<p>and since this is CC, after all ;)</p>
<p>Karina Smirnoff graduated from Fordham University with a double major: economics and information processing. She planned on attending law school but then sidetracked into her dancing again.</p>
<p>Agree that Rob has been fun to watch. I’d love to know what Cheryl and Derek do to get so much out of their partners. Derek has been in the finals the past three seasons that he’s been on the show. And I don’t buy that some of them get the best dancers, like Maks alleged. Who would have thought Rob Kardashian would improve so much? I have to think Cheryl has something to do with it.</p>
<p>eta: Thanks for that info, ignatius. I assumed these pros danced and only danced their entire lives.</p>
<p>Yeah, and thank you Batllo for reminding us of Nancy Grace’s “under carriage” while cartwheeling. I won’t be able to get that visual out of my head all day today…</p>
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<p>They seem to do it in different ways–perhaps it’s because we’re dealing with the difference between men and women here. Cheryl is much more of a task master; Derek realizes that if you want a woman to perform to her best, you have to get her confidence up. </p>
<p>Both are great at getting their partners to believe that they are there to support them 100%.</p>
<p>I was mesmerized by Karina’s waist line! It looked Scarlett O’Hara small!!</p>
<p>At our house we did not understand Rob getting 10s, he has improved amazingly, but he is still somewhat clunky & awkward, hands, arms, body carriage. His 10 routine did not compare to JRs 10. With his sister’s 10k twitter followers potentially calling in, I hope he does not win, my mother would have a fit!!</p>
<p>I totally agree somemom. I’d really get annoyed that the Kardashains would get a bunch of wannabees to vote Rob the winner. It should be about the dancing and Rob is simply not as good as JR.</p>
<p>I don’t understand Rob getting all the high marks. 8s and an occassional 9 maybe, but 9s and 10s? Come on. </p>
<p>Is the show rating dancing or improvement? I don’t know.</p>
<p>What percent of the total are the judges’ scores versus the audience voting?</p>
<p>I think the Kardashian empire must have some dirt on someone at DWTS, esp. Carrie Ann. It’s the only explanation for his success. He deserved top 5 or 6, but not top three or two or one! </p>
<p>I think JR is the best dancer by far. Rob is clunky and his arms are awful. Ricki is very tight and stressed looking despite getting the steps right. Just my two cents…</p>
<p>Agreed that Rob has improved the most…but he is still not as good as the other two. Clunky is a good word for Rob’s footing. Go JR!</p>
<p>I think I must like Rob more than the rest of you. I really liked his freestyle. Still think JR should win.</p>
<p>Last night they outlined the scoring. It’s 50% last night’s audience vote and 50% total judges’ vote. But that judges’ 50% is a combination of what you saw last night and what they score tonight. I think that’s a way to make sure the judges pick the winner, assuming that the fan vote isn’t totally lopsided, which I think is a possibility, on JR’s side. That’s why Len scored JR so low, so it would look closer than it is. A seven? When that’s the kind of score he was giving Carson and Chaz??? Ridiculous.</p>
<p>Even though it was unpleasant I do hope the judges take to heart the criticism that Maks and Chaz leveled. I think they were both correct.</p>
<p>I think Rob is more fun to watch than JR, but I also hope JR wins.</p>
<p>We all have stupid relatives, Rob happens to have a whole passel of them.
Don’t hate on him, you don’t get to choose your family.</p>
<p>I enjoy both Rob’s and Jr’s expressions of excitement and joy while they dance with their partners and entertain the crowd.
In their performances both men are dancing as partners with Cheryl and Karina, not the pros dragging them along through their paces and choreography.</p>
<p>Ricki is still looking at Derek for guidance and instruction.
She has the look of abject terror until the dance is over.
Poor Derek must be exhausted propping Ricki up physically and mentally for 3 months.</p>
<p>At the gym, very opiniated views on who would/should/could win.
All compelling arguments, faves and betting the odds.</p>
<p>@jshain-you have to take a shot of the alcoholic beverage of your choice if Nancy Grace upends herself tonite at the grand finale.
I bet she wants to show America her “talent” one last time.</p>
<p>This is one “grand finale” that I could just as well skip. I find it agonizingly painful to re-watch the routines of those who were sent packing. Anyone need any reminders? Let’s see, there was Ron Artest and Elizabetta Canalis, in the earlier weeks, and then of course there was Chaz Bono and Nancy Grace in the later weeks. </p>
<p>Thank heavens for the DVR…</p>
<p>OMG! I knew it! I’m happy he won!!</p>
<p>I have to admit that I watched Parenthood instead of the last hour, but I flipped over in time to see who won. I’ll wait for the dances to get posted on YouTube.</p>
<p>^^ me too, although I was watching Sons of Anarchy. Tuned in just in time, switched right back to SOA.</p>
<p>Despite being a DWTS devotee in earlier seasons, I haven’t seen any this time. (Mostly the problem is that I can only watch it on Hulu, due to some inexplicable degradation in our television reception, and it’s too herky jerky on Hulu.) Last night I watched the freestyle episode. Very interesting.</p>
<p>ITA with everyone’s comments about Ricki. She’s so tense and stiff and small in her movements that it really detracts, despite being probably the best of the three, technically. I love watching Derek’s choreography, but it seemed to me that there was a definite limit as to what he could do with her, which is probably why he resorted to ripping his shirt off, which is not like him. Someone had to supply some pizzazz. 
Rob and JR both visibly enjoy dancing with their partners, despite being a bit clunky. I liked JR’s cha cha, because he looked like a real man dancing a samba (yes samba) with a woman. It wasn’t very cha cha-like, though. </p>
<p>I thought the freestyles of both JR and Rob were very good. Cheryl did a GREAT job choreographing hers, and the costuming was excellent. Just like the old days. (I still can’t get over what she did with Gilles Marini. I still can’t help thinking she must have been “encouraged” to throw it.) Rob was a tad dancing-bearish, but he really moved. JR looked a bit too much like he was doing an athletic routine–I wish he had been more sensual, as in the first dance–but nevertheless he really moved, too. It says something that Karina didn’t overwhelm him.</p>
<p>It looks like JR or Rob for the win, to me. JR seems like a great guy. You have to forgive Rob for his family. Not his fault. :)</p>
<p>This is the first time that I’ve been watching it that the 3 finalists were so close together after Monday night’s performance in my eyes. I would not have been able to choose which one of the 3 to drop out first.</p>
<p>But happy to see JR and Karina win–not so much for JR, but for Karina. JR also wanted to win it for Karina. It seemed to me that by the end, HE was propping her up, rather than vice versa.</p>
<p>I don’t think the Kardashians have any dirt on Carrie Ann, LOL! But Carrie Ann is a sucker for stories–think Chaz Bono–and Rob is a story.</p>
<p>Well, moving on to next March–I’d love to see them get Jamie Lee Curtis to dance. She was in the audience a lot when Jennifer Grey was dancing. And please, don’t bring Maks back. Let him move on–there are plenty of great male dancers out there.</p>
<p>I can’t believe I couldn’t watch last night’s show. Still, I totally predicted JR would win. And about all that scoring bologna … (from YDS’s post: Last night they outlined the scoring. It’s 50% last night’s audience vote and 50% total judges’ vote. But that judges’ 50% is a combination of what you saw last night and what they score tonight.). Truth is, it’s all about ratings and popularity. If the ratings say a wounded veteran should win, then he’d win. This is exactly what Maks was complaining about: the judges don’t really focus on dancing, but on what makes the ratings. Of course we realize this! </p>
<p>Still I’m glad JR won. No matter how many votes the Kardashians got going, Rob would never have won over the better dancer who is also a wounded veteran.</p>
<p>No Maks?? I would be quite sad … he is HOT when he dances (I don’t pay attention to the off-the-dance-floor stuff). The only thing that would make me feel better if he were to move on would be if George Clooney were to sign on … and no, I don’t care whether or not he can dance! :)</p>
<p>Agree with George Clooney comment!</p>