this. I wonder who got the idea to rip of Mia Michaels?

I didn't even have to click on the link to know what routine you were talking about. My daughter and I text during the show (she lives out of town) and immediately I was texting her about that routine. 

 

I don't know if it's just coincidence but Tamar had the worst bitchface going on last night. Granted she has a reason but she looked like she was going to cut somebody during the show. 

 

In Nastia's defense - gymnastics meets are not "performances" - they are athletic events. Nobody complains if tennis players don't smile during their volleys or if football players don't emote during tackles. Plus Nastia is Russian. The majority of the Russians I've known (many of them, also gymnasts or former gymnasts turned coaches) were the most stoic people ever. 

 

Nick has to stop stomping although if somebody was singing so terribly while I was trying to dance I would be stomping on them. That was brutal. 

[Saylii]

Tamar deleted some stuff from last night. Basically she says that she was asked to say she was the best as part of a "fun" segment. Since she was asked that question during team group rehearsals, I think it was probably set up to be part of the team "trash talk" they had going on.

She also implied the judging was unfair by retweeting viewers who thought the scores/comments were fixed and low. But those have since been deleted and she didn't address it directly.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Saylii

[sinkwriter]

I just rewatched Tamar's performance, and... I wanted to feel differently, but my opinion still hasn't changed. Her moves are good, but she's not a good actress for the performance part of it. Was her character supposed to be scared of those funhouse "strange" people surrounding her and dancing with her? Was she supposed to be intrigued or entranced by them? Was she supposed to be one of them? I couldn't tell because her face gives me next to nothing.

 

The best part of the performance was the song, Val's dancing, and the moment at the very end when Tamar cracked a big smile as the other three surrounded her and "devoured" her. That pulled me in. That made me feel something. (In fact, it made me like her and giggle a bit.) But up to that point, I had no idea what I was supposed to be feeling for her "character" in that dance. She didn't convey anything to me. It was Val that I ended up watching more because he was actually playing a role and showing some range.

 

Tamar is too controlled, she doesn't have a good acting presence.

 

Bindi may not have the refined dance technique that Tamar has, but in contrast she throws herself into each performance, body and soul. She allows herself to be silly or crazy or evil (LOL). The grimaces she made last night in her dance with Derek created a mood for the performance, it sold the vampire bit to me. I liked the "ROWRRR" aspect of it. I felt like she gave me something to react to. I didn't see her usual sunny self (though I laughed that she was unable to sustain it for Tom during the judging; that was hilarious - she lasted half a second before dissolving into giggles). 

 

Again, I really think Tamar's issue is too much control. She's unable to let go and be an actor in her performances. (Or, maybe she's genuinely trying but she's just a shitty actor. I don't know. I'd like to think maybe she's just unable to let go enough because she's super strong and it's tough for her to let down that wall enough to be something other than herself.)

[majormama]

Thank you ! Interesting. Im not buying it. And even on the small chance that someone did ask her to say it... she didn't have to say it. Are we to believe  that everyone else was asked to say it and no one else did? or that no one else was edited in as saying it? I am still confused. And I don't like Tamar. so there's that.

Also, I don't like Allison, but scaring pregnant ladies is not a great idea imo.

 

She said the producers told her everyone would be saying they were the best and that it would be edited as a fun banter-type segment. And these competition shows do that kind of segment all the time, usually in the semi-finals once the finalists have been determined. (We will win the Amazing Race! No, *I'm* the Sole Survivor! No, *I'm* the Biggest Loser!) They all engage in a little lighthearted trash talking and self promotion, and it's portrayed as good, competitive fun. So I can buy that a producer told her they were making that kind of segment and she played along. But I have know idea whether it's true or not.

[penbrat]

I thought last night was underwhelming - but I am not a big fan of the Halloween themed shows.

Funniest moment of the night was Sasha scaring Leah.  Loved it.  I laughed out loud.  I like Leah.  She was so much better this week.

 

Best dance of the night for me was Team Nightmare.  It really was like watching a Broadway show.

 

Most improved for me last night was Alexa.  I wrote her off last week because I found her whiney and too much talk about being MARRIED (which I know is in part the show's fault for pushing that)  But I thought her dance last night was good and even underscored a little bit.  I like that she tried to make a fresh start with her partnership with Mark and she almost makes him likeable (almost).

 

Most disappointing:  Nick   I am really pulling for him but he was so flat last night.  I like his partnership with Sharna though

 

Best individual dance for me was Bindi.  I know she can be a bit much but I just really like her and I like Derek with her and I would not be upset if she won.

 

Can go home anytime:  Carlos, Andy and Alek.  Andy's dance last week was good but this week they all bored me.

 

I am torn about:  Tamar - she is a wonderful dancer and a beautiful lady.  I do not think that she is being lowballed by the judges - her dances are really good but there is something missing be it the connection with Val or the expression in the face.   And I can see where perhaps the producers did ask her that question about being the best dancer or whatever, but she said it.  They didn't force her to say it.   I like her but her attitude (not just last night) is annoying and only so much of it can be blamed on editing.   If that is what you are putting out there, that is what is going to be shown manipulated by the show or not

[sinkwriter]

How much do you want to bet someone got a huge talking to about that excessive dry ice smoke last night after the show ended? If even the judges are waving away the smoke, trying to see the dances, and Tom says something about it on air... you're in biiiiiiig, big trouble.

[boyznkatz]

Tamar may have a bad attitude, but her comment about being the best dancer was clearly taken out of context. The show didn't portray it as part of team trash-talking. They made it look like she was bragging, and they clearly intended to do so. That was my problem with the whole thing, along with the fact that they often gave her low scores she didn't deserve. They need to judge someone's dancing, not whether they like them or not.

[Brownie]

I laughed at Alek calling them the short team. 

 

One of the first thoughts I had when I saw the group picture on instagram was, Team Short vs Team Tall.

[truthaboutluv]

i feel the opposite way about Bindi, I loved her dance last night with Derek it was perfect and I love her positive attitude.

 

 

I have said honestly that I would probably not be able to stand being around Bindi for more than a few minutes, with all that perkiness and giddiness. That being said, I have never believed she is anything but her genuine self and more than that, she comes across as a hard worker, respectful and grateful. When the scores haven't been perfect and it has happened, like the 7's she got for her Quickstep, she was still polite and happy.

 

And frankly I find all the "I don't want her to win and won't vote for her because of the producers" a cop out. In my opinion, some of these comments are likely coming from some who would never have voted for Bindi anyway by virtue of her being paired with Derek. And it's like fine, whatever - the show says vote for your favorite and no one has to justify why their favorite is whoever it happens to be. I just think the whole "the producers are making me hate her and not vote for her" is kind of transparent. 

 

Then perhaps they are not really hard core fans, following him & others for the sake of being part of the "in" crowd?

 

 

No, it just means they are not this show's audience and don't care enough about the show to really invest in the process. I think they really believe that tweeting and posting about Hayes is enough to guarantee he wins because it's like the concept of "you need to vote" escapes them.

Edited October 27, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[Uke]

Did I spy Tia or Tamera Mowry in the audience after Alexa's dance? The Mowry twins push my nostalgia buttons more than Nick or Bindi, and I'd love to see one of them on the show but please dear God not both twins on the same season. They have a long history with Disney but I'm already cringing at the forced rivalry gimmick the show would shove down our throats.

 

Sometimes Mark commits too much to a theme but I really enjoyed Alexa tonight. Despite the scissorhands my eye was drawn to Alexa most of the routine.

 

My guess is that was Tamera. All the hosts from The Real did a 10-minute or so segment on All-Access (on their own without Dominic).

[tarotx]

Some people on the internet have high opinions about themselves as important to a star's success. Even fans of "traditional" stars. They are always demanding "their star" be and do whatever the fans want. Social media fans are worse because social media is why the star has fans so they feel like this is a team. Then when the social media star has other things in their lives (rather it be school, work, travel or excreta) the social media fans get angry that the star is ignoring them for bigger things. It's a mess and I'm just a dance fan(fans are angry with sytycd Jaja recently and it's not pretty) and a pop music fan (yikes Britney fans and fifth Harmony fans-fun times >.<) and not of any true social media star but I feel the fan resentment and demands (we made you famous cries).

[Uke]

 I hope if there is some kind of immunity next week like there has been a few seasons now, someone like Alexa gets it. It bothered me when Kellie, Amber, or Nastia got it because at that week, you knew they weren't going home, especially last season. If only Willow got like 2 more points from the judges, she would've won immunity and not gotten kicked off. People like Alexa is what the immunity is made for, not people like say Bindi or Nick.

 

I don't remember the situation with Kellie, but I distinctly recall with Amber, she and Derek knew or assumed that they would get immunity because there was a dance-off and Amber was hurting and I forget the exact comment but she admitted that she hadn't prepared for the 3 dance-off dances. I'm assuming she might have been anxious about having to learn a bit of 3 dances and some producer probably told her or Derek to not worry about it (wink).)  Nastia also seemed to know she didn't have to learn the dance-off dances since she would be getting immunity, though she didn't actually admit to it.

 

I think immunity is kind of a double-edged sword.  I think it's looked down upon as someone getting a special favor. It gives a front-runner a break but it may just stave-off an elimination that's going to happen anyways.