S18.E12: 13 : Road to the Finals & Live Finale

[fembotz]

I think Candace flubbing her Viennese Waltz sealed her fate, unfortunately. 

[LadyMustang65]

Okay but why does Derek name come up with the "when he plays to his partner's strengths, he's a genius, etc."

 

 

His name came up because that is what is so often said about Derek - that he knows how to play to his partner's strengths and make them look good and that he's a genius when it comes to that.  And I don't disagree with that.  But when some people saw the short clip of the freestyle and decided that Maks was going to do an emotional contemporary routine,.he was "copying Derek" rather than being given the same courtesy of considering that he was playing to his partner's strengths and accenting something that has worked well for them as a partnership this season. 

Edited May 18, 2014 by LadyMustang65

[legaleagle53]

"Stripped down" makes me think of Derek and Kellie's freestyle.  If he attempts something like that, then I don't even need to watch Tuesday.  The shippers will go crazy, the judges will lose their minds, Maks will be anointed as the new choreography god -- it's going to be ridiculous.  There will be tons of hyperbole thrown their way and I will be rolling my eyes.

You didn't roll your eyes last week when Kenny Ortega told Derek that he had "redefined choreography for a new generation"?  I certainly did!  How come it wil only be eyeroll-worthy if it's directed at Maks?

[katha]

With the Maks vs. Derek stuff I end up feeling like this: 

 

 

Amy and Meryl's dances are the ones I've been enjoying the most all season, and the final dances I'm most looking forward to seeing. The one vs. the other gets really annoying. I find myself holding my breath a bit more for Amy, and re-watching her dances on youtube more often, but that's not to say "when" ;) Meryl wins I won't think it's a deserving result. And hopefully James and Candace surprise me and turn in performances I really enjoy. 

Heh. I think it's very telling that oftentimes DWTS discussions this season (not only here) turn into Derek: pro and contra and Maks: pro and contra. They both just command attention in a way not even the celebrities seem to manage. Since both have been with the show for what feels like 300 years lol, perhaps that's not surprising. I think it's a testament to both their appeal as DWTS performers, but I'm sure at some point it becomes a double-edged sword for the show to have pros dominating the perception of the show like that. For what it's worth, I think MBT or no MBT, Maks is done with the show. He's talked about how satisfied he is professionally with this season, I believe him because it shows in his work, and he's talked about getting "old" in dancer years. Derek is constantly talking about leaving as well. I'm sure long-term he's planning world domination beyond DWTS. (-;

 

Also agree about really enjoying both their work this season. IMO together with Mark they're the three pros doing the most convincing work this season, which also plays into this whole "people endlessly talking about Derek and Maks" problem. They're just really good at their job. (-:  I do side-eye the furniture over-use and what seems to be Derek too tightly controlling Amy's movements a bit, but I'm sure working with the different prosthetics is a challenge and we don't know what she can do since we're not in rehearsals. He's breaking rules, yeah, though I'm not sure there's always a way around that with Amy (in contrast to some other partners he's had in the past...) but it's not actually his fault that the judges don't penalize that. Unless he has some mind-control thing going on, of course. (-;

 

Tbh the ALM episode kind of clinched what makes them such standouts among the pros. You had Maks ignoring her flirt attempts and dismissing her in the skybox and Derek slow-clapping that with a shit-eating grin. It was glorious. Also Derek's totally disdainful face when she started going into her whatever spiel about how her students shouldn't be eating and doing homework. I didn't even mind that he and Amy got a 40 for that IMO somewhat unexciting chair dance, I was so satisfied with him that week.

[radishcake]

Watch the tone guys. Don't make me turn this show around!

[MarySNJ]

I just have a random thought. The make-up artists on Dancing with the Stars are phenomenal. I'm just rewatching some of the videos of this season and just amazed at the work they do.

[COESpiral]

Also to the hair and wardrobe people.  I mean seriously, they must have an army of people sewing and beading and designing until the wee hours for ten or eleven solid weeks.  They don't get nearly enough credit.

[Toonces464]

Also to the hair and wardrobe people.  I mean seriously, they must have an army of people sewing and beading and designing until the wee hours for ten or eleven solid weeks.  They don't get nearly enough credit.

 

I've wondered all season why Erin hasn't used the makeup, hair and wardrobe people from the show. I think they've done a great job this year and for such a pretty girl, I think Erin's team has generally been awful.

[superdeluxe]

Maks had a showmance with Willa Ford before showmances were even a thing (complete with dancing and hugging on the beach at sunset), but why is this still being rehashed?  The topic has been beaten to death in every single thread on this board. 

 

I get that some people dislike Maks and/or his showmances.  Ok.  So what else is new?  It's so uninteresting to read the exact same rants over and over and over again.  We got it!  If you've got something new to say about the upcoming episode that you actually are interested in having a back-and-forth discussion about, cool.  But it feels like two or three people just come in here with a bullhorn periodically to yell the same old stuff.

 

You can say the same thing about the Derek haters.

 

Agree 100%, LadyMustang. I've been disappointed in the narrative I've heard so much this season which is basically if Meryl and Maks win, it is because it was setup and promised by the producers and no one else ever had a fair chance, if they lose, it only proves that Maks sucks so bad at being a pro that he can't even win with a ringer. He can't "win" either way in that scenario which is convenient if you don't like Maks. 

 

At this point, I almost hope James or Candace runs away with the thing and leaves everyone shaking their heads about what happened. 

 

I also think it is ridiculous to accuse Maks of copying Derek if he does a contemporary inspired freestyle, just as it was ridiculous for people to accuse Derek of copying those SYTYCD bench/table dances for Amy's jazz. It is a dance show that's been on for 18 seasons, at some point everyone is doing to be doing something that someone else has sort of done before in some way. And not to be nit-picky about it, but wasn't Maks' freestyle with Erin the first time someone did contemporary in a freestyle on this show? And then Tony and Melissa did it in the All-Star season? Tony and Melissa's is probably a better comparison since it didn't involve the much maligned bed and the lighting and costuming was even somewhat similar to Kellie and Derek's. Regardless of whether or not people felt those dances was as good as Derek and Kellie's, they were done first so should people accuse Derek of copying them? Of course not. It's just silly. 

 

I would be cool with James or Candace winning.  As long as it's not Maks.  But that's not going to happen so...

 

And people did accuse Derek of copying Tony and Melissa.

 

You didn't roll your eyes last week when Kenny Ortega told Derek that he had "redefined choreography for a new generation"?  I certainly did!  How come it wil only be eyeroll-worthy if it's directed at Maks?

 

 

Actually, I did roll my eyes.  I was like, "Why would you give the Derek haters more ammo, Mr. Ortega?"  Now, if he directed that at Maks, I would've laughed.  Hard.

Edited May 19, 2014 by superdeluxe

[radishcake]

Question guys: Can you guys just quote what you are replying to or are you having trouble with the reply to quoted post function? I'm seeing a lot of giant blocks of text in a few topics and if there are issues let me know so I can take it up with our resident gurus! :)

[legaleagle53]

Question guys: Can you guys just quote what you are replying to or are you having trouble with the reply to quoted post function? I'm seeing a lot of giant blocks of text in a few topics and if there are issues let me know so I can take it up with our resident gurus! :)

 

I can quote only what I'm actually replying to using that function (as I'm doing now), but I usually have to edit the post I'm quoting down to only the part I want to quote.  I'm guessing that some posters may not be editing and are just quoting the entire post verbatim, which is why you see so much extra text in some quoted posts.

[Toonces464]

Question guys: Can you guys just quote what you are replying to or are you having trouble with the reply to quoted post function? I'm seeing a lot of giant blocks of text in a few topics and if there are issues let me know so I can take it up with our resident gurus! :)

 

It's not consistent. Sometimes I can just quote the part I want, sometimes it quotes the whole post. In the past week it's also been double quoting what I'm responding to and my response.

[smiley13]

 

I think Candace flubbing her Viennese Waltz sealed her fate, unfortunately.

Candace is awesome and I have voted for her every week.  I liked her V. Waltz and did not see her "flub" anything anymore than some others.

 

She should be proud of all of her performances.  Mark has done such a good job with her.  Their partnership has been a delight all season.

[Bitsy]

I liked her V. Waltz and did not see her "flub" anything anymore than some others.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBxvvkfXr_4

 

At 3:13 you can see Candace forget the choreography and crash into Mark, and then him telling her what to do.  And at 3:30 it happens again and you can see him move her arm and guide her into the correct position.  And there are a lot of small moments when you can see him telling her what to do - like she's grimacing and then he'll remind her to smile. 

 

Amy had a moment of panic in her jive where she flubbed the choreography, and Danica had a lot of flubs in her salsa due to the broken rib and under-rehearsal, but I don't remember any other visible flubs that bad.

 

But I really admire how well she's done for somebody who is not the most naturally talented and who has a terrible case of nerves to contend with.  She should be proud for having made it to the finals with the caliber of the competition she's up against.

 

Shirley Ballas told Mark at the beginning of the season that based on how "totally uncoordinated" Candace was, they'd be out by week 4 or 5.  Making it to Week 10 is a huge achievement for her.

[fembotz]

I liked her V. Waltz and did not see her "flub" anything anymore than some others.

 

Give it a rewatch. She totally loses her bearing in the middle of the dance. You can see Mark talking her through it. At one point he forcibly removes her arm from around his shoulders and maneuvers her into the correct position. 

 

ETA: Oops, Bitsy beat me to it. What she said! :)

 

I agree Mark has done a good job with Candace, though, and I've enjoyed their partnership this season.

Edited May 19, 2014 by fembotz

[Hybiscus]

Question guys: Can you guys just quote what you are replying to or are you having trouble with the reply to quoted post function? I'm seeing a lot of giant blocks of text in a few topics and if there are issues let me know so I can take it up with our resident gurus! :)

Heh.  I usually just copy (ctrl-c)and paste (ctrl-v) the stuff I want to reply to and add the quotes around the text manually.  Downside is the name of the person you're replying doesn't show up.  I do like the "reply to" option but this is my first time using it.  I can easily go into the quoted section and delete extraneous verbiage if it's not germane to my reply.

[smiley13]

 

Give it a rewatch.

Thanks, but I have no need to rewatch.  I liked Candace's dance and think she did a lovely job with it.

[Bitsy]

Thanks, but I have no need to rewatch.  I liked Candace's dance and think she did a lovely job with it.

Well then.  If watching the routine isn't required, you can tell us right now how much you love Candace's error-free freestyle.

[Flick]

Question guys: Can you guys just quote what you are replying to or are you having trouble with the reply to quoted post function? I'm seeing a lot of giant blocks of text in a few topics and if there are issues let me know so I can take it up with our resident gurus! :)

I can quote and edit it to just what I want to quote, both from a desktop and on the mobile site. I'm guessing it's more of an issue of people not realizing they can do that or not caring that they can do that.

Thanks, but I have no need to rewatch.  I liked Candace's dance and think she did a lovely job with it.

You can like someone's routine and think they did a nice job while acknowledging the errors made. Candace completely lost it in the middle of the dance and had to be walked through it by Mark. I can see that, still enjoy the number and give them both credit for managing to hold it together for the remainder of the dance.

[radishcake]

Thanks for the responses about quoting! I was just concerned that it wasn't working. :D

[SnarkyTart]

Short clip of an excerpt from Meryl and Maks' Freestyle:

 

http://instagram.com/p/oHKnSoD0ab/#

Oh, I would love to see it, but I can't view instagram vids.  If anyone can upload it to youtube, you'll be my new BFF. 

[kitcloudkicker]

Mark was injured during camera blocking today, apparently. Wants to, but may not dance. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20817965,00.html

Edited May 19, 2014 by kitcloudkicker

[Corazi]

Oh no! This is the worst time for anyone to get injured. I can understand why he'd want to dance tomorrow, but I hope he decides not to. This show isn't worth risking a more serious or possibly permanent injury. 

 

I feel bad for Candace too. She struggles enough with performance anxiety and this incident definitely won't help. I hope tomorrow she can push it out of her head and do her best no matter who she's dancing with.

[Barbara Manatee]

Poor guy, it sounds painful. If Candace is going to be eliminated tomorrow as so many people think, I wish someone from the show would whisper that in Mark's ear so he doesn't risk himself for a lost cause.

[Flick]

That's a pity. And I can't find a way to express that without sounding sarcastic but I'm sincere about that. I initially liked Mark, went through a long stage of being annoyed by him, and have come to enjoy him again this season because he's been really great with Candace.

It's a potentially serious injury and I'd think that even if he did manage to perform, that lift would probably be a no go. Regardless of whether Candace is slated to be eliminated or not, I think I'd prefer to see someone step in for him. There are of course a number of pros who could step in physically, though I wonder how many of them would be able to provide the emotional support for Candace. It's one thing to develop that relationship over the course of the season, but to get tossed into that situation at the last minute when Candace is guaranteed to already be a wreck is going to take a pretty even keeled person. For instance, someone of Maks' temperament (much as I enjoy him) wouldn't be an advisable choice. I'm not suggesting he'd be an option, I know he's not, I'm just saying that as far as personalities go someone like him probably wouldn't be the best choice. Maybe someone like Henry? He struck me as very patient, very kind, and very present in what we saw of him and Diana.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Flick

[Glaadrial]

For instance, someone of Maks' temperament (much as I enjoy him) wouldn't be an advisable choice. I'm not suggesting he'd be an option, I know he's not, I'm just saying that as far as personalities go someone like him probably wouldn't be the best choice. Maybe someone like Henry? He struck me as very patient, very kind, and very present in what we saw of him and Diana.

This reminded me of how well Candace and Charlie did in the Deul Dance, and I thought: "What would happen if they brought him in as the lifts expert do dance freestyle with Candace?" 

 

Seriously, though, I hope it isn't as serious as it sounds and that Mark has a speedy and full recovery.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Glaadrial

[LadyMustang65]

If they do need to bring someone in, I'd like to see Val do it.  He's shown himself quite capable of dealing with insecure celebrities and drawing good performances out of them.  I think he might do well by Candace.  I know it's too much to even hope that they might bring in Tristan!  ;0

[galax-arena]

With the Maks vs. Derek stuff I end up feeling like this: 

 

[gif snip]

 

Amy and Meryl's dances are the ones I've been enjoying the most all season, and the final dances I'm most looking forward to seeing. The one vs. the other gets really annoying. 

See, in my case, I dislike them both, which is why I laugh when I say something negative about Derek and someone responds with, "Well, what about Maks?? He does this and this and this!" (Or vice versa.) Well, yeah, and I hate Maks too, soooo... lol. Trust me, I have enough hate in my cold black heart for both of these assholes. 

 

I wish it were possible to have Amy and Meryl dance together, and Derek and Maks could just dance with their own egos.

 

Re: Mark, I remember he actually got injured during the finale while dancing with Sabrina, but she was able to make adjustments on the fly because she was a ringer. Unfortunately, Candace is probably going to be a basket case. 

Edited May 19, 2014 by galax-arena

[Bitsy]

My first thought was that Henry should step in with Candace because he seems like he has a nurturing personality, but someone a little more forceful like Val might be more reassuring to Candace.  And then maybe at the last minute they could also bring Julianne back as a judge to tell Val that he sabotaged Candace in order to help his brother.

 

In regards to Candace's nerves, her nerves have come out the most when things were going well and nothing was actually wrong.  The Mark situation might in the end force her to be focused.

[Bavct]

I hope Mark recovers quickly and does not risk hurting himself further to dance tonight.  If he can't do the lifts, I'm sure he wouldn't try and possibly drop Candance accidentally.  If Mark feels that he must dance,  I'd get on board with Charlie running in to do the lifts and then running out again if they had to :)

 

I'd love to see Henry step in, I don't think Val would be asked (especially with Maks in the finals as well).  Oooh - can Louis do it?  That would be awesome!

[Hybiscus]

My first thought was that Henry should step in with Candace because he seems like he has a nurturing personality, but someone a little more forceful like Val might be more reassuring to Candace.  And then maybe at the last minute they could also bring Julianne back as a judge to tell Val that he sabotaged Candace in order to help his brother.

 

Henry was the first that popped into my head, too.  He seems to have a pleasant personality that would mesh well with Candace.  I think Val would be too intense/demanding for her.  But your conspiracy theory is pretty good.  ;)

This reminded me of how well Candace and Charlie did in the Deul Dance, and I thought: "What would happen if they brought him in as the lifts expert do dance freestyle with Candace?"

That's it!  Have Charlie be Candace's partner for the night!  I'd watch that!

[Corazi]

In regards to Candace's nerves, her nerves have come out the most when things were going well and nothing was actually wrong.  The Mark situation might in the end force her to be focused.

 

I hope you're right, I would love to see Candace be amazing tonight, but I'm not so sure about that. It seems to me that Candace gets nervous when things are going well and starts overthinking. Maybe she's assuming that things are going too well and something bad is bound to happen? It seems like she's very hard on herself and after the first big mistake or as soon as something goes wrong she gets stuck on that and it effects her for the rest of the performance, causing more errors. If she ends up dancing with another pro, it's going to feel very different to her since everyone brings their own style to each dance and I'm worried that might throw her off a bit. If she ends up dancing with Mark, I think she may have a hard time forgetting that he got injured. I would love to see her do well tonight, especially since I've heard so many people complain that she doesn't "deserve" to be in the final four. Maybe she'll prove me wrong, in which case I'd gladly eat my words.

[jennifer6973]

.

That's it!  Have Charlie be Candace's partner for the night!  I'd watch that!

 

I think he would only do that if he knew it wouldn't affect Meryl going to the finals.

Edited May 19, 2014 by jennifer6973

[St. Claire]

Maybe someone like Henry? He struck me as very patient, very kind, and very present in what we saw of him and Diana.

 

Or Tristan- he's shown himself to be patient and nice, even when he had Nancy Grace as his partner. 

[Flick]

Or Tristan- he's shown himself to be patient and nice, even when he had Nancy Grace as his partner.

I think where Henry has been around through the process it might be easier to sub him in than someone who has presumably never met Candace. I also recall that the troupe/eliminated pros typically learn the choreography in case this situation comes up. I'm not sure if they've still been doing that but it seems logical. There was someone on another forum remarking that the troupe is officially useless based on the wording of the article stating another pro was rehearsing, but I believe that they likely refer to both the troupe and the teaching pros as pros because... Well, because they're pros regardless.

[St. Claire]

I'd be happy to see Henry step in, I like him. I'd rather see him dance with Candace than have Mark risk further injury.

[tarotx]

Tony was Candace's Switch partner? They will probably have him do it...

[soapfaninnc]

The footage is on Access Hollywood. Poor guy. Candace seemed in shock.  :(

[Bavct]

The footage is on Access Hollywood. Poor guy. Candace seemed in shock.  :(

 

That was hard to watch :(  Poor Mark.  You are right - Candace seemed shocked and stunned.   Kudos to Cheryl for being right there to help him through the whole thing (I couldn't id the other dancers until Derek got there).

[RetailTherapy]

Hate that Mark got injured.  There are times when he bugs endlessly, but this season, which has been mostly devoid of those god-awful spats, is not one of them. He's been very patient with Candace and appears to be respectful. 

[smiley13]

I am distressed about poor Mark getting hurt.  This is just awful.  He is far and away my favorite male pro.  

 

It will be terrible if poor Candace has to dance with someone else.  

[SnarkyTart]

That was really hard to watch, Mark appears to be seriously injured.  I thought Candace should be the one going home this week in 4th place, but no one should ever lose this way.   Cheryl just gained some major respect points. 

[Glaadrial]

That was really hard to watch, Mark appears to be seriously injured.  I thought Candace should be the one going home this week in 4th place, but no one should ever lose this way.   Cheryl just gained some major respect points. 

If they went home in 4th place, it wouldn't have anything to do with this. The results tonight are based on last week's score/audience vote. This injury can only affect Candace if they make it past this round in which case if someone subs for Mark then the team would have to come up with a Fusion dance for the show tomorrow night. The pro would also need to be trained to sub in the TeamLoca encore, and whatever they had planned to do as an encore for not making it to the final night.

[TeeM]

galax-arena, I am an admitted fan of Maks but your post about how you hate Derek AND Maks equally actually made me burst out laughing. And now I have a pretty fun visual of Amy and Meryl dancing together nicely alongside Derek and Maks, both of whom are trying to position themselves better in front of the camera. 

[tarotx]

I really LOL because I can't stand either :p I think Derek is the more creative and Maks has a better presence as a dancer but they both annoy me off the dance floor that it's hard sometimes to enjoy what they put out there :p I love Meryl and she is making me stand Maks Like Shawn Johnson, Allison Holker and Jaimie Goodwin did for Derek. 

[Bavct]

Wow, I'm needing my hip boots for the M&M crap already.  Maks "crying" over his package (hee hee)?  It's the Maks quest for the the trophy and Meryl is just along for the ride.  Yawn.

 

ETA:  Poor Candace, she still looks shell shocked at what happened to Mark and he doesn't look good, he looks to me like he is in pain but is going to push on.  I would have liked to see Candace with Artem and wish we could have seen that footage. 

Edited May 20, 2014 by Bavct

[susannot]

Loved Maks and Meryl's Argentine tango.  James looked the hottest he has looked  all season with AdamLambertesque guyliner.  Candace and Mark--meh. I still think her shoulders look hunched over in her dances.

[smiley13]

Candace and Mark were amazing!!  She looked gorgeous and confident all the way through.  I am concerned about them though for the freestyle.

[soapfaninnc]

Wow! Everyone has done great so far. I did not care for Meryl's outfit but the AT was smoking. James danced really really well and kept his butt tucked. Candace and Mark were super and I loved Amy and Derek's salsa. I didn't like Amy's outfit in motion but I liked it when she was standing still. 

[smiley13]

The crotch move is just tacky, no matter if it is Peta or Derek doing it.  And the drumming on Amy during it was distasteful.