DWTS All-Stars Recap: Mirror Ball, Mirror Ball On the Wall…

11 Comments

1. 1
   wcsdancer
   Posted November 29, 2012 at 3:52 pm

   @PopePhilly, thank you for sticking with the show. I love the show (mostly), but I still snark about it and look forward to your recaps.

   Yeah, the re-do of Melissa and Tony’s samba was…off. It looked a bit like they were dancing through jello, and some of the moves looked downright awkward. (I know a tiny bit about partner dancing so I notice things like that.)

   When Shawn was talking about respecting the rules, while stating their intention to break them, Mr. dancer and I were yelling at the tv “No, you don’t! If you did, you would FOLLOW them!” I would have liked to see them get 5s for disregarding the required elements of the dance yet again. It was not about the fans, it was about *Derek*. I’ve not liked him (or Mark) for many seasons, but he’s been a supersized douche this season. When they were talking about being excited about their freestyle, I thought, hmmm, haven’t you already done like three freestyles?

   I was happy for Tony, and even Melissa even though I can’t stand people who are famous for stupid shows like the Bachelor/ette. And the best thing? Derek didn’t win!

   Oh, and totally agree with your comments on “Call Me Maybe”. LOLed at the picture caption.

2. 2
   2muchbravo
   Posted November 29, 2012 at 8:20 pm

   Didn’t watch this time around. I think Shawn’s the cutest little munchkin and I agree with your abhorance of people who are famous for dumb shit but I’m glad Derek didn’t win, either. “Supersized douche,” LOL!
   I thought it was cool that Val was in the finals after only being a pro for what, 2 seasons?

3. 3
   PopePhilly
   Posted November 29, 2012 at 8:29 pm

   @wcsdancer: I got an email from Flipit today congratulating me on breaking the curse. *Fist in the air!* It’s a weird show to recap because we don’t get the crazy fighting and drama that other reality shows have. It seems that everyone always tends to get along on this show – probably because they aren’t living together the whole time. Thanks for sticking with me all season!

   I don’t like people who are “reality show” famous either, but Melissa began to grow on me toward the end of the season. I’m happy with her win – and Tony’s, of course. I agree with you on Derek and Shawn being excited for freestyle dances. That’s all they’ve been doing. That’s what makes the freestyle round so cool – the dancers can do ANYTHING! If that’s what they do all season, there is nothing special about the freestyle round.

   @2muchbravo: You didn’t miss much not watching. It was just another one of those boring “All-Star” shows that seem to be the thing to do now. Shawn is freaking adorable – aside from the “not opening her mouth when she talks” thing (that’s just my speech nerd pet peeve). I probably would have rooted for her if she was paired with anyone but Derek. I agree with you on the Val love. It’s nice to see him finally get some recognition. I always felt like he was stuck in Maks’ shadow on this show. I loved seeing him come into his own.

4. 4
   Madani
   Posted November 30, 2012 at 3:59 am

   A mini mirrorball for PopePhilly! You made it through an entire season!! Great job!

   I was very happy for Tony and Melissa. And very disappointed that the judges decided a .5 deduction was enough of a markdown (I’m looking at you, Bruno) for Derek The-Rules-Apply-To-Everyone-But-Me and Shawn’s repeat dance. Now that you brought up the Shawn not moving her jaw when she talks thing, that is ALL I see when she is interviewed so it is a good thing the season is over. Hope you will be back in the spring, PopePhilly!

5. 5
   PopePhilly
   Posted November 30, 2012 at 6:54 am

   @Madani: Bruno over-scores everyone. I was half expecting him to throw up 13s from time to time.

   I’ll probably be back in the spring. If I’m going to break a record, I might as well shatter it!

6. 6
   Patty
   Posted November 30, 2012 at 10:47 am

   So glad Tony won, especially after having to suffer with Kate Gosselin a few seasons ago. I thought they did really well this season, even though I was pretty sure she would win after all of the “I am the only one left who hasn’t won” remarks. Thanks for another great recap!

7. 7
   wcsdancer
   Posted November 30, 2012 at 12:30 pm

   Of course Derek (over)utilized Shawn’s gymnastics skills, but it drove me absolutely insane when the judges would compliment her on dancing. She didn’t dance. Ever. I know I’ve said this several times, but she performed choreography with music in the background. She didn’t connect to the music at all. For me that is a big part of dancing.

8. 8
   PopePhilly
   Posted November 30, 2012 at 12:49 pm

   @Patty: I’m sure that it wasn’t just scores and votes that chose the winner. I’m willing to bet the producers weren’t going to let a previous winner have a second mirror ball trophy. I have a feeling the only ones who actually hate a shot at winning were Joey, Sabrina, Gilles, Melissa, Pamela, Bristol, and Kirstie. ‘Merka loves our underdogs. Viewers probably would have gotten bored had someone like Shawn or Emmitt or Drew won. The only previous winner who could have taken the competition and not caused a (for lack of a better word) backlash would have been Kelly because people didn’t think she deserved her first win. It would have been one of those, “I showed them!” moments.

   @wcsdancer: Shawn is a very talented gymnast, but you’re right. She didn’t really dance this entire season. Although she performed techinically good choreography, there is a lot more that goes into a good dance. It’s like a lot of things – passion and heart go a lot farther than robotic perfection.

9. 9
   Patty
   Posted November 30, 2012 at 1:33 pm

   PopePhilly: Good point! I hadn’t thought of it that way. You’re right though. It’s the same reason I quit watching Survivor until this season, the most undeserving person kept winning. That said, I’m looking forward to next season!

10. 10
    ChaCha
    Posted November 30, 2012 at 4:32 pm

    “I can’t deal with the music on the show most of the time.” You and me both, sister! Am glad you called them out on that. Some (most) of the music is just flat out inappropriate for these dances.

    Am thrilled that Tony and Melissa won, especially Tony. He just keeps bouncing back even after getting stuck with some of the most horrendous female “stars” (ahem, Kate Gosslin, worst he ever had). He and Melissa made a great team–finally he got a partner who could really dance.

11. 11
    Boogie wiggles
    Posted December 1, 2012 at 11:44 am

    The look on Tony’s face when he was waiting to have the trophy handed to him reminded me of a little kid waiting to be handed a Christmas present.

    Best dance from finale night was easily Drew bringing his daughter out on stage. However, it was only the third cutest dance I’ve ever seen. The two cutest are the father-daughter dances that Mr Wiggles and our daughter have performed in at her dance recitals.

    Derek fake crying over how much he loves Shawn was so freaking annoying. I thought he was okay in his early seasons but now he’s just a big bag of suck. And Shawn’s freestyle being nothing but a big floor routine and still getting a perfect 30 was frustrating. I didn’t care for Kelly and Val’s freestyle, but at least Kelly danced.

    Melissa and Tony’s freestyle was my favorite. Melissa really does have beautiful lines and I’m a fan of contemporary and lyrical styles.