General Gabbery: DWTS

[madpsych78]

Well, Nikki and Drew were on in the same season so it would be interesting if their respective twin siblings were on in the same season and were paired with the same pros. Jonathan showed potential when he joined Drew and Emma on that Jive in Drew's season. Jive is NOT easy for a 6'5" guy.

But please no to Assorama (her nickname on TWOP when she was on The Apprentice). I could see her being worse than Kate Gosselin personality-wise, even if she is a decent technical dancer. 

Sigh...I love Scottie Pippen (huge Bulls fan), so that piece of speculation is interesting, but I worry it will go the same route as Kareem. Still, Scottie is younger (early 50s) and not quite as tall. I also heard a rumor that one of his kids was on the Junior show.

[Toonces464]

Maks appears to be hinting at opening a restaurant in Vegas on IG. It's funny how he always launches one of his "big things" the same day the DWTS pro cast is announced, and they ultimately fizzle.

Surely I'm not the only one that thinks the lack of attention and publicity will send him running back to DWTS in a season or two, especially if his wife isn't on either and he can't ride her coat tails to some?

[boyznkatz]

13 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

Maks appears to be hinting at opening a restaurant in Vegas on IG. It's funny how he always launches one of his "big things" the same day the DWTS pro cast is announced, and they ultimately fizzle.

Surely I'm not the only one that thinks the lack of attention and publicity will send him running back to DWTS in a season or two, especially if his wife isn't on either and he can't ride her coat tails to some?

She got a new movie, so maybe he's going to try a foray into acting again.  I really don't anyone cares much about either one of them except a handful of stans who ship Valenna as well. I don't think people care about them as much as TPTB want to believe, either. Seriously, they need to get a big star to draw viewers, not some silly pro showmance.

47 minutes ago, madpsych78 said:

Well, Nikki and Drew were on in the same season so it would be interesting if their respective twin siblings were on in the same season and were paired with the same pros. Jonathan showed potential when he joined Drew and Emma on that Jive in Drew's season. Jive is NOT easy for a 6'5" guy.

But please no to Assorama (her nickname on TWOP when she was on The Apprentice). I could see her being worse than Kate Gosselin personality-wise, even if she is a decent technical dancer. 

Sigh...I love Scottie Pippen (huge Bulls fan), so that piece of speculation is interesting, but I worry it will go the same route as Kareem. Still, Scottie is younger (early 50s) and not quite as tall. I also heard a rumor that one of his kids was on the Junior show.

Ugh, I don't want Assorama either. Enough of the celebrity apprentice rejects, already. I'm really surprised that Bret Michaels hasn't been on, yet.

[Toonces464]

18 minutes ago, boyznkatz said:

She got a new movie, so maybe he's going to try a foray into acting again.  I really don't anyone cares much about either one of them except a handful of stans who ship Valenna as well. I don't think people care about them as much as TPTB want to believe, either. Seriously, they need to get a big star to draw viewers, not some silly pro showmance.

Her movie is an indie. Karina did several of those and they didn't turn her into an actress. I can't imagine it will for Peta either, who's a much lesser known name than Karina.

[BeeBop88]

3 hours ago, Toonces464 said:

Maks appears to be hinting at opening a restaurant in Vegas on IG. It's funny how he always launches one of his "big things" the same day the DWTS pro cast is announced, and they ultimately fizzle.

Surely I'm not the only one that thinks the lack of attention and publicity will send him running back to DWTS in a season or two, especially if his wife isn't on either and he can't ride her coat tails to some?

Maks said in an interview earlier this year, that the only way he would come back to DWTS is if they offered him a judge position. I really can't see that happening when his brother Val and future sister-in law Jenna are dance pros. Not to mention Sharna, Peta's BFF.  Personally, I think he is just hoping for Len to quit or drop dead (whatever comes first) and he thinks he will then be offered the golden ticket. 

 

All that being said, how many times does it make now for Maks to say he has quit DWTS and won't be coming back. I have lost count. Isn't he supposed to be a big time movie star by now?? LOL!!!

Edited August 29, 2018 by BeeBop88

[McManda]

10 hours ago, Toonces464 said:

The Keo experiment should've been over a long time ago and he can take Gleb with him.

Seconded x 1000!

When I saw the announcement on Facebook, Keo was the only pro that had a sad face reaction from people. I'm am awful person; I laughed.

[Toonces464]

1 hour ago, BeeBop88 said:

Maks said in an interview earlier this year, that the only way he would come back to DWTS is if they offered him a judge position. I really can't see that happening when his brother Val and future sister-in law Jenna are dance pros. Not to mention Sharna, Peta's BFF.  Personally, I think he is just hoping for Len to quit or drop dead (whatever comes first) and he thinks he will then be offered the golden ticket. 

 

All that being said, how many times does it make now for Maks to say he has quit DWTS and won't be coming back. I have lost count. Isn't he supposed to be a big time movie star by now?? LOL!!!

Movie star, jewelry designer, vodka salesman. I've lost count of all the "big things" he's bragged about, only to see them go nowhere and him end up back on DWTS as a pro. 

It should have sunk into Maks's thick head by now that if they wanted him as a judge, they would have given him the position back when it was available and he was flying off to India to train for it, rather than bringing Julianne back to the show.

I also would have thought Peta would have learned a lesson from Maks about thinking one small role is going to make her a full-fledged actress. Not to mention that acting is something Maks wanted to do and failed at, and I just can't see him being the loving supportive husband if she actually gets somewhere with acting. His ego won't allow it.

5 minutes ago, McManda said:

Seconded x 1000!

When I saw the announcement on Facebook, Keo was the only pro that had a sad face reaction from people. I'm am awful person; I laughed.

I can't for the life of me figure out what it is about Keo that keeps them bringing him back?!?

[Emily-D]

No one divides opinion on the DWTS FB page quite like Keo. Half think he’s treated awfully and deserves the ringer of the season. The other half think he’s an awful teacher and should be fired. I’m afraid my opinion is the latter.

[boyznkatz]

I think Keo is the new Tony of the show. He's obviously nice and a good partner for the old folks and basket cases. Artem is also there for the same reason. Basically Val is the new Derek who gets all the ringers and Sharna is the Karina who won't win no matter who she gets. Karina did eventually win with JR though, so there might be hope for her, yet.

[marykat71702]

15 hours ago, Emily-D said:

No one divides opinion on the DWTS FB page quite like Keo. Half think he’s treated awfully and deserves the ringer of the season. The other half think he’s an awful teacher and should be fired. I’m afraid my opinion is the latter.

Me, too.

[spanana]

I don't think Keo is a great pro, but I also don't understand why he gets so much extra ire compared to Gleb. I honestly think Gleb is all around worse than Keo.  Gleb's choreography sucks, he wants to sex everything up and his personality is lacking.  At least with Keo he seems like a nice guy who gets along well with his partners and is genuinely trying his best.  With Gleb, I tend to feel like he's a jackass.  I don't begrudge people not liking Keo, but I do tend to side eye why Gleb gets such a pass for being bad at his job over Keo.  If I had to get rid of one of them, I'd get rid of Gleb in a heart beat.

Now since so much has been made over lack of pro diversity on DWTS, I'm interested to see if the show stays on the Keo train if Brandon takes off as a pro.  No, I don't personally think two black people are interchangeable but I'm not so sure the show doesn't see it that way.  Meaning I think Keo has gotten so many chances in part because it would have been hugely bad PR for a show with so little pro diversity (hello endless white girls from Utah) to get rid of the tiny bit of pro diversity they have, not counting troupe and Cheryl when she chooses to take part.  I think the show is hoping Brandon takes off.   Also no, I don't think the contestants being diverse absolves the show from their lack of trying to diversify the pro roster over the years.

And to bring over a conversation from the Jrs. thread, I am also not giving the show credit for their LGBTQ representation amongst the pros.  I have no idea what pros may or may not be gay, outside of the obvious like Louis.  But the show, at least in it's current state, pushes for their male pros to be heartthrobs for middle aged women to lust over.  Maybe at one time they cast someone like Louis, and I don't even want Louis back as I think he's gotten increasingly annoying over the years with his whining, but the show certainly wants their male dancers to come across a certain way.  The show knows that the most passionate DWTS fanbases are usually those related to the male pros (Derek, Mark, Val, Maks) and a lot of that passion hinges from women that lust over them.  I don't think the show likely tells any pros to stay in the closet and of course it's up to a pro if they want their sexuality to be known, but the show certainly wants their male pros to play a type.   Sadly somehow the show, at least pro-wise, IMO has gotten less diverse over the years and the pros much more same-y.

[boyznkatz]

16 minutes ago, spanana said:

And to bring over a conversation from the Jrs. thread, I am also not giving the show credit for their LGBTQ representation amongst the pros.  I have no idea what pros may or may not be gay, outside of the obvious like Louis.  But the show, at least in it's current state, pushes for their male pros to be heartthrobs for middle aged women to lust over.  Maybe at one time they cast someone like Louis, and I don't even want Louis back as I think he's gotten increasingly annoying over the years with his whining, but the show certainly wants their male dancers to come across a certain way.  The show knows that the most passionate DWTS fanbases are usually those related to the male pros (Derek, Mark, Val, Maks) and a lot of that passion hinges from women that lust over them.  I don't think the show likely tells any pros to stay in the closet and of course it's up to a pro if they want their sexuality to be known, but the show certainly wants their male pros to play a type.   Sadly somehow the show, at least pro-wise, IMO has gotten less diverse over the years and the pros much more same-y.

I think you hit the nail on the head. That's why Gleb is still there, to be the point of lust for their (mainly conservative) middle aged female base.

I also tend to think that Gleb is a lot nicer in real life. I think he's playing the bad boy role aka Maks, Val and Derek.

Edited August 30, 2018 by boyznkatz

[Toonces464]

52 minutes ago, spanana said:

I don't think Keo is a great pro, but I also don't understand why he gets so much extra ire compared to Gleb. I honestly think Gleb is all around worse than Keo.  Gleb's choreography sucks, he wants to sex everything up and his personality is lacking.  At least with Keo he seems like a nice guy who gets along well with his partners and is genuinely trying his best.  With Gleb, I tend to feel like he's a jackass.  I don't begrudge people not liking Keo, but I do tend to side eye why Gleb gets such a pass for being bad at his job over Keo.  If I had to get rid of one of them, I'd get rid of Gleb in a heart beat.

I'm with you on Gleb. When they originally brought him on as as replacement for Maks, he was a failure and they didn't bring him back for several seasons.....then they brought him back the same season Maks returned, which obviously overshadowed him. Yet since them they keep bringing him back and I don't see anything different than the first time he was around and not worth keeping.

This entire pro lineup is just lacking to me and has been for awhile now. Back in the old days, the pros were world class ballroom champions and now they all seem to be BtF or SYTYCD refugees. I guess that's why, despite how much he annoys me, I don't mind Val being on.....because to me he's in that same class of champion dancers as Maks, Derek, Val, Tony, Cheryl, Karina, etc. 

People always talk about wanting another All Star season because they want to see their favorite celeb again. How about an All Star pro season? I know it'll never happen because these younger pros have very devoted fan bases back to the days when they were in the troupe desperately wanting to be pros and interacting like crazy with the fans on Twitter. But I would gladly give up all of them for a season of our original pros. Yes, even Louis.

[boyznkatz]

I agree that while Louis may be annoying, he's an awesome dancer. As annoying as Maks, Val, Mark, Derek, and Julianne are, they are awesome dancers as well. I would gladly take Julianne back as a dancer over a judge, any day. I think the mistake the show makes nowadays is to make the show about the pros and not the celebs. I think they should go back to the days of when the pros danced and the focus was on the celebrities. 

Edited August 30, 2018 by boyznkatz

[spanana]

I don't know if I think Gleb is nicer in real life. I'm sure he's playing a role on the show, but he's also said some douchetastic things in interviews and I very much squarely remember when he and his wife had a public falling out online because he was cheating on her (pre-baby number two).  I also don't feel like he tries that hard much of the time.  So I don't know...with Keo, I at least feel like he's genuinely trying to do his best.

I also will take exception with Maks exceptional skill on the dance floor.  He's a crappy choreographer, though he had his moments in earlier seasons and I don't even find his dancing that great.  Though I realize he's older for a dancer at this point and has injuries.  Val, yes.  For as much as I hate Val's personality and I'm over him and his DWTS princess entirely, I can objectively see that Val is a very skilled dancer.  His choreographic skills depend on the season.  Some seasons it's good.  Others its lazy.  

I also think we have some great pros now...I just think most of the great pros are on the female side.  I'd hold Lindsay up in comparison with any of our pros from back in the day and she could hold her own IMO.  Both as a dancer, choreographer and teacher.  Sharna has her moments.  Some season she's great (James).  Most of the female pros have their moments and ultimately I think the female pro side is much stronger than the male side now that Derek and Mark are no longer around.

[Emily-D]

I agree with you about the female pros. But at the same time the producers have to take some responsibility regarding the male pros. They only have themselves to blame for not creating more male winners to follow on from Derek, Mark etc. They’ve recruited poorly such as Gleb and Keo and for whatever reason have kept faith in them. Keo should have gone after Jodie Sweetin’s season and Gleb should have gone after Sasha Pieterse’s season. That’s two spots wasted. Sasha to be fair shows signs of promise, but hasn’t made the most of opportunities that came he way, he personally didn’t impress me with Simone Biles and that was really disappointing. Artem is just a bizarre one. He was hired off the back of a number of stellar seasons in the UK where he actuality won. But the producers continue to completely drop the ball by not giving him the chance to go “all out” with his partner the way he could with a couple of his UK partners and the way Witney could with Alfonso, Lindsay with Jordan, Derek with Nicole, Val with Laurie etc. They could have given him Laurie for example and that potentially could have turned him into the new “star male pro” that they desperately need. But they remained one dimensional and gave her to Val when he didn’t need it. Some of their decisions regarding male pros over the past few years has just been bizarre.

 

It’ll probably happen again this season, Val will get the best female celeb, then they’ll no doubt waste the rest of the good females on Gleb, Keo and Sasha and the male pro cycle will go on.

[Toonces464]

3 hours ago, spanana said:

I also will take exception with Maks exceptional skill on the dance floor.  He's a crappy choreographer, though he had his moments in earlier seasons and I don't even find his dancing that great.  Though I realize he's older for a dancer at this point and has injuries.  Val, yes.  For as much as I hate Val's personality and I'm over him and his DWTS princess entirely, I can objectively see that Val is a very skilled dancer.  His choreographic skills depend on the season.  Some seasons it's good.  Others its lazy.  

Maks is good, even great, when he likes his partner. In all the seasons he's been on, I feel there have only been four partners he's truly liked --- Mel B, Erin, Kirstie and Meryl. And only three of those were capable of performing good choreography. The rest of the time I agree.....he's lazy and doesn't care. During his season with Amber, when we had the cameras all over the place we could watch online, I used to always see him leaving Amber alone in the skybox and going to hang out backstage with Erin. That just drove home to me that he's all about who his partner is.

2 hours ago, Emily-D said:

I agree with you about the female pros. But at the same time the producers have to take some responsibility regarding the male pros. They only have themselves to blame for not creating more male winners to follow on from Derek, Mark etc. They’ve recruited poorly such as Gleb and Keo and for whatever reason have kept faith in them. Keo should have gone after Jodie Sweetin’s season and Gleb should have gone after Sasha Pieterse’s season. That’s two spots wasted. Sasha to be fair shows signs of promise, but hasn’t made the most of opportunities that came he way, he personally didn’t impress me with Simone Biles and that was really disappointing. Artem is just a bizarre one. He was hired off the back of a number of stellar seasons in the UK where he actuality won. But the producers continue to completely drop the ball by not giving him the chance to go “all out” with his partner the way he could with a couple of his UK partners and the way Witney could with Alfonso, Lindsay with Jordan, Derek with Nicole, Val with Laurie etc. They could have given him Laurie for example and that potentially could have turned him into the new “star male pro” that they desperately need. But they remained one dimensional and gave her to Val when he didn’t need it. Some of their decisions regarding male pros over the past few years has just been bizarre.

Totally agree with this. They've invested more in the female pros and not enough in following up the powerhouses they had in Derek, Mark, Maks and Tony, not just in choreography and dancing, but in personality too, And I can only think that's because they're catering to a younger audience who all these current pros spent years cultivating on Twitter as they responded to all their tweets about wanting to see them as pros. It made those young viewers think these pros are their friends. It's amazing how many of them, even some adults, I see on other social media outlets who honestly consider these people their friends because they've responded to them on Twitter or Instagram;.

[spanana]

I imagine the producers have to see the problem with the male pro side by now, especially with 3/4 of their signature pros gone.  Yes, some of them might drop in from season to season but Val is the only one they have left.  Which IMO is also why Val gets away with anything he freaking wants, because the show knows they need him and need to keep him happy, so I think he has a lot of leverage.  And when Maks drops in, it's usually half assed and I'm not even sure he's the fan draw he once was.  Don't even remind me of the petty crap he pulled with Vanessa, whether he liked her or not.

I do think Alan and Brandon have some potential.  Do I think they are going to have Derek popularity? Of course not and I don't even know if that is possible on this show anymore as while it still does well enough to have a healthy future, the show isn't the center of the pop culture zeitgeist as it was at one time.  Back in the day when it was watercolor talk.  But Alan has done some good work in his first appearances and has potential.  If you had asked me a few years ago my feelings on Alan, I wouldn't have ever thought I'd like him, but I actually think he's a very good pro and has potential as a choreographer.

Also while it's yet unproven, I do have a good feeling about Brandon. I think the show is hoping that people like Alan and Brandon are their male pro future.

Sasha is kind of middle of the road.  He's not a bad pro.  He does well by most of his celebs and he's done some good work.  Even when presented with challenges.  I thought he did well with Kim Fields and Terra.  And he didn't do badly with Simone, though I think he also was weirdly at a disadvantage because the bar was so high and as I've discussed previously, I don't think there was any chance of Simone winning on the heels of Laurie winning the season before.  So I actually think it was a bit of an uphill battle.

On the female side, I think Lindsay is amazing and would be a great pro for anyone.  She's just very good at what she does.  I would argue that I think she might be the best teacher of the current pros on all sides.  Witney is very hit or miss.  She's either way on or way off and doesn't have a lot of in between, but she had some good moments and I think she had some good moments with Frankie last season (I refuse to acknowledge the four week season).   Emma does good work.   Sharna is also hit or miss, but I'd look to her James season as her highlight and I think she's clever when faced with a challenge (Noah).  I don't know if I'm in the minority, but I don't miss Peta.  I find her choreography boring.  I don't really have any opinion on Jenna's body of work since I didn't watch that four week season outside of the freestyles and Adam danced non-ballroom as much as he did ballroom.  The only thing I know is she botched the freestyle.  Oh, and Cheryl is Cheryl.  I feel like she can do whatever she wants.  She has a place on the show as long as she wants one.

[McManda]

9 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

also tend to think that Gleb is a lot nicer in real life. I think he's playing the bad boy role aka Maks, Val and Derek.

Probably, but he's doing it wrong. I never saw Val or Derek as a bad boy persona (Derek was too blonde and peppy and Utah, Val was too ... Maks's little brother), but Maks worked (for awhile) as a bad boy because he was the kind of bad boy where there always was a chance that you could settle him or change his way. The bad boy with a heart of gold, if you will.

Gleb just comes off as smarmy and ... icky, at least for me.

If I had to get rid of one of them, it would be Gleb for sure. I don't mind Keo as a personality. He seems like a good guy and dances fine, he's just ill suited as a pro partner IMO.

32 minutes ago, spanana said:

I don't know if I'm in the minority, but I don't miss Peta.

I'll join you in that minority, if so.

[Toonces464]

50 minutes ago, spanana said:

I don't know if I'm in the minority, but I don't miss Peta.

 

15 minutes ago, McManda said:

I'll join you in that minority, if so.

Save me a seat too. I've always found Peta trashy, like all she's missing is a stripper pole. And I feel like she had an agenda from day one to become part of the fam. 

[babyhouseman]

38 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

 

Save me a seat too. I've always found Peta trashy, like all she's missing is a stripper pole. And I feel like she had an agenda from day one to become part of the fam. 

I don't care for Peta either. I don't know if she had an agenda, but I think she's not as sweet and clueless as she acts like she is. To me, being with Maks has made her look worse. It shows how clingy and spineless she is. 

[spanana]

I have no issues with Peta as a person.  I'm not interested in her necessarily, but she has also hasn't pissed me off the way others have.  I can't remember her having any huge moments that made me cringe in the way that someone like Sharna has (her defense of Nick Carter because he was respectful to HER).  But Sharna is a love/hate thing for me.  I think she brings something to the show and can put together some cool numbers and she's great with the right partners.  Peta has done some good work, but I can't remember a thing she has done or choreographed besides Donald Driver's freestyle and some of Tommy Chong's numbers.  I know Sharna is divisive, but personally I'd notice a gap in the show if she were gone.  I don't feel the same about Peta.

[Toonces464]

46 minutes ago, babyhouseman said:

I don't care for Peta either. I don't know if she had an agenda, but I think she's not as sweet and clueless as she acts like she is. To me, being with Maks has made her look worse. It shows how clingy and spineless she is. 

I didn't like her back in Season 10 when she was hanging around with Damian. It just felt back then like she had an agenda of her own. And when she was made troupe with Nicole and Teddy Volynets, I think she became determined to be part of the family. I've always thought she was clingy and spineless but going back to Maks after the way he treated her was just too much.

23 minutes ago, spanana said:

I have no issues with Peta as a person.  I'm not interested in her necessarily, but she has also hasn't pissed me off the way others have.  I can't remember her having any huge moments that made me cringe in the way that someone like Sharna has (her defense of Nick Carter because he was respectful to HER).  But Sharna is a love/hate thing for me.  I think she brings something to the show and can put together some cool numbers and she's great with the right partners.  Peta has done some good work, but I can't remember a thing she has done or choreographed besides Donald Driver's freestyle and some of Tommy Chong's numbers.  I know Sharna is divisive, but personally I'd notice a gap in the show if she were gone.  I don't feel the same about Peta.

I also have a love/hate thing with Sharna. I hated her in the troupe, but thought she did a great job with Andy Dick when she first became a pro. I loved her with James and with Noah. I think when I do like about her too is that she stands out from the rest of the females. With all that blonde hair flying around, it's often hard to tell who's who in group numbers.

[boyznkatz]

Peta doesn't really bother me, although she has done nothing memorable since Nyle's season, and he was intriguing for reasons that didn't really involve her. I can do without Sharna. I don't like her choreography or her, for that matter. I'm pretty tired of her defending her slimey partners.

Witney has done nothing since Alfonso, either. Time for her to go. I do like Lindsay, though. The jury's out on Jenna. I like her work with Adam, but let's see what she can do without such an obvious ringer.

I'm always happy to see Cheryl.

Edited August 31, 2018 by boyznkatz

[PhD-Purgatory15]

According to twitter (grains of salt and all that), it looks like we are getting the Celeb reveal on September 12th. A week from next Wednesday.

It makes me think the rumor/speculation mill is going to start kicking it into overdrive maybe beginning of next week. Doesn't seem like there are a ton of names out in the ether just yet.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is one, and she would be a big fact yes for me. I mean, it's Buffy...c'mon :-) Christy Carlson Romano is someone who's been talked about in previous seasons, and now with the live action Kim Possible movie in the works (where I think she is going to have some sort of role, even if it's just a cameo)...maybe this season would be the season for her.

Omarosa would be a giant no, but her name is definitely out there and she definitely fits the bill for what the cast people are looking for. Buzz, buzz, buzz and more buzz. It wouldn't completely shock me if they've had internal discussions about Stormy Daniels either. Cue the "Is America ready for an Adult Movie Star on their quote unquote family friendly Monday night network television show?" discussions if you will.

If they had to bring in someone political for this cycle, I know there's no way she'd do it....but I'd like to see Alexandria Ocasio--Cortez. She'd be fun, she probably would be a reasonably high level dancer, and it would raise her national profile even higher (and make Democratic Socialism a little more personalized for DWTS fans out in rural South Dakota lol).

Most of the other names are connected to the Junior season, Scottie Pippen, Mama June....

Edited August 31, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[boyznkatz]

Sarah Michelle Gellar and her husband would be great. I know they've done couples before and it backfired, but I think they would be good. I'm all for getting more diversity, especially women of color, but why Omarosa? There are far better people they could get.

[vdw84]

I do not want them to bring Omarosa. They just want to bring on someone that can bring drama and of course they want it to be the black woman so she can be labeled the angry black woman. Im so sick of shows doing this, always want make black women out to be loud and ghetto and im sick of it.

[vdw84]

On 8/28/2018 at 9:47 PM, Toonces464 said:

Movie star, jewelry designer, vodka salesman. I've lost count of all the "big things" he's bragged about, only to see them go nowhere and him end up back on DWTS as a pro. 

It should have sunk into Maks's thick head by now that if they wanted him as a judge, they would have given him the position back when it was available and he was flying off to India to train for it, rather than bringing Julianne back to the show.

I also would have thought Peta would have learned a lesson from Maks about thinking one small role is going to make her a full-fledged actress. Not to mention that acting is something Maks wanted to do and failed at, and I just can't see him being the loving supportive husband if she actually gets somewhere with acting. His ego won't allow it.

I can't for the life of me figure out what it is about Keo that keeps them bringing him back?!?

I have no idea why they keep asking Keo back, I believe it has alot to do with have diversity with the pros in the lineup but if that is the case why don't just give Brittany Stewart a chance, she actually choreographs and very diverse dancer, I think she could bring something keo was never able to bring.

[howmanywords]

8 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

Peta doesn't really bother me, although she has done nothing memorable since Nyle's season, and he was intriguing for reasons that didn't really involve her. I can do without Sharna. I don't like her choreography or her, for that matter. I'm pretty tired of her defending her slimey partners.

Witney has done nothing since Alfonso, either. Time for her to go. I do like Lindsay, though. The jury's out on Jenna. I like her work with Adam, but let's see what she can do without such an obvious ringer.

I'm always happy to see Cheryl.

 

I could have written this myself.

Witney should take a season off. I dont think she has the large fanbase she is believed to have. Just because she won once they keep bringing her back and she hasn't done anything all that amazing. Yes she was amazing with Alfonso but let's be real, he was winning regardless of who he was getting as a partner. Witney getting him in only her 2nd season was like handing her a gift.

Edited August 31, 2018 by howmanywords

[madpsych78]

9 hours ago, boyznkatz said:

Peta doesn't really bother me, although she has done nothing memorable since Nyle's season, and he was intriguing for reasons that didn't really involve her. I can do without Sharna. I don't like her choreography or her, for that matter. I'm pretty tired of her defending her slimey partners.

Witney has done nothing since Alfonso, either. Time for her to go. I do like Lindsay, though. The jury's out on Jenna. I like her work with Adam, but let's see what she can do without such an obvious ringer.

I'm always happy to see Cheryl.

I liked Peta with Tommy Chong.

[spanana]

I don't agree on Witney.  She was given a gift in Alfonso, had some fabulous numbers that season (no matter who choreographed them), then had some really rough seasons, but IMO she rebounded really well with Frankie last season.  Frankie was not a natural dancer and while there were a few clunker numbers, there were also some really great ones.  Witney is not one of those pros IMO that is middle of the road.  She's either super on and has some great numbers or she's super off.  And I think you just never know what Witney you will get from season to season.  So I'm not going to pretend that Witney is an awful pro.  I remember more of what she has done over the last several seasons than someone like Peta.  For better or worse.  I think for the sake of the show it's better to be memorable (good or bad) than just there.  I also still think Witney is a better pro with a better track record than half the male side. 

Witney however isn't the best dancer or the most technical of the current female pros though.  Presently I'm guessing that's probably a toss up between Lindsay and Jenna, even if the latter has never met a camera she couldn't over perform towards.  What Witney has is being incredibly telegenic and being a strong performer than she is a technical dancer.

As for Britt Stewart, isn't she not trained in ballroom at all?  And at this point I think it's unlikely the show would promote her before they promote Hayley.  Neither is trained i ballroom, but Hayley has a lot more seniority.  And as we've discussed, the female pro side is a lot more stacked than the male side so the only way Britt can be a pro right now is if someone gets pregnant or benched, and I don't see any of our current female pros getting benched just yet.   The male side is a lot more open and wanting.  Hence why I said I think the show is hinging a lot of hopes on Brandon.  I think the show is content to let Cheryl be their only female diversity right now, mixed in with mostly white girls from Utah, England & Australia.  

Christy Carlson Romano just announced she's pregnant, so I think she's unlikely for this season.  Though I think she would be eager to sign up in other seasons.

Oh, and while it wouldn't help the diversity ranks and the female pro side is full, I still don't get this show's deal with Brittany Cherry.  IMO she would be a great pro, but for some reason TPTB seem to hate her with the continued hiring and firing of her they did for the last several years until they ditched her entirely for Britt and now that Morgan girl.  And IMO that blonde Morgan girl isn't very good...at least at ballroom.  She seems sweet, but did we really need another blonde?  Britt, I at least understand.   But Brittany Cherry is ballroom trained and seems to have a great personality, but yet was thrown overboard for people that don't dance ballroom.  I would have made her a pro before Jenna.

Edited September 1, 2018 by spanana

[LizDC]

17 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

Christy Carlson Romano is someone who's been talked about in previous seasons, and now with the live action Kim Possible movie in the works (where I think she is going to have some sort of role, even if it's just a cameo)...maybe this season would be the season for her.

Probably not.  Just announced her second pregnancy.

[Toonces464]

10 hours ago, spanana said:

Oh, and while it wouldn't help the diversity ranks and the female pro side is full, I still don't get this show's deal with Brittany Cherry.  IMO she would be a great pro, but for some reason TPTB seem to hate her with the continued hiring and firing of her they did for the last several years until they ditched her entirely for Britt and now that Morgan girl.  And IMO that blonde Morgan girl isn't very good...at least at ballroom.  She seems sweet, but did we really need another blonde?  Britt, I at least understand.   But Brittany Cherry is ballroom trained and seems to have a great personality, but yet was thrown overboard for people that don't dance ballroom.  I would have made her a pro before Jenna.

They've done that to a few of the female pros -- Sharna was originally out of Season 19, I believe, and wasn't there a season Emma was originally out as well? I also remember a season that it appeared Jenna was out of the troupe but got a last minute reprieve, and then she hooked up with Val and cemented her place. 

I also remember a few seasons ago it was announced that Tony had signed a new 3 year contract and would have a spot as long as he wanted it --- then I think he did another season or two and hasn't been back since. And then there was Season 14, which Maks was originally left out of after his horror of a season with Hope Solo, only to be brought back at the last minute when they snagged Gladys Knight (which, to me, was the beginning of the end for Maks as far as being one of their most popular pros).

[fpbl83]

Brittany Cherry has had horrible luck on both DWTS and SYTYCD. Going into season 10 of SYTYCD many thought she and Jenna would both go far like Lindsay and Witney did the previous year, but Brittany was eliminated after one week while Jenna became the judges' fave. She was originally fired from troupe after season 20, but was rehired at the very last minute when Lindsay was partnered with Alek. Then she was fired again after S21, rehired for S23 to replace a promoted Jenna, and again dropped after S24 to make room for Jenna after she finished being an All-Star for Kiki on SYTYCD. Pure said after her initial firing that she had some "maturity issues", but what 20 year old doesn't? 

 

I think Tony was retired because of his age. He was 43 and not getting any younger. I think they brought back Maks to fill that "void", so to speak.  

Edited September 1, 2018 by fpbl83

[crowceilidh]

It doesn't seem right to me that the female pros are identified by their hair colour ("we don't need more blondes" kinda thing) and male pros are not (can you imagine? "we don't need more brunettes") (I am not excusing myself from this thinking at all). Can somebody explain why we do this and whether there's a way in which it could be seen as not being sexist?

[Toonces464]

19 minutes ago, fpbl83 said:

I think Tony was retired because of his age. He was 43 and not getting any younger. I think they brought back Maks to fill that "void", so to speak.  

I think they brought Maks back because he wanted to come back and had always been one of their most popular pros. But I think they've come to realize since then that he's not so popular anymore.

16 minutes ago, crowceilidh said:

It doesn't seem right to me that the female pros are identified by their hair colour ("we don't need more blondes" kinda thing) and male pros are not (can you imagine? "we don't need more brunettes") (I am not excusing myself from this thinking at all). Can somebody explain why we do this and whether there's a way in which it could be seen as not being sexist?

When I watch the men dance, I don't find myself thinking "Who's that?" Then men are each distinctive enough that you can tell who they are. Most of them time when the women are dancing, I can't tell who anyone is other than Sharna (and Cheryl when she's there). And even back in the old days, I never had trouble distinguishing between, let's say, Karina or Cheryl, despite them both having dark hair. Now all I see is a bunch of long blonde hair flying around.

[fpbl83]

4 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

I think they brought Maks back because he wanted to come back and had always been one of their most popular pros. But I think they've come to realize since then that he's not so popular anymore.

 

Totally. His choreo was lazy with Amber, Alan ended up doing most of the dancing with Heather, and skipping out on Vanessa that one week may have been a career-ender. 

[Toonces464]

1 hour ago, fpbl83 said:

Totally. His choreo was lazy with Amber, Alan ended up doing most of the dancing with Heather, and skipping out on Vanessa that one week may have been a career-ender. 

Even on social media and his outside projects, the only "fans" he seems to have are Peta and Val's fans who like him by default. That doesn't help him on DWTS when those fans are busy voting for Peta and Val.

I think it was really driven home to me how far he's fallen when he finally returned from his injury with Heather and was eliminated the same week. In the past, his return alone would have kept them around at least another few weeks.

But hey.....he's just been signed to host the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce Awards! 

[spanana]

I don’t know if referring to the female dancers by their hair color is sexist, but I tend to agree with what was said. First off, hair color has nothing to do with race or ethnic background.  Also most of these women bleach their hair to some extent. But the reason it’s noted amongst the females is while our female pros don’t look alike (outside of being overwhelmingly white and that is not a racist thing to point out) is because when they dance often most of them have their hair done and styled in similar manners so when they are dancing you just see whirls of long blonde hair and it’s hard to make out who is who.  We have had whole seasons where the entire female side was blonde except for Sharna and it worked to Sharna’s advantage because it made her stand out in dances from the rest. Nobody else was identifiable until the show did close ups or the dance was over.

Whereas when the male pros dance, their hair is short and they all have different statures so nobody is going to confuse Sasha for Val or Val for Keo or Keo for Gleb or Gleb for Artem. The only possible confusion I could see is maybe Alan and Val.  It’s partly just because the women having long hair that flies in their faces and the men not.

I don’t know, as a blonde myself, I don’t really find it sexist that part of casting is making sure your cast is visually distinctive from each other and not same-y.  The male side is same-y in their sort of macho bravado but not really in terms of looks, again outside of Alan and Val.  If I already had a whole slew of blonde female dancers and was looking to hire a new troupe member, I certainly wouldn’t think to go out and hire another young woman that looked similar, especially if her ballroom skills are subpar.  Watch some of the vids of Morgan on tour. She seems like a lovely young woman, but a good ballroom dancer she isn’t.

Ive also never bought the whole Brittany Cherry being too immature rumor. First off, Alan and Jenna also came off ridiculously immature at the beginning and the show had no issues with them and also Brittany gets hired to work on various shows constantly and seems to endlessly book work, even if not the type of thing to make her a star. She was working for Nappytabs on World of Dance and choreographed for Crazy Ex Girlfriend amongst other shows. She wouldn’t be getting hired outside of the show the way she is if she were too immature or unreliable.

Edited September 2, 2018 by spanana

[lavenderblue]

The fact that the show had the girl from one of the most recognizable music videos of the last five years (who on that same job had the task, by the way, of helping to teach a celebrity how to do a long-form partner dance with ballroom elements!) and never used that fact to their advantage, whatever her "maturity" issues or not, always struck me as odd. If Jenna had booked a similar gig that same year it would probably have gotten her a pro spot even sooner. I also think there was something else hinky there with TPTB, and not due to issues on Brittany's part.

I also still wonder if the show's ever cared to try to get Paul Karmiryan, or if he's rejected any interest. Because 1) he's fantastic (on the shorter side, but not so much it would be an issue) and 2) he's worked quite often with Brittany C, including for the Sheeran stuff, so if it's the show that's declined interest I would have to wonder again about what larger connections are faulty.

Edited September 2, 2018 by lavenderblue

[fpbl83]

11 hours ago, lavenderblue said:

The fact that the show had the girl from one of the most recognizable music videos of the last five years (who on that same job had the task, by the way, of helping to teach a celebrity how to do a long-form partner dance with ballroom elements!) and never used that fact to their advantage, whatever her "maturity" issues or not, always struck me as odd. If Jenna had booked a similar gig that same year it would probably have gotten her a pro spot even sooner. I also think there was something else hinky there with TPTB, and not due to issues on Brittany's part.

I also still wonder if the show's ever cared to try to get Paul Karmiryan, or if he's rejected any interest. Because 1) he's fantastic (on the shorter side, but not so much it would be an issue) and 2) he's worked quite often with Brittany C, including for the Sheeran stuff, so if it's the show that's declined interest I would have to wonder again about what larger connections are faulty.

Yes, I totally forgot about Thinking Out Loud. That makes their treatment of Brittany even more bizarre. If Jenna had done that, not only would she have been promoted sooner with a huge ringer, but we'd never hear the end of it from Val, Maks, and the Fam.   

Paul K. said on Kristyn Burtt's podcast that he fell out of favor with the producers after he got injured while rehearsing for a Noah/Sharna dance. He said he "didn't fit the puzzle of the show".  Was he referring to his looks? Height? 

[madpsych78]

20 hours ago, spanana said:

Whereas when the male pros dance, their hair is short and they all have different statures so nobody is going to confuse Sasha for Val or Val for Keo or Keo for Gleb or Gleb for Artem. The only possible confusion I could see is maybe Alan and Val.  It’s partly just because the women having long hair that flies in their faces and the men not.

 

I'm not sure that it's so easy to tell the men apart from a distance though. Keo of course, and Derek when he was on because he was the only blond male. Maks, Tony, Dmitri when he was on, Gleb, and Alan all look similar from afar. Val is slightly shorter, but he looks very similar to Maks (of course) and Alan as well. Sasha - Mark - Artem - Louis (if he was still on). Again, this is all from a distance, like when the camera pans out over the entire dance floor over a group routine.

I think Brandon will have an advantage in that he doesn't look like any of the other male pros. 

I think the female pros for Season 27 will be easier to spot than the men. The only blondes are Lindsay, Witney, and Emma. Jenna and Cheryl are brunettes, and well, then you've got Sharna.

Edited September 2, 2018 by madpsych78

[PhD-Purgatory15]

A new name in the mix today (from various twitter locales), is Danelle Umstead.

Who you might ask is Danelle Umstead? She very well may be our "challenge" contestant (following in the illustrious footsteps of Amy Purdy, Nyle, Victoria Arlen, Bonner, etc.) this season. She's a paralympic winter athlete in Alpine Skiing who recently competed in Pyeongyang and won medals back in Sochi and Vancouver, she's visually impaired (retinitis pigmentosa) & her husband is her "guide" skiier, and on top of all that...she's also fighting multiple sclerosis too.

[Toonces464]

30 minutes ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

A new name in the mix today (from various twitter locales), is Danelle Umstead.

Who you might ask is Danelle Umstead? She very well may be our "challenge" contestant (following in the illustrious footsteps of Amy Purdy, Nyle, Victoria Arlen, Bonner, etc.) this season. She's a paralympic winter athlete in Alpine Skiing who recently competed in Pyeongyang and won medals back in Sochi and Vancouver, she's visually impaired (retinitis pigmentosa) & her husband is her "guide" skiier, and on top of all that...she's also fighting multiple sclerosis too.

I miss the days of celebrities whose name I know and don't have to Google.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Toonces464 I hear you, but to play devil's advocate we are sort of lucky that we've only had two of the "challenge" contestants win (J.R. who I forgot on my original list & Nyle). If I've forgotten anyone else. who fits that bill...I apologize.

I think the reason we haven't had more than two is because they've usually come in most of the time with very limited fan bases (I mean, there were a lot of ESPN fans who barely knew who Victoria Arlen was and that was her primary place of work). If the quote unquote "challenge" contestant was also the most popular (or even just a reasonable level of popular and well known)....then that's basically a wrap. The season would be the most anti-climatic thing ever.

Edited September 3, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Emily-D]

They have to be likeable at the end of the day. The last two “challenged” celebs have been busts because they really weren’t likeable. Bonner was a jerk and Victoria was difficult to like for me mainly because Val wouldn’t let her get a word in edgeways.

[LadyNebula]

Of course, the "challenge" contestants who won were actually quite good. 

[Toonces464]

13 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

Toonces464 I hear you, but to play devil's advocate we are sort of lucky that we've only had two of the "challenge" contestants win (J.R. who I forgot on my original list & Nyle). If I've forgotten anyone else. who fits that bill...I apologize.

I think the reason we haven't had more than two is because they've usually come in most of the time with very limited fan bases (I mean, there were a lot of ESPN fans who barely knew who Victoria Arlen was and that was her primary place of work). If the quote unquote "challenge" contestant was also the most popular (or even just a reasonable level of popular and well known)....then that's basically a wrap. The season would be the most anti-climatic thing ever.

I have no problem with a challenge contestant.....but it just seems more and more I have no idea who half these contestants are and I have to Google them. In the past, I used to at least recognize most of the names. These days I've never even heard of most of these people when the cast is announced.

[madpsych78]

IMHO, J.R. Martinez was legitimately the best dancer of his season (better than Rob Kardashian and Ricki Lake) and I don't know that he would have been a drastically different dancer without his challenges. 

Nyle was good given his challenges, but was not the best dancer of his season. Paige Van Zant was better and Jodie Sweetin was better as well. 

I feel like the show played up Bonner's sex appeal more than the challenges that he experienced when he broke his neck, because I hardly remembered that he had challenges. Plus, Terra Jole was in Bonner's season. 

I would say that the only other "challenge" contestant who I felt was good enough to win, yet who didn't, was Amy Purdy. She was legitimately good (Derek or no Derek), but lost because she was on the same season as Meryl.

[Toonces464]

1 hour ago, madpsych78 said:

Nyle was good given his challenges, but was not the best dancer of his season. Paige Van Zant was better and Jodie Sweetin was better as well. 

I will always have a problem with Nyle's win because he had two pros teaching him that season.