Yeah, they’d gotten their money’s worth out of him.
Okay, Bristol next, then … Florence or Kurt?
If the so-called “In Jeopardy” stars were really the bottom three, then Kurt goes down before Florence, I think. But the show has never defined “In Jeopardy” beyond “We’re not going to tell you right now.” For all we know, Bristol could have had the top combined score, not the second lowest.
Either way, I think we all agree that ultimately we end up with Rick, Brandy, Audrina, Kyle, and Jennifer, with an excellent chance that all three finalists will be women. That would be a first, in my experience (I didn’t watch the first two seasons). This show is usually much harder on its female contestants than its male contestants.
My guess would be Florence next, rather than Bristol. This is about the point when the novelty senior gets booted, even if s/he’s trying.
I’m puzzled by karina smiirmoff’s choices for this weeks dance. The complicated lifts pretty much made musicality & rhythm impossible. Especially for a complete amateur partner. Mike’s full focus was doing the lifts and not dropping her. The first one looked more like he was pumping a barbell than a dance move. I’m thankful Karina didn’t get hurt.
I could relate to Kurt’s dilemma with Anna. She’s so fit and gorgeous. You want to be a gentleman but another part of you wants to pop up and say hi. 
I don’t know how those guys manage the problem. I guess you focus really intensely on the music. 
I think she was trying to make lemon-aid out of lemons. He can’t dance a lick, so why not try to make it about his one positive trait- his muscles.
For “TV Theme week” next week, they are trying to clear The Brady Bunch theme for Florence. For Argentine Tango. Ew. (If they can’t get copyright clearance, she will dance to the theme from The Adams Family.)
Sadly, if it does clear I’m pretty sure that will be the least objectionable thing about the tango Corky choreographs.
Joey Lawrence and Edina did a tango to the Addams Family theme Season Three. It was yet another example of tangoing well to completely inappropriate music. Then there was the absurd Star Wars tango (Joey Fatone, season 4?) and the TV NFL theme as Paso Doble done by one of the many football stars we’ve had (they tend to blend in together after a while)
I know there are only a dozen, maybe two dozen really appropriate tangos, and maybe half a dozen (if that) really appropriate pasos out there. But honestly, I’d rather hear the same songs over and over and get dancers who can dance to the music than to see them trying to fight inappropriate music while doing a difficult dance.
Who knows? The Addams Family theme is fairly comical and not in the least suggestive. Maybe Corky can do something funny without being distasteful this week.
Seems darned unlikely, though.
Yeah, I’m afraid you’re right, twick.
Does anyone know if he was like this when he was a pro? Or is this a misguided way of trying to appeal to a broad American audience and failing miserably.
Well, here he is on Wiki. He seems to have been a legitimate champion Latin dancer, the son and father of world-class dancers.
It looks like they brought him out of retirement to partner Cloris Leachman, who was so awful that he apparently thought camp was the only way to get through it. I think that’s a mistake with Florence, who is nowhere near that bad.
Corky has always been a character, but he is also one of the top-ranked Latin dancers America has ever produced. He certainly did not indulge in these antics on the competition floor. Here’s a video of him competing in 1992.
Power rankings!
1. Jennifer Gray: The queen of the hill until someone proves otherwise. Don’t read too much into her physical issues; this just means that she’s aware of her limitations and can put out great performances regardless. In most shows, I’d be concerned about a contestant who tries to be the best every week, but she’s such a consummate professional that it’s only going to improve her chances. She has all the tools, she’s focused, and she’s not going to beat herself. She will be in the final, and it’s going to take the performances of a lifetime to take her down.
2. Brandy: Finally got all the crap out of her system and concentrating on looking beautiful and graceful out there. I don’t see any bullying problems with Maks (and if it ever became an issue, you can bet the network would straighten him out in a hurry). She actually seems to be following the classic reality TV winning strategy. Start off with a decent showing, get the feel for the mechanics, win over the fans, gradually improve and become more confident, steadily raise the bar as weeks pass, and pull out a blockbuster in the final. If anyone’s going to stop the Gray Express, it’s her.
3. Audrina Partridge: Looking good. Really good. She just has the right body and the right attitude. Homesickness issues appear to have been overplayed (gee, what a surprise), and she’s dancing like she intends to be in the final. A solid contender.
And then a Grand Canyon-sized gap before we get to…
4. Kurt Warner: Truth be told, I can’t see what’s holding him back. He’s fit, he understands the concepts, and there’s good chemistry between him and the pro. I honestly think that ballroom dancing is just too complicated for him. By far the best of the men and a possible dark horse, but I don’t see him winning this in a million years. He should consider making the final a triumph.
5. Rick Fox: I put him a cut above Massey because at least he’s strong 'n fierce and can do the big physical elements. The further he gets away from big phsyical elements, however, the more he suffers. And that foot isn’t getting any better.
6. Kyle Massey: The best that can be said for him is that he hasn’t been an embarrassment. There just isn’t that much that his bulky, overweight body can pull off with any skill. He also completely forgot the end of his latest routine, hinting that mental issues are starting to creep up as well.
7. Florence Henderson: Man. I’ve seen dreadful routines, I’ve seen hideously bungled routines, I’ve seen ridiculous routines, but that was the first one I had to look away from. It was that painful. If this keeps up, the voters are going to put her out of her misery.
8. Bristol Palin: The more I watch her, the further she sinks. She can’t do anything! I swear, John Ratzenberger showed five times as much energy as I’ve ever seen from her.
If I may get on my soapbox again? Okay, as you all know by now, I’m about the most ferocious critic of the last-man-standing format used by nearly every reality TV show for a variety of reasons. I’ve grudgingly come to accept that this isn’t going to change. However that does not mean that the producers shouldn’t at least try to make it work. And what makes it work, really work, is having a range of contestants from good to bad. A nice, even progression from the favorites to the cannon fodder (can make it a little middle-heavy, but that’s it).
See, what LMS is supposed to be is a constant weeding-out process. The worst player goes out, then the next worst, then the next worst, and so on until only the winner remains. If you barely survived this week, chances are you’ll go the next. If you’re near the top, you’ll be one of the last to go. We get to see where everyone stands, how they truly add up, and the worse they are, the less we have to see them.
What we have here, instead, is three favorites and a vast gulf of no-hope weaksauce. With only ONE being sent off each week, that means that the surviving no-hopes are going to stick around a lot longer than they should. Take another look at how much thin gruel we have left. One of them is guaranteed to last FIVE more weeks. In all, there are probably going to be some truly awful performances int he near future. Meanwhile, the battle at the top is going to be pretty much a pointless cat-'n-mouse chase until the final, with the scores and votes not realistically affecting any of their chances.
I’m going to see a live taping of Battle of the Blades this weekend. It’ll be interesting to see what it’s like. I’m not actually a huge fan of the show, I don’t watch it religiously like I do DwtS, but I figure it’ll be fun, and tickets were only $12.
Let me know what you think. So far, I really like Val & Katya (but then, I remember her skating from years ago. She & her husband were amazing). If nothing else, the show makes me appreciate Bruno, Len, and Carrie Ann, who will at least admit that someone isn’t the best dancer. These judges gush over everything and never hand out anything less than a 5.8. But the skating is fun to watch.
It was pretty entertaining to see the show live. Sandra Bezic, the main judge, did hand out some suggestions for improvement to just about everyone this week, so that was good. Jeremy Roenick is kind of a tool, though, and he told a ridiculously stupid joke before taping started for no readily apparent reason.
I actually kind of want to watch the show and see how the audience reaction comes across on TV. They had all kinds of PAs working to keep people cheering at appropriate moments, but there were also some pretty clear differences in the audience reactions to the various couples.
Just voted for the first time this season, and I cast all 8 of my votes for … Kyle and Lacey. :eek:
I thought it was a *lot *of fun, and given that two of the three judges hated it, I figured they needed my votes.
I was disappointed at how boring Audrina and Tony were. Rumba the dance of love? If that’s how stiff Audrina is in bed then I’ll pass. I’d be suspicious she was sleeping while I did the deed. 
I’m baffled how such a beautiful girl can be so lifeless and boring. I thought they were way over scored.
As usual Kurt and Anna were underscored. I thought they were the best couple tonight. Rick Fox/Cheryl, Jennifer/Derek, were tied three ways with Brandy and Maks by my scores. My votes will be spread between Kurt, Rick, and Florence.
What’s up with Florence dancing the Brady Bunch and Brandy not dancing Moesha’s song? Neither song is Ballroom. But, fair is fair.Clearances shouldn’t be a problem for a Brandy song. I’ve notice they always call Florence, Mrs Brady. They never call Brandy, Moesha.
I’m ready to see Kyle gone. A young, black aspiring comedian doesn’t know Richard Pryor? The most influential comic in the past 50 years? Dude must be totally clueless. He should be studying the man’s work and taking notes. I’ve never seen a comedian with timing like Richard Pryor.
I sort of liked the Monkey Dance. I think she’ll improve if she comes back next week. Bristol is starting to relax and actually perform.