Davis and White in Dancing with the Stars

[Bill_S]

I just read this story:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-dancing-with-the-stars-20140304,0,3920680.story#axzz2v15CX854

Looks like they will be competing AGAINST each other on the show, but I can hear cries of "foul" from the other contestants already.

Also, maybe this series will stir some interest in figure skating, and ice dancing in particular.

[icedancer]

Am I the only one who thinks it is too soon to do this???

It will be interesting to see - I'm guessing they both will be in the finals and one of them will win.

And yes, it is totally unfair to the other participants.  It was one thing having Evan and Kristi Yamaguchi - they were not dancers per se - but Meryl and Charlie? They both have had extensively ballroom training I am sure -

[jbruced]

I saw it on the ABC morning channel this morning. Much of how D & W do may be determined by how well they mesh with their respective coaches for the show. They may actually may need to clear their minds of what they think the know and approach it like they've never done this before. I've had to do that in my distant past with a completely different skill.

[Schmeck]

Glad they are capitalizing on their gold medal and keeping ice skating in the public eye. I don't think they are ringers, and it is definitely fair to the other contestants - they are all celebrities (pretty much anyways) and some have personal trainers, could get off their butts and take some technique classes before the show started, etc. Don't forget, Stars on Ice is touring right now, and they are in most of the shows - so they are doing double duty and must be exhausted!

[icedancer]

They are definitely bringing their talent and work ethic to the dance floor!  I am loving seeing them this season and am looking forward to SOI!

[Schmeck]

I'm enjoying Meryl and Maks way too much - re-watching their dances on YouTube has kept me sane this past week.

[icedancer]

She is AMAZING!!!!

[Schmeck]

Love Maks even more now after what he said last night, LOL! 

[icedancer]

What did he say?

[Bill_S]

Meryl won it last night. She seriously outperformed the competition.

One has to remember that the "contest" involves a combination of judges votes and popular votes. Popularity counts, and generally figure skaters aren't as well known as pop-singers or actresses. Still, she proved to be very, very talented and her dancing capabilities were breathtaking to watch. I'm glad that rose to the top.

Too bad Charlie got eliminated a couple shows back. He's got a big personality as shown in the behind-the-scenes shots. It made the show entertaining.

[lutefisk]

Meryl won it last night. She seriously outperformed the competition.

One has to remember that the "contest" involves a combination of judges votes and popular votes. Popularity counts, and generally figure skaters aren't as well known as pop-singers or actresses. Still, she proved to be very, very talented and her dancing capabilities were breathtaking to watch. I'm glad that rose to the top.

It seemed every time I logged on to facebook, USFSA was reminding me to vote for Meryl!  Plus, the buzz generated by D&W's recent Olympic success carried over with the general viewing public.  Might have been different if the DWTS season had started 6 months from now.  The public tends to have a short attention span.

[icedancer]

It was very exciting but she certainly deserved the win - I figured she would win the whole thing and it was amazing to watch her develop week by week.

I loved it when Bruno said it was like they had created a story arc that just built and built through to their final freestyle which was awesome!!!

Charlie wuzrobbed.  He should have been in the final too - amazing dancer.

I think he didn't make it because fans of theirs had to split their votes - I know I had to!!

[Query]

Was it fair?

For all practical purposes, Meryl was a world class professional dancer (in a different style, but still) before she ever got to the show, very accustomed to working extremely hard, is in the kind of physical condition to be expected of an Olympic and world class athlete, is super-flexible, and is absolutely gorgeous - the latter has to be a major factor in the audience vote.

She was so good, that it sometimes seemed like her DWTS partner was the limiting factor, though perhaps I mis-understand.

She was competing against fairly normal people, some of whom had little or no dance experience. How much chance did they have? It would have been like pitting those normal people against the winners of "So You Think You Can Dance", for which they seek out professional and semi-professional dancers. That's not fair. Would you pit ISU Worlds skaters against LTS skaters?

Meryl WAS almost beat by the sympathy vote for a disabled person who had lost her feet - who did really well, all things considered, but that person had to be carried off the set, and could not move her "feet" up to the standards of serious dance, always an important factor in judging land dance.

-----------------

One very minor question. Aren't the "Dance flicks", where the dancers alternately quickly flex their legs behind each other, one of the defining moves of Cha Cha, without which any Cha Cha performance is considered lacking? Unless I missed it, Meryl didn't do that move. Should she have?

-----------------

As for Charlie ... See a performance that helped eliminate him:
 
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxnV08ajzVM

Notice the judge criticisms. Also note that he doesn't have the right facial expressions to match his DWTS partner, and isn't always graceful.

He was considered by many to be as good as Meryl in their ice dance partnership, in part because he is remarkably strong, has great posture, and skates with tremendous power and speed - not all of which is useful in some of the dance styles on DWTS, like in that video. IMHO she was always the one who had the great facial expressions, the flirtatiousness, and the great acting ability.

On top of that, it has always been unfair to judge male and female dancers the same way, when their dance roles are so different, especially in a reality show where the audience vote is so important. They don't make that mistake any more in "So You Think You Can Dance". They shouldn't make it in "Dancing With The Stars".

[icedancer]

Well, if you have watched DWTS since the beginning, which I have - it has been full of "is it fair"? questions - and also instances where the person with lots of dance and performance training has been eliminated either because of lack of fan base or some other factor (call it "ennui" - no one cared to vote for them) -

With Charlie I think you are partially right - he was and is very musical but not necessarily dramatic - sometimes I think the fans just didn't quite "get" him as this affable Michigan boy - not "star" material perhaps - but a great, hardworking athelete nonetheless.  Also wonder if he didn't get the votes because his fans basically had to split their votes between he and Meryl (I know I did) or if there was some other factor involved.  Of course he was very good with the lifts with Sharna -so much experience there -

So was it fair?  In the end, WHO CARES!!!?  The best dancer won the season and Maks got his win - he is a talented and maybe tempestuous creative person - maybe he was the limiting factor for himself but as a team Meryl was able to tame him, calm him, work with him - really she was in control the whole time.

I loved that "hold my hand" bit - he asks, "Hold my hand, what is that?" 

I think in skating we are always doing that - "hold my hand" - just one little finger will help us get through our move, lower our blood pressure, allay our fear - it's just what we do.

"Hold my hand."

I love it.

[Query]

Maks,,, Meryl was able to tame him, calm him, work with him - really she was in control the whole time.

If Maks has the personality he uses on the show, he wouldn't appreciate your comment... 

Evan Lysacek competed against Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. Much more fair.

[icedancer]

Evan Lysacek competed against Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. Much more fair.

Because... Evan had no dance training (maybe) and Nicole did?  I don't see it.

I have been reading a LOT of fan comments about this whole thing - interesting how it all plays out in the "fair" "not fair" category.

I am sure it is good for ratings (or maybe not).

MAYBE it will be good for ice dancing! (yea!) -

[Query]

Because... Evan had no dance training (maybe) and Nicole did?  I don't see it.

Aw, come on. Skating is dance.

I rooted for Nicole. Poor little girl from the wrong side of the tracks (burlesque), desperately striving to fight off big guy Olympian, an American Hero to an audience who'd just watched him win Olympic Gold? And she worked so hard for it, while he casually worked another job. How could anyone not have rooted for her?

[Bill_S]

I think a lot of viewers miss the point - the show is about entertainment.  Entertainment = ratings = $$$ for the network. I'd hope that viewers (and even the participants) can take it for what it is. Just enjoy.

It will never be completely fair with all the variables in the show. How about the fact that Charlie and Meryl are also touring with Stars on Ice and couldn't practice as much as the others? (Meryl racked up 38,000 travel miles during all this). If you really want to talk "fair", why include elderly participants who don't have a chance at all? I must say that I enjoyed Drew Carey for his wit, but not for his dancing.

I do think that the show might benefit ice dancing in the long run. For a lot of people in the US, ice dancing was put on the map because of the Olympics, and now they are seeing benefits outside of the rink. One can hope.