I agree that John and Charlotte will probably rock the foxtrot. Their paso doble could be OK even though he seems to struggle a bit more with the latin dances. Isn't the paso doble a very dramatic dance where the woman acts as a man's cape? They could do fine with it. If Rachel was still on she probably would have done well with the paso doble, as she could have gone back to posing all the time as Jonathan's "cape".

I don't know which dance Joey and Ashly will do best on, because they don't seem to always follow the basic moves of the dances. Kelly and Alec will probably bring The Sex to the paso doble, but the foxtrot could be trouble for them... unless she continues to improve, in which case they could actually surprise us.

Am I alone in thinking that Kelly's dancing is a little frantic, and that she never seems to have much control over what she's doing? I thought she was going to spin right off the floor last night. Now that Rachel is gone, she's the only female "star" left, so she's going to have to tighten things up a lot to look good next to the pros.

I love this show.

Waltzing to Sonny and Cher was the least offensive of the crap out there last night but that's not saying much. Sambaing to 'Soul Bossa Nova?' (Which is the Austin Powers theme... and I know that because it's my ring tone.) Sambing to 'Just the Two of Us?'

AUGH!

I didn't mind seeing Rachel go if only to get the judges out of her ass. That being said, I was not impressed by their samba. I do think they were hampered by the horrible music selection they were stuck with. I think Kelly and Alec had the best samba going out there and I was just thrilled with Kelly's managing to keep it all together after the wardrobe malfuntion. But she was also very good! The split move, the turn-turn-turn... all of it. And I think it was very cool to see the judges give her some props at last.

I was a little put off by Joey and Ashly's spotlight moments in the waltz. I just thought it was way too much and completely disjointed from the actual dance.

From this point on, I'm going to be very sad to see anyone go.

I still can't get over the music though. Samba music is just hot with all of those throbbing drums. Hell, tape the crowd at any Brazilian football game and you'll get the samba beat. Their choices were just bad.

And I am downright fearful of what they're going to assign the couples for the paso doble. Be afraid, people. Be very afraid.

ETA:


It is a very dramatic dance. I have been led to understand that the woman's role in the dance is somewhat flexible. The man is the matador while the woman is sometimes his cape, sometimes she is the role of the bull, and sometimes even another matador. I do believe that the cape role is the most traditional.

As soon as I read that, I immediately thought of Strictly Ballroom. That's the big dance they do at the end. It's gorgeous. John will do fine as long as he has an old spanish woman thumping on his chest and telling him to "listen to the rhythm".

I agree. It was like "hey, look at MEEEEEE!!!!" I half-expected him to start breakdancing. Since when are those little jumps part of a waltz?

I find no fault with Rachel, and she can't help being 5'10". That's why she's a model. She has a lot of grace and did a good job all around. It's like watching cheerleading competitions on ESPN2 when guys throw the smallest girl up in the air because they're the lightest and it looks better. Rachel had a similar problem to Evander just because she wasn't as light on her feet as Kelly or even Trista.

Jonathan choreographed well, but couldn't make up that difference in quickness in footwork. Their music didn't help either.

Not condemning her, because I thought they worked well together. I liked that Rachel got help from the Samba Queen!

I happen to like her despite her twins cause I have a set of my own. I vote for Kelly cause I think she is good and is improving and working her ass off. I thought she was excellent last night and deserves any votes she gets from me and her fans.

I don't seriously think the majority of the people voting for her are just doing so cause of her breasts cause if that was the case then Rachel should have been pulling in some major votes as well cause she has a set too.



That is her real name.

I am very pleased with the final 3 because I find them all enjoyable to watch and that's what it's all about to me. Kelly was indeed quite the hot little chile pepper last night and major bonus points for covering the wardrobe malfunction. She is very charming. I didn't think Joey was that bad. They make me smile when I watch them dance. Ehhh, I'm easy I guess. Rachel...zzzzzzzzzz...fell asleep during their performance. So boring. I still think John is the one to beat, but someone on this thread mentioned it would be better competition-wise to be start off weak and improve and totally wow people (Kelly) instead of having nowhere to go but down (John) and I agree.

And speaking of the twins, I thought Rachel had a weird moment herself last night in one of the interview clips. She was wearing a green top and one was jacked way up and one was drooping way down. Did anyone catch that?

I loved that. And all of her plumage. I saw some show on Carnivale a few months ago and, if that is the same Samba Queen, I believe she was first voted into the position at 12. The show was a few years later but it was interesting to see her in everyday behavior, being a young girl and very fresh and normal, and then up on the float in all of her plumage and scantily cladness shaking it like nobody's business.

I also thought that Rachel's comment about it being better with all the plumage was cute. I would agree... but then we saw some of the plumage they attached to our poor ladies last night and... yikes.

Some plumage is better than others.

I spent more time checking out her eyeshadow malfunction!

This is my first time posting to this thread but I'll add my two cents to last night's show. I was sad to see Rachel go. Yes, their routine this week was a little boring but I think overall she's good. Like everyone said, she's a big girl (not fat, tall) and so isn't going to be as naturally light on her feet. But I do agree with the judges that she has good lines and I think though she's not great with the quick footwork, she is elegant and graceful in other words.

I personally think Joey should have gone home. He and his partner are cute and I do think Joey is a good dancer, but not a good ballroom dancer if that makes sense. I agree with those who have said he is entertaining to watch but probably not as entertaining to those trained in ballroom dance.

As for Kelly, I don't think she's getting the votes because of her "twins" as mentioned elsewhere. I think Kelly is getting the votes because she has a spunky personality and from the beginning was the underdog. People like to vote for the underdog. She's the one who the judges dissed from the get go and now are starting to warm up to. I do think she's good though and have to give her her dues for working so hard at it to get better. She did a great job working through her wardrobe malfunction too.

The problem is I like them all now so there is nobody I really want kicked off. Of the remaining I would like to see Kelly and John in the final two. I did feel bad for Rachel though because it has to suck to know you got the highest scores from the judges but still got kicked off due to the popularity vote.

A question for you GH fans: Has Kelly been working full-time on the soap while doing DWTS? I dropped that show a few months ago. But when I did watch it, Kelly was on almost every day and I can't imagine that she can keep up that schedule while doing all of this training and performing for DWTS.

I missed the first ep of DWTS, so I didn't get to see the Kelly/Alec rumba that everyone liked so much. Is there a clip online somewhere? If so, I'd love to check it out.

Oh, yippee. Bye bye Rachel! I am so glad she is gone. Oh, and did I mention, yippee? But then again, who's ass will the judges kiss next week? What will they do?! Her samba was coma-inducing and yet they gave her high marks again...what a surprise! And what was with all of her shoulder shimmies? I kept waiting for her to shake what little hips she has, but she wouldn't stop with the arms straight out at her side, shoulder shakes. Yuck.


Yes. She's a dork. I really didn't like the way she and Rachel got help from other types of instructors. I think they all should only get help from their professional partner. I also think that each dance should have to include a few required elements so we can judge them against each other more easily. I guess it's better now since they're all doing the same dances in the episode, but it's kind of hard to compare apples and oranges. I also really didn't like them all waltzing at once! It was too hard to focus on what each one was doing.

What did Joey say about wanting to give it to John for two straight weeks? Hee.


I sort of understood too, but at the same time I was annoyed because it came across to me like: "this ballet dancer is 5'10" and a size 0 and I'm only 5'5" and a size 2 - I'm such a fat pig." Puh-leeze! I did admire her ability to keep dancing without really missing a step while holding her top up. That was pretty impressive. Quite different to have a bit of hair stuck in your mouth like last week than have your breasts pop out! Leave the hair, worry about the breats.

I missed Joey's samba, but saw the rest of the show. I'm sorry Rachel is gone, although I have to agree that she looks kind of stiff.

I thought Kelly handled the wardrobe malfunction extremely well.

I can't believe they put Charlotte in that, that, thing. I also thought John's samba was not on, though - I thought Bruno was a little harsh, but overall I agreed with the scores.

I wish we had been able to see more of the basics in the Viennese. The leaping step that Joey and Ashley were doing is indeed common in the American style Viennese waltz, although usually only the lady does it. I thought that Joey had a pretty nice frame, although both he and John have a problem with holding their left hands too far away from the body (the elbow should be at a right or acute angle in closed position - watch for it in the foxtrot).

I think John is going to look really good next week. I'm guessing that his foxtrot will be as good as his quickstep, and that his paso will be the best of his latin dances. Paso needs some chest-puffing and strutting, and that's been what he does best in the other latin dances, so I think it won't drag his score down as much as the samba did. I also think it would have been Rachel's best dance, so I'm sorry she won't get to do it.

It's "common wisdom" that the men have a tougher time in pro-am competition than the women, since they have to lead. So I think it's really interesting that the women are getting eliminated earlier. Both John and Joey (especially John) are doing a respectable job of leading, though, while I don't think any of the women is really following.

That reminds me. Louis said some of the pros (not him) got outside choreographers to help them with choreographing each week, while others did it all themselves. That doesn't seem quite right.

Alec has had someone else helping him with the standard dances because he mainly competes in Latin and therefore might not fully understand all the nuances of the Standards. He does all the Latin choreography himself.

Due to the varying amount of experience that the pros have had, I don't find it unusual that they would call in outside experts. I'm pretty sure they would do that sort of thing in the professional circuit too. Louis actually coaches Alec and Edyta.

When I saw Charlotte's outfit, I thought, "So, if she's Ming the Merciless, then John is...?"

I nominate myself for the dim bulb award. As I was reading the posts about Kelly getting votes because of her twins, I thought she just had twin babies. As I read further and understood, I knew I had to be nominated for dim bulb.
OT I am loving this show cause I love to watch people dance,seeing amatures try so hard and do quite well is fun. I would love to do that.

Hi! My name is TipsyTraveler.

lol @ TipsyTraveler.

This is going to start getting tougher to watch - I like all the contestants. Rachel has been excellent in all hte episodes except this. Their samba was a snooze fest and its supposed to be sexy. Why is a supermodel having trouble being sexy? Did Rod Stewart never ask her to strip to "If You Want My Body" before?


I thought Joey and Ashly (that lack of "e" bugs) were goners for sure tonight. I think Joe can thank all the NKOTB fans coming out of the closet for this one. The little flip jump they did during the waltz was surprising but I guess its cool if its legal. In the "behind the scenes' shots it seems that Joe is all about doing things differently and bending the rules a little. Even though I'm rooting for him, I suspect they'll go next week. Their samba wasn't bad but the competition is too fierce to not be great.

Kelly was surpringly good during the dance. I was impressed in general and more so when she kept her cool during the costume malfunction. But she really irritated me when she called her body "stocky." Puh-leeze. If you thought you had body issues what the F are you on TV every week wearing next to nothing? And I don't just mean competitions. The girl barely wears clothes during rehearsals either.

John cracked me up during the waltz rehearsal. "Step aside everyone. I take loooong steps."

This is not true; this kind of step is frowned upon both by the judges as a lift, and by the other competitors as rude and dangerous. The 'pull arabians' (a skating terms for this move, which was a signature of Tai Babalonia & Randy Gardner) would send feet flying about 6' away from the stationary partner. Personally, I would be furious with any competitor who did this on a dance floor with me.

There was a period, about 5 years ago, when the smooth competitors were all doing lifts, and finally the judges let it be known that they were not going to mark lifts that created danger on the floor. Way fewer lifts are done now, and those that are done are completely vertical.



While Alec probably has help choreographing the standard/smooth dances, he DID compete in the standard with his first partner in the US. He has been fully trained in standard, just not recently. The opposite is true of Charlotte, who is surprising many people with her proficiency in the latin dances since she is known as a standard girl (yes, we call adults girls in this twisted universe of ballroom dance). She runs her latin choreography by a latin dancer, but it is her choreography.

I think that Paso & Foxtrot will both play into John & Charlotte's strengths. The attitude and posturings of Paso are big, strong and masculine. The steps are based on marching steps. John should be more comfortable here than in any of the other latin dances. Foxtrot is smooth, long and elegant. Need I say more?

Interestingly, these dances are considered to be the "dancer's dance" of their respective styles; they are both easy to learn superficially but can take the most time to really understand. Foxtrot is often referred to as "the million dollar" dance. Why? You can spend a million bucks on lessons to really get the first pattern.

I thought she meant she was short, and not tall and graceful and elegant like the ballet dancer. Or Rachel, considering all the adoring comments the judges have heaped on Rachel and her lines and extensions. Kelly is only 5'3" or 5'2", so that's all I took from that. Not that she thinks she is fat.

You're not alone, babypickles. Althought I give Kelly credit for handling the broken strap so well. It took me a minute to twig on that one, because at first I had to ask myself "Is she grabbing her own breasts???" until I realized what was up. She kept going like a pro. Having said that, I still haven't been able to warm up to her. She still seems gauche and wooden to me. In the waltz, it looked like Alex (Alec? Aquaman? whathisname?) was dancing around with a broom. Maybe it's the height difference. At any rate, I think the Latin dances allow her partner to choreograph around her weak spots, because she can shake and shimmy. I agree that she's improved, but the judges overscored them, in my opinion. And getting a standing ovation from Carrie-Ann Blah Blah Blah?

Once again, I threw all my votes to John and Charlotte. I was horrified they were in the bottom two of the audience votes! The samba wasn't his strong suit, admittedly, so I sure as hell hope that John and Charlotte kick ass on the foxtrot and paso doble next week.

Really? I could swear that I have seen this on the pro-am floor within the past year or two. It has been ten years since I competed seriously in American Smooth, though, so I may have missed some trends. Lord knows they didn't seem to worry about injuries on the floor much back then - I was flattened in a Viennese Waltz in the 1992 nationals where they put 15 couples on a minimum size floor (and ran it as a semifinal - grrr). Another couple did a throwaway right across line of dance, and I was travelling down the floor in a free spin with my arms over my head - caught both ankles on the man's leg and went down like a tree, unable to catch myself. The whole event had been like bumper cars - apparently no one in charge considered that 15 open smooth couples take up a lot more space than 15 open standard couples. [/geeky ballroom digression]

Was it here that someone posted the article where John said that he has received a half-dozen red Speedos in the mail already? I'm sorry, but he's going to have to lose more than 20 pounds, plus spend a couple years in the gym, before I'm ready to see that - no matter how good his dancing is. He can give the Speedos to Alec. ;-)

I thought that is what Kelly meant too, blackwing- that she doesn't have a typical dancers body.



That is such a nasty visual.

I agree with you, blackwing, (on this at least.) She's standing there looking at a tall, thin, ballet dancer who knows how to make herself look even more elongated, feeling short and thick (Kelly's got serious curves) in comparison. I don't think there are any body issues going on, beyond "But I'm NOT tall and thin like that!"

An even nastier visual is the thought of seeing Peterman in a red speedo. Ugh. And he's so trying to ham for votes that I really could see him doing this during one of the "training" clips. Because he thinks it is funny. I really hope they warn us before it happens.

It was on Cribs. What I meant though was they went home to "recharge." But they did have an interview on Monday which is why I found the wording a bit...odd I guess. Meh.

And thank you whoever said Green Lantern. Couldn't remember the character but the teal green reminded me of water which reminded me of Aquaman.

That's what I thought, too (did she really call herself an "Oompah-Loompah"?). But actually, she has a great body for ballroom. Unlike ballet, ballroom actually encourages breasts. She's a little short for standard, but from a body standpoint, she'd look right at home out on the competition floor.

That's why I really can't stop (criticizing) the music. That arrangement would have been appropriate for those musical versions of nursery rhymes, -not- for a samba. I expected five year olds to chime in on the chorus. Not. Sexy.



Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with them getting help--either the dancers bringing in other dancers, or the pros consulting other choreographers. It's probably not really a level playing field for some of them (Charlotte probably has much better contacts than Ashley), but...yeah, that's life.

John and Charlotte are still my favorites for sheer panache (and let's not forget John couldn't even dance at all last year at his own wedding! He's come a long, long way!)

But, I won't be upset if the others win. Joey's working hard and has tried to get creatively involved and make it a real team (controversial choice when you're a novice, but I respect it).

And Kelly's worked hard and shown so much improvement. She took week after week of tough criticisms (even some unflatteringly -personal- comments) and still gave it her all.

And the pros have all been impressive in their different ways as well.

Really, a win for any -one- of them will be well deserved.

When I first saw Rachel in that blue outfit, I was all, "Shake your tail feather, girl," and ready to get my telepathic groove on, but about 10 seconds into the dance, that big blue tail feather made me think of Foghorn Leghorn and it kinda ruined the moment.

I think it's perfectly fine. As it's been mentioned, even the professional dancers get outside help. Joey & John can certainly do it, too, and unless it's against the actual rules, no problem. Maybe the (male) professional can't accurately teach the female role or in Rachel's case, it seemed as though she just needed a guide to help her understand the dance more than Jonathan could.

TipsyTraveler, I forgive you just because of that crazy squirrel story.

Word on that. It made me like her a lot because it was just a normal reaction. I'm 5'2" as well and though I try to carry myself well and often FEEL like I'm taller, the truth often smacks me in the face to remind me... "YOU'RE SHORT" and it's a letdown.

There's nothing to be done about it but sometimes you just feel like you're a stocky little stump surrounded by a bunch of willows.

Good grief.... if teeny-tiny Kelly Monaco thinks she is a "stocky little stump", then I am the Redwood Forest. Zip it, girlie.

That's so interesting, because my gaydar started pinging the first time he spoke. I would think that perhaps it was Jonathan he was lusting after, rather than Rachel :)

Well, I can't believe how I've been sucked in by this cheeeeeeeezy show! But I actually found myself grabbing the phone and dialing in some votes last night, and when I reached my limit, doing the same from my cellphone! (hangs head in shame...) But I was totally ripped off...I had at least 3 calls where I got a message that the call did not go through, but they still counted against my 5 per phone number! Unfair! Has anyone else experienced this? I knew they had a lot of glitches the first week, but thought by now they would have this straightened out.

I am SO glad Rachel is gone, because I couldn't stand how the judges just fawned all over her. I can't understand any of the judges, or how they make their decisions. It seems VERY setup to me.

Hell, I'm a heterosexual man, and I spent more time watching Jonathan than Rachel when they danced. Of all the people on this show, he's the only one who made me think, "Wow, he (or she) is really good."

Really? I'm not sure how this information will ever be of use to me, but I'm pretty sure that I'll probably always have it filed away in my memory just in case.

Ballet dancers may be graceful and elegant, but the ideal ballet dancer is petite, not tall. Kelly calling herself stocky was just fishing for compliments, in my opinion. Can't stand her.

But I would be very pleased to see John in a speedo, of any color. I like a man who has a little heft to him.

Bwah! Me too.

I'm in agreement. I wanted to like Rachel's dancing so much more than I did. Last night in particular, I felt like she did a lot of shaking her ta-tas & then posing. I was fine with it being her, although I really thought it might be Joey, I don't know why I thought it would be him, just a feeling.
TrininisaScorp I am right there with you. It got me to thinking up some of the worst songs they could try with their slightly odd singing group... Then when they ended the night with the Dirty Dancing song I really got tickled. All I got think of was Baby being in the corner & then getting up to shake it for the big dance finale while Patrick Swayze mouthed the words of the song to her.

So Ashly likes to be in charge, huh? I found it funny that she decided the order of the final dance & no one really questioned her, mumbled about it sure, but accepted it. Hee.

When Kelly was doing her little bit about dreaming about Bruno & the ballet I really began to like her a little more. I don't hate her before, but I was pretty indifferent to her (being a GH watcher I did have a slight opinion). I did vote for her previously when the judges were screaming at her just to stick it to them, after last night I may have to vote for her for real. Who knew?

I hear you on this & totally get what you're saying, but I agree with what some others have posted & I think I get her idea too. I know a couple of really petite girls, who are in great shape, but don't have that long, lean ballet body & often refer to themselves as squat, or something of that sort. I think we all often want what we don't have. Growing up I had the long, lean thing going on & I often envied the petite.

Question for anyone who might know. I watched some of the long ago competitions on PBS & in my mind the make-up was caked on in what looked like baked layers. On DWTS it doesn't seem the same. They have on plenty, but it doesn't seem like day-old frosting. So, are they using less, or has the make-up improved that much in the span of time?

Finally, Bugs me too, everytime I see it written on screen I wonder if her parents just forgot. Silly, I know but annoying none the less. And last but not least I am dreading this show ending, it has a little drama, plenty of cheese, & some real entertainment IMO. I can't belive how much I'm enjoying it, much more than I had imagined. I wonder if they can double up on it & do a fall season as well.

Considering how well the show is doing, I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe we'll get a chance to see some more B list stars (as opposed to the C and D list we got this time around). I'd love to see a pop star who is known for dancing but not ballroom dancing give it a shot.

Kevin Federline might be looking for a gig...

Agreed. Maybe Mya could give it a shot? Her "Cell Block Tango" in Chicago wasn't too shabby. Or maybe she would be considered to have too much experience.


However, all of my reality show wishes would come true if they would dance to music sung by American Idol contestants, wearing costumes created by the Project Runway designers, and hair done by Jonathan Anton. Each week the dancers who move on get a rose, and the loser gets yelled at by Tyra Banks.

Regarding caked-on makeup...most of the time the ladies in ballroom competitions are making up themselves, and some of them just go waaaayyyy too far. Whoever is doing the makeup for the women on DwtS is doing a nice job...dramatic, TV-friendly, not frightening. Anyway, this kind of discussion about makeup styles crops up from time to time in ballroom circles and there's basically two schools of thought:

1) treat it like theatrical stage makeup, people have to see your expressions from 100 feet away

2) treat it like TV makeup, you have to look decent both up close and in the long shots

People who prefer idea #1 think that the people who prefer #2 just don't wear enough makeup and should be more dramatic. People who prefer idea #2 think that the people who prefer #1 wear too much and shouldn't scare small children in person. I'm a method #2 person, which is slanting my presentation of this argument :)

About Joey McIntyre...I can't find where I read that he lived in LA with his wife and children, and IMDb only mentions a wife, so chances are I've mis-remembered things. But he's definitely married and living in LA at least part-time. According to IMDb met his wife when he moved to LA to do "Boston Public" (I love how a show about Boston was taped in LA, but that's TV for you).

About Alec's status...I know that at one point (and it still probably is true) that he and Edyta were together, but I never heard anything about him being married.

About paso doble: hip swiveling and shaking is not required, so John is getting a lucky break for next week.

That scares me. Not that he might be looking for a gig (that's a given) but the idea that K-Fed might skeeze his way onto DWTS. If they could humiliate him by making him wear fuscia feathers around his neck combined with the Green Lantern outfit... all right then.

But otherwise? ::shudder::

I feel the lifeforce being sucked out of me. Quick, where's Kathy Griffin!

Yeah, I understand about being made up for TV/theater, but Rachels's three shades of mint green and the "way outside the eye" eyeliner made me stop to think about what was going on. TINA SPARKLE! Also, the other women weren't so made up.

Joey looked horrible in some of those shots during the waltz practice. Wow. Men can look human and still be considered attractive.

Hee! I do not believe for one solitary second that Cletus would consent to putting a sequined fantasy of a ballroom dancer's costume on his manly frame, never mind do that pussy dancin'. I think we're safe. Just having a Bad Thought.

Based on what I've seen about the two dances for next week, John should do rather well. The paso doble relies on a strong male character and should play to his strengths. The foxtrot should be good for him as well with his natural grace.

Joey is going to have the hardest time IMO. He's very weak on the standard hold and I'm not quite sure he'll be able to pull of the paso doble with his posture problems.

Kelly and Alec? I'm not quite sure. After how well she did this week, I don't know exactly what to expect.

Kevin Federline? Bite. your. tongue.

While I could see Brit trying to talk Kevin into it ("Honey, isn't that purty dancing cool? You can come back and teach me!"), I can't see him being not stoned long enough to learn anything. The pro he gets paired with would kill him within the first week.

If you mean that literally, then I suppose it would make for pretty good TV. Maybe they should save that for season 3.