fracas

The Monday October 15 show was judged this way:

Sabrina and Mark danced the Paso Doble. Score: 30
Cameron and Edyta danced the Paso Doble. Score: 27
Mark and Kym danced the Viennese Waltz. Score: 22
Jennie and Derek danced the Paso Doble. Score: 27
Melanie and Maksim danced the Viennese Waltz. Score: 26
Floyd and Karina danced the Paso Doble. Score: 23
Jane and Tony danced the Viennese Waltz. Score: 26
Helio and Julianne danced the Viennese Waltz. Score: 27
Marie and Jonathan danced the Viennese Waltz. Score: 26

Fracas Figures:

I found Mark’s performance entertaining. While he certainly has a long way to go if he wants to stay in the race more than another couple of weeks, something about him makes you want to root for him. Perhaps it’s that he listens to what he’s told and isn’t out there all full of himself? Whatever it is, it clearly places him in the category of someone I’d like to watch far more than a couple of the other contestants. Frankly, that counts. If you don’t want to watch someone, it’s all irrelevant after that.

Sabrina is good, and while the judges thought good enough for a perfect score, I beg to differ a bit. Her facial expressions reminded me more of someone dementedly attempting to convince everyone they were a gothic vampire or some other kind of monster. It reminded me of someone trying to scare others as opposed to being the passionate expression expected from someone performing a Paso Doble. I expected a good score, but was shocked at the tens from all three. During the performance, I’d chalked it up to her age and perhaps bubbly personality not being familiar with passion. Apparently the judges weren’t watching facial expressions unless it pertained to Mark Cuban.

Jennie was wonderful but one thing about her stands out each week. The fact that she seems at every second, to be capable of breaking into tears, or at the very least, I’m always wondering if she’ll break out of formation mid-dance and run from the stage to hide. For me, it ruins the performance. I’m sure regular readers will notice that this is the same review she got last week. It isn’t a mistake. It’s something I’m having trouble shaking.

Again, Melanie gives a good performance but the personality clash between her and Maksim is evident. It spoils the dance for me every time. I’d like to be caught up in a performance and these two just can’t deliver it. Good dancing is about acting as much as it’s about dancing, something some of the other contestants obviously do understand.

Floyd just irritates me. From his bad attittude regarding last week’s scores and viewer vote placement, to his attempt to plug his fight, he will not be able to shake off the opinions people have formed regarding his success on the show. Being angry and stamping about like a child might work in a fight, but frankly, as a dancer it makes me cross my fingers and hope for a bottom place finish. Floyd… you’re just not as good as you think you are and you can’t bully people or force people to want to watch you. If I wasn’t writing this for the blog, I’d use your slot to take a bathroom break.

Jane was poetry in motion. Her graceful demeanor is perfect for the Waltz, and I’m not sure how fair it was for Carrie Anne Inaba to have such a snit over her “lift” and score her down, only to by the end of the night, be pishing away lifts done by others. Jane gave a beautiful performance and either Inaba should’ve remained vigilant that her scores reflect her dismay over the “lifts” being done by others, or she should ask to re-issue her score for Jane.

Helio was good, though admittedly a significant portion of what makes him look so good, is the partner he was paired with. Julianne is strikingly beautiful and elegant in her choreography and costume choices. While I try to maintain focus on him, since he is the contestant, I find it hard not to watch her. I suspect this is helping him more than others.

Cameron. Cameron performed better than I expected. The Superman schtick was effective for him tonight. He was able to posture a lot (such as is the male role in a Paso Doble) and impress everyone with that. I don’t particularly enjoy watching him, he still always seems too wooden for me to enjoy. I can’t seem to replace “Soap Opera Cheese” with “Dancer”.

And lastly, Marie. Marie was beautifully presented. The head rolls and the fact that we knew going in, that she had difficulty with the turns and the spins made watching her do them all so gracefully feel like we just watched something remarkable. She is a treat to watch each week.

Who do I think will go home tomorrow?

I sincerely hope that it’s Floyd. I do not, for one minute, believe he’s there with the right attitude or intentions. Mark may suffer for not being as famous or having the same kind of fan base, and Mark may not be a better dancer than Floyd, but if Mark should stay, I believe he will listen to advice given, try harder and show us that hard work pays off. If Floyd stays, I believe we will see more of the same because he obviously believes he is the be all and end all of everything, and in all liklihood we will be “treated” to another tantrum somewhere along the way as well as be subjected to more plugging of his pay-per-view fight.

Previous reviews:

Week 3 Review
Week 2 Elimination Show
Week 2 Review
Week 1 Elimination Show
Season Premiere – Men’s Night
Season Premiere – Women’s Night