S23.E09: Week 6

[RedFiat]

1 hour ago, howmanywords said:

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.

Yeah there is always some ridiculous claims, i wish they would cool it because for dance fans this is a turnoff.     

[iMonrey]

Quote

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. 

I can only speak for myself, but every week he comes across like a sweet and eager puppy dog who has never shown one instance of ill temper. He might not be the brightest bulb in the box but he seems genuinely nice and genuinely remorseful about the events after the Olympics. I've also come to the conclusion that the whole "incident" in Rio wasn't as clear cut as it seemed at first, and that his original interpretation of the events wasn't too far off from the truth, which likely lies somewhere in the middle.

And . . . c'mon! As bad as Bristol Palin? 

[realdancemom]

When I was watching Artem and Maureen, I was thinking why couldn't a female troupe member help to show the steps?  That way, Maureen can see how it's supposed to look.  Also, the female can help teach and give additional pointers.  It will also give a break for both Artem and Maureen because after awhile, you sometimes just get sick of being with the same person for a lot of hours every day.  I always felt that there should be a troupe member of the same sex as the celebrity helping the pro.

I think Jana and Gleb's AT would have looked better without the bed and shower.  During the shower segment, I was worried that they might slip and fall.  I did like the dance in between those two segments.  Jana is creating beautiful shapes now.  At first, she would extend her legs and her knees would be bent and her arms didn't extend fully, etc.  Gleb also put some interesting movement in their dance.  I also liked her trust fall last week. 

I do think it's a little unfair for Artem to get stuck with older ladies while Gleb got Jana.  I expect Val and Derek to get dancers with potential or ringers.  But this is only Gleb's second season while Artem has been around longer.  It should have been Artem with Jana.  I don't know how Gleb would have handled Maureen since she is fragile.   I think Tony would have been their first choice for her if he was around this season.  I'm just going by seniority.

I also liked Calvin and Lindsay's AT.  He moves well for such a tall guy with big feet.   While I did like their overhead cartwheel lift, I didn't think that lift matches an AT.  I see it more for fun dances like the salsa or Lindy Hop.

I really didn't see a lot of cha cha in Derek and Marilu's dance.  It seemed kind of slow too.

I didn't see James and Sharna's dance because the TV schedule was wrong and so didn't record the first half of the show.  I wouldn't say that James is average but I don't really click with him.  He's a good technical dancer and he performs well.  But his personality seems a little boring or lacking in charisma as another poster mentioned above.  I do think he should be in the finals though with Laurie and Calvin. 

[boyznkatz]

I don't think they would give Artem ALL the older ladies if he were really a dick. I think he and Marcia are getting a bad edit. Maybe they want her gone already. Her dancing isn't bad, but she is awkward to watch.

[thefog]

13 hours ago, calipiano81 said:

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.

But Alfonzo came into the competition with dance background.  Mario was an entertainer.  Charlie's professional training as an ice skater and Apollo as a speed skater came closest to dancing.  And Giles was pimp as a sex symbol. 

Whereas James caught everyone by surprise.  He had almost zero name recognition here in the States.  He's the type of performer that DWTS tend to root for - the likeable, easy going underdog - who's about having fun - and not drama.

[thesupremediva1]

Quote

She should be having standout routines every week but I feel like Val's choreography isn't bad--it's generic.

See, this is the thing that kills me with the Chmerkovskiy brothers - they're great with choreo when a showmance is brewing. See: Val and Janel; Val and Rumer; Meryl and Maks. Their most inspired numbers came out of those partnerships and all three of them had various shades of showmance to them. The one big exception was Val with Zendaya. He needs to tap into whatever mindset he was in when he had Zendaya as a partner, because Laurie is twice the dancer Janel ever was and has double the personality of Rumer. She has Meryl potential - 10s every week and standout numbers that will have an impact long after this season ends.

This week's number was good, not great. Maks and Amber were due to go, sadly. Half the dances were snooze-worthy. And that Jana and Gleb dance... my word. It felt smarmy, overplayed, and too in-your-face to have true artistic merit. He did it for shock value, and the lemming judges fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I mean Pitbull I expect, but Julianne? Wake up, people.

Laurie is also 20 times better than Shawn or Nastia could have ever aspired to be. Shawn had personality but wasn't a compelling dancer, IMO. And Nastia, my favorite gymnast ever, had the technique to kill for but couldn't really project the type of personality required to win this show. Laurie has it all. Are they not doing switch up week? I'd love to see how she fares with someone else, even though I love her and Val together.

Edited October 18, 2016 by thesupremediva1

[MortysCleaningLady]

I was absolutely rooting for Jana and Gleb to go home last night.  I acknowledge that I tend to be prudish, but I do watch the show with my retirement age parents.  That shower, rolling on the black satin bed routine was all gimmick.  It absolutely says "I need votes so desperately, I'm wiling to do anything."  

I was surprised at how low Amber's scores were compared to Maureen and Ryan.   I thought this was Amber's night.  Historically, you get bumped up on your way out.  I was sure it was Marcia/Maureen's last night with her solid 8s.   I think the judges were done with Amber and just slid her out the door.

James or Laurie for the win.

[mimib101]

16 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

 Heres something interesting that I read about the British version, Strictly Come Dancing.  After many complaints about the overt sexuality and brevity of the costumes, Strictly is cleaning things up this season so that its works during what they call their watershed time slot. What that means is that Strictly is on air when it's supposed to be family viewing time, and they thought that the overt sexuality was becoming too obvious.  I wonder if the bed and shower scene would play in the UK. 

I'm pretty sure it wouldn't lol!!

Bruno quite often comes out with some sort of 'bad' word, which the presenters have to immediately apologise for. I think it's happened about 4 times this series already!

[smiley13]

3 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

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. 

Ryan is the only one I have voted for.  I hope he stays in the competition a while longer.

And I voted for Bristol too!  :)

[calipiano81]

1 hour ago, escape said:

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. 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.

But Alfonzo came into the competition with dance background.  Mario was an entertainer.  Charlie's professional training as an ice skater and Apollo as a speed skater came closest to dancing.  And Giles was pimp as a sex symbol. 

Whereas James caught everyone by surprise.  He had almost zero name recognition here in the States.  He's the type of performer that DWTS tend to root for - the likeable, easy going underdog - who's about having fun - and not drama.

Well, personally, James' dances haven't really been outstanding enough for me to be surprised. Maybe it's Sharna's choreography or I haven't really cared for any of the music they've been given.

I will agree that James may be the best male celeb dancer THIS season. But even in that instance, I think a case could also be made for Calvin, whose partnership with Lindsay I actually find myself more compelled by.

[boyznkatz]

8 minutes ago, calipiano81 said:

Well, personally, James' dances haven't really been outstanding enough for me to be surprised. Maybe it's Sharna's choreography or I haven't really cared for any of the music they've been given.

I will agree that James may be the best male celeb dancer THIS season. But even in that instance, I think a case could also be made for Calvin, whose partnership with Lindsay I actually find myself more compelled by.

I think he's good for an amateur, but not that exciting IMO. Calvin is more exciting, to me anyway. I wouldn't mind him in the finals, but I'm really hoping for a Laurie/Calvin final two.

[LadyMustang65]

2 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

I don't think they would give Artem ALL the older ladies if he were really a dick. I think he and Marcia are getting a bad edit. Maybe they want her gone already. Her dancing isn't bad, but she is awkward to watch.

I'm more inclined to believe they're just getting a bad edit.  We've seen Artem with older lady after older lady, and he's been sweet and caring and concerned.  Even the first few weeks with Maureen, he was still being shown that way.  The past couple of weeks it seems like they're deliberately just showing us the problems, and it's totally without context.  We don't know what led up to what we're shown or where in the rehearsals it might be coming.  We also have no idea how many times she's cried already that day/hour/week.  And I really didn't think anything he said to her was that bad - more frustration than anything else.  And again because we didn't see what led up to it, he may well have felt that she wasn't really trying or wasn't concentrating.  We just don't know.  So since he's not usually like that, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that's not typical behavior from him.  Others may disagree, of course.  :)

[Vinyasa]

Quote

When I was watching Artem and Maureen, I was thinking why couldn't a female troupe member help to show the steps?  That way, Maureen can see how it's supposed to look.  Also, the female can help teach and give additional pointers.  It will also give a break for both Artem and Maureen because after awhile, you sometimes just get sick of being with the same person for a lot of hours every day.

I always wonder how much of these spats are producer driven. We see this every season. Are we really to believe the camera crew just happen to be there?

Just like someone getting hurt and all the drama if they will be able to dance the next show.

I would like Maureen to last a little longer.

[RedFiat]

I love Calvin, and think he's been underscored especially this week, and I am glad that Lindsay takes full advantage of his strength but he for me is no match to James.   James has brought back some important aspects of male ballroom dancing that have been overlooked for a long time because nobody in the last many seasons has done it.  Not since Gilles really.  I'm talking about the arms, the upper carriage,  the willingness to try to be graceful, not a football player graceful, not modern/jazz dancer graceful,  but a male ballroom dancer graceful. Even Alfonso did not have the grace, the dance position or the carriage of a ballroom dancer.  Alfonso, Riker, Corbin, Nick Carter all  had varying degrees of trouble unlearning their hip hop, jazz training to become more ballroom.  I guess James having no training was  easier to mold.  Anyway, I see James as a work in progress and each week he takes notes and gets better at the craft. He got a lot of standard ballroom right from week one because he can do it. He hasn't been given the shortcuts of social salsa, social charleston, or jazz or contemporary.  Even Argentine Tango is a social dance and none of those dances adheres to the rules of ballroom. But they are flashy. So for me, in addition to his quirky sense of humour and his life story being very compelling, he's a helluva ballroom dancer, and that is why I watch. 

[Mbeaker]

Vinyasa, the cameras are with the couples during every minute of their rehearsals. As widely told by the celebs throughout the seasons. 

Speed skating has squat to do with dancing. And it would behoove the judges to not make sweeping "the best ever" statements every season. It just makes them sound ridiculous. 

Count me as someone who has been unimpressed with Val's choreography this season. Each week I expect to be blown away by Laurie's dance, and each week... I'm not. She's obviously good, but I expected more. Still, I'll be shocked if she doesn't win. 

Maureen or Ryan can go next, and I wouldn't miss either of them. 

[Miss Slay]

2 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

See, this is the thing that kills me with the Chmerkovskiy brothers - they're great with choreo when a showmance is brewing. See: Val and Janel; Val and Rumer; Meryl and Maks. Their most inspired numbers came out of those partnerships and all three of them had various shades of showmance to them. The one big exception was Val with Zendaya. He needs to tap into whatever mindset he was in when he had Zendaya as a partner, because Laurie is twice the dancer Janel ever was and has double the personality of Rumer. She has Meryl potential - 10s every week and standout numbers that will have an impact long after this season ends.

 

I think Mak's best choreography was with Mel B.

[iMonrey]

Quote

When I was watching Artem and Maureen, I was thinking why couldn't a female troupe member help to show the steps?  That way, Maureen can see how it's supposed to look.  Also, the female can help teach and give additional pointers.  It will also give a break for both Artem and Maureen because after awhile, you sometimes just get sick of being with the same person for a lot of hours every day.  I always felt that there should be a troupe member of the same sex as the celebrity helping the pro.

That makes sense, but I wonder if there are enough troupe members to go around and whether it would increase accusations of foul play vs. fair play. They're supposed to be competing as couples, so if one couple has the help of a really great choreographer/teacher and another doesn't then it unfairly favors the team that does. It would have to be structured so carefully and so openly it might make things too complicated.

I have to believe they already get pointers from other pros and troupe members during the course of the competition, but technically maybe they're only supposed to have one teacher.

Edited October 18, 2016 by iMonrey

[Emily-D]

The thing is whatever Artem is doing in training is working. Maureen got a 22 score in week 1 and looked pretty sure to be going home if not week 2 then week 3 and people were already complaining about her moaning back then. She's now made it to week 7 and while her attitude doesn't seem to have changed, her dancing has got significantly better which is the reason why she's still in. Artem as the teaching pro has to take the credit for that. He's had 3 women over 50 now on DWTS and has got them all past the halfway point of the competition. You can question his teaching or his behaviour in the training room, but seems to be working out well for his partners.

[calipiano81]

43 minutes ago, RedFiat said:

I love Calvin, and think he's been underscored especially this week, and I am glad that Lindsay takes full advantage of his strength but he for me is no match to James.   James has brought back some important aspects of male ballroom dancing that have been overlooked for a long time because nobody in the last many seasons has done it.  Not since Gilles really.  I'm talking about the arms, the upper carriage,  the willingness to try to be graceful, not a football player graceful, not modern/jazz dancer graceful,  but a male ballroom dancer graceful. Even Alfonso did not have the grace, the dance position or the carriage of a ballroom dancer.  Alfonso, Riker, Corbin, Nick Carter all  had varying degrees of trouble unlearning their hip hop, jazz training to become more ballroom.  I guess James having no training was  easier to mold.  Anyway, I see James as a work in progress and each week he takes notes and gets better at the craft. He got a lot of standard ballroom right from week one because he can do it. He hasn't been given the shortcuts of social salsa, social charleston, or jazz or contemporary.  Even Argentine Tango is a social dance and none of those dances adheres to the rules of ballroom. But they are flashy. So for me, in addition to his quirky sense of humour and his life story being very compelling, he's a helluva ballroom dancer, and that is why I watch. 

I love looking at specific ballroom technique myself, but the things James gets praised so strongly for, I look at and just think, "he's OK." In standard ballroom, I actually think his carriage could be opened and broadened much more and his arm extensions and flourishes could go further. In Latin, I see the potential for hip action and rhythmic flair, but in general, I think he needs to exaggerate everything a little more to get that impact I would like him to have.

I know that's a lot to expect from a person with zero dance experience, but since non-dancer females on this show have to do twice as much and still not get nearly the amount of gushing non-dancer males get, I need more from the guys than just "dances with ease and gracefulness."

Edited October 18, 2016 by calipiano81

[sinycalone]

As much as I enjoy Calvin...I have to admit his dancing has been more fun and showy than ballroom or "true" latin.  Still want him in the final three.

James' technique, frame, arms, etc. have improved every week...and I think all those areas are what put him ahead of the other male celebs this year...and many in past years.

[PTVjones]

1 hour ago, Miss Slay said:

I think Mak's best choreography was with Mel B.

 

3 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

See, this is the thing that kills me with the Chmerkovskiy brothers - they're great with choreo when a showmance is brewing. See: Val and Janel; Val and Rumer; Meryl and Maks. Their most inspired numbers came out of those partnerships and all three of them had various shades of showmance to them. The one big exception was Val with Zendaya. He needs to tap into whatever mindset he was in when he had Zendaya as a partner, because Laurie is twice the dancer Janel ever was and has double the personality of Rumer. She has Meryl potential - 10s every week and standout numbers that will have an impact long after this season ends.

This week's number was good, not great. Maks and Amber were due to go, sadly. Half the dances were snooze-worthy. And that Jana and Gleb dance... my word. It felt smarmy, overplayed, and too in-your-face to have true artistic merit. He did it for shock value, and the lemming judges fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I mean Pitbull I expect, but Julianne? Wake up, people.

Laurie is also 20 times better than Shawn or Nastia could have ever aspired to be. Shawn had personality but wasn't a compelling dancer, IMO. And Nastia, my favorite gymnast ever, had the technique to kill for but couldn't really project the type of personality required to win this show. Laurie has it all. Are they not doing switch up week? I'd love to see how she fares with someone else, even though I love her and Val together.

I was just about to say that by far my favorite seasons with Maks were the ines with Laila Ali and Mel B. Even though she wasn't a fan favorite, I also liked him with Brandy. I honestly Maks' beast seasons are ones where he had a solid friendship with his partner. With the exception of Kirstie Ally, I found her SO annoying lol.

[RedFiat]

50 minutes ago, calipiano81 said:

I love looking at specific ballroom technique myself, but the things James gets praised so strongly for, I look at and just think, "he's OK." In standard ballroom, I actually think his carriage could be opened and broadened much more and his arm extensions and flourishes could go further. In Latin, I see the potential for hip action and rhythmic flair, but in general, I think he needs to exaggerate everything a little more to get that impact I would like him to have.

  For me he's doing it correctly, and he is a work in progress. If we compare him to Gilles, for example Gilles had rolling shoulders in his dance position and over exaggerated which was incorrect dance position and he had to pull back.  On the Team Tango Gilles was the worst Tango dancer of the three on the team, his footwork was extremely sloppy, it was actually lucky that his team pulled off the win.  Overall he was a natural dancer, but he had to have Cheryl to keep his over zealous movement in check. In Season 15 he fell apart because he thought he knew more than he did and it was very difficult for Peta to reign him in. Ballroom dancing is about practice, and James continues to practice. My preference is to have someone dance correctly not be flashy and incorrect. 

[luvthepros]

11 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?

Is it Sharna's red hair?

[Packerbrewerbadger]

To Julianne:  James is definitely the best race car dancer ever on the show!  ( Helio IMO is the worst winner the show has had , and he's smarmy to boot......  Mel B was so robbed)

 

Calvin's AT reminded me if Donald Driver's with the powerful lifts.

[spanana]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

That makes sense, but I wonder if there are enough troupe members to go around and whether it would increase accusations of foul play vs. fair play. They're supposed to be competing as couples, so if one couple has the help of a really great choreographer/teacher and another doesn't then it unfairly favors the team that does. It would have to be structured so carefully and so openly it might make things too complicated.

I have to believe they already get pointers from other pros and troupe members during the course of the competition, but technically maybe they're only supposed to have one teacher.

I think it largely depends.  While there certainly aren't enough troupe members to go around for all, I think the most obvious example the last several seasons has been Jenna acting as the third member of all of Val's partnerships and for whatever reason TPTB have been okay with that arrangement. Val has almost always used a female troupe member to help him work out his choreography and in some cases, help teach it to his celebs.  At one point it was Sharna. He also used Oksana when she was in the troupe.  But since Jenna joined the show he's mostly used Jenna and sometimes she gets credit as co-choreographer (or gives herself credit).  In particular she almost always had her hand in Val's jazz and contemporary choreography.  Sometimes you saw people like Ginger and Tamar giving her special shoutouts since she was often in their rehearsals helping teach them and etc.  That said, I don't think Jenna has had any role with Laurie.  Besides the fact that Jenna was a pro this season, the status of her as Val's helper seems to coincide with whatever her personal relationship is with Val at that moment, and I think they are currently off.

I know I saw Calvin credit Alan with helping teach him that cool windmill lift.  So I do think the troupe is allowed to help whoever they want as long as it doesn't get in the way of their troupe duties.  So if a pro requests them to be in a number, I don't think they can say no because they would rather help someone else, but they can help whoever they want on their free time.

Also count me in the camp that dug Maks work with Mel B and Laila over Meryl.  I always was in the minority on the Maksyl thing.  I can objectively see that Meryl was fabulous dancer and performer but all her numbers blended together as one big showmance overwrought angsty contemporary for me.  I'm not sure I could name one of her dances if I tried.

Another thing to keep in mind about Jules and her hyperbole is she probably hasn't even seen most seasons of DWTS.  She left the show early on and then started as a judge somewhere around S19?  I highly doubt in all her off seasons she was sitting there watching the show religiously and taking notes.  Her knowledge is limited anyway.  

Edited October 18, 2016 by spanana

[Vinyasa]

Never heard of Terra until this show, but  just want her to go before Maureen.

 Terra is overrated.

[Princt1]

Look what you did, Julianne. Geezzz! Jidges, stfu! Enjoy James,  Seems shy. Cute guy, but no bubbles.

Artem, go back to the troop. Or further. I branded you a grump from Day One as a pro. Abs be damned.  Still time for partner to go.

Lindsay, remain a pro always. Beautiful dancer, great teacher! Go Calvin! Best smile!

Still a Terra fan as I don't know her from Adam. And she's dancing with my fav guy!

[TiredMe]

I was embarrassed for Jana and Gleb. Try hard is accurate.

count me as a fan of Artem but that's cause he's sexy as hell! He does seem a bit testy. Maureen is tiresome.

i was staring at Lindsay during their dance.  lol. So jealous, I'd love to have her build. /girlcrush 

[smiley13]

1 hour ago, luvthepros said:

Is it Sharna's red hair?

I do not care for her garish hair or the way she seems to sleaze up every dance she does.  

49 minutes ago, Vinyasa said:

Never heard of Terra until this show, but  just want her to go before Maureen.

 Terra is overrated.

Yes she has been overrated every week.

[kitcloudkicker]

Oh my gah! Julianne's use of hyperbole was the worst we've ever seen in the history of the show, I can't believe it! The number one most egregious judges comment in all the seasons!!! (J/k someone says something like that like every episode.) 

My DWTS tea leaves got a little messed up this week. I'm fairly confident on my predictions for both ends, but can't figure out the middle. 

I still think James and Laurie are the likely final two, with James having a pretty good shot at this thing. Or at least keeping it close. I like that Val is pushing Laurie out of her comfort zone, but now he has to work on, well, getting her comfortable out there. She's been a bit timid the last few weeks. She's a funny one to watch in behind the scenes footage -- she's SUCH a little sister. Like she is this bubbly ball of energy, but she comes across as really shy, sort of hovering around all the action, not quite sure how to jump in. (It's adorable, and I still want to squeeze her.) And she seems a little intimidated by Val in the way you might be of your cool cousin back from college at Thanksgiving. Val needs to figure out how to wrangle that, and make sure not to lose her pizzaz. 

The middle is where I think there's a lot of ways this could go. I've been confidently keeping Calvin in my top 3, and that's what I would like to see, but I'm a little worried he might get Charlie White-d. :( I hope not because I like him. 

Terra I was ready to declare as a probable 3rd or 4th place, but I think she's probably in the bottom this week (but I don't think in real danger -- but if that continues another week she could be.) 

I'm liking Derek's new approach with Marilu, and she's peaking at the right time. Last week was better than this one, but I like seeing him change his approach to draw her out better, and it seems to be working. The wildcard with these two is Derek - not only does he have his own fans, I think they might be the most likely to care about power voting. (He also might benefit from a few extra Mark voters) It's not enough to get her the win, but it might be enough to pop her up a bit farther, maybe to 4th, if she keeps improving. 

Once Ryan survived the first few weeks, I have him pegged as the one who stays around just a bit too long, despite being the worst dancer. I think he has it in him to get over Maureen, and maybe even one more. 

Jana is safe this week, and she miiiight end up higher on this list, but she also seems to fit the profile of a likely "shocking elimination." (Gasp, and the week after a perfect score, can you imagine?) I would advise her to be on her toes for next week, because we've seen that storyline before.

I'll be shocked if Maureen makes it through this week, I think she's our likely out. 

[Hiacios]

5 hours ago, calipiano81 said:

Well, personally, James' dances haven't really been outstanding enough for me to be surprised. Maybe it's Sharna's choreography or I haven't really cared for any of the music they've been given.

I will agree that James may be the best male celeb dancer THIS season. But even in that instance, I think a case could also be made for Calvin, whose partnership with Lindsay I actually find myself more compelled by.

 

James is a natural dancer and Sharna is a great Dancer/choreographer and I think that they are by far the best couple on the show period.

[smiley13]

After getting to watch the whole show finally, Terra should be the one to go IMO.  Her physical limitations prevent her from properly performing the dances.

[Hiacios]

3 minutes ago, smiley13 said:

After getting to watch the whole show finally, Terra should be the one to go IMO.  Her physical limitations prevent her from properly performing the dances.

Well, my mom loves watching her dance and thinks that she's cute. lol.

[Uke]

7 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

I don't think they would give Artem ALL the older ladies if he were really a dick. I think he and Marcia are getting a bad edit. Maybe they want her gone already. Her dancing isn't bad, but she is awkward to watch.

It just occurred to me. If Maureen is that needy with Artem, she may be also that needy with everyone else in production.  That might explain the bad edits.

10 hours ago, spanana said:

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.

Yes, like the pro dance to "Light My Fire" w/Keo. She was like "the heck with him - where's the camera". And then I realized it wasn't Jenna, it was Allison.  

I would have enjoyed the dance except for her bizarre facial expressions for the camera.

[McManda]

4 hours ago, calipiano81 said:

I love looking at specific ballroom technique myself, but the things James gets praised so strongly for, I look at and just think, "he's OK."

But, still,  in relation to the vast majority of male celebs, "okay" is better than most. Especially to the lay-watchers. And added I with his boy-next-door looks and his enthusiasm for learning and his willingness to expand outside his comfort zone and not take himself too seriously ... he's got a lot of pluses others don't have. 

Re: Artem and Maureen, I don't think it's him. His partnership with Lea seemed fine (and she was slightly neurotic, too) and his partnership with Miss Patti was a joy. I think his partnership with Miss Patti says a lot, because she was never going to win. That season they did the livestreams of rehearsals and we got to see him go over and over and over moves with Patti because it took her a long time to learn them and he seemed fine then. He also dumbed down his choreography to something that made her look and feel comfortable. 

I just think that Maureen approaches her training with her "I'm being positive" mantra and in the end that doesn't get her learning or make her a better dancer and Artem doesn't know how to get past that. I doubt blame him and I kind of get his frustration because she has the potential to do well but is too stuck in her head to translate that to the dance floor. There's definitely more that we're not seeing.

Shallow note: I'll get needy with Artem any day. 

[MsJamieDornan]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1340342/How-Artem-Chigvintsev-left-American-wife-Carrie-Ann-Inaba-dancing-way-Kara-Tointons-heart.html

I'm not a fan of Artems. I think he's an ass.

[calipiano81]

4 hours ago, McManda said:

But, still,  in relation to the vast majority of male celebs, "okay" is better than most. Especially to the lay-watchers. And added I with his boy-next-door looks and his enthusiasm for learning and his willingness to expand outside his comfort zone and not take himself too seriously ... he's got a lot of pluses others don't have. 

As I alluded to before, I am always more inclined to root for the female celebs because so much more is required of them by both the judges and the audience to be successful on this show. In turn, I want a lot more in order to be impressed by the male celebs

Edited October 19, 2016 by calipiano81

[calipiano81]

6 hours ago, smiley13 said:

After getting to watch the whole show finally, Terra should be the one to go IMO.  Her physical limitations prevent her from properly performing the dances.

Actually, I think Terra does properly perform the dances (with good technique and commitment) and Sasha has been giving her proper content. Given her physicality, perhaps her dances sometimes don't come across as effectively to an audience as they would if she had even just a few more inches on her limbs.

But unfortunately, having tied for the lowest score of the night (I would have given four 8's) and poor running order (second to perform), I do think that Terra is in danger for next week's elimination along with Ryan and Maureen.

[CED9]

6 hours ago, McManda said:

But, still,  in relation to the vast majority of male celebs, "okay" is better than most. Especially to the lay-watchers. And added I with his boy-next-door looks and his enthusiasm for learning and his willingness to expand outside his comfort zone and not take himself too seriously ... he's got a lot of pluses others don't have. 

Re: Artem and Maureen, I don't think it's him. His partnership with Lea seemed fine (and she was slightly neurotic, too) and his partnership with Miss Patti was a joy. I think his partnership with Miss Patti says a lot, because she was never going to win. That season they did the livestreams of rehearsals and we got to see him go over and over and over moves with Patti because it took her a long time to learn them and he seemed fine then. He also dumbed down his choreography to something that made her look and feel comfortable. 

I just think that Maureen approaches her training with her "I'm being positive" mantra and in the end that doesn't get her learning or make her a better dancer and Artem doesn't know how to get past that. I doubt blame him and I kind of get his frustration because she has the potential to do well but is too stuck in her head to translate that to the dance floor. There's definitely more that we're not seeing.

Shallow note: I'll get needy with Artem any day. 

The difference with Maureen and Patti, though is that Patti would just go out there and do whatever she wanted and get a tonguebath from the judges just for existing. Maureen actually seems to want to learn what the dance actually requires and the judges are significantly more harsh on her. 

I'm wondering, though, if it's a bit of preconceived notions. Artem apparently never saw Brady Bunch and had no idea who Maureen was when they met. So, in my head, it's like, Artem is being a dick to Marcia Brady, how dare he? When the reality of the situation is most likely a 50/50 problem between them.

[mstar1125]

10 hours ago, Sonoma said:

You're correct-- it was somewhere in the middle. Hence the reason why the charges were never filed and why everyone involved in both countries let the incident fade away.

He's apologized and lost endorsements, and all he can do is move forward. There have been contestants on this show who have done far worse in their lifetimes. And it seems like the other contestants and pros seem to really like him as well.

Ryan is the textbook "dumb jock" stereotype, and I actually mean that in the nicest way possible. I think he probably broke some laws in Rio but is too naive to realize that he did something wrong. The media tried to portray him as an entitled dick, but he doesn't come across the way at all on DWTS. I also don't think he's smart enough to be putting on the persona that we are seeing on the show, I think this is who he actually is. Genuine but naive. If he was really an entitled dick, we would be seeing glimpses of it by now. 

Also, I'm strangely attracted to him for reasons I can't explain. His salsa this week was just okay. I couldn't figure out what was going on with his abs when he took his shirt off, it looked like he had drawn extra abs on. Then the lights went out and it...sort of made more sense? 

[boyznkatz]

I think Lochte is an entitled dick to leave his friends high and dry in Rio. I think he knew exactly what he was doing when he did that. Others may disagree, of course.

3 hours ago, CED9 said:

The difference with Maureen and Patti, though is that Patti would just go out there and do whatever she wanted and get a tonguebath from the judges just for existing. Maureen actually seems to want to learn what the dance actually requires and the judges are significantly more harsh on her. 

I'm wondering, though, if it's a bit of preconceived notions. Artem apparently never saw Brady Bunch and had no idea who Maureen was when they met. So, in my head, it's like, Artem is being a dick to Marcia Brady, how dare he? When the reality of the situation is most likely a 50/50 problem between them.

Patti could barely move, though. She was charming, and Artem did what he could with her. Maureen isn't a bad dancer though, and Artem certainly brought out some dancing ability in her.

[McManda]

My point was that despite Patti's shortcomings as a dancer, we never saw Artem get frustrated or annoyed with her. I don't know if he expects more with Maureen or what, but what we've seen of his history I don't think he's a giant douche. There's gotta be more going on.

(Also, fwiw, he and Patti seem to have stayed friendly, at least for awhile. She'd invite him to have dinner with her family and she'd cook for everyone. Sounds like she didn't think he was a dick. I thought that was cute, but I like hearing stuff like that.)

[sinkwriter]

I think Patti and Maureen have two totally different personalities, though. Patti was much breezier and there to have fun, while Maureen seems to be anxiety-ridden and a bit high maintenance when it comes to needing to be soothed, so perhaps it's harder for Artem to be patient because he can't understand why Maureen is struggling so much to believe in herself. (I mean, don't get me wrong -- as someone who has spent a lot of her life with shitty self-esteem, I get it. But I can also see why Artem might eventually lose patience and get frustrated.)

[majormama]

I was so happy that Amber walked out on Maks after he punched the wall. Violence is NOT appropriate, even directed at inanimate objects. And when he begged her to stay and she turned back, I started yelling at my TV. I'm glad she followed through and left. The kiddos and I had a discussion about that. Their actual dance looked and felt much more like a tango than a cha cha. Lots of messing about.

I was so distracted by Ryan's abs. I thought he had a very weird spray tan going on until they turned off the lights and I realized it was glo-paint.

James was cracking me up with his alter ego!

Count me as another "prude" who didn't find Jana and Gleb's dance sexy. Less is more!

Calvin and Lindsey's cartwheel move looked awesome. I do feel like they're relying a little too much on tricks, since he has the strength to pull them off. His dancing is good enough without them.

[vibeology]

With Jana and Gleb I would have been fine with the bed, but the shower should be reserved for Flashdance reenactments only. That was the bridge too far for me in terms of clearly trying way too hard to be sexy. It would have helped if they got a sexy song. I know Selena Gomez is Latina but that song is so flat and unLatin and I do think that they had to push even more than was necessary to give the dance a sexy character since the music just wasn't there helping them out. I think Gleb overdoes things in general (their jive had too many playing to the camera moments, for example); he's immature as a choreographer that way and when sex is the goal, it gets uncomfortable, quickly.

[iMonrey]

Quote

The thing is whatever Artem is doing in training is working.

True but that doesn't mean he's not a dick about it, and that article linked upthread seems to support that perception. Maybe he's not always like this - maybe he's been better with other partners - but this is the second week in a row I've seen him pull this passive-aggressive crap with her.

Quote

As much as I enjoy Calvin...I have to admit his dancing has been more fun and showy than ballroom or "true" latin.

I sort of felt that way too, until his Argentine Tango this week. I thought his technique was impressive right out of the gate and it took me by surprise.

[Vinyasa]

Quote

The difference with Maureen and Patti, though is that Patti would just go out there and do whatever she wanted and get a tonguebath from the judges just for existing. Maureen actually seems to want to learn what the dance actually requires and the judges are significantly more harsh on her. 

Patti is a performer, Maureen isn't. Maureen has improved each week and I think she is in amazing shape. All I want is for her to last longer than Terra, who is over scored.

[enthus-pro]

Thoughts on contestants for week 6 (in alphabetical order):

 

Calvin & Lindsay - liked the silhouette palm tree backdrop and thought Calvin made a nice effort to portray the night Californian lover. Nice rapid foot swings and thought the lifts in the routine were effortless and acrobatic. Maybe a creation of mood, and even more fluid, intimate movements in close hold would've been nice. Hints of sharp, staccato ballroom tango feel may have crept into the routine. But nice to see a confident Lindsay displaying trust with Calvin to create some nice lines and finishes.

James & Sharna - thought James made a nice effort with the rumba and that he pursued the lady right to the end. It was nice to see a sense of physicality and tension between the two throughout the floor. Thought maybe James could draw out the center of his chest (just a hair) to give off a whiff of arrogance, and maybe sneak in a step or two to engage the hips a bit (i.e. shadow cucarachas). But it was nice to see James showing shades of sharp/aggressive and softness when moments dictated it.

Jana & Gleb - thought the routine had sizzle and that it showed a man indeed dancing with his mistress.  It was a game of seduction and thought they showed an inner dialogue that kept everything inside/inwards.  Maybe Jana could kick from the knee in the leg hookings as it looked a bit heavy, and show a bit more freedom in her legs as they seemed at times a bit careful and unspontaneous.  But interesting use of props and thought they hit a nice finished pose in the final shower setting.

Laurie & Val - thought Laurie had nice rhythm at the beginning and that she seemed to enjoy the routine. There was a constant flow of sensuality and thought she made the moves (flip) look smooth and easy. Maybe at times the dance was a bit over-disciplined and wished there was less structure to the dance. Watching Laurie dancing a bit freer with abandonment may have contributed to an even more infectious, magnetic club vibe. But it was nice to see plenty of hip movements and thought Laurie carried out a fun performance.

Marilu & Derek - agree that Marilu looked more relaxed in this routine relative to last week and that they played off of each other well at the beginning.  Liked the cuban breaks and thought that the armography added to the performance value.  Thought maybe she could've placed her free arm better when opening out in hold (arm shaping should take care of itself) and work on loosening her upper body a bit.  Nonetheless enjoyed the routine and thought it was nice to see her having fun out on the floor.

 

Best of luck to all the celebs and looking forward to their dances.

[Wings]

On 10/18/2016 at 0:04 PM, realdancemom said:

 

When I was watching Artem and Maureen, I was thinking why couldn't a female troupe member help to show the steps?  That way, Maureen can see how it's supposed to look.  Also, the female can help teach and give additional pointers.  It will also give a break for both Artem and Maureen because after awhile, you sometimes just get sick of being with the same person for a lot of hours every day.

 

Hell, I am sick of Maureen and I only see her 4 minutes each week! 

Edited October 21, 2016 by wings707

[Wings]

On 10/18/2016 at 11:59 AM, iMonrey said:

I can only speak for myself, but every week he comes across like a sweet and eager puppy dog who has never shown one instance of ill temper. He might not be the brightest bulb in the box but he seems genuinely nice and genuinely remorseful about the events after the Olympics. I've also come to the conclusion that the whole "incident" in Rio wasn't as clear cut as it seemed at first, and that his original interpretation of the events wasn't too far off from the truth, which likely lies somewhere in the middle.

And . . . c'mon! As bad as Bristol Palin? 

Sometimes you just don't like someone.  I don't like him.  :^)  

Love this. I don't dislike him because he is dumb but it is a contributing factor!