S23.E02: Week 2: TV Theme Songs

[OnceSane]

Quote

The second week of performances features the contestants dancing to TV theme songs.

[vavera4ka]

typing as i'm watching

Artem & Maureen were so adorable. I LOVE quickstep I remember Artem doing it on SYTYCD and it was a breath of fresh air then, and he is still the top pro when it comes to those suave classy dances.

Gleb and Jana sorry i can't warm up to them. meh. i should commend her for dancing through pain i guess...

Rick & Emma. did i mention i LOVE quickstep lol it made me like Rick perry lol also i really appreciate seeing someone trying their hardest and he looks like he gives it all. I respect that.

Calvin & Lindsay he is so charming, a bit awkward on his feet

Amber & Max it's a disconnect for me. two strong characters trying to do flowy dance but coming off too clunky and choppy...

Jake & Jenna he is so not on the beat lol is he old enough to act like a douchy frat boy?

Vanilla Ice & Whitney he cleans up nicely lol but the whole thing was awkward. love the energy and enthusiasm.

Terra & Sasha very cute, but them in frame look a bit awkward lol "Universal Dick" lmao. Tom, you walked right into this one, Sasha beat you at your own game lol

Babyface & Allison that was pretty hot. i liked how the band Kenny! "argentinized" the X-Files theme. I wish the dance was more covering, not just a little spot in the middle of the floor

Laurie & Val too awesome! so much fun, character. i just can't with her. it WAS funny how she outperformed Val and he was the one breathing hard in the end lol olympic gymnasts are tough like that lol

James & Sharna sorry... didn't get it didn't like it. it was weird and not very ballroom-y... more like a group dance for some concert show.

Marilu & Derek elevator music... that's all i got...

Ryan & Cheryl it was ok. he doesn't have enough freedom in his expressions for quickstep i think. posture was bad... package kinda made me feel sorry for him... kinda.

[susannot]

TV theme music exceedingly cheesy.  The two pairs who danced to Game of Thrones fared best because the music is dramatic rather than lame.  Best dancers IMO were Marilu and James.

[McManda]

I'm going to be honest, I could watch a whole episode of Artem. I don't know, I really like him as a dancer (he's interesting but not too edgy) and as a partner.

What's up with Dennis's bleached blonde hair? I mean, it reminds me of my highschool days when the men's swim team would bleach their hair, but okay. But with a not bleached beard? ... yeah, not a fan. Also, I miss Shannon. 

"I Don't Wanna Be" for a ballroom tango? Um ... okay. I think that was just a ploy to get Gavin DeGraw back to sing. And Jana's already injured? On week 2? She's got a long road ahead of her. How many painkillers was she pumped with to have Gleb whip her around like that? 

Man, Calvin is a big guy. All I could think about was how far Lindsay had to stretch to meet his frame. And she had some massive heels on. Wow. I'm ashamed to say even though he was on my fantasy team last year, I know nothing about him, but I really like his personality.

Maks is nothing if not original. Oh ... wait. There are other characters on GoT outside of Drogo and Dany! I think I liked Corbin and Karina's version better, because mostly I was bored by their dance, but Maks makes a better Drogo.

James might be my favorite. I don't know, something about Laurie just doesn't click with me. Anyway, James's stiffness might have been better served if he was playing the role of a zombie, but eh. If that's what he can do in two days I'll be interested to see what he can do with more time. 

Unpopular opinion, but I like Ryan as a competitor on DWTS. I understand why they went after him, he's silly enough embrace that he's on a reality dance show but dedicated enough to show up and put in the work so it looks less than awful, plus he's got a side of the (frat)boy-next-door vibe. He's not the greatest dancer, but there's potential there and I see why DWTS wanted it. Not sure he was 6s worthy, but whatever. It's too bad his time on the show is only going to be remembered as a maybe-failed redemption tour for bad behavior.
 

Edited September 20, 2016 by McManda
line spacing is hard

[HappyDancex2]

I would have thought this was Laurie Hernandez's to lose but Derek always manages to sneak in and capture a moment in time like no other.  Since remedial ballroom steps are generally what we are seeing the ability to create that routine just gets more important each season.  That's what makes Derek so dangerous.  If he wins with the old lady, the Internet will explode lol.

who styled the judges tonight?  Julienne looked horrible...hair bad, blue makeup, wide spaced chest cavity...CAI was greasy.  Fire them immediately.

Thought Tera killed it.  Good for her.

tired of Ryan lochte.

[Uke]

Week 2 and first night jitters seem to have vanished...for most...

Maureen: much more relaxed tonight, a bit slow but more importantly, I didn't see any obvious errors, a wide space between her and Artem, but definite improvement. Scores were fair (though Maureen looked disappointed at the 6s).

Jana:  I didn't care for this. All very "by the numbers", no passion for a Tango, all very boxy looking. Part of it was no doubt due to her pain, but I think it was also the choreography.  I disagree with the 8. All 7s would have been plenty.

What's with all the rib injuries on this show (reminded of past seasons from Jana talking tonight).  Are the women just too thin? Or are some of the male pros just too harsh?

Rick:  Ok, he made me laugh. Was that the slowest "quickstep" ever?  But he was clearly having fun.  Super-simplified choreography but no obvious errors and pretty much kept time to the music. I like how he doesn't mind being silly.  The 5s were a little harsh. I would've gone with all 6s.

Calvin: Cute, improved posture but I think he can still straighten out a bit more, surprisingly light on his feet.  Scores were fair.

Is Julienne wearing a bathing suit bikini top? That's one wide, deep V.

Amber:  Interesting but it lacked the flair, good concept but lacked oomph.  The VW should have some flow and elegance to the movement even with a GOT theme.  Amber looks a bit shaken (before the scores).  Scores were fair-ish but I'd really have to re-watch to decide.

Jake:  I've never seen "Go Diego Go" but I thought it was a kid's show.  Sooooo Jenna decided to sex it up?  That's what I was wondering instead of really paying attention to the dance.  The timing seemed off and there was a glaring synch error.  Scores were more than enough. I might have thrown in a 5.  I didn't like this dance at all.  Maybe they were hoping Jake/Jenna would be a cute couple, but I think he needs a better pro.

Vanilla Ice:  He wasn't given much to do. I got the impression Witney focused more her own character and choreo. What was that jump and 'umpire "safe" ' move?  This just didn't work for me.  Not sure what the 7s were for. All 6s would have been fine.

Terra:  Kudos to Sasha - This came off pretty good.  Her footwork was messy but I think that's from her needing more steps to keep up, even with Sasha's short gait.  Scores too high, all 7s, maybe one 8 would have been plenty.

Babyface:  The whole dance seemed to be Allison.  He just didn't do much.  I also object to the dark outfits on a dark stage.  Maybe it shows better in person but on tv, not so much.  Seems like a tongue-bath from the judges.  The 8s were too high. All 7s would have been more than generous. But I suspect Erin just let on about the reason for the over-praise: the celebs in the audience.

Laurie:  Timing was off at the beginning, she was a full beat ahead of the 2 female troupers but she settled down mostly once she got to Val - though of course none of the judges mentioned it. I was expecting someone would pop a 9 (thankfully not) so I guess 8s are fair. 

James:  He seemed to pick up some of the stiff zombie movement instead of the slayer movement (not sure I'm explaining this well) but I liked this and he carried it off well.   Considering the other scores tonight, I would have gone with maybe three 8s.

Marilu:  It must get very confusing for Derek's partners watching him try to think up choreography.  Alot of repeated moves and a stumble that they even replayed but of course no one mentioned.  I didn't think the choreo deserved a special mention from Len, but whatever.  The 7s were fair, the 8 was too much. Also, there were rumors of Marilu and Derek fighting behind the scenes. GossipCop refuted the stories based on Derek's instagram posting (?!?) so it was interesting watching them play up their chemistry (I guess to further beat down the rumors) while talking w/Erin.

Ryan: Cute but seemed shorter than the other dances.  He kept up well and seemed to enjoy it. I'd like to see a little more sharpness in his movement and a firmer frame.  Not sure if it was the ill-fitting outfit but it made his posture look a little funky.  6s were too low. I would have gone with all 7s.

[susannot]

2 minutes ago, McManda said:

 Maks makes a better Drogo.

 

Maks was an incredibly sexy Drogo, even though I have never watched Game of Thrones and only know something about it from Dancing With The Stars.  Can anyone do a dance from Breaking Bad,one of my all time favorite TV shows?

[McManda]

Quote

Jake:  I've never seen "Go Diego Go" but I thought it was a kid's show.  Sooooo Jenna decided to sex it up?  That's what I was wondering instead of really paying attention to the dance.

It is. A spinoff of Dora, the Explorer, yes? So of course it's supposed to be sexy. /sarcasm

Quote

What was that jump and 'umpire "safe" ' move? 

Is that not a bit from the opening credits of Married, With Children? I don't know for sure though, I wasn't allowed to watch it when I was a kid. 

[HappyDancex2]

1 minute ago, susannot said:

Maks was an incredibly sexy Drogo, even though I have never watched Game of Thrones and only know something about it from Dancing With The Stars.  Can anyone do a dance from Breaking Bad,one of my all time favorite TV shows?

They did do one from breaking bad already.  Search for it on YouTube.

[mtlchick]

Dammit Laurie.  Now I have Ducktales in my head and it will not escape me for WEEKS. 

[Vinyasa]

Maureen deserved better scores. The 6's were just wrong.  The back up dancers need to go away.

Why did Amber get to dance in the dark and in smoke? Couldn't even see how she was dancing.  The all should dance in the same lighting.

No way did Terra deserve 8s.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Vinyasa

[bantering]

I don't have the expertise to know  if Ryan Lochte was good, but he seemed to have more content foot-wise in his steps. Some of the other guys like Jake Austin and Vanilla Ice didn't seem to do as much with their feet.

Jake Austin in particular is so boring even by "I have no idea who this celebrity is" standards.

I'm kind of surprised at how dull Amber Rose seems to be as a dancer. I guess I was expecting her to be better.

Edited September 20, 2016 by bantering

[susannot]

Ryan: Cute but seemed shorter than the other dances.  He kept up well and seemed to enjoy it. I'd like to see a little more sharpness in his movement and a firmer frame.  Not sure if it was the ill-fitting outfit but it made his posture look a little funky.  6s were too low. I would have gone with all 7s.

Quote

 

Whoever is dressing Ryan is falling down on the job.  That sparkly green tuxedo--NOT.  He has a killer bod and we want to see it, dammit!

[legaleagle53]

Just now, susannot said:

Ryan: Cute but seemed shorter than the other dances.  He kept up well and seemed to enjoy it. I'd like to see a little more sharpness in his movement and a firmer frame.  Not sure if it was the ill-fitting outfit but it made his posture look a little funky.  6s were too low. I would have gone with all 7s.

Whoever is dressing Ryan is falling down on the job.  That sparkly green tuxedo--NOT.  He has a killer bod and we want to see it, dammit!

Patience, grasshopper.  That type of sexy belongs in the Latin dances, not in Ballroom.  Ballroom requires elegant and suave, not down and dirty.

[susannot]

10 minutes ago, HappyDancex2 said:

They did do one from breaking bad already.  Search for it on YouTube.

I just watched it.  Thanks!  As a dance,it wasn't great. But as Mark was apparently obsessed with the show, like me, I loved it.

[Vinyasa]

The three judges giving comments needs to stop! It makes no sense to give a score with no comments. UGH

Either have three judges and get rid of Julianne  OR have a time limit on all four judges and stop the endless rambling.

[crowceilidh]

I was really really impressed by Derek's choreo for that music.  I couldn't even begin to imagine how one would make that music sound dance-y, instead of "cool '70s elevator".  I am not even remotely a Derek fan, but his choreo won the night for me. 

Because I know so few of these stars (this applies to any season fairly equally), it's always interesting at the beginning to watch who I'm starting to pull for.  I'd say Calvin is winning me so far and I have never ever heard of him, comic book football name or real name.

[corgi]

I really liked James in the Walking Dead dance. I wasn't really listening to the show but I think they said he didn't get a lot of practice in so I thought he did very well considering the circumstances.   It's early yet but  like him and Laurie at this point (surprising 'cause I'm like Lou Grant over here - I hate spunky).

I also liked Calvin and Marilu. I also wish she danced better 'cause I just like Amber Rose for some reason, so hopefully she'll get better as the show progresses.

[PBGamer89]

Jana and Laurie stood out the most to me.

-Jana would've been spectacular in that if she could've given it 100% of her being. Her lines and legs are amazing. If she can perfect them, she's dangerous.

-Laurie was the best tonight, but likely won't be a dance I remember as much from her come season's end. It was a fun dance, but too Latins in a row for her I wanna see her ballroom chops.

-James was good, but I suspect Latin will continue to be his weak point. 

-Proud of Maureen for her improvement and Terra as well, Both pulled off respectable Quicksteps.

-Clearly TPTB gave Ryan the pimp spot for drama only cause dance wise it was fairly weak. They did everything but light up a sign that says "Vote for Ryan because we want drama and ratings".

Babyface and Calvin were the most forgettable to me, both dances faded from my memory as we speak.

[CraftyHazel]

I will confess that I know next to nothing about dance, I only know what makes me smile or sigh contentedly. Having said that, I loved Maureen, Calvin, and Laurie.  That's all I got...

[vavera4ka]

28 minutes ago, susannot said:

 

Whoever is dressing Ryan is falling down on the job.  That sparkly green tuxedo--NOT.  He has a killer bod and we want to see it, dammit!

i thought they did a good job with white suite last time. In the pose parts of the dance he looked very long and elegant.

[sinycalone]

Uke -- pretty much agree on every point you made.

They should have called out the mistakes by Laurie and Marilu (not just showed one in replay).  Their scores were too high.

I'm loving James and Calvin.

Edited September 20, 2016 by sinycalone

[PhD-Purgatory15]

And we're off, with Maureen's frozen expression. I think had she gone in the back half of the order at least one (maybe two) of those 6's might've been bumped up to a 7. She's competent, but I just don't see where the dynamism is ever really going to kick in.

Jana's injured already. Great. One of the more promising dancers in the entire cast is already hobbled and behind the eight ball. I think the injury limited practice time they had was evident. She didn't (or couldn't) really get the dance locked into where her performance qualities could take over. It was very point to point, and didn't have a nice flow.

Rick...skipped.

Calvin is still a giant, and still having a giant ball of fun with Lindsay. This dance reminded me of Von a little bit. He's got the personality, but something about some of his movements are like he's been extremely delicate (maybe to try and synch up with Lindsay). He's still got a lot of potential and isn't going anywhere for a long while.

Amber just has no fluidity or ease of movement. That waltz seemed very shuffle step heavy. I didn't think Maks's choreo was very inventive either.

Jake and Jenna mis-connected a lot. Especially at the end of the routine, that was a fail for sure. For a split second, in the pre-dance package when he busted out the Diego voice he was almost likable. And then.....when Jenna decided to sexify the dance, not so much. I'm a little more convinced that they are probably out the door tomorrow night.

Terra.....kudos to Sasha for figuring something out in regards to a dance hold. Way better than I expected. As someone who I had no previous experience with before DWTS, she's a mildly pleasant surprise two weeks in.

Babyface....I'm not sure his herky jerky, staccato movements was actually exactly what they were going for....but given Allison's choreo and the green rave lights and the X Files theme song, somehow it all sort of worked. Very Weird.

Laurie...it felt a little too close to her dance last week (and was scored identically). Something about her outfit took away her neck from behind and in profile. She's still the most gifted dancer by a wide margin, but I'm waiting to see a dramatic contemporary or a more sensual (eyes partially obscured by my fingers) type of latin dance to anoint her just yet.

Vanilla.....pretty good. The quality of his movement matched up pretty well with the choreo and the song. He's got a nice ease of movement, but maybe doesn't quite have the fine details (and I'm not sure Witney's really the pro to smooth those issues out the best). Still another pleasant surprise two weeks in. He genuinely seems to be soaking up the experience too.

James....schedule wise this was the week that he just needed to survive. Still not sure he'll wow in the latin dances, but he can do strength and the dances with more rigid postures for sure.

Marilu.....eh, if it was anyone other than Derek she'd be getting lost in the shuffle.

Ryan....Nope. Not even with the Muppets theme.

I'll say Jake and Babyface are the final two in danger (maybe they'll throw Ryan in there too, because they are DWTS)...w/ Jake going home.

Edited September 20, 2016 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Riplet68]

The pro in the Diego go dance had very unfortunate placement of the black shiny fringe. I don't like the guy anyway, but her swaying black fringe in the va-jay jay area totally distracted me. All I kept thinking was someone needed to get her a razor and a pair of scissors!

to me, this was allisons vest choreographed dance (with the POTC one).  She wasn't all flighty and the movements were way tighter than usual. 

The lityle person is a really good dancer. I also like vanilla ices attitude he has changed a lot since the early 90s. 

[LotusFlower]

8 minutes ago, Riplet68 said:

The pro in the Diego go dance had very unfortunate placement of the black shiny fringe. I don't like the guy anyway, but her swaying black fringe in the va-jay jay area totally distracted me. All I kept thinking was someone needed to get her a razor and a pair of scissors!

Glad you said it so I didn't have to!  Man, that was an unfortunate wardrobe choice.  Esp. since the rest of the costume was nude-ish.

Re: Jana and her injury - I don't get the reasoning behind using the video package to inform everyone about an injury, and then lying and saying she's fine after the dance when she's still dealing with it.

[crowceilidh]

Also, Derek managed to remind me of Jeff Conaway whom I found pretty darn attractive from 1978 to 1985 or so....  It's a rare thing for me to find Derek attractive.

Edited September 20, 2016 by crowceilidh

[backformore]

Quote

 

The pro in the Diego go dance had very unfortunate placement of the black shiny fringe. I don't like the guy anyway, but her swaying black fringe in the va-jay jay area totally distracted me. All I kept thinking was someone needed to get her a razor and a pair of scissors!

Glad you said it so I didn't have to!  Man, that was an unfortunate wardrobe choice.  Esp. since the rest of the costume was nude-ish.

 

Um - Yeah.  She looked nude, with a hairy butt and a fringe of pubic hair.   VERY weird.

[Primetimer]

Or should that be 'the dancing dead'?

View the full article

[McManda]

@PreviouslyTV Regrettably (for me, at least) there was no Artem involved in Terra and Sasha's dance. The blurb about their dance is ... confusing at best.

Edited September 20, 2016 by McManda

[sinkwriter]

I thought everyone did a nice job this week. Even the ones that were just okay seemed to do better than last week's routines, so I was fairly entertained throughout. Favorites: James & Sharna, Laurie & Val, Marilu & Derek (what a tough song to dance to!), and -- admittedly I'm totally biased on this one because of The X-Files -- Babyface & Allison.

[Emily-D]

I thought Terra was overscored tonight. Part of me wonders if she was in the bottom two in votes because that did not feel like an 8 dance to me. It doesn't look good for the network if the physically challenged person gets eliminated first after all.

[UncleChuck]

In the full article by "Previously TV"

Quote

Derek is dressed up like Bobby from Taxi and it just reminds me that I had such a crush on Jeff Conaway back in those days (of elementary school)

Sorry to be a nit-picker, but Derek was dressed as Reverend Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd).  If there is any doubt, just listen to Erin's interview after the dance.  Mari Lou references Derek as Rev Jim by name, and Derek makes the weird Rev Jim face. 

It would be difficult to have a "crush" on anyone who regularly made THAT face.

Edited September 20, 2016 by UncleChuck

[Callaphera]

2 hours ago, Riplet68 said:

The pro in the Diego go dance had very unfortunate placement of the black shiny fringe. I don't like the guy anyway, but her swaying black fringe in the va-jay jay area totally distracted me. All I kept thinking was someone needed to get her a razor and a pair of scissors!

Yeah, I was just coming here to comment on that. And because it was so much darker than the rest of the costume, it kept pulling my eye to it. It was... interesting.

I'm gonna be singing Duck Tales for the rest of the week, I have no doubt. 

Would it have killed Witney to do something about her blonde hair and wear a red wig or something to emulate Peg Bundy's hair? I like Witney, even if the way she spells her name drives me up a wall, but it seems like she hasn't had that same sparkle since she was paired with Alfonso Ribero. There's a vague stankface to her sometimes, and as a victim of Resting Bitch Face myself, I get it but she doesn't look like she's enjoying herself. Love me some V. Ice, though. He really seems to be enjoying himself, even if he has no idea what show he signed up to be on.

Allison is one of my favourite pro dancers, and I felt like this was one of her better routines. Damn! Those legs!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm surprised that Len didn't make any comments about all the arsing around and faffing about we're getting at the beginning of these routines.

Maureen looked like a totally different dancer this week. Her footwork was cleaner and she was much more confident. It was nice to see so much improvement. On the one hand, I wish her scores had reflected that more. On the other hand, I feel like ALL of the scores were too high last week. There were way too many 7s and 8s for the first week of competition to people who were really just average. I think anyone who gets an 8 in the first week should be really amazing. Anyway, it was also really sweet to hear Maureen and Florence talking about how much they still love each other after all these years. I also loooooove Artem. He has been awesome since S1 of SYTYCD and he's just gotten even better since then.

As always, I feel for anyone who gets injured doing this show. I think that Jana has potential. She is coordinated and decently flexible, but I agree with Julianne's comment about how she doesn't completely straighten her knee plus she just lets her foot hang instead of actively pointing. Her footwork in general looked a little sloppy. I don't know if that's because she was in pain or if she just doesn't pay attention to her feet in general.

Rick's Green Acres dance was much better than I thought it would be. He was not great last week so I thought that his quickstep would be stilted and messy. Compared to some of the male celebs we've seen shuffling their feet across the floor during quickstep, I thought he did pretty well. He lifted his feet so you could see the individual steps. I know that's setting the bar pretty low but after 20+ seasons of this show, I have really low expectations for quickstep performances.

Calvin's Urkel foxtrot was pretty good. I'm glad he understands that acting is necessary to sell the choreography.

Did DWTS take the camera guys from SYTYCD or are they deliberately trying to camouflage Amber Rose's ho hum dancing? We got all the tricks designed to hide a bad dancer's bad dancing: the spinny camera, closeups so we couldn't see footwork (plus all the smoke hiding her feet). I am okay with not working ballroom shoes for these routines, but you definitely need to practice in the shoes you're going to wear on tv from the beginning, whether that's ballroom shoes or boots or whatever. Man, the audience barely made a peep when the judges revealed her scores.

Jake's Diego dance was an improvement over last week. I was so distracted by Jenna's cat makeup, hair, and costume. It's so easy to rush when your adrenaline is pumping so I understand him being ahead of the music but he needs to just take a deep breath and relax a little bit.

Vanilla Ice's Married with Children foxtrot was good but not great. For someone who danced in his music videos, his footwork isn't very sharp. I wasn't sure how I would feel about him because he's been a dick in the past. I loathed when he got slapped with that lawsuit for "Ice Ice Baby" and he justified it by saying that the one extra noise made the musical phrase totally different and he therefore didn't steal that musical phrase. He also did a show at my college campus (and at a tiny pub, not a big venue) back when he was a has-been (before his "comeback" on Celebrity Boxing, The Surreal Life, The Vanilla Ice Project, etc) and he was pretty rude to the audience (berating them, telling them to fuck off, etc). He seems to have a good attitude now so maybe he's just happier with his life these days. I totally agree with Carrie Ann - no more lip synching.

Tara's I Dream of Jeannie quickstep was okay. Some of the footwork was passable and then some of it was messy. It's only the second week and it's obvious that she's getting the judges' collective tongue baths this season. Three 8s? Give me a break.

Babyface's X Files Argentine tango wasn't bad but it was forgettable as soon as it was over. He's decently coordinated but I think that being saddled with the X Files theme song did them no favors. But I loved that his reaction to getting two 8s is that he's going to try even harder next week.

What I love about Laurie is that she's coordinated so she can handle the choreography but she's also a performer. She had great energy and she looked like she was having so much fun. I am already tired of the weird comments though. A Disney Beyonce? Shut up, Julianne.

Erin was driving me crazy during her interview with James. Why does she ask a question and then interrupt before he has a chance to get a full sentence out? It's so annoying.

My main takeaway from Marilu's Taxi dance was that I want to give Derek a haircut.

Sorry, Lochte, I don't feel sorry for you AT ALL, even if you tell me how sad it made you to see your mom in tears after the protesters showed up. I don't care how many gold medals you've won. You trashed a gas station bathroom and then lied and said you were robbed at gunpoint to cover it up. THAT should make your mom cry more than some guy in a t-shirt with your name on it. I know that DWTS is supposed to rehab his image and damn if the show isn't playing along with that by giving him the pimp spot (when he is clearly not the best dancer) and replaying last week's incident to make Ryan seem like the victim. I wouldn't be surprised if the conspiracy theory that the protesters were plants intended to win sympathy for Ryan is true (despite the reports that the protesters somehow blame Ryan for their relative being arrested for selling fake tickets at the Olympics, which makes no sense to me). Also hilarious how last week they wouldn't show what was happening but this week they were like hey, let's show footage of this guy getting tackled and people rallying around Ryan and Derek telling the protesters that this is a positive show!

ETA: I still don't think that DWTS is the place to protest a douche like Ryan Lochte and I know he is not the worst person they've ever had on the show. But I also think that DWTS is milking this for every drop of drama possible which is gross.

Edited September 20, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[McManda]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Also hilarious how last week they wouldn't show what was happening but this week they were like hey, let's show footage of this guy getting tackled and people rallying around Ryan and Derek telling the protesters that this is a positive show!

I think that mostly has to do with the unpredictability of what was going on last week. They didn't show what was going on because if something bad went down and Ryan was stabbed or something, they can't undo that. So they focus elsewhere until they know that everything is okay, lest they end up with a Bud Dwyer situation. 

Now they know nothing happens except a guy getting tackled, so they show the footage. It's it for ratings, now, sure, but if it were solely for ratings they never would have cut away from the action last week. 

[TeeMo]

I was out last night and would normally save the whole two hour show to watch tonight but since we get a results show this week, I opted for just watching the dances on YouTube. Watched all the dances in under 15 minutes and saved myself an hour and 45 minutes of Erin's awkward questions and manufactured drama in the rehearsal packages. Why haven't I been watching this show this way for years? 

Anyway my favorites were Laurie, Maureen, Calvin and Terra. Jake and Jenna can pack up their sexy cartoon dance and go home tonight. 

[ChrisMcGraan]

I always just accept that TV Theme Night creates some odd dances as they need to work with whatever the theme song is. I do think almost everyone improved though from last week which is good. I do feel like a bit of a kill joy as no celeb is really grabbing me. I did like James, Calvin, Babyface, and Vanilla Ice is surprising me. Am I bad person for not jumping up and down about Laurie? She's definitely the most skilled dancer and she looks good out there (and I think it's almost a guarantee she's winning) but I just think the gymnast storyline is a bit outplayed on the show. The rest of the season feels fairly predictable to me but I'm hoping I get more into it as the weeks go on.

I think either Jake or Maureen will go tonight. I thought Maureen improved SO much from last week so I hope she sticks it out a little bit longer.

[Thadeeeyus]

My favorites this week were Calvin, Terra and Vanilla Ice.  I like Laurie a lot, but seeing as she was my favorite at the Olympics, I also feel like I know too much about her and won't be surprised by how well she dances.  

Jenna bugs. Sorry, Jake.  

[crowceilidh]

Now that they have said that Derek was doing Christopher Lloyd's character, I can see it in the clothes, but Jeff Conaway is who came to mind immediately with all that hair in his eyes.  And, despite the fact that Christopher Lloyd plays wonderful enough characters that I would totally crush on him himself in person, Jeff Conaway was dreamy at the time and he's who I was crushing on.

[RedFiat]

Hmmm.... well I caught the last few people beginning with Laurie, and it is pretty obvious that her gymnastics performance training is really helping her, but I have to say she is far more the performer than say Shawn Johnson was in her first season.   She is a likable little sprite, she is getting great edits. Interesting how smoker Valentin was out of breath and she wasn't.  Yeah she was ahead of the beat at the beginning but given all the choreo it seemed like she handled everything. 

I didn't hate the Zombie Paso guy, I thought he really showed promise. I thought the judges were a bit too harsh.  I did not see the earlier ones so no comment, but Marilu was meh,  and the one dancing with Jenna trying to reprise Move It was a bit of a mess.  Lochte wasn't terrible but I don't care about him that much.   I don't know if I'll bother much this season.  I may tune in to see Laurie and the Zombie Paso Guy.  I think if he gets some fans out there he could go a long way.  I wouldn't hate it if he gave the gymnast competition.   I also think the over done themes, like Bewitched and Game of Thrones and Muppets should be put out to pasture. These have been done before, and much better I still remember Helio and Julianne's Foxtrot,  Corban Blue's V Waltz and Aaron Carter's Quickstep...they are light years ahead of what we got last night. Putting the music back in the mix makes the contestants look like tired reruns, and that's a disservice to them.  The show has to realize that yes there are new fans, but there are also a lot of return fans who have seen it all before. 

Edited September 20, 2016 by RedFiat

[Runningwild]

11 hours ago, PreviouslyTV said:

Or should that be 'the dancing dead'?

View the full article

Derek was dressed up like Rev. Jim. 

[deemac]

It really bothered me that they got the characters from Game of Thrones mixed up.  (I've never watched it but saw the first book at the library and just finished it).

 

Everyone kept saying Cersei.....did I miss something with Cersei and Draqgo?    Does it show up in a later book, or the tv show?  

[STFUFrank]

11 minutes ago, deemac said:

It really bothered me that they got the characters from Game of Thrones mixed up.  (I've never watched it but saw the first book at the library and just finished it).

 

Everyone kept saying Cersei.....did I miss something with Cersei and Draqgo?    Does it show up in a later book, or the tv show?  

Drogo died in S1 on the show so it may have been an error on their part but I know Amber said Khaleesi in her rehearsal package. 

[Jeffurry]

Am I the only one who was disappointed that Jake didn't dance to the theme from "The Fosters?" I love that that ABC Family/Freeform show hasn't gotten so much as a mention.

I found Terra abrasive on her reality show but I'm loving her here.

[marriedaniac]

Did anyone catch Tom's "Joffrey... Ballet" pun after the Game of Thrones dance? Nice.

Vanilla Ice thinks he's the man in my avatar. uuuuggghhhhh

[jennifer6973]

Things of note:

 

My Eighth grade class sang the Brady Bunch theme better then the singers last night did (we got in trouble though, it was reading/quiet time and the teacher was out of the room)

I loved James' dance even though he had little practice time (that should clear up now)

Loved Maureen's dance

Loved Ryan's dance.  (If we judged everyone about their past we would have to start in the first season w/ Kelly)

I think I loved every dance last night.

[kitcloudkicker]

23 minutes ago, Jeffurry said:

Am I the only one who was disappointed that Jake didn't dance to the theme from "The Fosters?" I love that that ABC Family/Freeform show hasn't gotten so much as a mention.

Didn't he get unceremoniously and abruptly fired from that show? He probably doesn't want to bring it up.

[truthaboutluv]

35 minutes ago, kitcloudkicker said:

Didn't he get unceremoniously and abruptly fired from that show? He probably doesn't want to bring it up.

Yes he was and the character has since been recast with an equally mediocre actor but at least everyone in the cast and crew likes this guy. 

So after two weeks, it's official, I am completely and utterly bored and uninterested in this season. It's all just meh to me. There were a few decent moments but other than that, whatever. I guess it doesn't matter since I don't vote anyway. 

I continue to just adore Calvin. Yeah his technique is not perfect but big whoop. He looks like he's having a ball and he and Lindsay seem to really like and enjoy each other and that's enough for me. 

Other observations - way to be utterly unoriginal Maks. Like just because you're given Game of Thrones music, doesn't mean you literally have to dress as the characters, to the point of putting Amber in clunky boots that of course affected her movement. How exactly was Amber, who's already not the tallest woman and doesn't have the most perfect dancing feet, going to achieve the necessary rise and fall and heel leads of the Vienesse Waltz with those ugly things on?

James and Marilu were both underscored in my opinion, especially James, while Laurie was overscored. In Laurie's case, part of it was my not loving the choreography much, which in fairness is not on her and the other part was not feeling she did that much, especially with all the fuss over her dancing. It felt very run of the mill and average Jive to me. I thought Marilu executed a very classy, elegant and fairly technically proficient Foxtrot to a very, very weird song. 

The biggest WTF though was James' scores. I don't know what the judges were on about but I thought that was a pretty good Paso Doble, which stuck to the theme of movie night while still being a Paso. And I was really irritated with the Len bullshit script last night. As annoying as Mark could be, these were the times when he'd get irritated with Len that I would agree with. I hate when he just dismisses something as "not a Paso Doble" or whatever style it is, because there are other things happening. 

And fine, I understand his irritation if this were a regular week and Sharna for whatever reason decided to do some zombie apocalypse Paso but the fact is it was TV Night and EVERY pairing paid tribute in some way to their assigned show. So yeah, when Sharna and James get The Walking Dead, zombies are going to freaking show up. But fake zombies or not, there was plenty of Paso Doble in the dance and it's bullshit for Len to just dismiss it. Those scores were b.s. 

Meanwhile, I am so beyond over Bruno's dramatics and the grabbing and yelling - shut up and sit down. And I will require an explanation for why Julianne decided to apply to the school of Kim Kardashian, which is a school NO ONE should apply to, for her look last night. Between that lace cleavage baring thing, the "I just rolled out of bed or got laid" hair and street walker makeup...just no. 

Edited September 20, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[vavera4ka]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

What I love about Laurie is that she's coordinated so she can handle the choreography but she's also a performer. She had great energy and she looked like she was having so much fun. I am already tired of the weird comments though. A Disney Beyonce? Shut up, Julianne.

I can give a pass on Beyoncé because it's one of Laurie's nicknames - Baby Beyoncé (and Human Emoji, of course). Maybe Julianne was aware of that and referenced the existing nickname, as opposed to just randomly bringing in Beyoncé.

[crowceilidh]

I thought Babyface had horrible posture which the cameras and f/x tried, but failed, to conceal.