I believe CA made enough of a spectacle of herself last night to merit a discussion thread all her own.

First, by way of background, right from season 1, episode 1 of DWTS, I immediately remembered CA from The Fly Girls on In Living Color. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, she simply disappeared into a black hole in the intervening ten or twelve years between the two series. What she actually did in the interim and how she reemerged to take a permanent role on one of the top-rated prime-time shows of the last few seasons is beyond me. But does she actually know much about ballroom dancing? The last I saw of her was doing acrobatic hip hop in the early nineties. Like Tom and Samantha once did in season two, I would very much like the judges to do performance numbers as well, and "show us how it's done".

Turning attention to her "performance" last night, how bad was the girl PMS'ing? Actually, I tend to agree wth some of the comments in the episode thread that her criticism of the lifts was pre-scripted and somehow she drew the short straw. I guess Len got tired of being "bad cop" every week. But lifts-gate aside, I also agree with others who have mentioned she tends to make very patronizing and insulting comments to the stars week to week, perhaps without realizing it, and I'm sure those are not scripted.

Last night there were a couple of patronizing and/or crude comments.

Referring to Mark Cuban as "the little engine that could" just sounded immensely patronizing to me, and although his face did not betray him, I can't imagine it was appreciated.

And referring to Mel as a truck driver really was kind of a tasteless thing to say. Mel overacted as if to feign shock, but I actually think she was surprised at what came out of CA's mouth.

In her own way, Carrie Ann has as little control of what she says as Samantha Harris.

You missed her other exciting and prestigious credit. She played Fook Yu in one of the Austin Powers movies.

I think she owes us all an apology for her crap last night (especially the truckdriver thing. That was just rude.) Or maybe she owes us her resignation? (Maybe if I ask Len really nicely and refrain from calling her a porn actress for that Fook Yu thing?)

The way they highlighted last night's "controversy" in tonight's show makes me think that, yes, Carrie Asshole's nonsense about lifts was scripted to keep the buzz going. First week: Stupid models! Second week: Wayne Newton! Third week: Maternal funeral! Fourth week: Rule-breaking! They gotta have something to use as a lead.

I don't know. Katie Holmes, Sr. is more stupid than anything else. Carrie Ann is just a fucking bitch. She clearly has favorites every year and this year it's her beloved Cameron. She HATED Stacy Keebler and was a bitch to her, too. She's predictable.

Which is different from the other judges how? Bruno almost died after every one of Mario's performances. And then there was Len's massive and never-ending bitchface the entire night of the S4 finale because he knew Joey wasn't going to win.

I think there's a difference between having favorites and just being a hater. Bruno tends to gush over everyone at one point or another, and Len is probably the fairest of the three, but Carrie Ann loves to tear people down and seems to fabricate bullshit to do it. I thought that the difference was rather clear, but there you have it.

I wanted to throw up last night when she said something to the effect of "watching you dance makes me happy to be alive". It was just such a cheesy and stupid comment. I wish she would leave the show she is so biased and quite annoying.

Yes, some of the drama was probably scripted, but everyone has to remember that she's catching flak for enforcing rules. The no-lifts thing was not her choice. I think she was a little eager to dock everyone points, so there were a few near-lifts that I think she over-called, but the point remains that there were some very obvious instances of lifts. And the no-lift rule exists for a reason.

However, I think part of the problem is that the show doesn't have a clear enough definition of what a lift is. Carrie Ann at one point mentioned that she thought a lift was anything you couldn't do on your own. Well, that would be...about half of the dancing. So the show definitely needs to have a clear definition of what they consider to be a lift.

I don't think she intends to be as patronizing as she comes off. Perhaps this is the feminist in me jumping to attention, but if we heard that behavior coming out of Bruno or Len, we'd dismiss it as "those cranky judges." I think because it's a woman being less than supportive to another woman, it's automatically categorized as aggressive or bitchy. And I think that "truck driver" was absolutely a poor choice of phrasing, but to say that Mel carries herself or looks like a delicate piece of glass is lunacy. And looking at Mel, I wouldn't guess that she would be good at waltzes, the same way I wouldn't have guessed that Laila Ali would be able to do the delicate thing. I don't think she's being patronizing, I think people just jump on her for being a critical woman. No one says that Len is PMSing when he's a crank to the contestants.

Because that would be silly. At his age, Len must be menopausal by now.

Ugh. I wrote a whole long post but the boards ate it. Let's see if I can remember.

While I do think that Carrie Ann was full of shit last night, I also think it's unfair to say "she must be on her period or PMSing" because that's just sexist.

And I do think that if Len or Bruno had made the same comments, we would be attacking them just the same as we are with Carrie Ann. At least, I know I would. This whole lift thing is ridiculously, atrociously hypocritical.

The first time I heard the no lifts rule was at the beginning of season 2 when Drew and Cheryl did one in their jive. I remember thinking, okay, that sounds reasonable. But for the next two seasons, the judges (and I'm specifically thinking of stupid Carrie Ann because she's the one who made such a huge fucking deal about it last night) let so many couples slide by with such obvious lifts. Obviously, they can't retroactively dock points off couples for past lifts but the only way they could've fixed this was to either eliminate the rule or not make such a fuss about it. Clearly, they should've enforced it from the very beginning and not let anyone get away with it. Where were you then, Carrie Ann??

God, I would give someone a good amount of money to ask Carrie Ann to her face (and demand a straight answer) why she (and, again, I'm singling her out because she's the one who couldn't STFU about it) let so many other couples in the past slide by with lifts but went all ape shit about it last night. Hypocrisy? Thy name is Fook Yu.

That was the third (?) time she's given Mel a backhanded compliment, although I may be attributing one of Bruno's comments to Carrie Ann. She's repeatedly told Mel she wasn't as bad as she expected, or not as crass as she expected. This sets up a very bad image in the mind of the viewer, and along with her strange scoring patterns, it's one of the reasons she gets on my nerves.

That was just embarrassing. I am constantly embarrassed for her, some of the things she says are just way over the top. I'm over her standing up and 'woo!'ing or high fiving dancers, too.

Wrong. She's getting hell because she selectively enforces rules. She enforced the no lift rule and docked the score of several dancers whose "lifts" are still questionable. I think Jane Seymour may have been correct in saying that while her toe was off the floor, her heel was not. Yet we get to Cameron, and Miss Bitchy stands up and claps and give him a nine? WTF? He lifted Edyta up over his fucking head and gets a nine while the rest of them had their hands slapped and score reduced. Typical.

Yeah, that really was a cringeworthy statement. Maybe it's selective memory on my part because Carrie Ann bugs me, but I'm thinking she does have a tendancy to gush over the male celebrity dancers while dissing (sometimes quite rudely) the females. She about had an orgasm over Anton Apolo Ohno several times last season and now Cameron seems to be the one she's fawning over this season. While I love Edyta.....Cameron? Not so impressed.

I can't remember - did she blast E and C about that HUGE lift? She should have if she didn't. She certainly went overboard bitching about Jane and Jennie's small infractions. If there are rules, then that's fine. But she needs to be fair in her criticism and scores. Lift rule or no lift rule, no way did E and C deserve a 9 from Carrie Ann.

I don't think Carrie Ann is any more or less ridiculous than any of the judges. They've all at one point or another got obsessed with some aspect of the dances /or a particular celebrity; they've all said ridiculous gushing things no real judge should say; and they've all come out with inappropriate comments.

The thing I like about her is how she comes out with things like the "happy to be alive" line, or gets so excited when a celebrity has a breakthrough - because sometimes I feel that way watching the show, and I like that at least one judge appreciates the overall feel of a dance or chemistry of a couple, regardless of whether they missed "a few heel leads" or whatever. I may not always agree with who she chooses to feel that way about, but I know exactly what she means; and I like what she adds to the mix of Len's Barry Fife-ing and Bruno's leering and drooling.

And as for the lifts - I think she was right (and no, Jane Seymour, I don't care what you "practiced" - how is that relevant to what actually happened during the performance?), but - as with the truck driver comment - she could have phrased it a bit differently, and maybe just warned the couples (about what were clearly inadvertent lifts, except for Karina's) like she did with Drew and Giselle in S2, instead of docking points. I don't think what Edyta did with Cameron can count as a lift - she basically powered herself up into a handstand on his shoulders, and his arms were just giving her a firmer base.

I remember last season they got on Mario and another celebrity about lifts that were put into their dance routine so this is not a new thing.

Well, Cameron headed her off on that one before she could say a word saying "Edyta can do that on her own." Carrie Ann looked skepitcal but it was addressed. And by the time E&C were up, there had already been three or four discussions about lifts so what would be the point of blasting another couple. Just knock off a point in the score. The judges are only given about a minute a piece with each couple and it's possible she had other things she wanted to say.

I don't have a problem with her going on about the lifts because it seemed like the judges had noticed the pros were slipping in lifts and this was the night Carrie Ann decided to make an issue about it. Even Len acknowledged that they were breaking the rules, he just decided to ignore it.

I like Carrie Ann. She really seems invested in helping the celebrities improve their dancing. More often than not, she's the one who is giving them specific advice and critiques about what they're doing wrong and what they should focus on to get better. And I like that she sometimes gets emotional while watching the celebrities dance because, to me, it's more evidence that she really wants them to achieve as much as they can and is excited when she sees proof that they are improving.

I actually think she's the most reasonable of the judges and by far. She comes out with a few cringeworthy comments, sure, and has at times seemed to have favorites--just like both Len and Bruno.

OTOH, she's the only one who from my POV ever hands out any kind of helpful criticism. Bruno's lines might be more colorful, but half the time, especially when he's displeased, I don't know what he's even saying. The contestants often just look confused by him.

Whereas Carrie Ann will often point out something in specific that might help out. And, in rewatching the tape, I can almost always see what she meant by it. Some of the contestants, I think Drew in particular, mentioned that she's the most reasonable of the judges and she's the one whose commentary they found the most helpful.



Exactly. And I have to say I find it a little ironic that she's being called a bitch and having her attitude being blamed on PMS and yet she's the one being accused of being especially hard on women.

I started watching Dancing with the Stars after the stand out, probably never seen again, spectacular Benji/Travis/Donyelle, Heidi season of SYTYCD. I had no preconceived notions about the judges. This was the Emmett/Mario season. And yet, I could tell almost immediately that she was biased towards male performers. And as a female, I find that particularly offensive. Yes, she could and often does give good critique. But this is countered by the ludicrous bias she shows and the belittling comments she makes to females. And yes, the truck driver comment was rude, insensitive and totally uncalled for. I'm constantly disappointed that someone who clearly knows dance lets her bias overcome her professionalism.

I might have mentioned this in Bruno's thread. After I saw Bruno and Carrie Ann at the New York City auditions for their show, I gave my impressions to different acquaintances, one of them a former background singer. It turns out she had toured with Carrie Ann shortly after the Fly Girl days. She said Carrie Ann was extremely easy to work with in contrast to a lot of other people she could name. But Carrie Ann is "very serious about her stuff." Whatever she's working on, she's very very serious about it.

I do remember that but she's hardly been consistent. This may have been the night she chose to really harp on it but I think it's unfair to be so harsh about it when she, herself, has let other performances with lifts slide by. Like another poster said, she should've just warned everyone tonight especially since some of the lifts were questionable (IMO). They did look like lifts but I don't think they were intended to be (especially with Jane and Jennie - who, btw, are the celebs and would have a more difficult time keeping their feet on the ground). In any case, she could've said "okay, no more lifts or anything resembling a lift." She just handled this whole thing badly. It was as if she was on some personal vendetta or something.

Other than this, I do think she's the judge that gives the best critiques in terms of how the celebs can improve. And I haven't really noticed any gender bias towards the dancers either. But right now, she's just getting on my nerves about the whole lift thing.

Agreed.

And lest we forget, she's the one who was in tears over Jane Seymour's performance last week. I think she's being far more emotional this season in general, but I don't notice any particular bias towards men or women. She does tend to give good criticisms to the dancers; ones that are useful such as "put your shoulders down", "don't dance with your mouth (Mark!)", "keep your head up", "use your hips". Whereas Bruno often just says some bizarre and funny thing that works in the moment but doesn't really give you any foundation for improvement and Len is usually very harsh in his judgments (though last week he practically licked a few contestants, which was odd).

Anyway, Carrie Ann, to sum up, doesn't bother me yet. If she continues to harp on lifts or if she continues to be an emotional train-wreck into next season, I'll revise my opinion as necessary.

Oh, and the "truck driver" comment was perhaps a poor choice of words, but I think she was referring to the image that "Scary Spice" had. I didn't feel that she was saying that was her opinion of Mel, but it was the image she had of Mel from her role as a Spice Girl. And I don't think that image is unfair. No-one would have expected Scary Spice to glam up and waltz ten years ago.

I don't think anyone would've expected Scary Spice to be a truck driver ten years ago, either. "Truck driver" is a very specific image -- hard-drivin', hard-drinkin', hard-swearin', blue-collar Joe Six-Pack (and I am not referring to abs). I am, of course, not talking about all truck drivers. I'm just saying that there's a certain stereotype that Carrie Ann brought up, and when you are looking at a lovely woman in a pretty dress, that's just unforgivable. Saying someone looks like a truck driver is right up with "has a mouth like a longshoreman" or "walks like a truck horse."

It's not exactly dainty or pretty or complimentary and it creates an image in the minds of viewers. Do you think Carrie Ann would've dared to tell Laila she carried herself like a truck driver? Or Sabrina that she reminds her of a linebacker? I don't. Meanwhile, what if someone told Carrie Ann that they're surprised she cleaned up so well to be on DWTS, because they expected her to be more like a two-bit hooker? Cause, you know, she totally looks like a two-bit hooker when she's being Fook Yu.

Carrie Ann really should apologize to Mel for that.

As for her judging, I would respect her comments more if she actually knew what she was talking about. I don't think she does. She has no ballroom dance experience as far as I've ever heard. Mary on SYTYCD is one thing -- she's got the goods -- but Carrie Ann? I think they stuck her on the panel because she's fairly young and good-looking and has some connection to the dance world. I think they wanted Paula Abdul when they started, which should tell you something. But Paula does have dance credits in the same vein as Carrie Ann.

I'd rather see Rosie Perez, who is at least funny.

Woo hoo! arlykeeno, that was a majorly good rant. (And another reason why I can't quit the dance boards.)



I don't think so either, although I have no idea why. Do you know why? Does anyone know why?

Well, re: Sabrina, most people have used "linebacker" to describe her physical features. While telling Mel B. that she has a mouth like a trucker is thoughtless, I feel that it would be considered more unacceptable to insult someone's physical appearance because it's something that you are stuck with. There's a difference between saying that someone has a mouth like a sailor, for example, and saying that someone is built like a sumo wrestler.

CarrieAnn's irrational behavior is an embarrassment to women. She is so emotional, catty, bitchy, and nagging when she is "down" on someone, and so emotional, gushing, sentimental, and weepy when she's "up" on someone. I know, I am absolutely certain, that there are knowledgeable, ladylike, and articulate women judges in this country who could do her job 1,000% better and have a true knowledge of ballroom dance standards to boot. CarrieAnn is a fool.

As for her cheerleading for the CHEEETTTAH linebacker (Disney rep) and handsome CAMERON (ABC rep) -- she's about as transparent as looking glass in how she drops all rules to favor them.

I don't mind a "no lift rule" if it's applied consistently. But . . . . oh heck, everyone has said it already . . . . CA is selective in who she criticizes.

But the topper has been her rude, crude, insulting and catty remarks to Melanie Brown. Mel B has been a sweetheart of a "star", giving us good laughs and hard work, and good results all through this season. CA has done her best to immediately take the edge off of each successful performance with a crass remark. I hope CA slips on her own slimey tongue and gets the boot for her abysmal antics as a judge.

Uh...perhaps because Laila could have snapped Carrie Ann in half with one thought?

I'm never insulted when people tell me I swear like a sailor, because I do. And I haven't tried to change. And I highly doubt that Mel is going to sit at home rewinding that scene, crying and clutching a teddy bear, wondering what she did to make Carrie Ann hate her so much. She'll probably be like "Carrie Ann expects a truck driver. I am not a truck driver. Moving on."

Carrie Ann is a judge on the show not an ordinary poster on the internet. What exactly was the basis for saying Mel had a mouth like a truck driver? If this statement was true, which it’s not, then what would that have to do with dancing. This is a personal attack from a judge who is supposed to be objective and I suspect that it’s based on nothing more than watching film clips and watching her dancing on the show. Somehow she’s turned Melanie’s sometimes humorous antics into her having a mouth like a truck driver. Carrie Ann was thoughtless and that’s the problem. She thoughtlessly attacked Melanie out of nowhere instead of judging her on her performance.
This show is all about appearance. Carrie Ann would be far more in line if she commented on appearance than she would be commenting on somebody’s character or personal life. Mel’s mouth has nothing to do with how she dances. However, if a dancer has on clothing that’s inappropriate or distracting, that takes away from the dance. If a dancer’s out of shape, then that’s going to take away from the quality of the dancing. How many times have judges talked about where someone’s eyes were, their posture, the placement of their head, their arms or whatever. Physical qualities are very much apart of someone being judged, so it’s more fair territory then any comment about someone’s personality, or mouth or whatever. Carrie Ann commenting on Mel having a mouth like a truck driver has exactly the same relevance to her dancing as Maks accent, which is none. The comments about Sabrina’s frame are more related to her dancing because that body of hers affects how she moves. Will she be able to handle the slower dances and the finesse moves. Power means absolutely nothing when you’re trying to execute a romantic slow dance. Anyway the point is moot since Carrie Ann didn’t comment on Sabrina’s frame but a few posters did. Unless they boot Carrie Ann off the show she needs to stick to dancing and the things related to dancing.

I did think that CA was talking about Mel's physicality, not her mouth. I can go back and watch the segment again, but I don't recollect CA saying anything like, "you have a mouth like a truck driver, or you sound like a truck driver." If I'm wrong, I'll certainly make apologies. My recollection is she just said, "you're like a truck driver." I understood that to mean in the way she carries herself, that she's in your face, aggressive, tomboyish, and could include her outspokeness as well. In other words, she does not exude an air of elegance and gracefulness that one would generally associate with an accomplished ballroom dancer.

However, even if she was talking about how Mel carries herself, I still think it was rude and insulting. The fact that it could legitimately relate to the way she dances doesn't excuse any or all comments, IMO.

Like mlewis, I thought the comment was about her mouth too, so I replayed my recording of the show and this is what Carrie Ann said:

"...when you open your mouth, you're just kinda like a truck driver. You're like 'aaaayyy' [pause] in a good way..."

Melanie interrupts up with "Wotttt?" after the "aaaayy" (then starts laughing)

While Carrie Ann said the words "truck driver", she sort of punched the air like a boxer with one arm.

To be fair, then she continued on in the same little speech and complimented Mel on her "sensual elegance" and called her "womanly" and "graceful."

Compared to a "bear lost in a swamp" and "Big Foot in a suit", I really didn't think it was too bad. YMMV

But what she said to Mel was in relation to how much she's been surprised by and enjoys Mel's dances. And to be fair, a lot of DWtS' appeal is in seeing someone that you'd ordinarily think "What the --?" about them ballroom dancing, and then they totally wow you. That's what I think Carrie Ann was expressing, so it's not "out of nowhere."

And this:



tells me that Mel knew exactly what Carrie Ann was talking about - the image of Mel that a lot of people retain from the Spice Girls era. I didn't see that she took any offence, and she didn't express any in her confessional, which is when most of the stars/pros let loose with anything the judges did to annoy them.

Just because Mel B. chose not to express offense does not excuse Carrie Ann, IMO, nor does it make Carrie Anne's truck-driver remark any less offensive.

Carrie Ann meant to deliver a put-down, sensed from the audience reaction that it wasn't being received very well and then tried to do some damage control for herself by sputtering out some compliments.

Carrie Ann was very fortunate that she delivered this remark to Mel B. and not someone else. With anyone else, there would have been much more of an awkward moment. Awkward for Carrie Ann. Mel B. did her the favor of laughing it off.

Mel B. showed a lot of class by not using the confessional to throw a real hissy fit. She also showed savvy. By not saying anything to maybe inadvertently alienate truck drivers (or other blue color workers) and instead even being smart enough along with Maks to use this as a humorous moment to appeal for their votes.

The confessional I saw included Mel being offended that Carrie Ann "called me a truck driver." Poor Maks just says, "ooowww my ear hurts." (He had an infected outer ear.)

When Bruno called BRC's dancing "crap," he was talking about the aspect he is expected to judge, the dance. When CarrieAnn said Mel is like a truck driver . . . . WAIT A MINUTE . . . . that's a personal attack of a guest on the show who dances in a lovely manner!!!!! It deserves an ON-AIR apology to Mel B.

Thanks, Elsa, for going to the videotape (or digital recording, as the case may be). As promised, accept my mea culpa. I did not remember the exchange correctly.

Either way, I think it was a mean comment. I wonder if she was trying to go for a laugh and quickly realized that she stepped over a line. And I really don't get it. When Mel speaks, she doesn't sound like a truck driver to me. I do think that when I hear her speak, it sounds to me like she uses an accent that I associate with a less sophisticated, less educated Brit. But as a Yank, I'm no expert on the various British accents, I'm just sharing the impression I get from her speech. If CA's comment was a veiled way of saying that, it seems pretty inappropriate to me.

When she says, "when you open your mouth, you're just kinda like a truck driver," I can only think of two ways to interpret that. Either she's talking about the content of the speech (e.g. vulgar), or the style of her speech (e.g. unsophisticated). I tend to think she was leaning toward the latter, and it's just not very nice. It's also a poor stereotype about truck drivers. There really are intelligent, educated people who choose the truckers' life for a variety of reasons, and I suspect they don't sound like "truck drivers" either when they open their mouths.

Carrie Ann's claims to fame are a Fly Girl, a choreographer, and Fook Yoo; not an orator. I have no expectation of anything intelligent coming out of her mouth. I think this was a case of her trying to be witty and it backfiring. I'll give her a pass this time. But this should be a lesson to her that she really ought to avoid attempts at deprecating humor if she isn't skilled at threading that needle. And she ain't.

"You actually danced better than I thought you would."

"You talk like a truck driver."

Always sucking the buzz out of the fine dance Mel had just performed. I'm not as willing to give this empty-headed poor example of women any more passes.

I'm not either.

I need to vent my Carrie Anne frustrations. JMO, but I think she has no right to call someone a truck driver. Has anyone ever noticed that when Carrie Ann has on a strapless dress how she needs to yank it up on camera? What I mean is, there is plenty of time that the camera is not on the judges,, plenty. But, noooo, we come back from break or from backstage and there she is both hands under each armpit yanking up the dress. Hey bitch, get a dress that fits or do that off camera, i don't enjoy watching you. It's not the most ladylike thing to do and you seem to be the expert on that. (self appointed)

Okay in terms of Carrie-Ann and all the drama over lifts I personally was just more amused on Monday and did laugh out loud at Bruno being annoyed with her nit-picking. However, re watching some of the early dances this season, I can see why some were so annoyed and felt she was inconsistent.

I could also see why Len was saying that it'd been done many times anyway and no one had mentioned it. I especially re-watched Julianne and Helio's dances and by Carrie Ann's definition, they did a lift in BOTH the foxtrot and the mambo and it was clear as day in the mambo with Julianne's split over Helio's head. So yeah I can see now why so many felt she just had a stick up her butt on Monday.

The judges see the rehearsals so they have a general idea of what to say. The same applies with the little riffs between Len and Bruno. We often see the judges looking at their notes, possibly prewritten?

The no lift rule is necessary to level the competition. Imagine Wayne Newton having a heart attack while lifting Cheryl over his head? The gentle lifts (like Jane's) shouldn't be counted as breaking the rules, IMO. I think the free style for the Finals is the chance for the best dancers to do tricks and lifts. That is my favorite part of the show.



I agree tjames, I felt what Edyta did was a trick NOT a lift. I was actually surprised she pushed the envelope that far, but did enjoy seeing it.

I do like Carrie Ann and at least she doesn't appear drunk or on drugs. J/K. I really don't think she's being patronizing, and I respect her critiques on technique. Apologizing to Mel is not necessary, but CA might do it if she hears about the flak it caused.

ETA: Some mumble jumble has been removed. Need more sleep, I think.

My own distaste for CarrieAnn's unpredictable scoring, weeping, gushing over the guys, patronizing the (especially older) women, etc., is the obvious role she plays as the only woman judge. She has no true ballroom dance background and isn't even very well schooled in choreography of ballroom dances. This lack of competence is so painfully obvious. She substitutes emotion -- ah that's just woman's trait -- and seems very, very personal about that. CarrieAnn is unprofessional and an embarrassment to women.
JMO.

Oh, how I wish there were three judges truly competent in ballroom dance and choreography helping the public understand what they were voting upon. Why oh why does DWTS insist on imitating American Idol and making the show too often about the judges than the competitors???

I really don't understand how someone responding emotionally to the artistry of dance is either "unprofessional" or an "embarrassment" to her gender. To me, that is a huge component of how any art can be evaluated, and I think it's great that DWtS has at least one judge who will express that (Bruno arguably does it too, but he usually covers it over with a layer of lust). I don't think I'd want to watch a show that had 3 versions of Len Goodman carping about heel leads.

And while it's true that Carrie Ann doesn't have a ballroom background, I find that she makes very incisive comments about the celebs' dancing that can actually help them improve, if they listen.

In looking back over the seasons of DWtS, I don't find her to gush over the guys any more than the women, either. She's gushed over plenty of women over the course of 5 seasons, either generally or for specific dances.

I feel Carrie Ann has done some schooling in choreography of ballroom dances. On her off time, she may well attend competitions. Her boyfriend is a dancer, and she was good enough to judge SYTYCD auditions the first season. Honestly, I don't find her to be "unprofessional" or an "embarrassment" to her gender. We are all entitled to our feelings, and I would miss CA if she were to be replaced.

I remember in past season, Len would describe what to look for in a certain dance, and have professionals demonstrate it. This would have been the perfect week to have done that.

ETA: Does anyone know anything about the show that she, Bruno and Drew will be doing?

With Carrie Ann getting on lifts again last night, I'm thinking this isn't a scripted move by the producers, but her trying to be taken more seriously as a judge. Neither Len nor Bruno mentioned the "lift," nor did they dock the score like she did. Funny enough, though, there were other partners that also had possible lifts that weren't mentioned, not just Cameron and Edyta. Once again. Carrie Ann is inconsistent and out of touch. Len may be a grouch and play favorites sometimes, but at least (when Bruno lets him speak, anyway) he gives critiques and attempts to be consistent in his criticism.

"I can see the color of your emotions," or something close to that is not a real critique, and right now the only thing I feel like Carrie Ann is doing is reading lines from the Paula Abdul School of Judging and occasionally trying to play grownup with docking for "lifts."

If the rule is that the foot may come off the floor for one second, as Tony stated last week, then she truly had no room to dock Cameron and Edyta. I am so over her.

Okay, I defended Carrie Ann last week for the whole lift controversy, but jeez. This is taking things too far. I agree with the idea that maybe Carrie Ann covers for not having as much dance cred as Bruno and Len (who, for me, always backs his critiques up with examples) by commenting on picky, useless details.

Here's a link to BBC's Dance X homepage. Since DWTS is so close to its parents show, Strictly Come Dancing, I'm assuming ours will be very similar to theirs:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dancex/

So, did Carrie Ann get to hang with her old friend Jennifer Lopez, at all?

Better question. Does JLo even take CA's calls these days?

Carrie Ann cries.

Pretty funny stuff

Yuck. I side with Carrie Ann on this one. Tony needs to get a life. This crap happened 2 weeks ago. Move on.

Thank you Elsa for the information. Next week should answer my questions.

Carrie Ann was much more pleasant last night. I am still trying to figure out who she wants to win.

Probably Cameron.

She's going to be guest-hosting The View today.

I was happy she praised Sabrina to the press after Sabrina's elimination. She looked absolutely gutted after the results were announced.

After the show:

They talked to her about waiting for Mr. Right, and now she's with Artem. They asked her mother (who was in the audience) if she minded Carrie Ann being with a younger man. Her mother said no. They showed a photo of them together. Carrie Ann talked about the age difference and how she's at the age where she's starting to want kids, he wants kids, but he's still working on his dancing career and she's also very busy. She's the main breadwinner. She eventually hopes that will change so she can be home and have kids.

They talked about Heather Mills asking the press to leave her alone. Carrie Ann said Heather's always so concerned with her image, and if she wants the media to leave her alone, she could go into hiding. Since Heather said some not-very-nice things about Carrie Ann after her elimination, Carrie Ann's probably not a fan (if anyone out there is).

I think this may have been the worst night Carrie Ann's had as a judge. Blatant favoritism towards Helio and Cameron, holding back on Mel's perfect score for no real reason, and criticizing Jennie because of her chin.

She seems to be going out of her way to reinforce every negative stereotype people have about her.

I couldn't agree with you more, Mark.