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S19: Derek Hough


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I actually am a big fan of his because I think he comes up with the most interesting choreography.  I know people feel like he gets the ringers, and to some extent that may be true (I don't watch every season), but I also think he is just really good at choreographing to a person's strengths and hiding her flaws.

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Personally, I think the reason that Derek wins so much is that he is:

  1. An excellent teacher
  2. An inventive, creative choreographer
  3. Is a caring, patient partner who listens to his dance partner
  4. Quickly identifies his partner's strengths & weaknesses and can create a routine that makes his partner shines

I think Derek is one of the few pros on the show who can take a medicare partner and bring her to top five (if not the finals).

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Personally, I think the reason that Derek wins so much is that he is:

  1. An excellent teacher
  2. An inventive, creative choreographer
  3. Is a caring, patient partner who listens to his dance partner
  4. Quickly identifies his partner's strengths & weaknesses and can create a routine that makes his partner shines

I think Derek is one of the few pros on the show who can take a medicare partner and bring her to top five (if not the finals).

Medicare or mediocre, I think he can help both perform well !  lol.  Awesome typo.

I totally agree with you and that's what makes him my fave pro. Maks is more my taste, man-wise, heh heh,  but I love Derek's personality and attitude. It does almost seem like he's been getting off scot-free but I believe he has so risen to the challenge. (that's not a double entendre, pervs).

The last couple of partners seem to be answering that criticism, IMO.  And look what he's done!  Just fab. Go, Derek!

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Derek is my least favorite of the male pros.  I am tired of seeing him showcased and overpraised by the judges.  There is no way that he should have won last season.  Corbin was a much better dancer than Amber.

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Derek is my least favorite of the male pros.  I am tired of seeing him showcased and overpraised by the judges.  There is no way that he should have won last season.  Corbin was a much better dancer than Amber.

Corbin might have been a better technical dancer, as a performer he left me cold.  Amber, on the other hand was a joy and a delight to watch.  And honestly, this show has never been about who is the "better" dancer, which in and of itself is highly subjective.

I thought Derek utilized Amber's musicality and performance ability in the best possible way and that's why she won.

This season Derek is making the most out of Amy's strength and lovely arm movement.  That makes him a smart choreographer.  

 

Medicare or mediocre, I think he can help both perform well !  lol.  Awesome typo.

 

Ha!  I so totally missed that typo.

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I think Derek is one of the few pros on the show who can take a medicare partner and bring her to top five (if not the finals).

LOL, I was going to say, I don't think Derek has yet had a partner that qualifies for Medicare. ;)

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Derek can and has bugged me plenty throughout the seasons and I would hardly call myself a fan. On top of that, I'm still waiting for that break he promised after the All-Stars season when instead of taking a break, he came back and won both of the last two seasons. All that said, I also believe in being fair and giving due where it's deserved. And IMHO, Derek is a brilliant choreographer and I do believe a lot of wins is because yes, he has figured out what this show is really all about and competes smartly. I can't fault him on that. I can't begrudge him creating choreography that highlights his celebrity's strengths while hiding their weaknesses as best as possible. Again that's just smart.

And I agree that the reality is that this show has never been and never will be fair. From Season 1 there have been people with more dance experience, even though it wasn't ballroom, in their backgrounds. And of course that gives them an edge. But aside from that there's been people with the advantage of being an athlete, youth, larger fanbase, etc. It's never been "just about the dancing" and "fair". And I think Derek is a person who realizes that. That ultimately this is an entertainment show and the people who win are basically those who have some natural ability, have fun, showstopping dances and a decent sized and motivated fanbase. It's really not much deeper than that.

I also have disagree about the claims that Derek has gotten all these ringers and that's why he's won so much. Derek's five wins have been with Brooke Burke, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler and Amber Riley. In what world was Brooke Burke a ringer? If anything, prior to Brooke's success, the beautiful models had all sucked and left in the first three weeks. I actually believe some at the time expected Brooke to suck and then she turned out to have really good natural ability. Nicole was without question a ringer who had no business being on the show but again, the show has never been fair and this season we have Meryl who is as much a ringer as Nicole was no matter how much some want to deny it because she's with Maks and not Derek.

Jennifer Grey may have had some dance experience in her background but she was 50 and plagued with injuries. Kellie Pickler was not a ringer. Yes she had been a cheerleader and was naturally very athletic but for me to consider Kellie a ringer, I would have to say the same thing about Zendaya who I was rooting for that season and I don't think she was. And Amber Riley, it amused me when some tried so hard to put that label on her just because they wanted to discredit Derek's winning again because that was the biggest reach for calling someone a ringer I ever saw. And aside from those 5 wins, he's had Jennie Garth, Shannon Elizabeth, Lil'Kim, Ricki Lake, Maria Menounos and Joanna Krupa. I wouldn't call any of these women ringers.

I thought Derek utilized Amber's musicality and performance ability in the best possible way and that's why she won.

And she had a much bigger voting base than Corbin which is half the battle on this show. Tristan pointed this out on the Afterbuzz after the finale. He noted that it was his belief that Amber had the audience (viewers) from Week 1 and she never didn't have them. And I think that was very true. I always suspected last season that aside from Bill Engall, Amber was getting the most viewer votes.

Edited by truthaboutluv
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truth, I am also waiting for the break he kept talking about. Wasn't he all emotional at the end of All Stars because of that promised break? Take the break! LOL

I am no Derek fan but I do agree with a lot of what you said. Derek figured out the game early on and he plays it well. I can't fault him for that. I also agree that his choreography is pretty amazing. But I do think the producers sometimes help his game play quite a bit, not so much with ringers, etc, but with group dance points, dance order, judges ignoring his occasional rule breaking and rehearsal package edits. That is what annoys me. 

Also, looks like we'll be watching the Golden Boy play Prince Charming this week. 

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The last season that I really watch was when JR Martinez and Ricki Lake were the frontrunners. Derek was Ricki's partner and I felt that he used too much smoke and mirrors to showcase her. He had Ricki wearing many floor length and full gowns to ensure that her footwork wasn't seen.

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I'll admit that Derek isn't a favorite of mine, but out of curiosity I looked up his last TV Guide blog post. He definitely knows how to lose gracefully, which is refreshing. He mentioned a few things about Amy that I wish we had known, like how she brought kids with disabilities to the show every week. He also has a lot of great stuff to say about Meryl and Maks. If he feels even half of what he said about Maks, then it seems to me that most of their rivalry is made up by their respective fans. 

 

There's still something about him that bothers me, I'm not sure what, but from his blog and a few things I've seen over the last two weeks I've gained a lot of respect for Derek.

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Personally, I think the reason that Derek wins so much is that he is:

  1. An excellent teacher
  2. An inventive, creative choreographer
  3. Is a caring, patient partner who listens to his dance partner
  4. Quickly identifies his partner's strengths & weaknesses and can create a routine that makes his partner shines

I think Derek is one of the few pros on the show who can take a medicare partner and bring her to top five (if not the finals).

Your list is incomplete.  Allow me to add to it:

5.  Consistently breaks the rules and gets away with it because the judges refuse to penalize him appropriately and only make a show of glaring at him and lecturing him -- but then go ahead and give him a 9 or a 10 anyway because, DEREK

6.  Never gets a partner with the kind of severe physical or emotional issues that many other pros *coughTristanandTonycough* have constantly had to deal with

7. Has an annoying habit of inserting himself into everything and making things more about him than they really should be *coughMacy'sStarsofDancenumbers*

8. Keeps saying that he wants to take a break from the show but never does

9. Is overrated and overhyped ad nauseam ("redefining choreography for a new generation"?  Excuse me while I barf!)

 

Ah, much better!

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5.  Consistently breaks the rules and gets away with it because the judges refuse to penalize him appropriately and only make a show of glaring at him and lecturing him -- but then go ahead and give him a 9 or a 10 anyway because, DEREK

 

 

He's gotten 7's multiple times from Len for among other things, breaking the rules, not having enough content or in the case of Kellie's trio Paso Doble, Len simply not caring for it. 

 

6.  Never gets a partner with the kind of severe physical or emotional issues that many other pros *coughTristanandTonycough* have constantly had to deal with

 

 

I think having a celebrity with two prosphetic legs this season eliminates the severe physical issues part. And that statement can be said for many pros not named Tristan and Tony. Who did Maks ever get that had severe physical or emotional issues (Hope was kind of a nutty bitch but frankly I felt Maks with his attitude fed her shitty behavior) or Val (Val who in his few seasons has gotten Zendaya, Elizabeth Berkely, Danica a woman who did ballroom when she was younger). Mark did get Bristol so I'll leave him out on the basis that she was annoying. 

Edited by truthaboutluv
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But Derek has never had a Diana Nyad, a Florence Henderson, a Kirstie Alley, a Nancy Grace, a Kate Gosselin, a Cloris Leachman, a Valerie Harper, or a Macy Gray.  When I see him successfully navigate a season with someone over the age of 60 or with as poor a work ethic or severe a lack of talent as Macy Gray, Pamela Anderson, Nancy Grace, or Kate Gosselin, then I'll be more persuaded that he's the true Wunderkind that he's been billed as ad nauseam.  Using smoke and mirrors, multiple backup dancers, and routines that bear only a passing resemblance to the assigned dances doesn't count, either.  Even with Amy, none of that was necessary, as her week with Mark and her straight-up Quickstep proved.

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But Derek has never had a Diana Nyad, a Florence Henderson, a Kirstie Alley, a Nancy Grace, a Kate Gosselin, a Cloris Leachman, a Valerie Harper, or a Macy Gray.

 

 

I don't expect that opinions on Derek is something viewers will ever agree on. But I will just say this. Out of that list, the only one Maks got was Kirstie who actually was pretty good for her age and size at the time. And in that same vein, Derek got Jennifer Grey who was 50 and plagued with injuries and both Ricki Lake and Amber Riley who were not the average dancer size by any means. 

 

Everyone else listed in that list was given to Tony, Tristan, Jonathan and I guess the new pro this season. Which means my point above still stands. The argument that Derek gets all these contenders and never gets the aging dud does not fly with me when the same could be said for Mark, Maks and Val. All these three have gotten celebrities who turned out to suck or not have fanbases but it wasn't obvious from the beginning.

 

It wasn't obvious that Kim Kardashian would suck so badly when she was given to Mark, especially considering how well Rob did seasons later or that Denise Richards would be so hopeless when she was given to Maks. And Val has gotten the leggy model, gorgeous soap star and first season winner, the 16 year old Disney kid, Elizabeth "I did jazz" Berkeley and Danica "I did ballroom when I was younger" Mckeller. Honestly, if one really wants to make a complaint I'd say it is more that the show loves sticking all the female pros with these old geezers at least once. Peta hasn't gotten hers yet. 

 

While with the male pros, they had their designated pro who got stuck with the non-contenders - Jonathan when he was still on and then later Tony and most recently Tristan. So no matter how many ways it's spun, I don't buy the Derek alone gets contenders and it's unfair he never gets these older ladies. Yeah I'll buy it when Val and Mark start getting them. 

Edited by truthaboutluv
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Ah yes, good old Meta…easy to forget him considering how quickly they left. By the way, not to go off topic of Derek, but I wonder if that's some kind of DWTS history, what happened with Peta - going from being eliminated first in your first season as a pro, to winning the second season. 

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I am not a fan of Derek, much less his sister, but husband and I were in New Orleans last weekend and saw their dance show, Move.

I was floored by how much better they were than the dancers surrounding them, who were great in their own right. Both should stop singing, and she needs to not talk as well, but the dancing was amazing. It was fun to spot the dance styles we see on the show. They did salsa, samba, quickstep, paso doble (which was great), tango (which was sharp), jive, and Derek did a rumba with one of the backup dancers. He even tapped a little. It must be frustrating for these pros who are so good at dancing to have to tone themselves down and dance to the level of their partner.

I never expected to see the show, but it was a great surprise.

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I don't ever see Derek leaving dance entirely. Unlike Julianne and even Mark, he really does seem to love it and where his passion lies. He may do the acting thing here and there, and some singing but I do see Derek moving towards being a Kenny Ortega, Adam Shankman, etc. type. Julianne just wants to be famous and she figures dance alone can't do that for her so she'll continue making mediocre movies and trying to date A-List stars. And poor Mark, I really believe music is his passion but I just don't see him having some huge hit/success with it so he'll stick with the dancing not because he loves it but because it pays the bills. 

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Judging from the responses in the Q & A I attended at the Move concert, I had a strong sense that Derek will not be returning to DWTS. He didn't say it of course. If I'm right, then all of you who want him gone can finally get your wishes fulfilled. I watch DWTS for everything it brings--cheesy glam, the celebs, bad dancing, good dancing and sometimes amazing creativity. I have a feeling when Derek goes, a lot of the amazing creativity will go with him.

There is so much meanness, cruelty and just plain evil in this world that I'm always looking for a little bit of kindness somewhere. At the Move concert, Derek danced with old ladies in wheel chairs and a girl with Down's Syndrome. He and Julianne went out of their way to pay attention to people who probably don't get much attention paid to them at all, ever. In the photo op, I was struck with how genuinely gracious and kind they were. There were no cameras. Just two young people doing everything they could think of to make ordinary people feel noticed, at ease and cared about.

So whether or not he is annoying, he wins too much, he doesn't deserve the scores or partners he gets, he isn't as good a dancer as they give him credit for being, etc. etc. etc., ---all of it seems like a big fat "so what" to me. It's easy to criticize when we're sitting at home on our couches. At least they're using the gifts they've been given to contribute something positive to the world and while they're at it they try to add a bit of light to life, one person at a time.

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Judging from the responses in the Q & A I attended at the Move concert, I had a strong sense that Derek will not be returning to DWTS.

 

 

Well it was all but confirmed he wasn't going to be a part of this current season until he heard about Amy and requested to dance with her. Btw, I read someone's recap of one of the shows where Derek talked about meeting Amy for the first time. And I thought it was cute that he said when she first walked into the studio, for a moment he thought the Producers were punking him because all he saw was this beautiful woman walk in and he was trying to figure out what disability they were talking about. 

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I didn't hear about that. Great story. I know Derek has had his bad moments and is by no means perfect. But I am sometimes surprised by the vitriolic comments posted about him in some places. We all have our favorites/likes/dislikes, etc. so I understand all the varying points of view. I'm not a big Maks fan but I find him appealing in ways and I like to watch him dance. It puzzles me how deeply emotions run when it comes to Derek though. I can definitely see why fans of other Pros are tired of his winning, etc. What I find confusing is the strength behind some of the attitudes.

Maybe I just don't understand fandom. I'm a fan of a few public personalities but I've never spent much time being particularly bothered by their wins or losses. Disappointed maybe for a while afterwards but the next day I'm not thinking about it anymore. This season I visited several different DWTS sites and was shocked by all the vehemence both pro and con. Too bad if you ask me. I love watching the show and get a lot of enjoyment from it. I love watching Derek dance and always look forward to what he will do. His creativity is fascinating. So I'll be sorry if he leaves although it's only reasonable that he would want to do other things after so long. I'm amazed that so many of them have stayed as long as they have. I was surprised Maks came back after having such a successful business.

Thanks for the story about Derek's and Amy's first meeting.

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I don't hate Derek at all, and I hope that I haven't hated on him - I just really miss the mix of choreographers for the Macy's Dances.  If any of the Pros annoy me the most?  It's Mark - but I don't hate him either.

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Honestly the Macys Stars of Dance is not the only thing that lost variety - was there any opening PRO number, other than the one with Mark singing his song, that was not done by Mandy Moore? Which makes even less sense to me as Mandy Moore is a contemporary/jazz choreographer. I wonder if that too is all part of the massive slash ABC made to the show's budget and all the changes that accompanied it - starting with the one night a week,getting rid of the old band, and originally getting rid of the Macys Stars of Dance, etc. Maybe having more outside PROS, choreographers would cost too much. But it is unfortunate because I too miss the many awesome PRO numbers we had in the past, seeing all those internationally ranked ballroom dancers who weren't part of the show but would be in a few showcase performances, etc. 

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I think it was said before, by some of the pros themselves, that Mandy Moore choreographed the pro dances because she was best at wrangling all the pros egos in.

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Just adding that Mandy used to choreograph a lot of musical theatre, not sure if she does anymore since most of the pieces that I've seen competed locally over the last few years have been contemporary/lyrical.  A lot of this year's opening group number had a musical theatre feel to them.

Edited by NextIteration
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I have been raging about so many of my favorite shows/actors being snubbed I honestly missed that category entirely. Good for him. I can hear the teeth gnashing and screams of rage all the way over here.

 

I stopped watching STYCYD since they moved to the one night a week so can't say who I think deserves to win as I don't know any of the routines from the SYTCD choreographers though I love Travis and he's never won. Also I know the "Human" and "Too Darn Hot" routines but what was the "Ameska"? 

Edited by truthaboutluv
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(edited)

Thanks, yeah I looked it up on YouTube. 

 

eta: And because I like to make an informed judgement, saw all the dances online and my vote is for Christopher Scott. I think he showed the most variety in his three pieces. Of course it's not like I can vote so my opinion counts for nothing but thought I'd share.

Edited by truthaboutluv
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"Ameska" was the Macy's Stars of Dance, Flamenco/Paso Doble, the only dance of his from this past season worthy of a nomination IMO.

 

Was that the one that featured him front and center for 90% of the dance?

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Derek has a book coming out that I think is part autobiography/part self-help or whatever. Haven't read it and don't intend to (autobiographies aren't my thing) but I saw a brief media story about it and one of the surprising facts listed, is that apparently Derek admits in the book that prior to joining DWTS, he actually never choreographed much at all. And he admits that in those early seasons it was a lot of just trial and error for him as it was not something he was used to and had done a lot of before. 

Edited by truthaboutluv
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Julianne turned out to be annoying which was a bummer---and yeah I know about Derek hate (I have been a mod in a past life at a DWTS board) but at the end of the day Derek is a fantastic dancer and choreographer---yes I get the gripe that he never gets a really bad partner but I have also heard the "they give him someone who should be bad---Lil Kim---and he is able to work with that too"--may or may not be true---and yeah sometimes he does rely or smoke and mirrors and tried and true but there are times when he blows the doors off---he truly has a gift in this area---I have a friend who is a choreographer on ice and she is continually amazed by what he does---yes sometimes it gets tiring to see him win but still---he is often the best---not always and he should not feel entitled but still--he has done a lot of amazing no matter the partner and if he leaves the show (that is already suffering) it will be a sad day

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Derek's greatest talent on DWTS is his unique ability to highlight his partner's strengths and cover her weaknesses when he creates his routines.  Jennifer Gray clearly had dance training when she was younger but what Derek was able to get out her was seriously impressive.  Same thing with Amber Riley who had done some choreography on Glee but nothing like DWTS demands.  A lot of people (especially fans of Maks after this past season) grouse about Derek being "the face of DWTS" but that's the reality.  For the show, he's the optimal packge of good looks, great dancing, superior choreography and a finely tuned sense of who his celeb partner is and what she can do.   There's a clip on YouTube of Misty Copeland performing a routine with three male dancers that was choreographed by Derek. It's a beautiful piece of work and shows how good Derek has gotten at it.

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For anyone interested here is my brief review of Derek's book: Harper Collins classifies it as an autobiography but it's a variation on the theme. He excerpts isolated times and events in his life that taught him valuable lessons. He fills in missing details about some things I've wondered about such as his move to London at an early age, the affects his parents divorce had on him, gives details about being bullied, what it was like to live in the Ballas household and how he got to be part of DWTS. He tells some interesting stories about working with his dance partners and what he learned from his experiences with them regarding who he was or wasn't, what he knew or didn't know and what his true passions are. As truthaboutluv has mentioned, he acknowledges he had never choreographed a dance or taught anyone to dance before he joined the cast. I was surprised to discover how inspirational it is. It's not Kant's Critique on Pure Reason but it definitely contains insights that could benefit parents and teachers. It also could be very encouraging to individuals who struggle with victimization, fear of failure and low self-esteem issues.

As a post script, someone quoted Cheryl Burke as saying at a recent BWAT event that ABC will be announcing tomorrow on GMA who will be Season 19 Pros and who will be members of the troupe. It's someone quoting someone else so it might not be reliable.

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There is definitely some DWTS announcement this week on GMA because I saw promos for it. As for Derek, I saw an interview with him on HuffPost Live promoting the book and he was talking about his time with the Ballas family and that is one thing I am very curious about, the relationship between all these people now - Derek, Mark, Julianne and the Ballas parents because Derek paints a significantly different picture of his time with them than Julianne. And after those abuse claims Julianne so casually threw around when she was promoting her crappy movie some time ago, I've always wondered what the relationship is now between her and that family. Like I almost wonder if Derek is just kind of the guy in the middle where he's still close with Mark and his parents and of course loves his sister but both sides don't have much to do with each other directly.

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In recent interviews Julianne seems to have taken a step back from those abuse comments. She has said some very nice things about the family. Derek sings their praises in the book. He says Shirley was a strict disciplinarian but he appreciated it both then and now. He attributes a lot of his success to them, especially his work ethic and discipline. Corky would never give up in the face of failure and taught him perseverance. But he definitely does seem much closer to them than Julianne is. An interviewer asked him about their two differing views and Derek said her experience might have been a little different because she was so much younger and didn't get to be a little girl long enough. That's definitely not a direct quote. It was more or less suggested as a possibility by the interviewer and Derek agreed. One interesting little tidbit is that Shirley's mother didn't believe in anyone eating alone. If Derek ever came in late at night, she would get up and sit with him while he ate. It seemed to mean a lot to him and he is still very close to the grandmother.

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Derek did not win the Emmy for Best Choreography this year (the Creative Emmy Awards are happening tonight), it went to NappyTabs. I didn't think this was Derek's best year and I like NappyTabs but I really think Christopher Scott had the best and more versatile pieces. Derek looked nice and he attended the ceremony with Amy.

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Putting on the Ritz was a cool one take large cast dance that was impressive work and Looked cool to watch. Their other two dances were less visual but fun and more traditional genre routines which is rare for NappyTabs. I love Christopher Scott's work. I think he was probably second. His nominated group routines this year were just stunning and artistic. Though he didn't submit any I even think most of his duo work is great though not truly short span rehearsal time ready so the dancers don't hit as hard and/or make mistakes.  The Emmy voters love to watch cool things that involve interesting prop and or camera work. That's one of the reasons Derek won last year. 

 

As for as Derek and Choreography, That's interesting to know about him not doing it or really teaching before hand. He's one of my favorites as a tv choreographer. I love how he knows how to make it look awesome on tv. His ability to stage Choreography for a TV audience is one of the best ever on TV at least in years imo.

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Where did you find it?

It wasn’t exactly legal - yo ho ho, it’s a pirate’s life for me - so I’m afraid I can’t give you any specifics because p.tv frowns upon such shenanigans. Sorry!

 

But I'm sure you could find it on DVD if you're morbidly curious. :D

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