Dancing with the Stars : Week 6 rankings

Tonight was a bit frustrating after the last two shows were so memorable. Two stars legitimately stood out even more than usual (Jana, Calvin); two stars were overscored as much as ever (James, Marilu); two stars (Terra, Laurie) were a bit nitpicked on a night when no one was truly perfect. It's all par for the course, and we are just biding our time until Ryan and Maureen are eliminated and we have a real race on our hands.

1. Jana & Gleb. Finally, Jana, Gleb, and the producers went out of their way to make a statement with their dance. There were some really sexy and sharp staccato movements in this Argentine tango. Jana was actually a bit tentative to me at times, but there were no missed steps. Even the shower sequence worked well, despite the overhype, since she never stopped dancing. I still think Jana is the only one who can really give Laurie a run for her money, on her best day. There are others (James, arguably Terra and Calvin) who are more consistent than Jana, but this is the kind of dance that wins votes. Also, I don't believe Jana was really in jeopardy after last week's dance, though she may always be at the risk of a shock elimination. She can still go either way.

2. Calvin & Lindsay. All BS aside, this was actually the strongest dance of the night technically, in my opinion. There were a few turns where his footwork looked like it might have been off, but he danced this like a true 10-dancer, so the scores seemed low. I'm sure he's getting the votes. They should stop nitpicking him, because, like Jana, at his best, he's a true contender.

3. Laurie & Val. She seemed a bit too fast coming out of her turns, and yes, I can see where Julianne is coming from; Laurie could be a true great ballroom dancer with proper technique. But they're being nitpicky. She's clearly the best mover this season, and unless James is running away with the votes, I don't see Laurie losing. It's a shame that the judges and even the audience are starting to take Laurie's dynamic power and great performances for granted.

4. James & Sharna. A very nice rumba. But he's nowhere near being the greatest male celeb dancer of all time. Alfonso, Gilles, Mario, J.R., Apolo, Nyle all better. James is just a terrific natural dancer, especially in ballroom hold, for someone who's never danced a day in his life. The surprise factor is working so well for him. But he's not yet among the greatest of all time. This rumba was lovely but sleepy and forgettable. And I felt, a I often do with his dances, that James was barely doing his turns and hitting his marks on time. He's a fluid mover, but I'm not seeing flawless technique. TPTB are trying to manufacture a race, but they'd be more convincing if they stopped nitpicking Calvin (and Jana, usually).

5. Terra & Sasha. So the judges finally scored her as harshly as they score the others. The thing is, it felt forced tonight. As always, her height makes perfect footwork and posture a difficult thing to master, but she's such a fast and energetic mover that she gets away with technical flaws better than anyone else. I would've liked a more traditional paso doble though.

6. Marilu & Derek. It's true, she is riding high after last week's upswing and delivered another clean routine with a lot of footwork. But it was boring and lethargic. For Marilu, this was a dynamic, loose performance and less stiff than her usual uptempo offering. But there were turns where she just looked like she was walking. It's getting down to the wire. Derek's fanbase will guarantee her a spot in the top 6, but I think anything better will just be criminal to the others. And really, I don't see her making the finals. Marilu is a lovely woman, but she's 64, not 74. If not for Derek, whose votes would she be getting for these kinds of dances?

7. Ryan & Cheryl. Tonight proved that Ryan and Cheryl, with a heartfelt contemporary, could take out Amber and Maks. Can they do more damage? He's really shaping up to be the Bristol Palin or even Ginger Zee of the season. I don't think he'll go nearly as far as they did (really, I think he's 7th place), but it's a similar situation where a not-so-good dancer with a not-so-great personality and a fan-favorite partner gets sympathy votes, to the general audience's dismay. This was actually his best dance. Apart from the mere posing in the last section, Ryan had a lot of hip action, if not as many steps. None of it was technically proficient, but if the effort and content count for something, then he deserves credit.

8. Maureen & Artem. I enjoyed this dance. She was better the last two weeks, but this may have been the most confident she's ever been. Once again, kudos to Artem for giving Maureen real steps. She's not the most energetic or rhythmic mover, but she works hard and is consistently better than Ryan and Amber. Too bad the edit was more negative than her usual portrayals. I figure Ryan will take it one week farther and Maureen will leave next, but I'm pleased and impressed that the fans have taken her this far.

As for Amber, her elimination made sense after last week's dance and silly edit, and the judges scoring down Laurie. I think if Amber had actually been as good and as entertaining a dancer as she was surprisingly classy, she could've been a stealth contender. I think she was much better two weeks ago and was hurt by a bad edit while Maureen and Ryan poured their hearts into beautiful, emotional, traditional contemporary dances.


Average Rankings:
1. Laurie & Val - 2
2. James & Sharna - 3
3. Calvin & Lindsay - 4
4. Jana & Gleb - 4.17
5. Vanilla Ice & Witney - 4.75 (10th)
6. Terra & Sasha - 4.83
7. Marilu & Derek - 6.67
8. Amber & Maks - 7.4
9. Maureen & Artem - 8.5
10. Ryan & Cheryl - 8.67
11. Babyface & Allison - 9.33 (11th)
12. Rick & Emma - 12 (12th)
13. Jake & Jenna - 12.5 (13th)

Spot on!

Thanks

I agree with your top 4 places, but think Jana was technically better than Calvin. Some of her lines were really gorgeous and she had nice leg action for the AT. Calvin was great too but I think his lines were not so clean. I loved the lifts that they did though.

Laurie was really great as usual. But I think she needs to get more shaping in her arms a bit. What I mean is when she's doing turns or spins, her arms are very straight. It might be a gymnastics thing.

I cannot understand what was so great about James' rumba. IMO, Sharna gave him very little rumba content. His arm shaping needs some work. And cleaner lines would be better. I dunno why but it seemed like he was crouching (both knees bent) throughout most of the dance. I still like him though, but the judges should start nitpicking him like the rest.

I'm ok with Terra, but I love Sasha. So I don't want them to go anytime soon..

Ryan is om I guess but Cheryl is not challenging him enough.

Marilu is kinda forgettable. Maureen is really annoying/weird/neurotic. Something is off with her. Is it old age? I dunno..

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I cannot understand what was so great about James' rumba. IMO, Sharna gave him very little rumba content. His arm shaping needs some work. And cleaner lines would be better. I dunno why but it seemed like he was crouching (both knees bent) throughout most of the dance. I still like him though, but the judges should start nitpicking him like the rest.

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I agree with you about James! I didn't really like his dance last week, and thought it was over scored. I saw very little rumba in it. When James is good, he's great, but that dance. Nahhh

And Julianne calling James "the best male dancer ever on this show" was BS. (Hello, did she already forget about Alfonso Riberio??) Best male dancer of the season? Sure. Best male dancer ever on the show? A resounding NO!!!!

Totally agree about that crouching. Is he even the best male dancer this season, given how capable Calvin is? James is more consistent, but I'm looking forward to Calvin's jive tomorrow to see whether he can wow us.