The Hosts: Bergeron and Andrews

[kjh]

Thank God. Let's see how Erin Andrews works out.

[SPLAIN]

My dreams came true when Brooke was let go.

[Kromm]

I'm confused. Is this topic just about the CO-hosts?  

Bergeron is the (deserving) Emmy winner. Shouldn't his name be in the Hosts subtitle?  Or do we make a new topic for him?

[crowceilidh]

I have to say that Brooke's departure has been a welcome innovation.  I liked Sam Harris better than Brooke and I loathed Samantha.  Erin is doing alright - I think she might even become enjoyable soon.

[Cupcake]

I'm trying really hard to like Erin. Sometimes I almost do. But she does this strange thing with the microphone that I can't quite get past. She flicks the mic like a sorority girl flips her hair. In an interview, she barks out a question, then pauses, then snaps the mic toward the person she's interviewing. There may or may not be a hip thrust to go along with the mic flick. It's just strange.

[Kromm]

Honestly, the best course if Brooke was REALLY that awful (I actually don't agree) would have been to ditch the co-hosts totally.  It doesn't really help the flow and the show, and never has.  Tom has the celebs at Microphone point anyway after the dance and the show could have simply kept them there for the score delivery.  If Seacrest can do it all himself, then Tom--a much sharper host--would never have had a problem. The only reason there are two hosts anyway is because the British, whenever they export a show, bring their annoying bias for "double acts" along.  They just love to busy up a show in a way it rarely needs.

[Uke]

I think there is a value to having a co-host. I noticed during last season when a couple would finish their dance, talk to Tom, listen to judges comments then talk to Tom again, the couple never seemed to relax.  I attributed their never relaxing after the dance to the 1 show/week format + the elimination at the end of the show. But I've noticed once the judging spiel is over and the couple race up the stairs, they noticeably relax. I don't think it's any reflection on Tom. I think is more a "dividing line". On the dance floor, they're "on". Up in the skybox, they're "done" and can breathe easy.

[Aimzee]

That is an interesting observation, and you are right!  I think the run up the stairs tired some out a bit, but it is good to share some comradeship with the other couples.  I do hope Erin improves as co-Host.  She says she wants to get better and asks for suggestions.  Erin needs to relax and address them as a former dancer, not sports interviewer.  I had no problem with Brooke or Sam.

[Cupcake]

I'd like to follow up on my previous post, which were observations from week 2. I've noticed Erin improves each week, and she must be watching her own film, because the strange jerky movements of week 2 were gone by week 3. She seems to relax a little more each week, which, to me, makes her movements more fluid and her voice less grating. She isn't barking at the dancers and pros anymore. I think she has much more potential than the previous co-hosts to be quick witted and spontaneous. I honestly think I'll be able to say, certainly by the end of this season, that I actually enjoy her on the show.

[COESpiral]

How does Tom not have a closet crammed full of Emmys? I mean, there is currently no one better than him to do a live show. (My runner-up would be Cat Deeley from SYTYCD).

And I know some people don't like Erin, but she's grown on me all season and I definitely prefer her to Brooke. She's certainly better at the ad-libbing part.

[Kromm]

How does Tom not have a closet crammed full of Emmys? I mean, there is currently no one better than him to do a live show. (My runner-up would be Cat Deeley from SYTYCD).

It's got to be an underlying distaste for the show (even while people still watch it, they're a bit ashamed of doing so, and that likely spills over onto Tom).  Survivor, I guess, and Probst, seem a bit more palatable (even though it's almost as manipulative), because it's exotic, less celebrity obsessed (except in how it makes it's OWN celebrities), etc.

[Toonces464]

And I know some people don't like Erin, but she's grown on me all season and I definitely prefer her to Brooke. She's certainly better at the ad-libbing part.

 

I think she's improved as the season's gone on (with a few backslide weeks) but she still has a ways to go. 

 

I've also found most of her interactions with Maks to be incredibly awkward and uncomfortable to watch. It's been like a jealous ex who's trying to act like they're not jealous. What's been stranger for me is how awkward Maks has been with her because I think that train left the station for him a long time ago. 

[superdeluxe]

I can't stand Erin Andrews.  Never liked her going back to her ESPN days.  If she is the sideline reporter during a certain football game, I don't watch that game.  I watch another one.  Her voice annoys the daylights out of me and she just tries too hard.

 

Bergeron has annoyed me this season with his openly rooting for Maks.

[smiley13]

Please get rid of Erin before next season.  She has been terrible.  I have never understood how someone with a voice like hers got into broadcasting at all.

[Runningwild]

I have loved Tom since he was an FX channel host. He's awesome. I also think Erin is great. So much better than Useless Brooke.

[TeeM]

I really liked Erin a lot as a host. Sure, she had some cringeworthy moments but she definitely got over her sideline reporter yelling mode from the first few weeks and became a lot better. Her back and forth with Tom was also approximately 250% better than Brooke's ever was. Brooke was always pleasant enough but she was terrible at reacting to the unscripted moments and it made for a lot of weird moments and great lines from Tom that ended up just sitting out there while she looked slightly confused. I wish Erin had harped a little less on wanting "Dancing with the Stars babies" and constantly asking about the show/ro/faux/mances but I think a lot of that is producer driven. I hope she is back next season. I think without Maks dancing, people will also find her a lot more palatable. 

[tarotx]

I like what Erin brought to the season. One of the reasons I often have watched this show via ff on my DVR or just via Youtube, is because the hostess has sucked the air out of the episode. This year I actually watched everything (to get more Charlie and Sharna once I knew Charlie's packages wasn't going to be real moments-starting with that Tango rehearsal week two) and I have grown to really enjoy Erin. Yes there were cringe moments but for the most part she was able to handle herself well and be entertaining. Which I didn't actually think would happen since I didn't like her as a guest judge on SYTYCD.

[galax-arena]

I feel bad for Brooke. The way that TPTB let her go was shitty. Yes, she was a horrible host, but she seemed like a nice person despite her bland personality. She didn't deserve that.

 

I'm not upset that she was replaced, but I am upset with how she was replaced. 

[MarySNJ]

First season watching the show so I can't imagine anyone other than Erin and Tom hosting the show. Both of them add something to the show and they play well bouncing quips off each other.

Edited May 24, 2014 by MarySNJ

[COESpiral]

Congratulations to Tom for his Emmy nomination! He totally deserves it!

[Kromm]

Congratulations to Tom for his Emmy nomination! He totally deserves it!

I'm often angered by the Emmys, and some of the names left off even the paltry Reality show awards annoy me.  

 

I mean OTHER than Tom?  Well look at this list.

 

 

 

Outstanding Host: Reality-Competition Program

Betty White, "Betty White's Off Their Rockers"

Tom Bergeron, "Dancing with the Stars"

Jane Lynch, "Hollywood Game Night"

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, "Project Runway"

Cat Deeley, "So You Think You Can Dance"

Anthony Bourdain, "The Taste"

I love Betty White and Jane Lynch and Tony Bourdain.  All of them.  Quite a lot actually.  But they've got sottfball roles in those shows, and for all their awesomeness in OTHER projects, I don't think any of them deserve recognition over a master of the genre, like, for example, Nick Cannon.  Who runs a three-ring circus like AGT masterfully, with humor and wit.  And Klum and Gunn for P.R.?  Ugh.  Gunn is a nice guy, but not an inherently great "host" (what he does well is a different role IMO) and Klum herself is horrible at the actual hosting.

 

SO glad at least that waste of space Seacrest isn't on the noms.

 

My list would be Deeley (a GREAT nom), Cannon, Bergeron, RuPaul (who's GREAT), and if they need one more... I don't care about the last spot.  

 

EDIT - I take back my objection to Jane Lynch being nommed. I've thought about it some more.  She DOES control that show really well.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Kromm

[cali1981]

For me Bergeron and Deeley lap the rest of the field handily.

[legaleagle53]

Indeed they do.  Since Tom's already won one, I wouldn't mind if it went to Cat Deeley this time around if he didn't win again.

 

I'm just glad that the Emmy voters apparently got sick of Jeff Probst and Survivor a few years ago.

Edited July 16, 2014 by legaleagle53

[truthaboutluv]

It will be interesting to see Erin's demeanor on Monday, considering her boyfriend just got arrested on suspected drug possession.

[Katmai]

It will be interesting to see Erin's demeanor on Monday, considering her boyfriend just got arrested on suspected drug possession.

I'll be expecting her to cry and say she "feels threatened" to get out of talking about it. (a reference to her Richard Sherman interview)

[Padma]

I imagine Erin will try to appear like nothing is any different. Isn't that what most people would do? Interesting though how cocaine rears it ugly head again in rumors related to people on this show. I forget how widely used it still is.

Edited April 19, 2015 by Padma

[smiley13]

Too bad this will not get Erin fired.  She is awful on this show.  There has to be someone out there who could handle this job better than her or Brooke.

[Andiethewestie]

Interesting tidbit on Erin's BF Jarret Stoll - 

http://globalnews.ca/news/1946530/nhl-player-jarret-stoll-arrested-in-las-vegas/

 

 

July 2013, Stoll was hospitalized after suffering a seizure. The cause was never disclosed.

Stoll told the L.A. Times: “I don’t remember anything. My girlfriend Erin, it was scary for her, it wasn’t easy for her, she did a great job.”

© Shaw Media, 2015 

[anony mouse]

Too bad this will not get Erin fired.  She is awful on this show.  There has to be someone out there who could handle this job better than her or Brooke.

 

Drew Lachay did a great job when he subbed for Sam when she had her baby. I wish they'd bring him back. At first I liked Erin for being better than Sam and Brooke, but she's become increasingly grating.

[Buggin]

I know they want a female counterpart for Tom but some of the men would be more entertaining - Drew or even Carson Kressley who's done a lot of emcee work for the DWTS cruises and stuff. Alfonso would probably be great, too.

 

Some of the former female pros would probably do well, too, if they ever chose to go that route.

Edited April 20, 2015 by Buggin

[tearbender]

Drew Lachay did a great job when he subbed for Sam when she had her baby. I wish they'd bring him back. At first I liked Erin for being better than Sam and Brooke, but she's become increasingly grating.

 

I thought initially Drew Lachey did a good job (he got a few nice jokes in and had a  rapport with Tom) but he quickly went the unattractive route of relating every experience about his good old glory days on the show and making things about himself. His behavior during All Stars really turned me off him for good.

 

Maybe it's a matter of lowered expectations and just not watching the show all the way through like I used to, but Erin doesn't irritate me all that much. She can think on her feet and hold her own with Tom I still haven't forgotten Samantha and the utterly incompetent and charisma free Brooke Burke.

 

I do like the idea of hiring one of the former pros to try hosting. I know TPTB seem to prefer auditioning and hiring former contestants but someone like Lacey might be interesting for an episode or so.

 

[legaleagle53]

And the advantage of using one of the former female pros is that we would get someone who can answer technical questions.  The New Zealand version of the show used a hostess who was a former multiple junior DanceSport champion and judge, and she was great at answering the host's questions about the judges' technical comments (such as "What does 'dancing pigeon-toed' mean"?). Viewers were also frequently treated to beautiful exhibition dances performed by this hostess and one of the judges who was himself a former Latin champion (and who was -- and still is -- one of the pros on Strictly Come Dancing).

[Uke]

I do like the idea of hiring one of the former pros to try hosting. I know TPTB seem to prefer auditioning and hiring former contestants but someone like Lacey might be interesting for an episode or so.

 

 I'm on board with this idea. Lacey would be good or Kym if she doesn't want to compete after this season.

A pro host could help the couples diffuse some of the idiotic things the judges comment on, though the "judges" probably wouldn't like that much (...but DRAMA!!!).   Just putting it out there - I don't want to lose Kym. Love her and want her to stay with the show in some capacity. She'd be a great replacement for Len if this really is his last season.

[legaleagle53]

 I'm on board with this idea. Lacey would be good or Kym if she doesn't want to compete after this season.

A pro host could help the couples diffuse some of the idiotic things the judges comment on, though the "judges" probably wouldn't like that much (...but DRAMA!!!).   Just putting it out there - I don't want to lose Kym. Love her and want her to stay with the show in some capacity. She'd be a great replacement for Len if this really is his last season.

 

That will only work if she's not already committed to return to Australia to be a judge on that version's panel again, as she has for the past two years.

[TudorQueen]

I think the co-host role is a pretty thankless one, and it's never been done 'well'. I like Brooke Burke in general and don't get what was so awful about her time in the skybox, and agree that the way they replaced her was tacky. But the job itself doesn't lend itself to 'doing a great job'.

[RemoteControl88]

My biggest issue is that whoever the co-host is....it feels like they are just a talking piece for some producer screaming for them to ask inane questions to the celeb & pro.  Thank goodness they leave Tom B. alone, because it just feels so natural and effortless coming from him.

[classique]

http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/05/29/erin-andrews-co-host-cmt-music-awards/28144245/

 

Erin is co-hosting the CMT awards with Brittany Snow on June 10th.

[Katydid]

Just as a heads-up, Tom is going to be featured on "Who Do You Think You Are?" this season. If you're not familiar with it, it's a show on TLC that traces the ancestry of celebrities. It's usually pretty interesting stuff, and it's fun to watch the celebs discover things about their ancestors. Not sure what week his episode will air, though. The show is on Sundays at 9pm.

[BW Manilowe]

Just as a heads-up, Tom is going to be featured on "Who Do You Think You Are?" this season. If you're not familiar with it, it's a show on TLC that traces the ancestry of celebrities. It's usually pretty interesting stuff, and it's fun to watch the celebs discover things about their ancestors. Not sure what week his episode will air, though. The show is on Sundays at 9pm.

Tom's recently been Tweeting the airdate for his Who Do You Think You Are? episode is Sunday, August 30th, 9PM Eastern/8PM Central on TLC. That's why he couldn't host the PBS A Capitol Fourth 4th of July concert from the lawn of the US Capitol building this year--he was in an undisclosed (to us, for now) location filming this show instead.

[Buggin]

Tom tweeted he signed a multi-year contract extension to host DWTS. Thank God.

[BW Manilowe]

Tom Tweeted, about an hour ago as I write this, that he won't be able to host the show tomorrow night.

His Dad is apparently ill & Tom is going to his bedside to support him, because of all the support (Tom) received from his Dad throughout his life (as he said, which I may have paraphrased instead of quoted verbatim, in his original Tweet).

No word, yet, on who will be hosting in Tom's stead; but I'd doubt they'd ask Erin to do it solo.

Anyway, here's the link to Tom's Tweet, which (I think) includes a pic of his Dad.

https://twitter.com/tom_bergeron/status/650823936364580864

[mamatude]

No word, yet, on who will be hosting in Tom's stead; but I'd doubt they'd ask Erin to do it solo.

 

I'll bet Alfonso's available.

[jennifer6973]

I think I saw a tweet just now on my timeline to that effect.  From People Magazine.

Edited October 5, 2015 by jennifer6973

[truthaboutluv]

I think I saw a tweet just now on my timeline to that effect. From People Magazine.

Yup, just came in to post the news after seeing it on my timeline. Per People Mag, Alfonso will be stepping in. No words...

Honestly sometimes Tom is the only thing that gets me through the show. So to have him gone combined with more Alfonso, yeah just no. I will be muting A LOT tomorrow.

Edited October 5, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[BW Manilowe]

And here's the article link from People confirming it.

http://www.people.com/people/mobile/article/0,,20957281,00.html?xid=socialflow_twitter_peoplemag

Personally, I'm fine with it. I've never had anything against Alfonso. He's at least competent at hosting shows & he's quite personally familiar with the DWTS format.

Also, this apparently came up quite suddenly &, honestly, beggars can't be choosers in a situation like this. You've just gotta take whoever you can get... & if they're familiar with the show, so much the better.

Hopefully Tom will be back next week, & this isn't actually a "deathbed serious" situation with his dad. I'm honestly thinking more about that than a temporary hosting gig by someone other fans of the show consider "overexposed" in relation to the show.

Besides, it'll give ABC another chance to remind people America's Funniest Videos (on which Alfonso's taking over Tom's hosting gig permanently) has its season premiere a week from tonight. We all know they love the cross-promotion.

Edited October 5, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[smiley13]

I'll bet Alfonso's available.

I am sorry that Tom will be out, but Alfonso is a more than capable fill in.

[howmanywords]

Alfonso has experience hosting so I'm sure he will do a good job. Not gonna lie, I'm cracking up picturing the people who hate Alfonso and have been so vocal about being sick of him banging their heads on a desk right about now. I do feel awful for Tom though and I hope he finds the strength to help his father through his illness.

[truthaboutluv]

For the record, I don't hate Alfonso. I am just tired of seeing his mug since he competed on the show and frankly, it feels a bit pathetic to me at this point. Like there are people who compete on this show who are happy to move on with their lives once it's done and then there's Alfonso who just seems to keep hanging around.

[howmanywords]

I asked this last week and I genuinely want to know..when ABC is obviously asking Alfonso to do these things should he say no? He works for ABC now so I REALLY can't see him refusing them. Tom gave Alfonso his blessing and thought him taking over for him on AFV was a great idea so tbh I wouldn't be surprised if this latest was his idea. Should Alfonso have refused him or ABC?

[truthaboutluv]

I asked this last week and I genuinely want to know..when ABC is obviously asking Alfonso to do these things should he say no? He works for ABC now so I REALLY can't see him refusing them. Tom gave Alfonso his blessing and thought him taking over for him on AFV was a great idea so tbh I wouldn't be surprised if this latest was his idea. Should Alfonso have refused him or ABC?

 

Alfonso Ribero can do whatever he wants and accept whatever he wants. I am simply expressing my opinion, as a viewer, that I am personally tired of seeing him on this show. That's it...it's no deeper than that. If others enjoy him, great. In any case, I will be employing my mute and FF button as I do for most weeks of the show anyway.

Edited October 5, 2015 by truthaboutluv