S25.E08: Week 7: Halloween Night

[Callaphera]

1 minute ago, Andie1 said:

That entire dance if you want to call it that was terrible in every sense of the word. There was little if any real jazz movement, it was flailing not dancing.  The lifts were poor to non existent again, the jump off the couch was odd and did not go anywhere.  The acting was dumb, and I laughed at the camera angles,  Saturday Night Live does creepy better than Frankie Muniz.  But hey he had a perfect night,  stiff dancing so what!

That's your opinion. On the flip side, I thought that it was great acting and an interesting concept, especially since that song is often - and hilariously - taken as a romantic ballad (seriously, people?!). I didn't see anything wrong with the dancing, other than the maybe stumble I thought I had seen. The camera work was an issue, though. They didn't do well on the follow up of the table and lamp back where it had been before he threw it. 

That's the kind of Hallowe'en routine I like, creepy and sinister versus the "Oh, I'm just a virgin in a white dress, traipsing through a graveyard, hoping to tango with a werewolf" type of Hallowe'en routine. 

[HappyDancex2]

I agree that you can predict the group winner now by the song.  However Group Corn did have way too much going on and I couldn't figure out why Lindsey was dressed like that.   And Group Boring did a very "steppy" group number but it's simplicity was probably caused by the fact that Drew was traveling the whole week and needed extra simple choreo and group choreo to integrate.  It seemed like a few of the pairs just did "throw girl in big skirt on shoulder.  Set her down." 

The first time I watched the Phantom number I was like Meh.   Then the judges did their swooning so I rewound it and watched it again.  Better but totally out of sync in parts.  One was probably because that one lady can't feel her legs.  One was Maks.  One was Vanessa.  One was Val.  One seemed like all of the lady pro dancers.  Shugs.  I don't know.   Then I watched it again and just tried to enjoy it....at least I didn't have to watch a lot of corn parts moving around.  They won with simplicity but it wasn't the best group dance EVAH...not by a long shot.  Sorry

[madpsych78]

In other news, while I liked the concept of Vanessa and Maks's Paso Doble, I totally felt that Vanessa's outfit did not match the Paso Doble. I think Maks didn't give any more shits.

[Kid]

So glad Vanessa Lachey is gone!!!Really liked her at the beginning. But her personality got real old, real fast.   In addition to everything else that got under my skin, including her whining about being away from her kids, she refused to listen to constructive criticism from the judges. Maks does not appear to be a patient person and he deserves sainthood for surviving this.  

[Andie1]

Just now, Callaphera said:

On the flip side, I thought that it was great acting and an interesting concept, especially since that song is often - and hilariously - taken as a romantic ballad (seriousl

Oh, my  they used the song as a creepy stalker song lets give them a cookie. Otherwise it was terrible.

2 hours ago, doLLish said:

Jordan and Lindsay: Faves gonna fave. I loved this!! Exactly what I wanted from this night. Again I’m so happy to see Lindsay flourishing in her choreography. I knew she had it in her and I’m just glad to see it all just pouring out creatively for her this season. Everybody has their own reasons for watching the show, I personally watch this show to see great dancing and great choreography and they’ve given me that consistently.

Seriously the only dance on rewind this week for me.  But Jordan will not be around for long since they are crowning the new choreographer Frankie the man. 

[NeverLate]

Quote

As for the dances, Frankie/Witney and Lindsey/Mark had the best ones for me. Lindsey, in particular, looked like she was in pain and seemed to have trouble holding her movements, but she still looked like she was doing it flawlessly. I still very much enjoyed her dance, despite how pained she looked to be in. I do agree with her scores, mostly because her pain did somewhat affect the dance. 

I just watched it again, those knee walks were great! She's a lock for the F3, if she doesn't feel worse next week, and have to drop out. Frankie's enthusiasm, without being overbearing, is a delight!

[boyznkatz]

Both of those team dances sucked.

[Andie1]

19 minutes ago, NeverLate said:

I just watched it again, those knee walks were great! She's a lock for the F3, if she doesn't feel worse next week, and have to drop out. Frankie's enthusiasm, without being overbearing, is a delight!

I think he's overbearing AF.  Anybody else, say Jordan even mention helping and doing choreography... he would be crucified.  Oh, and Frankie coming out wasting dance time as some sort of announcer telling Team Monster Mash that they are crap was not overbearing...sure. The guy is an asshat.

Edited October 31, 2017 by Andie1

[sinkwriter]

Quote

That entire dance if you want to call it that was terrible in every sense of the word. There was little if any real jazz movement, it was flailing not dancing. 

I thought Frankie and Witney had contemporary, not jazz?

I didn't think theirs was the best dance of the night, but I thought that they both were very smooth and fluid in movement together, throughout the entire dance. And the concept as presented scared the crap out of me. Fricking creepy! I seriously got chills up my spine, watching that dance, and it wasn't necessarily a good thing because it was a little too predatory real. (Nice acting, Frankie!) If Frankie had come near me afterward, I probably would have told him to step back. LOL.

I think my favorite dance was Jordan's. Great paso, terrific concept, well danced, all around awesome! (In contrast with Maks and Vanessa who did an interesting dance, but it seemed partially to copy what Jordan and Lindsay did, which is not a problem because Maks and Vanessa were also good, but they didn't have enough paso content. After watching Jordan's first, it was definitely noticeable that Maks' routine didn't have enough paso.)

Also favorite was Mark and Lindsey. She was a real trooper, and I thought she did wonderfully well despite the pain she was in. I think they would have deserved 10's if she'd been able to go just that little bit more "full out" that she'd have done if she hadn't been in such pain.

Personally, I thought Nikki and Terrell got screwed tonight because of the music choices and/or dance choices they were given. Nikki has to do a quickstep for Halloween night? Come on! She should have gotten some sort of Elvira Mistress of the Dark song to do, and something much more dramatic. You can't really be scary or Halloweeny with a cheery bouncy quickstep. I really felt bad for her and for Artem. And the music choice for Terrell's dance kind of sucked too, from what I recall. Super Freak, wasn't it? I like the song, but it seemed really difficult to do a tango to it with any sort of gravitas. It just didn't seem to work. He did try his best to put something into it, though. 

The team dances were a bit of a letdown. I liked the Monster Mash, but agree that all the swirling and corn field stuff made it a bit convoluted. On the other hand, they did seem to each display 20 seconds of couples partner work, whereas the Phantom team didn't seem to spotlight any of their couples for more than a couple seconds?? I like the concept of the Phantom (that song is wonderfully dramatic), and I liked their general team synchronicity, but they weren't always exactly "one" with one another and it felt kind of lackluster. Overall, I liked Monster Mash's energy, but Phantom had more cohesiveness. But neither really 'brought it' the way other teams have in past seasons. They were both kind of lacking, sad to say.

Edited October 31, 2017 by sinkwriter

[Toonces464]

58 minutes ago, marykat71702 said:

Who? And I for one hadn't heard/read anything about a double elimination tonight.

George Pennachio is the reporter for ABC in LA who's been covering the show for years.

 

50 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

So, it definitely felt like the double elimination was thrown in last minute and then the producers didn't bother to fill in the judges or Erin/Tom. I can buy that everyone was taken by surprise. Especially remembering Bruno's comment to Nikki about how "she'll definitely be around for the following week", and it did seem like he had been sincere. Something definitely happened behind the scenes last minute that got producers adding the DE. I feel like maybe, it was for dramatic effect or next week was supposed to be the DE instead but they switched it to this week. 

There's no way the elimination was last minute or unknown to anyone involved with the show because George basically announced last week on Twitter there would be a double elimination this week. Frankie also hinted at it in one of his interviews. 

 

49 minutes ago, Andie1 said:

That entire dance if you want to call it that was terrible in every sense of the word. There was little if any real jazz movement, it was flailing not dancing.  The lifts were poor to non existent again, the jump off the couch was odd and did not go anywhere.  The acting was dumb, and I laughed at the camera angles,  Saturday Night Live does creepy better than Frankie Muniz.  But hey he had a perfect night,  stiff dancing so what!  He is a choreographer now. 

Why would there be jazz movement in a contemporary routine? Isn't flailing what contemporary is all about?

[sinkwriter]

I knew they'd have a double elimination soon, but I didn't think it would be this week, especially (as others have mentioned) since they didn't announce it at the top of the show or seem to indicate it in any way. Kind of crappy to spring it on Vanessa and Nikki in that way. I'm sure one of them thought, "I still have a 50/50 chance of staying!"

Honestly, I was surprised. If they were going to do a double elim, I was expecting Drew and Terrell to get sent home. Especially because they complimented Drew so effusively (after weeks of beating on him), and that usually means they know the person is going home. Then, when it was down to Terrell, Vanessa and Nikki, I thought maybe Terrell or Nikki, but I never thought Vanessa would go home yet. Even with the underlying drama between her and her partner. So I was surprised by tonight's elimination. I don't really mind it because I'm mainly rooting for Lindsey, Frankie and/or Jordan, but I do feel bad for Vanessa who seemed to be trying so hard, and I feel especially bad for Artem.

Edited October 31, 2017 by sinkwriter

[NeverLate]

2 hours ago, jay741982 said:

Booooo! Vanessa was better than Drew and Terelll. Now I have to be scared that they take out Frankie 

Her partners attitude sucked, so she had to go as well. 

[MsJamieDornan]

23 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

George basically announced last week on Twitter there would be a double elimination this week

How would George know ?

 

23 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

Why would there be jazz movement in a contemporary routine? Isn't flailing what contemporary is all about?

Yup

 

I like Frankie, Jordan can go home.

[Emily-D]

2 hours ago, McManda said:

Those overalls seemed like they were pretty lowcut and baggy around the hips. I was actually worried we might have the first semi- wardrobe malfunction for a male on the show.

I'll also admit to wondering recently if Artem was still dating the Chicago Med actress Torry Devitto. Guess not, with how they were pushing that he was single tonight.

She dumped him during his season with Nancy Kerrigan apparently. I was sceptical when someone told me but it made sense as I remember him going MIA on all social media for weeks early on in the season with Nancy. Makes me respect him even more with all the hard work he put in for her while having to deal with that.

Edited October 31, 2017 by Emily-D

[Uke]

19 minutes ago, MsJamieDornan said:

How would George know ?

 

I just scrolled back to see what George said:

and then when someone asked if there would be a double elimination, he said:

I think he suspected (as we all were anticipating) a double elimination coming up soon but I don't know if he knew for certain that it would be this week.

[MsJamieDornan]

5 minutes ago, Uke said:

I think he suspected (as we all were anticipating) a double elimination coming up soon but I don't know if he knew for certain that it would be this week

Thanks Uke !!!!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Tonight's performances:

Spoiler

Opening number

Vanessa & Maks - paso

Nikki & Artem - jive

Jordan & Lindsay - paso

Terrell & Cheryl - tango

Drew & Emma - Charleston

Lindsey & Mark - paso

Victoria & Val - waltz

Frankie & Witney - contemporary

Team Phantom

 

Team Monster Mash

 

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One thing I will give Mark credit for is not wasting 30 seconds at the beginning of his routine, unlike just about everyone else this week.

But I have an issue with people using Día de los Muertos as a Halloween costume so that was a fail for me just on principle. Adding the sign that said they were banditos just made it worse. I am 99% sure that once Coco comes out, we are just going to get even more people doing stupid shit like this. If he was insistent on using the face painting and costumes, he could have incorporated elements of Día de los Muertos into the routine so that it didn't come off as White Guy Appropriating Minority Culture as a Costume.

The corn dance had potential but it was just so messy and frantic because of all the couples running in and out and the corn/hay pieces being moved around. The Phantom dance was NOT the best group dance ever (sorry, Carrie Ann) but at least I spent most of the routine watching eight people dancing.

As has been said many times, the band suuuuuuuuucks. Super Freak? Come on, man, don't butcher that song!

I love Artem, but I didn't like much about that dance. I didn't like the Starbucks theme or her costume. I also felt that the choreography was trying to hide her lack of bounce. Jive require a lot of high energy and precision, neither of which she had.

While I appreciate that Every Breath You Take was used as the creepy stalker song it is (for the first time since that SNL skit with Adam Sandler & Shannen Doherty), the choreography felt like it was showcasing Witney way more than Frankie. I also appreciated that Frankie was not afraid to get really aggressive in his movements with her. I took some ballroom classes in college and without fail, the guys were terrible at leading. They had no idea how to be assertive and direct movement so most of the time, it was the girls in the class leading while dancing backwards, dragging the guys forward, which we often see with female pros and male celebs on this show. For that reason, I liked that it was obvious Frankie was willing to be physically dominant because the routine would have looked ridiculous if he hadn't been willing to commit to that.

Man, could Maks have made the intro to that dance any longer? WE GET IT, START DANCING.

[calipiano81]

If all that matters for the team dances is synchronicity, why don't both teams just march for a minute and a half each and see who makes the straightest lines?

I actually LOVED Team Monster Mash's dance. It could have been cleaner in spots , but I loved the musicality and was fascinated with all the intricacies of the choreography. It was an ambitious routine and I thought they pulled it off relatively well.

Team Phantom's was nice but predictable. And as people mentioned, they had some sync issues as well. So for them to not only win, but by SIX points is outrageous to me. If they HAD to, they should have just tied it at 9's.

Even though contemporary/jazz = freestyle on DWTS, there should at least be dancing vocabulary of some kind in the routine. On first watch, all I remember Frankie doing in his "contemporary" was running around and grabbing Witney with an intense look on his face. Convincingly creepy, yes, but this is "DANCING with the Stars" not solely "Acting with the Stars."

I wish we could see Lindsey/Mark's Paso Doble again someday with Lindsey at 100‰. Once again, Mark came up with a challenging and content-filled routine that would probably have been stunning if Lindsey weren't in so much pain.

Edited October 31, 2017 by calipiano81

[kitcloudkicker]

5 hours ago, sinkwriter said:

 

I knew they'd have a double elimination soon, but I didn't think it would be this week, especially (as others have mentioned) since they didn't announce it at the top of the show or seem to indicate it in any way. Kind of crappy to spring it on Vanessa and Nikki in that way. I'm sure one of them thought, "I still have a 50/50 chance of staying!"

 

I don’t know how much Tom or Erin knew, but the pros and celebrities were definitely surprised, because they ran it in dress rehearsal with one elimination. 

[alexa]

I really liked the Monster Mash dance.  I kind of liked all of the different things going on at once and quickly.  But I was glad the other team won just because everyone expects Mark or Derek's team to win each year.  I like Mark this year, but I am a fan of underdogs having their chance for a win.  It didn't surprise me who left for the double elimination...I don't think either of them had much of a standout factor.  I think Vanessa could have done better with a different partner, but with Maks it just wasn't going anywhere.

[bealled]

I am pretty sure Jordan was helping Lindsay choreograph last week or recently. I know they showed clips of him giving input like Frankie was. Frankie providing creative input doesn't make him a choreographer and he is allowed to have fun. Kind of funny the Frankie hate on here. Not so fun when everyone's favorite isn't the best dancer just like last season, yet nobody cared last year. I still think Jordan is going to easily walk away with the trophy. He has literally no competition this season. They are trying to push Lindsey as his competition but everyone basically knows he is miles ahead of everyone since day 1. Frankie may take second place, but doubt he wins.

I'm thinking Victoria was set up to leave next week, but maybe not since her scores got a boost this week. I just think going first will not help her, but so many women are gone now it will probably be a guy (although Idk, all the remaining guys seem more popular).

I was pretty surprised by the double elimination, mainly because I don't believe both Nikki and Vanessa deserved to go. Victoria is weaker than both and really I think the girls are better than Terrell/Drew.

I think Frankie's contemporary is a bit overrated. It was a cool concept and creepy, but not sure it really involved that much dancing. I guess that is somewhat normal for contemporaries though.

I actually really enjoyed Vanessa and Maks paso doble, at least the concept. I thought it was really fun.

Honestly I don't think any dance stood out greatly to me this week. I am just finding this season rather boring. Also the only memorable contestants are Frankie, Jordan, and Lindsey. After Frankie danced, I thought he was the last one to go but then they announced Drew. It seems every weeks I am forgetting one of the other dancers.

I agree that Team Phantom was overscored. They had sync issues as well and should have gotten all 9s. However, I still thought they were a lot better than Team Monster Mash.

I really hope Lindsey gets better, but that injury sounds very serious. I hope she doesn't have to bow out of the competition.

Right now I think the final 3 will be Lindsey, Frankie, and Jordan, but who knows. I could see Lindsey as a surprise elimination, especially if her injury continues to hinder her. It just seems recently the women don't do as well on the show unless they are the huge standout star with weak competition (Laurie). I could also see Victoria sneaking into the finals just based on her story, especially since she now outlasted Nikki and Vanessa. I suspect Drew may be a lot more popular than we realize too.

[vibeology]

I'm going to need the judges to explain how they all missed Drew falling on his ass midway through his dance. That clearly did not look like choreography to me and I don't have the benefit of going to the dress rehearsals. Erin shouldn't have to do their job for them.

I loved Frankie and Witney's dance. It was very creepy and while I don't think Frankie was ever going to excel at Contemporary (like someone said last week, he does much, much better with a structured dance) Witney choreographed around his worst tendencies and created something memorable and freaky.

Jordan and Lindsay's dance would have been great if not for how crowded the floor was. Jordan doesn't need to be hidden. Let the focus fall on him. It was still very strong but it could have been better.

Lindsey was clearly hurting and it showed but her dance was still pretty great. I do hate the Sugar Skull/Día de Muertos being used as a costume, especially coming from Mark who has shown a lack of thought when it comes to using other cultures as costumes in the past. (I'm thinking of the trio dance where he posted about wearing "tribal shit")

I honestly don't remember any of the other dances that clearly. The double elimination was a big whatever to me. Not hyping it up was a mistake. I would have rather seen Drew as one of the two eliminated but I'm not destroyed to lose two people I can't remember.

I hated both group dances. I think Monster Mash is a dumb song and they crowded the stage way too much. I also think it did make them dance small. I don't know if it was so much that people were dancing down as it was the tempo that made it feel sluggish. It was just not good. As for Phantom, it was out of synch, the steps were basic and I do think using the same costumes was meant to hide people. Bruno nailed that. Also, my Phantom standards on this show were set by Brandon and Brittany and they were children. This wasn't that good.

[sinycalone]

Quote

I'm going to need the judges to explain how they all missed Drew falling on his ass midway through his dance. That clearly did not look like choreography to me and I don't have the benefit of going to the dress rehearsals. Erin shouldn't have to do their job for them.

Exactly....why would anyone think that was part of the choreography?

[SuprSuprElevated]

13 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

I'm sure Maks is thrilled to be leaving.

He didn't leave much to question about that did he?  He was smiling...almost giddy.  Took him an uncomfortably awkward amount of time before he even came back to his partner to "console" her.  He's an ass.  She might be too, but he definitely is an ass.

eta - I had forgotten that she grabbed Nikki for the 'final dance'.  So yeah, she showed her ass too, but considering all we've been lead to believe about this pairing, it's understandable.  As someone ^upthread mentioned, it's not a huge stretch that they both begged to be eliminated.

Edited October 31, 2017 by SuprSuprElevated

[SuprSuprElevated]

12 hours ago, Uke said:

Maks couldn't even pretend to be sad and completely walked away from her? Rude!  No surprise at the eliminations.  Nikki did well and improved over time.  Vanessa never got a fair chance with her pro.  Maks - don't bother coming back! I'm just feeling disgusted with him right now.  Vanessa had so much potential but he just couldn't get over himself. 

You and I saw this the same way.  I commented before I read your response, but I agree 100%.

[SuprSuprElevated]

10 hours ago, marykat71702 said:

Victoria--I enjoyed this dance. She's kind of growing on me, but I still don't understand the whole "I can't feel my legs" but she can dance, walk, jump, etc. like that.

My side eye has become in the back of my head eye over this.

[spanana]

I wouldn't be mad at a double elimination if they hadn't sprung it on the pros/celebs in the moment.  I think there were rumors of a double elimination last week but then supposedly in dress they just had a single elimination.  Plus usually when there is a double it is telegraphed throughout the show, and they didn't really last night.   So I think people were legitimately blindsided last night, which I don't think is cool.  Do a double, yeah.  But at least give them a heads up it's coming.

Beyond that.  I definitely think the hyperbole for the Phantom number was a bit much.  I was fine with it scoring higher than Monster, but it wasn't the best group dance ever.  I think because a lot of it was in hold, the pros could drag their celebs around and there definitely were sync issues at time.  I remember one particular movement where Victoria/Val were completely out of sync with everyone else.  Honestly the only real standout in that number was Frankie and it was largely due to his commitment and acting ability.

Monster Mash wasn't horrible. I think I was turned off at the beginning because Jordan was great and Lindsey was doing her best with her injury, but TO was a mess and Nikki was just kind of there. I think the solo sections in that group number didn't serve the overall number well if that makes sense.  Both Nikki and TO's parts were lacking energy, which I think didn't help sell it overall.  Jordan was the standout there.

As for solo dances, loved Jordan, Frankie and Lindsey, though I could see Lindsey was in pain and struggling in that sense.  I wanted to love Vanessa's but never quite got there.  I expect some people will have issues with the creepy possibly stalker/abusive theme of Frankie's dance, but the flip side was that it was nice to see a different type of contemporary.  Whether one likes Frankie as a dancer or not, the man commits and he's a pretty damn good actor.  I think he's at his best when given very specific roles to play (of the non troll variety).

I thought Victoria was actually at her best tonight even if the routine itself wasn't exciting.  She looked more fluid than usual.  Of course Val now that he has a partner with no experience is whining over the people that do have experience.

I also thought the reveal of some of the celebs back next week for the stupid trios gave away what couples were safe.  I wasn't 100% sure who Kelly Monaco was going to be paired with as I thought maybe at first she would be with Victoria, but it was obvious Witney would have brought on Alfonso for Frankie and Corbin seemed like a lock for Jordan.  They wouldn't have announced them if they were going home.

Edited October 31, 2017 by spanana

[LadyMustang65]

I love Halloween night.  Probably even more than Disney Week.  This show did not disappoint me.  I thought all of the routines were fun.  Some better than others but all were fun.  Hands down our favorite dance was Frankie/Witney.  I never watched Malcolm in the Middle, but I am a fan of Criminal Minds, and Frankie was super-creepy on that show.  I loved how much fun he was having.  I loved that he had input into the dance.  I don't call what he did "choreography" - that's really stretching it, I think.  But he did give creative input, and I enjoy when the celebs do that.  He gave it his all, and it was awesome!!  Jordan is no doubt the best dancer, and I love that he always always always gives credit, thanks and praise to Lindsay.  They seem like a great partnership.  I felt bad for Lindsey and Mark.  It was obvious she was hurting, and her performance seemed a little stiff and tentative, but it was great choreo by Mark.  I also loved the concept of Vanessa's dance, although I think Maks was being just a tad bit generous when he called his own choreo "brilliant."  I used to be a big fan of Maks, even while recognizing that he could be an ass, but something is off with him this season.  I honestly don't remember much about Drew's dance except that I thought it was fun, and he did good but not great.  Terrell seems like a different person now than when he first started, but I thought his was the least of the dances last night.  I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, but something seemed just "off" about it.  Still not bad, but I was surprised the judges praised it so much.  

As others have noted, Sasha scaring people is always fun.  <lol>

I enjoyed both of the team dances.  I loved the concept of Monster Mash, and I think it could have been great with some more time to work on it.  But it was a lot of fun and left me smiling.  Phantom was fairly well executed, if somewhat predictable, and I love the music.  But I didn't think it was 10-worthy.  I don't like when they handicap things so obviously.  Boo!

Not happy with the double elimination.  I would have sent Terrell and Drew home - not Vanessa and Nikki.  Not sure I think that was manipulated, as I can imagine a football player and a tv star having bigger fan bases than a WWE diva and a celebrity mom, but I'm sorry to see those two go, as I enjoyed their dancing more than I enjoy Drew's and Terrell's.  And on a shallow note - losing Nikki means losing Artem, and that's never a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.  I so want him to win one of these days.

[crowceilidh]

I'm not Team Val or anything, but I don't fault him for talking about Victoria's lack of dance experience as his issue this season.  He admitted that he'd had many dancers to work with in the past.  I think he learned this tack from Maks who also treats each new season vaguely as if it wipes out what has happened before.  In fact, the whole show mostly does (viz. last night's Phantom being the best group dance ever!)  They always pretend that this season exists in a bubble of "so much better than the last season" and that many historical things that have happened, haven't.   The mealy-mouthed character of such pretence annoys me, but I don't really fault individuals for buying into it -- it's their job.

Also, I thought that Vanessa and Nick were probably bottom 2 last week.  So I'm not surprised to see her go.

Weren't Nikki and ARtem doing a jive, not a quickstep?  It was certainly somewhat unrecognizable as an anything if you were watching Nikki because she just does not move lightly or quickly.

[NeverLate]

12 hours ago, Emily-D said:

Maks is the absolute worst, he was trying not to celebrate that he was going home at the end. I didn’t particularly have strong feelings for Nikki (I liked her but didn’t love her) but I was absolutely gutted for Artem seeing his face at the end. He truly deserves so much better than what this shows throws at him. 

I really liked Nikki, and she wanted to learn. As for Maks, he'll be in heaven dancing with Val in the trio dances..

[LizDC]

1 hour ago, vibeology said:

I'm going to need the judges to explain how they all missed Drew falling on his ass midway through his dance. That clearly did not look like choreography to me and I don't have the benefit of going to the dress rehearsals. Erin shouldn't have to do their job for them.

Well, I thought it kind of looked like it was part of the dance.  It seemed weird to me but not like it was an obvious mistake.

All my votes went to him. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

It's interesting to read everyone here, as it seems many of you have knowledge/experience in dance.  I am strictly a two-left-footed viewer and big fan of this show.  

As such, I am always surprised and slightly annoyed when 'stars' who clearly have dance experience/acumen are selected, even though I know they are not always the winner.  I don't know what Jordan's previous experience is, but he obviously has it and a bunch of it.  Doesn't make me dislike him, in fact I love to watch him dance.  In my head, the show concept is to take novice celebrities and turn them into reasonable ballroom dancers.  If that is the case, then it is hard to argue against TO, Drew, or Frankie.  My favorite is Frankie, because I appreciate his enthusiasm and work ethic.  That may be unfair to someone like Drew, who may have those same traits but just isn't as expressive about it.  TO has definitely made improvements, but for me, the loveable (or not so) NFL'r-turned awesome dancer thing has been done.  To death.  Vanessa and Nikki seemed of equal talent/improvement to me, but I couldn't seem to get invested in either of them, dunno why.  I am extremely skeptical of Victoria, at risk of seeming heartless.  It's amazing to know what she has conquered and is accomplishing, just not into her for some reason.  I really like Lindsey and wouldn't be upset if she won it all.

I am not a fan of the team dances, ever, so I really didn't pay enough attention to either of them to be able to critique, but just on a visual scale, I preferred the Phantom dance.

I appreciate all of you, who help me to understand a bit of the technical part of the show, and to see it a little differently than I would otherwise.

[Bliss]

Lots of posts covering many of my observations...

Loved Mark and Lindsey's paso - it was different and clever! I'd love to see Lindsey and Natalie McMaster do a musical duo someday. Just putting it out there.

Thought the costuming and makeup were incredible last night... the eyes especially! Mark always seems to win the "best costuming" in my book. His creativity is OTT great.

Loved the Phantom dresses. (Didn't think that team was 6 points better than the Monster Mashers.)

Sasha was hilarious, as always, and Erin looked super tall... or maybe Tom looked shorter? Tom, as usual, was spot on fabulous with his ad libs.

Witney is impressing me this season for some reason - there's a freshness about her choreography. I'm almost always impressed with Lindsay's, and Mark's. I'm hoping to see these 3 in the finals, and (don't throw stuff at me) Emma and Drew also. Drew's come a long way since the beginning.

My only real complaint is that I dislike the way they call couples in jeopardy right before they go out to dance. Why??? It does nothing to improve the show, and it's not as if there isn't enough drama already.

As for the elimination, I wasn't surprised - yet, I was shocked when they were both gone. Zap! I always wish they could just leave it at 8 teams until just before the final week and then eliminate 50% - JMO. TPTB don't listen to me.

I'll miss Artem.

[bealled]

I don't think the show cares as much about a person's dance background anymore. I think it did used to cater more towards novice dancers, but even in season 2 they had Mario Lopez. I think it gets hard to cast completely non-dancers, and then you still have people who criticize contestants as having an advantage if they are in a sport that requires any type of fluid movement, coordination, etc (ice skating or gymnastics). It's pretty hard to cast somebody with absolutely zero experience, although I do think that is why fans sometimes favor men. I think a lot of women probably did do dance as a child or cheerleading, and you are probably more likely to have completely novice men than women. However, I'd say anyone could have been exposed to dance but it still doesn't mean you are a dancer. I did dance from 5-15 and I'm an absolutely terrible dancer and I lack rhythm. Just because I learned some of the basic skills then doesn't mean I would excel on this show. I think people with a natural inclination toward dance are going to do well regardless.

I find myself rooting for different things each season. Sometimes the personality grabs me (Frankie) and sometimes the dancing grabs me. In general I think I root for a mixture of both. However, I do understand the criticism when it's a very obvious frontrunner and how it can make a season boring. It's nicer to see some type of arch with the contestants, or an off week where they then return to form.

[boyznkatz]

Although I found Vanessa annoying, I really dislike Maks more than ever. Hey Buddy, if you don't want to put in the work, then go home! They need to give a good partner to Artem. He always puts in the work and never complains.

[crowceilidh]

Jordan just doesn't seem like winning material to me.  He may be a better dancer than everyone else, but as many point out, he is very like Corbin, any humility comes across as false and he just seems impenetrable.  I have had no feelings of vulnerability or true humility or joy or enjoyment from him and his physical presence, although beautiful, is too sylph-like for my preferences in ballroom dancers.

[nutty1]

Still love Jordan. But how great is Frankie?? I have never seen someone enjoy DWTS more than him. I hope the F3 are Frankie, Jordan and Lindsey.

[boyznkatz]

I think everyone left is fake humble and annoying, but Jordan and Lindsey are superior enough dancers to overlook it. The only one who seems genuine is TO. Although I didn't like him at first, he grew on me.

[LotusFlower]

6 hours ago, kitcloudkicker said:

I don’t know how much Tom or Erin knew, but the pros and celebrities were definitely surprised, because they ran it in dress rehearsal with one elimination. 

I noticed when Tom was handed the cards with the results, he looked at them quickly and said something about it being surprising.  He definitely didn't know ahead of time.  

[bealled]

Anyone else find the double elimination very strange? Normally they play it up all episode and not at the last minute. Makes me think if they lost someone good they wouldn't have done the double elimination, but since it was Nikki and Vanessa they forged ahead with it. I feel kind of bad for Vanessa because I feel like she was so excited to do the show, and I'm not sure it lived up to her expectations. If she and Maks were truly having issues that is a shame. I do feel she was capable of being one of the finalists this season, but lately her dancing had faltered slightly.

[spanana]

13 minutes ago, bealled said:

Anyone else find the double elimination very strange? Normally they play it up all episode and not at the last minute. Makes me think if they lost someone good they wouldn't have done the double elimination, but since it was Nikki and Vanessa they forged ahead with it. I feel kind of bad for Vanessa because I feel like she was so excited to do the show, and I'm not sure it lived up to her expectations. If she and Maks were truly having issues that is a shame. I do feel she was capable of being one of the finalists this season, but lately her dancing had faltered slightly.

I agree that the show might have changed their minds about the double elim depending on who the celebs were and took the opportunity partly because it was two celebs they didn't mind losing.  However I doubt they would have made that decision during the live show.  I'm sure TPTB knew ahead of time who was on the chopping block and had plenty of time to make that decision, though they certainly acted and handled the decision like it was made last minute.

The show also showed its hand to some extent when they trotted out Alfonso, Corbin and Kelly since with the exception of Kelly it was pretty obvious who they would be dancing with the following week and they certainly wouldn't have trotted out Alfonso for instance if Frankie was in any risk.

[ClareWalks]

There are a few criticisms in this thread of the Dia de los Muertos theme for Mark and Lindsey, and I want to ask (and this will sound like I'm being a smart-ass, but I swear I'm not trying to be, for once, haha), would it only be okay to do that theme if the dancer and pro were both Mexican? Because I personally don't think that particular theme qualifies as "cultural appropriation," since it's not like they're in blackface or something equally, indisputably offensive. Obviously YMMV so I am curious what people think :)

[SuprSuprElevated]

31 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

There are a few criticisms in this thread of the Dia de los Muertos theme for Mark and Lindsey, and I want to ask (and this will sound like I'm being a smart-ass, but I swear I'm not trying to be, for once, haha), would it only be okay to do that theme if the dancer and pro were both Mexican? Because I personally don't think that particular theme qualifies as "cultural appropriation," since it's not like they're in blackface or something equally, indisputably offensive. Obviously YMMV so I am curious what people think :)

It seems to me that many characters from many cultures are used by peoples of other cultures for various purposes.  Santa Claus comes to mind as an easy example.  While I don't think it should be offensive if not done in a disrespectful manner, I am not surprised if it is, given the social climate.

[Renee in CA]

When I looked at the list of performers before last night's show I thought to myself - "gee, that's a lot of women celebs left." DE took care of that! Thanks, DWTS, for making sure mediocre men live to dance next week!

Well, Maks got his wish and was eliminated. I'm so over him and his drama, and I think the show is as well. Haven't heard a peep from him in the past couple of weeks. No "farewell" on the show, and hopefully he can be his son's caregiver while Peta does the show in the spring.

[crowceilidh]

Good lord - I hope they don't use Peta for the kids' season.  Other than Gleb, I'm not sure I can think of somebody less appropriate seeming for the task. 

[Legalgirl82]

1 hour ago, ClareWalks said:

There are a few criticisms in this thread of the Dia de los Muertos theme for Mark and Lindsey, and I want to ask (and this will sound like I'm being a smart-ass, but I swear I'm not trying to be, for once, haha), would it only be okay to do that theme if the dancer and pro were both Mexican? Because I personally don't think that particular theme qualifies as "cultural appropriation," since it's not like they're in blackface or something equally, indisputably offensive. Obviously YMMV so I am curious what people think :)

And if I may add to or ask an alternative to your question:  what if one or the other (not both) of the dancer or pro were Mexican?  Or part Mexican, as Mark is.  

[McManda]

39 minutes ago, crowceilidh said:

Good lord - I hope they don't use Peta for the kids' season.  Other than Gleb, I'm not sure I can think of somebody less appropriate seeming for the task. 

I was under the impression that they were going to have new, age appropriate pros for the kids season. Is that not true? (I still hate the idea of a kids season, tbh.)

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, LadyMustang65 said:

I never watched Malcolm in the Middle, but I am a fan of Criminal Minds, and Frankie was super-creepy on that show.

Heh, same here. I can't help thinking of his character on that CM episode sometimes when I watch him :p.

[doLLish]

9 minutes ago, McManda said:

I was under the impression that they were going to have new, age appropriate pros for the kids season. Is that not true? (I still hate the idea of a kids season, tbh.)

What I think makes sense is that the kids will have age appropriate "pro" partners, and each team will be assigned an adult pro to assist.

I hate the idea of a kids season as well.