Dancing with the Stars Fall 2011

[Saint_Cad]

@aceplace57

I feel so bad for Hope. She takes her only couple months off from Soccer to represent the sport on dwts. She gets an egotistical a-hole bullying her. Just not right. I admire her for sucking it up and staying silent. It’s not worth the bad press to say anything.

I guess you don’t follow her on Twitter then.

[QUOTE=aceplace57]
Wow, Bruno and Carrie Ann gave Hope the same score as Rob for her jive? It was head and shoulders better than Rob’s. Len was right with the 9. That’s the most raw energy I’ve seen in a jive all season. Hope is a powerhouse. She had no problem keeping up with Maks tonight.
[/QUOTE]

With the pants and the steps, the only thing I could think of about Hope’s jive was it looked like the goat dance from the movie Dragnet. 1:00 minute mark

[aceplace57]

Louis’ blog on last nights dances.

Louis Van Amstel’s ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Dish: Week 8

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff’s Waltz. The best dance of the night and I’ll tell you why. That waltz had all the choreographic ingredients of a professional couple, and J.R. not only danced it flawlessly, he enjoyed himself throughout the entire dance. What made this dance worthy of three “10’s” is J.R.’s partnering skill. He was there for Karina 100 percent, and more. To top it off, J.R. also paid attention to his footwork. Their scores are totally deserved!

[amarinth]

@twickster

Unusual lack of commentary for a Tuesday morning…

Well, based on just last night, Nancy should go home. But I still don’t want Hope anywhere near the finals.

Rob: Many, many things can be and have been said about the Kardashian sisters, but they do show up for their brother. And that’s pretty cool of them. As for the dancing, the first 16 counts were just weird, but after that, the dance looked pretty good. The instant jive didn’t really work (also horrible music)

Hope: What is she wearing? And does the costume team hate her almost as much as I do? That said, she was much better this week. She’s still not a good dancer, but the quickstep kind of worked for her and her jive might have been her best dance. Her lines aren’t good, but she was able to channel the energy in the right direction.

Ricki: I really like the choreography - among other things, Derek seems to know where the cameras and lights are. Ricki looks good waltzing and looks really fluid. In her jive, I really noticed Derek dancing around her a lot.

Nancy: Oh dear. My exposure to Nancy is this and “The Soup” I vaguely knew who she was, though she has a horrible reputation, I’ve never seen her show (except for clips on “The Soup”). Still, she comes across as kind of likable to me. A lot of her comments seem kind of this weird mix of insecure and trying to be funny with really bad delivery. Still, at the end of it all, her tango was awful and her jive was worse.

JR: I really hate this song. I also didn’t like the waltz and maybe those two things are connected. It was better than most of the dances tonight. But it didn’t look flowy to me. When I look at Ricki’s waltz, there were time where their arms both looked floaty. JR’s always looked flat to me, which works in some dances, but seemed out of place in this one. I don’t know that I would have given that particular dance the first 30 of the year. Their jive was excellent.

[aceplace57]

It’s easy to forget the physical damage dancing takes on the pros. Last weekend one of Strictly Come Dancing’s pros got a spinal fracture in rehearsal. He danced in pain Sat. The MRI revealed the fracture yesterday. This wasn’t a fall, just twist his body around.

They are saying he might be out for the season. Might??? :eek: I find it incredible there’s any doubt. Why in the heck doesn’t the show tell him he’s done?

The pain tolerance for dancers is just nuts. They just refuse to quit even when badly hurt.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hYYtTgX-xk-pCdcpVKAkcoHsRgfw?docId=N0523651320743239529A

But the injury was initially diagnosed as a strained muscle and it was not until yesterday that medical results revealed the condition - a transverse process fracture of the lumbar spine.

[twickster]

The results show has aired on the East Coast.

Yay. I’m so glad Nancy didn’t make it to the semi-finals. No one who is that big of a bitch and so awful to her pro deserves to. I’m really glad Tristan did so well, and definitely hope he’s back next season.

I love “Dance Center.” The line to Derek about “You’re just like Mark but not as creepy” made me laugh and laugh.

Also liked the bit where all three of them made Tristan say “third.” Silly, silly fun.

[El_Kabong]

If only that…person had been eliminated about Week 4 or so.

Well, this season seems to be coming down to a more or less foregone conclusion. Much as I like Ricki, unless one of JR’s legs fall off or something, I’ve got to think he’s a lock. The other two? Just not at the same level, sorry to say.

[aceplace57]

How in blazes can a soccer player keep beating all these people? A soccer style for cripes sake? She can’t dance to save her life. This is the USA right? The land of football, baseball and apple pie? A soccer player???

Then we got a Kardashian brother that know one even knew existed until two months ago.

Dang… This is screwed up. I’m not just talking about the person eliminated tonight. Several bigger stars have gone home this season while the soccer player and unknown brother continued on. I could understand it if they could dance worth a crap.

Not sure there’s much reason to keep watching. We all know who should win. If J.R. doesn’t win there may be riots in the streets. just kidding. But, he absolutely should have this thing won.

[DKW]

Tangent - Survivor has undergone massive, wholesale changes in an effort to stay entertaining and not get predictable. The Amazing Race rolls out a new set of rules seemingly every season. Heck, even American Idol has mixed things up with alternate elimination formats, saves, and late-game prizes. Furthermore, these are still, at heart, fun contests…chancy as hell, loaded, corny, but still good entertainment if you’re in the right mindset.

This season, I am hearing about judges who are wildly inconsistent and have long since stopped giving sound advice (not that it makes the incessant booing easier to take). I am hearing about the bottom-heaviness of the lineup and how it’s caused several stars to hang on way too long. I am hearing about ludicrous music choices and how it’s badly hampering the choreography (samba to Ghostbusters…yeesh!). I am hearing about actual dancing ability meaning next to nothing and fanbases being the sole determiner of survivability. I am hearing about theme after theme after theme, and how it’s made this more slapstick than ballroom (again, samba to Ghostbusters?). I am hearing about crassly scripted outcomes from week to week reflected in anything from the scoring ranges to the spin placed on the videos. Moreover, I’m actually seeing and hearing all of this. If the producers can honestly look at all this and find nothing at all that needs to be changed, well, that’s just depressing.

You may be right. I hope like hell that you aren’t. That’s all.

(Oh, uh, most of it’s coming from Television Without Pity. If you’d like to recommend some other sites for balance, go ahead.)

aceplace57 - Remember, the only requirement is not to be the absolute worst. Or for this show, not the absolute least supported that week. And you can never predict how the voters will go. That week. ONE lackluster night sunk Chynna Philips; had she been just a hint better that one dance, she might’ve finished fourth. By a different token, Chaz Bono got a massive push from the LGBT community and its supporters, especially in light of the flack he took, and then a second one from Cher. Had he not been so completely inept, he almost certainly would be still around.

It’s luck and chance and twists and quirks and flukes, and it’s never fair, and all you can hope for is that the right person wins.

(Can’t explain Kardashian. He’s gone from sideshow to forgettable mediocrity to a bonafide dark horse. Don’t be surprised at all if he makes the top two.)

[Oy]

I’m not nearly as anti-Hope as some here. It seems to me that over the past two weeks, Hope suddenly learned how to sell it to the audience, which was the biggest thing she was lacking before. I have to wonder if, had Maks been a supportive rather than bullying teacher from the start, Hope might not have been like Ricki and J.R., a lock for the final from the early weeks on. Maks finally got the picture when his nose was rubbed in it by having Hope excel under the supervision of another teacher, but it may be too late to make Hope into the dancer she might have been.

I know that Ricki didn’t waltz quite as well as J.R., but damn, her and Derek’s waltz was to my untrained eyes far more beautiful that J.R.'s. If they had separate scores for technical and artistic merit, the way they do with competetive ice skating, Ricki and Derek should have won the artistic merit. This is partly to do with the music they had, and partly to do with the choreography. Derek is a smart choreographer who knows how to play up his partner’s strengths and distract from his partner’s weaknesses. Karina had the luxury of not really having any weaknesses to work around, and so was able to choreograph a pure, no-frills dance.

J.R. utterly lucked out in getting Tutti Fruitti as his instant jive. It is about as good music for a jive as you can get, and wise Karina’s modular dance just dropped into place as if it had been choregraphed to the music from the start. DOn’t get me wrong. J.R. was utterly fantastic and he earned every ten he got. I’m just saying that he really had good luck when it came to the music.

[QUOTE=DKW]
This season, I am hearing about judges who are wildly inconsistent and have long since stopped giving sound advice (not that it makes the incessant booing easier to take). I am hearing about the bottom-heaviness of the lineup and how it’s caused several stars to hang on way too long. I am hearing about ludicrous music choices and how it’s badly hampering the choreography (samba to Ghostbusters…yeesh!). I am hearing about actual dancing ability meaning next to nothing and fanbases being the sole determiner of survivability. I am hearing about theme after theme after theme, and how it’s made this more slapstick than ballroom (again, samba to Ghostbusters?). I am hearing about crassly scripted outcomes from week to week reflected in anything from the scoring ranges to the spin placed on the videos. Moreover, I’m actually seeing and hearing all of this. If the producers can honestly look at all this and find nothing at all that needs to be changed, well, that’s just depressing.
[/QUOTE]

With the exception of “bottom heavy,” every single criticism you’ve mentioned here comes up just about every season. And the seasons that didn’t have ‘bottom heavy’ had ‘ringers’ throw at them. We most of us swear every season that we’re done, and that we’ll just not watch any more seasons. And yet, mostly the same people show up in this thread every season, and I certainly remember you, DKW, from earlier seasons. Let’s face it; this stupid show is like crack.

[Hilarity_N.Suze]

I think Maks probably thought that, as an athlete, Hope would respond to that bullying style, a la some kind of tough love thing, but he should have changed the tactic somewhere along the line. Still, they’ve gotten pretty far. Seems to me that Maks almost always manages to push his celeb pretty far.

Also, I think Ricki got robbed on the jive. If JR earned 10s, and I’m not disputing that he did, she deserved 9s (for the waltz, too). It was like the judges had a cap on her scores for the week and then had to justify it (“You dropped your shoulder once”). r

[Oy]

The judges were weird this week. They screwed up by giving the first dance out, the quickstep by one of the weaker contestants, trip 9s. Then they were stuck. The only place they had to go from there for the better dancers was 10, and they really do try to hold back on the tens. Next week, I’m willing to bet, either the lineup will start with J.R. or Ricki, or they will give the first performance 8s unless they freaking walk on water during the dance, and even then, Len will penalize the dancer for having damp shoes at the end.

[aceplace57]

There’s concerns we may have any incident next week where TPTB rig the results. Last season they had that dance off and gave 15 points to Chelsea Kane. Making any fan votes useless. Chelsea was given a gold pass to the finals.

Next week there’s a Cha Cha Relay between the four couples. No word yet if they will rig the finals with another 15 point bonus.

I sure hope they don’t. Stuff like that will quickly destroy this shows ratings. They’ve been way down anyway this season.

I’ve heard all 4 couples do the Argentine Tango plus an unlearned Latin dance. 3 total next week.

[Hilarity_N.Suze]

I think in this particular competition there is a very real benefit in going last. I’ve seen it before.

I just remembered, in the only thing I ever judged (which was karate forms), we did no scores for the first 3 contestants, then scored the 1st three all at once, and then did the rest as they performed. I think to avoid this very thing.

[twickster]

They (producers) obviously plan the show after they’ve seen everyone’s number – usually a very good but not the best couple goes first, then a bunch of semi crappy people, then the best two in the last two positions. They don’t necessarily score well because they go last, they go last because they’re expected to score well.

[Long_Time_First_Time]

@Oy

With the exception of “bottom heavy,” every single criticism you’ve mentioned here comes up just about every season. And the seasons that didn’t have ‘bottom heavy’ had ‘ringers’ throw at them. We most of us swear every season that we’re done, and that we’ll just not watch any more seasons. And yet, mostly the same people show up in this thread every season, and I certainly remember you, DKW, from earlier seasons. Let’s face it; this stupid show is like crack.

Agree 100% - the producers have found a formula that works and they’re sticking with it. All it does it get the top ratings year after year. There are no end to semi-celebrities of every stripe (political, show business, sports) who would kill to get on the show. The mix of personalities makes the show fresh even though the format doesn’t change. Compare that to shows like Survivor or the Great Race, where the contestants are extremely similar year to year, so they need to spice things up other ways.

The criticism of the show reminds me of that old joke:
“Don’t eat at this new restaurant - the food is either bland or too salty, the coffee tastes like hot soy sauce and the service was terrible.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes, the portions were way too small.”

[Andiethewestie]

@twickster

They (producers) obviously plan the show after they’ve seen everyone’s number – usually a very good but not the best couple goes first, then a bunch of semi crappy people, then the best two in the last two positions. They don’t necessarily score well because they go last, they go last because they’re expected to score well.

Something like that. It’s actually a little more sophisticated. This show watches the ratings on a quarter hourly basis. The dancers who bring in decent ratings, or expected to bring in the ratings will be situated at the top of the hour and at the half hour to compete against the other television shows starting at those times. The penultimate and the final dancer are usually ones that are interesting, but not always necessarily great dancers, they are the ratings catchers. So Pam Anderson went last, Chaz Bono went last, etc… on the first night.

[Andiethewestie]

The Cha Cha Cha will not be given the traditional judges scores, but the best will be given 10 points to add to their score, the second 8, the third 6 and the fourth will be given 4 points.

[Andiethewestie]

@Hilarity_N.Suze

I think Maks probably thought that, as an athlete, Hope would respond to that bullying style, a la some kind of tough love thing, but he should have changed the tactic somewhere along the line. Still, they’ve gotten pretty far. Seems to me that Maks almost always manages to push his celeb pretty far.

Also, I think Ricki got robbed on the jive. If JR earned 10s, and I’m not disputing that he did, she deserved 9s (for the waltz, too). It was like the judges had a cap on her scores for the week and then had to justify it (“You dropped your shoulder once”). r

For Me, Maks has always pushed the envelope in terms of bullying. Some have been able to take it, but others get pretty fed up with him. In season 5 Maks had spoke out about another celebrity, and season 6 he basically warmed the bench. Season 9 Debi Mazur blogged about an incident in which Maks was inches from her face screaming obscenities, and she broke down. She said it was far worse than what the public saw. Then you get the bickering with Erin Andrews and then the public falling out after the show ended. And then the slapping of Brandy’s butt that Len admonished him on, even though Brandy was “okay” with it. Now you get the situation where Hope almost quit because of his shoving. She said so on the Ryan Seacrest show. So… I just don’t think Maks, however hot and handsome, is hot enough. I would not want him as a teacher. Besides, he has been to the show four times and has never won. That’s a record. He also choreographs crappy freestyles, so as much as Rob and Cheryl aren’t that impressive, I would rather see them in the finals.

[amarinth]

@Andiethewestie

The Cha Cha Cha will not be given the traditional judges scores, but the best will be given 10 points to add to their score, the second 8, the third 6 and the fourth will be given 4 points.

Much better than last year’s bizarre dance off to make sure that Chelsea made it to the finals.

Unlike some other reality shows, I don’t remember having thought “That’s it. i’m not watching this show ever again.” even when I have howled at some of the producer shenanigans and bizarro judging. (I’m not sure I haven’t, I just don’t remember it.) The formula works for me. I have fun watching the show. And even when I think that a celebrity was robbed of the mirror ball trophy, it’s still just a mirror ball.

[El_Kabong]

Hmm, just a few random comments.

The selection of dances really seemed to suit Rob tonight, for whatever reason. By far his best stuff yet. I still rate Ricki at the top, although her Argentine Tango seemed a bit stiff. Well, guess it had to be, with all the bits where she was suspended by Derek at a 45-degree angle.

I think I said something about JR being a lock unless his leg fell off. Oops. He clearly was having some trouble with his ankle, and he looked so morose after his second dance that I felt terrible for him.

Looks like Hope is odd one out for the finals, and I’ll blame Maks for that. I think I’m just about fed up with that guy.