S22.E08: Week 8

[calipiano81]

America score of 9 for every team was what I expected. They have to take an average of viewers' votes and not everyone of going to give a 10.

[calipiano81]

16 minutes ago, skyways said:

To Calipiano,

I remember Maksim (off all people!) and Sabrina's Viennese Waltz. This dance can be very impactful in the hands of someone like Ballas if Maksim could achieve it with a traditional approach no less. Also Donald Driver and Peta's operatic Viennese was memorable too and I didn't like the couple at the time. ( although I don't know if I'm unwittingly making your point by not remembering any other great Viennese Waltzes that didn't get lost in the shuffle) .

My point is that it can be done. This is not slow waltze which can be challenging in terms of impact.

When did Maks and Sabrina do a Viennese waltz? The only waltz Sabrina did in competition was in the All-Star season with Louis.

I agree that VWs can be memorable. However, at this stage of the competition, with a double elim at stake, I think VW is harder to stand out when the other couples are doing jive, paso and AT. If they were doing 2 individual couple dances each, it would be better, but this past Monday, they only had one shot to make an impression. 

BTW, Antonio and Sharna did a traditional VW and there hasn't been much talk going on for them.

Edited May 11, 2016 by calipiano81

[McManda]

Quote

BTW, Antonio and Sharna did a traditional VW and there hasn't been much talk going on for them

To be fair, that might be  more because of Antonio and not the dance style. I mostly find Antonio forgettable despite whatever style he's dancing, theme or no.

[crossover]

7 minutes ago, McManda said:

To be fair, that might be  more because of Antonio and not the dance style. I mostly find Antonio forgettable despite whatever style he's dancing, theme or no.

I have to agree with calipiano81.  I think it's the style and not Antonio.  The VW is more dynamic than the waltz but it's still a waltz.  And the dwts pros normally put the style on warp speed.

I enjoyed the routine when they were performing.  At the end of the episode, I had forgotten about it but I remembered Mark and Paige's.  At this stage of the game, they should have everyone doing a waltz if they want one performed.  The group routines could've been sprinkled in to break the monotony.

[Tara Ariano]

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

Dancing With The Stars Lets The Audience Vote Like A Judge

And apparently, the home audience only gives out nines.

[RedFiat]

Week 9 isn't up yet but Just Jared Posted the following: 

Here’s what the couples will be dancing to:
Antonio Brown & Sharna Burgess – Contemporary – “Hall of Fame” by The Script
Ginger Zee & Val Chmerkovskiy – Quickstep – “Fire Under My Feet” by Leona Lewis
Nyle DiMarco & Peta Murgatroyd – Argentine Tango – “Unsteady” by X Ambassadors
Paige VanZant & Mark Ballas – Argentine Tango – “One Time” by Marian Hill
Wanyá Morris & Lindsay Arnold – Charleston – “Shame on Me” by Avicii

The trio dances:

Antonio Brown & Sharna Burgess with Hayley Erbert – Argentine Tango – “Mi Confesion” by Gotan Project
Ginger Zee & Valentin Chmerkovskiy with Artem Chigvintsev – Paso Doblé – “Shot Me Down” by David Guetta
Nyle DiMarco & Peta Murgatroyd with Jenna Johnson – Jive – “Hit the Road Jack” - Hermes House Band
Paige VanZant & Mark Ballas with Alan Bersten – Samba – “Hip Hip Chin Chin” by Club Des Belugas
Wanyá Morris & Lindsay Arnold with Witney Carson – Paso Doblé – “Explosive” by David Garrett and Franck Heijden and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Source: ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Semi Finals – Week Nine, Songs & Dances Revealed! | Dancing With the Stars, Television | Just Jared Jr. | http://www.justjaredjr.com/2016/05/11/dancing-with-the-stars-semi-finals-week-nine-songs-dances-revealed/?trackback=tsmclip

I am excited for Paige and Mark, I think Hip Hip Chin Chin is a definitive Samba, and I am glad they are doing Argentine Tango. This will be a good night for them, even if they don't have the fan base to move ahead. 

[vibeology]

I'm glad Paige and Mark are getting Alan back after he so wonderfully stepped in a few weeks ago. He's a little hammy but still, its nice that he gets to be in their trio.

[truthaboutluv]

With the ability to choose from any of the eliminated Pros and troupe, Sharna chooses an untrained ballroom dancer for an Argentine Tango trio? Especially when Antonio worked with Karina during Switch Up and seemed to like her just fine? Okay then. I mean thirsty as I may think Alan and Jenna are, at least they're both ballroom trained. And Lindsay choosing Witney was a no-brainer, as is Val choosing Artem. But that is a really surprising choice by Sharna. Hell she could have picked Edyta. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Word, truthaboutluv. I wonder if this is just a little more foreshadowing that Hayley has moved up (possibly past Jenna) in the pecking order for who might get a full-on new female pro spot next season. Although with the assumption that both Allison and Emma are coming back I'm not sure logistically who that would knock out unless maybe Karina sits a season out.

I also have to sadly agree with LonesomeRhoades about Wanya. His partnership with Lindsay is everything and life affirming and any other corny phrase you want to come up with. But, after about week 4 or 5 he seriously plateaued. The issues with his frame didn't seem to improve a lot as the season has progressed....and if Wanya's personality veered into Antonio territory I think more people would feel comfortable talking about how seems pretty ok to skate by technically and just sell the hell out of the character and personality of his dances. A winning formula for a number of DWTS contestants if I'm being honest. IMO some of that has to stem from the fact that he's been on the go with B2M and hasn't been able to purely focus and drill down each week on the technique of the dances. YMMV of course.

Despite all of that, I will be massively bummed if we are deprived freestyle dances from Lindsay and Wanya and Mark and Paige. So basically I'm preparing to be massively bummed next Monday...

[boyznkatz]

Well Ginger needs to make the finals at someone's expense, so it will most probably be Wanya or Paige. I don't see Nyle going anywhere, since TPTB have a story to push with him. Antonio is probably on the chopping block since a lot of people don't seem to like him. I'm leaning towards Paige getting ousted, but we'll see. It would suck to see Ginger over her.

RE Wanya reaching a plateau: yes, I've noticed he wasn't that good last time. I wonder if he has an injury? He was seriously good the first few weeks.

Edited May 11, 2016 by boyznkatz

[truthaboutluv]

Quote

I wonder if this is just a little more foreshadowing that Hayley has moved up (possibly past Jenna) in the pecking order for who might get a full-on new female pro spot next season. 

Because that has worked out SO well with Alison and Alison is ten times the contemporary/jazz dancer that Hayley is. I saw a good chunk of season 10 of SYTYCD and while I remembered a number of the dancers, including Alan, I honestly completely forgot she existed and she made it to 6th place. I only realized she was on that season a few weeks ago. And I certainly have not seen a thing on this show to convince me of some amazing skills, unless those lame bumpers of kick the legs here, HMV move here and there is supposed to showcase some amazing Pro skills. 

Edited May 11, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[Blue Plastic]

On May 10, 2016 at 9:03 PM, Adeejay said:

 Bye Jodie; should have been Antonio, instead.

Agree.  Very disappointing.  She probably would have made it longer if she'd had a different pro.  It's too bad she had to go right when she just had a dance that would probably have brought in a lot of votes!

On May 10, 2016 at 9:06 PM, Callaphera said:

"This is the most profound thing we've ever seen on Dancing with the Stars," says Carrie Ann while wiping away tears... Every. Freakin'. Week. 

I know. I just rolled my eyes like I do every time she gets teary.  She's obvs the designated cryer so us dumb viewers can realize when we've just seen a Very Important Dance.

That said, I did like the concept and it did a good job of showing what it's like for Nyle when he dances

Wanya's dance had potential but it was messed up even before he slipped on the bandana. Lindsey looked like she was going to cry and I think that was probably the only genuine teariness in the house 

[Vinyasa]

Quote

Well Ginger needs to make the finals at someone's expense, so it will most probably be Wanya or Paige. I don't see Nyle going anywhere, since TPTB have a story to push with him. Antonio is probably on the chopping block since a lot of people don't seem to like him. I'm leaning towards Paige getting ousted, but we'll see. It would suck to see Ginger over her.

Yep, you got that right, Ginger will be in the finals.  Pagie will be in the final 3 and eliminated leaving Ginger and Nyle.

I won't be surprised if her husband is in the finals too.

[RedFiat]

Just a little observation I think Val made a mistake by again bringing in Artem to do Paso. Ginger is no Rumer.  While I think she's being pimped people will naturally make the comparison. They already did with the AT being too much like Rumer's freestyle without the interesting sexy lift where he played her like a violin.   

I also just heard the music for Paige and Mark's Argentine Tango. Very sexy - mostly saxophone, vocal and finger snaps. We're going to need a firehose in the ballroom.  And smart to bring back Alan for the Samba, she and Alan did one heck of a great Salsa, that later in the season would have been a 30. 

Edited May 11, 2016 by RedFiat

[boyznkatz]

It really doesn't matter how good or bad Ginger is, they are going to give her a 30 anyway. This show is soooo predictable.

I don't see her winning, but no way is she getting kept out of the finals. It just sucks that someone more interesting is getting ousted so that can happen.

Edited May 11, 2016 by boyznkatz

[iMonrey]

Quote

Anyone else wonder if the audience "9s" were legit?  It would not surprise me to learn that they loaded 39 for each contestant on their score graphics before the jidges' round even began.

The whole thing was screwy - voting stopped the second the dance did, so people were voting before they even got to see the whole dance! I was most interested to see if the numbers reflected any kind of popularity contest but since everyone got a nine either everyone is pretty even among the fans or else - it was just random. 

[RedFiat]

3 minutes ago, boyznkatz said:

It really doesn't matter how good or bad Ginger is, they are going to give her a 30 anyway. This show is soooo predictable.

I don't see her winning, but no way is she getting kept out of the finals. It just sucks that someone more interesting is getting ousted so that can happen.

Yeah it will be the judges that make Ginger happen.  But I don't think the audience is so in love with her. The more Val references better dancers he's had, the more difficult it will be for Ginger to overcome that. What I like about Paige is how refreshingly new she is as a partner for Mark. He's not had one like her.  

[skyways]

Shawn Johnson, Kristy Yamaguchi, Sabrina ...............

[Uke]

3 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

With the ability to choose from any of the eliminated Pros and troupe, Sharna chooses an untrained ballroom dancer for an Argentine Tango trio? Especially when Antonio worked with Karina during Switch Up and seemed to like her just fine? Okay then. I mean thirsty as I may think Alan and Jenna are, at least they're both ballroom trained. And Lindsay choosing Witney was a no-brainer, as is Val choosing Artem. But that is a really surprising choice by Sharna. Hell she could have picked Edyta. 

Karina would have been the obvious choice for Antonio's trio but maybe she was unable to for some reason, or Antonio objected.  Given the choice of Edyta or Hayley, it's not too surprising she picked Hayley.  Edyta was long gone (S10) by the time Sharna came on board (S16) and Sharna has spent most of her time in Florida so Sharna probably hasn't had the chance to get to know Edyta very well but knows Hayley very well.  I think it's also possible that Antonio might not want a second strong woman telling him what to do.

Edited May 11, 2016 by Uke

[RedFiat]

Shawn Johnson, Kristy Yamaguchi, Sabrina ...............

Exactly, none of these are like Paige. Those people danced well but didn't really portray a character like Paige can.

[PBGamer89]

Paige has been Mark's first talented partner in a while who absolutely goes for it in the Latin, only Sabrina has really been a Latin match for him.

Edited May 11, 2016 by PBGamer89

[kitcloudkicker]

2 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

 

Word, truthaboutluv. I wonder if this is just a little more foreshadowing that Hayley has moved up (possibly past Jenna) in the pecking order for who might get a full-on new female pro spot next season.

 

Eh, I don't know if it means anything about pro spots. I mean, Britney was featured in Riker's trio, and they nearly dropped her completely the next season. (And actually dropped her this season.) I have my doubts that the troupe is still seen as much as training for the show - they seem to be hiring backup dancers, for their backup dancing skills. Seems to be much more of a "we want this now" focus than planning for the future. Dennis and Shannon, of the new guys, aren't ballroom trained, unless I've missed something in their background. Kiril, the third new hire, has been ballroom trained but seems to be featured the least this season.

I wouldn't be surprised if using the troupe girls (Jenna & Hayley) cost less than paying a Karina for the week, since they'd be being payed for the week anyway. Whoever was chosen also apparently had to be ready to be shipped of to Florida to train at Antonio's house, which also could have been a factor.

That said, I like Hayley. I find her striking (my eye always gets drawn to her - could just be that the dark hair doe eye thing is just visually different than the other dancers, but to my untrained eye I like her dancing, and extension.) She seems to be doing her homework -- from social media things she looked to have been training with Sasha in the offseason. I can appreciate people who are expanding their skillset. From Antonio's snapchat, they seem to be looking good. I'm willing to give her a shot in this. I don't think she's ready for pro, but like I said, I don't necessarily think that's where they're headed. 

[RedFiat]

15 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

Paige has been Mark's first talented partner in a while who absolutely goes for it in the Latin, only Sabrina has really been a Latin match for him.

Well even if Paige goes for it in Latin,  Sabrina left early both seasons she was on so at least Paige has outlasted her as a contestant. What I like about Paige in addition to the force she is in Latin is her understanding of contemporary movement (Austin Power Jazz was exceptional) and the mixing of lyrical contemporary in the V Waltz, combined with her very strong ballroom line so that we knew even though there were moments that had to be frozen she was able to continue the motion of Waltz. Also, That Disney Toy Story Quickstep is one of the best I've seen from a female contestant.  She truly is the type of contestant who can interpret the music and the feeling of the dance, as well as execute the kind of movement that was the reason they brought Mark, Derek and Julianne in in the first place. 

If they do get to the final 3 (one can hope) then I want Mark to choreograph a great Rumba for her as the re-do dance to improve the score. She is so capable of it. 

Edited May 11, 2016 by RedFiat

[crowceilidh]

"Hip hip chin chin" as choreographed by Dmitri Chaplin and danced by Lacey Schwimmer and the amazing Danny Tidwell, is hands down the sexiest dance I've ever seen.  It'll be interesting if they reference it choreographically at all.

Starts about 37 seconds in:

 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Mine too. But then again, I was always drawn to Hayley during her SYTYCD run. She's a magnetic dancer who would stand out amongst a sea of blondes and Sharna's artificial red hair.

Whatever DWTS's current plan is, they generally have to fill 6 female pro slots (sometimes just 5) and generally speaking a troupe slot is a good stepping stone to a full pro spot later on. I guess I'd say that Peta/Sharna/Witney are solidly in the rotation, Lindsay is rapidly moving in that direction, Allison and Emma sat out this season but are still in the mix, and then Karina is still around (although I'm not sure for how much longer). Edyta or Anna T. are out of the regular rotation but on call for special circumstances a la Geraldo or the Busey. After that the pecking order is probably Hayley and Jenna in some order. Will either get a spot in the next couple seasons? It wouldn't shock me, that's all I'll say.

crowceilidh, my brain immediately went to that performance when I saw Hip Hip Chin Chin. I think Mark and Paige could absolutely crush that next week!

[RedFiat]

It was sexy, and very well done for a good ballroom dancer and an exceptional ballet dancer.  Dmitri would no doubt got the idea from latin champs Max Kozhevnikov and Yulia Zagoruychenko who after winning Blackpool took everyone to school. (2006) Even the costume on Yulia has been re-cycled a lot on DWTS  

[calipiano81]

Mark already used "Hip Hip Chin Chin" for his samba with Chelsea Kane in Season 12. 

 

I wonder if it is hard to get certain choreographic ideas out of your head once you've already used the song previously for the same dance style.

Edited May 11, 2016 by calipiano81

[skyways]

Mark ran out of ideas at the end of that routine with Chelsea Kane. I hope that won't be the case here. I truly don't recall Mark getting great Samba scores with ANY of his partners including the ones he won with. That along with rumba is usually the stumbling block for the ladies no matter their talent level.

[RedFiat]

6 minutes ago, RedFiat said:

• And Derek used it for Brooke Burke for their Samba.   I think since its a Trio it will be different.  Also,

 Paige is a very different dancer from Chelsea Kane.  Mark put Chelsea in Yulia's costume to try and get some rhythm in the hips. But I think he will take a different approach with Paige.  I think Paige could tackle the Lacey femme fatale role with 2 guys very nicely.  I'm looking for a lot of fun from this trio.

[calipiano81]

23 minutes ago, skyways said:

Mark ran out of ideas at the end of that routine with Chelsea Kane. I hope that won't be the case here. I truly don't recall Mark getting great Samba scores with ANY of his partners including the ones he won with. That along with rumba is usually the stumbling block for the ladies no matter their talent level.

The Chelsea samba above got a 29. (Though I much preferred their earlier "Party in the USA" samba they did in Week 5 of that season--in fact, my favorite Mark samba to date). He also got 29 for Katherine's and Aly's (2nd) sambas and then a 28 for Sadie's Duck Dynasty samba.

However, I must admit, IMO samba is Mark's weakest dance (I say that as a Mark loyalist from the beginning of his tenure). Hopefully, Paige will inspire him.

Edited May 11, 2016 by calipiano81

[RedFiat]

With all due credit, Mark's best partners, with the exception of perhaps Sabrina have not been Latin firecrackers.  And Sabrina went home before we saw a Samba performed by her with Mark.  You could probably say a similar thing about Valentin's Quicksteps, all very good, but none reaching a 30 for any of his contestants. Rumer didn't even do one. 

[Vinyasa]

Quote

Ginger is no Rumer.  While I think she's being pimped people will naturally make the comparison.

Exactly. I didn't know much about Rumer and just assumed she was some fast Hollywood kid. I really grew to like her very much and never found her annoying.

Ginger is another story.

[skyways]

Yes I want to see 30 for Mark's samba not 29 or 28. Only Mya, Melissa and Zendaya I recall having fully deserved perfect samba scores till date.

[RedFiat]

For me the best Samba is a tie Stacey Keibler excellent precise, rhythmical no gimmicks,  and Mya who just flat out danced Samba with amazing technique.  Zendaya was also very strong. I loved her Beyonce inspired Samba - even more than her re-do dance. 

[skyways]

Yes Stacy! How could I leave out that samba?

[katha]

I think Nyle is a lock for the finals, everyone else I'm not sure about. Antonio has Steeler Nation, but he wasn't that memorable,  Also not sure how much support he gets from the general audience beyond his fanbase. Hines was charming and appealing in a way IMO Antonio isn't. Ginger is getting the scoring and pimping, but how much is that translating? Wanya got the jeopardy thing, but he's stagnated a bit and wasn't that memorable this week. I feel that Mark did the right thing with the VW, take a risk and make it stand out as much as possible in a bid to get Paige votes that way. It's easy to get drowned out with a waltz. She's got Mark's fanbase voting for her as a foundation and then hopefully they as a dance pair have generated supporters (I'm seeing quite a bit on social media) and she needs some backing from the general audience. It's an uphill climb, but I don't think it's hopeless. At least I'd like to see a freestyle from them. But I have no idea who is going home between the four of them.

[mstar1125]

I agree that the VW as a dance style does not leave a big impression, and so the stars that get saddled with it later in the season are at a significant disadvantage. Am I remembering correctly, that in early seasons, every star was learning the same 1 or 2 dances each week? It seems like that format has been dropped, which I think is unfortunate for the stars. It would make more sense to me to be evaluating everyone on the same dance rather than evaluating one star's waltz (boring dance style IMO) to another star's salsa or paso doble (my favorites, and more exciting dances to watch). It also seems like the producers could easily stack the deck in favor of or against certain stars based on the order in which they are assigned dances from week to week versus others' assignments. 

I agree with those who have said that Wanya has plateaued. I don't think he has plateaued in terms of his ability, I think he could push himself to do much better. It seems like he isn't putting the time in. He probably needs to put in more time than the remaining stars (he's older and less fit than everyone else), but seems to have a more demanding schedule than the remaining finalists. Which I don't get - if you agree to come on this show, why wouldn't you clear your calendar as much as possible? Or ask if you can defer to a later season when you aren't on tour? I suppose there is only interest in Wanya because he IS on tour and the producers want to strike while his fame is "hot" (I mean, is it really?).

The only thing I have to say about the trio lists is that we can expect a lot of shirtless beefcake from Val and Artem during the Paso. I'm in. 

My predictions for final 3 are: Nyle, Paige, and Ginger. No way Wanya is making it with his fumble this week, and I don't think Antonio's Steeler Nation fan base is the same demographic as this show.   

[simplyme]

2 hours ago, mstar1125 said:

... and I don't think Antonio's Steeler Nation fan base is the same demographic as this show.   

While I agree that Steeler Nation, as a whole, is not watching the show, you may be underestimating the number of women in their 40s through 80s who are diehard Steelers fans.

In fact, in the Steelers market area, 34% of women identify as Steelers fans.  35% of men did.  Yeah... about even percentages.  Green Bay is the only other NFL team with more than 25% of women in their market area identifying as fans (at 28%).  And having once lived in Pittsburgh and worked with the public, I can tell you that from personal experience a lot of those fans are older women, and they are RABID.  (Or in the words of my friend who moved there from Florida, "What's with all the little old ladies in Steelers jerseys talking football in the grocery store?  They're scary.")

[scootypuffjr]

I live nearish Pittsburgh, and every time you go to "town", the streets and stores are littered with Steelers fans, of all ages and both sexes.  No matter what time of year it is, there are Steeler shirts, jerseys, hats, coats, you name it, everywhere you go.  I am a fan myself.

I voted for AB the first few weeks, just on the basis that he was a Steeler and on potential.  The man is absolute magic on the field, very smooth; he and Big Ben achieve the impossible on a fairly regular basis.  I assumed that would translate onto the dance floor, but it hasn't.  He lacks the charm and charisma of Hines, not to mention the work ethic, at least as far as DWTS is concerned.   It's true that AB's put in more effort in the last couple of weeks, but for me it's too little, too late.  I won't be voting for him again, not unless he truly earns it.  The others are too strong and are working too hard to justify giving them to AB just because of the team he plays for.  I'm only one person, but perhaps I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Eta that I'm not quite a little old lady yet, though maybe I'm just fooling myself.  Also to add I'd like to see Nyle, Paige and Wanye as the last three standing, though I'd be kind of surprised if that's the way it works out.

Edited May 12, 2016 by scootypuffjr
Spelling

[simplyme]

I doubt you're the only one who feels that way, scootypuffjr.  Had I been watching DWTS at the time, I probably would have voted for Hines Ward.  AB?  I'll cheer for him on the field, but I don't think he's earned the finals here.  (I am a Bills fan first, then a Steelers fan, and I didn't vote for Doug either.)

[mstar1125]

20 hours ago, simplyme said:

While I agree that Steeler Nation, as a whole, is not watching the show, you may be underestimating the number of women in their 40s through 80s who are diehard Steelers fans.

 

20 hours ago, scootypuffjr said:

I live nearish Pittsburgh, and every time you go to "town", the streets and stores are littered with Steelers fans, of all ages and both sexes.  No matter what time of year it is, there are Steeler shirts, jerseys, hats, coats, you name it, everywhere you go.  I am a fan myself.

Ah, see, but I was never saying that women cannot be Steelers fans, only that women who are Steelers fans may not also be women who are fans of DWTS. Of course, there will be some women who are fans of both, just as there are probably (fewer) male Steelers fans who have a soft spot for DWTS, but I'm not sure that the intersection of the two fan bases is enough to get Antonio to the finals. Because he's just not that good. He also hasn't been getting a great edit, which means he probably isn't getting too many non-Steeler fan DWTS watchers voting for him. 

Hines Ward, in contrast, ended up being a decent dancer and was charismatic. He also benefited from his partnership with Kym, who knows how to bring out the talent in her partners (if you look at her numbers, she got really far with a lot of people who probably should have been eliminated within the first few weeks). I doubt the Steelers fan base had much to do with his win. 

[RedFiat]

Really?  Well my take is slightly different. When Hines joined the cast he was super quiet, there wasn't a big buzz about him, except that he was another footballer, he had been an MVP which is a big deal in football, but then so is Von. The difference was the Steelers had just lost the  2011 Superbowl to Green Bay and were looking for redemption. So Hines was more focussed to win the thing.  Looking back on when he was introduced for the first time, it was very interesting. Polite applause for Hines, but the audience went wild  for his opponents. It was all about Kirstie  Alley and to a lesser extent Ralph Macchio. Those two came out the first night like gang busters  and it seemed like they were the ones to beat.  But Hines had a strategy, to stay in the top 3 every week. If he could do that he would have a shot.  

Hines didn't get the big scores initially, but he kept working and turning on the charisma, and Pittsburgh was getting daily updates on Hines' progress through the news media. Two news papers and the local ABC station tracked him. When he said he and Kym were going to go to Pittsburgh to go to a dinner and train for week 4 it was an event. Hines and Kym were seen everywhere, something like when she and Robert were on the show, but although they got along really well, were the same age, they had cultural differences. After he won they had a big rally in the downtown core of Pittsburgh where he and Kym were the guest of honor.      

He worked the audience, he made sure the terrible towels were waved by everyone, including himself, and not just Steeler fans, during week 3, his most memorable week.

He brought out a whole defensive line of his team mates during week 4 - Paso week, along with some legends like Franco Harris, later he had Lynn Swan on who talked about his ballet training and how dance was a great way for football players to  keep agile and stay in shape. .  

He wore the Black and Gold for week 3, week 4, and his Freestyle.  Any chance he could get to wear the colors he would ask Kym to make it happen.  Even the Freestyle was about the Drumline at a football game, anything to involve Football fans in his dance journey.  

His win was all about his Steelers and the Steelers Fans. No other Football player put that much effort into aligning themselves with their team. Usually there might be a dance dedicated to a team, but not the entire season.  

Interestingly enough, he thought for sure Kirstie had won because everyone in LA were all for her. But in the end  the camera panned on Pittsburgh to a theatre where at least a 2-3 thousand fans were watching and voting. All in black and gold, of course.

I remember it all like it was yesterday. It was one of my favorite seasons because not only did I grow to appreciate how good Kym is as a teacher,  it was a total focus from the Steelers to Hines. That kind of undying support would not let him down.   

I just don't see Antonio really working his fanbase the way Hines Ward did.  Nor did Antonio work to stay in the top 3, he has been a lower scorer for much of the season and so there isn't the same will to click a vote for him.. 

Edited May 13, 2016 by RedFiat

[boyznkatz]

I've noticed that the Pittsburgh news media outlets are really talking about Antonio a lot, whereas the Denver media didn't seem as excited about Von being on the show. I think that has a lot to do with Antonio still being here and Von being gone. It's up to Antonio to take advantage of it, but I wouldn't be that surprised if he snuck into the top three. I do think the Steelers fans are far more invested than the Broncos fans for Von or the Patriots fans for Doug.

[RedFiat]

3 minutes ago, boyznkatz said:

I've noticed that the Pittsburgh news media outlets are really talking about Antonio a lot, whereas the Denver media didn't seem as excited about Von being on the show. I think that has a lot to do with Antonio still being here and Von being gone. It's up to Antonio to take advantage of it, but I wouldn't be that surprised if he snuck into the top three. I do think the Steelers fans are far more invested than the Broncos fans for Von or the Patriots fans for Doug.

I also think even the Steeler fans prefer someone that is striving to be on top of the leader board. Hines did get some good early scores that put him there, Antonio has yet to do that. 

[simplyme]

3 hours ago, mstar1125 said:

Ah, see, but I was never saying that women cannot be Steelers fans, only that women who are Steelers fans may not also be women who are fans of DWTS. Of course, there will be some women who are fans of both, just as there are probably (fewer) male Steelers fans who have a soft spot for DWTS, but I'm not sure that the intersection of the two fan bases is enough to get Antonio to the finals. Because he's just not that good. He also hasn't been getting a great edit, which means he probably isn't getting too many non-Steeler fan DWTS watchers voting for him. 

What I intended (and failed, oops) to get across is that it's a larger intersection than you think.  I worked in a public library near Pittsburgh, staffed largely by women over 50.  HUGE Steelers fans and they also watched DWTS.  A lot of our patrons did too.  That's anecdotal rather than statistical information, but it was why I posted.

Now... whether or not Antonio has actually rallied enough of Steeler nation is questionable, because large sections of it are conservative, blue collar workers and his lack of dedication and sloppy early dancing may have turned them off voting for him.  (I also no longer live near the Burgh, so no idea on public sentiment there now.)

But essentially I disagreed with the premise that Steeler nation demographics and DWTS demographics don't have significant overlap.  :)

[boyznkatz]

16 minutes ago, RedFiat said:

I also think even the Steeler fans prefer someone that is striving to be on top of the leader board. Hines did get some good early scores that put him there, Antonio has yet to do that. 

I agree, but I wouldn't say that Antonio isn't striving to be on top of the leader board. I think he does want to win, although he isn't as talented as Hines. I guess I'm in the minority though in that I sort of like him. He seems a bit immature, but I do think he cares about winning and doing well.

And yes, Kym was a terrific teacher and motivator. I'm not that impressed with Sharna, but I'm probably in the minority there as well.

Edited May 13, 2016 by boyznkatz

[ClareWalks]

Hines Ward is an unstoppable motivation machine. Everything he does, he wants to do well, and he is very willing to put himself out there and do INSANE shit just to show he can. Google "Hines Ward Ironman" and see what I mean. The guy is dedicated, and got not only Steeler Nation but casual viewers to like him. AB didn't show the same drive from day one, and though he has shown more of it in the last couple weeks, it might be too little too late. I think that might turn off the voters a bit, even those who are die-hard Steelers fans. 

And I gotta say, I am from northern WI and I married a Pittsburgh man, and having spent lots of time in both places, there is NOTHING like Pittsburgh football fandom. It is legit terrifying. Green Bay might be a football mecca, but you never get the sense that there would be violent riots in the streets if GB lost a big game, the way you do in Pittsburgh ;) Packers fans tend to be a "happier" and more casual bunch. Although it's not surprising that Donald Driver won his season, since I am 100% sure that Packers fans and DWTS fans overlap a lot.

[RedFiat]

If Antonio makes the finals it's because the Steeler Nation has got out the vote.  But I am reminded that really this season is mediocre in terms of ratings. Season 12 was the highest rated DWTS ever, because of the two front runners,  Kirstie and Hines.  When I read the DWTS facebook page back then it was all about Hines getting to the finale.

Now, in the comments its much more about Nyle and surprisingly the hope for Paige to make it.  I am hopeful, but the show hasn't made it easy for her. 

[spartanman25]

I don't get all of the Ginger hate in this forum.  I am not a trained dancer, but she seems great to me.  I get that they laid on the new mother bit too much at first.  Besides that, she is very pleasant and gorgeous to look at.  Her husband is dorky, but that should not count against her.

[Uke]

3 hours ago, spartanman25 said:

I don't get all of the Ginger hate in this forum.  I am not a trained dancer, but she seems great to me.  I get that they laid on the new mother bit too much at first.  Besides that, she is very pleasant and gorgeous to look at.  Her husband is dorky, but that should not count against her.

I haven't seen anyone "hating" on Ginger here but I think many see her as being highly over-scored and over-praised.  If she was a meterologist on any other network, I don't think she'd still be in competition.  Her performances so far have only shown a competence in dancing, yet we know she has a lot of prior dance experience via college dance teams.  It seems like either she's holding back or she and Val are playing this extremely safe to this point.  I think many seem to like Ginger or at least find her fairly harmless but IMO she doesn't belong in the finals.