191 replies to this topic

[TWoP Lockley]

The 10th and final week of performances for the 15th season features each remaining couple's favorite dance from the season and a freestyle routine

Remember:
Hold off posting until the episode has aired, please! If for some odd reason this thread does not open, you may create another one, but NOT UNTIL THE EPISODE HAS AIRED.

Keep it on topic. There are lots of other places to talk in detail about your favorite and most loathed dancers and stars.

[trojan69]

Amazing how good dances can be when accompanied by proper music.

Of course, the Wheeler soloist couldn't handle Melissa's music. Not the music's fault.

I hope that the viewers finally saw the real Shawn - the cut-throat narcissist. The routine was definitely fun and well-executed. Unfortunately, they didn't choose it to be their freestyle. Screw 'em.

How profoundly ironic that TPTB manged to entice the fame-whoring U.S. Gymnastcs team to help her out. A few short months ago, I guarantee you they mocked and laughed at Shawn for even attempting a comeback. No love lost there. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. "My sisters?????" Disgusting.

Melissa's freestyle should go straight to the series' pantheon. Phenomenal. I fear the audience will not appreciate the artistry and physicality required to execute as Tony and Melissa did.

The open of Kelly's freestyle was also fantastic. The rest of it was very well done, yet left me bored. I wouldn't be angry if she won this, but Melissa deserves it more. Credit to Brooke for really laying it down in her romance question!

Yes, freestyle allows for that abomination of a routine that Shawn and Derek performed. But to call that "dance?"

My vote goes to Melissa a bit over Kelly. Best routine tomorrow to settle it. Of course, Shawn is gonna take it, though. Grrrr.

Edited by trojan69, Nov 26, 2012 @ 9:00 PM.

[dizzyd]

Was this the most underwhelming finale ever? The Fab5 did a great job at complementing the golden couple and as much as I hate to say this, that was the most entertaining dance of the night, the other 2 freestyles flopped IMO. Guess I've got to work harder to give Tony a 1st W. Btw, what was super-sized about those freestyles? They seemed standard sized to me.

[yarnover]

A "Shawn" marquee?

Real subtle, show. Real subtle.

[tip and fall]

Anyone else laugh when Bruno told Shawn and Derek that he was ~bound by the rules. Er, since when, Bruno? And he only docked them .5 a point in the end.

I kind of wished that Kelly and Val hadn't danced to such an iconic song, but Kelly > Jennifer Grey in any case.

"Contemporary is a style we haven't seen on the show before." Oh, Melissa. Did you not see Erin and Maks' hot mess of a bed dance? Anyway, I (surprisingly) really liked their routine, although I thought that the aerialists were unnecessary. IMO it would have been even better if it had just been the two of them. That routine would have benefited from the minimalism. But of course YMMV. And I still thought the routine was excellent overall. Yay for Tony and Melissa redeeming themselves!

McKayla needs to retire her bitchface routine already. Now that she got Obama to join in, it's jumped the shark.

Shawn and Derek's freestyle routine was a messy hodgepodge, and the garish colors on the dance floor didn't help. Other than the last trick (with Shawn on Derek's shoulders), which was cool... eh. Lemme borrow McKayla's bitchface for a second.

A "Shawn" marquee?

Look on the bright side: At least it wasn't a full-fledged picture of her superimposed against an American flag like some people were predicting.

[alaspata]

Holy cow, Tony and Melissa...those lifts were freaking awesome.

Should win: Melissa
Will likely win: Shawn

[torreador]

I thought Shawn should have been given 8s for once again thumbing her nose at the rules. "I care more about the audience and standing ovations"? Puleeze. If she did a good quickstep, then she would also have pleased the audience and gotten a standing ovation. Their freestyle was good but a bit too gymnastic.

Neither of Kelly and Val's routines did anything for me. and I think they made a mistake taking on such an iconic dance. They couldn't do it "as is" and needed to make it their own, but they just changed enough that I found it distracting when they'd start with an expected Dirty Dancing move and then do something different.

Loved Tony and Melissa's freestyle and the fact that they didn't bring in a lot of needless distractions. It was the two of them and some aerialists as a concession to "adding more". And Tony looks so thrilled. Loved it when Len said he wished he could give them an 11.

Melissa for the win, but I fear it will be Shawn.

[luvbadTV]

I thought Tony looked awkward during his freestyle performance.

[msburg]

Len called it, Kelly's freestyle was way too derivative of the orginal dance, not original at all. Especially since Jennifer Grey was onhand a few seasons ago to provide the real thing. Eh.

Melissa's was ok, but so not a good freestyle choice. I was happy that hers and Kelly's showcased some real dancing though.

Which brings me to Shawn. Very underwhelmed with the actual dancing. Even Derek's part in it! It was a great floor routine for a gymnastics competetion, though. Also thought it was fitting that they were dinged for making the same mistake twice on the quickstep. Though they held hands a lot more (staying in hold, I guess?), I was happy that two of three judges were unimpressed.

[JudeMorrigan]

Speaking as a guy who dances standard (albeit at an admittedly relatively low level), it would be difficult for me to overstate just how much I despise the whole, "well, we could stay in hold OR we could entertain the audience" schtick. Blah. I can't say I much cared for their freestyle either.

And what's with Melissa and Tony and the CGI? First the dino and now Gargantua? Just stop.

[sintin]

Hey, I heard a rumor that Shawn didn’t make it to the London Games this year. Can anyone confirm this?
The judges obviously want Kelly and Val to finish 3rd, lol.

Sadly, I thought Melissa and Tony’s reprise dance was the only one that was performed better this time around.
Kelly & Val – I think the camera work was a little different, and Val didn’t do his fierce little dance at the beginning this time around. Plus Kelly seemed a little worn and winded.

Freestyles:
Kelly & Val – There was no bed, and nobody got naked, so I deem it a success. And on the plus side I thought Kelly’s interpretation of the dance was better than Jennifer Grey could have done a few seasons ago.
Melissa & Tony – God, I know that strategically voting for Kelly is the best way to ensure that Derek and his golden goose don’t get that “blinged out” trophy, but damn if Melissa isn’t just so charming. From her matter of fact admission that her season 8 freestyle “bombed” to her ultra southern exclamation of “heavens to betsy!” she’s won me over a hundred times over. And Tony redeemed himself with the freestyle, finally!
Shawn & Derek: GOLD MEDAL GOLD MEDAL OLYMPICS REDEMPTION RETIREMENT OLYMPICS GOLD MEDAL GOLD GOLD OLYMPICS FIERCE OLYMPICS GOLD GOLD GOLD. REDEMPTION I'M GETTING A HEAD START ON MY QUARTER CENTURY CRISIS, OLYMPICS OLYMPICS.

Oh, and the Fierce Five were cute too,

Edited by sintin, Nov 26, 2012 @ 9:32 PM.

[CPP83]

I give the whole night an F, F for Finally get this the fuck over with. Nothing really stood out to me, but I am pretty sure I know who is going to win anyway so it really didn't matter what happened tonight, imho.

[Bavct]

I thought both Melissa and Kelly were simply beautiful, elegant and joyful in both of their dances.

Kelly was wonderful in her Paso and I thought that her freestyle was simply stunning. Yes, Len, it may have lacked originality but I'd rather watch that a thousand times than the oh so shocking gymnastics routine that no one ever expected from the goldenbots.

Melissa was joyful in her Samba and her freestyle was sublime. She proved to me that she is the best dancer tonight without having to rely on a past glory that she can't let go of. Yes, it was a risk for Melissa and Tony, but it was fantastic and it didn't have the entire Dallas Cowboy Cheerleading squad there to shake their pom poms for her.

Shawn as usual left me cold, disappointed and wishing that tomorrow were over and done with so the coronation could just be complete.

I'm sorry, but their flaunting of the rules and their smug faces about it made me want to reach through the screen and slap them in their first dance.

Needless to say that I thought the freestyle was so....them that it was boring. Yes, name in lights and the US Olympic Team there was the ultimate in egomania. I guess it's fitting that the show gave a visual blow job to Derek last week and they did the same for the wonderbot tonight.

Melissa and Kelly - magnificent job ladies - you are both true winners in my eyes.

[torreador]

Hey, I heard a rumor that Shawn didn’t make it the London Games this year. Can anyone confirm this?

OMG - Is this true? Where did you hear this?

So the "Instant Dances" are Samba, Cha Cha and Jive. I'm hoping Melissa gets Jive, Shawn gets Samba and Kelly gets Cha Cha, since I think Jive can showcase Melissa nicely. Although since she just did a Samba, that would be fresh for her too. I want Shawn to have the one that will require the most "sexy", which is Samba, I guess. And Kelly can have the left over.

[MusicaDolce]

Hey guys, did you know that Melissa didn't win the show the first time around? Or that Kelly has a showmance with Val? Or that Shawn missed out on an Olympic comeback? Because if you didn't, you were reminded tonight. Again. And again. And again.

I liked Kelly and Val's freestyle because, compared to the other two, it had more of what looked like actual dancing to me, as opposed to tricks (Shawn) and lifts (Melissa). But I guess Len was right - it wasn't very original.

I also would still like Melissa to win, just for poor Tony's sake, but I really think that freestyle was the wrong choice for her. When I think of Melissa, I think bubbly, fun, and high energy - not serious and emotional, which is what they were going for in that freestyle.

[mtlchickie]

I don't think that was really contemporary but damn Melissa's body is outstanding. And it made Len choke up. I just want Tony to win because I doubt he will get someone at her level again.

I was SO hoping that the judges were going to give Golden Boy even lower scores just for ignoring them but considering they want to pull "we're bound by the rules" it's their own fault it came to this.

Kelly/Val: meh. Nice freestyle but not a standout.

[tip and fall]

Needless to say that I thought the freestyle was so....them that it was boring.

Seriously. What was Len - I think it was him - smoking when he said it was different than what was expected of them? Put down the crackpipe, Len.

Shawn & Derek: GOLD MEDAL GOLD MEDAL OLYMPICS REDEMPTION RETIREMENT OLYMPICS GOLD MEDAL GOLD GOLD OLYMPICS FIERCE OLYMPICS GOLD GOLD GOLD. REDEMPTION I'M GETTING A HEAD START ON MY QUARTER CENTURY CRISIS, OLYMPICS OLYMPICS.

But did you hear that she's doing this because of the Olympics?

[jonaswan2]

The strongest group of finale dancers since Season 10 (Nicole Scherzinger's season). As a group, they may even be stronger.

I've been waiting Melissa to dust off her old ballet chops ever since her first Viennese waltz many seasons ago. And she delivered above and beyond my wildest dreams. She was a true prima ballerina in every sense if the word. Technique, grace, and artistry beyond anything we've seen a celebrity every do on this show.

Melissa's freestyle should go straight to the series' pantheon. Phenomenal. I fear the audience will not appreciate the artistry and physicality required to execute as Tony and Melissa did.

I have a similar fear, although all of the couple tonight were masterful in one element or another. (Honestly the growth from each and ever one of them over such a short period of time OS mind boggling.)

I know that many, many people are bored by contemporary. I worry that she may have turned some off.

I really enjoyed Kelly and Shawn's freestyle, too. I loved that Shawn and Derek did a greatest hits medley along with the gymnastics. It was great to see all of the girls there as one unit, and they looked to be having a great time on that dance floor.

And the only thing I really disliked about Kelly's freestyle was Val's violin.

Edited by jonaswan2, Nov 26, 2012 @ 9:43 PM.

[FullRetail]

What was that dreck that Melissa and Tony managed to puke up? What exactly did they do, besides do flity things back and forth on a platform? For all the air blown up her ass by the judgery, I'm shocked that her colon didn't explode on national television. Yet I'm sure she'd have danced right through it, seeing as how she's managed to power through other *cough cough* "injuries" this season. I like Tony a lot, but not nearly enough to see her win.

So, what exactly was the intent of Shawn's gymnast routine? It was half cartwheels and half Hava Nagila. And completely pointless. So strange. And at what point did the judges decide to actually "judge" those non dances? They're just now getting all sanctimonius over her quickstep-that-was-the-farthest-thing-in-the-world-from-a-quickstep? Really? Just now? Had they actually docked them correctly way back when, we might have actually witnessed a little bit of dancing from Shawn and not gymnastic auditions. She has the ability to win by dancing. Guess she forgot that she did it once before.

Not much to say about Kelly, other than it was deeply underwhelming. I did rather like the arial, which was probably a lot harder than anyone else did. I still hope her fans help her give the giant middle finger to the judgery and to the awfulness that has been this season.

None of them deserve to win.

[DoleWhip]

I was extremely underwhelmed by Shawn's floor routine. And it says a lot that she picked her first freestyle - I mean quickstep - for her repeat dance.

[Abra]

Kelly looked exhausted, and I am of the opinion that as a dancer she hasn’t improved since the end of Season One. She has remained on that plateau the entire All-star season. I just get nothing from her (except icky with her Val interactions), and whoever said it was right, her freestyle tonight was derivative and lacking in originality. Boring.

Tony jumping on the couch after his and Melissa’s samba scores was too cute. But the bottom part of Melissa’s samba costume was so low I feared we’d all be seeing her special place.

Oh, did I cringe when I heard that Melissa and Tony were doing a Contemporary Freestyle. And god help me, she did that fucking upside down bicycle kick that I loathe with a painful intensity. But while it didn’t rev me up and blow me away, Tony was right – that kind of dance really showcases Melissa’s best qualities. She looked beautiful. Not quite as graceful as I would have liked (no doubt because they spent so much time on not dropping her during all 437 lifts), and obviously not nearly enough dancing, but still really lovely.

I do wish they’d had the chance to showcase that earlier in the season, however. No matter how lovely, and no matter how we'd wish it otherwise, freestyles need to be high energy to rouse enough votes to win the trophy.

(Also, how have I never noticed how tiny Melissa is? Probably because her legs look about 8 feet long.)

Derek and Shawn have done it again - that was a trophy-winning freestyle. (Also, how in the world has he managed to avoid the surgery he needs for his neck for so long? It hurt just watching him, and he didn’t even look like he was in pain.) And I can’t help but have more appreciation for Derek’s creativity and smarts than I ever have before, from the music (no horrifically distracting bad singers!), to the past dances medley, to the sparkling gymnastics and guest gymnasts; he knows that it’s the most important dance of the season and what it takes to win, and he nailed it.

Shawn for the win, Melissa second (even though all my votes but one are going to her), and can we just drop Kelly tonight and be done with it?

[tip and fall]

And it says a lot that she picked her first freestyle - I mean quickstep - for her repeat dance.

That reminds me, I had a good chuckle when Carrie Ann passive-aggressively said as much: "You've been doing freestyles all season!" I'm not sure if she was intentionally being PA or not, but it made me laugh regardless.

[BearPaw25]

Nothing particularly wowed me this finale but then again, when you play the whole season as a finale, the actual finale plays as a normal episode.

Also how incredibly stupid and arrogant were Shawn and Derek to do a dance that they had previously been criticized and docked points for.

[softbatch]

I'm voting for Melissa.

I think it was totally, 100% lame that Shawn had as a crutch, the 5 women from the current US Olympic Gold Medal gymnastic team.

I guess she didn't feel she could get by on, you know, actually dancing. No, she brought in the Olympic team to I think sway the vote. And her laughable claim that she lacks confidence.... give me a fucking break, no one goes on the Olympic team with of a lack of confidence. They already have a huge impressive personal drive and ego to train as hard as gymnasts do who go on to the Olympics. They've earned that ego and drive. It's admirable.

What I don't think is admirable is when she claims to lack confidence. She is an Olympic Gold medalist, and she won the last DWTS. If she needs more validation then that, then she needs to see a psychiatrist.

As for Melissa, she killed it tonight. Her dance in my opinion was far and away the best of the season, let alone the best of the night.

Edited by softbatch, Nov 26, 2012 @ 9:25 PM.

[susannot]

Don't get why so many people love Melissa. Her samba was totally lacking in sex appeal. She looked like a Texas A & M or Brigham Young cheerleader trying to pretend to be sexy. Kelly really is sexy and she did a great job on Jennifer Grey's iconic dance. I predict she'll be second.

Nobody can beat Shawn. She played to her strength. Good for her.

[ChicksDigScars]

Did Len actually call Shawn and Derek's freestyle "unexpected?" Who are you trying to kid, Len? Are you trying to convince yourself, or the viewing audience, that Shawn doing a gymnastics routine was a "surprise?" A surprise to whom? Absolutely NO ONE?

And who cares about some pesky rules, anyway, right Shawn and Derek? Maybe your competitors, who are sitting at home fuming, because they did their best to follow them, while you were rewarded for thumbing your nose at them?

And let's pimp out the U.S. Gymnastics team for votes. Ugh. So disgusted right now. Just used ALL my votes to give Tony a Mirror Ball after 14 seasons of putting up with the shit he's put up with (namely the double standard).

[aceplace57]

It's sad that a beautiful, jaw dropping contemporary dance gets the same score as a gymnastics routine. That's just beyond screwed up. Tony proved once and for all that he can choreograph something besides pure ballroom. That dance is in my top five that I've ever seen on dwts.

I hope the public is as repulsed by Derek's blatant F U attitude towards the judges and ballroom in general. I'm very insulted that he thinks a beautifully done quickstep is boring and not crowd pleasing. That's a insult to the entire ballroom community. I'm curious to see if the public will give the mirrorball to a gymnast that can't dance worth a flip. More power to them if they do.

I was also very impressed with Kelly tonight. She's had such a journey this season. I have to admit that she's shown the most growth and improvement throughout the season.

I'd be ok with a win by Melissa or Kelly. I'd prefer seeing Melissa win, but please, please don't give it to the fake dancer/gymnast.

Edited by aceplace57, Nov 26, 2012 @ 9:30 PM.

[jlc1967]

Someone mentioned on the first page that Shawn and Derek's freestyle was a really good gymnastics routine. Precisely my thought. I can't believe they did the SHAWN letters. Is she not embarrassed by that?

I threw one vote to Kelly and Val and the rest to Melissa and Tony, but it will be all for naught since Shawn won this the minute they named her to the cast. Sigh.

And I thought, when they said Val would be playing the violin, that he actually KNEW how to play violin. Oh well.

[MusicaDolce]

Btw, what was super-sized about those freestyles? They seemed standard sized to me.

I agree. I think they just used the term "super-sized" to mean that you could bring in extra dancers, but I was really hoping for lengthier pieces. The dances seemed too quick to me!

Anyone else laugh when Bruno told Shawn and Derek that he was ~bound by the rules. Er, since when, Bruno? And he only docked them .5 a point in the end.

I totally laughed - and not just at Bruno, but at all three judges going on and on about the sacred rules. Yep, the "rules" that you arbitrarily apply from week to week to suit your whims (and/or the whims of the producers). You sure are bound by them.

[foxtrotinfall]

Someone please take Derek and his overrated "creativity," plus Shawn and her dashed Olympic comeback dreams, and drop-kick them both into deep space for me.