Season 20 - Week 7

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[size=30]Spoilers and Predictions 
Friday, April 24, 2015[/size]
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John Kubicek
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
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Dancing with the Stars is nearing the end of season 20, but the show seems to be making up the rules as it goes along. Last week Tom Bergeron promised us a double elimination and the return of Tuesday night results shows, but now it seems that's no longer the case. Instead, the 10th Anniversary Special, originally scheduled to air May 14, will air Tuesday, April 28, meaning the results shows don't come back until the following week. 



According to ABC's press release, this week there will only be one couple eliminated, relieving some of the pressure. However, there will still be immunity for the highest individual score and a series of dance-offs for the other six couples, though those scores won't matter until next week anyway.

Eras Night Spoilers

This week, the seven couples will each dance a new style with a specific era as inspiration.

'20s Quickstep: Riker Lynch and Allison Holker

'40s Foxtrot: Chris Soules and Witney Carson

'60s Jive: Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy

'70s Jazz: Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess

'80s Argentine Tango: Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson

Modern Charleston: Nastia Liukin and Derek Hough?

Futuristic Jazz: Willow Shields and Mark Ballas

Derek Hough's injury after Monday's show has put his future in doubt, with Sasha Farber filling in during rehearsals this week with Nastia. The highest score will receive immunity and the other six couples will take part in a series of dance-offs for extra points. The immunity is for this week, so the winning couple will also get extra points added to their score for next week's results.

My Predictions

With the scores from Spring Break Night being so close, this could finally be the week we get a shocking result. However, I choose to continue basing my predictions on the leaderboard.

Every week this season, the eliminated couple had one of the two lowest scores. This week, that means Robert Herjavec and Noah Galloway are the two stars in danger. Noah may not be the best dance, but surely he has a lot of fan support which should help him.

So I predict that Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson will be eliminated. They had a good run, but two bad weeks in a row should be enough to spell their demise.


See who gets immunity and who gets eliminated on Dancing with the Stars Monday, April 27 at 8pm on ABC


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First, let me say that CA is an idiot.  Now... onto the dance.

Riker:  Enjoyed it.

Chris:  He looked really good in the side-by-side portion.  All in all, not great, but since Alfonso visited, he seems more relaxed.

Rumer:  Nice dance, but something appeared off with her legs.  It didn't seem it was Rumer who was dancing.

Noah:  Posing and walking.  I nearly fell out of the chair with CA's 10.

Nastia:  That was a Charleston?  Never would have guessed.  But that's the choreographer's fault.  She was full of life and movement.

Mark:  I really don't want to see him and his costumes anymore.  *groan*

Dance Off:

I chose Willow over Riker.  Robert over Noah, despite the mistakes.  Rumer over Chris - duh.  For me, her FT was the best dance of the night.  I must say it was really nice to see some straight dancing - without all the extras, costuming, and themes.

You know, I'm normally for the underdog.  But I don't feel this competition is the right showcase for the disabled.  And the scoring of Noah has been unfair.  They score him for being "inspirational."  He appears to be a great guy, but he can't really carry the dance without a flexible knee.

I was sorry to see Willow go.  It should have been Chris, Robert or Noah, IMO.  I wonder if the girl paid the price for Mark's indulgences.  While Mark is the most extreme, it seems most of the pros are opting for backup dancers and a superfluous non-dancing lead-in to the performance.

I was shocked to see Willow eliminated last night.  Either Tom B. or Erin said "This is what happens when you don't vote."  It could be a backlash against Mark and his over-the-top costumes..who knows?

I don't know how much of BachNation's votes are keeping Chris there, but it is clearly time for him to go home.  Whitney is apparently spending more and more time in Chicago; how long can a woman spend shut up in some apartment alone all day?  OT but I fear if they are not reunited soon away from LA there is going to be some serious damage to this relationship.  JMHO.

SLA, I agree that Mark's gone off the deep end.  The viewers must identify with the dancer - hard to do when the face is covered.

And rkc, I couldn't put my finger on what went wrong with Rumer.  I thought her legs weren't punching hard enough.  She seemed a different person.

Newto, though Chris is still not a good dancer, he seems to have broken through his stubbornness with Alfonso's help.  At least, he's having some fun.  I haven't voted in years.  Can't take the show seriously.  But you're right.  It's time to wave goodbye.

I thoroughly enjoyed the anniversary show. My only complaint was that it ended too soon. So many fleeting glimpses of past contestants when I wished the camera would slowly pan. Not enough time to do so. It was so good to see Louis and Anna, Karina and Maks.

Noteworthy, was learning that the evolution of the dancing here began with Cheryl and Drew's Ride a Cowboy dance. Unlike many of us, they seem thrilled with ever-growing production numbers and the innovation of ballroom. It was surprising to hear Len voice his enthusiasm. Who knows? They may start singing next season instead of lip-syncing.

I wish this page had a "like" button because I would definitely have "liked" Singly's comment about singing next year.  < lol > 

So here are some thoughts about Monday night.  First, I agree with Singly – CA is an idiot.  And after that “10 from Len” for Riker’s dance, I may have to put him in that category as well . . . at least for this night.

 

Riker – enjoyed it but didn’t love it.  Costuming was weird and took me out of the dance.  If they were going to put Riker in a baseball outfit (why??), then Allison should have been in very different clothing.  Her evening gown and his uniform just did not mesh.  If you’re going to do a 1920s theme, it really just begs for a speakeasy.  Riker would have looked very nice in a fancy suit.  I honestly thought at times that Allison was the problem with this routine in that she did not look that good at times when they were dancing.  I had to laugh during the package when she talked about how Riker shouldn’t feel bad about not keeping up or something because she was the pro.  I actually yelled at my tv that um, Allison, kid’s had more formal ballroom training than you have.  Anyway, I enjoyed the dance, but that 10 from Len was bogus. 

 

Chris – I thought this was probably his best dance, but he’s still just not good.  He seems nice enough when he’s relaxed, but his time  is past up for me even though I really enjoy Witney.

 

Rumer – this was one of my top two favorites for the night for the regular dances.  I agree with the judges that it seemed a bit ‘safe,’ but I figured it was because her neck was still sore.  She seemed to be careful about the way she held her head, and it looked like the dance had been slowed down and softened somewhat from the rehearsal footage.  It would make sense to tone it down so she doesn’t have to go out with an injury.  So while I don’t think it was a 10-worthy dance, that 8 from CA was just as bogus as Len’s 10 for Riker.  It may have been lacking somewhat in pizzazz, but she danced it well.

 

Noah – I enjoyed this one as well.  It was a fun number.  But Noah seemed more Huggy Bear from Starsky & Hutch than real pimp or gang leader or whatever he was supposed to be.  He did more dancing, I think, than he usually does, but it was still a lot of posing and walking.  CA came off like a horny Cougar with that 10.  No way does Noah score 2 points higher than Rumer for that dance.  I would have scored it all 8s – maybe a 9 – just because it was fun. 

 

Willow – I don’t know what futuristic jazz is supposed to be so the Ninjazz worked as well as anything else, I guess.  I thought Willow did well with what she was given, and I actually liked the theme and choreography.  I thought it was one of Mark’s better ideas.  I wasn’t crazy about having someone so young on the show to begin with and at times I’ve felt that her young age showed in some of her dancing, but overall she was pretty good and had a lot of potential.  No way should she have gone home before Chris, Robert or Noah.

 

Robert – I like Robert.  I liked him from Shark Tank, and I like him on the show.  He always looks like he’s having a ball.  But this dance was just ok.  Good in parts; kind of awkward in others.  Just based on these performances, I think he should have been the one to leave and should go next week in the double elimination, although I’ll be okay if Chris and Noah leave first just because I like Robert.  But I’m thinking TPTB want Noah in the semifinals at least, so my guess is Chris and Robert next week.

 

Nastia – I really liked this dance, but I wanted to love it, and I would have loved it except for Derek.  I don’t mind that he wanted to be in the dance; I do mind terribly how he did it.  The package was ridiculous with all his mugging “I want to dance” over and over.  We get it, Derek.  You want to dance.  And it sounded like he was just planning to be on the train in the background, which would have been fine.  But then he ended up front and center.  He was between Nastia and Sasha.  Why?  Nastia should have been in the center.  And if he’d sat still while they were dancing, it still might have been okay, but he (and everyone else) kept moving in the background.  I found it very distracting and tended to pull my eyes away from Nastia and Sasha.  His ending up with a mic and singing was kind of the last straw for me.  Go away, Derek.  I don’t blame him for the package; he doesn’t control that, although he certainly had complete control over his mugging.  But I do blame him for the dance.  We know he’s very involved in staging and blocking, so he knew he was going to be featured heavily in that dance.  That’s on him.  And was Nastia even talked to after the dance?  All I remember is Derek talking about himself.  This could have been my favorite of the regular dances but ended up tied with Rumer because of Derek’s showboating.  I suspected Nastia would get immunity, and that kind of annoyed me as well.  They kept talking about her dancing with Sasha as if this was something new and not something she’d been doing for several weeks now.  Oh well. 

 

The dance of the night for me was Rumer’s foxtrot.  Oh my goodness that was absolutely gorgeous.  Classy, elegant . . . that was everything I love in a foxtrot, and I wish it would have been longer.  That was just awesome.  J

I wanted to say that I loved the anniversary special last night, but I was so frustrated because *this* was an episode that begged to be 2 hours.  So many people out in the audience that I couldn't recognize because we didn't see them long enough.  So many other dances that could have been/should have been re-done or at least re-played or re-played more of (like Mel B.'s paso - still one of my favorite dances ever on this show). It reminded me that despite my frustrations with it sometimes, I still love this show. 

I was disappointed with Maks and Meryl.  All their chemistry seems to be gone.  JMHO.

mustang, I would have loved a slow pan of the audience to be able to see past contestants.  It definitely should have been two hours.

newto, I enjoyed seeing M&M.  I don't know from chemistry.  Because of Erin's probing, off-color questions the first night of their season, I tuned out.  Sorry I missed Maks finally taking the mirror ball. 

And because of all these "production" numbers, this may well be my last season.  I'm weary of trying to find the contestant amidst myriad extra dancers.  And if Mark's bunny face is any example of things to come, I'm done.

For me, this show has always been about taking an inexperienced dancer and transforming them into someone who's beautiful to watch.  We watch the improvement and get behind our favorite.  This crap with all the pre-dance sets, costuming and extras is distracting.

ITA with you, singly.  These shows get "old" after a time and should be allowed to fade into the sunset.  The gimmicks change as time goes on and they becomes a desperate ploy to keep viewers.  This is the same kind of machination that is going on with Bach/ette.  Sooner or later the audience is just going to drift away and disappear.

At this point in the season, I've really lost interest in DWTS.  My only hope is that Rumer and Val take the trophy.  Val has worked hard for many years on this show and is an excellent dancer and teacher.

I don't enjoy it like I did in the early days.  As you state, newto, too many gimmicks.  And you make a good point about desperation being the key.  I guess when ratings began to fall, they thought they needed some fireworks.  Perhaps they attracted new viewers with the changes, but the die hard fans are, for the most part, put off by it.

The addition of contemporary and jazz.
The fourth judge.
Costuming and sets.
The well-liked band is gone.
Music that doesn't suit the dance.
Contestants that are too young or too old.
Handicapped contestants.

Personally, it's a wonder to me that the staircase hasn't killed off some of the older contestants.  I think my bottom line is that I no longer consider this show a competition.  It's more an extravaganza.  Pffft.

Good post and good points, singly.  Extravaganza is an excellent word.

As for the handicapped contestants, they are on most likely due to the Americans with Disabilities Act, and would probably not be there otherwise.  This is JMHO.

I'd be willing to bet it's more to do with ratings - whether it be aimed at veterans or the morbidly curious.  But, hey, I'm a cynic.

You might be right, singly.  I'm also a cynic.  That makes at least two of us on this board!! 

Yet, some of them like Amy Purdy have done very well on this show and their being on the show has led to other opportunities.  I've seen her on a couple of commercials.

Do you suppose they've attracted younger viewers with the "more youthful and theatrical" productions?  I'm afraid I don't know any young people outside my 20-yr old grandson and his buddies, none of whom would be caught dead watching a show like this.  He's into American Ninja Warriors.

rkc, I understand the need for hope among the disabled.  However, for me, it should be an entirely different platform for them.  A "Special Olympics" of dance would be more appropriate.  The problem is, they'll never get an honest critique here.  If a dance sucks, they'll never hear it from the judges.  Do they deserve deference?  Of course, they do.  But if Noah was in a race, wouldn't he be insulted to get a fifty-yard head start in a 100-yard sprint?

The same would apply to showing favoritism to the 14-yr-old Willow, by giving her points because she's too young to do the sexy dances.  Most on the ABC board complain that she shouldn't have been allowed to participate for that reason.  I didn't mind Willow, but I believe any competition should be a level playing field.  If she's too young to compete, she shouldn't be included.

Opinions about under-18 year old contestants flew around all of the boards at one time.  I believe the general consensus was that teenagers do not belong on this show.  Anyhow, that is how I remember it.

Yet none of the folks you cited ever got a 10.  I see what you're saying.  However, I remember some ugly remarks directed toward Chaz and Michael Bolton.  Granted, they were awful.  While the judges may speak kind words, their scores generally reflect the true critique of the dances.

We'll just have to agree to disagree. 

It's week 8, but this applies to the Noah conversation.  This week's scores were more realistic.  As I think back, it's kind of how this show plays out when they cater to someone they're promoting.  Big scores at first to keep them in play.  When it gets toward the end, the judges start dropping their masks and get real.

It's nice to know Noah can leave the show with a sense that he accomplished so great a feat.  Now that the judges have lowered their shields, I'll relent and say it was probably great for veterans (if many watched) to see a fellow disabled soldier override his limitations and do so well.

Mostly, I hate that we're always so ready to jump into war in other countries - wars that leave countless men and women unable to adapt to the injuries they sustain.  Or die.  Sorry to rant, rkc.  This is a very sensitive topic for me.  I just hate it!

Agreed, singly.  And what absolutely appalls and disgusts me is that we have folks in Congress who are pushing us to go to war with Iran while simultaneously claiming that we don't have the money to properly take care of our veterans after they return from war.  No way, Jose.  If we can't take care of them after we put them in harm's way, then we need to stop putting them in harm's way.  I don't give a rat's patoot after all the profits the manufacturers of planes and tanks and missiles and bullets will lose.  Get your priorities straight.