S22.E07: Week 7

[Princess Sparkle]

I have been a pretty on-and-off viewer of the show for the past few seasons (if it's on, I'll watch, but I don't go out of my way to find it).  Happened to catch most of last night's episode, and I have to say, Paige and Mark's jive might be the best dance between a contestant/pro I've ever seen.  At the very least, it was the most enjoyable dance to me since Alfonso and Witney's jive.  I have always had a soft-spot for Mark (spats and all), I think he's a very creative choreographer that usually doesn't get his due, and it's nice to see a partnership + good choreography come together so well.  

[Miss Slay]

This show is clearly fixed. They want the top two to be the deaf guy and Wanye. With the deaf guy winning. They put Wanye in the bottom just to throw people off when he doesn't win.

They clearly want Ginger to be in the top 3 as well. Jodi and the fighter girl are clearly better!

Whatever, dancing with the stars!

[Archery]

I don't think Nyle was playing the Deaf card last night. (And I guess it's a sensitive spot for me when mentioning something that is different about yourself to explain a situation is automatically dismissed as "playing the ___ card," as if you're trying to cheat an advantage.)  Sometimes it's just a fact that his Deafness is a problem to address.  We don't see all the little ways Peta communicates with him for their dances, except the tiny glimpse in the Team James Brown dance rehearsal.  And even then, it's like, right -- he can't hear the cues.  I think he had more to say about the dress rehearsal difficulties (he started to say something about music changes), but the conversation went onto Peta's dress.  (I often wonder how additionally difficult it must be to dance to a live band, whose tempo might change a hair from performance to performance, if you can't actually hear the difference.)  Even the recapper is like, "You can tell Nyle is counting steps," and I'm like, "Well, of course he is."  How they manage his Deafness is a factor, not a sympathy card being played -- at least not yet. 

Sometimes I wish the old TWoP forums were still up, because a lot of the criticism of Keo (is into himself, doesn't choreograph well for his partner, etc.) are things that fans used to ding Mark for in the early seasons.  Mark has come a long way, and I think Keo could, too, if given the chance (which I don't believe he will be given, unfortunately). 

It's nice not to have a horse in the race. Although I think Antonio is the weakest dancer left, I'd be happy with any of them in the finals.  I just want each one to have a performance that they NAIL, the kind that has you running to watch online the next day.  That, to me, is the real trophy of the season. 

Edited May 3, 2016 by Archery

[vavera4ka]

11 hours ago, vibeology said:

Nyle had a list of excuses this week after his dance and really hit that deaf card hard. What being deaf and having to hem a dress have to do with each other remains a mystery to me.

I think they asked them to talk about the stuff that happened at the rehearsal and during the week. Erin's cue was kinda sloppy and live tv time constraints made them to just pile on those things that went wrong.

As for your question, I'm not sure, but I would think that for a person that is heavily relying on visual cues and mechanical learning minor thing like that might be a bigger problem than it is for me or you. But I still think that because a lot HAS happened, they wanted drama, he just ended up listing things that happened.

1 hour ago, Vinyasa said:

How hard is to hold up the paddle with the number you just wrote down? That "scorecard" that Tom showed looked like something from the third grade. Why do I think we will see this happen again?

Other than that, Ginger remains annoying.

I don't understand why that show refuses to go into 21st century... have judges push freaking buttons, or use some kind of tablet to submit their scores.

idk if it's just a coincidence that it happened to Nyle... again... but it all starts to smell... like I asked earlier, why do they  need some cheap drama around a person who is already getting a lot of exposure and, I'm sure, votes and support.

 

btw, it was to Nyle's advantage that he is deaf this week. who and in what condition decided that this song was foxtrot? I was so confused by how it all looked and sounded. Nyle was gorgeous, choreography was very pretty, but music was so wrong. Foxtrot is one of my favorite dances, and I didn't particularly care for this one, mainly because of the music choice.

[boyznkatz]

Oh by the way, would Ginger's famewhore husband please go away? He reminds me of Sadie Robertson's annoying family, who had to propel themselves in front of the camera every chance they got.

[luvthepros]

13 hours ago, scootypuffjr said:

I think Mark is an outstanding choreographer too, but Benji Schwimmer used to do that triple cartwheel often, including his audition, on SYTYCD way back on season two.  I don't know if Benji invented that move, but credit where credit is due.......

 

 

Benji used to do that triple cartwheel with his sister Lacey and his cousin Heidi. Heidi is a little bit of a thing and she did that move with ease.

[simplyme]

I think their point was that people don't realize how many problems and last minute changes there are, not just in choreography but in music and even costume.  It can be difficult to overwhelming at times for the usual celebrity.  Adding in Nyle's deafness makes communicating those changes in a timely fashion so that things don't get horribly flubbed up even harder.

That was my takeaway, at least.  I don't think it was whining so much as a statement of fact, and something some people don't think about.

[sinkwriter]

I don't care who invented the triple cartwheel. I mean, it's good to give credit where credit is due, but there really is nothing new under the sun, just new ways to use it. And in this particular case, I wasn't expecting to see such a thing (at least not where Mark goes up and over too) so it was a delightful surprise amidst an already really enjoyable performance. I thought Paige was the best of the night.

[mtlchick]

Can anyone direct me to video from last night (Canadian resident to abc.com is a no go)?  Wasn't home and I did want to see the team dances.

 

Concenring paddle gate.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice...your system is bloody broken and the grassy knoll is adorned in sequins and sparkles.  How the hell can you screw that up twice to the same person?! 

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

It Takes Two On Dancing With The Stars

Two routines, two perfect scores, and...two eliminations.

[Alapaki]

Quote

How hard is to hold up the paddle with the number you just wrote down? That "scorecard" that Tom showed looked like something from the third grade. Why do I think we will see this happen again?

This being the 2nd time, in the same season, with the same judge, and with the same dance couple, I have no problem resting comfortably upon the Grassy Knoll with this one.  And, from the view up here, we have no way to verify that the sheet of paper that Tom held up was the one that was handed in to the producers.  Why would the 9 be underlined, as if to emphasize it, unless whoever wrote it was expecting a controversy?

Things that don't make sense about this to me:

1) After this having happened already, are they really still having Bruno verbally convey his score to Len?  

2) If so, are they really not having Len then show Bruno what he wrote down to confirm that he got it right?

3) If Bruno did write the 9 down himself, is he really that stupid or impaired?

4) If he is that stupid or impaired, after the last incident wouldn't he be double, triple and quadruple checking himself (or having a PA double-checking for him)?

5) And, the overarching question: why with Nyle?  I can't believe he's not running away with the viewer votes (and, imo, deservedly so).  Does he really need controversy to pimp his scores?

Is this just a matter of proving the old adage: Never assume Malice when Ignorance or Incompetence is a possibility?

[truthaboutluv]

Quote

Nyle had a list of excuses this week after his dance and really hit that deaf card hard. What being deaf and having to hem a dress have to do with each other remains a mystery to me.

Admittedly I missed Nyle's rehearsal package before he danced so maybe there was more complaining then. But after his dance, I didn't really see him making excuses and using his deafness as an excuse for some failure. Erin I believe brought up how stressed he and Peta were when she saw them in dress rehearsal. And then he started talking about how many things had gone wrong, with the costume and something else not working and it was concerning and stressful because being deaf, so much of what he's doing is going off timing and things being just right. So yeah, all that stuff rattled him. I don't think that's making excuses but YMMV.

Quote

But the show never mentions her extensive dance background 

Which they never do...ever. So this isn't new with Paige. Sure they referred to Meryl as an Olympian because well, duh. But how many times did they go into just how much dance training she had to take to accomplish the routines she and Charlie do, same as with Charlie. And the show certainly never mentioned that she and Charlie even knew Derek, much less that he'd helped with their Foxtrot inspired routine. No one mentioned Jennifer Grey's years of dancing but just that she was Baby in Dirty Dancing, same with Nicole. Nicole was only introduced as a singer rather than a singer/dancer. And there was also the fact that no one mentioned on the show that Corbin was such a trained dancer that he'd appeared on the show prior in one of the Macy's Stars of Dance performances. This is not new to the show and maybe it is some effort to downplay the truth or maybe not.

Everyone has Google, so that stuff is not hard to find out. Of course I never care about ringers on this show anyway, since many times they don't win and I see that being the case again this season, as I don't think Paige has enough of the the casual viewer support to win this thing. Enough years of watching this show makes it clear as day to me that her personality is not the type that's connecting with the casual viewer/voter. Which is funny that she mentioned about maybe people not liking her in their rehearsal package. 

Speaking of Paige's dance, objectively I know it was good but something about it just didn't wow me. I don't know if it was the combination of the really, really, did I mention really, awful singing by the band or the transitions from the slow to faster parts that I actually found sort of awkward. I also wasn't sure about all that hairography happening. I loved their performance last week but I was sort of just okay with this one. Still I enjoyed it more than Ginger and Val's VW.

Once again the band's shitty singing took me completely out of the performance. But I'm also glad someone mentioned about Val and his dramatic grabbing of the woman in these dances. I just find Val's waltzes, foxtrots, etc. to always be so staccato and overly dramatic that it leaves me sort of cold. Ginger looked beautiful and there were some beautiful flowing moments but honestly, eh, whatever. Still I don't care enough to be all "overscored" about her perfect score. 

Not surprised Sasha/Kim and Von/Witney went home and once they had Wanya in jeopardy with them, I knew that was a done deal. I agree with others at being surprised Kim was surprised she was eliminated. If that was true, then yes, Sasha should have prepared her because I don't believe for a second he didn't see the writing on the wall. As for Von/Witney, Witney needs to be demoted to troupe next season in my opinion. I think having to eat that giant bit of humble pie may inject some life into her because what I saw from Witney this season was a complete and utter joke.

There was't ONE dance from that pairing I thought had really impressive choreography and allowed Von to truly shine - maybe the Bad number but they mostly just repeated the original choreography and Von was clearly so excited to be doing a Michael Jackson dance. Witney sucked this season and considering how damn thirsty those troupe members are, maybe let her realize her spot is not secured and she can be replaced. But if they must, NOT another one like Alison who is not ballroom trained. 

The stuff with Nyle's scores is ridiculous. I'm not ready to get on the Grassy Knoll but I would not blame him and Peta if they were a little irritated and frustrated by it. Like this show is in its 11th air, get it fucking together judges. As for the team dances - that wasn't even close in my opinion. The women were a hot mess. I don't care how much more complex their choreography was, it looked messy as fuck on my screen. This debate - more fun/more complex vs. clean/simple is very much the debate that happened every year when Derek's team always won.

In my opinion, when you're supposed to be competing as a team and you keep choreography that one team may not be too great at because you are so much more concerned with impressing with the so called complex choreography, then you're failing the entire team and being self serving. Kim was in no way the dancer that Paige is or Jodie and even Ginger. That should have been taken into account and having so many parts that had the four women lined up next to each other just highlighted her weakness. Also, way too many attempted Beyonce "moves"...listen, I know everyone thinks they have an inner Sasha Fierce in them but just no. What Beyonce looks good doing, doesn't always look good on other women and in fact sometimes just looks very, very awkward and cringe worthy. And there were quite a few of those moments in that number that again the Pros should have realized. The whole thing was messy, awkward and at times second-hand embarrassing IMO. 

Edited May 3, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[boyznkatz]

Yeah I agree that Witney needs to go to the troupe, and soon. She has been phoning it in since she won with Alfonso. It did Lindsay a lot of good, so it would help her. That Jenna chick seems pretty thirsty...why not give her a shot. I think she is ballroom trained and she has been in the troupe a long time. 

[Alapaki]

Quote

Once again the band's shitty singing took me completely out of the performance.

No kidding.  Paint it Black was laughable, and completely distracting from the actual dancing.  

[Thadeeeyus]

Why were so many dances on fast speed last night?  Jodie and Keo's dance looked like a cartoon version of a quickstep with them trying to make the steps fit the music.  Very distracting. 

I loved Paige and Mark's jive. The only thing I enjoy about this show anymore is when I see a darned good dance with awesome choreography that is danced well, and this was one of them.  Really really good choreo with a lot of detail, not just the jive steps, but arm movements, head positions and such that were so well done.  Paige wasn't perfect - there were some borderline sloppy turns and the timing was a little off at times due to the speed, but that was one of the most difficult routines I've ever seen on the show, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Kudos to Mark who whoever it was who put this together. 

Edited May 3, 2016 by Thadeeeyus

[crossover]

1 hour ago, sinkwriter said:

I don't care who invented the triple cartwheel. I mean, it's good to give credit where credit is due, but there really is nothing new under the sun, just new ways to use it. And in this particular case, I wasn't expecting to see such a thing (at least not where Mark goes up and over too) so it was a delightful surprise amidst an already really enjoyable performance. I thought Paige was the best of the night.

I think that's what everyone is really saying.  This is exactly the way Benji (Schwimmers) use to use the move.  I was a STYTCD viewer so I wasn't surprised by the move itself.  I was surprised that Mark used it.  Then I remembered that Lacey was on the show for awhile.  She was close to Derek and Mark.

[RemoteControl88]

41 minutes ago, boyznkatz said:

Yeah I agree that Witney needs to go to the troupe, and soon. She has been phoning it in since she won with Alfonso. It did Lindsay a lot of good, so it would help her. That Jenna chick seems pretty thirsty...why not give her a shot. I think she is ballroom trained and she has been in the troupe a long time. 

Unfortunately I think because of her win with Alfonso she'll be a pro for a good long while. I wasn't crazy about the choreo she gave Von either...however for the last few weeks Von has been traveling a lot per his snapchat. Witney often went with him. But I have to think part of the reason he stagnated was because he had less time for Witney to really clean up his technique.  So all in all the choreo was never mindblowing..and he was never going to be as good as Wanya but he had the potential to be better than he was...which was never realized. 

I'm not sold on making Jenna a pro.  I've never been all that excited about her dancing. She has amazing extension/flexibility but I'm always distracted by the faces she pulls. It never seems authentic and just seems so over the top.  In any case I think she will be a pro in the near future so I'm sure her fans will be thrilled. The little bit of her personality I have seen...makes me wonder if she'll connect with the general audience of this show. Maybe I need to give her a chance but I can't help be disappointed if she is made pro over someone like Emma.

[katha]

2 hours ago, Archery said:

Sometimes I wish the old TWoP forums were still up, because a lot of the criticism of Keo (is into himself, doesn't choreograph well for his partner, etc.) are things that fans used to ding Mark for in the early seasons.  Mark has come a long way, and I think Keo could, too, if given the chance (which I don't believe he will be given, unfortunately). 

I think Keo has been unfortunate in that he got three rather weak dancers early on, people who probably needed a more experienced coach to help them. With Jodie IMO you see his blind spots in both teaching and choreo. And choreo is where I think Mark was very strong from the start, it was already showing some of his spleens and tended towards self-centeredness at times, but he produced some memorable programs with both Sabrina and Kristi. Both super capable, of course, but he delivered some brilliant stuff for them, no matter how annoying he was otherwise. Also, IMO by the time Shawn Johnson came around it became clear that he could teach, Shawn was constantly improving all season and gaining ground on Gilles and the better she got, the more memorable programs Mark could give her. Keo for me so far hasn't produced anything really great for Jodie, and she is capable. Perhaps not a super ringer, but Val showed that she can do more. He probably should have started off in troupe and learned the ropes. I don't think he's hopeless and I'm sure he's giving it his all, but being a pro on this show is a crazy hard job and that he's struggling a bit with it actually shows how demanding it is.

Mark is a  fab jive choreographer, some of my fave jives on this show are by him (Kristi's, Chelsea's, Katherine's) and Paige's is right up there. Such a fun dance! As for Paige being a ringer, she's been completely open about it. The show doesn't mention it because they're usually strange about that stuff if they think they can get away with hiding it. She's not even in the top ten of ringiest ringers IMO (this is a show that had Nicole S, four figure skaters, Zendaya, various boy banders, Fons, Corbin, Riker and countless other celebs with some amount of dance training) , so I don't care. She also won't win (too little fanbase, no obvious storyline, not charismatic enough), though I'd like to see a freestyle. And it's so great to watch Mark work at full speed for once, so far he hasn't missed a beat. There's usually some spiel about how hard it is to create for ringers and do it justice, but it seems like he's just throwing that stuff away week after week. It's cool to watch. Perhaps, since he's one foot out the door (just speculating), he's able to relax and enjoy it all?

[crossover]

6 hours ago, scootypuffjr said:

Heh.  I remember someone praising Michael Jackson for inventing moves that I knew Bob Fosse had done back in the day, and for all I know, he hadn't invented them either.  Nothing new under the sun, indeed - just new eyes to appreciate them, I guess.

So true.  But oftentimes they are used in a different way with a different flare.  For instance, people talk about the difference between current ballplayers and previous ones.  They are doing the samething but "differently".

[Fliz]

I loved when Tom told Sharna to go upstairs where it's "warmer" - he is the best part of the show.

[Alapaki]

9 minutes ago, Fliz said:

I loved when Tom told Sharna to go upstairs where it's "warmer" - he is the best part of the show.

I Zaprudered the shit out of that exchange.  Because it gave me a chance to drop my favorite Seinfeld reference:

"Is that?  . . . . . a nipple?"

[DancingD]

To me the most egregious singing was on "Beautiful Day", Nyle and Peta's song. Actually commented that it was good Nyle couldn't hear it. Gosh, her dress really was chopped now that I watch that again. Shame, but I get it.

Also watched Paige and Mark again. She has that habit that trained dancers do, dancing with her knees apart. Ballroom dancers have a very feminine style and keep their knees close. I'm sure they're working on it. Could be a Tina Turner thing, but pretty sure Paige does it in other dances.

We're at group dances now. Derek is missed.

It was a nipple cover. There are photos.

And yes please, bring Emma back.

[friendperidot]

4 hours ago, beverlyoc said:

I just want to say how irritated I am that the icon for "I say a little prayer for you" was Aretha Franklin.  Yes, she recorded it, but Dionne Warwick (for whom Burt Bacharach wrote the song in the first place) made it a hit two years before Aretha.  Dionne is an icon as well. 

Harumphing over.  

I guess I didn't know about Aretha doing that song or had forgotten it. To me, it will always be Dionne Warwick singing it.

[Alapaki]

Quote

 

I just want to say how irritated I am that the icon for "I say a little prayer for you" was Aretha Franklin.  Yes, she recorded it, but Dionne Warwick (for whom Burt Bacharach wrote the song in the first place) made it a hit two years before Aretha.  Dionne is an icon as well. 

Harumphing over. 

 

Agreed.  That made no sense.  I know the theme was iconic performers, but I still think you have to have a song that's strongly identified with the performer.  Until last night I had no idea Aretha Franklin had covered that song.  

[truthaboutluv]

Quote

To me the most egregious singing was on "Beautiful Day", Nyle and Peta's song.

Wasn't that the actual recording of the song?

[ari333]

24 minutes ago, Alapaki said:

I Zaprudered the shit out of that exchange.  Because it gave me a chance to drop my favorite Seinfeld reference:

"Is that?  . . . . . a nipple?"

"HERE'S your Christmas card, George!"

Edited May 3, 2016 by ari333

[Vinyasa]

Quote

Oh by the way, would Ginger's famewhore husband please go away?

Oh he is definitely there to stay. He is not at all what I would have expected for her.

Anyone want to bet Ginger will be in the finals? The entire GMA cast will be there. She annoys the life out of me.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Vinyasa

[truthaboutluv]

Quote

Oh he is definitely there to stay.

Like I said in last week's thread, I would not be the least bit surprised to see him in the cast next season.  

[WhosThatGirl]

Yeah, I was like, "This is Dionne Warwick!" I don't care if Aretha Franklin sing it, it's Dionne's. Thanks, my best friends wedding! Which is what the song will always remind me of.

I just don't get the Ginger love from the judges. Or the show. I suppose, she has many fans because like when we've had contestants on this show from The Bachelor/ette franchise, many people who watch DWTS  probably watched those shows, I assume many people know of her on GMA and like it. I just..don't.  And I love Val, but I wish he was paired with Jodie or Paige because i just don't really like Ginger and yes, she dances fine but I don't feel a connection to anything she dances. All 10s last night? I thought the dance was good but two 10s and a 9 worthy. 

And I like Paige. I also like how she always seems to be having fun with whatever she is given. I don't mind if she has dance experience, plenty of the past contestants have, as many other have mentioned, I'm sure Mel B of the Spice Girls had dance training and Nicole of course. And yes, I agree with the person who talked about Riker being the contestant whose dance experience they never mentioned it and how it was obvious. 

I really can't get over the low score of the women's team dance. Only because, team dances are normally a 'teams pretty much get 9 and 10s' type of thing. I don't think one has gotten all 8s in a long time. If ever. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I just want to say how irritated I am that the icon for "I say a little prayer for you" was Aretha Franklin.  Yes, she recorded it, but Dionne Warwick (for whom Burt Bacharach wrote the song in the first place) made it a hit two years before Aretha.  Dionne is an icon as well.

Thank you! I thought so but I wasn't sure.

If I understand correctly how it works, Len writes down the scores and hands them to Carrie Ann. Maybe he's losing his hearing in his left ear. Also, I bet the cheering is extra loud after Nyle dances. So, not necessarily a coincidence it happened twice with the same celebrity. Tom made it sound like Bruno himself wrote down the nine but maybe he didn't want to call out Len for mis-hearing twice.

I think Kim thought she was better than she was, and the three nines she got this week didn't help her correct that impression. I thought she was overscored anyway. There is something very careful and deliberate about her dancing - she lacks energy and limberness compared to Paige or Ginger IMO.

The right people went home. I hope Wanya goes next, I can't stand that guy for some reason.

[Vinyasa]

Quote

Like I said in last week's thread, I would not be the least bit surprised to see him in the cast next season.  

Oh no! UGH- I'm not sure they don't have enough spray tan for him.

She had an instagram pic of him in a swim suit. So no, just no. Check if you can find it!

[RedFiat]

There have been very few jives on this show that make me really happy.  For me, Paige and Mark was one of those iconic ones that I will remember long after the season is over.  Mark said himself in 18 seasons this was a moment. It wasn't his  normal sort of nerdy boy in horned rimmed glasses meets high school cutie in pocodots, this was balls out sexy.  I really loved that departure because it has separated Paige from all the other jives, some of them great, that Mark has done.   

[Clemgo3165]

4 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Thank you! I thought so but I wasn't sure.

If I understand correctly how it works, Len writes down the scores and hands them to Carrie Ann. Maybe he's losing his hearing in his left ear. Also, I bet the cheering is extra loud after Nyle dances. So, not necessarily a coincidence it happened twice with the same celebrity. Tom made it sound like Bruno himself wrote down the nine but maybe he didn't want to call out Len for mis-hearing twice.

I think Kim thought she was better than she was, and the three nines she got this week didn't help her correct that impression. I thought she was overscored anyway. There is something very careful and deliberate about her dancing - she lacks energy and limberness compared to Paige or Ginger IMO.

The right people went home. I hope Wanya goes next, I can't stand that guy for some reason.

Bruno should start writing down his scores for Len rather than relying on the verbal communication. If Len can't hear then that would solve the problem. Still begs the question as to why they're relying on this antiquated system - surely there's an app for that!

IIRC, the judges said something like "no matter what happens tonight" when they were giving out Kim's scores. I figured then that she was out and that the 9s were a parting gift. 

[LotusFlower]

56 minutes ago, Fliz said:

I loved when Tom told Sharna to go upstairs where it's "warmer" - he is the best part of the show.

Or when he said he thinks it's kind of hard to climb a mountain without your bum sticking out after Len called out Nyle for his form, but did his usual praising of Nyle's "climbing a mountain" drive.  It doesn't sound funny written out, but it was a good ex. of Tom's quick wit.  ITA that he's the best part of the show.  And while I won't say that Erin is the worst, she is so out of his league.  Please replace her with Leah Remini!  Or anyone with comedic chops.  

[iMonrey]

Forgot to comment on Erin. Yikes, she looked like she was dressed up for Halloween between the slicked back hair and the smokey eye. Not a good look for her.

[Alapaki]

42 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

Wasn't that the actual recording of the song [Beautiful Day]?

Funny because, since I'm not a fan of U2's more recent stuff, I wasn't sure whether the song was live or whether Bono had really lost a step or two since the early days.  I'm fairly sure it was being butchered live though.

[boyznkatz]

29 minutes ago, Vinyasa said:

Oh no! UGH- I'm not sure they don't have enough spray tan for him.

She had an instagram pic of him in a swim suit. So no, just no. Check if you can find it!

Oh yuck. I don't think Ginger would be as annoying if they stopped pimping her and Svengali went away. She dances decently enough. If he is going to be on the show, I sure hope he sucks so they can't possibly keep him around.

[truthaboutluv]

17 minutes ago, Alapaki said:

Funny because, since I'm not a fan of U2's more recent stuff, I wasn't sure whether the song was live or whether Bono had really lost a step or two since the early days.  I'm fairly sure it was being butchered live though.

Nope, watched it again this morning and that's definitely the recording. I'm actually a U2 fan so I'm pretty good at recognizing Bono's voice and I also loved that album. Unless the show used the actual recording for the video posted online and used the band on the show. Because I missed the dance on the live show last night and only caught it on the official DWTS YouTube page. 

Edited May 3, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[Lovecat]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I was disappointed in Paige and Mark's jive. I thought she would kill it but her flicks felt lazy and there wasn't as much bounce as I expected. I respect that Mark gave her tough choreography though.

And someone who knows how to play the flute won't necessarily be able to play the piano, violin, bagpipes, etc. Sure, they may have an initial advantage because they're coordinated enough to do the first thing but it doesn't always translate to being good at related areas (you should see some ballet dancers in hip hop class!).

Re: Paige and Mark...THANK YOU!  I wasn't blown away by that jive, either.

Re:  Flute and bagpipes.  I actually do play both!  :)

[luvthepros]

14 hours ago, Kerri Johnson said:

 .......I feel differently about Paige after reading here last week about her years of dance experience.  I wish they had mentioned it on the show........

 

Believe me, I'm not an aficionado on dancing. My untrained eyes, however, can easily spot someone who has dance training. There was no doubt in my mind when I first say Paige move about on the dance floor that this girl is dance trained. It was not surprise to me to find out she has been trained and her parents owned a dance studio for several years. Someone just doesn't move like Paige and not be trained. I've read she was trained in Ballet, Jazz and Hip Hop. 

[boyznkatz]

There have always been ringers on the show though, starting with Mario Lopez. It doesn't matter since Emmitt Smith beat him, anyway. Likewise, Paige is probably going to lose to Nyle or Wanya. I think they have already picked out Nyle as the winner, and I would be extremely surprised to see him lose.

[MooCat Pretzel]

I am finding Sharna's hair color more and more distracting.  With the Paint it Black dance, it was obviously all dark colors and then there was her hair.  To make it worse, she had extensions in which made that color stand out even more.  Is it possible that I don't like Antonio because of Sharna's hair?!  Hmmm.  I guess there has been weirder associations!

[Vinyasa]

Quote

Oh yuck. I don't think Ginger would be as annoying if they stopped pimping her and Svengali went away. She dances decently enough. If he is going to be on the show, I sure hope he sucks so they can't possibly keep him around.

Maybe he is already trying out

[calipiano81]

7 hours ago, mtlchick said:

Can anyone direct me to video from last night (Canadian resident to abc.com is a no go)?  Wasn't home and I did want to see the team dances.

You can see the dances at idolxfactor.com (use Firefox for best viewing).

ETA: FYI, Idolxfactor starts posting the videos (as each couple dances) about 20 minutes after the Monday show starts on the East Coast, in case Westcoasters want to get a jump on seeing the show before it airs im PST.

Edited May 3, 2016 by calipiano81

[Vinyasa]

Quote

What the hell is wrong with Bruno?  He marks down a 9 and then holds up the 10 paddle..that's 2 times he did it to Nyle.  

I thought Carrie Ann did it the first time. Is that right??

[truthaboutluv]

14 minutes ago, Vinyasa said:

I thought Carrie Ann did it the first time. Is that right??

No it was an error with Maks and Bruno's scores. 

[majormama]

I wasn't surprised to see Kim go, though I liked her and wouldn't have minded her staying longer. So far, my initial predictions after the first episode have held pretty true until Von. I initially thought he'd place higher, but he hasn't seemed to improve much from the first week. For such a big guy, he danced small and couldn't seem to extend his movements very far. I think Witney got lucky in being paired with Alfonso, who likely would have won with any pro, and I haven't been very impressed with her choreo for anyone else. Plus, while Von initially seemed cute and adorkable, his personality didn't really show much these last few weeks. I remember more about Witney whining in their packages than anything Von said or did.

I had higher expectations for the women's group dance. I liked the men's better, but I'm not sure if the women were really so much worse or just worse than I had expected. I need to watch it again.

I would like to see Antonio go next, but now that he's the last footballer left he'll probably stay another round or two. Ginger would be my second choice, but she's the ABC darling. It's probably time for a "shocking" elimination of either Jodie (wasted potential with Keo's choreo/teaching) or Paige (smaller inherent fanbase). I still expect Nyle and Wanya to make the finals, and predict Nyle for the win.

As for paddle-gate, the two nines looked like the same handwriting to me with the underlines, so it may well be that Len is writing down Bruno's misheard score. In which case, Bruno needs to double check!

Edited May 3, 2016 by majormama

[PBGamer89]

Paige is something like Katherine Jenkins who probably came in with a smaller fanbase, but grew as the season went on and she managed to get to 2nd place, even beating super pimped William Levy and Maria Menounos.

I could see Paige sneak into 2nd place, maybe beating Wanya, I don't see much online support for him, he could be a classic case of judge pet, but not much voting support. Maybe the jeopardy was a tactic, i'm not sure, but the only shocker, IMO truly would be Nyle getting anything less than 1st or 2nd place.

Edited May 3, 2016 by PBGamer89

[RedFiat]

2 hours ago, Lovecat said:

I was disappointed in Paige and Mark's jive. I thought she would kill it but her flicks felt lazy and there wasn't as much bounce as I expected. I respect that Mark gave her tough choreography though.

And tons of respect from me.  For technical precision, in my opinion no one on this show was as good as Stacey Kiebler on the jive. It was great, but it was not this in terms of entertainment value. But since Stacey, no one, from Kristie Yamaguchi to Alfonso Ribiero has been technically perfect. There has always been something that holds these ringers back from perfection. There has always been some sort of reliance on the muscle memory of what they have been taught previously that is not ballroom or latin that looks slightly off in a ballroom dance.  But I dont mind that if what comes at me is a sheer energy and athleticsm combined with an honest rendering of jive technique. To be able to keep up at this tempo, take each element and work it, and do a better cartwheel in heels than her pro partner could muster, well that is just too darn cute.  

[RedFiat]

7 hours ago, luvthepros said:

Benji used to do that triple cartwheel with his sister Lacey and his cousin Heidi. Heidi is a little bit of a thing and she did that move with ease.

I remember the triple cartwheel, from  Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough DWTS Freestyle back in 2007.  It has been done on DWTS previously, even if someone else did it as well.