Any thoughts on the amazing, shrinking Kirstie Alley? She looks so much different from the dwts intro footage they shot a couple months ago.
Hard to imagine she was close to 300 lbs three years ago.
She’ll never be small like she was on Cheers. There has to be a lot of loose skin that will always be there. It’s nice seeing her looking more like her old self.
She may look good, but she’s risking her health if she’s eating that little with that kind of rehearsal schedule. That’s really alarming.
I don’t usually get to watch but saw a few minutes of it tonight so I dusted off my old ABC account and gave all my votes to Ralph.
Agree.
And agree.
I like Kirstie, but she’s at her physical limit – as is Ralph. As another geezer, I’m rooting for both of them, but would be okay with letting either of them go home and recover. Despite having voted for Ralph last night. 
Really don’t know who to root for at this point. I like everyone, though not equally (Romeo is less annoying than he was at the start of the season, but I haven’t really taken him to my heart), and don’t really dislike anyone, which is nice for this point in the season. Liking Hines.
And looooooooooooooooooved Chelsea telling Mark off last night. “I get why you’re being an asshole, but remember, I’m in this partnership too, and I’m getting dinged for your bad attitude.” Oh baby, tell it like it is.
When did lifts become legal outside of the freestyle? I missed a couple of seasons, but I remember Carrie Ann being a real bear about that and Maks lifted Kirstie like 3 times!
It depends on the style of dance. Some styles allow lifts, some don’t.
Argentine Tango and I think Salsa allow lifts.
Honestly, I deliberately didn’t vote for Ralph or Kirstie this week. I adore Ralph and think he’s doing a great job, but both of them are pushing themselves past the point of their own health. Ralph looks gaunt, and Kirstie’s starving herself, and they’re both falling a lot and not young. I just can’t encourage that, even though I’ll be sad to see either of them go >.<
Results show has aired on the East Coast.
[spoiler]I am a little surprised that it was Romeo. He was very gracious, though, and he really dropped the attitude as the season went on. Nice kid.
Two 50+ in the final four – how old is Hines?[/spoiler]
The answer to my question is “35.”
Feel free to guess what the question was if you’re skipping spoilers. 
So far, I’ve agreed with nearly all the eliminations and the order. I’m glad Romeo out lasted Kendra.
Ralph said his leg is getting better. Maybe he’ll be able to rehearse some this week and do well next week. If not then he’ll be gone next.
Romeo did great this season. I would have preferred seeing Kirstie go this week. At least Romeo went out with his best dance this season.Romeo seems very smart and multi-talented. I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually has a similar career as Will Smith.
Props to the Aussie singer that belted out Natural Woman with only one hours notice. I liked her duet with Michael Bolton too.
I was just thinking how remarkable it was that Kristi Alley made it this far. At the start of the show I would have wagered that she wouldn’t last the first month.
I finally get how important it is for stars to be likeable. It’s what’s kept her in it, IMHO.
I’ve gotta say, I’m annoyed. There was no reason Romeo should have gone home before Kirstie and Ralph. Sometimes I forget that the nature of this beast is largely a popularity contest. Romeo’s last dance ROCKED.
Yeah, but then they all pretty much rocked except for Ralph, whose injury garnered him a hefty sympathy vote, based on some of the posts in this thread. The problem here is that everyone left is arguably deserving of the win, or at least the finals.
Romeo has become a delightful kid, but he started out as a nasty bugger who clearly thought being cool was the be-all and end-all of his existence. People had to choose some reason to vote. Personally, I’m inclined to agree that Romeo was as of the most recent episode the second best dancer of the pack, with Chelsea the best, but I could argue plausibly for any of the five, and even possibly stretched it to include Kendra, who executed probably the most difficult choreography pretty competently. And while Romeo was great this week, his dance last week was pretty poor compared to the others. It’s been a remarkably even season. I thought from the first episode that Kirstie and Ralph had an excellent chance at the finals, and I still think so.
Me, I didn’t vote this week or last, because at this point, I’m content for anyone left to win. They’re all good.
I’ve been listening to Delta version of Natural Woman from last night. She really did a great job. She needs to add that song to her repertoire. I’d love to hear it with Delta playing the piano and singing just like Carole King performs it.
s
He has been pushing his film all this time. This has to be the main incentive to be on this television show. How many other outlets provide so much press??
The movie is out and he is capitalizing on it’s big showing at the boxoffice. He can be a force in motion pictures now. He doesn’t need this to take up his time.
Man, oh man, oh man. Looking over my earlier posts, I almost can’t believe that I made them. Other than the third season of The Amazing Race, I can’t remember a time my enthusiasm for a reality show plummeted faster. The music choices, the bizarre eliminations, the depressingly predictable scoring, the endless themes and skits and shows…sheesh, it almost looks like a Mad TV* parody at this point.
Oh well, I started this season, and by gum I’m going to finish it. In fact, I’m going all out…I’m making predictions on where the last four are going to finish, and I’m going to STAND BY THEM 100% right up to the point they inevitably blow up in my face.
Shame about Romeo, but at least he accomplished his stated goal and built some character in the process. Best of luck on his new career, definitely.
CHELSEA KANE
Pro: Fast learner, poised, cheerful, confident, in great shape.
Con: Partner is becoming more and more of an albatross, to the point of annoying the judges (very bad sign).
Deserves - 1st. I picked her as a favorite from the beginning, and nothing that’s happened since has changed this stance. She just looks great out there, and she should not be punished for Ballas’ sins…
My prediction - 4th. …which, of course, means she will. Plus there’s that whole kill-the-front-runner vibe that invariably surrounds these shows. Not as powerful here as on some shows, but it’ll be enough to deny her the final.
Where she’ll end up now that I’ve stupidly made a prediction - 3rd. She’ll get just enough support to foil my prediction, then, when the viewers realize she’s gone the distance and there’s nothing to lose by being petty, she’s toast.
RALPH MACCHIO
Pro: Agile, plenty of stamina and grit, great chemistry, and he’s an actor, which seems to account for 90% of every routine these days.
Con: Take a wild guess.
Deserves - 4th. He’s hurting. He should be gone already. It’s scandalous that these stars can’t simply bow out gracefully. Acknowledge the fun times and set him free, dammit.
My prediction - 1st. Between his boyish charm, all the sympathy votes (and he’s just going to get more and more), and how much the show is trumping him up, he’d need incriminating photos of Mark Bergeron to have a better chance at running the table.
Where he’ll end up now that I’ve stupidly made a prediction - 2nd. The X factor here is the judges. If their opinion doesn’t mean anything, which it doesn’t the large majority of the time, Macchio wins easily. If it means a lot, he doesn’t have a prayer. Roll the dice a hundred times and take the average, and it looks like they’re going to do just enough to deny him the mirror ball trophy.
HINES WARD
Pro: Fantastic attitude that’s never wavered, fit, healthy, as fresh today as at the very beginning, dependable fanbase.
Con: Still a bit stiff despite his efforts, hammy actor at best.
Deserves - 2nd. Would’ve been a solid 4th-6th in past seasons. He should be more than happy with the runner-up spot.
My prediction - 2nd. He’ll make it a lot closer than I’d like and give the eventual winner a scare but come up just short.
Where he’ll end up now that I’ve stupidly made a prediction - 4th. The ability to do cornball theater shouldn’t mean anything, which means that it’s going to make all the difference in the world. He’s going to be the odd man out, and legions of Packers fans will celebrate like this matters a millionth as much as winning the Super Bowl.
KIRSTIE ALLEY
Pro: Uh…she’s an actress. And she’s very inspirational. And…uh…uhhhh…nice personality?
Con: Overweight (it’s improved, but not tremendously), limited physical skills, looks like she ran a 10K after every damn routine.
Deserves - 3rd. Should’ve been 6th, but as it stands now the important thing is showing Macchio some mercy. Then she can crash and burn in the final, much like Bristol Palin. Man, that is one contestant you do not want to keep reminding people of…
My prediction - 3rd. That actually sounds about right (and a reasonable compromise for the typical DWTS viewer), so I’m going with it.
Where she’ll end up now that I’ve stupidly made a prediction - 1st. Every season there’s at least one thing that goes completely against my sensibilities, one outcome that utterly, savagely screws me over and keeps on screwing and screwing and screwing until it strikes oil. This is where it happens. I can feel it. I’m dreading it. I’m loathing it. It’s going to happen. It’s ridiculous. It’s unfathomable. It’s going to happen. It’s going to create shockwaves. It’s going to make the Kelly Monaco flap look like a hissy fit. It’s going to happen.
Still waiting for that first 30. Saving it for the final, perhaps?
Great post.
You forgot Kirstie’s #1 “pro” though – her pro. She and Maks have fabulous chemistry together – the best he’s ever had with a partner.
Ralph looked much better last night on George’s show. He didn’t have that strained, teeth gritting look like he did Monday. Ralph even did a few moves with Charo. Maybe he’s past the worst of it.
I’ll give someone I like a one-week pass to get past a particular injury, but at this point, if Ralph’s still struggling physically, I’ll vote for someone who dances well and let Ralph go home.