S23.E09: Week 6

[renatae]

Could not believe Terra saying anger "just wasn't her." Maybe they should have stuck a photo of Christie in front of her and she could have thrown utensils around during the dance. I do feel she is very over-rated on the show, although I have to give her kudos for the energy she exhibits. I'm finding it terrifically hard to believe that she had her C-Section just 3 weeks before starting this. I just don't understand how she can move like this so soon after surgery. Just hoping she doesn't manage to dehisce. As much as I dislike her, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

[renatae]

4 hours ago, Pickles said:

Does Ryan just stand there and Cheryl dances around him? Kind of seems like it.

There is something childlike about the way Ryan moves. His posture doesn't look good, and you can almost see on his face his internal voice saying, "This goes next, okay, now I do this." I like the guy okay, but it's painful for me to watch him dance. Reminds me of myself when I was 3, trying to remember the steps and keep up with everyone, LOL.

[BW Manilowe]

3 hours ago, McManda said:

I think what they share is that no one expected them to be as good a they are. Gilles was the naked guy in the Sex and the City movie ... that was it. James sits for a living (and couldn't walk 18 months ago). I wouldn't have high expectations for either of them. But both seem to be at ease moving their bodies.

What James can do that amazes me the most (and this goes for any male celeb on the show) is that he can finish his lines really well. I noticed it with Nick Carter, too, so maybe it's something Sharna drills  into her students, I don't know. But that makes a world of difference selling that "this guy is a dancer" instead of "this guy is dancing". Plus, James seems to be doing an amazing job picking things up in a very short amount of time. That bodes very well for when they get to two dances a week.

He's still my favorite celeb this season ... and quite possibly my favorite since Gilles (part 1, not all-star neurotic Gilles).

I'll cosign this sentiment ... I basically just want to watch Artem all the time. 

Bolding mine. Gilles was also the second husband of Rachel Griffiths' character on ABC's Brothers & Sisters a few years ago, & he has other credits besides that, the Sex and the City movie (which you at least imply is the only thing he's known for besides DWTS), & his 2 runs on DWTS.

[Mondayeve]

Quote

 I wonder if the bed and shower scene would play in the UK. 

The bed and shower scene would.not.play.at.all in the UK even if was on at midnight.  Nor would the scores.   That would have gotten at the most an 8 or a 9 from the UK judges. 

Actually most of the dances would have gotten 8's or possibly 9's and Ryan would have gotten a 4.

[sinkwriter]

Over the top, Gleb. Way too over the top. I think it would have been better if he'd done one or the other (the bed part OR the shower part) but doing both was way too much forcing of the "sexy." I prefer a much more natural sexy, like I think we see with Calvin and Lindsay or James and Sharna.

[spanana]

25 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

Bolding mine. Gilles was also the second husband of Rachel Griffiths' character on ABC's Brothers & Sisters a few years ago, & he has other credits besides that, the Sex and the City movie (which you at least imply is the only thing he's known for besides DWTS), & his 2 runs on DWTS.

I think calling Gilles the naked guy from Sex and the City is fair because that was his main role to date when he first did DWTS.  If I'm not mistaken, his role on Brothers & Sisters (and various other shows) came after his first run on DWTS.  If anything, Gilles is an example of someone who partly made a career based off his first DWTS experience.  Now that wouldn't be his qualifier, but it was during S8.

[crayonskies]

1 hour ago, crowceilidh said:

James is some kinda magical being.  How someone with no dance background and no acting background<?> can be so good.  It is NOT easy to pick up that minute and a half of movement at that level.

And they missed a day (or two?) of rehearsals because Sharna didn't make her flight, right? He's been my favorite this season since I saw his first dance, and I'm so impressed with how well he's learning and improving. I kind of get what Julianne said though about tonight's dance; I feel like I can see him thinking about the steps sometimes. I have no doubt Laurie is winning this season, but I hope James can make it to the finale. I just don't think he's getting the votes, but I hope he keeps getting good enough scores to make up for it to some degree and get him through to the finale.

My favorite dance of the night was Calvin and Lindsay's though. I thought the choreography was great, but I do think Calvin's execution was a bit short of a 10. When I was watching Laurie and Val dance, I actually wished they'd put the troupe in to raise the energy, because for some reason just the two of them wasn't cutting it for me. But I didn't have that feeling at all with Calvin and Lindsay; they captivated me. I would love to see Calvin in the finale as well.

[calipiano81]

I have been holding my tongue about James all these weeks since I subscribe to the idea of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," but it's getting increasingly frustrating for me. It's not that I have anything really bad to say about James, but to me, he is just all-around very average, whether it be technique, performance ability, or even charisma. So for Julianne to say she thinks James is the best male celeb DWTS has ever had...for me, he doesn't even crack Top 5, not when we've had the likes of Gilles Marini, Charlie White, Alfonso Ribeiro, Apolo Anton Ohno, and Mario Lopez on the show.

I liked Jana and Gleb's AT, but when you have the token sexy couple say they are going to do the sexiest dance ever on the show, it loses impact for me. To this date, Paige and Mark's Argentine Tango still holds the sexiest title for me because it was so unexpected.

I thought Calvin and Lindsay's AT was very good too. Since I think of AT as having a sophisticated quality, I just wish Calvin had a buttoned up shirt to go with Lindsay's slinky dress.

I agree with the judges that Terra's Paso double seemed effort-full (as opposed to effortless), but I liked the content and choreography Sasha gave her and I think Terra still did them well. I think 7's were a little low.

Ryan should probably thank Trump for taking the media heat away from him. I'm actually finding him endearing, like a big puppy. To me, his salsa was his best dance so far. Good content and he wasn't as stiff as I thought he would be.

The judges like Maureen's positivity? To me, she's been mostly a crying, nervous wreck each week. Samba was OK.

Laurie was very good. I'm starting to buy into the idea that she is maybe the best gymnast DWTS has had...she has the technique and seems a more natural performer than Nastia and Shawn (in Season 8) were.

Amber had nice cha cha content and technique, but was timid again. It's amazing how similar she is to Kim Kardashian when Kim was on the show.

Marilu seems to have carried the good vibes from last week this week. Cha cha could have used a bit more energy though.

[RedheadZombie]

I love Lindsay and Calvin and they're my favorite, but wasn't the lift nazi screaming about a lift done in an AT a couple of weeks ago?

[Zuleikha]

I thought Lindsey's choreo was better than Gleb's for the AT.

I thought Lindsey's was more of a Dancesport tango than an AT. Gleb's was a show version of AT, but it was AT. I normally would have thought a bed AND a shower was too try hard for sexy, but Jana and Gleb danced so well that I thought they pulled it off. 

Amber has weak legs. This was her best dance, but she still didn't straighten her legs enough, which is so key to Latin. I wish she'd gotten a different pro than Maks, though. I think he's meaner than necessary, and it doesn't accomplish whatever he thinks it will. I don't know how Val got to be so much nicer, but Val seems so much nicer. 

Laurie is so freaking good. 

[Mondayeve]

Quote

I love Lindsay and Calvin and they're my favorite, but wasn't the lift nazi screaming about a lift done in an AT a couple of weeks ago?

I believe that was a ballroom tango in which there are no lifts allowed (or breaking of hold).  Argentine tango is full of lifts and the dramatic lifts are a feature of the dance.  

[sinkwriter]

Quote

I have been holding my tongue about James all these weeks since I subscribe to the idea of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," but it's getting increasingly frustrating for me. It's not that I have anything really bad to say about James, but to me, he is just all-around very average, whether it be technique, performance ability, or even charisma.

I disagree with this one. I wouldn't say he's the very best ever, but given 1) he's a race car driver so this is very much NOT his normal speed, 2) 18 months ago he wasn't able to walk, and 3) most guy "stars" on the show seem to really struggle with pancake hands or trying to be graceful from one move or pose or lift to the next, in contrast James seems (to me, anyway) to be very smooth and graceful with his moves. Sometimes I think his posture is a bit too rod-straight, but overall he still has a really nice flow from one step to the next, and in finishing his moves, in a way I don't see in a lot of the male contestants. With James, I never feel like I'm watching someone move stiltedly like I feel with a lot of the guy stars. It's never glaringly obvious to me with his routines. He seems to move in a really lovely and surprising way. I've grown to like him a lot.

Edited October 18, 2016 by sinkwriter

[Mondayeve]

I agree sinkwriter.

 

I don't think James is the best male celeb that DWTS has had  and I wish Julianne had not said that if only for the backlash that will now be directed towards James.

 

However, (to me) what makes James stand out this season is that he as an ease and gracefulness on the dance floor that you don't usually see in male celebs who have no kind of training in performing or dancing.  Personally I am looking forward to his Argentine Tango just as I am looking forward to Calvin's rumba.

Calvin is wonderful and I hope he is the finals.  I think he deserves to be there along with James.

[friendperidot]

I really enjoyed Laurie. she's just about the cutest thing out there. I enjoyed her dance tonight, I thought she got a little saucy, but still cute and I thought she an Val were connected like they were being asked to do last week.  I also enjoyed James and Sharna, that was a hot dance. And poor old, pitiful MaryLou, she was fantastic for such a broken down old hag. I liked her and I liked her dance. Keep up the good work! Merde!

Edited October 18, 2016 by friendperidot

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Calvin was underscored again.  He had the dance of the night, if not the season.  His physicality is unmatched in DWTS history, in my opinion.

Laurie just did a spin-o-rama.  Over and over.  The lighting was horrid, totally meant to distract and to take away from the Latin style.  It worked.  We were to be fooled into thinking this was almost Disco.  She certainly looked the athletic part again, although she messed up the timing in a couple of places.  Val correctly noted this was one of the few weeks she was at a disadvantage.   Then, she was conveniently overscored.  I really like her and fully expect she will earn the Finals, thuogh.

I knew something would have to give with Derek and MH.  Sure enough, he caved.  Smartly.  She and Maureen can go anytime as far as I am concerned.  I honor their effort, for sure.  I'm simply over their draaaaaaaama.

I have to give the band props for this ep.  They did a very good job being faithful to the genres/pieces they performed.  Of course, I'd always much rather have mixes of original source material.

Ameriker has done a very good job so far.  Let's keep it up!

[McManda]

5 hours ago, spanana said:

think calling Gilles the naked guy from Sex and the City is fair because that was his main role to date when he first did DWTS.  If I'm not mistaken, his role on Brothers & Sisters (and various other shows) came after his first run on DWTS.  If anything, Gilles is an example of someone who partly made a career based off his first DWTS experience.  Now that wouldn't be his qualifier, but it was during S8.

Yep, this is what I meant exactly. At the time, Gilles was an actor known as being naked in Sex and the City (so basically no one knew who he was). He did DWTS and turned that into other roles. I wouldn't describe him like that now, but during his first run on the show, yeah. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's even the description the show gave him at the time. 

Amber was mostly inoffensive to me, so I'd actually have much rather Jana gone home. I'm over the overly sexy, try too hard showmance and I don't like Gleb at all.

But man, someone suggested a Jana/Artem pairing and now that's what I wished happened so badly. 

[Sapphire]

So what exactly did Pitbull say to Jana after the dance? I couldn't quite catch it.

[vavera4ka]

7 hours ago, PTVjones said:

 

Also count me as someone who believes that if Artem was Jana's partner, we'd be given the sexy without the undercurrent of skeaviness. I think Artem knows how to toe that line a bit more gracefully. 

Though she rubs me the wrong way, maybe it's Gleb's impact on her. But dance-wise she'd be quite perfect for Artem. People suggested Laurie, but I don't think Laurie would have been a good partner for Artem. They guy has long fluid lines, probably the best lines of all male pros. He needs a "ballerina" type of a dancer. Jana fits that description. Artem would have toned her down and the couple would have been "expensive suite sexy" as opposed to "stripper sexy". Maureen and her need to last to swap week. MAKE. IT. HAPPEN. SHOW.

[smiley13]

I can not enjoy James' dances due to his distracting partner.  Think what he could have done with Karina or Kym?

[Vinyasa]

Sorry Julianne, James is not the best male dancer to ever appear on the show.

Calm down!

[boyznkatz]

13 minutes ago, Vinyasa said:

Sorry Julianne, James is not the best male dancer to ever appear on the show.

Calm down!

I agree. I guess she never saw Alfonso, Mario Lopez, or Gilles Marini. James and Terra are overrated and it's obvious TPTB are trying to pimp them into the finals. I will be super pissed if Calvin gets left out like Wanye because of TPTB's games!

[truthaboutluv]

Quote

I think Laurie's doing fantastic and I loved her salsa, but in general I think people might have a bit of a short memory when it comes to gymnasts on this show? Shawn won her season freshly after the Olympics, but even she needed for Cheryl to screw up the freestyle and for Mark to IMO deliver one of the best DWTS freestyles ever to get there. She didn't win in season 15. Aly wasn't musical, so that contributed, but she also only came in fourth. Nastia came in fourth. I don't think gymnasts have it made, even freshly after the Olympics.

In general I think most viewers have very subjective memories when it comes to this show. 

Quote

Artem just seems so over dealing with Maureen. She seems like she would be difficult to deal with on a daily basis, although she does seem nice otherwise.

She seems like a ball of neuroses. When he was getting frustrated in the package and she kept going on about being positive in the moment and a bunch of other stuff, she sounded like someone who's clearly been through a lot of therapy and is just spouting the lines she's been taught, e.g. "you are special, you are amazing, etc." And for the record, that's not me knocking therapy or these types of phrases. I'm just saying that's what it reminded me of listening to her. 

Quote

As good of a dancer as I think James is, I disagree with Julianne's comment that he's the best male dancer to ever be on DWTS. That honor in my opinion goes to Alfonso.

YMMV but I think James is a better dancer than Alfonso, which is why these kinds of comments regarding this show are all subjective and opinion. So if Julianne believes that James is the best, then that's more than valid even if someone else thinks another male celebrity was better. Of course I don't think she actually believes that. The hyperbole must fly at some point every season. But back to Alfonso and James, I actually was never impressed with Alfonso's standard ballroom dances during his season. I never thought his frame and footwork was as good and as clean as they should have been. Now granted that was likely a failure on Witney's part as his Pro/teacher but yeah, I never Alfonso was this out of this world amazing dancer. Mario Lopez was better than him in my opinion and so was Corbin Bleu. 

Edited October 18, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[CED9]

I think in terms of cleanliness and lines James does have a lot of the guys mentioned above beat. A lot of them had bad habits from their prior experience that don't belong in ballroom, so while they were generally great dancers, it didn't necessarily translate to ballroom, but they were still able to do well.

He's definitely up there in terms of guys with no prior experience with Gilles for example.

[McManda]

14 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

She seems like a ball of neuroses. When he was getting frustrated in the package and she kept going on about being positive in the moment and a bunch of other stuff, she sounded like someone who's clearly been through a lot of therapy and is just spouting the lines she's been taught, e.g. "you are special, you are amazing, etc." And for the record, that's not me knocking therapy or these types of phrases. I'm just saying that's what it reminded me of listening to her. 

Honestly, that's probably exactly what it is. Maybe it's because I've read her autobiography and so I feel like I know her more than other celebs on the show, but for most of her post-Brady life she's strggled to find a place to deal with stress. First it was incredibly heavy drug use, to the point where get management (and some of her Brady friends) had to step in to get her to realize that she was basically killing herself. They got her to rehab once in the early 80s (by basically making her choose between a career and drugs), but after that it was entirely her choice. She's pretty candid sly having gone to every type of therapy out there - for herself, for her relationship, with her family (both the one she built and with her siblings and dad). 

I admire her overcoming a lot of struggles to get whet she is now. I don't think DWTS is sugar-coating or magnifying much with her. She's smart and very open and candid, but even reading her book was exhausting. I can't imagine how Artem feels trying to teach her and he's usually pretty understanding.

... maybe they should try therapy?

[crowceilidh]

The person I compare James to is Helio - and James, despite having not being able to walk so recently, is a million times better than Helio.  I do think James' posture goes off occasionally, but his showmanship and smoothness and extension and appearance of leading and appropriate emotional display beats a heck of LOT of male "stars" who have been on this show.  Just not the top 5 or so.

[Shades of Red]

2 hours ago, Sapphire said:

So what exactly did Pitbull say to Jana after the dance? I couldn't quite catch it.

I'm not a 100% sure, but I do believe he said something about her throwing her dress at him.  I thought I heard him say as Gleb threw his shirt, he'd rather have her dress or something like that.  I may be wrong about this as I wasn't paying attention and just got little snippets of the comments.

I laughed when James said no one was more surprised than he was at his progress and how well he's doing.  

[crowceilidh]

I wonder if James has got new brain connections from recovery.  I could imagine that this is why his body is good at learning new movement because he has just come through all this therapy re-learning how to move and his brain has grooved the connections to do that.

[Thadeeeyus]

I loved Calvin's dance again last night. He is such a smooth dancer for someone his size.   I  still worry that he will get lost in the shuffle because he's not being propped by the scores.  Hope people are voting for him.  

[boyznkatz]

Was Ryan Lochte trying to be funny, or was his dance just that bad? I had to laugh at his awful dance. He should have gotten all 5s. Even the two older ladies blow him away. Amber was bad, but she wasn't as bad as he was!

[boyznkatz]

Jana and Gleb are over the top, but dang, they can dance! Best dance of the night, along with Laurie's salsa IMO.

[RedFiat]

1. Terra and Sasha I think got a little underscored. I didn't understand how Julianne came out and said "oh well" because  there was a lot of content there. The problem is it very difficult to sell when you are so small with limited extension. And she looked tentative in spots.  I thought her costume was gorgeous.  Slightly underscored

2. Ryan and Cheryl This guy has no musicality whatsoever.  It's now week 6 and I don't understand that he could get away with so little. Scores were generous for that, regardless of how Cheryl tried to dress it up or undress it.  Overscored

3. Amber and Maks.  More of the same from Amber, lots of promise short on delivery.  There is simply no attack there and she was not going to improve. Also the sloppy footwork was due more to not trying rather than working on the steps.  Disappointing.  Very much like Kim Kardashian when she was on, she just didn't put in the effort.  marked accordingly 

4 James and Sharna  Now this guy knows how to sell a dance. I thought the chemistry was just right without over doing it, I thought the arms and hands were very graceful, nicely moving into the space. I love how he knows exactly where he is, and commands attention. If there is one criticism, I wasn't in love with the choreography, and I thought a few times there was a bit of awkward movement in the transitions, but otherwise gorgeous.  Love this team.  Marks were good.

5. Calvin and Lindsay  My favorite dance of the night. Calvin still has issues with his feet and legs, but he really focussed and improved on the footwork and his posture was not the issue as it had been.  It was a very fast Argentine Tango in parts with engauchos, and the big man coped fairly well. What took this dance from good to outstanding was the choreography. This was a sophisticated AT lots of footwork, great romantic chemistry between the two and the lifts are the best in the business. Calvin did that first lift effortlessly, he did far better than the pro Gleb on the lifts in his dance.  The second lift was a little tight on the landing but over all this was excellent. I loved Hotel California to Argentine Tango, it was the original score with Don Henley singing the lead, you can't help but love how it all turned out.  Underscored! 

6. Marilu and Derek  I did not enjoy the choreography. I want Cha Cha not a Salsa with a few Cha Cha swizzles.  However, Marilu looked great, danced very well, given the choreography and the ever changing tempo. All those arms is definitely not Cha Cha, and at one point was just a distraction and looked a little sloppy. That's not Marilu's fault.   Marks were right. 

7.  Jana and Gleb  If Gleb was trying to recapture the great Argentine Tango of Paige and Mark from last season, this was a fail.  Writhing on the bed, doing some sort of pelvic thrust wave is not in keeping with the spirit of Tango. It was gratuitous and a disservice to the dance.  I thought the lifts looked lumbered compared to how Calvin approaches lifts,  I thought the Tango elements were fairly good, she could have been sharper on the engauchos,  but I failed to see a real connection between the two, it was much more some sort of underwear commercial, I guess, because the water was unnecessary and done before.  Gleb needs to learn that less is more.   Overscored by about 4 points. 

8. Maureen and Artem  The traditional Samba did nothing for Maureen. This was really kind of painful. First she looked terrified. She got into it and tried to sell it, but without the Samba bounce informing the movement all the way through it was a hard dance.  Her opening underarm botofogos and the travelling voltas were pretty sloppy and unfinished.  Marks were generous. 

9 Laurie and Val  What the heck has happened to this team?  Val's choreo is uninspired, she is dancing scared.  I really thought Laurie could redeem herself with a great earthy Salsa with tricks, not gym moves, and bring back that smile from the Michael Jackson jazz.  They really need to turn things around because right now they are behind James and Calvin.   Scores were about right 

 Bottom 2 Ryan and Maureen.  Either of them or both can go.     

[JayeEmm]

Tom: (paraphrasing because I don't remember exactly what he said) "So, James, who knew an IndyCar driver could dance?"

Me: Uh... remember the guy who won season 5? You know, his name was Helio.  Short guy, big smile, Brazilian... no? Okay then.

NGL, I'm here mostly for Hinch, because he's a goddamn delightful human being - it's a bonus that he's actually really good!  It's a little weird for me to think of him as being 'sexy' though, because I'm more used to the dorktacular guy you saw in the package - that's Hinch all day long.  His first race after replacing Danica Patrick when she moved to NASCAR,  he wore a long brunette wig to driver introductions. 

Glad Amber went home because although I really wanted her to be amazing she just...wasn't. And the package stuff was getting painful to watch. Eff you, Maks. Seriously.

Please, mirror ball gods, let Lochte go next, I can't take the dumb anymore.

I spent the entire shower part of Jana and Gleb's dance (there's a sentence I never thought I'd type) gritting my teeth waiting for someone to slip and snap an ankle. So kudos for that, although I could've done without that part altogether.

Pitbull - just ew.  Ew ew ew ew besides the gross comments to Jana,  although I realize it was the song title, perhaps don't put your hands on other female judges while saying "I can't keep my hands to myself" - just a thought? Ew.

[vibeology]

1 hour ago, Vinyasa said:

Sorry Julianne, James is not the best male dancer to ever appear on the show.

Calm down!

I turn into the heart-eyed emoji every time James comes on the screen and even I know he's not the best male dancer to ever appear on the show. He's very good. He has natural dance skill and is clearly a very fast learner. He's also surprisingly good at the performance side of dance. I don't want him going anywhere, but let's dial down the praise just a little and keep expectations reasonable.

I'm so ready for Ryan to go. Maureen is probably just as weak as a dancer, but I at least want to see her succeed. Him, I'd love a serious crash and burn, thanks! He's just so dumb.

I didn't think Terra's dance was the best dance ever, but I really want to give Sasha props for the choreography. The reality is there are going to be limits on what Terra is going to be able to do, but Sasha has managed to work around them over and over again. The Paso must have been a tough dance because lines are so important, but Sasha managed to give Terra moments, matched her dancing and never made it look like something was missing. I do think Terra struggled with the feel of the dance, but the content was there and she got that part down, which I think saved her.

[RedFiat]

8 hours ago, RedheadZombie said:

I love Lindsay and Calvin and they're my favorite, but wasn't the lift nazi screaming about a lift done in an AT a couple of weeks ago?

That was for a Tango,  Argentine Tango always allows lifts on this show. 

[LadyMustang65]

13 hours ago, susannot said:

Best male celeb dancer would be Gilles, IMO.

In his first season with Cheryl, I would agree. 

[Tara Ariano]

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

Dancing With the Stars Rolls Out The Sexy Hip Action For Latin Night

A few stars suffer from confidence issues and land on the bottom of the scoreboard before one couple is eliminated.

[RedFiat]

The quintessential AT is Gilles and Cheryl's from Season 8.  It was minimal but it conveyed what Argentine Tango is all about. The great Argentine Tangos in Argentina isn't about the lifts or the spins or outlandish choreography, it is all about the connection that Gilles captured so well. With such minimal choreography bad dancing is immediately exposed. There's not a prop or a bed to hide any flaws.   Given that as the yardstick of great male dancers,  Of all the men who have been on this show my feeling is the only one who could do that AT justice if it were danced again is James.  It would be great fun to see him tackle it.  

Edited October 18, 2016 by RedFiat

[DollEyes]

3 hours ago, smiley13 said:

I can not enjoy James' dances due to his distracting partner.  Think what he could have done with Karina or Kym?

I totally disagree. James is doing great and Sharna is doing great with him. While I don't agree with Julianne's bullshit about James being the best male contestant ever, he's definitely one of the best male dancers of the season.  He's improving every week because of Sharna and their Rumba is a prime example. It was sexy without being sleazy. If/when James makes it to the Finals, it will be partially because of Sharna.

 Calvin & Linsay's AT was stunning. It was sexier than Jana & Gleb's because they didn't have to try too hard. They let the dance speak for itself. 

My prediction for the next elimination: Ryan, and not a moment too soon. 

[Vinyasa]

So what happened to only having three of judges speak?

Quote

My prediction for the next elimination: Ryan, and not a moment too soon. 

No, it should be Pitbull and not a moment too soon! UGH

Edited October 18, 2016 by Vinyasa

[MooCat Pretzel]

Jana and Gleb going for the "Sexiest Dance Ever" is like the people on House Hunters who say "I'm so quirky".  Saying it automatically means it won't be or you aren't.  It's like the line on Friends:  "You can't SAY you're breezy, that negates the breeziness!!"  

Edited October 18, 2016 by MooCat Pretzel

[spanana]

Ryan should be next, but I'm not so sure it will be him.  I think he has more fan support than people probably think.  My bet is Maureen, who is also not getting the greatest edit.  I also think Terra could potentially be in trouble since I question where her fanbase is coming from and she didn't have her best night, but my guess is Maureen.

Another thing I wanted to mention is the more I watch Lindsay, the more I realize what a stunning dancer she is.  Putting aside what she does with her celebs and as a pro, she's just a great dancer with great lines and great legs.  Plus I think I love her because she rarely overdoes the facial expressions and emoting.  Whereas I can objectively see that someone like Jenna is a great dancer with great legs, but her over performing to the camera and facial expressions kills any potential enjoyment of her routines.

[McManda]

Gilles and Cheryl's Argentine tango is far sexier than anything with a shower or a bed. Gleb should take notes. 

[CED9]

As far as next elimination, I think it may be Maureen. I think they're trying to even things out a bit since 4 male celebs went out first.

[Thadeeeyus]

52 minutes ago, Vinyasa said:

So what happened to only having three of judges speak?

They needed to fill up the two hours?

[iMonrey]

When Gleb had Jana upside down under the water all I could think was "waterboarding."

Calvin was the one who impressed me the most. His lines were great, his body positions were perfectly aligned with Lindsay's.

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I don't know if James is the best male celeb dancer they've had on the show

He's definitely not better than Charlie White or Evan Lysacek. Maybe she meant the best male celebrity who wasn't a "ringer," or who didn't already have dance experience. On that score, I'd agree. 

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I think it's weird how the judges keep going on about Maureen's "positivity."  Have they seen the packages?  If I were Artem, I would feel homicidal.

See - I'm actually getting the impression that Artem is kind of an asshole. Not Maks-level asshole, mind you, but twice now he's done this passive-aggressive thing with Maureen where he just gives up and says he doesn't know what else to do because she isn't picking up what he's telling her. So, she basically isn't learning quickly enough to suit him and he's being a jerk about it. 

Now, I get that Maureen is very high maintenance and an emotion basket case, but she's not a horrible dancer and I'm sure pros have had much worse. Just ask Mark Ballas. So maybe Artem was right the other week when he mused he might be in the wrong line of work. I just don't think he has the patience for this if he's not working with someone who's a better dancer. (Yay! The recapper agrees with me that he's kind of a dick.)

[boyznkatz]

Where exactly is Ryan Lochte's support coming from? People were royally pissed at him after the Olympics. It's hard to believe people are voting for him. And his dancing is in Bristol Palin league. 

[vibeology]

6 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

See - I'm actually getting the impression that Artem is kind of an asshole. Not Maks-level asshole, mind you, but twice now he's done this passive-aggressive thing with Maureen where he just gives up and says he doesn't know what else to do because she isn't picking up what he's telling her. So, she basically isn't learning quickly enough to suit him and he's being a jerk about it. 

Now, I get that Maureen is very high maintenance and an emotion basket case, but she's not a horrible dancer and I'm sure pros have had much worse. Just ask Mark Ballas. So maybe Artem was right the other week when he mused he might be in the wrong line of work. I just don't think he has the patience for this if he's not working with someone who's a better dancer. (Yay! The recapper agrees with me that he's kind of a dick.)

I think he's being an asshole too! His behavior kind of reminds me of Derek at his most passive-aggressive. It's a shitty thing to say to the celeb, "maybe I'm in the wrong line of work because you don't seem to be learning." It sounds like Artem is taking the blame, but what he's really doing is expecting Maureen to say "no, Artem, you're great. It's me. I'm a big stupid dummy-head and you totally deserve better." I just don't have the time for that sort of passive-aggression and am over Artem this season. There have been far worse celebrities on the show who learned far less than Maureen and their pros figured out how to best make it work. (Think about how Karina got Victor Espinoza through dances when he had serious memory problems) We're only getting a few minutes of a whole week, but if this keeps happening (we've had a few packages like this) I think it's safe to say it's pretty indicative of the sorts of weeks they've been having.

[howmanywords]

What was stupid though was after Julieann made such a OTT hyperbole statement she went on to give James a 9. At this stage of the competition for the best male dancer ever on the show? Please. So silly.   When judges make huge statements like that I try to remember that theyve been doing it for years. Hell, Carrie Ann proclaimed Nyle and Peta's freestyle the best dance ever in all the seasons.

[Mondayeve]

I feel some of the pros are better dancers than they are teachers.  Artem is a beautiful dancer.  He had the same problem when he was on Strictly.  He had an older dance challenged celeb and he seemed to be frustrated also.  He had won the previous year with a celeb was as good as any female celeb could be and was a quick learner.  And even then he seemed frustrated with her at times but he did get her right to the end and produced some great dances.   Maks also comes to mind.  They do well when they have a celeb who learns easily (Mel B.)  but the challenge of teaching and getting the best out of a celeb who doesn't pick it up easily brings out the worst in them.  I don't think they get how difficult it can be if you are not naturally coordinated.  The brain wants the feet and body to move a certain way but it doesn't register so it looks like they are not even trying. Imagine trying to teach Artem or Maks to sing and saying "easy, all you gotta do is carry a tune and not not be off pitch.  You are making it hard.  Just do it the way I am telling you to."

Emma is a good example of taking a duffer and getting the best out of them. 

[CED9]

I think, it's harder for the male pros because so much of ballroom dancing is about presenting the female and because of that it's easier for a female celeb to so obviously screw up and not be able to cover it up the way a female pro can (by dancing around the guy).

I think for Artem and Maks and whoever else has trouble teaching a novice, I think to them, they're dumbing it down as much as possible in their eyes, and don't know where to go from there.