S23.E10: Week 7

[Matryoshka]

3 hours ago, peach said:

Team Past was so lovely, and gave me actual feels.  Team Future fell flat for me.  I also hated the camera work.  I think if they hadn't zoomed in each couple like they did it would have looked better.  As it was, I couldn't get the sense of an overall, full floor performance.  Sort of like in ice skating when they camera stays too tight on the skater and you never see the overall choreography to it.

 

Totally agree. I really wanted to love Team Future but I could never see enough of everyone at one time to really get into it fully.

[deltaburkefan]

Was Gleb in the troupe before? I thought he was just on other editions of DWTS. 

Artem is a man who can pull off guy liner and a bad wig. I was into it. Drinking would explain some of Maureen's behavior, but I just figured she had fried her brain with drugs back in the 80s.

[RedFiat]

5 hours ago, Thadeeeyus said:

Though I liked James tonight, I'm with Len in wanting to see more Jitterbug.  Where was the hold?  And how nice of Len to point it out and then announce he was still giving a high score.

This was the most incredulous comment from Len.  A jitterbug does not follow any ballroom rules. That's why it's not on the ballroom roster of dances.  You can put anything you want into a jitterbug,  lindy, swing, charleston...and they did throw in a lot of lindy style lifts because they can. You don't require any footwork with precision. You can be in hold, or you can dance apart. James and Sharna had a combination. So if James was on the balls of his feet dancing, and doing "jive" then so be it, most ballroom dancers dance this style this way because of their jive training. That is not a reason to dock points.  Most who dance jitterbug/lindy socially, dance it like Calvin dances jive. Flat Footed.  Calvin's feet should have had at least been noted as how not to dance jive.

Edited October 25, 2016 by RedFiat

[RedFiat]

Quote

 

Dance of the night, maybe the season, for me, though, was James' Glenn Miller (YES - faithful rendition!) Jitterbug.  He was such a loose and fancy-free dancer!  He completely evoked that era.  Stunningly so.  He looked like he lived during that time and somehow channeled it.  He was that brilliant.  Sharna?  My goodness.  She was breathtakingly beautiful as a WW II canteen volunteer.  Dances like this are the very best of what DWTS can be.

 

I could not agree more this was a show stopper for me. 

 

3 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

 

Boy.  After a few weeks of conscious underscoring, they sure went overboard propping up Calvin!  I'm happy they did it, but oh man...That was either the least, or second least, content he has yet performed.  He literally stood like a statue for the final 32 bars.  This, in a dance made for his advantage - athleticism!  

 

Well the thing is if he goes full out "athleticism" then he loses everything, timing footwork, which wasn't good btw.  So the only thing to do is to do as little as possible. 

 

 1

[TeeMo]

I don't think Laurie is being nitpicked at all. I think we have just reached the parat of the season when all the scores go up narrowing the gap with the obvious frontrunners. So yes, other people are getting similar scores for less impressive dancing but that always happens at this point in the season. 

 

Also put me in the camp that thinks the show should be ashamed of itself for assigning Cheek to Cheek to Sasha and Terra. I think they've done a great job of not making her height and the challenges it brings a focus of their approach. Sasha has never been a favorite of mine but I commend him for the way he has managed to choreograph in a way that works with their size difference and is not just cutesy or full of gimmicks. The show assigning Cheek to Cheek is a rude and demeaning way of calling attention to Terra's size and I thought it was totally unnecessary. 

[Vinyasa]

Sorry Julianne, Marilu fell on her butt in Team Future dance so that is not a 9.

I suspect because that team dance included Derek, that explains the 9.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

As someone who went to prom in the late 60's and was prom advisor for many years until recently, I think prom is a lot bigger deal now.  It's shocking how much money prom goers spend now!  Tho I do think it was more " romanticized" in the 60's.  And as someone noted earlier, no quickstep , where did that come from!

Derek did a couple of very intentional lifts with Shawn Johmson's quickstep the all star season and not one word from the judges. I remember because I was screaming at the TV about the lifts while the judges were praising it to high heavens.  Consistency, Carrie Ann, that's all we ask!  ( don't quite understand why Val went there tho.)

Edited October 25, 2016 by Packerbrewerbadger

[Tosia]

Terra is a hostile,  horrible person according to her actions on her reality show.  The most angry, illogical YELLER over everyone on the show.

Her performances on DWTS  is an attempt to repackage herself,  and I'm not buying it.  I don't care how hard she tries. She sold her soul on reality tv. 

Watch it for yourself and see the real Terra. 

Edited October 25, 2016 by Tosia
Amazing how celebrities think they can lie so boldly when there is videotape proof of the truth.

[watcherwoman]

I won't miss Maureen at all.  I also felt like she was either drunk or high at times.  I think she was always beautiful, but she had a very messed up life.  

I've watched Terra's show Little Women of LA, and yes she can be loud and pushy on that show, but in order to stay on a realty tv show, that's the formula.  She's a smart lady, she knows how to play the realty game.  On DWTS, you can see she is a hard worker and agreeable.  I like her and hope she continues to do well and have success in her life.

Calvin has been a hidden gem for me.  He has improved so much and he has a great personality.  I prefer him over Ryan for many reasons, I hope he goes far.

Marilu seems to annoy Derek at times, IMO.  I don't know what it is, but he doesn't seem happy with her.  He probably wishes he had Laurie...lol.

James and Laurie are good, period.  I like them both.  Jana hasn't really caught my eye yet.

Nice to see Len back!  I have a story about Julianne that some may find interesting.  Our good friend plays in a popular country band and his band opened for her a few years back when she was on the road singing.  She was such a diva!  She actually asked someone in our friend's band to do her laundry.  She didn't want to visit or be friendly, but she expected people to cater her every need.  In contrast, our friend's band opened for Miranda Lambert and she was SO friendly and down to earth.  Miranda was a much bigger star but she was a regular girl to everyone.  Nothing to do with dancing, but thought it was interesting.

[JayeEmm]

7 hours ago, Mondayeve said:

Could be.  As someone who lived in Mass. for a while they add an R where there isn't one (along with taking it out when there is one).  They say terlit for toilet, pizzer for pizza and idear for idea.  So era would be eerer or error.  Although Tom has really learned not to sound regional or like he is from Mass.

New England native here - (NH, not Mass, but close enough) I lol'ed when he was talking about "burning their bras" because I heard 'brars' - just like my grandma would've said! If she'd ever have talked about burning bras, that is.

[MsJamieDornan]

18 minutes ago, watcherwoman said:

Marilu seems to annoy Derek at times, IMO.  I don't know what it is, but he doesn't seem happy with her

I truly think Marilu could annoy even the kindest person. I think the producers are being kind to her in her practice tapes. She is usually bossy and talks non stop. She rambles on and on. Over the years I have quit watching her on talk shows because she is so annoying. 

[crowceilidh]

I thought Marilu and Derek were underscored, so that's interesting.  I rarely think Derek is underscored.  I agree that he seems not to like Marilu.  I also think that her faces that she makes are odd because of her older pulled-tight face - I think they were probably "hot" faces at one point.

I hated Team Past.  It's personal.  That costuming was dire to my eye as was the interpretation of the song.  And the claim that it was anything like 1700s dancing was totally stupid.  Sorry, I'm a history nerd (which is why I don't watch "Outlander".

Loved Sharna and James' jitterbug.  She looked like a Jessica Rabbit style cartoon in that colour with that hair colour.  It really worked for me.

The show was in one way, revolting, for giving Terra and Sasha "Cheek to cheek" but it's hardly the first time they've done that kind of thing.  On the other hand, the song is so lyrical and lovely and Terra was able to inhabit and portray that feeling, so she won.

[RedFiat]

1 hour ago, crowceilidh said:

I hated Team Past.  It's personal.  That costuming was dire to my eye as was the interpretation of the song.  And the claim that it was anything like 1700s dancing was totally stupid.  Sorry, I'm a history nerd (which is why I don't watch "Outlander".

Viennese Waltz is from the later part of the 1800's it's true, so to put it back 100 years is crazy,  but the interpretation of this dance was from an earlier time  possibly when the French Waltz was in vogue  They had promenades, allemagnes, some of the sequences that was interpreted on the dance floor last night.  Also, I read where the choreography took it's inspiration from the second season of Outlanders where it was in Paris.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=outlander+season+2+paris&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=715&tbm=isch&tbo=u&sourc#imgrc=8JfW

 So the costumes were a reflection more of the French court.   I thought they did an outstanding job.  Of course there were things in the dance like lifts that would never be in a waltz of old, but it is a show dance and of course take liberties.   

Edited October 25, 2016 by RedFiat

[boyznkatz]

2 hours ago, Tosia said:

Terra is a hostile,  horrible person according to her actions on her reality show.  The most angry, illogical YELLER over everyone on the show.

Her performances on DWTS  is an attempt to repackage herself,  and I'm not buying it.  I don't care how hard she tries. She sold her soul on reality tv. 

Watch it for yourself and see the real Terra. 

She and Ryan Lochte both seem like insincere phonies trying to make themselves look good. They need to go already! By the way judges, Terra isn't that good!

[Primetimer]

Each couple gets to represent a different era, but the rehearsals reveal that some of the participants need a history lesson.

View the full article

[legaleagle53]

10 hours ago, Love2dance said:

I was there in the 60's and there was no quick step at the prom, for sure. They should have danced the twist, watusi, mashed potato, jerk, or at least an American Bandstand style swing.

None of which are competitive ballroom/Latin dances, except for Swing.  This show has enough problems with "out there" social dance styles that the pros barely know how to do themselves, much less teach and choreograph, so why would you expect them to go there for the 60s?  And yes, Quickstep was a competitive dance even in the 60s, although its time as a social dance had ended some 30 years earlier.  So I have no problem with a 60s Quickstep.  It's not about the culture of the times.  It's about doing a dance to the music of the times.

[Boofish]

I would rather see a finale with James, Calvin and Jana with James ultimately winning. Laurie is a good but I just don't get any joy from watching her dance and I think visually Jana is way better.

[RemoteControl88]

Best performances of the night for me were James/Sharna and Laurie/Val.  Both had the content and I just smiled through the both routines.  I know I like it if I go back and watch a few times. Sharna and Val do such a good job of having the troupe there but keeping the focus on their partnership so they aren't overpowered by the troupe. The troupe enhanced their routines (made it feel bigger/larger) but my eyes were always on James and Laurie. They told a story, had excellent content, and acted it as well. I loved both.  I generally love Val's quicksteps  and this was right up there.  Sharna killed her first jitterbug IMO.

I'm 100% ok with Maureen leaving. The most stessful/exhausting part of her dances was the  package that played beforehand. By the time we got through that drama I was already dragged down (enegry-wise) before she even performed. I would watch her dances with the anxiety and stress that we all knew was there. It stopped being fun to watch. However, Artem, Keo and Dennis had me cackling in their outfits. They looked gloriously ridiculous.  I felt like the spirit of Mark Ballas was on the dance floor.

Calvin did great. He's not as natural a performer as James and Laurie but he's finally get recognized for his good dancing.

Terra's dance was nice/lovely. But I'm not buying the personality transplant DWTS producers are trying to feed us though.  But they know that the demo of DWTS isn't really watching her reality show and will never know.... so they can get away with it.

Jana did good.  IMO there was no way she was going to top last week's dance, however, Gleb did them no favors with his exchange with Len.  Len dressing him down after the dance was one thing. I think he should have let it rest. The additional comments with Erin probably wasn't endearing him to the general audience.  And now I read in an article that backstage he said that Len should spend more time here (in the US) as opposed to Strictly Come Dancing in the UK.  Now talking back to the judges can work for you, sometimes if they are truly being ridiculous, however he's veering off to the point of me wondering if he is going to piss someone off and not be asked back. Gleb hasn't been on the show long enough for him to be able to get away with doing that. 

Marilu - I'm not into this partnership.  Something is missing. The dance was fine though. Even with the mistakes I would still give it 8's. She had good content and executed for the most part. On the performance side some of her facial expressions are a little wonky. It seemed like the performance lost steam as it went along too.

Ryan - can't do sexy. Though he is a very handsome man. He see's himself as a goofy big kid (which I agree with). But I give Cheryl a standing ovation for all the hair whipping and sex appeal she tried to infuse in the dance though. Ryan is minimal drama, he works hard, listens to Cheryl. People like that and I think that is why he's still here. I'm not going to lie though...I'm happy they are still here too. Not because of Ryan, but because I just love that one of our veteran pros is still hanging in there. I want to go as far as possible because we probably won't see her on the show for a long time....if ever after this season.

Team Dances - 

Team Past - very beautiful. 

Team Future - that music sucked. As did the camera angles. I don't think I would have ever liked what they did...just based on the music alone.

[Steph619]

Eh, I wasn't really impressed with either one of the team dances to be honest. Team Past was kind of boring, but I'll admit I don't like that type of music or dance. Team Future had sync issues and poor Marilu fell. Dare I say Derek seemed uninspired for this team dance? He usually does well. The same goes for Val.

I felt bad for Terra. I'm sure Derek didn't mean to make her feel bad, but I'm glad Val stepped in and would ask her how she was doing every so often. I really liked her dance with Sasha and I think he's doing a great job with her this season.

[RedFiat]

7 minutes ago, Steph619 said:

Team Past was kind of boring, but I'll admit I don't like that type of music or dance.

And that is fair.  I am a huge fan of period music and dance so I was friggen deep into this one.  I am glad we got a change from all pop, electronic or hip hop on the show- and the show always trying to wedge in another cha cha bumper to something you hear on the radio.  In fact I think what could have been way cool is James and Sharna's individual dance be VWaltz and the group dance be a jitterbug - but it would have been just too difficult for everyone except James in that group to learn  2 dances from scratch.   

Edited October 25, 2016 by RedFiat

[peach]

11 hours ago, spanana said:

Now I do think the fact that they started mentioning tonight about how Sharna has never won before, a la shades of Val in S20 with Rumer or Maks and his entire season with Meryl, may be the show trying to propel James forward.  I'm not 100% sure they care if James or Laurie wins, but I do think they want it to at least be a close battle and Sharna winning her first mirrorball with the guy that came out of nowhere is probably a better storyline than Val wins another trophy with the obvious frontrunner.

It is for me!  lol  I love Sharna, and I do want them to win. 

[iMonrey]

Ugh, that was so not the Chiffons singing One Fine Day! What a dreadful cover. 

I'm kind of on Gleb's side, a little bit, because these pros have a difficult job balancing the dance style with whatever dumb "theme" the producers come up with for the week. I mean, what are you supposed to do with a "1970s Samba?" Just do a standard samba wearing polyester? Would that make Len happy? The viewers would think it was dumb, and boring. So, on that score, Gleb is kind of right: you have to sacrifice some of the style or the viewers won't be entertained.

I also think he and Jana probably were in the bottom 2 and maybe that's why they got perfect 10s last week. The judges know Jana isn't getting the votes.

OK, I hate to say it, but I'm getting a little tired of Terra crying every week because she doesn't want to be treated differently, or whatever. I mean - I totally get the frustration, and in fact I thought her Foxtrot was gorgeous, but this is getting to be a regular, weekly thing with her. She's how old? Surely she's used to this by now. And as others have pointed out, she's no shrinking violet on Little Women of L.A. She doesn't need to play the sympathy card every week, her dancing is good enough to get the votes. Or . . . maybe it's not, and that's why the editors keep doing it?

Ryan cracked me up when Cheryl said his "seduction" face and his "sexy" face were the same exact face, and he said "It's the only face I've got!" See, it wasn't so much that he lied about what happened to him in Rio, it's that he's really so dumb he didn't know what was going on. 

Ryan still should have gone before Maureen, probably, but she was never going to win anyway. Marilu should probably go sooner rather than later though. I think she's peaked.

[TheGreenKnight]

I've never really payed attention to Artem, but wow I couldn't take my eyes off him last night. For some reason his face reminded me of David Bowie (in Labyrinth).

Gleb was gorgeous as always. Like Len, I hope he and Jana make it to the top 3 at least. I'm not really into any of the other contestants. I wish Ryan Lochte had left last night.

[Gardencrown]

It was good night overall. I did think that Laurie was a tad nitpicked for her dance, but she's one of the few contestants that can respond to that.

While James may not be the best male dancer the show has ever had, he is certainly one of the better actors of those contestants not in an entertainment field. Plus, he's light on his feet, clearly picks up choreography quickly with a great degree of natural talent, and seems to be an all-round great guy who treats his partner and fellow contestants well. What's not to like? I'd say similar things about Calvin, though he's not as naturally talented. And I could probably say similar things about Jana, but she and Gleb (especially Gleb) rub me the wrong way big-time. It's a YMMV thing of course, but I won't be disappointed if she doesn't make the finals.

Ryan really is that...maybe not dumb, but simple? Not a mean bone in his body, but...yeah. Marilu and Derek grow increasingly hard to watch because something is off in their partnership. I like Terra fine (never seen her show), but it's Sasha that I find to be a revelation. He is so kind, such a great teacher. He doesn't get pissy or lose his cool. What a lovely person.

Ah, Maureen. Yes, it does seem like she's drunk sometimes, but I hope not, and I think not. She's just a super awkward person (I can relate) who shows the damage of her younger years. She seems to repeat statements she's learned in therapy almost as mantras, whether they fit the situation or not. I sympathize with her funny faces during judging, because if I feel on the spot, sometimes my face gets twitchy and weird, and I think that's happening to her. But overall, she was becoming more and more exhausting to watch. She was REALLY.TRYING.SO.HARD that it became difficult to watch her. I hope she gained confidence and had some joy in the experience of the show. And can we get Artem a contender, please? Maybe I could have liked Jana with him...

[crossover]

7 hours ago, RedFiat said:

This was the most incredulous comment from Len.  A jitterbug does not follow any ballroom rules. So if James was on the balls of his feet dancing, and doing "jive" then so be it, most ballroom dancers dance this style this way because of their jive training. That is not a reason to dock points.  Most who dance jitterbug/lindy socially, dance it like Calvin dances jive. Flat Footed.  Calvin's feet should have had at least been noted as how not to dance jive.

Relax Redfiat.  I think TPTB will do all they can to get James in the finals.  But I agree with Thadeeeyus and Len--it looked more like a jive.  You don't have to throw Calvin, or anyone else for that matter, under the bus in order to elevate James.  Besides, he's already captured the DWTS women viewers' hearts.  You should be enjoying things because they've even maneuvered to bring Laurie back to the pack. 

[DancingD]

I loved Laurie's dance, the whole thing. Grinned like an idiot the whole time. Watched it again to see if there was any hint that she was rushing, or bouncing per Len. Their top line was great, she was right in sync. Guess they need to score her down a bit to make it a contest. 

Same reaction to James' dance, and Calvin's. They are a joy.

And no, they should not mention Calvin's feet. That would be dumb and mean, kind of like telling Terra she needs to stride out more.

Gleb is here for eye candy, no? People on this board are probably not his target audience. 

Speaking of which, Artem needs to grow and darken his hair, and always wear guy liner. Wowza.

Team past was my favorite dance too, but I'm an Outlander fan. Pretty sure the camera angles helped to hide some of it (Ryan and Maureen) but it looked very nice. Cameras didn't help Team Future at all. 

Edited October 25, 2016 by DancingD

[iMonrey]

I also thought the choreography for Team Past was very wisely kept as simple as possible for the celebrities. Poor Ryan couldn't even remember to walk in a circle, that's how simple they had to keep it. But it was clever in its simplicity because it looked so elegant and nobody screwed up. The choreography for Team Future was more ambitious so obviously had more potential for screw-ups.

[rr2911]

. Maureen left, which is a good thing.

. Laurie was the best of the night. The judges apparently didn't think so. She was underscored!

. Calvin is o.k. He suffers from "Michael Irvin" syndrome. Calvin thinks by smiling all the time, his mistakes will vanish. Look, he is good, but if he can't perform some of the steps because of foot issues then he should never receive a 10.

. James is a very good dancer....just not as good as Laurie. Unfortunately for Laurie, she doesn't have a backstory like James.

. I thought Laurie would be in the finals and possibly win it all. Now, I think her talents are coming back to haunt her. She raised the bat too high.

. When is Terra leaving? I'm sure she is trying her best but she can't perform certain routines/steps, which means she's not performing the whole dance. 

[RedheadZombie]

When there's four judges, I wish they'd throw out the highest and lowest score.  That way, Julianne's higher score for her brother won't affect the scores.  Or Julianne should recuse herself during Derek's dances, and the scores calculated to a percentage, versus simple total.

18 hours ago, 1kittykitty said:

Laurie Hernandez just made a strong statement against home schooling as she has no historical background knowledge of the 60's.  I know lots of elementary students who could say more than she did.  At least she's worked on the odd facial expressions since last week.

I don't think it makes a statement against home schooling in general, but it may say something about homeschooling for athletes.  The goal is to shrink the school hours to the bare minimum, to allow more practice.  So-called "dance prodigy" Sophia Lucia spends more hours a day stretching, than schooling.

[janerazor]

I've rewatched James and Sharna's jitterbug, and there are so many little things that James throws in that make that dance just sparkle. He puts timing and grace into all the moves, not just the dance steps. Even the way he handles the cards in time with the other male dancers in the beginning feels beautifully effortless. 

I felt bad for Calvin about not being able to point his toes. I mean, if his ankles don't work that way anymore, then there isn't much he can do about it. I do enjoy him as a dancer though (much better than last year's footballers, if you ask me), so I hope he makes the finals.

Jana is a lovely dancer and seems like a good person, but she just doesn't resonate with me. I thought they had a fair amount of samba in their 70s samba--considering the amount of the assigned dances that others had in theirs--so I wondered if Len just had an issue with Gleb. And I dunno, Gleb, to me, can kind of come off like a jerk. I'd like to say it's a language barrier thing...but who knows. On a shallow note, who were the female troupe dancers along with them this time? Cuz, damn girl, their booties looked effing glorious in those jeans. 

I hope Maureen is fine with how far she made it. It's a bit of a relief to have her gone. I wasn't sure I could take her weeping another week. She is a gorgeous woman, to be sure, but she does seem like a barely held together mess at times.

[friendperidot]

Quote

but it's Sasha that I find to be a revelation. He is so kind, such a great teacher. He doesn't get pissy or lose his cool. What a lovely person.

that's exactly what I was thinking last night.

[Uke]

14 hours ago, kitcloudkicker said:

A hometown accent thing? ;P

Definitely! He and I grew up about 20 miles apart.  It took alot of work to get rid of the accent.  :) 

[peach]

56 minutes ago, RedheadZombie said:

I don't think it makes a statement against home schooling in general, but it may say something about homeschooling for athletes.  The goal is to shrink the school hours to the bare minimum, to allow more practice.  So-called "dance prodigy" Sophia Lucia spends more hours a day stretching, than schooling.

Gym schooling!

[Princt1]

Oh the dog in the backseat is barking again. Damnit--she was quiet for a long time and it was appreciated.

Go Calvin. Foot problems aren't stopping you at all. Smiles help a ton, and the ballroom is full of them this season--you and your partner, Laurie and hers, Terra and my guy, and Sharna and James' demure mini, Derek. Can't vote for the all-sex-all-the-time couple, Derek's p leaves me wanting and C and R are sort of "just there." All giving all, however--nice to see!

[realdancemom]

On paper, I thought Team Future would win since Team Past had the weaker dancers.  I was nicely surprised that I enjoyed Team Past's dance more.  Team Future did have a weird song and camera angles.  I also thought there were too many bright/flashing lights that were distracting.

It was time for Maureen to go.  She was exhausting to watch.  I just didn't want her to leave first or too early since she seems sweet.  I thought it wouldn't be good for her self esteem if she left too early.

Marilu seems like a perfectionist.  That's why she doesn't relax and I don't enjoy her dances.  I also think that because she previously did the Charleston, she thought she was the expert for this dance and she was trying to tell Derek what to do.  So I wouldn't mind if either she or Ryan left next.

I would want the top three to be Laurie, James, and Calvin.  If there's a fourth, then I would want it to be Jana.  I don't know if Jana and Gleb are not getting votes since they've been in jeopardy a lot.  Gleb needs to be careful and not mouth off even if he disagrees with the judges.

Someone posted Dmitry/Mya's disco samba.  Another disco samba that I liked was Sharna and Nick's.

Edited October 25, 2016 by realdancemom

[spanana]

3 hours ago, rr2911 said:

. Calvin is o.k. He suffers from "Michael Irvin" syndrome. Calvin thinks by smiling all the time, his mistakes will vanish. Look, he is good, but if he can't perform some of the steps because of foot issues then he should never receive a 10.

That makes no sense to me.  If Calvin has a medical reason that keeps him from pointing his toes then there is nothing he can do about it.  I'm not saying he shouldn't be penalized for things where he legitimately messes up, but how can you penalize him for something is incapable of fixing?  Or are you talking about some other foot issue?  I heard nothing from Calvin or Lindsay about him not being able to perform some of the steps due to foot issues.  Just that he had trouble pointing his toes due to injury.   Nor did he score a 10 for his dance last night, so the judges didn't think it was perfection either.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I do enjoy him as a dancer though (much better than last year's footballers, if you ask me),

I like Calvin better than any footballer they've ever had on the show. I tend to dislike the football players right out of the gate, because frankly the notion of a great big strong football player doing ballroom dance seems a little too precious to me and the judges tend to over-praise them and over-score them on the basis that a football player dancing is just so "unexpected."

But there's something infectious about Calvin and how game he is for all of this. And he's really good! He may not have pointed his toes the way he's supposed to, but damn - he really danced in sync with the troupe. I thought his performance was awesome.

And I thought Erin made an interesting point last week when she said pro athletes have an advantage because they're used to being critiqued for their performances by their coaches and working on them. As opposed to other celebs - actors, singers, etc., who have enormous egos. Good point, although maybe not true for all the athletes they've had on the show. Works for Calvin, though.

Edited October 25, 2016 by iMonrey

[smiley13]

I really wish the show would stop trying to make Sharna happen.  She is a show killer for me.  

And I wish that awful Terra person would have been the one to go.  Thank heavens Ryan stayed though.

[Uke]

20 hours ago, LotusFlower said:

I think Maureen was drunk during the rehearsals and packages - maybe that's why Artem always seemed so bummed out and frustrated.  She was on another reality show awhile back called something like Celebrity Fit Club, and she had a drinking problem, including drinking in the morning.  I noticed it a lot tonight in the packages, esp. when she said she was "tipsy on dancing....weehoo!"  I'm guessing the producers knew.

The same though occurred to me but I had to remind myself that she had kicked her addictions.  Now your saying it, is making me re-think.  For her sake, I hope not.  

[ClareWalks]

Calvin (sorry, I gotta call him Megatron) is one of the best NFL guys they've had. He reminds me of Hines Ward, who is also a workhorse who improved every single week. Megatron had lots of musicality last night. Compare that dance to his first dance. Dude deserves to make the finals, at this rate. 

Oh, and a Hines update, to illustrate how hard the dude works...the Chocolate Milk team sponsored him to train for the Ironman World Championship, which he not only finished, but finished in a good time. Now THAT is a worker.

Edited October 25, 2016 by ClareWalks

[CraftyHazel]

I really wanted to watch this season to root for Laurie and to hope Ryan was first out so I could laugh at his stupid/douche ass as it went out the door.  I still like Laurie because she's just darling, but I love Calvin and I flipping ADORE James...and Ryan is slowly but surely worming his way back into my good graces.  He honestly seems like a lumbering, relatively harmless dork.  Calvin is quite good, but James is very impressive...he and Sharna always have a full storyline to their dances, and he is fully committed down to his fingertips.  I really, really want him to win!

[magpye29]

I kept laughing during the show because it looked like Julianne was having trouble keeping her eyes open--she had sooo much eyeliner (and false eyelashes?) on that it was literally weighing her eyelids down!  

[smiley13]

5 minutes ago, magpye29 said:

I kept laughing during the show because it looked like Julianne was having trouble keeping her eyes open--she had sooo much eyeliner (and false eyelashes?) on that it was literally weighing her eyelids down!  

Her eye makeup was waaaay over done.

[smiley13]

4 minutes ago, 1kittykitty said:

Her eyemakeup was a distraction for me.  Another reason why I said upthread there that I would be okay if they eliminated her from the panel.

I would be happy if her and Golden Boy never were on the show again.

[LotusFlower]

2 hours ago, Uke said:

The same though occurred to me but I had to remind myself that she had kicked her addictions.  Now your saying it, is making me re-think.  For her sake, I hope not.  

Her stint on Celebrity Fit Club (when she was drinking) was awhile ago, but I think after the period when she said she kicked her addiction to coke.  And if you watch her packages, it's hard not to describe her as tipsy.  She even used the word herself!  

[McManda]

3 minutes ago, LotusFlower said:

The same though occurred to me but I had to remind myself that she had kicked her addictions.  Now your saying it, is making me re-think.  For her sake, I hope not.

Was she ever an alcoholic? She talks at length in her autobiography about her addiction to cocaine and a brief foray into psychedelics (she didn't take to those well), but she never makes reference to an alcohol addiction. Her stint on Celebrity Fit Club is the opening and closing point of her autobiography, though, so maybe she got into drinks after? 

Though if I had to guess it would be against being drunk at work.

[tessaforever]

20 hours ago, Thadeeeyus said:

Nice knowing you, Gleb.  I think most of us realize it's an entertainment show and not a dance contest, but still....   

He needs to watch Derek and Val and how they respond to the judge's comments...usually they just smile. Or if Val responds (like with the lift comment to Carrie Ann), it's a funny response, not a defensive one. 

17 hours ago, deltaburkefan said:

Was Gleb in the troupe before? I thought he was just on other editions of DWTS. 

He was with Lisa Vanderpump, I think. Her age made it hard to take the sexy angle for their partnership, but I do remember an execrable dance with her as a flight attendant I think? 

15 hours ago, RedFiat said:

This was the most incredulous comment from Len.  A jitterbug does not follow any ballroom rules. That's why it's not on the ballroom roster of dances.  You can put anything you want into a jitterbug,  lindy, swing, charleston...and they did throw in a lot of lindy style lifts because they can. You don't require any footwork with precision. You can be in hold, or you can dance apart. James and Sharna had a combination. So if James was on the balls of his feet dancing, and doing "jive" then so be it, most ballroom dancers dance this style this way because of their jive training. That is not a reason to dock points.  

Len is really bugging me, actually. I would be fine with his cranky comments if he were consistent, but he randomly praises people (who haven't done a great job) and tears down people (who have). It's funny but the truth often comes out in his scoring - he'll give someone a tongue bath for "coming out and giving it their all" and then score them so-so.  

I think Len lost my affection when he pretended to retire, then came back after taking one season off. I'm still confused about that, actually...

5 hours ago, RedheadZombie said:

When there's four judges, I wish they'd throw out the highest and lowest score.  That way, Julianne's higher score for her brother won't affect the scores.  Or Julianne should recuse herself during Derek's dances, and the scores calculated to a percentage, versus simple total.

I don't think it makes a statement against home schooling in general, but it may say something about homeschooling for athletes.  The goal is to shrink the school hours to the bare minimum, to allow more practice.  So-called "dance prodigy" Sophia Lucia spends more hours a day stretching, than schooling.

I've been keeping track, and last night and last week were the first 2 times that Julianne's score for Derek was higher than the other judges'. She needs to rein it back in for sure. 

Agreed about regular homeschooling vs. athlete homeschooling - notice when Lindsay and Witney couldn't get one question right on their "Jeopardy" segment a few seasons ago, no one said "That's a good argument against our school system". Laurie is adorable, a hard worker, and a great gymnast but she's not sharp. I homeschool my kids (they're 16 & 13) and they are super sharp - ask them a question about anything and they'll have an intelligent reply. But they would probably do well in any kind of school setting, and they're doing schoolwork all day long, not fitting it in after long practices.  

[LotusFlower]

44 minutes ago, McManda said:

Was she ever an alcoholic? She talks at length in her autobiography about her addiction to cocaine and a brief foray into psychedelics (she didn't take to those well), but she never makes reference to an alcohol addiction. Her stint on Celebrity Fit Club is the opening and closing point of her autobiography, though, so maybe she got into drinks after? 

Though if I had to guess it would be against being drunk at work.

As I think I mentioned in an earlier post, she was drinking a lot during Celebrity Fit Club (which she had to acknowledge b/c the show was about fitness and losing weight), and I distinctly remember her drinking in the AM, a definite red flag.  

[McManda]

15 minutes ago, LotusFlower said:

As I think I mentioned in an earlier post, she was drinking a lot during Celebrity Fit Club (which she had to acknowledge b/c the show was about fitness and losing weight), and I distinctly remember her drinking in the AM, a definite red flag.  

Anything's possible, I suppose, but it would be surprising to me, mostly because she's so open about her battle with addiction to drugs. Why hide a drinking problem? Plus, she's more familiar than most with the signs of addiction and based on the fight she put up to bring herself out of one addiction I don't know that she'd fall into another. 

I think it's more likely that she's just a case study for the results of a life of high stress, high expectations, hard drug use, countless therapy sessions, and Prozac.

[Mittengirl]

Well, to be fair to Laurie, and homeschooling, I don't think her mind was on the sixties when Erin asked her question.  She was probably thinking about what she had just done and wondering what her scores would be.  Anyone can be made to look dim when caught off-guard.  And as far as her giggling about bra burning, maybe it was more about talking about it on national television.

 

I graduated from h.s. In the mid-80's and we briefly covered the Vietnam war, the civil rights movement and Watergate at the very end of the year.   Probably all jammed in to a week or so.