- Apr 8, 2011
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On DWTS, Sadie Roberts and Bindi Irwin were both around Lauries age and had some of the same struggles with learning how to do mature dances but I dont remember either of them being treated this way. I want to imagine that Laurie is a lot more mature than she is portrayed on the show.
It's starting to get on my nerves a little. I can't imagine watching a 19 year old being treated that way though, yikes! You're not even a teenager, you are an adult at that point...
@njallday val's speeches on the show/social media posts about Laurie have weirded me out a little. He talks about her like shes older but the show doesn't portray her as that and it creates some dissonance for me. I don't really blame him, entirely. It's just... weird. It's amplified bc she's a minor, too. Sophie was a minor when she was a contestant but her persona on the show was not child-like. The girl from the Hunger Games, who played Rue, was younger than Laurie I think and she wasnt "childish". I feel like the show completely missed the "young" and went right to "child".
But yeah, maybe Val just struggles with the balance between mature and sexy. I don't think Laurie can quite pull off "sexy" so Val was like "no mature freestyle dance for you." Both Mark and Derek can create mature dances that aren't "sexy" and it has worked well for their younger partners. (I miss Mark, can Jersey Boys close already?)
I'd love to see Sharna and James win for Sharna as well. She has been an incredible coach and choreographer the past couple of seasons.
I agree that Mark and Derek have handled younger stars really well, Mark especially with the Robertson's looming to make sure Sadie stayed looking Christian and wholesome at all times.
Val was paired with Zendaya when she was 16, and granted social media wasn't as big and their age gap was smaller, but I don't remember feeling weird about their partnership like I do with Laurie/Val. Maybe traveling all over the country and being together 24/7 without the rest of the cast to balance it out just amped up their closeness?
But YES to Sharna. I go back and forth with her; some seasons I love her and some I don't really get into any of her dances. I still think she deserves an Emmy for that Paso Doble with Noah Galloway. There were little hints of that Paso in James' freestyle when he was "fighting" the grim reaper/death/whatever the two guys dressed in black were portraying and it brought me back. It's time for her to win.