[General Gabbery: DWTS]

4 hours ago, spanana said:

And yes, she is Mandy Moore's fave and that has zero to do with Val.  What I don't enjoy about Mandy however is she has increasingly become a Chmerkovskiy shill and she has a tendency to feature the same couple of dancers over and over instead of giving us any variety.  Oh yea, and she knows little about ballroom and yes is the main choreographer for a ballroom show.

Remember when Maks brought her in to help him with his and Erin's contemporary freestyle because he only knows ballroom and that's her specialty? I think that was the beginning of the Mandy Moore/Chmerkovskiy era on DWTS. Erin even mentioned it when she was on All Access with Maks a few seasons ago -- "We were the first to use Mandy Moore and then she got a job on the show. You're welcome Mandy Moore."

But that also reminds me that when the show started with a troupe, two of the members were Nicole and Ted Volynets, neither of whom could dance very well (certainly not at a professional/TV level - Nicole was dumped after one season);. The show was definitely catering to Maks back in those days. But, to be fair, they also put Hayley in the troupe once she hooked up with Derek.

[In The Media: DWTS]

6 hours ago, Emily-D said:

Sharna is frustrating but popular. I had a look at the likes ranking on FB when they announced the pros and posted their individual photos. Sharna was way out in front with over 1k likes. Artem was second which didn’t surprise. He’s slowly cultivated a fanbase over the seasons and is probably the most popular male pro once you take away the Mark/Derek/Val hybrid. Lindsay was third then everyone else closely bunched behind. Unsurprisingly Keo and Gleb were at the bottom. Both are well past their sell by date and should have been dropped a while ago. IMO

I run so hot and cold on Sharna. I loved her with Charlie and James but she also annoys me a great deal. I will say I like her a whole lot better since she's seemed to pull away from the C fam.

Artem I didn't like when he first started but now he's definitely my favorite of the male pros. And I couldn't agree more that the Keo and Gleb experiments should've been over a long time ago.

I mentioned this in another post, but the level of pros now compared to the old pros is, to me, a big part of why the show is going downhill. I didn't care for LVA and when I first started watching I couldn't stand Karina, but boy could they dance and I enjoyed watching it. It was also much more focused on the celebs and their relationships with their pros (in fact, that's what turned me around on Karina, her relationship with Ralph Macchio) but now it seems more focused on showmances and all the pros hooking up. Anna/Johnathan and Edyta/Alec being married was barely a footnote, where Maks/Peta, Emma/Sasha, Val/Jenna and, to a lower extent, Derek/Hayley, now seem to be agendas the show actively pushes. 

I think one thing we're going to find this season is that the show really lacks something when they don't have at least one or two of the long time pros on. I hope the show catches onto that and brings one or two of them back each season.  I'm not sure how much longer I want to watch this current lineup.

[In The Media: DWTS]

1 hour ago, Happy Belly said:

Not this Yankee fan! I’m one of them that loathes any of those Boston people coming onto my team. Yeah I know. I take  this rivalry way too serious..lol

I still own a Johnny Damon Yankee shirt!

[In The Media: DWTS]

20 minutes ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

If Red Sox fans vote like Cubs fans, I think Johnny Damon is sticking around to the last show.

I'm not sure if Red Sox fans still hold a grudge about him going to the Yankees.....but Yankee fans will be voting in full force.

[In The Media: DWTS]

48 minutes ago, Thadeeeyus said:

I dislike  Jenna and would have a hard time supporting  any partner of hers.  In this case, I'm not an Adam fan either, so this pairing works for me.  I'm sure they're both hard at work practicing making love to the camera.

I'm sure Val has been coaching her on that between shows on the revisionist history tour! 

[In The Media: DWTS]

2 minutes ago, spanana said:

No, thank you. I will sit this season out.  I have no interest in any of the celebs, which doesn't mean I don't dislike them but there is nobody I actively want to root for currently.  Also they might as well just hand Jenna the fake 4 week mirrorball trophy now.  Yes, Mirai is also a ringer but it's dance ability plus personality and nobody is going to beat Adam in that department and as I said yesterday, 4 weeks is not going to be enough for any sort of story arc or change in feelings towards a particular competitor.  With others not having time to gain a fanbase, he is the clear winner.

I don't know, don't underestimate the football player, especially if he's charming and can dance. He could be another Rashad.

I also think that the current audience they have for the show is more focused on the pros than the celebs and this whole idea that each pro must win a mirrorball. For that reason, I think there will be heavy voting for Sharna and Artem, who seems to be the next two in line that fans want to see win, especially before newcomers Jenna and Alan.

Had this been a regular season with a few of the older pros sprinkled in, I'd be thinking Jennie Finch could be a lock, especially if she had a more popular pro like Mark or Maks. I have absolutely no faith that Keo will take her as far as she should go.

[In The Media: DWTS]

8 hours ago, Morrigan said:

Gleb went to the Russian Dancing with the Stars after leaving the US (his wife was a judge there, so I bet she arranged it.) Anyway he was given a girl who was 18 (Adelina Sotnikova), who had just won the 2014 Olympic gold medal in figure skating, and was the ringeriest ringer who ever rang - better than Mark's Kristi Yamaguchi. So even so, they were runners up, but she was, of course, amazing, and the choreography (probably aided by wife Elena) was great (I saw some of it and yes, the girl could really dance, probably better than Gleb...) In an interview, his wife Elena claimed Gleb was now the "new Derek Hough."

Anyway, the franchise took notice and he got a job on the mothership Strictly Come Dancing. He was given a so-so partner, slim and 30-something, and he created what became known as "Gleb specials" which got a lot of publicity and attention for the show, which these shows crave. One Gleb special was him crawling like a crab with her hanging onto his underside - I think that's right - anyway, you could youtube "Gleb and Anita Rani" to see these phenomena...

So I imagine the American producers took notice and were ready to bring him back, due to all this success overseas. I don't know how he went over in Russia, but in Britain, his sexy looks were noticed and he did have a pretty good following I guess, but his personality was as blank as ever, imo. I still think they would have kept him on because they're in desperate need of tall male pros, but he probably asked for too much money or clout or whatever and then jumped at the chance of the better-paying US-DWTS gig.

 

That all makes sense why they brought him back. I never thought he would go anywhere as the "new Maks" because even when he was being a dick, Maks had a certain charm to him that Gleb did not have. I think they didn't help Gleb when they brought him back the same season Maks made his triumphant 82nd return to the ballroom. 

7 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

2-1/3 ringers with the obligatory ice skating contingent (giving TH 1/3) cuz she got chubby.  Football players are always popular with voters fsr, KAJ will be awkward and gangly most likely.  Hard to say what Damon, Arike, and Anderson will bring.  I'll watch until I determined that it's unwatchable.

I don't know how good he'll be but Johnny Damon will have Yankee AND Red Sox fan support That could keep him around (I'd say for awhile but there is no "awhile" in this version).

[In The Media: DWTS]

4 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

And why are Gleb and Sharna still being given a spot? Again????

I can understand Sharna. At this point, with this lineup, she's probably the biggest "headliner" as far as the female pros. Gleb I don't get at all. I'm not even sure why they brought him back after he appeared to be one and done. I think he was brought on to be the replacement "bad boy Russian" for Maks when he left the show but that went nowhere.....and then they brought him back the same season Maks returned to the show which didn't make any sense to me at all. I wish he'd just go away.

[In The Media: DWTS]

4 hours ago, spanana said:

The pro roster needs an overhaul IMO, especially the male side.  The one positive is a break from the Chmerkovskiy bros, but I can't even celebrate that since Jenna is a pro which means that Val will still be obnoxious anyway talking about how nobody deserves anything besides his lady love. Rumor has it that Jenna has Adam Rippon, so while I like Adam okay, I don't like the prospect of that.  They will both be turned up to an 11 at all times.

Absolutely. You look at this cast of pros next to the ones we had in the earlier seasons and it's a joke. The only one of the male pros I like is Artem. I would much rather see them bring back Tony or Louis or Jonathan than keep bringing on these young kids I couldn't care less about.

3 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

LMAO so Val made the producers give his girlfriend a ringer as payment for coming back next season? You know he is going to be inserting himself into her routines every week.

Her consolation prize for not being allowed to go on the revisionist history tour with the fam.

[In The Media: DWTS]

10 hours ago, DkNNy79 said:

I would have to agree with this.  Especially seeing Maks behavior with Vanessa Lachey this past season. 

I would too. Maks was clearly trying to start something up with Karina again when they did BWAT together and she wasn't interested. I honestly don't think she gives him or his ridiculous stunts a second thought.

[In The Media: DWTS]

8 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I'm not privy to, nor was I on this forum when/if it was discussed why they left.  Did they have "other projects" or were they drummed out?  

It was announced that Tony had just signed a long-term contract a couple of seasons before he stopped appearing, so he was clearly cut. Karina I think left on her own. She's been working her tail off performing all over the world with her partner since her last season with Doug Flutie.

[In The Media: DWTS]

6 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

You appear to know a lot more about the show than I do.  I actually don't mind the large production numbers, and I'm not discerning enough to tell the talent level of the pros apart from each other.  I'm not a big fan of what I would consider ringers.  Those like Jordan who clearly have some or much dance background or experience, or the ice skater with similar experience.  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Jordan's dancing, but to me, it was no different than watching two pros dance.  I'm more interested in seeing someone with little or no dance history developing into a decent dancer.  Skaters, gymnasts etc., while maybe not having actual dance background, certainly have a level of experience with getting their bodies to perform in an artistic manner, and imo, is a short leap to being a dance practitioner.  I realize that it would cut way back on the pool of potential candidates for the producers to choose from, so that will probably not change.  Plus, they do want folks that are having a moment in the spotlight for the most part.  I really have no interest in watching cute kids dance around.  Not my thing, but we'll see how the ratings go.  I don't mind athletes in a mix of people, but we'll see how that one goes also.

I don't care for ringers either. The first season I remember it being a big issue was Season 10, I thought for sure Evan Lysacek had it in the bag as soon as the cast was announced but it was clear the first week that no one stood a chance against Nicole Scherzinger. One of my least favorite seasons has been Season 18, when the entire show revolved around giving Maks his long-whined-about mirrorball with the help of someone who was basically a professional dancer. 

I thought the level of ballroom dancing was far superior with pros like Karina, Derek, Cheryl, Mark, Maks and Tony than what we get with pros like Peta, Emma, Sasha, Witney and Keo. The only two "newer" pros I feel are up to the quality of the original pros are Val and Artem.

[In The Media: DWTS]

11 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I'm with you.  If these are the ideas that were chosen to breathe life into the show, they should go back to the conference room.  Personally, I would prefer fewer contestants, therefore a shorter season.  That may not be popular or feasible.

I'd return to the things that made the show what it is today --- top quality pros, adult contestants, simple ballroom dances with just the pro and their partner on the floor, Tuesday night results show with musical guests and pro dances. None of the gimmicks, none of the big stage productions with 17 dancers out there.

For me, the show really changed when they started getting their pros from Burn the Floor and SYTYCD. The original lineup were world champion dancers and even the ones I didn't much care for, I would much rather see out there than Peta or Witney or Keo.

[In The Media: DWTS]

5 hours ago, classique said:

I follow hockey, and her husband was never a star. He seemed to love media attention way out of proportion to his abilities on the ice. I can see him wanting to do the show to increase his social media profile, but I call BS on his claim he just wants to "learn how to lead his wife". 

My top choice for a football player to do the show would be Jimmy Garoppolo. He's gorgeous and has a great personality.

I figured we were either going to get him or the cokehead hockey player Erin married. I'd be happy with neither of them.

[In The Media: DWTS]

10 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

I read in the recent PEOPLE magazine that Val Ch. will have a book coming out in the spring...sounds like a type of memoir, coming to America, etc....I guess it could be interesting....I guess the Brothers want to keep their name out there.

I think it's wonderful that they've made something of themselves, but I also think it's time for them to move on. I feel the same way about their "family over everything" schtick.

[In The Media: DWTS]

2 hours ago, calipiano81 said:

Charlie an an All-Star athlete would be wonderful, and it would be a much better experience for him without Meryl. IMO, the way things turned out Season 18 had nothing to do with anything Charlie/Sharna did or did not do. It was unfortunate that Charlie shared a fanbase with Meryl and the show was set to use him as a sacrificial lamb for Meryl/Maks. 

I thought Charlie was fantastic and he and Sharna were a great partnership. For me, Charlie's posture, carriage, musicality, timing, and polish came the closest in the series to matching the male pros (naturally, given his profession). I thought his foxtrot and quickstep were sublime. While the standard ballroom dances were slightly more his forte than Latin, I also really liked his cha cha, rumba, jive, and paso. In no way did I think Sharna gave him "too much." The level of difficulty of his dances were exactly what I expect for a contestant of his caliber. There were a couple of dances that weren't absolutely flawless, but so what? It did not take away from my enjoyment of his dancing. And if you're perfect all the time, people will just find other things to complain and criticize.

I also loved Charlie. His Supercalifragilistic dance is one I still rewatch. I hate what the show did to him and how they used him to get Maks his mirrorball. But Charlie seemed very aware of what was going on, and he seemed to have no use for the C fam. He gets points for that.

1 hour ago, calipiano81 said:

I think it could be because we've never really witnessed the blossoming of their relationship from Kym's side. It's mostly been Robert whom we've seen and heard fawning over her. And since Kym is sweet to everyone, for me, it is hard to tell whether she has particularly strong feelings for anyone.

Yes. And the fact Robert was just getting out of a marriage and he apparently didn't take it well. It seemed like he latched onto the first woman who came along. And then I got really creeped out by those pics of him visiting a dominatrix and being tied up.

[In The Media: DWTS]

3 hours ago, crowceilidh said:

Why do you say this Toonces464?:

I don't get the feeling from things he's said that Charlie's DWTS experience was very enjoyable.

[In The Media: DWTS]

5 hours ago, realdancemom said:

It would make more sense to use All Star athletes since 4-6 weeks is too short to get to know new athletes.   I would remove Laurie and Meryl from your list since they already won.  Plus, I would add some male stars with female pros.  So my list would be:

1.  Paige/Mark

2.  Nastia/Val

3. Simone/Sasha

4. Nancy/Artem

5. James/Sharna or Charlie/Sharna

6. Calvin/Lindsay?  Or another football player?

Val isn't an option since he'll be touring during the mini season. And I don't think Charlie White will ever step foot near DWTS again.

I would love to see Jason Taylor back with Edyta. I loved him.  I know he also won, but give me another season of Rashad and Emma, even if it's only a few weeks.

1 hour ago, BW Manilowe said:

From ET Online: Robert and Kym (Johnson) Herjavec Expecting First Child Together

Congratulations to them. I've always loved Kym. But something about her relationship with Robert has always bugged me.

[In The Media: DWTS]

4 hours ago, spanana said:

I think with Val yes, all of his friends have gotten married and are now starting to have kids so I think he feels left out and wants to settle down.  If he finds happiness with Jenna then so be it.  They might very well be in love but there certainly is a revisionist history happening.  Jenna deleted her former blogs talking about she had gotten out of an unhealthy one-sided toxic relationship (which was very much about Val) and in interviews they talk about how they have been together for 2-3 years.  Yeah, only if you don't count the part where he dated Amber Rose and she dated whoever and the various points where they were broken up or in hiding. 

Again, he's following in Maks's footsteps. Maks seriously said in an interview that he and Peta never really broke up. Seriously Maks? Did we all just imagine those six months you were "dating" Kate Upton and you and Lizzie Grubman were plastering it in any tabloid you could find? Or the months you were pretending to date JLo? Did we all imagine when you went on Access Hollywood and said you were single, and that your relationship with Peta was over? 

This is why I don't buy either of the C bros and their relationships. 

[In The Media: DWTS]

3 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

For a while, yes. Once they don't need someone anymore, they can get lost. Poor Jenna will be dropped like a hot potato once Val breaks up with her again for the millionth time.

I have a feeling that, much like Maks, Val sees everyone around him settling down and will settle for whatever he can quickly and easily get without much effort.

[In The Media: DWTS]

2 hours ago, vdw84 said:

The whole #justiceforjenna thing is so stupid. She isnt family because she is f a Cbro doesnt make her family and V has made it clear that this tour is about fam. I have no desire to go see either tour because I went to dwts tour a couple years ago and it was not that good and quite cheesy. Its something about going to watch dancing routines and they all endup looking the same.

Yes but with the C fam, all you have to do is come within 50 feet of them to be considered family!

[In The Media: DWTS]

25 minutes ago, spanana said:

I would think Derek is done because isn't he still attached to that other dance show for a competing network? I'm sure he's not allowed to do both at the same time.  As it is, I don't get the mini season.  Does it count as S26?  Are they going to count the winner of a mini-season on par with the winners of the previous seasons because I'm betting fans will have a big problem with that if 1/3 of the time/effort gets rewarded in the same way as a regular season.  4 weeks isn't enough time to really get invested in any team/celeb.  I'm sure they must have to air something in the spring, but I'm still hoping they rethink it a bit.

From what Tom said, Season 26 will be in the fall.

[In The Media: DWTS]

I've wondered if they might take advantage of the mini-season to bring back some of the original pros who either don't have a place anymore in a regular season (like Tony and Anna) or who have moved on with their careers and don't have three months to dedicate to a full season (like Karina and Derek).

[In The Media: DWTS]

6 hours ago, BrainyBlonde said:

I'm afraid to get my hopes up, but does this Maks/Val/Peta tour mean that all three of them will NOT be participating as pros in the spring mini-season of DWTS? I had a look at their tour schedule, which starts in the latter half of March (same time as DWTS does normally), and it's jam-packed, with several months of them doing multiple shows a week. I just don't see how any of them could do the tour while teaching a celeb partner and appearing on the live DWTS shows. I am seriously giddy at the thought of a season without the C-bros.

I think we might finally get lucky! Unless DWTS does the season very early or very late in the spring, there's no way they'll be able to tear themselves away from raising the baby on a tour bus to do the mini-season.

[In The Media: DWTS]

8 minutes ago, spanana said:

I think with Jenna it's a combination of having Val and co. backing her with TPTB and demanding things for her probably and also she is Mandy Moore's fave, so she assists Mandy and Mandy will put her front and center in all numbers.  So Mandy has a lot to do with it too, though Mandy clearly doesn't have a say in who becomes a pro.  Mandy can make sure you're seen, but she just can't guarantee you a pro spot.  Dance teachers and choreographers seem to love Jenna because technically she's extremely skilled.

I expect she and the brothers will implode if she doesn't get a pro spot next season (I'm betting she does for the mini season though) because Jenna already posted a thing about how she had lost her love and passion of dance these last few months and blah blah blah.  Yeah, of course she did.  Because she went from being the center of attention at SYTYCD to the troupe/background at DWTS.  If the troupe is beneath you then leave and let Brittany Cherry have her job back.

I think with Peta it's also partly that she's just not that ambitious honestly.  Maybe she was but she seems like now that had Shai, she's more focused on motherhood and that side of her life than her endeavors beyond DWTS.  Jenna is still single (ish) and hungry for fame/success.

I don't watch SYTYCD and don't know much about Jenna outside DWTS but I can't handle all her mugging for the camera so she's never been someone I've liked watching. I think it overshadows her dancing, it's so noticeable.

Peta was like this before she had the baby. The first time around with Maks, her world revolved around him and his family. During the breakup she seemed to start focusing on herself but the second Maks took her back, she dropped everything from her business endeavors to her friends and the entire focus of her world became whatever Maks wanted. And that's what it still continues to be. If she was that focused on motherhood and that side of her life, Maks and Val would be touring on their own, rather than her dragging a year old baby around the country on a tour bus for 3 months.