S31.E01: Season 31 Premiere

[CheshireCat]

Quote

Professional dancers pair with celebrities to train and compete in ballroom dancing, receiving guidance from of a panel of experts along the way.

Air date: Sep 19, 2022

[Ladybugnine]

Anyone here?

[funnygirl]

The D'Amelio's gotta go. The daughter is a ringer and neither are stars. There are a good amount of actual stars that could take this to the final, and I would hate to see any of them go over a social media influencer and her mom. JMO

[cherrycoke]

Loved Selma!

[Sd601]

Loved Daniel and Wayne, Jordin and Selma.

I love Koko but whew, that dance with Vinny was a mess. He is not my favorite type of personality. Glad they get another chance though. 
 

speaking of personality, I don’t think Charli has the endearing personality to win. Great dancer obviously, but remember Heather Morris? Great technical dancer, but voters didn’t connect. But maybe her following will vote for her, like Bobby Bones. Geez, 100+ million followers. I follow about 10 people—my kids and their friends. And they all post stupid stuff. 🤷‍♀️ Mark didn’t seem to have the joy that he sometimes does when he loves his partners. I loved him with Sadie. Or Lindsey Sterling, whom I thought I saw in the audience. 
 

Edited September 20, 2022 by Sd601

[Josh371982]

2 minutes ago, Sd601 said:

Loved Daniel and Wayne, Jordin and Selma.

I love Koko but whew, that dance with Vinny was a mess. He is not my favorite type of personality. Glad they get another chance though. 
 

speaking of personality, I don’t think Charli has the endearing personality to win. Great dancer obviously, but remember Heather Morris? Great technical dancer, but voters didn’t connect. But maybe her following will vote for her, like Bobby Bones. Geez, 100+ million followers. I follow about 10 people—my kids and their friends. And they all post stupid stuff. 🤷‍♀️ Mark didn’t seem to have the joy that he sometimes does when he loves his partners. I loved him with Sadie. Or Lindsey Sterling, whom I thought I saw in the audience. 
 

You saw right! Lindsey was there! And I'm asboulety NOT SHOCKED the Tik Tok star got the highest score!! Also sucks for Jason that the Real Housewives felon just had to be saved. 

[vibeology]

I was skeptical but I thought this worked fairly well. Adding Alfonso, who has actual tact, talent etc to the mix smooths Tyra out.

There are stars I don't care about but there are enough people I've excited for. Wanye/Witney shone so bright. If you're Witney and Wayne Brady opens the door, you have to be thinking that you're going to the finale, right? There dance was on a whole other level in terms of performance and he works hard and has a good base so the technique will come. 

Jordin was great. I'm not a Bachelor person but Gabby has potential. Shangela too has some serious potential. She can perform and has crazy energy. Daniel explaining why a Ducksauce song was his favourite was so endearing and he followed it up with some great dancing. Cheryl Ladd probably won't win but I think her potential for growth is huge. Same with Joseph which is a shock but he really threw himself into the process and that attitude along with Daniella's creativity will be a huge asset moving forward.

Both D'Amelios will be here for a while. Charli is the better dancer but I think her mom is the more likeable person. I don't know who picked it but that Charli-filled background during her dance was ew. That being said, if she gives in to the process of this show, she might become more likeable. And that with her dancing and Mark's creativity are going to be hard to beat.

As for Teresa, Vinny, Jesse, Sam and Trevor none of them sparked for me. Jason was somehow even worse so I'm glad he went home but the rest of them can leave any time now.

I forgot to mention Selma who made me cry. It was beautiful and I hope that her experience on this show is good for her physical and emotional health.

Edited September 20, 2022 by vibeology

[nickp1991]

Wayne Brady is going to win this competition I’m calling it now!!

[Phebemarie]

Selma seemed so fragile at the end of her performance.  I'd be afraid the most rigorous dances will really exhaust her.  

[White Dog]

I didn't see a lot of the show but Wayne Brady is the best performer out there.  If he decides to buckle up on the technique he will be there in the finale. Also  I liked Joseph.- he seems like he has the right combination of potential and humbleness.. I already loved Daniella's choreo. 

Of course the young tic tok girl is a dancer - good to see Mark, but not diggin the hipster man bun thingy. Also, he looks bored. 

What's with the odd personality of that Bachelorette?  Not a fan. 

The drag queen is really good- will put a spark in Gleb's less than interesting choreo.

I didn't see the others.  the streaming sucked on my tv. but i got in on the free week so I think Ill just watch it later on youtube. 

Tyra is still as bad as she was last year, so she takes my enjoyment of the show down about 5 levels.  She even got it wrong about Wayne and Witney not being top of the leaderboard. half way through but they just danced! Then she blames it on someone in her earplug...The woman doesn't' watch the show, does she. Alfonso should be doing the Tom Bergeron hosting bit and Banks can wallow somewhere upstairs. 

Edited September 20, 2022 by White Dog

[Melonie77]

It was weird watching the show as a streamed entity but overall it was better than I thought. I liked that their were no commercials, that the audience is back and thought there were a number of interesting 'stars'. 

Like everyone else though I can't stand Tyra. She is just awful as a host and pulls the show down in a number of ways. I don't like her habit of talking at manic speeds, and her banter is bad. Her habit of making mistakes surfaced already on night one. I also thought there was something off between her and Alphonso - I bet she does not appreciate his presence.
I know they each can't help their physical size but they look strange together. Tara absolutely dwarfs Alphonso. I thought shows like this usually try to pick co-hosts that compliment each other in appearance a bit more. They should ask her to leave and find someone more professional. I did appreciate having two hosts again and it was really nice not to have Tyra spend time changing into different outfits and strutting around like it was a modeling show.

My favorite dancers were Gabby who I have also been rooting for on the Bachelorette, Trevor D who did a decent quickstep for someone afraid of dancing(!), Cheryl Ladd who had lovely arm movements and is 71(!), and Wayne Brady of course - he had great musicality! I also enjoyed and admired both Selma and Daniel and made sure to vote for them.

I thought Joseph Bueno was a bit corny and was overdoing the muscle flexing, but I ended up enjoying his dance and I look forward to what Daniella can do with him. That is a good pairing and I think we'll see some great lifts from those two. I enjoyed Shangela and think she will be very entertaining. I hope to see Sam Champion around for a bit as I felt a soft spot for him.

I don't like Theresa G so she can go next if possible. And although the SM mother and daughter were good I don't feel too interested in them. I was actually kind of disappointed that the daughter was so good because I would not want to see her run away with he show.

Voting was a little tricky since they wanted to eliminate someone on the first night. I kept the voting page open while watching the show on my laptop but I don't like to vote until after I see the dance. The person who goes last is at a disadvantage for those who feel the same way. Also, if you rewind at all you will run into trouble. I put the show back a couple of times and had to keep reminding myself that the voting time span was going to end and I still had not seen 4 or 5 dances.

I liked how each star got to pick their own party dance song but I hope the show doesn't have too many themes this year. They're going with an Elvis one next week already.

For those who watched the Bachelorette show, did you notice who was in the audience to support Gabby? No fiancé that I could see - it was Rachel! She was sitting with Val's wife Jenna.

[Melonie77]

nm🙃

Edited September 22, 2022 by Melonie77

[Electruck]

I am so happy Wayne Brady is on the show! I love him, and want him to have more of a career. I also love Jordin Sparks, she’s adorable. I’m surprised I enjoyed Joseph as much as I did — he seems like a good egg. He was fun and showed potential. Yay Cheryl Ladd! 
Maybe it was first show awkwardness, but the TikTok girl (Charli?) was pretty bland on the floor.

I wanted Jessie James Decker to stop gaping like a fish during her dance.

[boyznkatz]

The no commercials was awesome! They weren’t so rushed and we got to see everyone interviewed. I kind of like it better on Disney. I liked Wayne, Daniel and Selma.

The only real duds were the criminal, Vinny and Joseph Baena (who was awful but Arnold must be paying someone to keep him on). That Jason guy wasn’t good, but he was better than the felon.

That Bachelorette and the Tik Tok people can dance, but they have the personality of cardboard boxes. I just don’t see how Charli has 145 million followers. She isn’t the least bit interesting.

[peachyleisure]

Liked the addition of Alfonso Ribeiro as a co-host to kind of balance out Tyra's erratic live hosting style. But how were they running low on time without commercials?

About tonight's performances though:

• Jordin & Brandon - Going first is tough, but Jordin killed it! Great opening dance for tonight's show. Probably could've scored higher if she performed in the middle or second half.
• Sam & Cheryl - It was a nice dance. Decent start but he has a lot to improve on.
• Heidi & Artem - Heidi's dancing was fine but she seemed a little nervous to me. I think she has the potential to do well on the show or at least get to the mid point.
• Daniel & Britt - Love their team chemistry and it was interesting to hear why he chose that song! I'm excited to watch their journey.
• Jessie & Alan - I thought JJD's performance seemed too stompy and hoppy? It was an odd song choice for a cha cha. And didn't like her complaining about juggling between her duties as a mom and dance practice.
• Teresa & Pasha - Disagreed with the judges' scores and thought she deserved much lower. Teresa basically looked like she was walking through it. Poor Pasha.
• Wayne & Witney - It was a very fun performance to watch but could've contained more cha cha content.
• Cheryl & Louis - I'm glad I was wrong about her! She looked like she was having a lot of fun and I thought she was one of the better elder contestants that has appeared on this show.
• Vinny & Koko - Vinny's movements looked small and like he was lacking energy. The judges were very harsh on them and while it wasn't a great performance, I didn't think they were the worst of the night.
• Shangela & Gleb - I think Shangela will be one of the fun ones to watch this season!
• Trevor & Emma - This was a pleasant surprise! I really thought it was going to be a train wreck after he talked about his fear of dancing. Slightly underscored, in my opinion.
• Gabby & Val - She did well and I enjoyed Val's choreography here. I liked Gabby on The Bachelor/Bachelorette but not sure if her personality will resonate well with DWTS viewers.
• Joseph & Daniella - Agreed with the judges' critiques. I'm sure the jive isn't an easy dance and Daniella did really well with him!
• Jason & Peta - I thought Jason was okay and had a lot of room to improve. Agreed with the judges' scores but how did he score lower than Teresa??
• Selma & Sasha - It was so beautiful and amazing! This is another partnership I'm excited to watch throughout the season.
• Charli & Mark - Not much to say here. It was exactly what I expected, but I was more interested in watching Mark the whole time.

I was honestly disappointed that the judges all unanimously chose to save 

Spoiler

Teresa & Pasha over Jason & Peta. I hope she will be the next one to go.

. Overall, it was a good season premiere and was happy to see the full intro packages, actual judges' comments, a proper farewell to the eliminated pair, and the show mentioning the pros' last names,

Edited September 20, 2022 by peachyleisure

[anonymiss]

I abhor man buns but Mark Ballas is so sensational when he dances, I was fixated to him. I remember when Julianne crudely accused him of purposely choreographing to outshine his partners--well, the man can't help it, dammit lol. I feel he should have been at least a 3X mirror ball champion tbh, but his freestyles kind of get muddled.

Alfonso is a natural but he feels pressure sometimes to riff off Tyra's dominant and frantic energy. She's a bad influence for this.

Too bad Jason and Peta got booted. Would have been a hot pairing to continue to watch. I love Peta but I don't see a lot of love for her so wasn't surprised.

Also, Koko is gorgeous. It's nice to see an Asian pro. Too bad she has to deal with all that obnoxiousness in Vinnie.

ETA: 

I recall when Mark danced with Paige Van Zant and others I definitely noticed them, as much as I enjoy Mark, so Charli may be a bit dull. We shall see.

Edited September 20, 2022 by anonymiss

[anonymiss]

5 hours ago, White Dog said:

Alfonso should be doing the Tom Bergeron hosting bit and Banks can wallow somewhere upstairs. 

So true. For her talk show personality and background, this is what she wants to do anyway. That's why it's so jarring and annoying when she sucks up judges time trying to get a talk show moment out of the dancers. Alfonso would be perfect in the traditional host role. If only Tyra's ego would allow this switch-up.

[Lady Calypso]

5 hours ago, peachyleisure said:

Liked the addition of Alfonso Ribeiro as a co-host to kind of balance out Tyra's erratic live hosting style. But how were they running low on time without commercials?

I think it's simply because they have a lot of couples and can only dedicate so much time to them in the premiere. 16 couples with only 105-110 minutes of screentime (factoring in the last ten minutes for announcing the elimination, of course, and the first five minutes to the opening number and explaining things), and that DOES leave...what, eight-nine minutes per couple? Which includes rehearsal package, the minute and a half dance, judges' comments and Alfonso's post-interview+scores. 

That being said, they'll thin out the competition, which WILL leave more time and they did end up smoothing things out by the end. It still works better because of the lack of commercials. 

8 hours ago, White Dog said:

Alfonso should be doing the Tom Bergeron hosting bit and Banks can wallow somewhere upstairs. 

I actually somewhat disagree. Part of the Erin Andrews job in the Skybox is connecting with the couples and giving them the time to speak. As we even saw on the dance floor with Tyra, she tends to interject when she shouldn't. She SHOULD just be sticking to announcing the couples and pointing at the judges. There's no good option on where to stick Tyra, but the last place I'd want her is in the Skybox, asking questions about the couples because she tends to ramble and make it about herself somehow. Alfonso is good at connecting with the couples, they just need to dedicate more time up there.

I have a lot of thoughts about the sixteen couples but I'll save that for a different post. But to just talk about the general move, I do think it's ultimately better. Not only because I can finally vote, but because the lack of commercials DID allow us to connect with the couples more. It ran smoothly; I'm impressed.

[vibeology]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

I actually somewhat disagree. Part of the Erin Andrews job in the Skybox is connecting with the couples and giving them the time to speak. As we even saw on the dance floor with Tyra, she tends to interject when she shouldn't. She SHOULD just be sticking to announcing the couples and pointing at the judges. There's no good option on where to stick Tyra, but the last place I'd want her is in the Skybox, asking questions about the couples because she tends to ramble and make it about herself somehow. Alfonso is good at connecting with the couples, they just need to dedicate more time up there.

Agreed. Tyra can do the least damage introducing couples and taking it to the judges. The producers even managed to get Alfonso in place to explain the tie breaker rule that flummoxed Tyra completely several times last year. I'd prefer Not Tyra overall but I'd much rather have Alfonso getting the interesting screentime riffing with the couples and have Tyra stick to the very scripted intros.

[thesupremediva1]

Oh look, a professional host who knows how to host a live show! Why is Tyra still there again?

Should note, I only got to watch for about 10 minutes last night because the crappy Disney+ app kept crashing. It wouldn't let me watch from the beginning, either. Seems they're not able to handle the traffic - terrible user experience and thinking I might just catch dances on YouTube from now on.

While the Tik Tok parade grates, I actually know and like a lot of the celebs! It's obvious they got Mark back by offering him a ringer. But he needs to lose than awful man bun and cut his hair. 

Len, you gave Meryl Davis an 8 on her week 1 in 2014. Because she was the best. Ever. Charli is cute but she's not inspiring to watch. However, her partner is a DWTS legend who will take her far. 

Whitney looks amazing.

Sharna looks so happy. I'll miss her this season. 

[Lady Calypso]

So, time to discuss the couples. Many were great, others were...not so.

• Jordin/Brandon: Jordin did really good for being the first one to dance. She WAS underscored, but typical for someone who goes first to get the harshest scores. Her partnership with Brandon is good, they clearly work well together and she has so much potential. This could be Brandon's year to get far...if he challenges himself with the choreography and take risks. If there's a time to do that, it's with Jordin, especially with other competition. I see her going far, but what will hinder her is if Brandon doesn't make her stand out. If he doesn't push the limits, Jordin will be a surprise elimination by semis or for a double.
• Sam/Cheryl: He looks very excited to be here. Definitely on the lower end of celebs this season, but with his friendship with Cheryl, and his excitement to be there, all she needs to do is push him and he can show vast improvements over the three/four weeks he could be here. I was happy with his dance because he seemed to love to be there. He has a lot of work to put in and he won't get too far (maybe to the first double elimination), but I can see him showing improvement.
• Heidi/Artem: Solid start. Heidi has potential but her biggest hurdle is the D'Amelio voting block. She will ALWAYS go before Charli, and it's only a matter of time where the split votes will matter. That being said, she isn't terrible, she can do well and get at least halfway, Artem just needs to push her. She needs to put more oomph into her dances but otherwise, she can get farther than a lot of others if she can prove herself.
• Daniel/Britt: The couple I was most excited for and the couple that I will be rooting for first. Their partnership is their strength. You can tell they already have that bond and Britt is a great teacher. He also did quite well for his first dance. He seemed nervous, seemed very in his head, so all Britt needs to work on is getting him to really enjoy himself. He can do well, and he already has the frame and the posture to continue to improve. He'll be around for a while, I can tell, and I'm excited to see him and Britt really step it up. Also, I LOVED that the show included his interpreter, Gabe. Gabe wasn't just offscreen or off to the side; he was actively involved for Daniel's segment and it was lovely to see everyone acknowledge Gabe. 
• Jessie/Alan: Oh yeah, they're not making it far at ALL. It's not just that her first dance was weak and her legs were all over the place, it's her attitude. Making excuses and whining is not going to help her at all. Plus, the rehearsal footage only showed Alan/Jessie's tense partnership. If they had any good moments, they didn't show them. It just showed Alan annoyed at her, and for good reason. And the judges seem to hate her; I base that off the fact that the entire time they talked to Jessie, it was critiquing her dance. I think Bruno mustered up one positive thing but for all the other couples, even the worst ones, they managed to give a "good try!" For Jessie, they didn't even bother. She hits the bottom two, she's 100% gone over anyone else. If she doesn't shut down her attitude and gain a more positive and hardworking outlook, she's going to have a miserable experience because the judges aren't going to go light on her with their critiques. 
• Teresa/Pasha: Wow, that was...bad. She looked miserable, didn't seem to want to be there, and her dance was all over the place. She absolutely deserved 4s for that dance. Will she improve? I don't think so. She should have gone last night, and I'll leave it at that.
• Wayne/Witney: To nobody's surprise, he did quite well. He has the performative ability, he has the skills, and he can absolutely be the winner. Such a fun first dance, although Witney could have put more content in. Wayne can deliver, it's clear he has the rhythm to do so. Witney can push him as far as she wants (and you know she will) and I think he'd do well. He's definitely the one to look out for this season. 
• Cheryl/Louis: Very happy that she surprised me. She was the one I was worried for and I'm glad she's around for a little while longer. She has the flexibility and movement and I think Louis can challenge her more. And I think he needs to because she likely won't be here too much longer, but she IS better than at least three other couples so if he pushes her, she can outlast those couples.

I'll do the second half in another post.

[Lady Calypso]

• Vinny/Koko: Well, that was...something. Personally, the worst dance of the night, MAYBE second worst above Teresa's. My issue is that he was painfully off beat throughout his entire dance. He was stiff, he was awkward, and there was just so much that I was bothered by. His score was deserved. However, can he improve? I hope so; I hope Koko pushes him hard next week because it'll be his make or break moment. And I want to see what Koko can do but ultimately, I would want him to go earlier, rather than later. I have a feeling his Jersey Shore fanbase will push him farther than other couples. But if he can improve, I'm willing to change my mind. His overall attitude is fine, which is why I'm not as hard on him as I am with Teresa. He just needs to focus on relaxing and moving his entire body more...and sticking on beat with the music.
• Shangela/Gleb: Well, who knew Gleb actually had it in him! This was my favourite dance of the night, and they have quickly become my second favourite couple to root for. Shangela did amazing, she really enjoyed herself and has the winner potential, but it's Gleb who surprised me. His content has always been so-so, and maybe it's still going to be the case, but this is the best start he's had...ever, really, and he has a celeb who can get him past fourth place. But it's on Gleb to get her there. Shangela has proven that she can do it, but Gleb needs to prove that he can choreograph stand-out dances. If he can do that, Shangela will get to the finals with ease.
• Trevor/Emma: He surprised me. I thought he'd be downright terrible, given the clip I saw of him dancing late last week. But he was actually not bad. Not amazing, mind you, but for being given one of the hardest dances on the first week, and how he has no dance experience, he did a decent job. He won't last long, but I think he's proven that he has some ability to dance. Emma could do well with him in the little time he's likely here. But he has potential to get farther than I initially thought he would.
• Gabby/Val: She did well, as was expected, and she had a good first dance. Maybe I'm just tired of Bachelorettes in general so I wasn't really wow'd by her. Objectively, she did well and will get very far and will be fine to watch. Subjectively, I'm just very meh about her. Val needs to just have fun and do something different with her. Let her stand out with her dances. She has a lot of heavy competition and so far, she's good but doesn't stand out next to other celebs.
• Joseph/Daniella: He did better than I thought he would. He has some potential, his enthusiasm shows and his partnership with Daniella is solid. He did a solid job, but Dani did outshine him at times. She does well as masking her partner's weaknesses through tricks and flips, but hopefully she can really push him to his limits because he seems like he could do it. I expect them to make it at least halfway, if not farther.
• Jason/Peta: Genuinely, I thought he was fine. Not strong at all, but better than a couple of others. I'm disappointed he was the one eliminated because he had true potential. This is why week 1 eliminations suck. But also he should NOT have gone unanimously. He seemed like he'd be eager to work hard and improve so it's a shame we won't see what he's capable of. 100% disagreed with the judges this time around; they messed up on their choice.
• Selma/Sasha: Beautiful dance, one of my favourites of the night. Their partnership is infectious and she did well with the choreography she was given. I'm glad that her doctors are in support and encouraged her to do this. And it seems like they'll make sure she's good to dance each week. I think Selma will struggle with the dances that require more movement (Jive/Quickstep) but I hope Sasha can work to her strengths. I think Selma will last a while because people won't want to land her in bottom two for a bit, so I'm excited to see what she's capable of.
• Charli/Mark: Not a surprise they left her to dance last. She DID do very well and if anyone can push her past her limits, it's Mark. She'll get to the finals if her fans are voting for her, but she IS talented enough to get there on her own and I have no doubt their future dances will be strong. Another clear frontrunner with winner's potential and I see her doing very well throughout the season.

[Fliz]

10 hours ago, Electruck said:

I wanted Jessie James Decker to stop gaping like a fish during her dance.

I thought she looked like a blowup doll.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Biggest complaint:  Fast Forward on Disney is pretty much worthless and I prefer to ff all the talking and only watch the dance 

16 is way too many couples. 
 

Good to see Cheryl and Louis back but Daniella has won my heart continuing her amazing choreography from last year. She is so fresh!

Tyra is still annoying. 

[boyznkatz]

What were the judges thinking? At least Jason looked like he could improve and looked happy to be there. Teresa was stiff, awkward, and looked like she didn't want to be there. Not even one judge voted for Jason? 

I was surprised that Vinny was so bad. Being a club dancer, he should have had a decent salsa.

[anonymiss]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

• Shangela/Gleb: Well, who knew Gleb actually had it in him! This was my favourite dance of the night, and they have quickly become my second favourite couple to root for. Shangela did amazing, she really enjoyed herself and has the winner potential, but it's Gleb who surprised me. His content has always been so-so, and maybe it's still going to be the case, but this is the best start he's had...ever, really, and he has a celeb who can get him past fourth place. But it's on Gleb to get her there. Shangela has proven that she can do it, but Gleb needs to prove that he can choreograph stand-out dances. If he can do that, Shangela will get to the finals with ease.

I liked Gleb's pairing with Jana but yeah it's a surprise seeing how he's never looked more excited. She seems very fun to be around. They have great chemistry.

Edited September 20, 2022 by anonymiss

[iMonrey]

So this show is only airing on Disney+ now? That is something I did not know. Or forgot. Out of 16 "stars" there are exactly four I have ever heard of before, in my life. And one of them just got the boot so we're down to three. At least we don't have the usual football/baseball/basketball "star" the judges always fawn over.

I only signed up for one month of Disney+ for $1.99 so I could see the new Pinocchio movie and I don't intend to renew when the month is up, so I won't see much more of this show, and I'm OK with that.

I did appreciate the addition of Alfonso though. I thought he did a much better job interviewing than Erin, Brooke or Sam. Now if we could just get rid of Tyra and bring back Tom Bergeron, we'd be in business.

[Josh371982]

1 hour ago, boyznkatz said:

What were the judges thinking? At least Jason looked like he could improve and looked happy to be there. Teresa was stiff, awkward, and looked like she didn't want to be there. Not even one judge voted for Jason? 

I was surprised that Vinny was so bad. Being a club dancer, he should have had a decent salsa.

What were they thinking? The felon is from the Garbage Real Housewives Franchise. No way the Producers was gonna have her leave first. Won't be surprised at all if her and Vinny last as possible before being cut by Judges. Both are popular due to JMO Garbage reality show franchises but bet Production will want them both a few shows. And Charil will continue to get the tongue baths cause God Awful Tik Tok must have their butt kissed as well

[boyznkatz]

11 minutes ago, Josh371982 said:

What were they thinking? The felon is from the Garbage Real Housewives Franchise. No way the Producers was gonna have her leave first. Won't be surprised at all if her and Vinny last as possible before being cut by Judges. Both are popular due to JMO Garbage reality show franchises but bet Production will want them both a few shows. And Charil will continue to get the tongue baths cause God Awful Tik Tok must have their butt kissed as well

I don't do Tik Tok or reality shows, but I don't really have a problem with Vinnie or the D'Amelios being there because they aren't criminals that we know of. I do have a problem with the Housewives felon, though. What is their obsession with that stupid show? It isn't exactly a ratings magnet and no one from the show ever lasts long.

[Melonie77]

15 hours ago, funnygirl said:

The D'Amelio's gotta go. The daughter is a ringer and neither are stars. There are a good amount of actual stars that could take this to the final, and I would hate to see any of them go over a social media influencer and her mom. JMO

Rumors of the mother / daughter duo being drafted to the show came out and were confirmed early. I wonder if the producers were having trouble drafting people and enlisted the SM pair thinking they may have a hard time filling out the rest of the cast. Other names that surfaced early ended up being wrong.
Maybe the switch to streaming and reports that the show's budget was reduced initially created problems for casting. Whatever happened though, they managed to overcome any issues and put together a decent cast with a lot of surprise names released at the last minute.

[Ilovepie]

Maybe I'm the only one glad this is on D+ - I don't have to deal with commercials! I do think it's a weird fit though - most of this show's audience I would imagine is older, not a group that uses streaming at all let alone D+.......

I didn't watch last season because of Tyra, but I like having Alfonso. It sort of balances her out. She didn't bug me as bad (for now anyway).

I think the fact that this is on a kid leaning platform, the ringer is a TikTok star AND her partner is Mark, the fix is in. But I liked Wayne, Shangela and Jordin better. Selma was so emotional to watch - I loved it, but wonder how she will cope with something like a jive or quick step? I also enjoyed Daniel - it's amazing to see someone deaf dancing. Joseph danced like a bull in a china shop, but he really went for it, and for that I like him - I would rather see someone giving it their all than just tentatively moving. Cheryl Ladd looks amazing.

[DEL901]

2 hours ago, anonymiss said:

I liked Gleb's pairing with Jana but yeah it's a surprise seeing how he's never looked more excited. She seems very fun to be around. They have great chemistry.

Wonder if it is like Jenna and JoJo.  Jenna was a different dancer and choreographer too.  Maybe the same sex pairing gives them a new challenge, and brings out something new from them. 

[vibeology]

3 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

What were the judges thinking? At least Jason looked like he could improve and looked happy to be there. Teresa was stiff, awkward, and looked like she didn't want to be there. Not even one judge voted for Jason? 

I was surprised that Vinny was so bad. Being a club dancer, he should have had a decent salsa.

As someone who agreed with the judges, I have to say I found Jason aggressively bad. Every step was wrong. His posture was wrong. His timing was wrong. He was so tense that there was zero performance. You could see him clearly counting out his steps. He was awful. Even Teresa and Vinny who were also awful managed to have at least one moment that looked positive. (Mind you for Teresa that was flipping a table but I'll take any spark I can get on night one.) Nothing I saw from Jason even suggested he could improve quickly enough for this show. If you told me he literally had two left feet, I'd believe you. And he tried. This isn't Master P or Kim Kardashian too cool for school. That was his best effort. Better to put him out of his misery. 

[babyhouseman]

It was nice with no commercials.. Alfonso does counteract Tyra, but she is still so annoying.

I'm a Mark fan so ringer, schminger. I wouldn't care about her if she was with another pro, but I love his choreography. Besides Daniella, nobody else really can show surprising choreography. Shawn Johnson was there. There was a photo of her, Derek and Mark. My mother hated Mark's hair, but I just accept he's the artistic type.

I agree Wayne will be a contender. He's always had energy and charisma.

As for the housewife, jersey shore boy, and bachelorette, meh. All I could do was stare at the plastic surgery on the housewife's face. The bachelor fanbase will probably keep Val's partner(can't remember her name) around. Maybe it doesn't help I've never watched those shows.

Shangela was entertaining and makes Gleb less annoying. 

All I can do during Joseph's dance is feel sorry for Maria Shriver. I know it's not his fault, and it's about the dancing.

I'm a fan of Sasha, but like others on here, I worry about the fast dances.

And I love Sam's personality, but I don't think he'll get far.

[LadyMustang65]

On 9/19/2022 at 9:54 PM, funnygirl said:

The D'Amelio's gotta go. The daughter is a ringer and neither are stars. There are a good amount of actual stars that could take this to the final, and I would hate to see any of them go over a social media influencer and her mom. JMO

The daughter may well be the ringeriest ringer that ever ringered on this show.  Even more so than JoJo Siwa, and that's saying a lot.  Charli trained at a top dance academy in a variety of different styles including jazz and contemporary and competed for more than a decade.  After one very prestigious competition where she won highest score for her contemporary piece, which she apparently also choreographed or mostly choreographed, one judge said, and this is a quote:  “You have the most potential in the entire world for a professional career in dance.”  Mark even mentioned that he came back to the show only because he was going to be paired with her.  The whole thing leaves me cold.  Her dancing is excellent - quelle surprise! Not - but she didn't really seem to have much personality.  JoJo was (for me anyway) quite likeable.  Anyway, between her practically being a professional and her legion of TikTok fans, she'll be in the final 3 for sure.  And I'm not sure there's any way at all she doesn't walk away with the mirror ball.  If her fans vote, she's unbeatable.  

Shangela was a revelation.  Anyone who can make Gleb seem okay is a miracle worker!  Love her energy and her performance.  I would love to see her in the final.  Wayne Brady and Jordin Sparks were both very good, I thought, with a lot of potential to be great.  As a Hallmarkie, I love Trevor Donovan.  From the intro package, I was expecting a train wreck, but he did surprisingly well, and I really want to see him stay around a while.  He's the essence of the original concept of DWTS - stars with no dance background learning to dance.  

I think this is shaping up to be a great season.  Out of 16 couples, there were only a very few that were awful.  Vinny and Teresa were the two worst, I thought.  And I wasn't terribly impressed with Arnold's son or the one who got booted off last night either.  But I thought both of them were still better than Vinny and Teresa.  And I honestly have trouble looking at Teresa.  Looks like she had some bad work done or something.

Overall, it was a really good night.  I loved no commercials.  Wasn't terribly happy that, for whatever reason, even though we tuned in a few minutes before 8, we didn't see the opening number.  It just kept saying the show would start at 8, and it finally kicked off about 8:09 with Tyra walking in.  Alfonso was a nice addition.  Is it just me or does Len look really old now?  

[DancinCat]

I thought it was a very good show. It seemed long at two hours without commercials. That would be three hours on ABC. And since they didn't need to go to and come back from ads, they had to find another way to use the troupe dancers. Having a couple dance across the studio at random intervals was an interesting choice.

I'm sure the producers tried their best to keep everything on time, but there was no way they could tell how much Tyra would prattle on with the contestants after the scoring. And it was never really "with" the contestants, more "at" them. I don't think any actually talked back to her before they were swept away to the skybox.

Tyra made some entertaining goofs, as usual. My favorite was when she threw it to Alfonso when the couple was still standing next to her. Hopefully she'll catch on to how the format works at some point.

All in all, a very enjoyable premiere. I didn't care which couple went home. Either would have been fine to thin the herd.

12 hours ago, LadyMustang65 said:

Is it just me or does Len look really old now?  

Yes. He looks smaller and quite gaunt. ☹️

[boyznkatz]

I was puking about Gleb being back, but I do like Shangela and Gleb isn't near as annoying this season. By the way, D.J. (Shangela's alter ego out of drag) is quite handsome!

[ams1001]

Don't have Disney+ so I guess I won't be watching. I was hoping they might post just the dances on youtube or facebook like they used to but apparently not. They did post the opening. Wayne and Whitney look like they'll be a fun pair. Theresa's lips look like they're about to pop. I don't even know who some of them are. Mark's manbun needs to go. The pros have last names again!

Tyra's as annoying as ever but I think I read that Alfonso will be the one doing the post-dance 'skybox' interviews so that should make it more tolerable. Not that it matters to me, I guess. Disappointed but not surprised.

[Jax7917]

On 9/19/2022 at 11:47 PM, Melonie77 said:

For those who watched the Bachelorette show, did you notice who was in the audience to support Gabby? No fiancé that I could see - it was Rachel! She was sitting with Val's wife Jenna.

They couldn't show her fiance yet because the finale of the bachelorette hadn't aired yet so we weren't supposed to know the outcome.

[Jax7917]

On 9/20/2022 at 1:16 PM, Josh371982 said:

What were they thinking? The felon is from the Garbage Real Housewives Franchise. No way the Producers was gonna have her leave first. Won't be surprised at all if her and Vinny last as possible before being cut by Judges. Both are popular due to JMO Garbage reality show franchises but bet Production will want them both a few shows. And Charil will continue to get the tongue baths cause God Awful Tik Tok must have their butt kissed as well

I had to laugh when she was explaining why she was a "star" and she said well I was on the Real Houswives and also I was in prison for 11.5 months. That should get you excluded from the show, not ON the show.

[cali1981]

On 9/19/2022 at 7:34 PM, Phebemarie said:

Selma seemed so fragile at the end of her performance.  I'd be afraid the most rigorous dances will really exhaust her.  

Selma did say that, among other symptoms, she has little or no feeling in one leg. You could see that in her halting, leg dragging gait when she was leaving the floor for the sky box.  Unfortunately, advanced Multiple Sclerosis may not be too far over the horizon, but even with that, her waltz was miraculous.  You wouldn't have guessed that her MS was impacting her life that much.   Sasha's choreography was brilliant but he will face more challenges when the faster dances are on the menu.  I. along with I'm sure everyone else, hope that Selma can stay in the competition for as long as possible. 

As far as the show itself goes, they really pulled it off. Without any commercials the pace almost seemed too fast but as contestants leave that should even out.  Alfonso's sky box interviews were not exactly insightful but he is very earnest and likeable and he does even out Tyra a bit.  Speaking of Tyra, I gotta admit that she looked great.  Her gown (or dress?) suited her and because things were moving so quickly, she didn't have time to make many foolish remarks. 

[Melonie77]

6 hours ago, Jax7917 said:

They couldn't show her fiance yet because the finale of the bachelorette hadn't aired yet so we weren't supposed to know the outcome.

I thought since the Bachelorette scheduling was weird this season AND the DWTS show moved to streaming there was a slight chance that the producers would be sloppy and we'd catch a glimpse of Erich in the audience. Plus at that point everyone knew Gabby had only one guy left. But I guess they wanted to leave some ambiguity over whether the ex-girlfriend story would affect the relationship!🙃

I hope Gabby and Val clobber Mark and the TikTok chick this week. 
I've never minded semi-ringers before but I agree with those who have said Charli is beyond the best of any previous ringers. IMO she is too good to be on the show and at this point in the season I'm really hoping she doesn't win.

[ams1001]

2 hours ago, cali1981 said:

Selma did say that, among other symptoms, she has little or no feeling in one leg. You could see that in her halting, leg dragging gait when she was leaving the floor for the sky box.  Unfortunately, advanced Multiple Sclerosis may not be too far over the horizon, but even with that, her waltz was miraculous.  You wouldn't have guessed that her MS was impacting her life that much.   Sasha's choreography was brilliant but he will face more challenges when the faster dances are on the menu.  I. along with I'm sure everyone else, hope that Selma can stay in the competition for as long as possible. 

Did a little googling and found it on youtube. Selma's waltz was lovely.

[calipiano81]

On 9/20/2022 at 2:42 PM, babyhouseman said:

I'm a Mark fan so ringer, schminger. I wouldn't care about her if she was with another pro, but I love his choreography. Besides Daniella, nobody else really can show surprising choreography. Shawn Johnson was there. There was a photo of her, Derek and Mark. My mother hated Mark's hair, but I just accept he's the artistic type.

Fellow Mark fan, so I'm with you. I still enjoy DWTS but my investment definitely changed since Mark Ballas' departure. It made me so happy to see him on the dance floor again and, for me, Charli and Mark's cha cha did not disappoint! I think they are a great match. Not every pro can maximize a ringer.

[boyznkatz]

18 hours ago, cali1981 said:

Selma did say that, among other symptoms, she has little or no feeling in one leg. You could see that in her halting, leg dragging gait when she was leaving the floor for the sky box.  Unfortunately, advanced Multiple Sclerosis may not be too far over the horizon, but even with that, her waltz was miraculous.  You wouldn't have guessed that her MS was impacting her life that much.   Sasha's choreography was brilliant but he will face more challenges when the faster dances are on the menu.  I. along with I'm sure everyone else, hope that Selma can stay in the competition for as long as possible. 

As far as the show itself goes, they really pulled it off. Without any commercials the pace almost seemed too fast but as contestants leave that should even out.  Alfonso's sky box interviews were not exactly insightful but he is very earnest and likeable and he does even out Tyra a bit.  Speaking of Tyra, I gotta admit that she looked great.  Her gown (or dress?) suited her and because things were moving so quickly, she didn't have time to make many foolish remarks. 

I know several people with MS. They take medication, and do very well. I don't know how advanced Selma's disease is, but if her doctors cleared her to do the show, I'm sure she will be fine.

I agree, Tyra is a lot less annoying with Alfonso there. I wish he could be the main host. He is good at it.

[jackjill89]

This is the first season since Tyra began hosting that I am actually looking forward to. She has toned down -- no costume changes, focus more on the contestants/pros than it being the Tyra show, and I like the addition of Alfonso. So far, so good.

I like a lot of the contestants. So good to see Mark back. 

[marykat71702]

Thoughts about this episode...

I am glad they brought back lower scores-starting with all 7s and 8s as has happened in previous seasons doesn't really give them a lot of room to improve score-wise throughout the season.

I am happy that they brought back some of the "before Tyra" aspects to the show.

I like Alfonso.

I don't like that you can start voting before you even see anyone dance.

I also don't like that they eliminate someone on the first show.  I mean come on, give them a chance.

Wayne is my favorite 🙂

[Soapy Goddess]

3 hours ago, marykat71702 said:

Thoughts about this episode...

I am glad they brought back lower scores-starting with all 7s and 8s as has happened in previous seasons doesn't really give them a lot of room to improve score-wise throughout the season.

I am happy that they brought back some of the "before Tyra" aspects to the show.

I like Alfonso.

I don't like that you can start voting before you even see anyone dance.

I also don't like that they eliminate someone on the first show.  I mean come on, give them a chance.

Wayne is my favorite 🙂

Agree with it all except the elimination sentence. Some "stars" sign up for the show simply for the "sign on" money. They either don't have the time or inclination to continue...so they are all too happy to be eliminated asap.

[boyznkatz]

8 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Agree with it all except the elimination sentence. Some "stars" sign up for the show simply for the "sign on" money. They either don't have the time or inclination to continue...so they are all too happy to be eliminated asap.

I'm still scratching my head why Charli is on. She doesn't need any more followers, and being a professional dancer, surely she can try for more prestigious dancing awards than dwts. 

[RomanKat]

5 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

I'm still scratching my head why Charli is on. She doesn't need any more followers, and being a professional dancer, surely she can try for more prestigious dancing awards than dwts. 

For dancers of Charli's generation, the Dance TV shows they grew up watching might be an ultimate prize. Those seeking a commercial (i.e. pop culture) dance career can benefit from TV credentials.

The newest troupe member, D'Angelo Castro, has had enough success in contemporary and ballroom competition that he could have pursued a professional career in Latin competition or company/concert contemporary. Given his many appearances on Dance TV shows from a young age, the more commercial DWTS route seems inevitable.

Edited September 26, 2022 by RomanKat