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Nicole said she would be attending the KY Derby this past weekend but I haven't seen pics or heard that she was there. I'm still looking though. Just curious if she attended and if Derek was with her. It was a really bad year to go to the Derby....with the rain and thunderstorms and lightening all day long Saturday....
I thought that's what he did with Joanna...The show obviously loves Derek for some reason, and since he hasn't gotten partners on that level, it makes me wonder at times if the show thinks he couldn't handle it or couldn't handle having to really teach someone or at the very least learn to drag them around.
Anyway, it makes me laugh to see Derek try and promote his ringer this season after comments he's made about them in other seasons. Derek bugs me more and more all the time, and I think his partners have become less likable every season. Or is he the reason they seem less likable? I take that back. I don't know where I'd put Brooke in the order of things. I thought she was ok, but Derek was so hyper that season, I could barely watch him. And I think I liked him back then.
That's when I started getting tired of Derek. I loved him with Jennie, and though Shannon's tantrums were funny, he was blinded by love in helping her go off on the judges. I did enjoy him with Lil Kim, but find his partnerships with Joanna and Brooke among the most overrated on this show.Originally Posted by Julika;3892628;
I thought that's what he did with Joanna...
Anyway, it makes me laugh to see Derek try and promote his ringer this season after comments he's made about them in other seasons. Derek bugs me more and more all the time, and I think his partners have become less likable every season. Or is he the reason they seem less likable? I take that back. I don't know where I'd put Brooke in the order of things. I thought she was ok, but Derek was so hyper that season, I could barely watch him. And I think I liked him back then.
I also enjoyed Derek with Lil Kim. I remember thinking Pre Season that I probably would not enjoy her dancing, but they made a great team! I liked Joanna fairly well, but I LOVED that futuristic Paso Doble they did. That was the best routine of the season for me! I also loved the Jive and the free dance he and Brooke did.
He and Brooke had some routines that I enjoyed. As a whole I just found him more annoying than usual that season, and Brooke getting praise like she was the second coming of Ginger Rogers. While I didn't enjoy Joanna, mainly because of her Superstars rep (otherwise I probably would have viewed her as Brooke 2.0), they had some memorable routines that I enjoyed. I like their salsa, their paso, I loved Joanna's AT with Maks. There were too many routines last season I can barely remember, but those stood out.
I didn't expect to go in liking Lil Kim at all but was really surprised, not only by how much I enjoyed her, but her general attitude. Her combo is what I like. And though she had dance experience, she didn't seem to scream ringer like some others. One thing that I liked most about his partnership with Jennie, he really pushed her but because of her nerves, I'm not sure if another pro would have given her the same challenging routines he did. But he did it in a way where they didn't come out looking bad or like she was overwhelmed.
I agree that he and Jennie had a great partnership. I really liked their second Mambo and the Samba. But my favorite was probably their Cha Cha to Mustang Sally. Great routine!
I've liked Derek with every partner, except the gal he was supposed to have some kind of showmance with. I didn't hate them, but I had other favorites and I don't even remember her name or any of their routines.
But back to this season. I believe there is definite manipulation in the judges overpraising and sometimes overscoring them. On the surface it would seem to be for them, but I'm betting they're well aware that perceived favoritism creates backlash. I think they're subtly sabotaging them.
I'm looking forward to seeing the 50's Paso Doble. Last year's futuristic PD was one of the best routines evah, IMO. But bobby socks, poodle skirts and rock n roll mixed with Paso? Should be quite a challenge.
Very true, or at the very least she shook her assets while Derek danced around her and still got 10s.I thought that's what he did with Joanna...
That's Shannon Elizabeth you're thinking ofI actually liked her and Derek together, though was surprised when I saw they were actually dating. Shannon's a good example of what crying and a meltdown will do to your image on this show. The week after her rumba "I did the hips" cry fest she got booted. Granted, I'm not really sure how much longer Shannon would have hung on anyway, given who she was up against, but I doubt that helped. I liked pretty much every routine of Derek/Jennie's; their paso remains one of my all time favorites on this show, loved their tango, their first cha cha (to Uptown Girl). Good times.
For arguments sake, I went back to see after this week what dances the couples will have left to do. Next week goes into the semis, and I see Nicole getting probably two perfect 30s-she's going to have the cha cha and AT left after this week. It kind of goes with my theory that they're making it calculating as to who gets what when to ensure an outcome. Having those 2 dances, which are probably going to be her best and their best of the season, right before the finale all but pretty much guarantees her spot there. I know it's not Derek or Nicole's fault at the judges and show's treatment of them. I think I'm more mad at the situation of it than at them personally, though he still bugs and her I don't like. She had her early weeks of not being #1, now she's back on top, getting one rave review after another, being called the best dancer ever (which I think someone gets designated every season), and the whole 'you're so good I can't even criticize you!', she's finally winning over Head Grump-I guess it's no fun when you know a couple is going to win a silly little marathon portion of the show, when their team dance will come out on top, and when you already can guarantee that the judges will find no fault with what they do before they do it. At her worst she was getting 9s! I do think it'll all be in the editing. The bright side is, I don't think anyone's going to have a free ride with their freestyle this time around. That round has been disappointing the last few seasons, but I think we're in for a treat this time around. We'll have to see if the judges are nitpicky, which I think they will be. But hey, if they're going for a particular couple...I wish our show didn't expect the freestyle to be an all or nothing hip hop routine. The British version did a freestyle to 'Take My Breath Away' several seasons ago. What a difference
And a 50s paso is going to be really interesting. Because it's Derek, I can only imagine what he might come up with.
I actually had hopes that the Madonna team would win the high scores. I was thinking about the celeb dancers rather than the pro choreographers and I thought they just might take it. Sigh. I still don't think team GaGa was much better, given Pam's mistakes. Now the encore with Chelsea dancing deserved the higher scores ...
I wonder if the shows have always been so heavily manipulated or if I have just become more cynical. I agree that we can expect the scores to get higher and the praise to escalate for all of the finalists unless they make ridiculously glaring mistakes.
I found clips of several SCD freestyles and they were lovely. It does make sense to do the freestyle like they do in real Ballroom Challenges, doesn't it? I prefer the regular dances transformed with cabaret moves, but, then, I'm not a real fan of Hip Hop.
All the couples left, perhaps with the exception of Niecy, should be able to deliver an entertaining freestyle. I like Niecy, but am not sure that she has the stamina or athleticism to perform at that level. I certainly expect Derek and Nicole to shine, if they can only get that far. I love it when all three pairs are so great I really don't care who wins. I'm hoping for that this season.
Thanks for reminding me of this. I thought Shannon wa a pretty good dancer, just a little awkward in the Latin dances. She's tall, but well-proportioned and had good posture. I loved their quickstep. She could have done well with more training. The thing about the meltdown is that Shannon got blamed for it, but the thing that caused that clip to be played over and over was Derek's calling out the judges and criticizing other dancers. Derek seemed to be forgiven for his part of it. That was the beginning of Derek's shininess becoming tarnished. Then I lost all respect for him with his comment about L'il Kim - "I'd hit that". No matter who his partner is, he pretty much doesn't stand a chance with me. Unless it was Betty White.That's Shannon Elizabeth you're thinking of I actually liked her and Derek together, though was surprised when I saw they were actually dating. Shannon's a good example of what crying and a meltdown will do to your image on this show. The week after her rumba "I did the hips" cry fest she got booted...
Good comment, phillyphan. I think I was able to enjoy one season of the show before the cynicism sinked it. But it does seem stronger to me now. For me, I think it might be the accumulation of too many years of multiple reality shows. It's so obvious, I wonder how I didn't see it from the start. Just look at the past two seasons with the same pro winning the marathon and group dances - how could you not be cynical?I wonder if the shows have always been so heavily manipulated or if I have just become more cynical. I agree that we can expect the scores to get higher and the praise to escalate for all of the finalists unless they make ridiculously glaring mistakes.
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