Why is it that all the drama has to happen on Broadway Week, of all weeks, on DWTS?! Of course, everyone knows that Maksim gave the judges a piece of his mind on this week's show, and Chaz was also not too happy with the judges.
First, let me just take a moment to give it up for Kristin Chenoweth. She gives me EVERYTHING! If you haven't heard her new album, "Some Lessons Learned", give it a chance. It's a country album, and I'm not a country girl, but there are some great songs, and her voice is spectacular, as always. Kristin gave an amazing performance on Monday night of two Broadway classics, "Maybe This Time" (one of my absolute favorites) and "I Could Have Danced All Night (another favorite). Tuesday night she performed "Lessons Learned". This girl can do no wrong in my eyes, so I thought her performances were stellar. I actually can't wait for her new show to premiere, called "GCB", which I believe stands for "Good Christian Bitches". Sounds like a good time to me!
As for the performances, I believe everyone turned it out this week. It's at that stage in the competition where everyone is trying to WIN, it's not a game anymore. So, it's disappointing when you see certain discrepancies in the way the show actually works as opposed to how it's supposed to work. Let's compare Nancy Grace to Kristin Cavallari, shall we? Nancy was awkward since day one, and although she's made improvements, her performances are hesitant and lack personality. She's SO stiff. It's not at all fun to watch her. Now, Kristin, on the other hand, was a great dancer, her performances were exciting, and she has personality to spare. You may not like her, but you had to give her credit for her awesome work on the show. People just didn't vote for her.
Let's take a look at another example. Hope is an athlete, which usually works in the contestants' favor on this show. Not so with her. She's also awkward and not graceful at all. She really did have the worst performance on Broadway Week, which sucks because I love that song from "Rent". Also, I understood the costume choice based on the Broadway musical they were assigned - if you're not familiar with the musical "Rent", google it. In all honesty, Hope should have been gone a couple of weeks ago. Maks' tirade was poorly articulated, but I understood where he was coming from. Let's be real. The judges fawn all over Rob and JR every week. They are a lot more fair in their judging of Ricki and David. They humor Nancy, for some reason. But with Hope and Chaz, you never know what you're going to get. We do know who their favorites are, and they don't do a good job of hiding it. Not so good for a show that supposed to be a real competition, where judges are supposed to be unbiased. Maks was wrong to say it's his show - this show is made up of an ensemble, and people tune in for a variety of reasons. So, it's not just any one person's show. He was definitely off the mark there. But his complaint about the lack of consistency in the judging is a valid concern.
It does seem that some contestants are judged on their technique only, while others are given credit for apparent improvement. However, you can't argue with the fact that the top scorers are indeed the best dancers. I didn't like the fact that Carson was kicked off, but he wasn't the best dancer, so I was ok with it. The judges scores are sometimes a lot lower when the contestant isn't giving the judges exactly what they want - which apparently isn't just about the dancing. Ask Wendy Williams, who dished about it on her show yesterday. Check it out at WendyShow.com.
I think Carrie Ann is the most fair of the three, because she commends the contestants' efforts and gives constructive criticism most of the time. Len complains about every performance, but that's his role. Bruno is often just trying to get laughs, and may or may not sneak in actual advice somewhere in there. So, it's no surprise that Chaz got tired of Bruno's constant name-calling (no matter how cute the names were). Chaz wasn't on this show to be cute and cuddly. He was on this show to "show America a different kind of man", and he did just that. My guess is that he wanted a little more respect from the judges while doing so. Unfortunately, Bruno's choice of words week after week just didn't jive with Chaz's expectations. I love the fact that Carrie was moved by a lot of Chaz's performances, it shows that she can look past his appearance, and focus on the dance itself. I don't think Bruno really got to that point with Chaz.
No matter how you look at it, DWTS is a business. It's a top rated show and makes ABC a ton of money. So, I don't think it's so unbelievable that they may be playing favorites. Every season people complain about the "ringers" on the cast. But nothing on this show will change until people stop tuning in. Many are calling for new judges, but I wonder if it'll just be a disappointment, much like the American Idol shakeup. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
As for Chaz being eliminated from the competition, he succeeded in what he set out to do. And I think he won a lot of people over. His partner Lacey is an absolute doll, and so talented. I just love her. I really hope Chaz looks back on this experience fondly. I mean, it created a lot of buzz and it got Cher on tv with a dreadlock wig. What else could you ask for?
So, my picks for top 3 are: Ricki, JR, and David, with a chance of Rob stealing David's spot. The next to get eliminated should be Nancy.
What do you think of DWTS and all the controversy this week? I want to hear from YOU! Comment below or tweet me!
