S25.E10: Week 9: Semi-Finals

[calipiano81]

Julianne actually toppled over after the split move when she and Apolo first performed it (she nailed it in the encore, though). It's definitely a risky move, so kudos to Witney for going for it.

[calipiano81]

48 minutes ago, boyznkatz said:

Yes Shirley was a guest judge.

For our DWTS show, Shirley has never been a guest judge. If she were, I think it would definitely be memorable because I'm sure she would be quite critical and there would be a lot of fan outcry over her judging her own son.

[Andiethewestie]

9 hours ago, littlecowgirl93 said:

I agree, I think she is being set up to fail, and I will be pretty mad if she doesn’t at least come in second.

I don't think she will fail if Mark brings back the choreographers like he did for Sadie for the Freestyle.  Especially since Anze  has worked with Lindsey prior to DWTS   

[friendperidot]

thanks all, I did think Corky had been a pro twice, but the list I looked at either missed him once or I just didn't see his name - either is possible. And thanks for the info about Shirley, I know she's visited, but I did think she danced.

[Andiethewestie]

52 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

The revolving door was one of the highlights of Mark and Paige's jive.  Jordan and Lindsay didn't quite duplicate that move.  I'm sure Corky and Shirley taught Mark that move when he was a kid.   

I think the revolving door move was a strong part of the routine, as was the double cartwheel and the single barrel jump....but, even though Paige had the character down that is what made it special... the revolving door move was done much cleaner and precise by Sabrina Bryan back in season 5, and Shirley was on set in the practice studio that season, and we heard about the cartwheel being handled better by Jordan and Lindsay, as well as the rope turn jump, both of them do it instead of just Paige.  Then they go on to do a spin each to a barrel leap- and I think Jordan was cleaner on it because Lindsay's leg.   But I can't take anything away from Paige, she was doing Tina Turner if Tina Turner did Dancing with the Stars.  That is why it was cool.

Edited November 16, 2017 by Andiethewestie

[Andiethewestie]

2 hours ago, crowceilidh said:

Shirley's a judge on at least one of the international versions, isn't she?  I thought Australia at one point and didn't she replace Len as head judge in Britain now?

She replaced Len Goodman on Strictly Come Dancing.

[realdancemom]

15 minutes ago, Andiethewestie said:

I think the revolving door move was a strong part of the routine, as was the double cartwheel and the single barrel jump....but, even though Paige had the character down that is what made it special... the revolving door move was done much cleaner and precise by Sabrina Bryan back in season 5, and Shirley was on set in the practice studio that season, and we heard about the cartwheel being handled better by Jordan and Lindsay, as well as the rope turn jump, both of them do it instead of just Paige.  Then they go on to do a spin each to a barrel leap- and I think Jordan was cleaner on it because Lindsay's leg.   

You might not have seen my previous post.  In this current post, I only mentioned things that I like better in Mark and Paige's routine.  However, I like Lindsay's and Jordan's routine better.  The timing is better and there is more tricks.  I wrote that both Lindsay and Jordan did the barrel jump where Paige was the only one that did it in her routine.  I like Jordan's single arm aerial cartwheel move which wasn't done in the original.  There were other things but I'll just mention those.

ETA - I didn't see Sabrina's season.  I only saw her in the All-Stars and she and Louis performed one of the best quicksteps that I've seen on the show.  So I'm sure that her technique was wonderful in her season.  She is too in your face though so I also understand why she was a shocking boot both times.

Edited November 16, 2017 by realdancemom

[Andiethewestie]

1 hour ago, realdancemom said:

ETA - I didn't see Sabrina's season.  I only saw her in the All-Stars and she and Louis performed one of the best quicksteps that I've seen on the show.  So I'm sure that her technique was wonderful in her season.

[Andiethewestie]

ETA:  I agree that Sabrina was over the top in her season, but one thing is for sure, Mark was young- almost 10 years ago so he could be much more athletic like Jordan and Lindsay are now.  

[realdancemom]

20 hours ago, Andiethewestie said:

ETA:  I agree that Sabrina was over the top in her season, but one thing is for sure, Mark was young- almost 10 years ago so he could be much more athletic like Jordan and Lindsay are now.  

Thanks for Sabrina and Mark's jive clip.  Yes, the revolving door was cleaner.  However, I think Paige and Mark did it for a longer period which is why it was memorable to me.  Mark can still do things but dance does take a toll on the body.  I think the athletic male pro is currently Sasha.  He was able to do a lot of things with Simone.  Unfortunately, he's short and the only short female star this season was Lindsey.  It made sense that she asked Mark to be her partner since they previously worked together.

[spanana]

3 hours ago, realdancemom said:

 Mark can still do things but dance does take a toll on the body.  I think the athletic male pro is currently Sasha.  He was able to do a lot of things with Simone.  Unfortunately, he's short and the only short female star this season was Lindsey.  It made sense that she asked Mark to be her partner since they previously worked together.

Dare I say I think this is a problem on the male side of pro roster across the board.  Or not a problem because I'm not advocating for any of the male pros being fired, though if Maks/Val want to take a break I'd be more than happy.  But the male side of our pro roster is pretty up there in age--at least where professional dancers are concerned.   They aren't old, but they are old for professional dancers and I think most of them have way more injuries than they used to have.  The only current male pros under the age of 30 are Alan at 23 and Keo who is 27. The next youngest are Mark and Val at 31.  Gleb is 34, Artem is 35, Maks is 37.  I'd argue most of them probably can't do a lot of things as dancers that they used to be able to do.  At some point some of these guys are going to need to retire and give way to the next generation of male pros, but other than maybe Alan the show hasn't invested themselves in any younger male pros, so the focus is still on the same male pros that have been the focus for a long time.

The female side is a little better because you have Cheryl, Sharna and Peta who are over 30, but Lindsay & Witney are 23 and Emma is still in her 20's.  Plus of course all the troupe females are pretty young.  Plus on the female side at least there is a younger generation of pros that have started to establish themselves and will likely continue to be there if some of the older female pros start to retire.  So if Peta or Sharna decide to retire, they will still have a star in Lindsay (hopefully). 

I guess my point being is it I think the show has been so focused on its male faves that its done a pretty crappy job cultivating younger male talent to take over the reins and carry the show into the future.

[realdancemom]

47 minutes ago, spanana said:

Dare I say I think this is a problem on the male side of pro roster across the board.  Or not a problem because I'm not advocating for any of the male pros being fired, though if Maks/Val want to take a break I'd be more than happy.  But the male side of our pro roster is pretty up there in age--at least where professional dancers are concerned.   They aren't old, but they are old for professional dancers and I think most of them have way more injuries than they used to have.  The only current male pros under the age of 30 are Alan at 23 and Keo who is 27. The next youngest are Mark and Val at 31.  Gleb is 34, Artem is 35, Maks is 37.  I'd argue most of them probably can't do a lot of things as dancers that they used to be able to do.  At some point some of these guys are going to need to retire and give way to the next generation of male pros, but other than maybe Alan the show hasn't invested themselves in any younger male pros, so the focus is still on the same male pros that have been the focus for a long time.

The female side is a little better because you have Cheryl, Sharna and Peta who are over 30, but Lindsay & Witney are 23 and Emma is still in her 20's.  Plus of course all the troupe females are pretty young.  Plus on the female side at least there is a younger generation of pros that have started to establish themselves and will likely continue to be there if some of the older female pros start to retire.  So if Peta or Sharna decide to retire, they will still have a star in Lindsay (hopefully). 

I guess my point being is it I think the show has been so focused on its male faves that its done a pretty crappy job cultivating younger male talent to take over the reins and carry the show into the future.

I always thought that the show was ageist when it came to the female side.  I didn't think about injuries, etc.  It just seemed that they were fading out Karina, Kym, Anna, etc.  They only brought them in for difficult stars or if the star was a lot older.  Even somebody like David Ross could be Lindsay's dad.

I think the show always thought their male pros like Derek, Mark, Val, etc. had a big fan base.  That's why they usually got the better female stars.  Although, there was a time when Mark got stuck with the young or Christian ones.  Glad Alan had a shot at being a pro but they should start rotating the other young troupe members like Brandon.  Wonder what will happen with the kid season.  I imagine they will use kids to partner with kids.  But will there be a pro to help these kids?

[majormama]

1 hour ago, spanana said:

Dare I say I think this is a problem on the male side of pro roster across the board.  Or not a problem because I'm not advocating for any of the male pros being fired, though if Maks/Val want to take a break I'd be more than happy.  But the male side of our pro roster is pretty up there in age--at least where professional dancers are concerned.   They aren't old, but they are old for professional dancers and I think most of them have way more injuries than they used to have.  The only current male pros under the age of 30 are Alan at 23 and Keo who is 27. The next youngest are Mark and Val at 31.  Gleb is 34, Artem is 35, Maks is 37. 

It always surprises me to see that Maks is a year younger than me. I don't know if it's his swarthy look or his paternalistic attitudes, but I always assumed he was quite a bit older. And when he shows up, like Monday night, in his '80s denim jacket with his hat on backwards, he just looks like such a tool. 

[sinkwriter]

I wish they had utilized Tristan better. He always seemed like such a sweetheart.

[spanana]

51 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

I always thought that the show was ageist when it came to the female side.  I didn't think about injuries, etc.  It just seemed that they were fading out Karina, Kym, Anna, etc.  They only brought them in for difficult stars or if the star was a lot older.  Even somebody like David Ross could be Lindsay's dad.

I think the show always thought their male pros like Derek, Mark, Val, etc. had a big fan base.  That's why they usually got the better female stars.  Although, there was a time when Mark got stuck with the young or Christian ones.  Glad Alan had a shot at being a pro but they should start rotating the other young troupe members like Brandon.  Wonder what will happen with the kid season.  I imagine they will use kids to partner with kids.  But will there be a pro to help these kids?

I definitely think there is an ageist element since that is just society as a whole and particularly Hollywood--men get to age "gracefully" while the women have to be young and hot.  But in this case I think your latter point is a good part of it as well.  The show, at least in the second half of its history, has been predominantly focused on who they see as the huge ratings draws with lots of fans--which is Derek, the C bros and I'd add Mark to that as well.  That isn't to say that Mark hasn't gotten his share of duds and etc., but I feel like for the most part the show has been built around those four.  The ones that get the female fans in a frenzy.  Look at Val.  Until this season when is the last time he missed a finals (the answer is Tamar but that was only because she had to drop out).  I'm sure that alone validates TPTB's feelings about Val as a ratings draw that needs to be on the show and the center of attention at all times, even if the show has helped him plenty to get to the end at times (see Ginger).

IMO the only female pros that I feel like the show was ever truly invested in on the same level as some of the most popular men were Julianne and Cheryl, and to bring us back around to the ageist argument, the show got over Cheryl as soon as she started to age and new pros came around.  I think she will always have a spot as long as she wants one, but she's not going to get the hot young things or likely winners.  I think if Lindsay stays on the track she's on, she could get there maybe.  But there certainly is a discrepancy. 

[Annber03]

6 minutes ago, spanana said:

IMO the only female pros that I feel like the show was ever truly invested in on the same level as some of the most popular men were Julianne and Cheryl, and to bring us back around to the ageist argument, the show got over Cheryl as soon as she started to age and new pros came around.  I think she will always have a spot as long as she wants one, but she's not going to get the hot young things or likely winners.  

I remember when Cheryl was saddled with Tom DeLay. I felt so bad for her. She's had a few good partners over the years, but yeah, there were a few that just didn't really work, too.

14 minutes ago, sinkwriter said:

I wish they had utilized Tristan better. He always seemed like such a sweetheart.

I loved Tristan! I'd be so happy if the show brought him back. 

[crowceilidh]

I think Tristan will never come back.  He quit Strictly a couple of years ago(?) amidst a string of other pros quitting and basically said he doesn't really like what comes with dancing on TV.  I always had the impression that he felt similarly about the American show.  

[Toonces464]

2 hours ago, realdancemom said:

It just seemed that they were fading out Karina, Kym, Anna, etc. 

I think it was Karina's choice to leave. She's been working nonstop performing and judging all over the world.  I think she's miles above any of the current female pros. The only one that even comes close is Cheryl.

[realdancemom]

Just now, Toonces464 said:

I think it was Karina's choice to leave. She's been working nonstop performing and judging all over the world.  I think she's miles above any of the current female pros. The only one that even comes close is Cheryl.

I'm happy for Karina if that's the case.  I love watching her do Latin.

[spanana]

4 hours ago, Toonces464 said:

I think it was Karina's choice to leave. She's been working nonstop performing and judging all over the world.  I think she's miles above any of the current female pros. The only one that even comes close is Cheryl.

Whether or not Karina chose to leave, it remains that the female pros tend to be more expendable for TPTB.  Karina may have chosen to leave, but would she have chosen to leave if she was being given top tier partners season to season with an actual chance to show off her skills/get to the finals, the way some of the chosen male pros get?  I think the last partner Karina had that was in contention for anything was S17 with Corbin, so 8ish seasons ago?

[Toonces464]

1 hour ago, spanana said:

Whether or not Karina chose to leave, it remains that the female pros tend to be more expendable for TPTB.  Karina may have chosen to leave, but would she have chosen to leave if she was being given top tier partners season to season with an actual chance to show off her skills/get to the finals, the way some of the chosen male pros get?  I think the last partner Karina had that was in contention for anything was S17 with Corbin, so 8ish seasons ago?

She did get some real clunkers after that. I assumed the lack of recent contenders (or even halfway decent partners) along with the fact that Maks WILL NOT GO AWAY made her realize she doesn't need this crap anymore.

[mehtotheworld]

On 11/15/2017 at 3:25 PM, Toonces464 said:

"Sexual chemistry" is subjective. I thought Maks and Meryl had the sexual chemistry of a couple of toads because to me she looked like his teenage daughter. But Meryl had a lot of fans who were dying for her to hook up with someone and Maks is a master at playing a showmance so they were able to sell it, and then both kept playing it for publicity long after their season was over. So from that perspective I agree Lindsey and Mark were never going to be able to compete with that nonsense.

I think Meryl's fans from figure skating (of which I definitely count myself) were more bemused at the whole showmance thing. Skating fans are well versed in the whole showmance department, but never expected to see anything even remotely approaching that with Meryl. The expectation was that he would be awful to this wonderful, sensitive human being--her fans were more prepared to hunt Maks down than ship him with her! I saw more astonishment that Maks could bring that out of her than anything, when she was always known for being more technical and reserved, always with a stock answer in interviews, etc. It was definitely a different kind of chemistry than she had with Charlie! I still find M/C extremely compelling, but different. 

Maks may be the douchiest of all dbags, but I loved their dances. That's actually what brought me to watch this episode. Was surprised they didn't bring up the fact that Lindsey played live for their week 3 (?) foxtrot. 

[Bliss]

37 minutes ago, mehtotheworld said:

I think Meryl's fans from figure skating (of which I definitely count myself) were more bemused at the whole showmance thing. Skating fans are well versed in the whole showmance department, but never expected to see anything even remotely approaching that with Meryl. The expectation was that he would be awful to this wonderful, sensitive human being--her fans were more prepared to hunt Maks down than ship him with her! I saw more astonishment that Maks could bring that out of her than anything, when she was always known for being more technical and reserved, always with a stock answer in interviews, etc. It was definitely a different kind of chemistry than she had with Charlie! I still find M/C extremely compelling, but different. 

Maks may be the douchiest of all dbags, but I loved their dances. That's actually what brought me to watch this episode. Was surprised they didn't bring up the fact that Lindsey played live for their week 3 (?) foxtrot. 

Agree with your post, Mehtotheworld! I'm also a huge M/C fan and felt like I was doing a 180 degree turnabout watching her on DWTS as I only knew her from her skating interviews... saw a different side to her on DWTS, and wasn't surprised at her excellence. I also met her at a meet-and-greet at a Stars On Ice show and OMG, she is TINY!!!

... although I wasn't invested in the showmance with Maks so much, I found what they brought out in each other to be touching... there was a vulnerability to Maks in some of the packages (due to Meryl's acute awareness and her 'coaching' him) and I miss that part of him now.

Shortly after that season ended, I took the opportunity to go to Bloomington IL to see them live - it was the first ballroom dancing + ice dancing show (I think there's been more since) and was thrilled to see them do some of their dances live, plus see Meryl and Charlie skate... the best of the best! At one point, I was with some friends and we just happened to be in a place backstage where we weren't supposed to be ... unintentionally (basically, we were lost)... and who happened to appear but Meryl and Maks. He was very protective of her, extremely chivalrous, and it was the first time when I thought that perhaps their friendship was authentic - that it wasn't just a fake ploy for votes while they were competing on DWTS.

The following year, 2015, I saw them dance together in SWAY... excellent show... (Rumor Willis was part of that also), and eventually, a few months later, at another of their SWAY shows, Maks got down on his knee and proposed to Peta. Meanwhile, Charlie and Tanith married, and Meryl is dating her old skating beau... the son of her Russian coach... can't remember his name. That's all I know!

Also agree with you that they didn't highlight Lindsey's contribution to M&M's foxtrot. I'll always remember that dance (actually, I fondly remember all of their dances... one of my fave faves was their jive to Elvis's Hound Dog).

[Toonces464]

45 minutes ago, Bliss said:

although I wasn't invested in the showmance with Maks so much, I found what they brought out in each other to be touching... there was a vulnerability to Maks in some of the packages (due to Meryl's acute awareness and her 'coaching' him) and I miss that part of him now.

To me, their dances were another lousy acting job by Maks.....ones where those who didn't know him or were fans of Meryl that wanted to believe in the showmance ate it up hook, line and sinker while all I could do was laugh at the ridiculousness that Maks would ever be interested romantically in someone like Meryl.. And "Maks shows vulnerability with a partner" was already old news and something I'd seen more than once from him so I it wasn't anything new or different. Especially since the previous partners I'd seen it with were partners he actually invested and spent time with during and after their seasons for non-work reasons. 

But nothing...NOTHING...will ever beat the fake scripted tears backstage at the finale. I still can't believe there are people who thought that was real.

[mehtotheworld]

1 hour ago, Bliss said:

Shortly after that season ended, I took the opportunity to go to Bloomington IL to see them live - it was the first ballroom dancing + ice dancing show (I think there's been more since) and was thrilled to see them do some of their dances live, plus see Meryl and Charlie skate... the best of the best!

I was there too! I have to say, those Disson shows were usually pretty embarrassing, but the Ice Dancers really brought it. That was the only show I could watch without wanting to stab something. I loved how M/C looked so good after the work they put in on the dance floor. And Meryl/Maks did their "iconic" Argentine tango, right? What a fun show! Kind of sucks that one show couldn't continue.

17 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

To me, their dances were another lousy acting job by Maks.....ones where those who didn't know him or were fans of Meryl that wanted to believe in the showmance ate it up hook, line and sinker while all I could do was laugh at the ridiculousness that Maks would ever be interested romantically in someone like Meryl.. And "Maks shows vulnerability with a partner" was already old news and something I'd seen more than once from him so I it wasn't anything new or different. Especially since the previous partners I'd seen it with were partners he actually invested and spent time with during and after their seasons for non-work reasons. 

But nothing...NOTHING...will ever beat the fake scripted tears backstage at the finale. I still can't believe there are people who thought that was real.

Eh, it made for fun television. It seems like both extremes of loving Maks and hating Maks take it way too seriously. You'll find most Meryl (especially M/C) fans don't really consider Maks to be paramount in their minds when they think of her time on the show. Meryl really did shine  in that partnership, Maks helped facilitate, it was a nice TV partnership, and that's it. It's more of a hilarious subscript along the lines of "I loved this dance Meryl did, and hey, remember that business with Meryl and Maks? Also, Charlie really deserved to be in the finals, wtf" over "wow, they really did love each other, two ships passing in the night, I'm so sad they couldn't work it out, blah blah blah." 

Thinking it over, if Lindsey and Mark had done Meryl/Maks' foxtrot instead, they could have had Lindsey's violin playing to accompany them, which would have been a nice complement to Mark's song being used for their contemporary! I actually didn't mind Mark's song, btw. 

[Toonces464]

1 hour ago, mehtotheworld said:

Eh, it made for fun television. It seems like both extremes of loving Maks and hating Maks take it way too seriously. You'll find most Meryl (especially M/C) fans don't really consider Maks to be paramount in their minds when they think of her time on the show. Meryl really did shine  in that partnership, Maks helped facilitate, it was a nice TV partnership, and that's it. It's more of a hilarious subscript along the lines of "I loved this dance Meryl did, and hey, remember that business with Meryl and Maks? Also, Charlie really deserved to be in the finals, wtf" over "wow, they really did love each other, two ships passing in the night, I'm so sad they couldn't work it out, blah blah blah." 

It's refreshing to see a fan of Meryl's talk like this because boy, there were (and still are) a whole lot of crazy fans out there who were so wrapped up in the fantasy I think they seriously lost touch with reality!

But to bring this back to the topic at hand...I liked Mark and Lindsey's interpretation dance! I really have missed Mark and his creativity. Having him and Cheryl back just brings me back to the old days of the show before all the manipulations and how good it was and how enjoyable it was to watch that older set of pros dance.

[Kira53]

On 11/13/2017 at 11:56 PM, Andie1 said:

Just wanted add on play back, that Jive in addition to keeping the timing,  and doing the cartwheel ending better,  they did a couple of little things that was a nod to the choreography.  Mark had Paige do a little jump rope turn, and Jordan and Lindsay did the same turn, only they both did it at the same time.  And the slower parts, Lindsay threw in a little chicken walk, and then they took the fast sections further with precision spins both counter clockwise and clockwise right back into a pirouette to a dead stop.  Paige was a little wobbly on the turns.  Then they just keep going doing an assisted aerial and a pirouette to a barrel turn, first Jordan and then Lindsay. I mean this was jam packed and so freakin' entertaining.  We really got a treat on that Jive tonight.  I loved how it made homage to the original without re-doing it.

In addition, Jordan had to do a jive being compared to the original PRO not another contestant. Everyone else was being compared to other contestants.  The jive is really difficult for contestants, like a real samba needs a lot of skill. The reason to vote is to get him to win.  The property brothers have 4 shows and Drew has lots of fan from years of watching.  Jordan had little to no recognition before the show.  I certainly never had heard of him.  Jordan has acting and dancing talent, he is  hardworking has great chemistry with Lindsay and she is creating great choreography and I don’t care who is helping her.  I’m voting for the best because Drew could win with his fan base.  I want Jordan to have a chance to develop his career with a win.  Drew and Frankie will be fine but I don’t think Drew has a lot of acting in his future, with the exception of acting as himself in his shows.  

[Kira53]

 I have watched from the very first episode the first season so I am getting a little weary, a lot weary of the producers manipulation and stories. So I just fast forward through them and fast-forward through a lot of judges bull...... I have less time anyway and I get to see some great dancing at times. Don’t like Max but Max with the ice dancer whose name I’m blocking on at the moment was so great. Merrill I liked her a lot as an ice dancer with Charlie but all of her acting skills and her understanding of her body and space was great with Max. So yes, another ringer gave me great pleasure with great dancer and I’m sure they were quite a few more. But I don’t always cheer for the ringer; sometimes it was for someone like Amber who was challenged by her weight.  Derrick’s clever choreography always helped his partner.

Edited November 19, 2017 by Kira53

[Kira53]

On 11/14/2017 at 0:37 PM, Runningwild said:

I haven’t read all the comments yet but I am hoping someone can help me figure out why I don’t care for Jordan. I am apparently one of the few who loved Alfonso and wanted him to win so it’s not necessarily that he’s a ringer. Although Alfonso is quite a bit older and it had been some time since he had danced professionally. I assume there is dancing in Hamilton? Never cared for Corbin either.  Maybe it’s Jordan’s personality. He seems like a nice enough kid, but there is something about him that makes him seem smug and cocky. Not overtly, but it’s there. 

 

Rooting for Frankie or Lindsay. I like Drew, but he’s not that good. And I am surprised to find myself liking Mark this year. 

 

ETA- Also, I don’t consider those “iconic” dances to be iconic. I think the only one I remembered was the one with the cartwheels. 

Maybe you liked Alfonso because you were familiar with him for many years on the Freash Prince.  Did you know anything about Jordan before seeing him dance? Jordan’s role in Hamilton in the first act had very little dancing. He played a different part in act two and there was no dancing for that part at all. The great dancing was the dancing troupe.

 I did not see Jordan in Hamilton.  I saw it a year ago and the person who played his parts is going to be in Spike Lee’s TV adapation of “She’s Got To Have It”. It’s going to be interesting. Anthony Ramos was outstanding in Hamilton but this new role seems to be a reach.

[Andiethewestie]

14 hours ago, Kira53 said:

 I want Jordan to have a chance to develop his career with a win.  

This is a great point.  Not only from a skill level is Jordan the best of the contestants,  it would be great to see a career boost from a win, sure getting names back in the news after successful careers in the past is one thing, it would be quite another to vote an up and comer to a win who didn't have a famous parent to usher in that win.  

Edited November 19, 2017 by Andiethewestie

[realdancemom]

On 11/19/2017 at 8:59 AM, Andiethewestie said:

This is a great point.  Not only from a skill level is Jordan the best of the contestants,  it would be great to see a career boost from a win, sure getting names back in the news after successful careers in the past is one thing, it would be quite another to vote an up and comer to a win who didn't have a famous parent to usher in that win.  

I just want Jordan to be one of the final three.  That way, I get to see all his dances.  I'm hoping that Drew ends up being fourth since I would rather see the other three dance on Tuesday.  At this point, I think all four stars will get the publicity that they were seeking when they signed up for this show. 

As for Meryl and Maks, I don't care about all the showmance stuff.  I just care what it produces on the dance floor.  That tango and some of their other dances were great and a lot of that was because Meryl was a great performer and had good technique.  She could keep up with Maks.  They did have sexual chemistry on the dance floor.  It could have been mentioned that Lindsey played for them in the foxtrot.  I'm just glad that's not the dance that they had to repeat.  I know some people took the showmance seriously.  I just thought the segment with Maks and what they were going to call their kids was funny.  I thought it was obvious that he was just joking around.

The only showmance stuff that i thought was icky was Val and Kelly.  They were getting too touchy feely on TV.  I think they were licking each other or doing some other stuff like that.  Janel and Val also had awkward chemistry because of what was happening behind the scenes.  So I think it affected their dances negatively.

[SnarkyTart]

37 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

As for Meryl and Maks, I don't care about all the showmance stuff.  I just care what it produces on the dance floor.  That tango and some of their other dances were great and a lot of that was because Meryl was a great performer and had good technique.

This. It was one of my favorite partnerships ever on the show.  I'm not a skating fan, and didn't know much about Meryl going into the show. Meryl could dance her face off and performed like an Oscar-worthy star.   

[Dobian]

Just caught up today.  Sorry but that was a joke.  Victoria is a clearly superior dancer to Drew.  He's just "okay" and has lasted this long because of looks and personality.  Just goes to show that a big chunk of the fans who vote every week are looking at who is cute more than who is the better dancer.

[MsJamieDornan]

6 hours ago, Dobian said:

Just goes to show that a big chunk of the fans who vote every week are looking at who is cute more than who is the better dancer.

We all know this has never been just a dance contest.

[realdancemom]

Deleted.  Accidentally posted on the wrong thread.

Edited November 21, 2017 by realdancemom