Season 17 - Week 2

Ready for more dancing tonight?  From puredwts.com, what they believe to be the dances for tonight:

Amber and Derek – Jive

Leah and Tony – Samba

Bill and Emma – Jive

Jack and Cheryl – Rumba

Keyshawn and Sharna – Samba

Christina and Mark – Paso Doble

Elizabeth and Val – Samba

Bill and Tyne – Paso Doble (possibly dancing 8th)

Valerie and Tristan – Paso(??)

Snooki and Sasha – Rumba

Brant and Peta – Rumba (possibly dancing 11th)

Corbin and Karina – Jive

I'm looking forward to seeing how Amber will do with the jive and hoping Derek choreographs a real jive and not one of those let's walk jives that he did for Maria.  I think Elizabeth and Val have the best chance of doing a decent Samba - fear for the others.  Not looking forward to a rumba from Peta and Brant - that could be nightmare-inducing if she decides to sex it up.  Actually, I think all the rumbas could be train wrecks.  I fear for Bill Nye - Tyne is not a ballroom dancer, so I just don't see how they expect her to be able to choreograph and teach a paso when she doesn't really know it herself.  Still want to know what the heck they were thinking bringing her in when they could have gotten Lacey or Chelsie.  Even Witney or Lindsay would have been better than this girl.  I do want to see Bill Engvall try the jive.  He was unexpectedly decent last week and could have some fun with this.  I think Corbin will do well with the jive.  Valerie could do well with the paso.  It's going to be interesting!

Entertaining evening.  I thought most everyone did well, but I still can't figure out how the jive ended up in Latin night.  LOL.

For me, Karina and Corbin had the dance of the night.  It'll be interesting to see how he does in hold.  I know I'll forget people but... Amber looked good, as did Jack.  He really impressed me with his arms.  Brant did well, too.  Who IS he?  Never heard of him before.  And for once, I thought Peta looked gorgeous with the hairstyle she wore.

Engvall didn't do as well as I'd hoped, but passable for a student.  Valerie didn't pull it off.  I just ended up feeling sorry for her.  I understand she wants to go out in a blaze of glory - and that's her choice.  Still... she's not so much eliciting applause from me as much as she is pity.

Bill Nye is turning out to be the joke that Cloris Leachman was.  Sorry to those who are fans.  The man can NOT dance.  His performance was a comedy routine and nothing more.  And while I know it's the format of the show, I hate that better dancers will go home because he has ardent fans.  What surprised me was that my IQ would qualify for Mensa!  LOL

I thought the correct dancer went home last night, but I sincerely think Nye should go next.  Who's left?  Elizabeth was okay.  WHO am I forgetting?  Oh, Snookie.  Blech.  Just blech.

I thoroughly enjoyed last night, but I think the judges are going nuts with the scoring.  Way too high for the second week.  They've left nowhere to go for future weeks.

Most enjoyable for me last night were Corbin and Amber.  Corbin was fantastic - that was the dance of the night.  Amber had some problems, but it was still a very entertaining jive.  Bill E. is not great, but he is so much fun to watch.  I'm enjoying him immensely.  I disagree about Bill Nye, though.  Yes, he's not doing that well, but I put the blame for that on Tyne.  I still don't know why TPTB thought it would be appropriate to have a non-ballroom dancer be a pro on this show.  How can she possibly teach him proper technique when she doesn't really know it herself?  I think she is going with the funny because she doesn't know how to teach him or choreograph a routine that might help him do well.  Bill N. strikes me as really trying as well as having fun, and I'm okay with him making it a bit longer. 

Jack Osbourne seems like a very classy guy, but I am not as blown away by his dancing as the judges are.  Snooki can go; her rumba was bad, and I don't like her much.  She reminded me of Trista Sutter first season with all the pretense that she was uncomfortable with the rumba, and her fiancee wouldn't like it.  Yuck. 

I think Keyshawn was the right choice to go home last night as well.  All of the others seem to have some potential to one degree or another.  I'm still not crazy about all the changes.  As much as i hated some of the filler, I miss things like the confessional, the backstage stuff, and the clips of the dancers in their routines with the pros coaching them.  That was fun and gave us a much better look at the relationships between the pros and the celebs.  I hope maybe they can bring that back when the group gets a bit smaller.

I'd rather keep Engvall than Nye.  I didn't know Tyne wasn't ballroom.  Where and why did they get her, I wonder.  I assumed she was from the troupe.  I can't keep up with those people.  It DOES seem unfair for Nye - but I can't imagine how she'd take that steel rod from his neck, regardless.  I saw him do the little swing segment and he looked pretty good.  So why does he look so stiff doing everything else?  Again, I wonder.  He needs boiled to al dente.  LOL.

*smile*  I KNOW you always root for the underdogs like Chaz, etc.  And I get it.  I'm generally the same way.  But without a little boiling, I just don't see the right potential in Nye.  Like I said - I was a little disappointed in Engvall's performance this week.  But it was a jive - which is tiring for even the youngsters.  No way he was going to hack it.

I, too, miss the little confessionals.  But I noticed that some of the rehearsal clips were chosen to inflame and/or influence opinion.  Like Peta telling Brant to play up to Carrie Ann with desire in his eyes.  And Valerie falling - along with Tristan's later heartfelt tears.  There was someone else.  I can't remember who (Snookie?) said "I didn't think they'd put that in."  They played up her lack of intelligence.

It just seems a shame these people have to be on their best camera behavior when they're struggling in rehearsals.  I know I'd be cutting some curse words out of frustration and weariness.

I curious how the Elizabeth/Val duo will play out.  She's gotten high praise on her dancing but it seems many have still not forgiven her for doing Showgirls.  I don't get it.  Perhaps Val's popularity will carry her until she redeems herself.

Thanks for all the summaries. I don't know where my brain was residing on Monday night but I completely forgot to watch.  

Singly - if it came down to either Engvall or Nye, then I think Engvall deserves to stay from what we've seen at this point.  He's done better.  But I think Nye could do better if he had a proper teacher.  He was not stiff or stilted when he was demonstrating swing-dance with Tyne.  So I think it's something she's doing or not doing that's making him so stiff.  From what I saw in that brief clip, he appeared to have rhythm and grace, but she's not bringing it out in him.  Her background is contemporary and modern, I think.  I'm sure she's had some ballroom training, but it's not what she does, and I just think that's so unfair to him to handicap him like that right out of the gate.  I don't know how they thought that was ever going to work out well.

But for me, Snooki can go before Nye.  Brant can go before Nye.  He's pretty, but I'm not warming up to him, and I don't like Peta so far this season.  I just think there are a few others who, like him, have no real chance to make the finals and so could go before him just to see if maybe someone can help him out.  I just think he's capable of so much more than we've seen out of him.

It was Emma who said she was going to steal Derek's moves.  The editing hasn't been real great for a lot of these couples so far.  But waht else is new?  :\

I'm somewhat shocked they'd put in an instructor who wasn't a ballroom dancer.  You're right.  It isn't fair to the celeb.  They each deserve to start on equal footing.  Did I just say that?  LOL.  When you consider those celebs who already have experience, it isn't a fair field of competitors from the outset.  Judging by the ABC board, some don't care.  Others care greatly.

Snookie is flat-out unpleasant.  To be nice, her dancing isn't horrible and she's got some nice legs.   .....if they could just keep her from talking!

There are few reality shows these days that don't use a formula for casting that'll induce audience controversy/speculation.  This season:  The reformed bar-brawler from Jersey Shores.  The much loved star of yesteryear who is dying.  Kardashian to Osborne.  Sports figure.  A comedy act.  A handsome guy.  The "ringer."

They also have a formula for editing to stir sympathy/anger/support.  Still, we watch to see them dance.  Apparently, they believe the majority of the viewers watch for the other stuff. 

I could appreciate Tyne's non-ballroom skills with Bill's jazz last night.  Come to think of it, it's probably why they hired her.  They're moving into contemp and jazz.  Who knows what's next?  The opening number appeared to be Broadway.  Seems they're striving to become a SYTYCD knock-off.  Can't wait to see these celebs attempt Bollywood.  LOL.