DWTS Halloween Nite

Good evening Spooky Dance Fans!

Here's another attempt at live blogging.

Ilona & Alan

Tango

Can we talk about HOT she looked!

Wow

Looked like a proper Tango to me.

Rawr! Get it girl!

Scores: 8, 8, 8

Dwight & Daniella

Contemporary 

Boy was he in character!

So creepy good and intense

But was this more Daniella dancing and acting more than Dwight?

Anyway, I thought it was super

Gave me chills 

Lots of trust in this partnership 

I love them and I'm so happy for them.

Scores: 10, 9, 9

Danny & Witney

Argentine Tango

Seemed a little rushed, stumbly in the beginning,  but then it was fantastic! 

Tricks were outrageous.

He's such a strong partner.

Scores: 10, 9, 9

Sorry, but I think Carrie Ann missed the beginning of the dance. 

Jenn & Sasha

Contemporary 

It was good, intense

The extra dancers at the end were distracting and unnecessary (I haven't complained about that in awhile)

But really, they didn't add anything. 

Sasha and Jenn created the drama with their dancing and acting.

It should have been the two of them at the end.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Scores: 10, 9, 9

Wow, Carrie Ann is happy tonight. :)

Joey & Jenna

Argentine Tango

Scary hayride - nope

Great choreography and musicality!

Super good acting

They have amazing chemistry too

The music went so well with the dance

Scores: 10, 9, 10

Stephen & Riley

Contemporary 

Amazing intensity and athleticism!

Sweet little Stephen turned into a monster!

So dramatic, he was actually a little too convincing, but in a good way, if that makes sense

His best dance!

Scores: 10, 9, 9

Chandler & Brandon

Viennese Waltz

She is exquisite 

And fiery and passionate

Wonderful musicality

Beautiful and freaky

To me it looked like a dance from two professionals

Scores: 9, 10, 10

Carrie Ann: WTH?

Dance offs

Dwight & Daniella vs Ilona & Alan

Cha cha

Damn

That was a tie for me

Both had great technique and fun

I can't choose

Winner: Dwight & Daniella 

Jenn & Sasha vs Stephen & Riley

Salsa

I gotta give it to Stephen and Riley

They were exciting out of the gate and that was twirl lift was the bomb!

Winner: Jenn & Sasha

I respectfully disagree

Danny & Witney vs Joey & Jenna

Jive

Almost a tie, but I give the edge to Joey & Jenna

Winner: Joey & Jenna

Eliminated:Jenn & Sasha

This was a fantastic night.

All of the dances were first rate. 

Congratulations to all!

librarianintx 

Ranking the Contestants on DWTS

I don't usually do this until the finale, but here goes:

1. Chandler

Chandler has grace, beauty, musicality, and she can shake her booty. She adapts easily to different dance styles. After last night, we now know she has the fire and drive to win. Her Paso was amazing and I think she and Brandon deserved a 10.

2. Joey

Joey is so likeable and relatable, and also has great musicality. He's willing to go the extra mile to please the ballroom, including dancing shirtless and executing a back flip. I enjoyed last night's Samba, but his best dance so far was his Tango on Hair Metal Nite.

3. Danny

Danny's strengths are, literally, his strength, and his partnering skills. Plus he and Witney have formed such a close bond. There is so much trust in this partnership, such as when Witney flew off the stairs into his arms last night, and that insane move during their Rumba when Danny lifted her from the floor by her foot. 

But I agree with Bruno - He needs more confidence. He hesitates and waits for Witney sometimes. 

Those are my top contenders. 

The other four are harder to rank.

4. Jenn

Are she and Sasha dating?

I don't know, but they definitely have chemistry.

Exhibit A: That passionate Viennese Waltz. 

Jenn needs to dance like that if she's going to make it to finale night.

5. Ilona 

I LOVE her!

What a role model she is.

And I love her and Alan together. 

They create magic in the ballroom. 

I cried during her Rumba; I was so happy for her.

But I agree with the judges.

The tricks are exciting, but she needs to dance more.

6. Stephen

Stephen's athleticism is definitely his strength. And he and Riley have energy and exuberance out the wazoo. 

Absolutely his weakness is his timing. If he can fix that, he would move up in my rankings.

7. Dwight

It pains me to put Dwight at the bottom of my rankings.

Initially he was my favorite, and I still love him.

I'm with Derek - his smile lights up the ballroom. 

And I know he wants to do well.

Obviously his strength is an asset. 

But he needs to work on his steps.

I'm still hopeful for improvement. 

librarianintx 

Dancing with the Stars - Disney Nite

I'm trying something new tonight Dance Fans - Live blogging!

We'll see how this goes.

Instead of jotting notes, I'll type my reactions directly into blogger.

Big production number to start the night - Yay Aladdin and yay Mandy Moore!!

Oh Jasmine...I mean Julianne :)

Stephen & Riley

Charleston

Hercules

Look at those guns!

Enjoyed the tricks!

I think he still needs to work on timing.

Judges agreed with me, lol

Scores: all 8's

Jenn & Sasha

Rumba

The Little Mermaid

Needed more flow, was a little too choppy

Are they a couple??

Judges did not agree with me, sort of.

Carrie Ann said it was her best dance.

I think her VW was her best dance.

Scores: all 8's

Joey & Jenna

Samba

Tarzan

"Topless tribute to Tarzan" - love it!! LOL

Fabulous choreography!!

Loved it! So entertaining!

Scores: 8, 8, 9

Chandler & Brandon

Paso Doble

Zombies 2

Fierce!

That was Chandler saying "That Mirrorball is MINE!"

So powerful! Fantastic!!

Scores: all 9's

Phaedra &Val

Jazz

101 Dalmatians 

I saw some growth - sharper movements

Great sass.

But she still waits too much

Derek said the same thing!

Carrie Ann gave her some good advice.

Scores: all 8's

Danny & Witney

Jazz

Marvel

Fantastic choreography!

Hot damn on those tricks!

Super exciting and scary!

And a great song of course!

Amazing trust these two have

Scores: All 9's

Dwight & Daniella

Tango

Wreck it Ralph

I adore him

I think this dance was better

Hopefully he's on his way back

Scores: all 8's

Ilona & Alan

Jazz

Encanto

Go girl!

Still needs flow between the movements / tricks

Scores: 9, 8, 8 

Round 2

Group Dances

Team Roar

There was a lot going on!

It was fun but a little hectic

I agree with Bruno - not enough sync

I think they needed to keep it more simple, but I can understand the desire to use Dwight's height, Danny's strength, and Stephen's gymnastics.

Scores: all 8's

Team Goofs

They were better!

Still had excitement but also were in sync!

Great job!

Scores: All 9's!

Eliminated: Phaedra & Val

I think this was the right decision. 

But everyone needs to step it up.

Still, this Disney Nite was a lot of fun!

librarianintx 

Dancing with the Stars: Soul Train and Hair Bands Nites

Hello Dance Fans,

I'm going to discuss both nights because I'm so behind in my recaps. 

I thought I would love both nights. 

I am a big fan of both kinds of music. 

I was a hair metal girl in high school, although I didn't call it that at the time. 

I enjoyed Soul Train Nite better than Hair Metal Nite. 

I liked the music both nites. 

But the music on hair metal nite was so loud, so energetic, that I felt several of the couples fell short of the intensity and enthusiasm needed. 

Plus Gene Simmons was just....ew. Creepy and gross. And his scoring was terrible. Please don't have him back. 

On Soul Train nite my favorites were Ilona & Alan, Joey & Jenna, Jenn & Sasha, and Chandler & Brandon. 

I LOVED Ilona's look - the pink looked so pretty on her, and I loved her hair with bangs. 

I agree with Bruno - that was arguably the sexiest Viennese Waltz I've every seen. Jenn & Sasha were smoldering! Tiny rant though - Alicia Keys is a soul singer, but she's too young to be a Soul Train singer. Anyhoo...

I think the night belonged to Chandler & Brandon. They managed to Cha Cha to hip hop and make it look super cool. 

One more thing to say about Soul Train Nite - Brooks & Gleb. They hyped up the sex appeal of their dance SO MUCH that I didn't think it was that good or that sexy. I mean, they ARE hot together; they don't have to push it on us. And once again it took them too long to start dancing. Jenn & Sasha put the sex in Soul Train Nite without having to announce it. They just WERE sexy. 

As for Hair Metal Nite - I can say proudly that I knew all the songs :)

I also want to thank America for making the right decision on the voting by eliminating Eric and Reginald

Here is my take: 

I understand that DWTS is a popularity contest. 

It is NOT a dancing competition. 

And I'm fine with watching the celebrities who have no dance experience. 

But if you are going to be on a show like this - I want to see some growth, some improvement, some amount of trying. A week or two of your pro partner dancing around you while you stand there is...bearable. But if you can't do better than that, for whatever physical or mental reason - you should withdraw. It's not fair to the other contestants. I did feel very badly for Eric Roberts. He has wanted to be on the show for so long. But he just couldn't physically do it. 

Anyway, I feel that Joey & Jenna owned Hair Metal nite. Their Tango was sensational! Chandler & Brandon were very good also. 

librarianintx

Big Brother Season 26 Finale - My Thoughts (SPOILERS)

I am happy with who won, but I wish the vote had been closer. 

At the same time, I understand why it wasn't. 

I do think Chelsie was the mastermind, and she did influence some of Makensy's decisions, especially getting Leah out. 

Big Brother is a tough game to play. 

You get close to people, you form alliances, you are together 24/7, and then if you want to win the big money you often have to eliminate a friend, an alliance member, maybe even a crush, and take someone to the end who doesn't deserve to be there. 

I am so glad that Makensy chose loyalty and integrity over money. 

I hope she feels that she did the right thing. 

And I hope she is proud of the game that she played. 

This Texas girl is proud of that Texas girl. 

And I was thrilled to see two strong women at the end. 

I was not surprised to see Tucker win Favorite Houseguest.

I was happy that Quinn was in the top 3 for that prize. 

But Angela also being in the top 3?!?!?!

Look - I'm sure Angela is a very nice person. 

But in the Big Brother house, she was manipulative, paranoid, and a bully.  

Anyway, it was a very fun season. 

Congrats Chelsie, and thanks Big Brother!

librarianintx

 

October 10 was World Mental Health Awareness Day

I'm only two days late. :)

https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2024/10/ten-ways-take-action-world-mental-health-day/

Prioritize your mental health. 

Take it as seriously as your physical health. 

Because your mental health can impact your physical health in several ways. 

Self-care is an important part of mental health.

Too many of us self-sabotage instead of practicing self-care. 

click here to learn more about self-care: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2023/05/25-small-powerful-ways-to-take-action-for-mental-health/?ref=moodfuel.org

Here are a few ways that I focus on self-care:

eating nutritious food

exercise

taking one day at a time

journaling 

focusing on gratitude 

making time for hobbies

What I need to work on:

hydration

sleep

setting boundaries

not procrastinating

Self-care is not selfish.

Self-care is important for a healthy, satisfying, fulfilling life.

librarianintx 

Big Brother Season 23: My Thoughts on the Top 3 (SPOILERS!)

 First of all, I have absolutely loved this season!

I was in a tv slump before the season started, but BB brought me out of that. 

I thought I would hate the whole AI thing, but it was pretty cool. 

What I loved most, though, were the contestants this season - this was an awesome group! 

Very diverse and entertaining!

Yes, my favorites are in the jury house (Quinn and Kimo) but I think Chelsie and Makensey both deserve to win. 

I hope they are sitting next to each other at the end. 

That will be a battle royale. 

Cam DOES NOT deserve to win. Point blank.

Luckily I am 95% sure that the jury agrees with me. 

Thanks for a super fun season Big Brother!

I'll be watching and rooting for the ladies tomorrow night.

And who do I want to win favorite houseguest?

My top 2 are Quinn and Kimo, of course. 

I also wouldn't mind if Chelsie, Makensey, or Cedric got the votes. 

I think Tucker might win, though. 

librarianintx

Dancing with the Stars Oscar Nite

Well, the next episode is going to air in less than an hour, so I better write my recap. 

And I'll have TWO to write this week!

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. 

Anna Delvey. 

The good news is - Bye girl bye!

She was not the worst dancer ever on DWTS.

But she by far had the worst attitude of any contestant. 

If you are trying to improve your image as a celebrity, you don't do it by acting cold and distant and closed off. She didn't give us any reason to give her a chance. The ballroom does not need her negative energy. This is our happy space. 

Now, moving on to the good stuff...

My three favorite dances of the night:

Dwight and Daniella's Foxtrot. 

Dwight and Daniella are my favorite couple so far. 

Dwight is like a gentle giant, and Daniella is his Tinkerbell. 

He is so big, but so graceful and light on his feet. 

Their dance was magical. 

Ilona and Alan's Salsa

I absolutely love their chemistry!

Their Salsa was athletic, exciting, sensual, and SO MUCH FUN!

And of course the song is from one of my all time favorite movies. 

I wish they had received 8's, but I understand that the transitions were a little clunky. 

Chandler and Brandon's Rumba

Chandler and Brandon are gorgeous together. 

The choreography was beautiful.

Overall, the performances were slightly underwhelming compared to week 1, but there was still plenty to enjoy. 

Can't wait for tonight!

librarianintx

 

Dancing with the Stars 2024 Week 1

Welcome back Dance Fans!

Who's excited?!

I can sum up the premiere episode in three words: Personality, enthusiasm, and chemistry!

The Powers-That-Be did an outstanding job with the pairings this season. 

Not every routine was stellar - it's week one. 

But pretty much every performance showed that the couples were already connected and cared about each other. 

Two couples tied for the top score. While Chandler and Brandon likely had the best dance from a technical standpoint, Dwight and Daniella's Salsa is the routine I can't stop watching. Not only did they have the song that can get just about anyone moving, their tricks were off the chain, and Dwight's enthusiasm got the ballroom going bananas. 

Speaking of enthusiasm, Stephen & Riley's Jive was a thrill ride. Their boundless energy, athleticism, and youthful exuberance should take them far this season. 

I was smiling for MOST of the episode. 

But a few times I wasn't. 

Three times to be exact. 

Gripe #1:

Reginald and Robert. 

Look, I get it. 

Reginald is 72 years old. 

Robert has injuries that are hampering him.

But at least DO something! 

I'm directing this more to Reginald. 

He's a former dancer. 

If you are going to be on the show, please do more than just stand there while your partner dances around you. 

You don't have to be good. But I would like you to at least try. 

Gripe #2:

Anna Delvey

Dancing with the Stars has certainly courted controversy before.

Cough! (Sean Spicer!)

Cough! (Rick Perry!)

But c'mon. She's a con artist. She should not be on the show. Period. 

Remember what I said about enthusiasm, personality, and chemistry? 

All of that vanished when Anna and Ezra performed. 

The routine was boring, and the ballroom went cold and quiet. 

The judges segment and chat with Julianne weren't any better. 

It was uncomfortable. 

It was not entertaining. 

Is this some kind of initiation for Ezra? Poor guy. 

I love the show, and I'm not going to boycott, but I think they made a mistake with casting her. 

We'll see what happens tonight. 

librarianintx

 

 

Health Tip #3: Self-care During Hard Times

This one is SO important y'all.

Self-care feels indulgent. 

You feel like you don't deserve it.

You tell yourself you don't have time for it.

You might feel guilty if you do it.

But self-care is imperative for health and wellness, especially during times of struggle. 

Too often our default mechanism is self-sabotage, especially during a crisis. 

Break that cycle. 

Make your physical and mental health a priority. 

The more you do it, the better you will feel, and likely you will be able to come through adversity more easily. 

I lost a friend two days ago. 

I am dealing with grief, and guilt and regret as well. 

Yesterday I felt those urges to self-sabotage. 

But I fought them. 

What is self-care? 

Self-care means focusing on the pillars of health.

Nutrition

Sleep

Exercise / movement

Spirituality

Social connection 

So yesterday I:

Exercised

Journaled 

Spent time with friends and talked to family

Watched a favorite show

Went to bed at a reasonable time

And...well...full disclosure...I did eat too much sugar.

So I didn't do everything right.

But I give myself grace for that. 

Because that is a big part of self-care too.

librarianintx