S01.E06: Giving Thanks

[OnceSane]

Quote

The six remaining celebrity kids each dedicate a dance to those who have inspired and impacted their lives; Stevie Wonder performs.

Airs November 18, 2018.

[catrice2]

 I'm sorry but I must be one of those people who just doesn't have a soul.  I find Skye to be so annoying with her empowering little Speeches. I found her explaining unconditional to her little brother nauseating. I also felt like their dance was so over scored. I adore all of the other couples except possibly for to the older girl who seems out of place.

 Miles looks like his mom. He and Ariana are so cute I could just hug them to death. And I find Mandela to be quite the gentleman. It was great to see Stevie Wonder and if I'm not mistaken he was singing live. How rare is that?

I was sad to see Akash go.

Edited November 19, 2018 by catrice2
talk to text-fixed sentence

[luvthepros]

Agree with everything just said by catrice2 with the exception of comments about Sky. Well.....I do agree about the speeches as I don't think they are necessary and do find them very annoying. However.....Sky and JT are my choice to win this competition. I just love JT and they way he partners Sky. His expressions are just adorable and he is a great dancer too. Sky, for not having a dance back round has done so well. I'm glad the judges gave them the scores they deserve.

[BeeBop88]

I think the winner for this season is gonna be either Ariana/Artyon  or Sky/JT. In the beginning I thought it would be Miles/Rylee but I just don't see it happening now. That Akash is sure a cutie pie. I am a sucker for kids. Probably because I am a Mom of 3 and have lots of kids at my house 24/7. Or so it seems. LOL!  I am not a Val fan, but it seems to me his critique has gotten better as the show has progressed. Adam continues to be  a waste of space. My favorite judge forever is Mandy Moore. Akash took his elimination very maturely. Not surprising since this kid is wise beyond his years. Would not be surprised if he enters college in his early teens. 

[Miss Slay]

What a sweet episode. It was def. Akash's time to go. But he is so adorable.

I really enjoyed the other dances but as Ariana and Aksah paid tribute to their Puerto Rican and Indian backgrounds, I wondered why Sky didn't pay tribute to Japanese culture. Not that she has to, although, I think Akash's song was clearly chosen for him.

[luvbadtv]

So Sky's family is all currently living in Japan?  I"m confused.  Who is here with her while she is working?

[thenorthremembers1]

15 minutes ago, luvbadtv said:

So Sky's family is all currently living in Japan?  I"m confused.  Who is here with her while she is working?

I believe she said it was nice that her mother and brother were able to come from Japan to watch her dance. That makes me think her father is in LA with her and her mother is in Japan with her brother so he can continue to go to school regularly or just keep living a normal life.

[Italian Ice]

11 hours ago, Miss Slay said:

What a sweet episode. It was def. Akash's time to go. But he is so adorable.

I really enjoyed the other dances but as Ariana and Aksah paid tribute to their Puerto Rican and Indian backgrounds, I wondered why Sky didn't pay tribute to Japanese culture. Not that she has to, although, I think Akash's song was clearly chosen for him.

I think in a super subtle way, she did. There were cherry blossoms all over the stage, and Sky's dress had cherry blossoms on it. Those are ubiquitous with Japan. 

[spanana]

I love Sky and I think she's adorable.  I get why people are over the speeches, but Akash constantly gives speeches too and I don't see any complaints about that.  Just when Sky does it...so I guess I'm on a bit of a grassy knoll as to why it's okay for Akash to do and it doesn't take away from his cuteness but not okay for Sky.  Also while I think the speeches are coming from the kids, I do think production gives them nudges encouraging them to say things and interrupt Jordan and etc.  Like even last night with Sky explaining what unconditional means to her brother.  Was that her idea to do or did production hand her a mic and tell her to do that?  In her own words of course, but production is the one that put her brother in the sky box with her.

Also I LOVED Sky's dance.  It might be one of my favorite things I've seen on any DWTS in awhile.  I'm not going to say she's necessarily the best technical dancer of the bunch, but what she does have for her age is both a good deal of content/skill and an emotional maturity to her movements.  I loved the way she was using her arms in her dance and I think her emotional expression is way better than some of the older kids.  So IMO her emotions feel genuine when she dances.  I also agreed with Mandy's comments for Alan.  He's really done a fabulous job on Jrs.  He's actually the pro I'm most impressed with on that show.  Brandon is going a great job too.

Ariana is probably a better overall dancer than Sky, which isn't surprising since I think Ariana has taken some dance whereas Sky strikes me as a girl who is more super athletic and obviously has a strong core and good balance from all of her skating and surfing.  But I honestly think Sky is better at the overall emotional expression than Ariana.  Ariana isn't bad at that, but I find more often than not she plasters a smile on her face through the dance (which nothing wrong with since she's doing hard choreo for her age), whereas Sky emotes more, though I understand some who think her faces are a bit too much at times.

I was wondering about Sky's family, but yes, I presume one of her parents was in LA with her.  She's also become quite close with a lot of the DWTS pros.  Last night she seemed to be watching the show at Alan's place and she's gone hiking with troupe Morgan (the blonde troupe person), amongst other things. I presume a parent or guardian is with her in most cases because for instance when she was hiking somebody was posting instastories, but it clearly wasn't Sky filming herself or Morgan.  Not that I'm remotely worried about her hanging out with the pros, or at least the ones she's around.  They seem to adore her and obviously aren't going to put her in harms way.

Anyway, I liked pretty much all of the dances last night.  It was time for Akash to go and he took it really well.  I have a feeling that maybe Witney or their parents had somewhat prepared them the last few weeks telling them that their scores were a little lower than the others or etc. and it might be them, because there didn't seem to be a feeling of surprise from Akash.  I also think being used to the world of competitive spelling, he's used to competitions that have eliminations and not always being the winner.  But I did like all the dances.  I was going to say I'm not sure it was entirely fair to trot out Maddie as a part of Mack's dance, but I guess it's no more unfair than Mandla having his dad sing for his dance.  I was wondering if it was a bit full circle for Cheryl.  I remember her winning S3 with Emmitt Smith while dancing to no other than Stevie Wonder.

Edited November 19, 2018 by spanana

[Kira53]

20 hours ago, luvthepros said:

Agree with everything just said by catrice2 with the exception of comments about Sky. Well.....I do agree about the speeches as I don't think they are necessary and do find them very annoying. However.....Sky and JT are my choice to win this competition. I just love JT and they way he partners Sky. His expressions are just adorable and he is a great dancer too. Sky, for not having a dance back round has done so well. I'm glad the judges gave them the scores they deserve.

I disliked JT on SYTYCD and I dislike his cuteness over-emoting on this show too.  But I do appreciate his dancing skills.  Artyon has the same thing about him that I don't like in child performers and he is a good dancer/partner too.  Miles cuts it back since he is a decent actor (more subtle) although he is just a kid too.  

Akash is highly intelligent and mature.  He knows he can't dance!  He is very familiar with competition that gives no credit for cuteness so I doubt he needed to be prepared to be voted off.  He has 20/20 vision.  Stevie Wonder could see his elimination coming.  While he stayed longer than better dancers he probably wouldn't expect to win when he can't dance.  He is used to competing entirely based on skill and preparation.

[catrice2]

6 hours ago, spanana said:

I love Sky and I think she's adorable.  I get why people are over the speeches, but Akash constantly gives speeches too and I don't see any complaints about that.  Just when Sky does it...so I guess I'm on a bit of a grassy knoll as to why it's okay for Akash to do and it doesn't take away from his cuteness but not okay for Sky.  Also while I think the speeches are coming from the kids, I do think production gives them nudges encouraging them to say things and interrupt Jordan and etc.  Like even last night with Sky explaining what unconditional means to her brother.  Was that her idea to do or did production hand her a mic and tell her to do that?  In her own words of course, but production is the one that put her brother in the sky box with her.

Also I LOVED Sky's dance.  It might be one of my favorite things I've seen on any DWTS in awhile.  I'm not going to say she's necessarily the best technical dancer of the bunch, but what she does have for her age is both a good deal of content/skill and an emotional maturity to her movements.  I loved the way she was using her arms in her dance and I think her emotional expression is way better than some of the older kids.  So IMO her emotions feel genuine when she dances.  I also agreed with Mandy's comments for Alan.  He's really done a fabulous job on Jrs.  He's actually the pro I'm most impressed with on that show.  Brandon is going a great job too.

Ariana is probably a better overall dancer than Sky, which isn't surprising since I think Ariana has taken some dance whereas Sky strikes me as a girl who is more super athletic and obviously has a strong core and good balance from all of her skating and surfing.  But I honestly think Sky is better at the overall emotional expression than Ariana.  Ariana isn't bad at that, but I find more often than not she plasters a smile on her face through the dance (which nothing wrong with since she's doing hard choreo for her age), whereas Sky emotes more, though I understand some who think her faces are a bit too much at times.

I was wondering about Sky's family, but yes, I presume one of her parents was in LA with her.  She's also become quite close with a lot of the DWTS pros.  Last night she seemed to be watching the show at Alan's place and she's gone hiking with troupe Morgan (the blonde troupe person), amongst other things. I presume a parent or guardian is with her in most cases because for instance when she was hiking somebody was posting instastories, but it clearly wasn't Sky filming herself or Morgan.  Not that I'm remotely worried about her hanging out with the pros, or at least the ones she's around.  They seem to adore her and obviously aren't going to put her in harms way.

Anyway, I liked pretty much all of the dances last night.  It was time for Akash to go and he took it really well.  I have a feeling that maybe Witney or their parents had somewhat prepared them the last few weeks telling them that their scores were a little lower than the others or etc. and it might be them, because there didn't seem to be a feeling of surprise from Akash.  I also think being used to the world of competitive spelling, he's used to competitions that have eliminations and not always being the winner.  But I did like all the dances.  I was going to say I'm not sure it was entirely fair to trot out Maddie as a part of Mack's dance, but I guess it's no more unfair than Mandla having his dad sing for his dance.  I was wondering if it was a bit full circle for Cheryl.  I remember her winning S3 with Emmitt Smith while dancing to no other than Stevie Wonder.

I can only speak for myself and say last night was the first time that I saw Akash give a speech, but in general any of them would get on my nerves if it was happening often. As I said, I apparently do not have a soul because a lot of what people think is "cute" coming from children I don't.  I find Skye's delivery to seem more scripted, Akash, rehearsed yes, but I could so see him coming up with those words.  Trust me, many of the other kids do or have done things that annoy me. 

Everyone likes what they like..I don't dislike Skye and JT, I actually think he is adorable.  I find them technically good, but they are not entertaining to me as much as some of the others.  Over the years I had to let go of who has experience and who didn't.  Some have won with no dance experience (Emmett Smith) and others with tons.  At the end of the day it is more about how well you entertain, train, etc. and your fan base (and over the years the pros fan base)  and for that reason I think athletes have just as much of an advantage as say an actress or an actor. 

I don't think having the sister in the dance was the same as having a blind man off to the side singing, but that's just me. 

Things would be different with eliminations if it was more than just the studio audience and the judges scoring and voting.  Therefore no matter who wins, even if it is one of my favorites, I don't think it is entirely fair.  If they were going to do it this way then they should have just had the judges' scores determine and/or waited to have the finals at least live where the viewers could vote.

[spanana]

2 hours ago, catrice2 said:

I can only speak for myself and say last night was the first time that I saw Akash give a speech, but in general any of them would get on my nerves if it was happening often. As I said, I apparently do not have a soul because a lot of what people think is "cute" coming from children I don't.  I find Skye's delivery to seem more scripted, Akash, rehearsed yes, but I could so see him coming up with those words.  Trust me, many of the other kids do or have done things that annoy me. 

Akash gave a speech last week, or the last show.  I believe it was similar to what Sky did where he asked Jordan for the microphone.

Sky IMO isn't scripted because there are videos of her with the same words and talking points in vids about her skateboarding career.  She's a girl who competes in sports that are normally dominated by boys/men.  I'm sure as a result she's heard plenty about girl power and experienced what it is like to be a girl in a male dominated sports, even at her age.  But point being there are vids of her that are posted in other threads here, pre-DWTS, using most of the same words she used in her girl power speech several weeks ago.  Not in the exact same order or sentence construction of course.  I'm not telling you or anyone else to like the girl or her dancing...this isn't even for me about her dancing.  I just struggle when little boys are celebrated for the same things that little girls are not, and wonder what the message is to little girls.  If it's believed that Akash is smart enough to give speeches off the cuff, then it should be believed that young girls can do the same without it having to be scripted.

[legaleagle53]

3 hours ago, catrice2 said:

Things would be different with eliminations if it was more than just the studio audience and the judges scoring and voting.  Therefore no matter who wins, even if it is one of my favorites, I don't think it is entirely fair.  If they were going to do it this way then they should have just had the judges' scores determine and/or waited to have the finals at least live where the viewers could vote.

That wouldn't have been possible, since the show was taped over the summer months.  Would you really have made those kids wait until late November to find out who won just so the home-viewing audience could have a say?

[spanana]

9 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

That wouldn't have been possible, since the show was taped over the summer months.  Would you really have made those kids wait until late November to find out who won just so the home-viewing audience could have a say?

I'm actually fairly impressed that none of the kids have slipped up and accidentally said the winner.  I know who wins from spoilers and I'm pretty sure it's accurate since the elimination order has all been right, but none of that came from the kids.

Edited November 20, 2018 by spanana

[marykat71702]

I enjoyed most of the dances tonight.

Mackenzie seems out of place compared to the rest of the group, and I'm not sure that having her sister come out and dance with her did her any favors.

I liked all of the foxtrots, but Miles' seemed to miss/be off-balance in a couple of places.

Mandla will have a special memory to hold on to forever with his dance.

Akash had his best dance tonight, and I'm happy for him for that, but it was still time for him to go. 

[dmmetler]

Having Maddie come out just showed just how much of a pro Mackenzie is as well. Not a good look. I wish they’d sent her home and kept Akash-who isn’t a great dancer,  but at least belongs there.

[Ilovepie]

On 11/19/2018 at 8:56 AM, spanana said:

Also I LOVED Sky's dance.  It might be one of my favorite things I've seen on any DWTS in awhile. 

Me too - I kind of was with Adam - feeling weirdly emotional about it. Maybe it was the Katy Perry song? I don't know, but I just loved it and it was so sweet and uplifting. I agree with Mandy that Alan has been great with these kids.

47 minutes ago, dmmetler said:

Having Maddie come out just showed just how much of a pro Mackenzie is as well. Not a good look. I wish they’d sent her home and kept Akash-who isn’t a great dancer,  but at least belongs there.

This completely. I don't care that she's calling herself a "singer" - she has had loads of dance and she comes off more like the pros than one of the kids. I think she was miscast - she should have been cast for the regular show.

Overall, I have just really enjoyed this show way more than the adult version (especially this season). If it doesn't get renewed, I won't cry, but it has been a sweet little show this fall for me.

[galax9845]

I thought Sky’s dance was the best of the competition so far. Not really sure why there is so much dislike for her here, but oh well. There’s just something about her chemistry with JT that none of the other contestants have. Even if she isn’t the best technically, her showmanship and attitude is far above the rest.

Mackenzie absolutely is the best technical dancer, but I never get the same feeling from her dances for whatever reason.

[luvbadtv]

1 hour ago, galax9845 said:

I thought Sky’s dance was the best of the competition so far. Not really sure why there is so much dislike for her here, but oh well. There’s just something about her chemistry with JT that none of the other contestants have. Even if she isn’t the best technically, her showmanship and attitude is far above the rest.

I'm usually not a fan of the precocious child, but I love Sky.  Her dancing is great, and I'm digging her personality.

[allonsyalice]

I think Sky is absolutely wonderful! I think she's shown great improvement and is willing to learn and work on these dances every week. I think, this week especially, that you can just see she LOVES this and she LOVES doing this. And I'm never gonna complain about girls, especially ones as young as she is, telling other girls that they can do exactly whatever they set their mind to. I don't think she really has to be the best technically, but something she does do so well is emote. It's clear she's using every part of her body when she dances, face included, and thats hard for me as an adult to get. I always enjoy watching her and it's clear she's even just so grateful for the opportunity to be on this show. I think she, and many of the other jr's on this season are just wonderful.

I agree with having Maddie with Mackenzie. Mackenzie doesn't really belong, and I agree with the poster above that i don't get the same emotion from her. 

It was time for Akash to go, and I love how maturely he took his elimination. 

[catrice2]

Quote

 

Everybody's entitled to their own opinion. I don't dislike Skye I just like other competitors better and that is my choice.  I don't like hearing annoying speeches from boys or girls. Since I rarely watch the entire show apparently  I missed a few from Akash  but it's all about the delivery. In my opinion his in this episode was more authentic and believable . .just because she said them before doesn't mean she wasn't also coached then. Akash was  also clearly rehearsed. It's not a boy girl issue and I kind of resent someone projecting that on to me.

I personally wonder about the messages given to all kids instead of wondering about what one gender hears versus the other because quite frankly the messages that kids are getting these days in general is not a good one

 If she really means them and that's her platform good for her. I don't get all caught up in following people  and their careers to get invested in what they stand for. Part of my issue is that we were never raised to look to anybody else as  role models adult or child. being a role model just because they're an athlete or an entertainer or politician means nothing to me. I get no more inspired by somebody on TV spouting off their opinions  than I  do by  my neighbor up the street.  it never concerned me whether a teacher or anyone else thought a  boy (or another girl )was smarter prettier Etc than I was because my parents taught me the only thing that mattered was what I thought about myself. We didn't go around looking for hidden messages in everything to come back years later and blame somebody else for our liow self-esteem or why we did not reach our goals

 

Also find  it very misleading when people tell people they can be whatever they want to be because realistically that's just not true. some of us are just not designed to be certain things because of how our brains are wired,  bodies are built etc and let's face it everybody doesn't have the same opportunities as everybody else. After working with children for many many years that's one thing that I have to overcome is people who have been told their whole lives they can be whatever they want and then having to help them have a reality check so that they can be successful at what they can do and recognize where their real talent lies instead  of chasing an Impossible Dream. You can be encouraging without being unrealistic and you can have a different opinion than someone without being sexist

 

These are not regular kids leading regular lives. Yeah I think  they could have come up with something other than just the audience voting with those useless judges. Although after last night if America was involved iHoney Boo Boo probably would have won

[calipiano81]

The first few weeks, I wasn't sold on this show because a lot of the dances were not displaying enough content and/or technique and I was getting peeved at a lot of the pro mentors for not doing right by their kids. 

However, as the season has gone on, the dances have increased in substance and quality, and now I am really enjoying this junior edition. This is why I never had a problem (in fact, I welcome it) with the judges calling out lack of content in their critiques and reflecting it in their scores.

Ariana/Artyon and Sky/JT are still my favorite couples and both are just stinkin' adorable. I agree with everyone that Alan and Brandon have been the most impressive coaches.

I also want to give special props to JT for whatever ballroom training he undertook between his stint on SYTYCD: Next Generation and now. I am so impressed with how much he has improved and even looks like he has a command of the style.

Edited November 21, 2018 by calipiano81

[galax9845]

21 hours ago, allonsyalice said:

 

I think Sky is absolutely wonderful! I think she's shown great improvement and is willing to learn and work on these dances every week. I think, this week especially, that you can just see she LOVES this and she LOVES doing this

 

I think this might be one of those reasons I really love Sky. She is willing to put in the work no matter how hard it is and it’s finally paying off in a big way.

What makes this all the more impressive is I heard they all had to learn 2 dances each week. Some of the adults even have trouble with that! The 9 week season was actually more of a 5 week one.

I also think JT deserves more credit. Unlike some of the other Jr pros, I never see him trying to outdance Sky. He always play the support or encouragement role which is just plain amazing to see.

Edited November 21, 2018 by galax9845

[MMLEsq]

On 11/18/2018 at 10:12 PM, catrice2 said:

 Miles looks like his mom. He and Ariana are so cute I could just hug them to death. And I find Mandela to be quite the gentleman. It was great to see Stevie Wonder and if I'm not mistaken he was singing live. How rare is that?

We're a couple of weeks behind with the shows (which we DVR'd), so we just watched this one last night.  We all immediately thought that Stevie was lip-syncing.  It looked like he screwed up (the lip-syncing) at the very beginning, plus it sounded exactly like the radio version.  But, we could be wrong.

I'm pulling for Sky or Miles to win.  Ariana is a good dancer, but she can't not be front and center.  She's always trying to be the center of attention even when Frankie is trying to talk to one of the other couples.  I'm sure it's just excitement, but it's kind of annoying.  I like Mandela (interesting that it's spelled like Nelson Mandela, but seems to be pronounced completely differently), although I don't see him winning this.  I've been hoping that Mackenzie would leave since the very beginning since -- as noted by others above -- she's closer to being one of the kid pros.

Akash was very poised at his elimination, but I did smile a bit when he referred to himself and the "other celebrities."   

[marykat71702]

8 hours ago, MMLEsq said:

 I like Mandela (interesting that it's spelled like Nelson Mandela, but seems to be pronounced completely differently)

Just FYI, it's actually Mandla, not Mandela. :)