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Dance Critic/Host
And now welcome to the ballroom in the fourth judge's chair, it's Shanna Burgess.
What's up everybody? And welcome to Shanna Burgess in the fourth chair. I'm so excited to be doing this this podcast for anyone that doesn't know me. I'm Shawna Burgess. I was a longtime pro on Dancing with the Stars. I am also a judge on Dancing with the Stars Australia and have been since, I think, 2018 now. So I've absolutely loved that job. And the way that this even came about was because I was doing my critiques on TikTok and they're not necessarily they are critiques, but they were also me trying to give the judges just a little more air time to what they were saying. Sometimes they have some 25 seconds or 5 seconds. It all depends on what's going on in the episode. And not very often, I think, do they get to fully express their point and go into as much detail as they want to. Sometimes they say things that to non dancers don't make sense. And I thought, you know what, Let me bridge that gap there and help bring more information to those that are watching. We also have a massive new audience that has come into the show with its rise in popularity again, which is amazing. So there are some things being said that you probably don't understand, like heal leads and frame and sorts of things. So I want to help you guys understand that. I'm also going to give my opinions and critiques. I like to give my advice on what I think could be great takeaways for these couples and what they could work on moving forward. Uh, and I also give my own scoring system, but my scoring is definitely different to the judges here in the states, I have my own system. We definitely start a lot lower. It's probably going to come off a little bit harsh to some of you. I promise you'll get used to me. And I think when you look at my scores overall of the whole episode, it will end up making sense to you. Um, but this is going to be a lot of fun. It's just meant to be a cool, fun place to learn more about dance and get a little bit more info on the incredible episode that you just watched. Also on back to the way that this even came about is that very first week that I did my critiques on TikTok, Danielle actually commented on something that I said about her dance. I was talking about this thing, palm trees. Now, I might use some weird analogies. I'll try and explain them as best I can as we go. But she was like, right palm tree. And she wanted to take it into her rehearsals with Pasha and she ended up just watching, watching what I was saying on Tick Tock. And it turns out that a lot of the dancers do actually watch it, which is really cool. I do, again, try to offer helpful, constructive criticism, always with the respect for the hard work that they've put in and knowing that they're doing a hard job and they're giving it everything they can. So with that being said, let's get into Disney Night. What an amazing episode. I was in the audience. Brian came with me, and it was so fun to see everyone. So fun to see the dancers. Disney Night always goes big. You know, there's always a little bit more production in it. The music is stuff that we know, and it always just feels magical, as it should. Right. It's Disney. But I love the whole episode. I love the opening number. Seeing Mickey and Minnie and all the characters there in the ballroom, I thought was really, really fun. And I think that the dancers upped their game. We had some phenomenal performances on our Disney Night episode. And so let's get into the very first one. First up, we had Dylan and Danny, and they were doing a quick step to cars. Now, I thought this was a really great D, but I don't think it was one of his strongest. But let's start with getting into what the judges said about it. Derek said it was. He called him the Quick Step King, which I thought was really cute. Said that his left arm was strong, but the right arm is coming in. What he means there is that his left arm in his frame was nice and strong and out, but his right arm is curving in around Danny a little bit too much. And in frame, we really want to think that our elbows are as wide as possible, stretching to the opposite ends of the room. So it really gives him a nice big space in that frame. So. So I totally agree with that. And what Derek said that his right arm could have been a bit more further out. Said that he wants to have sharper head focuses and that it just drifts a little bit too much. I think we're going to get back to that with some of the things that I had to say about it. Bruno said he can see that he is working on what the judges said. And yes, that is also the name of the game. Something the judges love to see. I think you as an audience love to see is that the couples are improving and that you see them taking on the critique and taking on the notes and trying to get it better. And I think it's really cool, even as an audience member, when you see the next week, oh, my God, his right arm was better. You also then start learning along in the show with the contestant. So, yes, I do see that in Dylan, and I've said from the beginning, I feel like he really is trying to learn the technique of the dance. And Danny is a wonderful technician in the way that she teaches. And he's had a little awkwardness along the way as he's been learning. But this week he was definitely much better in his posture. We'll come back to my thoughts in a second. Bruno said he can see that he's working on the details and really appreciates all that about him. Carrie Ann said, he's not just learning the movements, but he's understanding the catalyst of the momentum and the swing. And that is what's really going to take him a long way and said, good job. So I agree with all points. It really means that he's learning the technique, he's learning the fundamentals, he's learning where the dance really begins from, and then he's going to grow from there. I do agree with that. However, at this point in the competition, when there's so much dancing and he is still learning the fundamentals, and I stand by that. He's doing a really good job with that. What I'm missing from him now is dynamics. And that's where I go back to what Derek said about the sharper head movements. I find that when I watch them, the dynamics that I'm seeing are actually Danny. And now that I'm really getting into it and really seeing it, especially in this quick step, it was a good dance for Dylan. And I actually felt his head was too far left, which meant it was pushed way too far over his left shoulder. You'll see it gets a little bit awkward, and there is a fine line between it being in the right position, which should be looking over his left arm hand through that window, and then going just a touch too far. And so I felt that was actually pushing his left elbow forward a little bit, like his right elbow that Derek mentioned. So there was that. That was missing. But what he had improved on from the week before was that his booty was not out. He was getting down into his power center. He was driving along the floor. He was really doing a good job with that. And they kept that body contact really quite well. I do feel, again, going back to those dynamics and the thing that Derek said about the head movements being sharper, we're just missing some texture and some light and shade in his musicality. Everything feels like it is very much one pace. But then we see Danny doing the whipping or dropping into a split or throwing her, you know, back backwards and it doing A back bend. And I feel like we need to see now that coming from Dylan. And that would be my. My take on what to do to where to go from here, moving forward is to really. Yes. Keep paying attention to that technique. Keep paying attention to the process. All of that is beautiful. And considering he is an absolute beginner in his learning technique like that, it's very impressive. But we are at a point now where we're gonna need some texture and we're gonna need some light and shade and musicality and really get those dynamics in there to make him stand out. So that means, as Derek said, whip the head nice and fast or hit the arms a little bit harder and go a little bit bigger and play with that just a little bit more to keep it more exciting. But I did think it was a good dance. I ended up. So he got a 7, 8, 7 from the judges. I ended up scoring. I was in between a six and a seven, and I landed on a six for Dylan, which I think is around the same as he ended up having from me last week for his ballroom dances. I know Julianne said that commented about him feeling more comfortable in the ballroom dances, and he agreed. But I've actually felt that he looked better in his Latin dances, but definitely hoping to see more of that texture and dynamics coming in from him so we can push up to the next level. All right. Moving into Danielle and Pasha, they did a quick step. It was so, so fun, so bouncy, so light. Let's get into what the judges said. Bruno said that they incorporated the fun, and he really appreciated she made and called out the mistake that she made, which she did. Carryne called out the mistake and said that she looked like she was being tossed around at the end. I'm going to break that down for you in a second and what that means. Loved the body contact. It was fun, and it was amazing, and she did a great job. Agreed. Derek said it was wonderful to watch. Quick step. The quick step content, meaning the stuff that was in frame and gliding along the floor, was great. The lindy hop was out of sync. That is a section that was in the middle of it where you sort of get kicking your legs out to the side and your arms are also going sort of in and out on different angles. But then he said the second half was on fire. So there was. I actually think there might have been. The mistake that I saw was at the end where she was doing these little leg flicks where you're. You almost look like you're about to kick Your own butt, right from the knee down, your leg flicks up and sort of backwards behind you and so on. That. I think she missed one or went on an offbeat. It was harder to see with the camera angle, but I feel like that's where the mistake was. And so their rhythm with each other was just a little bit off at the end, which is where I think Carrie Anne was saying she looked like she was being pulled around or her feet weren't underneath her. And that just comes from the nature of quick step being so fast. If that bounce gets off and you're not going at the same time, it can really be a little awkward. And something looks. Looks off, and you might not quite know what it is, but they were just fractionally out of sync. So that's sort of what happened there for me. I think she did a fantastic Charleston at the stop at the very top of it, the cross swivel action, which is where her feet are going in and out, right? The toes are going out at the same time, the heel and the toes are going in at the same time, and they're putting their feet backwards and forwards in front of each other so sharp. It's actually a really hard move for people that have never done it before. And getting that coordination. She had great energy with it. And I love the character that she had in that. That. And I thought her actual quick step looked really good. She was out in the pocket. She was out in that window holding that frame nice and strong. And I thought she was pretty smooth going along the floor for the very most part. When we got to that Lindy Hop section in the middle, something did go amiss. Now, I don't think it was a full mistake necessarily. I think the arms ended up going wrong a little bit at some point, but it felt like that bounce just wasn't happening exactly at the same time. So it read just a little bit off, I think potentially, potentially covered a little bit by fringe pants, which fringe pants can definitely do wonders for a contestant in hiding or even emphasizing things. But that Lindy's section really wasn't quite as crisp and clean as I think it should have been. I really think she stood out when she was in her. In her quick step in frame sections. I will say the very last section, I felt like. Like there's a step called. I'm pretty sure it's called running finishes. They came down the floor and they sort of just kept turning around each other a little bit as they were curving down to the bottom end of the floor. She Started out in her window, and then she ended up falling back into in front of Pasha and sort of just looking at him and adorable because she had this massive smile on her face, and it was so cute. But it did take away from her being in that beautiful frame position, which then lends their bodies to not being in exactly the right position with each other and sort of interrupts the FL and the rotation of how they could have moved around each other at that point. But I did think it was a really great dance for her. I have previously said with Pasha's dances, like, I love the technician part of it, but I was just missing something. Wow. I think this had the wow, and I think even though the lindy hop section may not have been as clean, it was. This was a very memorable dance for her from the beginning to the end, and so I really did enjoy it. And I think it shows improvement. And I think. I think moving forward, it's. Again, in those ballroom dances, she looks beautiful out in that frame. Just really getting out there and sticking to it and keep building on, having more dynamics, more wow moments in there. And that doesn't mean doing a trick, by the way. That just means having something with a little power. And maybe that might be something that I would love to see from her, is power. You know, everything is very beautiful, and everything moves and glides, But I want to see something that has some power in it and some bite to it and which that would then lend itself to giving us some dynamics and light and shade in the music. The judges gave it a 777. I was on board with the sevens. I gave it a seven, and I did really love this dance. Posh is an amazing teacher. He's another incredible technician in the stuff that he teaches. And you can really see that Danielle is learning the technique, and she's growing week to week with learning that technique, and I love that. One of my fears for Danielle, though, is that we are in a season where there is just so many, you know, talented dancers that either have background in dance, dance experience, performance experience. There's. There's a lot going on this season. Any other season, I'd say Danielle is for sure in the final. But this season, I just feel like they have to find that thing that makes them fully stand out. And you turn around, you go, oh, my God. They're going all the way. Because right now, it's. It's still awesome. And it definitely went up a notch this week, but I think it's. It just needs to go up maybe another notch. For it to fully be the standout, memorable performance of the night. But she's super lovable, and obviously, so is pasha, and I think we're going to see them for a while yet. Also, before we move on to the next couple, I was actually really surprised in the scoring here that she scored lower than Dylan. Dylan got some eights, and Danielle didn't, which I found interesting. I would have had it more the other way around, if I'm honest, Even with the few mistakes that Danielle made, and maybe that's where that happened. The judges clocked the mistakes, and so they didn't give her the eights. But I find that technically, Danielle is currently on a different level to Dylan, so I did find that interesting in the scoring. Okay, moving on to Scott and Riley. They did a salsa. I. Guys, I. This is my favorite routine of his that I've seen, And yes, I know he did an amazing jazz dance last week, which I was not necessarily tough on, but did call out that I would. Would have loved. Like, a little bit more push and drive along the floor, A little more plie and a little bit more. Yeah. Power in his legs because he's a big man. There was a lot of armography, but still, I digress. It was an amazing routine. We're onto the salsa. I loved this. I think Riley knocked it out of the park with the choreography, with the concept. I loved the theme that they had of high school musical and these guys, you know, battling to be in the front all the time. The energy between them, the character. They held it the whole way through. I loved it. Let's get into what the judges said. So Carrie ann said he was living. His confidence was amazing. The content was great. She called out the underarm terms, which I'm pretty sure you guys would have seen, but if you didn't, There was a missed hand connection, and it got a little discombobulated for a second. I don't know that he necessarily missed a beat, but it definitely wasn't in flow of the routine, and it was definitely a mistake and a missed hand connection. Derek said so good. Love the confidence. Love the choreo. Said it was a proper salsa, and it was amazing. It was a proper salsa. We had proper salsa technique in there, which I truly appreciated, too, mixed with just enough other stuff to make it fun and something different. Bruno said the showmanship was great, the content was great, and he did call out the. The arm mishap, which obviously all the judges saw it. So. So what did I say? Missed hand connection. Right. He didn't miss a beat. It was. And he made it his own. I said it was a great routine for him. Love the content. He has rhythm in his body. Yes, he had rhythm in his body. He was not stiff. So going back to his cha cha, I think two weeks ago, one of my critiques for him that was that he looked very, very stiff and a little bit robotic. This was not any of that. He had flow and rhythm in his middle, in his core and his body. And, yeah, he made it his own, but he didn't miss a beat in the steps. Steps. I could have. I. I could say that I wish he was a little tidier in his footwork. There were definitely probably three or four places where I felt his feet should have been closed, and they weren't. They were sort of just shoulder width apart. That crispness in the footwork, I would love to see moving forward, like, a more attention to that detail, but then it would just give it another level of cleanliness. But the top half was fantastic. Very clean. And I thought this was such a great dance for him. I do think so. I think this week we saw him go a little bigger. My thing with Scott is that, and I think Carrie Ann even said this on one of the weeks, he needs to take up space. He is a tall and long man, and keeping everything small and in does him no favor. So he needs to think of going big and opening up that chest and stretching his arms out to their fullest length and pushing past that length 10 degrees, like, really reaching for the walls of the room. Use the power in his legs, go big. And Riley is for sure amazing enough to keep up with that. So there is no need for him to keep anything small. But here, when we're looking at ballroom and Latin dancing, we want to go big. We want that air underneath the armpit, through to the elbow, through underneath the wrist. And everything is stretching for days. You want to feel like it stretches beyond its point and it never stops until it comes back. It doesn't go out and get stagnant. It always has life to it. All in all, that was one of my. I think, actually my favorite performance for Scott. I can really see the growth in him, and I'm excited to see what they're going to do next week, for sure. The judges gave it a 777. I was in between a six and a seven. I think, to be honest, I'm leaning towards a seven for him on that one because I love the execution, I love the attention to detail, I love the choreography, and I love that. We really see him coming out of his shell and going just that little bit bigger figure and can't wait to see more of that.
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You know what? I can see you as Mr. Darcy. You got a little call in first.
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Dance Critic/Host
Okay. Getting into one of, I think for a lot of people was the standout performance, or one of the standout performances of the night was Alex and Val doing a Viennese waltz. And she was Maleficent. Let me just say it was. It was definitely my favorite dance of hers so far. And I thought the theme, the costume, everything, it was just so beautiful to see something a little dark like that in the middle of a Disney night. I loved it. So judges said. Derek said, mesmerizing, spellbinding. The opening manipulation of Val takes great awareness of the body. And he called out the pivots being beautiful. Said it was her best dance. I agree. So the awareness of her body. What I loved is the manipulation of Val with her arm movements and the way her body was involved with it. It wasn't just her hand moving. It was coming from her body, which means there was an intention behind it. There was a story behind it. She was truly feeling what that was to be maleficent and manipulating this human in front of her. And to that end, I love that Val added in the accents to the music. I don't know if you picked up on that, but he added sound effects. And he would have absolutely asked Ray Chu, who does the ban, who is our MD on Dancing with the Stars, to add in those accents to really emphasize the effect of that. And I thought that was very, very smart by him. I loved it. So Bruno said every move had a clear intention. Dance as storytelling, which absolutely. And she became someone else. So again, we go back to that. Every move had a clear intention, which was very much that beginning, even coming down when she was on the floor. And they'd go to each other, and I think the words were, I know you, I Once upon a dream. Like, the way she looked at him and held his face. There was so much story in it. And I think the most connection that we've seen from them yet. And I loved seeing that in them. Sorry. Derek also said he was calling out the pivots. The pivots are when you basically are spinning very, very, very, very fast around each other as one. Right. And you're traveling along the floor while doing it. They were good. They were very fast. She came out into a very strong Ronde which is when her right leg whipped around up high and behind her. And I thought she executed that very, very well. She came in a little bit on her frame, if I'm honest, which meant she was holding in and not really anchoring herself to the outside energy, the centrifugal force of that move, which I would love to see her do, allow herself to go with the momentum. But I do think she held up her own in that, and she did a really good job. Carrie Ann said she is role. This partnership is amazing. And she said that she is allowing Val to lead her. I would say yes, in places. I agree with that. I agree she's on a roll, but the leading her thing, I actually found that there was a section coming back from downstage, heading back up the floor before those pivots in the rendezvous that we just spoke about that were very good, where they had a lot of gapping, which meant that she wasn't locked in in her body in the way. The way that she's meant to. It means that her hips were going backwards instead of her hips being forward. So we very much have to connect through our groin area, our upper thighs, and the middle of our body. Right. That is in our ballroom dances where we connect. So what was happening is because she wasn't connected in that lower part of her frame, her booty was coming out. She was holding on with her arms, and her chest was towards Val. But we started to see that gapping in her body, and then at one point, they sort of bounced off of each other. And it was very subtle, but it was there. So I would actually love moving forward to see her leaning in to allowing Val to lead her more. Not because he's pulling her around with his arms by any means, but because she is locking in in the correct way with all those points of connection in a ballroom frame and allowing him to then lead through that way. And I think that will eliminate some of the. The joltiness that I saw in it. And it will eliminate some things that felt a little bit disconnected, for sure. The top part of them, the connection, the chemistry, the story, all of that very, very connected. And I feel like maybe it was the understanding of how to use her body for the manipulation parts. But I feel like we really started to see texture from her. And texture. What I mean is, is it's not like her arm just throws out to the side. There is a resistance to it. There is. I like to say when I'm teaching that all arms and movements need to feel like they are moving through Quicksand. So there is a resistance to it that you have to push through, which keeps the energy alive, which keeps the body involved. It becomes a whole body experience, not just an arm experience. And we very much saw that from her in the beginning and the end. I think we lost it a little bit with some of the parts in the middle. Middle. The arms got a little bit throwy, but it was definitely the beginning of texture. So I'd love to see her diving down into that even more, bring that texture, because certainly we're seeing a lot of that in some of the other performers. And if we want to see Alex go all the way to the end, which I think she is very capable of doing, I would love to see more texture happening in her as well. But very strong performance. I absolutely loved it. If I haven't already said that enough, Judges gave it 8. 8. 8. I also gave it an 8. I almost y' all would have come for me. I almost gave it a 7 because of that gapping and that bumpiness that I saw in the middle. But I decided that the beginning of that and what happened after that was so strong that it wasn't worth me taking a whole point off of. And it really was her strongest dance yet. And so I'm definitely thrilled to give it an 8 and definitely on board with the judges with all of their eight eights. Okay, we are moving on to the couple that was eliminated for the night, Ms. Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb. They did a quick step, an incredibly fast quick step, if I may say. So. We had a let something to note, too. Like, we had a lot of quick steps on Disney night, and all of them were different paces and different speeds. And with this one with Gleb and Hilaria, it was exceptionally fast, which also made it exceptionally hard. And I think think it must be. And I would guarantee knowing the how hard it is to clear Star wars music, Star wars themes, it's. It's damn near impossible. And I would say that George Lucas, who is across all things Star wars, wouldn't allow them to slow the tempo down, because it is absolutely the first thing you do as a pro is play with the tempo a little bit based off of what your pro needs and keeping it within the bounds of what is correct. But often quick steps get slowed down a little bit. And this one wasn't even just at regular speed. This was faster than regular speed, or at least it felt that way. So I have to give props to her for somewhat keeping up with that speed, because that Was really difficult. Okay, let's get into what the judges said first and then I'll give you my thoughts on it. Bruno said he was looking really, really hard on it. He attention to detail and he was looking for mistakes. Mistakes and he didn't see any. Carrie Anne said that she really spoke on the. The female experience and talking about women having to prove themselves all the time and connected with her on that. But she told her ultimately, she told her that it was a beautiful dance and that she's a real contender in the competition. Derek said he wanted more quick step in it and that she needs to find what sets her apart. So there's no real dance notes for me to break down in there. I will say, whilst I'm generally on board with everything Derek says in this one and it baffled me so I went back and watched it a couple times to figure it out and I see where it landed here. But he said he wanted more quick step in it. Now, there was a lot of quick step in there and a lot of quick step in hold too, for really decent amounts of time. With complicated and intricate quick step footwork and positioning and moving movement. But I think what did them in is at the beginning there was a definite music change, a phrasing change. And I feel like they probably should have gotten into quick step right at the top of that instead of doing the extra little bit of side by side stuff. And then they came down, did a great quick step pass go around. They went into this contra check thing, which is where they were in front of the judges and they sort of bounced up and down twice and he spun her out. Then we were out of frame for quite some time. And I think that is the part that hurt hurt them. I actually think they had more in hold content than some others from the evening. However, I think that Matt that a little bit of a lag time in the beginning to get started and then that really big chunk in the middle of having no hold, I feel like that's what burned them a little bit. And had they have just done the little bits, the little section in front of the judges and got back in hold and kept it moving, I don't think they would have been called out for it. Is it a little bit unfair? Sure. But I can also see how the judges saw it that way because in the moment when you're watching it, you're probably thinking, God, they've been out of hold for a really long time after you've been thinking, God, it took them a while to get started. So I see how Derek got there in the moment. I was like, that was a lot of quick step. But now I totally understand how he arrived at that opinion. There was actually a mistake or two in the very beginning. She started a little half beat off and then she caught up and then there was a footwork thing. You actually see Bruno reacts to it on the side. But I found it interesting that he didn't call it out. She went to start on the wrong foot. I was there and I remember seeing. And I was like, oh, that was a mistake. So something was a little bit out of sync, but testament to her being very good at what she does, she was able to pick it up and get back into that quick step routine. I feel that. Not that it really matters now because Hilaria did go home, but what was missing for me with Hilaria and Gleb is, first of all, some connection between the two of them. It didn't look like. And even a dance like this, it didn't look like it was fun for them to be out there doing it. There were smiles, but there wasn't nearly enough smiles towards each other or connection or chemistry or, or something to make it feel like you believe it. Right? And so I found that that was in a quick step, you really want the fun. And a quick step with an a Lindy Hop vibe like that, you really want to bring the fun and the, the chemistry with it. And so I was really missing that. I also found she wasn't really in her window enough. But I do wonder if maybe it all got a little bit too chaotic and fast. One thing after another after another after another, and she just couldn't find her window and sit in it. While she has experience in Latin, the five Latin dances, Cha, cha, semba, pasado, ble, rumba, jive. She has zero experience of the dancers in frame. So while she has a good understanding of her body, this has all been very new for her to learn how to do. And the quick step is a hard dance. It wasn't her dance. And yeah, I, I feel bad for her because she certainly had the talent to stay longer. And I feel that I would have loved to have seen a little bit more from her. I would have loved to have seen her break out of that, being so worried about what other people are saying and just do it for her. And I think she was probably really affected by the stuff that's online. I wish that I got to see her fully let go and just do it for her. And even if she was only there for this many dances anyway, she at least would have had that experience of. It wasn't for anyone else. It wasn't about people taking the piss out of her online. It wasn't about anyone else's opinion. It was just about her getting to do it for her. Yeah, it's tough. It's tough to see anyone go home. And I don't know who else I would have wanted to go home instead of her. I certainly wouldn't want it to be Andy, because I love Andy and we'll get to him. Him. But it was. It was a tough elimination to watch, and maybe just because I was in the ballroom and I saw the reaction from her family, but I think she did a good job. I think her and Gleb did a great job. I always enjoyed their dances and I'm sorry to see them go. They got an 8. 7. 8. I thought it was interesting that she got a 7. I think she should have been 8, simply of her execution of how well she does an incredibly complicated routine. Yes, there were tiny little things, but no more than other people that have gotten those. Those scores. So I think the seven was. I was not necessarily aligned with, but I know that that was Derek feeling that way about the content. So I totally see how he got there. But, yeah, sorry to see you go, Hilaria. And I hope one day you look back on this experience and you see it for all the good and you actually love it because you did a really good job. Oh. Moving on, actually, to Andy and Emma. I mean, listen, I've raved about him every week, and not for his dance skill, but for the simple that. I just love watching him. He is like this, a toddler and a grown man all in one body, and you just want to, like, hang out with him. And we did see him after the show because he knows my fiance, Brian, and I got to meet him. He is an absolute sweetheart. He is who he is. That energy that radiates around him is spectacular. And watching him on the floor is such a good time. And I have absolutely seen numerous watch parties of multiple groups of different people that are rallying with voting parties for Andy that are watching with baited breath the eliminations and cheering and crying when he gets through. Like, it is just amazing and it's. It's really beautiful. The power of the people, man. When you band together and make a choice and. And do something like that. I mean, that's how I got my win with Bobby. You know, he won so many people's hearts because of the way he was approaching the show and what he did, by no means the best answer, but the heart that he put into it and Andy is honestly like that. And people want to see him go as far as they can possibly get him. With that said, let's first get into what the judges said. Carrie Anne said that he is so memorable. She sees a transformation in him, but she wants more content. Content. She wants him to lead with the body and not with the un arms. Fully agreed, fully on board. And I really appreciate that. You know, she was trying to really get it in a critique there because I feel sometimes we're just really nice to Andy. We love it. You're the heart, you're the this or just all the praise and then moving on. Whereas I think we really need to start critiquing Andy for what it is. It's not the judge's job to keep them in. That is your job at home to vote to keep him in. As evident in what I'm seeing on social media platform platforms, it is the judge's job to call it as they see it on what was lacking, what was great and what should happen moving forward. So loved that compliment from Carrie Anne. And Derek also gave a note. He complimented him on the performance as always because he was memorable and wonderful. We love watching him, but wants him to stretch in his arms bigger and do a bigger frame. And he did a little like take up frame and do all the things and it looked way better. And Emma stepped into frame and everyone was like, that's the thing. And then Bruno said he complimented the costume and said, so no real dance notes. So Emma and Andy have done videos that I've seen on Tick Tock where she'll be like, these are the things to watch out for the dance. So this is to say Emma is working on all of these things, right? Keeping the elbows up nice and wide, keeping the frame out, leading with the body, not with the arms bending into the legs. Clean footwork timing, which was a problem earlier on. He's better at that now. She is working on of these things and you actually see them in the videos that they post on Tik Tok. But then when it comes to the live show, we're not necessarily see them actually come into fruition. And so I wonder what that is. He's getting the information, but it's not retaining or it's not coming out when it's lights, camera, action and the pressure is on. But I would love to see some more of that information, more of that technique, more of of that focus. On the fundamentals really coming through. And I do agree with Carrie Ann. We do need more content now. And because we are just at that point in the competition and it's time to push it up a notch and to do more. And I don't mean for Emma to do more around him, but let's figure out how he can do more. And if he can't, then it is what it is and you guys either vote him through or you don't. But we are at that point now where everyone is pushing it up enough much and we need to see that also happen from Andy. Again. He's doing the work, he's trying to do it, but we need to see it come into fruition in the ballroom on a Tuesday night. So I hope we. Hopefully we see that from him. And I appreciate that Carrie Ann and Derek got in there and gave a solid, strong critique. Derek's critique, by the way. The stretch in the arms needs to be bigger. I think he demonstrated it. But it means that the stretch in the arm needs to come from the body. And we mentioned this a little bit earlier, earlier, but it's got to start from. From somewhere, which it starts from the body. It stretches all the way through to the elbow to the. Sorry. To the shoulder, to the elbow, to the wrist, to the fingers. So you want. I want to see his stretch come from somewhere and mean something when it gets there and never, ever stop and then come back. At the very least, if we can get bigger and fuller on our stretches and whatever dance he has next. Tidy footwork, miss. Just go on. Tidy footwork and staying on. Beat, beat. And see where we land with him. Where this gets a little sticky for me every week is the judges gave him a 666. I find that really hard because I think what was a seven and what was an eight was definitely more than one to two points different. But that's where my scoring system is a little bit different. Just because I come from a platform in a different country and I've been doing it my way. I have learned a lot from being next to the likes of Craig Revel Horwood, who is the longest running judge he's been over on Strictly Come Dancing, the mothership of Dancing with the Stars. He notoriously will give out ones and twos. I am considered the nice judge in Australia in comparison to him. And of course, the other judges that I share that table with that have been doing it for a long time. So we start lower. All I'll say is I gave this A4 and Andy's pretty much been in the threes and fours range for me. Does that mean I don't love him? No, I love him. I'm actually obsessed with him and I always want to see him. My notes as I wrote them, actually right here. No actual V waltz, meaning naturals or reverses, which means he was not actually ever in frame doing an actual V. Walt. It was all running finishes, which is a different step where you're running through and don't have to worry about the closes. Lots of gapping, sloppy arms. And then my next words. I don't care. Because that's the thing in. In the way of Andy. He is what this show was built on, you know, and it's so nice to have an Andy Andy in this competition. When you are looking at so many talented dancers that have got so much dance experience or talent and they're coming out here bringing it in spades. But you kind of like, ah, but they've done this before. And then you look at Andy, who we used to have 10 of those a season and one or two that was a gymnast and maybe had dance experience when they were 12. That's how dancing with the Stars started. Now so many more people have dance experience. And has it elevated the show? Absolutely. Has it elevated the dances that you see now, you can do viral dances on Tick Tock for sure. But it ha. This is the reminder of this is where Dancing with the Stars started. And what it's about a human being that has never, ever done this thing in their life, doing it on national television, being completely vulnerable and sharing that experience with you and you getting to cheer them along when they get better and better and better. And so I love Andy for that reason and I hope we do see him for a little bit longer. Longer. But yeah. And Emma's doing a really wonderful job with him too.
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Dance Critic/Host
Okay, moving on to a definite fan favorite and a fellow Aussie, Mr. Robert Irwin and Whitney. They did a cha cha so that I've loved a lot of Robert stances and I'll preface this with saying I still think he's going to be near the end and I still think it's probably going to be between him and Whitney Lee Levitt, but this was not a great dance for him. So getting into what the judges said, Derek said in the Irwin aura I fully relate to this. The that whole family just has a thing about them. It's magical. They're amazing and I love knowing them and being around them and seeing Robert do this out there on the floor is just really spectacular and fun to watch. He called out some weird arms. I was trying to find those for, for you. There were some that were a little bit weird, but they were sort of moving in the vein. But what he did call out was the rendez needing a leg extension. So basically what that means is one of his legs was swinging in a somewhat semicircle out wide and around him and sometimes it drags along the floor, sometimes it gets a little height. But at ronde it goes around the body, so to speak, and swings backwards. Yes. When he was doing those, he was not only bending in the knee, but he was bending at the hips. His head weight was going really far forward and then his leg was swinging around but it was a bent knee and a bent ankle. So we still had a flexed foot and he definitely wants to work on that. Stretching at the hip, stretching at the knee and pointing that foot as it goes around to really get that extension and length when he's swinging it. I would love to see that from him too. Derek complimented his performance performance every week. Every week. Even if the technique isn't great. I didn't love his salsa last week, but his performance quality is still great. And again he hits things, he sticks them. He's very, very clean, doesn't miss a beat. Bruno said he was clean, clear, sweet, timing was great and playing different parts. I'm. I've lost what that means but he basically said it was really great. Carrie Ann said yes. I loved this critique from, from her. His movements look like they stop too short and they basically need more flow instead of flex. And I think she got cut off before she could fully finish her comment. So yes, you can see that Robert has been taught to hit positions right and taught to get to them. Unfortunately, it does look like, as Carrie Anne said, you're posing for a photo. There's no real stretch and no real flow to it. It's not continuing to move into somewhere. Even if something hits, it still has a life in it. It doesn't just jump from position to position. And I think we really need to start seeing that from him. I would love to see texture coming into his performance. So that comes with not having those stop start movements and really finding what joins the moves, what happens in between them. What is that space? How can he keep stretching? How can he keep doing more and getting more stretch in his body? I would love to see that from Him. So my thoughts thoughts were his lock steps were really rough, which is a key, significant cha cha step. And it was a pretty rough technique. Both bent legs. I think both feet might have been flat, but it was, it was not great. The body action was weird. We weren't pushing from the back leg to get any power. It was sort of underneath the body. He was pretty flat footed through a lot of it. Meaning when he, he was in his lines, there were a couple where he lifted his heel to get some stretch, stretch. But for the most part it felt very flat footed. He had really good Cuban breaks, which is where one leg was coming back in front of the other and then crossing back to where it came from. Hard to explain, but you could google all these steps actually look up Cuban breaks and you'll see them. He had really good ones of that. His back foot was lifted onto the toe and I thought that was really nice. Fabulous presence, bent rendez and legs. I said the same as Derek and just overall that he's very stiff and everything seen cuts very, very sharp in a dance where I would have loved to have seen rhythm and fluidity and it just didn't have the magic for me. I, I felt it was very, very staccato, like it could have been. It was a tango energy with cha cha steps, in a sense. And so I definitely want to see the rhythm. It lacked the fluidity and I want to see more opposition in him in his line. So when he's stretching one way, he's got to have energy shooting the other way. We are not always just going one direction. Direction. Energy has to be coming from all parts of us. So when I'm stretching out to my left, I still have energy in the toe on my right. That's pushing into the floor. That helps us feel grounded, connected, and also helps us take up space. Yeah, I look, it wasn't a great dance for him. I scored it a six. The judges gave it a seven, seven, eight, which I, you know, it. I definitely don't think it was up there with some of his better dances. So I felt that was pretty high. I gave it a six just simply because. Because it was very, very stiff for a chacha. And some of the key elements of cha cha technique were missing, which I would love to have seen moving forward. He's not going to have a problem. People love Robert Irwin. They love Whitney. Her choreography is amazing. I'm a big Whitney fan and I'm excited to see what they do next week. And I think honestly, they got chacha out of the way they survived that elimination. They're never going to have to do this dance again. They must. They may as well just move on to the next one and not worry about this one one. And, you know, I don't think anyone's going to be voting them off. I think they're going to be here till the end. I honestly think it is going to be between him and Whitney, so we'll just see him get better and better. But I do think what kind of happened with Robert is he started so strong in week one when he had that jive, and everyone was like, oh, my God, he's just spectacular. And then I think he had another pretty decent dance after that. So we forgot that Robert Irwin has zero dance experience. He's been wrangling crocodiles his whole life. Whole life. He's never done a salsa or a cha cha. And we have now pretty high expectations of him. And so I. I find we're actually watching him now learn the technique and learn how to loosen up and learn how to be a dancer, whereas maybe we didn't see that in the first couple episodes. So we'll see where it goes again. I still think he's a fan favorite. I don't think he's going anywhere. I think he's so lovable, and we're gonna see him in the end, but this wasn't the best one from him. All right, Elaine and Alan, let me just start with saying before I get into what the judges said, which, by the way, I think they pretty much were like, no notes and just loved it. I love her. I love Elaine. I think she's so beautiful, and she's a fantastic dancer. She, of course, as Bruno says every week, hits all the character points. I think her partnership with Alan is wonderful. I love seeing her out there doing it, and I. I just really enjoy watching her performances. I think Alan' done a really great job this season with all the choreography that he's been doing for her. I think we're seeing her grow throughout it, too. The judges, okay, Bruno basically said that it was wonderful. Raved about it. Carrie Ann raved about it. Had zero notes to share with her. I think she talked about being a sexy, powerful woman and relating to her and those sorts of things. Love that, too. And then Derek talked about it being a complicated routine that she handled well, and she loved, loved it. I agree on all of this. I mean, listen, she was great. I said there was a little bit of gapping, and I do feel like she is still sometimes lifting up her Shoulders that are getting a little bit shoulders as earrings. And that happens in these fast dances. And I feel she needs to go back in and lock in. Like we said earlier about someone with that connection being in the groin to the upper thigh area and really allowing the energy to help happen in the feet so the top path can relax. It very much has to look like a duck on water. Underneath, it's going 100 miles per hour. But on top, you would never know that was happening. And I felt we could see a little bit of the chaoticness, especially as the routine went on a little bit. But again, I loved this dance from them and I love this dance from her. She's an amazing performer. I, so I, I, I, I've said previously for her I would love to some more core strength. I think that is going to help her sustain the energy from start to end and also help with that, that shoulder problem. So if she's connecting into the core and the shoulders are pushing down and we're connecting to elevators, right? The shoulders are pushing down that we're put from the floor, we're pushing up and everything is meeting in the middle in the core. And that is our power center. Now, everything on top being our shoulders and our arms and our frame, all of that can just relax, Relax and sit on top of that power center. And everything that is underneath is engaged. It has resistance and it is. We're using our shock absorbers, which are our ankles and our knees. And so everything is looking smooth. Even though it's going fast, it all comes from the core. And when we disconnect from our core, things can start to look like they're moving independently from the other part of our body. And I find that's what's happening with her shoulders. When she gets into her frame, it's really lovely. And she can have a beautiful spot stretch. When the shoulders come up, the neck is shortening in the space between her and Allan gets smaller. So you really want to keep that space as wide as possible. That being said, fantastic dance. And I gave it an eight. I gave it an eight because he's. Here's what I think and my personal opinion on some of the songs that we had for Disney Night. So it seemed that Disney went, we went really niche with some of the, the songs. Some of that, like they had Space Mountain. Space Mountain, It's a Ride. And then other people had songs that are famous Disney songs like the Genie, oh, My Gosh, Aladdin or Hamilton or highly animated maleficent things that tell a story that we as an audience can connect to and already know how we feel about it as a song. Already have a built in story into our head of what is it? It is these guys and bless them, bless Alan and of course Elaine in doing it with him. They had Space Mountain and so they're like what do we do? Like what's the set that you build for that? What is the story? What are the characters? What are you going to do? Also it's a song that has no words. What do you do with that? Like what are you getting people to connect to? Bless them. They went full alien and Alan got in this get up which by the way he had to get into to at 7am and was probably suffocate. Couldn't get wait to get it off him by the end of the night. But I just think they really held their own when they had a song that kind of feels somewhat like a handicap in comparison to other songs. And I, I was a big fan of what they created to it. I think you have to really think outside the box and do something fun to make it memorable. And this was memorable for me and I think they did a really good job at that. 888 from the judges. I was on board. I loved it. Okay, here we get to for sure the standout performance of the night, if not of many seasons from the past. Like this was spectacular. I can't say enough good things about it. I can't say enough of like Mark's talent in what he creates as a creative. But we'll get into it. So we're talking about Whitney, America, Mark. They did a Fox chart. They had Hamilton, which I guess is sort of Disney by default. And it was guys from the very, very beginning, the lighting that is shadowed and half on them to the special spotlight they got in the middle, the mood around them, the set, the musicality, the edit, which if you watch social media and Mark, you know that he put that together the camera work in this dance like everything was mud money. And not only that, did Whitney execute this ridiculously well? Yes. If we were later in the season it'd be tens across the board. But being that this is week four, that's just not where we're at yet. It. And it did get a 9, which I fully understand because it blew everyone out of the room. Carrie Ann said she, she said words on words on words on words and she talked about there's a traditional foxtrot and then there is Mark's foxtrot which I, I think Mark is just in A league of his own when it comes to creativity and choreography because he crosses so many parts of it, right? He's just not, he's not just there doing the steps. He is a seasoned pro and I very much used to do this when I was on the show too. He is involved with the lighting. He is involved with the costume. He is involved with the edit. He is adding extra things into that edit for what he needs needs. He is involved in the camera passes and how you see it at home. All of that is by design. Mark absolutely is involved with that, with the creative team, as he said in even an Instagram post that I think he shared right after the show of thanking all of those teams for the work they did. Phil Hayes, our director, Justin Lombardi, the creative director, like the beautiful work that they did in collaboration with Mark. And that's where it gets to a different level. I, I, I mean, honestly, as a dance, what do I have no notes? I could give you no notes on this. She was spectacular. What I will say, and this does not mean I didn't like it. If we're looking at a fox trot, there was only broken up in pieces, maybe two eight counts of things that hit in frame. And I do know that we do American Smooth. But what I'm saying here is I think think the rules have been blurred or it's just not consistent anymore. And it's not quite as clear for all the pros to know what rules can they push and what can't they. Now this I personally feel Mark pushed the boundaries to its limit and it paid off because it was spectacular. And you have to know as a pro when you're going to push those boundaries. If only do it if it's going to, if it's going to be spectacular. Because if you push those boundaries and it's not, not like for example, Gleb, who by the way had way more in frame content. His wasn't an American Smooth, but he got called out for it because it wasn't executed to the te right. So then you can find all the little holes in it and find things to say. Marks was to the t, you know that. What can you say about it? It was amazing. So he created a performance that was worth pushing the boundaries. What I think here, maybe our other pros need to know and understand is, is that they can push these boundaries and to be able to take those risks or maybe know that they can work with Justin and Phil on cool camera angles and their vision and ideas for it and, and nowhere to Go. Once upon a time, that's how we created on the show. We were. There was a golden era of Dancing with the Stars where pretty much all the pros would sit with a creative team and design it from the ground up with them, what set pieces and this and what can we do. And then you create that dance and you do it. It was amazing. Amazing. I don't know that our younger pros, do they know that they can do that? Is that available to them or is it just because Mark knows how to do that because he's been around so long? I don't know. I don't have the answer to it. But I. I wonder if our incredible pros, who, by the way, a vast majority of them also have commercial backgrounds in dance and could also create phenomenal routines like this with the musicality and all of that. I wonder if they know that they can push those boundaries or do they feel like they have to keep it a little bit more safe and play within the rules because they don't want to get called out. I don't know. But it's interesting because I do think that it is inconsistent at the moment and I think some of our pros don't know what to do as far as when you can and can't break holes. And what is the ratio of a little something extra flavor in doing the content. The word content. Content gets thrown around so much and sometimes it gets said when I agree with it and sometimes it gets said when I don't. So I wonder how we can make that a little bit more clear A, for you guys at home and also B, for our pros and creators on the show so they know just how far they can push it anyway, go. I mean, going back to Mark and Whitney, I could not say enough good stuff about this dance. She is so nose over toes now, which is something I critiqued her on a couple weeks ago. She was very back weighted in her chacha. I felt like she was really well weight in her heels. That girl is nose over toes. She is crisp, she is clean. Her spot was way better this week, actually. Not a single awkward turn in there. Mark really drilled those details on the herb he's teaching of technique and the fundamentals. He is amazing. And of course, I mean, his parents are superstars in the world of ballroom. He's had this since he was born and he certainly passes it on beautifully. I think what I love watching about Whitney and Mark is that she is one of the few partners I've seen him have that can match his animation. The animation in his face is always on 110 and so is Whitney. And this feels like, like I know Charlie was a phenomenal partner for him, hands down and their dancing was amazing. But there is something about Whitney and Mark that is also extra special and it is that like similar energy matching. It is that like animation in their face and their kookiness and their whatever they bring to it of the acting and the storytelling. Like, it is very, very on point with each other. His her freak matches his freak type of thing and I am here for it. I don't know if she'll win. I think she could. I think she's by far the best, especially the best left standing. I don't know if people are going to vote her her to win or if it's going to be for someone like Robert. But listen, I don't know. I'm a big fan where I will be shook if I see her go before the finale. I don't think it's possible. But I did love it. Now the judges gave it a 988. I totally agree. I actually gave it an 8 because for me personally as a judge, now speaking as a judge, not as a viewer, I would have loved to have seen just a touch more in frame. But then the number was so beautifully styled and musical in its storytelling and it had elements of foxtrot all throughout it in shadow position and different types of holds that you can't fully fault it. But I would have just preferred to have seen a little bit more in frame from a judge's standpoint. From a viewer standpoint. Perfect. No notes. So good.
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Dance Critic/Host
Cut the camera. They see us.
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Ed Helms
Hey, everyone. Ed Helms. Here, here.
Matt Rogers
And hi, I'm Cal Penn and we're the hosts of Irsay The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.
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This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Jenny Garth, host of the iHeart podcast. I choose me to discuss the new Audible adaptation of the timeless Jane Austin classic Pride and Prejudice. This is not a trick question. There's no wrong answer. What role would I play?
Dance Critic/Host
You know what? I can see you as Mr. Darcy. You got a little Colin Firth.
Ed Helms
Okay, that's really sweet. I appreciate that. But are you sure I'm not the dad? I'm not Mr. Bennett. Here, listen to Earsay the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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This is Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang from Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.
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Dance Critic/Host
Okay, next up we have Jordan and Ezra. I mean I, I am a big fan of Jordan and Ezra. I think the way Ezra came back from having a really tough first week and handling all those notes and making all the changes, I just love that in him. Like he's one of the pros that you could see when a judge says a note, he's going to come back and have like shows you you he worked on that note and it's. I so appreciate that about him. As evident in his. Have a look at Ezra dancing in this dance. Like that man is sacrificing every single thing about his dancing. He is so low in his knees because Derek asked him last week to maybe get a little bit lower for her to help with her frame that it Is almost comical in the way that you're watching him get around the floor. But he's doing it so she can look the absolute best that she can can. And did she look great? She looked great. I do think that the ballroom dances are just going to be hard for them because of their height. And I hope they're saving the contemporaries and the jazz and the Latin dancers until much later on Argentine tango because. And just get these ones out of the way because I don't think she's going anywhere. But I think they did a really good job at handling it with that handicap of their height. So. Derek said she looks beautiful. It was crisp, it was sharp, and the footwork was good. Great. Bruno said it was bright, it was vivacious, and she is dance royalty. Carrie Anne said, you brought Disney to life and she is authentic when she dances. So not really any dance notes there to give you or to work on. Crisp and clean means everything was readable, understandable. Everything had a beginning and an end point, but it continued with flow. The details were matching. Nothing ever looked like it wasn't tended to right or wasn't thought about. Everything was thought about. I love the beginning. I thought it was very cute with their little acting moment. And I enjoyed the routine. Definitely not their best dance that I've seen of them. I don't think it was as impressive as their tango, but that was such a storyline and a powerful dance. But I do think they handled it really well. You know, there are just things when it comes to frame for them. She is not going to be able to get past. Her right arm is going to be as straight as straight can be. So she can reach Ezra's hand. You know, she is leaning out in her window. I think she does that even better than most. You just don't notice it so much because it their height. She's really giving me, as I call it, palm tree, like two palm trees falling away from each other. And she is in that window and she, even with a beautiful flexible back and neck, gets extra stretch on lines and then comes straight back up into frame. And that's something you may not necessarily see or realize, but she does that very, very well. I thought it was musical. I thought it was very, very cute. I think we're going to see her for a long time. And no real notes necessarily on this as far because I think they handled everything really well. Well, it's just hoping that they're getting their ballroom dances out of the way so we can see her shine with her Latin and alternative dances. Moving forward in the competition, Jordan and Ezra are killing it. All right, we are moving on to the final dance of the night. And that is Jen and Yan. They had a jazz routine, so I listen. Aladdin and Jasmine. I was Jasmine twice on Dancing with the Stars. For those that remember, I actually did this song with Antonio Brown. It's a big band song. I had the blessing of being able to have Troop in it at the time and it was really, really fun. I think they could have benefited from having extra people in theirs and a little something extra going on. But let's get into what the judges said. I don't have written down what Bruno said, but Carrie Anne said it just didn't hit it for her. Derek said everyone's been great tonight and called out that she did a backwards walkover. So I don't really have any dance notes again to work on for you there. The backwards walkover is, I think it' self explanatory. But when she sort of arched all the way backwards, put her hands down, then flipped her legs back over herself, which was great. I don't know. Listen, I wanted this. I think I had high expectations. I've been a little tough on Yarn and his cha cha and other dances, but knowing that he's a first time pro and letting him like figure it out. There is no shade or shame in that. Everyone's had to figure it out from their first few seasons. But this, I just had high expectations because I feel like Jazz is much more in his wheel wheelhouse and she is really talented and really cute. But I agree with Carrie Anne. It just missed something for me and that is okay. We've had two very incredible dances right before them. So I think it was a difficult placement for them to be in. It was kind of flat. And that is also because of. I don't know why. I don't know if Jan asked for this. Right. Maybe he wanted to see the dancing from head to toe and you know, this was a creative choice. He asked Phil. But the camera was very still and very stagnant and it was, you know, that opening camera shot lasted for a really long time but didn't really move anywhere. And they didn't necessarily come up to it or create any energy with it or in the room. We were just watching it flat from an angle and I'm. It was missing something from me. And maybe because they were so tight on the stairs, Phil didn't know where he could also shoot it from or where he could go. And I think had he yarn have pulled that further Away from the stairs. The steady cam could have run around him like it ended up doing later on. We could have caught some other things, but it just got stuck. And I wish that they would have covered more ground, done bigger, bolder movements, maybe a few less tricks. It feels like there was some time wasted in there. I don't know that I have the right words to eloquently articulate it, but it fell flat for me. And I think that she's really, really cool, capable. Were they jazzing? Yes, it was jazz. And listen, sometimes we say jazz, and it's not really jazz. They were jazzing, you know, and it was. It was good in that sense. And there are technical things, like she doesn't really point her feet. She sort of points with just her toes and not with her ankles. So you sort of get a little bit of a. A. A semi flexed biscuit. A biscuit is a flexed foot, if anyone doesn't know. So her toes were curling over, but her ankles weren't stretching. So there's that. I think it could have stretched bigger. It could have gone bigger. I think that last musical section where the music gets really big, and we were just doing a Charleston section, I mean, I want to run down the floor or charge at the camera or, like, do or something, or that's when you do the big lift or. And then that's when the steady cam's running around. It just. It missed something. And I. I think that is Jan getting used to choreographing, laughing with cameras like Dancing with the Stars, you know what I mean? And. And those. Oh, God. How many do we have? 11, 12, 13. There's a bunch of cameras around that room that Phil loves to use, but you have to be able to put it in a place where he can use them. And I think somehow that just didn't happen here. And I. I hate saying that, and I hate being so hard on yarn because I think he's super talented and he's a wonderful addition to the show. He's just in a position. He's in a season where everyone is doing such a great job job, and he's learning, you know, and again, we got to give him grace. We got to let him grow and learn, and he's going to be spectacular. But this is just a tough season for him. I. I agree with Carrie Anne. The judges gave it a 788. I gave it a 7. They did do things. They did execute it. They didn't miss anything. She could have pointed her feet more. She could have given me a little more dynamics and musicality, hit the edges a little bit harder, gone a little bit bigger. I think we could have had more fun between the Genie and Jasmine with the goofiness and the game games, I think they just could have been more ground covered but it was executed nice and I don't know if it makes them memorable though. Jen is incredibly capable and I think if they can find that thing to break out kind of like what Derek said to Ilaria, actually she needs to find what separates her and what makes her stand out and yarn needs to help her find that that's something that is going to blow her out of the water. I, I really need like the breakout down chance from her and hopefully that comes next week. I did appreciate that Jan also got into that full costume and get up again at 7am he's such a champ for getting into that. So yeah, and then we had the elimination and it was Hilaria that went home and you could tell that that was really, really hard for her. So that is my thoughts on everybody now. I probably say some things that are weird. If you have any questions, leave them underneath the comments on the social media posts and ask them do you want to know more about what palm tree means or texture or frame or any of those things? And I will describe them as best I can for you guys to understand. Hopefully this gives you a little bit more insight into what the judges were thinking and saying at the times when they had to say them and gave you just a little bit more feedback from me and what I thought. So it was an amazing episode from Dancing with the Stars. Disney always is and this one didn't fall short. It didn't disappoint point and I'm of course very excited to see where we go next week. I will be excited to sit here and do this again for you, do more critiques and let you in on the inside as much as I possibly can and hopefully along the way teach you a little bit about dance. Thank you so much for tuning in with me today you guys and I will see you and talk to you on the next one.
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Justin Richmond
This is Justin Richmond, host of Broken Record. Lexus is a company that believes in the importance of setting a standard, which I can appreciate as someone who holds themselves to lofty, if not ridiculous standards, especially with the car I drive. The standard Lexus has set for themselves is to experience amazing. Lexus measures success by the feeling and emotions evoked in a driver, like exhilaration and joy. Amazing can only be achieved by knowing people on a deeper level. The standard of amazing results in a feeling in drivers that their car was built in anticipation of them. Machines that make you feel more human because a car that doesn't make you feel something is a car that stops short. A amazing experience. Amazing at your Lexus dealer have you.
Dance Critic/Host
Ever heard a story so unbelievable it just had to be true? Roofman is the jaw dropping new film.
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Dance Critic/Host
A man who becomes infamous for breaking into over 40 McDonald's through the roof, then secretly living inside of Toys R Us for six months. With humor, suspense and heart, Roofman is a cat and mouse story that will.
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Don't miss Roofman.
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Date: October 9, 2025
Host: Sharna Burgess (with commentary on Danielle Fishel’s DWTS journey)
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts – Danielle With The Stars
This episode dives deep into “Disney Night” on Dancing with the Stars, with longtime pro and judge Sharna Burgess critiquing each couple’s performance. Sharna breaks down technical dance elements and production nuances, highlighting areas of growth and standout moments. The focus is on providing fans and new viewers with behind-the-scenes insight, context for judge critiques, and a greater appreciation for what it takes to shine on the ballroom floor. Danielle Fishel’s quickstep with Pasha is a featured topic, along with a breakdown of every performance, scoring controversies, and “what makes a dance memorable.”
[02:25]
[03:55]
[05:03]
[11:20]
[20:13]
[24:13]
[32:00]
[38:16]
[47:31]
[55:00]
[59:00]
[69:11]
[72:55]
On judging and critiques:
“Sometimes they have some 25 seconds or 5 seconds. It all depends on what’s going on in the episode… And not very often, I think, do they get to fully express their point and go into as much detail as they want to.” (Sharna, 02:49)
On Danielle’s progress:
“In those ballroom dances, she looks beautiful out in that frame. Just really getting out there and sticking to it and keep building on having more dynamics, more wow moments in there.” (16:50)
On the DWTS spirit:
“He is what this show was built on, you know… a human being that has never, ever done this thing in their life, doing it on national television, being completely vulnerable…” (Andy, 42:22)
On Mark & Whitney’s foxtrot:
“What I love watching about Whitney and Mark is that she is one of the few partners I’ve seen him have that can match his animation… her freak matches his freak type of thing and I am here for it.” (64:07)
| Couple | Dance Type | Sharna’s Score | Judge Avg | |----------------------|------------------|:--------------:|:---------:| | Dylan & Danny | Quickstep | 6 | 7–8 | | Danielle & Pasha | Quickstep | 7 | 7–7–7 | | Scott & Riley | Salsa | 7 | 7–7–7 | | Alex & Val | Viennese Waltz | 8 | 8–8–8 | | Hilaria & Gleb | Quickstep | 8 | 8–7–8 | | Andy & Emma | Viennese Waltz | 4 | 6–6–6 | | Robert & Whitney | Cha Cha | 6 | 7–7–8 | | Elaine & Alan | Quickstep | 8 | 8–8–8 | | Whitney & Mark | Foxtrot | 8 | 9–8–8 | | Jordan & Ezra | Ballroom | (not explicit)| | | Jen & Yan | Jazz | 7 | 7–8–8 |
| Time | Topic | |---------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 02:25 | Sharna’s intro/philosophy, critique style | | 03:55 | Disney Night overview | | 05:03 | Dylan & Danny recap | | 11:20 | Danielle & Pasha critique and scoring controversy | | 20:13 | Scott & Riley analysis | | 24:13 | Alex & Val, breakdown of storytelling and technique | | 32:00 | Hilaria & Gleb, tempo/scoring, elimination | | 38:16 | Andy & Emma, DWTS nostalgia, fan support | | 47:31 | Robert & Whitney, technical critique | | 55:00 | Elaine & Alan, creativity under constraints | | 59:00 | Whitney & Mark, standout “Hamilton” foxtrot | | 69:11 | Jordan & Ezra, overcoming height disadvantage | | 72:55 | Jen & Yan, need for breakout moment |
Sharna blends technical authority with a warm, highly engaged, and sometimes playful tone. She expresses genuine affection for contestants—especially underdogs—while not shying away from “tough love” in honest critiques. Her explanations aim to grow both viewers’ dance knowledge and their appreciation for the effort and vulnerability of the stars.
For more behind-the-scenes critique, clarification of dance lingo, and to submit questions, follow Sharna and the podcast’s social channels.