S26.E01: All-Athletes Edition Premiere

[bealled]

I think Adam is most likely to win, but Josh potentially could too. I think those are the frontrunners. I know Mirai is well known too, but I don't think her personality will connect as much as Adam. She has a bit of a valley girl/ditsy personality that may grate on viewers. I still think all 3 will make the finals though.

I hate this shortened format. I think it should have been 6 weeks if it was going to be condensed. 4 weeks seems so short. There won't be as much of a connection to the contestants with only 4 weeks.

I actually really like the pairing of Adam and Jenna. I thought they had the best chemistry, and worked off each other very well. I think Adam is very funny. The only awkward joke was at the end with Mirai, but I thought he was poking fun at what Mirai was saying because she isn't the most cohesive speaker.

Mirai's dance was great, but I think her personality may not connect as well. I think like with Meryl/Charlie, people will connect to one or the other, and this time it will be Adam. With such a condensed show I think she will still be in the finals though.

I was really surprised by Josh. If he continues to do well he may have a shot to win. He is a footballer so he has that fanbase as well. Hopefully they don't play up a showmance angle though. I like Sharna but that seriously annoyed me. I think some of the producers have just put her into this role and want to keep her there because she's the only "single" female (I question if she is always even single). She is gorgeous so I can understand why her partners would comment on her looks, but the show doesn't need to toss into all their packages. I think Sharna is a bit unlucky at times. She gets some good contestants but always seems to get them when someone else is heavily favored (this season it's Adam).

Tonya Harding was a bit annoying and whiny. I understand she feels misunderstood about the Nancy Kerrigan incident, but whining won't make anyone sympathetic.

I hope Keo makes it past next week. I just want to see him doing decent for once, although this season is so short it doesn't really matter.

Kareem was not very good, but it was expected. I enjoyed the basketball player with Gleb. She has a nice personality and I liked her story. I didn't pay that much attention to Johnny and Emma so barely remember what they did. The first guy with Witney was good. I can't remember much about Artem and his partner so I guess I don't mind that they left.

Overall I'm not a fan of the 4 week format. I also think some of the contestants would have been fun to watch on the full season.

Edited May 1, 2018 by bealled

[bealled]

So will the winner count as an official winner? I feel like with this season being so short it could really throw off who wins. I think Adam is most likely to win, but someone else could. However with only 4 weeks to learn about the contestants, someone who came in with the most popularity has a huge advantage in the condensed season. For instance, would Rashad have won in a 4 week format? It also looks like we will have a new pro winner this season. Does it count as an official pro's win? I've watched Sharna for so long it'd be nice to see her win, but not nearly as rewarding as winning a full season. If Jenna or Alan won I could see people discrediting the win (at least for Jenna since she's not as popular).

[Emily-D]

I can understand fans of Sharna being upset that her first win will be a hollow one with it being a 4 week mini season, but considering how long it’s taken her, I’d take whatever I can get at this point if I were her.

[TeeMo]

I spent most of the night annoyed that I would only get to see most of these people dance three more times. How can anyone really make a case to be the winner with so few dances?

Also someone should have told the judges that their usual critiques about the journey and how someone will eventually get there just don’t apply in a season that lasts five minutes. There is no time for the not great out of the gate dancers to make an impact. The whole short format idea is terrible.

[alexa]

I just hope Mirai doesn't win.  I used to like the girl, but not after the end of the Olympics.  I just thinking winning would go to her little head.  As stated above, the figure skaters should cancel each other out so someone else will probably win.

[Linderhill]

I'm not a fan of this abbreviated season. Four weeks isn't enough time to connect with these contestants.

[bealled]

Do we think someone will get a perfect score this season? I guess by week 3 or 4 someone could. They may save them for the finale. This season honestly feels ridiculous.

[Good Queen Jane]

Let me see if I understand how the voting works. For the first elimination, it was only online voting by the East and Central time zone voters. But for next week's elimination, it will be based on phone votes from this week (plus judges scores). Of course, they flashed up the numbers at the end and not during the live performance,, so it might be hard for the East/Central voters to catch the numbers. Those of you who watched on the West Coast, did they show phone numbers like they usually do during the show? If they did, I guess that gives the West Coast an advantage for next week's elimination. Or do I just not understand how the voting works this season?

[Toonces464]

4 hours ago, Emily-D said:

Having caught the dances online, if Sharna can’t pull out a win this season then she might as well give up. She’s got the charming likeable non ringer with the stand out opening dance. Basically Rashad 2.0. Thought the right two went home, Arike’s score just gave her the edge over Jamie but I suggest that she’s toast next week. The second one is tougher to call, I think Kareem could knock someone better out, maybe Jennie? Final two will be Josh and Adam.

That may be beyond Sharna's control since it seems Adam and Jenna have already been scripted this win.

[KLovestoShop]

Can't stand Mirai.  I found her attitude during her Olympic performances to be embarrassing to the US team.  She'd skate off the ice after a bad performance, shrug her shoulders, and appeared to say "I don't give a rat's ass that I sucked". She typifies the attributes  I can't stand in so many of her generation.  

I'm all in for Josh. 

[Wings]

9 hours ago, Poohbear617 said:

I love kareem but they need a better tailored suit on him.  It made him look like SLENDER MAN.

Ha ha ha ha ha!  

[spanana]

8 hours ago, displayname said:

Jenna is far too good for her partners. She should either tone it down a little, or become a judge. :P

If you're a pro, unless you have an extreme ringer, you should be too good for your partner in a sense.  Meaning you should be able to wipe the floor with them on the dance floor.  However good pros know how to dance down to their celebs without looking like they are dancing down.  Obviously most pros aren't dancing full out when paired with celebs. 

[LadyMustang65]

I was pleasantly surprised to see that no one really sucked.  Usually in every group there's one who's just so bad or awkward that you know they're toast.  But even the least of the dancers still managed to entertain.  No one made us cringe. 

That said, Kareem is clearly at a disadvantage due not only to his age but to his height as well.  Honestly, if you watched Kareem, the girls just disappeared; they're all so tiny.  And as someone mentioned, that suit made him look very slender.  My husband actually commented that if he waved his hands in the air, you could put him out in front of a car dealership!  < lol > He didn't have a lot to do, but when he did "get down," it was fun to watch.  Just given how much we adore and admire him from his career, we were happy that he wasn't one of the first eliminated.  

I was kind of surprised that Artem and his partner were among the first.  We thought their Viennese Waltz was very nicely done.  Based on dancing, I would have preferred to see Arike leave, although she seems really sweet.  But she seemed awkward on the dance floor to us.  

If I had to judge just based on dance ability, Tonya Harding did quite well, although I would not have put her quite that high.  All 7s maybe.  I will say that I liked her as a skater purely for her jumping ability.  But she had the same issue that Surya Bonaly did - both were amazing at the jumps but either just refused or were completely unable to work on the artistic aspect of skating, and both expected that they should win solely based on their jumping ability.  So Tonya was far more graceful than I expected her to be.  But I just hate her attitude.  No, you didn't have it taken away from you.  You made a choice not to disclose what you knew and were rightfully punished for it.  Make better choices and get a better outcome.  I can't feel sorry for her.  It has never been conclusively proven that she knew about the attack beforehand or that she ordered it, but she has admitted that she knew who did it and didn't tell investigators what she knew.  That's obstruction of justice, and there are consequences.  I know she had a hard life, and I can admire that she managed to get as far as she did in skating.  But she was notorious for having a poor work ethic and making poor decisions, so you don't get to blame others for that.  So despite the fact that she had one of the better dances of the night, I want her gone asap.  And I'm pretty sure she has the judges to thank for the fact that she wasn't in the first group eliminated.

I like the luge guy - Chris.  He wasn't the best of the night, but he seems like a nice guy, and we thought he acquitted himself very nicely with his dance.  Mirai had one of the best dances of the night, but whoever above mentioned "valley girl" in connection to her was spot on.  But she seems harmless enough.  

Adam Rippon was amazing!!  I just adore this guy.  I'd love to see him win.  I was initially bummed that he was paired with Jenna, but they seem to have great chemistry, so hopefully the general dislike for Jenna won't hurt his chances.  I personally don't have a problem with Jenna.  I thought she was great on SYTYCD, and I think she's a fantastic dancer.  So far I've not thought she was that great a teacher or choreographer, but this first dance this season was great, so maybe she's turned a corner there.  I hope so.

Our other favorite is Josh.  I don't know him from football, so no preconceived notions.  Could have done without the seemingly obligatory comments about Sharna, but otherwise he seemed like a nice guy, and he was working hard.  And that dance really was good.  

Count me in on hating this abbreviated season.  I guess it's better than nothing?  But it really does seem very unfair to the contestants, as those with a steeper learning curve simply don't have the time to get better.  We went from 10 couples to 8 couples the first night.  Next week is technically the quarter finals, and we'll be down to 6 couples after that.  Third week is the semi-finals, and we'll pair down to either 4 or 3 couples for the finale on the 4th week.  The entire season will be over before we're even at the halfway point of a regular season.  No time to get to know people.  No time for contestants to learn and grow.  But still, I'm watching and will be watching every week.  It'll be interesting to see if they bother with any theme weeks, etc.  Next week would normally be the "best year" week, but no mention of that.  Which is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned anyway.  :)  But some of the theme nights are fun, and I'm guessing they won't bother.  Probably no team dances either.  Or any dance-offs.  Or any trios.  Or a partner switch week.  

I want to say that one thing I really love about DWTS is that, no matter what the general public thinks about a particular contestant, every contestant on the show is treated with love, respect, support and kindness from the other contestants, the pros, the judges, and Tom and Erin.  If they're faking it, they're really good actors.  All of them.  I loved how they all stood up for Ryan Lochte when he was booed and when that guy ran out onto the floor.   And as much as I hated Tonya's 'poor pitiful me' whining, she seemed really fragile, and everyone was nice to her and seemed to make her feel like she was welcome and a part of the 'family.'  Despite the fact that I personally want to see her gone, I would hate to see her shunned or made to feel unwelcome.  I may not be ready to 'forgive and forget,' but I'm not a heartless bitch either.    Anyway, I don't know what they're putting in the water over at the studio, but I wish we could bottle it and distribute it around the country.  We could use a lot of that spirit in the world today.  

[displayname]

3 minutes ago, spanana said:

  However good pros know how to dance down to their celebs without looking like they are dancing down.

No, this is what I meant. She was making the disparity far too obvious.

 

But it's OK, because I love her dancing.

[ChrisMcGraan]

Do we know if they'll start doing two dances a night in say week 3 and 4? I'm just hoping there is some way we see more dances from the celebs. Now that I've seen the celebs dance, I think the all athlete idea is really great and I'm surprised they haven't thought of it sooner, but it just bums me out we only have these celebs for four weeks. Imagine the journey of someone like Chris who has no rhythmic background at all or Jennie who seems very invested and stepping out of her comfort zone? These celebs understand body movement if nothing else and I just think it would be great to see a full season with them. 

I actually really hope someone other than Mirai and Adam win if I'm being honest...

[MooCat Pretzel]

I like to think that Johnny and Emma were eliminated first because they incorporated a whistle into their routine.  I used to be around baseball teams a lot as an athletic trainer and then as a statistician.  I never saw a coach use a whistle.  I associate whistles with sports like football and basketball, so I was taken right out of the routine from the start.  So weird and so random--you never know what sticks with you or turns you with these dance numbers!  Seriously though, I think the right two couples went home.  Kareem is not going to leave early even though he probably should.  He is getting "legend votes", so he might even stick around until week 3 with the college basketball player and maybe Jennie or Tonya going before him.

Make room for me on the "I hate the 4-week show" train.  I think I would have been okay with 6 weeks, but four is just plain weird and useless.

[Toonces464]

19 minutes ago, ChrisMcGraan said:

Do we know if they'll start doing two dances a night in say week 3 and 4? I'm just hoping there is some way we see more dances from the celebs. Now that I've seen the celebs dance, I think the all athlete idea is really great and I'm surprised they haven't thought of it sooner, but it just bums me out we only have these celebs for four weeks. Imagine the journey of someone like Chris who has no rhythmic background at all or Jennie who seems very invested and stepping out of her comfort zone? These celebs understand body movement if nothing else and I just think it would be great to see a full season with them. 

I actually really hope someone other than Mirai and Adam win if I'm being honest...

I thought Erin said at the end of the show that in addition to their individual dance they would have team dances next week?

[LadyMustang65]

11 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

I thought Erin said at the end of the show that in addition to their individual dance they would have team dances next week?

I didn't hear that, and I admit to being of two minds on that.  I generally enjoy the team dances, and I honestly didn't think we'd see them this year.  But on the other hand, those come much later in the show, after the celebs have had several weeks of learning new dances to actually get used to and figure out how to learn new dances.  It seems almost cruel to expect them to learn two dances in one week this early on in the proceedings.

[Kira53]

11 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I don't understand how the voting works this season. Isn't the person who goes last completely disadvantaged because there's only a two-minute window to vote for them? Are viewers supposed to pre-vote for their favorite before seeing them dance? And the viewers who don't watch live in the Eastern time zone don't get to vote at all? It would have made more sense to do the elimination the following week so that each athlete would have been able to do one Latin and one Ballroom dance, especially with two being cut every week.

 

I think you understand the voting system used last night pretty well.  I hate it.  If you don't have a big fan base, dancing last would be the kiss of death.  Even if Josh wasn't good he would have been safe cause there was no time to vote for him.  So fake when the next day they discuss the dancing as if that counted.  If dancing counted "moving well for 72 years" could not have moved on.  Not sure what they are doing next week since they didn't announce whether the judges' vote will count.  

Did the judges vote count last night?  Oh, the shenanigans!  They would have used the judges' votes if they needed to save someone from a surprise boot.

[truthaboutluv]

Watching this premiere only annoyed me even more about this completely and utterly stupid decision to gut DWTS' season in favor of Idol's reboot, that far as I can tell, most people still didn't care about. I saw so much potential last night in many of the couples and I hate that many of these people won't get the benefit of a full season and a chance to showcase many styles and the whole journey of the show. People like Adam and Josh deserved an entire season, dammit. I really think the least they could have done was reduce the season to 6 weeks. I think those two more weeks would have made a world of difference. I mean how do you take a show that is typically 10 weeks and reduce it to four weeks? Like are you kidding me? Whatever... 

No clue who'll win and not sure it even matters to be honest, but I really enjoyed Adam and Josh. I think Adam was technically better than Josh, probably largely due to the fact that Adam has a gorgeous dancer's body frame. It's clear a lot of his skating routines are high on artistry. Josh was fun and brought the typical football player swag. Will be interesting to see how they both do next week if they get a more traditional ballroom style like VW, Foxtrot, etc. Mirai was overrated in my opinion and I'm not surprised. I think there were some unrealistic expectations on Mirai because she's an ice skater and maybe people were remembering how good someone like Meryl was. However, that was always the key distinction many kept forgetting or ignoring with Meryl and Charlie - they were ice dancers. Mirai is an ice skater. The difference is important. 

That said, Tonya was really good but the reality is Tonya is way too divisive to stick around in this competition. In a regular season, she'd probably make it mid-season before being booted but with this season on crack, I predict she's gone by next week. Nice to see Alison Janney in the audience supporting her. 

[Lovecat]

Any other skating nerds notice that when they were talking in Mirai's package about her landing the 3A at the Olympics, they morphed from footage of the takeoff on practice ice to the landing on Olympic ice...but the takeoff was clearly a toe jump, not the forward edge takeoff of the axel?  Just me, then?  OK.  ::slinks away::

[saber5055]

51 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

I thought Erin said at the end of the show that in addition to their individual dance they would have team dances next week?

Phone lines were open last night and until 5 a.m. this morning to vote for NEXT WEEK'S WINNERS! So I voted my 10 votes, and the recorded message said next week would be team dances.

I know ... yikes! Plus with voting a week before anyone even dances tells me this is a popularity contest so dancers less known are in jeopardy IMO, regardless of how well he/she performs.

I had my computer window open for voting during the show. After Josh's dance, there was very little time to change votes or to vote for him, and if your connection was slow (as mine was) it was difficult to vote for Josh and click through to get your votes sent in. Still, going last did not hurt him. I was glad going first didn't hurt Chris either.

Edited May 1, 2018 by saber5055

[penbrat]

They are trying to cram way too much in to a 4 week show.   It would have been better, IMO, if they had done 6 weeks with returning favorites, a mini All Stars if you will, with more than just athletes.   I thought both young ice skaters (sorry, I known none of these people - not a sports person) were really good.   I did not watch Tonya Harding as I do not care.   Oh, and Bruno, coming out in his short shorts or booty shorts or hot pants or whatever those were in the opening number were not attractive.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Any other skating nerds notice that when they were talking in Mirai's package about her landing the 3A at the Olympics, they morphed from footage of the takeoff on practice ice to the landing on Olympic ice...but the takeoff was clearly a toe jump, not the forward edge takeoff of the axel?  Just me, then?  OK.  ::slinks away::

Yeah, I caught that too. Looked like she was going into a Lutz. {/skating nerd}

This whole season is pretty much a wash for me. I'm almost never interested in the athletes. Doing a season of just athletes makes it eminently skippable for me. But since it's only 4 weeks I'm just curious enough to see what the three skaters do, since they are literally the only three contestants I have ever heard of before in my life. And I fast-forwarded through this 2 hour spectacle and pretty much only watched them, so I should be able to get through this whole season in a little under 2 hours.

I wasn't surprised how well Mirai and Adam did, but I was surprised at how well Tonya did. She doesn't look like she's in great shape, frankly, although I have seen her skating recently so there's more muscle mass on her than maybe you'd expect. That move where Sasha spun her around on the floor was astounding. I'll be curious to see if she gets votes considering how controversial she is, and likely will always be. 

Edited May 1, 2018 by iMonrey

[enthus-pro]

Thoughts on contestants for week 1 (in alphabetical order):

 

Adam & Jenna - thought the couple was locked into the music and that they held one's attention towards the very end. Clean opening outs, well-placed free arm, smooth ronde action; looked sharp, crisp and thought Adam was in control of the dance. Nice to see he has the personality of a performer, extroverted and demanding of attention (not a vain desire for attention, but a genuine need in his life to be happy). Good to see how he kept his enthusiasm contained during the dance; a bit gangly/posey (Len), and maybe rushed the side-by-side section towards the end (just a tiny hair), but thought the unique ending was suitable nonetheless. As they progress, hope he can continue to tell a story through his dances (and to not let his movement turn a bit clinical), to continue to listen to his partner (not to be highly independent), and to be mindful of any frustrations/anger that may arise during intense moments/training. But a nice debut and looking forward to his upcoming dances.

 

Mirai & Alan - nice to see her expressive arms from beginning to end (think it will serve her well moving forward), and thought she looked comfortable in all the lifts (without showing any signs of tension or hesitation). Though she did a nice job circling around on the first platform, thought she started to hit her stride once she skipped towards the second platform (but not before giving the camera a nice tease). Maybe her core was a bit wobbly (feel it should strengthen with time), how she could dig into the floor a bit during the basic side-by-side steps, and how her admirable, well-intentioned head bobbing (Carrie Ann) distracted a bit from the routine. Still think she can project, emote a bit more as she's almost reaching halfway from the screen as well. Though it seems she may have had a strict upbringing/chaotic adolescence growing up (and whose exchange can be very precise if deeply offended), think she can use those challenges as she progresses in the competition. Nonetheless, given Mirai's technical skating background, thought it was nice to see her come out, let loose, have a nice time and to enjoy the moment.

 

Watchlist:

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Best of luck to all the celebs and looking forward to their dances.

[ChicksDigScars]

I Tweeted at @ABCDancing to FIGHT for their show the next time the network wants to sacrifice them for an unnecessary American Idol reboot, and that cramming this into 4 weeks is rushed and will not let us see any kind of improvement or progression for an athlete such as Arike, an athletic tomboy who has never worn heels. I'd like to see how someone like that IMPROVES.  She's never going to beat the figure skaters, but this is part of the show. How the fuck is that going to happen in this format. I basically told them that they're shafting this group of athletes. All in the name of bringing back Teenager Idol. Fuck that. 

[saber5055]

2 hours ago, penbrat said:

Oh, and Bruno, coming out in his short shorts or booty shorts or hot pants or whatever those were in the opening number were not attractive.

I was surprised he did not keep them on during the rest of the show. Surprised and VERY grateful. Bruno (and CAI) are high on my list of Most UNfavorite People Ever.

[rollacoaster]

16 hours ago, crowceilidh said:

The dress was very nice from many angles and kinda like a big bag at other angles, but it would have been totally cool with high heels in a way that wasn't possible with running shoes.

That dress...............At least it was bedazzled, and I gotta give her points for not letting them force her to be overly sexy. Those long shorts underneath bugged the hell out of me! If they were gonna go with sneakers, I wished they had bedazzled them. Bedazzled them, and gone with a high-heeled wedged sneaker. That would add height, elongate the leg and be pretty comfortable to move in. I have some Skechers plus 3 that I love and that don't impair me at all. 

[Toonces464]

55 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

I Tweeted at @ABCDancing to FIGHT for their show the next time the network wants to sacrifice them for an unnecessary American Idol reboot, and that cramming this into 4 weeks is rushed and will not let us see any kind of improvement or progression for an athlete such as Arike, an athletic tomboy who has never worn heels. I'd like to see how someone like that IMPROVES.  She's never going to beat the figure skaters, but this is part of the show. How the fuck is that going to happen in this format. I basically told them that they're shafting this group of athletes. All in the name of bringing back Teenager Idol. Fuck that. 

I've been reading some blogs and message boards, and the comments on articles today, and I have yet to see anyone say they think the short season is a good idea. In fact I see so many people saying they're not even bothering to watch.

The top three complaints I've been seeing are no interest in all athletes, Tonya Harding and the lack of any known pros.

I have never been a fan of All Stars (I hated S15 almost as much as S18) but someone suggested that this would've been a good season for that since the celebs and their relationships with their pros are already known and I have to agree. This would've been the right season to bring back 10 champions or 10 second/third place finishers and have them compete against each other with their original pros. That could've been pulled off in four weeks. What they're doing now cannot. And the irony of it is that for the most part they got a pretty decent cast this season, most of whom would've been great choices for a full season. It's a shame they won't get to experience the whole DWTS process.

[sinycalone]

Somewhere I read that the shortened season was devised to accommodate The Bachelorette -- and AI was shortened for the same reason.  Have to go back and find the article.

I think athletes like Jennie and Chris, who showed real potential, are the ones most effected by the brief season.  No time for them to devleop those skills.

[Emily-D]

The shortened format of the show is a killer for the likes of Arike and Jennie. Jennie especially looked like someone that in a few weeks time could have built herself up to be a genuine contender. But due to the season format she just won’t have the time to do that. Arike is a similar story. Even Jamie may have faired better in a normal season, I’d have been interested to see her in a week 2 with a week’s solid rehearsal time behind her. It’s the females that will always suffer the most in a season like this as it’s so much harder for them to earn their votes unless they have a big fanbase off the bat. The men can immediately woo the average DWTS voter with their physique, the women cannot do the same.

Edited May 1, 2018 by Emily-D

[Sd601]

I think the pro’s choreography will make a big difference each week, moreso than usual. Remember last year when Frankie and the awful trolls dance, after a stellar week before? With only 4 weeks, contestants can’t afford a “dud” dance one week. I enjoyed chris, mirai, adam, tonya, and Josh. I think the more experienced pros will have better choreography, so I hope Chris (who was adorably charming) will stand out more. I bet Jenna will get help from Val...so that may help? Adam was great. Alan and Jenna have trouble making their partners the star, which Witney, Lindsay, and Sharna excel at. Give it up to jenna, though—I rewatched just now and pretty much only watched Adam. 

[MissT]

13 minutes ago, XrystalPond said:

I truly hate watching Tonya and this rebranding they are trying to do. Tonya has the notoriety to carry it off, but the excuses will fly about her failures soon enough. I assume next week she will have a faster dance. Will it be the shoes? the music? the partner? the lights? What will make her mess up? It won't be her fault. 

It will be her broken (skate) shoelaces - lol.    I totally agree with your statement.  I think it's disgusting they are trying to rebrand her.

 

 

Edited May 1, 2018 by MissT

[Mu Shu]

I like Mirai.  She’s irreverent, and sometimes says things off the top of her head.  I don’t think she’s an asshole, though. 

The idea that galumpy Tonya who was led around fairly slowly was even close to her or Adam is laughable.  

Poor Kareem.  He looked like a really tall Nosferatu, or the guys from the “hush” episode of Buffy. 

I actually only tuned in for Tonya, but she’s still pulling the victim card so I lost interest. I may watch for Mirai and Adam.  He can be annoying, but that gorgeous posture.  He’s really a beautiful performer.  I wish he still had his blonde curls.

[boyznkatz]

Adam and Mirai were really good. I guess I'm in the minority here who actually likes Jenna. I would rather see her stick around than Emma or Sharna or Whitney. I do like Sharna's partner, though. He was pretty good and might win it all.

Maybe I would have some sympathy for Tonya Harding if she actually admitted she was wrong and apologized, but the more she keeps lying the more I dislike her. Unlike all the other "redemption" angles they've tried for, she is by far the worst. I hope she goes next week, and I don't care if other people are worse than her at dancing. By the way, in whose universe is Tonya as good as Mirai? What BS!

Edited May 1, 2018 by boyznkatz

[jackjill89]

Tonya and her "it was taken away from me" line -- girlfriend needs to just say "I blew it" and stop he charade. Yes, she's had a rough life, but you know what, it's time to accept responsibility for your part in the demise of your career. She was not an innocent bystander. 

They propped her beyond belief. She wasn't very good. I didn't think she would be -- she was never known as graceful. 

I think Jenna has lost a lot of weight and that's what makes her face look very different. She's got a lollipop shape now -- giant head on a tiny body. I don't remember her looking like that during her SYTYCD days. 

I think Adam is a hoot, but somehow the same 'tude doesn't work on Mirai. She comes off very bratty and entitled. 

I don't love that this is only 4 weeks long. It won't bode well for the ones who are on the slow simmer and could take off. I think the luge guy would benefit from a longer season. 

[anonymiss]

23 hours ago, Uke said:

Mirai:  Wow! That was great! (Witney, take note, that's how those lifts are supposed look).  I think she may have to watch her mouth with her comments and asides.  She comes off a little snide.  (I didn't see much of the winter olympics and virtually no media)  7? The 8s were good.

Mirai speaks like her bestie Adam. That's who she seems to be imitating in her voice and attitude, and it can come off fun and sassy on him but snide on a woman. Not to me, though, I adore her and hope she wins but will probably lose to Adam.

[kazza]

4 hours ago, XrystalPond said:

I have supported Mirai through her rollercoaster career. That girl has been on the top, the bottom, in the middle, etc. She has been infantized by her coaches and handlers, as she was a little sprite of thing who won championships. She began to grow up and there were questions of her work ethic and dedication (one well-known coach dropped her because of it). Still, she stuck with it. She even stuck with it when the USFSA sent the fourth-place finisher in 2014 to the Olympics instead of her. Many assumed she would quit. She came back with better jumps and better skills overall. Yes, I wish she would think before she speaks. But I still give her credit. 

I'm with you. She's had issues in the past with being too in her head, so I wonder if some of her brashness is perhaps overcompensation. I didn't find her terribly annoying, just perhaps immature. 

Adam just makes me smile. 

I admit it. I was watching for Tonya. Not because I was a fan but there was always something about her skating that was hard to turn away from when watching, where you weren't sure if you were about to see something brilliant or a complete train wreck. She still had it. 

[Morrigan]

1 hour ago, anonymiss said:

Mirai speaks like her bestie Adam. That's who she seems to be imitating in her voice and attitude, and it can come off fun and sassy on him but snide on a woman. Not to me, though, I adore her and hope she wins but will probably lose to Adam.

That's interesting - I'm gonna watch for that as I might be subconsciously blaming her for what I'm fine with with him. But I 'think' she's less careful in what she says - like I think I remember her saying that the US was about to lose to Italy but then SHE came along and saved the day.  I can't imagine Adam being so childishly braggardly. And her excuses after bombing in the individual event at the Olympics - I don't remember the specifics, but a lot of just plain out stupid comments, that an arrogant 6th grader might pop up with to cover for striking out and losing the baseball game for his team.

Adam's more sophisticated - he doesn't brag like an annoying child. At least I don't remember it. You may be right about tone or intonation, but that doesn't matter if WHAT you're saying isn't as obnoxious. He's playful, may tease people - like his response to "Andy" - but he's not doing any Trumpian braggadoccio, and she is, among other dopey earnest crap. She's just not very smart - and he is. Women can be smart and funny (and even tease other people and get away with it.) But Mirai just comes off like a bratty self-centered self-righteous teenager - Adam doesn't. He's intentionally coy and smarter than she is, with his comments, though his jokes don't always work but you know they're jokes. She's SERIOUS when she says she saved the day for the USA. Blech.

Edited May 2, 2018 by Morrigan

[Zanzibar]

9 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Yeah, I caught that too. Looked like she was going into a Lutz. {/skating nerd}

She was going into a toe loop, as she reached back and used her left foot to vault into the jump. 

I just can't with Tonya.

Something about the way Adam moves while dancing reminds me a bit of Evan Lysacek.

[bourbon]

Quote

"I was the best figure skater in the world and I had it taken away from me."

GIIIIIIIIIRL, NO! But hey, it got Alison Janney out to the ballroom.  

I had turn the channel during most of her segment. 

I really hate how Alison Janney was driving the Tonya Rehabilitation Train. During her Oscar speech, she was suggesting Tonya lost her career because she was a thick, trailer park girl in a sport of waifish princesses. Uh, no. That might have been the reason Tonya wasn't as beloved as the elegant Nancy Kerrigan or Kristi Yamaguchi while she was competing, but she lost her career because of the role she played in the vicious assault of another human being. It's shameful that she seems to have greater self-awareness than she did two decades ago. 

[marykat71702]

First, a couple of things about Alan.  During the opening, when they were showing everyone, I wished he would move his hand a little lower on Mirai's waist. Second, has he had throat/neck surgery? When he was talking to Erin at the end it looked like there was a scar on his neck.

On to the dances...

Chris-Pleasantly surprised, I don't know anything about him, but found myself pulling for him.

Kareem-Reminds me of Billy Dee Williams when he was on, mostly just stand there and let people dance around you. He should have been eliminated.

Jennie-Finally Keo gets a non-crazy person (other than Jodie). That being said, I still feel he makes it more about his dance skills rather than what he can do to help his partner. She wasn't horrible, but she wasn't memorable, either.

Jamie-I feel bad for Artem, but her dance wasn't anything to write home about. I'm okay with her being eliminated.

Mirai-Over-the-top kind of annoying, but she danced well. 

Arike-Put on those heels, girl! Also, quit hunching your shoulders. I would not have been upset if she left tonight. I don't see her making it to the end.

Adam-Does he have to start everything with "I was the first openly gay blah, blah, blah"? I really couldn't care less about that, just dance. Not bad, but he was extremely annoying to me.

Johnny-Flashbacks of David Ross with the baseball bat intro. I found his dance to be not great, but well done/entertaining enough for me to have wanted to see him stick around another week. Jennie or Kareem could have gone instead of him.

Tonya-For goodness' sake, people, she has paid a higher price than some people have paid for murder. It's time to give her a chance. I thought she danced well, and deserved to stay.

Josh-I don't follow football, so I have never heard of him. Can somebody tell me if he is just really cocky, or is he as good as he says he is? That being said, I enjoyed his dance.

[jhlipton]

On 4/30/2018 at 9:14 PM, JRoot said:

Isn't this a contest on who can dance the best? 

As stated, it never has been (Even Len has gotten with the program.)  Pure popularity contest, start to finish.

On 4/30/2018 at 9:27 PM, vdw84 said:

We can say what we want about V but he is good with young girls.

I hope no one takes that comment out of context!  LOL

==========================

"Tonya was so good!  Tonya was so elegant!  Tonya had great lines!"

Yeah, no.  Proof:

And that was the BEST part of that move.  8's?  Bitch, please!

[BelleBrit]

8 hours ago, Morrigan said:

That's interesting - I'm gonna watch for that as I might be subconsciously blaming her for what I'm fine with with him. But I 'think' she's less careful in what she says - like I think I remember her saying that the US was about to lose to Italy but then SHE came along and saved the day.  I can't imagine Adam being so childishly braggardly. And her excuses after bombing in the individual event at the Olympics - I don't remember the specifics, but a lot of just plain out stupid comments, that an arrogant 6th grader might pop up with to cover for striking out and losing the baseball game for his team.

Adam's more sophisticated - he doesn't brag like an annoying child. At least I don't remember it. You may be right about tone or intonation, but that doesn't matter if WHAT you're saying isn't as obnoxious. He's playful, may tease people - like his response to "Andy" - but he's not doing any Trumpian braggadoccio, and she is, among other dopey earnest crap. She's just not very smart - and he is. Women can be smart and funny (and even tease other people and get away with it.) But Mirai just comes off like a bratty self-centered self-righteous teenager - Adam doesn't. He's intentionally coy and smarter than she is, with his comments, though his jokes don't always work but you know they're jokes. She's SERIOUS when she says she saved the day for the USA. Blech.

 

Mirai actually said that she saved the medal "with Adam, and with the Shibutanis" (who all skated that night when she did the triple axel). She made a lot of careless comments after the individual event, but she's apologized and clarified multiple times.  These were also general comments in the mixed zone right after she skated (not an interview like I've seen people say here), where all different reporters asked her questions, some even writing different reports of what she said/having to come back and correct their reporting on her comments later, since it wasn't on camera. 

She is definitely less careful in what she says and comes across as a bit of a valley girl, Adam is more polished in what he says (though I've seen many interviews with her where she has gone through her career and is well spoken and not sassy), but he's had plenty moments in his career where he has been criticized for being arrogant/cocky too (even though I love him).  Before nationals this year, he told reporters "LOOK, the only way that I'm NOT going to the Olympics is if people's MOTHERS are on the selection committee" (and then he proceeded to mess up his long and get 4th at nationals/had to be placed on the team Ashley Wagner style), and when he lost nationals to Jason Brown in 2015, he looked straight into the camera and did a huge eye roll/sigh, and liked a bunch of things on twitter about how he was robbed. Try getting away with doing any of that as a woman. I'm still waiting for people to point out exactly what Mirai said or did on the show itself that makes them think she is cocky, but I've mostly just seen that she "came off" that way.  The biggest criticism that Mirai usually gets from fans on her skating is that she needs to skate with more expression and show more face/that she skates with a blank face and looks too nervous, and that she needs to recapture the "spark" she had when she was 16/came in 4th at the olympics.

Edited May 2, 2018 by BelleBrit

[Morrigan]

5 hours ago, marykat71702 said:

First, a couple of things about Alan.  During the opening, when they were showing everyone, I wished he would move his hand a little lower on Mirai's waist. Second, has he had throat/neck surgery? When he was talking to Erin at the end it looked like there was a scar on his neck.

 

Alan had a tumor on his thyroid gland - it wasn't cancer but could have been a big problem if he hadn't had it removed.

http://people.com/health/dancing-with-the-stars-alan-bersten-reveals-he-needed-surgery-after-finding-a-tumor-in-his-neck/

 

And I actually like Mirai, BelleBrit, and will bear in mind what you're saying and pay closer attention to what she actually says (and I'll watch out for sexist thinking.) I love her legs - I love her dancing - I think she's very beautiful. There's just something about her voice - I'm reading it mainly as fake and sort of high-schoolish/pretentious ? - but anyway, I'm new to following her and will pay closer attention and give it some thought.

When Adam's outlandish, my read is different, like it's a honed strategy to get attention, and he being outre, like a comedian or a contrarian (and Oscar Wilde wannabe - he's not there but I sense he's always trying to get there.) I'll have to think about it...  He's not like Patrick Chan whose foot-in-mouth disease makes me want to smack him in the face!

[Jodithgrace]

I thought it was interesting that they introduced the athletes in a pre-recorded way, instead of live on the dance floor. I think they were honestly worried that Tanya would get booed. Personally, I would be quick to forgive and forget with her, if she didn't present herself as a victim. "It was taken away from me, " my rear end! You threw it away with both hands! That said, it was thoughtful of TPTB to protect her from bad audience reaction.

Poor Kareem. It must literally be like trying to dance on stilts. I wasn't even sure his knees could bend. And yes he did look a lot like those car dealership guys, only made of rigid plastic instead of the floppy stuff. Still, I was really impressed that he got out there at 71 with a smile on his face and gave it his all, though I wouldn't exactly refer to it as dancing. 

I wasn't impressed with Arike. You gotta wear the shoes! I know that the costumers try to go with the contestants wishes, modest dressing, etc. But dancing shoes are part of the uniform. You wouldn't go out on the basketball court in heels..you don't go out on the dance floor in sneakers. 

The football player, Josh,  was an unexpected surprise. I remember the race car driver from a few seasons ago (I forget his name but he is doing commercials now) who come out of nowhere and almost won the whole thing. It's always fun when you get somebody like that who is a total dark horse. 

Too bad it is such a short season. 

[BelleBrit]

1 hour ago, Morrigan said:

nd I actually like Mirai, BelleBrit, and will bear in mind what you're saying and pay closer attention to what she actually says (and I'll watch out for sexist thinking.) I love her legs - I love her dancing - I think she's very beautiful. There's just something about her voice - I'm reading it mainly as fake and sort of high-schoolish/pretentious ? - but anyway, I'm new to following her and will pay closer attention and give it some thought.

When Adam's outlandish, my read is different, like it's a honed strategy to get attention, and he being outre, like a comedian or a contrarian (and Oscar Wilde wannabe - he's not there but I sense he's always trying to get there.) I'll have to think about it...  He's not like Patrick Chan whose foot-in-mouth disease makes me want to smack him in the face!

It’s fine not to like Mirai or her personality. Clearly you were not the only one with that impression. I was just genuinely wondering if it was something specific she said/just providing some context as someone who has followed her career closely and watched many interviews with her over the years. 

There could be some of the “showing confidence to will it to happen” going on-Mirai would more of get the rep in skating as being too hard on herself/being an emotional basketbase and nervous type of competitor. But I will also say that as someone who has watched her for years, she is not “imitating” Adam here.  In some of her interviews, she will have a higher/little girl voice and be more ramb-ly, and other interviews where she is more serious, she has a deeper voice. That’s just who Mirai genuinely is, and has been for years.  Though I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes out more with Adam. This is a dance competition, and she is probably looking to have fun.  Even though she is quite literally “from the Valley” in California, she also attends College and has given plenty of articulate, well thought out interviews.  But this is a reality show-not everyone is going to or has to like her.

Edited May 2, 2018 by BelleBrit

[neem]

3 hours ago, Morrigan said:

And I actually like Mirai, BelleBrit, and will bear in mind what you're saying and pay closer attention to what she actually says (and I'll watch out for sexist thinking.) I love her legs - I love her dancing - I think she's very beautiful. There's just something about her voice - I'm reading it mainly as fake and sort of high-schoolish/pretentious ? - but anyway, I'm new to following her and will pay closer attention and give it some thought.

Mirai was born and raised in the LA area. I’m ESL so I probably perceive things differently compared to native speakers, but to me, Mirai just sounds like a pretty typical young woman who was born and raised in California. However, I'm aware that a lot of people are viscerally annoyed by that kind of "voice". This podcast episode has helped me to understand what's going on here:  https://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/vocal-fry-and-other-speech-trends-2.htm

After years of following Mirai’s skating career and watching her mature and develop as a competitor… I didn't expect every DWTS viewer to like her or anything but I also didn't expect the amount of people both here and elsewhere who just "can't stand Mirai" and her "attitude" and who find her "over-the-top kind of annoying" and "stupid" and "vapid" and "childish" and basically an arrogant diva bitch from hell with no redeeming personality traits whatsoever.

[Thadeeeyus]

1 hour ago, BelleBrit said:

It’s fine not to like Mirai or her personality. Clearly you were not the only one with that impression. I was just genuinely wondering if it was something specific she said/just providing some context as someone who has followed her career closely and watched many interviews with her over the years. 

I'm not the poster this was directed at, but I'll give my opinion.  It really turned me off that she was campaigning to be on the show.  And there are just too many skaters on this season, so I'm inclined to not like any of them. 

[bealled]

I actually like Mirai, but could see why some will dislike her personality. I agree she does have a very California personality. I actually didn't think she seemed overly cocky. She seemed really supportive of Adam and even said she would be happy if he won. I think she comes across a bit younger than she is though, so that may annoy some since she reminds you of a high school girl rather than a 25 year old woman. She seemed harmless to me though, but we always have one contestant that everyone starts nitpicking at. Unfortunately it is usually a woman too, although not always. I also do see similarities between Mirai and Adam's personalities but I think Adam gets away with it more because he is a gay man. I also do think he is a bit sharper witted than her. Mirai strikes me as someone who just speaks without thinking, so has a bit of foot in mouth syndrome. Or she may just be an unnatural public speaker and sentences don't come out the way she intends. I know I feel that way a lot, that in my head I can create concise thoughts but when I verbalize them they tend to come out differently or I jumble words. Either way she was great on the dance floor and unless some others have massive improvements, I expect her to be a solid finalist and one of the top 3 dancers of the season.