Dancing With The Stars is in week seven – and things are getting rough, with Lele Pons, a dancer whom the judges loved, going home this week; her professional partner Brandon Armstrong made his feelings clear during their exit interview.
"I definitely don't think Lele should have gone home tonight," Brandon expressed, admitting the moment "burns".
© Eric McCandlessIt was a sentiment former professional Cheryl Burke agreed with, writing in this week's HELLO! column: "There is always that one couple every season that doesn't get the credit they deserve and I believe that that was Lele and Brandon."
Read on for more of her thoughts on Harry Jowsey, Jason Mraz and Alyson Hannigan…
Lele Pons' surprising exit
If this wasn't a TV show and it was just a dance competition, Lele is obviously not the right person to go home tonight and I love that Brandon was able to express that at the end of the episode. It's disappointing and I do believe that this couple has been underscored for some weeks.
There is always that one couple every season that doesn't get the credit they deserve and I believe that that was Lele and Brandon.
Ariana Madix' challenging rehearsal schedule
I think Ariana didn't get it all tens because she lacked a little bit of finesse when it comes to the Cha Cha technique; maybe it had to do with her busy schedule as she was at Bravo Con this weekend and it must have been really challenging for them to get an hour in as far as rehearsal goes.
I wish that the production side would show all of this, as it is the reality of the situation. But for what time she spent versus her execution tonight, she did great and was at the top of the leaderboard.
Harry Jowsey's success is in his vulnerability
© Eric McCandlessI think if anyone is showing the reality of the situation it is Harry showing his true vulnerability. I think people need to be reminded that Harry is not a dancer, and when it comes to Rylee Arnold and her coaching I think it's important that when your celebrity voices that he's insecure or can't do something after giving it a good try, then it's your job as a pro to take out the step and choreograph something that makes your celebrity feel good.
I love her positive feedback, but if he is in a negative state of mind when it comes to that particular piece of choreography, maybe it's important to take a step back and say, 'OK, what can I do to make my celebrity feel more comfortable?'
If I was Harry's partner, I would fill it in with clever content, but no matter what I would definitely make sure he looks strong whether or not he's moving; his feet are irrelevant.
I think it's really important to also psychologically get in his brain; like I had said in the beginning of the season, have him make fun of the pro dancers.
I know it sounds silly but it worked with Rob Kardashian. Especially when they're in their head or they're scared of looking stupid or they're consumed by social media, I think it's important to make fun of all of us because once you say, 'show me what Val looks like when he samba's,' Harry would command the stage and he would dance big and do what the what the judges want.
Alyson Hannigan is what DWTS is all about
Alyson is the definition of what this competition is about. Right now it's about survival of the fittest, and for Alyson, I think she lets her frustration and exhaustion out by having fun.
© Eric McCandlessShe's a breath of fresh air to watch because she truly is just having fun. It's not fake, and it's not just for the cameras, but at the same time what's so endearing about her is that she continues to improve, she continues to fight; this is the vulnerability that I was looking for in Xochitl Gomez in a way.
I've been on this emotional train with Alyson, which makes me want to root for her because we've seen her down, we've seen her up, we've seen her completely fail and then win and you want to root for that. I think Alyson and Sasha Farber are peaking just right at the right time in this competition.
Team dance criticism
What's so difficult about team dances is that it's important to establish rules because if you have no rules – for example, for 30 seconds of the dance you have to include ballroom, which is what Team 4 Everybody did – it comes down to technical versus entertainment.
A team like Young'N Style, I would have loved to see a little bit more content with the Gangnam Style dance but absolutely it was entertaining.
Maybe there should be two different scores, a technical score versus an entertainment score, but I think it's important that the audience knows that Team 4 Everybody must have invested probably double the hours to get that right, because with ballroom you see all the details that weren't worked on versus Gangnam Style which was more forgiving.
It's hard to compare the two so if you're going to give Young'N Style 40 then I believe the other team deserves 40 as well.
Why no theme is the best theme
© Eric McCandlessI prefer no theme especially because ballroom dancing is so classical. Latin Night fits but when it comes to a music video theme, it's challenging because music videos are not normally done in partner hold, it's very solo and that veers away from what this show is about.
Back in the day we didn't have a theme every week, and instead the producers would go home with the celebrities and interview their family members and then there was the freestyle round and then the rest was just a ballroom dance competition.
Is Jason Mraz in trouble?
© Eric McCandlessI feel like they're being a little hard on Jason Mraz and Daniela Karagagh because what they executed tonight was pretty amazing.
I think the judges wanted to be more entertained and it wasn't satisfying, yet they danced with such ease and grace, which took a lot of practice. I think they're not getting enough credit and I hope that they are not the next couple who gets underscored.
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