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S20: Speculation & Confirmed Info!


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I am going to assume there is at least one or two more to be announced because they typically have more than just 10 couples right? In fact isn't it usually 11 or 12? As for the Pros, wow the producers must really love Alison that she got another shot again after such a poor debut. Nice to see Artem getting another shot and I'm thrilled that Kym is back. I love her. I liked to refer to her as the "silent assassin". She quietly went about creating fun, cool routines, winning twice and being runner up twice and yet she wasn't talked about like the male Pros or Karina and Cheryl. 

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Really not enthused about Allison being asked back.

 

Hoping to see Tristan, Keo, and/or Sasha as one or both of the remaining pros but who knows.

 

And no fear, they've already announced Derek will be back for season 21! Phew. I was really worried there.

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Disappointed they asked Allison back. She may be a good solo dancer and a nice person, but didn't do very well as a pro with Jonathan, and I don't think that's because she had a crappy partner. We'll see how it goes this time, but I don't have high expectations. Especially if they're getting back to their ballroom roots and cutting down on the contemporaries, jazzes, freestyles and all the other junk that they've thrown in, as rumored. I hope she studied hard in the last couple months.

Clearly they're angling for two more male pros - they've never had such unbalanced numbers.

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Well, apart from Allison all the other pros have a proven track record and have shown that they know what they're doing when it comes to this show. So no complaints from me on that front. Agree with the reservations about Allison, IMO she didn't serve Jonathan that well. Hope she really brushed up on teaching latin and ballroom. I know she's made a name for herself as a contemporary dancer, she's got an Emmy nom and a bit of a fanbase, so asking her back probably is also tied to that. We'll see.

 

I think Keo deserves another shot, they gave him a bad partner the first time around. There was no way to determine what he's capable of, all you saw is that he's clearly inexperienced in handling a "difficult" partner. Most would be in their first season. They'll probably also announce one "old" male pro since it's the anniversary.

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Here's a spot for all your theories about Season 20 as well as all the new info as it comes out!

 

Here's our confirmed list of partners!

Noah Galloway with Sharna Burgess
Robert Herjavec with Kym Johnson
Patti LaBelle with Artem Chigvintsev
Nastia Liukin with Derek Hough
Riker Lynch with Allison Holker
Charlotte McKinney with Keo Motsepe
RedFoo with Emma Slater
Michael Sam with Peta Murgatroyd
Willow Shields with Mark Ballas
Suzanne Somers with Tony Dovolani
Rumer Willis with Valentin Chmerkovskiy

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I'd be interested in adding Anna and Tristan to that list :). I wasn't the biggest fan of Louis' training.

There were a few times last season that I thought Jonathan may have been part of the issue in the Jonathan/Allison partnership, so I'm not surprised they asked her back. I have a feeling if she flops again then she is out.

I was kind of hoping Peta would have decided to take a break this season. I feel like she's been overexposed the last few seasons. Is it wrong that I'm hoping she gets a dud?

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Peta got Tommy last season who I think was supposed to be a dud but I ended up loving Peta because of how great she was with him.  I thought he made her really likable.  Maybe Allison will pull a Witney for me. I hated Witney on SYTYCD and her first season on DWTS with Cody, but then something magical happened last season and his named was Alfonso. That partnership was just pure magic.  Maybe Allison will get someone where they could bring out the best of each other.  My issue with her with Jonathan was she didnt do anything to to at least highlight anything about him.

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My issue with her with Jonathan was she didnt do anything to to at least highlight anything about him.

 

But that didn't seem like that was a problem with Jonathan. He's young, good looking, and enthusiastic. That alone should have been enough to do something with, even if he was lanky and awkward. (There have been plenty of pros with "bad" celebrities that managed to do more than Allison did with Jonathan.) Instead she choose to take a page out of Mark's book and try and turn it into the Allison show, which was part of her downfall.

 

The other part was she admitted she didn't know anything about a ballroom dance (I can't remember which one). The fact is, she might be a great dancer and can pick up things if she needs to, but on a show dedicated to teaching non-ballroom dancers how to dance she fails as a teacher. You can't expect someone to teach something if they don't know it inside out, upside down, and backwards. That's where the good pros - the Cheryls and the Tonys and the Dereks and the Karinas and every other pro they've had come off the ballroom circuit - excel.

 

I'm most disappointed that TPTB seem to be more interested in Allison as a dancer than Allison as a pro. I think it really undermines that core of the show, because they're willing to sacrifice knowledge for performance (which is subject, because I hate all the contemporaries), and that makes me sad.

Edited by McManda
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But that didn't seem like that was a problem with Jonathan. He's young, good looking, and enthusiastic. That alone should have been enough to do something with, even if he was lanky and awkward. (There have been plenty of pros with "bad" celebrities that managed to do more than Allison did with Jonathan.) Instead she choose to take a page out of Mark's book and try and turn it into the Allison show, which was part of her downfall.

 

The other part was she admitted she didn't know anything about a ballroom dance (I can't remember which one). The fact is, she might be a great dancer and can pick up things if she needs to, but on a show dedicated to teaching non-ballroom dancers how to dance she fails as a teacher. You can't expect someone to teach something if they don't know it inside out, upside down, and backwards. That's where the good pros - the Cheryls and the Tonys and the Dereks and the Karinas and every other pro they've had come off the ballroom circuit - excel.

 

I'm most disappointed that TPTB seem to be more interested in Allison as a dancer than Allison as a pro. I think it really undermines that core of the show, because they're willing to sacrifice knowledge for performance (which is subject, because I hate all the contemporaries), and that makes me sad.

 

I think the comparison to Mark is apt and they tried to draw parallels a few times last season.  That’s what they were going for with her IMO: someone who did memorable, a bit crazy stuff which also got a bit of a smackdown from the judges from time to time to create headlines and controversy for the show.

 

Problem is: They fundamentally misunderstood what it is that Mark Ballas does and why it works for him on the show (most of the time). Mark knows how to dance, teach and choreograph ballroom and latin. He’s had hardcore training at this stuff since childhood and as I understood it had won a bit on the competition circuit as a very young dancer before coming to DWTS because that’s where you can make a whole lot more money and get a whole lot more exposure.

 

So even most of the wacky stuff Mark does, it’s grounded in knowing how to teach and choreo the basics of the dances. Yeah, it’s a samba with duck movements, but basic samba steps are in there. You can argue that he likes to distort and deconstruct the fundamentals too much (that’s where Len’s problem with him comes in IMO), but the basis for that is knowing the fundamental elements by heart. So he has a solid foundation and then starts freestyling around that.

 

Allison just wanted to skip that. She just wanted to do the freestyle part and then throw in a bit of faking the dance style. It doesn’t work like that, at least not when you’re teaching beginners who need some sort of baseline of technique established first. I really hope that she won’t do that this time around and has seriously studied latin, ballroom and how to teach it to beginners in the last few months.

Edited by katha
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The other part was she admitted she didn't know anything about a ballroom dance (I can't remember which one). The fact is, she might be a great dancer and can pick up things if she needs to, but on a show dedicated to teaching non-ballroom dancers how to dance she fails as a teacher. You can't expect someone to teach something if they don't know it inside out, upside down, and backwards. That's where the good pros - the Cheryls and the Tonys and the Dereks and the Karinas and every other pro they've had come off the ballroom circuit - excel.

Which is even more yikes when you consider TPTB saying they intend to bring back a lot of the ballroom styles they abandoned over the last few seasons. Unless that's changed.

As for the remaining TBD pros, my guesses are Keo and Louis. Strictly based on their own hyping of the pro announcement to begin with. I just truly don't get announcing pros at a later date especially if it's them. Unless they have specific celebs in mind and haven't confirmed them yet.

I wouldn't mind if Louis came back just to choreograph pro dances/group dances, but he's never stood out to me as a well liked pro. I like Tristan as well, but he seems to prefer dancing to choreographing, which is fine.

Speaking of pro dances, on a shallow note, if they do them with just the competing pros, it's going to give me a headache tracking all the blondeness. They could've at least brought Anna back so Sharna didn't have to carry the non blonde torch herself.

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Allison just wanted to skip that. She just wanted to do the freestyle part and then throw in a bit of faking the dance style. It doesn’t work like that, at least not when you’re teaching beginners who need some sort of baseline of technique established first. I really hope that she won’t do that this time around and has seriously studied latin, ballroom and how to teach it to beginners in the last few months.

This is exactly my fundamental problem with Allison on this show, and I think this was her biggest downfall, especially with Jonathan. She didn't get an Alfonso or a Gilles - someone who has natural ability and is a quick learner and is good under pressure - but her partner had potential that she failed to capitalize on. And that's completely her fault and what it comes down to is that she doesn't have the knowledge to be a teacher. Not in this capacity.

 

Which is even more yikes when you consider TPTB saying they intend to bring back a lot of the ballroom styles they abandoned over the last few seasons. Unless that's changed.

 

I seriously hope that they haven't changed their minds. What's keeping my enthusiasm up for this season is the idea that they were going to cut out the contemporaries and the jazzes (although there were some good jazzes) and the bollywoods and the country dances and all the other stuff that isn't a ballroom dance. Especially because, honestly, the list of pros at this point is "meh". They're seriously going to have to up their game with the celebs.

 

I wouldn't mind if Louis came back just to choreograph pro dances/group dances, but he's never stood out to me as a well liked pro.

 

Louis was always kind of boring for me. And maybe a bit too ... old school? Dated? I never really thought his dances were all that innovative. I think he's a good teacher, especially with the beginners, because his dances were always clean and straightforward, but they were always missing that bit of pizzazz that made me think "that was awesome!".

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No Karina? What's going on with that? It's weird to me to have Emma there, but no Karina. Emma really didn't make an impression at all, IMO. I can't even remember who she danced with last season. Or any season, other than that comedian guy.

 

I guess just because she's younger? If so, that's too bad.

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Karina made it clear last season when she was eliminated that her contract with the show was up and her future was sort of up in the air. So it's not a surprise she's not on this season. But I do hope she's brought back again at some point because I love watching her dance.

Edited by truthaboutluv
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Did you guys see the press release that listed some of the theme weeks for this season. They're introducing something called "Spring Break Week."

WTF is that? The night of a thousand salsa dances?

http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/showpage/showpage.aspx?program_id=003058&type=lead

On a different note, maybe if they want to get more of the old pros involved they'll do something like that Side by Side Challenge. I think that was S16ish.

Louis was always kind of boring for me. And maybe a bit too ... old school? Dated? I never really thought his dances were all that innovative. I think he's a good teacher, especially with the beginners, because his dances were always clean and straightforward, but they were always missing that bit of pizzazz that made me think "that was awesome!"

I think that's why the pros who have been let go over the years were let go. They were all sort of technique "snobs" (don't really know how else to say it) and couldn't really marry the technique with the gimmick or entertainment factor that TPTB latched onto since All Stars season. The production value, I guess.

They wanted to engage the younger crowd with a "ballroom is cool, not stuffy proper whatever" kind of attitude, but tipped the scales too far inthat direction and consequently lost fans who watched it for what it was. Too much social media involvement and the like.

I feel weird being kind of preachy in this manner, because I'm a part of the younger (ish, I'm in my late 20's) demo they are attempting to appeal to.

Edited by CED9
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Low chance of this ever happening but I'd actually really like for them to bring Dmitry back. Also instead of Allison they could've invited back Lacey maybe, she's kinda wasted in this All Access hosting gig...

 

Personally I'd love to have Lacey over Allison. She has a personality that's good for TV, she also has a fan base, and also knows ballroom technique. However, I do think she choreographs for the show from time to time so... who knows maybe it's her decision to not go back to the show.

 

I also love Dmitry and think he should have won with Mya in his last season so... Keo and Dmitry would be my pick for final male pros. 

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I love Dmitry but I don't think it's possible for him to be on Season 20. Right now he's dancing on a torn meniscus (Ballroom with a Twist) and he tweeted this recently:

 

Dmitry Chaplin @Dmitry_Ch  ·  Feb 5

“@chilosa2004: @dmitry_ch how's the knee?" Unfortunately need to have surgery right after this tour!...

 

I'm stunned they'd choose Allison Holker over Anna Trebunskaya or Chelsie Hightower or Lacey Schwimmer, or even Lindsay Arnold or the one named Tyne for that matter. I thought Allison was a disaster last season. But maybe she'll redeem herself...

 

I wish they'd name Tristan and either Keo or Louis as the final two. Or better still, all 3 (with 7 female celebs instead of 6.) I wonder how long we'll have to wait to hear.

Edited by Morrigan
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I think that's why the pros who have been let go over the years were let go. They were all sort of technique "snobs" (don't really know how else to say it) and couldn't really marry the technique with the gimmick or entertainment factor that TPTB latched onto since All Stars season. The production value, I guess.

 

They wanted to engage the younger crowd with a "ballroom is cool, not stuffy proper whatever" kind of attitude, but tipped the scales too far inthat direction and consequently lost fans who watched it for what it was. Too much social media involvement and the like.

 

I feel weird being kind of preachy in this manner, because I'm a part of the younger (ish, I'm in my late 20's) demo they are attempting to appeal to.

 

No, I'm right with you. The twitter voting thing is a disaster that I hate. I hate the addition of non-standard ballroom dances. I like when Len would call out dances for being non-standard and too far from what they were supposed to be.

 

But I think there was something to be said for the entertainment value, and I think that's where Louis fails. I've been watching since the beginning, and I remember very few of his dances, and the ones I do remember aren't really ones he did with his celeb partners. I remember his weird ending to his waltz with Trista in S1, and his awful not-samba music with Monique Coleman in S3, and a few pro dances he did with Cheryl and Karina, but nothing I could pinpoint as a great dance with his celeb. Watching his dances was a bit like watching PBS ballroom specials. Technically great and compelling if you put in the effort to watch, but not great primetime glamour and excitement.

I think that's why tptb fawned so much over Derek. Say what would will about him, but he did exactly what they wanted. He married ballroom and entertainment in a way that people wanted to watch. His dances were memorable, in a good way. But others of the old pros did well, too, and that's why I'll miss Cheryl and Karina and Derek and still miss Edyta and Anna and Maks.

 

This new generation of pros seem to be more like Allison (though she's waaaay at the end of the spectrum) in that they're more about the entertainment and not the dance. And a lot of that depends on their partner (Whitney was great with Alfonso, not so great with Cody), but a lot of the time the show it too far removed from, at risk of sounding 75, "the good old days", and that makes me less inclined to watch.

 

I had hoped that they'd run with the whole idea of getting back to their roots with this 20th anniversary edition, but with this group of pros ... it's probably not likely. I'll take Louis any day over another contemporary routine.

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Is there any kind of scuttlebutt on why Lacey hasn't been asked back in so long? I thought she was popular and she generally did a great job with her celebrities. It seems really odd that Allison would be asked when someone like Lacey could be asked instead.

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but nothing I could pinpoint as a great dance with his celeb.

The way you feel about Louis is the way I feel about Tony. Yet, Tony is STILL here.

This new generation of pros seem to be more like Allison (though she's waaaay at the end of the spectrum) in that they're more about the entertainment and not the dance. And a lot of that depends on their partner (Whitney was great with Alfonso, not so great with Cody), but a lot of the time the show it too far removed from, at risk of sounding 75, "the good old days", and that makes me less inclined to watch.

The celebs they choose is a big part of the discrepancy. In the old seasons, it was a big deal (and hated) if someone had any sort of dance experience even if ballroom is an entirely different ballgame. Now, if a bad dancer who entertains makes it far-ish, people don't like that. It's something that will never make everyone happy.

I'm not so sure I agree with you about the pros value entertainment over technicality. It's interesting to see something like SWAY or Burn The Floor where they're all pros, but even then the DWTS pros dancing together are head and shoulders above the other pros. They dumb it down on the show so much for their celeb that it's unreal. And I don't blame that on the pros. They are at the mercy of TPTB even more than the celebs, IMO.

 

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FWIW, a couple of sports-related websites Fansided and BroBible had stories today that focused on whether the New England Patriot, Rob Gronkowski (aka Gronk) would be interested in/was considering joining DWTS. He seemed to show some interest and he certainly wouldn't be the first receiver (in his case, Tight End) off a Super Bowl winning team to to jump on board as Donald Driver and Jacoby Jones came out of very similar situations.

 

I for one would not be opposed to a Gronk/Sharna pairing....

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The pro choices confuse me.  It *is* the big anniversary show and would have been a great chance to bring back some long absent popular pros like Kym for a "one season only" kind of gig.  All-starish. Pros like Anna, Tristan, Chelsie, Edyta, Louis.  Yeah, I know that it was a bad ending for Edyta and the show, but wouldn't this have been a good excuse to kiss and make up for a few weeks?  Couldn't they have ($$) convinced Cheryl, Karina and Maks to stay one more season?  Instead, we have Allison.  Maybe I'm old school and am growing very weary of the gimmicks and theme weeks.  Bring back ballroom dancing!

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See the thing is, and this is just me..but there are some pros who seem to have big fanbases but when it comes down to it maybe the network just doesnt think they are worth a ton of money.  There are some pros who I see fans clamoring for yet in terms of how they have been doing on the show in terms of voting its more meh. Even Tristan who I admit I like never got higher than 5th place and that was his very first season.  As his seasons went on he seemed to go home earlier and earlier.  Not exactly the best sign he's someone a ton of people will tune in for and making him worthy of a big paycheck.  Maks is the only one I think they would be willing to fork over a big paycheck for. Karina and Cheryl, tbh I dont blame them for being a little burnt out and wanting to try new things.  I belive Cheryl already has a new job lined up on NBC..I think? 

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Tristan may not have Derek or Val's fanbases but in fairness to him, he also has never had the celebs they had. I love the guy but even I was getting pained watching Valerie Harper try to remember the moves. He did the SCD tour with this season's winner whose partner didn't tour with them and they won a lot of the shows. I think if the show put him with a highly likeable female celeb who could actually dance he would make it farther. But on the other hand, he seems happier at Strictly and if DWTS is just going to deal him a crap hand, I'd rather they give the spot to someone that better fits the show as it is now.

Saw on Twitter that the pros will be dancing on Kelly and Michael on Monday.

Edited by Buggin
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Up until the end, Karina was basically telling fans on Twitter that she hoped the Seahawks won the Super Bowl and Russell Wilson would stay true to his word and dance with her. I believe he was her last hope of being asked back. I don't exactly fault her for trying to save face, nor do I fault production for not having her back. I was expecting it after she revealed last season that her contract was ending. Her back-to-back lackluster seasons didn't do her any favors. It's a shame, because I will miss her.

I know pros reported back to work yesterday in the form of rehearsing for their opening number per a pic I saw posted by assistant choreographer.

Val tweeted that he hasn't met his celebrity partner yet, but I assume that's to come sometime within this week.

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Val's tweet made me roll my eyes. Already gearing up with his strategies...he's so desperate to win. How can he already say we are going to see a new Val this season when he doesn't even know his partner yet?

 

Hoping for some more cast leaks this weekend!

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I don't know about official leaks but E! Online has hinted at possible names and considering it's E!, I'm guessing they have good sources on the show so the names are probably a very likely possibility. According to them, early names are Roseanne Barr, Bachelor Chris Soules (interesting that the show seems to have no problem casting the Bachelor leads but never the Bachelorettes), Patriots player Malcolm Butler and Robert F. Kennedy. Here's the article:

 

http://www.eonline.com/news/626846/chris-soules-and-roseanne-barr-to-join-dancing-with-the-stars-get-the-latest

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Ugh.  Roseanne Barr?  I pity the pro who gets her (and suddenly I'm grateful that Tristan wasn't asked back)!

 

 

How can he already say we are going to see a new Val this season when he doesn't even know his partner yet?

 

Well, there are supposed to be two more pros still to be announced so unless that has changed we might still see her with Tristan. If Roseanne is in, I say give her to "new Val".

Edited by designing1
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I don't know that someone like Roseanne has to be a chore for her pro. If she comes in with a good attitude and is willing to work (and with what she's achieved in her career, there is certainly a fierce work ethic), she could be a hoot. And if she has a bit of talent and showmanship, perhaps she'll even make it quite far into the competition. You just never know how the celebs will react to the show environment.

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Oh dear lord, why in the world did they bring back Allison? Not only is she not really capable of teaching ballroom, she is totally incapable of not grossly over-dancing to the point that I fear she may bring harm to herself or her partner. Just no, on all fronts. I would love it if she got replaced with my beloved Anna Trebunskaya, or the lovely Chelsie or Lacey as mentioned above. Here's hoping!

 

If we're predicting even numbers of male and female contestants, then here's also hoping they find the perfect match for Henry to go pro again. Boy needs a chance.

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Despite the fact that I love Roseanne Barr, I always wait to find out.  I've been so surprised by some and disappointed by others that I think you can never tell till you see them dance, hear them talk and especially until you can interpret what the edit monkeys are going to do to them.

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PureDWTS currently has a casting rumor roundup with a  "legitimate possibilities" category that includes everyone that truthaboutluv mentioned upthread along the requisite Disney Star (which the Inquisitr seems to think might be Ross Lynch of the show Austin & Ally), as well as Russell Wilson the QB (two active NFL players?) from the Seattle Seahawks, as well as two females I've never heard of....Savannah Chrisley and Lalah Hathaway.

 

Their "longshots" category has disgraced UFC fighter, Anderson Silva, Sharon Osborne (who is consistently someone that has been whispered about as a possibility), and Jack Nicholson. (WTF?)

Edited by PhD-Purgatory15
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Apparently Rumer is friends with Janel and her boyfriend Payson? What with Val and Janel's supposed falling out, that could get awkward. LOL, the producers are such sadistic jerks. Well she looks promising, but I can already see TPTB writing their soap opera scripts.

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If true, this could be interesting. For all of her connections, she has hustle and Val loves that trait.

As for showmance,it does not seem likely. Though if the producers write it that way, I am sure Val will oblige.

The complaints about Derek's lack of challenging partners occurred before Val started on the show. These complaints are not unique to Val's fans.

Edited by actionboss
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I wasn't aware I said it did.

eta: I'm kind of looking forward to seeing Rumer. The little of her personality I've seen through the years, she seems like a pretty chill and cool girl. Her body looks great in those pics too.

If this is for the show and I can't see how it's not, I wonder how the producers feel about this being spoiled so close to the announcement.

Edited by truthaboutluv
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I think that person will be interesting. The pics look promising but they'll need to be likeable, too, to actually win.

Above all else, I'm hoping the pros all give us a great and entertaining season because I think they're all hardworking and likeable.

I also really hope the negativity that follows this show online will wane this season. I like reading people's thoughts (even those I don't necessarily agree with) but the negativity and attacks on all sides ruins it. Hopefully, the fans of all the pros will be able to enjoy everyone's hard work this season and express opinions pleasantly.

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