Dancing with the Stars, Spring 2010

Cafe Society
161

I agree with Hilarity, not only because Nicole is so obviously a pro, but because this show doesn’t like women who are just beautiful, and in fact seems to go for the lesser beauties with obviously flaws, such as being a bit overweight. A number of times, a model or beauty queen has been booted within the first two or three weeks even though there were obviously worse dancers on the floor. On the other hand, the lovely and not-so-talented Brooke Burke managed to win, and Joanna Krupa was a semi-finalist. But note that it was Kelly Osborne rather than Joanna who went to the finals last season, even though Joanna scored higher with the judges every week they competed.

Insofar as they’re known at all, the Pussycat Dolls are known not only for dancing, but for sexy dancing that will appeal to men. I mean, they announce that in their name. So Nicole is not only a pro dancer, but a professional sexy dancer. The audience has made it clear this season that they’re not really in to overtly sexy women, because Pamela has been in the bottom two twice even though she’s always been in the upper half of the leaderboard. Thus far, Nicole has not strutted her sexy stuff, and that may be what saves her. The first time Pamela landed in the bottom two, I was willing to bet that Nicole’d be out mid-season despite her mad skills. But she has been so discreet and demure on the show that she seems to have avoided that backlash. On the other hand, she’s shown very little personality at all, which also won’t win her any friends. Derek has to supply the personality for both of them, and he’s got plenty to spare, but I have no idea if it will be enough.

162

I think Joanna was great, but I think the thing that pushed Kelly Osborne to the finals was her obvious love of what she was doing - the fact that she would get so excited when she did well, when she overcame her obvious stage fright and or her tendency to not be athletic and just shine - that put her in the finals. I was cheering so hard for Kelly to make finals - though I never thought she deserved to win - that I was sorry for Joana but realized she needed to go.

I know that Donny Osmond was not as skilled as Mya last season - but I loved his enthusiasm too. Donny & Kelly were my favorites by far last season.

I don’t feel that connection with Nicole or Evan right now. I might be starting to feel that for Jake - but I don’t like Chelsie enough to cheer them both on. So I’m really starting to get torn about the whole thing.

163

Yeah, I agree with melody – it’s not so much a sexiness issue as an enthusiasm issue. That’s definitely what’s lacking here this season: We’ve got two accomplished dancers/movers in Nicole and Evan, but no one (other than Jake, who I don’t hate as much as Oy! does) who is just having way too much fun. That’s what Kelly brought to the show, and that’s what Ty brought the previous season. It looked like the Hobbit had it, and he went home when his enthusiasm waned. That’s who gets me off my ass to vote: someone who’s really enjoying the hell out of the experience. I’m not sure it’s the expertise or the sexiness as much as the matter-of-fact attitude that does in the ringers.

ETA: There’s no way in hell they’d ever release the info – but I’d be very curious to see what the voting figures are like this season – not who’s getting voted for more, just overall number of votes. Betcha a nickel they’re way down.

164

I think Shannon actually would have been the person I would have connected with. She would have worked on being terrified and found her footing and her footwork and had a lot of fun with it. But she got yanked so early.

165

There are some dances that I still google - like the one of Cheryl Burke & Emmitt Smith. Because they were so obviously having fun! (You can feel it all over. . . you can feel it all over baby)

Even Melissa Joan Hart did that one dance that was cute - even though I would not have called her a good dancer per se.

We need to stay away from the reality star drama and get some other actors back.

166

You’re all right; contestant attitude does make a huge difference, and part of what is making this such a lame season may be that neither of the ringers seem to be particularly into it. They’re both working hard, but they’re just not demonstrative personalities.

I don’t hate Jake, I just scorn him for his origins. He is a likable enough fellow, but being a contestant on The Bachelor, and then to have that qualify him as a celebrity?

I admit, the whole concept of The Bachelor just skeeves me out. I don’t know which annoys me more, the Bachelor(ette), or the bevy of beauties/beaus who line up to compete for his or her favor. Melissa Rycroft got a pass from me because she came in with two days’ notice, and because she was an exceptionally good dancer with a delightful attitude. But while Jake is enthusiastic, I can’t get past the idea that he’s just milking his fifteen minutes into half an hour if he can get it. And Chelsea doesn’t help him; she’s a very good dancer and seems to be a nice kid, but she doesn’t know how to choreograph to bring out the best in her partner.

167

Oy!, it may end our mutual admiration society when I admit this – but I sometimes watch The Bachelor/ette. Not every season, and obviously with some level of bemusement and irony, but I’ve watched more than one season. I did in fact watch Jake’s season, and think he’s kind of a tool, so I’m not rooting for him because of his roots (unlike Melissa, who got dumped very publicly and very painfully on national TV after being picked as “the one” – in a season I’d also watched – and thus started out with some positive feeling from me). Why I’m rooting for him, and have voted for him a bunch of times, is that he really seems to be enjoying himself. Unlike Kate, for whom the self-promotion/going for another 15 minutes thing seems done out of desperation or lack of alternatives, he is having fun with his momentary fame, and has a hey, what the hell, why not? kind of attitude. In such a lackluster season, he’s what we’re left with for someone we can root for as an everyperson contestant.

168

Twickster, you’d have to admit to worse than that to lose my admiration. After all, I watch this really stupid reality show called Dancing with the Stars…

169

Dance 10, costumes 3.

170

I understand that the judges judge based on their expectations wrt each dancer, but they pretend they don’t (sometimes, anyway).

I thought Evan’s samba was gorgeous, and I, while by no means an expert, would certainly have recognized it as a samba, so it must have had some samba moves right. His pro Anna certainly thought so, or she wouldn’t have choreographed it as she did. So why did all three judges grade it so low, on a par with Jake’s and Niecy’s, and lower than Chad and Pamela? It makes no sense.

Pamela looked fabulous as a brunette, but her dancing was not up to her usual standard this week, I thought. It wasn’t bad, but she was a bit tentative, even awkward in a few places - unusual for her. I wonder if she’s not getting a bit worn down by being in the bottom two no matter how well she scores.

Erin’s Samba looked quite good, but Maks’ on-going striptease didn’t add anything, and frankly, his body is just not that hot, at least to me.

I found Carrie Ann puzzling; after telling Nicole that the only flaw whatsoever she could find in her samba was her facial expressions, she gave her a nine. Is she knocking off for facial expressions now?

Chad’s tango was, to me, underwhelming, although Cheryl danced beautifully.

It was Niecy’s second best dance (after her foxtrot), but I think she’s about reached her max level of achievement. It’s time for her, Jake, and Chad to go, leaving Erin, Pam, Nicole and Evan for the semi-finals. Not that I think it will work out that way; the voters don’t like Pamela, so I’m guessing she’ll be out this week or next.

ETA: This is the second season in a row that Derek has won the dance marathon.

171

The thing that most struck me about Niecy is that at the end, when they had ‘a few extra seconds’, and everyone was standing around, she was kind of dancing on the spot. She’s clearly not faking the fact that she’s enjoying things.

172

Anyone else see desperation starting to set in for the judges? It’s no secret that they have very little control over putting who they want through (much less getting anyone at all eliminated), but now it seems like all they ever do is slog through gambits and misdirections and decoys. Note especially that little good cop-bad cop bit Len pulled for Evan’s dance. He’s not stupid; no way in hell could he possibly believe that little nitpicky detail made any kind of difference. It’s like mocking the Incredible Hulk for not following through on a punch. I tell ya, if this doesn’t result in a serious retooling of the whole scoring system, it should.

And the host is becoming more annoying by the week. “Wow, there sure are lots of sevens, hyuk hyuk hyuk.” Tool.

No telling who it’s going to be. Evan and Nicole looked great, as always, and the judges seem to be trying to ensure that the votes keep coming in. Nicole said she wants to stay on top, normally a troubling sign, but she’s been so smooth and effortless all throughout that I don’t see this hurting her. Now that Kate is out, Niecy is easily the most annoying contestant remaining. That lift was amazing, but will it be enough to keep her alive? When she puts a simulated kick to the groin in the routine, you know she’s running on fumes. The other one on the hot seat is Pamela, and Chad has an outside chance. (He’s plenty popular, but he doesn’t have the rabid, take-a-bullet-and-three-blitzing-linebackers fanbase of a Brett Favre or a Jerry Rice). Jake will go down hard, but not this week.

173

[spoiler]Jake is out.

Dammit, dammit, dammit. I would’ve been perfectly fine with ANYONE else. Heck, I thought Chad was by far the most lackluster.

Who the hell is carrying Niecy week after week? There’s a limit to how much mileage you can get out of “novelty underdog”. Or at least there should be. I’m starting to get seriously afraid she might make the final.

Anyone. Anyone! Heck, bump Nicole and get it the hell over with!

I hate this show.

(Before you say anything, my mother watches it, so I have to.[/spoiler]

174

[spoiler]What’s carrying Niecy is that she’s an outgoing, funny personality and an overweight body. The audience for this show likes that, although obviously she’s not all that well liked, since she was in the bottom two this week.

I’m perfectly happy to see Jake go this week, and would have been almost as happy to see Niecy go. I was afraid Pamela was going down, so I was relieved that those two were at the bottom, as they are/were the worst two dancers remaining. I wouldn’t have been sad to see Chad in the bottom two either; He rubs me the wrong way, and I find his dancing very mediocre at best.[/spoiler]

ETA: So who do we pick as the four semi-finalists at this point? Obviously Nicole and Evan, but who else?

175

Nicole, Evan, Pam and Erin. Or Niecy if Erin fails to show any personality.

Chad is only still here by virtue of the fact that Cheryl is the master of choreographing routines in which the guy mainly just stands there doing nothing while not having it look like the guy is just standing there doing nothing. There’s less celebrity dancing in an entire season of Cheryl choreographed routines than in 2 bars of a routine Derek puts together.

176

I’ll begrudgingly admit that I watched The Bachelor this season. By the end, I found Jake to be extremely unlikeable, and his betrothed, Vienna even less likeable. I have a feeling I’m not alone. While I found him to be a very earnest student, I couldn’t get past his personality – from accusing Chelsie of not being respectful enough to his mirror-perfected “Aren’t I charming?” grin which conjures up Tom Cruise, which is not a good thing.

The fact that Chelsie clearly can’t stand him only cements my opinion of him.

In short, good riddance.

177

Have we ever seen Maks do the quickstep before?

Nice job! Erin did well.

178

Maks and Mel B do the quickstep.

Everyone performed surprisingly well last night, even Niecy. She does better with ballroom than Latin, I think. She had that same little whatever she had going with foxtrot earlier in the season. It looked good.

I didn’t like Evan and Anna’s tango; he looked stiff and awkward rather than precise, to me. Chad did quite well on his waltz. Nicole, of course, was beautiful, but I always get the sense with her that she and Derek might as well be in different rooms when they’re dancing. They’re polished, they’re perfect, but on the dance floor I don’t see them connect at all.

179

Agree with you on Evan’s waltz – though the spin where Anna was in splits the whole time was amazing. (Wish they hadn’t shown it in the rehearsal footage.)

Good week for just about everyone this week – thank god we’ve gotten rid of all the really-can’t-dance folks, though we do have a few more can’t-dance-muchers to pick off. coughChadcough

Loved the team cha-chas, as always, though Team Gaga obviously benefitted from having the best choreographer on the show on their team. Agree that the skirts should have come off sooner, though. (adds that last sentence to the lifetime “things I never thought I’d find myself writing” list)

180

I meant to say it last week - but when they were giving Evan all the crap about his lyrical lines (and I understand it wasn’t technically accurate), I was sad because I thought his movements were really beautiful. It reminded me of Tommy Tune - whom I love.

I agree, it was nice to have a whole night of actual dancing last night.

I will say that the one thing that struck me hard is that none of the girls in the Madonna group could look close to Madonna. Erin had the right color hair but was too tall and skinny. Anna had the red hair and was too tiny. And Neicy was, well, Neicy. I can appreciate going for the look - but as everyone has said - they really need to lose the white outfits much much sooner. Was too dance recital looking.

I was so happy for Evan. I really think Chad needs to go - so I gave 3 of my votes to Neicy.

I think Pam looked very pretty dancing - but very far away. I almost think she might need to go as well. I did think her eye jewelry for Lady Gaga was cool though - might try to use that for Dragon*Con.