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

[LadyMustang65]

Other than both being contemporary without gimmicks I didn't see many similarities between Meryl and Maks's freestyle and Kellie and Derek's. Both dances have a completely different moves and a completely different feel to them. I rewatched Kellie's and I just don't see how Meryl's was a ripoff of it.

 

That's exactly the way I feel about it.  If Maks and Meryl's dance was a "ripoff" of .Kellie's, then Derek ripped himself off by doing the same dance with Amy that he did with Kellie.  They were about as similar.

[Buggin]

Melissa and Tony used aerialists in their contemporary freestyle. I know not the same as if Melissa had done it herself but the concept was kind of similar so that might be why I wasn't very blown away by it.

 

Still would have liked to see a Charlie/Sharna freestyle. Contemporaries kind of depress me and I missed Smiley Charlie dancing tonight.

 

[tarotx]

I get not liking Amy's dance but all of that is still dancing. I don't know where the saying it isn't is coming from to be honest. I think Derek had done better work though.

 

I do think we got nothing really new from anyone this week. I like both of Meryl's dances though I liked the AT with Val better (I'm a fan of Val's though) and I liked the M&M FT&Rumba better. Though this was good too. Meryl hold's her body in such tension and it really works well with AT and Modern.  They deserve the win based on dancing for sure. I hate all the do it for Maks moments the final had though >.< 

 

All the crying over M&M made me think I was watching a Travis Wall dance on sytycd :p

[crowceilidh]

 

And this is my tinfoil hat now. I wonder if the 8s wasn't the judges way of trying to skew the final results tomorrow

My first thought, too.

 

Loved Maks and Meryl's dances, rewound and watched both of them instantly.  

 

Bored by everything else.

 

I finally understand the point of a surfeit of guest judges...  it's to give you one show where you're so relieved to only have 3 judges that it seems to breeze by and one can actually manage to half-listen to what they say without wanting to slit one's throat.

[TeeM]

Agree, Corazi. 

 

I am basically of the mind that no one is copying anyone, obviously people dancing the same styles are going to look similar and no one is able to do something that nobody else anywhere ever has done. Having said that, if anyone was copying Derek's dance with Kellie, I think it was Derek. Up until the aerial, Derek and Amy's freestyle reminded me much more of Derek and Kellie's than Meryl and Maks' did. I thought both Kellie and Amy's dances were more about strength and showcasing their athleticism, they both had a lot of very strong poses. Meryl's seemed like a much softer take on a contemporary. Maks and Meryl did have that same contemporary push and pull but the overall feeling was much softer to me. I just rewatched all 3 and Derek and Kellie started in the same pose as Amy and Derek, did a similar side by side passage on their knees and that walking move/lift. Obviously, it is all interpretation, we all see what we want to see and that is what I saw. 

[Packerbrewerbadger]

I was hoping Val would help Max choreograph a great ballroom routine. I've never liked contemporary on this show tho their's was nice. I also hate all the big production numbers. I want to see an intimate ballroom / Latin dance between 2 people, nothing is sexier than that! Meryl and Max for the win!! ( anyone but Derek)

[gryphon]

I am sad James went home.  I liked him a lot more than I thought I would.  Not a fan of Candace or #eatasandwichmerylplease.  Meryl and Max look like pros to me. I feel they've coddled Amy's scores for most of the season. Does that make sense?  

Edited May 21, 2014 by gryphon

[truthaboutluv]

I get not liking Amy's dance but all of that is still dancing.

 

 

Honestly, I'm over it. The season's over (finally), so it's like it is what it is. Those who are convinced she hasn't been dancing will never be convinced otherwise. Amy did an excellent salsa tonight and did a lift-heavy contemporary/freestyle where freestyles are often categorized with lifts and obviously it means she didn't dance at all. Like I said before, there are still those who insist Amber Riley won last year sitting on a chair...seriously. So at this point it just is what it is. And frankly I don't even know why it matters...we all know Meryl's name was engraved on that trophy weeks ago. 

[superdeluxe]

With that in mind, count me in for saying to watch out for Val because he's proven with Zendaya and Meryl that his choreography is nothing to be messed with.

 

After Maks gets his mirror ball, it will be Val's turn.  I know Conrad Green is leaving, but it makes me wonder if they'll go all out next season to get Val his win.

 

And all this nonsense about Amy not dancing, that's exactly what it is -- nonsense.

[msburg]

You know, inspiring moments aside, MMV on dance content.  Ask all the Charlie fans who lost to table dances.  There was most definitely a scoring curve, starting with lifts that were excused.   

Edited May 20, 2014 by msburg

[Joystickenvy]

Meryl & Maks: loved the AT, but found the freestyle to be very run of the mill. I thought Meryl danced both very well, though on one of the throws, I was a bit worried she was going to go ass over tea kettle....fortunately she didn't. Kudos to whoever did her hair & makeup. I didn't like her AT outfit, but I thought she looked lovely otherwise. They are really hitting the Maks winning his first MB hard with a side of showmance. Might be overplaying their hand by suggesting she has more sexytime chemistry with Maks than Charlie. Could piss off shippers & Charlie fans with no real gain. Maks loses points for diaper pants and that hipster d-bag hat in the package.

Amy & Derek: she has been a co-favorite of mine all season, but I thought her Salsa was underwhelming and I'm really annoyed with Derek's freestyle choreo. It's not the "OMG she doesn't dance" thing for me, but rather that it just felt like a collection of tricks with no real theme or connection to the music. So for me, it was not a dance. It had dance elements certainly and Amy performed them well. It reminded me of when they used to have pro skating competitions and some of the pairs teams would just do a whole bunch of lifts & throws & other tricks. Fun to watch, but not my favorite.

James & Peta: I thought James looked very hunched over and jerky in the judge's pick dance and the suit jacket over bare chest thing is cheesy. Except for the white boy gangster posturing, I enjoyed the freestyle. I really enjoyed Peta's dancing in both. I don't normally notice her much.

Candace & Mark: she looked very awkward in both dances to me. I thought Mark's FS choreo was cheesy to the max and not in a fun way. She's a gamer and kudos for hanging in there against people more used to performing live.

I'd rank them Meryl 1st....by a lot, Amy & James neck & neck....Candace distant 4th. Throwing my first votes of the season to Meryl. I wish James had stayed over Candace. I still like Amy, but I'm seriously perturbed with Derek.

Edited May 20, 2014 by Joystickenvy

[Victura]

I posted this over on TWOP, so apologies if anyone's reading both forums, as this will be a repeat.

 

Felt really bad for Mark tonight, after what had to be an excruciatingly painful freestyle for him (and with all the lifts!), they get only 8s. I can only hope that he went on because there wasn't much danger of him hurting himself even more, despite the pain. Otherwise it really wouldn't have been worth it at all. Their freestyle was actually pretty fun and a lot better than that quickstep - I would've reversed the scores.

 

Kind of glad in some ways that Candace outlasted James. I don't think either of them really deserved to be in the finals based on their dancing ability, but that freestyle Peta choreographed - if you looked at her at all, it was actually rather scary to watch. Way too harsh and almost savage would be the only way to describe her movements and expression.

 

The rest was okay. Amy got lifted a lot but that aerial thing was cool to behold. Meryl and Maks - I'm clearly in the minority here, but how many times have they almost kissed in a dance this season? I like her, but don't really like showmances, and all these uber passionate dances they've done completely run together. It's like they've done the same contemporary routine for almost every single one of their dances, whether it's a rumba or a foxtrot or a tango or a freestyle. There's a wow factor the first time it's done, but more of a yawn factor by the 10th time.

 

I'm just looking forward to more Charlie exuberance tomorrow, Meryl and Charlie dancing together on wood, and some of the better dancers (Danica) and joyful contestants (Drew and Diana) coming back.

[KerleyQ]

Tonight was the first time I've tried voting by phone, and Maks and Meryl's number was busy for quite a while after the show.  I'm hoping that's a good sign.  

[Victura]

By the way, did anyone think it strange that Charlie wasn't in Meryl's "journey" package when they brought out Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, Evan Lysacek, Tara Lipinski, Brooke Castile, etc.? I would bet a lot that she and Charlie have spent more time together than she has with all those people combined, perhaps more than even with her family. Or is it not allowed to have one contestant be in another contestant's package?

 

Someone upthread commented on Mark's shoulder injury when he was dancing with Sabrina Bryan. He actually dislocated it in their finale dance, but it was his left shoulder, and this was his right shoulder...this makes it more worrying as he won't have a good shoulder left to do lifts with.

Edited May 20, 2014 by Victura

[Bitsy]

I could have done without Evan Lysacek in Meryl's package.  It's like getting a weirdo serial killer to talk about you.

[Lovecat]

Candace and Mark's freestyle: I'm sorry, but there's just no point in dancing to that song, because Center Stage already did this iconic routine

Preach.

[TeeM]

Hahaha, Bitsy. Honestly, I am always amazed at how wooden and creepy he is. It makes no sense to me that both he and super exuberant, happy-go-lucky Charlie dated the same woman. 

[tearbender]

Evan's presence was particuarly odd since he's been endorising Amy for the win. I suppose they just wanted every famous figure skater they could get into Meryl's package.

[Toonces464]

Evan's presence was particuarly odd since he's been endorising Amy for the win. I suppose they just wanted every famous figure skater they could get into Meryl's package.

 

 

I thought the same thing. Very hypocritical of him. But I think he's very creepy to begin with. I never understood his friendship with Erin, aside from the fact they both seem to have the maturity level of 6 year olds.

[Barbara Manatee]

By the way, did anyone think it strange that Charlie wasn't in Meryl's "journey" package when they brought out Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, Evan Lysacek, Tara Lipinski, Brooke Castile, etc.? I would bet a lot that she and Charlie have spent more time together than she has with all those people combined, perhaps more than even with her family.

 

I'm sure they interviewed him, but his comments were just too boring to include. ;-)

[OriginalCyn]

Even though he was Meryl's skating partner for 17 years, I suspect that they didn't include any comments from Charlie because he was a competitor on the show.

[UsernameFatigue]

I am happy that I will not have to listen to any more of Amy's whining. Yes, she has overcome amazing obstacles. But I don't care that she has had boyfriend problems. And continues to have back problems. Meanwhile apparently Meryl has been dancing for awhile now with a broken toe - but we never heard a word about it from Maks or Meryl. And she was so sick this week she and Charlie could not perform one of their skates. Never heard a word about that either.

 

I thought both of M&M's dances were amazing. Who was the lady crying in the audience after their freestyle? While I thought Amy's acrobatics were stunning, I am glad that two of the judges pointed out that it wasn't dancing, and that Len marked according. At least Maks and Meryl, and Derek and Amy didn't have other dancers in their freestyle - at this point it should only be about the couple. And I hated James and Peta's freestyle. Ugh.

 

While M&M may be having a showmance, I also think it is the real thing. At least I hope it is - they are amazing together.

[Glaadrial]

I'm not a huge Candace fan but I was also surprised by the 8's.  I think Candace has actually been overscored a lot this season but now isn't the time to suddenly toss out more realistic scores.  

 

In case this might make anyone feel better, a 5% difference in viewer votes equates to 50,000 votes per million advantage for the contestant. This is sort of the reason that Charlie was eliminated despite having higher judges scores than everyone but Amy that week. The difference in judges' scores, even with 8's can't compete with those kinds of discrepancies among viewer votes. 

 

James and Amy were pretty close together in judges' scores last week. Since Candace, obviously, had enough votes to get past James, it's possible that she had enough votes to get past Amy as well. So, even with the judges' having remembered that there are 8 paddles available to them, it is likely that viewer votes will be determining who gets the Mirrorball Trophy tomorrow.

 

At this point, the lower scores can only help the couple at the bottom of the leader board by motivating their fans to vote in cases where they normally might not. There was absolutely no advantage for Meryl in Len choosing to give Amy a 9, other than, possibly, to make Derek/Amy fans angry enough to vote harder for Amy.

After the judges screwed over Candace with the 8's, I am ticked off!  They lowballed her so she would have no chance of winning tomorrow night.  I have sent all of my votes to Meryl.  I see her as the only one to take down Golden Boy.

Nevertheless, this post from Smiley13 seems to indicate that the judging may have inspired fans who are neutral to M&M to make their votes count against Derek by throwing their votes to Meryl. Fan manipulation seems to be quite the tricky business.

[humdrum]

 

I thought both of M&M's dances were amazing. Who was the lady crying in the audience after their freestyle?

 

That was Brandy, one of Maks' previous partners (forgot which season it was). 

[Woodrose]

They should award three mirror balls tomorrow night:  One for Maks, one for Amy, and one for Candace's daughter.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I had zero objection to the rope.  Freestyle means FREE.  I had a major issue with the almost complete lack of leg movement for the entire dance.  They flailed about from the waist up.  She got on the rope.  They hugged.  End.  Blecch.  I admire the stew out of Amy, but her content is so reduced in comparison to Meryl, and even James.  
 
Music made all the difference in the world for the AT's tonight.  Meryl's was a wonderful meld of story and music.  The modern claptrap techno overwhelms all nuance and takes all emotion save ferocity from anyone who is dancing.   
 
I've never cared less for the 3rd and 4th place.  We voted off Charlie for this?  Boy, are we stupid.
 
Erin's familiar interview style tonight was such a welcome contrast from what we had from the previous two co-hosts.  I find her ever so much more natural and "real."  Not gonna lie!  
 
Candace's eights were truly mendacious.  Super bad form, jidges.  Len's nine for the rope dance was par for the course.  He has been bound and determined for many seasons to reign in Derek's choreo liberties.

 

I've already replaced my battery in my remote for the finale.  The music promises to be horrid to me old ears.

[Woodrose]

I didn't see them in any shots, but Louie Vito (Olympic snowboarder) and Gracie Gold (figure skater) were in the audience.

 

Louie's tweet: I'm right here w/ @GraceEGold! RT @c_ferrell9: Watching to see @louievito in the audience #PurdyHough #DWTS

 

https://twitter.com/louievito/status/468546190548553729

 

I did see Jennifer Grey, Brandy, Jacoby, and Kyle Massey as well as several contestants from this season -- Danica, Charlie, Nene, and Drew.

[crocosmia]

Maks and Meryl were exquisite tonight.  Both dances were art in motion.   Meryl has actually matured as a dancer.    She came in as a ringer, but she improved in her expressive ways and really let loose as a sensual person.   I think Maks has been a good match for her -- the ice princess and the hot-headed Ukrainian.   I know there are those who don't like Maks much, but I've always liked watching his sexy self, flaws and all.    

 

Even though it should be Charlie in the final 3 and I feel cheated out of seeing that delightful man dance a freestyle, I'm not unhappy that Candace has made it this far.   She represents the best of DWTS -- taking someone who is not from a dancing or athletic background and making a dancer of her.   She isn't the best dancer -- not even as good as James, IMO -- but she's done well in throwing herself into the competition and improving.   I thought the 8's were probably an accurate rating of her dances tonight, but given the over-scoring of certain others, the 8's seemed like a slap. 

 

Can Derek do ANYthing without gimmicks?  Amy in  fringy pants.  And smoke.  And a rope.   More of the same -- much of her dance time is spent being pitched around like a prop by Derek or scooting along a flat surface, which is a disservice to her, because Amy has proved that she CAN dance. 

 

The contrast to Derek's contrived devices is one of the reasons Maks and Meryl's freestyle was so passionate -- no gimmicks, no rope tricks, props, or fake fog -- just emotion and fluid dance.   I'm not a fan of contemporary, but that was gorgeous.  Loved it. 

 

I have no idea who's going to win.   

Edited May 20, 2014 by crocosmia

[kitcloudkicker]

Watched these on my phone in the airport, since I'm traveling. I found Amy and Meryl's freestyles to be the same-ish in terms of impact. Beautiful dances, both not the best they've done on the show, similar in terms of lots of lifts and playing up the emotion. I liked Meryl's tango slightly better than Amy's salsa, but I always tend to like tangos better than salsas. (Side note, Meryl's costumes seemed pretty lingerie ish to me, any uproar from the Peta decency squad on those? They didn't bother me, but then, neither do Petas outfits most of the time.)

Candace got low balled on her freestyle - she seemed to be having fun from my tiny phone screen, and it seemed 9worthy to me. Not super sad to see James go, I still found him kinda boring and squatty (posture wise).

[shok]

Other than both being contemporary without gimmicks I didn't see many similarities between Meryl and Maks's freestyle and Kellie and Derek's. Both dances have a completely different moves and a completely different feel to them. I rewatched Kellie's and I just don't see how Meryl's was a ripoff of it.

 

It wasn't, of course, but you have to consider the source of the comment.

 

[superdeluxe]

It wasn't, of course, but you have to consider the source of the comment.

 

 

You have to consider the source of a lot of comments around here.

[truthaboutluv]

Understood, but I think that is what a contemp routine is supposed to be--passionate and emotional.  They just nailed it.

 

 

And I acknowledged that technically it was perfect and yes it was passionate but my point is it is what I've seen all season long from them so it didn't amaze me or move me because this is 90 percent of what they've been selling all season long. As someone noted elsewhere (maybe here), the freestyle blended into any number of their other dances. Yes it was beautiful but it's just like "oh Maks and Meryl almost kissed again and Maks has never had this amazing physical, passionate connection with anyone". I just wanted something different but yes the dance was fine. And judging by their trending WW, my opinion doesn't matter as they've most assuredly got the win in the bag, along with encore tonight. 

 

The problem is that the rope didn't wow me at all, because it just made me think of some poor man's version of Cirque du Soleil, much like Candace and Mark's freestyle song choice made me make unfavorable comparisons to Center Stage.

 

 

Obviously everyone is not going to be impressed and I noted that I personally didn't think it was the greatest thing I'd ever seen, though certainly impressive. My point was that I actually do see why Derek brought the rope in (and I'm sorry they have constantly stated that the Freestyle means no rule so I don't get Len essentially knocking a point off because he doesn't like a rope being included in the dance) as a strategy. As I noted, he clearly went for something that would have a big visual impact so the dance would be remembered because really without that, it was just a simple contemporary dance. So strategy wise, which is what I was really referring to, I did get it. 

 

[RetailTherapy]

Amy's FS would have been far more impactful if she'd been allowed to...um...dance?  You know, on the floor?  On her own power? Moving around outside of her assigned 2x2 box? But once again, we see her being schlepped around.  And that salsa was too herky-jerky.  But it's hard to see through those fringy "I don't move my hips too much" pants.  I'm certain at this point that Derek orders all of his partners to start the waterworks early to make sure they collect all of the sympathy votes.  Has he ever had a partner who didn't weep on a weekly basis?

 

Meryl and Maks for the win.  I've been a viewer for the entire life of this show and while many winners were favorites of mine, Meryl's win would be only the second time that I felt the most talented dancer truly won.  First time was Kristi.  Aside from that, there have been good dancers with amazing charisma.  And there have been good dancers who lost to not so good dancers who had amazing charisma.  Then there were a couple of pity wins.  Go Meryl.

[LilJen]

I could have done without Evan Lysacek in Meryl's package.  It's like getting a weirdo serial killer to talk about you.

 

:lol: Is there such a thing as a NON-weirdo serial killer?

 

 

Candace and Mark's freestyle: I'm sorry, but there's just no point in dancing to that song, because Center Stage already did this iconic routine:

 

 

 

Also, iconically, Napoleon Dynamite!!

[Bitsy]

(and I'm sorry they have constantly stated that the Freestyle means no rule so I don't get Len essentially knocking a point off because he doesn't like a rope being included in the dance)

Judges knock off points when they don't like something.  It doesn't need to have broken a rule.  I thought the rope was a really impressive stunt, but after seeing Maks & Meryl's magnificent  routine (yup!) that was all about pure dance, gimmicks like that don't come off so well.

[galax-arena]

After Maks gets his mirror ball, it will be Val's turn.  I know Conrad Green is leaving, but it makes me wonder if they'll go all out next season to get Val his win.

One can only hope. I despise Maks, but at least it'll be a switch-up from gifting the mirrorball to the Child of the Corn. 

 

Of course, there is a silver lining to everything: If the blond gremlin wins, we might see the temperamental manchild have a fullblown meltdown, and that would be amusing. 

 

Hell, a part of me wants Jesus' homegirl to win, just to see the dumbfounded "wtf just happened" looks on the other couples' faces. 

Edited May 20, 2014 by galax-arena

[sunnyheart]

Derek ripped himself off by doing the same dance with Amy that he did with Kellie.

Actually, freestyles aside, I was stunned by how similar Derek's salsa for Amy was to the mambo he did with Shawn Johnson in the All-Star season.  I am positive there were whole portions of that mambo used in his salsa last night.  I adored his mambo with Shawn - it's one of my all-time favorite DWTS dances and I've watched it dozens of times - and I think his salsa with Amy suffered by comparison.  She did fine, but she wasn't nearly as dynamic as Shawn was.  

[thesupremediva1]

At this point, I'm just watching for Meryl and Maks, and they did not disappoint. I've seen my fair share of showmances, and I honestly believe this is so much more than that. Whatever you'd like to call it, it's beautiful to watch. They are a love story in motion, and we are lucky enough to watch it unfold in real time. 

 

I loved the AT. Because of the music choice, it felt very different from the masterpiece she created with Val. They danced impeccably. That freestyle left me speechless. Tears. Ecstasy. The perfection that is Meryl Davis. I also found the music to be incredibly moving, so that only added to the dance's impact. My one bone to pick is that I have seen that near-kiss about 10 times - kiss or find a different place to put your faces. I'm tired of being teased. Carrie Ann is right, just get married already.

 

On to the rest: I actually feel sad that Amy was paired with Derek, because she inherits his haters by proxy. She dances beautifully and I have no issue with her use of the rope. I thought she nailed both her dances. I don't think she should win, but she more than deserves her spot.

 

As for James and Candace, I'm even more disappointed that Charlie was eliminated after tonight. He was worlds above both of them. Candace's dances were just awkward. I could not believe that Mark was able to withstand such pain only to be given 8's. 

 

I may be in the minority, but I enjoyed both of James's dances. I found his freestyle entirely magnetic and I couldn't take my eyes off him. The man knows how to entertain. He should have made the finals over Candace, but oh well. 

 

M&M for the win. I'm going to watch that freestyle over and over again. 

[sunnyheart]

I may be in the minority, but I enjoyed both of James's dances. I found his freestyle entirely magnetic and I couldn't take my eyes off him. The man knows how to entertain. He should have made the finals over Candace, but oh well.

Ha!  I said the same thing pretty much over at TWoP.  I actually liked his freestyle for the sheer WTF entertainment of it.  He ran up a wall and flipped over!  And it was nice to see something different than the dreamy lift-rinse-repeat Contemporaries.  I think Peta and James have really brought the crazy this season and while I don't care for Peta, I have enjoyed seeing what kind of lunacy they brought every week.  They definitely should have made it over Cheer Captain Candace.  I'm disappointed we won't see them dance in matching thongs because I'm pretty sure that's where they were headed for the last night.  lol

[truthaboutluv]

Judges knock off points when they don't like something.  It doesn't need to have broken a rule.  I thought the rope was a really impressive stunt, but after seeing Maks & Meryl's magnificent  routine (yup!) that was all about pure dance, gimmicks like that don't come off so well.

 

 

What does Maks and Meryl's dance have to do with the judging for Derek and Amy's? And just to be clear, it's not like I'm actually bothered and/or upset by Len's 9 because as I've said repeatedly, the only consistent thing about the scoring on this show, is its inconsistency. I just thought his reasoning for giving the 9 was stupid. If he didn't like it and just wasn't impressed, fine but to act like the rope was a problem when the rules of the freestyle state that there are no rules is just stupid. Also, not for nothing but for all of the Amy didn't dance and there were all those lifts, Meryl and Maks' contemporary had a lot of lifts in there as well. They were all impressive lifts but there were plenty in there. 

 

But again, all this is moot really because like I said above, Meryl and Maks' names are already engraved on this trophy and I'm sure all the other couples in the finals know that. I was greatly amused at reading comments elsewhere that were still trying to spin some outrage over Derek and how he's so going to win again and it's like really? Meryl and Maks' names were trending WW all night (I know because I'm on twitter a lot) as well as encoreMeryl, their shippers all but exploded into a puddle of goo, Zendaya has all her followers on the job of voting for them, even retweeting memes and gifs showing her and Val coming in second with the comment "let's not make this happen again" (and I love Z and Val but I found those tweets obnoxious from them both), following the DWTS tumblr tag, I'm seeing a lot of "I mean like Amy is inspirational and all but like she didn't actually dance. Derek just runs and dances around her..." 

 

So it's comical to me to read comments that suggests that there's still some behind the scenes shenanigans to get Derek a win or that there is any question of who will win. I even saw a comment that Derek looked so relaxed last night, joking around because he knows he's guaranteed another win and it's like no, it's probably because he saw the writing on the wall with Meryl's win and likely did so weeks ago. So all that's left is to just have fun and not worry about anything else. Maks will get his win and yes as the show reminded us so much, after 13 seasons, Meryl who was amazing from day one will win and the world will continue running and they'll all show up on ABC tomorrow and by the end of the week no one will really care anymore. 

 

I am positive there were whole portions of that mambo used in his salsa last night.  I adored his mambo with Shawn

 

 

The only thing I found similar from the Shawn mambo was the obvious move in the middle of the dance when she posed with her legs in the air and her hands on the floor. That's the only thing that reminded me of Shawn's mambo. Shawn's mambo had way more tricks, spins, turns, side by side movements, etc. all things Amy cannot physically do. 

 

I actually liked his freestyle for the sheer WTF entertainment of it.  He ran up a wall and flipped over!  And it was nice to see something different than the dreamy lift-rinse-repeat Contemporaries.

 

 

I didn't hate James' freestyle. I actually thought it was good. My problem is that I was underwhelmed by it. I felt like it had promise but never delivered on that promise, if that makes sense. 

 

I actually feel sad that Amy was paired with Derek, because she inherits his haters by proxy.

 

 

It's the Amber Riley situation. That girl never got any props from some for her dancing and hardwork and she still doesn't. To many she "sat on a chair, lumbered around, got dragged by Derek" and won for that. So it is what it is. What are you going to do...

Edited May 20, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Flick]

I loved Maks and Meryl's freestyle, but please tell me I wasn't the only one waiting for Jeremy Abbott to run out in the middle of it.

That basically sums up all my thoughts from last night because at this point I'm pulling for a Maks and Meryl win more to watch people explode when it happens than because I actually want them to win. Though I do actually want them to win.

[ramble]

I truly enjoyed watching Maks & Meryl dance. I'd like them to win. Her squeaky voice still makes my eye twitch but her quiet positivity & work ethic have won me over.

I'm so over Derek & his golden glow I can barely see his partner, but I still manage to be aggravated with her. I always feel a bit like I'm punching a puppy when I gripe about Amy's dancing so I'm going to give it a rest & just say I don't care for it.

I like Candace. She comes across real, as though who you see is who she is. I also like how she's handled the struggles she's had with the show & been willing to embrace the whole cheesy aspect of it. She has even made me overlook the fact that Mark is Mark. In fact, I think she's somehow helped Mark be the best partner he's been in a long time. I almost want her to win. I think the judges heads might explode & that would be fun, especially because I feel like the last couple of weeks they've all but put a blinking sign over her head saying she needed to go. Although I'm afraid if Candace did win Tom might hang on to the mirror ball as he squealed about how shocked everyone was & that he couldn't believe it.

[truthaboutluv]

That basically sums up all my thoughts from last night because at this point I'm pulling for a Maks and Meryl win more to watch people explode when it happens than because I actually want them to win.

 

 

Serious question but who's going to explode? Again maybe it's just the places I visit but from my observation most people expect and want a Meryl/Maks win. The TV Guide poll has them at 70 percent for who will win the mirrorball, comments all over twitter and tumblr are mostly positive. Sure some people don't care for Maks but I certainly can't imagine any "outrage" when they win. Or that's just me...

[tarotx]

Jeremy Abbott ‏@jeremyabbottpcf  12h
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well @Meryl_Davis I'm flattered ;) LOL #VoteForMeryl #Dwts #Latch 1-800-868-3406

I loved Maks and Meryl's freestyle, but please tell me I wasn't the only one waiting for Jeremy Abbott to run out in the middle of it.

Edited May 20, 2014 by tarotx

[Flick]

Serious question but who's going to explode? Again maybe it's just the places I visit but from my observation most people expect and want a Meryl/Maks win. The TV Guide poll has them at 70 percent for who will win the mirrorball, comments all over twitter and tumblr are mostly positive. Sure some people don't care for Maks but I certainly can't imagine any "outrage" when they win. Or that's just me...

Then perhaps explode isn't the right word, but I'd like them to win for the sole purpose of the number of broken records on the topic. If I found Derek even remotely likable then I'd have the same feeling about Amy winning but I don't so I won't. And there's been quite a bit of bitching and moaning about Maks and Meryl, even here, so yeah, I'd say there'll be some reactions.

[sunnyheart]

The only thing I found similar from the Shawn mambo was the obvious move in the middle of the dance when she posed with her legs in the air and her hands on the floor. That's the only thing that reminded me of Shawn's mambo. Shawn's mambo had way more tricks, spins, turns, side by side movements, etc. all things Amy cannot physically do.

Nope.  There's a lot more he used than that one pose in the middle.  There's an entire footwork sequence in the beginning, a turn where she dips with a leg extended, several of the lifts - I've watched the mambo literally dozens of times and I was in disbelief watching the copied salsa last night.  Yes, there were some different things included, but overall much of their salsa was lifted from the mambo.  I have no doubt in my mind about that.  

 

Oh, the bongo playing on her ass was new except it was a cheeseball stupid move that should die a fiery death.  Why do the pros think that's a good idea? 

[truthaboutluv]

There's always bitching and moaning about every couple, every season, it's the nature of the show. And yes, that increases with a pro like Maks who is fairly polarizing. But I guess when I think of people exploding or intense reactions, I think of seasons where the pairings were very close in talent and/or ability and/or popularity - Zendaya and Kellie for example, Shawn and Gilles, etc. No matter what people think of Maks and even those who think Meryl leaves them cold, I honestly can't recall anyone saying Meryl isn't an amazing dancer and like I said, judging by the twitter trending, the media polls and such, I just don't see this being one of those seasons that anyone's going to debate and rage about the inevitable results. 

 

Nope.  There's a lot more he used than that one pose in the middle.  There's an entire footwork sequence in the beginning, a turn where she dips with a leg extended, several of the lifts - I've watched the mambo literally dozens of times and I was in disbelief watching the copied salsa last night.  Yes, there were some different things included, but overall much of their salsa was lifted from the mambo.  I have no doubt in my mind about that.

 

 

Agree to disagree then. I too have watched Shawn and Derek's mambo A LOT of times because as annoying as I found them both that season, I absolutely LOVED that dance (and wasn't surprised it was one of the dances that got him his Emmy) and I just didn't see the massive similarity in the salsa with Amy. Again, the major difference for me is that because Shawn was so capable and talented, she did so much of that mambo out of hold with Derek while for obvious reasons, Amy never let go of Derek's hand. 

Edited May 20, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[galax-arena]

Oh, the bongo playing on her ass was new except it was a cheeseball stupid move that should die a fiery death.  Why do the pros think that's a good idea?

Hey, just be happy we didn't see Derek's infamous crotch bob. We got off easy. 

[sunnyheart]

Again, the major difference for me is that because Shawn was so capable and talented, she did so much of that mambo out of hold with Derek while for obvious reasons, Amy never let go of Derek's hand.

Yep.  Agree to disagree.  I will say that Amy did a great job with the hip swiveling in her fringey pants and her footwork was very nice.  And good lord, that she can do ANY of the stuff she does with Derek is freaking amazing.  Girl's got guts too - when she lifted off on that rope and swung around like a maniac, well, that was impressive.  My personal preference is for Meryl but Amy's done a fine job.

 

Hey, just be happy we didn't see Derek's infamous crotch bob. We got off easy.

 

 

God, don't even SAY it!  It might come true yet!!  My eyes still haven't healed from the last time!  lol

[CED9]

Oh, the bongo playing on her ass was new except it was a cheeseball stupid move that should die a fiery death.  Why do the pros think that's a good idea? 

My guess is because it shows the pro isn't holding the celeb up like that.