S21.E10: Icons Night & Dance Off Challenge

[RemoteControl88]

Can someone please explain to me how the dance off points were awarded? In the first dance all three judges chose Carlos and Whitney but the audience chose Bindi and Derek by 64%. Erin said that the 2 points went to Carlos and Whitney which seemed to mean that the audience votes did not matter.

 

In the second dance Carrie Ann voted for Alexa and Mark while Julianne and Bruno voted for Tamar and Val. The audience chose Alexa and Mark by 76%. In this case Erin said Alexa and Mark won the two points which seemed to indicate that they won due to the audience votes. I am so confused.

 

In any case why would they not have made it 2 points if both the judges (by a vote of at least two to one) and audience voted for the same couple and one point each if there was a difference in choice between the audience and at least two out of three judges?

 

Silly rabbit.  You are trying to apply logic to a "new" and "fun" idea created by the show runners of DWTS.  Let us all not forget how wonderfully executed the cast announcement was this year. Seriously though...I firmly believe that the "rules" will be "explained" anyway they want to NOW...because they were not clear BEFORE the actual voting.  It wouldn't matter anyway I think. TPTB were looking for a goal tonight with scores/placing/outcome.  I think that was the purpose of the danceoff.  Not the actual dancing.

I PRAY there is no theme next week.  "Icon" week was kinda lame and all over the place.  Can we just have 1 week of regular dancing with appropriate music. Please. I'm begging at this point.

Edited November 3, 2015 by RemoteControl88

[spanana]

I think audience was tie-breaker: Bindi won the audience, but it didn't matter since Carlos had all the judges so it was 3-1 for Carlos. Alexa had one judge and the audience so it was 2-2, in which case the audience vote decided and was given the most weight. Of course none of this was explained well, like nothing on this show is ever explained well...

 

Exactly this.  I think in the past with the dance offs, the head judge has been the tiebreaker.  So usually that role fell to Len.  I don't mind that the audience was the tie breaker tonight, but the show should have made that clear up front.

 

I also agree that I'm not a fan of the couples dancing at the same time.  If you want the at home viewers to vote, then allow the couples to dance separately so we as viewers have time to focus on each couple.  As opposed to us focusing on whichever couple was getting camera time in that moment.  We the audience have no control over what we are seeing.

 

I also agree that maybe it's less mediocre dancing and that just nobody really stands out from the pack this season.  There are a bunch of people doing decently, but unlike in other seasons there are rarely routines I feel compelled to watch again.  Everybody has their strengths, but nobody IMO is really the full package.  Then again we don't have ringers, so that is probably why.

 

Though I will say if nothing else this season has brought me an appreciation for Andy's personality.  His dancing may not have been top notch, but he seems like a really great guy that doesn't take himself too seriously.  

[UsernameFatigue]

Thanks for explaining that katha! I don't think they explained it at all but maybe I missed it. I remember that one of the pros (can't remember which one now) was standing behind both the first and second set of dancers when Erin awarded the points and even she seemed confused both times.  Derek seemed to be explaining it to her after the second dance but maybe it was something else they were discussing. In any case a really stupid system.

[Neerbeena]

I don't want to quibble, but for the dance-off the highest scoring couple that didn't have immunity would have first choice.  So why did Bindi/Derek have first choice when they had a score of 27 (9-9-9) versus Tamar/Val who had a score of 28 (9-9-10)?

[truthaboutluv]

Derek and Bindi had a 28. Carrie Ann gave them a 10. And with a tie they probably went by cumulative total which would be Bindi, who has a higher cumulative score than Tamar.

Edited November 3, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[Sandiscot]

 

Can we just have 1 week of regular dancing with appropriate music. Please. I'm begging at this point.

 

That would be nice, but has this show ever had appropriate music?

[sinkwriter]

Uh, Alexa... correct me if I'm wrong, it's certainly been years since I've been to church in any organized religion sort of way, but I thought David slew Goliath by hitting him with a rock. I don't remember him slitting the giant's throat. Especially because the dude was a giant and it's unlikely David was able to reach him?   ;)

 

Just something that I pondered when watching their routine. I guess Mark decided to take some liberties? Heee.

[Brownie]

Wish Alek was gone instead of Andy. His movement was like the worst of everybody (seemed robotic week after week).

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Alek is a true warrior.  For all of the fluff and froo froo that this show is, he will walk away as the real deal.   I was hoping Mrs. Kyle would have a TH, and she did!  Yup.  The real deal recognizes other real deals.  I sure want this to be my takeaway for this entire season.

 

Bindi gave up her neuroses in the package.  Very much what I believed - she just internalizes everything, to the point of physical issues.  She has got to figure it out before she does more damage.  I give her tons of respect and credit for her desire to be "brave" and to endure her pain, including what the dancing has done to her.  I want the very best for her.

 

Now, BBC Worldwide's attempt to shame the published criticisms of their shenanigans of having a chosen one this year, was a series low.  They played on the ignorance of so many viewers who do not concern themselves with how they are being manipulated.  Then they doubled down by blaming the masses for hating that Tamar was so arrogant - even though THAT ITSELF was TPTB manipulation!  Just wow.  

 

I am glad that Nick's story was so overwhelmingly compelling to the jidges this week that they did not reward Bindi's obvious missteps.  That "star effect" with the other dancers?  she utterly messed it up.  Really bad.  Enough to drop her to an 8, bad.

 

Lastly, I was quite shocked at how poorly Mark danced that Argentine Tango.  It was easily one of the more listless and dull (as in not sharp) pro performances I can remember.  He couldn't even maintain posture!  He had very limited power in his flecks.  Was he ill? 

[CED9]

Agree to your Derek and Sharna points. I always suspected that Sharna does this on purpose as it's not a natural red but like... a crimson red. She definitely stands out from the Utah crew that's for sure.

She flat out admitted it's on purpose. She's a natural blonde (which still surprises me, can't picture her as a blonde) and she said there's enough blondes on this show.

[Rancide]

I am actually relieved that Andy was eliminated, I was not comfortable watching Allison dance so aggressively every week as far along as she was in her pregnancy, I felt that she was doing damage the kind that you would get from shaking a baby.

 

I get the joke here, and I'm not a fan of Allison's presence on this show, but a) I'm sure her doctor is aware of her profession and has approved her level of physical activity, b) pregnant women already get so much judgment from society about every minute aspect of their behavior, from staying up too late, to drinking coffee, to standing too close to smokers, that really, does anything else need to be added to it?  

 

I'm glad Allison is gone.  Also glad the show had a pregnant dancer on it.  Pregnancy is a normal human state, and--barring some sort of personal medical complications--for 99.9% of all women there's no reason it should interfere with successful performance of one's job.

[GreekGeek]

I'm sad that Andy is gone. He was such fun to watch. But we really didn't need to have the Dead Mom tears again. Once during Memorable Year week was enough. I'm glad Bindi didn't use the theme of the week to rehash her dad's death, although I could have done without all those closeups of her poor toes. It surprised me that Grace Kelly was her idol. I would have guessed Katharine Hepburn in her "tomboy" roles.

 

I love "Viva la Vida" but I thought it an odd choice to act out the David and Goliath story. The lyrics are about a leader's downfall, not victory.

 

Enjoyed Val's "Wow, really?" expression when he and Tamar were pronounced safe.

[vibeology]

I really wish Alexa hadn't messed up twice because I loved the concept and execution of the dance otherwise. I want to give her props for the opening where she danced solo and managed to mostly capture the character of the AT while playing David. She was out of her head that moment and I thought she brought it.

I'm glad we're at the end of Alison and Andy. It's mean because my issues are with her but I've never enjoyed their numbers. They spent all of six seconds in hold in that dance. all of the things the judges called Andy out for I blame Alison. It's hard to learn proper technique when your teacher is faking it till she makes it.

I thought Nick's dance was over scored. It was lovely but not enough for perfect scores. I miss when that was rare and the judges only rewarded a perfect score to a few dances all season long.

I think both Carlos and Alek were lucky they didn't hurt their partners. They both lost control during the most dangerous moves of their routine.

In the dance-off, I wish Tamar could have gotten Andy's points since her dancing crushed what those two guys were doing. I didn't think she was popular (though I personally like her) but seeing those viewer scores was shocking. She really lacks fan support.

I didn't see a squeaker between Carlos and Bindi. I thought her jive was lacklustre. Very little kicks, not much crispness and some serious reliance on her costume to create movement. Considering the state of her feet I'm not surprised jive was a struggle. I bet all that bounce on the balls of your feet hurts like hell. I'm glad the judges chose Carlos; I thought his dance had more content and was crisper.

[Buggin]

I'll miss Andy. His dancing was okay but he had the right attitude for the show - just there to have fun and do something in memory of his late mom. He didn't take everything too seriously and i actually found myself liking Allison more this season with him.

I really couldn't care less who wins at this point. I think they're pushing Nick a bit so Sharna can win but Bindi might take it and that's fine, she'd be deserving IMO.

I really hope they give Artem a good partner next season because I miss watching him dance although not sure what was going on with his hair tonight.

[irisheyes]

Uh, Alexa... correct me if I'm wrong, it's certainly been years since I've been to church in any organized religion sort of way, but I thought David slew Goliath by hitting him with a rock. I don't remember him slitting the giant's throat. Especially because the dude was a giant and it's unlikely David was able to reach him?   ;)

 

Just something that I pondered when watching their routine. I guess Mark decided to take some liberties? Heee.

100 years of Sunday School speaking here, but the Biblical story does end with David chopping off his head. He hits Goliath with the rock, knocks him out, then decpitates him.

I liked Alexa. I think she's decided to not worry about Carlos and his sensitive self esteem and just go for the win. The last couple of weeks she's seemed much less timid.

[smiley13]

She flat out admitted it's on purpose. She's a natural blonde (which still surprises me, can't picture her as a blonde) and she said there's enough blondes on this show.

I have my doubts as to what shade of "natural" blonde this woman is.  She may be dishwater or something.  Her choice of garish hair color is horrible IMO and it is distracting.  Whatever colorist did that to her should never work again.

[Andie1]

 

In the dance-off, I wish Tamar could have gotten Andy's points since her dancing crushed what those two guys were doing. I didn't think she was popular (though I personally like her) but seeing those viewer scores was shocking. She really lacks fan support.

 

I didn't watch the show this week, but I'm curious. Last week Tamar got the edit to end all edits and one of the lowest scores of the night. Wouldn't that been enough to kill her off this week?  I thought for sure she was toast.  Someone has to be voting for her to stay in this. She has received no pimping, no extra points, nothing to prop her up.  If people hate her so much I would have thought she'd be gone after switch up week, a perfect time to kill her. As for that audience vote, how many actually bothered to go to that abc site and vote?  I'm just thinking it was interesting and the percentage played into the show - they're desperate to get rid of her, but I'm not sure her fans agree. Maybe by next week they'll finally shoot her and be done with it. 

Edited November 3, 2015 by Andie1

[Packerbrewerbadger]

If they don't take contemporary off this show immediately I'm going to riot. Honestly this is disrespectful. I've run out of can'ts.

This to the millionth degree !!!

[Saylii]

I didn't watch the show this week, but I'm curious. Last week Tamar got the edit to end all edits and one of the lowest scores of the night. Wouldn't that been enough to kill her off this week? I thought for sure she was toast. Someone has to be voting for her to stay in this. She has received no pimping, no extra points, nothing to prop her up. If people hate her so much I would have thought she'd be gone after switch up week, a perfect time to kill her. As for that audience vote, how many actually bothered to go to that abc site and vote? I'm just thinking it was interesting and the percentage played into the show - they're desperate to get rid of her, but I'm not sure her fans agree. Maybe by next week they'll finally shoot her and be done with it.

Bad edits like Tamar received last week usually result in a bump in votes. Her fans rally, people who want to see DWTS fail vote for her, fairweather fans feel bad for her...

It's actually this week I'm much more worried about for her. She's in the middle of a close field and her package was boring. They couldn't even get a TH from her sister.

To get the final four that TPTB want (Nick, Bindi, Alexa, Carlos), Tamar and Alek are the next to go. I think Tamar will go next week after scoring a perfect 30 and be framed as a shock boot. Alek will be massively underscored compared to the rest of the contestants to ensure his boot the next week.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Just started using my iPhone instead of old iPad on this forum... Easier to quote, but why can't I " like" a post?

Edited November 3, 2015 by Packerbrewerbadger

[LizBug]

After last week's debacle with Tamar, I wasn't surprised to see the judges falling all over themselves to praise her this week.  Show had some serious backlash for portraying her in that light and then giving her the lower than low scores.  The judges said the right words but I wasn't buying it ... just part of the "redemption arc" the show had to build for her.

[TeeMo]

Vibeology, your comment about Allison faking it until she makes it is spot on. She seems like a lovely, likeable person but she is just not right as a pro for this show. So many times when the judges offer a critique, the contestant will say they knew they were having that particular issue that week because his or her pro was harping about it all week. Even last night Carlos said that Val had given him the exact note about his hip movement that Julianne gave in her critique. That NEVER happens with Allison's partners. Andy especially always looked perplexed by what the judges were saying almost as if he had no idea that what they were talking about was an element of that dance style. Andy can't be expected to dance a proper dance if his partner isn't giving him the proper tools.

On top of that, I think that Allison worries a bit too much about making sure her own performance is good and she loses track of her partner during the dance. She danced with Andy last night as if he were a pro, only looking at him when the choreography warranted it. The good pros on this show always have one eye on their celeb so that they can tell if things are falling apart. Allison often also seems confused by the judges' critique of her partners and I think it is really just because she isn't paying attention to them during the dance because she is caught up in her own performance.

This may be better suited for Allison's thread but I was really frustrated on Andy's behalf last night. I don't think he had a chanice to make the finals but think he could have made it at least one more week with better training.

[TeeMo]

Julianne's comment about how she has been trying so hard to come up with anything she could possible critique Bindi for was also total madness last night. Bindi is arguably the most entertaining and engaging contestant this season but she is not even close to being a technically perfect dancer. A great dancer, yes, but not beyond criticism. I can think of very few people on this show over the years who would fall into that category and Bindi does not make the list. It was even more absurd when Julianne pointed out an incredibly specific arm/chin quirk of Tamar's that I honestly dodn't even notice. This constand nitpicking of nearly everyone else followed by "Oh, Bindi, why are you so adorable...I have nothing negative to say!" is just stupid.

**I wanted to add that I realize Julianne did actually offer a criticism of Bindi last night but she freely admitted it was the first time she saw anything wrong with her despite looking for something every week.

[ari333]

Sweet Baby Jesus, Allison has to out dance her partner even in the freaking opening when they are introduced as a couple. Heaven forbid any eyes go to someone else. I just cant stand her. 

[fishcakes]

Celebrities, please name your icons:

David from the Bible!

Mark Anthony!

A sniper!

My mom!

Myself! What oh okay my sister Toni then. 

 

This was the most themeless theme night they've ever had. I wish they'd just go back to assigning a dance and having them dance it, rather than trying to shoehorn it into some bigger story that no one cares about.

Edited November 4, 2015 by fishcakes

[Andie1]

After last week's debacle with Tamar, I wasn't surprised to see the judges falling all over themselves to praise her this week.  Show had some serious backlash for portraying her in that light and then giving her the lower than low scores.  The judges said the right words but I wasn't buying it ... just part of the "redemption arc" the show had to build for her.

 

Color me confused.  She got a redemption already after the 7's for Switch Up when she did Rhythm Nation, then she's gets a beat down on the Foxtrot and another redemption although not a 30 on the Paso?  This Arc looks more like a rollercoaster.  If she's not getting the vote, why bother rocking n' rolling?  

Edited November 3, 2015 by Andie1

[Primetimer]

Especially if you're Nick Carter. That dude is sweaty.

Read the story

[spanana]

I generally think Tamar is one of the best technical dancers remaining, even if her performance sometimes leaves a bit to be desired (holy dead face), but I do think Alexa won that dance off.  I watched it a few times so I could watch both and while Tamar did a good job capturing the flavor of the dance, she didn't seem to be doing much actual footwork.  I saw body rolls and upper body movements, but not a lot going on down below.  Whereas Alexa actually did quite a lot of footwork and most of it looked pretty good.  She had one moment towards the end where she lost her place and Mark had to re-set her a bit, but other than that I thought she looked good.

 

However, I also think Alexa decisively winning America's vote had to do with placement.  Another poster brought this up.  Mark had Alexa dancing near the camera, so she and Mark were almost always in the forefront of the shot.  Your eyes were drawn to them.  Whereas Val had Tamar dancing in the back half of their side, which may have been strategic on his part to have her situated near the judges table.  Which worked in terms of her winning over the judges, but not the audience.  Though I'm not sure if the pros really knew going into it that America was the deciding factor, so I don't know if I can blame the pros for that.

[sinkwriter]

 

100 years of Sunday School speaking here, but the Biblical story does end with David chopping off his head. He hits Goliath with the rock, knocks him out, then decpitates him.

 

EWWWWW. (LOL.)

 

Thanks for the info, irisheyes! Being the heathen I am these days, I must not have made it past the rock part. That Bible is gruesome! (Heeee.)

[skyways]

Where are you, Len???? The judging has become the worst thing on the show. Bruno has what it takes to step up but his 'personality' wins out in the end. Yes Julianne's 'I can't find anything to critique' is ridiculous to say the least. Yes Bindi commits 100% always but her 'Standard' posture is not the best at all.

 

Tamar and Alexa were (for me) neck and neck until Alexa's mistake. I watch a lot of Latin competitions and for me Tamar captured the cha-cha more than Alexa did, complete with interpretation and mood of the dance and great partnering/interplay. Alexa was in hold a lot hence appeared the weaker half/ no individual strength but it was still good until the stumble ( lack of individual strength).

I finally figured out Tamar's problem with expression. It's not her eyes. It's her whole face - her facial muscles are too relaxed. It's like a runner's face with loose jaw, loose mouth and no visible strain. Her body is the expressive one.

 

Carlos' salsa like someone mentioned above should have been faster? tighter? something was not up to par. For that music with all that rhythm, Carlos should have dominated a bit more. And he threw Whitney on the floor but he covered up well. I also thought he won the dance-off fairly.

 

No comment on the others since I hate contemporary.

Edited November 3, 2015 by skyways

[LadyMustang65]

Derek and Bindi had a 28. Carrie Ann gave them a 10. And with a tie they probably went by cumulative total which would be Bindi, who has a higher cumulative score than Tamar.

 

You're correct, Truth.  They explained that at the beginning - in the event of a tie, they looked to the cumulative score.

 

Erin is back!  I know a lot of folks don't like her, but I enjoy her, and she was looking quite lovely last night.  I really like her hair like that.

 

Carlos/Witney - I thought this was okay.  I'm not sure quite what seemed off a bit.  But I enjoyed it, and I thought he did a nice job with the lifts, although that one lift where she kind of jumped over his head seemed like it didn't go quite right.  They covered it well, though.  I probably would have given it 8s and maybe one 9. 

 

Alek/Witney - This was okay as well.  It had to overcome two things - I'm not a fan of either contemporary on this show or Chris Kyle.  :\  He handled most of the lifts pretty well, and he did the steps okay.  The choreography didn't wow me.  But it wasn't bad.  The scores seemed fair.

 

Andy/Allison - Another one that was just okay for me.  It was a lovely song and story, but the execution left something to be desired.  I blame Allison for that.  Scores may have been a little bit low, but I can't really argue with them, even though I do generally like Andy.

 

Alexa/Mark - This was the first dance that I really liked, but that may be at least in part because I love that Coldplay song.  It's one of my all-time favorites.  Anyway, I enjoyed the choreography, and I thought Alexa had great intensity.  There were a couple of little glitches, but she recovered from them well.  I thought she looked great in that costume.  My favorite dance to that point.  Really nice job.  I think I would have given her another 9.  It was good overall.

 

Nick/Sharna - This was a really pretty dance.  Still not crazy about contemporary, but I thought this one was nice.  I thought Nick handled the lifts very well, he was very smooth, and it had beautiful flow to it.  I'm not sure I would have scored it a perfect 30, but it was very well done.  And congratulations to Nick and his wife!

 

Bindi/Derek - This was a lot of fun.  I don't think it was her best dance, but I enjoyed it a lot.  And I admit I was surprised to find that her icon was Grace Kelly.  I wouldn't have expected Bindi to know who Grace Kelly was.  Overall, a good effort that was well done and quite enjoyable.

 

Tamar/Val - Another dance I really liked.  Tamar is a terrific dancer.  I loved Val's choreography; I'm so glad DWTS seems to be bringing back the paso doble after a couple of years where it was practically nonexistent.  Good scores for her, and she deserved them.  I just hope it's not a case of too little too late.  She should have gotten that kind of a score last week.

 

Dance-Offs:

 

At last TPTB heard and allowed anyone who wanted to be able to vote.  Usually they do the Twitter voting, which leaves me out.  Yay!

 

Bindi/Derek vs. Carlos/Witney - I'm a bit surprised to say it, but I liked Carlos better than Bindi in this one.  They were both good, but I thought Carlos was more crisp and precise than Bindi. 

 

Tamar/Val vs. Alexa/Mark - I thought they were pretty close, but overall I thought Tamar did the better job.  I just think she moved better than Alexa.  I guess I don't understand how the voting works.  The judges liked Carlos better but the audience liked Bindi better, but Carlos won.  Two out of three judges liked Tamar better but the audience liked Alexa better so Alexa wins? I guess the explanation given above about the audience being the tie-breaker makes as much sense as anything.  <shrug>

 

Alek/Lindsay vs. Andy/Allison - Okay, I didn't think either of these were that good.  I didn't vote on this one because I didn't really like either of them.  Lindsey seemed to go more for lifts so Alek didn't have to dance; Allison had Andy do more actual dancing.

 

So happy Tamar is safe.  I was afraid she was going to be a surprise boot.  Did not expect Alek to be safe. I was thinking it was maybe his time to go home.  Glad Alexa is safe.   Andy was the other one I thought might be going home.  He seems like a really nice guy.  I am glad to see Allison leave, though.  Not because she's pregnant - I rode my motorcycle throughout much of my first pregnancy, and I have a friend who was still playing tennis in her 9th month.  The human body is pretty amazing, and it takes a lot to shake up the baby. I'm just glad because, as much as I loved her on SYTYCD and enjoy watching her dance contemporary with other professionals, I just think she's a terrible pro on DWTS.  I feel bad for Andy because I think he had the potential to be pretty good and might have even made it to the semi-finals with another pro who could have taught him better.

Edited November 3, 2015 by LadyMustang65

[Serendi]

I was hoping Mrs. Kyle would have a TH, and she did!  

 

 

They couldn't even get a TH from her sister.

 

What's a TH?

[majormama]

What's a TH?

 

TH=Talking Head, aka a direct interview.

[Serendi]

Got it, thanks!

[majormama]

Carlos' package brought up an interesting point that has been discussed a lot in my social circle lately. I know a lot of international/interracial adoptive families. There is a lot of pressure to honor a child's culture of origin, yet many adoptees feel like they identify more with the culture they were raised in than the culture they came from. Asian Americans get this a lot, too, when someone asks them where they're from and Cleveland isn't an acceptable answer. It's like, my eyes may be almond shaped, but I'm as American as anyone else. So Carlos may have a Latino ethnic background, but he was raised in Missouri and isn't all that Latino culturally.

 

Which I find particularly interesting because a lot of his interactions with his wife are kind of written off as, well, he's a typical macho dominant Mexican, but really he's just a douchebag. 

[St. Claire]

If the producers are going to stick with the story that the dancers decide on the spot what style to dance for the head-to-head thing, they shouldn't have one of the dancers wear a costume that broadcasts a samba. I've never seen those fringey pants worn for anything else. I have no issue with the idea that the dancers sort of consult behind the scenes to make the decisions, but don't pretend it's spontaneous. That's kind of insulting.

[Fliz]

Boy, did the judges project that loss, though. ALL NIGHT they kept saying to Andy, "If you make it through to the next round..." but they didn't say that to anyone else, so I just knew he was going home. I would have been shocked if he hadn't, after all their obviousness.

 

 

I noticed that, too - we could have started a new drinking game with the amount of times they said it.

[Andie1]

 

 I watch a lot of Latin competitions and for me Tamar captured the cha-cha more than Alexa did, complete with interpretation and mood of the dance and great partnering/interplay. Alexa was in hold a lot hence appeared the weaker half/ no individual strength but it was still good until the stumble ( lack of individual strength).

 

Exactly.  And when you have to be in hold for an extended period of time the pro has not got the confidence in you to dance on your own. 

Edited November 3, 2015 by Andie1

[sinkwriter]

Regardless of hold, Alexa seemed to do a lot of intricate footsteps, which I didn't see Tamar do at all on her side of stage, so I felt that Alexa accomplished more in her dance than Tamar did and thus deserved the extra points from the dance-off. 

[iMonrey]

Showing the running vote percentages behind the dance-off couples was a HUGE mistake IMO. I'm assuming the couples could see them - imagine being Tamar or Carlos, and glancing behind you and realizing essentially nobody was voting for you. Distracting and disheartening, and a good indication of how overall voting is going this season.

 

For the love of Pete, why hasn't someone sat Tamar down, showed her a playback of her dances, and told her to stop making that face?  It was worse tonight than it's ever been, and it reinforces my theory that what she thinks she's doing is making a "fierce" face, because Paso is a fierce dance and she wore that awful, wide-eyed expression throughout the entire number. I almost want to laugh when I picture her doing it. It's like Patsy Stone when she's doing her pose-face for a magazine picture. She looks absurd.

 

I hate contemporary and Alek didn't really do anything but lift Lindsay up over and over again, but then again that's all Noah Galloway did last season and the judges fell all over themselves crying and praising him. So if they have to critique the dance and not the emotional intro package like they're now pretending they're doing, I wish there were more consistency to it. Whatever happened to "Oh, you're re-inventing the meaning of dance!" I guess that only applies when you're missing a few limbs.

 

That said, Nick's contemporary was rather more impressive, but I felt like I was hit over the head with emotional manipulation, and is it really true neither he nor his wife knew the sex of the baby - and agreed to have it revealed to them on TV in front of everyone else? Who the hell does that?? Wow. That is, like, blatant pandering or something. Words fail me.

[Andie1]

Regardless of hold, Alexa seemed to do a lot of intricate footsteps, which I didn't see Tamar do at all on her side of stage, so I felt that Alexa accomplished more in her dance than Tamar did and thus deserved the extra points from the dance-off.

No, not regardless of hold.  In pro competitions competitive dancers move to the music easily in and out of hold. They don't hold on to dear life to their partner, especially in Cha Cha

[sinkwriter]

Yes, for me, regardless of hold. Is this considered a pro competition? Stars aren't professionals, and neither am I as a viewer. So I go with my gut, I go with my emotions, and I go with what I see, and what I saw was that Alexa and Mark had a more interesting dance going on. Everything's subjective, but that was my reaction watching the two pairings dance against each other last night. 

 

In fact, given their higher skill level, I was a little surprised Tamar and Val didn't do more. They seemed to be in slow motion in comparison to Alexa and Mark, and I was more energized watching the intricate movements. I kept watching Tamar and Val, waiting for them to kick it in gear, but I didn't see that happen. 

[tessaforever]

I feel like I could see the memos that flashed across everyone's desks this week - 

 

1) Redemption arc for Alek & Tamar!

2) Judges, here's how to vote for the dance-off regardless of performance! 

3) Remember, judges, for certain celebs, ignore their mistakes no matter how obvious. For others, nitpick the smallest thing!

 

I couldn't understand why Nick's wife was there for the judging until they took her backstage for the gender reveal. She looked really uncomfortable for all of it. I don't think it was her idea to do it that way. Also, as someone who has lost a baby at 6 1/2 months of pregnancy, I'm always glad when someone mentions their loss (though sad for the fact of it) because we need to talk more openly about infant loss. It was a little annoying when Sharna said "Now that you're expecting your first baby..." - I know that's an understandable mistake, because people said similar things to me when I got pregnant again, but it's not their first baby. 

 

Bindi looked all over the place in that routine and the back-up dancers were super distracting and unnecessary. This as a Derek fan. I guess I've seen him choreograph so many much better dances (specifically foxtrots) that it's hard not to compare. This just didn't work for me. 

 

Alison's waltz was as frantic as usual. Poor Andy - he just couldn't keep up. If I never see Alison & partner do that windmill spinning arm movement again, it will be too soon. Also, Riker was in the audience for the second week in a row and I don't think he was mentioned? Second place finisher and all? They highlighted Victor Espinoza. 

 

I liked Alexa's concept and I really wish she could attack a dance without losing control. Wasn't there a season - I think Candace Cameron Bure - where Mark took his partner to a sports psychologist to get over performance nerves? Alexa needs that so badly. 

 

Highlight of the night for me was Louis and Karina - wowsers, they were on fire!

[Andie1]

This isn't a pro competition, but it's a competition. I don't want to see rudimentary dance steps over and over in a dance off, I want to see creativity.  I thought Val showcased Tamar's extraordinary movement really well.  That so called slow motion is feeling the music.  Some want to go like ever ready bunnies and won't know what they did out there.  Tamar doesn't have to dance like that, she can move more professionally.  

[sinkwriter]

Perhaps that's why each couple should have gotten a chance to show their moves on their own instead of in a split screen sort of way so that I could get the full effect of whatever it was Val and Tamar were trying to do. Because I didn't see creativity in Val and Tamar's dance - I thought it was boring. There are times when slow motion works well, and as a musician I know plenty about feeling the music, but for me last night I didn't see them feeling the music. I saw them kind of posing about. That's what I mean by "I kept waiting for them to kick it in gear" - not that I need them to be energizer bunnies but that I wanted to see some LIFE in them. They didn't seem to be very alive in their movements at all.

[ari333]

Uh, Alexa... correct me if I'm wrong, it's certainly been years since I've been to church in any organized religion sort of way, but I thought David slew Goliath by hitting him with a rock. I don't remember him slitting the giant's throat. Especially because the dude was a giant and it's unlikely David was able to reach him?   ;)

 

Just something that I pondered when watching their routine. I guess Mark decided to take some liberties? Heee.

 

THIS! ^^^

I thought the same, but then again... how many times have bible stories been re-written by man... *sigh*

Alison looked kind of elated to be leaving. At least pretend to be sad. sheesh. Im glad she's gone. I will miss Andy though.

[TeeMo]

I am with you, sinkwriter. I like Tamar as a dancer far more than Alexa and I expected that Alexa would be very in her head and panic under the pressure. I have always found Val's partners to be well prepared for these stupid dance off or instant dance gimmicks because he teaches really solid technique so I expected it would be a slam dunk for Tamar.

It may have been the split screen but I kept wondering what the heck Tamar and Val were doing back there. Like you, I kept waiting for them to kick it up at least a half notch. They may have been feeling the music but to me it looked more like they were pausing to figure out what to do next. I was underwhelmed.

[ari333]

Bindi and Derek literally had a production  number that was quite amazing. I had to re-watch. Is that fair though - to have all those other people on stage in sync? Bc the hat moves would not have been as compelling imo had it been just Bindi and Derek out there... moving their hats...

[Andie1]

Ugh, but how many times do we have to watch Alexa fuck up a step?  She did lots of that, and stumbled and the judges one of whom is ballroom trained gave the round to Tamar probably grudgingly having to admit, yeah, Tamar danced the cha cha better. And then  I watched that awful Argentine Tango. Deer in the headlights for the majority of that dance is not dancing. That was a hella mess, horrible dance position, out of sync, even Mark didn't look good. The only part that kind of looked okay was when they went into Ballroom, not Argentine Tango hold so Mark could hang on to her.  But as an Argentine Tango? Hated it.  You can't just keep doing theatrics and forget about the dance style.   

Edited November 3, 2015 by Andie1

[TeeMo]

I agree about Alexa's AT. I thought it was super sloppy and she was very timid in her steps.