Thursday, May 8, 2014

DWTS Week 8

Better late than never, I guess.

So, apparently Meryl's fans are having ten shit fits these week. They're crying foul because they believe Amy Purdy was overscored, and because Amy Purdy sat on a stool for part of the AT Tango. This is what we've come to. Meryl Davis fans crying "unfair" over a girl with no feet.

I bet Meryl could do this. Her butt wouldn't slide off the stool, her alignment would remain long, strong, open and stable, there would be no weight shift/center-of-gravity collapse to knock the legs of the stool out from under her. This move? It's nothing.

Perhaps if Derek and Amy had just stood around for fourteen seconds pretending they were about to kiss, Meryl's fans would have been okay with it.

Here's Purdy's full Argentine Tango, so we can see just how much she's overscored:



Since Meryl's fans are losing it over Amy Purdy, why not also see Purdy's Celebrity Duel jive for ourselves. The woman needs extra stability/resistance (i.e. some point of contact with another dancer) because of the no-feet thing, but she doesn't need external resistance for her WHOLE FREAKING BODY AND EVERY JOINT.  More importantly, she doesn't need it for her core, her hips, her knees. She needs it to orient her prosthetic feet to the floor. Seeing as her actual body ends just below her knees.

Amy Purdy, Derek Hough, Peta Murgatroyd and James Maslow four-way jive:



Fake feet or real feet, which, of these two athletes, Meryl or Amy, is actually dancing on this show? Who has better technique, musicality, rhythm, performance, precision? Which athlete/celeb dance contestant dances better? The one who stood on the top of the ice dance platform in Sochi after seventeen years of training, or the one with no legs below the knee who has to dial herself into her snowboard?

Here's Meryl's "rumba".



We can all agree; no damn stool sitting in that rumba.


Let's look at the rumba content:


There's one part.


That's the other part.

While the leg kick/swing saved itself for Meryl's celebrity duel with Danica McKellar,


 this essential element of any authentic rumba had to be included in Meryl and Maks' rumba:


My second favorite part of the entire evening was this:


That's not a choreophed bump; it's Meryl coming out of a spin.

My absolute favorite part of the evening was this:
"So don't grab onto me."
Look at Charlie White.

It's almost as if Charlie's going through a little PTSD, or maybe de-programming. Grabbing? You don't do no grabbing in lifts!

Charlie, you and Meryl are still hedging about retirement. Until you're an eligible alumni, deal with it. You're a grabee.

Here's embeds from the rest of Meryl and Charlie's performances:

Charlie's contemporary with Candace Bure, Sharna Burgess and Mark Ballas:


Meryl, Danica McKellar, Val Chmerkovskiy, Maksim Chmerkovskiy samba:



Charlie and Sharna's quickstep:



It's not the best celeb/pro quickstep ever on DWTs, but it's one of the rare quicksteps where the upper bodies remain in contact for almost all of it.

For what it's worth, and it's OT, here's an article on Amy Purdy in the Theatre & Dance section of The Washington PostAmy Purdy and The Washington Post.

183 comments:

  1. Meryl's dress has an uncanny resemblance to Tessa's "Stay" dress. Also, funny to see in the duel with Meryl/Danica that when they put their feet down...Meryl's leg is bent and clunks down...Danica's leg is much more graceful.

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    1. it looked like a bootleg version of stay

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    2. Lol-that's hilarious!! It looks like she trips at the beginning but hard to see because it doesn't show her legs--I also noticed that she loses her bALance at the end of last weeks (week7) dance too. She is unstable.

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    3. Danica, even when she was not at her best, outdanced Meryl by a mile. look at the knee work and the rhythm. no comparison.

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  2. What's even funnier to me is the dance appears modeled on the weakest link, and the weakest link is Meryl, not Danica. It shuffles through Meryl's limited repertoire. Danica's doing the leg swing/kick back, the traveling spins, and she's doing them as an actress who's had some recreational ballroom training, not an Olympic ice dancer. Her posture is better, her hip action is better, and her movements are clearer. She has more natural rhythm. All the more absurd since Danica is a little bit trapped in her head at times, so it's not as if Meryl is up against some sort of huge natural talent.

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  3. LOL, some clips from their jive for next week - you'll NEVER guess what move they include...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te21adNhctY&feature=youtu.be

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  4. Ratings or general interest must be going downhill if the new drama is between Abby Lee Miller and Max..jesus...it doesn't take a neurosurgeon to figure-out that this show has long ago jumped the shark...it does appear that Max is being given an interesting storyboard in terms of finally winning a season...but the dancing..wth it's not important...I think we can honestly say that both Kristi Yamaguchi and Evan Lysacek got more out of the experience than DW...

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  5. Charlie in DWTS is the most expressive I've seen him, compared to his long slog of a career with Meryl. Amazing what being unshackled from partnering Davis can do.

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    1. Expressionwise, it's a new Charlie. Eye contact all over the place. It was pointed out early on that Charlie's need to cue off Sharna could account for all the eye contact at first, but he was also making tons of eye contact with Candace Bure. There are times I think he could breathe through his performance a little more, and where I still think he rushes, but everything he's doing is much more organic and he's actually learning technique. His range of motion is so much wider than Meryl's. Again, it appears as if his and Meryl's entire careers have been formatted around her limitations. When you look at him now, it does seem like a slog of a career, but of course, he received outsized rewards for that slog, including being declared Olympic champion in Sochi over the team that actually won the competition. It's difficult to feel badly for him, but this is an interesting look behind the curtain.

      The whole Maks thing is so ironic, particularly as to these points: 1) He got a ringer this time; 2) he has a deserved reputation for meh choreography with lots of filler like scene setting, walking and pausing. Having a ringer would, arguably, get him to actually choreograph and knock off the nonsense.

      Instead, while everyone still regards Meryl as a ringer; she's not. I know packages are just packages, but it seems to me she has limited memory for new steps, can't really be taught, is the exact same mover she was when she started, and Maks is defaulting back to his usual filler and scene setting in order to work around her deficitis. Meantime, the narrative is that she's terrific and deserves better than he's giving. The truth is, she can't do more than she's doing. Somebody like Val could possibly fit the pieces together more effectively, particularly in any quick/sharp dance, but in the Argentine Tango he did with Meryl, it was still the same stuff.

      Charlie seems capable of picking up new steps and actually doing them, and of working with and off somebody else.

      Len Goodman has said he believes the winner will be either Charlie or Amy. While I like what Charlie is doing, I'm rooting for Amy. I don't care if it will be Derek Hough's billionth mirror ball. She's far and away the best dancer this season.

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  6. “Don’t grab onto me” was so precious. *grinds teeth*. I thought I was having a stroke during Meryl and Maks practice – Maks (to an ice DANCE OGM) “ You are just uncomfortable. Don’t be uncomfortable. Do….. JUST BASIC STEP, we don’t have a routine”… “Babe NO, obviously NOT, COME ON MAN” … “this is childish steps” Meryl Davis – Ice DANCE Olympic Gold Medalist; “We are also not professional dancers”… Me: if anyone needs me I’ll be over there in the corner banging my head against the wall.

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    1. Meryl doesn't really put herself out there, but there's no process happening there. With Charlie, as truncated as his "packages" are, we see the process. With Meryl, where is the whole "working through it" process? She's silent, if her partner gets frustrated, she redirects, but they never address the process. As I commented before, when she was rehearsing with Val, she was just passive while going through whatever move he was testing out. She wasn't testing it for herself, working through it. I wonder what actual discussion happens, if anybody tries to break it down for her and get her to DO it, do something properly, do something different, or if it's all her passively NOT doing something, and diverting the question or complaint, until the other person catches on and realizes "work around" is the only way she works. There's a shit ton of enabling going on with Meryl.

      oc

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    2. Charlie has a partner that says "What a bleep do we have to do to get a 10?" She doesn't expect it to be handed to her. She works for it and in turn makes him work for it. No babying. Real communication. We are both frustrated now let's practice. Nobody yell at me but I liked their contemporary dance. Sure there was a moment there with Candace where it looked like he was trying to extricate himself from her grip before going into a lift but for the most part it flowed nicely. I think it's because he really likes the contemporary. It was during his contemporary in week one when you noticed that he can emote and make direct eye contact. As for she that must not be named - I got nothing.

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    3. I liked both of Charlie and Sharna's routines - the quickstep and the contemporary with Candace Bure and Mark Ballas. I hated the quickstep song, but that's not their fault. Charlie's right in there with the strong celebs who have danced on the show over the course of its time on the air. Meryl is projecting - if projecting is the word - this persona that's sweet, and tries to pacify Maks, and that is it. There is nothing about actually getting the steps, nothing about the actual dancing, and no wonder. Every routine just reworks the same limited stuff in her repertoire of movement, while adding nothing new.

      Charlie likes contemporary. I believed him when he said he was excited about working with Candace and Mark, and also because they got contemporary. He puts himself out there more, exposes himself a bit more, expresses what he likes about a given dance or learning something different. Meryl is as closed and self-protective as I've ever seen in anyone when it comes to hiding what she's doing and how she's doing it, or even talking about it at ALL.

      That is never ever addressed on DWTs. Charlie's actual dancing IS talked about in rehearsal. Meryl's isn't. If Maks has an issue with how she's learning or not learning, it becomes a moment about Meryl calming Maks down. We've never seen Meryl learning or getting something.

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    4. I have to say, I am sort of curious about VM's last couple of remarks about Meryl and Charlie. There was the odd-seeming comment from Tessa about how she and Scott had a good friendship with Charlie. Then in another interview, when the subject of DWTs came up, Scott allowed as he thought Charlie would do pretty well, even though it's tough for a guy to lead. It does make me wonder if they've decided for themselves that Meryl is really the root cause of the D/W fake, or if they're steering speculation in that direction. Even Beverly Smith, when she pointed out all of Davis White's shortcomings that were consistently disregarded by the judges, mostly had Charlie's wide hockey steps to criticize in Charlie. Meryl was the one with "clunky" feet - which covers a world of problems in ice dance, and Meryl is the one who needs her limbs pinned and her core girdled in lifts.

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    5. You may have a point OC - but it seems that Jacqui White was throwing enough shade at VM - particularly after Tessa's stop in the 4CCs FD last year...yes I get the impression that Charlie was more cordial to VM than Meryl...but then look at Charlie's mom and Tanith...I wouldn't exactly call their shit sportsmanlike...

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    6. Oh, I concede every point and then some about Jacqui White. And when it comes to cordiality, I really don't know how to parse it out. Meryl is "cordial" but Meryl is also completely hidden/unrevealing when it comes to what she's doing. She doesn't talk about it, work through it, address it. She appears to be results-oriented/results entitled, but process-concealing. Now liberated (MMV of course) from the ice dance partnership for DWTS, Charlie appears to feel free to talk process.

      I was actually making a very narrow point, which boils down to - whose fault is it? Meaning, whose fault is it that DW are so mediocre. After all, it's less galling, presumably, to be rated second to a team that actually does it than a team that fakes it all the way through. Who is responsible for the DW fake? And I think also, who do VM respect more? Possibly, they respect Charlie more, seeing him as someone with more of a skill set. I'm working inside that framework and no other. I have no defense for Tanith, except Tanith has always made no bones about being a political creature.

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    7. In terms of the weaker link - yes I would have to agree that Meryl would be it. However, I wouldn't rate Charlie's ice dancing skills much higher. I would rate other male ice dancers that were stronger in this quad including Daveidas Stagnuinas. Ben Agosto is a better skater and dancer. Although we agree that Meryl is the weaker link - Charlie didn't even bother looking at her during their routines...if I was Marina and saw Charlie on DWTS actually engaging with his pro-partner - then well it shows that a) he didn't enjoy skating with Meryl and b) he knew he could get away with it and not be dinged on it.
      I think Sharna is the real deal and perhaps has shown Charlie to appreciate the process. As for VM - possibly prefering Charlie to Meryl - if you take a look at the post Worlds 2011 ceremony with DW, VM and the Shibs taking their pictures (not on the podium), VM and the Shibs are joking around with Charlie and being generally happy for them. At one point - Meryl becomes very serious and tells the guys to cut it out...basically she was ALL business...After that I don't think I have seen Meryl be unbusinesslike...even in the press conferences, she can't even joke...and I think that attitude has had an offputing effect on VM, PB and others...just my two cents..

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    8. OC, I know what you mean re VM comments about DW, in particular about Charlie. I saw an interview they did where Tessa talks about Charlie in a very affectionate tone of voice. He's funny, smart and they have great conversations. It was Scott that threw in "and Meryl is a sweetheart" Tessa picks up the cue "and Meryl is so sweet"... Meryl is the "girlfriend" you put up with as you don't want to alienate your best friend. I believe it was Tessa that said that they are in a sport where they are constantly surrounded by rivals. Somewhere along the line Team Canton started unravelling following VM win in Vancouver. I watched Meryl's reaction to VM scores in Vancouver and her jaw drops "in disbelief". Even now my reaction to her reaction is SIT DOWN MERLY DAVIS! Here you have two dance couples that have been together the same amount of time, are coached by the same brilliant woman (go ahead, yell at me Marina haters) and yet one couple was always the "younger" sibling that wants to prove they are just as good. For me, at the end of day comparing VM to DW is like comparing apples to oranges.

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    9. Anon 7:15: A colleague of mine was in Sochi volunteering at the skating venue, and said that Meryl was such a conceited bitch. She was pretty sure even Charlie didn't want to be around her.

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    10. Charlie distinctly likes to hang out with all skaters except Meryl during galas, I've noticed. Charlie was chatty with Tessa and Scott at Sochi practice gala, while Meryl was skating around alone like she had a cactus up her ass away from them. Charlie puts in his minimal obligatory practice time with her. At these DWTS rehearsal things or after parties, he is never seen with her. Even during the weeks when Tanith isn't around, he'd rather be alone lol. I bet he can't wait for retirement.

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    11. 7:15 "...if I was Marina and saw Charlie on DWTS actually engaging with his pro-partner - then well it shows that a) he didn't enjoy skating with Meryl and b) he knew he could get away with it and not be dinged on it. " I'd offer "c)" - he didn't look at her because it was pointless. Meryl isn't actually connecting with Charlie (or Maks) when she looks at them. She literally is looking AT them. Her eyes may look at their face, but their faces may as well be a wall. There's no exchange of energy, no communication. Meryl is 100% drive on the ice, but there's no immediacy. It's all just steamrolling. It's up to the other person to adjust to her; there's no exchange. She's not adjusting to them.

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    12. OC, I find your point c interesting, because up until DWTS, I used to think that it was Meryl who made a bit more effort in connecting/acting/dramatizing. I think there's a difference if she really was looking AT her partner's face instead of INTO.

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    13. @3:52: She was business-like to the point of being obnixious to everyone around her, and walked around like she owned the place. It rubbed the volunteers the wrong way, because it's one thing to be confident, but everybody in the venue knew that the fix was the worst-kept secret in Sochi, so show a bit of humility, especially since they're being handed a gold medal they certainly didn't earn.

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    14. you're not the first person to say meryl is "conceited" or snooty.

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    15. @10:20 and 7:24

      wow. I can't say i'm surprised. can you give any more details?

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  7. LMAO at the nonsense on FSU:

    "I also find it weird that Marina, who has always been incredibly supportive of Meryl and Charlie, hasn't said one word about their being on DWTS and, in particular, Meryl's incredible technical awesomeness, her acting ability, and especially how she has seemingly exploded with emotion, expressiveness, sexiness without being sleazy, and raw passion when performing. Her being absolutely mum on the subject, along with Fedor's silence and disappearance, makes me wonder if in fact those two have split and Zoueva is siding with her son. There's also a part of me that wonders if her silence about DWTS stems from ego -- it's now glaringly obvious that there was a shit-ton of artistic potential in both Meryl and Charlie that was never tapped into, and I get the distinct feeling that Marina is not the type of person to ever admit making a mistake or screwing up."

    http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?92301-Davis-amp-White-29-Hashtag-Happy&p=4258794&viewfull=1#post4258794

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    1. I don't know whether to laugh or to cry at this---I feel so badly for VM losing to freakin MERYL. (and Charlie!)

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    2. oh my god they are so stupid. their implication that meryl only won only because marina favored them because meryl was dating their son proves how little faith they have in meryl's dancing abilities.

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    3. Wow, these people know fuck all about dancing....I shouldn't be surprised though, if they're DW fans *facepalm*

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    4. And yet this person probably believes that despite their lack of tapping into their artistic potential, that DW deserved all of those 10s for interpretation... because of what, their excellent skating and technical ability. *rofl*

      I guess they got used to Marina raving about DW and they don't get that was just hype for the media and the judges. She's moved on to Sinitsina Katsapalov now.

      And I'm not even going to go there with the Fedor reference... lmao. Yeah like maybe the reason he disappeared from her life is that they were never dating?

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    5. fsu fans of DW just can't understand that the whole freaking world does not revolve around Meryls non-existant skills. Oh really, Marina made a mistake with DW? No she did not, she did exactly what she needed to do to get them a gold medal. If she had of tapped into their "artistic potential", they would have fallen flat on their asses because that would actually mean that they would have to not only interpret different styles, but actually adapt their skating as well.
      That is the extent of Meryl's " technical awesomeness". What you see is what you get.

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    6. Yes, precisely, what exactly, in their minds, did Marina NOT "tap into" considering DW's stratosphereic scores? And how dare Marina not read from the script they've created in their imagination.

      Not even touching the Fedor part. The credulity most people have when it comes to poor old Fedor and his cutting a swathe through Arctic Edge's female ice dancers is almost sad.

      All this stuff happens in fans' heads, and they forget to remember they made it all up.

      oc

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    7. The thing to always keep in mind about FSU is that despite being a skating message board, the majority of the participants know less than jackshit about skating and ice dance. This is especially true of participants in the DW thread.

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    8. There are a lot of people on FSU who actually *do* know a lot about skating. Many of those people aren't posting anymore, particularly after V/M got jobbed at the Olympics.

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    9. I have noticed that too. There was one fan whose posts I used to keep an eye out for...I can't remember the name at the moment (I would know it if I saw it)...it is something with an animal in it. The person was a really big ice dance fan and explained how VM made use of modern dance in Carmen. I haven't seen them posting for months, and I have noticed that a lot of knowledgeable posters who used to post there have left.

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    10. it was aka gerbil, a longtime ice dance fan. She seems to have a dance background.

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  8. Lol at dorispulaski wishing that Maks/Meryl dance to some musical version of "A Streetcar Named Desire". What a warped notion of sexual chemistry she must have to think that this pairing (robot!Meryl, ha) would at all be suitable. Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh would be turning in their graves.

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    1. Wasn't their rumba basically Streetcar-ish anyway? How different does Doris think an actual "Streetcar" themed program would look?

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    2. I didn't watch, but I thought the DW fans were trying to turn their rumba into a tribute to the situation in Ukraine. I can't...

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    3. ^ omg that is so hilarious considering meryl was kissing putin 3 months earlier

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    4. I think the Streetcar thing was what this dance was supposed to be - Bruno said something about it in his comments, and the fans picked up on it.

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    5. DW fans show their true colors when they make fun of a women with no legs, because she justly got better scores than Meryl. I'm just....there are no words....

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    6. Amy is a great dancer and deserves to win the show. She has polished, precise movement combined with grace. She also has a great sense of rhythm. Meryl has little rhythm, awkward and stiff movement, poor extension...I am not sure what about her dancing deserves 10s.

      These DW fans are being really disgusting. Their comments about Amy are ill-informed and incredibly patronizing.

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    7. One person on a skating board (not FSU) compared Amy to a "dancing bear." That sums it all up, right there.....

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    8. "One person on a skating board (not FSU) compared Amy to a "dancing bear."

      What a loser. These people have no class.

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  9. http://instagram.com/p/n1M2HkxfzF/

    Interesting...

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    1. Oh God, it's becoming like the Moirville version of Kremlinology - every detail, picture, interview, press release, anecdote and rumour is being parsed and dissected. Who knows what the fuck any of it means...

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    2. Speak for yourself, 5:11. I know what it means. It's an easy and fun way to take a 3 year old cross country while keeping her out of the limelight.

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    3. @ 4:26

      Exactly.

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  10. 9:22. Can't see it. Can you describe it?

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  11. So why doesn't Tessa appear to be pregnant anymore? Did she lose the baby?

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    1. She didn't lose the baby. She was not pregnant in the first place. That was all just wishful thinking from the warped minds who post here. She looks thinner now than she did in Sochi.

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    2. No she does not look thinner than in Sochi, 7:01. That's your own wishful thinking. Granted it's not sure one way or another as far as pregnancy. It's too early to tell. But Tessa is certainly not thinner.

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    3. Not only is she not thinner, she is visibly a different shape. I was on another site and up popped a photo from the team event at the Olympics....even though I'm pretty much convinced she's pregnant again, I was actually shocked at the difference.

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    4. You guys are hilarious. Look at her face she's way thinner there almost to the point of looking gaunt. Even if she was pregnant she wouldn't even know who the father is. Tessa Virtue is a slut who spreads her legs for anyone.

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    5. ^ do you normally like to slut-shame successful women who have better dance skills than your favs?

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    6. 8:28AM - Cyn, is that you?

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    7. 8:28 AM, knock it off.

      oc

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    8. Sorry, my bad.

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    9. I was thinking it might be mia joy, but it would make sense if it were Cyn aka John Wayne. They both write ignorant and demented things.

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  12. the choregraphy amy and derek are doing in the gif reminds me of some of the choreography from the film Pina (IIRC S/S skated to the OST)

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  13. I also noticed that Tessa went from looking very pregnant to not reallu. But not in the sense of losing the baby - like literally from one day to the next she looked thinner. It would have been impossible for her to have recovered from a miscarriage overnight and suddenly resume her shape, so no, if there's a baby, she didn't lose it. But I'm also now rethinking whether she's pregnant again... unless she's just got really good spanx?

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    1. She looks pregnant to me.

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    2. 1:53: Could you give the links to pictures and video? Because I haven't noticed any change. Some outfits work better than others but she still looks pregnant to me.

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  14. Charlie??? Charlie???? Really??? Poor thing, He almost looked relieved didn't he? He is finally free. Run Charlie. Run as fast as you can.

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    1. I though amy had a wonderful dance tonight and the blades obviously were the right choice to reproduce the bounce.

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    2. Oh I completely agree. Like any great athlete she makes it look so easy. My incredulity that it was Charlie was more along the line of they kicked off the partner that was starting to learn and didn’t have same old moves every week.

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  15. http://kickasscanadians.ca/scott-moir-tessa-virtue

    Go down to the picture of Tessa wearing all black, it says "Warming up for Stars on Ice, Ottawa, Ont., April 2014 Photo: Amanda Sage" underneath. NOT pregnant. Or who knows, maybe she got creeped out by you people talking about her uterus on the internet like it's any of your fucking business, so she got rid of it.

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    1. No kidding!!!! Sickos need to get a life. First shes pregnant then doesnt gain weight so obviously lost the baby? Wow. Or maybe she gave birth in between shows to a one pounder????? Move on!!!

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    2. First of all, you can't know for sure if she's pregnant or not, nobody can. Second, that picture is tiny and it's hard to see anything. We're talking about 3 months here, it wouldn't be super noticeable in every picture. Heck, last time around there were much later pictures where she didn't look pregnant either, like at the Gemini Awards. And Tessa does seem to have redoubled her efforts to hide the pregnancy (if it does exist) since people started speculating. Her latest training outfit featured a short top over a longer shirt, distracting from her lack of waistline. It's very clever.

      Finally, considering the kind of crude gossip that goes on at FSU and elsewhere, I really don't think pregnancy speculation is all that bad. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, we're not accusing her of sleeping around. If it isn't true, which I doubt, she can have a good laugh at our expense. We'll survive.

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    3. heres a bigger picture. you can still see her spectacular abs http://kickasscanadians.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/DSC_0246-use2.jpg

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    4. Clearly he/she/it does. It really is sad. I hope the owner of this blog can get some kind of professional help.

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    5. I'm sorry but I'm not seeing what you're seeing, no need for insults. Not to mention that's the worst possible angle to be able to tell anything. There are other pictures that look very different.

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    6. Plus Tessa's wearing pants with a large waistband, which hides the thickening of her waist. This is a better picture:
      http://cuteiceprincesslove.tumblr.com/image/83902976495

      It's impossible not to notice that Tessa's been wearing very loose clothing off ice, and when she wears something more fitted, she plays with her waistline, directing attention elsewhere. Maybe it's weirdly specific weight gain that has nothing to do with a pregnancy, who knows. In the grand scheme of things, none of it matters of course but then that could be said about a lot of things. Not sure where all the vitriol comes from.

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    7. How does a side angle with skin-tight clothing not tell you anything? Why would a genuinely pregnant woman not look pregnant from that angle? Oh, that's right. Because she's not. She and Scott are not married, their "relationship" they played up all of these years was artistic, and not genuine. I think it's ironic the author of this blog practically called Meryl a prostitute for having a "showmance" on DWTS and yet Tessa and Scott have pretended to be romantic on and off the ice for years. And it's part of their appeal and very cute, but it's not real. People seriously need to get over their delusions.

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    8. I'll admit that the author of this blog has said quite a few questionable things, although I don't remember anything close to calling Meryl a prostitute.

      And that picture isn't taken straight from the side but at a bit of an angle that makes it really hard to see her waist. There's also the large waistband I already mentioned. Early on in a pregnancy, before the baby bump, the thickening of the waist can best be seen from the front anyway.

      If you think we're deluded, why are you posting here? Why do you care? I've seen what I believe to be delusional D/W fans who think they're in love and that Tanith is fake. I don't go confront them about it, they're not hurting anyone. Same thing here.

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    9. I'll add that I have no problem with Meryl"s possible showmance on DWTS. It's a reality show, after all. And while I feel the judges have been far too generous with her, I don't agree she's been terrible. I understand a D/W would get upset reading this blog and my advice is - don't. It's a place where V/M fans let out their frustrations and will only make you angry.

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    10. speaking of "showmance", im glad that meryl finally found a partner that actually gives a shit about her/looks at her (or so it seems but who knows with maks) she's still a terrible dancer tho

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  16. 7:45. Please. You think the creepy "you people" shouldn't talk about public figures on an obscure blog and yet you feel free to say things like "she got rid of it?" Nice.

    Who knew Tessa and Scott were so uber extra sensitive to what some crazy fans are saying on some crazy blog. If this is all crazy - who cares what anyone thinks? They've been in the public eye since they were infants. So what about the "public talk?"

    If anything said here is true, same thing. Who cares what some fans are saying? It's that personal agency thing. SURELY whatever some fans are saying isn't going to determine what two responsible grown-ups will decide to do about a pregnancy? You don't give them much credit.

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    1. .......omg LET IT GO !

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    2. 8:49
      Why? To make you happy?

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    3. Sad that people resort to such nonsense and fabrication of other peoples lives because they dont have one of their own. Perhaps counselling may help you. Or meds. Good luck.

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    4. 7:45 is likely one of the posters who comes around every once in a while and spams the threads with "the blogger is crazy, needs meds!" posts. Feel free to engage or ignore, doesn't matter. No matter how badly the poster wants to control discussion by name calling and spamming, it doesn't change the reality that V/M are married with a child and most likely have another one on the way.

      Delete
  17. I really, really hope Meryl doesn't win. I can't bear seeing her win yet another title she doesn't deserve.

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    1. I noticed yet again the time wasting and pauses in her dances which lessens the amount of time she actually has to dance and gives her time to regroup. It excuses her from having to actually carry a rhythm throughout a dance.

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    2. And yet she will win. Based on viewer votes, no less (because goodness knows the judges won't give out anything less than 9s now). I guess America loves Meryl!

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    3. Meryl on DWTS is similar to Meryl in ice dance. She's a confident performer, very quick and makes things look difficult. All of this gives her a wow factor that appeals to audiences but her technique and the content of her routines doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

      Since this is a reality show, she'll probably win. It's definitely not a show that rewards the best dancer. But if this was a real dance competition, I don't think Charlie would be eliminated first.

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  18. They probably needed to get rid of Charlie to make sure Meryl wins.

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    Replies
    1. i dont meryl is going to win. even if she does, why does it matter? we already know the only way she can win things is thru cheating.

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    2. It'll just rankle because even some of the DW fans who admitted (in their own private thoughts) that Meryl was subpar will now be able to use a DWTS win as "proof" that she can dance, and that any perceived problems with DW's dancing were Marina's fault for not "packaging" them well enough. And you know how skating message boards love to talk packaging.

      I know, I shouldn't care. It's just annoying. I don't want to see Meryl topping those best female ice dancers of all time polls. And while not everyone who has won DWTS has been stellar, I remember some really good dancers winning like Apolo, Melissa Rycroft, and Nicole S and I would hate to see Meryl in that group.

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    3. except dwts is a popularity contest they said it themselves

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  19. Here's some irony for you:

    The FSU secret part of the board is currently bashing VM fans for all the crazy stuff in the VM thread (all I see there is pics of CSOI!?). Here is what's being said in the DW and DWTS threads, with no admonishments from ayone:

    " Maybe it will get renamed Sitting with the Stars? "

    "There is something? about Candace's face that makes me want to punch it. Candace crying about how much she looooves God MUTE is clearly resonating with an army of like-minded bubbleheads ... Scott Hamilton, why are you there, and please tell me who Charlie's REAL icon is? MUTE. Kristi, I put you on mute, too. And the MnM drama can stop, too. Grr, Maks is mad. Erm, Maks is nervous. Smoochy-smoochy, Maks loves Meryl. Everybody, just shut up and dance. And PETA, quit touching yourself. It is gross. "

    ????

    "Why was Carrie Ann constantly scratching her head tonight? Was her weave infested with fleas or something? I couldn't help but wonder if Len needed to buy a bug bomb or she just needs to get a better moisturizer for her scalp. "

    " I love Amy but you can't have visible mistakes and get a 10 and now it's been two weeks in a row for that. They aren't doing her a favor either by not marking down the mistakes as I see lots of backlash for Amy. "

    LOL!

    "Derek Hough is a weaselly little turd who needs to be taken out in the final -- the over-the-top slavering of him by the judges is beyond obnoxious, and of the Three Stooges, Carrie Ann Inaba's behavior towards him is pathetic and smacks of Desperate Cougar Syndrome. "

    " Lame, lame, lame. It's like Brandy and Bristol Palin all over again. "

    "Don't mean to be an a$$ here, but I doubt it's a big deal for Amy. Sure, she has already used a stool and a table, but this clearly leaves chair, bed, and couch for her to be propped up on. That means she only has to dance in one number. "

    "Well you can scratch Evan Lysacek from the skating contingent behind Meryl, he's encouraging votes for Amy. And to think I voted for him over Nicole. "

    Wow, so Evan is actually encouraging people to judge on dancing! I'm impressed.

    "Evan might be jealous of Meryl. "

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    Replies
    1. Any DW fan who bitches about someone ELSE getting a pass for obvious mistakes and being out of sync is either delusional or entitled beyond belief,and that includes Meryl fans.

      I was trying to think through why the furniture/stool etc. is okay with Amy, even though Meryl fans would prefer she stomp around the floor and topple over, because that's the only way to be "fair". When other celebs with physical challenges (Heather Mills) or age-based infirmities did DWTs, that imfirmity either impacted their technique or their technique otherwise wasn't so hot. For example, even with two legs Heather Mills could have used a stronger core, better posture. Amy has to use external resistance to orient herself to the floor, but anybody who believes what Meryl did comes close to that table jazz is insane. The way Amy articulates her entire body is, to me, nearly on par with Tessa Virtue (and possibly on par as Tessa's shoulders sometimes go up). She dances with her entire body, she has energy to her fingertips, and yet she's fluid and relaxed. She had a ton of physical power and speed in the table stuff. It was a brilliantly conceived routine. Meryl hasn't done half the dancing Amy has on this show. She walks, she stands, and when she is dancing her technique is fucked up. She's tight at the shoulders and she's tight at the hips. Amy is the opposite.

      Some of the fsu-ers see the bright side of Charlie going as meaning at least DW fans don't have to split their votes anymore. They never were splitting their votes. They were all voting for Meryl. The irony is they were voting for her because they were insecure about her, but at the same time they claim if she had left last night the ratings would drop, as she's responsible for what ratings they have.

      oc

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    2. We must also note that while many believe Maks is in love with Meryl, Charlie is not perceived to have, nor permitted to have, any type of bond with his own partner. And they all think he's happier leaving than if Meryl were voted off, because of that symbiotic, selfless bond.

      oc

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    3. All the DW ubers seem to be all over FSU going on about how awful Amy is. I guess they must see her as Meryl's main competition. Same thing they did (and still do) with Tessa. And now all of a sudden Derek went from the greatest thing ever when he choreographed DW short program to being a "weaselly little turd". GO AMY AND DEREK!!! I hope they win just because I know it will piss the DW ubers off the most. They wanted Meryl to dance with Derek. Instead they are gettin Maks and his non-existant choreography.

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    4. Anyone who thinks Amy is awful is either lying to themselves, refuses to give her credit because of her disability, or knows nothing about dance. She is a very strong dancer and deserves to win the show. No one comes close to her.

      Delete
  20. OC, there's some talk on tumblr regarding PJKwong calling VM fans disrespectful. I looked up the article last night and it didn't sound as bad as I remember it. Was I just pissed or did she change the article ????

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    1. Here's the article:

      http://olympics.cbc.ca/blogs/author=kwong/article=attacks-against-meryl-davis-charlie-white-show-lack-respect.html

      It's a stupid article perppetuating the myth that the two teams are equal, and that D/W are worthy champions because "...of the amount of work it has taken them to get to this point."

      The kicker is " would hate to become Olympic champion and always wonder whether or not people thought it was legit."

      Well, duh PJ, they're not legit champions because they didn't win legit on the ice.


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    2. It wasn't just VM fans questioning DW's 'win'. PB should have been the second-place team this quad. Compare their edges, their free legs, their control and their overall dance ability to that of DW--there is no comparison. Some of us are longtime fans of ice dance and were questioning what was going on long before the Olympics. PJ is making a mockery of this sport by trying to squash actual discussion.

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    3. And her "discussion" is lame; all about the program and the package, and not about the actual skating and dancing.

      I'm done with this joke of a sport.

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    4. "...the amount of work it has taken them to get to this point."

      I think V/M were hurt because they were perceived to have the more natural talent while D/W were the hard workers who managed to overcome their talent deficit to become the better team.

      And D/W did improve, not in their actual blade-to-ice skating but in other, flashier ways. They got the improvement narrative while V/M got the mistake-prone, shadow of their former selves narrative. No matter how well you skate, you can't compete against that.

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    5. What is with all these Canadians kissing DW's ass all the time? It's one thing for a commentator to play the game so they don't lose their job but why do people like Kurt, Sonia, and PJ go out of their way to take to twitter and praise them? I'm thoroughly disgusted.

      I always had an image of the Canadian figure skating community as constantly making themselves into victims. For years they parroted that mediocre couples like S&P and B&K were on par with the great Russians and losing due to politics alone. Now Canada actually has V&M who are in the same league as T&D, K&P, et al, and they think the judging is fine and they should lose to one of the worst teams ever??? Why, because they are American??! Are Canadians desperate for Americans to like them or something?

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    6. I just remember thinking the article was very scathing against fans but this seems more toned down and supportive of VM. I also thought the "original" -like I said I can't remember if I was really mad at the OGM heist or if she actually said worse than what remains in the article. For some reason I thought she had bordered on calling VM fans babies

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    7. Anon 10:04: I wouldn't say that S& P and B&K were medicore; they were good skaters, just not GREAT skaters. D & W are not just medicore, they are awful. If the judges actually respected the rulebook, D & W would have never even made it out of their own Nationals, they suck so bad.

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    8. While it's very disappointing that a journalist covering figure skating doesn't challenge what we've seen happening over this past quad, it's also understandable. We know the ISU is Mafia-esque in the way it's run and sadly people are too scared of losing their accreditation to stand up and make some noise. Anyone who puts their head above the parapet is going to get the equivalent of a horse's head in their bed....

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    9. 10:04 and I agree with you 10:13. Maybe mediocre was the wrong word. B&K had very good edges, albeit achieved by body lean and open skating. Both teams lacked in the area of refinement and dance skills area.

      D&W also skate open with hunched bodies, but they don't achieve the deep edges, nor have any rhythm whatsoever. They are terrible. Most pairs skaters dance better than them.

      D&W are a couple that should have been working their whole career to maybe get a bronze medal at US Nationals or Skate America, but falling just short. If that sounds harsh, think of a couple like Kriengarut/Giuletti-Shchmitt... and are they not superior to D&W? IMO, they are indeed.

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    10. What happened this quad in elevating D/W is insane and more than enough to get ice dance kicked out of the Olympics for the next century, yet everybody is keeping mum. The sport reached its nadir like cycling reached it's nadir in the hey day of doping, yet the sport is uninterested or unwilling to make itself accountable. Why? Because D/W are American? Was it worth it to turn the sport inside out for these two? WTF.

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    11. "Why do Kurt, Sonia, and PJ go out of their way to take to twitter and praise them?"

      Maybe they're all on D/W's payroll?

      Delete
    12. What I notice is that the comments are no longer visible and there were a number of them, including one from me. IIRC, PJ answered back to one of those posts and again it seemed like she was defending D/W while telling V/M fans that dissecting D/W for what they were actually doing on the ice was attacking them. Yeah, using the rules and applying them to a team who gets monster and world record scores is attacking them and not appreciating how hard they have worked -- well give me a freaking break cause I'm pretty sure everyone one else worked just as hard if not harder. Tessa had to learn how to skate in a different manner because of her legs and in spite of that setback, they still have the strongest skating skills and generate more power than any other ice dance couple -- and many single and pairs out there. I wish I had taken a screen shot of what was said in the comments of that and other articles. Because of this type of article and her tweets defending the most ridiculous excuse for Olympic Champions, I now have very little respect for HER and a number of other brain-numbed Canadians who should freaking know better. BAAAAA a pox on them all.

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    13. Oh, come on. It's simple: the definition of what good ice dance has slowly been changing in the past few years to reward what D/W do well and ignore their kind of weaknesses. The Canadian commentators went along with it in large part because everyone else did, groupthink, if you will. There's also a historical alliance between Canada and the US that means that they're reluctant to question American victories. Russians are another matter obviously.

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    14. 11:12, the rulebook as written says DW shouldn't be rewarded for what they were doing, but this "sport" did have to be stripped of its soul and everything redefined to rig this for DW.

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    15. All these "analysts" showed their ass this quad and especiallly in Sochi. One of the Eurosport guys, Chris Howsworth, was doing commentary for the main OBS feed, and he said V/M had the best skills and if you want to learn to skate, watch them. So if they have the best skating skills, explain why they lost to a team that not one commentator could say one damn thing about their skills?

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqM6-Fh-o-0

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    16. ^^ It's amazing to go back and watch coverage from the end of the previous quad and the beginning of this one - they used to actually talk about the skating, in technical terms (that even an idiot like me could understand). Now they're reduced to discussing costumes, music, connection, "selling the programme" and all that jazz. I just went back and watched Eurosport's coverage of VM's FD at Worlds 2011 - one of the commentators didn't think there was any way DW could beat what Tessa and Scott had just done....imagine a commentator saying that now?

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    17. ^^listen to the ridiclious commentary during D/W's FD; nothing specific, just that they produced "another great performance" (umm no, they didn't, but whatever). And read all the equally moronic comments below. A whole generation of people have been told to think that D/W are the "best ice dancers". It makes me want to vomit.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIQpsw_78c0

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    18. ^^here's the right link:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrFwokp3z48

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    19. Because everyone now knows that DW got away with robbery and how they succeeded by basically controlling ALL the narrative. Thus now ice dance has become the discipline where you can buy your medal and the line-up will start...the backers of Gilles/Poirier must be salivating at this narrative because they they have folks on both sides of the border that would love to see this team succeed...Kurt Browning probably is a fan of Carol Lane, PJ Kwong is pro-Scarborough...I forsee a huge push for GP in the next season from Skate Canada...the worst thing for ice dance for several teams is to actually break down the skating...Great Britain will continue to push for CB...and lets face it - with MTM breaking up...Kirsten's post-Olympic profile goes down...I don't think WP stay another quad...PI well they are definitely going to get in the way of GP - so we need to discredit the skating and value the "package"...its utter bullshit - and really disgusting....

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    20. I hope there is a day of reckoning for all these idiots that were complicit for making this happen. What happened in Sochi has to be the most corrupt outcome in any Olympic Games, Winter or Summer.

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    21. WP have only committed to next season, so they may very well not be around this entire quad. My biggest question regarding them is if they'll even be allowed one national title before SC pushes GP to the top of the podium. PI, I fear, are doomed politically.

      Skate Canada is the worst.

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    22. PI should be on the top of the podium at Nationals and Worlds next year. But they won't be, because of stupid politics. Instead, a junk-ass team like Chock/Bates will be on the world podium over a team like the Shibs.

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    23. 10:07, I think the article as it originally was, but the title says it all IMO.

      "one of the commentators didn't think there was any way DW could beat what Tessa and Scott had just done....imagine a commentator saying that now?"

      And yet go back to 2010 Olympics and Worlds, and one of the Eurosport guys just could not believe that V/M had won the FD, thought D/W's FD was more difficult, and though it was a "crying shame" that D/W didn't win gold. So, quite honestly, I think he liked V/M in 2011 only because he found them more entertaining, and it was allowed to still be vocally supportive of them back them, not because he ever has understood why they're better.

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    24. I think PI definitely have the talent to potentially be national and world champions, I'm just not sure yet if next year will be the year. It'll depend on how they progress, and they're not the only young team with a lot of potential. Watching live at nationals, I felt that PI were the more talented team, but WP were still the better team at the time. We'll have to see what the two teams (and everyone else) looks like in the fall and at nationals before we start declaring who should win what next year. ;) However, I fully expect whoever should win what to be a completely different line up from who actually ends up with gold medals placed around their necks. I think it's likely that the USFSA will get behind Chock and Bates (despite having 2, if not 3 if HB move up to senior other teams that are far better) and predicting SC to get behind GP is like predicting the sun will rise in the East and set in the West.

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    25. You know, I was lucky enough to see P/I at an ice show this past weekend, and G/P skated there as well. Quite frankly, there was just no comparison, in a stark enough way I think it will become obvious to more and more people who the superior team is. They certainly already came away from Nats with more respect accorded to them. Their speed, the effortless flow of the program, the seamless delivery was so impressive. G/P made mistakes, did pretty much nothing but shimmying and trick lifts, whereas P/I's program was just all dance, start to finish. I think the rate of the growth I've seen in this last season make it possible that they'll be obviously outshining W/P before long too, although I certainly love and respect W/P very much as well.

      Also, the proram is to "I Wanna Be Loved by You" and it is SO much fun - and it's something a bit more on G/P's turf, in a way. Aren't we cute? Aren't we sexy? But they ARE authentically cute and were able to make it surprisingly mature and sexy, and yet it was classy and nuanced. It showed off their personalities wonderfully, and in a way I hadn't seen before, AND it made G/P look downright silly IMO. It'll be interesting to see what programs P/I come up with for next season, if they decide to continue playing with something more sassy in their programs. It also gave me confidence that they'll be able to handle a fierce Paso.

      We all know that both international judges and SC can manipulate things to be unfair, but I also feel that P/I are going to make it incredibly difficult to deny them. Does the ISU really want to get into V/M vs D/W style dicy-ness again right away? I don't know. I have no doubt that teams like Ch/Ba, Co/Bu and G/P will be help up more than they deserve, but will a team like P/I be held down completely just because, when D/W and all the OTT politics that went with them are out of the way (assuming they retire). I have some hope that P/I will... perhaps not get all their dues right away, but be able to make some real headway in the rankings. And let's not forget that SC *did* let them go to the Olympics. They were given the star spot in the last group instead of G/P at this ice show, and they had a warmer reception from the audience too. I think SC maybe had started feeling some real pushback about G/P. But who knows at this point. This season will be interesting to watch indeed!

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    26. 2:15 again.

      "You know, I was lucky enough to see P/I at an ice show this past weekend, and G/P skated there as well. Quite frankly, there was just no comparison, in a stark enough way I think it will become obvious to more and more people who the superior team is."

      At nationals, it was definitely very obvious. GP weren't as bad as I thought they'd be, but there was just no comparison. At one point during one practice, both teams were doing their dance spins side-by-side at the same time. It was stark contrast.

      " I think the rate of the growth I've seen in this last season make it possible that they'll be obviously outshining W/P before long too, although I certainly love and respect W/P very much as well."

      That very thought also crossed my mind while watching them at nationals. I have a lot of respect for WP and they have worked so hard, but I think there is a limit there. It's that very odd space where one team is still better, but you know the younger team has more talent. I do think it is just a matter of time before PI surpass them on the ice on the national level. For that matter, I think it's only a time before WP get passed by at least both of PI and HD within the DSC, and possibly by HB as well (depending on how they transition to seniors) if WP stay in for this whole quad through 2018.

      "We all know that both international judges and SC can manipulate things to be unfair, but I also feel that P/I are going to make it incredibly difficult to deny them. Does the ISU really want to get into V/M vs D/W style dicy-ness again right away?."

      I don't think the fallout from what had to be done to put DW on top is going to be over with for awhile. There are a handful of young teams (ChockBates, GP, and Coomes/Buckland are certainly far from that list--those 3 represent to me the worst of the young teams) out there who I think if they keep developing the way they have, their skating should be undeniable and should be the stuff of true NA ice dance rivalries. However, 4 years ago though, I thought it would be impossible to ever deny a perfect VM. 18 months ago, I thought it would be impossible to deny Carmen against NDP.

      The thing I fear is that what happened with DW set precedent. If what happened there can be got away with, anything can be gotten away with. I just feel it likely that someone else or another fed is going to try to pull the same thing for their own mediocre team. It's like once a kid knows they can get away with something, they keep doing it unless someone intervenes. This sport is so corrupt that there's no one who's going to intervene.

      There's another big problem that may affect the younger teams that can actually skate and dance (so The Shibs, PI, American HD, HB, and similar). The ISU has been using video of DW in training seminars and holding them up as an example of doing it right. There are judges that do know better, but we also have a judging population that has been incorrectly trained. This is like training a bunch of people that 2+2 equals 7 and 5+5=17 and then telling them to go grade math papers.

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    27. 10:08 pm, continued:

      I do hope these young teams who are out there skating and dancing for real keep doing just that and don't sell out, and will hopefully one day get their due. (Despite the proclamations that ice dance is dead without VM, there is an awful lot of lovely ice dance out there.)

      As for PI, it is true that SC did let them go to the Olympics (and I would have staged a 3 person riot with the two ladies sitting next to me if they hadn't), but PI were not treated as well as they should have been, while GP were, IMO, gifted in PCS and GOE at both 4CC and Worlds. They shouldn't have been close to HD at 4CC or ahead of PI at worlds. Given SC's love of Paul P. and just how incompetent they are as an organization, I worry.

      I am glad to here that PI had the better spot in the show and a better audience reception than GP. Will SC actually pay attention to any of this or any push back though?

      The last couple of season have left me so jaded, I just worry and fear for that these young teams we have who are so talented and getting it done are going to get overlooked and ignored for the likes of ChockBates, CoomesBuckland, GP, and the various half-baked Russians.

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    28. @12:53

      Heck, if they're not talking DW and VM, some of these commentators can still talk skating in the present.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS1pcnD3x5s This is HD's SD from Nebelhorn Trophy this past season with British Eurosport commentary. Go to 4:27, and the guys are talking about rise and fall in the ankles and knees and proper use of weight to properly gain speed. (This is before they regrettably veer off into a stupid costume discussion.)

      In this case, if these guys know enough to know that HD are doing it right, then they also know that DW are doing it wrong.

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    29. I'm afraid PI's biggest problem is that they look too similar to VM. Letting them win over a DWesque team would mean to admit that they were wrong and neither the judges nor the ISU are willing to hurt the " perception " of the sport. Everybody knows fs is a mess but the ISU is fine with it as long as nobody speaks about it.
      And it will be easy to hold PI down. They'll sinply say they are VM without the sexual chemistry and charisma and that will be enough because it's all about looks and performance these days. Skating skills don't matter.
      If VM can be held down every other team won't stand a chance either.

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    30. I was at Canadian nationals and while WP are a good team, PI are superior and outskated them in both segments of the event. That they could be held down to prop up GP is sickening.

      I can see PI and HD being a good rivalry.

      But yeah, i agree that if VM can be held down no one is safe and a dangerous precedent has been set over the past 2 quads. Worlds judging was shitty and I can't say I expect things to improve much any time soon. R.I.P. ice dance.

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    31. Many excellent points 10:08, I agree with much of what you said. As much as I feel there are a few reasons to hope, there are plenty of things to still be concerned about. I'm not sure about the general argument that the ISU will need to do whatever it can to "cover" for what happened to D/W - they haven't cared that a lot of people knew exactly what was going on the last few years, they know they're invincible, so why do they need to care? But you've laid out some legitimate more specific possibilites about where things could continue to unravel from here (other teams trying to get the same deal D/W did, poorly trained juges). So yes, there certainly is likely to be fallout of a sort still going forward :(
      Most of all, agreed that the worthy teams need to just keep doing what they're doing - we'll enjoy them even if the judges or fans intent on quitting the sport won't!

      "I'm afraid PI's biggest problem is that they look too similar to VM. Letting them win over a DWesque team would mean to admit that they were wrong and neither the judges nor the ISU are willing to hurt the " perception " of the sport."

      I think it's an important distinction to make that P/I look like V/M because of the quality of what they do - their skating skills, their difficult content, their elegance. Some people make it seem like they're too similar artistically which - I think it's been a long time since that argument had any validity. Unless no other teams are allowed to do lyrical/vintagey/pure dancing programs. That being said, I agree that being a team that shares similarities of any kind with V/M is not particularly helpful for P/I.

      "They'll sinply say they are VM without the sexual chemistry and charisma and that will be enough because it's all about looks and performance these days. Skating skills don't matter."

      It might not be enough if P/I up their performance factor, which, on Sat, it looked like they're ready to do. It's absolutely ridiculous that that should be necessary, but if it is, it's too soon to write them off in that regard. From what I saw, they have stepped it up.

      A fairly judged P/I vs H/D rivalry would be so much fun to witness.

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    32. "Unless no other teams are allowed to do lyrical/vintagey/pure dancing programs."

      IMO, the issue is more that PI have done hardly anything but these sorts of programs. Even the Shibs have tried more styles, though not always successfully. PI are very good at it, but whatever variations there are in their programs are very slight - maybe sometimes it's a waltz, or a tango, or a foxtrot, but the tone is always similar, similar enough that a non-fan who doesn't pay a lot of attention to them is not going to be drawn in. They haven't even been on the GP consistently, and only got to Worlds this year, so as an American who only sees them skate once or twice a year on youtube, I have to say that all 8 programs they have done the last four years run together in my head (or maybe 7 because I can't remember their Latin SD too well). I only remember their Arabian-type program in 2010 as being somewhat different.

      And yes, that's a very cosmetic, "packaging"-centric opinion that has nothing to do with skating. It's more of a constructive criticism, or not even a criticism really, because I think they deserve to be judged on their skating skills and do think they're undermarked. It's more of an explanation of why they don't capture my imagination - which, really, why should they care, I'm not going to be like a DW fan and say that whether I like someone or not is relevant. It's not.

      VM have branched out from their lyrical days. I always recognized their skill (and their skill is on another planet from PI or anyone else competing currently), but what really made me a *fan* was when they started branching out and showing versatility with Pink Floyd, Farracus, Latin, Funny Face, Carmen. The reason why it matters, even though it shouldn't, is that I don't think I'm alone in my feelings. And since the judging today ISN'T always based on skating, but perception, PI are hurting themselves by sticking with these types of programs. That shouldn't be part of the judging. Only the program on the ice that day should be judged. But the judges unfortunately would rather see the same moves to different music a la DW than all new difficult skating-centric choreo to similar themes as before (if the couple is politically connected, anyway). So, as a non-fan I don't care, but I do think it would help them move up to show some different styles.

      Skating skills and elements are movement skills. They can be transferred into different frameworks. If you have rhythm, you have rhythm. So if you have the skills necessary to build a great foxtrot/quickstep SD, you should also be able to take those skills and apply them to an African dance, contemporary, Russian folk, disco or what have you. That is what I would like to see from PI.

      BTW, someone above mentioned "American HD" - I totally agree that they are great skaters, but I would like to add that the same is true of the Spanish HD, Hurtado and Diaz. Like PI, they definitely deserve to be ahead of couples like CB (both the American and British).

      Delete
    33. Spanish HD's biggest weakness is their skating and they won't move up until they address it. I'm not sure how you can call them great skaters.

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    34. I appreciate you making the distinction between what scores P/I deserve and your own impression of them, and obviously, you having your own opinion about them artistically is certainly valid. And are there many areas of dance left untapped that they could try out? Absolutely, and I hope they do too, to a degree. I think that some teams "tackle" a wider selection of dances, and yet it's for show and they aren't successfully executing the rthyhms in a meaningful way. I don't want P/I to tackle styles just because if those styles don't speak to them. After all, V/M haven't done African dance, or disco in competition, and disliked doing Russian Folk in Dark Eyes. We'll see what P/I come up with for their Paso, and I would love to see them do Modern and Blues. However,

      "PI are very good at it, but whatever variations there are in their programs are very slight - maybe sometimes it's a waltz, or a tango, or a foxtrot, but the tone is always similar, "

      I disagree that the differences in what they've already done are slight. I think dances that most teams would do in a similar fashion, they *have* brought a distinctive interpretation to each one, and executed the specific rhythm more successfully than almost any other team. After all, a waltz and a tango are significantly different dances. Piaf is significantly different than Gershwin.

      I'm going to link their repetoire of the last quad to show what I mean. Obviously people can disagree, but I feel a big part of the problem, as you mentioned, is their lack of visibility, so I'll bring it all together in one place for people to consider. After their success in 2010-11, it was such a shame that 2011-12 was so affected by injury, otherwise I think their trajectory could have been so different. On the other hand, maybe they wouldn't have moved to DSC the next year, which was so exactly what they needed.

      2010-11 Golden Waltz SD - they did a serious wango when most teams were doing something light https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sug92G0HCDs
      This is an excellent blog by Jacquelyn Thayer, for those interested in the specific styles of dance in ice dance. She used P/I as an example in three separate SD entries, so presumably felt the dances were distinctive enough to use as illustrations of specific styles.
      Rumba
      http://stepsequences.blogspot.ca/2013/05/8-rhumba.html
      French
      http://stepsequences.blogspot.ca/2013/02/6-french-dance.html
      American Theatre
      http://stepsequences.blogspot.ca/2014/03/11-theatrical-dance.html

      Their FD music
      As Time Goes By https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-GOgLS0DIU
      Tonight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQzV9JJb25I
      Legend of 1900 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar_wwSn0S4w
      Wallis and Edwards Soundtrack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkDT7Wpf5XQ

      ^I don't find these pieces to be overly similar, either musically or in theme. Not any more similar than Valse Triste, Umbrellas, Mahler, Funny Face. V/M did Pink Floyd in their 3rd season, yes, but their romantic programs alone have more variability than people give them credit for IMO. Here's a 2011 vs 2014 comparison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LztQuqDZ1ng
      (The 2012 and 2013 links are the programs, and not just music.)
      2011 is classic and light, 2012 is Elton John and a bit angsty, 2013 is turn of the centry and theatre, 2014 is a mature wango.

      Now that they have developed very solid technique, are comfortable with difficult content, have seemed to find their groove in competition, I think it's likely that they'll branch out and try something more different and continue developing their artistry. But I see more variation in dance style in the programs they've done, than in teams with wider ranging themes who don't really dance.

      I agree with 11:48 - Hu/Dz have promise, but I think their skills are overrated by some fans right now. But should they at least be ahead of the likes of Coomes/Buckland? Hell yes.

      Delete
    35. *Second paragraph should read - tango and foxtrot are significantly different dances. Waltz and tango are as well, but have been combined as wango in 2 of their dances, so that doesn't illustrate the difference between their *programs* which is obviously the point of the post :)

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    36. "A fairly judged P/I vs H/D rivalry would be so much fun to witness."

      If the judging were on the 100% up-and-up and adhering to the CoP, I think this is where we'd ultimately end up in the upcoming quad. If I were betting real money on which two teams I think are going to rise to the top skating wise, it's those two. We spent the last quad having a training mates from the US-and-Canada "rivalry" (that was really a heist of a second OGM from the greatest ice dance team of all time) when it should be this upcoming quad with these teams that we get that rivalry for real. This really would be two equal teams (point-for-point equal on a lot of things, and with the remainder, it balances out with one of them being stronger at one thing, the other stronger at something else) and two teams who are also similar stylistically. By that, you would expect that the two teams would show up doing different rhythms for their FD's, but very much in the vein of VM, neither one of these teams bs's or sells out their skating and dancing. The vision that both teams have for their skating seems to be very similar to what VM strived for. There's no hiding behind smoke and mirrors for either one because they don't have to. It's everything you'd ever need or want for an actual fun and exciting real ice dance rivalry. This is the kind of rivalry that pushes skaters for real (honestly, really, just what was there about DW's skating that served to push VM?) and also pushes the sport for real. This would be fun and exciting to witness instead of making me want to run for the hills while screaming. This is also probably exactly why they'll both be somewhere out of the top 5 while their inferior teammates CB and GP are held up.

      "I agree with 11:48 - Hu/Dz have promise, but I think their skills are overrated by some fans right now. But should they at least be ahead of the likes of Coomes/Buckland? Hell yes."

      I agree with that. After hearing the buzz about Spanish HD, I was underwhelmed when I sat down to watch them. The choreography is a lot better than the team right now, but I appreciate the effort to actually skate and dance, and if their end goal is to improve their skating and dancing, this is the way to go about it, by challenging themselves with programs that are going to force them to get better. Yes, they're better than Coomes/Buckland, but they have a lot of work ahead of them before I'd call them good skaters, much less great skaters.

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  21. is anyone in love with VM SOI dance?

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    1. I am. This is the best show skating I have ever seen from them. I saw them live and they were amazing. They literally fly out there, but they look so relaxed while doing it. And they do such a great job of interpreting different styles.

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  22. guess its time to vote for anyone who is not meryl! http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?92340-Japanese-and-Worldwide-fans-of-Davis-White-please-vote-for-Meryl-amp-Maks&p=4261647#post4261647

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    1. nm looks liek that thread got DERAILED. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z4m4lnjxkY (yes im bringing this back ;])

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    2. I want Amy to win because she is so, so much better than the rest of the contestants, but I wish that little group of VM fans wouldn't go into threads like that and stir the pot. They are part of the reason all VM fans get harassed on the FSU. And Amy dseeves to win on the merits of her dancing, so why not talk about that in the DWTS thread instead of making it seem like Amy will only get votes because some VM fans want Meryl to lose. Amy is already taking such a beating there that it would be nice to see someone remind people of the qualities that make her dancing so great.

      I also have to say that I have never seen a skater get protected the way DW are...any criticism of them is read as a personal insult and the person making the criticism is shut down really quickly. I know I have heard about parents and federations getting in contact with these message boards to control the narrative and I suspect that is the case here as far more talented teams than DW have had far worse things said about them.

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    3. *deserves, not deseeves

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    4. Vm fans get harassed no matter how sane they are on fsu. I can personally testify to this. The thread is bogus and if the fans are going to cheat the system to get meryl the mirror ball than why shouldn't fans of Amy's fabulous dance ability take advantage of the same process. Amy really does dance and I am going to guess that many fans of ice dance (to clarify-fans of actual dancing) can appreciate what she brings to the dance floor and are voting for her not because she is meryls competition, but because she is the best dancer in the Competition

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    5. 5:07 here
      Yes, that's true, VM fans will and do get harassed no matter what they do. I just think that the people stirring the pot aren't helping...they provide easy examples of the craziness, pettiness, etc., ones that are drawn upon to undermine the very valid and well-argued opinions of the majority of VM fans.

      "Amy really does dance and I am going to guess that many fans of ice dance (to clarify-fans of actual dancing) can appreciate what she brings to the dance floor and are voting for her not because she is meryls competition, but because she is the best dancer in the Competition"

      I agree with this why is why it bothers me that some people are making it seem as though these fans are only voting for Amy to stick it to Meryl. It would be nice if people reminded others there that if this is a dancing competition, Amy wins hands down. She is the better dancer by a country mile. Better control over her body, better sense of rhythm, better coordination, neater, tidier feet, more nuanced interpretation...I could go on and on.

      I am appalled but not exactly surprised by some of the Amy hate quoted here. I half expect them to start calling her fat and accuse her of faking her disability if they haven't done so already. A classy, classy bunch.

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  23. DW ubers on facebook are complaining because apparently Amy had an unfa
    ir advantage over Meryl because she used her running prosthetics for the quickstep to be able to bounce while poor old Meryl had to use her own legs. The horror !

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    1. Of course they are. Poor Meryl. Amy's disability must be really hard on her...

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    2. But poor Meryl has it even worse cause she broke her toe. She isn't complaining about it though, she just has her PR people and ubers complain for her. That's why she goes barefoot or in those ugly boots things, not because she just can't dance in heels. If only Max had her wear proper shoes we could all see her lovely toe point.

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    3. People on FSU are saying that Amy, because she doesn't have legs, has an unfair advantage over Meryl, because she doesn't have to contend with the lactic acid build up in her lower limbs, like poor Meryl does. Are these people insane?

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    4. But Amy does have an unfair advantage over Meryl, in that she is a better dancer, even without legs. Meryl's unfair advantage over Amy is that she isn't embarrassed by this in the least. I'd be ashamed to compete against a woman with no legs if I were an ice dance champion.

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    5. "But poor Meryl has it even worse cause she broke her toe. "

      Don't forget that Meryl is also practically blind in one eye. How she manages to even make it through each day is a mystery.

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    6. What about the lactic acid buildup in the rest of her body when she uses her own muscles to stabilize herself...unbelievable

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    7. And I don't know about anyone else, but I always feel lactic acid buildup the worst in my thighs, of which Amy has two.

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    8. when exactly does she use her own muscles to stabilize herself?

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    9. Whereas I'm sure Meryl never feels lactic acid build up anywhere as she barely uses her own muscles to carry her weight or move faster than a trot.

      So, a woman with no legs below the knees has an unfair advantage over an olympic ice dance champion in a dance competition?

      Unbelievable.

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    10. Is that a serious question, 4:11? The lack of basic awareness of their own bodies that Meryl fans appear to have is astounding. You seriously think the only muscles allowing a person to stand upright is the part below the knee? Not the core, not the thighs? Then add in the fact that Amy's replacements don't give her equal stability, she has to keep her balance in a whole way new way, she doesn't feel the floor and so her other muscle groups are working harder to stay stable to compensate for the fact that she is missing what the body is designed for - eg. she has no big toe which is a significant part of how humans stabilize themselves. Add into it moves such as lifts that she does that aren't directly related to standing and it's obvious she needs *less* support than Meryl Davis does. Maybe she has an advantage against a non-athlete because she's so practiced at overusing the muscles she has to compensate. Meryl should have practice because it's been her job for 17 years to hold herself in lifts.

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    11. no i was joking :)

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    12. And just to add to that, since you never know where science is at, I can see why some might think, oh her legs might be even better than human legs. That's obviously not the case, considering the fact that she's limited in what she can do out of hold or without a prop support because she loses balance. D/W fans are talking out both sides of their mouth. Oh, she's getting overmarked for easier routines that give her help stabilizing! Oh, her muscles don't need to do as much work to stabilize her! Unbelievable.

      Delete
    13. Ok, sorry, 6:49! That's good :) You never know with some of the people who show up here...

      Delete
    14. Besides, doesn't Meryl take breaks all the time?
      Firstly, what Derek has choreographed for Amy with the table or stool does not constitute a "break", she is showing a thousand times more skill than Meryl's fake dancing by walking, or posing, or in a pseudo-romantic pose with Maks. In addition, there is no subterfuge with Amy's costumes, you can clearly see her line and carriage, as opposed to Meryl who is often costumed in various ways to cover her numerous flaws.

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  24. how did all the d/w fans turn into meryl fans? meryl can do no wrong...and charlie who??? good riddance...she got all his votes.

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  25. OMG.

    http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?49696-Davis-and-White-competing-on-Dancing-With-the-Stars!&p=935201&viewfull=1#post935201

    Re Charlie's dancing. Charlie can embody happiness and joy like no one else. Whether they're critiquing dance or ice dance, people seem to care more about the ability to portray love, lust and aggression, but dancing and jumping for joy are another valid genre of dance, and very few couples or singles do it that well, particularly in competive situations. "

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    1. That post by Doris is hilarious! GoldenShit, err, GoldenSkate never fails to make me rofl

      "Re Charlie's dancing. Charlie can embody happiness and joy like no one else. Whether they're critiquing dance or ice dance, people seem to care more about the ability to portray love, lust and aggression, but dancing and jumping for joy are another valid genre of dance, and very few couples or singles do it that well, particularly in competive situations."

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    2. Jumping for joy? Megan Duhamel would be an ice dancer.

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    3. Maybe Doris would find this link helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dance_style_categories

      Wikipedia, her favorite!

      I didn't see jumping for joy on that list.

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    4. OMG. What is wrong with this Doris person?
      In her eagerness to defend DW she's lost all reason.

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  26. Interesting group photo here: http://cuteiceprincesslove.tumblr.com/post/85465484431/stars-on-ice-canada-cast-hang-out-backstage-before

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    1. And this one, maybe Andrew is the new bf? Chuckle.

      http://tessavirtueandscottmoir.tumblr.com/tagged/brotp%3A-tessa-x-andrew

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    2. She looks like she has gained a lot of weight in her face since Sochi. Curious isnt it? I wouldn't be at all surprised if she is pregnant.

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    3. Had to laugh at the little Tumblr meltdown over poor old Andrew - I'd forgotten that these people buy that Andrew and Kaitlyn are "platonic". And as for Tessa - is there no person (see: Eric Radford; random 8 year old fans) or item of furniture she won't hide herself behind? Now, now Mrs Moir, some people will be thinking you've something you don't want to tell us....

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    4. Tessa always hides herself in pictures. That has nothing to do with the pregnancy. If she was truly concerned about hiding the pregnancy, she wouldn't be skating in SOI right now, as it is totally obvious to anyone with eyes.

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    5. Yeah, but rthe Moirs don't believe what happens on the ice counts....

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  27. can we please talk about how SOI does not suck this year and how amazing VM is in their routines??!!! I think they will sit out his year professionally but come back.

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  28. pregnant? are you people nuts? she's tiny.

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  29. OC, what are your thoughts on Into the mystic?

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  30. Is it true Kaitlyn Lawes is moving to Ontario? hmm

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    Replies
    1. If you’re referring to the Tweet I think you referring to, that was aimed at Jennifer Jones, who just got engaged to Blaine Lang.

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    2. Apologies, I meant Brent Laing

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    3. But why the hell was she even mentioned

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    4. Don't know - unless the person was implying "bad luck, your skip is moving away".

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  31. 357
    yes...these people r nuts. I was just on the ferry with tessa from victoria to vancouver. She is not pregnant lol . She is tiny. More so in person than photos. These people saying all the crappola undoubtedly have nevermet her. Morons.

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    1. I've met Tessa too. I have photos that were made at the event I met her at and I have current photos. Tessa has to be compared to Tessa, not others. Tessa is bigger now than she was a few months ago.

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    2. I met them tonight in Vancouver. Tessa has definitely gained weight since Sochi. I loved the Try number but not wild about the two numbers T & S did on their own. All the skaters looked a bit tired which makes sense since tonight was the last performance.

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    3. What...like two pounds. Omg. What a joke.She aint pregnant plus its the off season
      ...time to leave her alone

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    4. 8:34, Tessa does not have a history of gaining weight in the off-season. Never. The only time there was visible weight gain was 2010.

      To you she may look like she's only gained 2 lbs and it's due to off season. Whatever. But stop telling the rest of us what we're supposed to think and what we're supposed to do.

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  32. http://24.media.tumblr.com/d63019289890feaac4a8777dc979c19e/tumblr_n633feQzMt1tt8uwvo1_500.jpg

    this woman is not pregnant

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