S23: Derek Hough

[tarotx]

Yes but a competitive dance isn't really planned before hand. You don't know a lot of things like music or rather or nor your star will be cut before dancing the submitted dance. It's not free to submit so that's a huge risk.

[kayma]

How much say does a celebrity have over which partner they get, bc I'm sure the majority would request to have Derek, Mark, or Val. For example, I think Patti Labelle (even though Artem did a fantastic job) would have been great with Val.

I'd guess that it would depend on how much they want the star. All I know about Shay is that she's said she'd do the show with Val many times. I don't know if she's enough of a get to pick her partner, but I get the impression she would have tried.

Yes on Patti and Val. I was so hoping they'd do the switch up together. I think it'd be great to see Val with an older, elegant partner. Of course, I'm sure the show wants him and Derek to last as long as possible that I don't think we'll see the mix up in partners.

While I'm wishing, I'd like Derek to get a partner that forces him to show some personality. I've only seen a few seasons but Derek and his partners come off pretty blandly to me. I want to see him be really happy or mad or goofy or something with his partner. The Nastia package kerfuffle was the closest he's come and even that response seemed muted/planned out/edited on his part.

[PTVjones]

While I'm wishing, I'd like Derek to get a partner that forces him to show some personality. I've only seen a few seasons but Derek and his partners come off pretty blandly to me. I want to see him be really happy or mad or goofy or something with his partner. The Nastia package kerfuffle was the closest he's come and even that response seemed muted/planned out/edited on his part.

 

You know who was a great and underrated partner for Derek? Lil Kim, she was just so out of left field, just getting out of jail I believe, and before a lot of her plastic surgery. They were great together and she's hardly ever mentioned. For a while there I think they were good friends, she performed w/ Derek and Mark (when they had their band) doing All About the Benjamins. 

[truthaboutluv]

While I'm wishing, I'd like Derek to get a partner that forces him to show some personality. I've only seen a few seasons but Derek and his partners come off pretty blandly to me. I want to see him be really happy or mad or goofy or something with his partner.

 

 

Oh we've seen Derek mad on this show and I'm not sure anyone needs a repeat of it. Incidentally it was during the season that still remains his lowest placing season. As for being happy or goofy - Derek was plenty goofy in his early seasons. As a person who has watched this show from the first season and remembers Derek when he first came on the show, I can say that I found him incredibly grating back then and kept wondering if he had ADD or needed to be on Ritalin or something. He was constant with the mugging for the camera, facial expressions, etc. 

 

YMMV but I think what you perceive as bland is just Derek growing up. He was 21/22 when he started this show and he's 30 now. He no longer has this desperate need to prove himself or prove something because well he's done that. Which is not to say he doesn't want to win. I'm sure he does but I just think at this point, Derek views DWTS as a job. And he's more or less admitted this. He stated in an interview that in the early seasons everything was so intense and he got so invested - invested in winning, his celebrity, etc.

 

But eventually he just sort of had to put some space and distance so he would not be as upset if they didn't win or be upset about scores or any of the manipulations and drama that comes with the show. Which incidentally is also why some may perceive that he's distant and cold with his celebrities and doesn't connect with them on a really deep level. And I don't necessarily agree but it makes sense why some would see it that way.

[kayma]

YMMV but I think what you perceive as bland is just Derek growing up. He was 21/22 when he started this show and he's 30 now. He no longer has this desperate need to prove himself or prove something because well he's done that. Which is not to say he doesn't want to win. I'm sure he does but I just think at this point, Derek views DWTS as a job. And he's more or less admitted this. He stated in an interview that in the early seasons everything was so intense and he got so invested - invested in winning, his celebrity, etc.

I suspect it's more about not screwing up future opportunities by not being what he thinks people expect him to be at this job. That's understandable since his biggest fans are scary enough that I wouldn't want to disappoint them either.

I want him to get a partner that he can play off. He clearly has a personality in real life even as an old man at 30. I don't need tantrums or a desperate need to win. Let's see him having some fun. Let's see him get really into a concept like Mark's ninjazz thing. An offbeat partner would be great for that.

I thought Bethany was cute and have loved Nastia since 2008, but neither pairing lit up the screen like others in their seasons or even seemed to be having fun. If Derek and his partner are sticking around until the end, I want to enjoy them and feel like they're enjoying the show.

[truthaboutluv]

I suspect it's more about not screwing up future opportunities by not being what he thinks people expect him to be at this job. That's understandable since his biggest fans are scary enough that I wouldn't want to disappoint them either.

 

 

I'm not sure I understand the correlation. Derek's fans will support him no matter what, especially the scary ones. They'll likely be like most crazy fans where good or bad they'll defend him so I think he's fine there. And I don't know what any of the stuff has to do with future opportunities. 

 

I want him to get a partner that he can play off. He clearly has a personality in real life even as an old man at 30. I don't need tantrums or a desperate need to win. Let's see him having some fun.

 

 

YMMV but in fairness that may just be a personality thing. Where you may not think someone's having fun, it just might be who they are. I never got the impression Bethany wasn't having fun, she just seemed introverted which is surprising for someone who is a YouTube star but it made sense when she talked more about her background. I'm not saying that's exactly what you mean but it just feels like wanting someone to be something they're not or an idea of what you perceive excited and happy to be is. And not everyone is like that. I'm a huge introvert so this always connects with me because I've lost count of how many times in my life I got told "smile more, you look so angry, you look like you're not having fun." 

 

Let's see him get really into a concept like Mark's ninjazz thing. An offbeat partner would be great for that.

 

 

But that's not Derek's style and trying to force something that's not really him may only succeed in comments that he's trying too hard, he's fake, he's trying to copy Mark. It's like many other Pros and fans have commented that Val is very focused on the connection between him and his celebrity. He's very about the emotional connection through dance. Derek is all about precision - do it again and make sure every line is perfectly as it should be. And that's not to say that both ignore the other side but that's just their style and teaching. Mark loves a good costume. His own mother said it on Afterbuzz - he likes the goofy and crazy. That's who he is. 

 

I thought Bethany was cute and have loved Nastia since 2008, but neither pairing lit up the screen like others in their seasons or even seemed to be having fun.

 

 

Editing is an important factor on this show. The producers show up for rehearsal and edit five days of 5 plus hours of rehearsal into a minute package. And often they have storylines and storyboards for the pairings. Many commented on Nastia being very giggly and happy in rehearsals but that was never shown and Bethany and Derek were very affectionate with each other and happy with each other but that was just never shown on the show because that's not the story they had. 

Edited August 24, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[katha]

I liked Bethany and Nastia. But IMO they were personality types that don't translate that well on a show like DWTS. And then you have someone like Derek who is rather reserved himself and for some people that reads as "lack of connection", "bland", "no fun". I also think he doesn't always know how to draw someone like that out? I thought the practices with Bethany and Nastia showed more of their personalities, true. But on the show itself? That sort of stoicism can be misinterpreted (look at the hatchet job they did with Nastia in that package...they got away with it partly because Nastia presented as a bit closed off). I remember Derek getting slammed quite a bit in season 19 for "making it all about himself" with Bethany. I don't think he was doing that, I think he was trying to draw her out because he knows how the show works and that Bethany needed to do more to get the votes. But since he's rather self-contained as well...perhaps it didn't translate properly.

 

I also think he's been stretching himself thin the last two seasons. He's been doing everything at once without a break at all.

Edited August 24, 2015 by katha

[truthaboutluv]

I liked Bethany and Nastia. But IMO they were personality types that don't translate that well on a show like DWTS. And then you have someone like Derek who is rather reserved himself and for some people that reads as "lack of connection", "bland", "no fun".

 

 

ITA.

Edited August 24, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[fpbl83]

Arguably, Derek is somewhat misunderstood. He talks a lot in the skybox (whereas Mark is more quiet), always seems peppy and "on", and when you factor in all those wins (and the overall media attention he gets) people will think he's a narcissist who is too self-involved.

 

I think Derek is a nice guy, someone I would like to hang out with. I wish he was with a comedienne older than him, someone who could bring out a less scripted or PC side of him.  

 

On the other hand, Val comes of too intense at times, as if it's a life-or-death battle for him. This isn't DanceSport or Blackpool - it's a TV show filmed on a Hollywood soundstage. I almost want to say to him "Dude, as long as the check clears, don't sweat the small stuff". I get that's he's passionate about his craft, but he should tone that down a bit.    

Edited August 25, 2015 by fpbl83

[smiley13]

I am really, really disappointed that he is back again this season.  He sucks the life out of the show.

[Danseur]

The fact that he doesn't suck the life out of the show for everyone is why he is still there. They do a lot to keep him there from what I've heard via a friend who knows him. I can empathize with the sentiment though, completely. If I had to sit through so many seasons of one person winning a lot whose dancing or personality I didn't like, I think I would feel suffocated too. I'm a Derek fan, but I really do like all the Pros and have been very happy when anyone wins. I was thrilled for Maks about the entirety of S18, although he stopped being one of my favorites somewhere along the way. Val's dancing awes me as does Artem's.

What I wish for this show is that the two fandoms weren't always fighting. That's what sucks the life out of the show for me. I wish we could all see the positives, the skills, the greatness and goodness in each Pro so that even though we have a favorite, we aren't spewing venom whenever one of them raises an eyebrow wrong. Please understand, I'm not pointing a finger at anyone here. This is where the nice people gather.

[truthaboutluv]

If I had to sit through so many seasons of one person winning a lot whose dancing or personality I didn't like, I think I would feel suffocated too.

 

 

The funny thing is Derek hasn't really won the show THAT much you know - he's just won way more than any other Pro. Derek has been on for 15 seasons I think (he did take one season off some years ago) since he joined in Season 5. And he has won five times out of 15 seasons. That's not winning every time. After he won with Brooke, he lost the next two seasons until he had Nicole and then he won back to back with Nicole and Jennifer Grey. And it was three seasons before he won again. So he really hasn't been this dominating, winning every single time presence that's suggested. Again, he's just won more than others is all. 

 

And in my opinion, that's basically what he's hated for. I said once before, it's like the old saying, "success breeds contempt." You know it's kind of like we're told "be good, be great, work hard but then don't be too good because then you're resented for it." I agree with you in that all of the Pros on the show seem like decent people. Yeah I'm sure they all have their faults and I've been irritated with a number of them at different points. But these dancers are all amazingly talented and work hard and at the end of the day it's a fun, little cheesy show. Yes it is a job and it can lead to cool opportunities for them but it's just not that serious.

 

And the funny thing is I wasn't some huge Derek fan and I'm still not a stan because I don't stan for any of the Pros. But I have this thing were when I feel like someone is constantly attacked unfairly, it bothers me. And I do feel that way with regards to Derek. At this point, as you said, that to me is what's sucking the life out of the show. This constant battle that's been exasperated with Val on the show because this Chmerkovskiy vs. Hough did not exist with Maks on the show. And it's just predictable and tiring at this point reading all the ways Derek is so evil and awful and a narcissist and egotistical and he has no friends and no one likes him, etc. etc. And sometimes I just feel like going, "all this over five little mirrorball trophies...really?" 

[legaleagle53]

And in my opinion, that's basically what he's hated for. I said once before, it's like the old saying, "success breeds contempt." You know it's kind of like we're told "be good, be great, work hard but then don't be too good because then you're resented for it." 

 

That isn't the problem.  The problem is the way he wins.  He constantly breaks the rules and gets rewarded for it, whereas any other pro would be torn a new orifice or two and severely penalized score-wise; he has yet to have a Kate Gosselin or a Cloris Leachman for a partner (i.e., someone who has the grace and dance ability of a sack of potatoes), while pros like Jonathan (remember him?), Tony, Artem and Tristan are shafted time and time again by being stuck with partners who couldn't dance if their lives depended on it; and there is also the perception that many of the show's "twists" are really subtle attempts to rig the outcome in his favor.  Add all of those up, and you have the real reason that Derek is resented by so many viewers and why so many of us are just plain sick and tired of him.

Edited August 26, 2015 by legaleagle53

[tarotx]

Pros like Johnathon are cast as filler. They are there to manage the older or out there filler contestants. Tristan shouldn't be filler but for sone reason he didn't really gel with the show. Derek may not have got a real old contestant but he has got a variety if contestants and he has done well with most if them. His line of contestants don't look much different than everyone else. He just had better finishes them them some of the time.

And lately he has gotten dancers he can get cheorgaphy out of maybe because he and the show have got attention because of his cheorgaphy.

Just like Mark has gotten the young or religious because he has done well and got the show attention because of it.

Though Derek's line of contestants still don't seem much different than everbodys on paper. Imo.

[fpbl83]

And the funny thing is I wasn't some huge Derek fan and I'm still not a stan because I don't stan for any of the Pros. But I have this thing were when I feel like someone is constantly attacked unfairly, it bothers me. And I do feel that way with regards to Derek. At this point, as you said, that to me is what's sucking the life out of the show. This constant battle that's been exasperated with Val on the show because this Chmerkovskiy vs. Hough did not exist with Maks on the show. And it's just predictable and tiring at this point reading all the ways Derek is so evil and awful and a narcissist and egotistical and he has no friends and no one likes him, etc. etc. And sometimes I just feel like going, "all this over five little mirrorball trophies...really?" 

Ironically, Derek and Val are friends. They go back years. Derek mentioned it in his book last year. 

 

That's not good enough for some of their fans though. They want the pros to be at loggerheads, at each other's throats. They don't see the pros as people, in a way - they seem them as TV characters whom they want to live vicariously through. Everyone being friends isn't exciting for them; they want feuds, like The Real Housewives. A certain website out there perpetuates this myth.  

[katha]

Well, DWTS is heavily scripted. So what sort of partner a pro gets, if judges smack down on rule-breaking, what sort of edit, and so on...that's not handled in an even-handed manner. Derek is a "leading man", he's arguably the frontman of the show. So of course he doesn't get totally hopeless cases, he usually doesn't get the "filler" since the show wants him around for many weeks every season. Same goes for Val these days, though. You could perhaps even argue that since Derek staying with the show isn't such a sure thing anymore and he's mounting a competing tour, they've transitioned their most fervent focus onto Val these days.

 

But yeah, I also agree that though Derek's partners usually have potential, they're not all Nicole Scherzingers LOL. And he does a good job teaching them and choreographing for them. He does have his foibles, like tightly controlling partners (particularly weaker ones) and using props to hide limitations of weaker partners. But all the other pros have faults as well. And he does bring the show attention and headlines.

[Danseur]

In response to legaleagle: If we accept the fact that this is a tv show and the bottom line is always money, we might be less bothered by some of the things that happen.

Since it's a television show and not Blackpoole, they don't really have to go by the rules. If they did, the judges would have been fired years ago for biased, inconsistent judging. Two of the judges aren't certified so they would not have been hired in the first place. Television shows like DWTS are for the purposes of entertainment and making money. So I'm guessing they hired Bruno and Carrie Ann because in their opinions, those two are entertaining.

Derek understands what keeps ratings up and what entertains the people. I think the very fact that he breaks rules which bothers some people (maybe most people?) is also ironically one of the reasons he wins votes and makes the producers want to keep him on the show. Some of his most creative numbers which makes Len crazy have been ones that have caused the loudest roars and standing ovations rom the crowd. For example, the Kellie/Tristan/Derek Paso Trio. Bruno called it Masterpiece Theater and he and CAI gave it a 10. Len, the certified judge gave it a 7. Another example is the Quickstep with Nicole to "Anything Goes" which gave Len apoplexy, Derek and Nicole a 23 (a 7 from Len) and Derek an Emmy nomination. In both cases, his partner won the MBT which means a lot of people voted for them and if they were bothered by rule-breaking, it didn't affect how they voted. It didn't work for him on S15. In fact, it was the rule breaking that many believe caused Shawn to lose. The judges deducted points from their scores and they lost. Some think it was just time for Tony to win. But we will most likely never know the truth. Breaking rules is bad sometimes, breaking rules is good other times. Entertainment is good all the time and money is the best good of all.

I admire the Pros who want to obey the rules and do. But a quickstep is a quickstep is a quickstep after so many hundred quicksteps. I have no idea how many of Derek's wins have been manipulated or how many wins by any other Pros have been. But this show is what it is, it's a show. The better the show, the more advertisers ABC brings in and that's what it's about. I've been mad many times at the inconsistent judging, the fawning, the selective editing and all the Frankenbyting. But it doesn't do me a whit of good to stay mad too long because this show doesn't have any rules (although they pretend to have them) and their idea of what is right, fair or true is usually not the same as mine.

[radishcake]

Guys the season hasn't even started yet PLEASE make sure you aren't calling out each other and are talking about the SHOW not each other.

[truthaboutluv]

Entertainment is good all the time and money is the best good of all.

 

 

Ha...this might be the best thing I've read about this show ever. 

 

But it doesn't do me a whit of good to stay mad too long because this show doesn't have any rules (although they pretend to have them)

 

 

Perfect example of this is the lift rule. Supposedly that is actually in the rules for the show and yet admittedly the only one who acknowledges it is Carrie Ann. Even Len the ballroom expert doesn't seem to care about an illegal lift here or there and far as I know, Bruno has never cared about it ever. If he likes a dance, he likes it. 

[Stitsch]

Here's to hoping this is his last season. He and Val are the worst at mugging for the camera and I would really like to keep my eyes, rather than roll them out of my skull. 

[boyznkatz]

Here's to hoping this is his last season. He and Val are the worst at mugging for the camera and I would really like to keep my eyes, rather than roll them out of my skull. 

 

I agree. I'm just so sick of Val and Derek in every final. They are getting to the point where they just recycle their choreography now because they are running out of material. I would like to see one of the new people like Sasha or Alan get a chance, or give Artem a good partner for once. I guess they think all women drool over Val and Derek and need to see them every season. NOT. 

[Danseur]

It's easy to see how beginning a comment with "in response to legal eagle" might appear to be "calling LE out" rather than discussing the show. It was definitely not my intention and LE, I do apologize. My response was meant to engage the issue of the show's gimmicks, twists, scoring, inconsistencies and partner-pairing which may or may not be ways of rigging the show. It was also meant to be a response to the issue of viewers being tired of specific Pros and wanting them off the show.

[jhlipton]

The funny thing is Derek hasn't really won the show THAT much you know - he's just won way more than any other Pro. Derek has been on for 15 seasons I think (he did take one season off some years ago) since he joined in Season 5. And he has won five times out of 15 seasons. That's not winning every time.

Just a third of the time.  He been in the top 3 8 times, or half the seasons he's competed.  I think the fact that no other pro has come close to those numbers is why it feels like his numbers are bigger.  (Before I looked it up, I was sure he was in the top 3 at least 75% of the time.)

[Uke]

Just a third of the time.  He been in the top 3 8 times, or half the seasons he's competed.  I think the fact that no other pro has come close to those numbers is why it feels like his numbers are bigger.  (Before I looked it up, I was sure he was in the top 3 at least 75% of the time.)

 

He's been in the top 4 13 times out of 15 seasons or 86.67% of the time. (6th place S6 w/Shannon and 5th place S8 w/Lil' Kim). He's been in the top 4 every season since S9 except for when he sat out for S12.

[Lesterkitty]

Hi all. I am new. I found this forum while trying to go to the ABC message board. What happened to it? And do you mind if I hang around with y'all to pre-game?

I actually like all of the pros (even Derek) and love discussing each season.

[radishcake]

Hi all. I am new. I found this forum while trying to go to the ABC message board. What happened to it? And do you mind if I hang around with y'all to pre-game?

I actually like all of the pros (even Derek) and love discussing each season.

Welcome! We'd love to have you! This board is one of the most welcoming places to talk DWTS, if you ask me. I swear I'm not biased! ;)

[Lesterkitty]

Thank you, Radishcake! I am well behaved. Just geeky for DWTS and have to have an outlet for geekiness to keep from driving my family away!

[kitcloudkicker]

Nice interview from Kristyn Burtt from the Emmy certificate ceremony last night - Derek gets into his process (which I always find interesting, as a creative process nerd) and confirms his partnership with Bindi

 

[Uke]

Two IGs from Tessandra Chavez

https://instagram.com/p/7CXw3iDF8o/ (the written message, not the picture)

Sounds to me like Derek & Julianne had "a vision" and hired Tess to choreograph it.

 

https://instagram.com/p/7CMqROH9iF/ (video message)

"for some reason I had saved his number" Huh?

[kitcloudkicker]

"for some reason I had saved his number" Huh?

 

"For some reason... I had saved his number, but it didn't go through. So it looked like a random text from some creepy guy." 

The "For some reason" there refers to the name not saving, not the act of saving.

 

Sounds to me like they worked together. 

[truthaboutluv]

Looks like Derek's a two-time Emmy winner. He, Julianne and Tassandra tied tonight with Travis Wall for Best Choreography. 

 

https://twitter.com/televisionacad/status/642867705071071232

Edited September 13, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Per the discussion in the thread from Monday night...I think it isn't so much that TPTB try to throw it to Derek, it's that the stars with real potential all insist on having him as a partner.  He is bound to have someone at least decent every time out.

[gohawks]

Looks like Derek's a two-time Emmy winner. He, Julianne and Tassandra tied tonight with Travis Wall for Best Choreography. 

 

https://twitter.com/televisionacad/status/642867705071071232

I am sure just as many talentless stars would like to have Dreck.

[PBGamer89]

I just think there's been so many times TPTB have tried to not give him the obvious ringer.

 

You can't tell me they thought Lil' Kim, Brooke Burke, Joanna Krupa, or even Bindi would turn out to be as good as they were.

 

I think the only true ringers he's gotten have been Nicole, Nastia, Shawn, and Jennifer. The rest were just better than we all expected them to be and/or had personalities that people loved (Kellie, Amber for example)

[kitcloudkicker]

And after how many "better than we all expected them to be's" do you start to conclude that, "hey, he must be pretty good at teaching this stuff?"

 

The one thing it's true he hasn't gotten is the over 65 contestant, who's going to have a real tough time moving, but neither has Mark, Val, or Maks when he was on. And it's also not a Little League Baseball Game where everyone "gets a turn."

[truthaboutluv]

I think the only true ringers he's gotten have been Nicole, Nastia, Shawn, and Jennifer. The rest were just better than we all expected them to be and/or had personalities that people loved (Kellie, Amber for example)

 

 

Personally I think the only true ringer Derek ever had was without question Nicole and I guess maybe Jennifer just because she did attend a performing arts school and starred in Dirty Dancing like two decades before being on the show (but that seems a stretch to me). But I will never agree that gymnasts automatically equal ringer in a dance competition. In my opinion, the one thing that completely dispels that myth is one Aly Raisman. Girl was a gold medal winning gymnast and could not dance for shit because she had no musicality and couldn't hear the music.

 

And after how many "better than we all expected them to be's" do you start to conclude that, "hey, he must be pretty good at teaching this stuff?"

 

No it's just because of overscoring, producer manipulation, producer bias, smoke and mirrors, dancing around his celebrities, dragging his celebrities. Hell apparently Derek doesn't even actually teach his celebrities. If they're not a natural dancer apparently he just fakes it and stops trying. Yet interestingly, one of his more recent not-natural dancers, Bethany Mota, in my opinion was by far a better dancer by the end of the season than Sadie who was second. And let's face it, she didn't learn the technique on her own. 

 

But Sadie was cute and perky and she sure tried hard and Mark bitched and whined enough about their scores and so some insisted she was so much better than I think she ever was. The season ended and she still was off time, still had gawky and jerky movements but Bethany was the one accused of never actually dancing and Derek using props to get her by. 

 

I also think Lil Kim was a far better dancer than she was ever given credit for by the viewers. However, she had an uphill battle because of perceptions and negative opinions about her because she was a rapper, she was an ex-con, etc. But I thought she and Derek produced some really great numbers.

[katha]

Round and round this tree we go: I'm in the middle. I think Derek teaches them well, but he also hides, controls tightly and uses props when he gets a weaker dancer. Then he doesn't always get called on those tactics when other pros arguably are. Which I think fosters some of the resentment. Bethany was the classic example of that. Yes, she improved. But not everywhere. The fast latin dances were short, tightly controlled and full of props right till the end of the season. IMO she didn't improve much there at all. She had a flair for the dramatic that worked for paso, contemporary etc. and Derek tapped into that.

 

I think Sadie is just an agree to disagree case: She was a limited dancer with great performance ability. The dances she did at the end of the season showed a level of control and precision she totally lacked at the beginning. But Mark, after the paso, was very carefully catering to her limitations, improving what could be improved and camouflaging the rest. I actually thought the quickstep was taking a page from the Derek playbook: He controlled her very tightly in hold to get the result he wanted.

[kitcloudkicker]

In the spirit of having a Derek conversation that hasn't happened a million times before, I would just like to say that he has Zack Morris hair at the moment, and I've been finding that more amusing than maybe I should.

 

[radishcake]

kitcloudkicker I thought the exact same thing when I saw the promo photos! :D

[truthaboutluv]

Bethany was the classic example of that. Yes, she improved. But not everywhere. The fast latin dances were short, tightly controlled and full of props right till the end of the season.

 

 

Yes it is an agree to disagree which is exactly why conspiracy theories about the show are so entertaining. Someone will think there's bias and producer manipulation when they love a couple or dislike the couple, someone else will think scores were fair and see no suspicion about them. Like I disagree about the above especially because Bethany actually didn't have that many Latin dances interestingly and I never saw the overuse of props Derek used so much with her, certainly not in comparison to other couples and especially the other couples' use of the troupe who yes, I do consider as a prop. Because I think an overrun of the troupe members can help hide and minimize the celebrity's issues at times. But YMMV and all. 

 

I also think where some see hiding and tightly controlling and using that as something negative, I see as being smart in how his celebrity is presented and the dance is executed. I think for me this whole debate will always be an agree to disagree situation, largely because I see it like this - this is an entertainment show, not some Blackpool, super standard of ballroom. It's part of the reason I don't get bothered about ringers because even some of the biggest ringers like Nicole for example, are still not perfect ballroom dancers. Put any of them against the Pros (not Alison but the actual ballroom trained Pros) and they would look average. 

 

The point being that these Pros are tasked with making these people, some of which have little to no dance experience, look somewhat passable and like something resembling a ballroom dancer in a few weeks. Their jobs ultimately is to make them look as good as possible and help them win the ugly plastic trophy. So to me if something like Derek controlling the dance space helps his celebrity look great and better execute the dance, then that's just smart and him doing his job. And if it gets them the trophy, then he's really done his job. None of them are going to be amazing ballroom dancers. Some, usually the ones with dance experience can get very close to looking very much like one, but it will never be perfect. 

 

eta: I think his hair is more boy-band right now.  Especially when it's not gelled back for the performances. He totally has a Nick Carter-Backstreet Boys 90's era thing going on. I wonder if they've compared hair tips.

Edited September 23, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[MickeyMouse]

Hey guys, anybody know Derek's background story as to why he moved all the way to London? Did his parents agree to that?

 

I'm not judging them or anything, but I just thought that was different compared to the other pros. None of them moved to other countries for better dance skills without the parents did they?

 

That's kind of weird to me, but fascinating at the same time lol.

[truthaboutluv]

It's been a fairly popular and well-known story since all three - Mark, Julianne and Derek - joined the show. Basically, Julianne and Derek were talented ballroom dancers and their parents wanted them to get the best training so they were sent to live in London with Corky and Shirley Ballas who were champion winning dancers/teachers. No, it's not the most normal or most conventional upbringing and Julianne said some not so nice things after leaving DWTS about the Ballas' and the experience that apparently really hurt and pissed them off.

 

Apparently they're all okay now as they were all at her engagement party, even the grandmother who flew in all the way from London. However, Derek has always had nothing but great things to say about Corky and Shirley and his experience there. That is also why Derek and Mark refer to themselves as brothers and Shirley and Corky often refer to Derek as their "boy" or their "son." 

[MickeyMouse]

Thanks for the reply! That makes sense now, since I've heard some of the talking around Julianne and Mark's family sometimes. Their background is interesting too. I always wondered why Derek was so close to Mark and his family.

 

Thanks again!

[Thadeeeyus]

Hey guys, anybody know Derek's background story as to why he moved all the way to London? Did his parents agree to that?

I'm not judging them or anything, but I just thought that was different compared to the other pros. None of them moved to other countries for better dance skills without the parents did they?

That's kind of weird to me, but fascinating at the same time lol.

Edited September 24, 2015 by OnceSane
fixed quote tags

[Rrrhumba]

I'm not a fan of the Hough's at all but their story is interesting. Apparently Shirley and Corky would often go to Utah to teach at Center Stage. Derek was an eager beaver that slipped into their classes despite being too young (in his book he said he would wait outside to greet Shirley, bring her gifts etc, literally apple for the teacher stuff). Then the Hough parents separated, the kids were split up (Derek and one sister with the Dad, Julianne with the Mom) and apparently Derek went off the rails. The next time the Ballases came back to teach, they noticed Derek's absence and made enquiries. That's when he wound up going to England, it was a way of escaping the fallout of the breakdown of his family - Corky and Shirley offered to take him for 3 months training. Towards the end of the spell, he decided he wanted to stay and convinced his parents to let him. Julianne wound up over there after Mark's partner grew too tall for him. Derek suggested his sister, who apparently had already relocated to Florida at one stage for a dance partner (despite being all of 9/10yrs old).

Obviously the closeness between Derek and Shirley relative to Julianne also has much to do with the fact that Derek stayed in London after the breakdown of the Ballas marriage. As I understand it, C&S split in 2002/2003, Julianne moved back to the U.S. that summer and then later on in the same year was when Mark's uncle committed suicide. As I rationalise it, that sequence of events would be more than enough to explain Derek's closeness to and protectiveness of Shirley...

Crazy life for sure.

[Wings]

No contestant on this show has ever been a ringer.  Some come with previous dance experience but that is not what a ringer is.  A ringer on this show would be an unknown professional dancer who presents themselves as an person with little or no experience.  

 

ringer

Any type of contestant in a game who is entered in order to cheat. For example, a professional bowler who plays in an amateur bowling match.

You lost because you were up against a ringer.

 

 

This has bugged me for years,  Thought I would add it here.  :>) 

 

ETA.  Derrick has been on this show 11 times and won 5 of those.

Edited October 20, 2015 by radishcake

[Andie1]

But of course, the origin of the Ringer on this show is Mario Lopez in season 3, who swore he had no dance training whatsoever...nothing.  And then Jimmy Kimmel put up a video of him as a little kid doing trained dance moves, leaps, pirouette,  etc.  He went on the show to deceive and cheat to take the crown away from Emmitt Smith who had no dance training at all, but had a huge fanbase and a ton of charisma.  

 

Now, those who cop to training okay, at least there's a sense that the audience will take it into account when voting. After Lopez did that a lot of dancers just came clean, it wasn't worth it to lie. 

[radishcake]

Guys please drop the ringer conversation. It's old. We all know both sides. This is Derek's thread.

[Wings]

Sorry, I started it back up again.  I have been watching but not reading or posting much over the years.  I didn't realize it had been discussed to death.  I only read mentions of it.  ***slinks off, tail between legs***  I hate dead horses.  

[Serendi]

By the way, "derrick" is "a kind of crane with a movable pivoted arm for moving or lifting heavy weights, especially on a ship." Is that like a forklift? Because Derek has just demonstrated he's not a forklift dancer at heart. I've been wondering for a while if Derrick is a misspelling or a commentary....