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DWTS Season 24 Pre-Semi Finals Wrap Up

DWTS Pre-Semi Finals Wrap Up

I figured I would do something different this week rather than the usual recap. It’s crazy we are already heading into the Semi-Finals in Season 24!

First I would like to say that is was sad to see Nick/Peta, Nancy/Artem and Bonner/Sharna go home the last two weeks. I really thought we would see Nancy/Artem in the Semi-Finals and I have to wonder if the packages had anything to do with it but, then again this season has been the one of surprise eliminations. I had the pleasure of meeting all 3 of them when I went to the live show a few weeks ago and all of them were kind, had a lot of heart and really wanted to give it their all. I felt the judges were far too harsh on Bonner last week and some statements just should not have been said.

As a fan of the show since Season 1 I really look forward to when I can attend a live show and see how the stars interact or don’t interact with the fans. I think it can be very telling overall.

We are down to the final 4 teams:

David & Lindsay #teamLadyAndTheGramp:

I have gone back and forth on David all season. I didn’t like the week where he seemed dismissive of Lindsay but I think he really came out with his best performance last week to Humble & Kind. That dance allowed us to feel the emotion and truly did highlight the friendship that has developed. Let’s face it this show is just as much about the relationship, the emotion and how a star/team makes you feel when you see them dance. I think they stand a shot at making it to the final 3.

Simone Biles & Sasha Farber #teamGoldenGiggles

I know this might not be a popular opinion but, I think it might be time for Simone to go. I think her attitude and comments back to the judges last week showed her age & maturity level. Yes she is an amazing superstar Olympic athlete but, fame can be fleeting. I agree 100% with what the judges keep saying as I have felt it all season. In this competition it’s not enough to just come out and nail a performance you have to have fans invest in you & root for you. The difference for me between she and Laurie last season is we all could feel the emotion from Laurie, we could relate to her. Remember the dance after her Grandma passed away and the dance to Chicago? She hadn’t had all the life experiences either but, she opened her heart and allowed the audience in. Simone has the talent no question but, to win DWTS you need to have audience totally invested.

Normani Kordei & Val Chmerkovskiy: #teamValMani

I think Normani has peaked at the exact right time this season. She has opened up week after week & allowed us into her heart, her life experience and showed off another level of her amazing talent. It’s been nice to watch the friendship/partnership develop between she and Val and I truly think she deserves to be in the finals. The contemporary dance last week was one of the most raw, emotional and powerful displayed on the show. The trio dance was a ton of fun. I am excited to see what they bring this week.

Rashad Jennings & Emma Slater #teamShadSquad

Rashad has truly blown me away this season and he and Emma absolutely deserve to be in the finals. I am not only really excited for Emma because she finally has an amazing partner that has allowed her to show off her fantastic skills but, mostly because this partnership is just perfection. Rashad is just one of those truly genuine, kind and caring individuals that I am truly honored to have met. He literally took time with everyone that wanted to speak to him, get a picture etc. and was incredibly down to earth and humble. He has grown as a dancer from week 1, he has taped into the magic formula of getting into character, being truly raw & emotional when the dance calls for it and brings the passion and intensity when it’s needed. I thought they were fantastic last week and the trio dance was excellent.

Final thoughts:

I think it should be Val and Normani & Emma & Rashad in the final 2. I think both are absolutely tremendous, they both have the total package and I would be happy to see either team win. I think Rashad might have a slight edge with viewers in that he came into the competition with no dance experience and developed and grew through the season but, I think Normani might have had the experience but, I think she showed growth in allowing people into her story.

Who’s excited for the DWTS Hot Summer Nights Tour? Buy your tickets, you will not be disappointed! They always have a great VIP experience too!

http://dwtstour.com/#tour

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

May 14, 2017

Entertainment Blog

DWTS Season 24! #teamBoybands & #teamGirlGroup Week

DWTS Season Season 24! Week 6- #teamBoybands and #teamGirlGroup Week

#dwts

#dwts24

What a fun week this will be with Team Boy Bands vs Team Girl Group! Stay tuned for my blog from attending the Week 4 Most Memorable Year show. Life has been a bit hectic with travel, my best friend got married last week and then a move but, I promise to share all the fun details!

It was great to have Nick Carter in the ballroom as a guest judge and have Maks back in the ballroom after his calf injury.

Simone Biles & Sasha Farber #teamGoldenGiggles

Dance: Samba to music by: Destiny’s Child

Sasha and Simone are too cute. Simone is really doing well in the competition and she absolutely has the skill. I have been trying to put my finger on what I have felt is missing a bit. I think she isn’t totally connecting with the audience at home. She needs to have people get invested in her/root for her on top of having the fantastic skills. I thought their dance was really good this week though.

Bonner Bolton & Sharna Burgess #teamDenimNDiamonds

Dance: Rumba to music by: Backstreet Boys

I don’t agree with Bonner that he is the weakest dancer left in the competition. I think Bonner has heart, drive and desire which in my opinion goes far. He is improving each week and in my opinion the audience is pulling for him. I really love the partnership with Sharna. Sharna has such a way of bringing out the best in all of her partners. I would agree with Nick if Bonner could just let it go each week it could take him to the next level but, as someone who has learned to dance this year it’s hard to get out of your head.

Nancy Kerrigan & Artem Chigvintsev #teamBladesOfGlory

Dance: Paso Doble to music by: En Vogue

I had the pleasure of meeting Nancy when I was at the show a few weeks ago and she is seriously the nicest person. I think she gets too many negative comments for being emotional. All creative people just have a different way in how they process things or handle stress that doesn’t and shouldn’t make people not pull for her. I personally think she is what the competition is about, she has heart, she works hard, she improves each week and she truly gives it her all. I thought their dance this week was fantastic, she was strong, fierce and totally crushed it.

Nick Viall & Peta Murgatroyd #teamBabyGotBach

Dance: Jive music by: Beach Boys

I would say that Nick isn’t one of the top dancers left but, Peta is right the show is just as much about personality and he is improving each week. He does put his heart and soul into the competition that is for sure and when I met him he is one of those people that has crazy charisma. The Jive is a hard dance and I thought they did a good job.

Normani Kordei & Val Chmerkovskiy: #teamValMani

Dance: Salsa music by: Pussy Cat Dolls

Val and Normani really make another great partnership. I think you have really seen them step things up the last few weeks after all that traveling stopped. She’s shining at just the right time in the competition and is such a powerhouse. I know there was the issue with Len feeling like there was much Salsa content in it. That can go both ways they are also dealing with the music they get and how to put together the overall performance factor. I thought the dance was good, it was dynamic and it was fierce.

David Ross & Lindsay Arnold #teamLadyAndTheGramp

Dance: Argentine Tango music by: N’Sync

I am still on the fence on this team. Lindsay always works extremely hard with her partners and I didn’t really care for it when he made the disrespectful comment you are not my coach. She is your dance coach David you need her to teach you. I thought their dance was good, the lifts were risky for sure but, as always Lindsay has beautiful chorography.

Rashad Jennings & Emma Slater #teamShadSquad

Dance: Tango music by: Four Tops

This partnership remains one of my favorites this season and Rashad is truly a kind person. I was so impressed by him when I met him. He’s down to earth and just as sweet as can be. I loved in the package that he took Emma to NFL training too. Their dance this week was fun, intense, had a lot of great content and continued to highlight the growth Rashad has had as a dancer.

Heather Morris & Maksim Chmerkovskiy #teamMaksimumHeat

Dance: Rumba music by: TLC

It was so nice to get Maks back in the ballroom. Alan did a really fantastic job filling in for him and I think he truly earned a right to be a pro in a future season. I thought their dance this week was beautiful and it highlighted all of Heather’s technical skills. All season I think her issue has been in her connection with the audience. You can be the best dancer but, you need the audience/voters to pull for you.

Team Dances:

#teamboyband

I thought they did a great job on the team dance. It was fun, sexy and creative. I would say Rashad’s personality really shined like a diamond and you couldn’t help but, zoom in on him. Their magic mike portion to the NKOTB was awesome and showed they all had the right stuff.

#teamgirlgroup

I thought the girls did a good job. It was fun and also creative. The lighting issues that happened made it hard to see a lot of it. I thought all the girls were strong and performed really well.

In Jeopardy:

Artem & Nancy and Heather & Maks

This week we said goodbye to: Heather & Maks and it was shocking to me either couple was in the bottom. I truly feel the issue was the connection with the audience. You have to connect with the fans in the packages, when you have opportunities to meet them etc. The show I attended the other dancers would step out for a few minutes and meet fans but, Heather did her interviews and then just walked the other way never engaging. I never felt that or saw the desire to connect from Heather in my opinion. She has talent though hands down and definitely left too early in the competition. I absolutely don’t think Nancy/Artem belonged in the bottom 2 either and I hope fans will give Nancy a chance. She really his working hard and a total sweetheart.

Until next week!

XOXO

Heather

April 27, 2017

Entertainment Blog

DWTS Season Season 24! Week 3-Vegas Week

#dwts

I missed blogging last week due to having pneumonia. I am thankfully finally feeling better and excited to blog about this week’s episode. I did want to say it was so sad to see Witney and Chris go last week. They were a fun match up and it’s unfortunate we didn’t learn how extensive Chris’s injury was. Let’s see what Vegas week brings!

Super fun opening number!

Nick Viall & Peta Murgatroyd #teamBabyGotBach

Dance: Tango

Song: “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga

This partnership is really growing on me. It’s been so great having Peta back and Nick is showing a more vulnerable side to himself. I think he did improve week over week. He definitely appears more comfortable and confident than the first week. It absolutely takes time when you learn to dance. Nick and Peta are working hard and it shows.

Mr T & Kym Herjavec #teamDancinFools

Dance: Foxtrot

Song: “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” by Robbie Williams

This was a really different character for Mr T it was fun to see him in a more classic character. I thought they did a good job. I liked this softer side of him. He seems like he is a really great guy and I have done some reading on him and he truly does give back a lot. Keep up the great work!

Bonner Bolton & Sharna Burgess #teamDenimNDiamonds

Dance: Charleston

Song: “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” by Fergie and GoonRock and Q-Tip

I thought they did a really great job this week. Sharna is brilliant about being able to create around injuries and they are such an amazing team. This is a tough dance. You can tell how much Bonner cares about the competition and that he really does want to improve each week. They are fun partnership and one that I still think will go far in this competition. I thought the scores were a bit low.

It was nice to get a preview to the Derek & Julianne Tour as well!!! For tickets and tour info please go to: https://moveliveontour.com/

Heather Morris & Maksim Chmerkovskiy #teamMaksimumHeat

Dance: Tango

Song: “Toxic” by Brittany Spears

Maks is still out injured and I am absolutely sending him out well wishes for a speedy recovery. It was nice to see him at the studio cheering Heather on tonight. Alan is filling in and I am glad he is getting a chance to shine as a Pro again. I thought they had a great tango! It was a lot of fun to watch, defiantly showed how much Heather has grown as a ballroom dancer.

Charo & Keo Motsepe #teamCuchiCuchi

Dance: Foxtrot

Song: “Chapel of Love” by The Dixie Cups

Charo has a huge, full of energy personality but, I really do like the friendship that seems to have developed with Keo. Keo is such a nice guy and I am glad he was a Pro again this season. I loved their dance tonight. It was elegant, beautiful, sweet and a lot of fun to watch. Bravo Keo on the wonderful choreography.

Simone Biles & Sasha Farber #teamGoldenGiggles

Dance: Quickstep

Song: “Viva Las Vegas” by Elvis Presley

Holy smokes that was one fast quickstep! Hats off to both Simone and Sasha for having the energy and stamina for that dance! Another fantastic job. Fun, energetic, lots of great technique and they really are a dynamo team. I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with for next week and showing a more emotional side to Simone.

Nancy Kerrigan & Artem Chigvintsev #teamBladesOfGlory

Dance: Samba

Song: “Shake Your Bon-Bon” by Ricky Martin

OMG Artem’s reaction to meeting Ricky Martin was awesome! Now he knows how we feel when we meet him! I absolutely LOVED their dance. In my opinion they have been under-rated to date everyone should sit up and take notice tonight because they just crushed it! Bravo, bravo, bravo! It was fun, it was technically fantastic, high energy and they really make such a fantastic team. I am smiling ear to ear!

David Ross & Lindsay Arnold #teamLadyAndTheGramp

Dance: Jazz

Song: “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent

This is another fun partnership. David is going way out of his comfort zone this week. He almost cracked himself up at the beginning. Their dance was filled with humor that is for sure. David seems like such a great guy. It was very, fun entertaining and creative.

Erika Jayne & Gleb Savchenko #teamPrettyXXpensive

Dance: Jive

Song: “Take Me to Heaven” by Patina Miller & Debbie Kurup & Amy Booth-Steel

I like this partnership too. It will be interesting to see what the judges say about the content but, other than that I liked it was more stripped down and more of a focus straight on the dance. It’s clear Erika and Gleb work really hard each week and they are a lot of fun to watch. The Jive is a really tough dance and I think they just put a different spin on it instead of all the kicks and flicks.

Rashad Jennings & Emma Slater #teamShadSquad

Dance: Samba

Song: “Swallia” by Jason Derulo featuring Nikki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign

This is another couple that I absolutely love this season. They have already formed such a great working relationship and Rashad can MOVE! They are doing crazy good this season and I could not be more excited for Emma to finally shine bright with an amazing partner. I didn’t agree with Julianne on this one I thought they did a really great job tonight. I really felt their scores were far too low.

Normani Kordei & Val Chmerkovskiy: #teamValMani

Dance: Foxtrot

Song: “Big Spender” by Shirley Bassey

I don’t know how Val and Normani have been doing it, that kind of travel is hard core tough on your body. They absolutely freaking crushed it tonight. What a fabulous dance! Normani has such a sparkling presence she shines the minute she takes the dance floor. What a wonderful job!

Jeopardy:

Keo & Charo and Peta & Nick

Tonight we said goodbye to Keo & Charo. Sad to see them go especially after their performance tonight. Much love to you Keo, be proud of all you did this season.

I will be at the live show next week! I am so excited to experience Most Memorable Year live!

Until Next Time,

XOXO

Heather

April 4, 2017

Entertainment Blog

DWTS Season Premiere Season 24! 400th Episode

#dwts

DWTS Season Premiere Season 24! 400th Episode

I have been counting the days & weeks to the premiere! Crazy it’s now Season 24! Congratulations to DWTS on its 400^th Episode! I have personally never missed one! It was another fantastic opening number! It should be another dynamic season with a wide range of personalities as always!

Normani Kordei & Val Chmerkovskiy: #teamValMani

Dance: Quickstep

Song: “Good Time Good Life” by Erin Bowman

This will be a challenging season for Val and Normani due to the fact they will be traveling while Fifth Harmony is one tour in Asia. I think this pair has a lot of potential. They had a very challenging first dance in the Quickstep but, I thought they did a really good job. It was fun, full of energy and really kicked off the show the right way!

I did want to address one thing. Some people thought Val was being cocky or saying something unkind about his partner when he talked about the averages. That is 100% false and I don’t know why people have to jump to negative conclusions. I went back and listened again to be sure I had it correct. He was referencing Normani’s Grandmother that is a huge fan of the show and has a catalog of scores from all seasons from the very 1^st. He said with tonight’s scores it might lower his average and she will have to write them down in her catalog.

Nancy Kerrigan & Artem Chigvintsev #teamBladesOfGlory

Dance: Viennese Waltz

Song: “She’s Always a Woman” by Billy Joel

I am so excited for Artem this season. He finally has a great partner and an athlete and I think they will go far in this competition. I remember being a little girl watching Nancy in the Olympics. She is so strong and full of grace and I believe this pair will be one to watch!

Their dance was elegant, beautiful and I think they did a fantastic job. I look forward to watching Nancy grow this season. I think each week she will feel more comfortable and relax a bit more but, it was a stunning opening performance!

Chris Kattan & Witney Carson #teamMangoTango

Dance: Cha Cha

Song: “What is Love” by Haddaway

Chris is an actor/comedian from SNL. Witney doesn’t watch much TV so she wasn’t sure about any of his characters. He did break his neck in the past so he is dealing with an injury. Their dance was fun to watch and it did seem like he was trying to be in character of a bad dancer.

I think this team will need to put in a lot more work to make it in the competition. Witney is very talented and I am sure she will continue to work hard and helping Chris grow as a dancer as the weeks continue.

Bonner Bolton & Sharna Burgess #teamDenimNDiamonds

Dance: Cha Cha

Song: “Move” by Luke Bryan

First of all they have serious chemistry. It was cute watching Sharna blush! Bonner broke his neck a year ago and was initially paralyzed and wanted to come and inspire people. I predict this couple will be red hot all season long! This was such a fun dance for the first week. It was hot, it was a ton of fun to watch and for me they will be one to watch this season!

I wanted to comment too on Hand Gate. Again I don’t know why some must automatically think the worst of someone. When you watch the video you can see he wasn’t facing Sharna to know where his hand was he just went to put it around her waist when she came up to him. Sharna commented on it last night on twitter “Anyone who has the ridiculous idea that it was intentional…is straight up stupid. As in lacking the intelligence to realize it was innocent”.

Charo & Keo Motsepe #teamCuchiCuchi

Dance: Salsa

Song: “Cuban Pete” by Mambo Companeros

Keo absolutely has his hands full this season. Charo has a big personality but, I am glad he is getting another shot as a Pro because he is very talented and such a nice guy. Their first dance was extremely energetic and fun.

I don’t know what happened at the end after the judge’s comments. I absolutely think she might want to relax a bit and listen to the judges or she’s going to give the audience the wrong impression.

Nick Viall & Peta Murgatroyd #teamBabyGotBach

Dance: Cha Cha

Song: “Let Me Love You” by DJ Snake & Tiesto featuring Justin Bieber

First of all, welcome back to Peta and congratulations on beautiful baby Shai. I wasn’t sure at all what to expect from Nick as a dancer. He surprised me a bit. He executed the moves well but, I agree he needs to try to relax and make it flow a bit more. It seemed a bit stiff.

Peta is known to always bring out the best in her partners and I am sure she will continue to work to bring out all of Nick’s strengths. He definitely has the determination to grow and continue to improve.

Heather Morris & Maksim Chmerkovskiy #teamMaksimumHeat

Dance: Viennese Waltz

Song: “Make Something Beautiful” by Ben Rector

I worry a bit about this pair just because of the chatter about it not being fair she is on the show because her title on social media says Professional Dancer. My opinion is everyone needs to give her a fair shot as ballroom and Latin dancing with a partner are very different than what she has done in the past. Julianne touched on that as well during her comments. We should also remember that she is not the first person on the show that has had dance experience.

Their first dance was full of grace, she is very light when she dances and she was able to get into character. It was beautiful and they will be one to watch this season.

David Ross & Lindsay Arnold #teamLadyAndTheGramp

Dance: Quickstep

Song: “Go Cubs Go” by Steve Goodman

David is the first baseball player to be on the show and seems to have a really fun personality. This partnership will be a lot of fun to watch and Lindsay is really good at pulling out her partner’s strengths.

Their first dance was a ton of fun to watch! I think David will surprise people this season as he gets more comfortable each week. I thought for a first week they did a good job. They definitely had the performance factor!

Erika Jayne & Gleb Savchenko #teamPrettyXXpensive

Dance: Salsa

Song: “XXPENSIVE” by Erika Jayne

I have always liked Erika on Real Housewives because she keeps it real. When I found out she would be paired with Gleb I was excited to see what they come up with this season. They are sure to bring the heat and the sizzle.

I thought they did a good job in the first week. It was sexy and they performed well! I think if they just relax a bit they will be one to watch this season. I am excited to see them tackle a ballroom routine and show some of her vulnerability.

Rashad Jennings & Emma Slater #teamShadSquad

Dance: Cha Cha

Song: “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars

I am beyond thrilled for Emma that she has a great partner this season and I was literally on my feet clapping for them as they were dancing last night. They are in it to win it and absolutely will be one to watch this season. Their personalities mesh so well and I bet they bring the fun all season long!

Their performance literally lit up the room! Bravo! I cannot wait to see what they do this season and it was awesome to see Emma beaming and so excited. She’s the sweetest!

Mr T & Kym Herjavec #teamDancinFools

Dance: Cha Cha

Song: “Theme from the A-Team” by Mike Post, Pete Carpenter & The Daniel Caine Orchestra

Welcome back to Kym it’s always nice to have her on the show! Mr T was one of the cast members I was interested to watch this season. I use to watch the A-Team as a kid and I know he has done a lot of work with youth over the years.

He has basic rhythm and a lot of positive energy. I think the more comfortable he gets the more we will see from this team. They have potential for sure.

Simone Biles & Sasha Farber #teamGoldenGiggles

Dance: Tango

Song: “Untouchable” by Tritonal and Cash Cash

This is another pair that is in it to win it! They both have such fun playful personalities and it will be a really fun match up! They had so much content skill for an opening week performance.

They were fantastic tonight. Simone was very graceful, they were a ton of fun to watch and I know this team will go far this season.

This season will be a ton of fun to watch and there is so much talent! It will be interesting to see who will make the final 3! As a fan I couldn’t be more excited!

Top of the leaderboard was Simone/Sasha. Bottom was Witney/Chris

If you want to see some fun pictures from the DWTS Winter Tour please feel free to follow me on social media @lightscmemories FB/IG/Twitter www.lightscmemories.com

Until Next Time,

XOXO

Heather

March 21, 2017