S23: Ryan Lochte: Just Keep Swimming

[radishcake]

Quote

Ryan Steven Lochte is an American competitive swimmer and a 12-time Olympic medalist, which ranks him second in swimming behind Michael Phelps. His seven individual Olympic medals rank near the top in men's swimming.

 

[mtlchick]

As soon as it became clear that he lied about the robbery, I wrote in the Olympics thread that DWTS would be calling immediately.  And so the "redemption" tour kicks into high gear.  I am intrigued how is Cheryl (welcome back!) is going to deal with his frat boy persona.

[legaleagle53]

1 minute ago, mtlchick said:

As soon as it became clear that he lied about the robbery, I wrote in the Olympics thread that DWTS would be calling immediately.  And so the "redemption" tour kicks into high gear.  I am intrigued how is Cheryl (welcome back!) is going to deal with his frat boy persona.

She or Anna would be the ones I would have picked for him because neither of them would put up with his bullcrap for a second.  I've seen how Cheryl in particular acts when she gets a slacker or someone who gives her attitude, and it's not pretty.  It's the one thing she won't tolerate in a student.

[vavera4ka]

I was really against Lochte getting a redemption tour with DWTS, but when I heard Cheryl is his partner I laughed with my evil laugh. Oh that will be glorious: watching her whip him into shape (not physical obviously, he's still an Olympic athlete after all lol)...

this will be fun to watch... no bullshit will be tolerated...

[tarotx]

I knew he would be on too and wouldn't have been shocked for his casting even before the scandal.

He loves himself and wants to win but he's one of these men who will forever act like a frat boy. I Love Cheryl though so we'll see how it goes. 

[LizDC]

Ryan couldn't have become an Olympic level athlete without some sort of discipline and self-control in his life. Maybe he'll be able to reign in his overgrown frat boy ways to access that discipline and self-control again.  

[Dancingjaneway]

I have a feeling after this season Cheryl will stay away for good. Ugh Lochte is such a douche. 

[tarotx]

2 hours ago, LizDC said:

Ryan couldn't have become an Olympic level athlete without some sort of discipline and self-control in his life. Maybe he'll be able to reign in his overgrown frat boy ways to access that discipline and self-control again.  

 

 

Oh he'll train and dance the best he can but he'll still do and say stupid frat "guy" stuff because it's his personality. 

[SnarkyTart]

Good luck to Cheryl!  This pairing reminds me of Andy Dick and Sharna.  I hated Andy before his redemption arc on DWTS, but I ended up liking him and how committed he was to improving his image.

Edited August 30, 2016 by SnarkyTart
typo

[Hoi Polloi]

As a swimming fan (not just during the Olympics) I am really interested to see how Ryan does.  Given his recent antics it will understandably be difficult for people to believe but he really isn't anything like his image, except he does like to party.  He trains very hard and is genuinely a nice guy.  He is known for giving all of his medals (except Olympic) to children and signing autographs for hours for anyone who asks.  He's beautiful to watch in the water but I'm not sure he is as graceful on land. 

[smiley13]

I am interested to see how he does.  Perhaps Ryan and Cheryl will hit it off.  Isn't she a big party girl?

[RemoteControl88]

1 hour ago, Hoi Polloi said:

As a swimming fan (not just during the Olympics) I am really interested to see how Ryan does.  Given his recent antics it will understandably be difficult for people to believe but he really isn't anything like his image, except he does like to party.  He trains very hard and is genuinely a nice guy.  He is known for giving all of his medals (except Olympic) to children and signing autographs for hours for anyone who asks.  He's beautiful to watch in the water but I'm not sure he is as graceful on land. 

I'm a swimming fan also. I always loved watching him race.  He's an amazing athlete and very generous to kids.  Outside of the pool he was hit or miss with me personality wise.  I figure alot of dwts fans have already made up their minds about him but I'm willing to give him a chance.  Glad he got Cheryl... she's the perfect pro for him.  And since she's coming back I hope the love for Cheryl will at least carry them for a few weeks.  If Lochte doesn't make a good impression to America by then...he's toast.

I don't think he's this lazy/surfer/slacker type. His work ethic (from how he trained for the Olympics) is strong. I just question his dance ability. Also the double jointed-ness (is that a word???) in his knees which is great for his dolphin kicks...could be problematic for dancing....also he's somewhat injury prone...

[Ananayel]

I've always liked him, and I'm going to watch and root for him. If Phelps can come back from not one, but two DUIs, and rehab, there's no reason Lochte can't come back from this, if he treats it like a wake-up call and sorts out his priorities. Sure, he's not the brightest bulb on the chandelier, but he's never seemed mean or malicious. He's just terrible at interviews, though, which I think is a part of his image problem.

[Princess Sparkle]

27 minutes ago, RemoteControl88 said:

I don't think he's this lazy/surfer/slacker type. His work ethic (from how he trained for the Olympics) is strong. I just question his dance ability. Also the double jointed-ness (is that a word???) in his knees which is great for his dolphin kicks...could be problematic for dancing....also he's somewhat injury prone...

Yeah, I think his kind of "bro-y" (for lack of a better term) personality makes people think he's a slacker, but you don't win 12 Olympic medals without a strong work ethic. Not to mention that at that level, you're extremely competitive, which doesn't allow you to slack off.  If he does poorly, it'll be because he's not a good dancer, but I doubt it will be from lack of effort. 

I'm also a bit (ok, a lot) shallow - I want at least one shirtless dance from him. If he dances in a speedo, I'll even figure out how to vote. 

[smiley13]

34 minutes ago, Ananayel said:

I've always liked him, and I'm going to watch and root for him. If Phelps can come back from not one, but two DUIs, and rehab, there's no reason Lochte can't come back from this, if he treats it like a wake-up call and sorts out his priorities. Sure, he's not the brightest bulb on the chandelier, but he's never seemed mean or malicious. He's just terrible at interviews, though, which I think is a part of his image problem.

I will be pulling for him as well.  He is one of the few this season who interests me.

[jjj]

1 hour ago, Ananayel said:

I've always liked him, and I'm going to watch and root for him. If Phelps can come back from not one, but two DUIs, and rehab, there's no reason Lochte can't come back from this, if he treats it like a wake-up call and sorts out his priorities. Sure, he's not the brightest bulb on the chandelier, but he's never seemed mean or malicious. He's just terrible at interviews, though, which I think is a part of his image problem.

The big difference is that Phelps was able to come back in triumph in his sport after years of relentless training.  Lochte is not going to have his redemption in swimming because of his age and the sanctions that are coming.  He can come back as a court jester on DWTS and reality shows, if that is what he wants to be remembered for.  

[BW Manilowe]

11 hours ago, mtlchick said:

As soon as it became clear that he lied about the robbery, I wrote in the Olympics thread that DWTS would be calling immediately.  And so the "redemption" tour kicks into high gear.  I am intrigued how is Cheryl (welcome back!) is going to deal with his frat boy persona.

Ryan was booked before the robbery/false charges scandal, according to the producers. It's mentioned in other, more general, season threads & I read the same thing elsewhere earlier today.

Edited August 31, 2016 by BW Manilowe
Fixed a spacing issue.

[Ananayel]

1 hour ago, jjj said:

The big difference is that Phelps was able to come back in triumph in his sport after years of relentless training.  Lochte is not going to have his redemption in swimming because of his age and the sanctions that are coming.  He can come back as a court jester on DWTS and reality shows, if that is what he wants to be remembered for.  

I don't think he can come back in swimming to the heights Phelps did. Michael Phelps is some sort of freak of nature. And I think Lochte talking about Tokyo after his races but before the international incident was more bravado than anything else. But I don't see why he couldn't get one more year, maybe two, maybe some National or World medals, and go out on a high note. Not as high as Phelps, but certainly higher than this. He'd have to really knuckle down, train through his suspension - and train smart, not just hard, and knock off the party-boy antics. In short, he'd have to finally grow up.

[bantering]

I seriously doubt Lochte is lazy. Even if he's 32 and won't be able to compete in the next Olympics, he was good enough to pass the Olympic trials this time around to actually get to the Olympics, which suggests to me that he takes his competitive training seriously. I don't think any athlete can compete for the USA and be sucky at the sport they're in. He might be as dumb as a doorknob, but that has nothing to do with physical conditioning. Whether he can actually dance is another story, but I can't picture him being lazy at all -- not with 12 medals, and being on the same team as Phelps to win the relay.  The USA swimmers always have pressure on them to win the relay, and if he wasn't pulling his weight they wouldn't have him on there.

If Lochte does turn out to be lazy (I suppose anything is possible), I'll admit to being shocked, because I don't see how you can get to the level he's at competitively by being lazy, no matter how naturally gifted he might be. Also, Olympic athletes have determination and competitive streaks that go beyond normal.

Whenever I've seen athletes do badly on this show, it's because they have a weird attitude (the runner that talked about her virginity all the time?), not because they're lazy or don't know how to train properly.

Edited August 31, 2016 by bantering

[kili]

Quote

The big difference is that Phelps was able to come back in triumph in his sport after years of relentless training

Technically, it was more like a year of relentless training. Phelps was arrested for his second DUI in the fall of 2014 and suspended from swimming until August of last year.  The big difference between Phelps and Lochte is that Phelps' scandal occurred in an off year when few people paid any attention to swimming and then a year later there was an Olympics at which he could triumph. Lochte 'planned' his scandal poorly because it occurred when the world was watching and he has four years to go before another Olympics by which time he will be quite old (for an Olympic swimmer).  Imagine reversing the timing of those two scandals...

Realistically, Lochte probably won't be able to triumph at another Olympics. So, he's using DWTS to help rehabilitate his image. If he works hard and stops being idiotic, it could happen. People have come back from worse scandals.

[Phebemarie]

I agree.  It's in his best interest monetarily to do well on DWTS.  I'm sure his agent is telling him to work hard, be humble, and try to charm.  Michael Vick came back from a horrible scandal to play again.  Anything is possible.

[kitcloudkicker]

I'm less concerned about his scandal and worth ethic, and more concerned about how he stiffens right up, and is awkward and wooden any time I've seen him on camera and out of the pool. Even before Rio. Especially when he had "acting" jobs after the last Olympics. He seems unable to let go and do that unselfconscious thing where you just move. I feel like it's gonna be bad.

[treeofdreams]

I don't follow the Olympics or swimming, so I have only a vague impression of the "scandal".  Could someone please summarize what happened for me?  Thanks.

[choclatechip45]

My main problem with Ryan is that by doing DWTS just shows he wants attention which is what got him into this scandal in the first place. I think the producers should have moved him to the next season. The main difference with Phelps is that after his DUI/Rehab stint is that the only time I heard anything about before this past spring was that person who claimed to have a relationship with him and his engagement. He wasn't going on reality shows trying to get more attention. 

[vavera4ka]

16 hours ago, kitcloudkicker said:

I'm less concerned about his scandal and worth ethic, and more concerned about how he stiffens right up, and is awkward and wooden any time I've seen him on camera and out of the pool. Even before Rio. Especially when he had "acting" jobs after the last Olympics. He seems unable to let go and do that unselfconscious thing where you just move. I feel like it's gonna be bad.

swimmers went out to party, got drunk, were coming back late, stopped at a gas station to pee, didn't use bathroom, instead peed on the wall. There was some vandalism, the extent is not clear. Owner of the gas station called security. Gun pointing happened, guys gave money they had to "cover damages".

When they came back for some reason (embarrassed, drunk, afraid of what mom or gf would say) they made up a story that they were robbed at gun point. They didn't go to media with that, but Lochte's mom did. It started the whole shitstorm. Passports were arrested, people pulled off the plane, multi-thousands dollar fines... But Lochte was happy and safe in US by then, sticking to robbery story for a while.

[legaleagle53]

2 hours ago, vavera4ka said:

swimmers went out to party, got drunk, were coming back late, stopped at a gas station to pee, didn't use bathroom, instead peed on the wall. There was some vandalism, the extent is not clear. Owner of the gas station called security. Gun pointing happened, guys gave money they had to "cover damages".

When they came back for some reason (embarrassed, drunk, afraid of what mom or gf would say) they made up a story that they were robbed at gun point. They didn't go to media with that, but Lochte's mom did. It started the whole shitstorm. Passports were arrested, people pulled off the plane, multi-thousands dollar fines... But Lochte was happy and safe in US by then, sticking to robbery story for a while.

I think you meant this in response to treeofdreams, but that's basically the scandal in a nutshell.

[vavera4ka]

22 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

I think you meant this in response to treeofdreams, but that's basically the scandal in a nutshell.

oops yeah.

I'd blame morning and lack of caffeine, but it was around noon lol

[treeofdreams]

Thanks for the info!

[crowceilidh]

Re: the scandal  USA Today seems to have actual sent a journalist to investigate what happened.  It seems like there really has been a public lynching of Lochte's character that might be out of step with what actually transpired -- a little bit of character assassination on Lochte due to the incestuous scooping of other people's accounts that mostly passes for journalism these days:

Lochte article

Edited September 6, 2016 by crowceilidh
typo

[DancingD]

But no one is going to read the articles that say that Lochte's account is closer to the truth than the Rio police's . He has been deemed a scumbag in the social media, and a scumbag he will stay.

[Uke]

31 minutes ago, crowceilidh said:

Re: the scandal  USA Today seems to have actual sent a journalist to investigate what happened.  It seems like there really has been a public lynching of Lochte's character that might be out of step with what actually transpired -- a ittle bit of character assassination on Lochte due to the incestuous scooping of other people's accounts that mostly passes for journalism these days:

Lochte article

Thanks for the link. I just read the entire story. At the time, while everyone was still in Rio, CNN had a reporter go over to the gas station and reported basically the same thing - only a sign was damaged, no damage to the bathroom or anything else. Also the video released was edited, leaving a 3-minute gap.  But at the time, all these reporters wanted was for Lochte to "confess" and apologize for allegations.  But the CNN story  I saw only aired once (unlike how they usually repeat everything a dozen times).  All just a rush to judgment.

So, either the 4 swimmers have paid $10,400 (earlier reports) or $11,075 per the USAToday report and now there's a possible threat to his international travel unless: "So he should just apologize and pay the fine and that’s it."  How much more should he have to pay?  The whole thing sounds like a shake-down, first by the off-duty prison guards/security guards and then by the authority who took the $10k-$11k "for charity".

[simplyme]

4 hours ago, DancingD said:

But no one is going to read the articles that say that Lochte's account is closer to the truth than the Rio police's . He has been deemed a scumbag in the social media, and a scumbag he will stay.

You realize there's also the possibility that he is both a scumbag AND he was held up in Rio?  Scumbag is admittedly harsh. My opinion of Lochte prior to Rio was "arrogant, entitled dick with fewer active brain cells than a turkey." It's pretty much the same after. I can't be shocked that there were shenanigans with the investigation, but that doesn't mean I suddenly think Lochte's a saint. To me the truth of what happened is not really tied to someone's moral character.

That said, the question for DWTS is "Can he dance?" followed immediately by "Can he dance without annoying the bejesus out of me?" People I've been predisposed to dislike have won my votes before, so we shall see.

[boyznkatz]

I never really liked him, before or after the Rio incident. While I don't believe he deserves to go to jail, he is a dick and should be treated as such. Poor Cheryl!

[Hoi Polloi]

For those of you who thought even before Rio that Ryan is arrogant and a dick, I am curious as to why you think that.  He is not viewed that way in the world of competitive swimming.  He trains hard, is friendly to the other swimmers, great with fans especially children and kind of a big goofball.  He is not articulate, but not stupid either.  

[kitcloudkicker]

13 minutes ago, Hoi Polloi said:

For those of you who thought even before Rio that Ryan is arrogant and a dick, I am curious as to why you think that.  He is not viewed that way in the world of competitive swimming.  He trains hard, is friendly to the other swimmers, great with fans especially children and kind of a big goofball.  He is not articulate, but not stupid either.  

I'd say his post-London Olympics media appearances didn't do himself many favors. The grillz, the "Jeah," the reality show, the 30 Rock Sex Idiot appearance. He definitely promoted himself (or let himself be promoted) as "Idiot Frat Boy." "Idiot Frat Boy" and "Douchbag" are synonymous for a lot of people. (See article written in 2012: http://jezebel.com/5931055/10-reasons-ryan-lochte-is-americas-sexiest-douchebag )

[Uke]

The USOC and USA swimming have doled out their penalty: a 10 month suspension and also he's banned from the 2017 world championships which are after the ban ends on 6/30/2017.  I thought they might wait until after the Rio legal system sorts things out but I guess not. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2016/09/07/ryan-lochte-ban-suspension-swimming-world-championships-budapest-2017/89984722/

Edited September 8, 2016 by Uke

[boyznkatz]

19 hours ago, kitcloudkicker said:

I'd say his post-London Olympics media appearances didn't do himself many favors. The grillz, the "Jeah," the reality show, the 30 Rock Sex Idiot appearance. He definitely promoted himself (or let himself be promoted) as "Idiot Frat Boy." "Idiot Frat Boy" and "Douchbag" are synonymous for a lot of people. (See article written in 2012: http://jezebel.com/5931055/10-reasons-ryan-lochte-is-americas-sexiest-douchebag )

Agreed, and the stupid silver hair didn't do him any favors either. He just comes off as an attention whore, and that never looks good on anyone.

[simplyme]

On 9/7/2016 at 1:06 PM, Hoi Polloi said:

For those of you who thought even before Rio that Ryan is arrogant and a dick, I am curious as to why you think that.

It was a whole bunch of comments like these (all said during his reality show, because it was what I could find to quote on short notice :P):

On taking all of his dates to the same restaurant: “It might be the same place, might be the same table but it’s a different girl." 

On his 11 victories at the [London] Olympics (5 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze): “I don’t even remember what I got at the Olympics."

“Going out, trying to look for a date, I don’t really have to do that. They come to me."

Granted, those can be interpreted multiple ways, and it WAS a reality show. I'll simply say my opinion accumulated over time based on seeing things he said and did.

If a woman talked about dating men the way he has, or tried to wear a $25k grill on her teeth on the medal stand in the London Olympics, or did any number of things he has, she'd have been absolutely crucified, not considered the human equivalent of a golden retriever.

I did say scumbag was too harsh. I don't think the guy's evil. But yes, as others pointed out, he certainly was marketed in a way that read as arrogant, entitled dick in some ways to some of us. (Also, he comes across very poorly in interviews. Wow.)

Please note: I do think he is disciplined, talented, and hard-working at swimming. I'm sure he probably has a number of good traits, as humans tend not to be moral black and white. That's why I also pointed out that I'm waiting to see how he does on DWTS, and that people I've disliked before have won my votes. I'm certainly aware that my perception is not necessarily reality. :)

[Hoi Polloi]

Thank you for answering my question about why you thought Ryan was arrogant and a dick.  I totally get what you are saying.  He is absolutely not articulate and can come across badly in interviews, unless he's talking about swimming to interviewers he knows.  

The grills started out as Ryan being silly most likely to ward off his disappointment at always finishing 2nd to Phelps.  When you can't be the king you become the jester I guess.  Here is a video of the first time Ryan wore the grills in 2007.  Phelps is dying of laughter.  

I think Ryan was trying to be modest when he said he couldn't remember all of his Olympic medals.  But I can see where that, and his cockiness about dating, would be viewed negatively.

Glad you are going to give him a chance on DWTS.  

[bantering]

At times, I've thought of Lochte as being kind of dumb on purpose (albeit in a hilarious  way, like when he talks about a jumping banana in his head  -- what with the what?),   but he's generally struck me as being fairly nice too. Oddly enough, I can't really articulate why he seems nice  (I have no anecdotes of him feeding starving orphans to back up my observation) -- maybe it's his eyes or something. They seem kind of sweet.

Lochte was smart enough not to get caught naked alongside Prince Harry when they partied together in Las Vegas and Harry asked to race against him (it was around that time, I believe, that a bunch of people took naked pics of the Prince at  a party and sold them). Therefore,  I'll admit I'm a little baffled as to how he managed to land in this Rio mess. I vaguely remember Lochte saying that he didn't want to get caught up in that kind of trouble  when asked about the Prince, because he knew that sort of thing would be bad for him. During his time with Prince Harry,  he seemed shrewd enough to know how to handle certain issues of decorum and propriety despite his goofiness. And I do remember thinking that if Ryan Lochte of all people was smart enough not to get caught naked on a cell phone, why couldn't Prince Harry?

Edited September 9, 2016 by bantering

[legaleagle53]

He and Cheryl will be dancing the Foxtrot to "Call Me Irresponsible" on Monday.  Clearly, the music monkeys on this show have a sense of humor!

[DollEyes]

On 9/1/2016 at 0:20 PM, choclatechip45 said:

My main problem with Ryan is that by doing DWTS just shows he wants attention which is what got him into this scandal in the first place. I think the producers should have moved him to the next season. The main difference with Phelps is that after his DUI/Rehab stint is that the only time I heard anything about before this past spring was that person who claimed to have a relationship with him and his engagement. He wasn't going on reality shows trying to get more attention. 

Bingo. More differences between Lochte & Phelps is that when Phelps got in trouble, he immediately took responsibility for his actions (not that he had much choice, in fairness), didn't throw his teammates under the bus when he got caught, he went away, got himself together and turned his life around off-screen. 

  Lochte may have been smart enough not to get caught in the same scandal as Prince Harry, but, as Lochte has proven time and time again, that moment proved to be the exception, not the rule.  As for the show, Lochte might last a couple of weeks for the trainwreck factor, but I don't see him making the Semi-Finals, let alone winning. 

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎8‎/‎30‎/‎2016 at 11:04 AM, LizDC said:

Ryan couldn't have become an Olympic level athlete without some sort of discipline and self-control in his life. Maybe he'll be able to reign in his overgrown frat boy ways to access that discipline and self-control again.  

I agree.  And Cheryl has said that her favorite partners are athletes.

[bantering]

Quote

 Lochte may have been smart enough not to get caught in the same scandal as Prince Harry, but, as Lochte has proven time and time again, that moment proved to be the exception, not the rule.  As for the show, Lochte might last a couple of weeks for the trainwreck factor, but I don't see him making the Semi-Finals, let alone winning. 

Isn't this the only scandal he's  been caught in? Prior to what happened in Rio, I can't recall him getting into trouble for anything. Before Rio,  I never had the mental association of scandal with the name Ryan Lochte. Air-headedness, yeah, but not actual scandal.

I do commend Phelps for turning things around, but he was on his second DUI when he got suspended.  There were several years that elapsed between both DUIs but given the dangerous consequences of drunk driving it would have been nice if the second one hadn't happened.

Opinions on athletes change from year to year. I vaguely remember everyone being all up in arms when Phelps was caught smoking marijuana to the point that he had to issue an apology about his "regrettable behavior" to keep his sponsorship contracts out of danger, but now everyone seems sort of laid-back about what happened (I didn't care then and I don't care now, but everyone else made a big deal about how he was representing himself as an athlete). 

 

Lochte said on Ellen he thought perhaps the timing of doing Dancing with the Stars was a little too soon and questioned whether it was the right thing to do, but he said he had signed to the show before the scandal happened.

Edited September 13, 2016 by bantering

[vavera4ka]

he looked good in that white suit.

also to his luck, the worst part of the performance was the singing, he as a non-dancer was MUCH better than a professional singer butchering that song lol

silver lining?

[MissT]

What just happened there?    It seemed serious.   I hope no one was hurt.  Someone ran on stage.  

Edited September 13, 2016 by MissT

[FormerMod-a1]

Seems like some jackass was escorted out.

[Fostersmom]

Carrie Ann looked really freaked out. I will give ABC props for managing to not show the lunatic screaming at Ryan. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I wonder if there was more than yelling, like maybe trying to rush the stage, or pee on him (which I don't think, but trying to think of things people would do), or something.

[McManda]

Hopefully whoever rushed the floor thinks the attempted assault charges are worth it. Because Ryan Lochte is not worth it (and hardly the worst person they've ever had on the show).

Edited September 13, 2016 by McManda