S25.E06: Week 5: Disney Night

[Lonesome Rhodes]

God, I love when this show kills it.  Classic dancing; gorgeous art direction; faithful adaptations of appropriate music; a bare minimum of fuffery.  The pre-packaging with the carton cameos were mostly great and all were fun.  This ep almost totally adhered to the original concept and I could not be more pleased.  

The waltzes at the beginning were beautifully imagined and executed.  I genuinely loved Max' tip o' the cap to Len and his conscious refusal to play to the crowd.  He risked a lot and sure enough, the crowd was underwhelmed.  Len was affirmed and respected and I say good on Max!  I'll be hella pissed if he is voted off.  Mark deserves much the same props.

I still don't much care for any of the cast.  I do have to give TO props for accepting Cheryl's teaching and truly growing.  Again - an example of the promise of the show.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

5 hours ago, PBGamer89 said:

Jordan does a fine Foxtrot but includes hip hop for a solid 10 seconds and all judges give him a 10

That wasn't hip hop. It was Polynesian dance which fit with the Moana song they were given.

ETA: FWIW, I'd rather see a solid ten seconds of dancing - ANY kind of dancing - instead of the 10-20 seconds that other routines have at the beginning/end where they stand around, pantomime, walk, pose, and do anything but dance.

Edited October 17, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[luvthepros]

5 hours ago, Kira53 said:

Was that Robert Roldan from SYTYCD in the High School Musical dance?

Yes, It was Robert.

[luvthepros]

6 hours ago, McManda said:

I just want to watch Artem dance all the standard dances. Usually I watch the male pros in the standard dances and think "yeah, that looks nice", but there's something about the way he moves that makes me think "wow, that's really pretty please do more" and I can't figure it out.

I actually look forward to his ballroom dances whereas most of the others tend to lose my attention. I'm not sure why.

I'm not a ballroom expert but I've always thought Artem's posture is what sets him apart from the other male pros. I think it is the way he holds his chest up.....nice chest that he has.

[luvthepros]

6 hours ago, friendperidot said:

..........I thought about voting for a few minutes, but probably won't, it's just a pain to do online. ........

I have found the voting online is the most painless the last couple of seasons. It takes one tenth the time and effort to cast all the votes. I'm glad the voting process was upgraded to be very user friendly.

[kjh]

I, personally, don't think that Lindsey was underscored in comparison to Jordan. Jordan had excellent rise and fall/sway in his sections of international foxtrot. Lindsey's rise is very rough, she's popping up. She also had no visible sway. Most of the time there is no standard foxtrot on this show at all, just smooth, specifically because it is so difficult, and I commend both pros for including any. However, Jordan was more successful executing the standard foxtrot sequences he was given. 

[sinycalone]

First, I agree the online voting is very simple now....takes no time at all.

Next...Lindsey and Jordan are still the top celebs.  After that, I enjoy growth and proof that the celeb is trying and learning....so TO and Drew are the next best IMO.  Plus, they both were good AND entertaining last night.  Frankie is a sweetie...and love his enthusiasm.  After that....meh.

[dwtsgueststars]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Dear show and pros,

Jazz is not a catch all phrase synonymous with freestyle. Being assigned jazz doesn't mean your dance should consist of a mish mash of different ballroom styles. Jazz is an actual dance style/discipline, just as ballet, tap, and samba are. Any ten year old kid who takes weekly dance classes at the local rec center can tell the difference between jazz and a hodgepodge of ballroom. Either do a jazz dance with jazz choreography or eliminate this style from the competition. Judges, please penalize accordingly when the jazz dances don't actually contain jazz choreography so we can nip this shit in the bud.

Thanks,
EB

Val and Victoria had Charleston originally. I guess Victoria couldn't do it, or Val couldn't choreograph a proper Charleston and they switched to Jazz. It showed IMO.  

Edited October 17, 2017 by dwtsgueststars

[Lady Calypso]

I have been splitting my online votes for the past five weeks, but last night, I actually just threw all my votes onto Frankie. A ploy or not, I'm not willing to split my votes, even if my votes end up not mattering in the end. 

So, their ploy worked, at least.

[bealled]

Frankie and Witney were my favorites last night. I think they are actually my favorite pairing too. I see a brother/sister relationship between them. I also just love Frankie's personality. He seems very nervous yet just turns it on during the live performance. I found the sexy conversation amusing. I'm pretty sure Frankie actually was on the cover of teen magazines back in the day. I recall him being very popular, and I thought he was somewhat of a teen heartthrob but I could be mistaking him with the various other child/teen actors of his day. Of course with his memory issues he may not actually remember that so in his mind it would be hard to connect to that.

I liked that Lindsey/Mark just did a traditional dance. It was nice. Jordan/Lindsay were great as usual, but I feel like I know exactly what to expect with them. I was not surprised to see them get the perfect score at all. It almost seemed like the show was setting up for that.

I actually enjoyed and remembered Victoria/Val's dance tonight. I thought it was great and probably the best jazz this season. At least it was a unique routine and seemed to involve dancing. I still can't get over that awful jazz "dance" Gleb choreographed.

I wanted to like Vanessa/Maks dance more than I did. I enjoyed the choreography and traditional nature of it, but I did think Vanessa was off and didn't execute as well as she has in the past. Also I thought both Vanessa and Maks looked a bit salty during the judging and annoyed with the scores.

I think Nick/Peta should go next but I don't know if they will. I think Nick is getting a boost from boyband fans. His dance was probably the worst for me tonight, but still not terrible. Just didn't look as good as other dancers.

Terrell/Cheryl has improved a lot. His package intro makes him more likable again compared to his earlier packages. I'm not minding TO again but also would be happy to see him go soon.

Sasha/Gleb had their best dance, although I still didn't think it fully clicked for me. Something still felt off. I think Sasha could have done way better with a different pro. This season really did not put Gleb in high ranks among the choreographers. I was sad to see Sasha go but not surprised.

Drew/Emma are growing on me. I really like them as a pairing. Not sure how far Drew will go, but he is likeable and enjoyable to watch.

I was distracted during Nikki/Artem's dance so can't comment on it.

Overall this week was one of the better ones.

[smiley13]

49 minutes ago, dwtsgueststars said:

Val and Victoria had Charleston originally. I guess Victoria couldn't do it, or Val couldn't choreograph a proper Charleston and they switched to Jazz. It showed IMO.  

That ticks me off.  She should have had to do the assigned dance.  Was anyone else given a Mulligan because they weren't performing up to par?  The constant pimping of Val's partners has gotten old.

[bealled]

I can understand why they allowed Victoria to switch from Charleston to Jazz if her body is not allowing her to do the dance. I think they have done that in the past for other disabled competitors, or at the least they purposely did not assign them certain styles which they knew would be too difficult or not possible for the contestant. I don't really think that is Val favoritism and I don't really think the show is pimping Val/Victoria this season, at least no more than any other similar contestant like Noah Galloway or Amy Purdy. They always make the story around these contestants their disability and give them at times unfair treatment or less harsh judging.

I'm surprised they were intending another Charleston dance to be honest, although it would have fit the song choice better. I know the prior week Jordan/Lindsey did not really do a Charleston either even though assigned it. I can't recall them consistently assigning Charleston in the past. It always seems like just 1 or 2 contestants get assigned it randomly. I don't really like when they assign dances that way, but I guess it adds variety. I would actually enjoy the style but it seems half the time the pros don't actually choreograph a true Charleston dance. Although I'm actually thinking there was a Charleston last season I really liked but can't remember who danced it or how true to Charleston it was.

[Andie1]

I think all this bashing of Victoria and Val is a bit disengenuos.  If you were a fan of Zendaya you know she never did Rumba, or a fan of James Hinchfield he never did Samba.  There are reasons why contestants don't do certain dance styles,  and it does raise questions but to say that she is given special treatment over able bodied contestants isn't quite correct.  Yes that routine was a mash up of Lindy, Quickstep, and Charleston. I get that it's not Jazz, as a dance style, but Lindy and  Charleston are at root of Jazz as a musical genre. Charleston has a lot of movement out of hold, and I think that's why the change up, she does need partner assistance for balance.  Besides maybe it was over scored but I liked that innocent 20's style that I thought they captured. 

Edited October 17, 2017 by Andie1

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, smiley13 said:

That ticks me off.  She should have had to do the assigned dance.  Was anyone else given a Mulligan because they weren't performing up to par?  The constant pimping of Val's partners has gotten old.

Well, if she couldn't do the dance, then she couldn't do it. I don't think it's a big deal to switch styles as long as it's early enough and not at the last minute. I think someone mentioned in the Media thread that Noah, I think, had to switch styles during his season? I guess it took Val and Victoria to try the Charleston to realize Victoria's limitations in that style, so I'm totally ok with the switch. These people are still celebrities first, dancers second. Not all of them are capable of performing every single dance, especially with a disability, so there are still alterations that need to be made from time to time. Also, I would have hated to see a messed up Charleston from Victoria; there would have been more complaints about how she's not performing the Charleston correctly and how they should have switched styles if she couldn't do it. So yeah, I'd rather see a different dance that Victoria can handle than a poorly done one. 

I don't quite know why they gave Victoria another dance that involves a lot of movement in the feet. When she had trouble doing the Quickstep, that should have gotten them to switch the style immediately. 

Quote

Although I'm actually thinking there was a Charleston last season I really liked but can't remember who danced it or how true to Charleston it was.

It was Simone and Sasha. I remember because I thought that was her best dance last season, and the only one I really enjoyed and hardly noticed the pauses in between transitions into the next move.

Edited October 17, 2017 by Lady Calypso

[smiley13]

It bothers me because she is getting preferential treatment.  And she has been vastly overscored for what she has done.

There have been plenty of dancers who had trouble with Jive and they didn't let them get something else. 

This reeks of producer manipulation.

[Andie1]

1 minute ago, smiley13 said:

It bothers me because she is getting preferential treatment.  And she has been vastly overscored for what she has done.

There have been plenty of dancers who had trouble with Jive and they didn't let them get something else. 

This reeks of producer manipulation.

So did James get preferential treatment for not doing a Samba or Zendaya for not doing  a Rumba? Probably, but that did not bother the voters the way Victoria's disability bothers some. And to be fair there was some Charleston in that dance. 

[Lady Calypso]

Just now, smiley13 said:

It bothers me because she is getting preferential treatment.  And she has been vastly overscored for what she has done.

There have been plenty of dancers who had trouble with Jive and they didn't let them get something else. 

This reeks of producer manipulation.

Or....it's because she has no feeling in her legs and the last time they had her do a fast paced dance, they needed to distract from her limitations with dancers and props. 

She literally can't do much involving her feet if Val can't lead her. That's not producer manipulation at all. That's just her limitations as a dancer this season. Other people have trouble with the Jive but they're capable of doing it. Victoria's situation is vastly different than those others. 

Overscored? Probably; she's not as good as others, for sure, and they're probably overcompensating while taking her disability into account. But there's no preferential treatment. They still critique her as much as everyone else and she's still more in the middle of the pack with her scores. It's not like she's the second on the leaderboard. 

[WhosThatGirl]

I don’t mind Victoria not having to do a Charleston if her body can’t physically do it. I do think she’s getting overscored though. Her dance last night was okay to me.

Im kind of sad Sasha was kicked off. I liked her. But I kind of knew between her and Frankie, it would be her.

I was excited a couple weeks ago for this season but now I’m kind of not anymore. I feel like our final three is going to be Lindsay, Victoria, and Jordan. 

[boyznkatz]

13 hours ago, Andie1 said:

Frankie was massively over scored tonight, and now I know why. He's not getting the votes because one week he's good, the next he's awful and he doesn't have the Chicago Cubs voting sight unseen..  There wasn't one lift in that Argentine Tango, and he couldn't match Witney on the engauchos, so the  best he can hope for is doing his "acting" Valentino Pirate, it was a lot of emoting for a 10.

Lifts are permitted, but are they required? I thought that was his best dance. What he lacked in dancing ability, he made up in acting ability. I wouldn't call him sexy, but he got the character down.

[Andie1]

Well to each his own, I thought Franky was vastly overscored for basically letting Witney dance around him, I mean costumes are one thing but his technique was flimsy at best, and somehow he doesn't get called out for it.  If people want tear apart Victoria for lack of content, then we don't have to go very far to see that an acting job, not dance ability got Frankie a 10. 

Edited October 17, 2017 by Andie1

[boyznkatz]

Amy had no feet but she was loads better than Victoria. I am no dance expert but Victoria's dance looked watered down. She doesn't amaze me like Amy did. 

[bealled]

1 minute ago, smiley13 said:

It bothers me because she is getting preferential treatment.  And she has been vastly overscored for what she has done.

There have been plenty of dancers who had trouble with Jive and they didn't let them get something else. 

This reeks of producer manipulation.

Honestly you can point to half the contestants and say they receive some form of preferential treatment or are showcased in a way that provides them better visibility and could boost their votes. Jordan was able to dance to his own song this week. Vanessa danced to Nick's song last week. Anytime the show has a live singer while the contestants dance, I think that is a huge preferential treatment since they are showcasing this singer during the contestants/pros dance, and sometimes it's pretty well known singers. Nikki's husband John Cena who is very famous came on stage when she was being judged and had an impromptu interview.

I would rather see the show give someone with a limitation a different style than see them struggling to perform it. Victoria is different than the normal contestant as well. Plus Charleston isn't one of the usual routines they do, so her skipping it in favor of a Jazz is not a big deal to me.

[Andie1]

4 minutes ago, boyznkatz said:

Amy had no feet but she was loads better than Victoria. I am no dance expert but Victoria's dance looked watered down. She doesn't amaze me like Amy did. 

And that's fine, Riker was a far better actor and dancer than Frankie so watered down shouldn't give us 10s but they do. 

Edited October 17, 2017 by Andie1

[Andie1]

14 minutes ago, boyznkatz said:

 

Edited October 17, 2017 by Andie1
Double post

[bealled]

1 minute ago, smiley13 said:

It bothers me because she is getting preferential treatment.  And she has been vastly overscored for what she has done.

There have been plenty of dancers who had trouble with Jive and they didn't let them get something else. 

This reeks of producer manipulation.

Honestly you can point to half the contestants and say they receive some form of preferential treatment or are showcased in a way that provides them better visibility and could boost their votes. Jordan was able to dance to his own song this week. Vanessa danced to Nick's song last week. Anytime the show has a live singer while the contestants dance, I think that is a huge preferential treatment since they are showcasing this singer during the contestants/pros dance, and sometimes it's pretty well known singers. Nikki's husband John Cena who is very famous came on stage when she was being judged and had an impromptu interview.

I would rather see the show give someone with a limitation a different style than see them struggling to perform it. Victoria is different than the normal contestant as well. Plus Charleston isn't one of the usual routines they do, so her skipping it in favor of a Jazz is not a big deal to me.

[Lady Calypso]

Just now, Andie1 said:

Well to each his own, I thought Franky was vastly overscored for basically letting Witney dance around him, I mean costumes are one thing but his technique was flimsy at best, and somehow he doesn't get called out for it. 

I decided to watch Frankie's dance again. I can kind of see what you're saying. I don't necessarily agree, because I think that he still moved around a lot and he still had to have some technique, but I'm also a biased Frankie fan, so I also know my bias clouds my better judgment here. I think that he was dancing the entire dance, which is better than whatever the hell they did with Terrell's dance (I'm pretty sure he stood around and walk to his spots 40% of his dance) Oh well; I still enjoyed it and still love Frankie. He's just more enjoyable to watch than most of the others in the competition. 

I have a feeling Nikki might be gone in the next two weeks. I think she, unfortunately, falls under the forgettable category, and I don't know if her and John Cena's fans are voting a lot. It should technically be Nick, Terrell, and then Nikki, if I look at the remaining contestants, but I also feel like Victoria will be the 'surprising' elimination. I wouldn't mind if she left...just let the two guys leave before her. Drew's shown vast improvement since week 1, so I won't hate if he makes it far.

But Jordan and Lindsey are pretty much guaranteed to be in the finals. I think Frankie could also make it into the finals, but it's not quite set in stone. 

[Andie1]

Jordan and Lindsey are only finalists if they get good scores, because fans don't want great dancing, they want underdogs who dance like crap and then suddenly they get 10 for doing what they always do, but they stick a wig on and they're suddenly these amazing dancers.  The show is consistent in their annoying tactics. 

[Bliss]

5 hours ago, luvthepros said:

I'm not a ballroom expert but I've always thought Artem's posture is what sets him apart from the other male pros. I think it is the way he holds his chest up.....nice chest that he has.

Agreed! Nice chest... hips... back... Artem is a bit of eye candy - JMO (and I know several people who agree with me LOL). He's subtle in his movements and yet that subtlety is what makes him stand out. He also doesn't mug for the camera - or create a lot of drama - the way some pros do. Sounds like I'm an Artem fan!

I'm glad Artem has a partner who has dancing potential this season. Just going from memory, he often (like Keo) gets the older or less talented *stars*. I'd hoped he'd get farther last season with Nanci K - perhaps I'm biased with skaters as I also wanted Evan Lysacek to win his season.

[boyznkatz]

17 minutes ago, Andie1 said:

Well to each his own, I thought Franky was vastly overscored for basically letting Witney dance around him, I mean costumes are one thing but his technique was flimsy at best, and somehow he doesn't get called out for it.  If people want tear apart Victoria for lack of content, then we don't have to go very far to see that an acting job, not dance ability got Frankie a 10. 

Well I agree Frankie was over scored, but so was Victoria. It is so freaking obvious that the producers are getting them in the finals.

What does Lindsey need to do to get a perfect score? Her dance was gorgeous. I'm just afraid she is getting the surprise boot.

[escape]

11 hours ago, NeverLate said:

I like Jordan, he's very good, almost too good for me. Its as if he's not learning, he's already there..

Of course, he has the most professional dance experience compared to any of the other celebrities this season.  But I question whether he's getting the viewer votes and the judges needed to compensate for it in their scoring.  And he had the next to last performance.

[Andie1]

But I agree with an earlier poster that as far as Foxtrot technique, Jordan was better, and yet Len gave both of them 10. So imho Lindsey did fine, but it wasn't the best Foxtrot of the night. Len knew that even with the breakdown section he could not dock Jordan for superior technique when he already gave out a 10.  I have to agree with at least one 9 for that routine. 

[bealled]

2 minutes ago, boyznkatz said:

Well I agree Frankie was over scored, but so was Victoria. It is so freaking obvious that the producers are getting them in the finals.

What does Lindsey need to do to get a perfect score? Her dance was gorgeous. I'm just afraid she is getting the surprise boot.

I hope Lindsey wouldn't get a surprise boot. I think on a more stacked season she would, but this season is basically just her and Jordan as the best dancers. If she was on last season she probably would be a surprise boot. I'm hoping she will make it to the finals based on talent and her partnership with Mark. Even though most of the contestants this season are good, most are also not great/excellent status and are kind of forgettable. I do love Frankie but he's not a top tier dancer, although compared to the other contestants I think he comes off strong.

[vibeology]

I mean if the options were letting Victoria switch dances or letting her fall on her ass because she physically is unable to do her dance, I'll take switching dances any time. The show has always made allowances for the contestants. Think about how slow some quicksteps have been for older competitors. And half the teens who've been on this show got a pass on the rumba. Sadie got to choose modest costumes and Noah wasn't expected to jive or quickstep. It's an entertainment show. I don't want to see people do something that makes them uncomfortable, puts their health at risk etc. It's not worth it.

This isn't a fair competition anyhow. If it was we'd be seeing the same dance style to the same song from each couple every week. But that's not the point of it; the show exists to entertain an audience. I remember when Marie fainted. There was nothing fun about that. It was scary as hell. I don't want to see someone hurt to satisfy an illusion of fairness.

[Andie1]

There's no way Lindsey is a surprise boot, she has a solid fan base as does Mark.  I think Jordan is better technical dancer when you put the two Foxtrots side by side, so that for me has separated him a bit. However Mark is a great choreographer great at showing his partners strengths, and normally hiding weaknesses, but I thought the Foxtrot, however pretty exposed Lindsey a tad. Also, the Foxtrot tempo on Jordan's dance was much easier to find, so that is always a challenge for someone new to ballroom.  

But, after this week I expect Mark to go no holds barred on the choreography and will go back to his theatrical dances that wow the audience.  His Jive was so great that he will want to top himself. Lindsay the pro will have to dig deep, she's got a great contestant,  and she is creative, but it will be interesting to see if anything tops the Jive. 

[Lady Calypso]

2 minutes ago, Andie1 said:

Jordan and Lindsey are only finalists if they get good scores, because fans don't want great dancing, they want underdogs who dance like crap and then suddenly they get 10 for doing what they always do, but they stick a wig on and they're suddenly these amazing dancers.  The show is consistent in their annoying tactics. 

...I find Frankie good....I mean, for someone who has had no dance experience, he's far from the worst on the show. Jordan has dance experience through his Broadway training, which is fine, but it does give him an advantage with most of the dances. But I do like that Jordan performs well, and his dances are watchable for me, which is why I like him a lot. Lindsey is a pleasant surprise with the lack of training she got. I love watching her dances and think she's underscored. Frankie's not going to be a pro at all the dances, but he's better than the non-experienced dancers this season. People find him very enjoyable to watch, and his dancing isn't like David, where it's really, really bad but the show's overpraising him because they need him in the finale. I think, knowing that he's done no dancing at all in his lifetime, he's doing a pretty good job. I mean, looking at the remaining contestants, who should be in the finale with Lindsey and Jordan? For me, it's Frankie, because of his ability to dance, his endearing and hardworking personality, and his ability to work through his shyness when out dancing. He seems very passionate about dancing and I think that going on this show may have more impact on his life than for others (he seems to have found his passion for dancing that he didn't have before, and I think he'll continue long after the season's done). He's also very memorable for me, which is a huge plus. 

But also the fact that he is good for someone on his level of experience in dance. He can sell the performance, much like Jordan and Lindsey. Others, not so much for me. Nikki's good, but I often forget about her dances. Terrell's good at certain aspects, but he's not enjoyable to watch. Drew's gotten better, but he's still not up there. Vanessa's good, but her partnership with Maks is hindering her talent, as he doesn't seem invested in their dances at all. Victoria's ok, but I don't think she's finals worthy. Her story is pretty much the only thing keeping her around. 

I think there are people who are overscored. Frankie may be one of them, but he's not the ONLY one. I just think the judges don't like giving out scores lower than an 8 for some reason at this point in the competition. The only one to get a 7 this week was Nick, which was well deserved....but also others deserved lower scores than what they got. 

Sometimes, I wish the show would allow the judges to score lower than a 5 at the beginning. Often, the average score for week 1 is a 5 or 6, unless the contestant is really terrible and needs a 4. Because starting at a 5 and working your way up in scores, there's little chance for variety or to show a vast improvement. I mean, I understand why they simply won't do it, but it would be interesting to see what would happen. 

[boyznkatz]

I agree that Frankie's acting ability makes him more entertaining than Drew, Victoria or Nikki. I would be okay with him as the third finalist if Jordan and Lindsey are the other two.

As annoying as the Lacheys are, I think it's grossly unfair that they set up Vanessa to be eliminated. No way should she be five points below everyone else.

[boyznkatz]

25 minutes ago, Andie1 said:

There's no way Lindsey is a surprise boot, she has a solid fan base as does Mark.  

She wouldn't be if they scored correctly, but you never know with the producer shenanigans.

[sbluv2dance]

13 hours ago, stonehaven said:

One more comment to add...I noticed that Maks and Vanessa's pre-taped package had very LITTLE rehearsal footage of the two of them..perhaps, they didn't have that great of time last week?

I am hoping that Vanessa goes as I get an arrogant vibe from her...her waltz wasn't that memorable.

I was watching Maks when the judges were giving their comments.  He just doesn't look like he is into this at all any more; like he just doesn't care.  

[McManda]

1 hour ago, Andie1 said:

So did James get preferential treatment for not doing a Samba or Zendaya for not doing  a Rumba? Probably, but that did not bother the voters the way Victoria's disability bothers some. And to be fair there was some Charleston in that dance. 

I think there's a difference between getting preferential treatment because of physical limitations and getting assigned dances and happening to miss one or two styles. In a ten week season, with all the dance styles they have now, someone is bound to miss one or two. That's why, for example, James missed samba.

Giving Victoria a Charleston and then reneging on that style comes off as "tried but can't". Which, while I get her physical limitations prohibit her from doing a proper our good version of a dance, where does that stop? Should someone try a jive but because of bad cardiovascular heath get to switch from a jive because it's too fast paced? Should someone like Chris Kattan, who had mobility issues because of breaking his neck, get a pass because he can't extend or bend appropriately? The answer is no, they shouldn't and no, they didn't. 

Val should have adapted the dance to fit Victoria's limitations, if we're being fair. Others have slowed down jives or  performed their best and then given their limitations as explanations on why their best was lackluster and let the chips fall. Besides, if you can get high scores for non-dances.... what's the difference if you do a non-traditional dance but so out well? Derek was master of that. I'm sure Val would get a pass, too.

That's the issue I have with switching Victoria's style so publicly. 

[NeverLate]

8 minutes ago, sbluv2dance said:

I was watching Maks when the judges were giving their comments.  He just doesn't look like he is into this at all any more; like he just doesn't care.  

Which is terribly unfair to his partner.

[bealled]

I thought about it more and I actually think Frankie is on par with other dancers who have won in the past but maybe aren't truly the best that season. I actually think Frankie is performing as well as Rashad did last season.

[boyznkatz]

For what it's worth I have a disabled son and I'm all for people getting reasonable accommodations. I just don't think it should be at the expense of someone else. By dumbing down Victoria's dances, they might cost someone like Lindsey a shot at the finals and I would be totally pissed.

[bealled]

I guess I just don't see a massive deal because they exchanged jazz for charleston. It's not one of the big ballroom or latin dances, and charleston is already used as a semi-jazz routine by the pros. Plus Nikki also did a jazz. It wasn't like everyone was assigned quickstep and jive but because it was questionable whether Victoria could do it, she was given contemporary. I highly doubt this is the first time the show has switched the style out either.

[spanana]

I see a lot of people feeling like Lindsey is going to be a surprise boot.  I don't think so.  Many seasons I can see the so-called surprise boot coming from a million miles away.  Like it was fairly obvious with Heather last season and many had called it before the subsequent shock and outrage when she finally did get booted, but in this case I think it's a lot of hogwash.  Lindsey is fine.  I don't know if she will 100% make the finals but she isn't in danger of going home in the next several weeks.  Her not getting an additional 10 and being two points behind Jordan and one behind Frankie does not mean she's remotely in danger next week.  She will be fine.

As for Victoria, I have no problem with the show not giving her a dance style if she can't do the dance style.  However all I would like them to do is judge/score her accordingly.  Don't pretend like she did anything but basic basic moves, somewhat out of sync with Val and call it a 27.  Especially when a few minutes later you are going to call out Nick on the same thing and nitpick his dance.  They had been doing okay with the judging on her until now, but this week the score seemed pretty out of sync with what she did.  That was a straight 8's dance  IMO by DWTS standards.

I know we have the same conversations over and over and while I have no problem with ringers and I am against the backlash they get (mostly), I think the flip side is the ridiculousness of people expecting celebs who have never danced a day in their lives to come in and be as good as the ringers or people with actual dance experience over the course of 12 weeks.  No, Frankie is not going to gain the years of dance training Jordan has in the span of 6 weeks so expecting them to be able to do the same thing on the dance floor is sort of ludicrous.  The judging is a sliding scale and always has been.  Frankie can't produce as technical of an AT as Jordan?  I'm shocked.  Or you know, not at all.  You can enjoy both types of contestants.

The ringer-y contestants can't be on the top of the leaderboard every week for many reasons.  It's boring from a story perspective.  Also you will never get a non-ringery celeb to sign up again.  So yes, sometimes it is okay for the less technical to be at the top.

Edited October 17, 2017 by spanana

[bealled]

I will add that sometimes when a celeb gets scored highly consistently it causes backlash by the fans and accusations of overscoring and favortism. I guess if you think the celeb deserves the scores that is fine, but sometimes viewers get annoyed seeing the same celeb get the same 30s week after week. It's more exciting to see a celeb falter one week and then make a big comeback the next.

[Bliss]

Maks and Vanessa... just had a thought about these two. There is obviously something going on... it's anyone's guess what that 'something' is. Could be some sort of personality clash, with Vanessa being a strong-willed woman. Could be a professional challenge with the two couples in competition with each other. It's obviously challenging for all of them, having wee ones at home.

(That clip of Peta and Nick with the animals was cute - seeing Peta and Maks' baby - priceless!)

However, there is a perceptible change in Maks these past couple of weeks. He's hardly saying boo. The way he stands there, almost expressionless... this isn't the Maks I know from previous seasons. Methinks he's been told to keep quiet and not reveal what that 'something' is. JMO.

I don't see Vanessa getting to the finals. There's too many other stars with as much - if not more - talent and potential. Can't quite put my finger on exactly what the issue is... it just seems there's some shade on her and I don't know if it is Maks, or her own limits, or the fact that Nick is also in the competition. She's not shining or blooming the way I thought she would be by this point. At the beginning of the season, she came out gangbusters... and now it's as if she's lost her zing.

[Bliss]

Technical question... I'm new here, and don't know all the rules.

When I click the heart flag (to "like" a post), sometimes a window pops up saying I'm not allowed by this user to like their post... WTFrig? There's an "ok" button to click to close the window. The window doesn't always close - and a couple of times it has frozen my system (which makes me hesitate to 'like' posts). Weirdest part? My "like" registers and the heart changes to include my "like". Colour me confused.

Do some posters have their account set so that they don't get notifications of a "like"? Might this be why I'm getting the pop-up window? Just curious.

[Former Nun]

16 minutes ago, Bliss said:

Maks and Vanessa... just had a thought about these two. There is obviously something going on... it's anyone's guess what that 'something' is. Could be some sort of personality clash, with Vanessa being a strong-willed woman.

I read that there was a BIG blow-up between the two of them...that she needs to be in charge.  The article went on to hint that most cast and crew members were tired of her DIVA behavior.  It was rumored that Maks might not return after the week he skipped...but he came back.  I'm Team Maks.

[Former Nun]

12 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

Also, if something really happened, I'm pissed Maks did it when Vanessa's and his own wife were on the same show.

And what did Maks do?   Not everyone is in Vanessa's corner.

[spanana]

1 hour ago, bealled said:

I will add that sometimes when a celeb gets scored highly consistently it causes backlash by the fans and accusations of overscoring and favortism. I guess if you think the celeb deserves the scores that is fine, but sometimes viewers get annoyed seeing the same celeb get the same 30s week after week. It's more exciting to see a celeb falter one week and then make a big comeback the next.

This.  I'd argue it's better for both Jordan and Lindsey to not be at the top every week.  Particularly in Lindsey's case it gives her a bit of this faux underdog role that might make people rally behind her.

Quote

I read that there was a BIG blow-up between the two of them...that she needs to be in charge.  The article went on to hint that most cast and crew members were tired of her DIVA behavior.  It was rumored that Maks might not return after the week he skipped...but he came back.  I'm Team Maks.

What was this supposed source?  Hollywood Life or some other publication that makes things up for a living?  Maks has a cushy job that lasts 12 weeks.  Short of a verbal or physical assault situation, he should be doing his job for 12 weeks and then he can move on and never see Vanessa again in his life.  Most would kill to have as cushy a job as Maks has currently.  Most of us have to work with people we don't like and work on projects with them and show up to meetings with them.  If Maks can't do that then he needs to find a new job.

I'm actually calling it now though.  I could see Nick and Vanessa being the "bottom two" next week.  She might legitimately be in some dangerfor having a boring and forgettable dance on top of Maks issues.  You know they want them standing next to each other when one goes home.

Edited October 17, 2017 by spanana