S18.E08: Week 8

[Hybiscus]

And I don't care for Abby Lee Miller. How do you give constructive criticism and a 10 to Charlie and constructive criticism and an 8 to Meryl.

 

How do you give nothing but glowing praise to Charlie for his cha cha, but give him only 9s?

 

Actually, Bruno told ALM her criticism of Charlie wasn't justified because it wasn't a ballroom misstep.  ALM stated in an interview before the show that she's not a ballroom expert.  Did you notice she also tried to say Charlie slick back his hair?  How dare she mess with the curls!

 

I continue to adore Charlie and I liked his QS but anyone else think that 40 was almost a pity 40...just me?

 

Then what about Amy's AT? 

 

I loved that Candace and Charlie were cheating on Mark and Sharna. That was a really nice dance though and I totally did not see whatever slip happened with Sharna so I think they deserved their 10's.

 

I'm not a big fan of contemporary, but that "duel" (more like "duet") with Candace and Charlie was superb and agree it should have gotten all 10s.  I didn't see Sharna's mistake, even when I rewatched and tried to look for it.  Why should they knock down the celebs for a pro's mistake, especially when it's done when she's dancing alone?  (Or did it happen when she was with Charlie?)

[truthaboutluv]

Then what about Amy's AT?

 

 

I thought they gave her a 40 because they wanted to. Part of why I thought Charlie's score came across as it did was one, the obvious story arc showing how frustrated both he and Sharna were about his scores and the judges' comments and two, none of the judges were particularly effusive in their comments save for Bruno I think. Abby was babbling on about something, Len made some cheeky comment but didn't really say anything and Carrie Ann was positive but not exactly glowing as she tends to be when giving someone a 10. I found her reaction actually a little lukewarm so that's why the perfect score came across as it did to me. Obviously not saying that's exactly what happened. 

[LadyMustang65]

But, I'm just wondering if,  beyond her nasty personality, some of the distain for her is because she's not a tiny size 2 who teaches dance classes?  I don't know why, but I just have the feeling that Maks is one of those millions of men who look at a overweight woman with disgust.  

 

I don't believe that's true.  He was very good with Kirstie Alley, and I never got the impression that he found her disgusting.  Nor have I ever seen anything in his interactions with other zaftig female contestants on the show that suggested he looks at an overweight woman with disgust.  I really don't think the disdain for ALM has anything to do with her weight.  She's just a really nasty piece of work who abuses children.  No more explanation needed.

Edited May 6, 2014 by LadyMustang65

[cynthiabc]

I think his dislike of her is more about the way she teaches and treats the students on her program. Teaching dance is what he basically does for a living, when he is not on DWTS, and she gives his profession a bad name.

[radishcake]

Heads up guys: the comments about Amy Purdy have been increasingly mean spirited and I'm going to start editing/Deleting them as the situation warrants.

[Alapaki]

Welp, hopefully if last night was an audition for ALM to replace one of the judges on a full time basis, TPTB will see that she ended up like the Hindenburg (pun intended).

I think at one point even Tom was putting her in her place, and not in the joking way he does with Len.

I can understand why true professional dancers and instructors would find both the style and substance of her training and critiques to be repugnant.

[ali59]

I honestly didn't want any of the stars to go home last night, but I realize that's the show!  I didn't mind the guest judges until now.  Wow, what a bitch!

 

Was that a third C brother with Grammy?  Yum!

 

Why does Derek always have to carry Amy?  Um, Derek, she is a snowboarder you know and no body is holding her up out there!

 

Mark, you're voice and guitar playing are nothing special.  Go back to dancing; somewhere else, far, far away.

 

I don't mind the Troupe.  I love to watch dancing.  I don't really care who's doing it, but there is one troupe member that has caught my eye.  I watch for him all the time.  I'm becoming just a little obsessed.  That would be Artem.  He's HAWT!

 

That's it for me.  I'll probably have to rewatch  the whole show on computer today because my antenna connection was horrible last night.  Yes, I'm a cheapskate.

[Bitsy]

I think his dislike of her is more about the way she teaches and treats the students on her program. Teaching dance is what he basically does for a living, when he is not on DWTS, and she gives his profession a bad name.

I read something about Maks taking Meryl to one of his dance studios when he was in New York and she was really impressed to see how he worked with his kids. None of the pros approve of ALM, but as someone who has been teaching since he was a teenager, Maks has extra reason to have disdain for her.

 

Was that a third C brother with Grammy?  Yum!

Close!  That was Teddy Volynets.  He was in the troupe for a couple of years (and taught Hope Solo the samba when Maks was injured).  The Chmerkovskiy and Volynets families are partners in their dance studios.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Bitsy

[CED9]

Dictionary says Rumba and Rhumba are both correct.

They knock Charlie for the cane, and don't dock Amy for the chair? Also, I think that Derek is really limiting Amy. How many weeks in a row has he used the fog machine?

The chair wasn't Amy's fault, it was Derek's. I've never seen the judges dock the score for something the pro did wrong. Maks nearly dropping Kirstie, Karina literally tripping over Ralph, etc. Hell, they've added points depending on how the celeb recovers from a pro mishap.

[Woodrose]

There was one positive note in the show last night:  Tom's announcement that next week's guest judge will be Kenny Ortega!

 

I don't like having guest judges just because I would rather have the time devoted to more pro dances rather than listening to the judges, but if we must have them, Kenny is my number one choice.  He's my favorite guest judge on SYTYCD -- he's very knowledgeable, of course, but he also has the most lovely demeanor and gentlemanly presence.  We can be sure he will be coherent, upbeat, and any criticism will truly be constructive and on-point.  It will be like going from Hell to Heaven in the guest judge sweepstakes, with the biggest bitch in TVLand followed by the loveliest gentleman in Hollywood.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Woodrose

[Barbara Manatee]

 

I've never seen the judges dock the score for something the pro did wrong.

 

Just last night Carrie Ann and Len both docked Charlie and Candace's duo a point because Sharna's dress got caught on his back and made her stumble after a lift.

[OakGoblinFly]

I think it also matter when the stumble happens -- if it happens at the end after the dance is basically over and all that's left is the end pose, I think that is over looked as opposed to getting caught up in a dress, jacket (like Amy did in the swing dance), or dropping a prop in the middle of the dance like Charlie.

 

 

Then again, these judges have no standards and only arbitrarily apply some imagined set rules - so who know what goes on in their warped little minds.

[Woodrose]

Whoa.  The pros did not mince words in their after-show interviews regarding the travesty at the judges' table last night.

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/dance-moms-abby-lee-miller-701550

 

If I had kids who wanted to learn to dance, I'd want their teacher to be Sharna.  Love her comments from the article:  

 

Professional dancer Sharna Burgess, who was adamant in her belief of embracing and nurturing the creative in young dancers, remarked that she and her colleagues have no respect for Miller and believe the reality star is abusing her students. “The way she treats her children, the way she teaches them -- she’s not molding anybody into a star; she’s not teaching anybody to harness any creativity; she’s trying to make good TV,” Burgess said, adding, “What she is doing to those kids now at this age is going to affect them for the rest of their lives.”

 

Mark and Derek have some good quotes in the article, too.

 

The article also unfortunately makes this questionable statement:

Miller, who has trained thousands of dancers out of her Pittsburgh-based studio and seen them conquer Broadway, was quick to defend her disciplinary training.

 

 

One of the comments below the article asks for a list of the witch's students who have 'conquered Broadway.'  I've seen this question elsewhere, too -- exactly who are the successful dancers she's trained?  No one seems able to name them, so it's clear they don't exist.  The person who wrote the article should not have repeated the bully's fairy tale without fact checking.

[ari333]

May I so very kindly invite Abby Lee Miller to bite me?

[nutty1]

How do you give nothing but glowing praise to Charlie for his cha cha, but give him only 9s?

 

Actually, Bruno told ALM her criticism of Charlie wasn't justified because it wasn't a ballroom misstep.  ALM stated in an interview before the show that she's not a ballroom expert.  Did you notice she also tried to say Charlie slick back his hair?  How dare she mess with the curls!

 

Then what about Amy's AT? 

 

I'm not a big fan of contemporary, but that "duel" (more like "duet") with Candace and Charlie was superb and agree it should have gotten all 10s.  I didn't see Sharna's mistake, even when I rewatched and tried to look for it.  Why should they knock down the celebs for a pro's mistake, especially when it's done when she's dancing alone?  (Or did it happen when she was with Charlie?)

 

Then why wasn't Amy & Derek's dance penalized for the stool bobble?? They need to be more consistent with their scoring. It really bugs me!

[ari333]

Ok I'll say it. I liked Mark's song; but.... liked the dancing more. Why do they put that lovely young woman who was dancing with Mark in those high-waisted mom shorts? And it's not the first time. Jesus, they are not flattering and she is gorgeous.

 

Charlie's mom is a sweety. I see where he gets it unless his dad is a sweety too which I'm guessing he is.

 

ALM is a colossal supreme bitch, imo. And that is an insult to bitches everywhere. I had a dance instructor like her back when dinosaurs roamed and my teacher was... yes, I'll say it WORSE. Don't get me started, but she'd be arrested now in this day and age for things she did to us, her students. We were out in the 90 degree heat and denied water or breaks. Yes. I'm with Maks and Sharna and Derek and whoever else was calling her bitch-self out. Someone needs to do it.[/soapbox]

Edited May 6, 2014 by ari333

[kitcloudkicker]

Just kicking this out there, both Anna Trebunskaya and Sasha Farber, Real Life Dance Experts, had nothing but praise for the Argentine Tango, both say 40s well deserved. 

 

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2014/05/dancing-with-the-stars-2014-pro-anna-trebunskaya-on-the-best-celebrity-dance-duels/

http://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/sasha-farber-s-dancing-with-the-stars-blog-show-switches-and-judge-disses-37948

 

Honestly, I like everyone left. I complain about James a bit, but he's pretty likeable, and everyone's stepping up their game. 

[COESpiral]

 But, I'm just wondering if,  beyond her nasty personality, some of the distain for her is because she's not a tiny size 2 who teaches dance classes?  I don't know why, but I just have the feeling that Maks is one of those millions of men who look at a overweight woman with disgust.  

 

I think it's vice versa.  I think she's pissed off because she's not the size of Meryl or Danica or Candace and decides to be overly critical and harsh towards them causing their pros to go on the defensive and get visibly rankled on camera.  Considering there are probably a lot of women taking classes at the pros studios who aren't professional dancer weight, why anger your clientele?  I seriously doubt Maks. Val, Tony, Mark, Derek, etc have a problem with a woman's size.  What I'm guessing they do have a problem with is someone coming on their show with questionable credentials judging dancers with differing levels of experience and holding them all to her own bizarro standard.

Edited May 6, 2014 by COESpiral

[Bitsy]

Charlie's mom is a sweety. I see where he gets it unless his dad is a sweety too which I'm guessing he is.

A local Detroit station did a story on Charlie's dad - he watched the Olympics from home because he gets too nervous to watch Charlie compete live.  (Actually, he couldn't even watch it on TV, he had to go into his bedroom until he could hear it was over because he was so nervous.)   Anyway, yes.  He's a total sweety too.

[Glaadrial]

Just kicking this out there, both Anna Trebunskaya and Sasha Farber, Real Life Dance Experts, had nothing but praise for the Argentine Tango, both say 40s well deserved. 

I doubt they would say the same if Maks had choreographed the same routine for Meryl. Too talented a contestant? How about if Cheryl had sat BDW down on a barstool and vogued around him and called it an AT? Still a perfect 40? Not aesthetically pleasing enough?  I'm pretty sure that NeNe could have managed the exact same content and put tons more personality into the dance had Tony choreographed the number for her. Even she, I don't think could have pulled off a 40 with that content and she managed to match Meryl's score on Disney week.

 

What made Derek's dance special is that Amy was able to execute the gimmicky choreography that Derek produced for her when one considers her situation. I'm fairly certain that Anna Trebunskaya would not have gushed over the choreography if it was performed perfectly by any other couple. Given that the show regularly casts older or less naturally gifted contestants and then practically shames them when fans keep them around longer than couples who are better able to handle the rigorous choreographic demands later in the season, I'm finding what the judges are doing somewhat distasteful.

 

Nevertheless, the current situation is what it is and that's likely not going to change, because, really, how could it?  It's just not what the judges said it was going to be. 

[Shannon L.]

I can't say much more about Abby than what's already been said. She comes across as one of those people who you immediately get bad vibes from.  I started muting her after she said that she had to critique Charlie because there's always room for improvement. The way she said it and based on what I've seen on commercials for her show, well, it made me cringe because I knew it was going to get obnoxious.  I have mixed feelings as to how the pros reacted to her, but I can't say I blame them--I'm sure there are a lot of dancers/instructors out there who feel the same way about her teaching methods.

 

Unpopular opinion here:  I had to watch Amy's Tango again because I needed to be sure that I felt the same way about it today.  While I agree that she and Derek are getting a tongue bath and are being scored by a different standard, I felt that their tango, as simple as it was, was fantastic.  IMO, she nailed the musicality, the hold, the emotion.....all of it.  And, if you go by what Carrie Anne said about them being scored against themselves and their own growth, then I guess the 40 wasn't out of line for her.  Scoring a 40 when comparing it against others, though?  Yeah, it was a bit high.  I wasn't crazy about the stool, but it was only about 15 seconds and the part where he tilted her, I'm willing to bet, was a lot harder than it looked. 

 

As for Candace/Charlie.  Loved the emotion they evoked with each other!  Chemistry to spare.  But, personally, I wasn't crazy about that first in hold lift and he seemed to struggle to get her into position for the second one, so I wish they'd have changed it to something with an easier transition.  But, I loved the idea of her never touching the ground and showing just what she and Charlie are capable of.

 

Glad to hear I wasn't the only one who heard a combination of Michael Jackson and Robin Thicke in Mark's song. 

[Toonces464]

And Maks, stop with the constant twirling of Meryl.  Yes, we get it.  She is a little top that can spin and spin and spin and spin like no spinner has ever spun before; she can spin on her own, she can spin in underhand turns, and she can spin while in hole.  We get it; stop adding spins in EVERY single dance.  It is dull, repetitive, boring, and lacks imagination.  I know that you’ve all been but assured a win and that you have a professional dancer as your partner, still put a LITTLE effort in your work.

 

THIS! A thousand times this. I've been saying this since week 2. We get she can spin. She spins for a living. Teach her something new, Maks. 

[kitcloudkicker]

I doubt they would say the same if Maks had choreographed the same routine for Meryl. Too talented a contestant? How about if Cheryl had sat BDW down on a barstool and vogued around him and called it an AT? Still a perfect 40? 

If that's what you saw happen, sure, probably not a perfect 40, but I definitely didn't see that - I saw a lot of intricate footwork executed by a dancer with amazing lines, and performed well with incredible understanding of the feeling of the dance and the music. With a few seconds of sitting in the middle, which yes, may have been strategically placed to allow her to rest her back for a bit, but it didn't bother me any more than Maks taking about 8 counts to have a dramatic almost-kiss with Meryl a few weeks ago.

 

(Edit: Went back and watched it, it was a good 15 seconds of dramatic pausing. Which they got a 39 for, a harder feat that early in the season, and one that I didn't have a problem with either - it fit the dance.) 

 

But hey, minds vary. There's usually a "technically great" dancer every year I never connect with, no matter how great their dancing is deemed. (Usually a Disney kid like Corbin or Zendaya.) There's actually not really one of those for me this year, except for maybe James, who's dances I tend to find bland and uninteresting. 

Edited May 6, 2014 by kitcloudkicker

[DanDanNoodles]

 

he kicked it he didn't do it hard enough and it just bobbled instead of falling

Hah, that makes more sense.  I thought it looked like Derek kicked the stool deliberately, but then when he righted it, I figured it was an accident.

[truthaboutluv]

I wasn't crazy about the stool, but it was only about 15 seconds and the part where he tilted her, I'm willing to bet, was a lot harder than it looked.

 

 

After reading so many comments about Amy getting a 40 for simply sitting on a stool, I went back and watched the dance, making sure to actually pay attention to the time spent on that segment and it really is untrue, imo, that she didn't dance or she sat for most of the dance. When Derek is stalking around the stool in the beginning, the dance had not started yet because the announcer guy hadn't announced them.

 

As soon as he did, Derek picked Amy up from the stool and they started dancing and danced until that 15 seconds where she was sat on it again and as you noted did that move that I guarantee was no easy feat because it had the potential to go very, very wrong. Not a fan of the choreography of the dance, fine. Think it was overscored, fair enough. But to say Amy didn't dance and that she got a 40 for simply sitting while Derek danced around her is just simply not true in my opinion. 

 

But, personally, I wasn't crazy about that first in hold lift and he seemed to struggle to get her into position for the second one,

 

 

I saw that. I actually held my breath during that hold because I was worried for a second he was going to fumble and drop Candace. He struggled but I think that's where his being an ice dancer rather than just a singer like James or something, came into play because I'm sure he's had tough moments like these with Meryl. It's also why I was so confused by the comment about Sharna when I thought that was more noticeable. 

[fembotz]

I think the problem was that Amy was in the swimming prosthetics again, which basically necessitates that Derek support her at all times so there's already a very grounded look to the dance in that sense, and the section where she sits on the stool just cemented that impression. I thought it was well done for what it was, but I didn't think what it was deserved a perfect score. *shrug*

[CED9]

No, she wasn't, she was in the 3 inch ones she wore for the salsa during switch up week. She just wasn't wearing shoes with them this time.

The swimming ones are all the way up similar to dancing on pointe.

[kitcloudkicker]

No, she wasn't, she was in the 3 inch ones she wore for the salsa during switch up week. She just wasn't wearing shoes with them this time.

The swimming ones are all the way up similar to dancing on pointe.

 

Nope, she was in the swimmies. You can see here, they're completely flat bottomed, the 3 inch ones have an arch. (She was in those for the jive.) 

 

 

[CED9]

Huh. Could've sworn she said in an interview she got 3 inch ones specifically for Tango. That must've been even bigger hell for her core.

Thanks for the pic, BTW. Watching the dance again, she looked more on the balls of her feet than all the way up on her toes.

Edited May 7, 2014 by CED9

[Cherry Cola]

I clapped along with Derrick and the rest of the people that don't like ALM when Maks said his comment. I think she is nasty and I hated that they had her on the show. 

Absolutely loved the dance with Candice and Charlie. Amazing!

[sidwich]

 

Not a fan of the choreography of the dance, fine. Think it was overscored, fair enough. But to say Amy didn't dance and that she got a 40 for simply sitting while Derek danced around her is just simply not true in my opinion.

 

You know, what I think is really hard with this dance is that Argentine Tango is what's called a "walking dance."  It's a dance where the technique is specifically built around walking, and using balance and the muscles in the feet to push from foot to foot.  And the fact of the matter is that Amy can't walk in the way that a dance like Argentine Tango requires because she doesn't have those muscles in her prosthetic feet to do that with.

 

Now as far as I can recall, TPTB have been tremendously kind to Amy by really limiting how much Ballroom (Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, etc.) dances she's had to do (vs. non-Ballroom: Rhumba, Salsa, etc.) because the Ballroom dances are all about foot pressure, rolling through the feet from heel to toe and pushing across the floor which Amy obviously can't do.  In the one Ballroom dance, I can remember her doing, the Cinderella Waltz, Derek made no bones about it.... he had to carry her from place to place and fog up the place like mad to disguise as much of this essential technique problem as possible.  

 

Other than Samba (the only traveling Latin dance which could also be a problem for her, and which they did for her dance off), TPTB have already gone through all of the Latin and Rhythm dances, Argentine Tango, and Contemporary.  I'm not sure if they're going to start repeating dances for her, or whether they're really going to have her try another Ballroom in there.

 

Anyway.  Was what she did well done?  Yes.  Is it musical and interesting?  Yes.  Does Amy move beautifully to the Argentine Tango music?  Absolutely.  But I have no idea how you can judge it as an Argentine Tango.

[crowceilidh]

Question about Derek's 40 point score:  was the partner earning that the stool?  If so, I understand.  The stool was excellent!

 

 

Was the stool really excellent or are you just cutting it slack because of what a great job it did considering it can't bend its legs or emote or move?

 

 

Jokes aside - I thought Amy's AT was pretty good and I was really sorry that the stool move didn't work.  Maybe not perfect score good, but in the show's scoring style definitely a 37 or 38.

 

I also thought more notice should have been taken for the awkwardness in the lift with Charlie and Candace.  

 

I get the feeling that it was one of those nights where the rehearsal and the actual show were very different.  The scores and comments go very whack when that happens.  

[Heather Lynn]

Why does Derek always have to carry Amy?  Um, Derek, she is a snowboarder you know and no body is holding her up out there!

I thought this was just because her specialized legs were designed for dancing not walking up stairs.

I don't mind the Troupe.  I love to watch dancing.  I don't really care who's doing it, but there is one troupe member that has caught my eye.  I watch for him all the time.  I'm becoming just a little obsessed.  That would be Artem.  He's HAWT!

I've loved Artem since his SYTYCD days. I also like the troupe as well but I like them even more with Artem.

[ari333]

I don't think ALM's size or weight have anything to do with folks, on the show on in general, having a problem with her or even downright hating her. It's her odious personality and behavior and the fact that she steps on adults' (and children's) souls and tries to kill their spirits imo, that people on the show (and otherwise) are reacting to. If she weighed 110 pounds and acted the same I'd still think she's a colossal bitch who needs someone to take her down a peg or twenty prontito. 

Edited May 7, 2014 by ari333

[CED9]

I actually live in Pittsburgh about 15 minutes from ALM's studio, and I've seen her outside of it several times. It's so weird that IRL, the "Moms" are worse than she is, believe it or not. They have a very what an east coaster thinks of when they think of the worst west coaster. They are "cast" and shipped here after all. Drives me nuts. In short, I think her ego has to reign all of those egos in that she comes off awful.

Not condoning what happens on her show, or defending it, it's child abuse after all, and I was disgusted when she was announced as a guest judge.

[crowceilidh]

For those of you interested in where the facebook likes are sitting at right now:

 

Meryl and Maks        4646

Amy and Derek        3016

James and Peta       2451

Candace and Mark  2167

Charlie and Sharna 1347

(Danica and Val)      1037

 

Charlie and Candace  2513

James and Amy           2272

Danica and Meryl        1243

 

Totals

Meryl          5889

Amy            5288

James        4723

Candace    4680

Charlie       3860

(Danica)     2280

[fembotz]

Yikes. I hope Charlie's scores are good enough to keep him on the show for the finale over James and Candace...

[Bitsy]

On twitter last nigt, the woman who has been analyzing Facebook and correctly predicting the eliminees for a few years now said she doesn't just look at likes, she looks at the whole page.  I believe she takes into account how many and what type of comments people are getting too.  She also said it's too early in the week to do it right now. 

 

I think this week it's going to be about Charlie and James.  Per one of her tweets: "James numbers have dropped but Charlie is pretty far behind."

[Joystickenvy]

I have never seen an episode of Dance Moms and I'm not familiar with the 'feud' so I just ignored the whole thing as manufactured drama.

My favorite dances were Meryl & Maks, Amy & Derrek & the group jive.

Nobody was really terrible, but I found Charlie & Sharna & Candace & Mark boring and while Danica & Val was entertaining, the ratio of dramatic posing to dancing was too high for my tastes.

The other two group dances really fell flat for me. The choreo seemed awkward and at times silly. Felt bad for Danica & Meryl being saddled with both I Luh Ya Papi & the most uninspired choreo of the three. I wish they would have given the group with the two same gender partners the contemporary number, so they could have interacted with each other in a more interesting way. Side by side solo ballroom isn't all that compelling, particularly with two non-pros.

I thought once Charlie got Candace up the lift was nice, though her legs were a bit wonky, but the transition was very awkward looking.

I could have lived without the fake slapping and the stool, but both of those routines were entertaining to me, which is all I care about, since I know I'm not qualified to judge the technical merits.

Sorry to see Danica go, but for me Meryl, Charlie & Amy are on a different tier than James, Candace & Danica.

Surprise of the season for me is that I tuned in expecting to root for Charlie, since he has always been my favorite of the pair as ice dancers, but find myself enjoying Meryl much more on DWTS.

[ari333]

I agree with whoever said that Mark's performance was Robin Thicke meets MJ-esque. It had a very Blurred Lines feel to it, imo. I won't run out (or click over) to buy it, but I didn't cringe through it. I liked it. But when, please god, will those stupid too-tight, too-short freakin jackets go the hell out of style? Take those out of the rotation along with the diaper pants.

M & M are hot together. Wow.

 

Glad Bruno shot down ALM right out of the gate. Bwahaha.

[ari333]

I gave Maks the slow clap too. I thought he was very restrained. ALM can suck it.

 

Tom: "Oh, I smell some spray tan wrestlin' comin' on."

[ari333]

Erin kept saying what sounded like, "celebrity dance DOOL."

 

ALM: " I would have dropped Candace on the dance floor and walked off!. I QUIT!.... Get it?"

Tom: "I just thought we had a real big youtube moment for a second there."

[Hybiscus]

On twitter last nigt, the woman who has been analyzing Facebook and correctly predicting the eliminees for a few years now said she doesn't just look at likes, she looks at the whole page.  I believe she takes into account how many and what type of comments people are getting too.  She also said it's too early in the week to do it right now.

 

I think this week it's going to be about Charlie and James.  Per one of her tweets: "James numbers have dropped but Charlie is pretty far behind."

This was dscussed quite a bit last week.  I don't think the number of Likes on FB (even with comments accounted for—however that's done) equate to votes.  Charlie was last or near last in last week's likes, but wasn't in jeopardy.  (I'm assuming the 3 couples in jeopardy are indeed the 3 lowest scores, although I realize that might not be the case.)

 

I did my own analysis with the scores and determined the percent of votes each celeb would need to stay in the game.  Looking at it from that perspective, Meryl is the one who's far behind.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the M/M fan base is strong enough to come through for her.  I can see her possibly being in jeopardy, but it would be a huge miscarriage of justice if she was sent home.

[ari333]

Peta looks pretty wearing fabric.

 

I don't see the James/Peta chemistry about which the people on the show comment. However,  M & M have a hot chemistry that is palpable imo. But I'm a fan, so there's that.

 

So the real judges gave James an 8 and two 9s. ALM wants to boink James, so he got a 10. Very professional. GACK and barf-a-rino.

 

I don't understand Derek at times. That AT was beautiful and graceful and they didn't need the effing stool, imo. And when it fell over, he should have just left it. Sheesh.  Amy is super graceful. Sometimes I think some athletes will be graceful (thinking of Diana) but they're not. Amy is, imo. I know she gets overscored at times, but I find her moves lovely.  I guess with a body that's long and slim, that helps with beautiful lines, but I don't know ballroom.

 

I'm not a violent person. I've thrown a flipflop at the door in my time, but I can see myself enjoying punching ALM in the face ....in my fantasies, of course. :)

 

PS: ALM has man-hands. [/seinfeld] and those poor girls/students in the audience looked mortified.

Edited May 7, 2014 by ari333

[kitcloudkicker]

This is a cute comment from James: 

 

@EricSaadeRu asks: What did you like the most about the duel dance with Amy and Derek?
First of all, I actually really enjoyed our song. It’s a song I wasn’t familiar with, but now I’m a fan. I also loved just how fun it was to work with Amy, it was a new challenge. With Peta, it’s hard enough for me to learn a dance from a professional dancer, but it almost took the pressure off because neither one of us is a professional dancer. Instead of having a dancer to try and match, we were both like, ‘you know what? We’re just going to have fun.’ And because of that it turned into the closest I’ve experienced of what it’s like to dance with another normal person.

 

[Bitsy]

Charlie was last or near last in last week's likes, but wasn't in jeopardy.  (I'm assuming the 3 couples in jeopardy are indeed the 3 lowest scores, although I realize that might not be the case.)

No.  The people "in jeopardy" consist of the person going home, and then two other people of the producers' choosing. They even give a disclaimer that "you are not necessarily in the bottom".  All we know is that Charlie made it through the elimination last week and that's all.  He could have had one more vote than necessary to stay in over Danica.

 

If you disregard Facebook or other social media clues - that's all they are is clues - simple math can't tell you that Meryl is behind in votes.  She's at the bottom, so she needs a lot of votes, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have them.

[legaleagle53]

Maks is a jerk. I'm no Abby fan, but his comment was off base. Why can't he just be gracious ?

 

Maks WAS being gracious, by his standards.  I've seen him be a lot worse -- and frankly, that cow would have DESERVED a lot worse!

SanLynn love your entire post.  And thanks for being the only other person who spelled the dance "Rhumba." I'm certain that we are correct.

 

Not really.  "Rumba" is the modern spelling (it is, in fact, how it is spelled in the original Spanish).  "Rhumba" is an older variation that is no longer as commonly used as it once was.

 

And while I'm on the subject, Maks and Meryl's Rumba WAS a Rumba, with plenty of basic Rumba content.  The only reason that it had more of a Contemporary feeling was that Maks and Meryl were telling a story that was different from the usual "let's just tear each other's clothes off and make babies" performance that usually makes up the "dance of love."  It also helps that Meryl can really act; she sold the story and the feeling of the dance better than many a professional actress could have, in my opinion!

[truthaboutluv]

Haven't seen this mentioned at all, so wondering if I just imagined it but when I went back to see what happened in the backstage interview thing with Maks and his comment about Abby, did anyone else hear Erin call Maks "Maksie" after he said he didn't care about anything Abby had to say? I swear I heard that and I thought the way she said it was with the affection of someone who knows him on a personal level (obviously) and could tell he was going in his pissed off/angry place. 

[Alapaki]

I did my own analysis with the scores and determined the percent of votes each celeb would need to stay in the game.  Looking at it from that perspective, Meryl is the one who's far behind.

 

 

I ran the numbers, as I've been trying to do all season (although I've missed a couple of weeks).  Unless my math is wrong, no one is really far behind. The numbers below represent the "percentage of judges' total points awarded" for the first dance.  (I'm not sure whether they drop Danica's score from the points awarded total, so the first number represents the percentage with her score, and the number in parentheses represents the percentage without Danica's score.)

 

Amy: 17.70 (21.28)

Charlie: 17.70 (21.28)

James: 15.93 (19.15)

Candace: 15.93 (19.15)

Meryl: 15.93 (19.15).

 

The "dance duel" combinations were potentially knollish, given that it locked two contestants into the same amount of "bonus points" (which is one of the mechanisms I've contended TPTB use to potentially manipulate outcomes).  Pairing Candace with Charlie lifted her up while pairing Meryl with Danica dragged her down.

 

Here are the results after the "dance duel" (once again the first number is with Danica's points, the number is parentheses is without them):

 

Amy: 17.63 (20.74)

Charlie: 17.41 (20.74)

James: 16.74 (19.95)

Candace: 16.52 (19.67)

Meryl: 15.63 (19.15)

 

So even after the awarding of bonus points, the bottom three simply went from being tied, to being within almost just one percentage point of each other.  

 

It's really very difficult for the Judges to create much more of a spread that this.  In fact, even with ALM's dick-ish scoring, Meryl is still less than 1% behind Candace (who outscored her by 4 points in raw numbers) and exactly 2% behind Amy (who outscored her by 9 points in raw numbers).

 

I have no idea what the viewer-vote distribution is (maybe the FB analysis is a decent proxy for that, IDK).  But I doubt that it's quite this flatly distributed.  

 

fwiw, I don't think there a lot of knollery going on this season because frankly I think TPTB can live happily with any one of the F5 winning (and I think they would've been happy with Danica winning, for that matter).  I'm sure they'd love a Meryl vs. Charlie face-off for F2.  But I'm also sure they'd love to see Amy (and Derek) win.

[legaleagle53]

May I so very kindly invite Abby Lee Miller to bite me?

Have you had your shots?