Season 23 - A Review

by **Lesallee** Wed Nov 23, 2016 12:05 pm

We probably have some re-hashing of the just past season to do hence this thread.

Val: I haven't said much about Val this season but now I'm ready to. This man has been at the top or near the top of my leaderboard for years. He disappointed me this season. As brother DMD said Laurie won in spite of him, not because of him. Well, let's be frank, with a little help from the producers also.

I couldn't believe the direction he went with her. He didn't play to her strengths and he didn't showcase her uniqueness. This from a man who took another very young girl almost to the win. His every move with Zendaya was deft and just right. Zen's personality was very different than Laurie's, true, but surely there were enough similarities that Val could draw on that experience for Laurie.

Something is niggling at me that whispers DWTS really wanted Val to win another MB. They tend to look to the male pros for their stars and with the likelihood of Derek and Mark moving on to bigger and better things Val is it. Maks says he's done too. They have a hefty investment in Gleb too and I think these two will be getting the lion's share of the DWTS focus. Makes it that much tougher for the ladies.

Okay, there's that; given my propensity to talk I'm sure to come up with more. Soapbox

by **Psychee22** Wed Nov 23, 2016 12:43 pm

Maybe he was using a ghost choreographer with Zendaya.

Anxiety and creativity do not go hand in hand. In fact, as the first increases, the second diminishes.

Val was an anxious mess this season. He was totally focused on winning. The win was the only thing that mattered to him. From day 1, he got it into his head that if Laurie did not win, it would be his fault, and week after week, it seemed like he was totally preoccupied in how he would be perceived if she did not win.

What bothers me is that as he struts around with his new MBT, he may not realize that she won IN SPITE of him, and will imagine instead that he has found the key to winning.

I would like him so much more if he could rid himself of his personal angst.

by GymGirlJane Wed Nov 23, 2016 12:56 pm

Psychee22 wrote:

Anxiety and creativity do not go hand in hand. In fact, as the first increases, the second diminishes.

There may be, at least, some exceptions to that . . . . .

Season 23 - A Review 9k=

by **Psychee22** Wed Nov 23, 2016 2:50 pm

You are mixing up anxiety with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenics are expected to be creative.

And normal people are expected to experience anxiety.

People feel mentally on top of things when their anxiety levels are in an optimal range. Too little, and they feel no motivation. Too much and they stop feeling free to be creative, hunkering down instead to tried and true formulas until the perceived danger has passed.

by GymGirlJane Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:16 pm

Well, I was actually just trying to be humorous. But I believe that some level of anxiety is helpful in the creative process. Its not a simple negative correlation.

http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/109068542/relationship-between-anxiety-creativity-moderated-by-other-emotional-states

by **Psychee22** Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:42 pm

GymGirlJane wrote:Well, I was actually just trying to be humorous. But I believe that some level of anxiety is helpful in the creative process. Its not a simple negative correlation.

http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/109068542/relationship-between-anxiety-creativity-moderated-by-other-emotional-states

Yes, that is what I meant when I wrote:

People feel mentally on top of things when their anxiety levels are in an optimal range. Too little, and they feel no motivation. Too much and they stop feeling free to be creative, hunkering down instead to tried and true formulas until the perceived danger has passed.

My prior remark along the lines of "as the anxiety is raised, the creativity is diminished" should have been written as "As the anxiety is raised above optimal, creativity is diminished". Sorry about that.

by **DeadManDancing** Wed Nov 23, 2016 4:15 pm

Maybe we should also also mention some positive aspects. The band did a really good job again to begin with. I also think James and Sharna had the best music over the entire season. I really should go and do a sampler with their tracks maybe. Calvin had some good ones too though. I mean, who gets to do an AT to Hotel California unplugged?

by bailadora Wed Nov 23, 2016 11:42 pm

Both C bros tend to be overbearing know-it-all's. Their most successful partnerships have been with strong women that know how to stand their ground: Zendaya, Rumer & Tamar for Val and Erin, Mel B, Laila Ali, Meryl, and of course, Ms. P for Maks. Laurie seemed too naive and innocent to be considered among these women. But Laurie comes from a world where a second of anxiety can destroy 10 years of preparation. She is able to have a cool head in the midst of a fire. And she was not only able to handle her own anxiety but to help Val deal with his, just like she would do with a nervous teammate during a high stakes competition. Her leadership skills were also evident when she calmed Jana for the pairs dance.

And Val did not let Laurie down when he has faltered in the past: he created a freestyle that not only featured Laurie's acrobatic skills but that endeared her with the voting public over another likable contestant with an uplifting personal narrative

by **Psychee22** Thu Nov 24, 2016 2:16 am

I think Laurie endeared herself to the public all by herself. If the voting was as close as CAI said, then Val came very close to losing the MBT for her.

by bailadora Thu Nov 24, 2016 11:09 am

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I wouldn't say that Val almost lost the MBT for Laurie just as I wouldn't say that Sharna lost the MBT for James (or Nick on S21). People perceived as ringers generally make the finals but they have no guarantee to win it against a less skilled contestant with a more inspirational story (Nyle/Paige, Bindi/Nick, Amber/Corbin,
Kelly/Zendaya, Donald/Katherine, etc.) Both Sharna and Val did a fantastic job to teach, choreograph to strengths & convey a compelling narrative for the voting public. That's why the vote was so close and either couple could have won.

by **Glittersisgld** Thu Nov 24, 2016 12:05 pm

You may think Bindi was less skilled than Nick, but I think Bindi was definitely the better dancer. Nick is mostly a singer. I wasn't as impressed with his dancing. It's beyond me why Kelly won over Zendaya, especially since I disliked her so much. Lol!

by **DeadManDancing** Thu Nov 24, 2016 12:55 pm

Glittersisgld wrote:You may think Bindi was less skilled than Nick, but I think Bindi was definitely the better dancer. Nick is mostly a singer. I wasn't as impressed with his dancing. It's beyond me why Kelly won over Zendaya, especially since I disliked her so much. Lol!

Glitters, you are obviously in an advantage here. You managed to dislike Kellie while favoring Zendaya, but in spite of all my admiration for James- how in the world am I supposed to dislike Laurie? Whew

As for Nick, looking back at it I will admit that maybe I was actually rooting more for Sharna than for him (surprised, anyone?), but I still thought under her expert guidance his dancing and performing skills improved tremendously. Some of their performances are among the best I've ever seen on the show. Ironically one of them (Samba) got all tens except from Carrie Ann, who saw something no one else did. History repearts itself.
It seems we never get over Bindi, but then again, why? I mean, we also keep mentioning Meryl, for example. What I'm about to say now may be a big surprise for one fellow poster in particular. First, I agree with bailadora, Val stepped it up for the finals. I've said that myself in previous comments. But seeing him struggle (and fail) with finding appropriate choreography more than once over the entire season gave me a new and better understanding of how much more personalized Derek choreographed for Bindi in comparison. There, I said it.

by **Glittersisgld** Thu Nov 24, 2016 1:04 pm

You don't have to dislike Laurie even though you wanted James to win. I know how you feel. I wasn't even a fan of Bindi. I just favored her dancing more. I thought Kellie was a good dancer. I just didn't like her. Maybe subconsciously Val felt guilty about getting another MBT and secretly wanted Sharna to win and maybe that is why he didn't do better for Laurie, but they won anyway despite his subconscious feelings and attempts. Lol!

by **suebob16** Mon Nov 28, 2016 6:06 pm

From BuddyTV.com, here is a slideshow of the writer's personal picks for the top 23 dances of Season 23. I'm personally happy that James and Sharna figured in 8 of those picks. Very Happy

http://www.buddytv.com/slideshows/dancing-with-the-stars/the-23-best-dances-from-dancing-with-the-stars-season-23-59102.aspx

Season 23 - A Review CyYAiTvUUAADMLP

by **Lesallee** Mon Nov 28, 2016 6:13 pm

And the best part is Buddy TV named James' and Sharna's freestyle the #1 of 23 top dances of the season.

by **suebob16** Mon Nov 28, 2016 6:16 pm

I would have put both James' and Calvin's AT's higher on the list.

by **suebob16** Mon Nov 28, 2016 6:22 pm

Lesallee wrote:And the best part is Buddy TV named James' and Sharna's freestyle the #1 of 23 top dances of the season.

Yes--and that was a great description of the freestyle too.

#1 James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess: Freestyle (Week 11, Finals)

The final dance of the regular season was a masterpiece of raw emotion. The story of James Hinchcliffe’s tragic near-fatal car accident was transformed into a dream ballet worthy of The Nutcracker, with a guardian angel and two angels of death trying to take him away. The movement and the story were as beautiful and powerful as anything we’ve ever seen on the show.

by **DeadManDancing** Thu Dec 01, 2016 3:37 pm

Thanks for posting the link sue. The most thoughtful, reasonable, and respectful comments I have read in a long time about all the couples mentioned (except on our own mb, of course). It always feels good to find out someone else shares your own opinion. From the number of memorable routines, it certainly was one of the best seasons ever; with James and Sharna teaking the lead.

by **kincaid53** Fri Dec 02, 2016 9:12 am

There was a post on the James and Sharna thread about Val pitying himself and crying and reaching for the Kleenex all the time. This is the first season I've seen him do that.......although I don't agree with the pitying.....there were some moments that the best part of Val did shine through in some of the choreography like the cell block Tango and I thought Laurie pulled it off.

IMO though Sharna had the best choreography of the season and the best partner.....it felt like they had known each other and have been dancing together for a long time and you knew you were in for a real treat no matter what dance they were doing!

Lindsay was second in this, I thought she did a really good job with Calvin.

I know my sis will be surprised, but I'm putting Jana and Gleb up there too.....she really was giving it all of her heart and soul in her dances.

by **Lesallee** Fri Dec 02, 2016 11:12 am

I want to talk about Val, kin, and I will do so on the between seasons thread.

by **DeadManDancing** Fri Dec 02, 2016 1:05 pm

Kin, I absolutely agree Jana deserved to make the finals. She may not have been as consistent as the big three, but in her best moments she was stunning. It's rather Gleb who struggled keeping up with Sharna and Lindsay, especially in the freestyles. Even Val was back in the game at that point, so Gleb's freestyle concept fell flat in comparison. No one should honestly blame Jana for getting all nines, and up until that point she had already added a lot to a very watcheable season (if we focus on the dancing only, for this matter).

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